Bike Race Photos

Cross Season Is about 6 Weeks Away. Are you ready? I’m not, but I have 6 weeks to get there.

Training for Cyclocross

If you are coming into it with a good road race or mtn bike base then you can do well with only 5-10 hrs of training a week. I turn down the volume and up the intensity.

Recommended cyclocross work-outs

1) Mount and Dismount training… Practice, practice, practice. When I first started racing I would work on my mount and dismount 3-4 days a week. You will loose or gain so much in a race depending on how fast or slow you can get on and off your bike.
2) Quick Start Intervals: From a complete stop with your foot out of the pedal go as hard as you can for 30-60 seconds. Do 5-20 of these with 1 minute rests in between. Come to a complete stop before each one. The start in cross is very important. You want to go into that 1st barrier or run-up top 5. Crashes and log-jams happen on the 1st lap.
3) Cruise Intervals: at your LT (when you feel the burn in your legs) do 2, 10-30 min intervals with a 3-5 min rest in between. This simulates race pace.
4) 1 Minute On 1 Minute Off Intervals: go as hard as you can for 1 minute, rest 1 minute and repeat. Make sure you are ON for 10-30 mins. Cross races can be like road races with drafting and attacking. To move to the next group up the road or to drop the group you are with, these intervals are key.
5) Run: run at a moderate pace for 20-30 mins. Get the legs ready for the little running that is involved in cross.
6) Hill/Stair Intervals: find a 10-30second set of stairs or hill and do running repeats up these. Do 10-20 of these. Or, if the weather is bad, go to the club and hop on the stair-climber and turn it up as fast as it will go.
7) Yoga and Core Exercises: Cross is hard!

base running….mondays are no longer a rest day

My mom sent this to me today.

The sight, the feel, of
a muscle where you
never knew one existed.

That sense of confidence
that comes from
physical competence.

The visceral experience
of a team being greater
than the sum of its parts.

The courage to put it
ALL on the line.

That experience of
surviving and thriving
after a failure…even a
very public one.

The unmatched job of a
race well-run, a match
well-played, a victory
hard-won.

I think this one is the greatest

That experience of
surviving and thriving
after a failure…even a
very public one.

If I quit racing after a bad race, I would have never experienced the thrill and sense of accomplishment that racing brings to my life. My philosophy now is “there is always another race”.

PARIS, Jul 30 (CP) – The Tour de France might be over, but the doping scandals are not. Next to have been caught appears to be Spaniard Iban Mayo Diez, who tested positive on the second rest day.

What: Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships
When: Sat., Sun. November 11-12 2007
Where: Portland, Oregon (where else?)
Why: If we don’t, the terrorists have won.
More info: Check www.sscxwc.com
Contact: danid@rivercitybicycles.com

Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships in Portland Oregon
November 11-12, 2007. Portland Single Speed Collective will host the inaugural World Championships in conjunction with a Cross Crusade event.

Day One, Saturday, will include a qualifying Time Trial, possibly the first cyclocross time trial ever attempted. Time bonuses given for Sketchy aero bar descending, saddle-less lap, saddle-less aero bar laps, steep hill climb, 6-pack bunny hopping and others.

Day Two, Sunday, is the Grand Boucle of Single Speed Cross, a 60-minute race around the notorious Estacada Bowl. One woman, one man will be crowned Single Speed Cyclocross World Champion.

Prizes: Vanilla bicycles custom cross frame, a World Champion rainbow Speedo, custom designed tattoo.

Online registration will be available. Check www.sscxwc.com

Salida Crit today. After yesterday’s horrible performance I was determined to get back to the love of racing. The crit was a downtown technical crit so the crowds and atmosphere was perfect for racing. I was active early in traditional Wah style and rode at the front the whole race. The 3s make me a little nervous, but it’s not so bad in the front. I got into a couple breaks and having teammates in the race was great. Lance and Casey ride similarly to me and like to attack and get in breaks. So, we gave them the 1,2,3 punch and threw in a bunch of attacks, but nothing was sticking. At least we tried. I don’t think I could ever just sit in and wait for the sprint… too much A.D.D. I want to leave it all out there and I did today. I was never under pressure or on the rivet. 5 laps to go I moved into the top 5 and was going for a result. The heat was taking a toll on me today. The mountains make you strong in some ways and weak in others. I’ve seen 80 only a handful of times this summer up here and the temps are usually mid 70s with nice cool 40s for sleeping at night. So, when the temps top 80 I don’t feel very good. Anyway, no breaks were sticking and 3 guys went with 5 to go and I was at the front and could have gone with them, but I was starting to feel like shit and almost thought about quitting until I looked down and saw HARDEN THE FUCK UP and knew that I could dig deep and finish even though I was feeling light-headed. I let the 3 go because I thought we would chase them down. I should have went. We didn’t catch them until the last corner on the last lap and they all got great results. I rolled in somewhere in the top 20 but the love of racing came back today. Ended up 17th.

I love crits and with all the mountain biking and unfocused riding, I’ve lost the snap that makes me a crit guy. Enough of the nonsense, I’m focusing the rest of the season on crits and cross. I’ll do the rest of the local mtn series, but with no expectations except for the work. I came home from the last one depressed and Peggy said “why do you care, you hate mtn biking” She nailed it.

Also on the way home from the race I listed to a Steve Larsen interview on Competitor’s Radio. If you are looking for a great podcast, give it a listen. I’m now a Steve Larsen fan. Most of you know him as a road and mtn bike racer, but some of you probably don’t know that he won an Iron Man and was 9th in the Kona Iron Man. He said he killed everyone on the bike and that gave him so much of a lead that he could “get by” in the swim and run. He said he was only running 6-9 miles a week and that the first time he ran a marathon was his first Iron Man win and the 2nd time was in Kona. The next year he tried to focus on his weakness swimming and running and his times were slower and he wasn’t gaining time on the bike sections. So, for now I’m focusing on my strengths.

The crit today brought my love for cycling back. Why? The crit was fast and technical. There is nothing like doing 35-40mph ripping around a bumpy tight corner with 70 guys bar to bar. There was a crash in the last lap, my teammate went down, but when you are ahead of the crash there is nothing like the sound of metal on pavement and the smell of freshly burned road rash to kick you in the pants and step on the gas. I felt so comfortable and confident in the corners today.

176 ave HR, 191 max HR

25.3 ave speed

697 calories

crits and cross, crits and cross, crits and cross, crits and cross, crits and cross, crits and cross, crits and cross, crits and cross, crits and cross, crits and cross, crits and cross, crits and cross, crits and cross, REPEAT AFTER ME! focus, focus, focus, focus, focus, focus, focus, focus, focus, focus, focus, focus, focus, focus,

Bode is

Salida road race is the hardest road I’ve ever done. 1st lap blown up, chase back and catch on, 2nd lap ditto, 3rd lap…this sucks. I’m not doing this for 6 laps and call it a day. Wake up at 4:30am to put yourself through the worst hell you can imagine… that’s not fun, THIS is.
I guess I need to Harden The Fuck Up. A wise coach once told me to focus on what you do well. I’m not a hard man road racer. I prefer crits and cross. I may never do anything else from this point on. Life is short, enjoy the ride.

Colombian Juan Mauricio Soler may be the next rider involved in a doping scandal. Danish media report that the Barloworld rider tested positive after stage fourteen.

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