Rancho-de-Nelson

Pretty good weekend this time around. On Saturday, I went up to Rancho-de-Nelson with Brynna and the pooch in tow so that B-girl could see the grand parents and Chance and I could see some trail time. It was about 35deg when we left so I wasn’t too sure what the trails would be like. There was about 3-4” of snow cover so there was the potential that it would be an neverending slog through wet snow and muck. Thankfully, for the most part, the ground underneath was firm enough to allow forward progress. Some of the hills were a bit formidable but just about everything was rideable. Not fast, mind you, but rideable. After about 1:45 of trail time and one extremely jammed chain that I needed to use a big stick to remove we rolled back into base camp. Chance and my parents dog Pete were sorry campers by this point and spent the remainder of the day playing dead.



















Sunday was spent at the inlaws but upon returning I popped a disc of “24” season three that we had received from netflix into the dvd player and rode the trainer through two action packed episodes. Its great to be able to get in you couch potato and trainer time all at once and shows like 24 have enough action to keep you motivated and you tend to find yourself picking up the pace without knowing it during exciting scenes.

I didn't get a chance to pick up my dos niner parts this weekend but hope to get over there sometime this week to pick up what has come in. I need to start building the wheels soon since it usually takes me about 2 weeks per given my time constraints and lack of skill. I usually end up with a good wheel but it takes a bit-o-time.

Can you say mucus?

Still sick damnit!  I did manage to get out for a walk yesterday afternoon and this morning to clear my head but that is about it.  Head colds suck but at least I’m not doing my impression of a double ended party favor like I did a month or so ago.  That was pure agony, but at least it was over with quickly.  I actually got a full nights sleep last night since wifey took the bullet with Brynna last night for me.

Yesterday was uneventful. I got a nice 30 min hike in with the pooch in the a.m., came home from work and did a cyclo-core workout while listening for the baby (who we're trying our damndest to get to sleep in her crib) and then got in another 40 mins of trainer/stretching afterwards while B-girl slept. Not exactly building a huge base right now but at least I know that when things start to work out and I'm able to get longer rides in, my body should be ready for it. I should at least have strong legs and core muscles considering these cyclo-core workouts are kicking my ass.

Seem to be coming down with a head cold right now, cough, stuffy, congested, sore throat. You name it up there and I've got it. Not being able to get a full nights sleep doesn't help matters either when it comes to kicking this sucker. Oh well, such is life.

Gonna be picking up a bunch of the parts for the Dos Niner this weekend. Can't wait.

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No time today so here is a link from my friend and yours JMA Joe.
euphemisms . I especially like the comedic porn names at the bottom of the page.

He was too much of a “Fertile Delta” to post it himself.

ss sunday

I missed out on some really nice riding days recently but yesterday was able to squeeze in almost 2 hrs on the ss road rig with mad mike.  With me having big fat cyclo-cross tires on pumped to 60 psi and he having nice skinny road tires pumped to 100 psi, I had a bit of trouble keeping up but it turned out to be a nice hard ride with lots of high intensity bursts and plenty of medium intensity grinding.  I’m really digging the Van Dessel right now but it was in desperate need of some tlc so after the ride, I trued both wheels, lubed the chain, adjusted the brakes and attached the rear fender more securely.  Eventually I’d like to replace the canti brakes, they are rip-offs from my brother’s first mountain bike I believe and this bike deserves better.  I may end up putting a set of v’s on that I’m not using anymore.  They’re probably overkill for a bike like this but I’d rather have overkill and underkill as I do now.

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While doing research for my DAMNelsons post today about nursery rhymes, I came across this beauty.

I love little pussy,Her coat is so warm,And if I don't hurt her,She'll do me no harm.So I'll not pull her tail,Nor drive her away,But pussy and I,Very gently will play.

Apparently this rhyme turns up in most major nursery rhyme books.  With stuff like this out there, it makes me wonder if what is on tv these days is so bad afterall.

On a cycling note, time was tight last night so I ended up doing the cyclo-core workout for 40 mins. while watching Brynna followed up by a 20 min spin on the trainer to finish things off.  This morning I was able to squeeze in most of the cyclo-core ab workout after my am jog with the pooch.  Hopefully this weekend will turn out nice so I can get a few road miles in as well.

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Awesome ride yesterday.  Over the weekend we got a bunch of rain and then on Saturday night, the rain turned to sleet for several hours.  The after effect was about an inch of dense cover over the nice solid, frozen tundra.  The sleet on the ground had the look and sound of a sheet of Styrofoam and the only way that I can think to describe the sensation of riding on it is that it felt sort of like skiing on freshly groomed corduroy.  Everything felt effortless and turning grip rocked!  On some of the trails that consist mostly of pine needles, it was much easier and quicker to take the turns last night than it was all summer.  Interesting effect.  The single track sections totally rocked and I actually looped around a couple to do twice, they were so much fun.  Some of the double track sections left a bit to be desired because with so little snow cover the hoarfrost was out in force causing some pretty tough riding in sections.  Some sections were made even more interesting because of the amount of rain that we’ve received lately that is now ice.  It can be sketchy going downhill on a stream but its fun as hell to try to ride up one.  Of course, I roll most of the winter on a set of Nokian studded tires from our friends at Bikeman.  The one bummer on the ride was that at about 1:20 into the ride, my light started to go dim.  The light used to go for 2+ hours no problem but I guess I have been using it for 3-4 years now so the battery is probably just tired.  Thankfully I have almost $250 in gift certificates to LLBean where I bought the light originally so maybe I’ll get a replacement there.

Nothing good

Nothing to write about so here is today’s work menu:

1 plum
3 granny smith apples
10 prunes
Large handful of baby carrots
Quiche (homemade by marcy last night with spinach, turkey bacon and mushrooms)
Small handful of mixed nuts
1 non-fat yogurt
1 chocolate biscotti

Overall it’s a pretty healthy menu except of course for the biscotti and the bacon but you’ve gotta cut yourself some slack right?  If I don’t have a little something every day, I’ll end up pigging out and really screwing the pooch.

Speaking of the pooch, I plan on taking him down to dodge point tonight.  I don’t usually go there because of all of the hikers but this time of year, they’ve cleared out by 5 since its pitch black out by then.  Should be fun.

Thinking of doing this race this summer. Wanted to do the Wilderness 101 instead but it doesn't work with my race schedule. Maybe Jason knows of it since its sort of in his neck of the woods. Its put on by the same folks as the W101 which I've heard is great so it could be fun, plus, I've never ridden in PA before. Hmmm, methinks there might be a road trip in order for this summer.

Weekend recap

Another good ride home from work on Friday.  It was about 40 by the time that I hit the road so it was pretty nice.  Of course, with the sun down, the temp started to drop quickly and as a result my choice in hand wear became suspect but otherwise all was good.  The amazing fast dog didn’t chase me this time either but I was ready for him.  He’ll probably wait until some night that I’m not paying attention before he strikes again.  I also set a new p.r. for the ride.  Of course, I’ve only done the ride three times now and I’m still in pretty bad shape so the p.r.’s will probably keep on a-coming.  Didn’t get a chance for any real riding over the weekend but I did get in some trainer time and did the cyclo-core circuit again.  On Sunday, my legs were sore, abs not so much now so I guess I’ll have to kick it up a notch next time.

Laters

Cyclo-core

Wifey, oops I mean Santa, got me the Cyclo-Core DVD/CD's for Christmas. Initially I thought that it would be a video to watch while on the trainer but it turns out that its actually all off the bike exercises designed to build and strengthen your core muscles, legs and upper body and promote flexibility. Its actually turned out to be great. Having the new baby around the house hasn't allowed me to get to the gym in the winter as I usually so but cyclo-core has filled that gap. In anywhere between 15mins and 45 mins you can get one killer workout. The other night I did the ab workout and that dude had me begging for mercy. Seriously, if you can get through that whole workout without taking a rest, you're my hero. I was crying like a little girl. The body weight exercises rock too because all you need is a physioball and floor space. Good deal. It also has a set of workouts using dumbells but to be honest, with how worked I feel after the non-weighted workouts it'll be a while before I try it with weights. Hey, this is starting to sound like an info-mercial isn't it? They actually also have some 12 week offseason training plans that I would love to get my hands on but all my jing right now is going to the dos build. Maybe next year.

Dos Niner Build Kit

Here is the basic build as I see it now.  Some things may change slightly but overall I think that this is it.  Since the team is sponsored by Salsa and SRAM you’ll notice that they are heavily represented in this build.  I haven’t used some of this stuff before but I’m excited to try out the SRAM bits and the disc brakes!

COMPONENT     MAKE
Frame               Salsa Dos Niner  
Hubs               Hope p2
Rims               Salsa Delgado X
Spokes     
Fork               Rock Shox Reba Race
Seatpost   30.6mm     Thompson  
or Salsa shaft
Seat               Flite TT?
Stem               Salsa S.U.L.
Bar               Salsa Moto Ace flat bar
Grips               Salsa Juegos de Fuegos (blk)
Tires               WTB nanoraptor??? 2.1
Schwalbe lil albert??? 2.1
Headset          Chris King
Pedals               Time Atacs
Cables     
Cranks               TruVativ Stylo Team
Chain               SRAM PC-971
Front Der.          SRAM X-Gen
Rear Der.          SRAM XO
Shifters          SRAM XO Twist
Cassette          SRAM PG-990 11-34
Brakes               Avid BB7
Brake levers          Avid Speed Dial SL

Yesterday's commute

Things are looking up. I've actually been able to ride several times in the the last week! Yippee!!! Yesterday, I caught a ride in with wifey on her way to work (my new job is on her way in so we carpool almost every day now. bonus) with the VanDessel so that I could ride home. The weather was just about perfect, roughly 33deg and clear. That's sort of cold but for Maine at this time of year it feels downright balmy. I left the office at 4:45 so I got about 15 minutes of single speed fun before needing to turn the lights on. To be honest I was a bit nervous night road riding this time of year because nobody expects to see a bike out at that time but everybody was great and gave me lots of room. My one scary experience on the ride was at about the midway point (the ride takes 45-50 minutes). I caught a glimpse of motion out of the corner of my eye. It was dark so it was hard to tell for certain what it was. My gut told me that it was a dog running my way to rip my leg off. Turns out I was right. A couple of seconds later a white lab came streaking out of the driveway to my left at full speed about 10 feet from my back wheel. He actually wasn't showing any signs of aggression but I tend not to trust unfamiliar dogs while on the bike plus I needed some interval training so I immediately started to sprint. I sprinted for a good 10 seconds before taking the time to look back. I half expected him to be gone by the time I looked but he was still right there about 10 ft. back. Starting to panic, I put my head down for another 10 seconds. This time when I looked back I was sure that he would be gone but no! That bastard was still there. He had even managed to gain a few feet on me and was probably only 6-8 feet back. Crap, I thought, I can't keep this up much longer. Maybe I should just pull over, expose a leg, let him get a snack and let me be on my way. In a last ditch effort, I put my head down one last time and dug in for another 5 or so seconds. This time when I looked back, the pooch had given up chase and was barely visible. Phew. I honestly don't think that I could have gone again. The rest of the ride was uneventful but it was great to get out.

roughage

With the holidays past and the seemingly endless supply of fudge, cookies and pastries done its time to start dialing in the diet for the upcoming season. I'm working on upping my fiber content (which was fairly high to begin with but who couldn't use a bit more right?) since it helps me to curb my appetite and it scours the innards like a champ. The attached photo is a three bean soup that I make. The original recipe came from the can of one of the beans but I've refined it a bit. The recipe calls for a few pieces of bacon and a bunch of chicken broth that I prefer not to use so I omit the bacon altogether and cut the chicken broth in half and just substitute with more water and some more spices so that it isn't lacking in flavor. Basically its just kidney beans (light and dark) and cannelli beans, sun dried tomatoes, onions and a pant load of spinach. Good stuff and it really fills you up.

Had a great weekend of riding (at least for the winter). I managed to get in an hour on the trainer while watching the pats game. Who would've known that a football game would be such great motivation for the trainer. The hour went by super fast and I was able to work on cadence drills as well as some one footed pedaling to help smooth out that spin.

On Sunday I got to go for a 2+hr mountain bike ride. The trials were all snow covered but not so much that you couldn't ride. The whore frost (is that its real name?) was a bit of an issue in a few areas and caused some magnificent endos but overall the trails were great and we had a blast. The legs should be hurting today.

I also ordered a bunch of parts for the new dos niner on Friday. As it stands, I should be able to outfit the whole bike without a bit of shimano componetry. It'll be my first time useing a bunch of this stuff so I've got my fingers crossed.