June 07, 2009

"The Look"

by: Velophile

With about 300 miles of training under my belt so far this spring, I have found myself looking for that "edge" earlier in the season than usual. The legs are feeling confident; the fitness level feels good even if I am over my end of season weight from last year. I have been managing my heart rate better than ever.

So I think what I am searching for is "The Look". It has been said that Sir Lance possesses this ability, this capacity to simply "Look" at his foes and instill fear to the point of trembling. That "Look" back at Jan Ulrich on L'Alpe D'Huez when Jan could not muster the power and had to watch Lance ride off with his tour title. Now, let's not kid ourselves—Seriously, I will never occupy that look in my portfolio�so, for me, what does that "Look" look like?

I don't race. I don't compete. Or do I? My arena, my peloton is the local charity ride that holds class in session for a wide array of cycling abilities. So why do I need any "Look" at all really?

Then is dawned on me—My look is the will to climb up the brutal hill with a smile, not to complain, but to conquer. My look is to tell my teammates that I am watching out for them at every turn to make sure it is a safe and enjoyable ride. My look is inward, digging deep to push myself when I hit the wall at mile 58 of 75. My look is, well, a smirk on my face when I know I have a ridiculous amount of energy left when I shouldn't. My look is defeat when the wall wins and I get escorted to the finish by good friends. The finish line after 150 miles looks pretty good too, the beer tent when it is all over!

What is your "Look" ?

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JaNuArY 19, 2009

Anticipation of a New Season

by: Velophile

OK… It’s January in Wisconsin…So how could I possibly be pumped up for a new season of Cycling? Well… it might be the return of Lance in the Tour down Under that started today. (I wish Versus could have more than 30 minutes of coverage each day – I’ll take what I can get) I think the real reason is looking at my Specialized Roubaix collecting dust on my bike stand and knowing I need to get back in shape after the Holiday caloric massacre!

So, we moved the furniture in the loft to ready ourselves for the workouts and indoor training that will soon be coming our way. My girlfriend Ptsgrl and I started our “Biggest Loser” competition to start on a road of healthy eating and regular exercise. Not sure what the stakes are yet… We’ll see how the first couple of weeks go.

Then I realized my big, and I mean BIG motivator to train is to climb those hills. I love climbing hills, but with a few extra pounds to carry, going up is a bit more work than before. Don’t get me wrong, I can tuck on the downhills and pass the skinny people like they are standing still… but they get me back on the ups!

So… the loft is clean, and I look at my trainer (an old Mag trainer from Performance Bike) and the flywheel is bent a bit. Could I fix it? Maybe… but this is my chance to get the Cyclops Fluid that I had the pleasure of riding at Crank Daddy’s during one of their indoor sessions! Wow! What a difference… So, the shopping has begun and I should have my prize in the next couple of weeks.

In the mean time, I will get my bike off the wall, give it a good cleaning and tune up and get her ready for the New Season. Once it’s 40 degrees and dry, I will be outside. That will be a couple of months at least, we’ll see what the little rodent says in February.