Coastal Ride

Ya know what I feel like doing, I feel like writing up a short little blog post about whassup. Last weekend I managed to find my way out to the coast. There were a number of reasons why I chose to do this. Firstly, I had been analyzing the weather intensely and noting that the weather was bitterly freezing fog any and everywhere in the Willamette Valley, however it was warmish out along the coast and very warm above 2,000 feet.

I couldn't really find any flatish roads at 2,000 feet nearby to ride on, but then remembered that one of my church friends was getting a bunch of peeps together to go out to the coast this last weekend. I managed to secure a car to go out there and even got a spot on a bed in a yurt.

On day 1 I drove out there and began riding north from Beverly Beach State Park and got a little past Lincoln City and then meandered around Lincoln City trying to find a decent place to do 20 second sprints. And then I headed back for a total of 3.5 hours.

Day 2 I headed south to just past Waldport. And I got a flat in Waldport which was nice because it had a really nice view and there was this plaque I found and there was this crazy plane that looked like it might fly under the 101 bridge. And then I rode back and then I drove back.

And that was the end to my last big week of training in a cycle so rest week here I come! I'm glad I got in one final good ride with the S1 in its current state because now I get to clean off all the ocean sand as I install a standard crankset and new chain that is really needed. Sometimes I wonder how far I'm stretching my welcome with friends due to me going off on my own on these strange bike rides while everyone else is being social and looking at starfish or taking pictures of themselves jumping, but I think I'm doing ok.

Racing is just around the corner! Can you believe that the international opener was just this past weekend Down Under? Greipel and Goss are looking mighty fast.

2013

Yeah, that's right. What was I thinking, leaving this blog neglected for 2 whole months! Sheesh. It's like I've lost focus on biking or something. Perhaps the top caption would better read as: "The amount of things I take for granted..."

So, I am hoping to put a stop to all of my unproductive behavior which is primarily looking at imgur and facebook until midnight. No longer damnit!

Originally, I had this post as a draft which included the following 2013 off/pre-season goals:

1. Learn how to pee off my bike
2. Make this one biking website I've been wanting to make for a while
3. Squat 400 pounds
4. Leg Press 888 pounds
5. Consistently weigh 180 pounds
6. Spend < $400 on bike stuff (excluding coaching).
7. Sell all unnecessary bicycles and bike parts
8. Something else?

I don't think I'm doing so bad with these goals so far.  However, with #1 I could drink more fluids to force some practice. I have started on #2 FINALLY and am keeping it a secret to everyone until I complete version 1.0.  #3 and #4 are well on their way.  I have already worked my way up to 3 sets of 20 of 235 pounds squatting and am about to start really putting on more iron on that bar these coming weeks.  I've already lost 10 pounds and am hovering around 180-183 right now (watch out hillclimbers, I'm coming after you, Max Missle O'Neal and Tym Lang!).  I have already totally failed #6, I got a $100 bike light where I've lost one of the lights and the thing that put me over the top was the REI used gear sale, but in my defense, I bought a $400 trainer for $160 and a $240 Showers Pass Jacket for $80.  #7 is not going so well, I am not motivated.

And demotivated or feeling "meh" or taking things for granted is how I feel at the moment.  And I think the reason I feel that way is that nothing terrible or devasting in my life has really happened to me or perhaps if something does happen that ought to instigate a reaction like that it doesn't.  I tend to get desensitized easily I guess.  And with racing being so far away and nobody really badgering me to do my workouts I end up like I did today where I ended up not working out at all.  However, I do have a stuffy nose, so there's my defense.

BUT STILL, I feel like I need to get back on track.  So you know what, I think it's time to remind myself that I'm going to race bicycles this upcoming season.  I never really got around to doing a thorough review and lookback on my last season and in my current state of demotivated, taking things for granted, I'd have to say it went OK.  Well, maybe it was cool that I upgraded to the 2s and won 3 times in 3 states.  And perhaps it was also nice that by the time Eugene came around, my Time Trial had gotten to with 47 seconds of the best time of the day and 93 seconds ahead of my 2011 time and a full 222 (that is nearly 4 minutes) ahead of my 2010 time.  So I got faster.

So if I was that much faster, winning more races and all over the OBRA front page then where were all the ladies at?  I guess this might explain some things when I say that I've been dating a special someone since October.  I've met this gal Martina who is super sweet and encouraging of my bike racing lifestyle and she is great cook that isn't a fan of leftovers.  There are a lot of other great things about her and if I manage to rub off on her any bit maybe she'll start racing bikes too.  This New Years we went to Bend, OR and I helped teach her how to skate ski and she was a very good sport about it despite all of the falling down, I'm pretty sure she's picking it up quicker than I was.

So I'd have to say life is good right now.  Got a job, got a girl, got all my bikes, got a good family, so GAME OVER.  NOT!!!  It's really time for me to step up my game.  I do have all these things, but in the paraphrased words of a Dan Harm tweet I can't find:   confident but never content.  And with that, I'm going to remind myself of the upcoming season.  Last year I said that I wanted to race less, but still raced a lot.  Honestly I can say that I improved the most after doing very hard races, but didn't do the best after doing numerous successive so-so races.  So this year I'm really going to try to focus on tough races and skip out on the not-so-hotly-contested races. Also, at times I am favoring USAC-sanctioned races because the powers-that-be make it so a USAC Cat-1 license is not available by winning OBRA races.

2013 Schedule:

February
24: Jack Frost TT - didn't do

March
3: Dirty Circles Did Mason Lake
10: Dirty Circles or Mason Lake
+16: Heiser Farm
17: Dirty Circles - just racing around
30: IVRR

April
6-7: UW Omnium
13: Vance Creek KVRR - I'm having fun, right?
19-21: Walla Walla - Tour of Wishy Washiness
27:  Eugene Roubaix - HAHA!

May
1-5: Tour of the Gila (maybe, if I can find a good carpool/lodging buddy)
12: Banana Belt - I had it in me
18-19: Mutual of Enumclaw
26: Ski to Sea - Kids on [lactic] acid

June
1-2: Capital Stage Race - Finally some rest
8: Ballard
9: Volunteer Park
16: Rainier Road Race And back to racing
21-23: Mt Hood Cycling Classic (last ever!) Mt Hood 2013
29: Tacoma Twilight or 28-30: Baker City - family vacation in Montana

July
6: St Honoré
7: HDO: OBRA RR
13: Redmond Derby Days
14: Montinore RR
19-21: Cascade Cycling Classic - I am tempted...
28: Vancouver Crit

August
3: Franz (OBRA Crit)
4: OBRA TT
11: Bridge Pedal - wait that's not a race.
17: Giro di Portland
23-25: Eugene


September
15: Mt Ashland Hillclimb even though it's so late

October
5-6: Saw an Oregon Coast gravel ride and thought that sounded like a lot of fun! Oregon Coast Gravel Epic, Oregon Coast Fat Tire Ride & Run MTB