Lunch Ride - Hill Training with the BRCM Crew

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/92050547

Attendees:  Shannon, Todd, Vince, Jeremy, Adrian, Vin, Jaffe, Mitchell, Hiroshi and me

This was another good-sized group today.  I guess the cooler temperatures are making for better conditions to get the fair-weather riders (cough, Mitchell, cough) to come out more regularly.  For some, it actually allows them to do two rides as seen with Hiroshi's Strava where he did the coffee crew this morning followed by our lunch ride.  Nice.

I brought my TT bike wanting to get more seat time on it due to my limited riding schedule this week, but it was definitely not the ideal for today's route that included over 1700 ft of climbing.  I chose the route since 1) no one can say I'm on a cheater bike given all the climbing (although Todd still did despite telling me Saturday to do what I need to do...haha) and 2) I really wanted to get some hill training on the TT bike.  I knew I'd be dropping off given the strength of the group, but my goal was just to find a rhythm and work on getting more comfortable climbing.

When we started off, Todd must have been eager to test out his newly installed crank-based power meter as he darted down California like he was raring to breakaway.  I know I was working early on just to not let him get too far away.  Fortunately, we all caught a light at the bottom, so he didn't get to take off and play rabbit too early.

On the bike trail, Todd and Shannon were taking turns up front, but I pushed up as soon as I could to help as well given that I was on a cheater bike.  I thought I'd be doing most of the work up and into Back Bay, but Todd, Shannon and Jeremy were all pushing up and wanting in on the rotation too.  It's odd to rotate with guys on road bikes though as this never happens elsewhere.  Nice.  It was a little windy on the way out to Back Bay, so the rotations made it more tolerable.   Plus, I didn't want to kill it on Back Bay knowing full well that the more I did, the more it will set me back on the climbs starting at San Joaquin.  Despite this, everyone mad passed me once we got onto San Joaquin as we climbed our way up to Jamboree.  Hell, even my wingman seemed to leave me for dead.  HAHA.  It was fortunate that they all got caught at the light.

Speaking of light, I think we hit almost every single red light as we were heading up toward NPC.  From each light, it felt like the guys would take off and gap me immediately where I would never be able to ride up to them until they hit the next light.  By the time we got past Spyglass, however, that gap grew big fast.  I was able to pick up Jaffe near the bottom to get him up to where it flattened out, but I broke away from him and started to give chase to Vince and Hiroshi who I could see ahead of me.

Vince and Hiroshi caught up to Mitchell and Vin on NPC just ahead of me and got caught at a light.  As Vince saw I was approaching, he tore off from the light hoping to inspire the rest of the guys to rotate with him and keep me at bay.  Unfortunately for Vince, no one seemed to want to sign up for that as he led all the way down and kept the gap as he climbed up Pelican.  I was off the back given they were going at a pretty good pace, but after rounding the turn to Pelican I passed Hiroshi and Vin shortly after.  Mitchell had latched on as I passed (now he wants to be my wingman) as I slowly tried making my way to Vince.  I could never catch Vince on the first few climbs, but got some momentum on the last climb and made my way past him about a quarter of the way up.  At this point, I found a tempo for the gear I was in that I could hold and let me pull away on the climb.

When I got to the light,  it was red but it turned green just as I was about to come to a stop.  Once I got going again, Vince and Hiroshi passed me and seemed to be working together as they pulled away on NPC and headed to Vista.  Mitchell and Vin lined up behind me though, so I led them onto Vista for the climb.  Once again, I was able to find a gear and tempo that allowed me to keep a pretty consistent pace that allowed me to push past Vince and Hiroshi.  As before, the pace was good enough to create a gap behind me.  I was able to hold the gap all the way to the top, but I think Vince and the others were closing at the last part of the hill.

I didn't see Todd, Jeremy or Shannon, who had pretty much been broken away the whole time, and I  knew no one was going to stop behind me, so I kept going once I got on Park Ridge.  I saw Vince just behind me as I started the descent, so I knew he wouldn't be far behind.  I was a little nervous descending on the aero bars given that my rear brakes were pretty loose and I didn't want to cook my wheels should someone pull out from the side street.  I checked up as a result, and about midway down, Vince went zooming by past me.  We both had to check up as we headed onto NPC due to a truck waiting at the corner, and Vince had a gap on me when he entered where I expected that I'd need to give chase on the NPC descent to try and reel him in.  I called out to go straight, but I think Vince took that as he was suppose to go straight on Park Ridge to ultimately end up on San Joaquin.  Thus, he made an abrupt left turn to make the green left turn light onto San Joaquin and I race to do the same barely making it across just in case the others ahead of us had done the same.  It turned out they didn't, but at least I could ride with Vince.

We saw some guys ahead of us, so I called out to Vince to latch on as I passed to work and reel them in.  We were able to do so just as it started to Descend toward Spyglass with Vince taking another turn as we approached the street to keep the pace up.  One guy did give chase to us as we passed, and eventually caught us at the light on Marguerite.  His buddies also showed up, so I thought I'd give them a nice pull as we made our way to McArthur.   They ended up going straight as we made the right turn onto McArthur, but I was hoping they would follow since I really wanted to open it up on this descent.  Vince tucked in behind me, but I had ended up breaking away since I was in full steam ahead mode.  I also got a green light on Bonita Canyon, so I was able to set my PR for that descent as a result. 

I didn't slow down much and made my way onto Bison where I saw Shannon ahead of me.  I was still shooting for a 20 mph avg since it was showing 19.9 on my Garmin after I rounded the Bison corner, so I kept pushing all the way to California and got to see it go up to 20.0 mph even just as I made the turn.  Wouldn't you know it though...Strava knocked it back down to 19.9.  Sigh. 

We arrived at the gym, and for the most part, everyone came in shortly after our arrival.  Todd and Jeremy did some extra credit after Vista, so I guess we were able to get by them or we had a faster run to Bison with the path we took.  We may need to separate these two, and Shannon too, if we want to have a more cohesive hilly ride since they keep breaking away on the hills.  Don't hold your breath though.

Good job out there, gents, and thanks for not giving me too hard of a time with my TT bike.  Unfortunately, I'll be riding this primarily in preparation for the upcoming Palm Desert TT and the Fiesta Island TT, but this just means free tows on the flatter sections.  Cool, right? 

Thanks for coming out!

Shannon's version:

So, I just got a call from Rich.  He asked me to blog about the ride, as he is still on course.

 

Given the hills and his TT rig it is understandable… I mean if you can’t count to 5.

 

I have no idea why someone would select a route with hills and then bring a TT bike, but then again, I am not even going to think about it.  More power to them (and I use the term ‘power’ figuratively’).

 

Anyway….

 

On the way out we caught the light from CA to the BB, sweet. 

 

There seemed to be some apprehension on the Back Bay, with folks debating whether or not they owned a pair.  Rich got hung out quite a bit.  I mean, he deserves it showing up on that bike, but eventually it was just Richdiculous, and we started rotating through.    

 

San Joaq could have been ugly if the lights worked at all in our favor.  But, they did not.  So Todd couldn’t decimate us. Eventually we got to the climbing.  Mitch made a good move and held Todd and Jeremy’s wheel for a while, nice.  About ¾ of the way up things broke apart and the group splintered for what appeared to be the rest of the ride.

 

Todd and I had words about taking the circuitous route to NPC, and thanks to a red light he agreed to take the shortcut. The hammer-fest in the lead group was brutal, I was happy to trail him from a distance, eventually getting Jeremy back to the point where he could latch on and I could bail out.

 

Looks like the group took a different route back, which was a good idea given the lights. 

 

These hour 1:10 rides are tough for working folks, I will re-align my priorities.

2-man TTT Trainer - Longer, Higher, Faster, Stronger

Strava:  http://www.strava.com/activities/91475222

Dictionary.com defines progress as a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage.  Considering that we rode further and had more elevation gain than last week's long ride, I'd say increasing our pace from 21.2 mph to 21.5 definitely falls under that definition.  Plus, if you consider that this ride exceeded the elevation gain for Stagecoach and that this was only two of us, I'm thinking its fair to say we're on target for breaking our record there, which was a 21.5 mph pace with 4 guys.  Wouldn't you?

It was definitely a great day for a ride given the temperature never got too hot.  There was overcast for most of the ride, so that kept us from draining our hydration packs as fast as last week's ride.  It was a little cool in the beginning (I wore arm warmers), but once we got going it was pretty much perfect temperature-wise.  The winds were mild, and didn't really play a factor (either as headwind or tailwind) throughout.  The only part that was a problem was the fog we hit after we got out of the canyons and as we headed down toward Back Bay.  

Todd led us out at the start, and this was a part of our strategy for the ride.  Todd for one is a strong starter and is also stronger on the climbs than I am.  Surprise.  Leaving his house is an immediate hill and pretty much a series of hills as we head toward and up the top of the hill past Cook's, so Todd lead me up all the way setting the perfect pace.  The good thing about Todd is that he doesn't mind letting us capitalize on his strength, and this worked to our advantage for sure.  Once we got to the top, I'd take over and give him a break until he was ready to take the front again.  We would alternate like this every time we'd get to a significant hill (Dump and Cook's), and it worked out perfectly as we made our 1.5 full passes through the canyon ending with an average of ~21 mph.  

When we headed toward Portola to get onto the bike trail, we took turns and kept the rotations pretty smooth where it never felt like I had to accelerate too much whenever he passed.  I believe Todd mentioned the same thing about my transitions to the front, so both of us were doing what we could to manage the pace AND the power output throughout.  This, in my opinion, is what will be key to how successful we'll be in January.   I can't wait to get this perfected with the 4 of us.

When we get on the bike trail and as we made our way down through Back Bay, there was a lot of traffic (bikes, people, dogs, etc.) where we had to tone down our pace for safety.  The fog didn't help either.  In some way, this may have actually helped our overall pace in that we didn't go too crazy where we may have ended up feeling that later on in the ride.  We got to eat during that section too,  so we took advantage of the controlled pace for sure.  Curiously, Todd got a KOM that led us from the bike trail before Harvard all the way down to the end of Back Bay, so I guess our controlled pace was still pretty fast.  We did pick up one rider on Back Bay for a little bit, but he turned off at San Joaquin or dropped.  He would be the only rider that would latch on for the length of the ride.

When we got to 133, Todd once again led us up and was holding an excellent pace as we made our way to the 73 underpass.  I took over after to help keep the pace up, and through our rotations we averaged 24.7 mph from the 73 to Quail Hill...22.6 mph from the base of the 133 to Laguna Canyon.  Excellent.

We had originally planned to go through Quail Hill to get to Sand Canyon but opted to go up to Barranca and then Sand Canyon after.  This change had us check up a little until we can coordinate the route between us, but we ended up realizing that if we were going to make a route change, it probably should have been to avoid Sand Canyon.  The construction on the road made it difficult to navigate through, and the lights were not very friendly either.  We were at a 22 mph average by the time we got to Laguna Canyon but that dropped after we went through Sand Canyon up to the 5 underpass.  

We were able to start making it up once we got on Irvine Blvd, but the climb up Alton knocked it back down some.  Todd led us up Alton, and we were holding a great pace up as we passed rider after rider, but it is a long steady grind where an ~18 mph pace was all we could do...especially 80 miles into our ride.

Once we got to the top, we were both feeling good and wanted to open it up to the finish but it was just more lights that kept slowing us down.  We still gave it what we had and pushed on even on the hills that lead back to Todd's place, and at the end finished up with a ~21.5 mph pace for the ride.  If we had a comparable final 7 miles left to the Stagecoach route, which would have been mostly downhill, we definitely believe we would have had enough to finish that up and be close to a 22 mph average.   Sure it's only speculation, but neither of us had any problems cramping or lacking in fluids at all.  

It was nice to finish off at Todd as he hosted a nice little post ride beerfest.  Pam wasn't there when we finished, but she arrived to join us making for good company who also made pizza to go with the beers.  It was a perfect ending to an almost perfect ride.   I can't wait until Galen and Shannon can join us for one of these outings as I'm sure it'll be even more perfect.  Thanks for the great workout and post ride replenishment, Todd and Pam.  You guys are good people!  Chalk up another excellent TTT trainer.  It should only progress from here....

Lunch Ride - Controlled Chaos At Its Finest

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/91085241

Attendees:  Shannon, Vince, Todd, Jeremy, Adrian, Mitchell, Vin, Jaffe and me

Today's lunch ride reminded me of a conversation during our stay up near Lake Tahoe for the Death Ride a couple years ago when Noah compared doing a double century to letting yourself get kicked it the nuts.  Both are doable but pretty much guaranteed not to be fun.  In my humble opinion, the punishment being doled out on today's ride definitely seemed comparable to a swift kick to the ol' frank and beans...with steel-toed army boots at that.  At least getting kicked in my junk will only have a short-lasting effect (UFC gives you five minutes to recover in these instances), but I'm thinking I'm going to be feeling today's ride through this evening and tomorrow.

There was some talk about how we shouldn't have any challenges today and just do a ride and suffer through the paceline. instead.  Well, let me clarify something here:  A paceline is intended for efficiency and is a coordinated effort where everyone works together to maintain a good pace.  Can you honestly, honestly say that this is what we do during our lunch rides?  I don't think so.  Try tortureline.  Let me break it down for you:  Our lunch rides are purely intended to abuse one another any way possible with the hope that in the end, it will improve each others conditioning.  Period. It's like that saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" but to the nth degree.

After waiting at the corner for Vin yet again, which gets old by the way, we allowed him to take the front early on as a penalty for his tardiness.  His pull lasted for all of about a block though when people started to amp it up making their way past him.  Todd wasn't a part of that though as he stayed back a little to go into chase mode like he did the other day.  As a group with notable pulls by Shannon and Jeremy, we got up to a Bonita Canyon at almost a 22 mph pace, and Todd rolled in just behind us at the light.  I was already out of breath at the time, so I definitely wasn't digging the rocket start.

Once the light turned green, Todd led us and others started rotating in, including myself, trying to keep the pace up.  I'm still a little hazy about the transitions, but at one point I remember Shannon taking the front and just crushing it where I wondered what...the...hell?  Even with Adrian having his TT bars on his bike today, I saw no sign of him trying to make a mad pass on the descent given the pace Shannon had set.  You can almost here Shannon mentally saying, take that, you little bitches.

When we got onto the trail, Shannon was still up front but Todd had gotten on the bike trail ahead of me.  Todd eventually took the front, and I was just desperately trying to recover from trying to stay on Shannon's wheel just before.  At the top of the hill that pitched up right before the driveway, I tried to take the front, but that only lasted for a few seconds.  Todd and Shannon, I believe, and Jeremy had gotten past me, and once again I was just trying desperately to hang on as we made our way to the crest.  Seriously, what the hell?

Todd and Jeremy led us over to Knollcrest where at one point during the climb, I just couldn't handle the pace (aka abuse) anymore.  Vince made his way past me at that point, and Mitchell (my wingman) started to help me work with him up the hill to Luminous.  As we were making our way up, we saw the three guys ahead of us heading down going the opposite way and I almost turn around right there just to ride with them.  However, as an ambassador for BAM, I had to keep going all the way to the top.  Mitchell came with me and continued to help maintain a good pace as we made our way back down to the light.  We did see Vin, Jaffe and Adrian heading up on our way down, but that would be the last we'd see of them for the rest of the ride.

Even as we were back on Quail Hill, Mitchell was fulfilling his wingman duties and eventually helped us get back up to Shannon and Vince at the light before the turnabout.  There was a lot of traffic to navigate through, and Mitchell had managed to grab one of their rear wheel while I tried desperately not to get ran over but make it onto the trail just behind them.  I was worried they were going to drop me, but fortunately I was  not able to get just behind them.

Shannon was pulling like a madman on the bike trail, so I also pushed up from the back to help out.  Doing so almost had me blowing up again as we made our way up toward the Strawberry Farms, but I think Mitchell helped me out there too where we were both able to arrive at the light with the others.

On Ridgeline, Shannon got to the intersection first and was able to get in front of a car making a right.  I checked up to make sure the driver saw me and Vince, and once we saw he did, Vince took off and was able to catch up to Shannon.  I was not as lucky, but I had Mitchell with me so good enough.  While Shannon and Vince gapped us pretty good, we were actually able to close the gap some on the sections where it pitched up.  It was not enough, however, and Shannon and Vince continued to keep a gap while Mitchell helped finish up Ridgeline and get us on Turtle Rock. We did catch a glimpse of Todd and Jeremy ahead of us at the onset of the climb, but that was the last time we saw them.

Mitchell and I continued to work together going up Shady and down toward Bonita Canyon.  We were fortunate enough to run into Vince and Shannon there, who had increased the gap on the climb, but got caught at the light.  They just missed the light as they saw Todd and Jeremy ahead of them going through.  What sucked is that the light took a while to change even when we got there.

When we got going on Bonita Canyon, we were all working together again and Vince could not utter a negative word about Mitchell since he, too, was still in the rotation.  Shannon and I led us up San Miguel, and that became a little race on it's own as we climbed where rather than letting me pass to take the front, he was not willing to give it up yet, so I gave up and got back in the mix.  I was able to take the front eventually though, and we both worked to get us over to San Joaquin.

On McArthur, it was another fast one and once again I found myself just doing what I could do to keep up.  Vince took the last pull before we got to the Bonita Canyon intersection and I could never get around him to take the next pull.  I did get us started after the intersection though, and led us over to Bison.  Now I'm so tired, I can't even remember if there was any sprinting to California, so you'll just have to use your imagination for that one.

Looking at Todd and Jeremy's Strava stats, it looks like they killed it.  It was still fun chasing them though, so I guess we ended up chasing two rabbits today despite the desire to have a "normal" non-challenge lunch ride.  Great work from Mitchell, Shannon and Vince today as well, and I'm sorry I couldn't do more.   Nevertheless, another great workout, so mission accomplished.  Thanks, gents!

Lunch Ride - TJ, Why Do You Treat Us So Bad?

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/90892572

Highlights from today's ride:

- Weather was ideal for a high speed run...cool, low winds, etc.

- Todd and I were on TT bikes while Galen and Jaffe were not.

- This was NOT a TTT ride unless the first T stands for Todd.

- Todd was in take-no-prisoners-mode today and passing him, even to take a pull, was sometimes not an option.  He seemed like was on breakaway mode throughout.

- As a result of the fast pace early on, Jaffinator found himself riding alone after a couple miles.  Blame Todd!

- I don't know how many times I was gapped today...the accordion effect was...wait for it...ridiculous!

- Galen kept up on his road bike and did take some pulls, but after being shut down on some rotation attempts by Todd decided best to let the aero guys do the work.

- I had so much snot on my face at one point that was not unlike a Dumb & Dumber movie scene.  I shot out what I could, so in case anyone wants my DNA sample, I left plenty on the bike trail.

- Ridgeline was all Todd, and all we could do was hang on to the top...barely.  Damn that hurt!

- I never been up the condo on my TT bike, but I gave it a go only to have Todd pass me once we reached the false flat.  I latched on though, so all good.

- I think the only one time today that Todd conceded was on the Bison landing zone.  Finally!

- Let's see what the legs have for tomorrow's madness.

Thanks, gents!

Lunch Ride - Starcrest NPC Horseshoe Spyglass McArthur Loop

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/90699390

It was a good-sized turnout today with 9 of us out there including Galen who is just coming back after a 2-3 week hiatus and S-Gary making a cameo appearance as well.  Let's hope we get to see both more often.  The rest included me, todd, Mitchell, Jeremy, Adrian, Jaffe and Vin.

When we started, I wasn't sure what Todd was doing but he waited a little bit to take off while the rest of us started down the BAM runway.  Jeremy seemed eager to get away and gapped the group up the first hill and everyone else lined up behind Gary as part of the chase group.  Maybe that was for sentimental reasons given that the segment was named after him, but most likely it was that no one was too eager to give chase and reel Jeremy in right away.  I kept looking back making sure Todd wasn't having a mechanical, but he failed to mention that he was interested to see what it would be like to give chase.  Given that we were all held up at the light on Bonita Canyon, however, it only lasted up until that point.

Once we got going up toward Sunnyhill, Jeremy, Todd, Galen and me led us to the top but on the descent, Adrian blows by us like a bat out of hell with not so much as an "on your left," "excuse me" or God forbid "thank you."  I didn't give chase right, and as history has proven time and again, I didn't need to.  We had caught back up to him by the time we made the left on Sunnyhill.  Sigh.

By the time we got to Turtle Rock, it seemed almost everyone who was still with us was pushing up to take a turn up front.  I saw Mitchell and Adrian push up, and even Vin pushed up front taking a turn for as long as he could hold his 250 RPM cadence.  I relieved him eventually in fear that he'd blow a knee out or something.

When we got past Campus and started the climb, Jeremy once again started to push ahead and create a gap, so it took time to close in on him where he probably felt like he was held out for a while.  The reality was we spend a lot of energy to catch him and I, personally, won't relieve him until I, myself, can catch my breath too.  sorry bud.

When we got on Starcrest, Todd started to push his way up, and it was just at a pace I couldn't hold with him.  I had a pretty good pace though, but broke my momentum after a crappy SRAM front derraileur misshift, and Galen made his way past me after (despite having had a shift problem too).  Jeremy made his way up just behind me, and Mitchell then Vin after.  Vin didn't see anyone else behind him, so we opted to take off believing that the others may have taken a shortcut to regroup.

We pretty much made our way back over to Shady together with "the regular people" alternating to tow the group.  We picked up one rider on the climb, and he was letting us rotate in front of him but latching on after.  The rotation made it's way back up to me, so I led the final charge down toward Bonita Canyon for anyone wanting to sprint.  Todd and Galen took off, as did the rider who latched on, and although I contemplated doing so also, I didn't given NPC was just around the corner.  I think our guys were able to fend him off....

As we got on Bonita Canyon and headed toward NPC, our passenger ended up taking Turtle Ridge and putting himself ahead of us on the climb.  We were slowed a little bit on NPC for the left turn until Vin decided to take off and get a headstart, which the group ended up doing as well.  Todd took off and had a gap on us immediately, so I took the lead on the chase group.  We passed Vin fairly early on, and made our way past the 73 watching Todd try to reel in the rider ahead of him.  Galen came around and took the next pull, then Jeremy came around and began to amp it up again toward the top.  We just barely hung on, until we regrouped with Todd just before the horseshoe.

On the horseshoe, Jeremy once again had gapped us for a little bit but Galen was able to reel him back in again with Todd, myself and Mitchell in tow.  Todd took the next pull, and I finished the loop leading us back onto San Joaquin.  On the descent, we were all together, but as soon as we made the right turn to Spyglass, boom.  Vin had taken a shortcut and was ahead of us on the climb, and Jeremy and Galen stood up and started hammering as they led us onto the road.  Todd and I did as well, and I found myself passing the other guys but holding a pace that I just couldn't sustain for the length of the climb.  Bummer.  I was closing in on Vin, but exploded just beforehand mostly because of the panic that set in hearing Todd closing in behind me.  HA HA.

We regrouped at the light to San Miguel, but Jeremy had arrived just in time to get the green and once again take off ahead of the rest of us.  It must have been something he ate or girl problems...both good reasons to make for aggressive riding...at least for me anyway.  We were able to corral him once again before we got back on San Joaquin.

I was up front when we got to San Joaquin and had prepared to lead us onto McArthur, but I heard someone call out or say something so I checked up.  The next thing you know, Todd and Galen passed with Todd grumbling about how he hates to lead out for this section since he thinks he'd get dropped.  He brought the pace up pretty fast though, and Galen and Jeremy took the subsequent pulls that led us over to the stop light on Bonita.  I had taken the front just before the intersection and threw out the sign to slow down only to have Todd mock me given we were only going about 4 mph at the time.

Once the light turned green, I brought the pace up once again and led us onto Bison where it seemed like people were eager for a sprint finish.  Todd led us onto the bridge where Galen and Jeremy ended up taking off from, so I gave chase from the #4 spot.  It took a while to get past Jeremy, and I was starting to reel in Galen but ran out of real estate to see if I could get by.  In the locker room subsequently though, he mentioned how he was just waiting for me.  I see.

Great ride today, gents, and definitely a great pace with a 21.7 mph average registering on my Garmin (21.6 on Strava).  Imagine the possibilities if we could have these types of training rides on a closed course though. This came up after, and the thought is definitely interesting.  Hmmm.

Thanks for coming out!

Lunch Ride - Closing in on the 25 mph average lunch ride

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/90516055

Todd and I brought our TT bikes as usual for a Monday, but Mitchell and Jaffe came out for the triple bypass route to see how long they can hang on for the E-ticket ride.  We did see Vince on his bike as we were getting ready to roll out, but Vince was more interested in vertical speed vs. land speed.

The weather was pretty nice with only mild winds here and there, so it was definitely a good setting for a fast one.  The only thing that would have been more ideal was if there was no traffic (both people and cars), no stop lights, and hot cheerleaders cheering us on throughout the route.

It was essentially a condensed amped up version of Saturday's ride where Todd and I exchanged pulls as we made our way through the course.  We didn't really set out to kill any one segment but just kept the pace steady but high throughout.

Mitchell and Jaffe did a great job hanging on for the first pass and almost half way through the 2nd pass.  We were already averaging in the high 24s, so it was no easy task for sure.  Mitchell managed to stay on just a little longer than Jaffe (Jaffe didn't cut a turn tight enough and got blown out the back), so maybe it had something to do with his new Shimano setup.

On the climb up Jamboree, Todd was killing it, but we managed to get up and over the hill together.  We ended up hitting the light at San Joaquin for a bit, but got going again after full speed ahead.

Our 3rd pass was hindered by a slow moving truck that didn't really want to move out of the way, but my Garmin showed we were at 24.9 mph at the base of California.  Todd had to pass the base only because there was a slow moving cyclist that got in the way there too.

On the climb up California, Todd led initially but I started to hammer it out and try to get to the top and not lose to much on our speed.  Todd passed me just before we got to Bison and we both managed to cross the green light together where in the end, we ended with a 24.8 mph average just shy of the elusive 25.

As always, great work, Todd!  Same goes to Mitchell and Jaffe since it's not easy drafting us given we don't provide too much wind protection.  Plus, with all the snots I'm blowing out, it's a wonder they weren't slipping all over the place.   Thanks, gents!

Let the Long BRCM TTT Training Rides Begin!

Strava:  http://www.strava.com/activities/90054200

A ton of lights on PCH, a few climbs on the route, a flat tire on Bonita Canyon, running out of fluids 10-15 miles away from the finish, and the temperature reaching the 90s (according to our Garmin)  all occurred on today's ride.  These sure would be reasons enough to justify a less than ideal pace.  Yet, Todd and I managed to finish all 91+ miles with a 21.2 mph average (Strava knocked it down a tick again).  That's pretty fast for just two guys, right?  Imagine the possibilities with four....

We started out from my house this morning, and boy was it chilly.  I wasn't sure if Todd was going to ride down or not, so I kept looking out for him to arrive on his bike half-frozen.  He ended up driving over, so we both got to start in the cold weather together.  Todd had donned an additional long sleeve base layer (making for 3 including the one with the hydration pack), and I threw on some arm warmers just before Todd arrived.  It was enough and never proved to be too uncomfortable later on in the ride when the temps maxed out. 

We left on time and started heading over to the bike trail that leads down to Doheny.  I was cold, so I may have started off a little faster than normal just to get some warmth in my body. When we got on the bike trail after the bridge, Todd took the lead and brought the pace up to about 29 mph.  I was thinking uh oh...here we go.  We did have to check up as we came closer to the ocean since they had a detour that required cutting through a rec center parking lot that would lead you to Del Obispo.  From there, it took us down to PCH where we made a right to start heading north.

Todd led the climb as we made our way up to Dana Point downtown, and all I could do at that point was just hang on.  We kept hitting light after light during the climb, so the stopping and starting was also no bueno.  Todd continued to lead us up to the top, and even on the following descent for a while until I felt warmed up enough to take the front again.  Even then, Todd would take the front more than I would and definitely kept our pace up as we headed to Laguna. 

When we got to the 133, we saw a legit looking female rider wearing a back pack make a turn in front of us.  By legit, I mean she looked like she was a good rider since she was in a kit, had a BMC bike, and looked built to ride.  It wasn't long before we caught her at one of the lights where we all were stopped.  Once the light turned green, she took off but Todd and I made our way past her shortly after.  Now, I thought it was just Todd and me making the climb up that road, but at some point, Todd passes me after a short pull like he wanted to bring the pace up again.  At the time, I thought to myself "I guess this will just be a long lunch ride vs. one where we manage our power with consideration to the length of the ride."  It was only after looking back and realizing the female rider was in our draft that I realized why.  Todd shared with me after how he didn't want her to pass us.  I'm not sure that was her plan, but if it was, then Todd definitely did the right thing.  LOL.  Thankfully, she turned right on El Toro and we continued on to Laguna Canyon. 

At the intersection to Laguna Canyon, we decided we'd make our way toward Back Bay via the 405 bike trail and Ridgeline.  While we were trading off, Todd was still doing the majority of the work.  On Ridgeline, Todd led the whole way up since he's so much better than me at managing a good pace on the climbs.  That's not to say it was easy given I was gasping for air at the top, but we managed to hit the left turn to Turtle Rock together. 

After some good team work on Shady, we got on Bonita Canyon and it was after the 73 underpass when Todd got a flat on his rear tire.  On my Garmin, it showed it was exactly 30 miles from when I started it.  Todd got it changed fast enough, and thankfully, never presented a problem again for the remainder of the ride. 

As we made our way to Back Bay, I thought we may pick up some riders along the way, but I guess we were either going too fast or no one wanted to follow two guys on TT bikes with the same kit wearing TT helmets and hydration packs.  You gotta admit...that could probably look a little intimidating.  Maybe it was both. 

We made our way onto PCH after cutting through the mobile home park,  and we did see more riders out there but still none willing to join us.  Thus, Todd and I kept up the 2-man show all the way to SART totally uncontested. 

To get on SART, you have to hit the south entrance since the north entrance was still closed.  There was some construction that you have to navigate through as well, and plenty of people to present obstacles also.  It was hard to get any real tempo going as a result, but after crossing the metal bridge, things got a little more clear and Todd and I picked up the pace once more.  We did slow a little bit to eat, but even going slow we're pulling up on people (in groups even) and passing them.  We did pick up some riders who opted to ride our draft finally, but we kept the pace nice and steady since there was still plenty of riding to do.  It turns out we picked up one rider who is a friend of Shannon's (Marcus) since he posted on one of Shannon's ride how he was one of the ones in our draft.  Small world. 

I'm not sure how long we had company, but when I looked back after coming off the front at one point, I saw that we were alone again.  After we crossed the wooden bridge near the park, I was feeling pretty good and found a good tempo to be in that helped lead us over to the Honda Center.   We slowed a little as we crossed the bridge that led to the restrooms on the other side, but not for long.  As we headed to Taft, Todd got up front and got us going again. 

Taft was much of the same thing with Todd and I taking turns all the way to Canon.  I may have jumped out to the front a bit more both as payback for Todd's earlier pulls and pre-payback for having Todd lead us up through the canyon climbs.   Todd did finish us off the last stretch on E. Santiago as we got on Jamboree, and I was a little worried he was feeling pretty good at the time since he was moving at a pretty good clip.  Feeling pretty good for him just means more pain for me. 

Todd once again led the pace going up the Jamboree side of Dump and once again set the perfect (yet painful) pace.  I took over just after we started descending and led for a bit until we got to the point where I've had problems staying on his wheel in the past.  It may be a mental thing, but once Todd took the front again, I wasn't about to pass until we were out of the "drop" zone.  I had visions of wanting to drop off, but talked myself out of doing so.  Yeah, maybe it is mental.

I took the front again and led us toward the Modjeska where Todd took the front before we got to the climb.  I wasn't sure how the climb was going to go, so my plan originally was to again let Todd lead us up.  I got into a certain rhythm though where I started to get up beside Todd and believed he would get on my wheel just after I passed.  I was surprised when I looked back and saw that he didn't though, so his sinuses and the birthday celebrating must have gotten to him.  The 106 miles he had for the week BEFORE this ride probably didn't help either.   What a stud!

He had caught up with me as I started to descend towards Cooks, and he was hauling ass down the hill like the trooper that he is.  I wasn't sure he still wanted to go to Live Oak, but once he checked up before the left turn, I knew we had more climbing to do. 

The climb up Live Oak had us making our way past some other riders, and I once again found a good rhythm to climb up.  When I got to the top though, I could feel my right hip flexor start to feel like it was going to cramp up, so I just kept going hoping to loosen it up on the descent.  I was definitely drinking more on the way down just to avoid cramping.  Todd had come up just behind me as I arrived at the opening of the camp ground down below, and led us over to and up the switch back.  My hip flexor was still hinting of cramping, so all I could do was hold Todd's wheel as we made our way to the top.  

Todd had mentioned wanting to get some fluids, so I was thinking we were going to stop just before getting on Santa Margarita and checked up some.  When I saw Todd turn right on Santa Margarita, I thought we were just going to head down Antonio to make our way home.  However, he indicated he's been out of fluids and wanted to stop at Oso.  Originally, I thought just going home even though I had just drained my hydration pack was a better idea.  However, I was glad I opted to stop at Oso since my legs continued to hint of cramping as we descended toward it.

After a quick Coke break (thanks, Todd!), we were back on our way and we pretty much drained the tank on the descent and on Ortega just before my house.  In fact, both my legs were hinting of cramping along with my hip flexor where I ended up finishing the ride off the seat just to change up my position and prevent any muscles from going to a full cramp.  I think if we had gone a couple blocks more though, that would likely have happened since I was definitely on the brink when we rolled up to my driveway.  That's about as drained as my tank could get, so...perfect.

Some coconut water followed with some beers definitely did the trick after the ride.  The coconut water was just the appetizer though, so the real magic was definitely the beers.  Todd and I both agreed that beers after the ride are a must.   Although I'm not necessarily looking forward to the next TTT session, I am looking forward to the post ride beers already.  Cheers and thanks for coming out, Todd!  Great work out there. 

Lunch Rides - Vince's Challenge, Todd's Birthday and Yesterday's Highlights

Strava:  http://www.strava.com/activities/89668275

Attendees:  Vince, Todd, Shannon, Jeremy, Adrian, Mitchell, Vin and Jaffe.

It was a good turnout today and almost everyone came out representing BRCM Black.  Only two failed to answer the call with one protesting the jersey for whatever reason and the other likely not having priority over getting his baby's clothes washed.  Additionally, everyone was sporting a black or blackish bike, so we definitely looked like badasses out there.  Something about black on black....

The plan was to do the Turtle Rock ring route, but upon arriving at the corner, Vince decided to throw out an additional challenge to those of us doing the TTT race in January.  He proposed that Shannon, Todd and I take a detour and go up Starcrest instead of going straight on Turtle Rock and give chase to the rest after.   While none of us agreed to do the challenge at the time, we did indicate we would decide on the spot upon arriving there and see how it goes.  In my own mind though I thought "not likely given Todd was on his new 14.5 lbs. bike while Shannon may be in his self-proclaimed "back to the drawing board" mode, which just means bad news for everyone."

We take off from the corner, and Jeremy and Vince started to gap everyone right away.  Todd was at the front of the chase group, so I humbly rode behind him as he slowly started to close the gap.  Shannon was coming around after we made the right to Anteater as though he was going to hammer up it, and Todd started to accelerate too, but we all got caught at the light, including Vince and Jeremy.  When we got going again, I don't think there was any more separation among us as we all headed toward the Bonita Canyon intersection. 

When we started  up Shady, Todd took the front again but Vince, Jeremy and I rotated in taking us over to Sunnyhill.  On Turtle Rock, I believe Adrian, Mitchell and maybe even Vin got in the rotation as well.  As we approached the bottom of the hill at the Campus intersection, the Jaffinator decided to make his move.  He takes off and starts charging up the hill followed by Vince while the rest of us look on wondering what the hell that's all about.  I stood up and started to give chase and although we ended up reeling the two ahead of us, it definitely took longer and used more effort than I expected.  Vince expressed later on in the locker room how we must have been coming up on Jaffe's house where he asked his wife to look outside at the time he expected us to pass just so she can see him leading the rest of us.  Personally, I think Jaffe subscribes to Adrian's detonation theory and acted accordingly.   Nice charge though.

As we were approaching Starcrest, Todd and Shannon were up front and I couldn't really tell whether they planned to go straight or hit the hill.  Just as we came up on the intersection, the two suddenly turned and I found myself following Vince and Jeremy going straight.  This, in my opinion, was definitely the "smarter" decision given that if I had followed Todd and Shannon, I would likely have found myself riding alone for the rest of the ride once they broke me off.  And they would have broke me off for sure given their Strava stats for their climb.  It would have been Tour De Poway all over again....

As we neared the top of Turtle Rock before Ridgeline, Jeremy started to power up past Vince to the top, so I did too.  It was a nice burst at the top for us, and Vince was just behind us as we got through the intersection.  Mitchell was right there too holding the back and serving his wingman duties.

Jeremy, Vince and I continued to work together through Shady, on the bike trail, and up Ridgeline to ensure that we kept a gap on a chasing Shannon and Todd.  Jeremy had led up Ridgeline at a great pace, and I took over just before the last rise, making for a good climb.  We had gapped Vince and Mitchell a little on the climb, but they were back with us by the time we got down to Campus preparing for the right on Culver.

Jeremy and I continued to lead us up Bonita Canyon, and Vince got back into the rotation immediately after we crested and took a good strong pull leading us toward the 73.  I think at one point, Mitchell had gotten in between us and had slowed requiring Jeremy to come around and close the gap.  This got both Vince and Jeremy a little riled given their competitiveness, so upon reaching the McArthur intersection (or the one prior), they started giving Mitchell a hard time about being in the draft the whole time.  I tried to defend my wingman, but he ended up letting them know that he was having trouble keeping up because of how inefficient our rotations are...or something like that.  Too funny.  Leave the guy alone, I say.  There are those who are born to lead while others master the art of following.  :)

When we got going on Ford, Jeremy and Vince led originally, but I tried to amp it up a little bit before the condo.  When we got to the condo, I started to get on it since we caught the green light upon our approach.  I wasn't sure I had a good pace going up, so I kept looking back to see Jeremy looming behind me.  Once I got back down on my seat, Jeremy charged past me and I just focused on trying to keep close by as he brought us up to the false flat.  I was able to pick it up on the false flat and pass him, so he latched on as we made our way onto Bison.   Super strong effort on his part though. 

When we got close to the intersection on McArthur, Vince was approaching and we were all able to get through that intersection together.  There were a couple cars and lights that slowed us as we made our way toward and over the 73.  Vince had timed the last light over perfectly and took off gapping us, and my attempt to reel him in only left me just behind him as we got to California.  Nice work, Vince!

Todd and Shannon had come in not too long after us, and managed to have the same average as us (~22 mph) despite riding a little further and with an additional 200 feet of elevation.  Yep...I wouldn't have been able to keep up for sure.  It was nice to at least help keep ahead of them and serve as "prey" with Vince and Jeremy.  Adrian threw in after the ride how I didn't step up with the other two and inferred how I was comparable to a female reproductive organ.  Curiously, I wonder where he dropped off on the ride.  

Great day of riding with the guys today, and through all of it, Todd never mentions today was his birthday.  We definitely would have made special plans to celebrate it the BAM way for a ride.  Then again, now I can see why he never mentioned anything.

Now about yesterday's ride, here are the highlights:

Attendees:  Vin, Hirsohi, Jaffe and me

• I was on my TT bike and planned to train with others only to be the only one who brought one. 
• Jaffe, Vin, Mitchell and Hiroshi were going to go out on their own as they wanted a more "social" ride but they opted to ride with me and let me hold the front the whole time instead.  Thanks?  HAHA
• I led at a fairly moderate pace, or so I thought, as we made our way to BB, but by the time we arrived at the drop, only Mitchell and Jaffe were with me.  
• We held a pretty good pace through BB, PCH, Ocean and up toward NPC.  Mitchell indicated on NPC, however, that it was no fun drafting behind me since I don't offer much wind protection.  Sorry.
• Up NPC, I led the front, but Jaffe kept launching attacks.  However, he wasn't as successful as he was last week in being able to hold it after he passed me. We still stayed together all the way to the top though. 
• Once we got on San Joaquin, I decided to kick it up some and was already at top gear as we were riding through the rollers before the descent.  We got some Strava honors to this effect as a result.
• I kept pushing the pace on the descent and all the way to Jamboree, and I was impressed that despite doing so, Jaffe and Mitchell were still behind me.  
• When we got on BB, however, I thought I'd give them a gut check and picked it up even more and finally broke them off about 100 feet before the climb (based on Jaffe's estimates).  
• While waiting at CA to cross, Jaffe came up not too long after and ended up taking off at the green.  You gotta give him credit for trying. 
• Thanks for riding with me, gents!  Always more fun with company than without.

Lunch Ride - El Moro TT Trainer wit Todd

Strava:  http://www.strava.com/activities/89065248

Having raced on Sunday followed up with a two-man TT trainer with Todd the next day,  it's really easy to conclude that the latter is definitely more challenging.  When racing, the intensity, albeit high, is pretty constant.  When we do TTT, the highs and lows are far more extreme and thus is more interval-like really pushing your cardio to the max.   Good stuff.

Todd and I saw Jaffe at the locker room, but Jaffe had plans to ride with Hiroshi (who was sporting a new Trek 7 series BTW...I guess new bikes are trending again).  Thus, we didn't even slow down at the intersection where Hiroshi was waiting for Steve.  Todd started hammering right away to catch the green light on Bison, so we were off.

We work very well together offering each other relief when we could.  Going through BB and on PCH up to CDM, we were taking turns keeping the pace up dodging other cyclists and runners along the way.  Going through CDM downtown, however, all we could do was try to make it through there without getting run over or having someone open a door in front of you, so drafting is not really advisable.  This is true for the return pass through here as well.  Todd doesn't slow down though, so it takes a lot of work just to be able to keep up.  When gaps would form, usually with me falling back for one reason or another, I'd always have to step it up just to be able to latch back on again and then take a subsequent pull.

We made pretty good time to El Moro.  The U-turn took a little time with a lot of oncoming cars, but we managed to do so safely and started hammering once we did.  It was a little rough heading back with the wind, and for me to complain about wind while on a TT bike, you know it sucked.  Nevertheless, we pushed on and kept relieving each other whenever we thought we could push the pace a little faster.

We got a little separated again going through CDM, and Todd got a pretty good gap after McArthur...he's a machine.  It took some work to get back up to him and then we started trading pulls again with him finishing us out to Jamboree.

Back Bay was fast and it took concentrating on how we're heading back and that it's almost over just to keep going or more importantly, keep up.  The rise up to East Bluff was a bear, but we still got up there together with Todd leading us to University.

As we were coming to the Jamboree underpass, there were some cyclists ahead of us, and no matter how much we called out to the left, one guy just didn't want to scoot over.  Maybe he's deaf.  We had to check up a lot just to finally get by him, but we still managed to reach the base of CA with a 24.2 mph average.

Todd led us up CA, and he was definitely hauling ass.  All I could do was hang on for the length of the climb and tell him to push through the green light once we got to Bison.  At the end of the ride, my Garmin was showing a 24.0 avg with his a tick faster.  Strava did it's thing and knocked some time off of these though.  In any case, Tood was able to get the KOM for the El Moro and Back route.  Sweet!

Thanks for the TT training, bud!

Todd's Baldy Ride Report

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/88900881/

I ended up doing Baldy for probably the last time of the season.  It was in the low 50s when I started and a little chilly.  I was looking forward to the climbing.   My plan was to see how fast I could get up and down.  My main concern was getting up fast but with the mindset that I don’t blow up on the wall.  I was keeping a consistent pace heading up and I ended up passing about 5 people in the first 5 miles.  I was hoping the legs would feel a little fresher than they did, but after about 5 miles in, they really started to loosen up.  I was feeling pretty good so I turned it up a notch.  I figured that I would back off a little on GRR to save some for the switchbacks.   I was pretty much alone until the slight descent before the last climb towards the water tower.  I ended up blowing by some guys on the climb after the descent.  I thought they may latch on, but it didn’t happen.  I was alone again.  After going through the Eastfork intersection, I decided to take on some food.  One thing I do when I ride up there is take mental notes for the descent.  There was a construction area that had some rocks and gravel on the road.  I didn’t want to hit that going 35-40mph.   On the way up GRR, I noticed earlier in the year that a rock wall was taken out on a sharp turn.  I always thought whoever hit that is no longer in this world since it is a few hundred feet down to the bottom.  Sure enough, there are two large crosses where the wall used to be and some markings denoting there is a big hole in the wall.    Making my way up GRR, it was me and a bunch of bored hunters looking over the cliffs with their rifles and scopes.  It is a little weird, and I had the same feeling this year as last.  I hope they don’t get too bored and decide to shoot some schmuck on a bike for fun.  I’d hate to end up on 20/20 or 48 hrs or some other crime show as a vic.  I finally reached the village and I actually learned to embrace GRR.  I used to hate it, but with the views and getting used to the grade, I actually enjoy it now.  The part I hate is the climb out of the village to the beginning of the switchbacks.  It is not easy, and it is the pain before the really painful.  I’d rather just get on to the really painful.  The road was repaved, and it will be really nice after it gets some wear from the traffic.  Right now, there is some loose gravel from being pretty fresh.  Heading up the switchbacks was pretty comfortable, but there were a lot of gravel, rocks and cars.  I spun my tires a few times when I got off the saddle.  It was not cool.  The road was repaved to the parking lot for the chairlifts, but the rain and snow from last week knocked a lot of rocks and gravel on the road.  I ended reaching the store and not stopping.  I had a slow descent down the switchbacks due to the rocks and gravel, especially on the hairpins.  There were a lot of cars from the hikers so even the wall was a slow rate.  Of course, I froze on the way down and as usual, I could not wait for that climb up after the village to GRR.  My hands were frozen in place and my back was locked up.  The climb and sun got everything in order though.  I ended up catching a guy on the climb with a new go pro.  He followed me down GRR for a portion and he was all excited about the footage and speed.  I think I saw Vin heading up, but I didn’t have time to react.  I ended up dropping the guy on my wheel after some of the hills.  GMR was a blast as usual.  Once I got back to the car, I got my coconut/pineapple water and then headed home for some beers.  That ride is always a fun but painful ride. 

FYI, I finished about 27 minutes (about a 1 minute/mile) behind Lawson Craddock from the base of GMR to the lifts.   Pretty funny.

Fiesta Island TT Race Report

Strava:  http://www.strava.com/activities/88829376

It was nice to finally make it out to the Fiesta Island Time Trials since it's been one I've wanted to do for a while now.  I heard a lot of good things about it (flat, fast, etc.) and since it was fairly local, I couldn't wait to try it out.  Shannon ended up signing up for it as well, so it was nice to have a teammate along...I guess suffering together is always better than suffering alone.  Craig Runallis, a mutual friend and someone who we ride with on occasion, also signed up as he was anxious to try out his recently acquired TT bike, a nice Specialized Shiv.  What we didn't know when we signed up was that we would be lined up behind one another with Craig going first followed by me then Shannon with 30 seconds between us.

When we arrived there, the weather was a little cool and in the low 60s.  There was a slight wind, but nothing that would raise any concerns with running disc covers.  We parked in the dirt parking lot just at the entrance to the island, and they already had tables ready for check in upon our arrival.  What was odd was that the lot was filled with more elliptigo's than actual TT or race bikes.   They have an elliptigo class also, so they seem to come out in good numbers to race those things.  How interesting would it be to see us get into that and take those things out for our lunch rides?   I think one of the questions I overheard Shannon ask someone was do they come in carbon?  :)

It was still dark when we got there, but after we checked in and got our bibs, it started to get light enough where we weren't stumbling around while unloading and trying to get ready.   We probably could have gotten there just a little later, but I think our arrival time just before 6 a.m. was ideal given it made for less stressful preparation.  The only hiccup I had was when I realized I brought two gloves, both for the right hand.  The funny thing was no one noticed (or at least said anything) with me wearing an inverted glove on my left hand. 

Craig and I had a stationary trainer to warm up on, but Shannon's trainer required power and didn't work with a power inverter.  Thus, he got ready by riding around just outside of the island since the race course was closed.  Although time moved rather quickly, it seemed we all had a pretty good warm up just before the race.  We did spin up and down the road that leads to the course start just before in order to stay warm though. 

Our race time started at 7:37, and it wasn't long before Craig was off and running.  When I pulled up, I saw how they have an electronic timer under the pop-up that they monitor who's supposed to go and when they're supposed to take off.  The nice thing about the start was that we got to start with someone holding us up, which reduced the need to worry about clipping in and just let you get going once your start time begins.  I didn't have any trouble getting my Garmin started as a result.  HAHA.

When I was getting ready to go, I knew Shannon was right behind me and this is always a scary thing.  Shannon's a beast who can drop mad power, so I would never be surprised when he does pass me on a race.  In fact, I expect it.  Coming to terms with this helps me to prevent from getting overanxious and going too hard too soon and then blowing up sometime before the end of the race.  Today's plan...just do what I do and be mindful of my power output.

When I got going, I thought I could have started in a shorter gear to spin up a little faster, but I managed to get going fast enough.   Looking down once I was on the aeros, I saw that my power was already in the 300-350s, so I knew right away this was something I just couldn't sustain.  There is definitely something to be said about racing with a power meter.  I was able to get down to a reasonable power output (sub-300 W) and started to settle into a pace that I could hold for a while.  

It wasn't long before I passed one guy, but that was followed sometime after with someone passing me.  When he passed me, I decided to kick it up a little more and was able to almost hold the pace of the guy who passed being that he wasn't pulling ahead too fast after.   We both were able to get past Craig toward the return side of the loop and passed a couple other guys as well, but I was never able to reel the guy back in as he seemed to have exited for his last lap by the time I got to the start/finish to complete my first. 

From this point on, I was on my own just trying to reel in every rider in who was ahead of me.  I still kept thinking Shannon would be coming up on me at any point, but chasing others definitely was more of what I focused on.  The 2nd lap ended up being a little faster than the first lap, but I'm sure momentum has something to do with that.  For my third and final lap, it was more of the same and I just kept thinking to myself...just finish this thing and get it done.  The sooner I finish, the less I'll have to endure the pain.  This worked well for me, and it wasn't long before I came upon the exit chute.  I was just glad no one else was in the narrow exit chute to slow me down, but I checked up just a little before going by the table just to keep it fairly safe.  In the end, I was able to finish the race with an official time of 27:55.

As I was cooling down on the road leading into the island, I saw Shannon coming in and going through the exit chute too.  He was not far behind me at all, and got a 28:35 official time for his run.  I know his time will only go up from here and next time will be downright scary to be in front of him. Believe me, if you know Shannon like I do, he'll definitely hit it even harder next time. 

For me, I had a good run and definitely benefited from the rest I took from all the training through Friday.  I ended getting 4th in the CAT 4/5 class, but some of the guys ahead of me had better times than the CAT 3 class.  I may need to consider the 45+ class next time as I could have gotten 2nd there.  :)  I, too, hope to get a better time on our next outing here.  I gave it all I had today, which should be obvious with my 172 bpm average heart rate, so I'll need to figure out how I can improve between now and then.  At least we have course familiarity for the next run, so that should help. 

Craig had a great first TT race on his new bike and had a solid run with a 31:24 finish.  I'm sure once he gets more seat time on his bike and get it fully dialed in, he'll be a force out there for sure.

To finish off our rides, there is still nothing better than a cold refreshing beer despite it being before 9 a.m.  Shannon brought the goods, including some of his own home brew, and they were definitely top drawer stuff.  Thanks for the brew, Shannon!

Let's do it again in November!  Who's in?

Lunch Ride - BB PCH CDM El Morro NPC Bonita Canyon

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/88241287

I didn't really make any solid training plans for this week that would be conducive to a good race outing this weekend except for how I wanted some seat time on my TT bike.  I know TT bikes are rather frowned upon for our Tues/Thurs lunch rides since 1) it's considered too advantageous, and 2) every lunch ride seems to be some sort of contest where being on a TT bike is considered cheating regardless of training plans.  HA HA.  I definitely didn't mind doing a lot of work on it though, so I guess I met the contingency that "allowed" me to ride with the crew.

It was a pretty decent sized group today with Todd, Vince, Jeremy, Mitchell, Adrian, Vin and Jaffe starting from campus and John L. joining us from the corner of Jamboree and PCH.  It's always nice to have John join us since he's definitely a solid rider and his presence alone typically tends to push the group to work even harder as a result.  

At the start of the ride, I knew I should do the leading out so I made my way to the front as soon as I could during the descent down California.  We hit the red light, but only sat there shortly where I led us onto the bike trail with crew in tow and Jeremy just behind me.  As a courteous team rider, I looked back and made sure everyone was on the bike trail before I dropped onto the aeros to lead us out to Back Bay.  This courtesy also extended to the top of Back Bay where I didn't want to group to get splintered on the descent and as we made our way through.  I just wanted to point this out because it's rather infrequent during our lunch rides.

As we were riding through Back Bay, I was trying to hold a good pace but I guess Todd got a little restless and started to push up past me.  I had started to drop back as he passed thinking I should get in the rotation, but ultimately opted to stay out of the draft to get more wind time on the bike...that and for obvious safety reasons.  I decided I was just going to try and match their pace and/or push up to the front when my pace is faster than the groups as a whole.  Boy, I just didn't think the group's pace was going to be as strong as it was though, so matching their pace was more just trying to keep from getting too far behind.  With everyone taking turns up front, they were moving pretty good.  I tried to push up to the front at one point again, but people picked it up while I was on my way where I just succumb to trying to pace them rather than pass them.  This may have been because we picked up a rider as we rode down into Back Bay, so I was glad to see this rider roll out and go up San Joaquin instead of finishing up to the gate with us.

I was also glad to see there was no sprint finish to the gate, so I made my way up front to lead us over to Jamboree after we passed the gate.  On the climb, I was having a little trouble crossing over to the left turn lane and keeping up, but I was glad to roll up to the group who were stopped for the left to PCH.

Once the group got going, they picked it up right away and this was when John joined us.  I was off the back and I guess John was waiting for the last guy (me) before joining.  I looked back to make sure he was on after I passed (which likely wasn't even necessary) and started to push to catch the group and subsequently take the front.  Todd took over after a while and led us into CDM and through the neighborhood.  Jeremy charged up the sprinter hill ahead of everyone, so I guess he wanted to a KOM or at least PR it on Strava...he got the latter.

The pace through Ocean was still pretty good, so I kept a little distance behind trying to get more wind time.  Once we came out on Poppy, there were cars blocking the right turn, and some opted to hit the sidewalk while others make a right turn from left of the cars.  Oh boy...we may need to rethink some of our riding practices for safety's sake.  John was 2nd to the last to make the right turn and seemed a little tentative (I don't blame him) and I ended up doing the same thing but waiting after just to give enough gap to get some solo wind time while in pursuit of the group.  Pursuing THIS group on a TT bike is definitely not the same as groups on the weekends, and it took a lot just to be able to keep them in sight. We got caught at the 2nd light just outside of downtown CDM, and I let them go ahead again hoping that they wouldn't lose me at a subsequent traffic light.  Lucky for me, I was always close enough behind to be able to get through all the lights they did.

As we approached El Morro, I saw that Jeremy and Vin were off the back at this point, so I hoped that they would latch on when I passed and attach back to the group.  I wasn't too far behind the lead group from the u-turn, but Jeremy found his own way onto the back of them and I guess Vin wasn't up for it...not even on his new bike, which has yet been able to produce comparable results to when he was on his Cervelo.  Just sayin'.

On the reverse route back to PCH, I saw that Vince and Jeremy had pulled over while Vince was inspecting his front tire.  He had gotten a flat at that point, so Jeremy opted to stay with him while the rest of continued on.  Vince told me afterward that he actually got a 2nd flat, so I guess today was not a good tire day for him.  From the looks of his Strava stats though, it looked like he did great on NPC though, so maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.

As we resumed our ride, I pushed to the front to lead at that point again, but Todd took the front subsequently also.  I had just started and was still building momentum, so I ended up taking the front again and leading a good ways before the NPC climb.  Todd eventually passed with Adrian in tow and with John taking off to join them just before we rounded the turn to NPC.  I came around with Mitchell and Jaffe attached and we made our way up the hill only to be stopped at the first Pelican light after passing a detonated Adrian.  Once we resumed, I led originally but both Mitchell and Jaffe were pushing past me and charging up with some good momentum where I wasn't sure I'd even be able to catch them due to the gap they created.  It was only near the top as we approached the 2nd Pelican light that I managed to find a rhythm to make my way up to and past them but with them still sticking to me like white on rice.  At the top, John and Todd were long gone, so the three of us proceeded on getting caught at 1 more light at the top.

I was leading Jaffe and Mitchell over to the descent where I thought I'd give it a good run down and not expect that they would keep up.  However, every time I looked back, they were both there (probably laughing at how slow I was really going).  They stayed with me all the way to the bottom as we hit the red left turn light together.

When the light turned green, Adrian came out of nowhere and made the left turn with some momentum passing us without any regard.  I was thinking to myself...hmm...I can do that too.  While he seemed to back it down just a notch rather than trying to keep the breakaway (it was strategic according to him so he can latch on easily), I made sure to return the favor passed him pretty fast too.  Ha Ha.  He latched on though and eventually gave me kudos for the pass and the tow.

We hit a couple lights after the 73 underpass, and on one of the lights, Jaffe started to take the front (what a stud), but I passed wanting to just drop the hammer for the last couple miles to the finish.  He and Adrian latched on and stayed with me as we made our way onto Bison, and Mitchell had gotten back on at this point as well.  I think Jaffe wanted to finish ahead of us though as he started to take off after the first light on the 73, but when I saw it was green, I took off too knowing Adrian was going to try and sprint past me.  The 586 watt average I hit for that section successfully prevented him from doing so.  BAM!

My legs are definitely toast now, so I'm hoping they recover in time for Sunday.  Shannon's going to join me in the race and will be in the same class, so that's one more person who'll be ahead of me in the rankings.  You gotta know though that it's not about me as much as it is about the team (for me anyways), so more power to him.  Unlike me, I'm sure he trained up right for it given his absence this week.

Kudos to everyone on the ride today for being so fast.  Todd and John killed it on NPC, as did Jeremy and Vince after fixing the flats.  Thanks for letting me ride with you all!

Lunch Ride - Fried Rabbit Anyone?

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/87827777

I truly believe that one of the best ways to fire up the guys on the team is to give them a target and have them shoot for it.  It kinda sucks when I have to wear the bullseye on my back to do so, but in the end we all get a good training session out of it.  Isn't that the point?

I wanted to get some seat time on my TT bike given an upcoming race this weekend, and the weekend festivities made it difficult for me to do so yesterday.  I opted to bring it in today and wanted to see if the guys were interested in "chasing the rabbit" as an option where hopefully a group of guys on road bikes working together can catch a solo guy on a TT bike with a minute head start.  Of course, Todd was the first to chime in that he was game...the guy loves to hunt after all.  I didn't realize he was going to do so with an elephant gun though as he ended up deciding to bring his TT bike as well.  Oh great.  All together, Vince, Jeremy, Adrian, Mitchell, Jaffe and Vin came out too, and I suggested to them to hold Todd out as he chased me (which probably motivated Todd more to not only catch me but skin me alive and toss me into a deep fryer...more on this in a bit).

I took off just as soon as 11:45 hit on my Garmin, and it looked like the chase crew was pretty much all there too in time to leave exactly a minute after.  I always get a little anxious being the rabbit, and it doesn't help to know I'm being chased while having to go through obstacles as well.  Immediately, I had slow moving truck on Health Science Road I had to check up for, some cars to avoid for the right turn on E. Peltason, a pedestrian walking across the stop sign at the top, and then 3 cars that stopped me again on Anteater at the first light.  I could already feel the heat breathing down on my neck as I kept having to reset and try to pick up a rhythm on my TT bike.  Before even getting onto Bonita Canyon, I looked back and already saw others making their way behind me.  Damn!

I tried to pick it up on Bonita Canyon some more but sure enough, had to stop at the left turn on NPC.  I knew the guys were right behind me, which pissed me off even more, so I did the unthinkable...I did a TLB...which lasted for probably about 200 feet.  HA HA.  In my effort to get away though, I ended up blowing my wad as Todd, Vince and Jeremy came up behind me.  I guess Todd was so crazed in  his pursuit that he blew everyone else up a lot sooner.  Nice.  Jeremy tried to let me in after I got passed, but I just couldn't recover enough where I ended up waving him on.  In my mind, I had reset my strategy at that moment to hope that they would get caught a light on the course and I'll be able to catch them there...and maybe try to get slippery some time after.  Little did I know it would be me who would keep getting hit with a ton of lights.  I saw two chances to catch the three ahead of me (once on McArthur and then the 2nd on the left to Jamboree), but both times the light turned red just as I was approaching where all I could do was watch them roll away.  Sigh.

The rest of the route I ended up riding on my own hoping to at least catch a glimpse of the three ahead of me, but no such luck.  Looking at their Strava though, it's unlikely I would have even been able to hang on should I have caught the light at the two aforementioned intersections.  With Todd leading the charge and on a mission (to skin and deep fry the rabbit at that point), I didn't even have an ounce of a chance.  They killed it!  Wait...let me rephrase that...they KILLED IT!  23.6 average...get outta here!  That doesn't just warrant "budos."  It's just plain "budiculous!"

It's not an easy pill to swallow getting dropped as bad as I did today, especially as a self-proclaimed member of BAM, but humility is a good thing.  It reminds me that I can always get better and motivates me to train even harder.  That's truly the best thing I can get out of coming out to our lunch rides.  Thanks for the training and the big slice of humble pie, gents!  As our former governator once said...or maybe more than once...I'll be back!

Tour de Poway 2013 - We're Baaack!

Strava:  http://www.strava.com/activities/87454671


It's been several months since we've done a century, so I was really looking forward to doing this ride.  I had done the Poway century on my own last year, so I was super thrilled when I found out Todd, Shannon and Gary were coming out too.   Team BRCM was definitely going to represent.  Gary signed up on the day of the ride and opted to do the 50 route, which by the way is the new 100, and showed how BAM spirit is definitely still alive and well within him.

We had an early start and met at my house for a 5:30 a.m. departure.  The temps were pretty cool at the time,  especially at my house, but we hoped it would warm up some by the time we got to Poway to start the ride.  After stopping off Starbucks to get Gary an apple fritter, obviously someone who subscribes to my pre-ride meal regimen, we drove to the start and the temps were around 50 degrees.  There was some grumbling about how we weren't prepared for such a cold start, but that didn't last long and we lined up and got ready to ride...no warmers, no base layer, just #5.  It worked out though as it got hella hot out there after a while. 

Gary started with us too and we rode together pretty much all the way until the climb started on Poway.  Todd seemed like he was really eager to push up to the front early on, so he immediately started making his way ahead.  Shannon decided to do the same and followed, so I just watched them pull away pretty much where there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.  Seeing how they got top 10 honors on that hill after, this substantiated it even more. 

Gary had the same thoughts and backed it down as well when he saw them charge, but he was still holding a good pace on the climb.  We got separated after a while though since I kept trying to focus on trying not to lose sight of the two BAMMERs ahead of us.   At one point during the climb, I did hear someone say "Go Broadcom!" but didn't really recognized who said it.  I checked up enough to find out it was Tri Le who works at the San Diego office and someone who ordered the upcoming next edition of the BRCM jersey.

By the time I got to the top of Poway, I was with only a couple guys, so I started to work to try and find my way to Shannon and Todd and hopefully a peloton to work with.  One guy was on a TT bike, so I thought he would be able to hang, but he didn't.  I hooked up with another couple guys after a while, but I was definitely doing a good portion of the work.

When I came across a couple Descenders, I passed and they started to ride with me letting me know that Shannon and Todd were ahead of us.  It turned out it was Bob and Oleg, so they were game to work and soon we had a pretty good little group going.   I knew I'd never catch Shannon and Todd on my own, so I definitely wouldn't turn down riding with the group.

We rode all the way to the 78 and down it together, and it was fun pushing down the hill with them.  Bob and Oleg were definitely legit on the descent along with some others who were with us, so we made our way down the hill pretty fast...fast enough to get top 10 honors. Sweet.

I stayed in the group, and everyone seemed to be working together and keeping the pace up.  I figured it would help get us to the SAG a lot quicker where I could hook up with the BRCM boys.  When we got to the first SAG, I slowed but didn't seem them so while the rest of the group I was with stopped, I pushed on.

I was alone for a while trying to make my way to the next SAG when I saw some of the Descenders closing in on me.  I was glad one of them was Oleg again, so he got me to roll up with them and we started working together again.  They definitely helped keep the ride interesting and offered a lot of reprieve from the winds.  In turn, I would push up and make sure to do my share of the work when I could.  Oleg was pretty cool about it too, as he told me to save some and let others work...so I did and they did.  Cool guys.

At the next SAG on PCH, I was totally dry since I only started out with a bottle and a half for the ride, so I had to stop.  Only two other guys stopped at that point with me, so that was the last I got to ride with Oleg and his group.  I thought I'd be able to ride with the other two who stopped with me, but I was only able to tow one for a little bit before he told me to just go ahead.

I was pretty much on my own until about mile 80 just trying to make it back.  I passed a few guys who were in the group I was riding with, but no one was willing to work with me.  I then ran into John, another Descender, who was in the first group, and he stepped up and we started working together.   We both helped each other a lot, so I'm glad I ran into him.

I skipped the last two SAGs because I figured if I didn't see Todd and Shannon earlier on, what would be the point to look to see if they were there.  It turns out they were waiting at the 2nd to the last SAG, but it was a little off the beaten path, so John and I pushed past it and just kept going all the way to the end.

By the time I got back, the temps were definitely in the high 90s or possibly even in the triple digits.  Gary was back already and probably didn't realize that handing me my first and second beer probably saved my life.  HA HA.  Damn those beers were delicious after a hot 100.   Todd and Shannon rolled in not too long after, and we sat and drank some more.  Then, Gary got hungry so we ended up having lunch at Stone Brewery.  I was a little out of it from the beers in the parking lot, but I did manage to make our waitress chuckle a couple times.  It's how I roll.

Despite only riding with the team for probably about 5-10 minutes only, I had a great time nonetheless.  It was awesome to see the team out and representing again, and there are definitely enough Strava hardware between us to show that we were out there getting it done.

Thank you guys for coming out and for lunch, and thanks for driving, Shannon.   You guys are the best!

Lunch Ride - Pre-century Cruiser but with Strava Challenges

Strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/86701949

In preparation for this weekend's century ride that Todd and I are doing in Poway, I thought it would be a good idea to taper off this week as we normally do before a big ride.  I proposed an easy route today just to hopefully keep the masses together, but threw in a couple Strava challenges just to keep it interesting for the restless.   Here's what I wrote:

Let’s do a bike trail Laguna Canyon Shady Bonita Canyon Ford East bluff CA loop tomorrow.  For those who want some “extra” training, we can have two KOM sections.  The way it’ll work isn’t so much the first one to the top, but the best Strava time for the day on them.   This means you can be off the back and STILL get the best time if you save it and charge up the hill faster than the others.  

Shady - http://app.strava.com/segments/612732
30 pts – first place
20 pts – 2nd place
10 pts – 3rd place

California (after Academy) - http://app.strava.com/segments/776717
30 pts – first place
20 pts – 2nd place
10 pts – 3rd place

Winner gets a buck from everyone.  I’ll have my dollar ready.

Simple enough, right?

Vince, Todd, Jeremy, Vin and Steve came out for the ride, so I figured there would be plenty to challenge for the Strava segments if that was what they wanted to do.  I wasn't really planning to go for it, which should have been obvious based on my indication that I'd have my dollar ready, but with this group, who knows what's real and what isn't anymore.  Hell, I called out a regroup point for the ride, but no one wants to listen anymore, so I'm wondering what the point is.

Anyway, the gist of the ride was where I was hoping to relax in the back, even out of the draft, but that's just never going to happen anymore it seems.  I was hardly in the draft minding but just pacing the group, when Vince decided to roll out from the front and ride behind me instead.  Fine by me.  I'm not going to go through any extra effort as a result, but I'll just maintain a steady pace and get some training in.  Eventually, I ended up pulling us onto the group before we got to the bridge near Harvard.

After the bridge, Vince passed and latched onto the front group again and I was once again just doing my thing.  At one point, Vin rolled out from the front and started making his way toward the back when I decided I'll just ride behind him.  As I did, I started to watch the other guys pull away and thought...hmmm, I guess I better come around and do my thing and if Vin wanted to latch on, he could.  I looked back some time after, however, and found that he wasn't there...so I just kept going.

Up ahead, I can still see the guys, but then I see Jaffe pop off the back of the group.  It was weird because it wasn't like they were flying, but maybe the hellacious wind out there got to him.  As I made my way up to him, I called out to have him latch on, and sure enough...he did.

My plan was to try not to let the guys ahead of us get too far, so I kept a steady pace just to get us up to the others by the time we got to Laguna Canyon.  Steve got to recover and took a couple pulls as well helping in the cause.

As we were on Laguna Canyon, I was content in maintaining Todd's pace, which was "comfortable" at best.  Jeremy and Vince ended up gapping the rest of us and ultimately broke away after a couple of lights we got caught up on.  Todd and I had traded pulls at this point, but at our pace, it wasn't like we were dying...although just getting out of that wicked wind was kinda nice.

As we were descending on Quail Hill, Todd was suggesting we worked together on Shady as he figured Vince and Jeremy would do the same.  Now I didn't really know what working together on a climb would be like given 1) it's Todd Jacobs and 2) I'm better at following his pace, so I suggested that I just lead him up the hill to help him get the Strava segment.  Of course, he took it and ended up getting the best time amongst us all.  I popped about half way up, but I didn't really care.

I caught up to Todd on the descent since he was just cruising, and started to lead him up over Shady after the gate (where there was no one waiting to regroup).  Todd took the front on the descent, and we maintained a good pace all the way down to the light at Bonita Canyon.  Jaffe wasn't far behind though, so he was able to make the green light with us.

For his "reward," which was to give him a pass on paying Todd IF Todd won (I got it there too), Jaffe was suppose to lead us back so we can save it for California.  However, he seemed like he needed some help before we even got to the 73, so I pushed up front and started to help as did Todd.  With Todd already having gotten a better time than both of us, I figured I'd keep up front and just try to get us back offering him as much wind protection as possible.  This way, should he get California too, my buck can stay in my pocket for sure.  At this point, we didn't know how Vince and Jeremy were doing since they were just gone, so it seemed like a good strategy for us.

With the wind behind us on East Bluff, I was pushing the pace a little more simply because it was just too easy.  I ended up gapping the two behind me unintentionally, but Jaffe made his way past me before California and Todd was content at his own pace shortly behind.

As we hit California, the light just turned green so Jaffe started ahead of me while Todd was just coming up behind us.  I knew the segment didn't start until after Academy, so I kept looking back and pointing at my wheel trying to motion Todd to latch on.  As we approached the Academy intersection with a green light, I just had to go and hoped that Todd would come up behind me at some point.  I passed Jaffe just after the intersection and started hammering off the seat.  Did I mentioned the wind sucked yet?  I kept looking back and seeing Todd's ominous black jersey closing every time, so I knew it was just a matter of time before he'd be making his way past me.  Once he did, I latched on but only to get beside him again calling out for him to push faster and faster just to make sure he clinched this segment too.

In the end, the final results for today's makeshift points ride is as follows:

Shady - http://app.strava.com/segments/612732
30 pts – first place  (Todd – 2:38, 16.8 mph avg)
20 pts – 2nd place (Vince – 3:00, 14.8 mph avg)
10 pts – 3rd place (Jeremy – 3:01, 14.7 mph avg)

California (after Academy) - http://app.strava.com/segments/776717
30 pts – first place (Todd – 1:47, 21.3 mph avg)
20 pts – 2nd place (me – 1:58, 19.4 mph avg)
10 pts – 3rd place (Vince – 2:09, 17.7 mph avg)

Overall – Todd (60 pts - winner), Vince (30 pts), me (20 pts) and Jeremy (10 pts).

While we didn't make it back nearly as quickly as Jeremy and Vince did, Todd still won the challenge.  Should what we did be considered sandbagging, or were we just playing the game?  Hmmm.  I just wonder how well Jeremy and Vince could have done if they were willing to work with us on the hills vs. doing their own thing, but I guess we'll just have to see for ourselves the next time.  They did have a kick ass overall average in the high 21s, so kudos.

We don't really know what happened to Vin, who had a new (demo) Blue Competition bike with Di2, but paraphrasing Jeremy and Todd, I guess he just got the Di2 Blues.   He did end up making it back though, and Jaffe did too, but neither posted up their Strava results and thus weren't included in the calculations above.

Thanks for the training, gents!  It's just what the doctor ordered for this weekend's century.  Go Team BRCM!