The Conditioning Continues....week 1!

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/221382625

I was really looking forward to riding with team members again, but I had to go solo due to a class I got in last minute that started at 1 PM.  You may be asking then why I'm blogging about a solo ride vs. a team one. 1)  Because I can, 2) because I want to and 3) because it lets the other guys on the team know I mean business.  The game is definitely on, so I'm hoping this encourages the rest of the team to train up to keep up or keep ahead.  Knowing how the guys are, these words will not be taken lightly.  Good!

So my purpose for getting out to ride was to get more seat time, especially on my TT bike, and starting bringing up that discipline again.  It is my favorite mostly because it's the easiest to work on given that it's more about tempo than high intensity.  I was hoping someone might come out and join me to push me even more, but no takers so solo it was.

One of the things I realized when riding was that my mind was equally in need of conditioning.  I felt less confident about pushing myself (fearing I may pop or cramp), I was more inhibited when it came to turning on the aeros and I really had to force my myself to focus on breathing, being smooth, etc.  I'm sure these also apply when I'm on my road bike, but it seems more relevant when solo given that the only company I keep are my thoughts.  This is definitely going to take some more seat time to overcome.

Despite the mental aspect, I was actually a little surprised I was able to average 200+ watts for the ride.  I did my non-stop pedaling route, but the stop light on California and a dog being walked on Back Bay without a leash made it less than ideal.  The weather was great though.

In the end, I was pleased with being able to average 22+ on the route.  I'm hoping I can hit 23-24 again eventually, but I'm just getting started (or restarted).

One encouraging thing to see was Vince's and Shannon's Strava posts showing they rode at lunch yesterday also.  I'm sure others probably rode with them, but like the saying goes...if it isn't on Strava, it didn't happen.  With the amount of riding these guys are doing compared to the others, you can tell they're only going to keep pushing the bar higher and higher.  I'm fine with it as it gives me something to shoot for.  It's great when team mates push one another.  I'm hoping these damn blogs will help push others as well.  If at least one is encouraged by them, then it's all worth the while.

Morning BAM Resurrection Ride

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/220595165

It's easy to believe that Team Broadcom disbanded given the lack of participation in organized group rides, the absence of blogs, and just the smattering of Strava posts by team members. However, the BAM spirit has only been in hibernation during the last few months (although some still exhibited it more than others during that time).  Now the spirit has grown restless and is ready to start being a force to reckon with once again. Consider yourself warned.  A new chapter is starting, and its title is rightfully called "BAM...the Resurrection." 

This morning was the first ride of the next chapter.  It was an OG roundup for sure with Gary, Verm and Galen coming out for some good training.  It was great to ride with these folks again as it's been awhile since I've ridden with them.  They're good folks who appreciate riding as a team, which I desperately need given my apparent lack of conditioning.  

It was a rather cold start with the temperature being in the mid 40's when we started pedaling.  I was surprised to see Gary be ready to go but without any arm warmers on.  He conformed real quick though once I pointed out what the temperature was when I pulled up.  I made the mistake of only bringing shorty gloves vs. full-finger.  My hands were turning blue in the beginning and as we hit patches of shade on the 133.  Everyone wore shorts, which seemed adequate although doing so had Galen making fun of all the hair on my legs.

The pace was definitely more moderate than our lunch rides...something I really appreciated given the temperature (and my extra weight).  There were definitely moments of type A riding out there with Gary launching some Adrian-esque hill attacks and Galen and Verm breaking away seemingly at will.  There was even one hill I thought I'd charge right before El Moro, but Galen encouraged me to go faster as he easily dropped me before the top.  

We considering skipping NPC, but I'm glad we ended up doing it.  I'm sorely lacking in the hill training, so a nice constant climb was just what the doctor ordered.  Of course, the likes of Vista, Ridge, or any other steeper hill would be better, but baby steps for now....   The descent on the other side, however, was no fun with a lot of traffic due to the school.  Galen had taken off high on adrenalin after a guy in a silver Mercedes was messing with him.  After a couple bunny hops over the sewer openings, his chain came off mid air and caused him to unclip and land almost sideways.  Thankfully, he was able to keep it up right.

This was a great restart for me to ride with the crew this morning.  Except for a beer my wife gave me last night, I'm hoping to be on track once again and apparently have others who are equally interested.  It will definitely be a grueling journey, but one that will be worth the while.  If getting faster came too easily, then it wouldn't be as rewarding, right?  I'm looking forward to reading this in a few months and seeing how far we've come.  

Thanks for coming out, gents!

Lunch Ride - Oh The Pain

Strava:  http://www.strava.com/activities/182590593

Attendees:  Vince, Mitchell, Hiroshi, Galen and me

Highlights:

• Nice to have Hiroshi and Galen back out with us on a lunch ride
• I feel fat
• Vince took off right away on California and continued breakaway leaving us at the light on University
• I am fat
• Galen accepted the challenge of trying to catch Vince and for the most part did 90% of the work doing so.  My 10 percent was where we didn't really gain on Vince but just gave Galen time to rest so he can continue reeling Vince in after.  It took just after the bridge to catch the bugger.
• Hiroshi and Mitchell suffered the fate of dropping off due to Galen's crazy power on the bike trail. 
• Worked together with Vince and Galen on the rest of the bike trail and on Laguna Canyon.
• Vince said he wouldn't attack up Pine Needles/Luminuous...but he did
• Galen passed me as well, but I tried to sneak by him with a sprint to the top...he laughed at my sneakiness and passed me after.
• Did I mention I'm a fatty?
• Vince and Galen broke away on Quail Hill after I got dropped at the top, but Mitchell (and the light before going up Shady) helped us regroup.
• Galen led up Shady, but Vince launched midway...again
• I waited a little later and tried to reel Vince in before the top just missing the pass at the crest
• Galen and Mitchell got back on after we tried to get away for a little...as expected
• Sprint to Shady bike trail was sketchy with Vince taking off early and Galen following.  I was working to catch them and pass before the bike trail but they checked up due to passing stopped vehicle.
• Mitchell led us on Bonita Canyon at first followed by the rest of us, but Galen amped it up again up the climb and I nearly pulled a Roberto Duran and was ready to exclaim "No mas!"  
• We cut the condo because Galen had to get back, and truthfully I was just done.
• There was a police car that had slowed down and appeared to be following us as we were getting on Bison, but no incidents...we were good.
• I tried to setup a sprint to the finish and drop Vince who jumped on my rear wheel, but he managed to sneak by at the end.

Moral of the story:  Mexico all-inclusive resorts are not conducive to being able to keep up on our lunch rides.  Oh...and being fat sucks.

2014 Summer TEAM Ride

Strava:  http://www.strava.com/activities/171371863

I wasn't sure how many people were going to be able to make it out for the team ride, but we ended up having better numbers than I expected.  Galen, Todd and Vin confirmed early on but we were lucky to have both Vince and Hiroshi join us last minute also.  Woo hoo.

The plan was to meet at my house and depart for the ride around 8:30 a.m.  Galen was the first to arrive despite living the furthest away, and he was followed by Todd, Vince, Vin and Hiroshi (who ran into some traffic on the way down due to an accident).  We still managed to get going before 8:45 a.m. though even after taking some pics beforehand.

Is it weird Vin is always next to me in pics?  Pic courtesy of Vince who wore white.

The weather was already pretty warm when we got going and we wondered how this was going to affect us during our ride.  Fortunately for us, there was a lot of overcast by the ocean where it kept it from being a lot cooler than what we expected.  Stopping on the way back allowed us to feel the warmth, but overall it wasn't bad at all.  The winds weren't that bad either and the headwinds were mostly on the way down. 

With Hiroshi still in recovery mode and Galen not having ridden too much lately, we definitely started out a lot more mellow than usual.  Everyone did a great job keeping the pace moderate so that we don't have anyone falling off early on.  I would do my sweeping duties to make sure no one was dropping, but after I saw how solid everyone was riding, I pushed up to help up front as much as I could.  It was a "team" ride after all.

When we got on PCH, someone pushed the pace up a little higher (I think it was Galen from the rumblings after we got to San Clemente), but everyone did great nonetheless and there wasn't really any fallout as a result.  In fact, I think that there wasn't one time on the way down that we weren't riding tightly as a team. 

We held a great pace all the way down and reeled in groups and individuals all the way down.  We did have some people jump on behind us here and there, but none of us minded.  I think Galen must have said hi to everyone on the way down AND back, but that's good BRCM cycling ambassadorship.

Todd and Vince were doing a lot of the work up front as expected to keep the pace up, while Galen did his thing trying to provide Hiroshi a solid draft since Hiroshi was still in recovery mode from his surgery a few weeks back.  Hiroshi did fantastic considering that he just started riding again recently, and definitely exceeded my expectations for the day.  Vin was participating in the rotation when he could, but he seemed to favor pushing up and creating a gap after sitting in the draft for a while where it appeared to be the end of Strava segments from what I could see.  Ha ha...typical. 

Although we didn't have any mechanical incidents, we did stop/slow a couple times thinking someone had a flat.  Fortunately, they were both false alarms.  There was no bonking during the ride, but we did have to regroup a couple times on the way back when gaps would form.  Everyone did the team thing and waited for others when needed, so overall you couldn't ask for better team work than what I saw yesterday. 

We had a good break at McDonald's and in the end had a ride time under 3 hours, with just 25 minutes of extra time elapsed for the break.  Todd, Vince and I were definitely trading off the pulls on the way back and helped to get us back in a great time.  I know I was just thinking about getting to the cold beers waiting for us, so I would push when I could.  I'm sure the other guys were thinking the same thing.

Chillin' with the crew

 We got back and chilled out in my garage for a little to get a little hydration, but that eventually moved to my back yard where the beer fest began.  Everyone brought different kinds of beer where we had the following samplings to choose from:

Negra Modelo
Kona Castaway IPA
Black Butte Porter
Shock Top Belgian White
Peroni
Lagunitas Fractional IPA
Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin'
Chimay Grand Reserve
Delirium Nocturnum
La Fin Du Mond
Allagash Curieux
Magic Hat Not Quite Pale Ale

Along with the above, the ladies had some margaritas with Grand Marnier and triple sec (Cadillac).  I didn't really eat enough Mexican food to buffer the alcohol intake, especially after draining my bottles for the ride, but at least I didn't fall asleep this time.  As always, it was definitely a great time hanging with the fellas both during and after the ride and in all honesty, is why I love being on this team.  As always, let me extend my apologies should I have offended anyone after the ride, but hey...at least I kept my clothes on this time. 

Great times with great peeps.  Thanks for making it out, gents!

Riding with MC McGee Equals PAIN

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/170506230

Temperature:  HOT

Attendees:  Shannon, Vince and Vin

Highlights:

• When Shannon comes out for a ride, the anxiety level among the others rises significantly...self included.  It didn't help that he stated "maximize the pain" in the body of the sentence from his invite.
• Todd just missed the ride since he had to get back early...lucky him.
• Everyone wore black as Shannon asked...except me.  That's why I ride a small yellow bus to work.
• Vin took off during the beginning of the ride and immediately this guy came to mind:
• There was an early jump on the bike path from Vin and Vince, but it wasn't long before we were all together with Shannon towing the group
• I tried to help when I can, but it seemed that others were a little tentative initially
• When we got on Back Bay though, everyone was working and doing their share in the rotation.
• There was a little sprint to the end of the gate that had Shannon and Vince going for it.  I couldn't breathe.
• We all made our way onto PCH eventually and continued to keep the pace up.  We rolled up and passed one guy who I thought may join, but he didn't.
• Riding through Ocean and onto Poppy was pretty uneventful except we did have to stop before we got back on PCH due to a van blocking the road.  I paid the driver later for letting me rest.
• On PCH, Shannon lit it up pretty good and I can honestly say that being in the draft offers little reprieve when trying to keep up.
• The climb up PCH had Vince and Vin take off ahead initially, but we all ended up together after hitting some lights.  Shannon ended up taking the front and Vin did a great job staying with him while Vince and I slowed up some toward the end.  Vince was further back than me, but he caught and passed me before the light.  The things I do for the team.  ;)
• We had a good run through Pelican and down NPC and on PCH and although some gaps formed early on, everyone managed to get back together.
• As we made our way onto BB after a good run on PCH, the rotations began again.
• Shannon took a mean ass pull at one point with me behind me, and trying to pass him to take a turn is almost impossible.  
• Vince took off at one point to attempt a breakaway, but it was neutralized by Shannon who ended up taking the final pull on BB.  
• Vince took off up the hill and I just managed to latch on behind me.  We worked together on the bike trail and eventually up to California with no funny business.
• I took the lead up California expecting everyone would be behind me, but I think they probably just sat back and laughed as I struggled to keep a 17 mph avg up the damn thing.  

All in all, it was a great training day.  More miles than usual, but with my lack of mile this week, it was definitely warranted.  Thanks for the invite, Shannon, and thanks to all for the great workout!

BRCM Lunch - Now THAT'S What I Call A Team Ride

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/167708324

Highlights:

• Although we got a late start given Todd and Vince being in a meeting, I'm glad I waited as it was definitely a lot better than riding alone.
• Vince got his new steed, a sexy black R3 with Di2 and some carbon Shimano wheels.  Can you say "uh oh?"  
• We decided to do the bike trail, Knollcrest, and Ridgeline for today's route, but pull back to about 80% to save up for the weekend.  We did exactly that.  
• It was great teamwork throughout with everyone taking turns up front, no breakaway antics, and just good solid riding/rotating.  My average heart rate was only 144 and I never even entered Z5 once.  Cool!
• We even got to talk about Vince's new bike during the ride.  I think this is what Hiroshi would refer to as a conversational pace.  
• 20.5 mph average (20.7 per my Garmin) for this route further substantiates the mellowness.
• Can every ride be like this?  HA HA.  Actually, we need the madness for the training, but these types of rides are definitely fun to do with the team.  

Thanks for coming out, Vince and Todd.  You guys rock!

BRCM Lunch - Nice to Ride with Others Again

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/activities/167316688

Attendees:  Todd, Vince, Vin and Mitchell

It's been a while since my last blog, but I thought I'd throw this one out there to show that we're still riding.  It's not because I've lost interest in the team (or the guys on the team for that matter), but sometimes life just gets in the way.  I feel bad that I haven't been able to coordinate rides and motivate others to keep riding, which is evident with David Liu having been on top of our team leaderboard in Strava miles-wise for the better part of this week (no offense, David), but some restructuring in my personal life was warranted where time was just not available for me to do so.  It's still not, but I'll do what I can.

Anyways....

It was nice to see Mitchell back on the bike again.  In the gym, he mentioned how he missed me and that he never even misses his own boss.  I'm not sure what the correlation there was, but I'm sure it was a good thing.  Needless to say, I let him know I missed him too.  Get a room, right?

Vince and Vin came out, and Todd showed up late where we all decided it was best to wait for him.  After all, he's the least to complain about sitting on his rear wheel the whole time.  5 riders all together is probably the biggest group I've ridden with in over a month.

I called out the route on an e-mail yesterday, but we threw in a horseshoe variation to the NPC double-back bay route at the corner just before taking off.  I also didn't remember how the route finished, so we determined we would go up California in the end.  I guess I can see how it's more fun for the others to have the route totally laid out for them beforehand. This led to 3 different variations of the route, but needless to say we all got a great workout nonetheless.

Todd started out ahead of everyone right away, but the rest of us managed to get up on his wheel before the stop sign at the top of Eastbluff (no thanks to the others who didn't help close the gap...ha ha).  I tried to help Todd with a pull or two, but I was feeling like a big fatty after not being able to exercise yesterday (plus the nightly beer drinking - just 1 or 2).

My fattiness was also seen climbing up NPC, where I ended up not being able to hang on after we passed the 73.  Todd had been leading the whole way at a good pace, but when Vince finally decided to take the front, my stomach chub was too heavy for me to stay on.  Fortunately, I had my wingman, Mitchell, with me since Vin dropped.  He helped after we got to the top and we worked together on San Joaquin and the horseshoe.  We did see Vince ahead of us on San Joaquin having skipped the horseshoe, but we thought he was alone and that Todd had turned.  Mitchell wanted to follow him, but I said we're doing the horseshoe because I'm a stickler for following the designated route.  I always think someone's going to give me crap in the locker room for doing a route other than what we discussed.  It's the self-imposed burden I carry....

When we came out of the horseshoe and didn't see either Vince or Todd, we pretty much expected it would be a tough chase unless we totally get lucky with the lights and they didn't.  Well, I think the opposite occurred as we hit long light after long light.  We did roll up to Vin at McArthur (I think) since he skipped the horseshoe to catch up.

The 3 of us worked together hoping to catch a glimpse of Vince and Todd, but when we hit the light at Jamboree and didn't see them, we figured we were on our own.  Both Mitchell and Vin were taking good pulls (surprise surprise...haha) with no antics.  Vin even led us up Jamboree after going through Back Bay on the first pass.

The 3 of us were stopped at the light on Ford/Eastbluff heading toward the 2nd BB pass.  Once the light turned green, two guys buzzed us on bikes having had momentum on their descent and making the green light perfectly.  Of course, I entered chase mode immediately after they did only to realize it was Vince and Todd!   They had extended their route by going by the trailer park bike trail. They definitely didn't slow down to wait for us, so we had to book just to get back up to them.  We were all together at the stop light on San Joaquin given the red light though.

From here, we all worked together as we made our 2nd pass through Back Bay with everyone carrying their fair of the load up front.  Vince and I had gotten a little ahead at the top of Back Bay as we made our way to University.  We exchanged pulls after Vince gave me the arm wave to pass as he was rubbing down a cramp he was starting to get.  When he relieved me as we got passed the bridge, you can see the other guys looming behind us.  The next thing you know, Vin had passed and was going for it (or seemed like it) as we made our way toward California.  I took the opportunity to get on his rear wheel and have him lead us close enough for a pass just before.  It's how we do....  Nice pull.  :)

When we started heading up California, Vin started off a little aggressive again, so the rest of us latched on.  I took the next pull, and Todd the one after that.  I saw Vin looking like he was getting ready to go, but he never went.  I went to pass as we neared the top, and Todd and I just started pedaling our asses off side-by-side as we made our way to the stop light.  Intense!

Thanks for the workout today, gents!  I hope we can start getting others to join us more.  While I can't say I'll blog every ride, I'll do so on occasion when I can.