I got to order dessert today!

That's right! A long time ago Norma and I had talked about a "stimulus package" that would consist of me having the opportunity to order to dessert after winning a race.
Today I endulged with a Blodie from Ruby Tuesday's after winning the Pro/Semi/Expert race #3 in the Dust Devils Series at White Tanks.

It was quite a shock to the system to race again. I really don't remember the last time I hit 199BPMs, so needless to say I am a little tired.
Norma continued her winning streak by claiming the top spot of her age group in the beginner female race and 3rd overall. So today we got two 1st places in the household. Sweeet!

I'll post some pictures and a full race recap in the next couple of days.

Pura Vida!

Weekend Review

This was a busy weekend. Lots of things going on in all different fronts.

Things started really well on Friday, when I came home to this.

Genuine Innovations came through for us one more time. I hope I won't need any of those during races, but based on previous history we all know I will. It's good to get this kind of support from a local company. Thank You! Genuine Innovations.

On Saturday we drove up to McDowell to watch the start of the 12 and 24 Hours of Fury. Lots of team members participating in the race. Results are not posted yet, and I haven't had a chance to talk to any of them but the 24 Hour Team was battling out with a Bicycle Haus team up until we left. While we were there, Norma and I rode up to Pemberton and completed a lap and little more, then we rode the service road to different sections of the trail to cheer on riders. At first it was odd not to be racing, but again, it also felt good to leave just after dark, grab some Sushi then sleep on our own bed.

Look at all the Adrenaline, red, white and black at the start of the 12 Hour race.

Sunday, I was scheduled to do 3 hours and the plan was to head to White Tanks and pre-ride, however with the wind advisory, we decide to keep it local. Not to mention, we would have to drive near Avondale and deal with the NASCAR traffic leaving the PIR.My 3 hours felt like two completely different rides. The first 1:45 was slow, low visibility, dusty and with a head wind with gusts up to 20MPH. The other 1:15 was all big ring action with an awesome tail wind.

Once I got home, I decided to do some cooking. Sweet Plantains and Empanadas were the afternoon project. It all turned out really good, but I am biased.

Then it was on to the next project of the weekend...

Hairy Legs...

No More...

No shaving here. Haven't shaved my legs for over two years. Waxing seems to work a lot better for me. It takes a little longer but it also lasts longer. A little painful the first time but it's worth it. Again, thanks to my wife for taking care of me.

Racing is back this week with the White Tanks race on Saturday.

Ciao!

Halloween, Bike Fit and Dust Devils #2

So last Friday I rode my bike to work like any other day. As I get through the front door, one of security guards at the front desk asks me "How can I help you?" I politely replied " just getting to work" while I showed him the badge that I had dug out of my jersey pocket. I continued walking and as I am scanning my badge over the access sensor, he says: "That's an interesting costume!"  "I know, I wear it almost everyday! I said and went on with my day.

 

Anyway, I later discovered that he was a new guard at our location, so he had never seen me come in to work wearing spandex and a helmet. It was also Halloween, which means that throughout the day, he had seen quite a few other people wearing stuff much different than what's normal for a Friday, so I guess he's excused but it sure was funny!

 

Other than riding a lot, including a 4-hour road ride on my mountain bike, I have been working with Coach on my bike fit. I have never really devoted too much time to my position on the bike, nor am I meticulous about my saddle height. In fact, I've been known for lowering or raising my saddle by close to an inch just before a race. Sometimes my back would hurt, but it'll go away after a while, then my aquiles tendon would start acting up or I would get muscles cramps on odd locations. So a few weeks ago I met Art and we went over my position on both the mountain bike and the road bike. After close to an hour of pedaling on a trainer, moving, measuring and checking alignments of things we ended up with a completely different position. The most drastic change was my saddle height. I had it so high that I was not only rocking my hips (which explains the saddle sores) but I had also gotten used to pedaling with my toes down.

At first, it was hard to feel comfortable with the lower saddle position. I felt like I was riding a downhill bike but after a few continuous days of riding, I have gotten used to it and really enjoy it. I still have to remind myself to drop the heels while I pedal but I'll get there soon.

 

Racing is still in the down low for me, however Norma did race last weekend at McDowell. I did a horrible job assisting her as I missed her second hand off. Thankfully Art was there to cover me. My goals was to give her the first bottle then ride to a point on the long loop to give her the second one. I under estimated how long it would take her to get there, then I wisely decided to ask some of the expert riders that were coming up this hill, crossed eyed and almost delusional from the unusual heat if they had seen my wife back there. One of them said "Yes, I saw her back there" but I guess he was referring to seeing her on a previous lap. Anyway, by the time I got back to the finish line, Norma had already finished and had even changed out of her racing clothes after finishing 4th overall and 2nd in her age group. I suck at doing hand offs!

 

Looking ahead, coach has given me the green light to participate on two races this month. Dust Devils #3 at White Tanks will be my next one, then I am going to give Cyclocross racing a try on the 23rd. Stay tuned for that!

 

Pura Vida!