LET IT SNOW

4 new inches of snow. What's a bike rider to do? Clip into the snow shoes and forget about race fitness on the bike for a while longer. That's what I did today, and the snow was great. Spent yesterday in Salt Lake City, UT looking at the mountains and all that snow. People kept coming into the airport loaded to the gills with ski totes. All of them heading to skiers heaven. So I returned today to the tourist destination of Andalusia, IL , and the grand trails of Loud Thunder Forest Preserve. Not quite the same, but I did have the trails all to myself. Still not sure how this winter cross training is going to transfer to the bike, but i'm having way more fun. Looks like there are some early season race testers in March so we'll see then. Tomorrow it is off to Atlanta for a few days. Taking the running shoes, maybe a head start on the tan lines to go along with my wind burn...... Ty

I'M NO ANSEL ADAMS SO GO OUT AND SEE IT FOR YOURSELF

Bridge crossing under the lake George spill way

Barrier training for next cross season

run up after run up

Whitetail deer power bar

"Moderate" in the summer, not with calf high snow to tromp through.

The trail snakes along the Andalusia Slough

My new training partner, Faster than even Wiford!!!!


These pictures do little justice to my newly found off season training grounds. It was easy for even a sinner like me to feel blessed on this very crisp morning! I could go all granola on you and talk about getting close to nature, but I won't. Just do yourself a favor and get off the trainers and take a field trip away from your training journals and watt meters. The weather man is calling for warmer temps this weekend, and for the first time since being a kid I will be just a touch sad to see the snow melt. The snowshoes and poles will be put away, and the base miles will soon begin. But this off season I can truly say I "cross trained" off the bike and loved every minute of it..... Ty

ESKIMO IN TRAINING

As I was wasting an hour on my rollers a week or so ago, I decided that enough was enough. If it is going to stay cold and snow every other day, then I'm going to be an Eskimo in training! The gravel roads have lost some of there luster, so I have graduated to Loud Thunder Forest Preserve and there endless trail system. Out come the snowshoes and ski poles and "tada" I'm Grizzly Adams. No clue as to how this will make the pedals turn faster come the thaw, but I don't care. My season doesn't start till September anyway! 2 hours on the trails goes by in a snap. I return to my truck totally thrashed and grinning from ear to ear. Something that my rollers have yet to do for me. There are some awesome views along the river, and the eagles are out in force this year. I'll try and take the camera on my next romp. Until then. Ty

PEANUT GALLERY

I have been wasting time on this blog for over a year now. I was under the assumption that I was doing this for my own amusement ( easy to do ). Anyone actually stopping to read this embarrassment to journalism, really does need to get out and ride there bike more! So imagine my surprise when on my last few posts, I started getting "comments". Somebody out there in cyberspace is interested in what I'm doing and has taken the time and shown great courtesy in responding. If I had an ego (lost it years ago in a crit somewhere) it might have grown a tad. But then I read these comments, and who they were from. It seems my very own teammates are the culprits of these slanderous statements. It looks as if it is there belief that my path of off season training is lacking in intensity. My no show at the Friday night roller sessions in some way will affect my performance come the July sprint fests at our Tuesday night world championships! They are questioning my team spirit due to my no show at any of the roller races. At this time, all I can do is assure them that my fitness is on track (a slow one). Also I do plan to show the team colors at some of the early season races. Even if these colors are YELLOW and BLACK just like almost every other Iowa team out there!!!! So even though I haven't driven 6 hours round trip to race 7 minutes on rollers, don't count me out yet! I just might surprise you on that first stop sign sprint...... Ty

HIGH ALTITUDE TRAINING

At the Summit 600 ft above sea level

Miles and miles of this out my back door

High altitude make your glasses too big!!!!!

Scared myself with all that self pitty, and failure talk last post. So went on a "high altitude" run/hike in the lower Rock Island county mountains. I only live 3 miles from Snow Star ski area, and the endless rolling gravel roads just out my back door are going to be my training grounds for this season. Don't have a reason as to why I don't take advantage of them more. I guess no traffic, great scenery, and challenging terrain is not my thing. But this year the Surly is gunna be the work horse, and the 600 ft Andalusia mountain range will be my domain. Hope my hematocrit stays below UCI standards!

TWO THINGS BAD ABOUT SUCCESS

January now over, I look into the training log to critique my effort, and all is good. Real good to be exact! Ten pounds lost, all weekly training hours met, not one sick day, and motivation going forward is good. But with success comes questions. Can I do it again next month? Will I gain 9and 1/2 lbs back in February? I reached thoes goals rather easily, am I doing enough to progress? Do I need a new bike? (this is always a question even when I suck) ! Success breeds the desire to be even more successful. A few good race results this last fall and the desire to not be last anymore is all the stronger! This ties into enough never being enough. Last year I did this much and I improved. So if I do this much MORE i'll be so much more gooder! Last years bike was an improvement over the previous on, but if I get a lighter wheel set.....who knows. So today I dropped off my taxes to my accountant and asked if my return was going to be a composite size one? He said more like steel or aluminium. So then I went to the all you can eat chinese buffet. If the new bike is gunna be heavy, why not the rider?