FLOOD RELIEF

After a weekend of basement flooding, I needed a release. I found it on the Surly at my "secret" training grounds. Just like the rest of the mid-west, they were a tad soggy, but that just seemed to add to the fun factor. Still in some terrible shape, but now I have tan lines! Ty

FLOODING....JUST ANOTHER FORM OF CROSS TRAINING

Not fun, but could have been worse.

Thank God for the invention of the "wet vac"!

I pray that everyone that has been affected by the mid-west flooding is hanging in there and finally drying out. Living on the Mississippi and the Rock rivers all my life, I still am amazed at how quickly "water" can change lives! Our household felt the effects of how just a little water can put your day to day life on hold. Water started filling our basement on Friday night. Anything that was planned for the weekend, and for this weeks vacation were lost. Every waking moment for the last several days, were spent dealing with getting rid of water, or moving things away from the water. Early in the week, I had some great training rides. This all came to a halt. I haven't been on the bike since Thursday. 4 days of amazing sunshine, but all we've seen is a wet basement! Our flooding was a mild inconvenience and yet it took several days of our lives. I can only imagine the hardship of those in Cedar Rapids or Iowa City who may have lost everything. So everyone stay safe, and grab a sandbag or two. Building levee's is great cross training...... Ty

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

115 miles, 8+hrs in saddle, memories for a lifetime

"Perfect timing" Tommy blew a tire just as we pulled up to the parking lot. Thanks to the bike gods.

Never underestimate the power of the ju-ju to get you over the big hills!

Still smiling after 2 hard days in the saddle.

After the first rain storm. 2 to go.

A little soggy, but a century is still a century.

My "dad quit screwing around" look!



Still smiling on Sunday morining , before the skies opened up.

Not moving very well on Sunday morning.


Friends from Muscatine, IA at dinner.

Explain why college is so cool again?




This cheeseburger in Galena was amazing. A few hills later, not so much!

First rest stop, still fresh.

The best place to start is by saying THANK YOU to all the riders who passed by with encouraging words. Things like "nice job young man", " you pulling your dad to Dubuque" or my favorite, and the one i'm most proud of "I wish my son would do this with me"! There are not enough words for me to describe how proud I am of Thomas on this Monday morning. At 10 yrs old he had no clue of the hardship of riding 115 miles in 2 days, over challenging terrain, in some of the worst weather that I have ever ridden a bicycle in. My hope in the beginning was to have an experience that we could share. Time has a way of getting past us all. With challenging schedules, it is easy to just go day to day, and the next thing you know your kid is 10 and it scares the hell out of you as to where the time went. I also didn't want the experience to be so grueling, that he would never want to ride a bike again! Needless to say, he was one tired kid last night, and so was I. The stress of watching over him, especially on the steep and wet downhills, removed a few more hairs from my receding hair line. His lines on the uphills were a little squirley also as he put all he had into moving forward. But everyone was courteous to this fact, (except one pro kit dude out of place). This guy could have taken a page out of Brian Moritz's "nice guy"book! Here is a guy having a great race season. He could have just blown by us an said "on your left". But he took the time to slow down, say hey, and even take a photo of me and Tommy. A+ on the cool guy scale! Team Izzy will be rooting for ya at the next race. To conclude the weekend, my wife told me late last night after talking to our son about his experience. He told her that he had a great time with dad, and can't wait till next year! Or something like that, at least that's what I heard............. Ty

DOWN TO MY LAST DOLLAR

Told ya a while back, that while camping I went for a single speed ride on the back roads around our camp site. I take the single speed because I never know how the roads or trails are. Gravel, paved, dirt, the SS tackles them all. As i've explained numerous times on this blog, my mechanical skills are sub-par at best. I do carry a spare tube, and a mini pump, but dread the thought of having to actually use them on the open road. Well it finally happened in a big way! I was 15 miles and 20 turns down a gravel road away from the campsite. I did have my cell phone, but had no way of explaining to my wife how to come get me. So with no other choices left, I was going to have to save myself, or walk. Pulled the rear wheel off to find that this was more than a flat it was a blow out..... I had a pinkie size hole in my tire, and with 15 miles of gravel between me and my camper, there was no way just changing the tube was going to last. The only other thing I had left in my seat bag, was a single dollar bill. Why not! I stuffed it in there, put the new tube in, and with not too much fuss (for me), was heading "gingerly" home. McGyver eat your heart out! Thanks to Arnold's bike shop in Thompson, IL for hooking me up with a new rear wheel and another spare tube. I was back in business later that afternoon. Believe me, a 7 and a 10 year old in a small pull behind camper all weekend.........A couple hour ride is Heaven! Ty

OUCH!!!

My "pre-pop" off the back face!

Don't trip,Don't trip,Don't trip

June is here, no races under my belt, so what do I do? Yup get the cross bike out! I figured that if i'm not gunna race all summer, at least I can start getting ready for fall. So today I pulled the PVC practice barriers out of the garage rafters, aired up the tires to "35"psi and headed to the park. The plan was to tempo for about 1 1/2 hrs. A nice run up, barriers, and 15 yard run through the mulch jungle gym area, gave me 3 on and off the bike practices per 6 minute lap. Temps in the 80's, and I was drenched by the second lap. The wet grass felt like ice. The run up felt 2 miles long. The mulch felt 2 feet deep. The barriers felt waist high. My tempo ride became a survival ride for an hour. I was at my limit way too quickly for my liking, and the realization of the work ahead heavy on my shoulders. But there is time, and it felt great hopping on and off the bike again. Posted some pictures to remind myself why my legs will feel like lead tomorrow! 3 1/2 months till cross season................Ty

THE NEXT BILL GATES

This is a warning to all parents of pre-teens/teens out there. Just because they act, talk, and look like they know what they're doing on a computer, don't fall for it for a second! It will only be a matter of time before they turn your high dollar investment into a low tech "paper weight". Granted, my skills are extremely limited in this area. So when my oldest son decides to really lock it up, I have to head to the local computer store experts to restore my sanity. Usually they do this before I go too far postal on my future Internet hacker! But this seems to be happening on a more regular basis. His few dollar a week allowance doesn't pay for the gas to the repair shop, and taking away computer rights only allows him more time to think up other ways to terrorise my wife and I. So my choices are military school, or buy myself a new computer and give him the old one. Since I have grown attached to the little computer murderer, (and his mother already said I can't send him), military school is out. So the search is on for a new computer. Then put the new toy as far away from him as possible. Then when he locks up again "and he will". Hire per mar to run security to enforce the restraining order I will have already taken out! On a biking note, I had a great memorial day "biking" weekend. No I did not race, but put on a hundred plus miles while camping with family and friends. I have some cool pictures to post once I get that capability back on my computer................Ty

TRAINING MILES ADDING UP WITH ZERO FOCUS

Yes I am training. And as the weather warms up I am starting to feel my form coming around also. But as everyone else seems to have a plan as to where they will be racing next. In this area I am way behind. I gotta just get off the pot and drive somewhere the next available weekend and step to the line and get flogged. Memorial day weekend is out with family stuff. But it's gotta happen sometime! I just can't wait till September and cross season to roll around and expect to be Johnnie on the spot. While on the subject of being flogged. I showed up for a Thursday night "PACE LINE" ride. I had heard that the Tuesday night rides are an all out hammer fest, so opted for the more gentile sounding of the weekly rides. Sat in the back for most of the ride, then felt guilty towards the end and took some pulls until the lights started to go out. So like I said in the beginning we're getting there, I just don't know where the finish line (or starting line) is going to be. Also, I promise to get back into the photo groove. A blog without photos is just a waste of time! Ty

A BLOGGER WITH NOTHING TO SAY

Training, but not racing. Not even any good group rides to report. Went camping last week with the family and several other families. Spent a ton of time on the road. Long relaxed paced rides. What most experts call base building, except I've been building base since January! Also, I'm not too sure that the grilled camping food along with copious amounts of "Mr. Daniels" in my coke did anything but set my fitness back a tad. Congrats to all the local riders on there results in Iowa City. Looks like several of you are really flying this spring. I hope to have something more (credible) to report in May. Because a blog with nothing to say is a waste of time! But then isn't it always? Ty

I PICKED A BAD WEEK TO RAMP UP MY TRAINING MILES

After seeing all the result pages on bike Iowa, I looked into the mirror and decided to get off the sidelines and kick the training up a notch. But I forgot to tell mother nature about my plans. So several days of rain, added with several long work days, adds up to more boredom hours on the rollers! I hate my basement! Maybe my next house won't have one, and i"ll have no place to ride rollers. I am still debating the actual fitness gains that may be had by riding them. I added in some early morning "hill repeats" at the local cemetery to break it up a bit. This was a good thing. Last cross season, the run ups were an Achilles heel. So the old adage of practice your week points was my plan. Running up a really big hill countless times only bolstered my conclusion that I'm way out of shape. Super glad that my desired race season doesn't start till September!!! Still, I gotta pick it up. Ty

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS

Been a while since my last post. Sorry. It's been a stressful week or so in my life. No need to get into any boring details, but riding the bike went way down the priority chain. Life can come at you fast. You are rollin along on smooth pavement with everything under control, and then POP! Next thing you know you're in your own version of a Dr. Phil show. In times like these you always find out who your true friends are. The people in that small circle in your life you can always count on. To all of you out there, and you know who you are, THANK YOU!!! After a ton of hashing things out, and making some of the toughest decisions of my life, things are moving back towards the normal side of life. And with that today I had time for a looooong ride. It was a tad chilly and as always I over dressed for it, but I just wanted to ride forever. It felt good. And as it always does in that therapeutic way, helped. After Kent park, the season is now in full swing. I am way behind on the training curve, and that's o.k. for now. The way the other guys on the team are flying this spring, it won't take long just holding onto the tail of training rides to get back into shape. Thank you again for all the prayers and words of encouragement sent my way this week. They were received and heart felt! Ty

GREAT DAY FOR A GROUP RIDE (but i got dropped)

The first part of getting faster, is showing up! By this I mean, you have to show up to the bike races, or group rides. Even when you know that showing up is going to be rough on the ego. That is what I did today on the team Sunday ride. Even with the miles starting to add up in the training log, there have been very few major efforts yet this season. I had heard the gossip, that some of the guys on the team are already flying. Bishop even had a strong 2nd place showing at the first Conn Day race of the season (nice going). So just holding onto the tail today would have been reward enough. THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN. I got dropped early and often! The few glimmers of good form were book end by gasps for any available air, and me flailing all over my bike, while watching the group pull away. It's a sinking feeling loosing the draft, and seeing the group leave you for more "time trial" practice. For those of you that have never felt the suck of going backwards, good for you! For the rest of you, just keep showing up. Eventually "they say" you get better. Just cuz it's not working for me, there still might be hope for you.........Ty

CAN YOU SPORT A SUNGLASSES MIRROR AND STILL BE COOL?

My poll question of the week. If you wear a mirror on your person, or hang one off your bike, can you still be in the "cool" bike racer club? I have a friend who has a trucker sized mirror on his otherwise beautiful Felt road bike. It looks out of place, and ruins the lines of the bike. But he swears by it, and feels much safer while riding with it on. So if you feel more comfortable with it, and it helps you ride your bike more, isn't that a good thing? I also began thinking, will this rearward looking appendage really make a difference when the pickup truck shoulder brushers come calling? Yes you'll know there coming, and when to flinch, but that's about it. This summer one of my goals is to ride more with my oldest son. So in an effort to be more aware of traffic, I bought a mirror that attaches to my glasses. On a few of our 2 up rides, I have used it, and was quite impressed as to how it worked. So much so that I have even used it on several of my solo rides. I have to admit that the "style factor" goes way down, and there is no way at all to make it look good. I will never be able to wear it in large groups. As my fragile ego would never hold up to the torment. So if you see me all decked out euro style pretending to be the player that i'm not, the reminder to you will be hanging from my glasses. The good news for most of you is that i'll probably never see you behind me in said mirror. But if I do..............Then chances are, you have one on too!!!!!! Ty

A GILLIGAN 3 HOUR TOUR

A three hour single speed tour today of the surrounding gravel roads. Started off smooth, but as the day warmed up into the 30's, the edges began to soften up. So by the end of the journey, MUD was the name of the game. The new fenders are now paying dividends big time! The other problem, is that county road crews have been out in full strength re-graveling all the area farm roads. While I'm sure the farmers and country dwellers are thankful of this, my cross bike with the 34mm tires and no suspension was all over the place (or maybe just my handling skills). With one gear and new "mushy" gravel, some of the hills were massive undertakings. But not one car passed me the whole time! That and the new wool socks I got, made for warm tootsies and some fun spring base miles. I am getting the itch for a good group ride. Anyone with the same thought, give me a ring. Extended forcast for the weekend is for 50's! Ty

RE-RUN GETS READY FOR THE TOUR

Re-run (Thomas) and I are heading for the tour this summer! Well TOMROV anyway. With 3 months to get ready, he is doing his part to be in ride shape. The weather outside has been for the dihard riders only. So his base miles are being put in on the trainer. I'm impressed with his moxy so far. As all riders know there is nothing that drains motivation more than slogging away on a trainer in the basement. Thanks to Greg at Harper's, a new shorter stem has made the bike fit as good as can be expected on a hand-me-down frame. I'm trying not to be Earl Woods and start touting him as the next "Tiger" of the sports world. Just a dad and his son spending 3 months training together, so they can enjoy a weekend of bike riding in June. He'll have pleanty of time to get ready for the real tour next year! Ty

NEW TRAINING GROUNDS

Hiked some double track today, and it looks prime for good cross practice when conditions go dry. I've been in the hunt for a much longer training trail. The few local parks that I used last year are good in a pinch, but circle after circle can get a bit tedious. I'm trying to connect some trails that I use with gravel roads, or just one big off road circuit. The goal is an hour or even better lap. If I do find the "magic" course is anybody out there interested in a LONG DISTANCE cross race??? Like the Iron Cross in Pennsylvania, or the Three Peaks cross race in England. Maybe a 2 plus hour mass start cross race. Don't know, still looking, could be fun. I don't want it to be just a gravel race (we have plenty of those), or a single track mtb race, so that's the challenge. But I think I can find it given some effort. Let me know your thoughts. Ty

FIRST "OUTDOOR" RIDE OF THE YEAR

So heavy my truck might have trouble towing her.

Not pretty, but very effective at keeping me dry.

Missed the great temps yesterday, and was not about to do the same today. A solid two months off the roads has "I think" finally broke my burn out funk from last season. I once again could not wait to turn peddles. With road conditions a pot hole mine field, and puddles and road grime in full swing, I opted for the lead sled of my stable. My single speed, a Greg Harper classic, is the Frankenstein of bicycles! The family tree of this bike splits from untold whereabouts. Countless hours of dumpster diving and rummaging through the "vast" Harper back room inventory have gone into her creation. Ugly, Heavy, one gear, but also indestructible and reliable, and I love riding her! Forgot what headwinds felt like, and what happens to thighs when the road points upward. So it was good to get the first ride out of the way. With daylight savings just around the corner, the group rides are not far behind. Ty

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