Well. I guess I stepped into something with my last post. I wish I could say that I am sorry that some readers did not enjoy my thoughts. But, alas, I cannot say that. I really do believe that if you work towards something then you own whatever it is you have created. Whether the creation is a home-made airplane (A stupid example, but I am trying to make a point) or a personal best time at the Pewaukee Triathlon does not matter. You are the one that makes such things exist or happen. Sure, you are assisted by family, friends, the wrenches at Emery's, etc., etc. But, you are the one that "creates" the idea and then puts it into reality. You own it and you deserve the rewards that come from what you create. Let's just leave it at that for now. If you want to discuss this more, you will have to meet me for a bike ride or a run (It is hard to have a conversation while swimming and my swim workouts are usually less than a half-hour. And, this requires more time that that).
On to random thoughts...
The brake system on your bike can hold a lot of calories.
Here is the back story: A few weeks ago, the rear brake on my TT bike stopped releasing. It was gummed up with the following:
Dirt
Energy gels
Energy drinks (various types, but orange Gatorade seem the most prevalent with green a close second)
More dirt
Lubricant
After removing the brakes and cleaning them, I was amazed just how much stuff can sit on a set of brakes. I had two full paper towels covered in crud. I like to put ice cubes in my watter bottles, but with the recent humidity, I think the volume of condensation this causes added to this issue. Using a gel pack as an example of 100 calories, I would say the rear brake had 150 and the front a little less than 100 calories. I would bet that with my between the aero bars bottle mount, I could get more on the front brake. But, I also use my front brake way more than my rear. So, the front probably has less opportunity to build up. I train with, but do not race with, two behind the seat bottle holders. Putting two sweating bottle right over the rear brake and using it only every other ride or so must account for the large volume of crud accumulated.
The more you ride, the better your bike handling skills will get.
After cleaning my brakes on the TT bike, I put the brakes back together and went out for a ride with Ben. Just a usual ride with me (because I was on my TT bike) pulling for the first two-thirds of the ride. About 20 miles in, Ben says, "Hey man (he says that a lot), your rear brake is rubbing." Upon examination, it was. So, I pushed it over but in swung back to rubbing. Then I adjusted the cable tension to minimized the force of the rubbing that was unfixable (is that a word?) without a pliers (which we did not have). The cool part about this was that we were going 24mph down Racine Ave. while all these repairs were done. I'd like to say that I stayed in my aero position as I did these repairs, put I did have to use my base bar to turn the cable tension down. Anyhow, a few years ago I would never have thought about monkeying with the rear brake while moving. In this case, it didn't even cross my mind to even slow down let alone stop.
Riding with Brent Emery will make you a better bike rider.
I have to admit that my life has made it difficult for me to train with Brent as often as I would like. But, the last Thursday I was able to make the 6am ride. Bent had recruited a new guy for the ride and I was able to sit back and watch the new guy and Brent "discuss" (I use this word for lack of a better word to explain Brent's normal intensity) the new guy's riding. Now, let me say that the new guy was definitely a life-time athlete and really was on the ride to learn. The guy that finished the ride was not the same guy who started it. In the span of a little more than an hour, he went from a 53x12 pedal masher to a high cadence spinning, pace line member. Very cool to watch, very cool to be a part of. Heck, I learned more than a little too.
You can train too much.
Overtraining exists. Where it starts, I'm not exactly sure yet. But, I think I was there. I took three full days off after the Tri-ing for Children race and came back to training like a new man. My guess is, like tapering, this is a very personal thing. My goal for the rest of the season will be to go even harder on my hard days, but go much (read as much, much) easier on my easy days. I'll report back on my results. So, you might just see me at some group rides I usually would not do. My hope is that other groups will force me to keep my pace in check, or accelerated, as needed.
And finally, cycling gloves are nice.
So, I bought a pair of gloves from a fellow Slowtwitcher for really, really cheap. And, I had sold some old aero bars, so I had some money sitting in the PayPal account just burning a hole in my CPU. To date, I have not worn gloves. I never liked gloves while lifting weights and generally don't wear them in the winter if I can get away with it. Fast forward, the gloves arrived, fit, and were as advertised. On the first ride, an easy fifty miler, they were a distraction for at least the first hour. By the last half-hour I had to agree they were nice. What I really liked was their ability to absorb the volume of snot that I threw at them. For the road bike, gloves are a plus. I actually took Julie to Emery's that very night to get her a pair. She came to the same conclusion: Gloves make riding nicer.
I did try them with the TT bike, but the jury is still out on gloves and the TT bike. I actually felt like I was not as connected with the bike with the gloves on. I'm going to try more in the future, but I have to admit that my tempo ride on Friday morning was done sans gloves.
Now, the above paragraph needs to be read with a grain of salt. I am real touchy, literally, about my contact points on my TT bike. I have a really good "feeling" while on that bike. Not to say I don't feel good on my road bike, I just feel better on the TT bike. I have even kept the old bar tape on this bike, when I got replacement tape for Christmas last year, for fear of messing with my feelings (yes, this is me talking about feelings) on this bike.
See ya. Drop me an e-mail so we can get together and ride or run.
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