Winter Arrived

The cross country trail at Sprague Brook County Park. Virgin snow waiting for me to break through for the years first excursion.

It was hard work but it was awesome. I look forward to many more trips and once they groom the trail I go off trail on the bike/hike trail at the park and have even more fun.

I also have been riding pretty frequently but nothing like the first big snow!

Mr. Fat Cyclist

This guy is amazing! He wrote an open letter to Johan Bruyneel (http://www.fatcyclist.com/)
and got this reply (http://www.johanbruyneel.com/blog.html) to accept him into the Team Radioshack training camp this weekend.

They have raised an extraordinary amount of money and I doubt it is all about the prizes that could be won http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/superfly or this autographed bike by the team.
These guys really hate cancer and that is a great thing. You can donate off of Fatty's blog page if you want to hate cancer as well!

Training for TransIowa is going on and on - just about 30 miles a day on the bike. This weekend if the weather cooperates might call for a longer ride!

Night Time Rain Ride

For the past 2 years or so Wednesday night has been my night to ride. The kids go to their youth church programs and the wife hangs out with her friends waiting for them so I have always ridden on Wednesday night once school resumes.

There have been some memorable rides in very cold weather and a ride when I stopped by church on the way home and had all over my jacket. My riding buddies wife tells my wife that is what they call a rostertail. I correct her - nope this is just plain old mud from a wreck on the trail.

I remember endoing on the mountain bike one time because I went to adjust my helmet after bumping a tree branch with it at the same time my tire hits a root and throws me forward. A very important lesson was learned - never hold the front brake only. My body weight shoved my hand onto the brake and all I remember is thinking - Oh Sh*t - and over the bars I went. It was funny when no body damage occurred!

This all brings me to last night. I was at the gym working out and decided (actually just confirmed an earlier thought about riding later) that I was riding no matter what the weather was doing. I showered at the gym, headed home in the rain, and my wife asked me what my plans were. I told her I put gas in the car so she could go see her sister's new house and I was going for a ride. The normal puzzling look came at me - you are riding in this weather? Yes.

The way I see it is that TransIowa is happening sun or shine. I had my good weather window opportunity last year and blew it so I am figuring on being wet this year so I might as well figure on getting some wet riding in to test my gear.

So I put on my gear: Long sleeve wicking shirt, hoodie (which I will skip next time), pull over 3/4 zip North Face Apex jacket (which I love!!!!), Team Discovery bike shorts, REI wind pants (time to see how they fare against the rain not just wind), old shoes, Pearl Shoe Covers, and my Trek Rain Jacket, Mountain Hardware beanie, and my lighter winter gloves because it was not that cold out!

I had no idea where I was going so I just peddled and turned when I felt like it. Ended up by the ski area on the top side and did my killer hill ride on Wolheiter. Cruised down to church for a restroom break (and to show off that I was tough enough to ride in all type of weather!) and headed home.

It was a short ride but provided me with some good ideas about TransIowa. I need to look into a bike computer that has a light for night time mileage checks and I need to contemplate a better light set.

No pictures because it was dark :)

Yosemite

For those that have been you know what I speak about, for those that have never - what are you waiting for?

A poem I wrote on BT - Called The Chief

Your cracks have been filled by the fears of the fearless.

High above the valley floor the mighty hang.

Some quietly contemplate, some loudly cry out for strength;

some shed tears, but through it all they push onward and upward.

You feel their needs through the placement of fingertips.

Strength exudes through the placement of feet.

Sweat pours on your face.

Hearts race, you feel the pounding on your steadfast granite.

They are a selfish lot; they look to be shaped, they turn to you for clarity.

How do you share your story? When do you get to be heard?

The day begins to close, Your voice prepares to boom.

Your counsel is strong, You long to be honored.

You speak through awesome splendor; you speak through a ring of gold.

Your peace has been spoken, Your tranquility has returned.

October Mountain Biking at it's finest

Well after last weeks trip to Ontario County Park I put the Felt 29'er back into action by adding pedals and grips to it and took her for a spin yesterday at Chestnut Ridge Park and the surrounding area - it was a glorious day!
On a glorious bike :)

See the waterfall below?The Boston Valley in fall - beautiful

The City of Buffalo and it's southern suburbs.

Mountain Biking at Ontario County Park

My beloved Bianchi M.U.S.S. This bike is so much fun to ride even climbing hills :)

Some trails that I got to ride on - great fun and the weather was absolutely gorgeous out!
A picture of the valley from Lookout. I am so glad I finally got to ride here. Will definitely be returning in the future for more!

Wow is it Winter Time Already

I/We woke up to 2" of snow on the cars and lawn but not the road. This is crazy and it is only October 16th. Time for an Indian Summer right!

I have been slack posting lately but not much is going on.

There are some plans in the making for next month - heading to Arizona and taking a bike ride from Phoenix up to The Grand Canyon for some sightseeing. It will be 500 miles round trip approximately and I have 5 days including sightseeing. I arrive late Thursday so I plan on doing 150 Friday and 100 Saturday - hope to see sunset at the Canyon.

Going to hang around Sunday morning and head out Sunday afternoon for 60 or so. Contemplating a 200 miler Monday for TransIowa training. I think that will be a good test. I fly out Tuesday afternoon so I need to get bike back to shop for shipment and then it will be winter training time back in Buffalo!

That is going to include some skiing at this area here:

This is Kissing Bridge ski area 2 weeks ago. The leaves of change or a changing.

Get out there and ride/run/swim :)

Creative and informative Blogs I read

There are some amazingly creative and good blog writers out there on the Internet today. Here is a list of the main ones I follow on a weekly (if not daily) basis:

http://g-tedproductions.blogspot.com/ - Guitar Ted - Race Director of Trans Iowa and the GTDRI. Both rides will have linkage from his main blog. Very bike knowledgeable and all around good guy.

http://arcticglass.blogspot.com/ - Jill Homer - This girl is an amazing athlete although she would never admit to being one. Currently she is on pace for the fastest Female Tour Divide Race finish (http://tourdivide.org/) and she has awesome writings and photographs during her training rides throughout North America.

http://www.cpfarrow.blogspot.com/ - Charlie Farrow - Trans Iowa and numerous other races veteran. Has an awesome writing style which shows his literary knowledge and intelligence. Plus he just swore off gears and is running solely single speed bikes for the foreseeable future :)

http://www.gnatlikes.com/ - GNAT (God first (how awesome is that) and the first letters of his twins names. Does some great writing and cool photos. Just recently came across this blog but it is definitely worth looking into if you love riding your bicycle like I do :)

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/ - This person is great. Bike reviews, tears down people in a nice type of way, and great writer from NYC. Great spin on the bicycle community (but I don't think he likes Portland much :) )

There are some for you to check into. One day I would like to be that creative. Just don't know if I have it in me.

HAPPY 4th OF JULY HOLIDAY EVERYONE (And HAPPY CANADA DAY (Sorry it is late) to our friends up north!)

Welcome to Mid-June

So this week has been quite the fun bike mechanical week. It all started Sunday on my typical I want to ride instead of swim ride. Here is the post from my training log on beginnertriathlete.com:

I realize I never told my bike story from Sunday:

Went to church and like usual figured I would take a bike ride while the wife went to see her family. In the back of my mind I felt like I should just go swimming at the Y because something didn't feel right. So I went home, changed, got SS Felt Cross Bike ready and headed out. I decided to take a new route. Well on that route I was in a dirt tire track (in deep grass also) and I wrecked as I went to close to the edge - that caused a good laugh.

Then I came to a dirt screen that I usually just ride over on my mountain bike. Front wheel clears then all of a sudden I am going over the handlebars. It grabbed the back chain ring or something and just threw me to the ground. Ok another laugh.

I get to my close single track, hit my helmet on a low branch that I have never even come close to touching, throws me off a little, and I hit a tree - WTF creeps in about now!

Do my short loop and figure I am just heading for pavement and doing an easy ride or I might end up dead. I want to check something so I start breaking and my wheel is skipping. I tighten the headset and take off. Get ready to turn and I nearly go down in the middle of the road - I flatted somewhere along the way and I didn't even know it. Change the flat - say that is what the pool is for and I ride home (uneventfully thankfully!!!) and hit the pool.

That is what makes the worst bike ride ever!

Fast forward to Wednesday evening:

Riding home about 4 miles from the final destination I get a flat. Call SAG wagon in to pick me up since I was so close and I didn't want to waste a CO2 cartridge. Went home and proceeded to changed gearing around, new handlebar tape, handlebar adjustment, flat replacement, and play some catch with my boy.

Fast forward to 4:45am this morning. Something went off in my mind sort of like this:

Well you had to put air in the tube last night again.

Yes, but maybe I forgot to fill it up.

Nah, I wouldn't do that and still ride.

True, then why was the tube low again when you went to take it out again.

I don't know, better check.

Guess what - Flat again!!!!

So that is 3 flats in 3 days. Hope that streak ends soon :)

Ride On!

BTW: GDR and Tour Divide start up this week and next week. Keep an eye out!

Well June is right around the corner

Not much exciting going on around here.

Mount Washington Road Race is June 20th in New Hampshire. As the heading says - Only 1 Hill but it is from start to end and over 6K feet of elevation gain. Should be fun :)

Will post a report after the race but for now I am just doing some running, swimming, and a lot of riding (which is my first love!)

Beautiful Commuting Weather

5-Day Forecast for ZIP Code 14170

Customize Your Icons!

Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
79° F | 54° F	72° F | 49° F	72° F | 49° F	68° F | 45° F	67° F | 49° F
Clear	Partly Cloudy	Chance of Rain 30% chance of precipitation	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy
Hourly	Hourly	Hourly	Hourly	Hourly
Today is forecast to be Warmer than yesterday.

Well this is how the week turned out to be. I have been on the bike every day since last Friday May 15th. I took today off because it is Jake's birthday, but will be back on it tomorrow and the whole weekend, if the forecast holds out.

Speaking of the birthday boy:

Christmas 2005

Summer 2006

Last Summer Fishing - They just went last night again so this must be 1 year old exactly (or pretty close).

He is growing up into quite the young man with a beautiful heart that loves the Lord and a good sense of humor also!

Hardcore 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race - Should I do it?

Just found this race. Time to ask the wife if she is alright with me trying a 24 hour solo race. Should be interesting right?

TransIowa - Some Continuing Thoughts

This is from my BeginnerTriathlete Log that I posted today:

So as I was walking in from my free parking spot I feel like the blinders have been taken off of me concerning TransIowa. Instead of beating myself up, I need to look at the whole experience and be greatful that I was able to train like I did all winter long, that I went to the starting line healthy (no injuries at all), and I was healthy after the weekend and still could and wanted to ride my bike!
Many said that to me, but it is like telling a blind man the sky is blue. Until he sees it for himself does he truly believe you? Well I would tell myself you all were right, but inside I had the opposite feeling - until today.

And then this a little while later:

I was e-mailing Eric from TransIowa and he put it very eloquently - The TransIowa is haunting! Perfect. The word I have been looking for.Definition:
Adjective
having a quality of great beauty or sadness so as to be memorableNow the question is what is TransIowa: a quality of beauty or a quality of sadness or a combination of both? Today I think it is the combination. In my future years without successful completion of this beast I might see it as sadness until I can see the beauty in being able to participate in such an undertaking. Succesful completion might bring both back into the equation - a goal successfully reach (beauty) yet the destination has been reached (sadness).A history of TransIowa is available here: http://guitarted1961.wordpress.com/about/And yes I am listed on the roster :)

Thursday May 7th:

Pity party is over. I have been struggling with even doing a TransIowa type event again in the future. As a Christian, father, husband, and employee there is such a huge dedication needed to complete in successfully, much less win, an event like it and that has been my struggle. I physically know I can train to be successful, but do I want to make that type of time committment.I really believe that I received an answer today. There is a way to balance it all out and that is what I am going to try and attempt to schedule a way to balance it. I am not anal about scheduling stuff. If I feel like riding long I ride long. If I want to swim I swim. You get the picture. Well I guess now I need to sit down with the family and do a real schedule to ensure there is enough time for everything in there.A good thing at work is flex time started up so I will have 2-4 day weekends each month until the new year.
thank you for all the inspires, messages, comments about TransIowa. Soul searching is a good thing and putting my thoughts into words just makes it easier for me to comprehend in the end. thanks to all
Well the RD just put his words down: http://www.transiowa.blogspot.com/

He puts it so much better than I could have.

Even though T.I.V5 has just been completed, a T.I.V6 is already in the works. Look for updates on this event at http://www.transiowa.blogspot.com/

Those words brought a smile to my face and I guess mentally every bike ride from now until next May is in preperation for this!I love when my body gets chills just thinking about it!

It isn’t for everyone, but it is definitely a life changing experience that all of us involved with Trans Iowa can attest to - Guitar-Ted (RD)

TransIowa v5 Done - Not Completed but it is over with!

Race Report from Beginner Triathlete:

Comments:

Well where do I start. First of all this type of race does not work well in this race format because some of the questions are just non-existent so I will adapt because I understand that this is a Triathlon race forum. The start - It was awesome. 51 riders - $100K worth of bikes minimum - Red blinking rear lights - head lights - darkness (4:00am) - stars (Middle of nowhere Iowa) - A Cemetery :) (appropriate).

A group broke off the front and I followed in the 2nd pack. Averaging around 15-20 mph depending on conditions. I did not go out too hard which was key for me. Race my own race. Had one fun time about 20 miles in. Was on the right side and caught a lip of the gravel and ended up in the grass. Pretty funny. No one even asked if I was alright as they rode by though :(. Met a lot of good people this part of the race and just chatted and enjoyed a good easy pace!

Made it into checkpoint #1 (40 miles) Washington, Iowa at 7:00am (1 hour ahead of deadline) and was feeling very good. Went to a local coffee shop that opened up just for us and had an Walnut Oatmeal Sconce - Supreme delicious!!!

Eric and his bike (Al's is the Orange Salsa)

Took off with Eric on the way to checkpoint #2 (110 miles away). Eric was from Florida and this guy just pushed on through hills that I know he has never seen before. I was very impressed by him and his endurance! It was an honor to ride with him as much as I did!

Had to confirm a couple of streets and the info to make sure we were heading the right direction. All was good! Hit our first B road (unmaintained) and my road brakes did not like the mud. Had to walk the bike to the gravel road (not a long walk at all!) and proceeded to clear the mud. A local farmer came up on his quad and we asked how he was doing. He proceed to ask what the hell was going on (in a good way). He had never seen this many bikes in his area at one time. We chatted and headed down to his place for some water replacement. A great guy and we appreciate your friendliness and generosity!

So we continued on towards Checkpoint #2. We hooked up with Al from Wisconsin but he just dropped us like we were turtles. My right upper arm started to hurt a little at this point and I just brushed it off - but I would find out later my improper planning would put a major damper on my ability to finish.

My bike, pack, and snack at stop

Came into North English around 10:30am and got some fuel. I bought some water, gatorade, pizza and chicken fingers, and a pepsi. Eric told me I was crazy and was going to be puking that up in about 1 hour. So I took a picture of it for before and after. The after never happened :) Headed out into the gravel wonders of Iowa and the headwinds started kicking up. This leg was mainly west bound and the wind was out of the southwest so it was brutal at times. The shoulder kept getting worst every hour. I never remembered to purchase any advil at the stops I hit which was a mistake!

The hills - well I have never ridden that many hills in my life. It was like a roller coaster set up. You would ride up the hill, coast down a little, ride up a bigger hill, coast down a little, ride up an even bigger hill then coast down and start over. I would say at least 80% of the 151 miles I hit was hills. I was prepared physically but it was still punishing at times! I loved all the different grades they each had. Some you could cruise up in an easier gear - others you were grinding up in the lowest gear you had!

The gravel was solid except where they had just laid down fresh gravel but it was not fun to ride on with the tire width that I had chosen. About mile 80 the darkness sat in. I rode up to Eric and told him I was bailing because of my arms. He told me to give it 10 more minutes so I pulled over and reworked my pack. We came up with an idea to find a store and but some bungees to strap my pack to the rack. We saw a truck stop in the distance and my reprieve was getting closer. I pull into the truck stop, go inside and find bungee cords and I bought a styrofoam cooler. Emptied my backpack out, refilled the water, drank some gatorade, had some doritos and a pepsi. Pack was substantially lighter now and I was feeling better about the race.

We headed out from the truck stop and I proceeded to drop Eric in the hills. This is the last I would see of him until checkpoint #2. There was a lot of lonely riding, some cool B roads where I had to walk the bike some, and a couple of grueling hills where walking was as fast as riding but easier on the legs so I walked those as well. I caught some people and that really jazzed my spirits. Chatted with one while we walked some B roads and decided that I needed to pick it up to make the cut off so off I roared.

It was a special time when I would have to switch cue sheets because I knew we were that much closer to the checkpoint and water! I failed to fill up my bladder at the truck stop and I ran out so I was rationing a 20 oz bottle of gatorade! Not too smart my friends! I hit the 2nd to last cue sheet and knew I was going to make the cutoff but had decided to pack it in there for some reason.

Coming into LaGrange, Iowa we crossed a flat highway and hit the biggest hill of them all! I was like come on why could you not have let us cruise blacktop flatness into the rest stop. No way. Gravel and hills. The recipe for the sufferfest :) Pulled into the checkpoint with 35 minutes to spare. The guy went to pull a set of cue sheets out and I told him to save his energy I was done. Called the wife after I found out how to get where I was and proceeded to rest and recover. That was the biggest mistake I made all day!

What would you do differently?:

Train on gravel roads (which I do not know of any in the western new york area but will research that).

Have my rear rack pack so I am not carrying a backpack that weighs 20lbs for 30+ hours.

Get in a better mental spot from the beginning!

Bike with disc brakes and a wider tire clearance.

Post race Warm down:

Sat around the checkpoint and waited for SAG wagon to arrive (81 miles away). Ate a pizza, drank a lot of water, had a Mr. Pibb Extra, chocolate milk, doritos, and anything else I could find to eat.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

This event for me was not about speed but about endurance. That being said I will be training harder and faster from now on to make these types of events a little more manageable.

Event comments:

This is an awesome event put on by 2 people who set up the whole course, arrange volunteers, and basically give up their lives for months to make this ride happen. Guitar Ted and D.P. get such major props for running this - I was honored to be in the company of such awesome people at the start and throughout the day! Major Props!

I think I made the SAG wagon call too soon. I ran out of water coming into checkpoint #2 and was rationing my last bottle of gatorade. If I was thinking clearer I would have replenished my supplies and my body's water some and then thought about it more before I made the call. I bailed too early and that is something I will have to live with until next year if I line up again.

I woke up in my own bed Monday morning and I was not happy with my decision at all. I told my wife that from all the people that pulled out, I would be able to go further the next day because my legs felt fresh. I was running up the stairs to the room at the hotel and I drove 13 hours home from the race. I am not happy with my decision but I have to live with it.

I went to thank the RD at the finish line before we pulled out and I told him I didn't know whether to thank him or kill him.

That was the most physically and mentally demanding thing I have ever competed in. Makes boot camp look easy!

I would also go with a different bike setup as well. One with disc brakes, wider tires, and a rack pack!

I was out for a ride Monday after the race and needed to adjust my cleat so I stopped by the church to get one and they were all excited to see me and hear about the race. Then the question came out - So Bill why did you stop? (not in a mean way but just wanting to know) They were shocked I stopped. So I stood there and took my glasses off and my eyes watered up and I told Kellee that when I find the answer out to that question I would let her know and I walked out.

So Bill why did you stop?

Taper Week

Well TransIowa is this week and it is time for a taper. This week is going to be about getting stuff packed up and getting everything situated for a Thursday departure!

7 days from now we will be driving home and I will be prepping my race report.

My only prayer is for safe travel to and from, for safety for my family while I am riding, and for my safety on the road. If I finish - I finish. If not, I have prepared as well as I could have and will not feel bad at all. It has been a great journey!

TransIowa Link

I have had people asking about the TransIowa and here is the linky dinky do:
http://transiowa.blogspot.com/

Check it out and let me know what you think :)

Training is culminating. 12 days and counting to the start.

Sponsors

Well I think I should definitely mention the sponsors that I have lined up this year.

Brooks Inspire Daily Program - I love Brooks running shoes and gear and was very happy with them bringing me onboard this program. I tried to attend a weekend clinic they have in Washington, but there was too many interested people and I missed out in the lottery selection - Unlike my Mt. Washington Road Race :)

Twin Six: Some cool bike gear - Jerseys, T-Shirts, Hats, Socks, etc... This stuff is old school looking but very good quality. I would highly recommend if you love the 2 wheels then go check out their site. In the near future I will be listed on their site and you can read my bio that I put up there. I am psyched about that!

Always working for more sponsors so keep your eye out. If you have any suggestions besides the loony bin drop me a line :)

Have a great day!

TransIowa Update

Howdy everyone. Training has been going very good. I have been getting some good mileage in and this coming weekend I am going overnight on the bike to see how I handle that aspect of the race. To be honest with you that is the only part that is worrying me at all. I feel that I have been training very well and logging a lot of time on the bike so hopefully it all plays out for a successful run at the TransIowa.

I have my new ride for it also. Picked it up Saturday and it is a Masi Speciale Randonneur. It was substantially less expensive than the Salsa Fargo that I wanted and for what I am going to use it for will be perfect. Pictures to come in the near future.

Well as training goes that is about all right now. Will post some pictures this week from my rides and the overnighter this coming weekend. Should be interesting :)

End of March Update

Downtown Buffalo from Southern Erie County

So training has been going well. I have gotten at least one long bike ride in each weekend and I have the final bike preparations under way.

I put some 700x35 cross tires on for TransIowa and ordered a new set of wheels so I can have them on a set and my mountain bike tires on another set for easy transition. My next move is to get some good lighting and am thinking about switching out either the middle or large chain ring for a larger middle or smaller large ring. Contemplate it for the next couple of days while I ride my current setup.

Me on Green Mountain in Colorado with my rental bike (Wish it was mine for real :) )

I am heading down to Ohio for 2 days this week and hopefully can get some good mileage in without interfering with family time. Should be nice if the roads are dry. If not - I get wet I guess!

This weekend I have Ellicottville as my tentative Saturday destination location. That should put me over 80 miles and then Sunday I will do around 40. In the next couple of weeks I will be doing my night ride to see how that works out.

I feel very confident about Iowa right now and am really looking forward to the race!

See you on the roads!

Actually remembered to take a couple of pictures last time out :)

Lake Erie and the wine country of Southern Erie County

Howdy Again

Well since my last post (sometime Mid January) I have been to Colorado & New Mexico (and returning again next week) for work (and a little play also). While home the last time, my sister Michele and I went skate skiing up at Breckenridge Nordic Center. This was a great time and the people there are superfriendly - especially my new Half-Mother Mary for feeding me some of her homemade chili after I was done :). That is my sister above. She would not take any pictures of me because I was the better skier that day :)

I also stole my sister's, way too small for me, mountain bike and went riding at Green Mountain. I did something I never knew I was capable of - ride without a helmet. Not the smartest thing but it is not real technical so I was not too worried. Just won't ever do that again!

Then I drove to Pueblo and then Albuquerque for the day. This is a picture from my drive. I miss the mountains when I see them like this. I do not miss having to spend so much time on the highway just to get to the ski area though :(.

Training for TransIowa is going good. Been on the bike just over 500 miles already this year. That number will keep growing with my commutes and long rides on the weekend. One of these days I will remember to bring my camera with me so I can take some pictures and make this blog cool like others out there.

Have a great day.

Cross Country Skiing

I have found a new winter love! Cross country skiing at Sprague Brook on the hiking trail. It is a great workout, you get away from all the people on the regular trail, and you get to see some beautiful scenery! What more do you need.

I just wish snowshoe running was as easy as cross country skiing is. I do not realistically seeing myself competing this year in that snowshoe marathon. I am having trouble hitting 6 miles on the snowshoes, much less 26 miles. There is a 10K race this weekend in Rochester that I am hopefully doing and that will give me a good gauge on my snowshoe running fitness level.

I really need to bring my camera with me though so I can provide some nice pictures to this blog of mine. Would make it look a lot neater than just my stories!

Happy New Year

Well training has begun in ernest for the TransIowa. I took the bikes out over the weekend and got over 50 total miles in. It should be more, but it is better than nothing right now with how the weather can be this time of the year. My plan is to ride both weekend days and then a couple days during the week - weather and work permitting. I will ride before I go swimming when possible or at night after work. Then I will run on the opposite schedule.

One thing for sure is that I will have to increase my caloric intake. I dropped 2 pounds last week being sick and I need to regain that. I do not want to be any lighter right now.

I need to remember to take my camera with me because there were some beautiful pictures I could have snapped yesterday. Next time :)