100 miles

I did the French Broad Cycling Classic road race course Saturday and then 100 miles in the Irmo area Sunday. If you don't know, the FBCC course is 40 miles with 6100 ft. of climbing. I've got so much more respect for the climbers in the tour--any tour or any mountain race. If there was ever a doubt that I was a sprinter, it's gone. The race will be tough and my goal there will be to just finish with the group. I hope to have a decent time trial and a great criterium to place high in the overall.

Feel good today. Nutrition & Hydration are key, key, key.

-B

LIOTC

Leave It On The Course.

This has happened many times. I've just crossed the finish line, I'm about to die of oxygen debt and some guy--that was also in the race--roles up next to me to congratulate me on a good race and he's not really breathing hard...REALLY?!?! There is a reason why I've been doing so well in the 4's (as of this writing, #1 in SC & # 6 in the US for Criterium). I leave everything on the course. If I cross the line and I'm not spent, I don't feel like I've done enough. That may be the wrong way to think about it, but that's the why I live life. I leave it all on the course. I do everything I can to be the best. I try hard, I ask a lot of myself but I also understand my limitations. I try to get the most out of the race and I try to get the most out of life.

-B

Tempo work/Street Sprints

Going over my recent workout stuff and my tempo power now is ALMOST what my Threshold power was last year. I'll need that when I upgrade to a CAT 3 later this year. I have the points to upgrade, but I want to build a little better fitness so that I can be competitive. I want to be at around 3.9-4 Watts/kg for Functional Threshold. No problem on the 5sec power @ 21.64 w/kg. Just need to be able to get to the finishing line in a Cat3 race and uncork that sprint and bringing up that FT will help do it.

Speaking of sprinting, I'm looking forward to taking part in the Street Sprints in the Piedmont Triad Omnium. I'm really going to use that as a showcase for my sprinting power. Not only that, I'm going to use it to see who the other sprinters are so that I can mark them for later races...wish we had a velodrome here in Columbia.

-B

TT Fit

Seems the fit that I did was pretty spot on except for the saddle. We move it a bit and now I'm making a bit more power. The downside, is that my hipflexors are not used to the position. It's a good thing that I don't have another 40k TT coming soon.

Somehow the saddle nose on my road bike moved down a bit. I could tell something was off on the bike, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Eagle eyed Paul caught it though. Good thing. Moral of the story; Check your bike often.

-B

Masters Road National Championships

I will be the national champion. I can't think of a better venue than the USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships--specifically Critrieum. Will I be able to do it next year?...I don't know. It will take a lot of luck, but I won't know if I don't try. If I can't make it next year, then I'll try again until I can't try any more.

-B

Ride Today

Ended up doing close to 4 hours today. I didn't intend to be out there that long, but my calf started bothering me a bit so I had to spin home easy from BFE. My calf bothering me is--I'm sure--due to the level of effort I put out during the Low Country Challenge. I got dropped ~500M from the line on the RR. When something like that happens and it's over, you wonder if you could have done more. If my leg is still bothering me and it's been a week of recovery, I'm certain that I did all I could.

tumors suk

I found out a dear friend and my old coach is having a kidney removed due to a baseball sized tumor. It's a shame as this has been a fantastic racing season for him and he's on a super-strong team (Global Bike). This has been a hell of a roller coaster ride for him this year and I kinda hate not being able to be around the "wood" a bit more to be with the boyz. D.K. I know you are thinking about giving racing up and I can understand. I found this quote about running, but I think you could replace "run" with "ride" and it would sum up how I'm sure we both feel. This quote is from Dr. George Sheehan.

"We know that the effects of training are temporary. I cannot put fitness in the bank. If inactive, I will detrain faster than it took me to get in shape. I must remain constantly in training. Otherwise, the sedentary life will inexorable reduce my mental and emotional well-being.

So, I run each day to preserver the self I attain the day before. And coupled with this is the desire to secure the self yet to be. There can be no letup. If I do not run, I will eventually lose all I have gained--and my future with it."

DK, I've prayed for you. T & I love you and I'll ride with you soon. If you give up racing, I understand. If not, I look forward to racing with/against you next year. If someone is going to kick my a$$, it might is well be my "one kidney'd brotha from anotha mutha."

-B

Just a bit Tired

The Low Country Omnium was the 1st Omnium I've ever done. In regards to the 40k TT, that was the 1st time I've pushed myself that hard for that long. I paid for it yesterday and I'm paying for it today. I'm not as sore as I thought I would be, but I'm defiantly sore and I'm looking forward to a bit of time off.

-Blance

4th Overall for the Low County Challenge Omium

28th in RR and that put me in 4th for the Overall.

Yeah, 28th...My legs were shot going into the last 1k to the finish. Looking at the HR file, I was fine, but my body wasn't having any of it. My legs are shot right now! They only really started bothering me going into the final lap. That final lap (4 laps at 10.5 m. each), I started cramping in my hamstrings (l/r) and especially my right calf. Every time my foot was in the 6'o clock position, it felt like someone was plucking a string down the backside of my legs. Going into the final 1k, I felt like I was dying! Again, the funny thing is my HR data doesn't reflect it. Very strange. I wish I had my powertap wheel on so that I could see what kinda power I was making. We averaged 27.4mph the last 10 minutes of the race. Decent warm-up, but during the warm-up I noticed that I was having a hard time getting my HR to come up. Only 6 hours of sleep. I felt like I would have won the Crit & placed top 5 in the RR if I hadn’t done the TT...

I had the two guys marked that were ahead of me and one of them was making a move at the front. If he was going to go for a break, he was going to take me with him. I only took one pull (10second) the entire race and then stayed tucked in around the 7-15 spot. Some times closer to the front, sometimes farther back. I was close enough to the front that if a break were to go with one of the two marked riders, I wanted to go with it. There were lots of attacks and no of them successful. I'm not sure what I could have done differently to save more energy. I even put on an 11-26 so that I could spin more to save my legs...

Right now, I’m VERY tired and my legs hurt. Feeling the way I feel now, I’m not doing the NC State Championship race next weekend.

-B

4th in the Port Royal 34under

Tough race for sure made tougher by the TT in the am. As it stands,
I'm third overall for the Omnium. I really needed to win today, but my
legs wouldn't allow me to sprint. Still a good result and the most
money I've made this far for a race.

I had a full warmup for the crit, but I felt terrible. I had bad legs
(70%) in the beginning of the crit and almost fell off. Something
happened and I and my legs back. I still wasn't 100%, but it was
enough to get me through. With 5 to go, I was able to move up. Going
into the sprint I picked off two riders, and closed on the 3 ahead of
me an then my legs locked up. If I would have had a better position, I
would have won, but those guys did a great job.

-Blance

40k TT

Well, I don't suggest doing one if you don't prepare for it. I should
have just used my Scott instead of outfitting the Giant with Aero
bars. I am pretty sure my threshold power isn't what I think it is. I
couldn't maintain 260-270w without serious cramping 36k in. Either
way. This hurt, but it wasn't that bad. It was good to see why I was
capable of and it affirms what I knew all along-I'm a sprinter.

-Blance

Tattoos and cycling

A friend asked my why I got my tattoos and why--if they hurt--do I want another one. My response; " I was thinking more about your tattoo question and it kinda goes back to cycling. To win, you have to suffer. To get to the end you have to suffer. But there is a joy that no one can take away from you once you’ve made the journey."

-B