The team made their season debut at the Rosedale ride Saturday. A fierce tail wind for the first 20 miles turned into a fierce head wind for the last 40. Crazy math, I know. Meanwhile, Team AC2’s own Glenn Garry broke off this jammin’ haiku…
Blue, yellow jerseys
Wind, dropped, chasing the front group
Why does my arse hurt?
The following is a fantastic summary of our Sunday ride by Team Austin Cycle Camp president Jerry Strickland (a.k.a. El Jefe de Mucho Frio) I have taken the creative license of adding my own comments as well.
Okay, so when we were talking about how nice the weather was going to be on Sunday for our team ride (or at least if was supposed to be nicer than Saturday), someone (read: me) didn’t quite factor in the 63% fail rate of weathermen/women. It’s usually + or – 5 degrees….and that is doable. But when the starting temp is nearly 10 degrees cooler and the finishing temp is 17 degrees colder than advertised….that’s when it gets interesting. Big props to the nine riders who braved the elements for some great miles.
Pulling up to the start, I think it’s safe to say, everyone had that, “What am I getting myself into glaze in their eyes.” I know I did. Dave and I rode Saturday morning leading the Tour de Cure/ MS-150 training ride. We both froze our arses off on what turned out to be the WARMER of the two days this weekend. I knew I was in trouble Sunday when my fingers went numb just putting my bike on my rack. That glaze never really went away completely for the ride. We rolled out with Trey, Rich, Zach (fresh off his Top 10 finish) props to Zach on the great finish at the NB road race. He was actually joined by a few other stallions including Kevin who apparently knew exactly where the race photographer was positioned and timed his flyers accordingly (see photos)…
Light Blue and Up Front for the Photog
On Your Mark, Get Set...
GO!!!
…Chomko, Corris, Alexis, second timer Jason Villareal, newcomer Rudy and myself. Heading up Congress, there were more than a couple’a comments about how cool it will be to sport the new jerseys as we’re rolling through town. Getting closer by the day. While the ride South and East started to get the blood pumping and the temperature rising, I think it’s safe to say our bodies (read: fingers) weren’t quite ready for the freeze fest. Hey! All you next generation, Interbike, coolest gadget creator companies. Here’s one we’ll all buy. Gloves that actually keep your fingers warm. This idea is brought to you royalty free. Run with it. After playing it safe with one rider heading back to the ranch having learned a few valuable lessons about cold weather riding (ie, “need more gear”), the group was off to the Airport and beyond.
Having kept the steeds harnessed and in check for the better part of two months, there were some nervous twitches of speed coming right out of the gates. Of course, Rich and Zach were the big instigators, but Trey also did his part to throw down a crank or two in anger. My short, winter season flyer was brought on by Corris, who while on Burleson notifies the group that the POSTED speed limit is 45. Presto – fireworks. Chomko joined in an occasional lunge… Choms was on some fabulous form this ride. It was in my opinion brought on by the fact that Dave, in the words of Chomko, “decided to stay home, put on his snuggie, warm up another bottle of milk, grab his strawberry shortcake doll, turn on some Gummy Bears cartoons, and put the wine coolers on ice.” Dave nicknamed Choms Sally at the Fitness Test (another post altogether) but Sunday the title was gladly back on the shoulders of the guy who coined it. I, on the other hand, was content riding smooth and keeping good pace while realizing these base miles are all just deposits for later season fitness (and really who was I kidding, sure I could hang with the sprint now, but I needed to ensure I could hang with the group two hours down the road, too.) This is actually not true at all. El Jefe is sporting a new Specialized S-Works which he now rides with his “training wheels” since he doesn’t want to break the 404’s out too early. And he took plenty of liberty to drop the hammer including the first stretch up Congress where he splintered the pelo and Oltorf on the way back where he earned Choms’s latest moniker, Grouper. I can’t even put it in the right context but it went something like, “Uh, hey there, Grouper, I thought you said we were staying compact on Oltorf. What up?”
After enjoying the buttery smooth roads on the way out of town, we kept the party rolling East and found smooth sailing. Eastward on, passing about six houses complete with gangsta starter sets, several chained pit bulls & dobermans….made for some quicker than normal pacelining. Wasn’t until Chihuahua con no intelligente almost became road kill that the dog situation went from “How fast do you think that dog can run?” to “Wonder what kind of bump that 3 pound yapper would create once he gets under my wheel?” The irony of gangster starter kit row was that El Jefe had issued a last minute course change because (from his email) “..not to mention the pack of wild dogs that may have exceeded 20 miles an hour chasing me down the road. Instead of putting our bodies and safety at risk, I’ve changed it up a bit. The new route takes us to the same area, but lends itself to getting everyone home without rabies and without bent rims.” So instead, his new course sports, count ‘em, nine dogs. And I’m just counting the ones off leash and not nicknamed Bully.
After a quick turn north up to 71, we enjoyed a little tailwind action as we headed back. By the time we made it back for the doggy double-feature, most of them had lost interest. Or maybe it was Alexis taking a turn or two up front that made them realize they didn’t want to mess with us. Full disclosure here: Ladies, you’ve officially landed another partner in crime with Alexis. She is riding strong. Word has it, she’s just beginning too. Concurred. Alexis was throwing some coal in the steam car. The talking disappeared on the way into town–except for the occasional re-emergence of Terrets Boy — and I (yes total transparency here brought on by cold induced truth serum) was even rooting on a red light for a quick breather. Non-eventful on the ride back, until the regroup point. Of course, injury to insult…bank sign next to our rendezvous spot read sub-freezing and even ticked down a precious degree colder while we waited. 31 to 30 right there before our eyes. And Zach’s computer said 29. My iPhone weather app said 23 with the wind chill. You gotta be kidding me. A quick, straight-shot back to Congress, parade lap into downtown and the warm-up coffee never tasted so good. Come to think of it, it always taste better when it’s gratis.
Despite the cold weather, I couldn’t help but think about why we all love riding with Team Austin Cycle Camp. Even in the most challenging of situations…whether it’s heat, cold weather or tough rides, it is ALWAYS more enjoyable to be doing it together. Misery loves company. Rides like Sundays are the rides that, when everything comes together for a strong finish later in May or August or October, you can always trace them back to those days where success started taking shape. Congrats to all who earned another cold weather riding merit badge! And thanks to Jerry for a great report!
In a word – arctic. This has been one of the coldest January’s I can remember. The kind of cold where even with all your base layers on, you’re still freezing. Add mask – still cold. Two pair gloves – frostbite. At one point, I actually had so many layers on under the jersey that I had trouble zipping it up. What up with ya, fleece!
So in an effort to avoid the frozen tundra, we opted to combine a team trainer workout and maintenance camp. Team AC2’s Geoff Maguire stepped up strong and offered his pain cave for the ritual. And unlike the other attendees, he sent me the workout ahead of time so at least I knew what torture was in store for us.
The DJ that I am couldn’t resist spinning up some tunes to make the pain a bit more bearable. I went for a blend of classic, rappy, and yes, some crappy. Hey, sometimes a good laugh at a lousy song is just what you need to take your mind off the fact that you can’t change your position on the saddle. And yes, the junk aches after 90 minutes of solitary confinement. Here’s what we suffered to:
Sadeness Part 1 4:17 Enigma
Fireflies 3:48 Owl City
Flower 3:25 Moby
In The Ayer 3:39 Flo-Rida Ft. Will.I.Am and Fergie
Voodoo Child 5:52 Rogue Traders
It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll) 5:02 AC/DC
As the Rush Comes (Radio Edit) 3:31 Motorcycle
I Gotta Feeling 5:09 Black Eyed Peas
Armageddon It 5:22 Def Lepard
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) 3:26 C+C Music Factory
High Roller 5:30 The Crystal Method
Hate It or Love It (G Unit Remix) 4:24 50 Cent
TiK ToK 3:22 Ke$ha
Ignorant Sh*t 3:41 Jay-Z
Temperature remix 2:32 Zion I Feat. Talib Kweli
The Real Slim Shady 4:47 Eminem
Sexy B*tch (feat. Akon) 3:16 David Guetta
Sandstorm 3:24 Darude
Madagascar (Original) 6:33 Neil Scarborough
Work It Out 3:54 Jurassic 5
Fishing 4:58 Widespread Panic
The workout was supposed to be 85 minutes but Fergie and Will I Am sort of already have the tracks pre-made by the time I get them so finding songs EXACTLY the right length proved challenging. I decided to err on the upper end and so our workout was more like 90 minutes. Hey, what’s five extra minutes amongst friends? Clearly I’ve forgotten what riding on a trainer is like.
So we get into the cave and everyone is setting up the machines. I’ve got the Bose fired up and the tunes are humming. We’ve got a strong crew aboard – Geoff, Kelly, Billy Baroue, Dave, and of course Terets Boy a.k.a. Chomko. And I was having some serious trainer envy. Geoff actually has a speed sensor mounted on his trainer. Sure he does. Makes sense when you’ve got an entire second wheel just for the trainer. Everyone’s rolling on the CycleOps fluid blah blah blah. But not me. Oh no. I’m kickin it old school on a trainer that I believe might have been recalled. It’s bright yellow and comes with it’s own tension adjustment cable which you can mount on the handlebars. The kids were singing “We got McDonalds. We got McDonalds.” Eddie Murphy reference.
The first ten minutes are a warm up. We’re supposed to be rolling at 100 rpm’s and target heart rate of 130 or less. The only problem is no one is even talking. It’s like we’re on 360 going up some doozy. It’s the warm up!
Then we go into the first set. One leg drills. This means unclipping one leg, placing it somewhere near a rapidly spinning wheel and crank arm, and holding it there while you think about pedaling with the other leg. SWITCH! Recover. Phew. SWITCH! CRY! REPEAT! Smile for the camera…
Second set (no rest between). 5 minutes at heart rate of 155, 90 rpm’s, 3 minutes at heart rate of 180, 110 rpm’s, 5 minutes at heart rate of 155, 90 rpm’s. REPEAT! REPEAT AGAIN! 39 minutes of this had Chom’s forming a pool under his machine. Sweet smiling Billy Baroue looked two beats per minute away from EMS, and by the third set Geoff pulls a Rommel and puts the purple crocs on so he can stroll around the cave and say things like “I told you this was hard.” Hey, I know it’s hard. I did the pre-reading assignment. Turn the fan on already.
Third set (yes, third set, of course there’s no rest between). Cadence pyramid. 120 – 130 – 140 – 150 – 160, those are rpm’s, hold each for 30 seconds. And finally we get some recovery between pyramids. Oh thanks for the rest, King Tutankhamun. If you don’t have a cadence sensor on your bike, or you normally do your riding in a spinning room, let me do the conversion for you. 160 rpm’s is the equivalent of turning one leg (yes, one) over 40 times in 15 seconds. And this is on a trainer. There’s no big fat spinning bike fly wheel to carry you. There’s no taking all the resistance off and hanging on for dear life. It was, in a word, torture.
The pain quickly subsided as we headed into the cool down. This is one of the few indoor workouts I’ve done where I actually wanted some Endurox afterward. Impressive indeed.
So thanks to the attendant for validating my parking for the pain cave. I’ll be back for more. No, wait, it’s supposed to be in the 50’s this week. I think I’ll get back on the road where I belong.
Yes, it’s true. The bear (literally b/c I’ve gained like a thousand pounds) has awoken from his December slumber to find that Team AC2 has not hit the pause button at all. In fact, from the emails I’ve been reading, it sounds as though some of you have actually increased your weekly mileage. All I can say is Day-Um – maybe you should have ordered a size smaller in the kit!
In the interest of preventing my machine from forming a salt crust on it from too much sweat in the Summer and too little saddle in the Winter, I’m taking it out tomorrow morning. I am extending an invitation to join me for the excursion. We’ll be heading out Southeast to ride the San Jose Tuesday nighter and discuss how we plan to make that a major part of the training plan next season. The ride distance will be about 45-50, build a base pace (17-18), and tons of fun (rumor is Rich is bringing the single speed). He can still dominate a pace line on this ride but the site of Orange Rudolph pulling fat slumbery Santa around (played by me) is a sight to behold. Wheels down at 7 a.m., leaves from my house (5107 Woodcreek Rd 78749). Please send me an email if you’re planning to join so I know to expect you. The great news is you can do this ride and the Lime Creek Triple Team with no schedule conflict. Coolio!
For those that belong to Lifetime Fitness, Sara is organizing a Team AC2 spin tomorrow at LTF South. The plan is to play an hour of Girl Talk and burn some calories before hitting the roads to travel with the seven million other people who will be on I-35 tomorrow. I’m considering a two a day, hitting the spin room and then the road. Class (but not really even though we have like a bazillion spin instructors on the team) starts at 5:30. That’s AM Dave! Oh, forgot, he doesn’t care. He’s snowed in in the midwest somewhere.
Or at least that’s what he told me until I saw the lawfirm of Chomko and Chomko taking to the roads. Props to the boys for cornering the fleece market and pulling an “I can’t put my arms down” scene from A Christmas Story. I’m blaming the “padding” on the fleece. I suggest you roll with that. Chomko Senior was so confident about the ride that he left his Saddle Bag at home (refer back to photo). Or is it that Chom Jr. is better know as Sherpa? “I said NOW b*&%^!” Loving the hard work up North. Can’t wait ’til you’re rocking the AC2 kits next year. Hey Jerry – we better make sure and offer a Winter order in the Summer so we can stock up on jackets and general cold weather coolness.
And finally, a big thanks to Geoff for offering to host/repair the Team steeds. It looks like we’re going with January 10th. The plan will be to lead a ride from Geoff’s house and then get started with the maintenance thereafter. I’ll send more details next week on the schedule and what you need to do before bringing the ride over. I’m looking forward to seeing who wins the “rustiest bolt” and “nappiest bar tape” contests. Odds on favorite for both right now is McAfee.
A very Merry Christmas to you and your families.
A Happy Wednesday morning!
To those who will soon be freezing out on South MoPac, I say bundle up! It’s a balmy 44 right now but the good news is it should be up to 48 by the time you’re off the bikes. Definitely a post-ride coffee kind of morning.
What an awesome week last week. Dave did all the team rides and he said we were right around 200 miles. Impressive. I was there for a few of them, beginning with our pace line work last Wednesday. If you haven’t ever sprayed WD-40 on something after not using it for a long time, then you probably wouldn’t identify with the way we looked. It was very apparent the group hadn’t run a Wednesday morning workout in a while. A few mechanicals not withstanding, the group did manage to get in a strong workout. And yes, Escarpment was STILL HARD. Oh, and I don’t know if anyone has met this guy on our team named Vince, but apparently he was waiting until the end of the season to dominate every team ride, which he did this week. Nice!
The Friday Hookie ride has done some evolving. It first began as a short, social ride. Then Dave threw in Lost Creek. No surprise there. Then Dionne made some comments about other “hills” in Austin. Boom – Ladera Norte. So we all roll out from CBTL last Friday to get acquainted with one of Austin’s major hills. I think we had a total of 13 riders including some new folks. Always great to have new people join us. After a nice little ride out to 2222 we turn the reigns over to tour guide Lucy who takes us onto the lower slopes of The Norte. My first thought is, “This isn’t so bad. Mountain goat was all fired up about how hard this was and really it’s -” and I couldn’t even finish the silent sentence in my head b/c the road kicked up to near 20% grade and all my internal systems went to red alert. Ladera Norte is a survival climb. And I kicked into survival mode.
About half way up the climb the road eases and the legs get some reprieve. That lasts for about two and a half seconds and then the second act starts. This time, most of us are using the zig-zag method trying not to fall over. I don’t have a Garmin but my body says it had to be over 20% grade for at least the last 100 meters. The top went like this – Trey summits, Trey vomits, and Dave comes soft pedaling up behind never even getting out of the saddle. Later, I ask about this feat of strength and he’s all, “I don’t really like to climb out of the saddle. Plus my tire was slipping.” Read – I’m damn strong and if I pedal too hard my machine explodes so I have to take it easy on the bike and soft pedal The Norte.
First, kudos to everyone who made the summit. But a special shout out to Andrew, a.k.a. cyberjunkie21. Not only was this his first ride with AC2, it was his first time up The Norte. He comes over the top and the group is throwing him major love. Then altitude sickness must have set in b/c at that point people begin completely ignoring traffic and posing for pictures in the road. Andrew took this shot http://img94.yfrog.com/i/zume.jpg/ And yes, that’s 360 WAY in the background down there.
As if The Norte wasn’t enough, we rolled over to Mt. Bonnell and took a turn on that train. MB is more my style. A longer climb with some recovery stretches. It suits a big fella like me much better. The group collectively charged right up MB as if she wasn’t there. No photos this time, just lots of trash talking. “This isn’t so hard.” “She’s no Ladera Norte.” “I thought Mt. Bonnell was one of the hardest climbs in Austin.” We were disrespecting her right to her face. Again, I chalk it up to altitude sickness.
Saturday we took a turn out on the Kitchen Sink. That’s always such a great ride. We had a large team showing, so large in fact that we took up our own lane on Barton Springs. During the ride back down Shoal Creek, Chommers wants to introduce us to a bike path just off Shoal Creek. I’m thinking Veloway so sure, bring it on. And so as we round the corner to get on “the path,” I realize some street worker marking the roads must have had some left over paint on his truck and said, “Hey, I’ll just throw an extra white stripe down this road and they can call it a bike path.” It was more like an Autobahn, but with debris all over. Jerry, Dave, and Lucy decide to set off some fireworks but I’ve been there before so I jump up to accelerate. At that point, my bike just starts shifting for no apparent reason. I’m riding down the bahn trying to keep a wheel while my steed is phantom shifting.
To make matters worse, the clanking of my failing drivetrain catches the ears of the sharks, who are now smelling blood. I can see some cheeky grins like, “Oh, that’s too bad that Trey’s ride is failing him. I guess we’ll spend the next half hour blowing him up!” Dave even tries to rattle me with, “Yeah, that’s what my bike did right before the chain broke.” Thanks for the vote of no confidence brother.
Luckily, this is Shoal Creek, not Lost Creek. And if the drivetrain is going to take a Holiday, a residential neighborhood is definitely preferred over Fitzhugh. So we all make our way back to Mellow’s by way of Scenic Drive, a last second course change but permanent addition to the Kitchen Sink. The riders of the Das Hugel were on the same course only going in the opposite direction. This gave TB numerous opportunities to yell something like, “It’s the Das Hugel Baby! Go Hugel it up! You suck!” And then he and I agreed we’re doing it next year.
And then there was Sunday. A little fog in the morning never hurt anything. We rolled out over 20 strong for the trip to San Marcos. The usual suspects were all in play as well as some new faces. You can always tell who the new people are. They’re airing up their tires listening to the madness that’s AC2 (Trey’s gangster rap, Chom’s insult hurling, Dave’s camera taking, Lucy’s tire repairing) and thinking to themselves, “What the hell am I getting myself into?”
I always tell Dave after every ride, “This was the coolest ride ever.” And I found myself saying the same thing Sunday. What started as a casual affair became attentive on Old San Antonio when Geoff, who was only riding 35 miles, decides he needs to get some work in and throws a major flyer off the front. His TT partner in crime Kevin joins that action and Geoff looks at me and says, “Come on then. Let’s go.” Uh, ok! Regroup at the Walgreens, people breathing hard, sweat dripping, Geoff – “Now we’re doing some work.” Me – No response.
As we head toward the Donut Palace, I notice the group is still together. I don’t mean within sight of one another, I mean together. Like a peloton. And even after we light one more firecracker on Cole Springs Road, the group is still not more than a minute apart. And it went on like this all the way to San Marcos. Except for this one little riser where Mountain Goat needed to make peace with the road and he took the wattage to the next level. That splintered the group but within a minute of getting to the gas station, here came everyone else. Amazing!
Allison, a.k.a. SAG chick, was there with food, drink, and some very positive energy. Dave, Zach, and Art were a bit behind dealing with some flats but they made it in, we all chatted it up, and then headed back home. The ride back was like nothing I had ever experienced before. 16 riders, all strong, taking their turns up front and throwing some moves when they felt an opportunity. At one point, we were rolling in a double line at 22 and apparently Brent, Chris, and others thought that was too slow so they come around the corner and Brent gives us a look like, “That’s all you have?” Gear up - 22 to 29 like that!
I look back expecting to see everyone string out. But no. The group is still all in. And whether it was by the cement plant, on Old San Antonio, or even Twin Creeks, the collective strength was apparent and everyone came home together (one or two traffic lights not withstanding). My computer showed a 20.3 average for the ride. As a comparison, the first time Rommel took us just to Kyle, the average was 17.2. If you ride, you know the major difference three miles an hour makes. I wonder if this means next year we’ll be getting close to 23!
It was great to see everyone hang out afterwards for some food and fellowship. The families came out and even teammates who weren’t able to make the ride. I can’t imagine a better way to end the “official” ride season for Team AC2. But in case you can’t get enough, here’s what’s cooking for the rest of the week -
IT’S THE FRIDAY HOOKIE RIDE FOLLOWED BY BIKES FOR KIDS
This Friday we’re going to roll from Mellow Johnny’s for a 30 mile ride appropriately named The Court Jester. That’s b/c it includes both Courtyard and Jester. We’re going for 3000 feet of climbing over 30 miles. It finishes on Scenic Drive so it will definitely be a nice blend of suffer and social. Rolls at 9:15 from MJ’s.
And after, make plans to hang around and volunteer for Bikes for Kids. You don’t have to be an expert bike builder to participate. All you need is a can do attitude. We’ve spoken to Mellow Johnny’s and they are super excited to have Team AC2 come support the event. Even if you can’t make the ride, stop by and volunteer. Volunteer opportunities are available all day Friday and the following week as well. If you can’t make it Friday but another day next week works, shoot Dave an email and he’ll try to join you. This is a great cause and a great way for Team AC2 to give back to the community. RSVP to me if you’re planning to volunteer Friday so I can give Robbie a head count. For those not riding but wanting to volunteer, we’re probably get started around noon and stay until three.
When I started this post it was 4:45 and our Wednesday morning riders were still in bed. Now it’s 6:25, they’re into their first lap, and the first part of my email is obsolete. Oh well! Have a great week, enjoy the weather, and I hope to see you all Friday.
very happy Tuesday from the land of Southwest ATX. The Fall weather has made a return, setting up another great week of rides. We have some new rides rolling this week but first, let me add my two cents on last week’s schedule:
-Monday we met with the owners of VO2TC. They have a great shop near the intersection of Parmer and 620. A great location for riding. We couldn’t resist the opportunity to get in a quick 30. Lucy rolled in and played the role of tour guide and she took us out to Volente and back home via Lime Creek. Dave met the “three ladies” for the first time (expletive changed to reflect the PG nature of our emails). If you’ve never rolled up Lime Creek, I highly recommend it. A former training ground for US Postal, all it takes is one trip up the ladies and you know why they trained there.
-Tuesday found us at the Veloway getting in a few mid day loops on South MoPac. Is it just me or is Escarpment ALWAYS HARD?
-Wednesday morning we rolled four strong for interval work. We welcomed back a few faces we hadn’t seen in a while and everyone got to watch me freeze my arse off. Underdressed. Even with the built in fleece, still froze!
-Friday Dave organized a hookie ride. It was off the hook. New Team AC2 member Zach Horne showed some serious strength on the hills of Lost Creek. It’s obvious he’s no rookie to cycling. Props to Corris on introducing him to the team. Even though we got to go down Heart attack hill, the ride was still a bear. I don’t know if Dave has some personal obsession with Lost Creek but it’s rare that he doesn’t include it on a ride. Can’t wait to see what he has in store for this Friday’s hookie ride.
-Saturday we welcomed Art Gonzalez to AC2’s road skills 101 camp. Art had a little baptism by fire this weekend (more details in Sunday’s report). Suffice it to say, the guy has an iron will which already assures him of success in cycling. I’m excited to see folks like Art finding our camps and using that as a springboard into our team rides. Jerry rolled a group out Saturday (thanks for stopping by the Veloway to show some team love!) And apparently Dionne rode about 500 miles this weekend (she took on the Flyers after rolling some laps with Jerry et. al. And then she got around Hamilton Pool Sunday. You go girl!)
-Sunday was one of those days you never forget. Early morning fog no doubt had everyone questioning the ride. But alas, Dave and Brent showed up at my house and we rolled out to the famous “take those bike shoes off!” gas station at RR12 and Hamilton Pool. Even though we arrived at 7:30, there was already a nice group there, featuring some new folks. Lucy brought her husband John out. Bethany and her dad Hunter had their first Team AC2 experience. And Art and Zach came back for more! Chommers brought new teammate Garreth out to join us. As memory serves me, I believe we had 15 riders roll out. And it’s too bad we didn’t get photos, b/c if we did, we’d need some greenbacks from Mellow Johnny’s for all the stars being worn. I can’t wait to be out there in our AC2 kits.
So you know how this ride is going to go before it even goes. A seven mile descent to the river means the boys who love gravity move to the front and set some tempo. Poor John and Hunter are spit out the back before mile one. And a “casual” roll out equals a 24.5 average by the time we get to the river. Those boys were going fast I tell you.
Down the hill, first switchback, Trey on brakes, Corris on EPO! My man comes around the first turn so hot he almost eats it on the side of the road. And the ride rookies tucked in on him are apparently unaware that there’s a series of switchbacks in play. Across the bottom bridge, POW!, water bottles explode off bikes. We drop three and Bethany even runs one over and manages to stay on her machine. Nice! Brent rolls back to collect about 70 ounces of fluid and we get a nice recovery at the top while we wait.
Off again, riding strong, and then you know who gets a you know what. Unfortunately no Rommel or Jerry there to fight over the tire! Brent and you know who make quick work of the repair right until the part where you use the CO2 to air up the you know what. They’re sitting there squeezing the hell out of the trigger and this CO2 is just “leaking” out into the tire. So much so that John and Hunter pass us! And they give us the old “we’ll just keep going and I’m sure you’ll catch us.” I’ve never seen a CO2 do that before. At one point I actually pitched the whole appartus away from the group thinking there was a chance it might explode. Wheel back on, smoking CO2 canister in Trey’s jersey pocket, and we’re off again.
You know who feels rather bad about the whole scenario so she throws up some real wattage and everyone’s breathing hard like that. The rabbits are out front so the chase is sure to ensue. Turrets Boy is doing his thing and everyone is going fast. We get to the only turn on the out and back course and decide to wait to make sure everyone makes the turn. A few minutes later, up rolls Art. Here’s Art between gasps, “These f-ing hills are killing me. I thought you said this wasn’t like Livestrong.” And there is where Art learned rule #1 of Trey. Always make the ride sound easier than it is.
Dave seats him in the third chair and we head out Cypress Mill road to the turn around. Brent wants to do a little gut check with the group and that invites Lucy and Zach to join the outbound train. Zach is looking all strong and stuff and then Brent launches this wattage explosion up the hill and pop! I look back and see Zach finding his own tempo. I knew he’d be back. Correct!
But no John and no Hunter. Conversations ensue at the head of the train. Did we miss them? Did they duck into a house? Were they really going that fast? Are our brakes rubbing? Negative. The rabbits were throttle down. When we rolled up to the truck at the halfway point, there are Hunter and John, looking like this is a Sunday joy ride. Meanwhile I’ve got dried sweat all over my glasses. What up with that?
A great SAG at the halfway was provided by Lucy and John Needham. They hooked us up with water, gatorade, clif bloks, bars, bananas, and more. How cool that out in the absolute middle of nowhere we still had full support. After chasing the rabbits for the first half, I needed more fuel than I anticipated.
The ride back might as well have been the Dave express. Dave came to the front, set some tempo, and took a group of 7 to 3 like that. When we made the turn back onto Hamilton Pool Rd, Brent tells me, “Dave’s popped off the back.” I sit up and when he gets back on, I ask if everything’s ok. He’s like, “Oh, yeah. My cell phone rang and I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t someone from the team.” So I’m up front experiencing some kind of cardiac meltdown and my partner in crime is buying and selling on the cell. Nice! So I did what anyone would do – put him back on the front 
The three of us (Dave, Brent, Trey) rolled down to the river and then when the climb out started, everyone settled into their own personal purgatory. We managed to absorb John and Hunter who had decided to continue their rabbit strategy by leaving the SAG early to start back. They held us off for 18 miles. Impressive. The climb out was what it always is. But we were only about a minute and change slower on the return leg. 2 hours 23 minutes for the 49 miles had us at about a 20.5 average. Kudos to Dave and Brent for bringing their bottle rockets. Nice show!
Everyone began to roll back into the parking lot. Lucy’s husband John collapsed in the back of his SUV and started cramping. It was the usual post ride war stories and what not. Until all of a sudden a three car convoy looking Taylor Swiftesque pulls into the parking lot. Next thing I know, Bethany is getting out and three or four people are getting her bike out of the back. Turns out she missed the turn back and ended up at a gas station on 281. A few good Samaritans hooked her up with a ride back to the gas station. At that point, we got the skinny on Art (who was still yet to come in).
Art enjoyed a little pavement sandwich on his way back. He told Bethany to inform the group that if he wasn’t back in another thirty minutes to come get him. Dave and Corris jumped in a car and headed out to check on him. 10 minutes later, they come back empty handed. I asked Dave if they saw Art and he’s like, “Yeah, he’s out there. He asked how much farther back and when we told him two miles, he said he would finish on his own.”
That’s the kind of stuff I’m talking about. A bit later Art comes rolling in with a burnt jersey and a story to tell for years to come. The body said pain but the grin said glory. Awesome!
It was a great ride Sunday. Very strong efforts by everyone out there. Every week we get stronger and stronger. And now, let’s get strong this week:
Look, just because you know tomorrow morning is going to be hard, that’s no excuse not to ride. Get your lazy butt out of bed and let’s go hammer some laps on MoPac. Roll from the Veloway at 6:15 sharp. Email me if you’re planning to attend.
Friday is another hookie ride. Dave is finalizing a course and should have details early Thursday morning.
Saturday we’re going to do a modified kitchen sink ride. In order to let everyone check out the swap at Mellow Johnny’s that morning, we’ll start and end the ride from there. Coffee at Juan Pelota at 7 am, ride rolls at 7:30 sharp. 30 miles with one regroup point should get us back in plenty of time to still get in on the great deals. We have invited our friends from the ACA to join us for the ride so we should have a nice size group. Average speed will be around 16 or so.
Sunday is our last official team ride. We’re rolling to San Marcos. Wheels down at 7 am sharp. I’ll provide a final ride course and start location later this week. We are planning to celebrate after the ride with some food and drink. Please invite your friends, families, and significant others to join us Sunday. We’ll start the party around 11. Again, I’ll provide a start location later this week.
It’s beautiful outside. A great day to ride. A great week to be active. Let’s enjoy some of this terrific weather while it still lasts. See you all soon.
Usually, I’m sending these follow ups as part of our weekly email. However, I honestly can’t wait until Tuesday to talk about yesterday’s great ride. We had the perfect storm of awesome weather, amazing support, and strong teammates who came to put the miles in and settle the score with Hamilton Pool. I’ll provide the highlights as I saw them but please feel free to chime in with other exciting events from yesterday’s roll.
First, a huge Team AC2 set of props to Allison. She covered all bases by taking photos, providing SAG support, and being right where we needed her at just the right time. All that and she didn’t even know the route until 15 minutes before wheels down. I don’t know about you but I feel a great deal of comfort knowing that even out in the middle of nowhere, we’re still covered. Thanks again Allison. You rocked the ride!
So we set out 22 strong to get on terms with the hill country. The weather couldn’t have been better. Fingers crossed that we have a similar weather pattern next week for Livestrong. After one mechanical, we were up the road and the speed was on. The group got pretty spread out on Fitzhugh. Many more people riding within themselves than last time. I guess that’s the lesson we learned from the last session on Fitzhugh.
Kudos to Geoff and Kevin for delivering some fireworks on the front end. Even though the duo was supposed to be riding a prescribed 160 watt recovery ride, they set off a few bottle rockets and gave us a taste of why they finished in the top 5 at the Tour de Gruene two man time trial last year. I’m calling them the odds on favorite to take first in their age group.
After the rest stop at the Hamilton Pool road gas station, the ride turned into the Jerry and Sara show, starring Jerry and Sara. I’m not sure what those two had for breakfast (Sara claims it was only oatmeal but I’ve asked the UCI to look into it), but if we combined it into one smoothie, we could all go like Hell. Very nice form leading up to Livestrong. And friggin’ Sara was even down for a sprint 400 yards from Lifetime. She tells me, “Yeah, I still have a little left in the tank.” You go girl!
The Warrior Spirit award goes to Chomko. At the halfway point, Turrets Boy hollers some number of expletives followed by, “I’m out.” Dave tells him to get on the damn bike and pedal. Chommy obliges and the next thing you know, we’re watching him pull back into the gas station at Hamilton Pool. Here’s where he shows great restraint. Allison is there SAG and all ready to roll back and I don’t know if it was the double chunk cookies or pride, but the guy wills himself back on the bike and starts pedaling. He gets gapped rolling South on RR12 so I sit to wait and pull him back in. The group is soft pedaling on Fitzhugh and as we take our 3 and 4 seats in the train, my man hollers, “Here comes Jimmy and his diaper!” Classic.
So we hit the final gas station at 290 and he pulls the old “just leave him here to die.” No dice. Your ride is headed for fame but the only way you’re going legendary is to collapse at Lifetime. And another 12 miles later, Choms pulls into LTF. That’s Warrior Spirit right there! If you were bottling that, I’d buy a case. Nice work brother.
And of course there was Dave “fake a flyer” Appel. We’re already like 60 miles into the road and all of a sudden he’s gazelling up and down the train throttling everyone. He flies off the front and Jerry calls him something mean. I liked the move so I chased it down and when I saddled up beside Dave, I’m like, “Is this for real?” He’s like, “No. That’s about all I have.” Then he almost lands in a ditch from a cramp like two seconds later. Classic. But my partner in crime mounted a strong recovery and rolled into LTF mumbling something about how he wished he had an automatic b/c he knew the minute he tried to engage the clutch in his car, crampsville.
And finally, I have to say something about Brett. His new nickname is shadow. Every time I thought he was blown up, there he is, right in the shadow, taking advantage of the draft (that a boy). He and Jerry were looking like a steam train on Fitzhugh and I thought for sure Matens would jam some kind of move on Jerry. I think he’s taking a big picture look at things and calculating just the right time to break one off.
I love hearing all the stories about the ride. I’m sorry we weren’t all able to finish at the same time yesterday. On rides like this going forward, we need an after party locale so we can get the dirt on everything that happened. Hell, Vince rocked the wristbands and I didn’t even get enough saddle time with him to whip up a good story about ‘em. And the word was Lance tried to join Team AC2 but his credit card got declined. Guess it’s maxed out trying to get some Radio Shack teammates. Well, that’s my Sunday recap. Looking forward to Livestrong.
It was another wet week last week for the team. Just when we thought the weather would ease up for Sunday, bam, insta downpour. Let’s hope this weekend is little drier (at least when we ride).
Last night Rich and I made it out to the Tuesday nighter. For some reason it was a pretty sparse field. Maybe the fact that it’s getting dark so early kept some folks at home. Needless to say, Rich set some monster tempo and we took 1 and 2 last night. Fastest ride ever at Lakeway. We averaged 23.7 for the working effort. Thanks for pulling me around Rich! I’d return the favor but I can’t ever seem to get in front of your wheel.
Maybe a few folks are riding this morning on South MoPac. If you all do ride, be sure and give us an update.
Tonight is the happy hour at Hula Hut. Email Angie or Maria if you’re planning to attend. Props to Maria on the attempt at the Livestrong donation. While we may not be able to raise money for cancer tonight, we could enjoy some free appetizers!
Friday we’re planning a flexible work schedule ride. More than likely rolling around 10:30 for about 2-3 hours. Email me if you’re interested and I’ll shoot you some details tomorrow.
Saturday at this point is open. Not sure if anyone is rolling but if you are, send some details.
Sunday we have some unfinished business to settle out on Hamilton Pool road. A number of us did this ride earlier in the season (read hot!) and AC2 carnage was all over the road back home. Since then the weather has cooled off and Hamilton Pool road down by the river got a facelift (smooth as butter). I say we return and settle the score. For those doing Livestrong, this is your last chance at a longer ride. The total ride distance will be 75 miles. There will be two optional turn arounds (25 total miles and 42 total miles). I’ll be looking for ride leaders for each of these distances so if you’re planning to roll one of the shorter routes, let me know.
We’ll leave from LTF South at 7 am. This is an out and back with three regroup points/water stops. The weather is looking good for Sunday but apparently that was the forecast for last Sunday as well. I’d like to see us 25 strong for the ride Sunday. With plenty of distances and the fact it’s an out and back, no excuses not to show. And if you’re looking at it purely from an entertainment perspective, this is the course where Mark had a one hour “flat repair.” I think it was more about being on the limit than actually having a flat tire. He managed to use every tube in the group, all the CO2’s available, and at that end was still calling for a frame pump. He likes to play that card just on the other side of the river so let’s see what Act II will look like.
Have a great rest of the week and I’ll see you on the road Friday or Sunday.
What a crazy week for Team AC2. Dominated by some funky weather and a last minute message from 7 time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, it’s more than likely a week we’ll never forget. Here’s the quick (or not so quick) recap (feel free to plug in the gaps):
-Team AC2 showed good form at the Lake Travis Tuesday nighter. Rich and Lucy were part of the final five person breakaway. Rich made a strong push to win the sprint but Jason was on his A game (and TT bike) and pulled away to take the win. Good showing team!
-I missed the early morning pace line work this week so I’ll leave it to those that rode to give us the 411.
-Thursday night at 9:30 I get a call from Jerry saying Lance is leading a ride from Mellow Johnny’s Friday morning. Some quick schedule adjustments and a short night’s sleep found me giddy Friday morning. After speculating on crowd size (I think at one point I actually said 3000 riders would be there!) and parking options (ACL Friday as well), Dave and I rolled over to MJ’s to meet the rest of the team (Allison, Maria, Jerry, Brent, Dave, and Myself). And only about 100 other riders! This was shaping up to be a close and personal affair with Mr. Armstrong. I was ready with my Contador jab just in case the opportunity presented itself.
The ride took an unforeseen turn for part of the team. Unfortunately there was a crash that caught most of our team back and while they stopped to help, Brent and I soft peddled on the back of the train. When we crossed under 35 to head out East, it was apparent that the crash was more significant than we thought, and so after speaking with Dave, they decided to try and find us mid course.
In a normal recreational, stop and smell the roses ride, that would have been simple. But the Armstrong group was quickly shaping up to be more serious than that. It was at the point we were on 1625 rolling South at about 25 mph in the tightest peloton I’ve been in that I thought maybe I should have brought more than half a bottle of water.
As we turned onto Old Lockhart Road and I finally figured out where we were, a massive attack was launched off the front. I incorrectly assumed that it was some momo who didn’t understand this was Lance’s ride, when in reality it was his buddy John Korioth, an amazing rider in his own right. The wattage went from aware to insane and before you knew it, the remaining group of 60 was 20 (including Brent, who was drafting off Lance!) and about another 20 of us looking to make friends quickly and get some pace lines going in hopes of getting back.
The ten minutes of madness gave me a glimpse into what the fitness level of elite riders is really like. And it’s a reminder of just how strong cyclists here in Austin are. I was especially proud of our own Brent, who managed to be a part of the high wattage action. Awesome!
-Friday night Team AC2 held a Ride for Hope at the Veloway in support of Livestrong Day. Thanks to Jerry on organizing a great event. We had a total of 13 adults and children riding to remember those we lost to cancer and those who are still fighting this terrible disease.
-Saturday the rain held off long enough for us to complete our climbing camp. Hill repeats on South MoPac up to Escarpment and then over to William Cannon up to Southwest Parkway. Nice!
-Sunday the weather was iffy enough early to get a rain/low water crossing call but some folks who went out later in the morning found drier conditions and had a good ride. Sorry I missed out on that.
And on that note, here’s what’s cooking this week:
-Major weather moving in this afternoon and evening so the Tuesday nighter at Lakeway is 50/50 right now. I’ll send an email later when I get the rain call.
-Tomorrow morning is also weather permitting. Jerry is more of the early morning weather reconnaissance guy, so look for an email from him late tonight or early tomorrow on our ride from LTF.
-Spinning is never weather sensitive so you can definitely get punished by Rommel if you like. He’s teaching tomorrow morning in addition to his normal class Friday.
-Saturday is Mamma Jamma so best of luck to those taking part in the event. A few of our team (including Dave and myself) are headed down towards Uvalde to ride in the River Region Classic. http://www.riverregionclassic.org/index2.htm Ride distances of varying lengths climbing over some of the most beautiful country in Texas. Please email me if you’re planning to go so we can see about a pre party Friday night!
-Sunday is the Sweatin’ Burnt Orange bike ride in Blanco http://www.texascycling.org/sbobt/ Rides of varying lengths as well. I’m not sure if anyone is planning to do this ride but Rommel gave it a thumbs up so that must mean at least some type of free alcohol after the ride. There will also be a team ride this weekend (distance and time TBD). We’ll send details Thursday on what that will be.
Everyone be safe this week and I’ll see you all soon.