rights and lefts oh my...

So today was my day off. So i figured I would sleep in a bit. Got up at about 830 feeling pretty solid. So I packed up my bike and boards and headed off to Va Beach. I got up to the race site, and no one was there. So I headed off to the AWI sanctuary(aka starbucks), and checked what was up on the ol IPOD, seems the start time of 1130 was moved to 130. So i drove around lookin at crap.

Finally get up to the race site, sign in, get dressed and start my warm up. It was starting to warm up, so it was nice that the race was later. Watched the girls race, seemed pretty solid. The course was dead flat, 2 hard corners, one with pretty sketchy pavement on the inside line...stayed the eff away from that sucka.

So the mens race got started right on time. Rolled out at a pretty chill pace. There was 3 primes in this race. I when for the first one about half a lap out, and no one followed, they wernt chasing too hard, so i was away for about 2 laps, but because this was less then 10 laps in I let them catch me. The race was pretty relaxed, hard accelerations out of the two hard corners, but nothing bad. It was kinda sketchy because there was no lapping rules. So if you were lapped you just kept racing. Like cross, but in a crit, this gets a little hairy. I went for the other 2 primes, but there was one dude who took the other two, i was second both times. The last lap saw the pace pick up like expected, and the acceleration really went at about the half way throuh the lap. I was sitting 5th wheel in the last corner. I stood up to catch the acceleration out of that corner, and thats when my lack of intensity training kicked in. I had nothing. I went as hard as I could, but got caught by a group just shy of the line. Finished 11th. Next race is in 2 weeks, so it looks like I am going to be doing some interval training in the next bit, see if I can finish better. Set me up better for SC.

In other news, I saw Unknown with Liam Neeson last night. Pretty much what it is is that he is a doctor that is going to berlin to give a speach at a Bio Tech convention. He is in a car acciedent and when he wakes up 4 days later he knows who he is, but everyone else is acting as though he is not who he thinks he is. Cue 1h30 of him trying to figure out what is going on, and who is responsible. Good movie, I like Liam Neeson, and he didnt let me down in this.

Intensity for all...

So i had found this local bike shop called Fat Frogs, the guys in the shop seemed pretty chill and told me about a group ride they have wed/sat/sun every week at 0730. So today was my day off and i figured I will make an apperance. I rolled out with the A+ group(22mph +) to see how I would do at a higher intensity. Well it started out fine enough with all of 5 people. We dropped one about 4km into it, later on i was told he is taking some diet pills and latley since he has been on them can hardly hold and high intensity. So we were down to 4 of us, and only 3 of us doing any real pulls(longer then 10sec, which is cool as that one person not pulling long was a girl, and she still did some pulling, so it let us recover). We did a nice ride through the country roads, that was about as flat as you can get on roads...max elevation would probably be measured in inches. We rolled into the start point at around an hour, so we averaged about 24ish mph. I forgot to ask the other guys what they had as I dont have a computer on this bike.

I grabbed a coffee from starbucks(convienently located next door to the shop), and headed into the shop with the rest of the guys. At this point the slower(or less fast if you do the midland group rides) groups were rolling in. Spent about 45 minutes in the shop talking about the local race scene, training, and just cycling in general. Pretty chill group of dudes and dudettes. I am looking forward to getting some more riding in with them. Just have to make it work at work now.

Now that I am all showered up and smell pretty, i am going to head to to a local outlet mall to check out the sales at oakley, under armour, ect.... I think my credit card might get worn out if i stay too long.

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my

So I have been reading all about cougars and elephants..... Even seen pictures and hears of accounts of fights between the two. Seems the horseshoe valley area is getting quite interesting. All I have to contend with is black bears, possums, snakes and spiders.

Got out for a hour and a half run last night, about 15km with some hill sprints. Well as much as I could on the ol' dreadmill. Happy that the run really loosened up my hip after the trauma of last saturdays ride. So it's back to getting in all those base miles before I head off to bennos.

In other news I have started training for the pancake ride. I am up to 37 flapjacks in one sitting. Also doing some sprint training just to beat out the shake and bake.

Tristan was talking about so
E bike to be announce today on here.... So I wait for that now.

New whip

So it looks like I am going to be a new mountain bike as well as a new road bike. Going with the 2010 Norco Team Carbon and 2010 Norco CRR SL. pretty stoked on them, but looks like I am going to be waiting atleast a month for them as they are in Ontario and I am not.

So this morning I woke up to about 6" of snow. I thought I had escaped winter, but alas. If the snow melts away in time I might head out on the road bike, if not I will probably just go for a run or something, see how the hip feels.

Well back to work

What to do with your time off

So I had been thinking, I listen to alot of music. So why not let those of you who are less adventurous with your music know what I am listening to now. My tastes are extreemly varried and I can easily have country, rap, punk, classic rock, folk, and even acoustic stuff all in the same playlist. I will be the first to admit, I use my iPod when I ride. I am in base mileage season now so I really get to enjoy some good chill music while I just push the pedals for hours. So let's see what my most recent music purchases have been.
Mumford and Sons- Sigh no MoreI really liked their single Little Lion Man, so I grabbed the album. I have to say that listening to the album makes me think of the album title from Sum 41, all killer no filler. They are a Four price folk group from England. they combine well thought, powerful lyrics with a cool mix of instruments. From stand up bass, to accordion to banjo to guitar, and alot in between. Their new single The cave is another good track, though my personal favorite is the same as the album name, Sigh no More. they are a good chill out band, though the nano stuff really can get you going.
Florence & the Machine- LungsI was a big fan of the strong vocals from the single Dog Days are Over. so I picked up the album Lastnight. I have not had a chance to listen to it all yet, but it is pretty slow stuff. More like good recovery or streching music. Slow is not bad, powerfull vocals, just not for everyone.
Punk Goes Pop vol.3- various artistsI also grabbed this, it's coversongs of pop hits by punk bands. Fun album, cool cover of MIA's Paper Planes. I really Nike the Punk Goes series.
On the uncomming front....Rise Against has a new album out on march 15th. Lookin forward to that, rise against is always good to ride to.
That's it for now, gotta atleast pretend I am working.

promises

So i think that i am back on the bloging bandwagon, as it seems to help those sponsored/looking for sponsorship. That and i feel that the world definatly needs to hear what i have to say...it may be the ramblings of a mad man, but thats what you get.
So those of you that arnt on my friend list on facebook, probably dont know what is up with me. In the last year since i blogged, i was riding alot, as i had no car, and had to get to work somehow. Then work took me to areas that i couldnt race, so i didnt race MTB in 2010....sad. Then in the fall i bought 'The Manondale' and took up cross racing....happy. I was doin ok, won my first begginer race at the hillbilly hustle(our own mr watsons favorite race as he is rewarded in about 6 years supply of beer). So i decided to stop sandbagging as i was a few minutes ahead of second place, and like 15 ahead of 3rd. The rest of the season was like if Tyson fought an infant....just havin the elites hand me my ass all season long. Not training for 4 months before and drinking alot of beer didnt help. Certainly i dont think doing about 99% of my cross racing in true cross form....aka hungover helped either.
So i am now in the lovley southern united states for a few months with work. I was starting to ramp up training for what is shapping up to be a busy busy year filled with racing. On last saturday i was doing some interval training on a loop around where i am staying, i looked down just after a hard set, breathing hard, and i didnt see the speed bump comming. My right hand slipped off the bars and i went down pretty hard. The cost, one UA shirt, my tri club wind jacket, new derailer cables and housing(was due anyways), and the right brake hood on my campy record brake levers. Right now it is electrical taped in place while I wait for a replacment. The rest is all fixed up..... for fun look at my hip....
Lesson learned, look where I am going....oh, and you use your oblique muscles for just about everything, it still gives me alot of pain, so i am taking a few days off training to let it heal up.
So I am in the wanting a new bike phase. I am about 99% going with a Norco CRR SL for my road bike this year....and that dammed Stu Alp is temping me with his Norco Team Carbon mtb from last year for a good price....problem is i just dont have the cash for it all.....dammed drinking habbit....i have quit drinking by the way, well almost. I have one beer left from a 12 pack i bought 5 weeks ago, so I think I am doing really well. Just need to stop crashing and breaking my bikes and in theory I will actually start making money.........
So my work is over on the 31st of March.....what am I going to do after that you say? Race the Icebreaker, P2A, ect......eff that ess....i am going south again sucka. I am going to Mr Bennos place in the derty south for the month. So I have to get all my base milage in over the next 2 months, once i get to socar(i am going to start this i think, like socal, but not as cool), its time for the intensity. I forsee lots of racing up the many mountainous climbs in the area with the many fine residents of che ben. I have races to win when i get back in May, and categories to attain...
Anyways, i just noticed it is now 0049hrs, off to bed.

Ok, i just spent 10 minutes trying to post a picture....no dice, so just imagine a bruise that is literally about 8" long and 4" tall with a bunch of road rash in the middle....i am impressed with it....almost to the point of framing the picture, anywho, off to lollypop land.