What I'm Blasting My Ears With Lately....

I said last post that I'd put together a partial list of some of the stuff I've been listening to lately so here's a random sampling of my playlist titled 'Shut Up and Ride Your Bike.' Keep in mind I said it was a bizarre mix of things.....

Holiday in Cambodia - Dead Kennedies
Friends - Led Zeppelin
Henrietta - The Fratellis
Salute Your Solution - The Raconteurs
Genepool Convulsions - The Hives
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away - Eddie Vedder
Comedown - Bush
Dammit - Blink 182
The Rain Song - Led Zeppelin
Natural One - The Folk Implosion
Space for the Papa - Jeff Beck
I'm Gonna Crawl - Led Zeppelin
A Momentary Lapse of Reason - Pink Floyd
Ruby Soho - Rancid
Better Man - PJ
Fame - David Bowie
Miss You - Rolling Stones
Train in Vain - The Clash
The Mercy Beat - The The
MIA - Foo Fighters
Rats - PJ
Dig Lazarus Dig - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Whipping Post - The Allman Brothers Band
Deadweight - Beck
Molly - Sponge
Brianstorm - Arctic Monkeys
Song X - Neil Young
It's Alright - Big Head Todd and the Monsters
40' - Franz Ferdinand
Fortune Teller - Robert Plant and Allison Krauss (god I can listen to this song a hundred times a day)
Release - PJ
Blow Up the Outside World - Soundgarden
Strange Condition - Peter Yorn
Try Not to Breathe - REM
Gallow's Pole - Led Zeppelin

Lots of Zep - go figure. It's been working of late for my twisted brain but that'll change soon enough.

Harvard 33.3K TT Report

Warning: If you are reading this then this warning is for you. Every word you read of this useless fine print is another second off your life. Don't you have other things to do? Is your life so empty that you honestly can't think of a better way to spend these moments? Or are you so impressed with authority that you give respect and credence to all that claim it? Do you read everything you're supposed to read? Do you think every thing you're supposed to think? Buy what you're told to want? Get out of your apartment. Meet a member of the opposite sex. Stop the excessive shopping and masturbation. Quit your job. Start a fight. Prove you're alive. If you don't claim your humanity you will become a statistic. You have been warned- Tyler.

Bloody freezing and windy on Sunday in the far Northwest Chicago suburb of Harvard. It's actually so far away I don't know that it can be classified as a suburb - it might as well be in Wisconsin. I rolled out at the butt-crack o'dawn with my most favorite ultra-super-hyper-fast MetLife boys, Josh and Mike for what proved to be a pretty successful day of racing.

Things were moving slowly when we arrived to retrieve numbers so warm-up was cut really short - I think I managed 16ish minutes on the rollers after layering on the warm and minty goodness we call embrocation. I usually do about 30-35min of structured warm-up before racing. Not so long ago a too-short warm up would have had my fragile pre-race psyche out of it's tree but I just sort of let it go and rolled with what the situation dealt me. My legs felt decent which provided some confidence that things would be okay when I wasn't distracted by my body's uncontrolled shivering.

The 33.3K Harvard course is unique - it heads out on a longish stretch that has a few curves and turns before terminating in a 4 corner loop that leads back to the original stretch away from the start. I know that's not a great description but suffice to say it's better than a boring out-and-back course. It's entirely flat except for some very minor, gradual changes in grade in a few areas and the pavement is decent. There was significant cross/head wind much of the day, especially on the way out which allowed for some good speed on the way in to the finish.

My time trial started well and I basically had a solid performance that earned a first place finish in the Women's Open category. I wasn't entirely satisfied with how things went for me but in retrospect I suppose it was about the best I could do, so I'll take it - another medal for the refrigerator door. Things were definitely tough with the wind and coldness - I know...HTFU! What was running through my head the whole time? Ugh - Cheap Sunglasses by ZZ Top - oh my....don't ask.

That's right, don't mess with Snoopy - MetLife mascot and pop culture icon that he is.

The MetLife guys continue to impress - they owned the day with Josh taking first in the 50+ and Pro 1/2 and Mike killing the 40+ and earning 3rd in the Pro 1/2. Technically, I race for MetLife too - my American Bicycle Racing license identifies my team association as MetLife/Pony Shop so it was pretty much a Snoopy sweep in the thriving metropolis of Harvard (yes, they even have a Wal Mart). Nice job guys - you're the best. Now if only I could somehow get you to accompany me to Arkansas for Joe Martin and Tour of Arkansas.....

Thanks for reading - I might get around to posting a revised list of motivational tunes at some point. Lately I've been groovin' mostly to a lot of classic rock, some more mellow stuff and a smidge of edgy almost-punky-but-not-quite stuff, quite the interesting combination.

A Minor Rant

I'm pretty certain that most of us are fully aware of the dangers associated with commuting by bike in a city the size of Chicago. Aw hell - I think just plain riding a bike in Chicago is thrill enough sometimes. Anyway, I have to spew a little bile in the general direction of the fine institution known as the Chicago Police Department (CPD). Now I know there are lots of good cops out there (and I don't mean the ones I've dated) but I think there are a lot of jerk-o's out there too.

For instance, while riding on the magnificent stretch of Milwaukee Avenue between Logan Boulevard and DesPlaines (probably about 5-6mi or so) there is a BIKE LANE at all times. Which means the lane is reserved for BIKE TRAFFIC, right? Further, that cars (especially POLICE cars) should not actually stop and park in the lane, right? I'm thinking it's reasonable to assume those things and I suspect that you agree (unless you are a jerk-o cop).

If that's the case (and it IS the case), I can't help but be pissed off about POLICE CARS being parked - simultaneously - on both sides of Milwaukee Avenue blocking the bike lane in both directions four out of the last five times I have commuted to work. I'm bent out of shape mostly because due to their rudeness, I am nearly smashed by cars swerving to avoid hitting the parked police cars. I mean really, WTF?!

I'd been quiet until today when I looked over at the two ample (read: FAT) law enforcement officers standing nearby just talking to each other and said, "nice job guys - it's a freaking bike lane, not a parking space." It was so obvious that they were not in protect and serve mode. Their response? Disbelief that anyone would question their actions. If they'd been wrestling a purse snatcher to the ground or cracking the skull of a drug dealer then cool - park wherever you want. But it was clear that they were just too lazy or too self-important to go find someplace else to park and have their coffee talk.

Cops need to do their job and enforce the fine that was included in the ordinance recently passed by city hall that prohibits parking in the bike lane - one that protects cyclists from danger. Cyclists have every right to be on the road. They should be afforded every protective measure possible to ensure their safety when they adhere to the laws that govern riding a bike on the street. Likewise, jerk-o's who disregard the laws should be appropriately punished, even (and maybe even especially) cops.

Rant completed. Agree or not, thanks for reading.

It Was Almost Like Spring

Yay!! No mittens today - just lots of sun. These 2 characters show up on the blog a lot. That's because they're a couple of bad-asses whose athletic ability I truly respect.

I left the warmers at home and jumped in with my favorite boys (Josh and Mike) for the Cherry Valley 30K TT on Sunday. It's a race that I've not done before - in fact, I've not done a lot of time trials in my (too) many years of racing - so I was having the usual pre-race anxiety attack. That said, I must admit that music selection on the drive out was choice - Led Zeppelin can always take a bit of the edge off for me, transforming me into only half the paranoid spaz of my typical pre-race persona. My expectation for the day was to just do the best I could without killing myself too horribly since I'm still coughing a bit and still not 100%. I know - that excuse is getting old, isn't it? I just can't seem to completely shake this thing.

The course was out and back with some small rises here and there, a sweet gravel stretch with some sizable potholes, some bad pavement, a few turns and the ubiquitous Midwest wind that seems to always be in your face and/or blasting you from the side. That said, it was an otherwise amazing day as far as weather goes - the sun was warm and the air temp in the upper 60s - maybe even in the 70s away from the puddle (Lake Michigan). It felt almost like spring.

Warm up went well - I changed up my playlist a bit and added some new things to my usual mix including Matthew Sweet, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Smithereens, Peter Yorn, Green Day, Robert Plant, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, some more Rolling Stones, The The and Neil Young. I know, another interesting combination, but it works for me. I was feeling decent after warm up, not stellar but certainly better than last week.

It ended up that I turned in a respectable time and finished as first loser on the day to an athlete I respect a great deal - she's the current 35-39 Masters National Road Race Champion. Somehow I managed to sneak by her last week but she paid me back this week with a strong performance. The guys continued their streak of domination winning the Pro 1/2, 40+ and 50+ categories with impressive efforts. They both did 2 time trials (they always do) which always makes me feel small and weak. Nice job Josh and Mike - again, way to represent. Now shut up and go ride your bike.

Training this coming week is mostly (but not all) low key - bummer too because all of a sudden it's not freaking freezing here. I have a 2 race weekend coming up - a criterium on Saturday in Milwaukee that has an interesting hill that will allow me to convincingly demonstrate my climbing prowess (ugh), and another 30K TT on Sunday. I hope my cough disappears between now and then.

As always, thank you for reading. Now go resume doing something productive, slacker!!

Look Who Came to Spin Class This Morning!!

That's right! Barbie graced us with her presence and proceeded to tear through her 15 minute threshold intervals this morning. Must be all that winter unicycle training paying off at last. Pretty soon we're going to take the training wheels off her six13 so she can fully explore the limits of her off-season upgrade to Dura Ace while Chad, Waldorf and Statler try in vain to hold onto her wheel. Good luck, boys - better hope Beth doesn't show up too....

We listened to a pretty wide variety of music in class this morning - I try to keep everyone happy (though I know full well that there are some people in this world who will never be happy). Pre-ride tunes included some Hendrix and Frampton. When we got into the work it was more cerebral for the first part then fun stuff to finish.

The Wind Cries Mary - Jimi Hendrix
Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix
Crosstown Traffic - Jimi Hendrix
Show Me the Way - Peter Frampton
Closer - Nine Inch Nails
The Perfect Drug - Trent Reznor
Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
God Put a Smile Upon Your Face - Coldplay
There There - Radiohead
Top Jimmy - Van Halen
Someday I Suppose - Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Basket Case - Green Day
I'm a Believer - Smashmouth
American Idiot - Green Day
I'm Shipping Up to Boston - Dropkick Murphys

Then we rolled easy to Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult and London Calling by the Clash. It was a nearly full room today - everyone worked very hard and walked away having accomplished something before ever arriving at the office. Thanks everyone - what you do with your 'play' time makes my 'work' worthwhile.

Late-breaking news compliments of No-Twitch: I actually won the TT on Sunday with the fastest overall time by a girl on the day - another medal for the refrigerator door! Mike and Josh's times were good enough for 2nd in their age groups and 2nd and 5th in the Pro 1/2 field. Well done, tools. Can't wait for this weekend!! For now, I'll go put my feet up before the 'midweek gem' tonight. Yesterday's sprints and anaerobic power intervals roached me but good.

Wisconsin. Windy. Cold. Snowing. Windy. Cold. Snowing. Windy. Cold. Snowing.

Josh and Mike, warming up. I was too busy taking pictures and letting the pre-race anxiety build to warm up.

Yep, it was really windy, cold (like 37ish degrees, maybe) and occasionally snowing this morning for the Single Bong 20k TT in Kansasville, Wisconsin. I figured it was an improvement over the frozen and soaking wet nearly 3hr slog I did yesterday so I was pretty stoked. The way I saw it, I'd be training in the bad weather if I'd stayed home so I might as well go race for a blingin' medal. That, and (bonus!) I got to chill with two of my most favorite TT beasts, Josh and Mike.

Josh, going nowhere fast, yet. He asked if the helmet makes his ass look big. I dunno - what do you think? If you have to ask, you probably already know the answer.
I chopped Mike's head off in his solo shot so I'll have to try again next weekend (sorry dude).

I'm still having a bit of lingering sickness but I was feeling much better compared to last week, so I was hoping for a respectable performance this morning. I did actually spend some time warming up on the rollers, listening to some motivational tunes but my legs never really felt good and my power numbers were a little disappointing prior to start time. Things got off to a fast start on the tailwind section of the three turn square-ish course that featured some really small rollers and a gradual rise here and there. I was chased by a dog along the way (I suspect nearly everyone encountered this dog at some point) and passed a few guys before getting pretty much blasted and bounced around by the headwind and cross headwind for the remainder of the ride.

After everything was said and done I wasn't particularly satisfied with my result but given the fact that I'm still a little sick and the conditions just really sucked, I suppose things could have been much worse. Josh and Mike both had a good day on the bike - nice job, guys. Way to represent.

Next up - 30k TT in Cherry Valley, IL next weekend. The long-term forecast is for much better weather but at this point, who knows what will happen? I'm just hoping to ride stronger, learn something and to keep pulling good, positive things out of every performance.

As always, thanks for reading. Now, back to The Masters....Immelman's on fire.

Sick Sucks

Oh la la......my TT bike...newly upgraded to 10spd Dura Ace because well, I deserve it.

I figured y'all were getting tired of looking at that dude's ass on my previous post (well, I wasn't) so I decided to bring you up to date with a weekend race recap and some other stuff. Based on the title I'm sure you've surmised that I'm under the weather - in a big and nasty way. It's a good thing I don't get sick very often - maybe once a year with a minor cold thrown in - because this sucks. I'll spare you the specifics but just know that I have a killer cough, vicious headache and can't eat much beyond toast and tea.

So I decided to go race my bike on Sunday, just because I couldn't stand the thought of sitting on my ass on the couch for another day. My pre-race ride on Saturday was rather pathetic so I didn't have very high hopes going into the John Frasier Memorial 10mi Time Trial. I spent most of the drive to the race venue in a semi-conscious state hoping to not feel the need to ask Josh (who was driving) to pull over. Fortunately I had a later start time than my travel companions so I was able to sleep in the car while Ted, Josh and Mike warmed up and prepared to race - each of them doing 2 time trials, because they're a bunch of bad-ass TT beasts.

We've established that I'm not much of a climber. Well, I'm a marginal TT racer at best so I can't say that I really look forward to doing them. But, they're good for me - I suffer a bit, I get stronger, I get smarter, I find a little confidence and I always take something positive away from a respectable TT effort. My warm-up went half decent and the sun was out so I figured I'd just go out, ride hard, keep my effort under control (ie: no hurling) and my time would end up being what it would be. I knew after the guys came back to the car after their first TTs that the cross wind was pretty strong and that there was a bit of a head wind stretch as well.

Things started out well enough and I actually ended up having a half decent ride, all things considered. Most of all I really just didn't want to bury myself and get sicker - I was in damage control mode, in a way. In the end I finished in second place, less than 3 seconds off the lead and a minute ahead of third place. Of course I now look back and know that I could have easily worked much harder than I did and probably won but in the grand scheme of things I was happy with the outcome.

Fortunately I slept through most of the drive home. Thanks to Ted, Josh and Mike for tolerating my whining and sickness. In a weird and twisted way I think I'm beginning to like this time trial thing. Either that or I'm just trying to justify having another nice bike with expensive equipment (bling!!).