Ready for 2010?

2009 was a big year for me.  What happened? 

• I received a promotion at work to Fire Captain in the middle of January.
• I graduated from ODU with a degree in Exercise Science in May.  This was a 14 year endeavor so it meant a lot.

• After graduating I also begin working part-time again as an athlete development coach/trainer.  Here's my plug:  anyone need any coaching, especially conditioning, movement and strength; then I'm available.
• In cycling I broke every PR for all the TTs I did this year
• I also gained confidence in "last lap" tactics and sprinting.

So what does 2010 have in store for me?

• In the beginning of January I am having surgery to fix my deviated septum.  So I am hoping to be able to breath in 2010.
• I have been training really hard this pre-season.  We have developed a conditioning/strength program for cyclists.  The Virginia Beach Wheelmen were the test subjects for it last year and it was focused in more this year.  Along with base miles (aerobic base and muscular endurance base) on the bike we have also focused on balance and coordination, strength/force production, power using plyometric training and anaerobic base using cross training and cycling intervals.  This type of training is not exclusive to us:

 

Lance Armstrong used a very similar strength and conditioning program last year during his comeback.  I'm not saying to do what Lance does, but it does add a bit of validity to the program.

• This last week was the most amount of time I spent training and the most miles I have put in since I started racing again in 2006.  I know a lot of people put in a lot of time training but I have not always had the time or the motivation.  This last week I put in 14 hours and 193 miles.  Like I said earlier, some of my training is off the bike, so time and miles don't always match up.
• I also lost weight this off-season.  Last year I raced at 195 lbs.  I am currently 183 lbs.  That will make a difference.
  

So I think I am ready for 2010.

Are you?

New Look

I've been working on a new look.  I call it Blue Steel:

Okay, I've already used this look:

So maybe I will call it Argyle Steel:

 

 

Well maybe instead of being ridiculously good looking it looks ridiculously gay.  But how about our new team clothing.  These are a few shots from Mike's new BikeCam on our team clothing's maiden ride.  This clothing is our winter kit that consists of long sleeve jerseys and jackets.  Our summer kits will be just like this but with sponsor logos on them as well.  They are pretty sweet.  What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Racing for money?

It is probably every racers dream, at some point to win big money in a race.  Dreams are not what keep most of training hard and racing even harder.  For most, I think, it is the thrill of competition and feeling of winning or having a teammate win.  The money and the prizes are nice, but necessary?

Sure we would all love to be like this guy:

When in reality, if we counted on our winnings and sponsorship deals to support us, most of us would be more like this:

 

 

I have, along with the help of my team and my wife, promoted 5 races in the last 3 years.  We promoted the Virginia Beach Wheelmen Smackdown in 2007, Sleepy Hole Smackdown in 2008 and 2009, The Smithfield HAMmer Fest 2-man TTT in 2009 and the Bennett's Creek Park Cyclocross Race just last weekend.  In each one of these races we have put our concentration on ensure the permits were correct, ensure the course was fun and safe and ensure that everyone would have a good time.  For all these races what we lacked was a money sponsor.  All cash prizes have come from the entry fees for the day.  So although the prizes were not much, they were a lot to us.  I'm not saying this to make anyone feel guilty or to make us look good, its just a segway to a question I have.

On our first race that we promoted, a storm came through.  So we already had a low pre-registered race because it was our first, it was not BAR and many people viewed it as a training race.  Then the storm came and most racers who showed up that day looked like this:

We had a total of 16 racers for the day.  Some racers were not even held, but if someone showed up, we ran their race and paid the prize money out.  I got a call the next day from someone who won one of the races saying "Disregarding paying my check, my wife said I would never make any money at this sport so I have hung my winning check up in a frame to prove her wrong.  I will never cash it."

This last weekend, after the Bennett's Creek Cyclocross Race I received this email:

Joshua,

Thanks for putting on a great race - it was tough, but
fun.  Go ahead and cancel my check #1038 - I have
shredded it - I'm not racing for money.  I'm sure
your team can use it, even that small amount.

Looking forward to next years.....

Mark Wilson
Speedy's Hot Sauce

I think most local racers don't care about the money.  I'm not going to lie to you though.  It feels good to receive sponsorship, to receive cash payout.  It somehow makes you feel like you are better than you are.  What other adult, amateur sports do companies pay you to wear their logos and you compete for money every weekend?  Not many.

My goal for next year as a promoter is to find some cash sponsors for the race to be able to increase the payout.  But is that important?  For the past 2 races we found sponsors that gave prizes in the form of merchandise.  These weren't the things that set on the clearance rack at the shop either.  These items were purchased specifically for the event.  Is that better then cash?

Cash on a race flier looks good.  People seem to rave over the merchandise prizes we have given out lately.  Is there a balance?  What makes you want to race?  Have you ever not raced because the payout was too low? 

Just some question to stir some debate so I can make next year's races a bigger success.

Thanks to all who have ever raced and supported local clubs.  A special thanks to those who do it because that's what they love to do.

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving.
 

Forget about Cyclist vs. Motorsist issue, how about Cyclist vs Disc Golfer?

Bennett's Creek Park in Suffolk, VA, home of the Bennett's Creek Cyclocross race this past weekend is also home to an 18 hole Disc Golf course.  Disc golf is apparently pretty popular in Suffolk.  Every time we were at this park to do work there were plenty of golfers.  Most of them were pretty nice and put up with us riding through their course.  Even the day we were there (Saturday) to do maintenance on the trail and post storm clean-up, the golfers were happy we were taking care of the trails and welcomed us there.

Sunday morning though was a little different.  We got there at 7 am to set up the course, so did the disc golfers.  I saw a pickup truck pull into one of the parking lots that were going to be used in the course.  We hadn't had a chance to close the road yet, so I went over to explain we were holding a race and he was not going to have access to the golf course after 10am.  But more importantly he had to move his truck.  He was not happy with me.  I mean, he was already in the middle of putting on his disc golf shoes and now a guy with shaved legs was telling him he couldn't play.

"Did you rent the park?" was his question.  Of course we rented the park.  What the hell did he think?  After mumbling something under his breathe, he got in his truck and moved.  But not out of the park, just to another lot.  Then he got out of the truck and just stood in the middle of the street like he was waiting for something.

He was waiting for something:

Yes, he called the cops because we wouldn't let him play disc golf.

The cop who showed up didn't even waste my time.  But it didn't stop the golfer from calling his friends and playing through our race.  There were times when they got on the course and walked slowly because they just wanted to be assholes.  And there were times when they throw their discs across the course.

I preempted their complaints by filing one of my own with Suffolk Parks and Recs.  Plus I had to keep in mind that this was one group of golfers.  All other groups that we met were all pretty nice.  We just had to get the serious, semi-pro, very athletic disc golfers:

 

 

These are not the actual pictures of the golfers on that day but do capture the essence that I was going for.  I am going to keep my eyes open for a disc golf tournament and plan on riding my bike through their course on that day.  See how they like it.

Now I have vented.  And I am spent.

Bennett's Creek Park Cyclocross Race Results

>

PLACE	BIB	FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	TEAM	Race Age	CATEGORY ENTERED
1	571	Ethan	Revere	Altius Cycling Team	12	Jr 10-14
2	572	Henry	Revere	Altius Cycling Team	9	Jr 10-14
PLACE	BIB	FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	TEAM	Race Age	CATEGORY ENTERED
1	385	Mary	Alex	Evolution Cycling Club	48	Women 4
2	392	Jennifer	Pope	Fat Frogs Racing	34	Women 4
3	387	Deborah	Conway	Evolution Cycling Club	48	Women 4
4	396	Aranell	Schmitz		23	Women 4
5	391	Sharon	Nicholson	Tripower	52	Women 4
6	388	Glenda	Craddock	Fat Frogs Racing	47	Women 4
7	390	Amber	Goins		32	Women 4
8	397	Susan	Revere		41	Women 4
9	395	Sheri	Segal		52	Women 4
10	386	Julia	Casals	Evolution Cycling Club	45	Women 4
11	394	Karen	Franke		44	Women 4
12	398	Melissa	Yeager		32	Women 4
13	389	Julie	Fink	Fat Frogs Racing	29	Women 4
	393	Jackie	Starkey	Tri-power	47	Women 4
prime 385
PLACE	BIB	FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	TEAM	Race Age	CATEGORY ENTERED
1	541	Sally	McMahon	TriPower	32	Women'S 1/2/3
2	540	Carol	Ennser	Tripower	39	Women'S 1/2/3
3	543	Pamela	Zimmerman		57	Women'S 1/2/3
4	542	Irene	Pang		40	Women'S 1/2/3
prime 540
PLACE	BIB	FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	TEAM	Race Age	CATEGORY ENTERED
1	760	Cameron	Holland			Masters 35+
2	758	Brent	Williamson	Rostello presented by Fiorucci/Cycor	41	Masters 35+
3	768	Mark	Wilson			Masters 35+
4	751	Kevin	Horvath		38	Masters 35+
5	761	Geoff	Beaty			Masters 35+
6	764	Jimmy	Deaton			Masters 35+
7	754	Matthew	Marchal	Altius Cycling Team	39	Masters 35+
8	763	Bryan	Sorell			Masters 35+
9	750	Christopher	Dinsmore	TriPower	42	Masters 35+
10	767	B.	Lehen			Masters 35+
11	757	C. C.	Rosen	Speedy's Hot Sauce pb Fuji	36	Masters 35+
12	766	Hobie	Writmore			Masters 35+
13	762	Robert	Cook			Masters 35+
14	759	Sean	Yeager	Altius Cycling Team	35	Masters 35+
15	756	Albe	Rodenas	All About Bikes Racing	42	Masters 35+
16	765	John	O'Neal			Masters 35+
	752	Robert	Issem	East Coasters / Star City Vicious	39	Masters 35+
prime 751
PLACE	BIB	FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	TEAM	Race Age	CATEGORY ENTERED
1	785	Keith	Johnson	Speedy's Hot Sauce p/b Fuji	49	Masters 45+
2	784	Chris	Huhn	Evolution Cycling Club	44	Masters 45+
3	787	James	Revere	Altius Cycling Team	45	Masters 45+
4	792	Edward	Dickenson	East Coasters	46	Masters 45+
5	786	John	Messersmith	Altius Cycling Team	49	Masters 45+
6	782	William	Gilmer	tri-power	46	Masters 45+
7	788	Steve	Simet	JRVS/Casey Auto Group	54	Masters 45+
8	783	Jeffrey	Henke	JRVS	50	Masters 45+
9	789	Tim	Starkey	Tri-power	50	Masters 45+
10	781	Tom	Fournier	unattached	50	Masters 45+
11	791	Rick	Young	JRVS/Casey Auto	46	Masters 45+
12	793	Dave	Olds			Masters 45+
	790	Harlan	Ward	Speedy's Hot Sauce p/b Fuji	10	Masters 45+
prime is 784
PLACE	BIB	FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	TEAM	Race Age	CATEGORY ENTERED
1	713	Timothy	Pope	Fat Frogs Racing	35	Cat 4
2	708	Matt	Keane	Fat Frogs Racing	24	Cat 4
3	703	Andres	Demarchena	Fat Frog's Racing	32	Cat 4
4	725	Michael	Baldwin			Cat 4
5	711	Michael	Park	TriPower	35	Cat 4
6	704	Taylor	Doyle	Fat Frogs Racing	26	Cat 4
7	706	Barry	Hindman	Ben's Performance Bicycles, Inc	39	Cat 4
8	707	Robert	Issem	East Coasters / Star City Vicious	39	Cat 4
9	783	Jeffrey	Henke	JRVS	50	Cat 4
10	719	Jeffrey	Hellner			Cat 4
11	700	Christopher	Adams	All About Bikes	26	Cat 4
12	717	Chris	Larkin			Cat 4
13	723	Brian	Kunz			Cat 4
14	701	Jeff	Brown	Tripower	37	Cat 4
15	718	Chris	Scales			Cat 4
16	712	Jennifer	Pope	Fat Frogs Racing	34	Cat 4
17	724	Jimmy	Miller			Cat 4
18	710	Michael	McMahon	TriPower	43	Cat 4
19	702	Mike	Bruwelheide	all about bikes racing	37	Cat 4
20	715	Junjie	Wang		43	Cat 4
21	722	Robert	Stambauger			Cat 4
22	720	Chris	Mann			Cat 4
23	714	Renee	Reilly	Scott Malkinson	25	Cat 4
24	721	Tosca	Ballenili			Cat 4
	709	Arthur	Marks	Tri-Power	38	Cat 4
Prime is 713
PLACE	BIB	FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	TEAM	Race Age	CATEGORY ENTERED
1	652	Michael	Stoop	Speedy's Hot Sauce  pb Fuji	25	Cat 1/2
2	654	Justin	Raynes			Cat 1/2
3	650	Mark	Cockrell		32	Cat 1/2
4	651	Kevin	Horvath		38	Cat 1/2
5	653	Anthony	Bilotta			Cat 1/2
prime 652
PLACE	BIB	FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	TEAM	Race Age	CATEGORY ENTERED
1	684	Jon	Nisbet			Cat 3
2	678	Jimmy	Deaton	JRVS/Casey Auto Group	40	Cat 3
3	676	Robert	Carrico	Altius Cycling Team	25	Cat 3
4	677	Dave	Chamblin		39	Cat 3
5	683	John	Messersmith			Cat 3
6	680	Jerry	Hadley	Tri-Power	39	Cat 3
7	686	Mike	Tamayo			Cat 3
8	685	Tim	Shockley			Cat 3
9	679	Joshua	Goyet	Virginia Beach Wheelmen	33	Cat 3
	675	Zachary	Bradshaw	Altius	23	Cat 3
prime 678

The Thank You Speech

Here goes the thank you speech for all those that helped out at the Bennett's Creek Cyclocross Race Yesterday:

Sponsors:

• Virginia Beach Wheelmen--The promoting team, we supplied the manpower, the cash purse and paid the Bike Reg fees for those that pre-registered.
• All About Bikes-- The supporting bike shop.  They supplied the merchandise prizes and lent us a lot of equipment.
• Gam Jams-- A prize sponsor supplied the kick ass wool socks.
• City of Suffolk Parks and Recs-- They supplied the land.  They were truly a sponsor because if they charged us the actually amount to use their land that they could, we would not have held the race there.
• Kale Running-- For use of their stakes.  They are going to be putting on a good race in the next couple of weeks at the Sportsplex in Virginia Beach.  The Endurance Winter Challenge and CX race.
• Mary Kay-- Jenni Goyet of Mary Kay supplied the bags for the prizes as well as put some hand lotion in each of those bags.  It was pretty funny to see all the top CX racers winning their prizes and walking around with Mary Kay bags.  Everyone had a great sense of humor about it and liked what was in them.

Others:

The Virginia Beach Wheelmen is a team of nine racers.  We were putting on races when we were a team of four.  It is definitely easier with the extra help.  But we are still a small team and love to get help where it is offered.  The wives of the team were a huge help (also the mother of our youngest racer really went above and beyond.  Thanks Kim, every thing you did was a huge help).  My wife along with Mike Tamayo's wife and Jon Nisbet's wife ran registration and did an excellent job. 

Albe from All About Bikes racing showed up early in the morning to help us set up.  I know I am forgetting some because we had people show up and just help that weren't even expected.  I'm sorry to leave you out but I want you to know we really appreciate it.  Thank you.

I will post results, write up and some pictures soon.

Thanks to all who came out.  Let me know if there is anything I can do to make this a better event for next year.



 

The Hunt

So for some reason I got this notion to go hunting.  I was at my brother-in-law's house up in Maryland and he has a lot of property that can be hunted.  This is my kind of hunt.  It is within walking distance of the house, so if I decided I was completely bored I could just walk back.

So I dressed all in camo and set up in a tree stand starting at 5:30 in the morning.  And for those that were not going to believe me, I even took a picture of myself:

So I am sitting up there for 2 hours when I suddenly turn to my left and see this buck:

Okay, so it wasn't that buck.  It definitely wasn't that big, but this is my story so deal with it.  So I turn and see this buck about 50 yards away...what the heck if its my story I might as well say 100 yards away.  Anyway, I raised the gun (shotgun, by the way, and that ends up being an important part of the story) and look through the scope (scope on a shot gun?  A lot of people have asked me this and I don't have and answer)  and fired.

Guess what I didn't do?  Yes the safety was off, yes the gun was loaded, no I did not have a good enough grip on the gun to control the recoil.  So the gun kicked back and the scope nailed me just above my eye:

It obviously shocked the crap out of me and wouldn't you know that I missed the deer.  But the deer didn't run, it actually walked closer to me.  So I reaimed, controlled the gun much better and looked through the scope much further away.  I shot again and knocked the deer on its back.  The deer even let out a cry.  Then it just lied motionless on its back.  So I unloaded the remaining ammo out of the gun, unstrapped myself from the tree stand and climbed down.

As I was climbing down, I saw what I thought was another buck running into the woods.  Much to my surprise, when I got to the area where I shot the deer, it was gone.  No problem, I'll just follow the blood trail.  Unfortunately the only blood trail led back to the tree stand.  I looked for that deer for the next hour or more and never found even a sign of a deer that had just been shot.  There are some theories here:

1. I happen to shoot a deer with 9 lives.
2. I hit the deer in a location that stunned it, didn't bleed much and it was able to get up
3. Probably the most likely theory, the deer actually fell over from laughter.  The noise it made was not a cry but a laugh:

Now imaging having to go to work at the fire station with a very noticeable cut above your eye and have to explain to a bunch of firefighters (whom most of them are avid hunters) that you can't control a shotgun.

Good times.

Awesome.

Great ride today with the team.  We decided to wait until noon to go out since it was going to be 20 degrees warmer than it was at 7.  It was pretty cool to have 5 guys, all in the same kits out on the roads of Virginia Beach.  We got a lot of cool looks and a lot of waves.  I think its different then when you have 30 guys all in different clothing.  It was a nice base building ride.  Very steady but good spin pace.  I felt great and the weather was awesome.  Good times.  This is what team riding is all about.

Joshua.

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Lone Star CX in Suffolk

Good day of racing yesterday.  The course was really fun.  Some tight, technical turns in the first part of it with some long, heavy sections.  Descents, run up and climbs finished it off.  The only problem for my legs were the amount of grass sections.  Actually, it was all grass.  That made is very challenging and very hard.  I big ringed it the whole way and although I got last of the finishers in the Cat 3 race, I felt like I race well.  I pushed myself in the hurt locker.  I had a bad remount after the run up where I started to get gapped and after that it was impossible to catch up.

Our newest teammate Chris Larkin raced the Cat 4 race and did very well.  He has had his CX bike for just 6 days so a 7th place finish was pretty good.  A couple of bad remounts and getting stuck behind riders who let gaps form caused him not to be able to stay with the leaders, but he raced great.

Jon Nisbet raced with me in the Cat 3 race.  Although he had a better showing at Bryan Park, I think he probably looks back at this race as a success.  The bottom line is we are out there to have fun.  That we did.  We all hurt and we all suffered, but we hurt and suffered with friends.

Great job to Albe and the crew from All About Bikes Racing.  Great race, great course.  Thank you.

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay fit...this is how we do it.

The weather was bad on Friday, no doubt about that.  We had planned on riding the Tripower ride on Saturday morning, but wet roads on a cold morning with a group that seems to crash every week, not so appealing.  So we had a plan B.  Indoor workout.  Say what you want about indoor training.  I hear it all the time, "I would rather shoot myself than ride for 2 hours indoors" or how about "Riding in the cold, wet weather builds character."  That it may.  But why risk the stupid injuries, illness and overall discomfort and eventual discouragement.

So four of us met at Performance Point on Saturday morning with our trainers, bikes and alternate workout shoes.  The workout was 1-1/2 hours long.  The workout consisted of steady efforts of around 85%, or aerobic effort on the bike, Jacobs Ladder and Versa Climber.  It also consisted of technique and spinning drills.  We essentially got a great workout, appropriate for the time of year, had a great time while training with friends and stayed safe and motivated. 

Beat that!

Want to join us next time?  If you become a member of Performance Point you can join us anytime you want.  We are going to make this a standard on bad weather weekends.  If you don't want to become a member I'm sure we can arrange a drop in rate.

If we get enough people on their bikes there, soon we will end up with Computrainers.

Enjoy the weather.

Training Facility for Cyclist Performance Improvement

To All Hampton Roads Cyclist:

A few months ago I sent out an announcement about an off-season conditioning program offered by Performance Point in Virginia Beach.  This conditioning program works to improvement movement, balance, flexibility, power, strength and endurance.  Unique equipment is used that you won't find in other gyms or training facilities.  The program also includes group trainer workouts that will be targeted to the time of year.

Originally when I sent this out the program was going to occur every Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm from the beginning  of November to the end of March.  We realized that these days may not work for everyone and this may restrict some of you from signing up for the program.

We want to hold an open house.  This meeting will not obligate you to anything.  It will simply be a chance to see the facility, talk with the trainers and hear what we have to offer.  It will also be a chance for us to talk with you.  The program will be based on 2 classes a week but will not be limited to that.  We are hoping to have enough interest to hold numerous workouts throughout the week so that we will be able to work around everyone's schedule.  Come on to the open house, talk with us and let us know what days work best for you.  We will then develop the schedule around that.

CYCLIST PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM
OPEN HOUSE
OCTOBER 26, 2009
7PM
2644 BARRETT STREET
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA 23452

Email me with any questions.  Or call me.  515-5940

If possible, RSVP to joshua.goyet@p2fit.com

My $6 CX Barriers

I went to Lowe's today and bought $6 worth of pvc pipe, elbows and tees.  I then constructed a set of portable cx practice barriers.  They are regulation height but only 4 feet wide.  I didn't glue them so if needed I can break them apart to fit in my trunk.  They, however, fit tight enough that I don't have to worry about them coming apart.  They are light enough that I could carry them while on my bike to the neighborhood park to practice my dismounts and remounts.  I'm actually pretty excited about them.

I also, since I was buying pvc, bought a little extra so that I can have my stretching poles.  My flexibility has increased a lot in the last year and I owe it all to the training I have done at Performance Point.  We use pvc pipes to stabilize ourselves during stretching because all stretches should be performed unsupported (off the ground).  This allows joint strengthening while increasing range of motion.  So now I will be more likely to stretch following a ride instead of just saving it for when I'm at the training arena.

Triathlon Club Open House

Any triathletes out there should check this out. Performance Point is starting a triathlon club. This does not require you to change teams, nor does Performance Point even have an idea of creating a team at this time. This club is for triathletes to get together and receive top of the line training and testing. Membership in this program includes swim stroke video analysis, run gait analysis with physical therapy, cycling analysis with computrainer and bike set up, and of course the top of the line training and open water swim technique.

The open house is October 22, 2009 at 7:00 pm at Performance Point located at 2644 Barrett Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23452. This open house does not obligate you to anything. So you might as well stop by and see what they have to offer.

Any questions? Email me at joshua.goyet@p2fit.com

Bryan Park CX

The Virginia Beach Wheelmen had the most racers at a CX race for Bryan Park then we have had for any other CX race. Five of us left Hampton Roads for Richmond. It was John Gray, Jon Nisbet, Tim Shockley, Mike Tamayo and myself. The Highlander was packed with most of the bikes and gear and then John another vehicle. Hindsight we could have fit 5 in the Highlander but I didn't know Mike had a hitch carrier we could have used. Next time.

When we got to Richmond we knew about the deal with the categories. John Gray, although a 3 on the road was a 4 for cyclocross. So he had to get ready quickly and line up. It was alright. It was his first CX race and now he had teammates to feed him and cheer him on. He did good for his first race. Would have been in the top 20 if it were not for a spill on the final lap. But he looked good and comfortable out there. Awesome job.

Then, even though a 2 on the road, Jon Nisbet was a 3 for cyclocross, so the rest of us got to race together. My personal strategy was just to have fun. Over the last few weeks I have gone through my deconditioning from the road season in order to build back up. So although I have been training, it has been pretty low intensity training. Regardless, I just didn't want to be last. We started off and Mike took off and led the pack for a while. Jon Nisbet was on Tim's wheel and I was on Jon's. I was feeling pretty comfortable. The second set of barriers on the first lap is where I started to have problems. The pace wasn't to high for me and the skill of dismounting and remounted was bad, but the acceleration after remounting is what was getting me. Unlike road with a fluid consistent pedal motion, the CX style was killing my legs. But I haven't worked on that at all this year.

So as the race progressed I saw the pack get further and further until I couldn't see them any more. Then I saw Mike in the distance. I tried to catch up to him but he found his second effort when a group of 4 met up with him. He ended up leaving most of them. So Jon finished strong in the second group and Tim just slightly behind him. Mike held strong as to not being lapped by leaders and I finished it out for the team getting lapped near the end of the last lap.

None of us stuck around for the results, but all of us considered the day a success. Mostly because of a great course, great teammates, a nice drive and it is always fun to race your bike...even if you don't post great results.

Watch for us next week at Lonestar. Exciting times.

Ready to Race

Physically....no. But that's okay. CX is just fun for me. Not while actually racing, but I tell myself it is fun. It keeps me on the bike this time of year, it forces me to work on bike handling skills, it has introduced me to a very close knit group of people who love this aspect of the sport, and it allowed me to buy another bike.

That being said, I have already started my training for the 2010 road season. It is low intensity right now, except for the days I am on the cross bike. So my weight is lower now than it was at any time during the 2009 road season, I am feeling good (just got over a cold) and I'm excited about racing.

Don't expect to see me near the front though. I will give it all I have and try to limit the excuses, but I still will probably end up rounding out the end of results sheet....we'll see.

The most exciting part to me is that 5 of our 8 racers are going to the Bryan Park race. We are going to car pool together and make a day of it. That is going to be fun, and that's what I am most excited about. Good showing for the green and blue of the Virginia Beach Wheelmen.

See you there.

Overcoming Challenges

Another addition of Beat this Caption:


When life presents challenges some people defy all odds and common sense to overcome them.

That Race Sucked

That race sucked...not the race or the racers, but me. The fourth edition of the Bare Bones Crit at the VA Beach Sportsplex occurred last night. I was actually feeling pretty good and was confident I could do something. I told my teammate, John, that I was going to try and keep myself back a little at the beginning of the race unless I saw a move that looked really promising.

Well not too far into the race Keith Johnson had made a move off the front followed my Art Marks. I decided to go to it for fun. It wasn't far away and it was a simple bridge to get my legs moving. I made the move and we were caught a lap later. I was happy.

Then a simple innocent move went off the front. To be honest I didn't give it much thought. It contained 3 riders, Chad Holm, a rider from Team Fitness Together and a rider from Hilton Cycling Club (that's the other Conte's Jerseys out there, right?). It seemed like a weak move just for the fact the they just rode off the front. There wasn't much of an attack, but the next thing I know they have a quarter of lap and they are moving fast. I got to the front of the pack, turned around and said "I'm going to catch this, let's go." I did not attack, I simply, and slowly picked up the pace. Only too riders went with me, Fat Frog's rider and I think it was Harlan Ward from Atlantic Velo. Within a lap we had caught them. I had done all the pulling until they were in very close reach and then the Fat Frogs racer finished closing the gap.

This is not what I wanted. The lap board still didn't have our laps-to-go yet. It was way early for me to be in a break. But I recovered and worked in. It actually worked well with 6 of us. Everyone took good pulls and kept it steady. Then more riders started to bridge up. The more we got the less fluid the break was. Some riders would get to the front and kill it, others wouldn't take a pull and one rider was all over the place and almost caused a couple of crashes. I was starting to get tired and my legs were not recovering between pulls.

After 2 or 3 laps in the break the lap board finally said 20 to go. By the time it reached 15 I was spent. And when it reached 13 I was off the back. I am pissed at myself for letting this happen. Part of it was probably mental, I should have been able to stay on. Part of it was bad luck. I had pulled into the wind, two riders came around me but the others didn't. So I had to work to try and get on the wheel of the two other riders. I couldn't do it at first, Chad had to come around me which was good because he had the pull just before mine. So when I finally got on someone's wheel I was spent and we still had to close the gaps. That is what did me in. I think that if the gaps had formed when I was drafting then I would have been okay. But I just didn't recover in enough time to get back together. On that lap another 3 riders joined the break and with fresh legs the pace went up and I went off the back.

I tried to sprint for a good place in the field, but that didn't happen. I did manage to piss someone off because they thought I was stealing their wheel. I say bullshit to that. I was riding the outside on no one's wheel taking all the wind. Granted I stayed behind a rider that I wanted to follow to the line with the hopes of him moving over to the left, then I had his wheel. Well that's what happened. A rider slowed in the middle of the pack and he moved to the left to avoid him, I grabbed his wheel. The rider that was riding his wheel had no where to go...not my problem, that's what happens when you are in the middle of the pack. I don't think I did anything wrong or unsafe. If someone else saw it and thought I was riding recklessly, let me know so I don't do it again. Well it didn't matter I only got 7th in the field sprint. 10 riders were up the road.

Oh well, its a training race and I got some good training. And its a good sign that I was pissed about the outcome. There was a time that I would have bragged about just being in the break for 10 laps and it would have been a successful race. Not anymore. My confidence is higher and I truly believe I have what it takes to win...it just hasn't happened yet.

A workout worth blogging about.

It starts with deadlifts. Start with a set of 10 and then a set of 9, then 8....then 1, you get the point. Not that big of a deal. Total of 55 deadlifts. The tough part is what we did in between the sets.

Deadlifts then 300 feet on the Versa Climber.
Then 300 feet on the Jacob's Ladder

That cycle get repeated until we completed the set that only included 1 dead lift. So it totals 55 deadlifts, 3,000 feet on the Versa Climber and 3,000 feet on the Jacob's Ladder.

And if you've never tried the Versa Climber or Jacob's Ladder you have no idea. The V-Climber takes less then 2 minutes to get to the 300 feet and the Jacob's Ladder takes around 3 minutes to get 300 feet. So these short, intense efforts are great for cyclocross training or just simply off-season conditioning.

A Cyclist Falls from the Pungo Ferry Bridge

Many people have already heard the news that Elliot Craddock fell from the Pungo Ferry Bridge yesterday during a training ride. Watch this video of the rescue made by the Virginia Beach Fire Department. Also keep in mind a couple of things. Elliot's dad, Jeff was there and watched the whole thing. What kind of feeling is that to see your son fall from a bridge. Also the Battalion Chief in charge of the rescue was non other then Chief Dennis Keane. That's right Fat Frog's own Matt Keane's dad. You don't think for a minute Chief Keane related to this incident at all do you? I think everyone was relieved to find out that Elliot suffered only a broken shoulder. Heal quickly young Elliot.




Also interesting to note is the negativity and anger that cyclists in the news tend to bring. I read the article about the crash on the Virginia Pilot on-line. Following the article were numerous, negative comments referring to cyclists not having rights to the road and how irresponsible we are. I still can't believe that this is the majority, it is just the handful of angry citizens who have nothing better to do than make comments like that. That being said, just be careful out there. If a car makes you mad, just remember, it could be one of those crazy assholes who left comments about Elliot getting what he deserved just because he was on a bike on "their" roads. We probably don't want to piss those people off any more than they all ready are.

By the way, similar comments were made about Jeff Lawson when he crashed and broke his neck in the Smithfield TTT. I just don't understand some people.

Get well soon Elliot, and good job to the VBFD for the technical rescue.

Video shot by retired Virginia Beach Master Firefighter Martin Grube.

Another Cross Racer is Born

He did it. John Gray bought a cyclocross bike. John got his start in cycling as mountain biker. Got into road racing and sold his mountain bike last year so he could buy a TT bike. We've been trying to tell him that the next logical step would be to by a CX bike. With his mountain bike skills and his desire to be in pain (hence the purchase of a TT bike) John would be good at this discipline, or at least really enjoy it.

So he purchased the Gary Fisher Steel Cyclocross bike from All About Bikes in Chesapeake. The bike is pretty sweet. Its been a little while since I have seen a steel bike, and for cyclocross it works for sure. He said it was responsive and handled well, he just has to get use to the difference in that and his old mountain bike.

We left my house early and headed out for a 3 hour tour. We hit the trails at Damn Neck, the ocean front, Seashore trails and then finished with a steady road effort down Great Neck. Awesome chance for him to get a good feel for cyclocross. Now we just need to get out and practice some CX specific skills.

The Virginia Beach Wheelmen are officially making the transition to the cyclocross world.

• Joshua Goyet--has a CX bike and plans on racing most of the VACX series
• John Gray--just got a new CX bike and plans on racing at least the local races
• Jon Nisbet--has a CX bike and skipped the road season but is getting into shape for CX.
• Tim Shockley--same as Nisbet, getting in shape for road season.
• Mike Tamayo--has a CX bike and plans on racing at least the local races.
• Kyle O'brien-doesn't want to have to get off his bike to race. Still trying to convince him.
• Undisclosed new member--Races Cyclocross
• Undisclosed new member--Just told me that he is going to buy a CX bike. Because he has been a few years without a racing license (because of racing Tri's) he may or may not get a late season license to race CX.
• Still trying to convince new member--races cyclocross but hasn't agreed to race with the Wheelmen yet, still working.

We may be all wearing 757cx gear during CX races, but we are looking for something to distinguish us as Wheelmen. Look for us out there.

Beat this Caption.

I always like those stupid pictures in magazines that ask you to come up with a better caption then they did. Well there are plenty of those stupid pictures around the internet that I always seem to find. So I'll do my best to put a caption to it, but I am sure I will be out done. Here's the first one:

"What do you mean that I'm too into video games?"

The off-season plan is here. Check it out!

Feel free to contact me through comments, email or call Performance Point at the number listed below.

PRESENTS:

CYCLIST AND MULTISPORT ATHLETE OFF-SEASON CONDITIONING PROGRAM

The Plan:

The off-season is a perfect opportunity to develop strength, power, flexibility and balance through cross training. Join the Performance Point team from November through the end of March in this program that specifically targets the needs of cyclist and multisport athletes. The program focuses on the following:

• Movement and flexibility
• Strength building
• Energy system development
• Power and core

The Cyclist and Multisport Athlete Conditioning Program is fully integrated and works all aspects of off-season conditioning throughout the five months. This includes work with Smartbells, small balls, weights, kettle bells, Versa Climbers, Concept 2 Rowers, Jacob’s Ladders and much more including your own bike and indoor trainer.

The Schedule:

The program will begin on November 3, 2009. The final class will be held on March 30, 2010. There is a total of 40 sessions in this program. Class will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 6 pm. Most classes will last an hour. (There will be no class on Thursday, November 26, 2009 for Thanksgiving, Thursday, December 24, 2009 for Christmas and Thursday, December 31 for New Years.)

Cost and Payment Options:

The program cost is $500 for non-members of Performance Point. If a Program Commitment Contract is signed, the athlete may make five (5) payments of $100 due on the first Tuesday of each month.

The athlete may choose not to sign a Program Commitment Contract and pay per session. Price per session is $15.

The athlete may also choose to join Performance Point as a member. Members of Performance Point receive unlimited classes for a monthly fee of $59. A year contract is required.

Performance Point

2644 Barrett Street

Virginia Beach, VA 23452

(757) 306-4050

Train to win. That’s the Point.

Also Available is the Performance IQ packages:

MULTISPORT PERFORMANCE IQ:

V02max

Muscoskeletal Screening

Strength test

Running Gait Analysis

Swim Stroke Video Analysis

Computrainer Cycling Analysis

CYCLIST PERFORMANCE IQ:

VO2max

Muscoskeletal Screening

Strength test

Computrainer Cycling Analysis

These Performance IQ are offered at a discounted price to anyone who joins the program. You do not need to be part of the program to purchase these Performance IQs.