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]]>the first two times up the climb the pace wasn't difficult, although some riders were dropping off the back. a quick burst of acceleration and i cruised right by them - maybe i had good legs today. i didn't recognize the normal climbing crowd (maybe after university they've all upgraded), and it occurred to me i may be the strongest climber in the bunch.
the descent wasn't as scary as the VP site made it out to be, but i took it mellow and got gapped the first two times down. worked in a group of six to chase back on the first lap, and on the second just did the pulling myself (i didn't see how many riders were on my wheel).
soon after catching back on on the second lap i felt something strike my right hand, followed by a flash of pain. i looked down, and there's a bee stinger sticking out of my finger, with a bit of bee guts hanging on it. i try to remove it with my teeth and suck out as much poison or whatever as i can. fortunately my finger wasn't swelling up too much, or becoming too numb to shift or brake, so i stayed in the pack for the third lap.
i'd decided that i wanted to push it on the climb the last lap, so that maybe i'd makde it into the lead group on the descent, and to reduce the field size as much as possible. we were on a straight section with a bit of a cross wind, so if you didn't mind being in the wind it was really easy to move up in the field. after the 35+ 1/2/3 field streaked past us, i looked ahead, saw a couple of rollers, and went to the front.
i pushed the pace on the uphills, and then soft pedaled on the way down, trying to get my legs ready for the climb and to maybe soften up the field. the road narrows and becomes quite twisty with ups and downs before the climb, and i pushed it here to make sure i stayed on the front. it was a good thing i'd gotten to the front as it would have been difficult to move up here.
we hit the climb (aka "feed zone") and i pushed it. i saw that i had a gap so i kept going as hard as i could maintain without blowing up. i seemed to have a pretty good gap over the top. one rider passed me on the first few turns, but that was it. as i neared the bottom, i said out loud to myself, "just two more turns," then finally a short straight descent and one last right turn on to the flat finishing section.
there was one guy on my wheel at the bottom of the descent, and we caught up to the other rider who'd passed me. we had a good gap and started working together well. of the three, i was definitely taking the biggest pulls, but i would have been upset if i'd had anything left when the pack caught us.
the moto ref told us we had a 40 second gap, and soon we hit 1km to go. my brain had totally shut down, and i was not ready for the sprint. there was a car in front of us, which i was concerned about, then the other two guys jumped. it was close but i just couldn't summon enough to come around and wound up third, a great result considering this wasn't a climbers' course (and my first upgrade points since may).
next up: fort ord circuit race.
]]>i am optimistic that i can get a good result. a lot of the riders that placed higher than me at berkeley hills and wente are registered, but for some (probably irrational) reason i feel like i can do better on a longer climb than them.
whatever happens, it's probably going to be the toughest day of racing so far this season. my overall goal is to not have fun, but to suffer and push myself as hard as i can.
]]>forboding clouds and a light rain greeted our rollout, but it stopped by the time we made the turn onto castro ranch road. i was relieved as i'd lost one of my arm warmers doing laundry, and was a little underdressed. with the cold weather and occasional rain, and alternating climbs and descents, my legs were not feeling their best.
no notable attacks or breaks for the first two laps; i was gapped a bit on the big descent but caught back up both laps. i'd estimate about 25 made it to mama bear on the last lap, but i imagine we droppd a few the final time up.
i'd been sitting at the back the whole race, but headed to the front for that climb, then trailed off for the final descent. this was a little more tense as people were trying to get in good position for the final climb.
a whole athlete rider attacked, and as we began papa bear a group of six were chasing him. i picked up a few positions, but couldn't quite catch them, and ended up 8th, which i am more than happy with.
next up is mt hamilton classic at the end of the month, unless i get tricked into doing panoche as well.
]]>also it might rain?
]]>even with all these going for it, i wasn't really expecting anything different from every weekend in the last month, namely getting dropped on the first lap. one thing was different: i pre-rode the course last weekend, and the more technical of the descents was followed immediately by another climb, so i could probably catch back up if i fell behind on the descent.
the course is a 15-mile loop with a 300-foot climb (max grade ~12%) leading to the finish. the race starts at the bottom so we did the climb four times. after the top there is a bit more climbing before the descent, then another climb and descent then a flat section with a small hill, and you're back to the start.
not much happened the first two laps, but the third time up the hill people were starting to drop off. i kept my pace up, and moved up in the pack. at the top of the hill, there was a small group (10-15 riders) starting to pull away, and i tried to bridge up. fortunately, there's a bit more climbing after we go over the highway, and i was able to bridge up before the descent. i got gapped a bit on the descent, but caught up again on the next climb, and hung on during the final descent.
the moto said we had about a 40 second gap on the chase group, but we didn't really get an organized paceline going. that was fine by me since i was trying to recover from the bridging and get ready for the final climb. as we approached the climb, the chatting in the pack quieted down, and the pace picked up a bit. i was getting nervous wondering how it would go.
i moved up a bit going into the start of the climb, and then tried to go as hard as i could. i think i went too hard initially, and a few people went by, but in the final bit i just went as hard as i could, HR holding steady at 183, then maxing out at 185 at the end, which is equal to the highest (legit) reading i've seen.
the pack was totally splintered at this point, and we had caught other groups, so i had no idea where my place was in the field. i wasn't optimistic, but figured top-10 or -15. i was so relieved to have simply finished with the main group after these last few weeks of suffering that i had to fight back tears on the way down to the car. embarrassing but true.
much to my surprise, i ended up fifth! totally unexpected and totally awesome. five seconds faster and i could have gotten third; wish i'd known.
no racing this weekend and then berkeley hills next weekend; hoping to scout that out sunday morning.
]]>and for individual segments:
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]]>my only goal is to have fun.
]]>training this week went well; tied and broke my PRs for the two sides of hawk hill tuesday night on the S1, and went to spin class wednesday. either skins are amazing or i didn't push myself hard enough there.
time to go eat my rice.
]]>going to try to beat the rain and ride fairfax-bolinas in the morning for the first time on the S1.
]]>so, didn't do as well as i'd hoped but i think i only lost one GC place (to 16th).
looks like it's supposed to be rainy here this week so that should be fun. headlands goodbye ride tuesday morning, park ride tuesday night, going to try to make the last spin class on wednesday, copperopolis road race on saturday, and then hopefully an easier long ride on sunday.
time to sleep.
]]>my goals this time around are to push myself as hard as i can during the TT, and then stay with the pack for the circuit and road races. we'll see how it goes. planning to start going to the late wednesday night spin class starting this week, since i don't think i'm getting in enough training during the week.
chris is heading out to the TT; we'll see how it goes.
]]>nearly caught my minute man but just didn't have enough in the wind to seal the deal. ~29:05 which would have won in cat 5, but at least one guy got 27:something so we'll see. time to go TT bike shopping!
met my meager goals for today, so still just trying to stay with the leaders tomorrow and we'll see how the legs feel after a few creme eggs tonight.
]]>The last 7km they told me on the radio that Sastre was coming, really fast, chasing me. I did not want to believe it. When he finally passed me, I lost all my pedaling force. What a day! I stayed in the breakaway for 240km. It was so difficult. The tactic was good. Johan asked me to go in the breakaway and I did. And now ... we have nothing. After such a crazy day, so this is sport.
they summarize stage 16 at the start of stage 17, and you can see sastre passing popovych.
some of the nicest weather in some time in my ride up tam this morning; took the kneewarmers off in sausalito. tam was a little cloudy, but for once not foggy, which was nice both going up and down. and to top it off, not a single car on the final descent along highway 1. going to try to do fairfax-bolinas to the east peak tomorrow before the 48-hour phiktacular this weekend, but we'll see if the legs cooperate or not.
]]>as for myself, i didn't manage to get a ride in today, but hope to do the east peak tomorrow. toshok took me out to fairfax on tuesday, and i think i'm still recovering. still no word on when i'll get my replacement bike...
a year ago today i rode all the metro lines and at at le train bleu. today i rode caltrain and ate at papalote.
]]>HILLARY CLINTON, Secretary of State: We think the imprisonment, trial and sentencing of Laura and Euna should be viewed as a humanitarian matter.
it seems so out of place to use their first names in this context, considering they've been in custody in dprk for nearly three months.
]]>i would not say, a year later, that leaving either boston or novell were overall bad decisions. certainly not the worst i've made before, or since. probably writing this entry was a worse decision than either of them.
the dears show last weekend was pretty amazing. they've definitely improved as a band since their last tour in november, and managed to get through their whole set without the power going out once. i don't think they played anything from the EPs or hollywood, but they started the encore with we can have it, and, well, they could have only played that song and i would have been happy.
but now i'm sad because they're gone, and although in the next month i'm going to see HF, ARS, and wilco, i do not love those bands like i love the dears.
tomorrow i will have pancakes.
]]>related: nothing like gamespot forums for dating advice.
]]>anyway, they're just next door, so i stopped by after my commute, and paid it in person.
this morning, i start cleaning of my desk, and what do i find? a stamped, unset envelope to the doctor, with my payment information inside.
]]>total: 3:18:08.
i passed tons of people on heartbreak, and running through audubon circle was fun. looking forward to cycling season!
]]>if sunday's long run goes well, i'll feel pretty comfortable that i could do a 3:30, which is good enough, given the past month.
going to ride tam with toshok in two hours; wonder if any pizza places deliver this early...
]]>REP. DON MANZULLO: Half the people have lost half their retirement or most have lost half of their retirement, and not one of you three can give me a "yes" on that answer or "no."
BEN BERNANKE: Because it's a poorly posed question.
so stunned i can't even think of a witty post-quip.
]]>...the most fundamental question of all: What is it? What is going to be there?
In today's development, this question is asked, and answered, almost exclusively in economic terms. ...
Of course the products which are built, in answer to this question, and after the necessary consumer surveys, are machinelike, abstract, lifeless. They are uninteresting, not vivid. They are incapable of exciting us, or moving us, because they are not human in their quality.
i would love to hear his thoughts on house flipping.
]]>today's route had two real hills; the first, which took about 22 minutes, was the toughest hill i'd ever done. that record didn't last long, as the second (which the ToC rode on monday), around 1750' itself, took about 43 minutes. i am not embarassed to say that i was not feeling great at the top.
according to my technologies, the total route was about 38.5 miles, with almost 4400' feet of total climbing. these numbers should probably be taken with a few grains of salt, but they certainly dwarf the difficulty of any ride i've done before. i suppose that means i'm a stronger rider than i've ever been, which is a little surprising considering how little i've ridden in the last... ten years.
this morning i was pretty set against getting a new bike, but man, i probably should.
another night of sleeping well awaits!
]]>if you scroll alllllllll the way to the bottom, you can see that, at 17, i was in the 21 and below age group. that seems pretty crazy but there you have it. anyway, in that race they'd send each age group off in its own group, and miraculously i managed to avoid getting dropped (until the last 200m or so). so it's not like i was near the front of this huge race, i was in the back of a small group.
in... 1993? i won my age group (14 and under, likely) in the twin sizzler. that was pretty awesome, too, but sadly it was before the internets reached the ohio farmcountry.
in totally unrelated news, i am probably going to have to move soon, since i bought some art and don't have enough wall space for it. i am especially excited about having art that is worth more than its frame (which i may have mentioned before).
i really need to go to bed.
]]>it was only sixteen miles, but it was cold, windy, and rainy, especially on the bridge (where it may actually have been hail). fortunately google maps doesn't show how slow we rode.
i think i will try to figure out how to get to san bruno mountain; it's bigger than hawk hill, doesn't involve a terrifying bridge, and is still only 10 miles away.
looking forward to repeat miles at the track tomorrow, and then lunch. my first meeting isn't until 4!
]]>anyway, i have been wondering what jane jacobs thinks of this guy, and i came across this article on her works. in goes on in much more detail than i have the attention span to write, but skimming it might hopefully convince you to read her economics books, not just death and life.
the one thing that confuses me is that the timeless way refers to itself as the first in the series, yet a pattern language was published two years earlier? whatever.
]]>JON STEWART, host, "The Daily Show": It seems to me like the economy's so bad that this guy had to move back in with his grandmother. "Paul Solman, are you putting the zeroes on the coffee table again?" "No, Grandma!" "Use a coaster!" "I'll use a coaster! I'm explaining a national calamity!" "Bring me some juice, dear."
PAUL SOLMAN: Prune juice, presumably, Grandma's drink of choice, though she's been dead some 46 years now.
the rest of the report is slightly less awesome.
]]>i don't have any meetings tomorrow so i'll do them after i get back from the post office.
kevin says they aren't going to play cause or break anymore. i have heard this all before, but if it's actually true this time, it's probably ok if they start playing stuff like c.s. and keep playing fuzz (insider-speak for late night bedroom rock + shampoo suicide).
the sentinel had a sorta-dry non-spicy mac + cheese today, but both the smoked trout salad and molasses cookie that came with it were super awesome. i hope they don't have the bockwurst sandwich again tomorrow, because i have a prior lunch engagement to attend.
what else what else what else what else.
]]>i am scheduled to see jsb three more times next month alone.
]]>THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA AND MONTEREY BAY AREA. .DAY ONE...TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT UNDER SUNNY SKIES TEMPERATURES WILL WARM INTO THE UPPER 60S TO UPPER 70S.
today we released the source to the project i've been working on, at vmware, which was started by alex. it still does little, and is probably not for everyone; step one for testing it out is to deploy an AD server, and it just gets more expensive from there.
but i do love our logo so very, very much:
well done, robert!
no meetings today, and i'm taking the rest of the week off to see broken social scene in portland and seattle, but then it's probably back to those ten hour days...
]]>i love that you don't need to spend hundreds of dollars to run. i love that two-thousand dollar bikes are beautiful.
i guess i should go to work.
]]>First of all, you need social pressure. Capitalism is a great system, but you can't have amoral capitalism. Capitalist institutions have to be surrounded by social understandings, by a set of norms that we all adhere to or that are enforced by shame.
it is almost as if he had just reread jane jacobs' systems of survival. i've really been meaning to go back and read everything but her first book, as many of them deal with exactly the economic situation the world has found itself in lately. sadly, only two of her books are out on kindle.
]]>
i don't think i've taken any days off except the first two days after the marathon, but i have tomorrow off; it is going to be weird just going to work right after waking up. but tuesday it's back to the track for mile repeats, so i will enjoy the rest while i can get it.
i am looking forward to being disappointed by tomorrow's lack of productivity.
]]>as i was parking in front of the office for my 8am meeting this morning, some sort of delivery man walked past me and asked, "is the economy hurting you guys?"
i sorta mumbled some sort of response, about no, not really, we are doing ok, at least i am, but i was wondering, "how does he know i work for VMware?" there are a lot of companies in our building.
"oh!" i said. "i'm not a bike messenger!" what a great start to the day.
i got tired of not having all my music at the office so i got an iPod classic today. i think it's my 7th? how time flies.
i saw the album leaf here on wednesday night; i hadn't listened to them much since i first got the albums whenever ago but a month or so ago i put them on while doing dishes and it was perfect for that moment. i have been listening to them a lot since the show. the opening act covered everything in its right place.
i am going to sleep so much tonight.
]]>