I didn't feel like going fast today.

I had to turn around at the Elaine Hammer bridge this morning. I realized I had left the dog in the backyard. She's a Husky. As a breed, they like to escape. This one likes to dig under the fence. The trip into work was 39 minutes and nearly 9 miles.

It took 33 minutes to get home, roughly 13mph. I used my TT bars as armrests and just relaxed. I never put it in the big ring.

There was a great deal of commuter traffic on the trails this afternoon. Folks with backpacks and panniers and big smiles on their faces. Every one of them enjoying the beautiful 78 degrees, sunshine and nearly calm winds.

I tried to smile.

I think I'm kinda bummed at my performance in this past weekend's Capital City Criterium. I simply didn't feel like trying to go fast. My heart rate never climbed over 145 today.

Maybe that's for the best. Relax. Take it one day at a time. Let my resolve build until I wake up one morning with the urge to push as hard as I can. Hopefully that happens before the Cornhusker State Games TT, roughly a month away.

Capital City Criterium

You never know what kind of shape you're in until you push yourself.

I entered the Capital City Criterium cat5 race. Six left turns and two right turns makes for an interesting mix. Considering it's a Cat5 race (beginners and those who want to test the waters), I thought there might be some crashes.

My last mass start event was in 1994. I've raced the Cornhusker State Games Time Trial for the last three years. I'm a bit green when it comes to these things.

My goal Saturday was simply not to crash. Keep it upright.

I had some nerves going in to Saturday's race. My resting heart rate is 61bpm.
I got my bike down off the j-hook, threw my leg over the bike and synched up my HRM: my heart was pounding at 103. I've seen it as high as 85 before, but that's because I'm running late or because I want to beat the rain clouds. Not on a slightly overcast and windy morning with temps in the upper 60s.

After getting checked in, saying hi to some friends and installing my timing chip, I did some practice laps on the course to find a good groove and rough spots to avoid. My heart rate was at 160, and I was plodding at 15mph.

Not good. That kind of a pace during my commute typically yields a heart rate of 145. Most days I have to be going 20 to get to 170. Yeah, I know I'm not in the best shape, but 160 still high for me at 15mph.

Except that when I commute, I hardly touch my brakes. More on this later.

As soon as the first lap was in, I looked down at my HRM. 185. That's creeping up on "redline".

I backed it off and just "raced the course". I kept one other rider who fell off the back after the first lap in my sights throughout the race. He was my "not going to come in DFL" insurance. I was going to keep a little in the tank and punch it on the final lap and pass that guy.

"The Distance" started playing back in my mind after I got lapped (the first time). Two of the folks I said hi to prior to the race with came up behind me and gave me words of encouragement. You both lapped me. No really, I started behind you guys, you just lapped me...

I opened it up as the bell rang for the final lap. I ignored my HRM, the other riders, and my numb hands. Yes, numb hands. To say the roads in Lincoln's Core neighborhood are rough is to say Charlize Theron is simply not ugly.

Not Ugly

I kept pushing through my distorted vision to the finish.

I finished 3 laps down and managed to come in before 3 others.

I maxed out at 24.5mph during that final lap. My HRM reports that I maxed my heart out at 194. I felt like I was gonna hurl.

And I'm happy to report I rode with 26 other people on an 8 turn, 0.7 mile criterium course without crashing. Mission: Accomplished.

What I learned during this race can be summed up in four words: "Don't Kill Your Momentum".

I rode the first few laps like a "two footed driver": someone who drives an automatic transmission car with one foot on the accelerator and another on the brake.

I had my left finger on the front brake to slow myself down and then played catch-up as I exited the turn. It took me a few laps to learn this is a poor strategy, even on a course with tight turns.

I had started catching up to the other fall-off-guy after I quit using my brakes to enter turns. I took the turns a bit wider (when I had the room) so I wouldn't lose as much momentum that I would ultimately have to replace with pedal power.

Next step is to build confidence in my tires. 

Saturday's Mileage: 23.2. I didn't drive to the race.

Day 3 of bike to work week.

Monday night, I entered the Capitol City Criterium and Pioneers Park Grand Prix Cat5 events this weekend. I paid the fees, I no longer have any excuses. (Let's not bring up why I didn't do any of the UNL Cycling events in April.)

My commutes are doubling as training rides. My morning ride was cadence. The antelope creek trail has some gentle ascents and descents as it parallels the creek just east of UNL's campus. In a 39x19 (I think?) gear you can ramp right up to 150rpm on those descents without spooking runners or dog walkers with your speed. My goal was to hold that as long as possible on an ascent. I managed to keep 130 in the same gear.

The path under the zoo bridge is a good place to do a spin-up exercise before you get to A street. Pop into the 39x26 and let it rip. I hit 193rpm at one glance. Speed was 22mph.

Between A and South is another place to do a spin-up, but I use the big ring because of the great visibility on this stretch. I managed to hit 26mph, but had to cut it off because I couldn't pass two walkers moving in opposite directions without hitting one of them or taking my skinny tires into the grass.

The rest of the commute is great for long spins. I keep it at 120rpm and in the small ring. If I go above 125, I upshift. Likewise, if my cadence drops to 115, I downshift.

My ride home is all about power. I keep it in the big ring. If the cadence is over 100, I upshift. Below 85, time to downshift. Grind that shit out!

I get off the rock island at Calvert and take that to 44th. There are some short and steep hills.

44th from Calvert to Van Dorn is probably my favorite stretch of road to ride in Lincoln. It's downhill, goes on for what seems like forever and has only two cross streets. I have encountered 3 moving cars on it during rush hour this year. It's a good respite from climbing over 33rd and 40th streets.

I feel sorry for the folks who live near 44th between A and O streets: winter has got to suck. I wonder how many cars get stuck there? There are three short and very steep hills.

Dobson Construction added another hill for me to climb, but I brought the wrong bike:

44th and K

I've also been tracking my ride times and heart rate monitor data (when I remember to strap it on) for the past several weeks so I can track my fitness progress. 

My heart rate monitor doesn't stop monitoring data when the bike stops. It keeps ticking time away, giving me an accurate representation of how long it takes me to get from point A to point B, instead of "bike is moving, collect data; bike is stopped, stop collecting data" that my bike computer does.

My six mile route (35th to A, A to Rock Island) has a great deal of downtime while waiting for traffic to clear at Vine and O streets. If I take the trails, I get to add another mile and some change because I cross 27th three times, but I have less downtime since those crossings are not "at grade".

I didn't realize how much less downtime until the data for the last couple of weeks were staring me in the face.

My ride times on the short route are anywhere from 19-22 minutes on average, while my heart rate monitor times are anywhere from 28-30 minutes.

My ride times on the longer trail route are 26-28 minutes, while my heart rate monitor times on the longer trail route are anywhere from 28-31 minutes.

I'm not going to waste any more time waiting for motorized cages on Vine and O. Thanks to the Elaine Hammer bridge, I can spend that time riding instead of wishing I was riding.

Today's mixed trail/street mileage was 13.3 miles.

As for the races this weekend? I haven't done a mass start event since the summer after high school, 16 years ago: I'm gonna get my ass kicked up one side Saturday morning and down the other Sunday.

Ride of Silence Tonight

Tonight is the 2010 Ride of Silence.

What is the Ride of Silence?

The Ride of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride. There are no sponsors and no registration fees. The ride, which is held during National Bike Month, aims to raise the awareness of motorists, police and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways. The ride is also a chance to show respect for those who have been killed or injured.

In Lincoln, meet at Sawyer Snell Park, behind Gooch's Mill at 7pm. Helmets are required.

I would see you there, but I have other obligations.

Loren Mooney at Huffington Post: Bikes are a City's Indicator Species

Loren Mooney, editor-in-chief of Bicycling Magazine makes a compelling argument for bicycle use is a strong indicator of a city's health.

Just as the fate of the seemingly lowly frog serves as a bellwether of the health of an ecosystem, the presence of bikes can tell you a lot about a community. First, a city with more bikes is likely safer, since people are comfortable being out on the streets. Its residents are likely healthier and more active -- even the recent White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity report to the president called for increased biking twice in its recommendations. And it's also a more green-minded metropolis, since people are of a mind to occasionally pedal for short trips instead of driving (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that as many as 40% of car trips are 2 miles or less, a distance my mom could bike -- several times a day).

Read the rest at Huffingtonpost

It's bike to work week. Show visitors how healthy your city is.

Day two of Bike to Work Week.

I had to pick up my kids after work. I have a kid trailer for my bike, but didn't feel like bringing that to work with me. It made more sense to drive. That and we're selling the trailer since the kids ride on their own now.

Even though I didn't drive, that shouldn't stop me from doing bike-related tasks. I had won a $25 gift card from Bike Pedalers at the "Bike to Work, Lincoln!" rally at the State Office Building on Friday.

I exchanged that for a portion of some nice Pearl Izumi shorts and socks over my lunch break.

My daughter and I gave my bike a quick cleaning in the front yard while my son crashed out on the couch after dinner. While brushing out the cassette, I busted the "pie plate" between the spokes and large cog. Whoops. The whole thing flaked off into tiny bits and is strewn about my lawn. Meh, it's extra weight. It really doesn't do anything and I look less like a noob.

That round plastic thing next to the spokes is a pie plate. Found at bikesnobnyc's blog

There's a problem with losing the pie plate: I have this "White Men Can't Jump" fantasy where I build up my cardiovascular system to Miguel Indurain levels and a Lance Armstrong pain threshold and show up at a bike race in a strange town while dressed in some plain gym shorts and a "freebie" t-shirt one might find at a tourist trap with a 5 year old entry level bike (complete with the "pie plate") and a helmet of similar age and some black socks.

"You mean race bicycles?"

I guess I could buy a new pie plate or score one from a shop that removes them on general principle. But that won't be sufficiently dirty for the full effect.

Anywho...

I have been sitting on some Dura Ace brake pads for the roadie bike for a couple of weeks now. My daughter looked on as I swapped those out.

Ever since she started riding without training wheels or my hands on her shoulders, she's been a bike fanatic. I may have to find her one of these in five or six years.

It being Bike to Work week, I'm a bit disappointed with my co-workers: none of them rode today, either.

Miles: maybe 0.2 while testing the brakes.

First day of Bike to Work Week

I overslept this morning. I didn't let that stop me.

I took the commuter bike as it was all kinds of splashy this morning from last night's rain. My street was still ground up so I took the sidewalk to the Mopac. I don't need a pinch flat a block from home.

I decided to take trails all the way to work today instead of the faster side streets. I was a little disappointed in Lincoln, I expected to see newbies all over the place. Maybe it was because I was running 15 minutes late. Maybe the overnight rain had folks clamoring for their steel and glass isolation chambers. I don't blame them: if you don't have the gear, taking the car is probably the right decision.

I was stoked to see the new Antelope Creek channel opened up and flowing today. It was open before, it just seemed fitting that they have water flowing through it this week, I guess.

I practically had the trails to myself after I passed the Zoo all the way to Old Cheney. I pushed it into the big ring and let it rip. I also found no cars crossing at South street and an empty Calvert street. That never happens.

I noticed two other bikes at work. yay!

After work, I chatted with a co-worker who had ridden a dual suspension Magna to work. (I know, I know. but if you don't know what you're missing, how can you be missing it? I could let him take my road bike for a spin around the building. I have a feeling that would be like giving a 16 year old the keys to a Corvette after he's only ever driven a 1974 Honda Civic.)

 My ride home was fun, I pedaled the top half of the gear range for most of the ride, moving the heavy beast of a bike at 17+mph most of the way. The chicane from the bridges to the trail as it passes behind Shopko always kills my rhythm. I don't like carving corners with panniers.

We then packed the kids up and headed for the Olive Garden. After sufficient carb-loading we stopped at Anderson Ford to scope out an Edge. We've outgrown our "kid cars", we're going to need at least one grown-up car for the foreseeable future.

While I'm sure they could add it to any car on the lot, a Thule 4-bike hitch-mounted rack is a $229 dealer-installed option.

The panoramic vista roof is sweet. Think retractable moonroof, except it's half of the roof. And the other half of the roof is "fixed" glass.

I have to pick the kids up after work tomorrow and then I have to cart my daughter to tae kwon do after dinner, so that means I have to drive. Too many activities, not enough time.

I'm glad I took the long way to and from work: 14.4 miles.