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Time To Get Fit - 2024

Cold? Just pedal harder man. :twofinger


For real though, that a tough weather report for Californians. Im spying your training rides. Your crushing it. I hope it's not miserable.
 
Robert, just imagine how hot BWR San Diego will be- on the average, the two BWRs will be just about perfect.
 
checking in for march:
on the last hole in my belt.
170.5 miles total. (includes workouts and all steps taken).
11,517 average steps per day.
68 minutes average exercise minutes a day.
v02 cracked 33 multiple times. i’m happy.
 
Well I'm a little less nervous about my race now - BWR changed the route due to the cold. It's been shortened to 104miles with only 4900ft of climbing. Now the 9am start makes more sense, as the route should be 60-90min faster for most. They lopped off 3 climbs - a 40min climb at mile 37, 35mins at mile 80, and 10mins at mile 95. Climbs are my strong point, but oh wells. I'd rather be less cold. This is now the flattest race I've ever done at <50 ft/mile. Gotta go fast. I'll need to get a good start, find a fast group, and draft as much as possible.

In slightly unrelated news - the wife's bike was stolen yesterday from her hospital parking structure. She's had it since 2018 and loved it. There's carbon fiber embedded in the lock they failed to cut and they likely used the bike to twist the lock apart. So it's probably destroyed. She's out a beautiful bike and is very sad. I need to contact to HomeOwnersInsurance to see if it's covered.
 
Wow, Robert, that really SUCKS!

I had a bike stolen years ago and I was pissed off about it and feeling violated for months. I would have cheerfully beaten the shit out of every person involved in the theft which happened inside an apartment building parking lot in plain sight of the guard station. The cop told me that the way they do it is to have a group of kids hang out around the bike while one of them breaks the lock, often with the use of sprayed nitrogen and a quick strike of the frozen metal.
 
nooooooooooo!!!! i have had bikes stolen and that sucks. i am sad for her.
 
Y9ChhwY.jpg


Luca's (wife) bike was recovered. Through the magic of social media and the SD bike community, a friend of a friend saw someone walking the bike in Downtown. They confronted the person, took the bike from them, and dropped it off at our mutual friend's house. It's now back home.

Unfortunately the bike is damaged. The rear wheel has a massive hole in it and both seat stays may be cracked. San Diego has a well-respected carbon repair specialist. His quote is only $500 for the frame repair and repaint if both stays are cracked, cheaper if just one. ENVE has a great warranty program, but even paying for a new hoop won't be too bad. And of course there are new scratches, the bar tape is now filthy, her saddle bag and spares are gone, and they even took the damn powermeter battery and battery cover. I think the bike will end up nearly as good as it was for a reasonable cost, so we are stoked.

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In other good news, I killed it in my race. The race was cold with temps starting at 29F and 15-20mph wind in the second half. All my stressing over what layers to wear paid off as I was never cold and only had to remove my buff for the final climb. The final numbers were 103.7 miles and 5530ft of elevation in 6:06.53 for an avg of 17mph. I drank 3.5L (pack + 3 bottles) and ate 2 gels for 630g of carbs or 2520Cal. I finished 72nd overall and 5th in my age group. This was probably the first race where I actually felt like I raced it. I pushed hard in the beginning to latch onto a fast group, then used them on the flats and to get through the wind. Then I was able to attack the final climb and final single track to pull away from many of the group. Every time I pushed, I told myself "you can recover from this" and I did.

My 2yr goal for gravel racing - ending at BWR SD in 3 weeks - was to finish within 25% of the winner. The winner of Utah Peter Stetina (ex TourDeFrance pro) finished in 4:53hrs, putting my finish at 24.9% behind him! Fuck ya! Now I have no idea what goal to set for BWR SD :laughing

Oh, if you were ever wondering how strong ENVE wheels are... Luca's rear wheel is still straight :wtf
 
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Great job, Robert, great to hear that commitment, good training and preparation has paid off! :thumbup

Glad to hear there was a semi-happy ending to your wife's stolen bike, I didn't expect that you'd ever see it again, too bad on the damage but it sounds like you'll have it back in shape for much less than a new bike would cost.

Aren't there trackers that you can hide in the frame that could help you track it down if ever stolen again?
 
Double congratulations Robert! well done on the race and huzzah at finding wifey’s trusted steed.
 
Robert, your next goal is 20%

Otherwise, freaking awesome on this year’s race, congratulations.
 
Did a track weekend at T-Hill west. It rained all day Saturday so it was open track and I just... I rode and I rode and then I rode some more until I did 111 laps. Granted, not at breakneck pace but I had so much fun.

Sunday it warmed up and dried out. We did an AB/BC format after lunch. I was the slow one in the AB group and I was still boogeying. My body held up well. I only scraped a peg once and that's because I was much better at moving around on the bike. It's a lot easier with less fat. Who knew? :laughing

Overall, yes, I was tired at the end but I held up well and ended on a great note.
 
Well, my bike race season just took a hit.

Last night, winding up for the final sprint of the final race of the night at the velodrome, another rider and I went for the same gap and collided, sending both of us (and the guy right behind) to the ground. I broke my left wrist in the impact, meaning no riding for me for another couple of months.
 
two wheel tramp said:
Did a track weekend at T-Hill west. It rained all day Saturday so it was open track and I just... I rode and I rode and then I rode some more until I did 111 laps. Granted, not at breakneck pace but I had so much fun.

Sunday it warmed up and dried out. We did an AB/BC format after lunch. I was the slow one in the AB group and I was still boogeying. My body held up well. I only scraped a peg once and that's because I was much better at moving around on the bike. It's a lot easier with less fat. Who knew? :laughing

Overall, yes, I was tired at the end but I held up well and ended on a great note.
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over 200 laps for the weekend? very nice :thumbup
 
Tally Whacker said:
Well, my bike race season just took a hit.

Last night, winding up for the final sprint of the final race of the night at the velodrome, another rider and I went for the same gap and collided, sending both of us (and the guy right behind) to the ground. I broke my left wrist in the impact, meaning no riding for me for another couple of months.
Click to expand...

crap. how bad is the break? which bone? good circulation to it?
 
Bad enough I’ll have to get surgery.
 

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yep, i cant tell which bones are busted. perhaps thats a good thing.

surgery is a good thing in my experience. but the wrist is a complicated fickle bitch.
 
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