Quinton and Boulevard Cups

Headed to KC for more cx racing. Michael Dixon and I were the only Nebraskans racing on Saturday in Topeka. Brutal and fun course, with thick power-sucking grass, several climbs and a very difficult run-up followed by a fun but tricky off camber descent. Entered the 50+, and we were in a heat with the other masters riders (30+, 40+, and 60+). 30+/40+ started 30 seconds ahead of us. I started easy because I knew the course would eat people alive. I was in second on the first lap and did the run-up. Shouldered the bike and must have bounced it because I dropped a chain. Lost 10 seconds to the leader. Started chasing and gradually reeled in the leader (Paul Fancher) a lap and half later. Paul started to gradually wear down during the next lap. I was putting 3 seconds into him on the run-up and a couple more seconds on each climb. Won the 50+ by 25 seconds and finished second overall in the heat. Steve Songer won the 40+ and was probably 1-1.5 minutes ahead of me.

Sunday brought one of the best races in the midwest for pure fun: Boulevard Cup. Free food and beer will tend to do that (8 kegs worth of beer brought to the race!). Didn't feel too bad after yesterday's effort, so I thought I had a pretty good shot at winning. Big masters field: 12 in 30+, 24 in 40+, 25 in 50+ and 10 in 60+, promising a big mess trying to pass slower riders. Course was tougher than last year and much longer, close to the legal limit of 3.5 km. Had a poor start and was 7th entering the holeshot. Fancher got a great start and had 5 seconds on me by the time we got to the first set of boards. We caught up with the tail of the 40+ at a very bad spot-a twisty entrance to a sand pit. Luckily, I saw it was a disaster early, dismounted and ran passed all of the riders struggling to ride through the mess. Hammering the road section and the climbs, weaving though the slower riders, I brought the leader back and proceeded to grind out another win by at least 30 seconds. With a half lap to go, I caught the second place 30+ guy and had him sitting on my wheel, then outsprint me at the finish. Well, he sprinted-I sat up to go in alone. Can't understand why he did that-I wasn't in his race and made up a minute on him during the race. Caught all but 7 guys in the entire heat, even those that started 30 seconds and 1 minute ahead, so a nice race.

A lot of NE people came down Sunday: Rich Pearson and Craig Schmidt were in my heat; Rich easily won the 60+ (would have been fun to have him in my race), Craig finished well in the 40+ race. Jonathan Neve raced 4s and finished 16th (great result-44 starters in that one). Rafal Doloto raced SS and cat 3 and looked great out there. Noah Marcus raced 3s and finished 6th (I think-sorry if I screwed that up Noah), Sydney Brown easily won the women's open, and there were some sterling performances in the men's open. Mark Savery and Matt Tillinghast finished 4th and 5th against brutal competition, battling with Brian Jensen for 3rd place after Jeff Winkler and Shadd Smith managed to get a gap over them. The 3rd place battle was great bike racing, Mark, Matt and Jensen trading 3rd back and forth, finally being decided by Jensen's massive surge on the road section at the beginning of the last lap. Troy Krause finished in the top ten-chased Bill Marshall and another guy, only 5-7 seconds behind, and could not quite reel them in by the end. Nate Woodman had a subpar day, but looked great bunny-hopping the boards during the race. I'll have some photos up on Facebook soon.

The Ecstasy and the Agony

Yes, intentionally a spin on the famous movie Agony and the Ecstasy about Michaelangelo. This, however, was not a work of art. Here's a "race" report about my 1st ever marathon; the 10-10-10 Chicago Marathon.

The Ecstasy: I've been training long and hard for this. Why a marathon? Easy answer is I'm going thru a mid-life crisis. Trying to purge the inner demons by abusing the body. Also, checking things off of my bucket list. I've decided running itself is evil as it is so hard on the bod. But it is addictive too. It's ez to do by yourself, with your iPod and a goal. My goal was to run 3:30 or less as a 3:35 would qualify me for the Boston Marathon.

The decision to make this a fundraising run was nice. Never done that before. Our FSIS team raised nearly $5000 for Team World Vision and World Vision's project in Zimbabwe. Thanks to all my friends and family who allowed me to reach my individual goal of $1310. At last count, I was over $1500!

Day of the race I got up early. Got on the El and arrived at start area in the dark. Got up front as far as I could in the Open division, just behind the start corrals that contained the Nike pace groups. I found fellow Team WV runner Christine, who gave me good advice. Finally, with the excitement building, we started moving toward the start line. I felt good out of the gate. It was tuff making your way around slower runners due to the jam-packed roads. I eventually got moving unimpeded and found a runner in Team WV gear that was doing a pace I found to my liking. We eventually caught up and passed the 3:30 Nike pace team which started way ahead of us. I saw Millie and Monie rooting for me at mile 11 at the TWV cheer site and high-fived them on the way by. Felt great thru the half way point and was ahead of pace with a 1:40 half. Things started slowing down for me about mile 17, but I was still well ahead of the 3:30 pace. They caught me about mile 19, so I jumped in with them and picked up my pace.

The Agony: Started at mile 21 or so. Working hard and all of a sudden my left leg cramped up. Brought me to a screeching stop. When I bent over to stretch it, the right leg seized. Arrrrgghhh! The best laid plans of mice and men soon go awry. I had to walk (eventually) for about two or three miles. All the progress I

had made slipped away. I coax the legs back to a slow shuffle, then a half-ass jog and finish the last two miles. The goal poofed into thin air. No 3:30, no 3:35, the only thing left to accomplish was finishing. I managed to stumble across at 3:58:26. So bummed out because I had 3:30 right there for the taking and choked it away. After crossing the line I swore I'd never, ever do another marathon. Pain passes tho, and a day later I'm already planning how I'll do it better next time. Train harder. Better nutrition. Better pacing. Etc. Just like Arnold.....I'll be back. That goal was within my grasp and it slipped thru. Grrrrrr!

KC Cross

Dave Randleman and I headed down Saturday to Swope Park in KC for the KC Cross Cup, the inaugural race of the CX season. It was very warm (85F) and humid, so not exactly cross weather. The course was super technical: 40% single track, one long road section, a set of easy low boards that could be bunny hopped (I ran them-just as fast for me), and three mazes. Fields were decent sized-total masters was 50 people, with 24 in Dave's 40+ race, and 15 in my group, the 50+; it looked like 30-50 riders in every heat.

Dave had a lousy start, which on this course was a disaster. After starting out in DFL entering the holeshot, Dave passed a boatload of people during the race. Never heard a final lap bell, so he had no idea what lap we were on, so missed the opportunity to pass a couple of guys on the last lap (thinking there was another lap left to pass), but still ended up in a solid 10th place.

If you hit the single track behind a slow racer, you could wave anyone in front of you good-bye. I started fine, and in second place just before we hit the single track section. The guy just in front of me shot by a really slow guy from another group wobbling all over on the single track, and I and a couple of guys behind me were stuck. After some begging and cursing, the slow guy let us by, but the first place guy was gone. So, time to chase the rest of the way. After dropping the 2 guys behind me, the leader was finally in sight within a couple of laps. Just like Dave, I never heard a final lap bell and had no idea when the race was going to end. Luckily, I caught him with was to be a half a lap to go and won 50+ masters by a couple of seconds.



It was a entertaining race, and great practice for the rest of the season. the 360 guys did a really nice job of promoting it, and I would recommend it to anyone that doesn't mind a very technical course.

Minnehaha Stage Race Report

El Guapo on top after all 3 races to claim the GC title (click pic to enlarge)

Xtreme Wheels rolled into Sioux Falls South Dakota this weekend all dee-termined to roll out with prize $ and hardware. Mission accomplished!

El Guapo raced in Open Cat 4, Zach race in juniors and Matt raced in his Cat 3. Zach finished up 3rd overall in the juniors and brought home a nice medal as proof. We left before learning of Matt's final efforts in the crit, so hopefully he'll post soon.

EL GUAPO was feeling rather salty after two weeks in the mountains. I knew that the bike racing season was unfullfilled to date as I had spent a lot of time prepping for the Ironman rather than bike racing. Opportunity arose. Time to let out some bottled up ju-ju.

The Prep:

Two weeks flying up and down mountains at 7500 to 12000 ft. didn't hurt. Did Trail Ridge, Left Hand Canyon, Nederland, Ward, Devil's Gulch. Hurtle back to the Corn. Good blood. Train high. Race low. Get flogged by all my pals on Wednesday Night Worlds. The perfect training environment. No mercy given, none expected. Thanks guys!

Rest up Thoisday and Friday. Spin in EZ to work. On way home, get off bike and walk up hill to conserve energy. Can only imagine what car peeple are thinking...look at that loser walking his bike up the hill. Wimp. Little did they know it's part of a grander plan.

The Plan:

Go up and race in the Minnehaha Stage Race in Sioux Falls. It's put on by the Central Plains Cycling and serves as the South and North Dakota State Championships for time trial (TT), road race (RR) and criterium (crit). Those foreigners from the North have been known to come down on our hallowed Husker soil and steal some of our thunder by winning our state races, although they can't collect state medals/championships. Nevertheless, it goes down quesy, like liver and onions, when they win the race, so I thought it would be nice to return the favor.

Recruit Shelle Lau and junior Tigger Zach Lau to carpool. Restless night on Friday since they were picking me up at 430 AM...barbaric! Plus, starting to get all worked up for the 9 AM TT. Eerie drive up thru dense fog, but Shelle gets us there. Zach and I pollute our bodies with Krispy Kremes and java for me. TT is first, RR in the afternoon and crit on Sunday. You need to finish each race to compete for the overall title.

The TT: 12.5 miles

The motivation to win is always the same. Besides payback, it all boils down to fighting thru the pain by focusing on a single thing. For me, it's all about the Diet Coke (DC). The ultimate award. Never mind the $$ for winning, the notoriety. Never mind the sponsors, the added fitness, the DRAMA. The DC! From the start line pictures of enjoying the reward at the end. Be patient. The pain can be endured. The hammering heart bobbing up in your throat. The legs screaming their protest. Hush! The brain knows. I scream down the road naked. No frills needed. No powermeter. No speedometer. I've got a heart rate monitor on, but can't see it w/o my reading glasses anyway. I'm hurtling towards the 1/2 way point at 6.5 miles. I catch my one minute rabbit and foosh him on the way by. You know, put that little extra mph by as you slingshot past them. Leave the flotsam and jetsom floating in your wake as you motor by. Yes, it's got a Hemi! I turn around. More rabbits ahead. Be very, very quiet, I'm hunting wabbits. With head down, with DC waiting, I'm a diesel buzzsaw running at 174 bpm. Finally, the finish line! I fly by and touch down in the parking lot. Soigneur Shelle and teammate Zach catch my red-hot core and start the cool-down process by popping the lid to an ice-cold Diet Coke. It scalds it way down to my cooling coils. So good. So beautiful. It's my pot-of-gold. Warren profits. I practically inhale the first one. Critical mass is averted. No Chernobyl meltdown. The 2nd one is already being readied. I tell my pit stop crew this is why I race. For the Real Thing. The DC at the end of the rainbow!

The TT results: We return from finding the Holiday Inn in Sioux Falls. Check in. Cool off. Legs in the air. Grapes in the gullet. Chocolate milk being fed intravaneously. Back to Crooks, site of the TT and RR. On the way to check results, the first clues; "blistering time, Pete"; "you kicked *ss". I meander my way over. The results are in. El Guapo-fastest time of the day! Fastest of all the Cat 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s. I grab maximum points in the General Classification (GC). I average 27.2 mph for the 12.5 mile course. It feels good. The motivation...it works!

The Road Race (60 miles 90+ degrees)

Ok. The RR starts at 3. We've got about 25 riders in our Cat 4 group. We're deluged by green goblins, at least 10 strong. Hordes of them. Central Plains Cycling is there in overwhelming numbers. It's their race. They call the shots. I'm alone. I'm lonely. I'm on my own. I think it through. I strategize. I come up with a plan. It's a long term plan. But, it starts right away. I've gotta match whichever green guy is in the lead. Two mean greenies try a breakaway within the first couple of miles. No reaction from any other clubs. They're pulling away....mebbe 100 yards ahead. I work my way over to the left side and fire off the turbos. Full 100% effort to bridge up. The field reacts. They chase us down. Green team plan #1 thwarted. They send other goons up front to push the pace. I latch on to whichever one is leading. I'm on them like stink on doo-doo. I'm flypaper. I'm 100% Velcro Man. They weave back and forth. I weave. They slow. I slow. Another Greenie shoots past. I latch on. I talk to other soloists. Rich from Kaos. Mike from Joyride. Dana from BP. We've got to be alert. Finally, it's the last lap. It's been 60 miles of marshmallow roasting hot highway. But I'm motivated. I'm working for a goal. The Diet Coke waits in the parking lot. It's a dream that drives me forward. It sends power from the dilithium crystals to the warp drive. The finish line is ahead. Massive sprint. I get boxed in temporarily, but churn in to finish 4th, nipping Rich at the line. I get important points from Rich, as he's in 2nd place. Mission accomplished part deux. I fight cramps, like everyone else. I spin back to the parking lot. I ram home the DC! Later, we hit Pizza Ranch. It's open season on DC. Buffet! I immerse myself in it. It fills me to the brim. I'm complete. I'm a new man.

The Crit: 45 minutes of high-noon, 91 degree HELL

OK. Won the TT. 4th in RR. Showdown. Who will show up in my bod today? The guy that HATES crits? Or the guy that wants it all? I know the answer. I want it all and I'm going to have to open up the game plan. The weight of the yellow jersey causes a sleepless night. Throw aside the crit fear. The previous meltdowns in crits. The crit wrecks. I'm first in GC, leading wiley veteran Rich of Kaos by 7 points and Tom of the Green Machine by 11. I plan. I plot. I need to pull this off with foxiness. They announce a 5 point prime. Lap 5. First fella thru on lap 5 receives an extra 5 points towards the GC. Hmmm. I know I can't let Rich win that. I can't let Tom win that. I'm gonna watch them like a hawk. I'll contest it. B4 the race, I yoga for 20 minutes to release the demons. The doubts. I'm a good person, dadgummit, and I deserve the BEST!

The race starts. Tom sprints out of the gates. Tries to put the big hurt on right away. Uphill sprint, turn the corner. He peeks behind. I'm there. I won't be disposed of that easily. Like Bond's martini, I'm shaken, but not stirred. He's flying and I'm behind. He's rounding the corner towards the start/finish line..lap 1. I'm on him. He's in the wind now. He's doing the work. I'm sticking with him at least till lap 5, where the 5 point prime is. He submits. He lets his teammates take the lead. The greenies are there again...10+ strong. I don't care who is in front. I only care about Rich (#2 place) and Tom (#3rd). I'm your shadow today boys. Lap 5 arrives. The bell rings. The pace going up the hill, into the wind isn't terribly fast. Tom and Rich aren't attacking. I'm juiced. I decide to test them by going for the prime myself. I attack. I zoom up the hill solo, I round the corner and start shooting downhill with the wind. I look back. I've got a huge gap. I round the corner again to the start/finish line and I've got a 100 yards on the field. I reap the 5 points. I slay the dragons. I put a hatchet in their plans. Now they're way behind me on points. I slow down. I let them catch up. I go to part 2 of the plan now, suck wheel behind Rich or Tom, whoever is the fastest. They try a couple of attacks, but I'm motivated. It's now a matter of patience. Patience can overcome many obstacles. I'm eager, but good things to those who wait. The planets are aligning. I can win the GC barring wrecks. The final bell lap. I cruise in behind Rich in 8th place. Tom finishes in 6th, but they only pick up a couple of points on me. I'm good to go. I flash into the parking lot. Bump knuckles with Johanna (Shelle) Bruyneel, my race director. She fishes out a DC and I have my reward. It's so nice.

Summary: I secure the overall GC for Cat 4. Nebraskans sweep the TT podium. Rich and Pete, the ancient warriors, put the hurt on the 30 somethings. And the 20 somethings. They are confused. How can this be? Nebraskans? Old timers? I don't tell them the real secret. The motivator. The DC. They're young, they'll come up with their own drive. Boo-yah! I pocket $120 for winning TT and GC. But no medals. Humph. At least I've got the memories. They can't ever take that away from me. Good memories of happy days. What's next? Put the bike away. Ran 6 miles today after school traffic patrol. Lift, spin, run some more. One more athletic goal for the year. Finish my 1st marathon in a time good enough to qualify for Boston. I'll be motivated!

2010 Corporate Cycling Challenge report

Older Tiger Troy preps the young tiggers Zach and Simone for the 42 miles Ft. Calhoun ride.
Sunday August 15th was a great day for the Omaha Cycling Challenge. Estimates of 4500 riders reminded me of Triple Bypass type of numbers. The cyclists weren't all as fit as you see on the Triple, but the Velo Veloce riders were. Junior Tiggers Zach Lau and Simone, Tigers Troy, Dave, and Pete hammered the long route. Afterwards, Mama's Pizza hit the spot!

Omaha Corporate Cycling Challenge on Sunday, August 15 @ 730 AM

Hey Veloers,

I'll be gone to montanas in Colorado for next two weeks. Taking my bike, but of course! Plan on billy-goating every road pass I can find. Need to get in shape after suffering flogging on Surfside Hills during Worlds. Of course, getting drilled by the fastest dudes in Nebraska isn't too demeaning. It's not like your getting popped by some fat old zeppelins like me.

Anyway, I've sent out junior Tigger email to our six young'uns. Saying we are getting together for Omaha Corporate Cycling Challenge on Aug. 15. Meeting on west side of start area at 730 AM, on the grass, wearing the coveted orange/blue jerseys. Team pix planned for all who show, so come on down. We'll do the 42 m Ft. Calhoun loop.

Afterwards, the juniors and I will hit either Zio's in the Old Market, or if it is too busy, rendezvousing at Mama's Pizza on Saddle Creek a couple blox north of Dodge, next to Blockbuster.

You senior racers can ride at your own pace, but you'd better be watching over your shoulder. These juniors are FAST!!

See ya then! El Guapo

RAGBRAI 2010 Junior Velo Ride Report

Simone leading the velo wolf pack down the left lane at RAGBRAI

Averaging 20mph, Simone leads the pack past all the sweathogs and beerbellied old men. Leaving them in the dust she could be Alberto Contador's daughter; sharing the same talent and speed he has. After pit-stops at turkey tom's and hard work I spent the rest of the day with my bestfriend Maddie at Storm Lake Water Park. As I shot out of numerous slides I was finally starting to feel my sore legs. But pain is my friend and has no effect on me what-so-ever. That's right I'm daddy's little girl. The next day we continued our 20mph pace on the miles of flat highway. I have to admit that passing people like they're standing still brings a smile to my face. But so did the finish as I coasted into the final town. It was a fun trip and I don't think I would have wanted to do it without my friend Maddie. I can't wait for next year!

RAGBRAI bound

Hey there,

Simone and I are getting ready to do the 1st two days of RAGBRAI. We plan on driving up on Saturday PM with brother Joe and his crew, scout out some yard to camp in. Then hit the exposition. Long range forecast looks good. Anybody else coming out to play?

We also hope to have Maddie and Danny (our newest junior racer!!) tagging along. Maybe junior Veloer Zach Lau will surface too. Bring your Tigger gear to wear for team support and high visibility.

Cornhusker TT report

So, another one is in the books. The 2010 Cornhusker State Games TT was held Saturday out at the venerable Yutan course. Wanna hear about it?

Hot! Musta been about 80F at 9 AM. Brudder Veloer junior Zach Lau and El Guapo sacked up and represented Xtreme Wheels/Velo Veloce. Somewhere around 70 total showed up to race. Most Cat 5s, only a couple of 1/2s.

Zach was one of the first to launch. No mercy for the juniors. They had to go the entire course! Zach pounded pavement and earned 2nd place in Junior's 13-15 age group. Verrrrryy nice effort, young padwan. I collected your hardware for ya!

I warmed up on the Pinarello, fearing a flat on my tubulars during warmup. My only gimmick was my heart rate monitor. Then switched bikes to the Orbea TT rocket. I pulled up to start line. Nancy dialed me into the right lane, Ryan held me up and Kevin counted me down. I took off like a scalded dawg. My 30 second man behind me was none other than Dan "the Man" Ertz, fresh off his State crit title. No time to look over the shoulder. Gulp!

I laid down some scorched earth in the first half. Wind was STRONG out of the south, right in our faces. So most the gains would be in the tuff 1st half of the race. Caught my 30 second man and one minute man, then started working my way thru Cat 5s. Turn around point was manned by none other than Midtown Joe Savoie. He screamed something as I made the turn, but I haven't the foggiest idea what. By now, the ticker had been steadily pounding at 170 to 173 bpms. Ugly hard into the wind was finally over. Sped back up with the wind at my back now, still pulling hard. BPMSs go down to high 160's. Driven by need for speed. This was my first true TT with the new Orbea and aero Easton EC 90 TT wheels (thanks Sean and Jason at BPedalers). Needed to prove that all the dinero was good investment.

Started to go deep into red zone. Watching pavement under bike so intently, lost in the fog of pain, that all of a sudden I'm off on the shoulder, spraying rocks and white knuckling the profile bars. Managed to fight it off and back up onto the pavement without getting splattered in the ditch. Disaster averted. Later, started drifting from one side of lane to the other, sure sign that your burning all your matches. There it is! The water tower of Yutan in the distance, a sure sign the HELL is almost over. Just another mile or two to go.

Fly over the finish line and reign in the sled. Nothing left in the tank, nada, nilch, nein, ZERO. Barely got unclipped. Felt like the Hindenburg going up in flames. No slow cool down ride. Stumble up to the old Mercedes wagon, plop my sorry buns in the well-placed soccer chair. Punished again. Not Ironman pain, but totally fried. Sit stone-like in the chair. Abe in the Lincoln Memorial got nuthing on you, babe, got nuthing on you. Statue still for 20 minutes. Only the eyeballs moving indicate there is life in the body. Zach and dad Randy drive by. They're bailing out early. Zach performs one last favor for team meat, err team mate, Guapo. Pulls my drenched skinsuit down over my shoulders from behind, as I didn't have the energy to do it myself. SAVED my life, he did. (yoda like language, eh?).

Finally, drag my carcass to the cooler in the car and swirl some nectar of the Gods...a Diet Coke. Life itself again courses thru my systems. Back from the brink of death itself. I have evolved from my amoeba like form, all the way to Cro-Magnon man. I make my way to the clubhouse, knuckles dragging on the gravel, stupid looking, to wait for results.

So, the results are in and not to shabby. El Guapo diesels in for the 3rd best time fo the day, bested by two tadpoles. I pull out the Gold Medal in Cat 4. Woo-hoo, another goal for the year achieved. Here are the final times for Zach and El Guapo:

Male Jr. Men 13-15 Years
Place Bib # Last Name First Name Racing Age Elapsed Time Avg MPH
1 239 Skiba Cole 15 1:13:33 17.38
2 238 Lau Zach 15 1:32:31 13.81

Male USCF Cat 4
Place Bib # Last Name First Name Racing Age Elapsed Time Avg MPH
1 275 Duryea Peter 53 0:50:46 25.17
2 276 ERTZ DAN 39 0:53:28 23.90
3 274 Dixon Michael 43 0:54:14 23.56

Ponca Success

Three team members were on the podium at the Ponca MTB race yesterday: Dave Randleman won the SS division, Conor Randleman won the Juniors, and Todd Eyberg finished 3rd in the marathon despite a flat tire. Great job, guys!

Velo Veloce Exposed (Uncut)

OK. Pete (aka El Guapo) beat me to this. However, this is how things really went down.

I was travelling down Highway 36 on a ride in an early morning attempt to exorcise the rain demons from my soul, when I noticed a highway patrol hidden on the roadside. Fearing that he would issue a citation to me for clearly violating all speed limits within the continental U.S., I attempted the humility approach and gave the officer the three fingers Velo Veloce handle bar wave (Randy previously instructed me as to the proper use of this technique). He responded with the two fingers One Adam 12 Officer Malloy wave and I could detect I smile behind his mirrored Ray Bans. Having dodged that misfortune, I immediately looked forward….before me this appeared as the Holy Grail…… Obviously, the protector. I travelled the next section with a proud smile on my face and a warm appreciation for the Velo team and their support to the community in this section. It should be note that there are no other sections on Hwy 36 that have an Adopt-a-Highway sponsor. Well done Velo Veloce.

Velo Veloce Exposed!

A sign of good times!

Road warrior and Veloer Troy "the Hammer" Perry was pounding pavement on the northside today when he spotted this sign. Troy power slid to a stop and snapped this photo for all to enjoy. I'll be sure to point this out to the Wednesday Night World riders when we scream by it tonite. Thanks again to all Veloers who participated in the initial trash/litter pickup back in April. Next pickup will be in October or so. Nice effort Team Velo!

TT tanks!

Veloers,

Back from Okoboji. I wanted to let everyone that volunteered at the TT to know how grateful I was for your help. We COULD NOT have done this without you. You know who you are, so I don't want to name names, but I thought the race went smoothly. Traffic flowed smoothly, with the exception of the bozos in the pickups who took out cones and scared referees and cyclists. Luckily, we got their plates and turned them into the sheriff. Georgia's pictures are awesome. Ted looks good in each picture, btw. The turnaround point was clearly marked, thanks to Joe, Steevo and Jackie's new signs. Rob resisted throwing down with an irate redneck. Way to show restraint Rob.
Dave handled the bike adjustments for juniors and other tweaks for racers. Chrissy kept oncoming traffic happy. Randy handled all the scoring pressure without cracking, supreme effort. Joe Savoie pitched in on prerace registration. Gracias.
April and Todd kept traffic at the finish line flowing smoothly.

Another big thank you to referees Nancy and Kevin, especially for their patience at the end during scoring.

Obviously, the post race scoring/tabulating was a nightmare. I've some ideas to clean thing up, under the assumption we host the TT again next year.

The online registration will not have the option to sign up as a Master 45 or 55. Just sign up by category, period. We'll fish out the Masters later from the individual cats.

Also, just give one medal in 45 and 55 to the overall Master winner, for each category. No 2nd and 3rd places.

So, while this is all fresh in our minds, send me your ideas for making it run smoother next year.

Again, a big hearty THANK YOU to all volunteers.

Photos from NE State TT Start

The photos are in start order. If someone is missing it was due to a car passing by at the time of your start.

Photos are posted at http://velovelocecyclingclub.shutterfly.com/


The weather held out for everyone...Yippie. Everyone a job well done.

State Masters Champ

Matt earned the cat 3 state masters championship in the Norfolk Criterium. Congratulations!

Ironman melted!

News Flash! Purported Ironman melts down during Kansas 70.3

The truth be told, I'm only a half-Ironman. And 1/2 Ironman melted on the hot asphalt of Kansas yesterday. The course marshalls simply hosed him off the tarmac after he finished. Randy and Matt know nothing about cramping until they've heard my story.

Let's start from the beginning. I guess the real beginning is where I decided to do a triathlon. That probably came from my picking up running again last year. Fared well in 10K, 15K and Omaha half-marathon, so I figure I might as well go for the whole enchilada and do a triathlon. Say, why not go for broke and try a bleeding half-Ironman? How tuff can it be? You're immune to pain!

Was going to do the Boulder 70.3, but had my name in the ringer for the Leadville 100 MTB race. By the time they told me I didn't get selected from the lottery for the MTB race, the Boulder 70.3 was full. So, I opted for the Kansas 70.3.


Knew I had to resume some swimming to train for this. Jackie2 worked with me during this winter off-season in an attempt to make me a sleek, efficient water-eating machine, like her. Unforunately, I remain a thrasher, despite her best efforts. The swimmer's mold was cast, but I was nowhere to be found when poured. But I did manage to swim the requisite distance of 1.2 miles w/o stopping in the YMCA pool. Pretty doggone impressive, considering when we started I could barely do a lap without panting like Pavlov's dog.

Race day: THE SWIM: So, when I actually took to the water to do the 1.2 mile swim during this half, the swimming didn't tire me out. But I lost scads of time lifting my dome up to see where I was. Plus the sunlight was bouncing off the water. The glare prevented me from seeing where I was in relation to the other swimmers. On the postive side of the ledger, I didn't inhale any suds, nor get tired, nor did I get knocked senseless by the flailing limbs of other thrashers. We did get to wear the wetsuits, so the added bouyancy really helped. I crawled out of the water in about 49th position. Ugly. Slow. But survived.

The T1 transition: Had to change quickly from water gear to biking gear. My 1st ever transition and I failed miserably. My time was like almost 5 minutes, compared to others getting swapped over in 2. Couldn't get the wetsuit off, had trouble putting on the biking top, finding the pockets to stuff GU into, you name it, it went wrong. Ugly. Real slow. GNASTY!

The Bike: Ahhh, now you're talking my language. Inhaled a GU. Warmed up slow. Then turned up the RPMS and starting kicking booty and taking names. To heck with Wholesome, steel cut goodness advice to rein it in on the bike. I cannot be stopped. I will soon be catching the pros. Well, I did catch a lot of those amphibious turds who slithered out of the water before me, and really only had one guy pass me, and he was a 44 year old stud. Stayed on him like glue. But, it wasn't as easy as it sounds. Half way thru the course, we had to actually stop, dismount, run around a patch of fresh oil in the road. When I remounted, my bike seat came loose. Ay caramba! Choices presented themselves. Stop and try to fix w/o tools. Keep going and don't get off the saddle for the next 25 miles. I opted for Door Number 2, where the lovely Vanna is standing. It worked, but my quads were screaming for relief by the end of the bike. Averaged 21.8, which I thought was slow, but the course was very hilly. No computer so I couldn't confirm the speed. Pretty. Speedy. Dat's what I'm talking about.It's all good. I ROCK.

T2: Bike to run. Nothing to it really. Take off bike shoes and helmet, put on Asics. Relatively fast.

The RUN: Oy, it hurt. After the first few strides, I knew I was in deep kimchi. Legs felt like hedge posts. Only 13.1 endless miles to go for my first triathlon. By now, I've got no frigging idea where my competitors are. There could be 58 of them ahead of me and I didn't give a rat's patootie. I went into survival mode. There would be no dominating performance on this run. I no longer ROCK. I am a rock. Rock legs, rocks for brains. The miles go by so slowly. 12, 11, eternity. Stop! Just throw in the towel. Go home with your tail between your legs. Fess up, you bit off more than you could chew. Now you know that was NOT going to happen, but I was wrestling with demons by now. I slog on. I OD on gatorade, I douse myself with ice water. I see Jesus and it made sense that he was there. I plod on. I notice I'm passing some turtles with my age group painted on their calves. I'm not going fast, they are just going slower than me. Finally, the last turn. About 2 miles to go. Merciless, senseless, brutal miles. Good hearted fans chanting "good job." If only they knew the truth! It was a horrible job. I'm weak. I'm feeble. I'm just hanging on by the guilt associated with being tagged "quitter." Eureka. The finish line is a couple of hundred yards away. The brain commands the legs to keep moving forward. I'm simulating a run, but moving at a walk pace. I had envisoned some glitzy victory salute when crossing the line. All I could drum up was a DEATH MASK. I stumble across the line. No burst of euphoria, no miraculous victory dance. Some wise medics realize the train wreck that just crashed in their turf and grab me. Despite my assertations that I'm perfectly fine, they realize that I'm lying through my teeth and whisk me away to the Medic Tent. They lay my living corpse on a nearby stretcher/cot. In my delirium, I ask for someone to remove my shoes, telling them they need to depress the red buckle release to take them off. Later, I realize that I actually have on my running shoes, not my biking shoes. Silly Pete. I'm cramping from the bald spot on my noggin to the little toes. I cramped in so badly I'm gnawing on my index finger knuckle trying to divert the pain elsewhere. Does this illustrate how much this race hurt?

But hey, it wasn't all bad. I eventually recover. They have to physically yank me up on my feet. My pegs protest, but I walk a step or two just like the Tin Man after his first shot of oil in years. I'm mobile again. Say now, what's this? It occurs to me. I HAVE SURVIVED! It is in the books! I'm half-Ironman. They can read that at my eulogy.

The results: I blunder my way into 8th place out of ninety-eight registered 50-54 year olds. (The guy before me was a relay participant so he doesn't count) I surpass my projected finish time of 5 hours, 15 minutes, with a finish of 5.01.57. Oh, for a quicker T1!! A minute or two off and I would have been in the magical 4 hour category and moved up a spot or two. I really got dusted in the swim.

Results and splits can be found here: http://www.ironmanlive.com/tracking.php?race=kansas70.3&year=2010

1 PYLE, STEVE
4/1/1 52/M50-54 00:31:11 02:23:59 01:34:57 04:33:16
2 BENNATAN, ANDRE
3/7/2 51/M50-54 00:31:03 02:42:18 01:31:30 04:49:44
3 REYNEN, PAUL
8/4/3 50/M50-54 00:34:16 02:33:21 01:37:42 04:50:53
4 MCCLENDON, JAMES
19/8/4 51/M50-54 00:35:50 02:39:37 01:37:18 04:56:39
5 SALINAS, OMAR
11/13/5 51/M50-54 00:35:05 02:45:51 01:32:44 04:57:37
6 RUMSEY, ANDY
10/6/6 51/M50-54 00:35:01 02:39:12 01:42:01 04:59:56
7 DICK, SAMUEL
18/5/7 54/M50-54 00:35:50 02:37:52 01:43:07 05:00:16
8 SWENSON, ANDY
5/4/7 52/RELM 00:37:12 03:01:20 03:01:00 06:44:17
9 DURYEA, PETER
45/9/8 53/M50-54 00:41:11 02:33:29 01:41:13 05:01:49





I finish in the top ten, which was pretty ambitious considering this was my first triathlon ever. As I sit here typing, as the pain slowly subsides, as the brain elimates the negative and moves forward with the positive, a little, evil voice is whispering in the back of my gray spaghetti. You know what it is saying. Maybe you've heard the same voices. Mine is saying: Uh, dude, what you say we try a FULL BLOWN FREAKING IRONMAN!! 2.4 swim! 112 mile bike! 26.2 marathon run. Double the pain! You love it. You were made to absorb it, wrap yourself in it and immerse yourself in it. You only live once, and your days are numbered. Sack up. Can you say Coure de Alene?

The Cramps

No, not the punk band. Matt O'Donnell and I raced the Norfolk Classic RR today. The EVCC served up 64 miles of racing, with plenty of wind and humidity for us. Matt raced the 3s, I was racing 4s and we both cramped up during the race. Matt took a flyer in the 1/2/3 race and had a nice solo break going for 6 miles before they reeled him in. After that, it was cramping time. A long stretch by himself, but he finished 11th in the 3s race out of 18.

The 4s race was fun (36 riders-a fairly large group, especially for Nebraska), but there was a lot of negative racing: anytime someone initiated a break, you would end up with some clown getting in and doing no work or screwing up the rotation, or someone with no possible hope of placing well killing themselves to chase it down. Still, it was fast in spite of the headwind that never seemed to go away (the wind actually shifted during the race, so this is literally true). We almost caught the 1/2/3 peloton at the end. On this day of attrition, I was in the lead group of 10 riders that survived acceleration after acceleration. With 2 miles to go I was hit with severe cramping, to a point where I could barely turn the crank. Lost 59 seconds, was passed by a group of 3 and ended up 13th. Still, my fitness is coming along, and if I had remembered to bring electrolyte tablets, I would have survived in the lead group. Live and learn...

Photos from today: Matt and myself.

It's showtime!

Gulp! Next weekend is the real deal. To date, the single hardest effort I've ever made was the race up Mt. Evans in 2006. Relentless, grueling ascent to 14200ft from Idaho Springs at 7500. That ride chewed me up and spit me out.

It might pale in comparison to the next madness. I'm inked the deal to the tune of 230 clams, to suffer in the half-Ironman in the Land of Oz. Heading to Clinton Lake outside of Lawrence to test my inner mettle. Gonna thrash water for 1.2 miles, jump on the sweet new Orbea TT bike and pound pavement for 56 miles, then lace up the Asics for the 13.1 miles death blow.

Expectations? Not sure. Finish is priority 1, even if I have to drag myself on the pavement to the finish line. Priority 2, finish in top ten of my age group. I suspect there will be some real players here. I don't think a lot of fat slouches, present company excluded, sign up for these 1/2s.

I'm gonna redefine the art of suffering. I'm gonna slam Gu every 10 minutes. This is epic! No rest for the wicked. Flog me please.

Map my Velo Ride ride

Ain't good lookin' but you know I ain't shy.. Fellow Velo's today, three riders became 10 plus riders, and it was a party train on wheels. Taking this road and rippin' on it wide. Penetrating the hills like One Cosmic Ray (pg 282, Webster's). We cut seamlessly through with no trace behind. With electrolytes and Perpetuem dripping down the legs (bad water bottles), I assumed a paceline position and gave thanks for it all anyway. Didn't need no stinkin' PowerBar leftover from last season; Velotrain swallowed me whole, kept me safe and compressed lending supersonic synergy needed to empower an explosive attack('cept I didn't attack cuz these guys are really nice and who knows where the next turnoff was) BUT you just don't show your stuff off when you got the stuff from your own team! Not now anyway. We knock out more hills and straights. Pass a church right after an impressive incline.."thanks God for gettin' me here..OMG another /^#@*impressive incline, back-to-back!" Life is sneaky sometimes. Fred talks like it's a picnic and encourages me to let me be myself and blow this *@*/ off for good. Pete, my martyr(Webster's, pg 762) has taken off on another route, missing my chance for a good 'Where'd ya get your socks ' conversation; drats wingman next time! Last downhill and I didn't even know it till Troy sped up, if he's takin' it then this must be over I thought. I just had to kick it out now and Shoot to Thrill, play to kill...playin Smoke on the Water, then we had to stop at the stop sign. I hate stop signs but they can save your life. There's all my guys from the break off. And we all take part in this manisfestation of the rides realities, at Scooter's, where the bathrooms are presumably clean. Thanks fellas for making me feel like Queen of the Wheel today. BIKE TRIVIA: In 1927, Tulio Campagnolo invented the what? A: The quick-release wheel. The Italian racer was in the snow when a tire punctured. His hands were too numb to undo his wingnuts! ;D He abandaned the race.
o-o~Speed Queen

Pump, run and pizza

The truth is.....I am Ironman!

Well, kind of an Ironman, at least when it comes to pumping iron. So, how did you celebrate your birthday? Here's what El Guapo did. Geri from the SW Y, where I teach Group Cycle, convinced me to try out the Pump & Run event she was promoting at the Plattsmouth Community Center. They describe the event better than I can, so here's how it works:

The Pump and Run event includes both the 5K run and a maximal repetition bench press. The runner’s final time many times he/she cans bench press a percentage of their body weight. An athlete’s run time will be reduced by 1 min bench press rep.

So, I weighed in at the usual 175 lbs. For 50-59 age group, you take 80% of your weight, which played out to be 140 lbs. So, when my turn at the bench came up, they piled on 140 lbs. Sporting my new Velo gear, I did 31 reps. This was better than expected, as my previous best had been 27 reps at the Y.

I then hoofed it outside to the 5 K starting point. The course was FUGLY. Not any flat road, rather continual up and down steep hills. I planned on running a 20 minute 5K, and ended up finishing in 20:07. So knocking off one minute for each rep, that lowered my final score to -ll:07.

Ending up winning the whole competition of about 45 people. One young guy benched 32 reps, but I dusted him in the run. Next closest finisher was at -6 minutes. This had been one of my focal spots of the year, so it was satisfying to walk away with the overall win. Who said life ended at 50?

After a quick coffee fix at Paneras, brother Joe, Millie, CK and I hit Zio's for an anchovy and black olive pizza. OMG, mouth watering goodness!

So, now time to switch focus again. Next up, the real Ironman gig. Then we'll really find out how much iron I've got. Gulp!!