From the Archives: Tour of the Bahamas

I've been lucky that cycling has taken me to some interesting places.  I looked at my photo file this week, and realized I've accumulated quite a bit of stuff over the last eight (!) years of racing.  Before the season gets into gear I might as well share some of them.  I'll start with the best one.  Back in February of 2006, I really lucked out and got to go to the Tour of the Bahamas.  It's hard to believe it was six years ago...

 That's my college teammate during our spin into Nassau.

 Some guys selling seashells down by the docks

 This is us packing up after the final stage.  That's (part of) me on the left.  My college teammate Taylor is on the right, and my roommate for the race is in the middle.  That's TeeJay, who made the jump to Europe and got in the climber's jersey in the Tour de France last year.

At the end of the race, the locals helped out with some bike transpo.

I'll post some more stuff like this next week.

And the 2012 Season Begins

Not being ready to race didn't stop me from taking the trip down to Columbia, Kentucky for the first collegiate race of the year.  Two weeks ago I went to California for work.  It was really nice to know that some places have weather that isn't miserable this time of year.  I wanted a taste of spring and a break from the trainer, so I figured power numbers be damned, I'm going south.

I've always been willing to get crushed early in the year.  I follow the somewhat unorthodox (old-school) theory of building verrrry slowly over the winter so I don't get things like tendinitis later in the year.  So I did about a thousand easy miles to start, wrapped that up in January, and started training for real a few weeks ago.  With the major goals of the year several months off, I figured I was ready for a shock to the system.  I got it.  Collegiate races are great training because not only are the fields as strong as most P/1/2 races, but they're never slow. If the good riders take it easy, the slower guys who will be dropped later make it hard by attacking.

Since this was my first time getting over threshold in several months, the question wasn't if but when I would get popped from the group.  Sure enough, it happened early in all the races.  But I got the effort I came to Kentucky for, and--as I hoped--getting racing early got me excited to get the season underway.  Now it's time to start building so I'm strong when I need to be--when Midwest racing for BBVP ramps up.

Stay tuned for some pictures of me slobbering all over myself as I lumber up some steep hills chasing the group.

The First 1K in the Pain Bank

Well it’s still February and I have already deposited my first 1000 miles in the pain bank. For me that’s leaps and bounds ahead of where I was last year. This time last year, I was still having trouble lifting anything over 20lbs after surgery to remove my gallbladder.  I wish that on no one.  I was just happy to get on my bike and be able to turn the crank. It took forever to get in any kind of shape to race a bike. I remember always telling Pat that I was 2 months behind everyone.  That’s till I got lucky for one weekend in July.

This year I have dedicated a bit more time to see if July was a fluke, or do I really have a shot at riding with the really fast old guys. I think someone forgot to tell them when you’re near or older than 50 that you need to slow down. So this season I will give it a go. Hopefully I can hold that wheel, and just maybe get a few top 10 finishes, if I can do that all the work will be worth it.

Bob

New BBVP Sponsor for 2012

What do Fly V Australia, the Italian Olympic Cycling Team, and Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak have in common? They'll all be sporting lids from LAS this season. BBVP proudly welcomes the Italian company as one of their sponsors this year as they compete in Pro/1/2, Cat 5, and all the races in between. You'll see the red, white, and blue train from the Southside of Chicago racing at your favorite weekend crits wearing the Victory Supreme model, LAS's top of the line helmet. Made entirely in Italy, it is one of the lightest helmets you can buy, weighing in at a mere 230 grams. Go to www.lashelmets.com for more info. A BIG thanks to LAS!

Winter Training

Back in Chicagoland the team was taking full advantage of the unseasonably warm holiday weather, logging a decent number of endurance rides. I had to tough it out on my own... 

I went on a 50-miler from Marathon, FL to Key West, FL, which includes beautiful stretches along the overseas highway, including the Seven-mile bridge as seen here.

Thankfully I'm back home now and can start training with the team again....

Mike