I really needed a break from science for a couple of days, so I took a trip to Southern California to visit old friends from college. I awoke on Thursday feeling under the weather from allergies, and having the day off, I decided to just sleep in and do a ride locally before heading to Los Angeles. The drive was uneventful and boring as ever. It actually made a great race drive preview, as I passed towns like Madera and Coalinga. I crashed at Chris and Lydia's place, after dining on some really great pasta. Their cats seem to like playing on me, but eventually I got to sleep.
Chris and I rode up highway 39 with the intention of hooking up to highway 2, taking that back to Pasadena. Overall, I think that would have been a fairly long ride and would have rivalled many of the big climbs in Bishop for elevation gain in one shot. I really wish I had brought a camera on this ride. The road snakes in and out of steep canyons that have been scarred and reborn from fires, and best of all, it's closed to traffic due to poor conditions at the top. We did encounter a few Caltrans trucks bombing down the hill, but they were few and far between. The climb starts in the desert and slowly transitions to pine forest, finally dumping you into high alpine territory. We started passing snow above Crystal lake. At some point, a snow blower had come along to clean up the huge drifts, but the steepness of the hillsides must have made that difficult. Finally, near the top, we were stopped by a huge drift that even Caltrans couldn't handle. We had to scrap our plans and did the Glendora Mountain Road loop instead, making for an equally good ride. I did get to witness some kids getting busted for pot before heading back down the hill.
The next day I rode with Jim and his tri buddies. OK, I think aerobars are dorky, but the company was worth breaking some important rules (actually, some of the TT bikes there made me drool.) We hammered around San Diego for about four hours. Got to hang out with Tony and some of his friends and really experience a M3 on one exit ramp before heading out for a midnight ride in one of San Diego's many canyons. That was eye-opening for me. Here in the Bay Area, it's impossible to go night riding without breaking some kind of law (on trails) and they use radar guns on the trails to ticket speeders. I've never heard of such a thing, and I think it really indicates something's wrong with the type of people that congregate here, which I guess includes me now.
Monday I had an epic drive in front of me, so after fixing my AC, I hit the road. I got in an hour on the bike up Old San Marcos in Santa Barbara before arriving home at 1 am, ready for work the next day. All in all, a very satisfying trip. This weekend is Orosi, the first RR for the year for me, and I hope all this rain riding and long rides pay some dividends.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Spring Races
I've got to admit, one of the hardest parts about racing is registering, after driving to the race. I think my heartrate goes to LT immediately upon taking a glance at the NCNCA website. I finally pulled the trigger and registered for four whole races. No crits yet, but eventually I'll get that bad taste out of my mouth and go for it (I like sprinting, even if I'm not good at it.) Most of the races I've entered so far are longer road races and many will have small fields, so maybe I'll even get an upgrade point or two. My fitness is looking pretty good. I think I'm at the same level I was last June (at least that's what my whiz-bang hub says) which was definitely my peak for '08. I hope to not get hit by cars, crash on my MTB, and mostly not get sick for the coming weeks. The spring season will all be new for me except for a few races, so I'm looking forward to it.
It's been raining, a lot. I now have neoprene booties and one of those little Euro caps. Much more comfortable out. And on days where work is especially difficult, I find myself looking out into the storm outside wishing I was just hammering away into the wind. Cheesy, I know.
To get out of the rain, I'm going to make a trip to see some old friends down in SoCal in a week and a half. I'm going to load up the wagon with two bikes and all my riding gear and hope to get a bunch of quality visiting and saddle time in. That takes care of difficult work and rain at once!
It's been raining, a lot. I now have neoprene booties and one of those little Euro caps. Much more comfortable out. And on days where work is especially difficult, I find myself looking out into the storm outside wishing I was just hammering away into the wind. Cheesy, I know.
To get out of the rain, I'm going to make a trip to see some old friends down in SoCal in a week and a half. I'm going to load up the wagon with two bikes and all my riding gear and hope to get a bunch of quality visiting and saddle time in. That takes care of difficult work and rain at once!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Rain
It has been raining a fair amount here in Northern California - a realization that any viewer of the Tour of California has probably come to by now. I got a ride in the showers on Saturday, but rode the trainer Sunday after watching Mancebo take the win. Today, I couldn't take it anymore. I've come to the realization that trainer riding is fine when it's the only option, but today I just needed to man up and get outside. I've been testing some new gloves, and that really enabled the day, because it absolutely poured on me for most of the ride.
Last year I attempted a similar ride, and by the time I got home I couldn't even open the front door; my hands were completely frozen. I was absolutely miserable. I think I stripped and sat in front of our ubiquitous wall heater unit for a good 15 minutes before attempting to take a shower. After that, I looked like a boiled lobster (who knew water could be painful?) This year, I was bundled up and fairly comfortable. I think I need on of those caps, because I couldn't really see, and I'd love to get some warmer socks, though the wool ones I used worked alright. Really, fenders were the biggest thing I added to enjoy the ride. So, here's to riding in the rain.
The season is ramping up here, and I've got to decide what to do. I want to go out an support my team in all the road races I can, but I also want to see what kind of mark I can make in marathon MTB racing. Most of the MTB races around here don't suit my strength - climbing - except for the ultra-long ones. That probably means sacrificing some high-end for endurance, but it should be a fun season of racing once it gets rolling.
Last year I attempted a similar ride, and by the time I got home I couldn't even open the front door; my hands were completely frozen. I was absolutely miserable. I think I stripped and sat in front of our ubiquitous wall heater unit for a good 15 minutes before attempting to take a shower. After that, I looked like a boiled lobster (who knew water could be painful?) This year, I was bundled up and fairly comfortable. I think I need on of those caps, because I couldn't really see, and I'd love to get some warmer socks, though the wool ones I used worked alright. Really, fenders were the biggest thing I added to enjoy the ride. So, here's to riding in the rain.
The season is ramping up here, and I've got to decide what to do. I want to go out an support my team in all the road races I can, but I also want to see what kind of mark I can make in marathon MTB racing. Most of the MTB races around here don't suit my strength - climbing - except for the ultra-long ones. That probably means sacrificing some high-end for endurance, but it should be a fun season of racing once it gets rolling.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Espresso
Everyone knows that a true cyclist consumes espresso in quantity. Over this holiday break from work, I set out to make myself an affordable espresso setup. I've been using an Aeropress for quite some time, but it's definitely not the same thing. It produces very good espresso-like coffee, but throws away a lot of acid. This might be a good thing for certain drinks, but it kind of makes most coffees taste the same. There are a lot of very expensive machines out there, but I wanted to keep it as cheap as possible, preferably under $300, which is still a lot for a coffee maker. I'll try to document my setup here.
For the espresso maker, I bought a Saeco Via Venezia at Costco for $150. It has a pressurized portafilter (the part that holds the coffee) which means it's forgiving of tamp and grind, but on the other hand, doesn't let you diagnose those important attributes, either. You can remove the pressure mechanism (which also seems to make a fake crema) but I found that the gasket needs to remain in place. Here's a picture:
Everything pops apart, and with pressure control removed, it's easy to find deficiencies in technique. I found my cheapo grinder wasn't getting fine enough, so I got a Capresso Infinity grinder that works much better.
Temperature is very important in brewing, and you can find lots of information on adding PID control to the machine. I might do this some time with my Arduino, but for now I measured the temperature profile at the boiler and at the brew head. When the heater kicks off, peak temperature reaches about 100 C just at the mid point of the boiler, and about 105 C where the thermostats are. Just before the heater kicks in, the temperature drops to 80 and 85 C, respectively. I measured the brew temperature below the group by removing the portafilter and using a thermocouple in a styrofoam cup to probe the water temperature. Just after the boiler kicks off, the water is at 90 C, which is just passable for brewing espresso. For now, I brew right after the boiler kicks off. Eventually, the Arduino controlled unit could have forward looking adjustment and hotter temperatures for different roasts.
Tamping and grind control the pace of brewing. With my old grinder, the 'espresso' looked weak, tasted weak, and took only 11 s to brew. You can find a lot of information about tamping and most sites will say use about 30 lbs of force. The Saeco has a 53 mm portafilter, while commercial makers have 58 mm portafilters, so for this maker I settled on 25 lbs as a tamping force. I varied the grind fineness to get 20-25 s for a double shot pull and found that I need to use the finest setting on the grinder.
Two shots pulled using cheap Trader Joe's espresso blend. Tastes much better with good beans...
For the espresso maker, I bought a Saeco Via Venezia at Costco for $150. It has a pressurized portafilter (the part that holds the coffee) which means it's forgiving of tamp and grind, but on the other hand, doesn't let you diagnose those important attributes, either. You can remove the pressure mechanism (which also seems to make a fake crema) but I found that the gasket needs to remain in place. Here's a picture:
Everything pops apart, and with pressure control removed, it's easy to find deficiencies in technique. I found my cheapo grinder wasn't getting fine enough, so I got a Capresso Infinity grinder that works much better.
Temperature is very important in brewing, and you can find lots of information on adding PID control to the machine. I might do this some time with my Arduino, but for now I measured the temperature profile at the boiler and at the brew head. When the heater kicks off, peak temperature reaches about 100 C just at the mid point of the boiler, and about 105 C where the thermostats are. Just before the heater kicks in, the temperature drops to 80 and 85 C, respectively. I measured the brew temperature below the group by removing the portafilter and using a thermocouple in a styrofoam cup to probe the water temperature. Just after the boiler kicks off, the water is at 90 C, which is just passable for brewing espresso. For now, I brew right after the boiler kicks off. Eventually, the Arduino controlled unit could have forward looking adjustment and hotter temperatures for different roasts.
Tamping and grind control the pace of brewing. With my old grinder, the 'espresso' looked weak, tasted weak, and took only 11 s to brew. You can find a lot of information about tamping and most sites will say use about 30 lbs of force. The Saeco has a 53 mm portafilter, while commercial makers have 58 mm portafilters, so for this maker I settled on 25 lbs as a tamping force. I varied the grind fineness to get 20-25 s for a double shot pull and found that I need to use the finest setting on the grinder.
Two shots pulled using cheap Trader Joe's espresso blend. Tastes much better with good beans...
Saturday, October 11, 2008
West Alpine
I'm going to update the blog in reverse order. I did a bunch of cal cup races, and finished off my season with the Everest Challenge, which actually went pretty well for me.
Today was the 2nd race in the low-key hill climb series up W. Alpine. Despite its low-key start time, I still dragged myself out of bed feeling pretty miserable around 7:30 this morning. But wait - you say - that's way after your normal wake-up time. Well, it's a weekend, and I want to sleep in. I got to the Russian Ridge parking lot a little late, descended in the bitter cold, signed in and used the bathroom about five times. I think the cold does that to me.
The race went from Pescadero and W. Alpine to the peak of W. Alpine, which was a bit before Russian Ridge. My plan was to sit in on the two flat-ish sections. From the honk of the horn, it started surprisingly easy, but I was way back. I could see a bunch of the contenders rolling off the front, so I bridged up on the flat, never quite making it to Tim Clark. Once we turned past the bridge, the pack exploded, and I started reeling folks in. I tried to work with some guys across the flats, but no one really wanted to come around, so I just kept the hammer down. On the second to last corner, Geoff from Bike Trip came around me briefly and I attacked hard, holding it off for second place. Not bad considering how little riding I've been doing. My computer said it was an average of 288 W, so I'm definitely off my form from June. But hey, it's only October; I can't complain.
I finally got to meet Dennis from Bike Trip today - that team is full of great guys. That's something that could be said about a lot of teams around here once you get to know them.
Today was the 2nd race in the low-key hill climb series up W. Alpine. Despite its low-key start time, I still dragged myself out of bed feeling pretty miserable around 7:30 this morning. But wait - you say - that's way after your normal wake-up time. Well, it's a weekend, and I want to sleep in. I got to the Russian Ridge parking lot a little late, descended in the bitter cold, signed in and used the bathroom about five times. I think the cold does that to me.
The race went from Pescadero and W. Alpine to the peak of W. Alpine, which was a bit before Russian Ridge. My plan was to sit in on the two flat-ish sections. From the honk of the horn, it started surprisingly easy, but I was way back. I could see a bunch of the contenders rolling off the front, so I bridged up on the flat, never quite making it to Tim Clark. Once we turned past the bridge, the pack exploded, and I started reeling folks in. I tried to work with some guys across the flats, but no one really wanted to come around, so I just kept the hammer down. On the second to last corner, Geoff from Bike Trip came around me briefly and I attacked hard, holding it off for second place. Not bad considering how little riding I've been doing. My computer said it was an average of 288 W, so I'm definitely off my form from June. But hey, it's only October; I can't complain.
I finally got to meet Dennis from Bike Trip today - that team is full of great guys. That's something that could be said about a lot of teams around here once you get to know them.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Heat Training
In preparation for the Challenge RR, I tried a TT up Sierra road today in the heat. The thermometer at Piedmont HS said it was 91 F at the start, but I tried to put out my normal power. That failed miserably. I felt completely zapped at the top of the hill and was over 1:30 off pace. I felt like throwing in the towel on what's left of the season. Google scholar came to the rescue though. This article says that going from 73 F to 91 F was enough to drop power output by 6.5% on average for the Australian National team. That's almost exactly how far off I was today, so I feel a lot better, but also a lot more like a dork for looking up this stuff. It even says that for the first 10 minutes, the power output was similar between the trials. That's pretty much what I experienced. It felt like a meltdown right around 11 minutes. Their conclusion has me thinking I should be dumping a lot more water over my body to aid in cooling during hot races as well.
I should probably write some race reports, but I really lack motivation to do really well for myself recently. I'm looking forward to a few more races and the low-key hillclimb series throughout the autumn though.
I should probably write some race reports, but I really lack motivation to do really well for myself recently. I'm looking forward to a few more races and the low-key hillclimb series throughout the autumn though.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Peaked
I'm starting to think I hit a peak right after Pescadero. Everything was falling in place, I was pushing good amounts of power and didn't seem to fatigue. Then I kept going, and going, and going until I eventually dug myself in a hole. I still feel pretty good on the bike, but it's kind of muted compared to what I was feeling a month ago. For now, I'm hoping to back off a bit in training, race a bit more and enjoy the end of the season without completely burning out.
Now that I look back on things, it was a lack of rest that got to me. I look at my training log and I trained hard for six weeks. At about week four, things went downhill, but I just didn't listen. Next time I hope I know what to look for. Now, I've somehow injured my hamstring and hope to just limp through the cal cup. Wish me luck!
Now that I look back on things, it was a lack of rest that got to me. I look at my training log and I trained hard for six weeks. At about week four, things went downhill, but I just didn't listen. Next time I hope I know what to look for. Now, I've somehow injured my hamstring and hope to just limp through the cal cup. Wish me luck!
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