First race - What does it bode for the year?

Jim Merrifield

I am never sure what to expect the first race of the season. I could say that this was true of the first race last Saturday but in truth, I was even less sure what to expect. But first, I gotta rave about the new ride! Last year, I couldn't say enough about the Fisher Cronus but the Trek 5.5 Madone is a noticeable step up in race performance. The stability in the bottom bracket when I got out of the saddle was remarkable. Everything I put into the pedals was transferred into immediately moving forward without disrupting my line. A few times, I had to get out of the saddle hard partway thru a sweeping right or left hand turn as the front of the pack started accelerating and it felt sweet! Acceleration AND control. Stability and control in the few hard corners was much appreciated on Saturday as well. It was a very cold and windy day and there were several occasions where the folks at the front of the pack in the 30+ race went into corners hard and then eased up when the wind hit their chests. And of course, I and the others in the middle or rear had to quickly change lines, oft times taking a tighter line. The bike felt telepathic - a little more or less pressure and I was immediately on my new line. Very nice transitions in the course's S-curve as well. Now, as a teammate said - to be worthy!

Like I said, I was even less sure what to expect this first race as my winter training has been different. I am less race-ready than I have been, hoping that focus on strength instead of fitness will pay off in mid-season. I have raced at the Black Hawk race track the last couple years - a good place to start the season. It is a serpentine course, flat, flat, flat and usually, the fields are decent sized, a good thing because the March winds are usually the biggest factor. Saturday, the fields were small. The thermometer said "brrrr" and a bunch of folks must have decided to watch Scooby Doo on the Cartoon Network. But the winds said "great day for me to come out and play". The 45+ 1/2/3 field was no more than 15 strong. I settled in, trying to find a place in the line that was a little warmer, less windy. Soon enough, someone decided to give it a go and I gave chase to see what the legs were going to say. They were not encouraging so I throttled back into a "be on a good wheel and be opportunistic" mode which morphed into a "see what happens in the last couple laps" and then on to a "get set for the sprint". On the tailwind section leading into the final corner, I slid up the side that would be protected from the cross wind going into the finish, feeling pretty strong, wondering why others were not moving up. It's a long run into the finish but you won't win from 4th or 5th wheel. Came thru the corner third wheel, tucked in comfortably, a little surprised that the guys on the front had not slid hard left to take away the protected line. Time to jump, outta the saddle and CLICK CLICK CLICK. CRAP! Friday, I adjusted the rear derailleur and it seemed OK but I had not done any hard accelerations in the top gear, just some lower gears and now my derailleur was hopping and skipping and I was not accelerating. Sat down and muttered my way over the line. So what does this bode for the season? A series of brain farts? Or do I see signs of strength? Too soon to tell - on EITHER count! The next race was the 30+ 1/2/3 and is was a little bigger field - maybe 20. I got my derailleur adjusted between races but I was just gonna sit in on this one unless I discovered that I was fitter than I thought. I wasn't. Looked for opportunities to be sneaky but with no staying power yet I was not going to insist.

So it's settled.

The official Trek Midwest Team roster is published, with links to our riders race history. After reviewing some of the credentials, all that can be said is "I feel bad for the competition..."

Sweeeeeet!

What else can I say, this is one sweet looking rig! I hope I am worthy!

Forlorn...

Jim Merrifield

All built up and nowhere to ride. Rain Sunday followed by very windy and cold days and even some snow in the Janesville area means the new Trek sits looking out the window, gently weeping. Wanna play! Patience, dear one. We will play outside Friday making sure you are happy and then race on Saturday. Meanwhile, I am approaching racing weight - DFE and trainer hours is gradually working.

Firsts....

Doug Bailey

 

First win.  First beer.  First kiss.  First ride on my new Trek Madone.....these are the moments I'll never forget.

 

With a hectic week of wrenching 2 of the other Trek Midwest Team's race rigs, I was ready to complete my own and put rubber to pavement.  I settled for rubber to rollers as it was a cold monsoon most of Sunday into Sunday night.  Monday I went through the motions of work while I counted down the minutes until my ride would begin; it did not disappoint. 

 

Though a ride for recovery and for stretching my legs, it was clear that I was on a bike of another level.  The ride comfort (even on my sub-quality old "winter tires), handling (at least at recovery speeds I was "hammering"), and comfort were above that I'd experienced before.   I suppose my rest day was compromised when I couldn't resist a full sprint!

 

I look forward to pushing my Madone through the line at many a race this year, but also look forward to the quiet, and sometimes monotonous training miles; miles that now I'll enjoy the ride.

In a week I'm headed to the Smokie Mountains for a little spring break RnR.  As my bike will be in and out of trunks, hotels, and other compromising situations, I am torn between my "beater bike" which will handle the abuse with gusto or the Madone who will assault the hills with zeal.  If only all could suffer such dilemas....

Snuggy season starts...

d.rettig

Everything is just a bit more snug in the spring. First it is snug because of the winter insulation. Then is becomes snug because you are actually rebuilding some muscle. Finally lean season happens and you can fit back into the outfit you like. This method of training feedback is much more simple then a power meter, but it can have similar effects. First weekend ride in the books....wow 35 miles seemed really long this time of year.

Red blood cells

The ski season is officially over, for me.
And with one last trip I attempted to gain some red blood cells by spending an entire week above 11,000'.

Guess it's time to hit the bike again!

Rain in Solvang!

Well, the picture says it all - raining heavily all night and day here in Solvang, so it must be time to head home! We did get a week of good training in with nice sunny days, and only managed to wreck one bike!

Jan Ullrich Redux - WTF!

Jim Merrifield

In a post earlier this week, Matt mentioned the Jan Ullrich syndrome - AMEN! But not to worry - I was going down to FLA and riding my butt off - or at least substantially reducing it! After a whole lot of 4 hour rides and aver 450 total miles, I got home and first time on the scale - WTF! I was UP 2 lbs! DAMN! And here I was already worried that Jan (not Ullrich but my dear svelte wife) would stop calling me "lamba" and start calling me "chunky monkey". Must have been that SEE food diet I was on whilst in FLA. Or perhaps the SEE BEER diet. Well, much as I hate it, it is time once again for the DFE diet (Don't Freakin' Eat). I have discovered, much to my dismay that the combination of old and fat do not equate to successful racing. And I have found that if I am trying to lose weight during the season, I do not recover very well, can get tired more easily. So NOW is the time. I am down to my pre-FLA weight but gotta keep going. First race is in less than 2 weeks - good thing it is FLAT, FLAT, FLAT!

So, teammates, I was not the first to ride the new Madone but will I be the first to race it????

Too much Power!

Exciting day in Solvang. After stopping for a photo op in front of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch (for Tom Hooyer, who is a big fan), Barney and I were sprinting for a city sign when his chain comes off, his foot comes unclipped, he falls down onto his top tube, and his feet are both now Fred Flinstoning down the street, but he manages to stay upright only to lose the sign sprint and cracks his top tube. Likely too much power in his sprint! Bummer!!

Time to Burn

I've been adhering to Dirk's advice...no big ring. Hopefully that shifter works come April...well, I suppose that specific one doesn't need to work until 'cross season.

It is most definitely time to drop that winter weight that I put on every year. I must have the Jan Ullrich syndrome...I just can't avoid gaining some excess weight during the colder part of the year. No matter how much I ski or hit the gym, it comes back every year. Two months until the races include any real climbs...so there's still hope to burn off some of the excess.

Road riding provides a real random sampling of events. I love riding past some place an getting a 10-20 second snapshot of what is happening. This morning, at around 7:15, I rode past a house that had two burning barrels in the driveway. It was light, but I don't think the sun was up yet and both barrels were full and spitting flames out the top. I saw the (presumed) owner walking away from the barrels with a garbage can. I thought that it was a little strange that this guy was up before sunrise to burn his garbage, but didn't pay to much attention. On the way home, I took a few different roads and past a different house with a burning barrel in front of it. This one was about done with it's work. What are the odds?! Two separate burning barrel spottings in one day. Maybe it's me, but that's what I call random.

Love at first ride.

First ride today on the new Madone. Love it! Really bummed I won't have it with me for the week we are heading to California because I didn't get the frameset in time to have it built up and shipped out there. But now I have something to look forward to when I come home.

S. Smith

Trek Midwest Team on Facebook

Don't forget to follow our team on Facebook. We have a new URL at
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Solvang bound!

Not to rub it in, but a few of us are heading to Solvang for a training camp - which forecast looks good to you? Can't wait to get some good training miles in!

Adventures in Florida

Jim Merrifield

Riding in Florida has been good if restrictive. The sun has been shining, the birds chirping, the tortoises strolling. My miles have been pretty much all endurance oriented as my left knee has been bothering me a bit after doing some longer intervals on Tuesday. Life is good - except I had been doing most of the miles on the bike trail just behind the motel. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the trail is 46 miles long. It is a destination for a LOT of people. People come to Florida and ride this trail or some of the other long trails. Small wonder - most of the roads have NO shoulder whatsoever. So the riding has not been exciting. That is mostly fine as I am easily amused but when Jan and all her paddling buddies decided to travel to the Weeki Wachee River on the eastern coast, I started to think about a road trip. In the past, from the Weeki Wachee, we have gone to a sea food restaurant near Crystal River for all-you-can-eat garlic crab - yummm! So I suggested that I ride to the restaurant and meet the folks there.

Looking at some admittedly older maps, I found a couple possible routes. I had a chance to talk to a couple cyclists on the bike trail about whether there were any good routes to the eastern coast. I was told the roads were sketchy. Hmmmm. The map I used showed some roads as bike routes. The more northerly route went thru Crystal City and the route looked potentially complicated. The more southerly route seemed like it might be more straight forward. It was taking me thru a state forest which sounded like it could be nice. "Trail 12" looked like a straight shot thru. Now, there are a lot of roads in the area called Trail thought the number had me a little concerned. Well maybe it was a hard packed dirt road. I checked out the route on google earth but it did not tell me much. Southerly, it is. I headed south, zigging and sagging thru the residential areas for maybe 25 minutes before I finally got to Trail 12. I rode right by, expecting a road. Hmmmm? Is that it? Yep. I considered a change of plans but that was totally back the other direction. How bad could it be??? Trail 12 was basically a jeep road and for the first half mile, it was OK. I was wishing I had a cross bike but it was OK. Then I hit the sand. Remember I was thinking hard pack dirt. I now do not think there is ANY dirt in Florida. It's ALL sand. I'd walk for a little while and then get back on when the trail firmed up enough to ride and then repeat, over and over and over. Glad I started out early! And I did not have a map so was not sure how far I had yet to go. At times I was riding thru the woods where the sand was covered with some vegetation and I could kinda ride. My poor bike! FINALLY started to hear traffic. I was SO happy! I was in the woods easily 3 times longer than expected. But I was soon to be on a road that was designated on my map as a bike route.

I now think that map was indicating where drivers could go if they wanted to try finding cyclists to hit. My long anticipated road was 2 lanes, 55mph and NO shoulder. YIKES! And NO OPTIONS even if I was willing to go on side roads. So I put my head down and hammered to GET OFF THAT ROAD. 5 or so miles then AH! There is my turn (finally) - surely this road will have a shoulder! NOPE! Same kinda road. The only improvement was that there was not a 6 inch drop off on the side of the road. And there were a few times were I pealed into the grassy shoulder just to relax for a bit. FINALLY, I got to the Sun Coast Highway. I remembered THIS road had a shoulder. Not very wide and traffic was flying by me but a shoulder none the less. In comparison, it was paradise! Eventually, I got to my turnoff and saw my first "Share the Road" sign. I had to laugh. I had thought the day was going to be scenic and this was finally it. The road wound for 8 or 9 miles thru salt marshes. Lots of sea birds, sea grasses waving in the breeze. Nice! And cold beer and crab waiting for me! Will I do this again? Perhaps but it will be the northerly route :)

Ball bearings in my handlebars

I'm fortunate that my spouse happens to be my teammate, who also happens to know a little bit about building bikes. Looks like he has some help from our dog, Jesse James.
The more it's looking like a complete bike, the more excited I am about getting out and riding it! The first carbon bike I ever purchased, and still have, is a Trek 5500 from 10 years ago. I'm looking forward to getting back on a Trek and seeing how the ride has changed through the years.
Better get back downstairs to make sure someone isn't getting any smart ideas, such as putting ball bearings in my handlebars.


S. Smith

Not the typical training.

Being blessed with the task of international travel/business, I found myself in Zurich for some meetings. We decided to head out of the office for a bite to eat...our tour guide was great, arranging some hybrid bikes, a great lunch, and then a nice tour of the city. Little did we realize that the only way back to the office was over a mountain...with an average of 12% uphill grade.

LUCKY for us, these were not just any hybrids, but Trek's RIDE+ pedal assist hybrids. Ah the wonders of technology... All I can say is don't knock it until you try it. These bikes are amazing!

Is a bike a bike.....

I thought some of our engines might be as large as these engines - so kind of fits... hoping for lots of rides like this...



d.rettig

Ah, Florida

Jim Merrifield

It was a dark and stormy night. Oh yeah it was. Jan, local paddling friend Brandon and I left last Friday (March 4th) after work for FLA. Jan had planned to go to Florida for a week of early season canoe training and Brandon's very generous and thoughtful (to say nothing of long suffering :)) wife arranged for him to go as well as a surprise Christmas present. It was Brandon's first time on one of these training vacations. Jan and I have been doing it for many years since back when I was still canoe racing. We were headed to Inverness where many northeastern paddlers go. Why Inverness, a sleepy little town about 60 miles north of Tampa? Some number of years ago, Gene Jensen, boat builder, designer and arguably the father of modern canoe racing retired to Inverness and gradually a tradition of going south to do some early season training with Gene grew. Neither Jan or I had been there in a few years. The last couple years, Jan was meeting a group on Michigan and Minnesotan paddlers in northern FLA and I had been going to Solvang, CA for early season training with a few of my Trek Midwest teammates. This year, for a variety of reasons, Jan was headed back to Inverness and I decided to do the family togetherness thing. Though Solvang was fun and the company good, I missed spending vacation time with Jan.

And it was a dark and stormy night as Brandon and I packed up his Honda Pilot and headed south with boats and bikes on the top of the car. One might be able to fly someplace and have your bike meet you there but 18'6" racing canoes are another story. We had a 1250 mile drive ahead of us and the plan was to drive thru the night and get to FLA in time to do an afternoon paddle or ride as one preferred. Not too long after we hit the road, it started to rain and by the time we were a couple hours into Illinois, it was freakin' pouring. And did I mention the lightning. At least it was not snowing! THAT would have made it impossible, given the severity of the storm. I took the second shift of driving and was wondering about the sanity of trying to drive straight thru. The Pilot is a pretty stable beast but the winds were pretty strong and we had those boats which make great sails, even better than bikes on the roof. Passing a truck got to be a tad nerve racking between the spray practically blinding the driver and the back draft from the truck buffeting the car. Also I was not used to the car and I am not sure if the roads were narrower or if it was just that the Pilot sat a little higher than I was used to but driving the early part of the night sure got my attention. Fortunately, the winds and the rain gradually lessened to mere nuisance status as the night progressed. I cannot sleep in a moving vehicle but took my turn to rest eyes when I could. And when the sun came up as we were rolling thru Atlanta, I started to perk up, thinking, I would be riding outdoors in the warm sun soon! Map Quest had said 20 hours to get south and that was just about right.

We headed to the top end of a bike trail about 18 or so miles from Inverness and Jan and Brandon dropped me off before they headed off to the nearest river. This bike trail (a rails to trails project that is 46 miles long) runs right past the hotel in Inverness we would be staying at. The motel is known as Canoe Central to those meeting there and the proximity to the trail was one of the many reason for staying there. Another is being central to a LOT of beautiful rivers for those of the canoeing persuasion. I got out of the car - not a cloud in the sky, 82F - THAT is what I am taking about. Kitted up, sprayed on the sunscreen and headed down the trail. The bike and I were very happy. Let the vacation begin! And oh yeah, the training!

And so the season begins again..

Jim Merrifield

And so the season begins again. Wait! When does the new season really begin? When the skis come off? The first day in the pain cave? After a rest from cross season? When you decide it is time to start loosing weight? The first outdoors ride after the new year? I have heard a lot of definitions but I think it is when you say to yourself "time to get seious". Well, it is time to get serious.

This winter, I have been focusing on strength - in the gym and on the bike. I have been in the gym a couple days a week focusing on leg strength on the sled. Can't do squats any more because of decrerased shoulder flexibility (can't grab the bar when it is correctly positioned on my back) but I am not sure if my back will tolerate the weight any more. I was backpacking in Wyoming last fall with wife Jan and figured I would be in reasonable shape just coming off bike season but just could not schlep the pack uphill lke I used to. I was working way too hard. In years past, I always lifted during the winter but had gotten out of the habit the last couple years, focusing on other things whether it be skiing or trainer work, thinking these would work just as well. Nope. Back into the gym.

The trouble with focusing on leg strength is that other stuff has to be reduced. Heavy weights and volume do not mix. I have been on the trainer doing intervals of various sorts but the trainer time has been relatively low. And while we have been skiing on the weekends, even that was not as much as usual. So reality hit home about a week ago. We had a (relatively) warm week and so I decided to commute home by bike. I got a ride into wirk with Nicole, my neighbor and car pool mate and though it was colder than I thought it was going to be, I started the ride home. I live 34 miles from work (so my canoe-racing wife has a home on the river and also the short commute into work) - a commute that takes less than 2 hours unless the wind is seriously unfavorable. Well, it was very shortly after starting the ride that I realized that IT WAS TIME TO GET SERIOUS! Admittedly, I was wearing a LOT of clothes and that takes some power away from the pedals but DAMN, I was slow! It took me about 20 minutes longer to get home than what it usually takes in the summer. I was trying to keep my effort constant and at a maintainable level and still with 45 minutes left to ride, I was running outta gas. Oh well, turn on the head lights (getting dark by then) and man up.

I knew this was going to happen - work on strength and bike endurance and power suffer - but still, IT IS TIME TO GET SERIOUS! I trust this will pay off later in the season, that my power will be a notch up when it counts but right now, a part of me wonders if I haven't hosed myself. The last couple years, I hit early season pretty fit. I did not go thru the "I hate early season" blues. But I never really came around like I would have liked. I hope that the decision to try to regain lost strength will pay off but for now - I HATE EARLY SEASON!

Capitol City Loop

d.blomme
First serious ride dealing with ice/snow after fractured wrist - I'm good enough to go!

Lattitude Adjustment

Fo Smith

I've had a pretty good winter.  Probably the best one I've had since I moved to Wisconsin from Oklahoma almost five years ago.  There, I'd say we got maybe 6 weeks of what would be considered "Winter", and adjusting to the longer, harsher, more brutal winter almost took its toll on me.  For whatever reason, I've managed to be positive this winter and have been out riding in weather I would have never considered being out in back home.  Now, riding out when its 20 degrees with ice/slush/packed snow/salt/sand all over the roads really isn't a big deal.  Combine that with skate skiing almost every day and I've had a helluva productive winter.  I've managed to shed almost all of the weight that had kind of crept up on me during the past 4 years. I guess I'm ready to see what happens.  

I'm incredibly fortunate to work where I work and to have cool supportive folks around me all day.  I'm also lucky to have fallen into this team.  Just when I was in need of a place to land team-wise, this one kind just kind of "happened", and its super cool to be riding for a bike team based out of Trek's world HQ!!  

2011 Team Kit

Beautiful and sexy . A little bit of love will be wrapped around the team this year in the form of our new kits.

 

Snow Cross in February?

scott.v

I've come to terms that the weekends involve long rides on questionable surfaces because long rides are required this time of year. And hey, its still winter here in Wisconsin and winter in Wisconsin its cold, and cold leads to frozen water, and frozen water is slippery - leading to the aforementioned questionable surfaces.
I don't like creaky bikes. I don't like mechanical noise that would otherwise interfere with the sounds of a ride. I try hard to keep my bikes in excellent mechanical condition. I choose the words mechanical condition because they are usually very filthy - but work oh so sweet. By this logic, I don't like studded tires for the whir they make on patches of pavement sandwiched between the questionable surfaces. So I go without.
I had a great ride this weekend on the Badger State Trail south of Fitchburg. I avoid the roads in winter as I really hate the blast of salt spray from passing vehicles. 1 or 2 blasts is manageable but after a while, those blasts end up coating everything and can lead to some terrible salt rashes. I'll stop there.
My ride ended up being close to 4 hours and it was remarkably pleasant given the temperature. As I worked my way home towards a warm shower and well deserved beer, I came across a non-plowed bike path. (Madisonians are very fortunate in that this is a very rare occurrence.) I'd been riding for about 30 seconds on this bike path and my thought process went something like this. "I'm sure glad I chose to ride my cross bike today for the extra traction.....WHAM!!!!!??????!!!!"
It seems that nice little 2" of snow that covered up all the brown snow also covered up the ice on the bike path. After a chuckle and reminder to myself to take more care, I continued on. WHAM. Down I went again. It was still funny. WHAM for the 3rd time.
NOT.
FUNNY.
AT.
ALL.
I ordered studded tires this morning.