Malabar road race - Game on (Finally)!

After a month-long break from racing due to Ohio's notorious wet and snowy weather, Saturday's sunny weather allowed the Malabar race to take place without a hitch. The temperature hovered around 40 degrees at the start of the race and as usual, the winds were pretty strong all day. Teamroll: was well represented with roughly 10 riders lining up in the various races.

Mark LaYacona, George Conti, Marco Corroto, Woody Barry and me were in the Masters race and the field was the largest we have seen this season. The traditional hill top finish was changed to a flat sprint finish near the start area.

Our field stayed together for the first lap. After the 2nd time up the big hill a moment of indecision by the field allowed a Torelli rider to establish a pretty large gap off the front. Fearing that this gap would stay away a few of us began taking turns working to pull it back and this created a break of about 5 riders that would end up staying away the rest of the race. The work paid off and we caught the break on the flat section a few miles from the finish area.

The final time up the climb another Torelli rider made a perfectly timed attack and both Torelli riders were away and would not be caught. I jumped and worked hard for a few miles to catch the two riders but just didn't have the horsepower today to make it happen. Their attack was a text book move in my book. In hindsight I may have been able to stay with the attack if I had reacted to it more quickly. I finished 3rd which was my best result at Malabar.

No race again this weekend

Same old story for the 4th week in a row - no race this weekend. Today is Good Friday and from a weather standpoint I would actually call it "Great Friday". The temp peaked out around 50 degrees at my place with beautiful sunny and skies and not a cloud to be seen in the sky.

Despite today's spring-like weather the forecast for tomorrow is a rain/snow mix with temperatures in the 30's. If the weather plays out according to forecast then postponing the race was the right thing to do since the roads in the Hocking Hills are no fun when they are slick.

Not much more to say other than I hope things finally turn around by next weekend...

Breaking Training (Kind of)

Every year in March I get together with a group of friends from my college days for a weekend getaway to the Hocking Hills. As we get older and many of us have ever increasing responsibilities it becomes harder for our group to spend time together and catch up. But this annual weekend is so much fun that everyone tries hard to clear their schedule for this annual getaway.

Our destination each March is Fox Glove Lodge located near Old Man's Cave. The cabin is beautiful and has a fireplace, hot tub, satellite TV, pool table and nearly any other amenity one could want. One of my friends even brought a DJ setup to mix music each night and it was a big hit with our group (he also brought along a fog machine which was pretty cool until it set off the smoke alarm and had to be turned off). Combine this with plenty of adult beverages and copious quantities of great food and you have the makings of a fun weekend.

Since the Hocking Hills is also a great area for cycling I brought my bike with me and was able spend a couple hours in the saddle riding hills on Saturday. Since next weekend's race is the Tour of Hocking Hills I was interested in checking out the roads and I must say I hope the rain in the forecast cleans them up this week. The roads I climbed included Revenge, Jack Run, Stump Hollow and Snortin Ridge. The cinders and sand on Stump Hollow were ground into a wet greasy paste and I lost traction on the ascent. I had to get off my bike before reaching the top. The trip down the other side was pretty dicey and I spent a lot of time on the brakes. Jack Run was a bit cleaner which is good since this may be part of our race course on Saturday. Road condition could be a factor in this race.

After coming home Sunday morning I was able to make it to Alum Creek for our club ride at 1:00. Despite indulging myself over the weekend I was able to spend some quality time on the bike both days. Hopefully I can have a good training week and be ready to suffer this coming weekend.

teamroll: weekly ride season kicks off at Beehive Books

Some of the early arrivals at tonight's season kickoff ride at Beehive Books (below):

Fortunately the rain that was originally forecast for today held off and we were able to kickoff Teamroll:'s weeknight ride season at Beehive Books in Delaware. Our group of 12 riders hit the road promptly at 6:00 and we ended up riding close to 25 miles before dusk forced us back to the hive.

Tonight's weather was awesome and the temperature was close to 60 degrees as we rolled out of the parking lot. It's hard to believe that one week ago everyone was bracing for a blizzard. That's Springtime in Ohio.

Unlike Tuesday night's hammerfests, the Thursday night rides are typically ridden at a social pace but tonight's average was just a click under 20 mph. This was probably due to the group's "spring fever" and the fact that many of us were riding together for the first time this season. It also didn't hurt to have strongmen like Cadillac George, Pantani, Dave Chambers and the talented young Andy Will up front pulling the train. Upcoming Thursday night rides will be less brisk than tonight.

Hopefully tonight's ride is a sure sign that spring is on the way. These weeknight rides are a nice opportunity to get out on the road and meet fellow club members. It will be great to see larger swarms of riders in the upcoming weeks.

Ten Points

I recently finished reading Ten Points by Bill Strickland. Bill is the executive editor of Bicycling Magazine and this book is the story of his pursuit to score 10 points in a weekly racing series in his Pennsylvania hometown.

Bill writes about the sacrifice and training required to hang with the pack and those of us who are fellow cyclists can relate to his story and appreciate his experiences. The images he shares of racing in the thick of the pack and working to hold a wheel during these weekly criterium races are very vivid and I could almost feel my heart rate increase as I turned each page.

Cycling is only half the story of this book. Bill uses his racing experience to try and overcome some disturbing demons of abuse that he endured as a child and a few of the memories he shares are a bit disturbing at times. After finishing this book I felt even more grateful for the normal family and happy home I was blessed with as a kid.

Anyone who has ever tried their hand at bike racing will relate to Bill's struggles, defeats and accomplishments. An easy read, I would recommend this book to my fellow cycling friends. I'm sure you can pick up a copy at Beehive Books in Delaware.

Blizzard of 2008

For Sale: 2004 Giant TCR. Full Carbon w/ Dura Ace. Good condition. May be willing to trade for a sled, cross country skis or snow shoes.

No I'm not selling my bike (no calls please) but the thought entered my mind while digging out from last night's White Death. With all the unseasonal heavy snow we continue to see, outdoor road riding has been drastically curtailed. Kinda makes me wonder if the 'ole road bike will see any action this season. I'll have to give our local weather guys credit, it looks like their forecast was right on. 12" of snow fell at my house and after shoveling last night and again this morning a nap may be needed before jumping on the trainer to start today's AT intervals.

Everyone in our club has been eagerly awaiting tonight's time change as we prepare to "spring ahead" and begin our weekly club rides from Beehive Books on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Right now it is hard to imagine we will be riding outside next week since the snow now on the roads is likely to stay with us for awhile.

Needless to say it is highly unusual to see this kind of snow fall in March and this is probably one of the heaviest snowfalls we have seen since the "Big One" - the Blizzard of '78. I was a young pup at that time and remember being snowed in the house with my family for several days. This was back before cable TV (at least for our family), the VCR or internet so it was a challenge for us to entertain ourselves. To make matters worse we were in the throws of an energy crisis and Jimmy Carter asked everyone to keep our thermostats turned way down. Schools and some businesses were closed for an extended period of time adding to the feeling of cabin fever.

One option for getting out and enjoying all the snow we received this weekend is to do some cross country skiing at High Banks Metro Park located north of Columbus off of Rt. 23. I may have to give this a go tomorrow afternoon when the roads will hopefully be cleared off enough for safe driving. It would be great to spend some non-shoveling time outside.

Come on Spring! Were ready for you.

White Death

Shut 'er down Baby! It's Friday morning. The roads are clear and the temp is 34 degrees. All the snow has melted from my yard and driveway. However, Tym cancelled tomorrow's race (for the 3rd consecutive week!) and most area schools are already scheduled for early dismissal this afternoon.

The reason for these actions? The approach of the White Death. The snow storm of the century that is expected to bring things to a standstill here in Central Ohio. Unbelievable.

Time will tell if we get hit with the predicted snowfall which could hit double digits by tomorrow. For now it looks like yet another weekend spent grinding away on the indoor trainer.

Arnold Classic Bike Race

On Thursday evening I came home from work and was disappointed to learn that Saturday's race at the Mid-Ohio sports car course had been postponed due to snow (the 2nd race postponement in as many weeks). Apparently racetracks do not fall under ODOT's snow plow responsibilities. I've never raced well at Mid-Ohio but I love riding on the course, going full bore through the corners of the silky smooth track. Hopefully Mid-Ohio will take place later this season.

One race option remained for the weekend - the inaugural Arnold Classic criterium on Sunday. I wasn't too excited about being in a criterium this early in the season but I decided at the last minute to give the race a go. Teammates Woody Barry, "Iron" Cadillac George Conti and I represented our team in the Masters race. Arnold himself was at the start, posse in tow, as the official starter of our race and it was pretty cool to see him make an appearance.

The masters started a minute or so after the 3-4's and our group stayed together for a few laps until 5-6 of us created a gap. One rider from Kreitler made a move off the front and we worked to pull him back. A few laps later another rider (Allied Decal?) attacked off the front and would stay away the rest of the race for a solo victory. That left the rest of us racing for 2nd place. About halfway through the race I felt myself starting to come off the back of the group but was able to work back onto a wheel.

Iron George (shown in photo below courtesy of Mike Perakis) was an animal today doing far more than his share of work pulling at the front. I'm not sure what he had for breakfast but I'll take two please. After about 40 minutes we heard "2 laps to go" and our group of 4 stayed together until the finish. Krietler and an Anthem rider had a bit more horsepower and crossed the line for 2nd & 3rd. I crossed the line with George to finish 4th and were both in the money. Not a bad days work but it became painfully clear to me that I have a lot more work to do as the season progresses.

Overall Team roll: was well represented today with Mike Perakis in the 4-5 race and both Josh Morrow and John Price mixing it up in the huge 3-4 field. Andy Will raced well in the 1-2-3 race. We even had cheerleaders today: Mel Corroto, Amanda Orr, Amy Reese and Eva Simon. Along with Tom Will, Marco was there coaching us on and resting his legs so he can kick some serious butt next weekend.

There's no way 3 races in a row can be snowed out - is there?