Can't Complain

I'm looking forward, friends. First race of my season will be next Saturday and I am loving this nervous/excited feeling I am getting. I do want to race more this year and that means I will have to find challenging, exciting races to keep me going. I really hope that joining up with a team will afford me some sort of role in races we go to. Whether it's to protect a strong rider or that I'm the one going for the win, I want to step up my racing. It has been a long winter, but when is it not a long winter for anyone?

I had a very successful interview Friday afternoon. I from from Indiana, PA to Fairfax, VA, then to Manassas, VA and then back to Indiana. Of course I mentioned my drive from PA to the two that were interviewing me for two reasons. Reason #1: I was late and although I stopped home beforehand and could have left from there a bit earlier I really did not expect (remember) all the traffic that was going to hit at 3:00 in the afternoon on a Friday. I called them letting them know I would be late and they were happy to wait up. Reason #2: Again I did not mention that I stopped home first, but the fact remains that I drove 3-4 hours from PA for this interview. With all that said and done I was happy to be there and I think they were happy to have waited up. They said that I seem like I would be a very good fit with them and they were excited about my cycling experience. On top of that, they complimented my style and mentioned that I was probably the best dressed applicant they have ever had. Thank you! The job is very interesting and once I pass a drug test I will be set to start the Monday after graduation! (Here is a link to the job listing so you can see what it entails.)

With this job and racing on the weekend, I will really be getting more acquainted with the bike this summer. How perfect! Although it is a seasonal position, I will take what I can get and I would enjoy working more with them after the summer, but I guess we'll have to see about that. They have company bikes and those thing are heavy. Challenge accepted.

Anyway, I have four hours to ride and me writing this post is a bit more of my procrastination to that. It'll be on the trainer and I'm okay with that... I guess. With a race finally upon me next weekend I am a happy camper. Get a load of this...

This was my Saturday... Wake up, check weather, settle for having to ride on the trainer because it's too cold out, eat breakfast, find all the live race feeds, get everything ready for the ride, hop on, and enjoy the life I live. Thanks for reading.

Mind Blown

I have to write this now while I still have the excited mojo flowing. I read this tweet from Jeremy Powers today. "Go to www.therollercam.com and join in on the fun @ryantkelly@iamtedking and @johnswah are there live commentating... "


This got me wondering what www.therollercam.com was. I investigate and I find exactly what it is. Cyclists on rollers and trainers "Broadcasting" their rides for the world to see. Jpows and Ted King were there chatting it up with people... and me! How cool is that!?!


Now I get how some of you may not think this is cool and really don't understand what is up with what I'm talking about. Here it is. I don't know how it started or who started it, but this site is really all about beating that boredom so many face with winter training. I think someone said that usually only new england folk are there... which makes sense. I don't see them riding outside much up there these days...

Anyway, the site is like a chat room for the bored indoor slaves of training and even some fans!

Basically, this is how I rocked it. I was a little nervous before. I mean. Indoor training... I'm not one to usually have spectators... fans even. I had a blast!


Todays ride was particularly better than yesterdays. I had an hour and a half with "Spin-Ups." For those that don't know and... well it will make sense why i'm telling you now... For the spin-up workout, I have to warm up nicely and then for a minute build up my spinning cadence to a max, and then try to hold that max for as long as I can. I repeated this after rests 5 times throughout my workout. I have to keep in mind my breathing and relaxation of my legs and feet and just let the legs spin. The fastest I've been able to read on my computer is 180 rpms. 


Anyway, I talked up the workout a bit to those watching and they were digging it! They were happy to see some suffering and a little painface to the site. I was happy to give it. It's a bit flashy, but I had fun and it's a once a week kind of workout.


One fellow in particular ("corgi") made a drinking game out of it! I have no idea who he is, but he chugged a beer at I think 4 of my spin-ups when he saw what was up. This turned into a great workout and I am already meeting some really cool kids and dare I say... fans?! This totally makes up for yesterday and I'll be back tomorrow for a 4 hour ride. I will say it made me look better than I am, but it's all about the fun. If anyone wants to see me ride... anyone can. It's great. Have a chat... I'll be trying to find some way to ignore how monotonous my trainer rides usually are and I hope to meet some of these people at races and make some cool friends.


Thanks for reading and new readers too!

Pain and Anger

Today's trainer ride was probably the worst I have yet to have. It is hard to explain or sum up, but I will try to give a picture of it. Honestly, I have never been more angry (about pain) on a bike ride.

Today's workout called for three hours total with an "M2" workout tossed in. That M2 is described as a set amount of time in a zone 3 heart rate. Last week, I had the exact same workout and I felt great about it... during and after. Even before I have a sort of anxious excitement. A lot of workouts will have me going for this amount of time in just a zone 2 hr, but with the season creeping closer, I'm "allowed" to get my hear rate up during workouts a little more. It is fun to be able to do this. Something to break up the monotony is welcomed so before this ride, as I'm walking to and from classes, I am kind of waiting to just get to the ride and finally feel a bit more than usual.

Anyway, during last week's workout I decided that I would go with an hour and 15 minutes at a zone 3 heart rate inside the three hours. The most I'm "allowed" to do is an hour and a half, so I figured I would work up to an hour and a half for this week since it is going to be my longest week yet (some effort.... some pain... no big deal). So, after an hour and 20 minutes of not-so-great zone 2 riding, I crank up my intensity and try to figure out where I would find a nice zone 3 heart rate. Only problem... my legs were screaming!

I couldn't get it. Why was I feeling like I was pushing such a high gear? I was examining my bike computer expecting my heart rate to begin to go way up, but it didn't. I wasn't understanding. I then checked my breathing and noticed it wasn't any harder than I might expect. I wasn't sucking wind, but my legs felt like they were driving through mud. I had plenty of water and have been working on drinking throughout the day for hydration's sake. I even make a quick check to my rear brake-pads to see if they were somehow rubbing my rims, but even if they were, and that was causing me to be strained... my heart rate would be going up. Another glance back at my computer was telling me I should be fine.

All during this, I was getting mad. Angry. I couldn't understand why my legs were bitching and my heart rate wasn't sky-rocketing. Now I'm getting really mad. My legs were not allowed to be in so much pain. Not now. Not this early... or even late in my training. And this pain was happening right as I upped my gears. It wasn't how it usually happens... maybe after a goo tough hour or two of riding and/or riding at a higher heart rate. I had a good breakfast and lunch too. I could feel my furrowed brow and my anger driving through my pedal strokes.

I have never felt this emotion on the bike before and I didn't like it. I was angry and I was not going to let myself quit. I don't mean to say "look at what I can go through." No. I mean it was as if I was so mad at my legs for hurting like that, that I was not going to stop and give in. If they wanted to hurt and keep hurting, I would give them a reason to. I have no idea what kind of wattage I was putting out and I frankly don't care. My heart rate was steady in zone 3 and I was going to suffer through this.

My "not-so-good" zone 2 of an hour and 20 minutes before this serious pain was admittedly really bad. My left leg felt like it was not getting blood. That is just my guess. There was like dulling, numb-tingling feeling coupled with a little more pain than I usually encounter. My right leg was not much better, but I could really feel something was off in my left. I don't know if this is what caused it. It certainly didn't make my heart try to pump any faster when I upped the gears. I just don't get it. I even thought to pull up a fan and plop it on my desk, facing it towards me, (something I never do) aiming it at my core, to see if maybe I was overheating and that would lower the pain in my legs. That didn't work and again, I would just suffer through.

They say suffering is a real part of cycling. I'm not going to get all philosophical about this, but I remembered that today. I was angry. I was mad like how I get mad when something doesn't work as it should... like when my cycling computer won't turn on, and there is no reason (that I can figure out) why it won't. Except, I was really mad today and I think it was because I couldn't blame it on my bike or some faulty component. It was me. I was the one not functioning correctly. I am someone that can be very hard on himself. I couldn't get why I wasn't working right, but I know things will be better. I'm not worried.

Thanks if you read this whole stupid rant. Nothing was really resolved, I know.

All Day

All I've had to do today is ride my bike. I guess there was that one information paper i had to fill out for a management class, but that wasn't hard. What was hard... was getting through my 4 hours of riding today. I am in the middle of that 4 hours. My legs were just not feeling it so I've decided to take a little break after 2 hours.

Break time...

and back on the bike I go to watch the Steelers take on the Jets for the AFC championship game. I'm not a terribly big football fan, but it's something to keep me distracted when the legs just won't shut-up.

Keep in mind, I don't have tv, so what I'm watching is some online stream from a site that I'll keep to myself. it's a weird kind of broadcast. I can definitely hear the talk, between the announcers, during the breaks. Weird.

It Won't Be My Longest

I've just hopped off the bike and finished my longest week of training yet. 17 hours of training done and I feel pretty good about it. I guess I can say it was tough, but with no school work and no other demands of a schedule or responsibility on me, this was not my toughest riding. Four weeks from now will prove tougher. I will have 18 hours of training to complete on top of school work and IUP Cycling Club responsibilities to keep up with.

Competitive cyclists will know that putting in these long hours of training, winter by winter, year by year, are important for success in the season and career. The legs have to go through these easier miles long before the more intense miles of racing. As the season gets closer, of course, more intense workouts will start to creep in and the long hours of easy riding will be more focussed and not as constantly lengthy.

Philippe Gilbert

My next week will be a recovery week of 8.5 hours. My body will enjoy the rest, but I have to keep in touch with my food intake. I want to eat enough, but not as much as I have for this demanding week.

Francesco Chicchi's facebook profile picture

Beyond riding, I have to get a few things sorted out for schools I am interested in going to next year. I really don't know where I will be, but I know I will find a way to keep cycling in the mix. I am very lucky to have it in my life like it is now!

Distracting Mind and Body

Distractions come in different forms for different riders. They come in different forms for me almost every day. Some days, especially last year, all I need is music. Whether I can sing along, or it's all new to me, music can almost always be the best distraction for my mind and body. Past that, I think it's a toss-up. I will look for many opportunities to get away.

Riding with a hook-up to distraction.

Sometimes, I will find some show on Hulu or other various sites to watch. Other times, if the Redskins are playing I will find a site that is streaming the live game. That has proved to be a perfect fit for 3+ hour rides of late. I can find almost any show to watch, but I do seem to ride through the episodes and seasons rather quickly. I honestly, don't feel like I need to watch every show there is and having to select the next episode over and over can just get annoying.

I'm not complaining or anything, but I've found a way that I really enjoy distracting myself lately. I have mentioned this distraction before (here), but it is certainly worth another note from me and listen from everyone.

Radiolab! I have become a HUGE fan of the episodes, inquiries, and explorations of this program. Radiolab is produced by NYU and distributed by NPR. The episodes are hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich assisted by a number of other producers and staff. In their own words from their About page: "Radiolab believes your ears are a portal to another world. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience. Big questions are investigated, tinkered with, and encouraged to grow. Bring your curiosity, and we'll feed it with possibility."

For me, they explore so many topics questioning conventional thinking and the limits of our minds. Each episode is 1 hour long (perfect for my rides) and they always have a way of keeping my interest- never sticking to a strict formula for their topics and exploration therein. The episode I have pictured above, "Falling," for example, talks about physically falling according to gravity, falling in love, falling asleep, cats falling, and other interesting concepts in and around the concept of falling. I know I'm not doing a great job of explaining here, but I urge you to take a listen with your free time. You will not be disappointed and, please, there is really no need to thank me.

Here you can find a listing of their episodes through the years. I am too scared too count the number of episodes they have and the number I have yet to listen to. I know that once I do that I will inevitably figure out how many hours that will be for my training and how soon I may run out of episodes. Honestly, this winter training schedule (17 hours this week) has really gotten me counting down the hours, minutes, and seconds of each and every ride I do. I love losing myself in complete mindful interest of these episodes, not worrying about how much time has past or how much discomfort I may be feeling.  When I do run out I think I will listen to them all over again because I know I will have missed some stuff they went through.

I really hope you can take a listen. They have 20 minute "Shorts" that can be enjoyed too! Let me know what you think too!

Oh, and back to my "distractions." Sometimes, I don't need anything, and the enjoyment of riding my bike and anticipation of the coming race season is really enough to keep me going (rare, but true). Thanks for reading.

More About Me

I was scrolling down my recent posts and I discovered that I've trailed away from how I began this blog. It is supposed to be about me and my riding with the occasional opinionated piece when I have nothing much else to blog about. Well, I guess I can't blame myself too much for steering a bit off how I began. Winter training is really not all that interesting day to day.

All I seem to do is ride on my trainer for hour on hour and day by day. To me, that's not too interesting. All that seems to change is the degree of pain my feet, butt, arms, legs, and body seem to be in. My stomach is kind of hurting just writing about it. Anyway, today was like every other day except for a nice treat in the middle.

Messy room, but getting it done with distractions helps.

After one hour today, my dad invited my sister and I to go out for Sushi! This has traditionally been a father-daughter thing, but I was glad to be invited along to break up my 3 and-a-half-hour ride and share with them my more recently acquired (it's been a year give or take) taste for sushi! I used to not ever want to try it, but with the help of a few friends, it has become a very welcome meal for me. After an hour on the bike, it was time for me to hop off. I showered and actually shaved for this outing. It just so happened that I felt very sickly on our way to the restaurant, and I was really worried the sushi would really throw me for a spin, but it was all good. I just ordered a coke and I was fine. I got back home and right back on the bike for my last 2.5 hours of the ride. It may sound easy, but sometimes I really have to find ways to keep my mind distracted from the monotony, pain, and sometimes sheer boredom.

I'm going to expand more on my rides and distractions in my next post. Thanks for reading.