TDF - Stages 1 and 2, and Training

TDF: Can't believe it but, their OLN is broadcasting the TDF in HIGH DEF!!! Now this is really living in luxury! Makes the racing way more vivid and intense...

Stage 1 - I thought Cancellara would win...and he did by a big margin. LA did really good coming in 10th? He should get better as the race goes on...so who knows what will happen on the Astana team. Could it be another Hinault (Armstrong) vs Lemond (Contador) soap opera type of TDF???

Stage 2 - What a fabulous finish for Japanese rider Yukiya Arashiro of BBOX Bouygues Telecom - who came in 5th place sprinting against best in the world!!! I hope this wasn't just a one time flash and I hope he can contend in all the future sprints. Cavendish, as usual, was just too fast for anyone pulling out a 2 or 3 bike win...I think the only way you beat him is to jump first, and force Cavendish to come around your top speed.

4th of July Weekend Training - I'm hoping I didn't over do it.....got in 2.5 on Friday, 3.5 on Saturday, and 2.5 today...not bad considering how cr@ppy my pulled groin muscles feel. I even did 4 loops of Aliamanu on Friday, the first medium hard climbing I've done in probably 2 months or so. On Saturday I did about 2 hours in the CRAZY crazy 4th of July trafic with the T-man. And today, wanting to just take it easy, I rode my old school Bridgestone - which is always retro fun!

But, what WASN'T fun, was using some large leaves (as gloves) to work out a kink in the B-stone's non-DuraAce chain under Nimitz Highway! On a bike you don't ride often, don't ever buy anything else BUT DA, unless you want your chain to rust and kink...

Malaekahana 40k TT

Last Sunday was the annual 40k TT out at Malaekahana. As usual, got there a little later than I wanted to, and combined with a early start, I got in a shorter warm up than usual...NONE. Straight from the car right to the start line.

Conditions were rainy for the first couple miles and extra extra windy. In fact, the winds hit 48mph out at Kahuku. On the way out, I decided to ease into the race for the first 10 minutes or so to try and work up to my race effort. After about 15 or 20 minutes I finally felt pretty good - I was feeling good all week actually.

It was really really windy and I got to the turn-a-round in about 32 minutes or so...no worry, I knew I would have a raging tail wind on the way back. Well, it wasn't as much of a tail (more of a side) as I thought it would be...either that or I was losing power.

Because I was feeling good all week, I really thought I could do another 57 something, but I stopped the clock in 59:09. Not really all that happy with my time, but considering most people rode slower this year than last year, I could only feel good that I matched my last year time (59:11) in probably the toughest conditions I've ever did this race in.

Another thing I could feel good about, was that I was probably the fastest "dork" sporting a side mirror!!! That thing probably puts out some massive drag, but, I figured considering the rainy conditions, I wanted to ride in the road whenever possible - not having to weave in and out of the shoulder over the slippery painted lines and blot-dots. I ended up riding on the faster and smoother road for about 98% of the ride and I never once looked back to see how the traffic was. I figured it was probably a wash considering...and I felt a lot safer too...

Me w/ mirror :-)
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/orderpage.aspx?pi=0NKM000J000097&po=97

For sure next year I need to go back to my 10/1 intervals to really push the anaerobic threshold...this year I only did long non-stop 30 to 60 minute sessions and never really hurt myself like those 10 minute intervals do. I just didn't have that extra toughness to push through those sections where it got tougher.

ALSO, I have GOT to get me a disk rear wheel...all the way back during the race ALL I could think about was those charts which show how a disk can "push" you along in strong side winds (high yaw angles). See: http://www.hedcycling.com/aerodynamics_technology/

The D-man also did this race and did the fastest time he's ever done in the tough conditions - he even beat "most" of the riders he "planned" to beat.....like all the g..ls lol...
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/orderpage.aspx?pi=0NKM000J000102&po=102

RESULTS (June 21, 2008 Malaekahana 40km TT)
1 2 MIKE ZAGORSKI Elite Men 1/2/3 0:53:56.85 27.6
2 24 TONY LANG Master Men 30+ 0:56:21.95 26.4
3 16 RAY BRUST Master Men 30+ 0:56:46.50 26.2
4 69 TAI BLEWCHTA Elite Men 1/2/3 0:57:45.85 25.8
5 22 KEVIN KAWAINUI Master Men 30+ 0:58:02.90 25.6
6 8 AARON WALLEN Senior Men 4/5 0:58:03.05 25.6
7 31 EDUARDO SA Master Men 30+ 0:58:41.05 25.3
8 60 CARL BROOKS Elite Men 1/2/3 0:58:43.10 25.3
9 1 GARY SHIELDS Master Men 50+ 0:59:01.50 25.2
10 27 MICHAEL OKURA Master Men 30+ 0:59:03.40 25.2
11 28 STEVEN SERIKAKU Master Men 30+ 0:59:09.50 25.1
12 18 MIKE FERREIRA Master Men 30+ 0:59:31.50 25.0
13 66 GREG PRICE Master Men 30+ 0:59:58.00 24.8
14 25 DAVID LUM Master Men 30+ 1:00:22.60 24.6
15 7 CASEY TUCKER Senior Men 4/5 1:00:29.90 24.6
16 13 BEN SAMBRANO Senior Men 4/5 1:00:40.15 24.5
17 45 DAVID SUMIDA MASTER MEN 50+ 1:00:52.95 24.4
18 61 DAN MILLER Elite Men 1/2/3 1:00:56.60 24.4
19 70 JOHN CLIMALDI Elite Men 1/2/3 1:00:56.65 24.4
20 37 DEVERY ANDREWS Master Men 30+ 1:01:07.60 24.3
21 3 NGUYEN LE Elite Men 1/2/3 1:01:08.55 24.3
22 10 TROY KEIPPER Senior Men 4/5 1:01:36.95 24.1
23 63 JAMES MCGUIRE Master Men 30+ 1:01:47.75 24.1
24 33 MIKE ABBOTT Master Men 30+ 1:02:49.75 23.7
25 29 JASON SMITH Master Men 30+ 1:02:54.70 23.7
26 26 DARIN MIYAMURA Master Men 30+ 1:03:14.55 23.5
27 11 NOEL CAOAGAS Senior Men 4/5 1:04:01.50 23.2
28 19 MIKE FUJITA Master Men 30+ 1:04:02.15 23.2
29 32 ROBERT ROY Master Men 30+ 1:04:10.65 23.2
30 56 MICHELLE FOSTER Master Women 30 1:04:14.00 23.2

Micheal Jackson...

Wow.....I'm still in a sort of shock...he was the Baddest...and only 50...life is sometimes too short...

Tonight, on my way home, a lot of stations were playing Micheal Jackson tributes and I gotta say...when I heard Off the Wall on the stereo, I couldn't help but to start grooving and singing along really loud...and suddenly my eyes unexpectedly welled up...man...I guess he had a deeper affect on me than I knew...

Here is one of my ALL TIME favorite MJ songs that, from what I can remember, wasn't getting overplayed like every 30 seconds on the radio back in '87...in fact, I still am rocking this big time on my Ipod and everytime I hear it...the pace automatically gets cranked up a few notches...

Micheal Jackson - Dirty Diana
Also gotta LUV the way this song just builds and builds and with Michael just laying it out - and that electric guitar just ripping it up in, MAN.....makes you so AMPED!!!

Best Thing Since Sliced Bread...

1# of Homemade Bread!!!

Prepped, stacked and ready for bread maker action...
Hot, awesome crunchy crust, soft and fluffy, delicious, and so good smelling...

After getting my shipment right on time from Amazon (only 2 days w/ free shipping) and buying "bread" specific flour (more gluten), I got through 2 loafs of bread with the Zo this weekend. One basic regular white and one french, both soooo good. Should have bought this thing years ago...you'll never see me buying bread ever again!

No excuse for not having enough carbs during my workouts now.

Carbo Time...Homemade Style...

After a ton of research.....got this coming, supposedly on the 28th...

Mini Elephant "Zo" bread maker...supposedly the best bread machine that's not the size of a grand piano. I could have gotten away much cheaper with the Panasonic bread maker, or spent a little more for the top-of-the-line Zo machine, but those were just way too BIG.

Now on to doing the research on what is the best bread flour and yeast.

With all the riding I've been doing, this will help with the carbo loading for sure...

100 to Zero in 2...

Today, I got a flat like I never had before...

On a slight turn, riding in the middle of the road by Salt Lake library, I ran over some d@mn unseen %$^@%$*&@!!! scum piece of metal and puctured my still almost new EVO CX front tire and was down to the rim in like 2 seconds. Pretty scary when you think about it...what if I was doing 30+.....no wonder the pros ride on tubulars...

The tire still looks salvagable...so I decided to try one of those shoe goo repairs...

But, in case the tire is ruined...I was so p!ssed that I ran down to McCully tonight and bought their last EVO CX. They only have the old 290 tpi tires...there are new 320 tpi ones out now!

Anyways...I still can't get over how good these tires ride and grip...and with my new rims, how fast the setup is...

New Wheels...

After hearing so much about how good my 30mm deep Kinlin with aero spokes are, my brother is thinking of going one "deeper" with a set of these 41mm S 4.0 Soul Wheels. Total weight about 70 or 80 grams or so heavier than my Kinlins, but, the weight is all in the rims.

The Soul hubs weigh in at 72g (Front) and 202g (Rear), 274g pair (weight without skewers). My two DA hubs weighed about 430 grams or so. That means the rims will probably weigh about 105 grams more per rim - say about 565 grams per rim with the wheel set weighing 1,680 grams. This is for the black set, cause the white rims weigh 30 grams more each - probably for the paint.

Soul also makes a set pretty close to my Kinlins, their S 3.0 with a 30mm deep rim and total weight of only 1,480 due to the lighter hubs. Hummmm....what do you choose.....increased weight or better aerodynamics???

In any event, the S 4.0 is pretty reasonable at only $420 shipped!

http://bikesoul.com/2009/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25&Itemid=36