FLASH-POINT BLOG ARCHIVE: Feb 2008

The Tour of California finished at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena this weekend, which was perfect for me; it's less than 10 miles from where I live, and was along roads which I ride and run on all the time. I knew all the secret back roads to avoid street closures and park for free very close to the Bowl.

I met up with people from the Pasadena Tri Club who had a tent set up 150 meters from the finish line. It was obviously pretty crowded where we were, and with all of the people leaning over the barricades I found that it was easier to sit on the pavement and stick my camera through the rails to get photos. It worked pretty well, until the rain came.

The cyclists made 6 laps past us, and it may sound crazy but it's true; every time they rode by, it would start to rain more. After they left, the rain would lighten up or stop completely. (In fact, once the race was over the sun immediately came out and gave us a huge rainbow over the Rose Bowl. Freaky.) I was grateful to be sitting under the tent, but I still got soaked from the mist created by the bikers and support vehicles whipping by. I would especially like to thank the good people from Zipp for giving me a beautiful catalog at the expo; I used it to sit on to keep my butt dry. (Yes, I did go back to their tent for a new copy after the race.)

I didn't see the actual finish, but no matter. Just watching the peloton go by, or rather FEELING it go by is amazing. Yes, you get better coverage on TV but there's just something special about actually being there.

About a dozen of us from my Tri Team did the Palm Springs Century Ride: 100 miles through the desert. I've done running races and triathlons but this was the first time I had ever done a bike-only event. It was a little chaotic getting 10,000 cyclists to start all at the same time (there were several distances to choose from) but we battled the crowd to find some open road. This was very specifically a "ride" and not a race, so although we weren't lazy along the course, we didn't exactly go all out either.

Most of the course was pretty nice. Very moderate hills and wide open roads. I was able to spend a lot of extended time on my aerobars; many of my rides are on winding hills or city streets so I don't get to stay down in the aero position for too long. It was a good feeling.

When I think of support stops along a race, I think of a few folding tables with water and Gatorade on them. But with this ride, every twenty miles they had giant rest areas with school bands playing and TONS of food. Sandwiches. M&Ms. Pretzels. Protein, sugar, carbs... Everything you wanted. We probably spent far more time at the rest areas than we should have, but it did allow the faster and slower riders from our group to meet up. And it had by far the best group of support volunteers I've ever seen. People were coming up to me out of the blue and asking if they could fill up my water bottles with water and gatorade. The volunteer were mostly students and they did a tremendous job. They were helpful, friendly, and they anticipated our needs before we asked.

Because this was not a race, the roads were open to traffic. It didn't make much of a difference when we were out in the desert but it became pretty frustrating for the last 10 miles when we came back into town. It seemed that there was a traffic light every quarter mile or so. Often more frequently than that. We would get bunched up at a light, try to clip back in and break free from the pack to get back up to speed and then just have to stop again. After 90 miles, I just wanted to be done.

I think we all felt pretty good after the ride. (Partly because we took our time at the rest stops and partly because of the post-ride margaritas.) I don't think I'd want to try it again in August, but riding through the desert can actually be pretty nice.

Actually I'm here husband Brian. I also have a blog called : theadventuresoftaconiteboy.blogspot.com Where I pretend to be the blogosphere's first superhero. If you want to hear more about crazy superhero tri talk, tune into the Tacboy n' Bigun's podcast. Available 24/7 on iTunes!

Moving on from that shameless plug. I have a confession. I love Kari's flash points.

OK..I stole her flash points.

Let's just say that I found an opportunity to use them due to some injuries that she had last year. I am not a serious age group triathlete, but I do like to work hard when I'm on the bike. What a joy these wheels were to ride. The first time I tried them out last year, I instantly noticed was how comfortable my tri-bike rode. The FP's really cushioned and dampened the road vibrations which was a welcome benefit considering I was training for Ironman Wisconsin! This was not my main objective with placing these wheels on my bike, but it sure was a welcome one.

The speed benefit can really be appreciated on these wheels as your speed nears 17-22 miles per hour. I liken it to riding in a 'slot'. When you enter this rigid track, due to the aerodynamic design of the wheels, you were pure power and speed. It's awesome!

The bottom line is that these wheels provide comfort and increased efficiency during your rides. Whether your training for a sprint triathlon or the full Ironman distance, you'll find these well priced carbon wheels a great addition to your triathlon gear!

Have a great season!


Brian (Taconite Boy)

Last weekend I went for a ride along the Pacific Coast Highway, starting in Malibu. It sounds beautiful, and in many ways it is. You have tall rock cliffs to the east and wide open ocean too the west. Unfortunately, you also have some real narrow shoulders and construction zones to deal with.

I didn't pay close attention when the ride leader was discussing the route. The PCH is pretty much the only road leaving Malibu. The ride leader even said "don't worry, you can't get lost." I overheard him say something about heading towards Camarillo, the 101 freeway, and a Texaco station. So it seemed like we'd just take the PCH until we hit a TExaco station by a freeway, where we would get some snacks and turn around. Perfect.

About 10 miles into the ride my chain fell off. Normally that's not a big deal, I probably had it back on in under a minute. But I did fall behind the pack. And I guess they continued to pull away. The PCH is pretty hilly and windy at times, so if you lose a couple hundred yards the group can be completely out of sight. That's what happened. They were a fast group and I couldn't catch up.

The PCH can get pretty lonely. I went another 20 miles without seeing them, and there are no houses, gas stations or stores along the route. I came up on a road veering off to the right with a sign that said "bike path", but I figured when it doubt, stick to the main road. So I forged ahead.

The road soon became wider, straighter, smoother. It just didn't seem right, but I continued on for a few miles. You may wonder at what point I realized that I was on the wrong road; that was probably when the police officer pulled me over.

Yes, one of Oxnard's finest stopped me to let me know I wasn't allowed to ride a bike on a freeway. Freeway? Well that would explain why all the cars were whizzing by me so quickly. (To be fair, most freeways in L.A. are 5 or 6 lanes across each way; this was only 2 lanes each way, so it wasn't a huge expressway.) I told him I had no idea where I was, but that I needed to get to a Texaco in Camarillo. He told me to take the next exit and gave me directions to get me back on course.

By sheer luck, about 1 mile out of Camarillo I saw my group coming back so I turned around to ride back with them. I missed out on the rest stop (and getting a snack, and using the rest room) but at least I was riding with the group again.

Next time I'm told "you can't get lost", I won't believe them.

Biking on the trainer...

Beneficial, or time better spent elsewhere?

I seem to have conflicting advice coming at me from differing sides of the coaching spectrum.

On the 'Beneficial' side of the rainbow, we have the fact that you are getting time in the saddle, and that you are on your bike, something that Spinning can't provide. You're upping your comfort level on the bike and improving your biking muscles. Plus, trainers are good in that you have to keep turning those legs constantly... there is no 'glide' on a trainer.

But, near the 'Time Wasted' pot of gold, we've got the claim that aerobically, it would be better to simply up your running mileage, and wait until Spring to hit the bike. If you're in good aerobic shape, and do some weight lifting (ahem, squats), you'll be in good enough shape to get in some real biking when the weather breaks. In other words, riding on the trainer is just kind of biding your time, and you can do better things with that time...

So, coaches and coachees, what do you think? Any more advice for the unwise? I would love to be convinced either way, because right now I'm floating somewhere in no-man's middle-land, and I'm not one to tolerate that for long.

You know how I know?

Because I'm eating everything in sight, all the time.

My food bill has more than doubled, and I finished 3 people's meals at the post-run breakfast this morning.

And yes, I'm going to get fat.

Because somehow, all the training makes me STARVING, but doesn't contribute to weight loss. I know, because scales at every single gym I frequent (4!) all vouch for my lack of weight loss, and indeed, to my weight gain.

16+ hours of working out a week and I'm gaining weight. Awesome. I would ask someone to please explain to me how that's possible... but I'm a relatively smart girl and I understand the simple calories in/calories out equation. Somehow, the 'calories in' just seem to win out day after day...

I just really like food; I have a hard time depriving myself, especially when I'm constantly hungry. And to top it all off, it's really difficult to eat healthily all the time; when you're eatingeatingeating, after a while it's annoying to try to find vegetables or fruit or lean chicken...all you want is a pop-tart...or a cheeseburger with sweet potato fries and a beer.