Race Weekend

Yes my friends....race weekend is fast approaching. On Sunday I will be racing the NCN Huntington Tri/Du. This will be my first race post surgery. My knee has been feeling good. My cycling is pretty strong. My swim is okay.

I am preparing myself for the pain which is expected for a sprint tri. One mental trick I use is to remember that it is only one hour of intense racing. This is in contract to Ironman Lake Placid which is also on Sunday.

I have many friends who will be racing in Lake Placid. Some will crush the course, some will survive, some will complete their first IM. Thinking of them will push me during my own race.

Aimee and I love Lake Placid and had two great years at the race in '06 and '07.

In 2006 this was my bike.

I rented the ZIPP 404s and I feel they made a difference for the race.

This is my current bike with the Flashpoint 60's. This bike got me through Ironman Wisconsin. I could have some fun at Lake Placid with this bike. The long downhill into Keane is a blast.


So good luck to all my friends this weekend. Whether you are racing sprint or Ironman.

Game On.

Bike, Cables and Candles

2/2/2011

The snow accumulated pretty good at the beginning of the month. And it was cold also.



2/1/2011
I finally hooked up the DVD player to the new TV I bought back in September. The problem was I needed some cables. The S-Video cable sitting there.....no S-video on the new TV. Had to buy the component cables instead. Kind of a hassle.



1/31/2011
This candle was a center piece at the restaurant we had a family dinner at.

Get me home in time for dinner

1/14/11

This was the most important piece of paper in my possession on Friday. This was my ticket home after being in Alabama for the week.


1/15/11
Saturday I wanted to get in a bike workout but had to adjust my rear derailleur. That little screw above the "H" was adjusted about half a turn. The bike shifts great now.


1/16/11
Aimee and I spent the evening cooking dinner together. This risotto was accompanied by some artichoke hearts and walnuts. The salmon with red wine mushroom sauce was pretty damn good also.

Friday Bike Porn

It has been a long time since anyone has posted any bike porn. So in anticipation of the Spirit of Morgantown I took this movie of Aimee's Cervelo. We got this bike for her in preparation for the Half IM in West Virginia. She has already said how she feels her cycling has improved and she is ready to have a good bike segment on Sunday.

Enjoy and there will be a race report next week.

Bike Bits

Little things can mean a lot. I was replacing the brake levers on Aimee's tri bike. She didn't like the ultra aero Vision Tech levers. I had a spare set but was missing this part. I went to Bike Authority to pick up some parts I ordered and showed Mike what I needed.

It's not that big. He knew exactly what I needed. He had one in the parts bin of the workshop.

This little piece of metal, not medal, saved me anywhere from $20 - $40. That is why you should support your local bike shop (LBS). You can't get that type of service from the internet. I would have had to order a complete set of levers.

That little part has solidified my support of Bike Authority. They not only sponsor my team, Snakebite Racing, but they also make sure my......

Game Is On

My New Ride

I've had it for a while. Several workouts on the trainer. Can't wait to get it outside.

Enjoy the show.

Video should be fixed now.....small technical issues.

Flashpoint Bike Porn

Now who doesn't like bike porn, epsecially when simple cosmetic surgury can spice up any bike. Aimee did a Biathlon with her dad on Father's Day so I cleaned up her bike and put some new bar tape on. I also put the Flashpoint 60's on her bike to see what they would look like. I liked what I saw so I had her "race" on the wheels....she was more escorting her dad on the course.

I put black tape on the aerobar and that hawt robins egg blue on the handlebars.

After the race she commented on how she felt like a poser, especially when she wasn't riding very fast. Next race she can use the wheel set again and fly around the course.

I also put the FP 60's on my road bike, my beloved GT ZR3000. I'm gonna have to do a crit with these bad boys.

Game, and wheels, On.

Flash-Point Friday - Riding and Racing

I have managed to get several rides in on the Flash-Point 60s, including the Buzzard Duathlon. Of course as soon as I mentioned the wheels people are wanting pictures. There are several in this post to satisfy the need for bike porn. You will have to excuse the quality because the digital camera is on the fritz and the pics were taken with my Treo.

That's 60mm's of rim BABY! I soooo had to go with totally black tires. Completes the package. Remember that tires should match the rim, kindof like matching your belt and shoes.





What I first notice is their weight. Granted it's hard to tell what is happening on the bike since there are so many factors that go into riding. Things like fitness and weather can skew the results of how you perceive new equipment. I am entering the season very fit so I don't know if my bike rides feel great because of the wheels or my general riding fitness.



I do know I feel lighter with these wheels. The effort to spin the wheels is less than what I am used to, especially uphill. At the duathlon, I never felt "heavy" going up the hills....again....wheels or fitness?



Something else that other people have been writing about on the FP Blog, is the feel of the wheels on the road. The road dampening affect the carbon fiber as it eliminates the bumps on the road. That I haven't felt yet. I have a carbon fork already. I live in Cleveland where NO road is without imperfections. I tried to feel the road last night but the sealed cracks in the road were too much for all the carbon fiber. So the jury is still out on that, maybe I just don't have to true sensitivity of a metro-sexual triathlete to express my feelings.


Last nights ride on the FPs was awesome. Did some hills and I know the light weight of the wheels is helping. I was cruising uphill with a new 11-23 cassette on the back, never missing the 25. I slapped on the 11-23 because the Half IM race I am doing in June will be pancake flat.

Here is the elevation from last nights ride. Elevation (ft.)

Posted from bimactive.com

Here is the 11-23 installed on the wheels.






And now for you Moment of Zen.....the complete package.



Game On.

Two for Tuesday - Bike Porn (Time to Hit the Road)

A couple of years after getting our mountain bikes I started to become interested in road riding. I had borrowed an old bike from my friends Pat and Linda. I was enjoying riding fast on the road. Aimee was also thinking about a road bike. So we went to the LBS and started looking around. Aimee was looking at different entry level bikes with the help of a sales associate. The final bike pulled down turned out to be a Bianchi.


While waiting to get a bike down from the hooks I turned around and saw this.......GT ZR3000....on sale.

The bike I saw on the sales floor was beautiful, only too big for me. They had a smaller size for me, 54cm, at another store and would have it brought over for me. Aimee and I scheduled to come back and test ride the bikes we selected. We came back about a week later with our shoes and helmets for the test ride. I was sold immediately. Aimee liked her bike also. We went back to the LBS and bought both bikes. We went in the store to find a bike for Aimee and wound up getting one for each of us. I'm grateful Aimee was open minded enough to agree on the double purchase.

These bikes have served us well. We trained and rode our first half IMs on these bikes. I've done road races and tri's on my GT. I've upgraded the components on both bikes and the wheels on my bike were bought over the summer. I really enjoy riding my bike. During my IM training I would ride both my road and tri bike. It was a great way to change things up.

I know the cold weather for many of you has started, but get those road/tri bikes on the trainers/rollers and get some game on.

Two for Tuesday - Bike Porn (A New Era Begins)

Who loves bike porn? Raise your hand. Okay, you can put your hand down now. You don't want your co-workers thinking you are any weirder than you really are.

Anyways, more pictures to enjoy.

After Aimee and I got married in '97, yeah I think that's right.....married '97, new job '98, new house '99.........yeah '97.....Aimee's dad bought us mountain bikes for our wedding present. We checked out a couple of different shops and test rode some bikes. We selected the ones pictured here (Aimee's bike below). Specialized Rockhopper FS. A great entry level bike for just getting started with mountain biking. We decided on bike because my co-workers were always talking about these 24 Hour relay mountain bike races they were doing. This was the early years of Granny Gear Productions and the 24 Hours of Canaan.

So I wanted to get in on the action and race with them at the 24 hour race in '98. So the new bike was my new racing machine. I trained with my friends and we raced. It was an awesome time and I knew I was hooked on the mountain biking scene. I've raced that bike on the local trails, 5 24 Hour races, adventure races, training rides, all sorts of places.

I pimped my ride (shown at left) a couple of years ago by upgrading all of my components....crank, shifters, brakes, derailleurs, wheels. It was a great way to learn how to take it apart and fine tune it. I haven't raced much on my mountain bike lately because I slowly switched to road racing and triathlon.

But that "first" bike is still an important part of my stable. It got me back into biking and competition after being out of it for too long.

Oh, those rocks in the driveway are for a gardening project in front of the house.

Game On.

Two for Tuesday - Bike Porn (The Early Years)

Everyone seems to like bike porn. So here are two pictures of early bikes I had as a kid.


Bike #1 - Schwinn (1975)
I believe this is a Schwinn Stingray, but I could be wrong. Love the raised handlebars and banana seat. I didn't go for one of those sissy bars. I rode this bike everywhere, especially with my friend Mike who delivered the afternoon paper, The Cleveland Press. Mike was awesome at wheelies and I could make a skid 30 feet long. Mike swears he saw flames one time I generated so much heat from the skid. Of course the skids meant replacing the rear tire alot. I got good at taking the tire off and fixing flats.

Bike #2 - Trash Heap (1977)
My dad and I pulled this bike out of the garbage pile of a neighbor. This was a five speed with emergency brake....on the top tube. Small wheel up front was so cool, big chainring to handle the 5 speed derailleur, funky handlebars that curved all over the place, and a banana seat of course. Nevermind the pantleg strap.

I just had to share.

Game On.