Saturday morning saw Shaft and I set off on our own nice and early at 7:00am. Our plan was an ascent of Mt. Seymour followed by something else depending on how our legs felt.
After stopping briefly for some cream-filled chocolate cupcakes that to our delight were called Ho-Ho's, we made it over to Deep Cove and began our climb shortly after 8:00 am fully gassed up. It was super fun doing the big climb with Shaft since that's one thing we've never done together to date. Shaft was quick out of the gates and left me running out of gears trailing behind...he kept muttering something about an extra Ho-Ho that I wasn't able to get but I buried my head and pulled back onto his wheel.
Over the next 11 km we kept the pace high trading leads and in 45:30 we were standing on top of Seymour, basking in the glorious early morning sunshine and marvelling at the always-impressive Mt. Baker to the south. After briefly discussing how amazing Vancouver is, Shaft graciously lent me his vest to that I could be warm while he froze on the way down...thanks Max! On the way down I had a stroke of genius and decided that we would stop at the base of the climb to enjoy a cappuccino and a small snack to top up the tanks.
So there we were, doing our very best imitation of famous Italian cyclists adored by the tifosi, sipping cappuccino and nibbling a muffin. After finishing our beverages and watching our friend Henry the crow clean up some crumbs left by some sloppy North Americans (us being more refined Europeans) we remounted our steeds and continued forth to complete teh North Van Hills Route that was originally conceived by our other brother, Big T.
After adding on a last stinger by climbing up Capilano Rd. to the base of the Grouse Grind, we finally turned home and joined up with the ladies.
What a ride...beautiful sunshine, and riding 100 km with your best friend; doesn't get much better! Thanks Max!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Drill-it-itis
So last Friday Cam and Roanne came up to visit with us before heading back down to Bellingham on Sunday for the 2009 Ski to Sea race.
They arrived a little later than anticipated due to the ugly traffic of the George Massey Tunnel, but with eager anticipation we were pretty much ready to head out the door immediately, pedaling our ponies into the sunset.
The plan was to ride part way to Horseshoe Bay with the ladies and then start drilling it once we hit Marine Dr. The group up for contention for the points jersey on the day's stage was me, Shaft and Sizzle with super domestiques Rosie and Car adding valuable substance to the initial breakaway through Stanley Park.
We got over to West Van and the pace slowly ramped up on the way out to Whytecliff Park. We got to our destination, turned around and all of a sudden it was on like donkey kong! Trading pulls, Shaft, Sizzle and I blazed the road setting a blistering pace that no mortal could have withstood (please be aware that this is me getting carried away and in reality we were probably pushing roughly 30 km/h - har har har).
We ended up rolling back into Kits a little later than we were ordered to, with Shaft sweating bullets knowing he had an angry wizard to confront upon entry to our castle! Luckily the wizard's anger had been tempered by excellent pizza from Nat's Pizzeria so we were not transformed into toads, and lived to ride another day! Specifically the next morning at 6:30 am...
They arrived a little later than anticipated due to the ugly traffic of the George Massey Tunnel, but with eager anticipation we were pretty much ready to head out the door immediately, pedaling our ponies into the sunset.
The plan was to ride part way to Horseshoe Bay with the ladies and then start drilling it once we hit Marine Dr. The group up for contention for the points jersey on the day's stage was me, Shaft and Sizzle with super domestiques Rosie and Car adding valuable substance to the initial breakaway through Stanley Park.
We got over to West Van and the pace slowly ramped up on the way out to Whytecliff Park. We got to our destination, turned around and all of a sudden it was on like donkey kong! Trading pulls, Shaft, Sizzle and I blazed the road setting a blistering pace that no mortal could have withstood (please be aware that this is me getting carried away and in reality we were probably pushing roughly 30 km/h - har har har).
We ended up rolling back into Kits a little later than we were ordered to, with Shaft sweating bullets knowing he had an angry wizard to confront upon entry to our castle! Luckily the wizard's anger had been tempered by excellent pizza from Nat's Pizzeria so we were not transformed into toads, and lived to ride another day! Specifically the next morning at 6:30 am...
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Hump Day
Last night after missing Markezzy for an MTB ride, Sizzle and I made a game time decision to get back on the training boat and snap our legs back into action with an ascent of Cypress followed by the obligatory trip out to Horseshoe Bay.
My legs were definitely feeling sluggish from the previous night’s race and as we slowly began the ascent from Marine Dr. up onto Westmount I realized it was going to be a long, slow climb.
We got up to the base of Cypress Rd. and began the climb, quickly working past two Glottman Simpson fellas, one of whom tagged onto us as we rode by. He had a quirky riding style where he would ride neck and neck with us, and then punch the accelerator until he was about 50 ft. up the road. He would then slowly get dragged back, suck in uncomfortably close on my right for some time before repeating steps 1 to 3.
By the end of the 1st switchback my legs had come alive and I was actually feeling pretty good. Sizzle was putting in a great showing also, losing some ground periodically but always digging deeper and raising his pace to come back strong!
Another few hundred meters saw us lose our GS teammate (who Sizzle had determined by then was a nice fellow and just enjoyed a little friendly competition during his training rides…don’t we all?) and continue up to the snow line.
After we summitted with Sizzle breathing fire down my neck, we turned around, descended like il falco and wound our way down through the subdivision back onto Marine Dr. I think this was maybe the most fun ride out to Whytecliff I’ve done so far…we probably weren’t going very fast but it felt like we were pummeling the pedals with the strength of Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain combined! The hills felt like speed bumps and the descents felt faster than fast…SO AWESOME!
After about three and a half hours in the saddle we made our way back to Sizzle’s place where we toasted a great ride with a pint of chocolate milk…cheers!
Tonight’s a rest night and then it’s another climbing stage tomorrow with a special guest appearance by Utah’s climbing sensation, The Shaft! WooHOO!!!
My legs were definitely feeling sluggish from the previous night’s race and as we slowly began the ascent from Marine Dr. up onto Westmount I realized it was going to be a long, slow climb.
We got up to the base of Cypress Rd. and began the climb, quickly working past two Glottman Simpson fellas, one of whom tagged onto us as we rode by. He had a quirky riding style where he would ride neck and neck with us, and then punch the accelerator until he was about 50 ft. up the road. He would then slowly get dragged back, suck in uncomfortably close on my right for some time before repeating steps 1 to 3.
By the end of the 1st switchback my legs had come alive and I was actually feeling pretty good. Sizzle was putting in a great showing also, losing some ground periodically but always digging deeper and raising his pace to come back strong!
Another few hundred meters saw us lose our GS teammate (who Sizzle had determined by then was a nice fellow and just enjoyed a little friendly competition during his training rides…don’t we all?) and continue up to the snow line.
After we summitted with Sizzle breathing fire down my neck, we turned around, descended like il falco and wound our way down through the subdivision back onto Marine Dr. I think this was maybe the most fun ride out to Whytecliff I’ve done so far…we probably weren’t going very fast but it felt like we were pummeling the pedals with the strength of Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain combined! The hills felt like speed bumps and the descents felt faster than fast…SO AWESOME!
After about three and a half hours in the saddle we made our way back to Sizzle’s place where we toasted a great ride with a pint of chocolate milk…cheers!
Tonight’s a rest night and then it’s another climbing stage tomorrow with a special guest appearance by Utah’s climbing sensation, The Shaft! WooHOO!!!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Criterium Internationale
Last night we descended upon UBC to race bikes and see who was fastest...what better way to spend a nice Tuesday evening.
We had a bigger contingent this week with Sizzle and Martin getting into the mix, and then to our delight, who do we see up there but none other than the illustrious Johnny Markez, fresh from Slovenia and doing the RAS 2009! Awesome! I got even more psyched when Markezzy delivered the news that we'd be racing together in Cat. 4...this was bound to be a quick race now.
The horn went off for KC's and Mart's race and they filed onto the course. After a few laps of feeling things out (this was their first crit) they steadily moved up through the field unti they were consistently coming around in the top 8 guys. With a few laps to go they jumped off the front as an attack went and next thing you know they were sprinting across the line with Sizzle snatching 5th and Martin grabbing the 6th spot! Great finishes for their first race...nice work boys!
At this point Markez and I were shivering on the start line but soon enough they sent us off in hot pursuit of the Cat. 3 fellas about a minute up the road. The first few laps were pretty mellow and then part way up the incline I got onto the front and started upping the tempo a little...through the corner and onto the top flat now when I feel a big paw patting my back and sure enough there's Markez the Machine slotting in on the front with his pistons saying "If you want to win this race, get on THIS wheel" (in Phil Ligget's voice of course). It was so awesome! I tucked down in John's draft and looked down at his wheel and in slow motion saw the chain start it's journey downshifting on his rear cassette, 'clunk....clunk....clunk'. I thought to myself, "oh man....it's ON!" Then Markezzy started drilling it! We swapped pulls for about two and a half to three laps with him taking the much longer, stronger ones but unfortunately the group was on our wheel so we didn't get away but hopefully dished out some pain in the process.
The preme sprint came and went and then with about two and quarter laps to go, two Glottman-Simpson boys jumped off the front together and I worked to get up to them through the bottom corner. As I approached the second guys wheel, the first guy sat up and swung off, and then the second guy kind of sat up also. With a quick glance back I noticed that I had about 20 feet or so on the group and these two yahoos didn't look in the mood to chase anything down so I pinned it between them. When I looked back half way up the incline I had a decent gap on the field with two laps to go. With Markezzy blocking back in the group, I put my head down and buried the hatchet. One lap to go, still got a gap, see if I can make it...half a lap, still got the gap, wow this may actually work. Come through the second last corner and their definitely closing now...through the last corner, out of the saddle and BOOM, Glottman-Simpson smokes by me like I'm standing still but Markezzy graciously gives me 2nd and takes 3rd for himself.
What an awesome race! Thanks for the pulls Markez and we'll do it again next week boys!
We had a bigger contingent this week with Sizzle and Martin getting into the mix, and then to our delight, who do we see up there but none other than the illustrious Johnny Markez, fresh from Slovenia and doing the RAS 2009! Awesome! I got even more psyched when Markezzy delivered the news that we'd be racing together in Cat. 4...this was bound to be a quick race now.
The horn went off for KC's and Mart's race and they filed onto the course. After a few laps of feeling things out (this was their first crit) they steadily moved up through the field unti they were consistently coming around in the top 8 guys. With a few laps to go they jumped off the front as an attack went and next thing you know they were sprinting across the line with Sizzle snatching 5th and Martin grabbing the 6th spot! Great finishes for their first race...nice work boys!
At this point Markez and I were shivering on the start line but soon enough they sent us off in hot pursuit of the Cat. 3 fellas about a minute up the road. The first few laps were pretty mellow and then part way up the incline I got onto the front and started upping the tempo a little...through the corner and onto the top flat now when I feel a big paw patting my back and sure enough there's Markez the Machine slotting in on the front with his pistons saying "If you want to win this race, get on THIS wheel" (in Phil Ligget's voice of course). It was so awesome! I tucked down in John's draft and looked down at his wheel and in slow motion saw the chain start it's journey downshifting on his rear cassette, 'clunk....clunk....clunk'. I thought to myself, "oh man....it's ON!" Then Markezzy started drilling it! We swapped pulls for about two and a half to three laps with him taking the much longer, stronger ones but unfortunately the group was on our wheel so we didn't get away but hopefully dished out some pain in the process.
The preme sprint came and went and then with about two and quarter laps to go, two Glottman-Simpson boys jumped off the front together and I worked to get up to them through the bottom corner. As I approached the second guys wheel, the first guy sat up and swung off, and then the second guy kind of sat up also. With a quick glance back I noticed that I had about 20 feet or so on the group and these two yahoos didn't look in the mood to chase anything down so I pinned it between them. When I looked back half way up the incline I had a decent gap on the field with two laps to go. With Markezzy blocking back in the group, I put my head down and buried the hatchet. One lap to go, still got a gap, see if I can make it...half a lap, still got the gap, wow this may actually work. Come through the second last corner and their definitely closing now...through the last corner, out of the saddle and BOOM, Glottman-Simpson smokes by me like I'm standing still but Markezzy graciously gives me 2nd and takes 3rd for himself.
What an awesome race! Thanks for the pulls Markez and we'll do it again next week boys!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Ore Crusher 2009
This past weekend played host to the 2009 Ore Crusher mountain bike race in Squamish and myself, Sizzle, Martin, Stu and Churchy all lined up at the start to test our fitness and bike handling prowess.
The gun went off and we ran through the Le Mans style start to our bikes and then we were off. Martin had a superb start, I believe leading our age group into the trails and riding strong. The first few laps went well and for the first time this year I really felt like I was riding well on both the double track and the more techincal single track sections which was a really nice feeling! Usually, and I guess it's from the increased amount of road cycling I've done over the last few years, I start strong and then when it gets technical, people reel me back in and make up the time on me there. However, this race I was still catching people through the technical sections so I was really thrilled with that.
Unfortunately I got a flat on the third lap which sucked but to be honest it didn't matter that much since I felt like I was racing so well...I was still really happy in the end. I was also extremely impressed with another thing, and that was the level of class of so many of the racers. Obviously as each of my friends went flying by they all queried whether I was ok and had everything I needed, but the number of strangers that asked the same thing was stunning! I think it was even more evident to me because of the experiences I had at the road race in Seattle with Cam the previous weekend, where many riders (Cat. 4) apparently thought that they were going to get picked up by a pro team and were being obnoxious in the peloton swearing, shouting orders and elbowing others...what a joke.
One person in particular exhibited what I thought was top-notch class and that was the race winner, Rocky Mountain's Martin Lazarski. He lapped me right before we dove into some downhill single track and instead of barking at me to move aside, he politely requested if he could pass before we got into the single track. Of course I moved over and slowed and as he passed, I recognized him and shouted encouragement...he moved so fluidly over the natural obstacles on the trail, it was no different than watching a rock climber on a well rehearsed route or a dancer performing a choreographed routine to perfection. Well done Marty and congrats on a well deserved win!
Also huge congrats to Sizzle, Stuey, Mart, Megan and Churchy for excellent races...Sizzle came in 5th in his age category and Megan destroyed her competition by 18 minutes I think! Also a special thanks to Stu who was basically getting off his bike to get in there and start helping me fix my flat until I told him repeatedly to hurry up and keep racing! Har har har, very cool...
Next up is the Test of Metal and I think this race fuelled the fire for uping the ante; I think we're going to see some good results on June 20th...
The gun went off and we ran through the Le Mans style start to our bikes and then we were off. Martin had a superb start, I believe leading our age group into the trails and riding strong. The first few laps went well and for the first time this year I really felt like I was riding well on both the double track and the more techincal single track sections which was a really nice feeling! Usually, and I guess it's from the increased amount of road cycling I've done over the last few years, I start strong and then when it gets technical, people reel me back in and make up the time on me there. However, this race I was still catching people through the technical sections so I was really thrilled with that.
Unfortunately I got a flat on the third lap which sucked but to be honest it didn't matter that much since I felt like I was racing so well...I was still really happy in the end. I was also extremely impressed with another thing, and that was the level of class of so many of the racers. Obviously as each of my friends went flying by they all queried whether I was ok and had everything I needed, but the number of strangers that asked the same thing was stunning! I think it was even more evident to me because of the experiences I had at the road race in Seattle with Cam the previous weekend, where many riders (Cat. 4) apparently thought that they were going to get picked up by a pro team and were being obnoxious in the peloton swearing, shouting orders and elbowing others...what a joke.
One person in particular exhibited what I thought was top-notch class and that was the race winner, Rocky Mountain's Martin Lazarski. He lapped me right before we dove into some downhill single track and instead of barking at me to move aside, he politely requested if he could pass before we got into the single track. Of course I moved over and slowed and as he passed, I recognized him and shouted encouragement...he moved so fluidly over the natural obstacles on the trail, it was no different than watching a rock climber on a well rehearsed route or a dancer performing a choreographed routine to perfection. Well done Marty and congrats on a well deserved win!
Also huge congrats to Sizzle, Stuey, Mart, Megan and Churchy for excellent races...Sizzle came in 5th in his age category and Megan destroyed her competition by 18 minutes I think! Also a special thanks to Stu who was basically getting off his bike to get in there and start helping me fix my flat until I told him repeatedly to hurry up and keep racing! Har har har, very cool...
Next up is the Test of Metal and I think this race fuelled the fire for uping the ante; I think we're going to see some good results on June 20th...
The Real Italian Heroes
Mom and Dad Cupido have been here for the past 5 days and it's been a real bonanza of fun! We've gotten out on some amazing bike rides together both for fitness and for cruising, done a mountain bike race in Squamish, looked at some nice real estate, eaten some seriously good food, and enjoyed some seriously good laughs together.
I've been blessed with the best parents in law that were ever pushed out of the press...they're so amazing! Imagine the kindest, most generous, thoughtful, fun, and non-intrusive people you can and you'll start coming close to understanding who they are. Oh, and did I mention they're Italian through and through? Bene...molto bene.
Normally I would want to spend a long weekend doing something awesome like climbing or mountain biking but not when the Real Italian Heroes are in town...it's always so easy to have them and a true joy to spend time around they're contagiously upbeat personalities. Thanks for an awesome few days Mom and Dad and we look forward to the next rendevous!
I've been blessed with the best parents in law that were ever pushed out of the press...they're so amazing! Imagine the kindest, most generous, thoughtful, fun, and non-intrusive people you can and you'll start coming close to understanding who they are. Oh, and did I mention they're Italian through and through? Bene...molto bene.
Normally I would want to spend a long weekend doing something awesome like climbing or mountain biking but not when the Real Italian Heroes are in town...it's always so easy to have them and a true joy to spend time around they're contagiously upbeat personalities. Thanks for an awesome few days Mom and Dad and we look forward to the next rendevous!
Tuesday Night Lights
So it was the first Tuesday night crit up at UBC this past week and it was awesome! Road racing is so stinkin' fun it gets my heart pumping like crazy just thinking about soloing off the front in a late-in-the-race bid for victory...BAM!!
The race went really well and although I didn't place well at all (maybe even close to last) I found out what I wanted to that is my fitness is pretty good for the group we raced with and I got more comfortable riding fast in a tight group through some of the corners. I spent a fair bit of time (too much according to my team director - har har har) on the front, but it felt good because we ended up catching the Cat. 3 group that started the race 1 minute ahead of our Cat. 4 group...Noice! As we came firing through the last corner and the sprint began, both of my legs seized up with cramp so it wa pretty evident that I had gotten my desired workout in only a half hour of racing...ha ha.
Anyways, hopefully with more experience and smarter riding I can look for a top ten placing over the next few weeks' races. I think we may have a few more takers for this week's race also which should be super fun; Stuey, Sizzle and Churchy are all looking to make their debut on teh Tuesday Night World Championships racing circuit! Give'em hell boys!!!
The race went really well and although I didn't place well at all (maybe even close to last) I found out what I wanted to that is my fitness is pretty good for the group we raced with and I got more comfortable riding fast in a tight group through some of the corners. I spent a fair bit of time (too much according to my team director - har har har) on the front, but it felt good because we ended up catching the Cat. 3 group that started the race 1 minute ahead of our Cat. 4 group...Noice! As we came firing through the last corner and the sprint began, both of my legs seized up with cramp so it wa pretty evident that I had gotten my desired workout in only a half hour of racing...ha ha.
Anyways, hopefully with more experience and smarter riding I can look for a top ten placing over the next few weeks' races. I think we may have a few more takers for this week's race also which should be super fun; Stuey, Sizzle and Churchy are all looking to make their debut on teh Tuesday Night World Championships racing circuit! Give'em hell boys!!!
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