March snow

March 9th and we got a touch of snow in Seattle.

East Channel Bridge crossing

Here is an picture looking north on the East Channel bridge on I-90. It was a very calm morning.

Joined a cycling team

To start the new year I joined the Blue Rooster cycling team. Joining the team will help me keep in touch with the upcoming races and keep me motivated during winter training. I rode the first training session with the men but at my age I could not keep up.... When we hit the first climb, I went off the back so fast it probably appeared as though I had rocks in my pockets. There is another team ride on Sunday that is more my pace. The Sunday rides usually begin in Fremont and travel on streets that are completely new to me. The new routes are fun and I am able to stay with the group. Please remember, I'm in the over 60 group.

Today I rode around the north end of Lake Washington and took this picture as I crossed the Montlake Bridge. The air temperature is about 45 degrees and you can see fog in the background. The entire trip was 47 miles and included the Juanita Hill. I did this ride on my 27 pound rain bike. I call this bike "Slim" only because the frame tubes are small in diameter. Fact is, the bike is made of steel and is HEAVY.



For the new year, I purchased a Garmin 705 and starting from January 6th it shows that I have accumulated 374.65 training miles. After each ride I upload the track to Garmin connect and check the average speed, heart rate and distance. The Garmin 705 is a great training aid when all the tools are working. Sometimes, like today, I became absent minded and forgot to put the heart monitor on. It only took me 20 miles from home before I discovered the omission.

And last but not least,

Oh Becky, I send you all of my strength!

Becky has breast cancer and is undergoing chemo. I wish her a speedy recovery. I lost my mother to cancer so I have seen the heart ache this disease causes.

Sammamish River Trail

The sun was shinning in Seattle so we decided to go up to Marymoor and ride the Sammamish River Trail toward Bothell. Even though the sun was out, it was not warm. Maybe not Colorado cold, but it was cold all the same.




We made it up to Bothell and then quickly turned around. It was quite dark and cold when we made it back to the car.

Christmas Day 2009

Christmas Day 2009

I took an easy ride down Lake Washington toward Renton on the Cross bike.


On the way back I stopped to take a picture of a woman coming toward me. I asked her if she smiled for the camera...she did not hear me.



Later I saw this fellow walking on water. This must have been a cyclocross portage in action....


We have a lot to be thankful for.

Merry Christmas.

Evergreen Cyclocross

Here are some images from the last Seattle cyclocross race.



In the mix on the climb,



Through the ditch,



Up the hill,



Around the arena,



And heading for the finish.

Winter

The winter storms are here
Throughout the day and night
These are the times you hunker down
And live by the glow of unnatural light.

We just finished the cyclocross season so it is time to look back and evaluate what worked. This was my first cyclocross season and I learned a lot.

1. My Specialized TriCross bike is awesome. I have never been so hard on a bike. I fell, jumped ditches, hit barriers, fell again but the TriCross took the punishment and continued to perform. The bikes light weight is great for carrying over barriers and through run-ups.

2. I started the first race with tire pressures around 45 psi. What a mistake! At the end of the season I lowered the pressures to 30 psi for the front and 32 psi in the back. These pressures gave me a much better ride and more traction in the corners. Next year I will get a set of tubular tires and rims and use even lower pressures.

3. Training - the cyclocross classes I took at the Marymoor velodrome were great. I need to practice and learn more about mounting and dismounting the bike as well as cornering.

4. For the muddy/rainy races, I will bring thin water proof pants and upper shell for the warm up session. These outer layers will keep me dry and warm during the course pre-ride.

5. My body is more of a diesel engine and I seem to be at the back of the pack for the start. I loose a lot of time with my slow starts. Next year I will do interval and sprint training. Cyclocross is a sprint with obstacles.

6. Pedals... mud, sand, grass and the mix of these three, make it hard to get clicked in. At the end of the season I was using eggbeaters which provided better but not perfect pedal performance. Running through 50 meters of deep sand or mud and then trying to get back into pedals is difficult.

7. Next year I will purchase a season pass for Seattle Cyclocross. No more purchasing a race pass each week.

No matter where I place in the standings, I always enjoy the racing. Cyclocross is having a blast with fun people.