How many of the 36 racers registered with Minneapolis Musette will go out and “Strace” each other before the competition on April 14? That’s my attempt at coining a term for Strava segment competitions. Got a better one?

Segment created:

Strace on Strava dorks.

Originally posted here: http://www.minnesotamtb.org/events/kick-off-party/

Minnesota High School Cycling League Kick-Off Open House, March 11, 6 to 8 pm at Quality Bicycle Products

6400 W. 105^th St., Bloomington, MN 55438
(www.qbp.com for directions)

Want to learn about the new high school mountain bike racing league in MN?  Plan to attend our MN League Kick Off Open House on March 11^th.  This event is for both students and their parents, or anyone interested in this new league. We’ll have materials on how to start a team, info on the coaching license program, product displays to teach new riders about bikes and gear, and a “Connect Zone” so people who want to form a team can meet others from the same area.

We’ll provide free food and refreshments, posters, flyers, stickers, and we’ll have MN League t-shirts for sale.  Make plans now to attend the Kick Off for the MN League.  You can help play an important role in getting this new league going.  For questions, please email MN League Director Gary Sjoquist at gary@minnesotamtb.org.  Please RSVP to Gary by March 10^th if you plan to attend – we need to order food and drink.

I think the timing of this workout is rather convenient: The first Friday the 13th of the New Year?! Thanks, coach:

Ok, this is a crazy one. Find a very big open grass area, a park, football field whatever. Progressively warm up running easy, then: run hard for 8 to 10 minutes, then do walking lunges for 5 (yes, out in the snow or mess or whatever there is). Repeat this sequence for the rest of the time. Don’t worry, you won’t be cold for long;)

My comments via my TrainingPeaks software so far:

You bastard. This is going to hurt like hell. Are you smiling? Haterade in mass quantities.

I don’t imagine that will gain in positivity. Who wants to join me?

Whoops, it’s been awhile since I took the time to navigate my fingers this way. Does that get you excited? I’m in the habit of posting more often (weekly) at the Groucho Sports Blog under “Mike M,” and I hope to be getting a little more active on Tumblr shortly. I’m also toying with the idea of creating a new blog/website or something flashy, but who has the time for that?

Of course, right now I’m just lying here blogging after lying around all morning watching Andy Schleck lose yellow in the Tour de France to an Aussie I just can’t get behind. Cadel Evans reminds me too much of Michael Jackson. All of his interviews are so damn awkward. What’s his deal? He needs some better media coaching if he’s going to be our TdF champ.

Anyway, as you can see, this presents me with a lot of time that could be better spent on website development, but I still have a Groucho blog to write and some training to do once this rain clears.

I hope to see some folks out at the first ever Southside Sprint Crit tomorrow. When it’s organized by Andy Dahl and Nomad Marketing (Jason Lardy) in the Chicago business district of South Minneapolis, you can’t go wrong. Very pro, and should be a fun course!

Summer could be just around the corner in Minnesota. We’re able to get out on the bike without Gore-Tex and galoshes finally. Now we’re on to rain gear in the back pocket every time we go out. We traded the icebox for Seattle, and I’ve heard the meteorologists are predicting a particularly wet summer. Oh, joy.

Whether or not you choose to believe them is up to you of course. I’d prefer as much dry riding time as possible, and as a result of my recent hand-smashing crash at the Opus Criterium, I just got my wish.

I’m forced to trade the road for the trainer, just as if the snow cover were back upon us. I hope for the sake of my fellow cyclists and for the time when I’m able to ride on the road again that there will be plenty of dry riding time this summer and fall, but for now I’ll make the best of what I have.

This is my life for at least the next month. Time trials beware. Oh, joy.

Who’s coming with me?

NVGP Amateur Crit Flyer 2011

Had a good follow-up ride to WNW, which turned out to be a nice hammerfest of a hill ride thanks to Brandon Manske (Cat 3, soon to be Cat 2) of Balanced Cycling. That dude has been putting some time in during this spell of crappy weather we’ve been grudgingly referring to as “spring.”

My knee felt decent during the ride, much of it attributable to 800 mg of Ibuprofen and some KT tape. It’s tough for me to hold anything back, especially when a guy like Brandon shows up for the first time to WNW after I invite him. There’s a need to show him what this sprinting and climbing ride is all about. Well, he showed us:

Midway through the ride I remembered that I was going to raise my seat post a couple millimeters. I took care of that, and I’m thinking it’s helping. This is where Mark Long comes in (one of my REI cycling brethren). Previously, I had lowered my seat post to accommodate for the lower stack height of the Bont a-two road shoes I picked up for this season. Mark suggested that maybe that wasn’t the right correction, given my sudden knee issue. I’m hoping you’re right, Mark!

I’m still icing after each ride, and heat treating in the morning. Kind of some guess-timation work, but I think it’s helping. I’m wearing that KT tape during each ride to support the knee also. The last two rides, the knee has felt like garbage to start, but seems to get warmed up and locked in rhythm after about 30 minutes.

Racing will be another story, I’m sure. I’m hoping none of my fellow racers read this. There’s a good chance they won’t. Their loss! Although, the knee has been hampering the amount of miles I’ve been able to put in so much that I’m really not a threat out there yet anyway.

Once I get out of a rhythm, which happens constantly during races, it takes me much longer than I would like to adjust to a new pace, and the power just isn’t there yet. The more power I put on that bad knee, the more pain I get. Who knows when it will be close to 100 percent again. I’m getting more optimistic, but the gains are minimal.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. As I was riding west on Old Excelsior Blvd. through Minnetonka, a Garmin Transitions dude passed me doing at least 23 mph on a mountain bike, so I decided to tail him about 50 feet back to see what this animal was up to. Going around Christmas Lake (it gets narrow there) we both almost clipped an OUCH Maxxis dude hammering around the tight turns in the opposite direction. What’s with all the pro kits in Minneto…oh right, MinneTONKA.

(Photo by Carlos A. Sabillon)

What do you do when you perform far worse than your expectations?

It’s easy to get down on yourself and feel embarrassed. It’s easy to make excuses. Don’t take the easy way out, except when it is the way out.

I performed like a complete amateur in my first road race at Ken Woods on Saturday. Well, I am an amateur, but I want to perform like a pro. I was OTB (off the back) at the end of lap one when Pat “Patty Cakes” Lemieux (Kenda neo-pro) attacked on the climb I led the field into. I have some work to do tactically and aerobically before I’m up to par with my Category 1/2 racers.

Lap One = 21 Miles

Only 63 miles left! I had to throw in the towel after three laps (63 miles). I got the race training that I wanted (kind of), but not the results. I could have prepared myself much better.

Check out the Ken Woods RR Men’s Pro/1/2 video highlights - thanks to skinnyski.com and Minneapolis Musette for the coverage of the chilly, windy classic (that part is not worthy of excuses, for real).

An Argument for Excuses

Sometimes excuses energize you to try again and do better the next time around. Excuses help you laugh, and they help you realize areas for improvement. Don’t use excuses as a way of avoiding responsibility. It doesn’t look good, and it doesn’t help anyone. Lists like these help me in more than bike racing. It’s time to get on form!

Without further ado, a list of excuses (or “deficiencies,” if that helps):

1. I got five hours of sleep.
2. I didn’t get a warm-up in before race start.
3. I almost didn’t make it to the start in time.
4. I didn’t answer a crucial acceleration quick enough at the end of lap one, which caused me to lose contact with the field.
5. What’s wrong with my knee? (more on this later)
6. I have fewer than 500 miles on the road in my legs.
7. I raced new (previously used) wheels I hadn’t tested out before the race.

Note: The first three points actually have yielded me a good result before. However, that makes me wonder how much better that result could have been.

Now I have a list of several things I can improve upon. Next, take action! Now is not the time for excuses (for real).

Actionable Steps

My actionable steps are direct results of my list of excuses:

Step 1: Recovery ride - Basically, just spinning. I had a 16.5 mph average speed over 35 miles. I attempted to meet some Balance Cycling guys on the Greenway, but we missed paths somehow. I still got a good ride in and burned enough calories to overindulge on Easter brunch (recovery). Never skimp on recovery, even if you’re injured.

Step 2: Address this knee issue - I felt it this morning before my ride, and it acted up on the ride. Ice, ice, Traumeel gel (anti-inflammatory), heating pad, stretch. Repeat daily to keep the blood flowing. Tomorrow, I’ll raise my saddle a couple millimeters to see if that helps.

Step 3: Get those wheels in racing condition! - Too much rolling resistance here. This one applies to the Reynolds wheels below (which I am grateful to have borrowed from a very kind friend) and to my legs. It’s time to put in a lot of miles day after day.

The fourth obvious improvement is my race preparation. Poor preparation always comes back to bite you in the ass. My ass hurts. Learn your lesson on this one quickly.

What Excuses Are Not

Excuses should not be cop-outs. Don’t allow these to be the reason for your poor performance. The true reasons are poor preparation, bad tactics and low confidence. Plain and simple.

Don’t dwell on excuses. Use them as energy, and move on. My competitors outperformed me in all aspects this week. I know what needs work, and I will build on incremental improvements everyday.

Be strong and live large.