The Road Crew?

So far there are six people including myself interested in starting a USCF racing team for 2010. I know some other people that I am sure will be interested too that have not gotten back with me yet. My little sister is a coach/team manager for a university cycling team in TX and she has done this for years. I am going to talk to her and research the USCF website over my Christmas holiday next week and then I will hold a meeting early in January so we can get this thing rolling. Talk to your riding friends about the team, even if they "only do triathlons". They could at least show up for some USCF time trials and ride with us locally. If you have not yet let me know you are interested, please let me know you want an invitation to the initial meeting.

We will have many things to discuss such as annual dues, requirements, what members can expect, naming the team, electing officers, uniforms, prize money split plans, etc. I would really like to keep the name of the team my family and I started years ago, "The Road Crew", but we will vote on that. Keep saying it over and over until it grows on you. If you think of other names or have any questions, write them down and bring them to the meeting.

As a part of our local training rides, I want to hold a few time trials through the year from various locations. Please try to think of some good local courses we could use. They could either be out and back courses or a loop. Ideally they would not have any stop signs at all for many miles and have very little traffic. I thought of Antioch Road from the church at GA-92 down to Brooks-Woolsey Road and back. I also thought of a loop of Spear Road, right on Ebeneezer and Right on Robinson. There are only two stop signs, but we would be turning right anyway.

See you in January.

2010 USCF Bicycle Racing Team

I have decided that I want to get my USCF (United States Cycling Federation) racing license again in 2010. I will most likely start out as a category 4. I did one race in 2003, but aside from that I only raced from 1986 through 1991. It has been a long time. It helps a lot to have teammates and I am seriously thinking about starting a racing team too. I would be willing to be the president, however if someone else is wanting to fill that role, we would all vote on that. There would also most likely be a ride coordinator, newsletter editor, event promoter and treasurer. Mark Anderson said he would probably be willing to be the event promoter. We would be required to promote at least one race of our own to be a USCF team. I would like to find out how many people in this area MIGHT be interested in giving bike racing a try or in being a member of a newly created team for the South side of Atlanta. If you are remotely interested, let me know. We could hold a meeting and discuss what bike racing is all about. Perhaps some of you triathletes would want to do both. I am going to give the sprint triathlon a try next year.

Peachtree City Classic 2009 15k Run

I am certainly no runner, but I did choose to punish myself this last Saturday at the Peachtree City Classic 15k run. It did not go that well for me. It was a cold morning and I rode a bike from the shop over to our Bicycles Unlimited tent, so I would not have to find parking for my hotrod car. I started off the run feeling fast, but felt something like a tiny pebble was under my left heel. It did not seem like a big enough deal to stop to remove it since that would only make me loose time. This was a race after all. I just decided to run a little funny, favoring my right leg. At mile 1 my time was 6:35. "Not bad" I thought, since I did not start anywhere near the front of the pack. My right leg was befinning to hurt though since I was overusing it. I slowed down a little to compensate. At mile 2 my time was 13:55 and that is when I started walking. My entire right quad felt like it had just exploded. I was in a lot of pain. I massaged it a little and walked. It was too painful to even jog for a long time. I lost a ton of time. I watched as many people I know passed me. Even Mark Anderson passed me! After a while I progressively hobbled, jogged and then was able to run again. I passed all but two of the people I know personnaly that had passed me. When it was over and it was time to ride back to begin my work day I could not even complete a pedal stroke. It was too painful to lift my right leg that high. After standing and riding a little I was able to loosen the leg up enough to make the 2.5-mile journey back to the bike shop. Here is the good part of the story. When I got undressed to shower at the shop I saw that the little pebble under my left heel was actually a push pin shoved through my shoe that had been poking the bottom of my heel over and over again for 15k (9.3 miles). I had a large blood stain on my sock with a new hole in it (Did not have any old holes by the way). I do not know which one of you pushed the pin through my shoe, but I will never forgive you. That day I was saying that I would never run again, but now I look forward to showing my real abilities on foot. It will have to wait until my heel heals though. I am still limping from the push-pin. It did not effect me when I rode 61 miles on Monday though. Moral of the story: Running is hard on the body. Do yourselves a favor by riding a bike at least 98% of the time.

One Ride Location

Right now there are simultaneously multiple rides going on for those with skinny tires in and around Fayette County GA. Riders must choose one location over another. Typically from one bike shop or another. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone could choose a neutral location and have just one ride location? Thoughts anyone?