6.25.2007
6.24.2007
Whitewater Race Days, and beyond
Well, my first omnium is in the books. I don't know what to say about it. There are several conflicting emotions going on.
Friday was a 20k individual TT- the "race of truth." Truth is, I'm not very fast. I rode the wife's tri bike with all the aero accouterments, and was 4 minutes down on the first placed rider. He's a major sandbagger though, as he beat the second placed rider by over 2 minutes. Brian bettered me by 4 seconds on his standard road bike. I think I was like 7th or so. The highlight was racing in the team kits.
Dr. Dingle payed a visit Friday night on his way to the "east coast." He spent the night and drove the rest of the way to Columbus, OH on Saturday. He has a funny story about trying to leave Rochester that is definately bloggable.
Saturday was the the Criterium. I had high hopes for the crit. 40 minutes of anaerobic suffering, just like cyclocross. Foolishly, I did no intensive warm-up and blew up about 5 minutes into the race. So that was that. I threw in the towel and called it a day. Brian found himself in a nice little group and did alright, ending up 15th.
Saturday night Mary, Brian, and I went and watched roller derby. That was crazy awesome. We will definately be back.
Today was the road race. 42 miles of a 6 mile loop. After our underachieving performances in the State Championships we were feeling a little cheeky. The pack, as usual, was super sketchy the first lap with guys loosing water bottles and others riding off the road onto the gravel shoulder. I hate the first few miles of road races. I wonder if Cat 3's ride like that? My guess is that they don't. Anyway, Brian found himself in a nice little breakaway on lap 2, and had about a minute's advantage on the field. With Brian in the break, I just took it easy.
The laps ticked by and Brian was still off the front with a decent gap back to the pack. I was just chillin' and feeling fresh as a daisy when, for no apparent reason, a guy 2 bikes ahead of me decided to break all laws of physics and fall over at 25mph. The guy directly behind him, and directly ahead of me, slammed on his brakes, and managed to avoid falling. I did the same, but the guy behind me thought it would be a better idea to just plow into my rear wheel. So my race ended early with a folded in half rear wheel.
I feel lucky that I didn't fall. There are few things I hate more then road rash. I also feel lucky that, since my bike stayed upright, I didn't break any other bike parts like a handlebar, shifter, or derailleur. I feel pretty frickin' unlucky though that I have a $625 repair bill to deal with. That's part of racing on carbon wheels though, sooner or later shit happens. I just wish it were later. There were really good sensations coming from the legs, and I feel I could have made a good result, but that's bike racing, I guess.
Brian's breakaway got gobbled up on the second to last lap, and he finished mid pack somewhere. He represented the Brown Bear well.
After the race we split a six pack and a pound. I also had a taco bravo.
Tonight we played disc golf at a great course less then a mile from my house. I forgot how fun that game is. We plan on making it a semi regular outing.
Tomorrow Mary and I were supposed to fly out to Missoula for Scotty and Kayla's wedding, but our flight got cancelled because of striking airline workers? So we're leaving Tuesday instead. Whatever. I respect organized labor's need to strike for whatever reason, I just wish it didn't hamper family plans. It's not often the entire Johnson clan gets together.
Maybe I'll blog whilst in Montana.
Friday was a 20k individual TT- the "race of truth." Truth is, I'm not very fast. I rode the wife's tri bike with all the aero accouterments, and was 4 minutes down on the first placed rider. He's a major sandbagger though, as he beat the second placed rider by over 2 minutes. Brian bettered me by 4 seconds on his standard road bike. I think I was like 7th or so. The highlight was racing in the team kits.
Dr. Dingle payed a visit Friday night on his way to the "east coast." He spent the night and drove the rest of the way to Columbus, OH on Saturday. He has a funny story about trying to leave Rochester that is definately bloggable.
Saturday was the the Criterium. I had high hopes for the crit. 40 minutes of anaerobic suffering, just like cyclocross. Foolishly, I did no intensive warm-up and blew up about 5 minutes into the race. So that was that. I threw in the towel and called it a day. Brian found himself in a nice little group and did alright, ending up 15th.
Saturday night Mary, Brian, and I went and watched roller derby. That was crazy awesome. We will definately be back.
Today was the road race. 42 miles of a 6 mile loop. After our underachieving performances in the State Championships we were feeling a little cheeky. The pack, as usual, was super sketchy the first lap with guys loosing water bottles and others riding off the road onto the gravel shoulder. I hate the first few miles of road races. I wonder if Cat 3's ride like that? My guess is that they don't. Anyway, Brian found himself in a nice little breakaway on lap 2, and had about a minute's advantage on the field. With Brian in the break, I just took it easy.
The laps ticked by and Brian was still off the front with a decent gap back to the pack. I was just chillin' and feeling fresh as a daisy when, for no apparent reason, a guy 2 bikes ahead of me decided to break all laws of physics and fall over at 25mph. The guy directly behind him, and directly ahead of me, slammed on his brakes, and managed to avoid falling. I did the same, but the guy behind me thought it would be a better idea to just plow into my rear wheel. So my race ended early with a folded in half rear wheel.
I feel lucky that I didn't fall. There are few things I hate more then road rash. I also feel lucky that, since my bike stayed upright, I didn't break any other bike parts like a handlebar, shifter, or derailleur. I feel pretty frickin' unlucky though that I have a $625 repair bill to deal with. That's part of racing on carbon wheels though, sooner or later shit happens. I just wish it were later. There were really good sensations coming from the legs, and I feel I could have made a good result, but that's bike racing, I guess.
Brian's breakaway got gobbled up on the second to last lap, and he finished mid pack somewhere. He represented the Brown Bear well.
After the race we split a six pack and a pound. I also had a taco bravo.
Tonight we played disc golf at a great course less then a mile from my house. I forgot how fun that game is. We plan on making it a semi regular outing.
Tomorrow Mary and I were supposed to fly out to Missoula for Scotty and Kayla's wedding, but our flight got cancelled because of striking airline workers? So we're leaving Tuesday instead. Whatever. I respect organized labor's need to strike for whatever reason, I just wish it didn't hamper family plans. It's not often the entire Johnson clan gets together.
Maybe I'll blog whilst in Montana.
6.11.2007
Alive and Well
Hello buoys and gulls. Long time no post. With all the projects around the house and yard, along with work, and trying to fit in bike racing and training, the ol' blog has been a little neglected. Sorry. Things are going well though. Lots of things to report.
Andy and Becca were here for the weekend a few weeks ago. We had fun, and I made Becca cry (I think from laughing) with a tasteless baby joke.
Mary's season started with strong showings in the first of many aquathons and triathlons. Her next race is an Olympic distance event this Sunday.
Last weekend Mary's parents came for a visit, which is always a good time. We ate lots of good food, and even had some greens from my garden.
Brian and I raced the State Championship road race on Saturday. Brian has a good recap over on his blog. I felt really good throughout the race, except for some cramping on the climb on the last lap. I gave 'er a go at the base of the final climb, which was fun. Normally I get shelled out the back of the pack in road races less then half way into the race, so it felt good to be competitive. Next up is the UWW time trial, crit and road race, where we'll be in full Team Brown Bear livery. Fun times indeed. The fitness is finally coming around, so I expect a decent showing especially in the time trial and crit.
My parents are coming this weekend. Baseball and triathlon spectating are in the cards, along with some good food.
Although I haven't been blogging I've still been scouring the interwebs for cool rare shit. Here's a link to a handmade French tubular tire maker. Francois Marie Boyaux makes world class tubulars, very similar to Dugasts, but 20% cheaper.
Every list I've ever seen rating the best beers in the world has Trappist Westvleteren 12 in the #1 spot. Every list. It's hard to get though, to say the least. Apparently you call the abbey, and some monk tells you what beer is available, and gives a time and date you can come pick it up. You give him the license plate number of the car picking it up. Naturally there is a one case per car limit. 30 euros gets you a case though, which is pretty reasonable for such a mythic beverage. There is an inn across the street from the abbey where you can get one or two though. These are the only legitamate ways to aquire this stuff. I figured since you can get a Cambodian baby on the black market, surely you can get a case of rare beer. Well faithfull readers, after months of searching, I found some. Belgianshop.com has them. $18 a beer and $450 a case, plus another $75 for shipping. Those are not typos.
Hell yeah.
Andy and Becca were here for the weekend a few weeks ago. We had fun, and I made Becca cry (I think from laughing) with a tasteless baby joke.
Mary's season started with strong showings in the first of many aquathons and triathlons. Her next race is an Olympic distance event this Sunday.
Last weekend Mary's parents came for a visit, which is always a good time. We ate lots of good food, and even had some greens from my garden.
Brian and I raced the State Championship road race on Saturday. Brian has a good recap over on his blog. I felt really good throughout the race, except for some cramping on the climb on the last lap. I gave 'er a go at the base of the final climb, which was fun. Normally I get shelled out the back of the pack in road races less then half way into the race, so it felt good to be competitive. Next up is the UWW time trial, crit and road race, where we'll be in full Team Brown Bear livery. Fun times indeed. The fitness is finally coming around, so I expect a decent showing especially in the time trial and crit.
My parents are coming this weekend. Baseball and triathlon spectating are in the cards, along with some good food.
Although I haven't been blogging I've still been scouring the interwebs for cool rare shit. Here's a link to a handmade French tubular tire maker. Francois Marie Boyaux makes world class tubulars, very similar to Dugasts, but 20% cheaper.
Every list I've ever seen rating the best beers in the world has Trappist Westvleteren 12 in the #1 spot. Every list. It's hard to get though, to say the least. Apparently you call the abbey, and some monk tells you what beer is available, and gives a time and date you can come pick it up. You give him the license plate number of the car picking it up. Naturally there is a one case per car limit. 30 euros gets you a case though, which is pretty reasonable for such a mythic beverage. There is an inn across the street from the abbey where you can get one or two though. These are the only legitamate ways to aquire this stuff. I figured since you can get a Cambodian baby on the black market, surely you can get a case of rare beer. Well faithfull readers, after months of searching, I found some. Belgianshop.com has them. $18 a beer and $450 a case, plus another $75 for shipping. Those are not typos.
Hell yeah.
4.28.2007
Just for Becca
Not really just for Becca, but she called me out on the string of recent weak posts, so I thought I should create a legitamate blog post. Lots of crazy stuff going on here at Casa de Leedahl. Spring is in full swing in Madison, and the cycling has taken a back seat to home improvement and yard clean-up.
On the home improvement front, we're slowly remodeling our kitchen. There is a fresh coat of turquoise paint on the walls, replacing the dingy off-white stuff, and new modern cabinet hardware replacing the 1960's era brass stuff. You read that right. I wrote turquoise. We are also upgrading all the electrical outlets to GFCI units. There is a magical journey planned next weekend to the land of cheap Scandinavian furnature for a real dining table and chairs. That means our sweet outdoor table and chairs, which now occupies that space, can fulfil its destiny and get pooped on by birds outside (which, incidently, we have some cardinals nesting in a tree in our yard--how cool is that.) No pics of the kitchen yet. It will get its own blog post when it's complete.
Outside there are some exciting goings on. In honor of earth month, I installed a composter, which will diminish our already paltry amount of trash. It's conveniently right next to Sampson's dooley hole--his mucky guck/mung producing turd pit.
I also constucted an organic vegetable garden. Hells yeah! 80 square feet of carrots, onions, peas, spinach and lettuce are already in the ground. Tomorrow there will be green beans and various squashes with tomato plants in a few weeks, when the weather is warmer.
On the home improvement front, we're slowly remodeling our kitchen. There is a fresh coat of turquoise paint on the walls, replacing the dingy off-white stuff, and new modern cabinet hardware replacing the 1960's era brass stuff. You read that right. I wrote turquoise. We are also upgrading all the electrical outlets to GFCI units. There is a magical journey planned next weekend to the land of cheap Scandinavian furnature for a real dining table and chairs. That means our sweet outdoor table and chairs, which now occupies that space, can fulfil its destiny and get pooped on by birds outside (which, incidently, we have some cardinals nesting in a tree in our yard--how cool is that.) No pics of the kitchen yet. It will get its own blog post when it's complete.
Outside there are some exciting goings on. In honor of earth month, I installed a composter, which will diminish our already paltry amount of trash. It's conveniently right next to Sampson's dooley hole--his mucky guck/mung producing turd pit.
I also constucted an organic vegetable garden. Hells yeah! 80 square feet of carrots, onions, peas, spinach and lettuce are already in the ground. Tomorrow there will be green beans and various squashes with tomato plants in a few weeks, when the weather is warmer.
Our neighbors got seriously a giant dump truck load of wood chips from the city. By the looks of the chips, they're old Christmas trees, but anyway, he got about 200 times the amount he needed, and offered whatever we wanted to us. So we took advantage and redid all the tree beds, and all along the house by the bushes. It looks pretty sweet.
Tonight was "An Evening of Good Taste." An event put on by the local culunary school where you eat all sorts of gormet goodness with an open bar. I'm tired, and I've got the meat sweats, so I'll end this post shortly. Heather and/or Brian will have a more detailed post of the evening.
Tomorrow is the big one. The 115th year of Liege-Bastogne-Liege. My money is on Cunego, but my heart is with Chris Horner. We'll see. Watch it sometime tomorrow on Versus. Bill Dance will be sitting out tomorrow's race on an imposed "health break" because of a too high hematocrit level. 
4.10.2007
Gent Wevelgem 2005
Alright boys. Gent Wevelgem is tomorrow. Who's going to win?
I don't think the commissaires will let this happen again.
My money is on Baden Cooke.
4.07.2007
4.05.2007
Ronde van Vlaanderen
The greatest week in racing is almost upon us. 
Tour of Flanders, Gent-Wevelgem, and Paris-Roubaix. The week where cycling's hard men come out and carbon wheels are replaced with tied and soldered wheels from the 1980's. The first race, the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders,) is this Sunday. With 18 hellingen (short, steep, cobbled climb) 259 kilometers, and cold, windy, and rainy conditions, it doesn't take long to sort out the favorties.
Tour of Flanders, Gent-Wevelgem, and Paris-Roubaix. The week where cycling's hard men come out and carbon wheels are replaced with tied and soldered wheels from the 1980's. The first race, the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders,) is this Sunday. With 18 hellingen (short, steep, cobbled climb) 259 kilometers, and cold, windy, and rainy conditions, it doesn't take long to sort out the favorties.Boonen will be going for his 3rd straight Flanders victory, and he looks to be the favorite again this year after a strong showing in Milan-San Remo, and his crushing performances in last weeks Belgian semi-classics Dwars door Vlaanderen, and E3 Prijs. Should Boonen faulter, his Quick-Step team has 3 other contenders in Boonen clone Gert Steegmans, 2 time winner Peter Van Petegem, and World Champion Paolo Bettini. Predictor-Lotto has last year's runner up Leif Hoste, while CSC has perennial powerhouses Stuart O'Grady and Fabian Cancellara. Riders like Flecha and Freire from Rabobank, Ballan and Bennati from Lampre, Pozzato from Liquigas, Nuyens from Cofidis, and Devolder from Discovery could all be in the mix for victory.
So everyone, who will it be? Will Boonen do it again, or will some unknown Belgian all hopped up on pot Belge pull the upset?
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