Way to go Beets. Try to drag slowcolnago out this weekend. It's the best time for some hard training. The weather is breaking up here. Dark and overcast. But I have big plans...
Sud

Sounds like a good rig. Did you check with the shop that the carbon fiber bars are compatible with your plastic hip joints and pacemaker? Sure i'm just sore... My bike won't be in til next week. I don't know if I will even have time to get the position right. I may have to bring my sons MTB instead...
(Today 15k only in high winds. 28 avg.)
Sud

I was feeling very sad last night. Like I'd been left out of an arms race, or something like that.

So, I went to the local bike store today and bought Atom carbon fiber handle bars, an ultra light stem (whose name escapes me at the moment, but it weighs 95 grams), a pair of Bontrager triple X race light wheels and a Campy Record Ti/Steel cassette. They were not successful in talking me into the carbon seat post or ultra light carbon saddle, maybe they will when I pick it up on Friday.

I feel much better now. As with Beetle, only the operator can be blamed now.

GB

Keep drinking Springs. 162lbs sounds way too light to me. I took an extended lunch to rack up 30k in just less than an hour. Gorgeous day.
Sud

That does it. New wheels for me. I'm not sitting in the weeds while you guys leap into current millenium bike technology.

Beetle, you can stop griping about your big tall 28/27 climbing gear anytime now.

Sud, does your new GPS trainer have defribulation paddles? That's what I really need.

Slocolnago

Glad to see that you are finally getting some reasonable weather. Yesterday and today it has been around 10° here too. I ran 8k yesterday and biked 25 at lunch today. My family is starting to get it the way of my training. My kids want to spend time with me. I say, if you want to spend time with me come riding. My son complains that his little fixed wheel mountain bike cant keep up with mine. Sure, blame the bike. And my daughter gets her training wheels caught in the grill on the first over pass (I told you you could have a colnago with 26" silk tubulars, but nooo, you wanted a Barbie bike with training wheels). Children just have no conception of the suffering necessary to be a bike weenie.

Big technical ween here:
1. my Italian friends and family kicked in to buy me the forerunner GPS personal trainer. It will memorise you days riding so you can annoy your friends with hours of trivia about your speed, VO2 max, calorie output, and then remember it all the next day so that you can race against your self (so we can do the ride twice...). If I am not mistaken it will calculate altitude also.

2. It's official. I ordered a new bike. Nothing special, a sloping carbon Kastle X-road with a Shimano Utegra gruppo. So I finally get the 53x12 39x25, break mounted shifting and I hope a less whippy frame. Weight should be about the same as what I am riding. At around 1400 euro it looked like the best quality price ratio going. It should arrive later this week. I hope to break it in in time.

3. Training: Remember that next week is last call for long or hilly rides. After that we have to taper (assuming we ever really got started). Don't want to our legs pumped with lactic acid on th long ride.

4. You mean my wheels are not 3 meters in circumfrence?

Sud

It's Mar(k) Carli.

Very fun ride on Saturday. Beetle said it all, a hard working 25ish for 70 km. Very poor weather Sunday. Latest weight in, stalled at 162 lbs. Looks like any further weight shedding will have to come from my enormous steel freewheel. Hence Beetle's weenie comment (he's one to talk, Mr 9 speed ultegra). I'm in the market for a good 8 speed Ti freewheel. If I can't find one, and I probably can't, then to hell with it. I'm going to get a new wheel set with free hub and Ti cogs. I deserve it. Besides, I'm getting a huge tax refund.

Sud is starting to haul serious ass. Either he is going to have to pull us throught the 9 Colli, or he has to recalibrate his wheel size in his bike computer. (I doubt it has a 3 metre circumference, Sud.)

Slocolnago

Saturday: They were doing a classic car timetrial on my ciruit. People in red jumpsuits waved me on at the time checks with those silly red lollipops the police use. Three old men cheered me as I rode over the hill. 55km. Gain 750 (with two steep climbs). Max. 67. avg 25.7.
Sunday: Rain, rain, rain. 35k, back wheel slipping on the steep parts. I may need to rethink those slicks....
sud

25k today. Warm sunny and better road conditions. Gain 200m. avg 32.7kmh.
BTW. did you see that Barry is now on the UPS team? See Paceline.
sud

Weigh-in 79.7 Kilos. I have been doing some gentle spinning. My back is getting better all the time. The weather is exceptional.
Lunch time ride of note: 22° and sunny. Road conditions were terrible, a new route full of bumps and holes. Like riding on pavè. I hung on my friends back wheel for most of the ride, but my whippy carbon fiber frame couldn't take the bumps. It just becomes unstable and I have to back off. The vibrations popped my watch band open. His Pinarello with carbon fiber wheels didn't seem to budge. That's the best excuse I can come up with at the moment for getting dropped on the hills. Or is that my excuse for buying a new bike? I did get behind a semi and was hauling along at a steady 60 clicks for a kilometer. A 53X12 would have been perfect.
22km, 180m gain, 32kmh average (and feeling no pain).
sud

A couple of weekends to post, last week was too busy to post (or to ride and work out for that matter).

April 10 Beetle and Slocolnago met North of Burlington and did about 45 km at 25.5 kph. Three good escarpment climbs; Rattlesnake, Steeles and Walkers line. Rode past Sud's Mom's house, too. Great weather finally, 10 C and sunny. North wind made for a very fast Southbound leg to bring the ride home. The last 10 km were at 42 kph; peleton speed!

April 11, Beetle was mountain biking, so Slocolnago hooked up with Jeff S. We did 56 km on the Toronto paths at 24.5 kph. A bit cool, uneventful, just the usual 4 small (60 to 70 m) climbs. Jeff is out of shape, felt faint on the Bayview climb.

April 17, fantastic whether predicted so Beetle and Slo planned for a 75 km ride North of TO. Set out at 8 AM for the Holland marsh. It started to piss rain by 8:45. Never really let up for more than a few minutes. A bit cool, too. We cut the ride short at 57 km, but averaged a respectable 26.3 kph. Not bad, in the conditions we had. Several decent short climbs. Beetle was throwing himself onto them, Slo managed to keep up, but just.

Early signs of hypothermia driving home, fixed with a long hot bath and a big meal with Beets, Kelly and another couple. A '92 St. Emillion Grand Cru, and a '99 Tedeschi Amarone. Missed you, Sud.

April 18, rest, rest and more rest.

Playing hockey tonight, weights tomorrow.

Slocolnago

Howling wind and the threat of rain that never came.
70km 1050 gain (350x3), average speed 25.
Power bars at 30min intervals made a big difference. The 24 helps also. I did not feel tired at the end but i am geting a little back pain. i don't know if its the climbing or my position on the bike. I will avoid steep climbs and high gears for the rest of the week.
sud

Technical update
Took in my bike to see about improving the shifting and gears. As I correctly remembered, I can't add an 8th cog because shimano indexing is at the back, mine can only take 7. To use 8 I would have to nix the indexed shifting, which is a shame. I made the following changes.
- changed the 23 to a 24 (he didn't have a 25).
- nixed the old down tube pump and added one of those microscopic strap ons that you would only ever use if you had a flat on the road. I will buy a foot pump for the car.
- Added another water bottle
- added a triangular bag that attaches to the top and seat tube.

I am all set.
Bring it on.
sud

Yesterday riding my bike downhill at 55kmh a huge bug (or was it a bird?) flew into my upper lip with a resounding smack. Ouch, that hurt. 10 min later while getting into some serious anaerobics on a 16% grade, a large white butterfly flew into my mouth. Pluahh...
This is not a sport for normal people...
sud

I stretched our lunch time trial to 22.5 km. I did it after work at an avg of 28, and again today at 30.8.
sud

My easter riding:
Saturday. The rain didn't come, sorry guys. It was windy and overcast but warm. I think about 16°.
I did 90km, 4 laps of a 22k circuit with a good long climb. The total vertical per lap is somewhere between 250m and 300 with a great view at the top. I will work on getting a GPS reading. Here is my progression (or degression)

   lap 1 avg speed 26.6
   lap 2 avg speed 26.4
   lap 3 avg speed 25.2
   lap 4 avg speed 24.1

Here's what i learned:
1. You need to eat enough while you ride. I bonked on the last climb, even though I ate two bananas at the beginning of the 3rd lap, I also ran out of water and lost about 2 kilos of fluids. On a 200k ride, or even 130k with big hills, staying carbed and hydrated is essential. I will add a second water bottle.

2. 36x23 is too harsh for long or repeat climbs. I felt like a hero on the first lap and was progressively sapped as I went along. On the last climb my legs were rubbery with lactic acid and I really didn't want to keep pushing that gear. I don't think I could have done a fifth lap today. I will try to add a 36x25 or 26 for our ride.

3. Cycling is a lot of work. Couldn't we just train for snooker and drink beer?

Sunday Drizzle turned to rain, I did 30k of flat riding (50 gain). Avg 30.4.
Monday Rain. Sleep. Food.
Sud

21km at lunch, 320m climbing. Avg. 28. We are set up for three days of wind and rain here. Bring it on.
Have a great Easter guys. m

Things here are starting to heat up. My sparring partner Stefano is back and is already scary fast. He's been doing 100k days. My pal Ignazio has been training overtime on the MTB and it has greatly improved his power.
Yesterday we did 18km, adding on an extra climb. Today just 15, but we are averaged over 30kmh for the route. Mostly I am riding bitch to keep up. But my day will come I can feel it....
Sud

I have been out since Friday with stomach flu. I missed the best weekend weatherwise so far. I went riding today but suddenly it all seems uphill. I better get my ass in gear, sounds the canadesi are starting to take this seriously.
Snow in May, now wouldn't that be a kicker. Its happened before....
Sud city blogger

It's coming together a bit now. Beetle and Slowcolnago rattled off a quick 48 km this past Saturday at 25 kph. No climbing to speak of (maybe 150 m of vertical, all told), but nice to enjoy the only 2 hours of decent weather this weekend. Minus 2 and howling winds on Sunday, no riding for me. Not sure if Beetle braved it on his mountain bike.

Taking my old spare 6 speed wheel in to the Curator later today, to have it converted to 8 speed. He found another 8 speed freewheel for me. 13-21 Sachs-Maillard, good for fast flat rides. And, I can always swap the freewheels if I knacker a wheel. He's trying to find a 24 cog for me, too. I think I'll bring both wheels to Italy, just to be safe.

Minus 5 today, supposed to rain this afternoon. This wet and cold spring is not helping. Mind you, if a freakish sub-zero wind storm blows in on the Nove Colli, Beetle and I will kick ass.

Slowcolnago