It's depressing that it's taken me this long to get to this, but here goes-
Solvang 2008
Overalls
Total Distance: 365.6mi
Total Time Spent Riding: 22:08
Total KJ's spent: 13,367
Top Speed:48.9mph
Peak Watts: 1075w
Average Watts: 170w
Time Trial:
Time: 20.02
Wattage: 300
Mt. Fig
Time: 1:13
Jalama Beach
Time: Unknown
Placement: 25th
Starting Group: 7 of 8
I look forward to crushing these number in 2009.
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Added by Mike Pollack on March 9, 2008 at 8:30pm —
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Solvang 2008
This year I was very excited to come to Solvang as a coach instead of as an athlete. Last year it was a lot of fun and this year it was going to be better. My only concern was my lack of training miles. I had ridden an average of 1 hr a week since November.
My focus this year was to get healthy (I have raced with Achilles problems for the last 4 years, leading to a walk in Kona last year). I don’t want to race injured anymore. So this year it would be for recovery and some swim ra…
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Added by Ruben Figueres on March 4, 2008 at 11:55pm —
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I have just spent the most physically intense week of my life on a bike. Saturday evening my legs were aching my shoulders were sore and when I took yoga I could not hold positions for more than a few seconds. Childs pose never felt so good. Yet I miss the riding and the comradery. I really enjoyed going out everyday and seeing if I could compete to my highest level. When I get home the challenges will be both physical and mental. The chance to push my limits will have to wait for races and time…
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Added by jonathan markowitz on March 2, 2008 at 11:21pm —
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Guess what folks, it's 6am. That means I'm runnin'. 45 minutes easy. It actually helps get the legs going after yesterday's follies. If you don't recall: Yesterday I found new intensity zone called "Mucus".
Some breakfast and then I get ready for today's ride. It's a 25 mile easy warm-up and then a 28 mile staggered start road race that will take us up and over the last range of hills/mountains before the Pacific. Sounds nice. And then a 25 mile ride back.
Again, the 25 miles is needed to get…
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Added by Dan Litwora on March 2, 2008 at 11:30am —
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The usual. 6am wake up and off for a swim. Another 3300 in the books. Swimming actually feels good and Matt and I did 100s on varying intervals. I'm finally getting this flip turn thing down but the water, again, is thicker than the water in Illinois and I don't set any speed records.
Breakfast. Lots of it. The schedule calls for an "easy" 100 mile ride. Easy means a more or less steady pace without accelerations and hammering. That's what's written on the schedule. I know that it isn't going t…
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Added by Dan Litwora on March 2, 2008 at 11:22am —
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Before the race recap some numbers. This week is was on the bike for 18 hours and 55mn, I rode 281 miles, I burned 8443kjs. By far this has been the most of everything: most miles, most time on a bike in 1 week and most kjs. I am exhausted, but a good tired. Amazingly I did not pull anything. But I guess it is not too amazing because I have been working out 6 days a week for 2 years. The work has its benefits. At VQ there is a sign: The harder I work the luckier I get.
The Race. My group left a…
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Added by jonathan markowitz on March 1, 2008 at 7:58pm —
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Today’s ride is suppose to help us get ready for the big race tomorrow. We are doing a metric century, 62 miles. The day starts with a tad of confusion. The initial schedule said we were supposed to leave at 9:30. However due to tri training we were moved to 8:30. That is a problem because it changes breakfast time. I like to eat at least 2 hours before riding. Luckily I am an early bird so I had breakfast at the regular time.
I ate breakfast with one of the bike mechanics. Each day after our r…
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Added by jonathan markowitz on February 29, 2008 at 9:25pm —
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ladies and gentlemen-
The torch has been passed- ADAM BERG won street sprints last year without a problem. This year however he had hsi work cut out for him. Even though Adam didnt have war paint on his face- he came to WIN and kick some butt.
James however pushed it a half a wheel harder than Adam.
Great race see it on the videos- James
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Added by Dave Noda on February 29, 2008 at 2:28am —
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Today is supposed to be an easy 40 ride with a 2k sprint for fun competition, and drills tossed into the pot. Everyone is tired from yesterdays climb and we need a light day before 2 hard days on the road.
The day started easy enough. Floyd Landis showed up at camp last night and gave a talk. This morning we all showed up early and had our picture taken with him. Then Floyd rode with one of the groups on the recovery ride.
Our group left last and off we went on an easy pace. At about the 5-mil…
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Added by jonathan markowitz on February 28, 2008 at 7:15pm —
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The fog made the start of today's ride cool and crisp, but the chill
quickly subsided as we road EZ tempo. Today was
mainly an easy recovery ride with a 2K twist at the
mid point. Francine (aka Chaba) and I (both on team Chain Reaction)
had a good chance to try and take some points in the sprint today with
our teammates. The plan was to get Sorrell to the line first with Neumann
and Gemmel in the mix for the remaining points. You could feel the tension
as we got closer to the race start. You cou…
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Added by Jim Sauls on February 28, 2008 at 7:11pm —
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6am. 45 minute run. No turkeys.
Breakfast.
On the bikes for an EZ ride. The first 25 minutes could best be described as not pedalling. Then we form a paceline and we're rolling pretty good.
The group decides that any hill should be conquered with 450 watts of "EZ" power. The intensity zone within which 450 watts falls is not called Easy for me. Brian Haas refers to it as "Ape Shit" I think. I back off and catch back on after the climbs a few times then I see the 2K line which means (multiple…
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Added by Dan Litwora on February 28, 2008 at 5:50pm —
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The mountain didn't worry me too much in the morning. But agreeing to swim with Gordo and his crew certainly did. Again, the 6am wake up. Coffee a snack and off to the pool.
"The workout today is 19 x 200 on a pyramid interval with some warm-up and cool down. Total 4400 yards." That would be my longest swim of the year. Not by much, but still.
The water got thicker around the 3000 yard mark. Swam 2:50s mostly with varying amounts of rest.
Food. Change. Faster than yesterday.
Borrowed a Trek…
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Added by Dan Litwora on February 28, 2008 at 5:30pm —
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Woke up around 5:45, got some coffee, and my roomate Mark and I went for a run along Alisal road. As the old guy with the stick promised we saw a wild turkey. Sizable. Enough for 8-10 people with some fixins and a nice black bean turkey chili. Easy run. 54 minutes. Maybe just short of 7 miles.
Changed and ate. You just read those words. I did it that fast.
Threw my leg over Il Giggolo and off we went for the warm up for the 5 mile Time Trial.
A 5 mile TT. How cruel is that. Harder effort than…
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Added by Dan Litwora on February 28, 2008 at 10:45am —
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Today is the day of the big climb. Mt. Figueroa, the fig as it is called around here. There has been a ton of hype and a ton of worrying. 1 person I talked to said they did not sleep last night but worried about the ride the whole night.
I was worried also. I talked to everyone trying to come up with a decent strategy. Finally I talked to Joe and Bob, two of the more senior coaches and they had the best advice. Don’t worry about time or anyone else. Find your rhythm and stay with it. That was g…
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Added by jonathan markowitz on February 27, 2008 at 9:04pm —
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Woke up at about 6am here to go get some grub- (really never happened) I dont know why-
This year we have teams (its a team of 13 of us) we actually were able to name our teams- (were Chainreaction)
Jim Sauls came up with it-
We rolled out today at about 8:40am (the weather was about 40 degrees) and yes ALL of us overdressed I think-
I mean we had full blown shoe covers, to skull caps, it was great with all of the chicago thinking behind it thinking the weather followed us from Chi town-
Rig…
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Added by Dave Noda on February 27, 2008 at 1:50am —
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Today was the sorting ride. Kind of like Harry Potter and the sorting hat, were everyone did a 5 mile time trial, tt, up a pretty steep mountain, total elevation was about 1000 feet, guesstimate. The goal was for everyone to do the same ride then we would get ranked and be able to ride in like groups.
We did a nice warm-up ride at 8:30. It was cold, about 50, so everyone had on lots of gear: knee warmers, toe cozies; arm warmers, hat under the helmet, long finger gloves; wind vest. We left and…
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Added by jonathan markowitz on February 26, 2008 at 7:50pm —
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Arrived yesterday and did a short 16 mile ride. It’s nice here. There is no snow or ice anywhere. The trees have leaves. There is topography, like rolling hills. I am thinking of not coming home. Right now I am having trouble remembering why I live in Chicago.
Oh I remember.....
Anyway today’s ride will be an easy ride for 20 miles then a hard 5 mile time trial up a hill. The key is not to blow up. We have been discussing strategies all morning. I am pretty excited. I will be taking photos at…
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Added by jonathan markowitz on February 26, 2008 at 11:12am —
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Major ups to the Solvang Chamber of Commerce for arranging such a wonderful day today, the arrival day for most people. Epic conditions, cool but not too cool, a blue bird day out there. This is what the last week was supposed to be but I am sure am glad it was saved for Vision Quest. Its time to ride!!
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Added by Rod Riley on February 25, 2008 at 5:06pm —
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6:25am: 60' Easy run. Saw more bulls than cars. Nice morning, a little foggy.
I ran up Alisal road past the River Course (from Sideways) and the road pitched up slightly. It's really green out here.
On my way back I saw a walker and he stopped me.
We talked turkey. Literally. He wanted to know if I had seen any wild turkeys. He usually does he says. He has a thick dutch accent. We go our seperate ways and agree we're likely to see each other on the same path again. It's the best road--for "na…
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Added by Dan Litwora on February 25, 2008 at 10:30am —
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Sunday -- Training:
60' ride to get the legs used to moving again. Saw Sauls and Noda coming down the road. Turned around to ride with them not expecting to have to ride VO2 Max Intervals.
Sauls is a motorbike and Noda shows no signs of slowing down. I take a pull, get behind Noda again and I'm horriffied when he flicks his elbow for me to come around. One more pull. And then I pull the plug.
The hard riding stops and we ride a paceline and tempo to Los Olivos and back.
Nice ride.
Changed q…
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Added by Dan Litwora on February 25, 2008 at 9:24am —
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Solvang 2008: By The Numbers
Solvang 2008 Summary
Epilogue
Saturday -- The Throwdown at Jalama Beach
James Sorrell WINS STREET SPRINTS- PUSHES 1202 watts-wow-great job green machine
The 2K Road Race - Road Group C
Chamber of Commerce
