Winter training camp. Day 1.

Alright, time for some pics from the "winter training camp".

I got to bed at 1am and was out the door at 8am in Phoenix to ride the new hot rod. I had the Bartlett Lake route planned thanks to a poster on Road Bike Review.

Here it is. The 2007 Trek Madone 5.9SL (oh and the rental Chevy Colbalt). Geared up with some tools, bottles, and the heart rate moniter.

After a 2-3 mile flat warm-up I took a right and climbed this gradual hill for about 9 miles.

Yes, Arizona has cactus. And yes, they have to be told not to shoot their guns everywhere.

This was a 5-6 mile downhill to the lake/turn around point below.

At the bottom of the hill I stopped to answer the call of nature and take a neat pic. This bike is sooo much fun. The lake is to the right (out of picture). I then turned around and climbed back up the 5-6 mile hill on the left (again, out of picture).

The lame look at me shot as I climbed, and climbed.

Stopped at the Ranger Station to refill the bottles. It was about 60-65 degrees that day. It would prove to be the warmest day while we were there (by far).

Take a look at the second pic in the series. I got to draft behind a garbage truck the whole way down. I don't know the speed I was going, but the speed limit was 50mph. It made that downhill go by FAST!

Ended the day with 3 hours of bike time. I guess this out and back has about 4000 feet of climbing in 55 miles.

I am going to shower and go to work now. Gotta smell good for the ladies ya know.

Culprit identified.

Yeah, it didn't take to long to figure out who had been posting here under my name. Turns out the Godfather (Matt the owner of the shop) has a key logger on the computers at work. From there he got my e-mail password, which was the same as my password here. Then he thought he would play a joke on me. Oh well, the ACLU didn't think it was funny (they'll be in touch). I suppose I can't blame Matt, it all stems from his childhood. This is a pic from his 5th birthday. His parents didn't believe in parties or cake. So sad, so sad.

I do owe some reprisals now because the folks at work thought it would be funny to put a bunch of my stuff in Jello, ala The Office. Maybe I'll poo in brownies and feed it to them. That's fair isn't it?

On another note I can't find the cord to upload the pictures from the trip.

I lifted last night, and now I am jumping on the trainer. It is like 10 degrees out. Brrrrr!

Work is calling, will you answer the phone?

Weird stuff.

Well, it looks like someone has figured out how to post on this site besides me. He (and I do mean he) left me intentional clues, so I assume I'll find out soon who it was. I have been without internet access the last 6 days, so those last 2 posts were not mine.

In the mean time I got back from the AZ at 2 am this morning. Phoenix was recording record lows which interferred with my riding. I was only able to go out on the new road bike 3 out of the 5 days. I took some pics and I'll post those soon.

I made a new knock knock joke by the way...

-Knock, knock
-Who's there?
-My
-My who?
-My new Madone is seriously FREAKING FUN!

I am tired, and gotta go to work. You should too.

Leaving on a jet plane...

Don't miss me to much. I am sad too.

I even made a video to express my emotion.

I'll be back soon.

Before I leave I am going to hit the gym and pump some iron in a top secret mission. Then I'll go to the AZ for some top secret riding. I will try to update my sweet rides while I am there.

Think about it...I'll be in AZ and you have to WORK!! Heh, heh, heh.

Yo, yo.

Not a ton going on...

Lets see, training for next year is going well. I hit up the gym for weights on Friday and I am going again today (Monday). A famous fast Moore brother likes to mock me for riding the trainer inside a lot. I did get outside this Sat. for 3 1/2 hours gravel fun with his not as fast (but still fast) brother and some other cohorts. The course we took had no shortage of hills and we were all hurting at the end. Oops, I mean they were all hurting at the end;) I had brought the camera for documentation, but the batteries were dead.

Sunday I hit up the trainer for 1 1/2 hours. I just rode tempo, and subsequently put out my highest average power since I started using the power meter that comes with the trainer this winter.



Oh, sweet stuff about to happen. My first ever winter training camp will start this week. Wed, Becky and I are flying to Phoenix for her to dominate the Rock 'n' Roll marathon. I'll bring the new road bike and get some OUTSIDE miles in. Looks like the weather will be in the high 50's, so arm and leg warmers may inhibit my tan.

Dude, I am going to be as fast as a superman ninja next year. For real I am.

Quick, your boss is coming. Get to work!!

A new addtion to the family.

Guess which Moore brother became a new blogger? Nope, not the faster one. He is a veteran at it (click picture).

Ben heard from Brendan and I that blogging has been proven to make you 15% faster. He also fell for it when we told him that if your hand is bigger than your face you have cancer. Ha!

Queire trabajar?

Hey y'all.

Oh this last week was fun. It was a "rest" week. Along with that I attended the usual parties with girls making out in the hallway and people with lampshades on their heads (a reference to the best show ever made).

I got some good news. A double secret agent in the Trek organization was able to sneek out a pair of the new 29'er x-lite tubeless wheels. These things are going to be hot and as of right now they are very scarce. Oh goody, goody. I'll give you pics when they come.

So someone seems to have broken into my house and taken pics of me on my trainer. Yes, a police report and restraining order are being processed. In the mean time I caught that same guy on a top secret training ride OUTSIDE. he is always saying that 26" wheels accelerate faster. At least I think that is what he says cause all I hear is blah, blah, blah, and where are my crossmax's? Well he has taking the small wheel thing to the extreme with this bootleg copy of his last ride. BTW, nice flooties dude.

Still gotta show pics of my sweet new road bike. My baby's momma has a marathon in AZ next weekend where I'll get to break in the new ride over many miles of (hopefully) smooth pavement. 5 days in the sun...YES!

Did I mention there is some snow on the ground finally?

New Years is over, so get back to work.

Sleestacks yo.

Sweet mugs on these guys. It is like they are in some LAND the has been forgotten and LOST. Kinda looks like the pics I would see of the Moore brothers and Fisher at the start of the Expert races (from left to right, Chris, Brendan, and Ben). All decked out the same in Velo gear and "team" helmets. Next year they'll all be on Trek Top Fuels.

Hitting the trainer this morning then it is back to work for more inventory counting. Yeah, inventory!!

Oh, I just got a SWEEEEET new road bike yesterday. I have to build it, waiting for the proper bars and then all the "roadies" will be on notice. No more racing on the cyclocross bike. I'll post a pic when built.

You=get back to work.

Chilling

This would be funny if we were getting snow. It was not a white Christmas, and all I hear about is rain not snow. Hmmmm.

At the shop we are doing inventory. It sucks, but at least this guy's brother is back from college to help. Ben and I talked at length about how his blogging brother is getting worried about next year and how we'll both whup on him. It seems he will be a dad soon and I am sure we'll never see him again. Who will be the faster brother next year? That is on the lips of the public.

Anyone know what a Sleestack is? Try google, or look tommorrow and I'll post a picture.

I am going to lift now. It is a "recovery" week. I am glad to say the 1st block of training is done. Don't think Base 1 or 2. I am following a slightly different way of training.

Go work or ride. Do something at least.

Festivus, for the rest of us!!!

Just to piss off the faster Moore brother I rode twice again yesterday. Actually, I can't today, so it was a preemptive strike.

1 1/2 hours in the morning, and I felt GREAT!

1 1/2 hours in the evening and I felt like POO! I did get some power work in though.

Today is free of physical activity, Sunday is weights and some cardio, then Monday is rest as well. YEAH!

I also want to give a shout out to Matt "back in the day"Leiven the coolest inside rep at Trek/Fisher. Turns out he is 29, same as my.....*uh oh*.......wheels on my mountain bike. Yeah 29'ers!

Now go air your grievances and prepare for the feats of strength!

Long day...

Yesterday I needed to get in a workout and make up a workout that this guy wanted me to do. Yes that is 2 workouts. One in the morn, one in the eve. Well, I documented for you, and if you think it is dumb, then you are dumber for reading it. HA!

The bike with sweat towel.

Nina says, "Dad, let's play frisbee instead."

Action shot done in real time. Note the manly pink ear phones.

Becky says, "Hah, school is cancelled, you sucka."

Action shot of the rear wheel. Exciting eh?

Becky left me. She went to the Club to get in a 16 mile run. She is almost ready to go here.

That concludes ride #1. 2 hours with some power work.

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Nina says, "Daaaad, not again!"

The lame "look at me riding" shot.

Looks a lot different outside now. Hmmmmm.

Nina's point of view (I am scrathing her head, duh).

Nina, in her "I'm bored" pose. Yes, she does sit like that.

After another 1 hour and 45 minutes on the trainer I was ready for some lasagna thanks to my baby's momma.

That's it. By the way, I hit up the gym weights wed night, and I just got off the trainer this morning for another ride. What did you do?

We are headed to the in-laws tonight in WI.

Now get to work... please!

Christmas presents.

Alright. So yesterday my back was bothering me so working out got put on hold. I plan to jump on the trainer now. Care to join me?

I have put a lot of thought into Becky's Christmas (oops, I mean holiday) present. Looks like I found it!! Trust me, this is something that all guys can get for there women! You need audio for this, and thanks to my good friend Justin Timberlake for the idea. CLICK HERE NOW!! Warning, kinda profane, but not BAD.

Hey, I just found out how to link stuff. Pretty soon I'll be tying my own shoes too!

Just a pic of Becky. We had got caught out in a cold rain storm in Crested Butte. Brrrrrrrrr! Rain coats? What are those?

Get to work.

Wasss uuuppppp?!?!?!?!

I haven't updated for a week. Weird eh?

FRIDAY:

Let's see. I lifted Friday morning (you should see my pecks). Worked during the day. Went to Corkette and Husband of Corkette's for dinner with the wife. We talked at length about how Corkette plans on racing in Chequamegon this year.

SATURDAY:

Went out for 3 hours on the cross bike with Mr. Carey. We explored gravel roads and sprinted for every mail box and road sign. Afterwards we stopped in Dunn Brothers for a cup of Joe and a scone. Mark let me pay. Thanks dude! We ran into some fellow cyclists there to recover as well. Let's just say that not all of Mark's coaching clients listen to well, right Allen?

SUNDAY:

CHRISTMAS PARTY!! Hung out with the 2.3 billion people that constitute my mother's side of the family. I feel more and more like a stranger at these events. Sooooo many cousins, uncles, aunts, spouses, girlfriends, babies, and who knows what else. I did hop on the trainer with the intent to ride for 2+ hours, but a something I ate earlier caught up with me and I ended with 1 1/2 hours.

MONDAY:

I am lifting tonight. The baby's momma has conferences all night, so maybe I'll have one of my famous keggers tonight. I'll invite all the local high school cheerleaders over for drinks and studying.

Oh, look at the time! You need to get back to work!

Stop. Trainer Time.

Yeah, this was my view for 2 hours last night. I watched the last episode to "The Biggest Loser" (yeah, yeah, I know the jokes you are thinking of). The winner on that show went from 407 to 193 pounds. Dang!

Oh, and your welcome to think I am a tool for being on the trainer for 2 hours right now, but I got's me some goals to reach for next year (or maybe you think I am a tool either way). One of them is the 24 hour national championship (www.24-9.com).

Seriously, your boss called. He thinks you need to get off this site and get back to work. I don't want you to get in trouble.

Red Winging

It was a nice day out Sunday, and with the wife meeting up with a friend, and my domestic duties done, I headed to Red Wing. I thought I would document it just because I know how much you care about it.

The paragon all loaded and ready to go.

The lame self shot picture, only in the car.


Jamming to Click and Clack on NPR. They are so hardcore!

I little pick-me-up.

Damn, he is one good looking fella.

The gate at the bottom of Memorial Park in Red Wing was closed for the winter, so I had to park at the Marine and ride up.

Up I go.

What do you do if you are a sh*t bag with leaves in your yard? Well, bag them in plastic bags and throw them down a ravine of course!! Seriously, this wins the dumba$$ award for the day.

Camera on timer? Check. Riding up teeter-totter? Check. Picture of my 360 degree, tail whip, superman flip off of the teeter-totter? Guess the camera did not get that

If you go on other blogs you may see the self shot. It is always on the pavement or gravel. This is going up the manhandler. Nasty, rocky and steep. I made it up fine every time.

A view of the town below.

Just a pic of trail. Lots of fun singletrack.

I did some exploring. Turns out there is a back way up to Memorial park through Mississippi National Golf Course. Here is the clubhouse.

Showing manhandler who the boss is...again.

Back at the marine again. These guys in the background spent like 15 minutes trying to dock that boat, and were still trying when I left. That is the famous Barn Bluff in the background.

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I ended the day with about 2 1/2 hours of riding. Only 1 1/2 bottles consumed. Lots of climbing, but all done at a easy pace. I hit up the gym with the wife after that to get in a little more.

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How was your weekend?

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Now get back to work!

SPY VS. SPY

So this week was interesting.

We had a gentleman come in to view our wares. This was not a normal customer. He is a bike rep for a competing brand (think Levi Lephimer's old bike from team Gerolsteiner). I remembered him from previous encounters with him at a race this year, including when he told me I should apply at the Erik's shop in town. Like Napoleon would say, "yeah right". Although today he was under cover at our shop as a "medical sales rep". Hmmmm.

I notified Deb as soon as I realized who he was. Here is a partially factual transcript of their discussion.

Deb (Queen Bee): Hello, what can I help you with?

Spy: Nothing, I am just snooping, ah I mean browsing.

QB: That is cool. What kind of riding do you do?

Spy: Well, mainly road, but some offroad.

QB: Sweet, what kinda bikes do you have?

Spy: I have a S*******ed road bike and mountain bike.

QB: Wow, you must really like that company.

Spy: Ahh, why do you say that? It is not like I am a rep for them....I am just a medical sales rep. I have no affiliation with that oh so wonderful organization. Why all the questions? I have nothing to hide. I am just your regular, average customer. (Imagine nervous gesturing at the same time).

QB: Ohhhhhkay. Anywho, anything catch your eye?

Spy: Can you give me a break down of your sales numbers for the last several years?

QB: Ahhh, no.

Spy: Anyways, did I tell you how great my road bike is?

QB: Didn't Charly race against you in a crit this year? How did you end up doing in that? Did you beat Charly?

Spy: Ahhhh...

QB: Oh wait, Charly won that race, so you couldn't have beat him. Man, your bike must not be so great if Charly can beat you in a crit using a cyclocross bike.

Spy: Look at the time, I gotta go!

QB: Okay, Merry Christmas. (Grinning)

Spy: Sure, Sure. Bye. (quickly leaving)

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BUSTED!!

Us: 1 Them: 0

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By the way, had he been upfront about who he was, it would have been fine, but the deceit ain't too cool.

Now go do something more productive!

Taking aim on next year.

Time to go lift at the "club". A slimmer faster Charly is hoping to great everyone next year.

Not like 2 years ago.Daaaang! You could use the stomach as one of those exercise balls!

Oh shoot, look at the time! You have to get back to work!

Gooooood morning Rochester!!

No time, gotta get to work.

Just a view from my "ride" this morning. Just under 2 hours. F.Y.I. it is my backyard.

Now you and I have to get to work!!

I got the trainer station all set up. My dad lent me a old TV, DVD player, cable box, and several converators. The cable box could only handle regular cables, the DVD player would only handle the 3 cable set up, and the TV was so old it didn't have either. I had the whole system jerry rigged. Needless to say it did not work.

Yesterday I went out and got a new TV, so I am rocking and rolling. I watched much of the 2nd have of Lance's tour win last night. Man, that was a fun race to watch.

Damn it, the pics will not load. This is annoying.

Now get to work!

Tests suck.

Did the threshold testing yesterday.

It hurt.

Yes Richard, I did vomit a little. Good thing was that I had already drank the water out of one bottle. It made it so I didn't even have to get off of the bike.

Two 8 minute intervals at full bore. My heart rate threshold is higher than I thought it would be, but it still freaking hurt.

Today, rode for almost 2 hours. No puking this time.

Something is up with the blog. It wouldn't let me post using "wysiwyg". That means I do not have the ability to show pictures right now. That is too bad for you, cause I got some sweet ones.

Watched the Carey's (yes the ones we feed) dogs this weekend. You ever seen a Labradoodle before?

I need to figure out this whole picture thing cause it ain't cool.

Sugar Daddy hasn't updated his blog in over a month.

Christmas stuff is going on. My baby's momma has got the Christmas cds going. Yey.

I am setting up a "trainer station" soon. Hopefully pics will follow.

Don't you have some work to do?
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Hey, I got the picture thing working!! It seems that the camera is now acting up. Guess the batteries are dead, and I am waiting for them to charge.

This kid has the right idea.

Here is a qoute form my way news (article was linked from drudgereport.com).

{Clinton, who easily won re-election to a second term on Nov. 7, "is reaching out to her colleagues in the New York delegation and asking for their advice and counsel and their support if she decides to make a run," a top adviser, Howard Wolfson, told The Associated Press.}

Who does she think she is kidding? Of course she is gonna run. God help us all.

So last year at this time the shorts were tight and loose. Tighter around the waist and looser around the thighs. Now this year there are tight and loose, only tighter around the thighs and looser around the waist.

That's cool.

Tommorrow, I get to do my heartrate threshold test. I don't have an official power meter to do that type of training (unless someone wants to give me a wad of cash to buy one), but the Kurt trainers have one that is inexpensive and only works with their trainers. I have had the meter for a year, but never attached it. I guess I get to see my power output tommorrow as well. I don't know my power output, except it will be at least 10 more watts of what ever you can put out. I gotta think confidently you know.The Devil Dog is all set to watch me suffer tommorrow.

Hey, don't you have some work to do?

Hopping on the trainer.

Last night marked day 2 of trainer riding. It is sooo sweet. I get to ride as long as I want and don't have to worry about changing views, outside stimulation, or just plain enjoyment. The way I survive is to jam to the mp3 player. Actually, it is a wma player. How much of a loser am I? Wait, don't answer that.

One of the songs I downloaded by Nelly reminded me of this pic.Dude, check out that guy's grill!

Stay tuned for live action shots from the trainer!!

Now get back to work!

Is Lance making a comeback?

Can you figure out who this good looking local rider is? Nice shirt dude, and the glasses are pretty rock'n too!