34 degrees and wind. I woke up thinking, "what better day to go ride the Kanc?" The first NH climb of the season always hurts a bit, and I thought that adding the element of cold and wind would be the jimmies on top of the pain frosting.
I actually felt better than expected, and was able to maintain some consistently good watts all the way to the top. Hopefully this will be money in the bank for the upcoming season!
As a heads up when Jeff found out I did some blogging he asked if I would contribute to the Base36 blog. I said sure, I mean after all he is my boss!
I just wanted to say how nice it has been to get to you know you guys and to have supportive training partners. Although I race for a different team the team is mostly based in Massachusetts and it is awesome to have the Base36 team to train with locally. I rode a lot with Jamie Wright, Jamie Jones, Jeff Dixon and Ralph Karam last year and I was the strongest I have ever been on the bike by the end of August.
Clearly I came into this season a tad out of shape (although technically round is a shape) but my legs and lungs are coming back fast.
I rode 140 miles with Jeff and other members of the Base36 team including a 70 mile ride Saturday. BTW that is the longest ride I have done since 2005!
Of course the downside is if you guys keep making me work so hard Jamie Jones better watch out! Ha ha
Looking forward to seeing you guys on the road soon.
I received the best e-mail yesterday. Jurgen is moving back to Portland, Maine from Portland, Oregon this Spring! He will once again be wearing the Base36 colors while he makes the New England category 2 field cry for mercy! I plan on making a trip to Sam's Club to buy an industrial size box of tissues that I will be handing out to his competitors for wiping away their tears.
I actually heard a rumor that the cyclists in Oregon took up a collection to fund his return trip to Maine. I guess they were getting tired of racing for second place...
Everyone knows the economy has been in tough shape for the past couple of years - despite this, our team is fortunate to have many generous sponsors again this season. Many have been with us for several years. As of now, we have received a commitment from Base36, Edgewater Orthopedic Physical Therapy, United Insurance, Jones' Express, David Shedd/Coldwell Banker, Gorham Bike and Ski, and Old Orchard Beach Chiropractic.
We are extremely grateful that our sponsors recognize our commitment to New England and Mid-Atlantic racing and choose to support our ability to participate in the sport. Several sponsors (Base36, United Insurance, David Shedd, Jones' Express, and Gorham Bike and Ski) have been with us over 3 years, others like Old Orchard Beach Chiropractic are returning after a year off as a sponsor, and we also gained a new sponsor this year - Edgewater Orthopedic Physical Therapy.
Our sponsor drive is now nearing closure and our 2010 kits will be ordered next week. Rather than our kits having fewer sponsor than last year, we actually have more. It certainly isn't what I expected and I am psyched!
Thank you to all of our sponsors! We plan on giving you a lot of podium exposure this season!
Training during the winter months is tough. We are all logging many hours on our trainers in basements and family rooms. I know I have watched just about every zombie movie available on DVD this winter, just to pass the time while on the bike.
Luckily, the weather in Maine has been unseasonably warm for February, and we have been able to get in many 4-5 hour weekend rides over the past few weeks. Ralph and Kirk seem to be extremely fit right now, and I have to work harder that I should to keep up with them on the climbs. Since Kirk typically plans the routes, they are always long, remote, and hilly. Seeing him bonk and shut down in the last 5 miles of Saturday's ride provided a bit of satisfaction after riding his elevation packed route! We had our bikes on the cars, ate lunch, and got a hair cut by the time he arrived in the Rite-Aide parking lot - how does that feel, Kirk??
This weekend will probably include another "Kirk Route" with hills and hopefully his demise once again. Payback is a beautiful thing...
Thanks for reading,
Jeff
Monday, February 15, 2010
It was a beautiful February day to ride 71 miles with Ralph and Jeff. This weekend was the start of getting outside more often, I got in 91 miles Saturday, and hope to be outside more often and OFF the trainer! See you all out there!
2010 is here, and after a bit of down time, we are all thinking about the upcoming season. We had our first "official" team meeting last week, and we have solidified the roster. I am excited about the addition of two new junior riders, Owen Wright and Chris Worden. This will give us an official junior team which includes Jake, Chris, and Owen.
In addition to the junior team, we will also be fielding our first women's team which will include Cody Harris and Teresa Swinbourne. They are both super-strong and will be delivering a crushing this year!
Harris Navelski and Steve Bryant were both added to the men's roster. They are both strong riders, and hopefully both will reach category 3 very quickly.
We did lose Ben "The Butcher" Forbes this year, which I found very disappointing. Ben is super strong and fun to race with. I hope he does well wherever he lands.
