Masters Road Nationals

Riders from all over the country are beginning to flock to Bend this week in preparation of the Masters National Championships.  All disciplines (TT, Crit, and RR) will be offered with each category in increments of 4 years; ie: 30-34, 35-39, etc.  

I have decided to only compete in the Road Race with the hopes of a podium finish.  With the 40-44 age category only covering a distance of 54 miles, it will surely be a tough task for anyone to attack and stay away.  There are no significant climbs on the course, just lots of rollers with alot of flat sections.  The wind can always be a factor, as can the final 1-mile run in to the finish.  It's a bit of a twisty, roller section that includes 2 round-abouts, so positioning will be critical upon approaching the final mile.  Having the legs to finish things off with a good sprint will most likely be the deciding factor.

The action gets underway on Thursday with the Skyliner TT.  There are a few local favorites hoping to take home top honors; including Scott Gray and Andrew Boone (30-34), Mike Larsen (40-44), and Eric Martin (45-49).  The 40-44 road race will happen on Sunday morning; this is by far the largest field of riders with a total of 115 riders. 

The weather the past week was very smoky due to several fires up north.  Going out to exercise was a little difficult and hard on the lungs.  It seems to be improving but there is still some smoke lingering.  Temperatures have dropped significantly and are currently in the 70's (believe it or not the low's at night are in the 30's).  This weekend however, they are supposed to rise again back up to the high 80's.  Typical Bend weather, you just never know...

How to race your bike without pedaling

The Omega-Pharma Lotto cycling team shows us a new way to race your bike.  Some have better aerodynamic than others...

Photo: © ispaphoto.com

To do or not to do

That is what I have been pondering with this Race.  One of my favorite riding areas (Capitol Forest) down near Olympia, WA hosts a 50 and 100-mile race.  Now in it's 2nd year, the # of competitors speaks for itself.  If you enjoy riding singletrack, this is one of the best locations for that.  Pure bliss on hard packed dirt (with the occasional clay...well ok more than occasional) and roots.

Just look at the rider testimonial page and you will see there is not one bad thing mentioned about this race.  The race is nearly sold out, so I will have to decide soon if I am going to make the trip north to my old stomping grounds.  Who knows, I may even run into a few familiar faces as well...and give last years' winner Van some more competition.

What's your addiction?

All of us at some point have been, or are currently, addicted to something.  Some addictions are considered life threatening; smoking, using illegal drugs, etc.  Are you addicted to something?  Are you asking yourself right now, "Am I addicted to cycling?".

Some of us ride our bikes because we want to lose weight, or because we are training to compete in a specific event, or are fortunate enough to ride our bike professionally for a living.  Those are not necessarily reasons to be considered an addiction, just because we love to ride our two-wheeled machine. 

However, this guy has an addiction.

Gearing up for Nationals x 2

As the summer peaks and slowly begins to fade away, there are still 2 priorities left on my race calendar.  Over labor day weekend, Bend, OR will play host to the first of two consecutive Masters National Road Race Championships (2011, 2012).  I will compete in the event in the 40-44 age group.  As mentioned in a previous post, the course will be identical to the Cascade Cycling Classic course held just 2 weeks ago.  Should be a fun-filled weekend.

Then just two weeks later Bend will again play host to the MTB Marathon Nationals (also 2011, 2012 seasons).  This will be my biggest priority of the season and it's what I have been training for for the past 6 months.  Jeremy Horgen-Kobelski is the current Pro Marathon National Champion, winning the event held in Colorado in 2010.  It will be a tough task to dethrone him of his Stars and Stripes jersey, but I know there will be a lot of Bend-ites ready to take on the challenge.  It's gonna be a good couple of weeks to be a Micro-Brewery owner in Bend.

Some hard training the next couple weeks then it's time to start the taper and let the body rest up.