2010 season summary

484 training and racing hours

My training plan started as a 500 hour year. After filling in my plan with my expected races and season length it added up to 481 expected hours. Although I surpassed the planned hours there were some times where I added non-training hours such as riding my bike to work and taking the dog for a walk. I estimate less that 5% of the 484 were non-training hours, leaving 460 actual training and racing hours. That is plenty. That is nearly 1/4th of a full time job.

Having a training plan is definitely beneficial for me as it motivates me to have a purpose to my bike rides, with the ultimate goal of improving my times and positions at important races.

4921 road miles

That's a lot of miles. Good thing I have a great bike.

1153 mountain bike miles

I find that number hard to believe. If I average 15 miles per mountain bike outing it means I got out on over 75 rides. As much as I would like that to be true, the number is likely inaccurate due to some road rides being added to it by mistake. I'm guessing the most I rode on the dirt is 500 miles, approximately 33 rides averaging 15 miles in length. That adds 653 miles to my road miles: 5574 road miles.

25 races

First race was April 10th, last race October 9th. A bunch of weekly races, weekend races, and stage races later: I am happy to be done. This was more than double the races I attended last year.

17 top tens

More than half my results were top ten. I had a season goal to achieve five and reached seventeen. I can live with that.

1 DNF

My only DNF is a crash at the Tour of Utah amateur criterium. I never quit a race nor had any mechanical misfortune which is great. I was fortunate that the crash did not impact my season; I walked away with minor bruises instead of broken bones.

Achieved season goals

Part of a training plan is to generate some measurable goals for the season. All three goals were achieved and the goals easiest to measure were clearly shattered. The mountain biking goal was achieved at 24 hours of Moab but is more of a binary result: Did it. Check.

1 out of 3 training objectives

Another portion of the training plan is to set up objectives to help reach the season goals. I threw some objectives together to improve my power output so I can improve my race results. I didn't reach my power improvement numbers. I achieved one out of three objectives: To train at least 4 days per week. Turns out that was very easy to achieve.

Suggestions for improvement

• Improve regular testing. VO2 max and power tests should be completed at least twice per year. If my most recent test is accurate it shows my heart rate zones have changed dramatically. I should also perform self-tests after each training cycle.
• Only log true training hours. Maybe. It ends up meaning more training since "family" and commuting time is excluded. Should result in better fitness.

What's in a few numbers anyways?

At the beginning of last season I got tested for my VO2 max and power. I was given a few numbers to use for training such as functional threshold power, power zones, heart rate zones, and max heart rate. Pretty cool stuff to use, and good information at the beginning of a relatively serious training period of my life.

This morning - technically two seasons later - I got tested again by a completely different group to see what my VO2 max was. This was a much quicker test and it actually felt easier probably because I now knew what to expect.

The results were pretty nice although I am uncertain of the credibility of the tests. I just didn't get the feeling this test was very important to the people administering the tests.

I do feel good that every number increased 15 to 20% except my heart rate, where my threshold dropped from 185 to 180 ish. It's a sign of two things: getting old and my body adapting to training. I like the training part.

Next: Get tested by TOSH / Max Testa's group at the beginning of next season. I need to experience what test administered by a world class cycling specialty shop feels like.

LOTOJA v2.0

My first attempt at LOTOJA went well, reaching a great time of 9:59:45 despite working to catch the group much of the morning after a team mate flatted early.

This year I had a season goal of 9:40, a 20 minute improvement on my first year, which I felt was attainable but difficult to reach. I posted this goal in our "gym" so I can be reminded twice a week when we strength trained. I trained quite a bit more and more intelligently this year therefore I was feeling pretty confident about my chances. I wanted to win this race as I do for all my A races.

Thanx to the Spider Bait team for setting a high pace, thanx to favorable winds, and thanx to a nice yet cold day, I obliterated my season goal. I finished 206 miles in 9:05:28. Nine hours and five minutes. Crazy.

What's really crazy is that time only yielded me 5th place. Five of us worked together extremely well from the KOM all the way to the finish, and I didn't favor my chances sprinting so I attacked at 2k to go. It was all I had to get 1st place and wasn't successful so 5th place is what I end up with. I still don't have a win. But it feels pretty good to have 6th overall out of a thousand or more entries. We beat the Cat 1s! One person beat the group of five I was in. One. I am now within 3 minutes 44 seconds of the LOTOJA course record. THAT is pretty awesome.

Garmin data

Timing data

Powering up for the finish!

(I have a bunch of catching up to do with this blog...won't be tonight though)

I recently restarted using my PowerTap after it being out of commission since June due to some less than awesome Williams wheel problems. I started training with power and reviewing my output again hoping that I had improved in the last few months. And finally tonight I download my data and find this most awesome graph from a training ride up Trapper's loop two days ago:



That graph shows I beat my personal best 10, 30, and 60 minute power outputs! In one workout! Now we're talking! Maybe this structured training thing works.

Tour de Coalville

First we must settle the name issue. I know it was called Tour de Park City. You have to actually *go* to the place the ride is named from to earn its name. Sorry organizers.

Why did I race?

This was a "B" race for me: if it turned out, great; otherwise use it as a good training day. I can say it was both. It turned out to be a great race but of course I had hopes to earn better results. I am getting quite used to top ten results. I like top ten results. Most importantly, this is all part of the setup for my last "A" race of the season: LOTOJA.

Fitness

Once again I couldn't quite stick with the fast guys. What's nice this time is I have an excuse. Even a good one. Really. "It's by design".

Looking at my heart rate numbers and knowing I didn't stick with the fast guys usually kills me and makes me doubt this whole racing thing, but this time I am fine with it because I am at a relatively low fitness time in my training schedule. Joe Friel has a nice case study blog post on this. I believe Joe Friel. I know Rogers won't get it. Most people won't get it. Maybe someday they will. Or maybe I'm kidding myself and this is just another excuse.

Numbers don't lie. As you can see in the graph (or Garmin Connect) my heart rate never got to zone 5. Apparently I didn't work very hard at all. I felt like I worked pretty hard. My legs were quite unhappy. Maybe I shouldn't have raced at Snowbasin the previous Wednesday. Both events were a good portion of my Build training phase. I'm good with it.

Overall

15th out of 40ish racers. Nothing to be excited about.

Unless I step back and consider the whole race. The team did a great job with this race again. We set an early tempo then Adam went on a crazy 50 mile solo breakaway. Ryan and I did a good job letting Adam get away. As a matter of fact we still believe the pack completely forgot Adam existed. Could have been awesome. Ryan and I did great communicating and reminding each other of our tactics. We actually toyed with the group. Always fun.

Individually I can accept my results. I *should* have stuck with the lead group. I *should* have covered the attack on the climb. I got to within a 50ish feet of them near the top where #444 was able to bridge but I didn't. I *should* have. I actually did a nice job mentally pushing myself up the climb. I improved my mental toughness during this race and that is worth the price of admission for me. There is no way to replicate this race-level effort outside of a race. Those adversaries pushed me well and I was able to keep them close. I'm getting closer to staying right there with them.

I descended well, but I just can't compete with a pack of 12+ guys nor guys heavier than me. Featherweight curse. If only the race ended at the top of the climb.

So I got gapped at the top of the climb. I got caught by two Masters 35+ racers on the descent. Then the three of us got caught by a large group of Category 4 racers. Then pretty much tempo to the finish with a few failed attack attempts. I tried a final attack at mile 145 but just didn't have what it took to gap the group. I responded pretty well to the final sprint which I believe earned me 4th place out of the second group, probably thanx to a weird finish with a bunch of unexpected turns.

Two years

The first time I raced this event was a completely different story. This year I performed as a racer. Feels good.

1 season goal shattered

When I started my training season I set goals to achieve. I reached and surpassed my desire to earn 5 top 10 finishes. As a matter of fact only two of the twelve races I entered this year are outside the top ten.

Last year's results: Out of 12 races I reached 3 top 10s, excluding team events. This is going in the right direction. Structured training appears to work.

Low expectations yield good results

Results wise my best two races of the year have been "training races". In April I raced Tax Day Circuit race in Idaho and earned a third place. Today I also earned a third place at the Utah state mountain biking championship at Solitude.

The races I have planned and trained for have left me with 8th and 6th place results. What's wrong with this picture?

High Uintas results

Stage 1 - road race

As I previously mentioned I was physically ready for this race. I was on. For 24.5 miles apparently. I still cannot believe how strong some of those racers are. I felt excellent for the first 20 miles, to the point that went to the back of the pack to warn my team member that I planned on dishing out some pain at mile 25. Then the pain came without any of my help. Then "the pain" did what they planned on doing which is to weed out the weak, myself included. At mile 24 there is a serious increase in pitch, which I handled but redlined me, then came a flatter section that I needed to recover in. Unfortunately the group decided to recover for approximately 1.5 seconds then proceeded to punish the flat section. That was it for me. I seriously felt a switch shut my body off. My legs, lungs, heart just turned off and the 10ish people behind me went around me and left. Until that point I was feeling quite comfortable in the top 5-10 of the group. Pop.


My body made me recover so I took a 1/2 mile or so to get myself out of zone 5 and started pacing myself for recovery. After a little while things started working again so I stepped up the pace. I passed the 28 mile feed zone pretty annoyed but feeling ok, then crested the KOM, then started a great descent.

I don't remember if I passed number 305 or if he caught up to me on the descent, but I know I caught up to 311 and another non-cat 4 person. The four of us descended together although the rest of the group just wasnt' up to par, just weren't as crazy as I am downhill.

Then came the flats and the winds. I am *not* the guy to ride with in the wind, yet only 305 was equal or better than me in the flats. The other two were nearly useless. At mile 60 number 305 decided he had enough of our pace and attacked. Nice attack I must say. He waited until I was pulling the group, waited for a significant incline, and sprinted up it. I tried to follow, knowing the other two were too weak, and couldn't since I had been up front doing work. Number 305 had a 15 mile TT to finish. I wasn't worried actually, if he could hold 15 miles in that wind by himself he deserved it.

Now we're down to two of us: me and number 311. The fourth member got popped when 305 attacked, never saw him again. 311 tries to help but can't do much, and by the time mile 69 comes along I start feeling like we need to reel in 305. We're running out of time. 311 does a good job stepping up, and I step up the pace, and we catch 305 with 1-2 miles to go. Then he sucks our wheel, recovers, and outsprints me like I'm standing still. Note to self: learn to sprint. 311 had told me he wasn't going to contest the sprint since I towed him for 40ish miles. That is sportsmanship.

Stage 2 - time trial

As noted earlier I am not the guy for the flats or the winds therefore individual time trials are not so good for me. I am improving though and was able to pull out a 24.1 mph average. 10th place out of 16. My hope was to mitigate my losses and I only slipped one position on the GC after the time trial, which, if I was to lose to someone it may as well be my team mate Ryan. Good enough.

I am told that a TT bike can improve my speed by 3 mph, so I just need to spend money and I will automatically beat everyone. Sweeeeeet.

Stage 3 - criterium

The criterium was fun but tough. I actually enjoy that course quite a bit.

I was marking 311 the whole time since he had to gain a few seconds on me to take away my 6th place in the GC. He went away from the pack a few laps from the end so I just had to stay ahead of him. I wasn't going to contest for 5th place since that position was occupied by a team mate.

I stuck with the lead group until the final lap then just decided to shut it off when I noticed 311 was nowhere near. I saw Liam on the side of the road pedaling slowly and akwardly. He had attacked at 2 laps to go, was gone, and had a chain problem. He had the race. That really sucks.

Overall

I earned a 6th place overall. I don't know if it is counted as 6th out of 45+ since that many did the road race or 6th out of 16 since that many started the third event, but either way it's decent. Top 5 would have been better but Ryan deserves it due to his superior TT skills.

A good race developed between 4th and 7th places, and we created some friendships out of the deal. Decent weekend of racing. Yes, it was THAT hard on me.

Ready for the Second most important race of the season

The most important being LOTOJA in September.

High Uintas Classic is my second A race of the season. I feel ready because I am more fit than I have ever been, I have been doing decent in other races, I strictly followed a training regimen (as if I can do it any other way), and I have a crapload of training time and miles in. 3851 riding miles and 312 exercise hours since November when I started this training plan.

Tonight I rode my favorite Layton Ridge route with my bike in race condition. My Williams 19s surprised me again as they roll extremely well downhill due to their ceramic bearings. The wheels are quick and nimble as well, ready to pounce uphill or during a sprint. My bike is one pound lighter with those wheels and I am starting to think it rolls better downhill than with my Williams 38s (because of the PowerTap non-ceramic bearings); trust me it makes a difference.

I rode without my usual Camelbak, without spare tube or CO2, with only one water bottle, totally race-like. It was liberating actually. It's going to be good.

The weather is even going to cooperate. Unbelievable.

2 millimeters

A bolt broke off on my bike's seat post last week, causing the seat to slide down and causing me to ride my bike like a low rider. I temporarily repaired the seat post and adjusted it to what I thought was 69.5 centimeters - the height I was fitted at.

I immediately felt like the bike was a bit high but I thought it was just in my head. I re-measured the height and it looked good.

The very next ride my right knee starts feeling weird in a knee-injury-relapse kind of way. I rode for 3 hours Saturday and it started feeling weird also. After 2 of those 3 hours I decide to stop, lower my seat 2 millimeters, and see if it improves. Pain gone. Problem solved. 2 millimeters. I am *that* picky.

Bear Lake 2010

This is my third year racing the Bear Lake classic and most definitely my best yet.

Saturday's road race was enjoyable for me because I was part of the action and trying to cause trouble up front. This year I was strong enough to mess with the Cat 4 group by attacking a few times and stretching the group to make them catch us. In contrast last year was spent hanging in the pack pretty much bored, and the first year I got dropped in the rollers partially due to a front wheel problems.

This year our team was in the action most of the day. Liam took off on an early breakaway, I took off in the early and late rollers, and we drove the pack during the last couple miles. Great workout.

Unfortunately the results are no good: a 20th place finish. Same finish time as the winner, part of the 45 racers that finished together. I don't know what can be done to split this group at Bear Lake. I don't know it can be done in Cat 4.

Sunday was the team time trial where Adam, Brent, Jerry, Ryan, and I earned a second place for the Cat 4-5 group by finishing 50 miles in 1:57. It was a tough pace, I felt strong during the event, and ended up being the third wheel at the finish after Jerry and Brent dropped off. I couldn't keep Adam's wheel in the last mile so I had a one mile individual time trial.

My endurance has arrived. Legs felt good after the weekend. My training is paying off, now let's get some results.

East Canyon road race 2010

Two years ago I began my racing career at this East Canyon road race. It was ugly. I got dropped at the first climb and never caught up.

Being my usual self - motivated by failure - I decided to get redemption the next year. That didn't work out as I injured my knee just before the event.

This year I put it all on the line. This was redemption, a true test of my training regimen, and a team cohesion exercise.

First, the team. I cannot express enough appreciation for the willingness, intent, and effort that was put forth by my team mates. It was amazing. It was amazing to the point that dozens of racers told us how impressive the team work and effort was, including someone telling me during the race, people coming up to us at the finish line, and people stopping by at the parking lot after the race. During the race someone recognized and mentioned how well protected I was and how great of a job the team was doing at protecting me. I wanted to tell him how proud and lucky I was but I had to keep the race face on. I smerked and said yes. One of my teammates actually recorded video of this event while in the pack so we will get to see what this team looked like from the inside. Way cool.

It is well worth mentioning how many of those people - adversaries might I add - were thoroughly impressed by Ryan. Most if not all the people that congratulated our team had to single out Ryan, and deservedly so, the man is a machine. He worked his heart out for me today. I absolutely do not mean to diminish the effort of Brent, Rogers, and the others, but Ryan was the star today.

My final thought regarding the team is that we have reached a significant milestone: We set out to create a team based on team work, training hard as a team, and working together as a team. We have reached this goal and possibly surpassed people's expectations of the team cohesion level possible for recreational racers. Today was a spectacular display of it. Tour of the Depot was another excellent display in Cat5 as well.

Second, my training regimen. 23 weeks ago I started to use Joe Friel's Annual Training Plan based on his Training Bible. It actually said the optimal time before the first A-priority race is 23 weeks. Apparently I started just in time on November 16th, 2009. I followed the training plan as closely as I could, spent 240 hours and 2800 miles training for my first A-priority race, and landed myself the team a 6th place out of likely 50 competitors.

On the good side I achieved a top 10 which is part of my season goals. I also finished with the lead pack. I also improved tremendously in the last two years.

But really, I am disappointed in myself for not winning, and a good portion of that disappointment is the feeling that I let my team down. All I had to do was finish strong. My race was really a 1/2 mile climb at the very finish. I failed to keep up with the last acceleration. Plain and simple.

What about redemption? Yeah, I got redemption. That doesn't really play a part in this anymore. I expected to do well and I did. Two years ago I had no idea what I was doing or what I was getting into but by now I have a pretty good idea where I fit in the racing pecking order.

So here we go, suggestions for improvement:

1. Increase aggression during a race. Make the move rather than wait for someone else to make a move. Suffer to make them suffer, not the other way around. I showed I can do this at Tax Day Circuit Race, it felt extremely good to do it, and I need to do it more. I should have taken the lead after Ryan at the base of the climb, stepped up the pace, and never looked back.
2. Increase intelligence during a race. Having the team up front was great, thrilling, and safe, but being second or third wheel doesn't shield the wind as well as being surrounded by riders while inside the pack. I am quite confident I worked less overall today than if other teams were pushing the pace by stringing out the pack, yo-yoing, or going on attacks all the time. Something to think about regardless.
3. Be extremely careful with the race week workouts. I may have deeply hurt my muscles by performing a long duration and long intensity workout Thursday before the race. I was trying to make up for not working out enough during the week so I rode over 2 hours and included a 30 minute muscular endurance threshold workout, aka all-out effort.

2010 Tour of the Depot

First race of the year. C-priority race (range of A-B-C). Goal: Help Wardy. Goal 2: training at race intensity. Goal 1 result: Wardy said there wasn't much I could do to help. Goal 2 result: Success.

I raced this event last year. That was my first stage race ever, and my first time trial race ever. Last year's time trial was a learning experience and I lost 4 minutes on the rest of the pack which immediately took me out of contention. This year the results don't look much better at first: 3:38 behind the leader. BUT! But the leader is a TT freak. He is ahead of second place by 45 seconds. He likes to solo LOTOJA for nine hours. Freak. Really nice guy actually, but freak nonetheless.

This year's time trial put me in 28th place out of 43. Still out of contention, but I improved over last year by one minute on a 9 mile event. I wanted to shave two minutes but I only made up one.

Tonight I finally looked closely at my data from this event. I improved tremendously over last year. First I matched my personal best 10 minute (CP10) power measure. This means I have reached my best 10 minute time from last June in April which is promising. I improved my average power over the whole event by 47 watts (I know Garmin shows 44 watts but I believe PowerTap numbers) while in a lower heart rate (average 183 this year and 187 last year). My power was much more consistent this year; I held my power above lactate threshold nearly the whole time. My power to weight ratio for the whole event: 4.03 watts/kg. Nice.

One area of improvement is obvious if you're paying attention: why did my heart rate average drop from last year? A lower heart rate means I am not pushing as hard as I was last year. If I push my body further it raises my heart rate, if I push my body further I generate more power. If I had pushed to 187bpm or higher maybe I would have gotten another 30 seconds.

As far as the other two events over the weekend: I did pretty much as well as last year. Not terrible, but definitely not podium or even top 10.

Dark times

This is a difficult time period.

I managed to piss off an entire cycling team who I am supposed to have most of my fun times with, piss off a good cycling buddy, piss off a co-worker who I work with daily and I think of as a friend, piss off my boss which is one of the people I respect most in all my professional career, and blow up at my woman on numerous occasions.

I am in a funk. I truly don't know what I am doing differently or wrong. I obviously need to change something. I could use a "reset relationships" button.

2010 Olympics

Vanessa, Audra, and I took a month away from what is known as life to enjoy the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, BC. By far the most memorable portion is the country unity. GO Canada GO was on vivid display on buildings, cars, people, streets, television, SkyTrain, buses, dogs, and all types of objects. I cannot explain the feeling that brought to me. I am Canadian again. I *want* to be Canadian for the rest of my existence.

There is so much to remember. So much to write down. I already let one month go by and lost some of that feeling. Man you should have been there. 3 hockey games, speed skating, ski cross, snowboard parallel slalom, hours of taking in the vibe on the train, in the city, in the restaurants, even hiking with the dog or training on the bike. The vibe was everywhere, and an excellent one.

We - mostly Audra - took literally thousands of pictures. Here are some quick favorites.

39 x 21

If my racing season is successful I may have to write a training book titled "39 x 21 training".

See, it all has to do with procrastination. Once I started riding my indoor trainer I decided I would put my 11-21 cassette on my PowerTap wheel so I would wear it out since I really don't use that cassette any longer. Since I have a PowerTap I like to use it to train with power, so I use that wheel exclusively for training.

Since my bike is setup for an indoor trainer I have been fortunate to get plenty of outdoor rides in in the last two months yet my 11-21 cassette remains on my bike. I am 900 miles away from home, I have another set of wheels that has my favored 11-28 cassette, I brought the tools to exchange the cassette, yet before every ride I decide to leave the 11-21 cassette on my bike. I come up with plenty of excuses such as "I'll do a flat ride today" or "I'd rather not spend the time working on my bike when I can ride it" or "I have to maximize daylight" or junk like that. Secretly I am going with "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

In the last week or two I found dozens of roads around Burnaby, BC with a grade higher than 12%. I saw 17% at one point. Those are tough climbs with a 39x21 gear ratio. In case you don't know Burnaby, BC is basically on the Pacific ocean. Elevation is 45 feet in our campsite. I keep thinking everything is flat here. This brings me to my theory that my Garmin 705 hates me. For some reason it keeps finding routes back to my campsite that have the most severe climbs possible. It hates me. I am certain of it.

Today's fortune

I should not have discussed my past fortune cookie experiences.

I should not have grabbed today's fortune cookie from a meal that wasn't even mine.

I was quite confident the fortune cookie saga was over. Now I am doubtful.

Suncrest was on the menu today

Adam invited us to a ride starting at the mouth of Suncrest today with the intention of riding around the point of the mountain, climbing the north side of Suncrest, riding down the steep southern face, then going home.

At least that was the intention. Ryan showed up and muscled his way, well, won a rock/paper/scissors session to make us go up the steep side of Suncrest right away rather than at the end of the ride.

As you can see below this climb has a bunch of sections over 10% grade, some reaching 14%, yielding an estimated grade of 8% for 3.5 miles.


Within the first 1/2 mile I start looking down at my bike, thinking there is something wrong with my gearing or I have a flat. I can't be in my lowest gear already. I am fit damn it. I have been working out all winter. What the f***?

A bit later I realize what the f***: I am running a 11-21 cassette with my 53-39 crank set. Yeah, I did it, I just blamed the hardware. In November I replaced the cassette with an older 11-21 because I was going to be doing FLAT base miles and that cassette is just not used anymore since I have a 53-39 crank set. May as well use it up during the winter. Therefore today's climb up Suncrest was done at 5 mph in a 39x21 gear. This was strangely reminiscent of a certain Little Cottonwood canyon climb during a certain 1000 warriors race. Don't do that.

Then came the downhill. Turns out I'm still a featherweight and I don't believe there is anything I can do to help gravity. I pedaled the whole way down at nearly my functional threshold power but couldn't be useful for anyone and could only keep up if I was in someones draft. Pathetic.

All in all the day was gorgeous, the company was great, and we got a few quality hours in. Tomorrow: Ski day!

Base miles milestone

1082 miles ridden so far for the 2010 season - my 2010 training season began November 16th 2009. I am not THAT much of a freak where I would have ridden 1000 miles in less than one month.

The 1082 miles translate to over 67 hours on the bike. Mostly indoor. One one hand I am starting to get pretty tired of my trainer and really want to ride outside. On the other hand I am increasingly enjoying being on the trainer as it is simpler than dealing with traffic, road conditions, and finding terrain to match the workouts. But, as I start more race-specific training the need for real mountains and real terrain also increases. Outside good.

1000 miles is a well known milestone to denote the end of a base period. It is recommended to get 1000 miles in before starting to beat the crap out of your body to get to the next level of fitness. Here comes the pain.

2 excellent rides this weekend.

If you didn't get to ride this weekend you missed out. Travis organized a great outing in Park City where he, Ryan, and I were treated to mostly blue skies and clean air for almost 4 hours. Then Sunday's ride was the almost famous Wardy Sunday at Noon event which yielded a group of 6 people. Nice stuff for January.

Those 6 hours on the bike allowed me to reach my 11 hour training goal this week, which is a relief as I didn't really think I was going to reach my goal as of Friday evening. And I am feeling better about riding in sub 30 degree weather. Sad, sad accomplishment.

Lastly I reached a weird milestone during Saturday's ride where I broke the 1000 watts barrier of power output. It was picture worthy. Saturday's ride also bumped my personal best 5-second duration power output to 963 watts. I have a long way to go to reach my season's goals but it's a start.

2009 to 2010

2009 in retrospective

Professional

Not the best year. Third or fourth attempt at managing people with the same result. Just not a manager and don't want to be one. Otherwise tired of being the bad guy; I just don't want to deal with grown adults needing supervision to do their jobs. Just let me solve technical problems and get out of the damn way.

Personal

Great. I am super lucky. I don't deserve it especially given how selfish I am.

Cycling

Good energy outlet. Great early season, unfortunate knee injury, shitty team dynamics. Wished I could have excelled.

2 new bikes: One was too tall, the other was stolen. Good and bad.

2010

Eat, sleep, work, train

Getting serious about competing on a bicycle. Spending approximately 12 hours per week training starting in November. Will win races, will excel, will destroy LOTOJA.

Olympics

1 month in Vancouver for some awesome Olympic experience. Too bad I wasn't chosen as a volunteer but I hope we make the most of it.

Home improvements

It's time to update the house with new carpet, maybe pergo-style flooring in the upstairs bathroom, new non-yellow canned light rings, and possibly new door hardware.