Blather on Bicycling

Just last week I was thinking (while riding of course) that it was very early in the year for the roads to be turning to Rice Krispies in what seemed like 100+ degrees on road surface. In a way, this is good because auto traffic in hot conditions helps smooth out the roads. Only so many days a year are favorable for this. I’ve been noticing that Palmer Junction Rd, far north on Hunter Rd, and even Market Lane are all getting quite smooth. On the the other hand, the surfacing tar on chip sealed roads is annoying for cycling because it sticks to your tires. Today was cooler, and I was out for a beautiful ride. Suddenly, I was trying to outrun thunderstorms and losing, ducking in a grain elevator for shelter in Alicel, getting pressure washed by passing trucks, and jumping straight in the shower at home. This is more like the May riding I know in La Grande. 

Six riders were involved in the local time trial this week. Great turnout! We were treated to one of the worst wind directions for Foothill Road (NW), but survived the push back into the wind to post some respectable times. I’ve been impressed by every riders’ time this year. Realize that Foothill is a slower course. This is due to the non-stop winds, rolling terrain, and rough road surface. Posting a good time on this course can ensure that you will be much faster on a flat windless course. For example, I just got back from the Treasure Valley Stage Race last weekend where I posted a 28+ mph time on a 10k course. This placed me in 3rd place for the Category 3 riders. The Foothill TT prepares one mentally for any challenge. Well, almost any. Last year we had snow one day on the road for the time trial and I was slipping around and wasn’t prepared with the right clothing. I turned back for a long shower, even though one ride-in-anything stud finished the TT. 

I’m always amused when I hear riders at other races and in other towns complaining about a stiff wind, when I hadn’t noticed there was even a gentle breeze. The wind in La Grande has made me a much stronger rider. For one, if you can endure the psychological battle against the wind, it demonstrates fortitude. You can either think of the howl in your ears as a coach yelling at you to go harder or the crowd noise up an Alp in the Tour de France. I spent quite a bit of time this winter training in strong winds and I’m producing quite a bit of power this spring. I’ve been able to place 1st and 2nd recently in races, which helped me upgrade.

Amusingly, the weather in La Grande has left my legs shockingly white despite logging thousands of miles this winter. Before the race I won about a month ago, I bought some of the darkest bronze tanning cream I could find and loaded it up on my legs. This gave me an appearance that I’d been down south in nice weather training all winter. I guess that intimidation technique gave me the edge I needed in the race.

On another note, those of you who like watching bike racing, and get Dish Network should order Channel 600 this month. It costs about $12 to get this Italian language channel that shows the Giro d’Italia which is one of the most entertaining races of the year. It will continue for the next couple weeks airing at about 6 am PST.