SBR Utopia ~~~~ Permanently OPEN!! (Page 73)

I haven't had much trouble moving things around, but also haven't tried to keep the exact same fit between bikes. Tends to have some "this feels good" to it.

Originally posted by spudone

Originally posted by TankBoy

Originally posted by mndymond

Originally posted by brigby1

Originally posted by marcag

Originally posted by axteraa

This sounds like a reasonable plan.  I'm sure I can make it work.

no no no no You are not leaving me alone in this miserable weather. My only consolation when it's -40 and snow is that it's worst where you are :-) Man you guys get hammered with snow. Jason, are we allowed to start complaining about winter yet ? Kona is over, isn't that when we can start ?

The presence of snow would overrule any standards he sets.

I had ice on my windshield yesterday. I need to move my bikes around to get my car in the garage.

After almost failing to ignore LBs current attempt at picking a fight in TT this morning (Marc and Ben, don't take the bait!), Ron suggested via PM that I try out the new "Ignore User" feature. Since I have implemented its use I do have to admit that reading threads on kick sets, special diets, and horse grooming tips are already much more enjoyable. I may have to expand its use to include topics that include cold, ice, poutine, and other general forms of misery that are part of living in Canada.

I didn't even know about that feature but I may give it a whirl.  I like LB's enthusiasm about his son.  But I don't like the constant need to tell others how their accomplishments don't matter, etc.  Gets old after awhile.

It's not really a discussion if everyone else is wrong before they even say anything. Expending all that extra energy just seems like a really ineffective way to promote better discussion instead of learning how to ask better questions.

I do the vast majority of my trainer rides in aero.  I live and train in Houston, which is basically pancake flat and can be quite windy -- it's pretty rare (outside of stoplights / stop signs) that I would need to be out of aero, so I generally find it to be quite comfortable.  Also, since I rarely ride out of aero (unless I'm climbing, which probably means I'm at some destination race!), my hands feel the effects of holding my body upright after quite short periods of time. 

And finally, since I ride in aero almost all of the time, I have exactly the opposite problem that Ben (and probably everyone else) does.  My power is noticeably lower when I'm up on the horns.  For me, there is little benefit (or enjoyment) in being out of aero, so I don't do it, not even on the trainer

I don't have that much faith in people.

Is the interaction on the boards themselves considered? Many might not complain and just go elsewhere. Or go elsewhere and complain.

I wonder if "different" might be better than "more"? Road bike feels a lot higher up, as it is rotated back around farther, but I'm still not necessarily higher than most people on it. I move around between the drops & hoods for most riding, but racing and hard (non-uphill) efforts are in the drops. I wonder if the road bike is a bit short in length for me? Didn't know much about fitting back when I got it. Still don't know as much about what all is "correct" for a road position. My hands like to have a break every now and then, but don't seem have excessive pressure on them. Perhaps I didn't really get the core engagement in the road position as much as I thought? Seems to have to do with the upper arm position. When they come forward more to seat elbows in the pads I'll feel things change. Core doesn't necessarily feel that tired or so unless I get into a harder effort. In easier riding I don't notice much special going on.

The sad thing is that the trolling leads people to wonder if he's being honest about his son or not.

Enough of that for me.  I'm super excited about my race travel for next year!

Arend - selfishly, I really hope you do Alcatraz.  It'd be cool to have some other people I know... all in the same boat, so to speak :)

I wonder about that too and the more basic idea of actually understanding what is seen. There is a difference between making an observation and actually understanding what is going on, the theory behind it. I can pull something out here and there, but in general "explanations" I've received have been rather lacking.

Good to see Fred's back and doing well with his usual all caps & blue font. 

I have 30 years of being around various levels of competition in a few sports. Some make state finals. Some do well in college. One I coached in basketball like 10 years ago is now playing for the Houston Texans. These parents are actually rather calm & collected, but have seen quite a few, more exuberant ones.

Wasn't Lukas Verzbikas a JR world champ or something? Can't quite remember all the details. Before the accident he still had a lot of development to go to really get up there as a pro.

I've never raced a certain 16 year old. At ITU Chicago (not Chicago Tri which is Lifetime) I did not recognize anyone else for the several pages of results in spite of living in the area. The Oly had several people I knew or knew of on every page up near the top. First name I knew was a guy at masters. Biked ~2:30 slower. At a previous sprint, I out split him by ~4:30. On the same Ordu model Crowie threw to the curb. USAT Nats, a guy I knew out split "someone" by 40 seconds or so. Earlier in the year I was 20 some seconds behind this guy. On my road bike. Without clip ons. Ben Hoffman was at Branson last year. I was ~20 minutes slower than him. Didn't have the best ride, but think the gap may have been ~17 minutes had I done what I wanted. Quassy, I was 2:34:xx. Front group rides 2:16-2:17xx, right where Hoffman rides (others he matches were right there that day). I'll do ok on the bike, but I'm clearly not a pro level rider.

I've seen one of those kids first hand in a madison race, though this one does not have the swim background. Still beat me in the swim. transitioned better, matched my (subpar but not horrible) bike split, and then just ran down everyone else left up front with a 17:30ish on a tough course. His bike & run were very near someone else's at Nats. We might see someone like this every now and then, but really not expecting to see hordes of them taking over the entire race, not at ones I look for. What is the difference between that and a Kona qualifier showing up, really? I had to deal with Ryan Giuliano at the sprint for the other Nats guy. He raced professional tri and duathlon for a few years. Now he "only" battles for very high up spots in IM races. There are 3 Zoot Ultra guys in M30-34 in the local area (I missed Lapinsky awhile back). Thankfully I aged up to M35-39 this year where it's only Mark Harms. Fast people that are or border on pro level speed can be all over the place. It'll be neat seeing it an occasional teenager, but hardly expecting an entire revolution. Already dealing with some guys just out of college running 16:xx off the bike. What's a couple more years when I'm already at least 10 years on them? Age group only concerns? Well that kind of takes care of itself.

There is no question about Alcatraz!.  I've registered, flights and hotels are booked.  The only question was whether I could swing a trip to Hawaii in March/April too (not likely).

Chris is going to be there too from round 2.

We have a room at the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf... now I just need a tow rope I can tie to you during the swim and I'll be all set.

And yeah, Chris better get in.  It's practically home turf for him.

Great read, Marc - thanks for posting it.

So my takeaway is that to reach the next level I should:

a) work on my ability to chug 2 liters of Canada Dry after every workout, and

b) hold 300 watts for four hours and then run ten miles at a 5:50 pace.

I am going to get to work on that Canada Dry thing ASAP.

Can't wait to follow him along at IM Florida in a couple of weeks - interesting to read that he is targeting Kona as his 'A' race for the "next 13 or 14 years."

Don't forget Burger King Rusty.

Oh and Sanders' swim coach was my swim coach for the two years I swam at University so we are practically like brothers.  Maybe he'll invite me to Kona with him?

Oh, wait, he was eating there? I thought he was just there for the free WiFi....

Do you think it would be OK if I keep using Starbucks instead? Starbucks kinda is the "Burger King for Boomers" you know...

Don't give Nicole any ideas. You know she gets kinda crazy in the fall.