Thinking & Learning

So on the tues. night crit race/ride we have, I was doing a lot of thinking... and I also learned a lot as well. Let me share...

LEARNING:

1. I havn't been standing up as much lately on rides. But on the 2nd and 3rd laps today, I decided to pop up and push more often and I did much better. 1/4 of the way up the climb, just stand up, keep it at about 70-80 rpm cadence, stay comfortable and loose, and don't sway.

2. I also learned I go uphill and pick up the MPH average much better when I say to myself... "I am Tom Boonen, I am Specialized" (don't ask) Here's the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HygIMD4PzrQ
I just get in the zone, and with the brim of my cycling cap popping out over my sunglasses, I try to see myself as Tom Boonen just raping that hill in the commercial.

3. I learned tonight I am not a "fair weather cyclist". Although sometimes I wish I was...

4. I learned that the ride home is much faster and easier without 20 mph wind in your face constantly.

5. I learned SHIP has some good cyclists. Really good ones, and I'm jealous. Not so much jealous, but motivated.

6. Finally, I learned from Dr. Goates, that cycling is all about conservation of energy. Which I knew already, but now I'll think about it constantly a little more during races and riding.

THINKING:

1. I haven't washed my blue Adidas jacket yet, and on average, I get snot and nose gunk on it probably twice a ride... yikes!

2. My butt hurts today. I like the new SHIP cycling kits. The chaminos in the bibs are so much nicer than the Cannondale shorts I have on today.

3. I lost a pair of jeans, no lie. (Hollister Tagless, dark blue, reward being offered) (who loses jeans???)

4. I can probably name more pro/UCI cyclists and their teams than NFL or NBA players. Does that make me a nerd?

5. To go along with #4, I have narrowed down my top cyclists: Mark Cavendish, Levi Leipheimer, and George Hincape (don't forget about Lance too...)

6. I haven't fed my fish yet today.


So that's all that was running through my mind today on the ride. Lance Armstrong said that during a race, he seriously thinks about bike racing for 3 hrs. His mind doesn't wonder. Well I'm not Lance, I was all alone today, and I wasn't racing anyone but myself. But I am always thinking about the next hill, next sprint, next way to get better, because this is something I really like to do.