2009 Objectives

By mid-January my palms are normally sweating in anticipation of a scary, intimidating event months away. This gives the insecure middle-aged male ample time to fret, worry, and compile a list of excuses:

1. Too old for this kind of nonsense

2. Arthritis in joints a, b, & c

3. Missing cartilage in joints d, e, f

4. Rigid lower back and hamstrings

5. Herniated L5 S1 disc

…the list is endless…but as we all know, there really are no excuses.

Last year’s scary ride was Race Across Oregon. For the two years before that it was the 215-mile Oregon Ultimate Road Ride.

This year’s insecurities are compounded by the fact that I’m about 6 weeks behind last year’s fitness.

This year I don’t have a specific “big” event in the calendar. Instead, I’m planning to simply focus on fitness, with the vague objective of “peaking” for a “strenuous” 200-mile ride in mid-July.

Although I don’t have a big event in my sights, there are several notable objectives in this season’s calendar:

1. More rides with the Goosebumps.
David Roberts and the rest of the Goosebumps gang maintain a library of some of the best longer routes in the region. The Goosebumps rides break into two groups according to speed and the desire for punishment. The Rabbits go at a strenuous or faster pace, while the Laughing Group goes at a mellower pace. Bring your paceline skills if you plan to ride with these folks.

2. Go for a personal best in the cycling leg of the Ski to Sea.
This will be my fourth year riding for “Unsafe at Any Speed,” which is a team of friends mostly from Bellingham. Previous years’ accomplishments include handing off to the wrong person, and arriving 3 minutes late to the exchange area. In 2007 I had a strong error-free ride and the target for this year is a repeat of that ride but at a faster pace. If I succeed, I’ll be the guy puking at the finish.

3. Compete in one or more duathlons.
Before moving to Seattle I had pretty much given up running. Cycling from a starting point near downtown isn’t all that much fun for me, so I’ve added running to my fitness program to mix things up. Last Fall I was all set to run a couple 5ks and attempt a duathlon, but I pulled a hamstring *sprinting* down the backstretch of the Green Lake track. I’m picking up where I left off and plan to do the Mt. Rainier Duathlon in April. I’ll probably do the short course first time around and try longer courses after I get the hang of it.

At mile 85 of the Tour of the Unknown Coast riders are faced with the 18% grade nicknamed “The Wall.”

4. Weather permitting, ride the Tour of the Unknown Coast.
This is probably the best event ride in the Northwest: Not quite a century’s worth of pedaling in the rugged Unknown Coast region of Northern California. At mile 85 riders are faced with “The Wall,” and “Endless Hills” after that, making for a difficult finish to a gorgeous and challenging ride. For perspective, master endurance cyclist Tinker Juarez set a course record of 5:30-ish in 2007.

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