Trying to get last minute training in on a holiday weekend is not a good idea.  Started out directly into a 20 MPH wind on a slightly less busier than usual trail until everything came to a stop as I had to walk across a street fair that went on for most of the town of Vienna.  Ended up meeting with a guy with a Ti IF bike and we decided to go back the other way and went well until we hit another street festival blocking the trail in the other direction.  Didn't even end up breaking a sweat and just gave up and came home.

 

The new sunglasses did work very well.

Eeek on the 20 mph wind.  I'm never going to complain about ours again.

 

Glad you're getting the Garmin info up, V... SUPER jealous of your flat roads.

Very cool of you to lead the B group, V. Next time, you should just hang with the A group.

 

**BRENT**

 

If your definition of "hang" is being dropped within a mile, most likely within a quarter mile, then okay.  

Sorry your ride sucked Jeff. I'm glad the glasses worked well thought. The weather was glorius even with the wind. I'd love to be out but with my wife 2 days past due date I'm not going anywhere on a bike.

Nice to hear the glasses are working well, Jeff.  I plan to pick up a pair soon as the Zeros, while offering excellent unobstructed vision, do not deflect enough wind - for my eyes anyway.  The weather broke this afternoon for a few hours which meant spreading mulch.  I may get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow and try to get a ride in before the holiday nonsense sets in.  It was a stressful week and I could use the distraction/release.

I took a rest day, but did sign up for this year's Tour of Sebring.  John, Mike, Raffy, your presence is mandatory.  I suggest that anyone interested in three days of cycling with your choice of distance in really nice, rural, rolling hill country with great weather sign up.  The hotel is old and crappy, but it's cheap, and it was really fun last year.  Could even be a first headcase cycling meet.  Labor Day Weekend is far enough away to plan.

 

http://tourofsebring.com/

By the way the US Nationals are on right now: http://usacycling.thetourtracker.com/

 

The video is a bit troublesome...

Edited May 27, 201313 yr by Dreadhead

You should have been there live. Better that way.

**BRENT**

Wow, what a finish! 

I'm not a huge Fast Freddie fan but it was cool that he won it on Mad Fiber Wheels. That's a huge deal for a small company.

Here's a pic from Saturday morning's ride:

 

I'm sure it was a fun ride, but that instagram filter makes for a terrible picture

I swiped it off a facebook post.  What was nicest about the ride was being with so many strong women.  Over half those in the pic were in the 24 mph+ group, where I'll never be.  There are hundreds of cyclists on A1A every weekend.  Usually you see large groups of men with a woman or two riding with them.  It was just fun to be a part of a mostly women's ride.

Here are the pics I took of the 2013 US Cycling National Championships. If you want to look on the map of the route, I was at the corner of Frazier and Market. Market is the bridge they are coming over. These are all straight off the cam JPGs, no correction. I may mess with 'em later, but don't have any good software right now.

 

 

 

Full set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mexicandragon/sets/72157633774475262/

**BRENT**

Yay Cervelo R5!!!!

Nice!

I swiped it off a facebook post.  What was nicest about the ride was being with so many strong women.  Over half those in the pic were in the 24 mph+ group, where I'll never be.  There are hundreds of cyclists on A1A every weekend.  Usually you see large groups of men with a woman or two riding with them.  It was just fun to be a part of a mostly women's ride.

 

 

Believe it or not you don't need the ability to ride at 24mph, to stick with a group riding at that speed. 

24 mph is fast, very fast. The national championship road race averaged right around 25 mph.

Vicki's average elevation gain/hr is around 200ft. The average elevation gain/hr on the natl championship race was around 2000+.

I figure where I was, they were doing 30-35 coming off that bridge. Just stupid fast.

 

**BRENT**

Brent that is true but they are also pros. I am probably wrong but I think that on even on flats 23+ is cat 1/2/3 territory in a group if kept up for an hour. I was pretty fit and I never got close to that.

Edited May 29, 201313 yr by Dreadhead

It's the flatland around here.  A lot of people, the more serious riders, ride well above 24 mph in the group rides.  They blow by me every weekend, making me look like I'm in a parking lot when I'm feeling all proud of myself for going around 20.  None of these women are pros, just recreational riders, though some race.

Yeah, but can't those guys put out 300+ watts... for an hour straight? I can do 300 watts or so... for maybe 30 seconds

When I was fit my ftp (60 min power) was around 300 maybe 310. I'm a big guy though so for someone smaller it would go faster.

I seriously doubt Boomana was talking about a 24+mph *ride* average. 

I seriously doubt Boomana was talking about a 24+mph *ride* average. 

 

I've never averaged even close to 20mph so let me ask this stupid question: to average 24mph over a ride over reasonable roads, that's really means running around 26mph on straightaways, right?

Depends on the course profile, but every sec below 24mph needs to be made up right? Throw in a couple of small hills/rises and you're looking at decent stretches above 30mph.

 

My best 40k avg is 21.5mph, and that includes two 4 mi sections at 24mph avg., with speed ranging from 22-30mph. Its not a ride that can be pulled out of a hat.