A case for censorship

As I write this, my inbox is filling with e-mail. Over 100 e-mails in two hours. The reason: idiocy.

The UofC Graduate Student Association sends out weekly e-mails with an attached PDF newsletter. In this evening's e-mail, they forgot to attach the PDF. Someone replied to point this out and their e-mail got redirected to the entire mailing list. Someone replied to the reply to point this out. Then it went viral...

The best and the brightest at the UofC are keeping this mass of mass e-mails going with people asking to unsubscribe and such useful insight as:

"Forward, into the great unknown!"
"Ok, just to become a part of history, hehe"
"LOL....."

Yes, the best and the brightest the UofC has to offer have nothing better to do than keep ensuring they clutter their inbox and those of their fellow students.

This is about as bad as comments for news sites. I read CBC news but I try to stay out of the comments section. It's a haven for the uneducated and uninformed plus corporate bots which are just programmed to spot a keyword and create some standard reply. People are employed to post comments in order to get corporate propaganda into the public in disguise. Even one of my previous posts had some anonymous coward post a rebuttal though it gave a clear impression that my actual blog post wasn't read far beyond the title. I suspect it was a bot that picked up a few keywords and issued its canned reply.

Though, the worst example of when conversation should be stifled is on my comics website. People with a complete lack of wit think they can add something witty to a Calvin and Hobbes that was drawn 20 years ago. "'Tis better to remain silent and be thought a fool than open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

Hey, 20 more e-mails!

Cross for Kids

Today was the Cross for Kids at Canada Olympic Park and another disorganized trip to the race for me. As I was about to put my bike on the car rack, I noticed I had another broken spoke. I'm going to get through the final few races of the season and then get a new wheel in the Spring. I spent a few minutes to change the spoke and try to get my wheel close to true. I noticed after the race that the rim might have still been rubbing the brake but there's some dirt that needs to be cleaned off my bike before I do a proper truing job. Anyway, once I got to the race, I also noticed I forgot my water.
The course at COP had to be changed due to the ski hill opening very early this year. As we were racing in amongst the bobsleigh course, skiers were on the main hill and junior lugers were practicing. Unfortunately, the covers were on the corners so you couldn't see the luges go past. The bike course favoured climbers. There were two good stretches on sidewalks that were difficult for me. Technically, there were lots of turns but nothing too difficult. Still, I didn't find a good flow through many of the turns. I did manage to have fairly consistent lap times but, again, I finished one lap behind the winner. I did have some racers around me most of the time. I have decided to be more aggressive with my passes but it was still difficult to pass when the rider I was trying to go around would wander all over the track unpredictably. I passed a few riders in the sand trap.
I completely six laps for 9.6 km in 42:50. I had an average speed of 13.5 km/h and a top speed of 35.6 km/h. There was about 35 m of climbing every lap. I averaged 171 bpm with a maximum of 182 bpm.

Blow Street Cross

Today was the Blow Street Cross in Calgary. I spent almost all my time since the Oval Cross two weeks ago training by doing my university homework and eating cookies. The weather has not been nice for cycling and I haven't bought a trainer or made time to hit the gym at the UofC. I made things better by spending my warm-up time driving home to pick up my race numbers. Still, the weather improved enough for this weekend that most of the snow had melted from the park where today's race was held. The snow and wet grass created some interest to a mostly flat course. My front tire slid quite a few times as I entered chicanes, there was one spot where I couldn't get traction with my rear tire as I tried to get going up a hill after a corner and one corner was quite tough with roots on the entry and in the apex. There were some boring parts due to long straights. If I had some conditioning, it would have been a good course for me 'cause I'm not a good climber unless it's a short, technical climb. After the fun I had at the Oval Cross, I did put the cleats in my shoes but they weren't needed on this course.
I ended up one lap down, completing six laps in 43:31 over a distance of 12.3 km. I averaged 17 km/h with a maximum of 35.9 km/h. My average speed dropped after my first two laps due to my lack of conditioning over the last little while. There was only about 15 m of climbing every lap and the stretches through the trees interfered with my GPS a bit. I don't know how dependable my heart rate info was but I averaged 179 bpm with a maximum of 187 bpm so I was definitely trying my best.

Oval 'Cross

Sunday morning saw me back at the university for the Oval 'Cross. It was supposed to be the same course as the previous night but snow and rain made the organizers shorten the course for the Sport race. During my warm-up, most of the hilly, twisty section was unrideable. They put that section back in for the Women's race right after mine and it seemed slightly better for them. There were many spots that I could easily ride the night before but had to try to walk in this race. On the steep descent that was so much fun the night before, I had to ski down on my shoes. A long, off-camber section by the tennis court fence was extremely slippery and I ran it on my second and third laps. In retrospect, I should have tried to ride it because running was really slow due to how slick things were. I also didn't attempt riding the sand pit, which I rode every time the previous evening, because it seemed tougher when wet and throwing the sand in the air really gunked up my bike the one time I rode a short section of it. My pedals were so full of mud and grass I wasn't able to clip in for most of my last three laps.
I ended up completing four laps in 39:26; longer than the night before despite the shortened course. I covered 8.5 km for an average speed of 12.9 km/h and a maximum speed of 31.4 km/h. I had an average heart rate of 164 bpm and a maximum of 177 bpm.

Dark Knight

Saturday night was the Dark Knight cyclocross race at the University of Calgary. It was my first nighttime race though, being in the first group, meant most of my time was spent in the early twilight.
It was an interesting course with two distinct sections: a hilly, twisty section on an embankment by the tennis courts and a more open section near the student residences with two sand pit sections. The forecast had been promising rain and snow all week but it didn't happen before my race. Due to the mayhem of last year, this race had different categories and didn't belong to the official ABA calendar. My group contained 65 riders of a variety of abilities. This meant I always had someone to race and the first trip through the twisty section was slow due to the numbers and some people unable to ride some of the hills. I was able to get more flow in my later laps as things thinned out. The crowds were great and really loud. There was lots of encouragement for anyone, like me, who could ride the sand pit or some of the steeper hills. The most memorable part for me was the steepest descent. As the sky grew darker, the descent and the following corner became bewildering due to the flashing lights and loud music. It was definitely a rare experience for a race.
I ended up one lap down so I completed four laps. It was definitely getting too dark for me to continue as my last lap was 40 seconds slower than each of my second and third laps. I did 9.6 km in 38:45 for an average speed of 14.8 km/h and a maximum of 32.8 km/h. There was about 25 m for climbing each lap. I averaged 169 bpm with a maximum of 187 bpm.

Hop 'n' Hurl

Sunday was the Hop 'n' Hurl cyclocross race at Goldbar park. I was disappointed that the course on the technical guide was not the actual course as I enjoy the trail at the south end of the park. Instead, the course circled the lake and then headed to the north end of the park. The trip around the lake included a short section in sand which could be ridden if you stayed close to the lake where the sand was harder. There were two chicanes that offered some challenges. On one easy climb, the course had three very tight corners and, shortly after that, there was an off-camber chicane which had a high-speed approach. I tended to brake a little going into the last one because I thought my front tire might slip in the grass and send me sliding under the course markings.
The start offered few difficulties until a tight set of corners on the far side of the lake. The whole group was still fairly close together at this point so I almost had to stop while waiting for the bunch to feed through these corners. After that, I picked a few good spots to pick up a place or two but also gave up a few places as I settled into my race. I ended up riding alone and seeing very few people during my last three laps.
My lap times varied between 10:37 and 10:50. I completed all four laps for a total of 13.8 km and finished with a total time of 42:59. My average speed was 19.2 km/h with a maximum of 45.3 km/h. There was about 45 m of climbing on each lap. I didn't work as hard during this race compared to the previous day as I averaged only 162 bpm with a maximum of 178 bpm.
Recently, I've read about time trial pacing and not going out too hard. I followed this approach for my two cyclocross races this weekend and, while I've felt good throughout both races and finished with consistent lap times, it might be better to fight for position earlier in the lap. I'm not fighting for wins but I am losing quite a bit of time waiting for the pack to filter through some of the technical sections. Having someone to chase would also prevent me from falling asleep mid-race once I'm alone and have settled into my position.

School of Cross

Saturday was my first cyclocross race of the season. After some troubles with Bow Cycle while trying to buy a new back wheel and that causing me to miss my first four races, I got a wheel on loan until they find a wheel they can sell me. The course in Edmonton offered two contrasting elements; a mostly flat section in the playground with an overabundance of twists and turns and a short ravine section with a difficult downhill followed shortly by a difficult uphill and then some stairs. The playground contained the barriers, which someone said were much higher than UCI regulations allow, a trip through some deep sand and course markings which were difficult to see. I wasn't the only rider who took a wrong turn or two. Now, after that short list of negatives, it was actually a great race. Kyle was giving great commentary and updates so racers knew what was going on, there was lots of snacks from the Wild Earth Cafe and the playground was still accessible so Julie was content while I raced.
My race got off to an interesting start as a Hardcore rider missed clipping into his pedal and caused a small crash right off the start. It happened right in front of me but I just stopped and waited for the pack to get rolling again. No major technical sections kept the pack moving well until a good order was established. My first lap was my most eventful due to the crash, a small crash of my own just before the stairs and planting my bike in the deep sand instead of picking it up cleanly while I watched a rider in front of me try to carry some speed into the sand. I really enjoyed the hairy descent but never had any troubles with it. I have some mountain bike experience so I knew to use my top brakes and get my bum well behind my seat. In fact, I had my stomach on my seat while going down it. I was able to do the very short but difficult climb on my second and fourth laps. I'm not sure how many riders had to run up that one.
I ended up completing four laps as I was lapped by the top three riders late in my last lap. My lap times were consistant between 9:59 and 10:10. In total, I raced for 40:13 and covered 10.3 km for an average speed of 15.4 km/h and a top speed of 35.1 km/h. There was just over 30 m of climbing each lap. I averaged 173 bpm with a maximum of 186 bpm.

Water sports

I don't like water. It ruins all the sports I enjoy. Cycling and hiking in the rain isn't enjoyable. Baseball games get cancelled. Outdoor speed skating is finished when your rink looks more like a pool. On Friday, water wrecked a good round of golf for me. I'm well aware that water hazards are part of the game and I shouldn't complain if I'm not smart enough to stay away from them but my latest round of golf went from good to worse in a hurry when I stopped avoiding the water.
On the first hole on the Spring nine at Elbow Springs, I was the only one to avoid the water but a three-putt meant a double-bogey. A one-putt then saved a par and I got another par on the third hole. Pulling my drive left and being knocked down by a branch then putting my second shot into a fairway bunker meant another double-bogey. Four holes, four over par. That's a good round for me so far. Then, I started finding the water.
The fifth hole was a par three and I mis-hit a four iron and just barely missed clearing the water on the left. The penalty and second tee shot cost me two strokes. Next, I topped my second shot after a great drive and it rolled a short distance into some reeds just before the water hazard. That's an extra two stokes than if I hadn't topped my second shot. The seventh hole was the same as the fifth. If there's no water I can still chip on and get a bogey. The eighth hole was straight into the setting sun. I cheated by not penalizing myself for a lost ball because no one was able to see any of the drives due to the sun and I was the only one not to find my ball. I got a penalty anyway because I didn't see the water hazard beside the green due to a small hill and staring at the sun. I dropped beside the water and chipped on. The last hole had water on the left side and my drive rolled into it. I was able to bogey the hole even with the penalty.
If there was no water, or if I had just avoided it, I could have saved myself eight strokes. Instead of an average 53 over nine holes, I'd have shot a great 45; bogey golf. I've shot 100 a few times over a full 18 but never broken that so any nine holes under 50 is good on my card. Maybe I'll take a few lessons next year and finally break 100.

Ribbon Lakes Backpack

I was able to close out this summer in style! Peter, Rod and I were joined on the Labour Day long weekend by James and Simeon for a backpacking adventure. For probably the last time, the campsite decision was left mostly up to me and, with quite a bit of consultation with Peter, Ribbon Lakes was chosen as the destination.
We had decided to do something in either Banff National Park or Kananaskis. I consulted the lists of backcountry sites in Kananaskis again and checked the routes in. Tombstone, which three of us did three weeks prior, seemed to have been a good warm-up so I wanted to pick something a bit longer. Ribbon Lakes promised a few different options for getting in and out so I thought it would be great. We decided against going in and out over Buller Pass and only going out that way meant a long, long car shuttle. If you come in along Ribbon Creek, you have to tackle a rock face with the help of some chains. All descriptions said that way was tougher to come down and, since I thought a loop would be more exciting, we decided on a small car shuttle which allowed us to go in along Ribbon Creek and out along Galatea Creek. On the way out, we would have to cross Guinn's Pass.
Ribbon Creek turned out to be an easy walk in perfect weather. With James in the lead, we set a fast pace up to Ribbon Falls. We passed a few groups and encountered a park ranger, with whom we chatted at length. After the falls, the trail rapidly started to gain some altitude to the rock face. Our quick pace up the creek left us a little tired going up towards the chain section but we made it after some frequent rests. James and I charged ahead up the chains and were soon at the top. Peter, Rod and Simeon were a little slower up the last of the trail before the chains and had to wait a bit more as Rod experienced some cramps in his calves. The chain section wasn't as difficult as on-line guides had led me to believe but one section was probably a bit more difficult than anything I had scrambled before. It was definitely doable without the chains but they were helpful since I wasn't so nimble with a large pack on. I ended up going back down without my pack and lugging Rod's up as he suffered with his cramped legs; his gamer energy drink might have left him lacking some electrolytes. Peter and Simeon didn't mind lightening their packs at this point and sharing their water and snacks with Rod to help him out. Once at the top, it was again an easy walk to the lake and our campsite.
The next day was supposed to start out tough but would be downhill from the top of the pass. After a short walk through the trees, we took the turn up to Guinn's Pass and really started to go uphill in a hurry. The path was well-packed on the scree slope so walking wasn't difficult. Again, James set the pace and I stayed right on his heels. Rod was a ways back with Simeon and Peter a little further down the trail. It was a good grunt up Guinn's Pass but the view was definitely worth it. The other side proved to be another scree slope but not as well-packed so I was glad I was going down it. Again, James and I led the way with the others following at their leisure. After gathering together on the south side of the pass, we were off down Galatea Creek. James and I got into a nice rhythm and we flew down the path without any breaks. It was an overcast day and nice to put in a long, uninterrupted walk like that. The sun came out just before we hit the final parking lot and we had 40 minutes of lying in the warm sunshine before Rod appeared, followed quickly by Simeon and Peter.
After having the heaviest backpack during the Tombstone trip, I think I was the lightest on this one. I had pretty much the same equipment except James was carrying my tent poles and Rod's Grand Stew and I had forgot my camera. The stew would be even heavier this time since three of us would be sharing it. Peter weighed his pack once he had returned home and found he was carrying 16.6 kg, or nearly 30% of his body weight. My pack weighed 12.8 kg in the end or just 16% of my body weight. It's no wonder Peter struggled up the pass and I was on James' heels all day. As I took Rod's pack up the chains the first day, it felt like it was definitely a little heavier than mine.
We're all looking forward to more adventures like this next year and we hope a few more friends will join us.

Tombstone Backpacking

I got out for my first backpacking trip in a long time on 15 and 16 August. I went with Peter and Rod up to the Tombstone backcountry campground near Tombstone Lakes in Kananaskis. It was about ten years after Jesse, Rod and I got lost in David Thompson Country so it was about time to get back out. My little Edmonton gaming group is a good collection of outdoor adventurers but only three of us were able to find the time to go.

After a bit of debate, it was decided that we needed a fairly short, in and out, one-night trip that wasn't too far from Calgary. A little searching the web and talking with some of the hikers in my office led to picking Tombstone. It lies on the junction of the Little Elbow – Big Elbow loop and a trail in from Elbow Lake. The short route is to park on Hwy 40, just north of the summit of the Highwood Pass and hike the 6 km or so past Elbow Lake. We watched the weather all week as it was cloudy and rainy but the forecast for the weekend suggested some improvement.

Peter and Rod showed up at my house on Friday evening so we could make final arrangements and head out the next day. We expected a short hike so we didn't rush through waffles for breakfast and had our packs ready around 11:00. The initial part of the hike is quite steep as it climbs away from the highway. It was comfortable walking because the skies were mostly cloudy and the temperature was cool. We met a few groups coming down from the lake but the trail was almost all ours from the lake to the campground. The trail also descended slightly all the way from the lake to the campground. The scenery was excellent as we walked along the open trail through a gap in two mountain ranges. The peaks were white as the rain in Calgary had fallen as snow at the tops of the mountains.

We were set up in our campground in the late afternoon so we decided to walk up to Tombstone Lakes. We only visited the larger, lower lake. The wind was calm so the lake was perfectly flat with ripples occasionally made by fish coming to the surface to snatch bugs. Rod decided to keep his mountain bathing tradition alive so he stripped down behind some trees and jumped in.

Back at camp, Rod and I enjoyed "One Grand Stew" even though it had leaked a little in my pack. We eventually got a fire going despite the wet wood and were able to sit around it, enjoying 56 herbs of medicinal goodness, and chat while night came. We got a little rain through the night but Rod was comfy in his new bivy sack and Peter and I were dry in my tent. The slope of the ground and lack of friction between his mattress and sleeping bag meant Peter spent most of the night sliding to the foot of the tent.

We woke to more clouds and lots of mist in the valleys. Again, we were in no hurry so we ate breakfast and packed up at a relaxing pace. The weather was a little cooler and we got a few more drops of rain on the way out but it was a pleasant walk. This day we encountered a few more groups on the trail although they were just there for the day. I was a bit surprised because there was no real destination between Elbow Lake and the campground. We even encountered a group out on horses and I spotted a moose who quickly went crashing back into the trees because of the noise of the horses.

All in all, it was an easy, enjoyable hike and good to get back out with friends. We hadn't even got back to the car before plans for our second hike were being laid. The actual trip ended up to be 7.62 km each way and the one-way trip up to Tombstone Lake was 2.2 km. It took us 2.5 hours for each leg of the backpack though we were only in motion for 1:40 each time. The elevation gain was just under 400 m.

Highwood Pass

I finally did the Highwood Pass today. It's almost a must for any cyclist living close to it since it's the highest paved road in Canada, or so I'm told. It's where Lance Armstrong rides when he's in the area and it's been on my to do list for some time.

Crankmasters organized a group ride today to tackle the pass. About 30 riders started from the Ribbon Creek area near Kananaskis Village and would need to cover 45 km and climb 800 vertical metres to get to the pass. I started out with the lead group but as the road started to climb right away, I decided not to burn myself out and dropped back. Two riders came up behind me and I fell in with them. Brad (I think) did a great job of doing long pulls and I did quite a bit of work too but our third was just hanging in. A few more riders came up behind us and we also swept up a few who couldn't keep up with the front group. We stopped for a short rest at the gate which closes off the Highwood Pass. The road really starts to go up at this point so I was off the back of my group and spent my time to the top chasing Brad. It was a tough climb for me and the 7% grade for 2 km slowed me down to about 10 km/h. Just before we reached the top, all the riders in front of me started down.

Brad and I took a short rest at the parking lot and then started back down. Our speed definitely increased which is why I didn't see a small pothole and suffered a pinch-flat. Together, we were able to change my tire which was super-tough for me alone in the Spring. I think the tire might have stretched a tiny bit. I also got to try out my CO2 pump for the first time. I got a cool refresher in thermodynamics when the temperature of the canister dropped quickly as the pressure inside dropped. We found out later that three riders just ahead of where we changed my tire had a young, male grizzly bear run out just behind them. I'll have to keep this in mind as I plan to return close to the area next weekend for some backpacking. The rest of the ride back was fast but tough. My legs really were suffering as this was the longest ride I've done all year and had a ton of climbing.

According to my GPS, I covered 91.69 km in 3:17:07 (plus 23 minutes of resting and tire changing) for an average moving speed of 27.1 km/h and a maximum of 67.5 km/h. It was a social ride but with lots of climbing so I averaged 159 bpm with a maximum of 180 bpm. My GPS also totalled up 1100 m of climbing during the day.

C4 mini stage race

Way back on 29 July, my Wednesday night race series wrapped up with a little stage race. The prologue was a short time trial followed by a road race and then another, longer time trial.

For the prologue, I clocked 4:32 over the 2.68 km course for an average speed of 35.3 km/h and a maximum of 46.5 km/h. I averaged 159 bpm with a maximum of 174 bpm. That was good enough for seventh out of seven but I see that I was five seconds out of second.

For the road race, it was the usual story. I was splintered off the group during the climb and finished two and a half minutes behind the leader. I spent the last 15 km or so alone but had a group of three C racers just a few hundred metres behind me the whole way. I slowed a lot on the last little climb and one of them was able to sprint and just beat me at the line. I did the 29.2 km in 48:30 for an average speed of 36.2 km/h and a maximum speed of 63 km/h. I had an average heart rate of 158 bpm with a maximum of 176 bpm.

I was pretty tired for the final time trial and it was mostly climbing so I was only able to cover the 8.26 km in 15:30. That's an average of just 32 km/h with a maximum of 50 km/h. I averaged 162 bpm with a maximum of 174 bpm.

I really enjoyed the race series. The previous few years, I did the Midweek Mayhem criterium races. While the venue is close to my home, doing the exact same race each week is boring. I really liked alternating between time trials and road races and how the road races had different formats. I really need to improve my climbing because it's an obvious weakness for me. I ended up doing three laps of the Millarville loop during two races and was dropped from whichever group I was with at the exact same place each time. I really need to get my hip healthy so I can hit the weights more. I can also stand to lose 10 kg more while trying to increase my leg strength. More leg strength and less weight will also help boost my average speed on the flats.

C4 WNS Time Trial

Last Wednesday was my usual Wednesday night race and it was a Merkx time trial. That's their name for a time trial ridden on your usual racing bike: no aero bars, no disk wheels, no pointy helmets. It was a very warm night at 30°C so I decided to carry water for such a short race. I would finish it before arriving back to the car after the race. I was the second rider to head out and I tried to catch the first rider. I didn't catch him but I did catch two other riders; one guy warming up and one guy who was supposed to be the marshal at the NW corner of the course. Unfortunately, this series has been so well run and I didn't know the guy I passed was supposed to be a marshal that I would end up flying through that corner and only thinking that TWP 262 sounded very familiar. I wound up getting 2:22 and one kilometre of extra effort on the night. I was credited with covering the 16.2 km course in 27:42 (although some people maintain the course was 16.8 km). That gives me a speed somewhere in the 35 – 36 km/h range despite being slightly demoralized by the extra scenery I enjoyed. My maximum speed was 65.9 km/h. I did help three other riders who all approached the same corner together just ahead of the marshal as I was coming back up the hill to get back on course. I noticed one of those riders got on my wheel after he turned around and let me help him part of the way to the finish. I think I was able to ride away from him and open up a proper time trial gap after a short time.

Calgary hills

Last Saturday, I did a little tour of Calgary. I wanted to explore a little route onto the Nose Creek path and then wind around to check out the route from Edworthy Park up to Edgemont. With all the people and dogs walking wherever they please on the paths, I don't advise ever doing serious training within the city. When Julie is able to do longer rides in the trailer, I'll need to know these scenic routes a bit better. I was out for just over two hours and did 52.8 km for an average of 25.7 km/h. I got in the climb up Edworthy but the path to the east back down to the river wasn't suitable for a road bike so I had to circle back to the main road up the park. I also climbed Home Road and up 53 Ave through Edgemont for a total of 470 m of climbing.

C4 WNS Team Road Race

Wednesday, 15 July was a team race just south of Calgary going down towards Millarville. We started with three teams of seven but a late arrival meant a team of eight. The winning team would be the first one to get their third rider, not including their team leader, over the line. Before the race, our leader discussed strategy. Trev is a very strong Speed Theory rider and he was going to be able to move where he wanted in the pack or catch breakaways. We were counting on him to get in amongst the other teams and disrupt their plans. He mostly wanted to isolate riders at the back of any escape and open up a gap which would require the other rider to spend extra energy trying to get back on. It sounded like a good theory but I wasn't there to see how it all worked out.

As is typical for my races, I hung nicely in the pack but tried to stay towards the front. I got caught out once but Trev was able to open a little gap in the middle of the pack and I jumped back in to shelter. As per usual, something happened and I suddenly went from being comfortable to being above my redline. There was a little confusion on the corner after Millarville to head back north. I had to work a bit to catch back on to the group and this got my heart rate rising. The pace also picked up as we started to climb and this usually spells disaster for me. I seem to be able to maintain 90% of my maximum heart rate but closing the gap and starting the gradual hill pushed my heart rate from under 170 bpm to over 180 which is over 96% of my maximum. I caught back on but the hill continued and I was split off the back. Eventually, I was swept up by a few riders and we worked together and broke up a few times over the rest of the course. I would even lose this group the next time we started climbing and had to ride myself back to one lone team mate who had completely used his energy. He and I had been working in the smaller group and he left me on the start of the climb on the second lap so I was a bit surprised when I got back to him and ended up pulling him most of the way to the finish.

I ended up doing 53 km in 1:29 for an average speed of 35.7 km/h and a max of 62.3 km/h coming down from the top of the course. There was 367 m of climbing during the race. I averaged 162 bpm with a maximum heart rate of 184 bpm while trying to stay with the peleton on the first lap. Our team finished second.

Stampede RR

12 July was the Stampede Road Race put on by Crankmasters. I wasn't expecting to do well since it's a Masters race and I was therefore in Masters A and required to do 120 km. The course was rolling and I'd spent the previous week at home with my new daughter and some baked goods.
I felt good at the back of the pack for most of the first lap and was surviving the climbs but I let myself lose contact on some of the descents. Usually my superior mass allows me to catch the pack on the downhill but, with the wind that day, I had to do some work to get back and that proved my undoing. I also started to feel uncomfortable in my stomach and weak in the legs so I was split from the group just before turning south on the first lap. I had hoped to hang in a little longer but it wasn't possible. To get some training in, I continued on for an extra lap until I found a few team mates chatting in the final corner of the lap. I joined them and we eventually rode back to the feed zone to let Corey know we were done for the day. Well, we did have enough energy to sprint back to the parking and enjoy some of the first burgers off the barbecue.
In total, I did 49.33 km in 1:46:12 for an average speed of 27.9 km/h and a maximum of 63 km/h. I did 550 m of climbing. My heart rate monitor was a little flakey but it thinks I averaged 161 bpm with a maximum of 186 bpm. That's not the first time I've beaten my calculated maximum of 183 bpm.

Things might happen quickly...

Since we were expecting our second child and and our first was born naturally, we were told that this birth might go faster than the first one. It really didn't start out that way though.

On Wednesday, Ying noticed she was leaking. We finally were convinced that it was amniotic fluid and she had a small hole in her membranes. She had a few very mild contractions but it wasn't time to go to the hospital. All our research said labour should start within 24 hours so we decided to wait. Thursday morning brought no change: very slow leak and a few more mild contractions. Ying had an appointment late in the afternoon so we thought we might wait for that. We did e-mail Rob and Tammy so I could let Rob know I probably wasn't going to come to work and, since they have six children and Tammy's going back to being a maternity ward nurse, they're a very valuable source of advice for my young family. Tammy phoned back a few minutes later and said to go to the hospital; there's a risk of infection if the membranes are broken so she thought they'd probably induce us. She was bang on.

My Grade 12 English teacher has a great philosophy on life which I've taken to heart, "start slow, and taper off." I would soon find that my second child is good at the first part of this but needs work on the second part.

9:30 - triage in the maternity ward. Ying's membranes are definitely broken and she'll be admitted and induced. Phoned Mom to come up from Edmonton if she wants to experience the birth.

14:45 - Ying's on a drip and the induction has started. Things should take a few hours so I step out for a necessary run to Superstore.

16:00 - I'm back. Ying had a quick nap. Mild contractions but they're more regular.

16:30 - Mom arrives. No change in Ying.

17:00 - Our nurse goes on break. Ying at 5 cm but was at 4 cm last week at her doctor appointment.

17:20 - Contractions are starting to get quite painful. Ying wants an epidural and the nurse covering says she can get one ready but Ying cannot have it in until our nurse comes back since the covering nurse cannot monitor two and assist with the epidural.

17:25 - Nurse goes to make arrangements for the epidural. "If you feel like pushing, press the call button."

17:28 - Very painful contractions. Ying: "I feel like pushing!" Me: "You were only 5 cm a little while ago. I don't think the baby's coming yet." Ying: "The baby's coming!" I hit the call button.

17:29 - Covering nurse comes in and takes a look at Ying: "hit the call button!" Nursing station over the intercom: "Yes?" Covering nurse: "we're having a baby in here!"

17:30 - A doctor who just happened to hear the call and Ying's screams at the nursing station and three or four other nurses burst into the room. "Hi, I'm Dr. O'Keane" We shake hands quickly as he assesses the situation and I try to hold Ying down during another very painful contraction.

17:36 - After a few minutes of pushing and screaming, Shannon Wei Reynard enters the world.

After the birth, Ying's quite shocky because of how everything developed so quickly. Shannon's cleaned up and presented to her grandma. We were all able to relax in the birthing room. Shannon barely cried the whole time and spent a long, long time suckling on Ying and being content. Ying was moved into a room to spend the night. The evening meal had been served so Mom and I picked up some soup and a grilled cheese sandwich from the cafeteria downstairs. Ying proved she had fully recovered by polishing off both in no time.

Banff Bikefest Time Trial

Today was the Banff Bikefest Time Trial. It takes place on a great course towards Lake Minnewanka. So much better than than the usual Alberta TT: go straight, 90° turn, more straight. The road heads out of Banff and under the Trans-Canada before winding along a scenic road towards the lake. The first half is hilly and climbs towards the summit near the lake then there's a fast, twisty descent back to the finish.
I arrived a little later than I would have liked but got in a quick warm-up and a two gels before I took my start. There was a big tailwind out of Banff which made the ride to the loop seem quick. The climbs this year didn't seem very hard and I was surprised to find myself almost half-finished before I knew it. I caught the same guy I caught on the hill climb as he struggled through the first half climbs as well as a Speed Theory rider. I caught the other rider I passed at the end of the hill climb as we were finishing off the loop by the lake. About four riders caught me but none after the summit of the loop. One who caught me I think I saw walking around after the first texas gate after the loop. Aerodynamics was the name of the game for the descent as there was a good headwind the whole way in.
I finished the 21.2 km course is 35:52, according to my GPS. I averaged 35.5 km/h with a maximum speed of 62.6 km/h. My average heart rate was a little lower than I would have liked at 166 bpm and a maximum of 174 bpm but I still felt like I put in a good effort. I'm very happy with my ride because I had been averaging around 33.7 km/h for my other time trials this year. Also, I took nearly five minutes off my time from last year; most of that during the first half of the race. The wind probably has a huge part to play in that since it was pushing me up the small climb to the loop by the lake. From the summit to the finish, I did go about 30 seconds faster than last year despite the wind. There was a small family of bighorn sheep feeding by the lake at almost the exact same spot as last year.
All in all, a good day for me.

Banff Bikefest Hill Climb

Today was the start of the Banff Bikefest. The first event for me was the Hill Climb up Hwy 93. The race info kept the distance switching between 6 km and 7 km so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I hoped at least that the elevation profile would be correct since the end would be near once it started to level out. I didn't know how much the gradient would affect my speed so I couldn't predict my time. I knew it wouldn't be that long of a race so I knew my usual strategy of keeping my heart rate at 170+ bpm was going to work again. I had a little advice from the ultimate climber before the race. Marg said to expect a fairly constant gradient but it would feel tougher if there was a headwind. There was a headwind.

Due to the slow speed of the climb and wide open highway, I could see a few of the riders who started before me. I caught one fairly quickly but he was quite a large, though not tall, man who was definitely struggling on the climb. He was weaving back and forth and pedalling at a very low cadence. My confidence was high at the start because the riders I could see in front weren't getting away very quickly. I think I suffered through the middle as the climb went through its steepest section. I sat for the entire climb but, in retrospect, I should have stood for some sections. On my commute, I have one steep section during which I always stand and it seems easier than the rare time I sit the whole was up. The next hill climb I do, I'm going to try mixing my sitting and standing more in a burst and recover format. Since this climb was fairly constant, there were no real sections to convince me to stand. It did level off towards the end and I was able to put in a sprint and pass another rider who I had slowly been catching for most of the ride. Another strategy would be to get a lighter bike. There was a weigh-in at the top and the official just looked at my bike and said it made the weight. I think I saw one person fail the weigh-in while I was at the top. I really wanted to ride back down but that was forbidden. After a short wait, I was driven back to the parking lot in a van.

The race was only 6.2 km and I finished in about 22:25 for an average speed of 16.5 km/h and a maximum of 33.4 km/h as I sprinted for the finish. There was 275 m of climbing and my GPS recorded 1.3 m of descending! I averaged 172 bpm with a maximum of 180. The time trial is next on Saturday. A very enjoyable course but lots of rolling hills for the first half.

Stoney Trail Time Trial

Today was Speed Theory's time trial out on the Stoney Trail extension east of Calgary. It was billed as a flat, straight course so a pure test of speed with no technical turns or climbs. What made it interesting was the weather. The race was almost cancelled as Calgary is having a little cold snap and woke up to snow on the ground this morning. I bought the ERTC winter cycling jacket but didn't think I'd use it until much later this year. The start was pushed back two hours and that was a good call by the organizers. The snow and rain stopped just before I left for the race and the start area was dry as I warmed up.

I really need to buy another trainer as there was no where to ride before my race due to the mud and gravel of the construction site. Once on course, the road was very nice since it hasn't been open to traffic yet. My heart rate monitor wasn't function properly for the whole race and I really like the feedback to know how hard I'm pushing myself. I'd like a power meter to gauge my effort but am not willing to spend the money on one yet. I could have pushed myself more but I'm not too disappointed in my effort.

The course was a simple five kilometres out and then straight back, repeated three times for a total of 30 km. The variability of Calgary's weather was amazing to experience over such a short stretch. As I said, the start was dry and remained that way the whole time I was there. The turn-around was a different story. On my first lap, everything was dry and there was a light cross-wind out of the East. On my second lap, the wind picked up and it started to rain. On my third lap, the wind felt quite strong and the rain had turned to small, stinging hail. A number of racers, myself included, rode a short distance after the turn with their right hand on thier cheek since the wind was slightly in their face and blowing the stinging hail as they charged into it at top speed. But, everything would clear as the start/finish turn-around approached. Once again, I was caught from behind by a few racers while catching no one. I did have one good moment going into the first turn as I went through the turn much faster than a racer who had just passed me. I made up 20 m and pulled right beside him after the turn but he left me behind again as he got back up to speed.

I logged 30 km for the race and finished in 53:18 for an average speed of 33.8 km/h and hit a maximum of 44.7 km/h. I had the highest average speed on my first lap before the wind picked up. My heart rate monitor wasn't working well but I might have averaged about 166 bpm. There was about 80 m of climbing for the entire race.

C4 WNS Team Road Race

Tonight I was out NW of Calgary taking part in Crankmasters' Wednesday Night racing series. Speed Theory actually put on this race and it was very enjoyable. An eight kilometre loop was designed in the Bearspaw area just outside Calgary's city limits. We did one lap to preview the course, a one lap individual time trial to seed the riders and then a three lap team race.

I felt good during the time trial and I think I pushed fairly well. My data seems to tell another story. I finished the 8 km in 14 minutes for an average speed of 34 km/h with a top speed of 50.5 km/h. I averaged 173 bpm with a maximum of 180.

The road race was three laps; the team leaders won points based on their order finishing the second lap and the team's finish would be determined by their fourth rider across the line at the end of the race. The first lap was supposed to be neutral but there were still people at the front pushing the pace. There's definitely an advantage to being in a pack because I didn't feel like I was working very hard, my pulse averaged 153 bpm, yet the average speed was 34.5 km/h; 0.5 km/h faster than my time trial. The second lap was even faster. Team Purple was reduced to just three riders in the main pack as we started the second lap. One team mate had already recognized we had lost our important fourth rider but I'm not a strong enough rider to go back and pull someone up to the main pack. As we headed towards the end of the second lap, I started to move forward so I could lead out my team leader for the sprint. Instead, he attacked with 500 m to go and opened up a large gap on the field. I sat up and crossed the line at an easy pace but still averaged 35.6 km/h for that lap. We had three team mates and we needed our fourth. We rode a very easy pace until we were finally caught by our fourth. Unfortunately, he had sat up to wait for our fifth member. We decided to get our whole team assembled and finish together. I was surprised that I could do most of the work for our team to finish the race. The last lap averaged just 27.8 km/h. All told, the race averaged 32.3 km/h over 24 km with a maximum speed of 55.7 km/h. I had an average heart rate of 155 bpm and hit 175 bpm on the second lap.

It was a fun format and I enjoyed staying in the pack and feeling good for the entire race. I wish I could feel like on of the stronger members of the main field in all my races.

Pigeon Lake road race

I was out at Mulhurst at Pigeon Lake on Sunday. The ERTC hosted its big, yearly race. Due to construction, they weren't racing around the lake like usual. I've been riding a bit but, once again, haven't been training super-seriously. My weight-lifting has taken a hit due to some hip problems for the past month. It hurts constantly and sometimes I cannot walk well but it feels good to cycle. I've had a few chiropractic adjustments but nothing has worked yet.

My race started out well. I stayed towards the front of the pack but nicely sheltered as we were lead through the town towards the main loop of the race. I can see from my data that my heart rate was low, for me, because the pace was slow as we headed into the wind. One of my teammates came up beside me and tried to encourage me to go to the front with him and push the pace but I knew that wasn't a good strategy for me. If I'm ever going to do well in a race, it's because I hid in the pack and waited for the final sprint.

Despite feeling well, I got dropped by the pack at 30 minutes. We were just finishing the southern portion of the loop where there were a few little climbs when someone just a few riders in front of me lost their chain. A few of us on the left side of the pack had to almost stop as this rider lost speed and swerved out of the pack. A climb, a gap and a headwind and I was done. I tried to get back on but the pack slowly pulled away. Five minutes later, two Juventus riders passed me and I joined them. 15 minutes later as we turned south on our first loop, we picked up my teammate, Bruce. Despite feeling good along the northern part of the loop and even pulling my little group up the climbs, I started to tire and hide at the back on the southern part of our second loop. I lost contact with them just before turning north again and rode alone for the last 45 minutes. I was passed by four riders after I left the main loop and headed for the finish but I was able to get back ahead of one of those riders in the last kilometre to ensure I wouldn't finish last.

I covered the 62 km course in 1:53 for a pace of 32.78 km/h with 479 m of climbing. My average heart rate was 163 bpm and I hit a maximum of 185 bpm. I ate a CLIF bar, a package of CLIF bloks and had one CLIF shot before the race. I was drinking water from my bottles. I don't think I was running out of energy when I was dropped but it was about 20°C, sunny and windy and I was feeling quite thirsty. I don't think I had drunk 500 mL of water before I was dropped. I don't think my weight-lifting at home has been very effective but I think it was helping me. Having worse than usual hip and back pain since the end of April stopped my weight-lifting and has affected some of my other training. My back did stiffen up towards the end of my race but my hip felt okay. I'm going to seek some more answers about my hip problem soon.

Aerobic Power Time Trial

Sunday was the Aerobic Power TT. I've been training and commuting by bike but I've been having my ups and downs physically this Spring so I wasn't too sure how it would go.
The course was a simple, straight, out and back for 20 km. I thought it would be extremely boring but the hills added some interest. I was actually surprised to see the elevation difference in the mapmyride.com info before the race. While driving out to Seba Beach, I saw all the rolling hills and knew they would be part of the course. I know what my body should be able to do during a time trial so I set my GPS to report just heart rate, distance and time. The alarm was set to go off if my heart rate dipped below 170 bpm but, once I got it over that, I only had one lull during the race when I was passed by another rider with about three kilometres to go who couldn't keep that pace going. I was stuck because I didn't have the power to pass him and make it stick and he slowed just slightly after getting in front of me. He slowed again about one kilometre from the finish so I did finally go around him. At the finish, he sprinted past me again.
I started my GPS a few seconds late but I recorded 20.00 km in 35:34 for an average speed of 33.75 km/h and a maximum speed of 57.8 km/h. The results haven't been posted yet so I don't know how I placed in Cat 5. I was passed by two riders and didn't catch anyone in front of me. There was 145 m of climbing with a total range of 100 m in elevation. I averaged 177 bpm with a maximum heart rate of 187 bpm. The odd thing about that if my maximum was measured four years ago at 185 bpm. If I take a new maximum of 187, I averaged nearly 95% of my maximum heart rate for the entire race but I felt I could sustain 180 bpm which makes my aerobic threshold very high.
The ups this Spring have been my weight and sticking to my training program. In January, I was over 91 kg after a big lunch. The weight-loss challenge at work helped me drop down to my current weight of just over 79 kg. I hope to drop four more over the Summer. While the snow was still on the ground, I was able to stick to my weight-lifting program and I'm now working in FFAST and interval training during my commute. The downs have been some leg injuries. Either because of not warming up properly or because I'm doing single-leg exercises with heavy weights which tax stabilizer muscles, I've had some pains down my legs. The past two weeks have been the worst. Walking is difficult and I cannot run but sitting is nearly pain-free. I feel my best when riding my bike no matter how hard I push. I've been seeing my chiropractor and I've notice some improvement. Still, it's been a painful two weeks and counting.

Product Preview

I follow the Bicycling Blogger. After reading his post about sports drinks, I started to reconsider my dietary habits on the bike. I think I'll still drink Gatorade for time trials since it's convenient for the length of the race and one bottle followed by lots of plain water shouldn't hurt my teeth too much. Slowly sipping the stuff for an hour or four, five days a week would do some damage like the Bicycling Blogger points out but one hour about ten times over the summer shouldn't.

I've been lucky that I can eat most things while riding. I love the boost the potassium in a banana gives and I also loved a pre-ride meal of two waffles and taking two more in my back pocket to munch along the way. I can drink pop while riding and even ate a whole Badass Jack's wrap at the mid-point of the 100 km Tour d'Alberta with no ill effects. Of course, I'm not an elite rider and am not up on the latest nutrition to get the most out of my body on every ride. With all this in mind, I'm looking for an energy gel.

I'm lining up a little experiment for myself. I've looked through Superstore and MEC for their energy foods. I have five products that I'll try on one or more rides in the next little while. I have a CLIF Shot, PowerBar Gel, NRG Energy Shot, CLIF Shot Bloks and Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz.

I bought the CLIF and PowerBar gels with caffeine because the extra jolt was highly recommended. Both offer similar stats in the three Cs: calories, carbs and caffeine. I'm leaning towards the CLIF Shot because it claims to be 90% organic. Squeezing the package, it seems a bit thicker and it doesn't have all the sodium of the PowerBar gel. Sweating should work a lot of sodium out of my body so I got the CLIF Shot Bloks to supplement the CLIF Shot because they are 95% organic electrolyte chews. I've eaten CLIF bars and PowerBars before. I much prefer CLIF bars because they're much easier to chew and I enjoyed the flavours. This test is about gels so I won't be revisiting my selection of bars.

I already regret buying the NRG Energy Shot and the Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz. NRG seems to be a concentrated Red Bull-esque concoction of chemicals. The label suggests it's more for playing WoW all night though it does caution it's not a substitute for sleep. It does say it's for endurance sports as well but I'm currently skeptical. I think Superstore might also have sold it to me after its expiration date. I tried one of the Ballz before a trailer ride with Julie and had a hard time choking it down. It's like a large, bad-tasting gumball. It's chewable caffeine and guarana. I didn't notice any boost during my ride but pulling the trailer isn't a tough, endurance ride. I have three more Ballz to try on a future ride.

I'm hoping for a long ride very soon where I can keep my energy levels up with this random assortment of chemicals. I'm already biased towards the CLIF products because I like their bars and the claim to be organic. At about $2 a shot and the high dosage level recommended for racing, the one that I can buy at Costco by the box might win out in the end.

This energy gel experiment is made slightly more interesting by my current crash diet competition. I'm down 9 kg since the beginning of January but I'm still in third place. I'm currently just 1 kg behind Jon who's in the lead. The final weigh-in was moved up one week due to schedule conflicts. Three weeks to go! Except, I'm still 6 kg from my ultimate goal so I'll be trying to continue losing after the others are done.

Sunday with the ERTC

Last Sunday I rode with the ERTC while I was up in Edmonton. It was their second weekend of riding for the year and my first big ride. Marg had visited on Wednesday and convinced me to go since she was going too. It turned out to be a nice, sunny day but a little windy. I had to work hard to hang in when I couldn't find shelter from the breeze and I'm currently trying to balance training for the cycling season with my crash dieting competition at work. It was great fun to be out with 15 other riders. I've always found ERTC rides to be friendly and enjoyable. I really miss being a part of that since I'm not living in Edmonton.

For the ride, my GPS recorded 74 km in 2:36 for an average of almost 28.5 km/h. We had 325 m of climbing which doesn't seem like much when I do 180 m in my half hour commute home. I averaged 159 bpm and maxed out at 183 bpm during the ride. I find that my heart rate goes up to 150 bpm quickly during easy riding and I can maintain nearly 170 bpm for a long time.

At work, the weight-loss competition is going well. Victor somehow lost six pounds in two days to take the lead back. Jon has plateaued but remains in second while I'm right behind him in third. I've lost nearly 20 lbs from my starting weight. Dale is in fourth due to some weight loss at his cabinet-makers course and Greg weighed himself this week for the first time we've known of since January. Jon's plateau is making it look bad for him to reach his side bets without some extreme crash dieting. We're already on the verge of unhealthy diet plans so I'm not sure what more he can do. My goal is to keep eating well and training for cycling after the competition is over so I can finally return to 165 lbs and I'll try to maintain that. My commute times this year seem to be faster than my normal times from last year.

Starting new

On 7 March, LP and I bought some seeds and started our garden for this year. We've started cucumbers, cherry tomato plants and pumpkins; pumpkin pie pumpkins and Atlantic Giant pumpkins. If we have some success this year, Thanksgiving and Halloween should be fun. I hope this year goes better than last. Last year we would have starved. We started late and pretty much nothing grew.

This year, we're starting some stuff indoors and will start everything else as soon as possible. We're planning some rain barrels and other improvements to our yard. Things are already starting to grow!

I hope we can keep this pace up.

I feel so Canadian

I sold some stuff on eBay this weekend and had to take the items down to Canada Post for a quote on shipping. I remembered one postal code but not the one for the second package. I did remember the buyer lives in Toronto so, when the clerk asked if I knew any postal code in Toronto, I thought for a moment.

Yes...

M5W 1E6.

Save me, Government!

As It Happens had an interview with Richard Shapiro this week. He's the man would wrote a letter to the judge about being "economically raped" by Bernard Madoff. I should like to ask Mr. Shapiro his views on gun control, abortion, Medicare and taxation.

While it's unfortunate that Mr. Shapiro lost millions in Mr. Madoff's grand scheme, I found it difficult to listen to most of Mr. Shapiro's rant on As It Happens. Apparently, it's all the government's fault. The government shouldn't have allowed Mr. Madoff to run his little scheme. The government should have tracked it down earlier. The government should have stopped it. The government should find a way to compensate Mr. Shapiro. While I would have no problems with the government seizing money and property from anyone even distantly related to Mr. Madoff to pay back people who lost their money, I wonder what else Mr. Shapiro thinks the government should and shouldn't do. Should they track down anyone who turned a profit under Madoff's pyramid scheme and take that money back too?

If he's lobbying for the government to do this much for him, I can only assume he's at the front of the fight for gun control, Medicare and the like. Mr. Madoff destroyed his life. A gun can take a life. The government should ban all guns. People can get sick through no fault of their own and privately run hospitals can destroy the savings of any uninsured person. The government should set up universal healthcare. An unwanted teenage pregnancy can ruin the hopes and dreams of two young people who must drop out of school and work menial jobs for the rest of their lives. The government should provide abortions to anyone who wants one. Abortions end the life of a potential person so governments should ban abortion.

It's too bad that one country living beyond its means and with few real laws for the elite has affected the rest of us so much. Rampant Capitalism, unbridled Consumerism and overzealous speculation drove the boom which created this bust. How much has really changed while oil went from $140/barrel to $40/barrel? Why am I now on the hook to bail out companies that didn't plan ahead. Here's my only real Capitalist leaning. I don't agree with stimulus packages. I pay my taxes, pay my mortgage, live within my means and have collected a small savings. I was happy while the Liberals had surpluses and paid down the country's debt. Now, a few unscrupulous businessmen swindled masses of people and GM, Ford and Chrysler stuck their heads in the sand while George Bush told them Global Warming doesn't exist so I have to watch Stephen Harper spend the country $64 billion further into debt to rescue banks which we're turning billions of dollars of profits every quarter and ensure we can burn every last drop of oil around in our hybrid Escalades.

It's amazing that we don't have enough money to staff hospitals so that emergency room wait times are less than three hours. We cannot afford to send students to university without many of them emerging with crippling student loans. Luckily, the government can pile up a huge debt to ensure a big company doesn't fail after it paid its CEO hundred of thousands of dollars each year to run it into the ground and had to pull the multi-million dollar golden parachute.

A Bunch of Losers

We're a month and a half into the second edition of the weight-loss challenge at work and it's at least been fun. Once again, I had some early losses and now have hit a plateau into third. I'm following the Bicycling Blogger and trying to eat better. I need to get going with more than just the weight-lifting. The weather is improving so I can start some FFAST and interval training during the commute on my bike.
On the fun side, Jon has overtaken Victor for the lead. Last time, Victor ran away with things. Jon is mostly trying to get his weight down to 180 lbs because of his two side bets. If he can do that, he could finish last and still be $100 ahead. I don't think he could finish last if he hits 180 lbs because I'd have to be back to my high school weight of 165 lbs. That would also require Victor to be under 236 lbs. He finished the last competition at 236 lbs so it is possible. Of course, he started this one 10 lbs heavier and is down to just 264 lbs right now. Last competition at this time, he was at 246 lbs! Looks like he'll have to take out all the stops again.

An early start

Here's why I generally only use my GPS for hiking, biking and skiing. I will use it more for geotagging photographs but using it for speedskating on an oval doesn't make for exciting maps. The data is slightly interesting because you can definitely see the cycles of doing laps and resting. The pace seemed pretty consistent when doing laps but my back still cannot handle more than a few minutes. Still, I haven't skated seriously in about four years so it was just nice to be out on such a nice day.
We've started another weight-loss challenge at work. Victor has jumped out to an early lead but he bulked up before the official weigh-in. He was just shy of 130 kg. I came in at an all-time high of nearly 92 kg but this was just after lunch and we were all cheating. Two hours later, after a few trips to the bathroom, I had already shed one kilogram. Four weeks later and I'm down almost five kilograms. Only 12 kg to my goal weight. After vowing no side bets, Jon quickly agreed to two $100 bets that he won't get to 180 lbs. Losing a side bet last time cost him $100 and now his whole competition depends on getting to 180 lbs.
The weather is nice and the day is just long enough that I've started riding my bike to work already. Due to a little ice and a lot of rocks on the street, I'm using my 'cross bike and knobby tires. I rode two days this week for over 52 km. Snow across part of the bike path requires a small detour but it's actually a nicer route because it avoids crossing McKnight on 4th St. I might make this a permanent detour. I made the two days I rode slightly more punishing by those being my two weight-lifting days too. My legs were a little past warmed up and I've just upped the weights with fewer reps so it was pretty tiring. I hope the weather continues to co-operate so I can continue riding. Last year I recorded 2125 km with my GPS on my bike. This year I'm trying to 3000 km.