Caught in the Act

Man, I could get used to this not working thing (I had the week off). Life is pretty easy when all you have to do is bike, nap, and watch the James Bond marathon.

Between naps I did have time this week to sneak into my teamate Charly's house and snap this shot of him during one of his multi-hour trainer sessions (cold weather scares him). Disturbing.

Well it is New Years Eve, we have friends over and its is time to drink beer....

This is how we roll

Christmas this year was darn near perfect.
Friday, Seagate was closed...but we still got up to play hockey. Good thing too...the weather was crappy and I didn't feel like banking any trainer time. That night, Jen and I celebrated our Christmas together. She got some bling.
Saturday, I suited up and headed out at sunrise with Rochester the destination...it was a lonely 95 miles on knobbie tires. They just don't roll as well as road tires=) The weather was good and there was a tailwind, so I definitely can complain for Dec 23rd. Christmas Eve is the big celebration day at the Moore household, and I started the day on 2 wheels with my dad and bro. We hit some gravel/mud roads. We should have stayed on pavement. Ben appologized for getting the Niner Niner dirty. Notice my dad's new 'cross ridebike...I am jealous

After the ride I started eating and really never stopped. I ate way too many of these...I lost count at 5.

Got to hold my new niece and watch her poop every hour. It was a taste of what is to come....

Had some good beer and some even better whiskey.

On Christmas Day we cruised up to Jen's parents house.... I think our baby got more for Christmas than I did, but that is fine by me.

Now, I have the week off with no plans until the weekend...well other than to ride (and that doesn't mean 2-a-days on the trainer;-)

Getting in the Spirit

Well, this weekend was a blessing for us bikers. To be able to ride comfortably outside at high exertion levels this time of year is a rarity. Today, I was only a 1/2 of 1/2 of a snickers away from completely bonking...sweet. I think one more log of death would have done it.

On the hockey front, we whooped up on our sister Seagate facility Friday. 8-3 was the final score...not like we were trying that hard=)

Tonite, the Christmas tree was constructed (we don't cut one down, we just make sure we bend the branches straight).

This happened down at "The Shop" in Rochester:
Can you believe that Specialized would try to pull this? http://www.charlytri.blogspot.com/
I don't want to say any more about it.

A closing thought....only in America (Arizona)

8000 Calories...

Back At It....

The new ride: I will be putting the bike specs and weight up when I get the new wheelset (Mavic has been extremely delinquent).

Training (divulging my secrets=):
I once read a coaches comment..."there is no off season, just a non-racing season."
I follow this methodology very closely because I find that if I can stay in decent shape (including avoiding lots of weight gain) through the winter, spring training is whole lot easier and more effective.
This doesn't mean that I am out grinding endless road miles or on the trainer for a 4-hour session...I would freeze or go crazy. Mental freshness in the Spring is as important as fitness, so I incorporate numerous winter activities along with some riding.
Here are a list of activities that keep me somewhat fit:
1. Hockey!!! For those who play, you know the intensity...for those who don't, you basically go out on the ice and skate as hard as you can for 2-3 minutes and then come off for a similar period (many times the rest are short due to low turn out). Sounds like intervals huh? Hockey supplies most of the intensity I need during the cold months.
2. Lifting. I have a ~1 hour routine that I do twice a week. The workout in its current form took a couple years to develop and was formed through reading, experimenting, and advice/instruction from our personal trainers we have here at work (yeah, Seagate spoils us with a full onsite gym that is staffed with two certified personal trainers =). The main rules for all the exercises are no heavy weights, one-leg-at-a-time exercises, and balance and core incorporated into each exercise....the end result is fried legs that last for about 2 days.
3. Snowshoeing...I know, I know, I should start skiing. But honestly, my basement is already full. I love snowshoeing because you can do it in a Blizzard and still be comfortable. The only weather excuse I have is that there isn't enough snow...but then I should be riding.
4. Riding outside. Of course. It isn't 4th because it is the 4th most important but because it is weather and motivation dependent. Last year, I rode Lebanon hills and the river trail for all but about 3 weeks. This year, with new studded tires, I plan to be riding all year. Most of this riding is at a RPE of 6 (out of 10)...something more than soft-pedaling but certainly not intervals. I don't put much time in on the road during the winter months because it isn't all that safe and it is really cold. There is plenty of road riding to be had in the spring.
5. The trainer...ah, the dreaded trainer. I use the trainer as a tool if none of the other options are available or if there is something specific I would like to get done. The ONLY time I EVER use a HR monitor is when I am on the trainer. The main reason: I am curious...I go all year racing and having no idea what my heart rate is other than "ouch that hurts, I am almost redlined," or "oh, that isn't to bad, I can go harder."
6. Running. I do this because it is another activity like snowshoeing that can be done anytime anywhere and it is easy to stay warm while doing it. However, I don't use running (or any of the other non bike activities) as replacement for bike time...

How does it all break down then? A little more than half of my weekly hours are spend on the bike. The rest is filled by the other 4 activities I have listed. Again, diversity keeps me happy and entertained rather than dragging and bored.

Well, cookie eating season is about to start, I need to start training my sweet tooth.

A Teaser

Its here...details to follow.

Unwinding...

After a really long and very stressful week in Korat (North of Bangkok about 200km), I got to unwind on Sunday....my buddies Piriyakorn (nickname "A") and Panya took me down to the Sea. We took a 1/2 hour ferry ride out to a small island called Koh Samed. With powder white sand, perfect blue water, and $1 beers, it was just what I needed. I would call it paradise, but I didn't see any mountain bike trails....

Something lost in translation

Every once it a while a new t-shirt comes along that can only be described as "way too awesome." This one could rival my cousin Jeff's "I've got the eaties for my wheaties" shirt. A closer look... If you look hard enough, you can find gems like this....I just stumbled on this at the w/e market this morning. Clearly something was lost in the translation...and check out that front suspension!
The lady looked at me like I was crazy when I asked for 6 of them. I couldn't refuse though at $1.50 a piece....

Next week will be super busy at work so don't expect too many updates. I am headed to the Korat factory tomorrow morning, which is about 150km north of Bangkok. Not only is there less to see and do there, but I will have my nose to the grindstone, as I am to unpack, setup, calibrate, test, train, and release a machine to production in one week...oh yeah! Should be a fun challenge.
Cheers!

I found em!

I have been looking for these now for 3 trips now. They have motorcycles, tuck-tucks, and robots everywhere, but I have never been able to find bikes....I bought a few...The chicken in the picture has nothin' on me...
In other sweet news, this was on My.yahoo page:
Caption: A chubby baby smiles in front of the portrait of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong at Tiananmen Square in Beijing in a November 2002 file photo. Health services across Asia could crash in the face of a worsening epidemic of obesity-led diabetes, experts warn.(AFP/File/Peter Parks)

Bazaar!

Last night I headed here The Bangkok Night Bazaar is a huge night market and entertainment area. The area also includes one of the largest Thai Boxing arenas in the country.... I am going to go watch some this weekend.

I pretty much hate shopping, but some of the things they have in the market are really cool...handmade, ornate, and cheap.

The food is amazing too...does this look like it is worth $1.75?

Cheers.

Traffic...Flowing like water

I am starting to get adjusted to the time difference and actually slept until 6:30 am this morning! My days are pretty long, as we catch the Seagate van from the hotel at 7 am and get back at 6-7pm...it seems kind of wasteful given that the work day is still only 8-9 hours, but Bangkok traffic is what it is. The traffic in the US is pretty regimented with speed limits, lanes, stop signs, etc. Here, there are no stop signs (at least not that anyone follows), but there are stop lights. There are lanes here but no one really stays in them...if there is an obstruction, each lane just gets a little thinner and things flow around it (hummers simply wouldn't fit in the lanes here). There are speed limits but no one follows them and no one ever gets pulled over...in fact, I have never seen anyone pulled over for anything. Somehow in all the chaos, there is still no road rage.

Other happenings...well given the schedule described above, I basically get back to the hotel, work out and then go grab something to eat. I am pretty much the least picky eater ever (gosh!)so finding food is easy...however, I won't touch the bugs

Power and phone....organized chaos.

What time is it?

Well, I made it safely to Bangkok. It was a longer trip than normal....the flight from MSP leaves at 1pm to Narita, Japan. After 12.5 hours in the air we were supposed to land, but there was some issue with another plane needing "special assistance" at Narita. We were running out of fuel after holding for 15 minutes, so we swung down to another Japanese airport for some gas. By the time we got gas, returned to Narita, and got of the plane I had 5 minutes to find my connecting flight to Bangkok...as if 14 hours of flying wasn't enough, oh yeah, Bangkok is another 6.5 hours in the air=) By the time I got the hotel here, it was 1 am...I guess for my body it felt like 1pm or so (12-13 hours off here depending on the time of year) but you kind of get in this surreal travel world where you just sleep whenever it feels right.
I awoke to a beautiful morning here in Bangkok... On the way to the hotel last night, I was assured by the limo driver that the weather would be great and it was "winter" here. Highs are only about 85-90 F=)

I got the coffee rolling because I wanted to go for a run, and coffee helps me empty the tank quickly=)
I promised Jen that I would take more pictures this trip so here is a pictorial view of the run.
Road bikes are RARE here, but I saw this guy go by riding a Fondriest...I don't know if that is a nice bike but it sure sounds expensive.

On thing you MUST know before coming here is that they LOVE their King. If you said something negative about the King in public your safety would be in jeopardy. From what I understand, he has no official power, but is the most powerful person in the country....doesn't make sense to Americans.
I like to run at this place called Lumpkin park. To get there, you take an elevated run/bike/walkway. It goes right over a very low income housing area. You can listen to the roosters and chickens as you run by!

The actual park is very scerene. I always get a kick out of the outdoor weight rooms...check out the spin bikes=)
And martial arts practice
I had to take a picture of these signs...enough said The run ended here...

Tonite is the Loi Krathong festival. I must pay homage to the water Goddess.....
Cheers

Artiiiiiist!!

Jen's Pumpkin
Brendan's Pumpkin

Who's is better? BTW, mine is modeled after a 9.9 or a Scott Scale...

We had a good fun weekend...Beerfestapolooza on Saturday night at Mick's was sweet. We missed our first Madison Halloween in 8 years. They had a pretty lame plan to combat rioting this year, which included paying to go down on State Street. It is really to bad that people can't just have fun on an occasion like that, but I don't blame the city for trying to keep things safe and calm. For those who went I hope it was fun!

I am flying to Bangkok on Friday. 20 hours on a plane...sweet. I will definitely keep you all updated on my adventures there.

Is it winter already?

The report from Ben at collegiate nationals:
It was a short and sweet report, but Ben said the air was thin (base of Anglefire is 8600 feet). Hmm, I wonder which colleges did well.... Ben was around 30th in both the STXC and XC with the field size around 80. Given his severe crash one weekend ago (a car ran over his fuel and smashed the frame, luckily he fell off to the side of the road and was only bruised and battered) and the altitude and having to setup a different bike, I would say it was a successful weekend and a great learning experience.

My week...relaxing=)
With recent highs around 40 degrees and a rainy first half of the week, it seems that we skipped right over the nice 60 degree fall weather. However, with my fall riding done almost exclusively on the trail, I am usually quite comfortable in some Under Armour thermal gear and a long sleeve jersey with tights. This week, I managed work on my off road skills at all of the good nearby singletrack...Lebanon, Mammoth, and the River Bottoms... girls only want boyfriends who have great skills.
Saturday night was the MNSCS Awards banquet, and it was fun to hang out with all the racers again. As state champion, I received a t-shirt that says "series champion." =)

The highlight of the night for me was the vending machine at QBP....Seagate needs one of these for those days when we have marathon length meetings....

Reflections....

Well, I am finally getting around to publishing a season summary.
In my fourth year of racing...it sure seems like I have been doing it longer, but I know I still have a lot to learn... I had 3 major goals for myself: 1. Finish Top 3 in MNSCS Overall Standings 2. Win 24 of Afton Team Competition 3. Top 10 at Chequamegon. I managed the first two and am pretty sure I had the legs to get the third, but I will take 2 out of 3=)

So here is a brief summary:
30 races
9 wins
MNSCS Overall Series Win
25 Podiums (top 3)

One of the most exciting things about this year was the fact that our teams, Velo Rochester and Women On Wheels, have really come together.
Mountain Team Highlights:
1 and 2 and 6 overall in the expert mens MNSCS series with 3 wins (myself and Chris Fisher and my Brother Ben)
1 in Womens MNSCS overall (yeah Jen Meyer!)
1 in both Buck Hill Series while winning 10 of 12 races (myself and Fisher)
1 in 24x9 Mile mens expert (Charly "Jo Mama" Tri)
1 in 24 of Afton Open Mens Team (Ben, Chris, myself, and Ben Portilla)
1 in Eastern Collegiate Regionals (Ben riding for half UW and half VR=)
?? Collegiate nationals - results coming this weekend

THANKS:

Much off the my person and the team's successes should be credited to the team Czar, Matt Hawkins, the team's Queen Bee, Deb Lee, and the rest of the support crew at Rochester Cycling and Fitness. Without them, we would have been pedalling Sledghammers and riding in old t-shirts. I am sure by this time of year they are tired of me calling and asking, "Um, Deb, could you order me some ____."

I also need to Thank my wonderful wife and my Dad for all the support. Without those two we would have been very thirsty. And my wife gets a second thanks for putting up with my racing. She never complained once about having to travel to races most weekends. I am lucky to have her=) I am excited to have a second, slightly smaller fan cheering me on next year.

Well, enough already. Don't give up on the blog though. There will be some exciting updates...and not just on cycling. I am headed to Thailand for work in a couple of weeks and I plan of doing plenty of updates from Bangkok and Korat. Expect some exciting cycling equipment updates and some new stuff I will be trying next year. I will be divulging some of my top secret off-season training techniques....not that anyone cares. Oh yeah, and in February I should have something pretty exciting to report regarding Jen's belly shrinking....I am happy to report she now weighs as much as I do!