know your limits... know your bike...

it is true
we need to know our limits
and
we need to know our bike


I ranted about injuries causes by pushing my limits on unfamiliar bikes on unfamiliar terrain in and unfamiliar world... it was a post that people responded to
here it is again http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com

this morning I got up and Lisa walked our black dog brutus... I got up slow... sipped my coffee... then handled a few things in the bathroom... glanced at facebook and blogger then went downstairs and joined the boys for a little Wii action... the kids were home from school today... part of the Easter/Passover break

when Lisa got home from a short walk with the mutt I zipped down to the basement and got suited up for a ride before work
the weekend passed with no more than a few pedal strokes around the neighborhood
most of my rides are too short for people to consider a ride
these rides were too short for me to consider anything
so when I went for bike I reflected on my post of the unfamiliar and thought about last season and some of my excuses

this weekend is The Baker's Dozen
it should be a good day of racing in Leesburg VA
I have my excuses pre-loaded
just like everyone else I can tell you exactly why I am not faster

this winter was going along well... no... I did not get on the trainer... no... not once
but I did have a few snow rides and many sub-freezing rides as well
then somewhere around the inauguration it all collapsed
first it was my back then it was a brutal cold
after that it was a luxurious vacation in florida where I put on seven pounds
gaining seven pounds when I really need to lose seven pounds\

last weekend I felt sluggish as I chased Cargo Mike around the woods at Rosaryville
which I attributed to a few things... one of which is my lack of familiarity with my Niner Rip Nine

it is not an issue with comfort in the cockpit while steering this machine
the issue is body position and how it effects the pedal stroke
I have developed muscles on different bikes pedaling a slightly different style
so this morning I pointed the bike in the opposite direction of work
headed out for maybe an hour twenty of hammering the squishy bike on pavement

lost track of this...
this is what you get