Back on Board with Cozumel Fury Cats in 2010

Sponsor Bio: The Fury Catamarans Cozumel, Mexico

The Fury Catamarans of Cozumel Mexico are by far one of the most popular excursions in Cozumel. The Fury cats are well known for the snorkeling parties aboard the huge 65ft sail boats. The excursion trips are well stocked with beer and margaritas.

The Fury Catamarans have have a fleet of 5 sail boats and sail all thru out the day. Excursions range from snorkeling trips to sunset cruises. Reservations can be made thru the cruise ships or by visting the FuryCozumel.com website.

I can personally attest to the fun that you can have on board one of the Fury Catamaran sail boats. If Cozumel is in your upcoming vacation plans be sure to book a trip with the Fury Cats.

Thanks to the Fury Catamarans once again for for sponsoring my cycling season.

First Ever Road Race for the CyclingGuy

Wow, half way thru the 2009 year. I apologize for being slack about writing lately. Truth is I’ve been trying to ride as much as possible. When not training myself, I’m out tryig to teach some newbies. It’s been a lot of fun this year for sure.

Well, two Lowes Time trials so far and I can’t seem to get into the groove that I was in last season. I have a feeling I have spent two much time on the road and the trainer. The next event is in July and hopefully I will cut some more time off the clock.

My goal this year was to enter one or two road races or crit events. I happened to be reading a local cycling clubs website ( Carolina Masters ) and noticed an event for this weekend. The NC RR Championship is being held in Salisbury, NC today and Sunday. I registered to ride in the Sunday Cat 5 – 35 and over 41 mile event.

The weather should be a scorcher Sunday at 90 degrees. I’ll take plenty of Cytomax just in case. Other than that I’m not real sure what to expect, so I’m just gonna try to ride steady and have a good time. Maybe I will learn a thing or three.

Wish me luck :-).

One last Paceline ride for 2008

The weather was great here in Charlotte, NC yesterday and it made for a great evening to ride at the Huntersville Business Park. I was able to get to the park about 4:30 and squeezed in about 18 miles of solo riding before a small group of riders showed up. The temp. was close to 65 degrees but the shady course was still slightly on the chilly side.

I had to stop for a few minutes as all the workers in the business park started leaving work. Traffic sorta got hectic. With 8 out of 10 drivers talking on their cell phones and 10 out of 10 being in a hurry to get home, I thought it would be best to get out of their way. This actually worked out perfect. When I hopped back on the bike the fresh group of riders were forming up in a paceline. I was able to hop on and sit in for a fast couple of 2.8 mile laps. Five or six riders were from the Phieffer College Cycling Team and they definitely had younger legs than me. I managed to hold my own and bailed off the back after two laps. I wanted to get another lap in but had promised my wife I would ride 20 miles while she walked the dogs in the park. Good excuse right? Truth is, I was about exhausted and ready to get home.

Last year we had near perfect riding weather thru most of the winter season. Perfect to me is about 55 to 65 degrees. Anything short of that and my tail is riding indoors. This year we just have not been as fortunate with the weather.

It felt great to squeeze in my last paceline ride of 2008. There is nothing more intent than rolling along in a tight paceline group. It helps keep you focused and also keeps your skills sharp. Not to mention a much better cycling workout. See everyone in 2009.

Jfinn

The Indoor Time Trials Are Rolling

Saturday proved to be a lackluster performance for our first indoor time trial event at Cool Breeze Cyclery. The class was crowded with seven riders. Some newbies (congrats to each), some seasoned vets and one of the newbies just happened to be my wife Jennifer.

I saved myself from buying her a bike by simply adjusting my Scott S20 Speedster that I have had a few years now. So far Jennifer has only been able to ride indoors to a few training DVDs and is starting to get used to changing gears and more importantly unclipping. Maybe by spring we will get her on the road.

The first ride was only a six mile sprint. Something about the Computrainer just makes it feel like seven or eight miles. I managed to cross the imaginary line at 17:11. Several guys that rode in earlier class events finished in the low to mid 15s. Good for them :-). I’m pretty sure this short ride was more to get a good measurement of where all the riders fit in. Once we see all the times, we can group the riders together and see who we are competing with. Hopefully my sandbagging performance pays off . hahaha. No, Honestly, I thought I pushed myself about all that I could. Definitely nothing worth bragging about. One thing for sure, it sure beat sitting on the couch.

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Big Stampede Swap Meet at Lowe’s Motor Speedway

This Sunday Nov. 9th brings the Big Stampede and Swapmeet to Lowe’s Motor Speeway. This is one of the best places to get great deals on Bikes, bike accessories, clothing and wheels. Many of the cycling teams bring in their equipment to sell and this usually means GOOD DEALS. Be sure to come out to Lowe’s Motor Speedway and bring cash.

The time trial championship will also be held this Sunday. This special time trial event will have riders from all over the SouthEast. The event is sponsored by the Speedway Children’s Charity. There will be a 20k event and also a 10k event.

See ya there,

JFinn

Tour De Tots – Concord NC – Nov. 1st 2008

The Carolina Medical Center-NorthEast is hosting the 3rd annual Tour De Tots on Nov. 1st 2008. This ride benefits the Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital in Concord, NC. The event has a 62 mile Metric route, a 31 mile half metric route and also a Bike rodeo as well as a Wheels on Parade for the entire family.

The Tour De Tots will also be a memorable event for me. It just so happens that this was my first ever cycling event two years ago during the inaugral Tour De Tots ride. This is a great countryside route with some intermediate but challenging hills. Unfortunatey I will miss this ride due to being out of town at another event.

If you want to attend this ride, be sure to register early and save yourself $5 ahead of time. The registrations are done online thru Active.com. Have a great ride!

JFinn

Tour De Leaves – Bike Tour Tryon, NC

Tour De leaves – Saturday Oct 18th, 2008 Rain or Shine.

If you want some hill action this is the ride for you. The metric route includes some heavy climbing and starts at 9:00am.  There is also a half metric and a family fun ride as well. The ride is fully supported and there will be plenty of rest stops and sags.

I look forward to this event because it allows me the opportunity to spend a night with my little sister who lives in Hendersonville. I’ll be joining a few of her cycling friends on the Tour De Leaves ride.

Look out Saluda Grade, the Cycling Guy is on his way to try and conquer you.

JFinn

Finney Wins Series Championship at Lowes Time Trials

2008 Lowes Time Trials Champion

Hard training and consistent riding pays off. This year was a great season out at Lowes Motor Speedway for the CarolinaTT.org Time Trials. It seems like it rained almost every time out. In fact I recall at least four events of riding in the rain or just after. All in all it was still a good season with a lot of competitive cyclist having a great time.

This was my first full season riding in the Lowe’s Time Trials. I competed in the Mens 40 – 44 age group. There were several nights where we had almost 30 riders in this group alone. During the season I was able to capture two 1st place and two 2nd place finishes. I started off the season sorta of slow while trying to get used to my bike. Fortunately I was able to finish strong and finish near the top of the list for the remainder of the events. Ultimately this allowed me to to finish in 1st place with 100 points to capture the Gold medal and the series championship for the season.

We had some very competitive riders in our group. A couple of guys, when they showed up, smoked the rest of the riders. Thankfully for me, they didn’t show up at every event. When you don’t show, you don’t accumulate points. In fact, it wouldn’t be fair to not mention the fact that the main rider I was tied with going into the final event didn’t show up. I feel pretty sure he would have beat me to the line if he had been there. But hey, he didn’t show and I did. So I will take the Gold and go on to next year.

I would like to take time to thank all of the CarolinaTT.org volunteers for coming out to each event and working hard to host the events. Without their efforts, the events wouldn’t be possible. Maybe next year we will have more sunshine and less rain. Thanks to all!

JFinn

Indoor Time Trial Series at Cool Breeze Cyclery

Fall has come and Winter is approaching. Depending on your location, this could mean moving your cycling indoors. Most riders migrate to a Cyclops or other type of indoor Training. This is a great way to train indoors but lacks motivational effort if you are wanting to maintain a competitive riding style.

There are various local Bike Shops that have stepped up to the plate to address the competition issue. These shops have invested in Computrainer Studios. The studios consist of 3 – 8 stand alone computrainer platforms and allow cyclist to train indoors and also compete against the overhead video screen in which other riders are riding against.

The smart bike shops such as Cool Breeze Cyclery in Mooresville, NC have implemented Winter Indoor Time Trial Series. Local riders now have a great place to go and compete for times in a climate controlled atmosphere. The series generally last for 3 – 4 months which is perfect for keeping up good conditioning during the Winter off season. To make it even more competitive and to provide a challenge, Cool Breeze even offers prizes to the top finishers.

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Team Time Trial Training Tips –

Team Time Trial Paceline Road Atlanta

Pacelines take maximum advantage of the “drag” effect of the cyclists to the front.

The cyclist in the front travels at the group pace, when no longer able to do so, pulls off to the left and drifts back to the end of the paceline.

The draft envelope behind a single bicycle is about six feet long. The closer your front wheel is to the rear wheel of the rider ahead of you, the stronger the draft.

Riding in a pace line draft can save 20 to 30% of your energy output. allows the group to travel at higher speeds. Concentration is essential. smoothness. trust. All the riders have to be confident that the others in the group will communicate well and ride safely. Not slowly, safely.

If you re not as strong as other cyclists, your turn may be much shorter than the norm.

Two mistakes to avoid are:
1. Staying in front so long you slowly decrease the group speed
2. Staying at the front so long you re cooked by the time you pull over and as a result can’t keep up when you get to the back of the group.

The Golden Rules of Pace Line Riding
1. Be predictable
Follow a straight line or the obvious racing line. Maintain a consistent direction of motion and avoid weaving.
2. Don’t look back
The only time you should need to look back is when you are the lead rider and you are planning to fall back; in this case, you should look back briefly to ensure that there are is not another team behind you; as you look back, keep your speed steady.

Once you have cleared the front of the pace line, decrease your speed and get to the back quickly for a deserved rest.

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