Monday, April 21, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Lost and found
Spring has arrived, the flowers are blooming, the pollen is flying, and I'm still in winter hibernation mode as usual. Motivated like a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter I am.
I've got the Bike Across Florida event going on this weekend and the weather is looking great. I'm planning for us to visit Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, go to Ron Jon's among other shopping sites, and kick back on the beach for a while before hitting the sack early in preparation for a 6:30am start Sunday. Winds are forecast to be at our backs the first 100 miles but may turn a bit into our faces the last 70 miles or so. If I can remember to 1) put on sun block before I begin the ride, 2) eat correctly during the 36 hours leading up to the event, and 3) eat and drink steadily but with moderation during the ride I should do well. How well is relative to the perspective of riding 170 miles in less than 11 hours with no one at all that I know riding with me except the wife driving my personal SAG vehicle somewhere within a few miles of where I'm at on the road. This will definitely test the iPod's battery capacity and my stomach's ability to absorb Aleve and Ibuprofen.
Although I have only done shorter training rides in preparation, I believe I can do this if I'm disciplined enough to stay within my limits early and ignore my body's wishes to give up.
To catch up a bit-
Diana and I participated in the auto-cross race in Cordele this past weekend and had a great time. I distinctly remember being told by the boss to put on some sunscreen before leaving home, but being the typical dumb-ass male I thought: "I don't need no stinking sunscreen!"
Class, today's descriptive phrase is: "cooked lobster." Can you say, "cooked lobster?"
Nothing like having a thorough sun burn 7 days before I'm about to spend at least 9 hours on a bike...................... in the sun............ in Florida.
Diana has lost the agressive driving mentality she'd gained a few months back when we were auto-crossing more often, and her times were a bit slower than she could have done. A couple of things had an affect on her driving, however. She watched the first run group I was in run the course, and needless to say it was an extremely fast design with a few folks not able to pass the "greased BB test" after spinning out, which is always impressive unless you have to run from the path of the car. Diana told me during the change over that she was scared, but I assured her to just have fun and if needed just put both feet into the brake and clutch and let the car come to a stop instead of trying to steer out of trouble. Didn't help her much, but she improved as the day went by. She did have fun and her driving skill improves each time out.
I've pretty much figured out this car and have it running at the limits of the "stock" classification. I did order some sticky tires and wheels this morning, so maybe my times will improve a few seconds at the next race so I can compete for time of day against some much faster cars and drivers. I can state, though, it is fun to have equal or better times than other cars that should be spanking my ass like a new born baby. No-one else was in C-stock class with me so notch up a default win for Sunday. Whoop-T. A few more folks asked what kind of tires and set-up I was running on the Miata, and most looked at me like I was full of shit when I told them street tires and factory specs. Oh-well. The car was factory built specifically for this type of racing, so I'll see what the sticky tires do in a few weeks.
The Porsche Club held its annual autocross event at the Macon Centreplex two weeks ago as part of the Cherry Blossom Festival and it was fast, fun, and cold as a well digger's ass all day long. The Miata didn't like the surface at all and tire wear was beyond belief, but it did get me first place in C-stock class with some faster times at the end of the day. This little car surprised not only me but several of the regulars who race at the same events with me. More than a few drivers inquired about the tires on the car, and all were surprised to discover the tires are Good Year F1 GS-D3 Ultra Performance street tires. I was about 2 seconds off time of day with some really fast cars out there. The biggest lesson this car has taught me is to go slow in and fast out of all turns, and the car will do the rest. I guess it was worth the trip to Jacksonville, Fla. afterall.
Need to paint the helmet to match the car.....
I've got the Bike Across Florida event going on this weekend and the weather is looking great. I'm planning for us to visit Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, go to Ron Jon's among other shopping sites, and kick back on the beach for a while before hitting the sack early in preparation for a 6:30am start Sunday. Winds are forecast to be at our backs the first 100 miles but may turn a bit into our faces the last 70 miles or so. If I can remember to 1) put on sun block before I begin the ride, 2) eat correctly during the 36 hours leading up to the event, and 3) eat and drink steadily but with moderation during the ride I should do well. How well is relative to the perspective of riding 170 miles in less than 11 hours with no one at all that I know riding with me except the wife driving my personal SAG vehicle somewhere within a few miles of where I'm at on the road. This will definitely test the iPod's battery capacity and my stomach's ability to absorb Aleve and Ibuprofen.
Although I have only done shorter training rides in preparation, I believe I can do this if I'm disciplined enough to stay within my limits early and ignore my body's wishes to give up.
To catch up a bit-
Diana and I participated in the auto-cross race in Cordele this past weekend and had a great time. I distinctly remember being told by the boss to put on some sunscreen before leaving home, but being the typical dumb-ass male I thought: "I don't need no stinking sunscreen!"
Class, today's descriptive phrase is: "cooked lobster." Can you say, "cooked lobster?"
Nothing like having a thorough sun burn 7 days before I'm about to spend at least 9 hours on a bike...................... in the sun............ in Florida.
Diana has lost the agressive driving mentality she'd gained a few months back when we were auto-crossing more often, and her times were a bit slower than she could have done. A couple of things had an affect on her driving, however. She watched the first run group I was in run the course, and needless to say it was an extremely fast design with a few folks not able to pass the "greased BB test" after spinning out, which is always impressive unless you have to run from the path of the car. Diana told me during the change over that she was scared, but I assured her to just have fun and if needed just put both feet into the brake and clutch and let the car come to a stop instead of trying to steer out of trouble. Didn't help her much, but she improved as the day went by. She did have fun and her driving skill improves each time out.
I've pretty much figured out this car and have it running at the limits of the "stock" classification. I did order some sticky tires and wheels this morning, so maybe my times will improve a few seconds at the next race so I can compete for time of day against some much faster cars and drivers. I can state, though, it is fun to have equal or better times than other cars that should be spanking my ass like a new born baby. No-one else was in C-stock class with me so notch up a default win for Sunday. Whoop-T. A few more folks asked what kind of tires and set-up I was running on the Miata, and most looked at me like I was full of shit when I told them street tires and factory specs. Oh-well. The car was factory built specifically for this type of racing, so I'll see what the sticky tires do in a few weeks.
The Porsche Club held its annual autocross event at the Macon Centreplex two weeks ago as part of the Cherry Blossom Festival and it was fast, fun, and cold as a well digger's ass all day long. The Miata didn't like the surface at all and tire wear was beyond belief, but it did get me first place in C-stock class with some faster times at the end of the day. This little car surprised not only me but several of the regulars who race at the same events with me. More than a few drivers inquired about the tires on the car, and all were surprised to discover the tires are Good Year F1 GS-D3 Ultra Performance street tires. I was about 2 seconds off time of day with some really fast cars out there. The biggest lesson this car has taught me is to go slow in and fast out of all turns, and the car will do the rest. I guess it was worth the trip to Jacksonville, Fla. afterall.
Need to paint the helmet to match the car.....
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