MultiSport Update

PainPathways / PVS is looking good in the 2009 TrySports Triathlon Series. We have competed in 4 races so far, and several of us plan to bring the blue and white to Statesville in mid-May and to the new 36 North race at Tanglewood in June. Here are the current highlights:

-Sara Tussey won the women's overall at the Valdese and Belews Lake events.
-Charlie placed 2nd in his age group at Riverwood
-I placed 3rd in age group at Valdese and 2nd in age group at Riverwood.

With 5 races complete and 14 to go, Sara and Amy are currently 1st and 2nd in the female 30-34 age group. Charlie is 8th in his age group after 1 race (he will move up quickly as he gets points in more races). I am leading the male 30-34 age group for now.

If you are interested in joining us at a Tri event, even just to hang out and cheer (there is always something to cheer for at these events), please come along.

Tour De Moore

Congratulations to Bob and Lynn for great performances this past weekend at the Tour De Moore.

Product Review - Bibsdowntown Ribs

Berts Review of a local eatery.

"PainPathways/PVS:

I'd like to impart a tip about something that we, as cyclists, always want to know more about: refueling the body. Monday evening, I went to Bib's Downtown, on the corner of Spring and Fifth streets, and ordered a full rack of ribs for me and two of my sons. That's what we usually get at other rib joints. But this place isn't like the others. In fact, I'd wager that Bib's ribs will make you want to slap a vegetarian. (Kidding. Relax). The ribs were so ample, succulent, and evil that I had to order an additional half rack, because my sons helped themselves to the lion's share of the full rack. Check it out if you're ever downtown and want to try something other than Mellow Mushroom or Foothills. Bib's definitely will help you restore your glycogen, amino -- and lipid -- levels.

Cheers,

Bert"

Bibsdowntown

Bert,

Hope you don't mind that I copied your email, but how could I pass this up. I'm gonna try it now.

Dixie Pics

Thanks for the pictures Charlie.

Dixie Race

This is a C race recap. I don't know what happened in the B race, but Burt was in a break with 2 other guys looking strong when I left. If anyone knows how it turned out email me and I'll add it in.

Chancey put in his best performance of the year so far. The race was fun until you got on the back stretch. When you came out of the first corner it was a wall of wind. There were a few small attempts at breakaways, but the wind helped put a squash on that. Plus, it's a 5 race after all.

Chancey and I got a small gap for a little bit, but they caught us and I didn't help increase the lead by saying lets back it down a little. Whoops. Fast forward to the last lap. We are all together. Chancey has a habit of opening up his sprint at the finish line .............WITH ONE LAP TO GO. He did an awesome job of holding it, but Clemmons rider Barry took over with half a lap to go and held it to the end. Chancey was closing the gap to Barry on the final straight really fast, but he ran out of space. I had the best spot in the house watching the finish from the 4th position.

Good times.

Sanford Crit

My race report from the Sanford crit. First of all it was a beautiful day to be out racing. A nice change from arm warmers and frozen snout.

I was doing the Cat 5 and was planning on doing the 4/5 race later in the day.

Basically it boiled down to this. There were 5 of us who got away a little before 1/2 way. I couldn't hang with the two top guys. They were within 10 yards and I tried to pass the third place guy who was one of the two's teammates. His teammate sped up and wouldn't let me pass. He did his job. I tried to stay with 3-4, but I couldn't do it. I looked back to see where the field was and they were about 15-20 seconds back. I was left alone and since I am not a breakaway specialist I pretty much waited on the group. I knew that I would have a better chance waiting on them instead of wearing myself out doing it alone. The group closed the gap to 3-4 a little, but not enough. I ended up 5th. The guys who finished 1-2 beat us by at least 1/2 lap probably more. That was the fastest cat 5 race I have been involved in. After that I put the ixnay on the 4/5 race.

Danny raced the 4/5 race and I am not sure what place he finished, but he put in a good showing. There were a couple of attempts for breakaways in the race, but none lasted too long. It ended in a field sprint after 40 minutes. No wrecks or anything.

Robin raced the women's race. She did a good job as well. She was lumped in with the 1,2,3's. There was a girl that used to race for Cheerwine and she basically had the race from beginning to end.

Anyway on to the pictures.

Welcome to Sanford, NC baby!!

Danny on the back straight. Not sure of Danny's speed here.

I think it was at least 53 mph.

This was Isaac after my race. Here he is cooling down with a cool Mello Yello.

After he cooled down a little and got his groove back he "hammed" it up for the camera.

Until the next race............Oh yeah, Dixie Tuesday.

Riverwood Sprint Triathlon Mini Race Report

This is from the road, so it will be brief. Charlie, Amy, Jill, Erik and I hit the road for Clayton, NC and the Riverwood Sprint Tri. It was a hot one, with temps near 90 by the time most of us were underway. Charlie, Amy, and I did the race individually, while Jill and Erik teamed up with our swift friend Shelly for a relay team.

Charlie finished 13th overall and I was 16th. He got me by less than a minute, mostly coming from his bike leg which was the 2nd fastest on the day, I believe. We both placed 2nd in our age groups. Amy had a strong race on her new bike and looked great racing in her new PVS kit. We're not sure how the relay team did as of yet, since we left before the awards ceremony was over. All in all, this was a well-organized race with a smooth bike ride. More on this later, but here are a few pics...



Here is amy coming in off the bike...

Me heading out for the run...

Here is Starnes explaining the finer points of speedy triathlon-ing...I am listening intently.

The crew, after the race. Charlie hit the road just after finishing (that man is fast) so he wasn't in the pic.

Weekend Racing and Rides

Here's to hoping everyone has a productive weekend of training and racing. A few MultiSporters are heading to Clayton, NC for the Riverwood Sprint Triahtlon. I think a nice climbing ride is in the works for Saturday also.

If you get the chance to photograph your activities, please do and let Mitch know so we can update the blog.

Keep the rubber side down! Go blue and white!

FREE SUPPORTED RIDE IN BOONE THIS WEEKEND

I know that there are a lot of people trying to get in shape for the Lewisville Metric. This is a great opportunity to leave Winston for a short drive to Boone to get in some hill climbing.

They have 3 options.

66 mile

50 mile

33 mile.

5900 feet of climbing.

Best of all it is FREE supported ride with rest stops. Think of it as a bicyclist stimulus plan.

It is sponsored by the Mt. Vernon Youth Group in Boone.

Start time of 9:00 am

Here is the link.

http://www.yourec.com/common/content.asp?igpk=4&PAGE=338

Ace Speedway Results and Pics

Charlie wrote the following in his email. Thanks for the pics.

"Last night we had a fun night of racing on the Ace Motor Speedway. Six of us traveled to the track near Elon despite threats of rain. We were represented by Pat Rimron, Jim, Bert, Chad, Danny and me. In the first race Jim gave it a strong kick at the end and finished either 3rd or 4th. In the second race Bert was our best finisher with a top 10 placing. I didn't hang around to check results since it was starting to rain some. Everyone rode well. Attached are a couple of pictures of Ace Motor Speedway so anyone that hasn't raced there can see what it looks like. These pictures were taken after the races and a few riders were cooling down.

There's a lot going on this weekend with The Tour de Moore on Saturday and a crit. in Sanford on Sunday. Both of these race flyers are listed on the right side of the blog. Below is a link to the blog.

Shortcut to: http://piedmontvelosports.blogspot.com/

There is also a Triathlon in Clayton on Saturday, Riverwood Golf and Athletic Club Triathlon. Information on this event can be found by going to www.setupevents.com .

There's not a lot of time before the Lewisville Metric. If your aren't racing this weekend I suggest doing some longish rides with hills.

regards,

Charlie"

Oak Island 5K/10K Race Report

This weekend, Jill and I went to the beach with my sis, Carla, (who was running her FIRST 5K) her hubby and my nieces. I promise, this is actually a race report.

Oak Island is about an hour south of Wilmington, NC, and is home to Fort Caswell. Here, the Oak Island 10K/5K finished after coursing along the flat, windswept beach roads just a few hundred feet from the waves. Our connection to the place is familial - my aunt has a house down here, so Carla and I have fond memories of ridiculous sunburns and boogie boards.

Jill planned to run the 10K (aiming to set a PR) while Carla and I went for the 5K. Last year, a dude smoked the 5K course in under 17 minutes, so I knew if he showed, I'd be duking it out for a podium spot.

At the start, I eyed the competition. Carla helped scan for shaved legs, fluffy running shorts and lightweight shoes. We eyed a few likely subjects, so I lined up near them. After a 15 minute start delay (the organizers starting the 10K up the road couldn't find the start line), we took off in a rush. Immediately, I tucked in behind a young guy, maybe 15, running pretty hard. You never know about the young ones, but unless they are experienced they often burn out before 3.1 miles. I felt like I was in a paceline, as I was sitting on this guy big time waiting to see if someone would pass us or if he would pick it up. He looked back often, but held a 6min/mi pace for 2 miles.

At the 2mi water stop, the young speedster took a drink (I did not) and then his body language just shifted, looking almost tired. I decided to go around without waiting. We exchanged quick, breathless encouragements (I do this from time to time to see how others are managing) and I pulled in front. Within 30 seconds I could no longer hear his footsteps and it occurred to me that there was no one else in front of me. 1.1 miles to go.

A few folks lined the sandblown, bleached road, clapping and cheering. As I neared the entrance to Fort Caswell, all I could think about was how bad it would suck to get passed within sight of the line. I pushed hard but could not sprint. I spied the finish clock as I rounded the corner into the chute and it read 19:21, 19:22, 19:23...I had never run under 20:10 in a race, so this was a big surprse.

After finishing, the second place guy (shaved legs, Zoot shoes, fluffy shorts) congratulated me and said "good race man, I tried to catch you at the end." The clock shows he was 19 seconds behind me, which if you think about it, is a long way when running, but not a terribly long time on the bike.
Jill had a great run on the 10K course and set a new PR by 3 minutes. She credits her killer iPod playlist and her smooth LIVESTRONG visor. My sis set her first time down at 41:01 and was really impressive. She isn't quite ready for full-on PVS action just yet, but as we get her into more and more races, you never know.

Rolling in the Valley

The Rolling in the Valley charity ride today was a lot of fun. The ride was beautiful and challenging. We had great weather for this 50-mile ride in Silver Valley. There were around 75-100 cyclists. The route was challenging with numerous rollers and some steep hills. The roads were great and the ride was well put on. Sirena and I rode with a couple of other MOB riders. There were numerous Project Velo riders, since they were helping put on the ride. I felt pretty good until the end of the ride when I began to cramp. We made it in with the second group. We did the ride in 2 1/2 hours and avg 19.5mph for a hilly course. It was a lot of fun and good training. After the ride we got treated with a pasta lunch and dessert. I will keep the cue sheet for future rides if anyone is interested.

Where are YOU going this weekend?

For those hitting the road this weekend, comment below and let us know where you're going! Who's going to Roll in the Valley this weekend? Also, the Lewisville Yadkin River Metric Century is coming up soon - who's in?

As for me, I'll be down at the beach, running a 5K on Oak Island Saturday morning.

Chris Gibby and Amy Starnes are lining up lakeside on Saturday for the Belews Lake Sprint Triathlon, and we wish them good luck!

Above is a pic of me completing my birthday time trial in Southampton County, VA last weekend. Each year, when we go to visit Jill's family for Easter, I try to set a new record on the 3.1 mi course between her parents' and grandparents' houses. This year, with a stiff tailwind, I shaved 54 seconds off last year's time. Needless to say, that will be hard to better next year.

Go Blue and White!

Sunday's Training Ride

This is "legacy" PVS rider David Flynn. "Legacy" name given by Charlie.

Timed post ride photo #1.

Timed photo #2.

Thanks to Charlie's car for taking the picture.

Todd. The serious pose.

We had a good ride this afternoon. We left from the square and headed to Rockford. Danny was kind enough to let us stop at his house for a minute on the way back. The only problem was that he didn't know we were going to stop there. We all stopped and he kept going trying to figure out what we were doing. It would have been easy for him to call it a day, but he rode to the square 7 miles away and then rode back home.

Good day.

Time Trial Pictures

Jim's TT Rig

Pat's new ride

The winning bicycle

Thanks for the pictures Charlie. Charlie won the Cat 4 race and didn't even wait to get the money.

Easter!

Here's to a happy Easter! Take a peek at the pic below and channel his power while you're turning a pedal in anger over the weekend. Good luck to the TTers!

City Loop 4/6/09

It was turning colder as we headed out for a reverse City Loop tonight. Mitch and I rode with Scott, Duane and Whitney for a nice 20 miler in the city. A few repeats in the West End and then a blistering pace down Polo and Peacehaven Rds make this a really fun ride that won't make you too late for dinner.

This pic is just before I met up with the guys. Look at 'em mashing the pedals.



Here we are rolling through the WFU campus. Of course, all the co-eds wondered what in the heck we were doing.

Pilot Ride

Since there was no racing for me this weekend I decided to just ride and enjoy the view on Saturday and Sunday. Erich, Scott and I did a trip to Pilot today. Unbelievable weather.

Arial view from the helicopter

Nothing but smiles at this point.........by the end of the ride it had turned to this.

Oh my! Would you trust you child's tuition money to this man?

We were at the ranger station after coming off Pilot getting some liquid sugar refreshments and we saw none other than Dr. Richard Rauck and his wife Katie on their way up Pilot. He was proudly wearing his PVS kit. Thanks again to him for his support for the team.

Mebane TT April 11th

Here's the course map for Saturday's TT in Mebane. Charlie & others went last year & said it was a good one. Online registration closes on Thurs & is only $20.

Rock Hill Crit and RR

This weekend was absolutely beautiful in SC. Sirena and I had never been to Rock Hill and it was nice. Saturday's Crit was a great course. It was in an "L" shape in downtown Rock Hill. The course was 0.8 miles and had an uphill finish. My fellow cat 5 men and I had the luxury of going at 8:30AM. There where around 20 people in the crit. I was worried about the crit because my side-stitch problem is back and worse than ever. I have a sprained ligament in my side that connects my diaphragm to my liver (as far as anyone can tell). This week my doctor decided to put me on steroids (Predisone) to calm it down. Don't tell him I raced!! Anyway...back to race report...The race started out fast. We did 15 laps and the field stayed together the entire time. There was one guy in all black that was fast. He would lead several laps and then try to break away. Myself and one other fellow would pull it back in. The final two turns were very tight and technical. On the bell lap I moved up to the front 1/3 of the field and was fifth going into the last two turns. I went a little to fast and too wide but recovered in the sprint to finish 8th out of ~20. It was the fastest downtown men's cat 5 crit I have ever done. We averaged 23mph for 15 laps with the uphill finish.
Oh, Sirena finished 4th in the crit and got paid! She also won a jewerely preem.
Jon Hamblen won the men's crit with a lot of help from Mark Hekman and Team Moutain Khakis.

Rock Hill RR-
The road race was in hilly Brattonsville, SC. The course was one 45-mile lap that had the worst pavement ever! Potholes, sand, dirt, mud, road washed away, and debris throughout the course. Apparently Brattonsville is the site of numerous battles during the civil war, etc. A dude with a musket would fire the gun and then each group would take off. There were 30-40 cat 5 men in my race. Before our group took off there was a crash in the sprint of an incoming group. I went over and helped one of the riders. I then went to the restroom and before I knew it my field was at the line. I lined up nearly last (not a good place for a RR with the yelow-line rule and the worst pavement in the industrialized world). The race was good. It was fast and steady. There were plenty of steep hills (nothing crazy) that made you have that good-ole quad burn. I was afraid of the distance with my stomach/side issues and doing anything of 40 miles is beyond my realm/desire. I sat in the entire time and was there at then end thanks to two guys from the MOB men's team (since I was Mitch less...due to his car issues/etc). The finishing straight was about one mile long and I did not know when they opened up both sides of the road. I kept asking the motorcycle official but he wouldn't tell me. I stayed close to the yellow line and moved to the front third. With a couple of hundred meters to go I sprinted and finished 7th!!! My best finish ever in my fourth RR. During the last 50 meters I heard that loud, aweful sound of bikes and people hitting the ground. There was a crash behind me. My MOB friends stayed up (way to go Paul and Jeff). It was a great weekend of racing. We avereaged 22.8mph for 45 miles.
Oh, Sirena finished 5th in the women's 4s and got paid again! Awesome.
Deb finished fourth.
Pat Rimron, Charlie, and Scott Morris finished strong in the master's 4-5 race.
Finally...Mr. Mark Hekman of Team Mountain Khakis won the pro race!!

Valdese Sprint Triathlon Race Report

What a great town. Nestled in the hills just west of Hickory, NC, the town of Valdese (locals are known as Waldensians) puts on the first race in the TrySports series each year. I'd never competed there before, but I'm aiming for a spot on the series podium (in my age group, of course) so I figured I'd better sign up for race #1. Sara Tussey was competing as well, with more on that a little later.

The 250m swim was in a pool like none I'd ever seen. The pool was clearly an outdoor 10-lane center, but had a large, inflated, dome covering it. It made the inside feel something like an aircraft hanger. It was warm, however, and that was the main thing. I seeded myself well back in the pack, since I am a slow-ish swimmer. My start time of 9:38.10 put me near some very nice people, one of whom was trying the "tri" for the first time. With the countdown, I took a breath and was off...

The first 75 meters were great, but then I got stuck behind the 3 ladies in front of me. I had to slow down and play peek-a-boo to get a handle on their formation and arrange a pass. Once done, I had about 150 meters to go and NO ONE in front of me. I had a great swim, but the time shows the delays from the other swimmers - all part of pool swims in the land of triathlon.

Coming out of the swim, I had an OK transition and hit the 9 mi bike. All I really knew about the bike course is that it had hills. Depending on who you asked, it was either "terrible" or "not really that bad." I opted to run no aerobars, feeling I would be out of the saddle a good bit. And get out of the saddle I did. The lollipop out and back course had several hills, none as punishing as Sauratown or Hanging Rock, but some of the risers were significant. The roads were well-cleared and traffic was minimal, so I have no excuse as to why I didn't go faster.

Rolling back to the transition was exciting, knowing I only had 3.1 miles to go. With a pool (staggered) start, one really has no idea of their placings overall - unless of course you start first and no one passes you or you start last and pass no one - so it plays tricks on the mind. I started to run, but was immediately revisited by my old friend, the calf cramp. I worked through it and still managed a 22min 5K, but I was hoping to be a bit faster and cramp-free.

I saw Sara during the bike and run segments and let me say - she was just killing it. One of my very public goals for today was to stay in front of Sara even though she gave me a 20 minute head start. By signing up this morning, she was put at the back of the pack for her swim start.

In the end, Sara won the women's overall! I was 30th overall and 3rd in my age group. I would highly recommend this race to PVSers since the swim is short, the run is flat, and the bike (which is easy for the PVSers) is hilly.

Here is a pic of me with the Overall Women's winner. Wow!

MY RACE WEEKEND RUINED

Here is how my race weekend began.........and ended.

About 6:50 pm EST I had everything packed up and the Stanley mobile toolbox moved out to the car. Ready to meet Chancey and Sirena and head to Rock Hill. I was going to do the Crit only then come back afterwards. They are doing both the crit and the RR.

When I walked out to the car. I noticed it was leaning a little and sure enough I was victim of a nail and a piece of sheet metal scrap. So much for registering early to save some money.

Weekend of Racing

So far I have heard of the following racing this weekend.

RR and Crits:
Me and Chancey - Crits on Saturday in Rock Hill.
Chancey - RR on Sunday in Rock Hill
Pat - RR on Sunday in Rock Hill
Charlie - RR on Sunday in Rock Hill

Multisport:
Erich - Tri in Valdese
Erik - Tri in Wilmington

Good luck to everyone.

PRODUCT REVIEW

Welcome to my first product review.

This one is for carrying all your gear in one convenient mobile package.

Without further adieu, I present the Stanley mobile toolbox..........$23 from Walmart.

Note the large diameter plastic wheels for toting around the pits. Constructed of some sort of sturdy Chinese polymer.

Upper compartment to keep all the necessary bicycle trinkets. Spare set of sunglasses, etc.

Remove the top compartment and you have room for all sorts of extras........extra water bottle so you will never be without one. Arm warmers, gloves and baby huggies sunscreen.

Slide down the front door for more storage. What do we have here? Plenty of room for a helmet and a bag with some shoes. I could almost crawl in there and take a nap waiting on my race.

Positives: Awesome, just load it up with everything and never leave anything at home.

Rolls nonstop. No flat tires.

Negatives: A little tippy when the handle is in the up position and when the top is open. Works best when leaning against the car with the top open.

So what is my final verdict for this well spent $23.00?

A emphatic thumbs up! Now off to the races.