Cross-training

As part of my recovery effort, I am building back up the fitness in a much different approach than previous years. B/c I was hit by a truck and unable to ride on the road for 8 weeks with several fractures, Shawn, my coach, is working up a different plan for me. We need to get my body all healed up before we shoot for high intensity training. Over the next month I will be doing a lot more off-the-bike type training. This morning I went for a nice hike in Montara State Park.
http://www.bahiker.com/southbayhikes/mcneeranch.html
I decided to go hiking last night because I told the boss that i wouldn't ride mtn bikes today. The hike was definitely well worth it. I started out pretty early to hopefully capture some nice photos and get on the trail before anyone else. The hike was 8mi total, 4 up, 4 down with over 1800 ft of vert! There were some sick pitches. I had not gone "hiking" in so long. It felt really good, and I am looking forward to some more exploring of Beautiful CA. The state park was just 20mi south of my house and was right up against the ocean. A few surfers out but I think they were checking the sets which didn't look too favorable b/c they hadn't bothered to take off their hoodies and still had cafe in hand. Unfortunately I didn't see any crazy wildlife. Unlike last year on my first mtn bike ride in the Marin Headlands where I cam across a mountain lion. As I learned later on, these things can kill you and will attack if provoked. I told a riding friend about it and he said that it was only the 2nd case he had hear of in his life of actually seeing one in the Headlands. So I considered myself lucky to view such a vicious beast =)

Overall the hike was awesome. About 3 hours total which included several photo stops and nature calls. Some the steeps on the trail were so steep that I was sliding, over 30% gradient! When i came back to the city, I rolled on my bike over to Crepes on Cole for some lunch. I went with a spinach-feta-roasted red pepper omlette. I always seem to go with that and although good, I was dissappointed I didn't go with the crepe. Next time! When i was rollling through Golden Gate Park on my bike I saw some nice rollarskating skilz. I guess every weekend the former stars of roller derby come to GGP to show off their artistic skating side. They were drawing quite a crowd. I knew it was serious business when i saw a dude carrying his skates over his shoulder in a black leather shoulder bag. It actually looked like purse, but this guy skated so he must be cool so it had to have been a shoulder bag. His neck bling definitely set the tone for the show he was about to put on. Unfortunately i didn't have my camera to take his picture so I had to find an online copy of his wicked cool neck bling! Here is copy. Now you just have to picture it on some big black dude carrying a leather shoulder bag with his skates in tow. I feel like such a wimp in my Patagonia Critical Mass bag...

Also some nice shots of Montara State Park...

Urban Training and a little rant...

Here is some early morning fog from my crib overlooking the city and the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance...notice how the fog is so defined at such a low atltitude, typical SF...


Since my Lemond is no bueno, my training has been relegated to city riding. Its probably the best thing right now b/c it limits me from going to big too early. Today was probably my biggest day. I got almost 2.5 hours in the saddle in urban, hilly cycling. I met my friend Christina at a french cafe in North Beach, Cafe Boulangerie. We drank coffee out of bowls which i have heard is proper french protocol for morning coffee. Sitting at the cafe brought back many memories of the cafes in Bourg d'Oisans and Grenoble. A typical french breakfast consists of a basket of bread(variety) all cut into slices. The bread is accompanied with several toppings: Nutella, honey, apricot jam, blackberry jam, dijon. The cafe had baguettes you could dump condiments on but not a full basket. The coffee was quite delicious however.

Training today took me over quite a few of the hills of SF. Each day I go riding, I can feel that I am gaining strength. I know its a long way to where I was but thats to be expected when you get hit by a truck did I ever mention that? My legs are finally beginning to show some muscle definition that I haven't seen since late july. When you are a fit athlete, you get the image of what your body should look like. Since I got hit, I have put on almost 2kg. Not much to most people but when you see yourself perform at high level you always want to maintain it or surpass it, never wanting to below. But bike racing like most things has its ebb and flow. My coach Shawn continues to remind me that the break will do my body good. I think she is right. I trained really hard over the last 1.5 years with no real break. Your body needs a break to recoup and rebuild. Its estimated by most physiologists that the body can ban trained to peak for at most 40-45days a year and that is for the finest trained athletes. That means, you should be able to hold your highest level for 40-45days out of year of training and racing. Can I hold a peak that long? nope, but my body is continuing to adjust to the training and I think I will fully begin to see my potential in the next few years. one thing that has improved the most during this time off the bike has been my head, or xfactor. The head is the biggest asset for some but also the biggest struggle for a lot. With proper training, I think my physical game will be at a much higher level this spring like my head game will be. When you face such extreme injuries, you know that nothing can last forever, so you need to make the most of what you have today. 2008 is going to be great year of riding for me...

Rant of the day: While at Cole Valley Cafe on Cole St i witnessed an act of deception. Hopefully I have some SF readers who will take note of this. The cafe guy was empting the trash can into a larger trash bag then he emptied the recycling bin into the same bag. WTF?! Since moving to SF, I have become much more consciencous of recycling, probably a little frustrating to my family. But when i am out and I make the effort to recycle I hope that the stuff is going to recycling. I know this guy is probably just being lazy but how far does it go? I am sure there are other people who do this as well and what makes us feel noble, is secretly being taken away. So if you are in the Cole Valley neighborhood, be aware of the fake recycling going on at Cole Valley Cafe. Head up the street to Crepes on Cole for a delicious crepe or omlette meal with good coffee from a great owner.

your eco-friendly cyclist...

Urban Velo Tour Part Deux

Road my extended route to SF State again this morning. Weather started out warm and sunny but quickly turned cool and foggy when I rolled over to State. SF is weird like that...one moment its sunny the next its 20deg cooler and fogged over. I took a nice picture of the fog rolling in this morning from my house. Brought my digital camera with me on my ride today but didn't see anything interesting. My legs felt much better today. I spoke with Shawn, my coach, yesterday. She is excited about my recovery and we are going to work on a solid rebuilding program. My preliminary goals are to peak in May for Gila and Berkeley Hills along with some other Norcal races. I have had good success at Berkeley and really want to win it this year. My new team should provide good support.

Daily auto rant: this morning I came to a crosswalk at Laguna Honda and Portola. There is a Catholic school here and kids were coming to school. Naturally, they had a crossing guard because of all the agro drivers that feel they are too important to be held up by kids walking to school. Perhaps they should follow suit and walk to work. Well, the kid from the school who is helping with the crossing guard duties walks out with his "stop" sign and a guy in an SUV continues to approach him. I didn't think he was going to stop then he finally does, fortunately. After the crossing guard leaves, the SUV guns it only to be outgunned by a crazy woman in a small car. I thought they were going to collide. First off, CA law states that you can't drive past a crosswalk until the pedestrian has completely left the street. Both cars broke this rule and nearly caused and accident b/c they are so important and can't bare the fact that they are being delayed by kids walking to school. Hopefully, more SF cops will watch these intersections and hand out the $250 ticket that goes along with the violation.

Chow,
Matthew

My Urban Velo Tour

Feeling pretty excited about getting on the bike again, I set off on an urban tour this morning. Basically just a longer, hillier route to work. Riding early in the morning is really pleasant because its still a little cool out and everyone is agro yet from working. You can still get some smiles on the road =)

I ended up riding for about 45min around the city heading out of my 'hood and down to Haight then to Market St and through the Castro then up towards Twin Peaks and finally through West Portal. If anyone has been to SF, you know this is a pretty hilly route and it didn't let me down. I'm trying not to push myself too fast too early. But its a great feeling to get your heart rate up and feel some lactic acid in the legs. I can already tell some improvement since Monday's inaugural road ride. I am still working on getting a new sted to venture off into some longer rides in Marin. I probably won't be riding the mtn bike as I originally thought just yet. The rough spots on the road are enough for me right now, but I will be back.

I just read this morning that their will be a Tour of America next year. Its suppose to cover 22 states and over 4000mi with 27 stages. Pretty sick stuff, and there is $11mil in prize money. Now I just need to get all suited up and sign that pro contract so I can get a ride in it =) if that doesn't happen it would be pretty sick to do some cyclosportiv on one of the stages...perhaps i have an idea to shoot to the promotors....

chow,
matthew

Garlic Hummus

This is a great item for a group setting or to make for yourself. It easily stores in the refrigerator for up to a week but I doubt it will last that long because its so tasty...

Makes 1 pt
2-16oz cans of Organic Chickpeas(garbanzo beans) or non-organic Goya
8oz of Tahini
1- med lemon
3-cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of sea salt
touch of fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp of EVOO
1/2cup of water
1 tbsp of paprika

This works best with a food processor. I prefer to slightly cook my garlic so its aromatic.
Procedure: Drain chickpeas and wash them in a colander. Dump them into the food processor and add a little bit of the water to the mix and blend until puree. Mix in tahini and continue to blend. Add garlic,paprika, lemon, cumin, salt, pepper and olive oil. Continue to blend together. You can add more water to make a smoother consistency.

Serve in a nice large bowl. To garnish add some kalamta olives on the top and a little bit of EVOO with a sprinkle of paprika. Best serves with fresh pita or pita chips.



Serve in a nice platter with

C-Day + 37...back in the saddle

I'm back baby! After 8 weeks of zen like patience, I was able to get my neck collar off last Thursday. The doctor said that the bones look good and I can resume normal activity such as cliff jumping, downhill racing, and crocheting. My neck has definitely suffered some atrophy but thats to be expected I guess when you have a supporting mechanism on your neck for 8 weeks! I feel incredibly free now but realize too that I am extremely lucky.

Yesterday after I arrived home from TN, I took my old Trek for the first ride outside. The mission...to ride to Trader Joe's and pick up some food. As I rolled the bike out of the garage it was just very surreal that it was all happening. Sometimes you wonder if you will ever get to go riding again. When I threw my leg over the top tube it felt good, but strangely foreign. I guess when you don't ride a bike outside for 8 weeks, you lose a little bit of that ohh-so-sweet feeling. It definitely took the whole 15min ride to TJ's to feel normal on the bike again. I felt good descending and turning into turns. My shoulder is still weak and was apparent when I stood up to accelerate after a stop. I never realized how important your shoulders and arms are to everyday riding. I didn't push it too hard on the accelerations and it will be some time before I throw my bike in a some practice sprints but I'm back baby! Lost some definite fitness and strength but I pushed through it and will continue to pus through. Fitness and strength will return and will be above July 26 levels but it will take a lot of hard work....i'm ready though...

This morning I rode to work for the first time since July 25. It is such a better way to get around town and too work. I even no-handed it for awhile which was a good sign to me that I didn't lose a lot of balance. Felt good riding with the traffic also. Now I have to get a new bicicleta...

Chow,
Matthew

Food recipes...

So here are some recipes from my sister's wedding post-reception reception. It went off beautifully and everyone(60+people) raved about the food. So here are the recipes to wet your appetite =)

Mixed Green Salad with Caramelized Onions, Dried Cranberries, Candied Pecans, Gorgonzola and Balsamic
Salad: buy some mixed greens at your local market, fresher the better, bag mix is okay (serves 6)

Caramelized Onions: roughly cut 1 med yellow onion. Heat 1 tsp of EVOO and slowly saute. After the onions begin to wilt and turn a little brown. Add 1 tbsp of brown sugar and stir onion and sugar together. Continue to saute, about 3-4min. Next add 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Vinegar will cook quickly so stir mixture together and continue to saute until onion pieces are darkened and soft, 4-5min. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Candied Pecans: acuire 3/4 cup of dried pecans. Heat 1 tsp of EVOO in non-stick pan and drop pecans in pan and heat. Add 2 tbsp of brown sugar and mix together. Add 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar. Mix together and continue to heat the pecans. After about 5-6min of heating and full candiness, remove from heat. Once cooled, roughly chop pecans into small pieces and set aside.

Acquire dried cranberries from your local market or co-op, 1/2 cup. Mix all ingredients together in large bowl and top with 1/2 cup of gorgonzola. Add 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegrette. Mix together so its all infused. If you like more balsamic, add more or add less. Then enjoy this autumn goodness.

Other recipes will follow

Butternut Squash Soup

Here is my very own personal recipe for butternut squash that I created last night in the kitchen.

(serves 2)
Ingredients
Half a good size butternut squash, peeled and sliced thinly
EV Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Brown Sugar
Organic Vegetable Stock (3.5 cups)
Water (1 cup)
1/2 & 1/2
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic
cayenne pepper 1 tsp

Place the squash in a small pan and drizzle with EVOO. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Pinch of salt and ground pepper. Set the pan in the oven and set to broil for about 7-8min until you start to see it carmelizing. Take out and let cool. Dump the squash into a food processor and blend. Saute the onion and garlic in EVOO until cooked well throughout but not burning the garlic. Dump the cooked onion/garlic in the processor. Blend vigorously until you are left with a nice baby-food texture. Heat a pot with the stock. Drop the squash mixture into the stock and stir vigorously until mixed throughout. Continue to simmer. Add the water intermittently. Add 2 tbsp of EVOO and salt and pepper to taste. Add cayenne if you like the heat and about a little dash of 1/2 & 1/2 or heavy cream for a little added sweetness. Continue to simmer another 15 minutes. Be sure to stir the soup intermittently.

Serve and enjoy.

C-Day + 29

This Thursday marks 8 weeks since that little incident we don't speak of...I am still in my sweet neck brace and so incredibly eager to be released from its captivity hopefully this Thursday when I go in for my followup visit with the neurosurgeon. Not sure what to expect in terms of procedure, but I will likely have to get some additional images produced. Nothing like adding another cd of images to my library of 3 already. If I can download the images from the cd to the harddrive, I will try to upload them to the blog.

I am walking better these days, but still notice that its not back to normal, but each week is an improvement. I rode the trainer yesterday and again this morning. Feels good but riding the trainer is no fun. I basically get up before 6am and roll down to the garage and turn on the iPod then crank out 30min of riding. Thats about all I can handle without any visual stimulation. I was planning on reading a book, but I forgot the book about 3 min into the ride and didn't want to leave my stead. For anyone that has ridden a trainer for very long, I applaud you b/c its basically the most boring thing ever. Bicycle riding for me is about getting outside, feeling the wind against my face and being free. The trainer is just the opposite. Its about captivity, no change in scenery and getting really hot without anyway to cool b/c I am too cheap to buy a fan. Ohh well...

Currently looking for a new road bike, so if anyone knows of a sweet deal or if any manufacturers are reading this and want to sponsor me, please contact me. I can provide a great story for your company and I will be riding it every day. I hope to put more time on my Titus Racer-X mtn bike this fall. I haven't ridden it since last October and miss it terribly. I love road riding, but its always great to mix it up. Riding mtn bikes is super fun b/c you can just jump stuff and get dirty. I wish there were more accessible trails in the area. If I get the go ahead from the neurosurgeon on thursday, i will attempt at some early morning secret rides in Golden Gate Park. The park is just minutes from my door. I don't think it will bother anyone early in the morning b/c the park isn't too keen on off-road riding....

This morning I went over to the lake to show America True the situation, which is basically a bad situation. I am wanting to run an after-school program sailing program. The jags in the rowing club don't want to have any sailboats on their lake. And of course we ran into the crazy boathouse guy, Timothy. There are some serious issues with this guy. After getting all over the america true guy, and acting completely weird by following us and stalking us. He shocked me by coming over and saying he hopes I am feeling better. Nice gesture but its still weird b/c he is so confrontational, but I appreciated the gesture.

Ironic sight of the day....On Saturday while out walking around, I saw a guy smoking a cig and riding his bike.

Yesterday, I took Marco and Sara sailing. We had a great time but unfortunately forgot to bring a camera. They did a great job and got around the lake no problemo. I like to think I played a major role in it...

Chow,
Matthew

C-Day + 25

First off, I apologize to all my audience for not writing sooner. To recap the last few weeks, I was back in NJ visiting Diana, starting the new season at CMA, and riding the bike on the home trainer.

This past saturday, i set the Trek up on the home trainer and started some proper trainer riding. I have been doing 30 min a day since Saturday. Today, I took off b/c yesterday I developed some pain behind the left knee. I think its the result of poor bike positioning and trying to pull through the bottom of the pedal stroke. Can't lose that beautiful spinning form I worked so hard for. of course, walking 2-4 hrs a day probably isn't helping anything. So I thought I should back off a little bit. It was definitely good to spin the legs. I can tell I have lost quite a bit of muscle but as Shawn, my coach, suggests, it could be very well what I need to take the body to the next level. I really did a lot of damage to my system this summer. It was good getting all the riding and fitness, but looking back now, I was totally wiped out when I returned to the states. Then it was only accelerated by getting sick at Cascade. So this forced recovery could be the boost to my system to recharge and build higher for next year and beyond.

Next week, I have an appointment with the neurosurgeon to see if I can get the neck collar off. I am confident that he will say yes. It will also be a big weekend as my sister, Lauren, is getting married. I am serving as post-wedding reception chef and chief booze handler. It should be great. The menu will be fun, with my sister Megan, serving as Sous Chef, and Diana joining us as a special consultant. The menu includes several starters, a salad, and 3 entrees. It will be a culinary tour around the globe as I have picked dishes that come from all over. It won't be crazy, at the request of my mom, but it will be extensive and a little off the beaten path. Hopefully, the guests will reach culinary nirvana...

Starters: black bean dip, hummus, quesidillas
Salads: Cran-Pecan salad
Pasta: Farfalle with pesto and sundried tomatoes
Main: Asian Peanut Noodles, Curried Couscous, Turkey Chili

I will post my recipes when completed to avoid and leaking of trade secrets....

Adieu,
Mathuiex