A Tale of Three Flats...

After 8 days off the bike during holiday(totally euro slang), legs have come around. Last week I got in two workouts then got some hotel trainer time in while I was in Long Beach. After taking Monday off as usual, I hit it hard on Tuesday with some low-cadence, high wattage intervals. These are great strength building workouts which should pay dividends later on in the season. The first one I thought I was absolutely flying then I looked at the final number and it was on par with what I did right before holiday. A little bummed but somedays the legs just aren't there. I did the next two intervals and saw substantial power decay. Some was attributed being sketched out by a van whose *ssh*** driver blew his horn at me and nearly ran me off the road when I was on the edge of the road not wanting to go in the ditch. There was no oncoming traffic either. Every cyclist knows that every ride presents danger and the threat of getting annihalated by a vehicle, case in point, me =) Just this week, 2007 UCI ProTour winner and TDF Runner-Up, Cadel Evans, talked about the dangers of training on his home roads in Australia. He said Australian and US drivers just feel that anything aside from their own vehicle on the road is a nuisance which makes training here and in Australia increasingly more dangerous than Europe. In 2006, the Australian Women's national team was struck and Amy Gillett was killed. I could have been handed the same card but fortunately I was given a second chance. I encourage all of you to check out the site that was put up to tribute her and also helps raise awareness for cyclists. When I was struck and laid up in the hospital, I had a similar idea of starting a site/non-profit that helps raise awareness and provide legal and hopefully financial support to victims of such tragedies. I know I can lend quite a bit of experience to others so they don't have to deal with the issues I have dealt with so far. I am sure I can get some pros on board to help support it.

http://www.amygillet.org.au

Now back to wheels of training...My Wednesday high cadence workout was really good. Legs felt supple and were spinning like a mcdonnell-douglas turbine. If you are in need of some good drills, I highly recommend high cadence intervals. The form and technique you gain from these workouts translates nicely into pro smoothness on the pedals and better sprinting. It also devastates the competition when you are spinning high and looking smooth and they are questioning why they do this. Thursday was strength and plyo day. If people in the neighborhood saw me through the window they had to be wondering what the hell I was doing. "But officer, I was just doing some power jumps and box jumps =) " This is also the day where I work on my sprints. After my first set I was totally blown away by my numbers. I was over 100watts better! This is huge. I'm talking taking it to the mattresses huge. I was getting 12-16% more out of my legs. Shawn has been working me hard on the strength and explosive stuff. With continued work, I should see increased improvement and more arrows in my quiver come race time.

After just a one hour easy spin on Friday to push the lactic out, I was ready for the low-cadence, high wattage workout on Saturday. After thoroughly amping myself on New Mexico Piñon Coffee, I was ready to go. I first had this delectable treat while I was in Silver City, NM for the Tour of the Gila. I highly recommend it. On the way down through Golden Gate Park, I punctured. No worries, I will fix it and be on my way. Fixed on and the way I went. On the first interval, I just felt like I was flying and the SRM said I was too. Over 40 watts higher than on Tuesday! A 14% jump! I was so stoked about it. I did a 10min recovery and puntured again as I was heading to the starting area and this time i busted the valve. No worries, I have an extra tube. Now I am fixed and a little more rested. It would have been very easy to get frustrated and just bag the whole day, but thats not pro right? So I banged out the 2nd interval and was again 15% higher on the my 2nd one as compared to on Tuesday. What was it? I have a few ideas...So after pumping my fists in the air after finishing my 2nd one, I headed back for my 3rd and final one. I pushed with everything I had and tried to leave all the cards on the table. SRM check: 19% higher than Tuesday and over 15% higher than before holiday! So I am getting faster and I have more endurance...boom shackalacka! On the descent down Mt. Tamalpais, I punctured again. After finally getting home after spending way too much time working on flat tyres I had the appetite of a great white(because they can eat an enormous amount of kilos per day and they are my favorite animal in the world) =)

Today was the big endurance day, 100mi. There is something that has always appealed to me about long efforts. I guess its the feeling of accomplishment at the end as well as the intense hunger and fatigue. Feeling fatigued after a big workout is quite satisfying. I google map'd out my course which took me out to Nicasio in Marin County then up to the Cheese Factory and then onto Marshall along Tomales Bay. In all the 2.5 years I have been here, at the junction in Nicasio I had never gone to the Cheese Factory. I must say that the roads back there are quite nice and quiet. Some steep climbs too. I started out before the ride with ample coffee, a huge bowl of rolled oats with wheat germ, flax seed and pecans and a little maple syrup. Then hunter's eggs and a piece of whole grain toast with soybean butter(kind of like peanut butter but not). A long day in the saddle needs a proper breakfast. Then I packed the jersey pocket with ample ammunition, a banana and 3 nature valley bars. This is a lot for me but I always seem to bring less than I need and arrive back at home only by a miracle. Not today, i felt pretty good the entire time and put in some nice efforts on the flats and on the climbs. SRM stats: 6hr 25min, 161km, 4100kj. This is definitely the longest day I have had since La Vaujany in France. 4100kj is a big day by yourself. When I got home I was quite famished so I made a grilled cheese sandwich, a piece of toast with honey and soybean butter and a cooked a can of black beans and a cup of jasmine rice. Beans and rice are great after workout foods b/c they pack on serious carbs and the beans are non fat and contain a good source of protein and fiber. They also fill you up so you can still eat and be a weight weenie =)

So a big week is behind me, and I am pretty jazzed about my form. Everything that I have been working on is finally coming together and translating into some good power numbers. Now I just have to put it all together for the Valley of the Sun Stage Race in mid-Feb in Tempe, AZ. Should be a fun weekend and great way to bang out the beginning of the season.

Chow,
Matthew

Another shameless plug...
http://www.nmpinoncoffee.com

Cooking and Riding

Last week, I had my cooking lesson with Chef Kerry. It was pretty awesome. We cooked up 3 different dishes: chicken tikka masala, red thai curry, and arriabbiata sauce. He helped me out with my knife skills which were pretty good already but a few tips never hurt. I came away feeling super confident in my new abilities. I must say that the thai curry is the absolute bomb. I could go battle to battle with any thai eatery here in the city. I added my own twist too it and produced a wonderful, butternut squash curry for the Recreation and Leisure Studies Department holiday party on Friday night. Last year I produced a pumpkin curry which was well received and highly requested again. I was hesitant about recreating the same dish. I like to be new, adventurous and keep my audience expecting something new and flavorful. Its also more challenging. This latest project was good for me to make because I could put my new skills to the test with a new ingredient. Based upon the reception of my dish(which was the only one that got completely finished), it was amazing. It was likened to this: "last year, your pumpkin curry was good but pales in comparison to this." I like to think that last year was 6th grade and this year is a complex, graduate level job. I'm pretty stoked about my new work. Everyone wanted to know how I did it and wondered why I was till on the market, ie not in a relationship....I just laughed.

This Friday, I am going to a dinner party at the house of my good friend and awesome office mate, Nettie. Her mom and aunt are coming into town and have requested the pumpkin curry. They loved it last year and we corresponded via email for recipes etc. Well they are in for something off this hook this week.

My family will also be experiencing my new found culinary skills next week when I go back for the holidays. Still working on the Christmas Eve menu but it should be off the hook.

Yesterday did a good 5hr 15min training ride. Rode out to Pt. Reyes Station then to the coast and down Hwy 1. Cool 132km. Wasn't feeling super good but I kept telling myself that I need to get the kms in. Felt good on the last major climb from the beach to mt. tam. Once the road got steady uphill, I got into my rhythm and just keep turning the cranks. Last weekend's training in north Sonoma County was up and down and hard to get a rhythm. I did my first big training test on Saturday, a 30min max effort. My avg wattage was 297w. I did the test on the climb from Mill Valley to Mt Tam. Lots of power dropoff on the flats which was a big reason for the lower number. Just couldn't keep up the watts on the flats, something I will have to work on. It should improve as I get more training. After beating myself up about the low numbers, I averaged 370 last May, I went and looked at the numbers from last year at this point. Now last year I was 77kg, I'm 72kg now. Last year at this week, I was 317w which makes me at or better in pw-to-kg now vs last year. I wasn't feeling the greatest on Saturday. Legs still tired from the strength workout on Thursday. When I completed my test on Saturday, I realized that I traveled the same distance on the course as last year but avg fewer watts. I think this is a good indication of things to come. Now, I have a long way to go to contest TDF climbs but I'm on the up and up. I also need to keep in perspective that I got nearly killed by a truck this summer and lost a lot of high end fitness when I was off the bike for nearly 8 weeks and I really haven't done any super intensive blocks of training yet.

While I was out riding this weekend, I noticed that I'm trying to be a little more professional on the bike. While I use to chase down everything that tried to pass me, I'm reminding myself that to be professional, one needs to act professional in training and focus on the current needs of your training. So, with that, this is my proclamation about my future plans...drum roll please...

I want to be a professional rider. Do I have what it takes? Yes. Is it going to be wicked hard? Yes! Emotionally and physically demanding? YES! What happens if it doesn't happen? No worries, atleast I tried because its only failure if you don't try. With that I have made some really important steps into reaching this goal which have been emotionally taxing. I will outlay these plans over the next week. It might be a shocker to many of you, but just understand that what I am doing has been on my mind for several years now and with the events of the last year, I can't afford to not try.

chow,
Matthew

No I'm not dead...

I know its been quite some time since my last blog, or "its been 10 days since my last blog." As the recovering blogger my say. Well, lots of updates...

1) Last Monday marked the 4month anniversary since I was run over by a truck
2) Cranksgiving was a wild success with over 1100km of training and 25000kjs over 36hrs
3) Like all flights back from my parents house, I got a cold
4) Jury Duty

Okay so on to the first topic at hand. Yep, 127 days later and I am reporting good results with my recovery. I still experience the occasional pelvic pain and strain in my left shoulder, but all-considering, I'm in pretty good shape. It will be a awhile before I muster the courage to do a pull-up. Holding off on skiing this year, a) because I want to train on the bike b)don't want to re-injure myself right now. Yesterday when i was out riding with teammate Harry, saw a helicopter landing in Sausalito. Harry says he took a chopper tour in HI, and I said, yeah I took one of those too in NY. Of course my tour wasn't very scenic unless you get off on the scenery of an inside of a chopper. I don't. Did a nice ride up to Alpine Dam then across the panoramic ridge towards Tamalpais and down to Bike-Rx before heading into SF. 4 hours. Felt good but didn't really press it because I don't want to tax the immune system too much but it was a really nice ride, super windy though. Reminded me of a similar ride last December with Harry and Co when it was raining sideways. Fortunately, no rain just lots of wind. Scott from Bike-Rx hooked me up with a replacement pair of CapoForma bibshorts. The Bike-Rx kit I bought had bad stitching in the gripper. He immediately gave me a replacement pair. These guys are just incredible. Be sure to support them and other great independent shops this season!

On to #2, Cranksgiving was super relaxing and allowed some good fitness building. Some head off to the glams of Mallorca or South Africa, yours truly, heads to East TN! 1100k and I only saw 8 other riders on the road. Kind of ridiculous but I was left with some beautiful roads and quite times by myself turning over the pedals. I think long training rides appeal to me on multiple levels. But one major reason is the time alone without distraction. I really enjoy the quite times, maybe I am introverted but its less stressful to just go out and ride by one's self sometimes. I said the same about running but runs only lasted35-90min and they included a lot of pounding which is NO BUENO! On the 25th, I did 166km, just under 6hrs, nothing to brag about but its endurance/base season right? Well, thats a pretty significant time by oneself especially on a bike. It was good though. First ride of that distance since La Vaujany. Still had some in the tank at the end so good sign for 2008.

#3, I have been experiencing very very light chest congestion for over a month now. Nothing stopping me just felt like something was down in the engine room trying to wreak havoc. Well, on the flight home from TN on Tuesday, I had a 0400 wakeup then a drive to CLT. 5.5hrs of flight time, and a kid kicking you the entire way, Priceless but always perfect remedy for a cold when people are hacking up ugly stuff. Well, I succumbed to the torture. Now I'm feeling better but blowing my nose a lot. Could be worse.

#4, Jury duty this week. I was suppose to serve my city's judicial courts in August but it was when I was in the hospital so again, NO BUENO! I was able to reschedule. I picked this week arbitrarily. Well, I woke up this morning not wanting to get out of my bed, then all the sudden I am reminded and frantically get out of bed, grab my summons and go to the web to see if I have been selected for today. Fortunately, only group 611. I have to check back again today after 4:30pm to see if group 607 is chosen. Could be a one day or a bunch of days depending on my ability to serve my judicial duty. This will be a first for me so I will keep you posted on SF Jury Duty!

Well, lots of updates. I found that I can add labels to my posts which I allow all my great readers to instantly go to a topic, ie: training, life, food, etc.

Also, my awesome coach, Shawn Heidgen, is having hip surgery today. Keep her in your thoughts.

Chow,
Matthew

A Cranksgiving Miracle

Well not really a miracle but Cranksgiving is in full effect. I finished up my first block of training today with another great ride here in East Tenn. I must say, the roads here are by far the best I have ever ridden in terms of quality. I know my mom and dad would love it for me to make Cranksgiving an annual affair.

Today I did 125km. I made out a map on google maps then just followed the road numbers and didn't really know what to expect in terms of terrain. Legs were pretty heavy in the beginning, side-effect of Cranksgiving but I continued on and boy was it worth it. Since that fateful day in July, I cherish each ride I get to take whether its 3.2km to work or 125km today, riding is just awesome. But today's ride was definitely one for the training journal memory. I will ride this one again before leaving because it was just so amazing. So the route took me from my house in Piney Flats, TN to Elizabethton on a nice, super quiet and twisty road with amazing fall colors. From Elizabethton, I heading North towards Shady Valley, this is where it becomes epic. On the way, it was pretty flat and I was enjoying the quietness before a car pulled out in front of me but more dangerously, it pulled out in front of two Harley men. There was some massive fishtailing on the bikes and they actually clipped each other. I don't know how they kept the bikes up but they must have been quite handy with the fishtail recovery. I asked if they were okay, I think they appreciated it but didn't think much of my skinny cycling legs =) but thats another story. The girl who almost hit them stayed back about 80m and for good reason. I was more concerned with the two guys attacking this car which was why I stayed. So I pressed on after my diplomatic duties were exhausted. The road began to rise slightly but nothing serious. As i contined peddaling on the false flat, the valley i was in began to narrow then all of the sudden I am entering the Cherokee National Forest and there is a sick climb ahead, 7-8km, 5-9% with a top elevation of 1052m. It was about a 20min climb I think. Nothing short of epic. It was the first climb I had done since June that had rewarded me with so much pride since my march of the fabled Col du la Croix du Fer and Col du Galibier. This climb did so much more for my confidence than all of the riding I have done during Crankgiving-07. I was worried all week that I had lost my ability to climb but nothing has been really long, only 1-2km at most. Mainly big roller which wreck havoc on my Lionel Ritchie leg spinning rhythem. The latic was burning but for some reason, I still had a smile on my face. The followup climb was shorter but I was treated to a 10km descent which was icing on the cake. Didn't Bomb the Hill at my top ability. I was a little hesitent with the new ride and the occasional wet pavement. But the Cento is a climbers golden arrow and she doesn't shy away from the speed on the backside either.
After the last climb it was back on 41 heading towards Bluff City. Not super picturesque. Daylight continues to battle me and make my mom worry. But Cranksgiving has a grip on me and sometimes I get a little over eager and push the daylight to exhaustion.

If you are out visiting this area, let me know and I will throw out a map for you. On the descent out of the Cherokee National Forest, I was thinking of what a sick area this would be to have a stage race. Plenty of terrain variety and many quiet roads. I even had a woman encouraging me up the final climb saying I only had "1 mile to the top and its all downhill afterwards!" Got to love the support.

Well, I need to start making my Cran-Walnut Stuffing for tomorrow's festivities. Ohh, and if you are wondering about the culinary experiences with my grade school friends, well, it was epic. recipes will follow....
Chow,
Matthew

Tis the season for Cranksgiving!

Sorry to all my faithful readers for not writing sooner. Cranksgiving has taken a great deal of my time. What is Cranksgiving? Just the greatest holiday of the year! Basically its 10days of riding my legs into the ground with some quality base training. So far, the riding has been quite spectacular with my new lover, the Wilier Cento. Big thanks to Colin at Bike-RX for helping get her all pretty. When I arrived on Friday, I was only able to get in 1.5hours because of a decrease in available sunlight. Got in 4.5, 4 and 3.5 hours Sat-Today. Today was pretty wet and I got pretty hungry. But got in about 2500kjs.

Everytime I come back to Johnson City, I am continually impressed with the quailty of roads. Now that being said, I had my first flat today but these Michelin Pro Race 2 tyres are pretty soft and cut easily. But nevertheless, the roads here are the best that I have ridden in the country. So smooth and many quite roads to get lost on. The biggest difference that I have noticed is that everything is rolling, very few flats which makes it difficult to get into a rhythm. Altitude is 1600ft so not really super beneficial but maybe little more than CA. The Wilier is a pretty sweet ride. Still working on the fit but I will get it dialed in soon enough. Plan is to go bigger tomorrow and really big on Wed before I take off on Thursday. Will try to get in an hour to spin the legs on thursday but the weather report looks dicey. Friday-Monday will be big too.

I will post a new pic of the ride tomorrow. Tomorrow evening I am cooking with my friend Morgan and our dinner party. It should be epic, a culinary nirvana.

Want to also give a shout-out to the girls from South Carrick. I have been getting some good feedback from these ladies and a few late night calls asking for new material and talking about the greatest nights of their lives =)

Chow,
Matthew

Honey and Erratic drivers

This morning I rolled out on the 'ol Trek1000 on my usual ride to work. Decided to ride up 7th to Laguna Honda to get a little more riding in before the day begins. On my way around West Portal School, this VW driver does a uturn into my lane and just stops to let his kids off. Fortunately, my jedi mind skills anticipated such a weak move on his part. Angered and frustrated for nearly being taken out before I had even a cup of coffee in the morning I rolled up to the guys window. I looked him in the eyes and said, "watch out!" He was a little blown away but he needed to be reminded that his kids won't be late and he should take his driving a little more carefully especially when he is performing illegal uturns. Disgusted at such action, I persevered and was soon back to my happy cycling self but I knew that he plastered onto the web as a bad driver, so if you are around West Portal School in the morning hours watch out for an Asian mid-40s male driver in a VW Golf.

My good friend Nettie Kelly and her sister arrived on the red-eye this morning from Honolulu, so I did the airport pickup. The Forester was in full capacity when I left SFO. They were quite impressed with her abilities to haul such quantities of goods. This was a pretty early pickup at 6:23 am. The plan was to pick them up and then drive home and get the bike and get a little breakfast at Squat and Gobble in West Portal. Arrive at Squat and Gobble at about 7:40am and they have a sign that says food only served between 8am-10pm. WTF dude?! What breakfast places only start serving breakfast at 8am? They are dead to me now so I rolled over to Noah's Bagels across the street and ordered a toasted pumpkin bagel. I like the seasonal flavors =) Most go with cc on their bagel, not me I prefer it plain but asked for a little honey to drizzle on the top. When I asked for the honey the attendant, rather than handing it too me, placed it on the counter box just inches from my hand. I was a little bothered on why she just didn't hand it to me. Its like travel companies offering you a sick deal then saying all you need to do is buy this ridiculously priced plane ticket to get here. If people were just a little more courteous with these small exchanges then I think bigger and better changes would occur in the world.

I picked up my 3 Fuji apples from the West Portal Produce again this morning. I am quite the regular. I think they have some of the freshest fruit in the city. The Chinese man who oversees the stocking in the morning always rings me up, $0.85 is the typical charge which I usually give exact change for but this morning it was $0.90, I guess I am a victim of inflation =) He always smiles and is very cordial. When I left he said, "see you tomorrow morning!" Nice guy and good reason to continue to support to local merchants.

The highly anticipated butternut squash ravioli had positives and negatives. The flavor was top notch. I roasted the butternut squash with a little olive oil drizzle over and sprinkled with sea salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to give a nice fall flavor. After pureeing it in the food processor I sauted up some fresh sage until crispy then chopped it and added it to the squash puree then scooped in a little ricotta and mixed thoroughly. The next part is what I need to work on. I used Asian wonton wrappers. At first I tried doing the triangular fold with a little scoop of squash/ricotta in the middle. I used water on the edges to seal the wrapper. Then I tried the wrapper on top of wrapper square method. I think this was a better result. i used the end of a fork to make the nice ravioli presses on the end. Boiled in water with sea salt. I think I boiled them too long. Ravioli was very translucent and falling apart. I believe the wrapper are just too delicate for boiling. I looked on the web for suggestions. I found that they are probably good at 3minutes. Also need to take each one out and pat dry with a paper towel and not lay them on top of each other b/c the starches make them stick together. I think next time, I will try steaming them or going Gyoza on them, ie panfrying them which will give them a crispy outside. Soooo many methods to try! Perhaps I will have to start making my own pasta. My awesome office-mate Molly suggested I check out this Italian supermarket in the Mission where its possible I could buy some homemade ravioli pasta. Its worth a checkout....

Yesterday I started reading, Think Like a Chef, by Tom Collochio. Head chef on my only reality-tv drug, Top Chef. I thought he was some arrogant tv chef but his background is quite impressive and he earned himself his attitude through a lot of hard work. what I like most about his idea is his resilience to following recipes. I can never follow recipes. He proposes following what your tastes lean too and what is in season etc. His book does contain recipes but its more about how to think about making good food. Something that is always consuming me. I often go to high-end markets just to check out the deli and see how they pair things and getting ideas. Weird? Extremely, but I guess thats my cross to bear...lol...

Just got off the phone with one of my good friends, Morgan Colana, from St. Mary's Catholic School in Johnson City, TN. She just came up with this great idea to have a dinner party over the Thanksgiving break. I told her absolutely then I said its going to be off the hook so be prepared. Pretty much is going to be a fall culinary nirvana!

So if you are going to be TN and want to sync up shoot me an email...I will keep you posted as the menu develops but its going to be full-blown =)

Chow,
Matthew