Let's Roll!

So tis' the season to rest and recover from a good season of cx racing and training.

I haven't done much work on the bike since before last weeks Subway CX. No desire what so ever. Pretty much just being lazy and bored with working out and suffering on the bike.

About the only bike related enthusiasm for riding is getting the hang of the rollers. That in itself is pretty fun and challenging. Way better than a trainer. You actually have to concentrate to ride and get some work in.

The initial ride on the rollers was on Monday. I put the road tires on my old track wheels and put them on my Specialized Tri-cross Single cross (complete with mud from last race lap). That's right riding the Fixie on the rollers. Not a big deal though, actually probably easier than riding with a freewheel. Since all I have to do to stop the wheels from turning is stop pedaling. No need to hit the brakes in an emergency. I haven't been Bucked off yet, like you'd get on the road when you stop pedaling a fixed gear bike. It must be the momentum you have going on the road that gets converted right through the pedals into your legs that kicks you up and out of control. It appears to be a good set up for putting in some mileage when the weather is shitte out. The only thing is being able to up the resistance on the fly is not possible. I have to get off and turn the mag resistance up. I might end up just putting a larger chain ring on to get the desired resistance for long endurance rides on the rollers.

So the 1st time up I had a counter on one side and my computer chair on the other. I rolled off the sides a couple times. But didn't go down. It took me about 10 minutes to be able to ride without holding the counter. After getting the hang of balancing with my body and knees, I eventually took my helmet off. :-) Total of about 30 minutes ride and I started to get pretty hot and the legs were feeling the after affects from the Subway Cx race. So I called it a night.

On Tuesday I figured I'd do a workout and get better with the rollers. This time I put them next to my comp and loaded Poker Stars and signed up for a free roll. Thinking I'd be able to play and ride. Not so! It took too much effort to hit the fold and bet tabs when my turn came up. So I ended up just going all in and busting out in 8567th place out of 11000.
It's much easier to watch some freeride videos and ride the rollers. I got in a few Tabata intervals and called it a night. B.T.W. the large fan I set up helped keep me from sweating my ass off.

In the coming days I'll be relaxing and compiling some bike cam action footage for some extended roller rides throughout the winter.

I also picked up Chris Carmichael's book"Time Crunched Cyclist". It will be my preferred reading material in the coming week of resting and preparing for training for the 2010 cycling season. Which I plan on starting with the fun race Hespler Grand Prix cx race in Cambridge.

That's all for now.