J Performance Cycling Center and CyclingCenterDallas.com

Oh man, wow, what an intense two weeks. We’ve been pushing hard to make the deadline for the renovations to the J Performance Cycling Center, but there were some screwups with electrical and tile ordering, so I lost a week and had to delay the start of classes by 7 days. Still, we hustled pretty hard, and got the room presentable by about 3:30 today. Here’s what I’ve changed:

• Hid the DIN cables and Stereo Cables from the PC to the Handlebar Controllers.
• Organized all the cables and wires so that they all came out in the same location under the mirrored hutch.
• Got Ali to do a ton of electrical work so that I could minimize the AC adapter cables that were on top of the boards as well. He wouldn’t let me hide the adapters themselves, so I kept them up top and hid the rest of it.
• Got 8 new mats for the bikes.
• Got a couple of new electrical cables to hide the VGA projector extensions a bit better.
• Got an 8-unit VGA splitter and a 4-unit VGA splitter so that now we have 4 LCD screens between the 8 cyclists, about 2′ off the ground, and then the ErgVideo screen up front, at eye level or above. I can also go with a DVD player for those that want an extra distraction.
• The debate over the color of the tile may be lost, but I went ahead and pulled all the carpet off and painted the floor bright blue. It was a bit of a screw up, because I used an oil-based paint, and it wasn’t completely dry when I was walking on it later, but I may try again and get it right. It all depends on what color they use for the tile when and if that ever comes in.
• And, we generally cleaned the place up and made space for about two or three more bikes in the closet area.

So, now that that’s done, the goal is to market the heck out of the thing and try to get more people interested by hosting a great big Open House on September 7th. I hired a marketing gal to help, and while she’s pretty unique, she’s getting the job done and using modern connection culture to get the word out to more and more people. I’m also trying to get some folks in through my connections, and cross-talk won’t hurt in this case. The only problem with all this is that it may break me. The ‘other’ company I was working for has made one half-hearted attempt to reach me, and I’m not going to make the effort to reach them until two things happen. First, I have to get the classes started. Second, I need to have this Open House be successful. But I am missing the income from them, and will continue to work hard to get the Center to take up the slack.

Indoor training is Consistent in location and environment and time, it’s Effective in that it is actually HARDER on a per-stroke basis than outdoor riding, and you have no stops due to geography or traffic, and most of all, it is SAFE. I’m doing everything I can to make it not boring, and those who take the classes usually come out with screaming speed, strength, and stamina when the sessions are over. I hope to take it to 16 riders at a time in the next year. So, it’s keeping me busy. Amy’s been the best. Her organizational skills are appreciated, and I think she feels better having a small guiding hand in things and keeping me focused.

It’s about Training and Performance and Friends and Competition and Bonds and Sacrifice and Trust and Honor and Character and Charisma and Kismet.

Check out the latest at www.cyclingcenterdallas.com. I’ll try to put up some images on picasaweb soon.

Z

I met up with “Z” again last night, for a follow up lesson on teaching him how to ride. After a month off, you’d have thought he’d be shaky, and he was, but he picked it up really quickly, and within 5 minutes, was pedaling soft circles around the parking lot of the high school. He never quite really wrecked, but hit the curb a couple of times, and he was definitely spooked when it came to oncoming cars (even at 5 mph), but you know, there’s still nothing quite like teaching a newbie how to ride a bike, and seeing him “get it”. It’s just an awesome feeling. He shifted, pedaled over speed bumps, and at the end, we were working on hand signals, though he was sweating pretty heavily and we called it around 8:30pm. But the next step is to get him his own bike so he can practice on his own. We’ll also scout out some safe places for him to do it. It’s the starts that are the worst.

In other news, the floor of the JCC Performance Center is in pieces. We’ll try to finish that tomorrow. I got these great LCD screens and will put them at eye level so that the riders can see their numbers, but also see the overall ride on the big screen. The rubber matting won’t be here until later, but the key thing is to hide the cables safely, and then do a test run so that we don’t have trouble on Monday. Greg and Dorothy Zarbo will be helping, and I need to call David Flack as well.

Better hit the sack. DJ and I are riding a century tomorrow.

Chelan, Day 6

Man, oh man, what a week! Pardon any interruptions of thought – I’m watching the opening ceremonies as this is written.

I met up with Jeff (a client) on Tuesday morning, around 7:15, and we did one of my favorite rides. We headed down out of Chelan, then crossed the bridge and went South to Wenatchee. I am telling you – the ROADS HERE are incredibly, incredibly smooth. I mean, we were riding on the shoulder, and I don’t think we hit one single patch of chip-seal the whole distance. We took roughly 2 mile pulls on the outbound leg, then got to Wenatchee and made the return trip on the newer highway, which was up-river. There, we took alternating 1-mile pulls, and man, they were spectacular. Jeff is looking really, really smooth, and though he says he’s uncomfortable in the saddle area, he really didn’t move much at all on his upper body. He’s down to about 170, and when we got to the uphill climb that ends at Lake Chelan itself, well, he FLEW up the hill. I was about 600 calories short, and in order to stave off a more serious bonk, I backed off to about 235w, while he took the climb at what later turned out to be 285w. So it was good. I left him to head back to the room and the beach, and he said he’d meet up with us on Wednesday evening when he hosted us for dinner at their place.

Amy’s bike was still out of service on Wednesday, so I went out on a basic flat course, out to the campground, and then did about 3.5 repeats up sr 971, I think it’s called something coulee road. Anyway, I was originally a little tired, but I hit the hills and did two at 300w for 8 minutes, and one at 287w. I was halfway up the fourth climb when I realized that I had a massage in about an hour! OH MAN! I better git! So, I packed it in, and tempo’d to the resort, showered up, ate a little something, and headed out for the massage.

Oh man, 90 minutes of bliss, makes you feel like a wrung out sponge. A dehydrated, semi-hairy legged wrung out sponge.

Lessee, I’m trying to think. What’d I do on Wednesday night? Well, I finished “The Art of Racing in the Rain”, a book about a dog and his man, and the conscience that conflicts us all. Helluva read. Pretty emotional, and it all takes place in familiar Seattle territory. I also finished Johan Bruyneel’s book, “We Might As Well Win”, and honestly, I think it’s pretty darned good as well. A good mix of anecdotes with some philosophy on sports as a business. Every time we bitch about something organizer or athlete-related or team-related, we need to harken back to some of the things he says in there. I just wish my father was as interested in my career as an athlete, and later as a coach, as his was. It IS something I regret.

(Geez, watching the drummers now – Holy cow this is impressive. I don’t care what you think of the politics and smarminess behind the IOC and their chump-buddies the WADA, the opening and closing ceremonies really are spectacular totems of goodwill.)

Wednesday night’s dinner was simple, sweet, and fun. Jeff and Leann are two wonderful people, and their kids are, well, they’re just good solid simple KIDS. They play, they giggle, they love their parents and their grandparents, and they cleaned up afterward, and the funnest part of it all was the homemade ice cream they prepared. Later than night, Jeff’s parents both came over, and we enjoyed their company as well. I can’t forget the dog – Abe is one smart pooch. He taught Amy how and where to throw the tennis ball — right straight out in the lake.

It’s meals and conversations like that with clients like the Crosby’s that make coaching worthwhile. Coaching is important, but communal self-esteem and family are just as critical in the infrastructure of performance as watts or heart rate or volume and intensity. They’ve got a solid family unit, at least from what I could tell,  and Amy and I were grateful and privileged to be a part of it for an evening.

But back to the riding. I met Jeff again Thursday morning, and we headed back down to Wenatchee for a duplicate ride from Tuesday. This time, we were at least 15 minutes faster, and after 3 strong days, I really felt like I had jet packs on the Soloist. I took longer pulls on the outbound leg, and stronger pulls on the return leg, and dangitall if I didn’t smack 300 watts on the last climb up to the Chelan Pass. But you know, Jeff, as tired as he was, actually rallied and CAUGHT ME within 40 yards of the top. Wow – guy’s got heart.

We cruised back home, went past the lodge, and then he showed me Boyd Loop Road, which is a biyatch of a climb, just over 1 mile from Campbell’s. We made it to the top, but there I needed to say goodbye and head back. We shot some photos, gave each other some sweaty hugs, and I headed back down. Amy’s bike was back in working order (busted spoke took 2.5 days to get fixed), and she and I met up about 30 seconds apart. We ate something, headed out to the beach, and I think I started my 3rd or 4th book. I can’t remember. Anyway, it was burgers, shakes, and fries for dinner (yeah, I know), and we both hit the sack early.

Friday (today), we got up early and had expected to ride with Erik and Dana Fykeruud (Kurt & Trina, poor souls, had gotten some bug that had swept through a chunk of the other Campbell’s families. They left early, but only made it to Leavenworth before getting a hotel room with their kids and battening down the hatches, only to have to get up and get to the hospital to get their youngest one a flippin’ IV. Man, you mom’s are some serious caretakers – thanks for always being there!) Anyway – Erik and Dana were pretty tuckered as well, so Amy and I headed out and just did a lollygag ride up Boyd Hill road, and then over to Blueberry Hill, where we had breakfast (never ate TWO waffles with peaches and cream at teh same time!), and then rode back.

SO, what’s the moral? Well, I didn’t hit my goal of 600 miles, I know that for sure. But I DID ride every single day I was in Seattle, and I got to see some awesome average power values, and I got to recover in some cold as heck lake water, and I saw family and friends, and Amy and I had a really relaxing, yet healthy, week of vacation. Soon enough, it’ll be back to coaching, training, JCC crap, heat, money issues, etc., but right now, it’s all about getting ONE MORE NIGHT of good sleep, with the sound of the lake in the background, the clean air, one more good dinner and breakfast, and then getting packed up and leaving with one more Chelan vacation in the books.

I love my wife, and I’m eternally grateful for the best gift she’s ever given me, the joy and wonder of this gorgeous corner of the world.

Photos have been added to the picasaweb.com/whareagle “Seattle Trip 2008″ album. I may add details to it later, but not now.

Chelan, Day 1

We arrived around 4pm, after a leisurely drive out from Seattle Center. We had picked up BJ at her place, dropped off the bike boxes, and then made our way East. The weather has been absolutely perfect, and today was no exception. We stopped at Mineral Springs for a meatloaf sandwich and a chocolate shake (part of the Chelan ritual), but things got good when we pulled in to the fruit & vegetable stand just outside of Chelan itself. Amy picked up some cherries, peaches, and some homemade cheese. MMMMmmmm!

BJ is not getting any younger, so we had to help her with some unloading and loading issues, but hey, it’s a vacation, things don’t get done immediately – so what. But we hooked up with the Fykeruud’s, our long-time buds for this specific week at Chelan, and Eric and I caught up with each other, and Dana chimed in some as well. Eric and Dana are next door to us. Oh yeah, Kurt and Trina have ANOTHER boy! Brian is just a couple of months old, and their Eric is about 5. Geez. Between watching little ones grow up, and watching my beard get grey, I’m starting to feel OLD.

The cure? A BIKE RIDE! I couldn’t wait. My goal for 600 miles couldn’t wait for a lost opportunity, so around 6, Amy and I got dressed and headed out for a quick 20-miler to the campground and back. I focused on 95-100+ rpm, and we made it back in time to get in a quick overview of the town. It’s changed a little, but still not enough that you wouldn’t recognize it. Hmmm. There’s a tattoo parlor in this little town. If I make my goal, and get those 600 miles in, and maybe get an epic in like a round trip from Chelan to the Grand Coulee Dam and back, then maybe, just maybe, I can celebrate with a permanent flesh badge. I better get it priced first, though. Make sure I’m not boasting on empty funds.

Well, I’m hungry, and it’s Sunday in Chelan, which means things close early. I didn’t shoot any photos today, but I’ll post some tomorrow. Kurt and Eric and Dana have road bikes this year, and Dana asked me for a lesson, so I’ll get some more play time in before too late. I also need to read some books. I purchased 4 for the week.

Stomach is rumbling – must go. I can’t WAIT FOR THE HILLS TOMORROW!!!!

Seattle – Vashon – Chelan, August 2008

Man, we really needed this trip. It’s been hotter ‘n blazes in Dallas, and my relationship with a certain power meter company has gone seriously south, so getting up to the NW, where it’s been unusually cool, has been a blessing.

We started off in Seattle, and hung out with a friend of Amy’s for a patio lunch, with the Blue Angels flying DIRECTLY overhead. She’s got a kick-ass cat, “Cosi”, but even the cat was wigged out by the afterburners. But it’s still pretty cool when you can see the pilot actually turn his head as he’s carving like a knife at 500 kts over your head.

The hotel at the market had screwed up, so we ended up staying at the Mayflower for free, and while the view wasn’t as good, overall, it wasn’t that bad. And when rooms are going for about $300 a night, free is a good thing.

The next day, we drove over to Vashon via ferryboat, and we’ve been hanging out with Tracy and Joan. He’s a commuting cyclist, and she’s been one of Amy’s best friends since childhood. We’ve been hanging out on Maury Island, right on the beach, and we rode both days that we’ve been here. The first day was nothing more than a fam hop, but today, we put in about 1200 KJ of effort, up and down and all over the island. We scooted down the dirt road to Camp Sealth, one of Amy’s childhood experiences, and we dined at the crossroads in the center of Vashon. It’s been about  69 degrees, and actually chilly, most of the time, but there has been enough sun to give us the wanted farmers’ tans without the accompanying burn or humidity. But Chelan beckons. I hope that we’ll be able to get my goal of 600 miles in before I leave. Amy is relaxing, we’re getting the ‘good’ hours of sleep in that we need on the waterfront, and while we miss Shadow, we know she’s comfortably driving Vic and Betty lovingly mad.

Prayers out to Shelby dog and her family – she may not be around for Shadow to play with next time she goes to visit. It’s always a heartbreaker when your 4-legged loved one moves back up to heaven. I convincingly believe that their spirits are on loan to us for their extended visits to earth, and I also believe that they are guardian angels in every sense of the word.

The SRM won’t upload to WKO+ or to anything via Vista 64. Why did I buy this damned thing again? Blecch.

Photos are up at picasaweb.com/whareagle