"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - in need of some inspiration

hey racing forum... been a while since i was here!

i'm just coming off of an injury and finding it difficult to get back into the swing of training. i was off the bike for a total of 10 weeks. i had some performance testing done just prior to my injury and my lactate threshold was 310 watts @ 170 bpm, 3.6 W/kg. now, i feel lethargic and not really interested in getting back onto a training program, etc.

anyone else have similar experiences?

I was off the bike for 6 weeks last fall after surgery. I lost some fitness, but I had most of it back within a few months.

I don't have any advice for your specific issue. If you don't want it, you don't want it.

To cut a long story short:

Any time I don't want to ride my bike, whether I'm tired, it's raining, it's "too hot", my legs are sore, or I just don't feel like riding, I remember a little mentally ******** boy I met at a race last year, who essentially told me that he would give anything to be able to ride a bike without training wheels on it.

When I do this, any little piss poor excuse I have suddenly seems pretty pathetic, and I realize that I'm extremely lucky to be able to do this, and it's an insult to those who can't do what I can do, to not use whatever potential I might have.

In '92 I was hit by a **** brown Toyota. Collapsed a lung, broke some bones and lost 2 days of memory. In '94 I got shoved of a bridge during a race and fractured my right arm into 50 pieces. In '98 I won a National Championship.

In 2005 I collapsed 2 disks and, with the aid of some highly controlled drugs, slept in my bathtub for 1 hour a night over 2 months until the f****rs did an MRI and had spinal surgery 2 days later. In 2006 I won a National Championship (different country).

In 2007, in addition to my existing contract ( at the age of 43) I won 3 races and was paid to travel to another country to race for my title sponsor.

I am just an average guy trying to take care of my family.

Feel inspired yet?

Just go have some fun. Maybe do some mountain biking or social group rides. Flip your stem back up for a couple months. The drive will come back. Don't ever ride because you "have to."


In '92 I was hit by a **** brown Toyota. Collapsed a lung, broke some bones and lost 2 days of memory.

See, there we go again. 12/11/91, hit by a car broken rib, punctured lung, sep. shoulder, concussion.


In '98 I won a National Championship.

Yeah, so here's where we diverge a bit... :)

Just go have some fun. Maybe do some mountain biking or social group rides. Flip your stem back up for a couple months. The drive will come back. Don't ever ride because you "have to."



See, there we go again. 12/11/91, hit by a car broken rib, punctured lung, sep. shoulder, concussion.



Yeah, so here's where we diverge a bit... :)
Yarrr! Ya keep wierdin' me out. be thar no end to it, mattie?

2001- crashed at Road Atlanta AMA race. broke tibia, fibia, patella, collar bone, ribs... etc.

after five surgeries, my leg was frozen at 22 degrees of motion. the told me i'd have a pronounced limp the rest of my life.

2007- just did a 10:29 5mile time trial and a trip of 5 days with 30,000 feet of climbing in Colorado.

it requires a hell of a drive to get up everyday and fight. but that's the only way to get yourself back.

just think of where you were... what you want to be... and dont accept where you are.

(my sad story)

Yarrr! Ya keep wierdin' me out. be thar no end to it, mattie?

You be nay kiddin'!

Severe back injuries/surgery/resulting drug dependency (painkillers) is outstanding motivation. If you go through all that and wind up back on the bike, motivation won't be an issue. You'll be too friggin happy you're riding anywhere. That's how it worked for me. And Lance I might add.

http://www.velonews.com/diaries/rider/articles/13347.0.html

My 13 year old daughter runs cross country as a freshman on one of the best HS XC programs in NY State. It can be daunting, there are fast girls on that team (a perennial NY State running powerhouse). Then she goes to a regional meet, and voila, she finishes 51st out of 112 freshmen girls. Right in the middle of the pack. She only seems slow compared to the tough competition on her team. Which will only make her better.

She has a tough workout tomorrow. I told her to start looking at those 14 x 400 meter interval sessions as her friend. You spend some time in the hurt locker, you come out faster. She has already shaved 20 seconds off her 8 x 800 meter average interval time in those sessions over only two weeks. I also told her that hard workouts are what make competitive running so great, just like competitive cycling. It's friggin HARD. If it were easy the other 99.9% of wussies in the world would be doing it. Like her. Like us. Like YOU.

Inspired yet? Go ride your bike. It's all you. Report back here. We'll be waiting.

thanks guys... i think i'm set now.

so since i've been gone for 10 weeks, whatever happened with RyanF?

In '92 I was hit by a **** brown Toyota. Collapsed a lung, broke some bones and lost 2 days of memory. In '94 I got shoved of a bridge during a race and fractured my right arm into 50 pieces. In '98 I won a National Championship.


Please tell me this is not you. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15EHHS2TMng) You both spell off the same way and there's some droping going on too.

thanks guys... i think i'm set now.

so since i've been gone for 10 weeks, whatever happened with RyanF?

He's around. Don't be like him. Ride more, BS on BF less. I can do both, I have no life.

But wait. Why do you want inspiration in late September? The season is over.

Those figures would motivate the hell out of me. I would hate being average. At least punch out 350W FTP. Go train.

If this isn't tongue-in-cheek, you're an arrogant a**.

If this isn't tongue-in-cheek, you're an arrogant a**.

Thank you so much for that.

Please tell me this is not you. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15EHHS2TMng) You both spell off the same way and there's some droping going on too.

No that's not me but thanks for the laugh.

Arrogance RULES.

Just ask Dick Cheney.

Those figures would motivate the hell out of me. I would hate being average. At least punch out 350W FTP. Go train.

Pretty sure that was his ability BEFORE the injury...not after he came back from it.

;) Awww cmon tough love is good love!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Yw7KijRfU-c

Well... that clip was pretty awesome.

Pcad aspires to USA Cycling averageness. Inspiring, no. Humbling, yes. Pcad needs all the humility he can get. I might start by bagging the third person self-references, but what fun would that be?

If you'll excuse me the movers are here to help me with my Ego.