I am sure he just searches for his name occasionally.

Edit: 11 pages, as predicted.

Yes that and I am sure he may also have a google alert. I get emails from my sponsors from time to time saying they saw my mention of their product BEFORE I send them the link.

If I ever find myself regularly devoting 14 hours/day to work, I'll be getting a new job.

Mark, I totally understand not having time to train. I don't ride when my kids are with me, so I cram all of my training in from Wednesday evening through Saturday at noon. Manipulating and sacrificing are two things I know well. Trust me, I'm a real person too. My major sacrifices come in the form of sleep and a social life. It's worth it though.

My coach just kicks my ass up every climb, and around every cross course, and then she tells me... "good job".

BTW, I do three morning rides week at 4:30 before work (I show up to work in my kit), so I don't want to hear the "I don't have time" speech. If you don't have time to train; you're wasting time, and money racing (the only reason you would need a coach).

Close: I periodically search for threads that use the term "power".

I'm past the point where I'll ride at night. Too much risks and risks outweigh benefits. It only takes one idiot driver to ruin my life, and chances increase at 4:30am. I have no races to win. Training is purely recreational for overall health wellness & fun.

No thanks.

Ah....but wasting time and money racing is SOOOOOOoooooo much less painful than training at the appropriate levels.

...besides then you can't use the excuse, "just imagine how well I would do if I actually trained/ate right/didn't drink / etc....."

Very true. I'm fortunate that I have an area that is traffic free in the early morning, or I would be on the trainer before work.

Not entirely true. On my pre-dawn commutes the vehicles I see are street sweepers, delivery trucks and cabs. I'm not saying it is any safer, since I agree that it only takes one idiot driver, but the roads a much clearer than on a Saturday morning 8am training ride. It's probably just a false sense of security

Get some good lights and the risk is not much greater than riding during the day.

In fact the worst time it ride is around sunrise or sunset (sunset more so), since lights are washed out, you blend into the surroundings, and the sun is in people's eyes.

If you have GOOD lighting, riding at night is great. The lights are easily seen, and I have found that drivers will actually give you more space at night.

Totally agree. Sunrise and sunset scare me the most. Once it's dark, I'm lit up like a Christmas tree with all of my reflective gear.

I do trainer time - starting at 0430... for example - this morning. I have to be at work by 7.
The long hours and lack of time to train is one of the big reasons I am leaving this job at the first of the year.

You're braver than I. No way I'd trust Nebraska drivers on back roads at night. They can barely grasp the concept of sharing the road with a bicycle during daylight hours.

Even when I am driving, it's almost impossible to see a cyclist on side of road or in bike lane at night even when they have lights. I don't think lights for bikes really do much - it's too hard to pick out a bike from just reflections and such. It's a LOT more dangerous at 4:30 am riding than at 9am or 7pm. And it only takes ONE mistake by a driver that's a little tired or doesn't really see you. Your risk are greater at night period. No reason to disturb the Bike Gods. When it's dark, stay off the bike. Period.

I'll respectfully disagree with you on this one Mark. If you're doing the whole night riding thing right, you can and will be seen. I have reflective stickers on the back of my shoes and front and back of my helmet, wear reflective ankle and wrist bands, a reflective vest and have tail and headlights on the bike. I've let George ride ahead of me when we're commuting home to see what the cars see when he's riding and there is NO MISSING US.

I just commuted home and the first thing that I told George was that I was blessed with the most courteous drivers tonight. I had car after car wait for me to go through intersections instead of turning right in front of me, flash their lights at me to let me know I could get over (across a dedicated lane that veers right) to go straight and I even had two people thank me at the last intersection for stopping in a place where they could make their right turn. Okay, I got off topic, I just had a good experience with motorists on my commute home...who obviously had no problem seeing me.

Anyway...between having driven behind George for 11 hours of darkness recently and seeing him in front of me on the bike when we are commuting, I'm confident that we are both seen when we ride in the dark.

If I lived anywhere else, I'd definitely do it. People around here utterly suck at driving. I seriously need to move to a bike-friendly city!

I disagree. I often have oncoming cars flash their hi-beams at me when my headlight rotates slightly up on my handlebars from all the bumps on the road. A good headlight system can be blinding. It will NOT be confused with a reflection of something else. A Niterider Moab is freakin' bright (granted not the brightest). It is usually brighter than most car headlights. Their integrated taillight is a very bright as well.

By the way, It's a good thing you don't do Ultras since the 400km and 600km will take well into the night and sometimes into the morning. Look to the far right.

Check out this pic from the 508 start line. I looks like I have a light on my helmet even though it is just reflective stickers.

Sounds like a new goal to accomplish for me sometime in my life, lol! How long do those take?

I'm sorry it must suck for you

Seriously we all need to move somewhere friendlier.

So I guess I should commute by car during the winter then...

Well, Brandy's comment about friendly motorists was a reality check for me. At best, motorists here are semi-tolerant to ambivalent. More seem to be angry and irritated, lol! I could probably put up with them if it wasn't so cold here

Dude brevets suck BUT I get a great sense of accomplishment from completing them. Brevets are unsupported Ultra events. Here in So Cal you can't go too far without hills. So our events are very hilly and mountainous as well. 400km is about 250 miles-260 miles (16,000-20,000 feet) depending how they lay the course out. The 600km is 370-380 miles (18,000-26,0000) depending how they lay the course out. I think a respectable times are 16-20 hours and 24-28 hours. Some people are way faster and some slower. Time limits are really generous.

Yes. Sometimes, lol! It's called, "Sucks to be Joe During Winter in Omaha."

Personally, completing it would be my only goal. That's really something! I like racing but I'm not too good yet. I spent most of my 20s just riding casually for general fitness. Only over the last 3 years have I gotten into being competitive. Two different worlds.