Chad Bishop: Road Cat 3, Cyclo-Cross Cat 3

Ok, it's official, I am now an official Category 3 racer... What have I gotten myself into?

I set my sights on this upgrading notion last summer when I won a cat 4/5 race at the Illinois state champs, and got really serious about it after the new year started. I scored points in each of the first four races I entered this year, so I am thrilled to have set a goal and accomplished it. I raced just over two full seasons as a Cat 4 rider, so I paid my dues (in my opinion). I have experience and some success.

Sure I could have waited until 'after memorial day weekend'. That seems to be the big turning point for racers. But, I am not getting any younger, and I would like to get experience racing as a three. And, actually, I would have had over 30 points by then, so would have been automatically upgraded anyway, so it really wasn't a decision of 'if' but 'when'.

Ah, I am really inspired now! Except I am trying a two day taper to allow for a true 'race pace' 5k run this saturday. Yes, I said RUN. That might not be the most logical way to celebrate a cycling upgrade, but I have a slight running addiction. I think it won't be as bad once the weather clears up.

But, then Finchford. Racing 50 miles as a cat 3, instead of 35 as a cat 4, excellent. I look forward to racing with all the riders who upgraded right around me last year, as I sort of 'stalled' out at the beginning of last season. Maybe I'm strong, maybe not, who cares, the cat 3 races will be more my speed (I think, I guess I won't know until I get some under my belt).

Bill Ford, fellow team mate, is upgrading to Cat 3 as well. He claims to have 37 points (by his count... suspicious), but by any means, he is definately way past the stage of racing cat 4's. He will probably alternate doing cat 3 and Masters 40+ races.

I will let you know how sunday's race goes, it will be very interesting to see how I debut in this new field of awesome athletes.

Time to do the hustle

This is a cycling blog, but my cross training is part of my racing experience, so I thought I would log an entry about the upcoming 5k road running race I am doing this saturday in muscatine: "The Hayes Hustle". I figure it is short enough that it won't throw off my race the next day in finchford, and will be good preparation for my focus event, the cinco de mayo duathlon, in davenport.

Treadmill running has been saving my sanity this winter, as I can always swap out a ride outside with a run inside when the weather doesn't exactly fit my weekly training plan. I am hoping the run workouts are increasing my VO2 max and keeping my body fat at it's lowest possible percentage.

Some comments I have gotten that show me I am on the right track with my body comp:
1) "You are wasting away, what's going on" - Dean of College, Jeff Armstrong
2) "You are down to your high school weight" - Chad Yocom, Business Partner
3) "You look like a rockstar" - John Anderson - MCC Student President
4) "Don't lose anymore weight, you are getting too skinny" - former girlfriend
5) "The reason you are so cold is because you don't have enought body fat" - fellow cyclist

My goal with running was to get to the point that I looked physically ill, so mission accomplished. Now I can try and do some push-ups or something to add some meat to the bone.

I feel a little like Lance Armstrong going into this 5k race (except he is doing the boston marathon, close enough). I am not going to be competitive in the overall scheme of the run as a race, but I hope to still run fairly fast to show that cyclists are highly fit, regardless of the exact physical endeavor.

I am hoping to run this race in under 20 minutes (which is good considering there is a monster uphill section). That would mean essentially a 6min, 25 second average pace per mile. I should come in top ten if I can pull that off. I will run the first mile in 6 minutes, then hang on from there.

No More Cat Five Racing for Me?

ALTOONA RR -

On the drive up to Altoona this weekend, me and team mate Bill Ford had time to talk about race strategies and possible scenarios. I wasn't aware how large of a race this was, however, and my visions of crossing the line in the top positions were fading as I stepped up to the start with 57 other racers (pre-race jitters).

The altoona race was lots of fun and a great group, it was a good satisfaction to finish well in a 54 mile race. A lot of people (including myself) had crusty salt on their faces and arms, a good sign that we pushed our hydration systems to the max (and that we were overdressed, oh well).

This race was a great fitness test and a competitive field. However, I guess I am finally ready to upgrade, because I just don't feel like I should be racing with beginners/citizens(cat fives) as I head into my 4th year of racing. I am not 100% sure about racing with Cat 3's, but I know I am not interested in anymore 4/5 races, so upgrading is the only way to avoid that.

I finished 6th (unofficially), which isn't great, but not bad either because this was a strong lead group and a blistering fast last quarter mile. The racers ahead of me are planning to upgrade soon (actually bill ford applied for an upgrade today, and jimmy c. and carson c. mentioned they are upgrading soon), so it was essentially some of the same people I will be racing against in the future, if my upgrade is approved.

Teammate Bill Ford finished 2nd overall, finally earning the result that he deserves (well first would have been even more accurate) because he is the current Tuesday Night World Champion in Muscatine.

There are new guidelines for upgrading, I encourage everyone to check them out:
http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=580
The new point tables are much better and include some races that didn't score previously.

So, after doing all the math, I had 27 points. You only need 20 to upgrade and 30 is an automatic upgrade, so I decided to go for it (results still pending),before being called a sandbagger too many more times, ,or asked 'are you going to upgrade?' everytime I finish well or win an event.

Assuming Ric P. gives me the green light, I will be racing the cat 3 race this weekend at finchford instead of the Cat 4. I know a lot of the current cat 3 racers, because I raced/trained with them last year, so I have an idea what to expect. I hope for strong races and anticipate getting dropped from time to time. I am going to thoroughly enjoy this time of racing when I don't have any pressure to succeed because I will be one of the newbies in the race.

Even if I finish last in the next few races, it is within this even more respected racing category, so I will take it all in stride and enjoy the journey.

Upgrading has been my main goal ever since I started winning and placing well in cat four races last summer. A lot of sacrifice and dedication goes into 'making the grade', so I am excited to be this close to making it a reality.

Our racing team will now have a Cat 2 racer and two Cat 3 racers along with some strong Cat 4 competitors. Good times ahead.

I'm an Actor

Well, for whatever reason, I decided to join a theater group here in town to 'broaden my horizons'. I am a video specialist, so I was thinking that meeting actors (and becoming one), would somehow help my future creative endeavors.

So the big show is this weekend, and we have been rehearsing all week. Basically every night, all night, so I have been struggling to get the training in I want. Also, I have been having a huge '4th meal' at around 10pm each night. This seems to be adding a bit of weight to my frame. Acting is actually a bit tiring, so I am exhausted each night when I come home.

As far as cycling goes... I figure working on my acting skills could be a helpful race tactic. I know often fellow racers or tuesday night riders will 'act' like they are too tired to pull or sprint for the sign, but then miraculously muster up a surge of power to win the day. Well, maybe they aren't acting as much as simply lying.

So, I will plan on utilizing my new acting skills and dramatic theatrics out on the race course this year. I can't reveal any of my moves, but the short version is that you won't know which 'character' I am playing on any given day. Here are some possible characters I am working on:

1) Sam (A perpetually over trained athlete, no matter what day it is he has always had a really hard work-out the day before so he won't be able to ride very fast today)

2) Grant (King of the high mileage, don't try to ride more than he does, because he will always be miles ahead of you, and a fierce competitor in races that are 100 miles or longer)

3) Jackson (Stop-ahead sign warrior, not afraid to attack when it is most improper, also not afraid to race to non-existant signs just to maintain his lead in a race that only he has entered in)

4) Jeremiah (The undertrained athlete, always sure to inform everyone how ill-prepared he is for the race or training ride. In this way he has nothing to lose and everything to gain if he inadvertantly does well).

5)Ricardo (The alpha-dog, you can't beat him even if you win the race, because the ladies are waiting for him later that night in the limo ride up to the justin timberlake concert).

6)Alex (the duathlete, he is too cool to race to the stop-signs, because he is also a runner, and only races 'against the clock'. He can't understand how it is considered a race if you draft all day, then do a quick sprint at the end).

7)Randolph (A glutton who rides his bike to make up for all the damage his decadent lifestyle and poor eating/drinking habits would be causing if he didn't try and balance it with exercise, he is often hung-over on rides or possibly even has vodka in is bottle instead of water)

8) Cranston (The crafty yet wise rider, who has many tricks up his sleeves. able to win any race, if he choses with his intelligence and experience, though he isn't usually the strongest).

9) Pepe (More concerned with looking good then riding good. He usually surfaces on rides/races where there will be some sort of female presence. He usually tries to get to the front of the pack at crits where the audience has assembled,then recovers at the back during the rest of circuit. A flat tire, or near-death crash will be a given if he fears he won't place well in the finishing lap).

10) Oscar (Antisocial and mysterious. He seems pissed the whole ride, and not concerned with making any friends, only dominating the field, then doing burn-outs in the parking lot and flipping everyone the bird on his way home)

Well, one of these guys is racing this saturday at altoona, see you then.

Kent Park 2008

Yee haw! It was time to unofficially kick off the 2008 racing season with the Kent Park Spring Classic. This year's race saw 123 participants line up on a cold, but bearable, Sunday Morning, to race 6 laps (just under 4miles/lap) around the rolling hills of Kent Park near Tiffin, IA.

This race marks my 3rd year anniversary of competitive cycling. I entered this race in 2005, with less than a hundred miles of training, and was forever captivated by the challenge of bettering myself as an athlete.

I rode up in the stylin' red Harper's Racing Team Truck, with Bill Ford and Greg Harper. I wasn't able to recruit any team 'Pin-Up Girls' as of yet, so it was just the three of us. For future events, it is my hope that we can have a female entourage ride up to races with us, helping out with such duties as 'pinning-up' the race numbers, offering water hand-ups, cheering us on at check points, post-race massages, etc. I suppose a guy could do all of these duties, but that just isn't how I roll. Applications for these positions are now being accepted.

Ok, I know I am in dreamland with that concept, so on to the race report...

I lined up front in center in the Category 4 grouping, in the 4th tier to start. The referee started each race a few seconds apart, however, most of the racers who aspired to high placings (not just to finish) initiated a full-on sprint to catch up to the main group. So, it was. I sprinted all out, with two other cat 4 racers ahead of me (mike edwards was one of them), until we caught the peleton.
I am not sure how many of the 26 cat 4 racers made it to the main group, but it seemed like almost everyone did, though only 10 of us hung on for the entire race. I caught my breath and prayed that the group didn't accelerate until I had recovered... they didn't.

Wow, here I was, actually in the main group for the first time at Kent Park, I could see the front of the race. I got excited because I felt that one of the most important parts of the race had been accomplished. I celebrated by singing Snoop Dogg's "Ain't nothing but a G-Thang". I pictured the team pin-up girls and me rolling up to the next race in a silver cadillac escalade, champagne glasses filled with Gatorade, chopped up lines of whey protein chillin on a mirror, supplement pills spilling out of our jerseys, GU stained fingers... ahh yeah (ain't nothing but a GU thang?)

The first two laps were a little sketchy for me. Mainly feeling out the race and reminding myself how to best navigate the Kent Park route to achieve the fastest speeds with the least amout of energy used. I eventually found a nice spot near the front of the main group, so the rest of the race was much more comfortable (until the very end of course).

Three, maybe four people had escaped. Looking at the results, it seems like the breakaway had members of each of the larger teams. This is an obvious sign that some team tactics were in play.
Being a category 4 rider, I didn't line up thinking about winning, or even the top 10, so I wasn't really concerened with who was up ahead. I did, however want to try and follow any subsequent attacks, because my odds of finishing well improved with each rider that got dropped due to accelerations (assuming I wasn't one of them).

This course finishes on a steep hill, and each lap this hill got more and more intimidating. The other hills allowed for momentum from the prior downhill to carry riders up portions of the ascent, but this one yielded no such mercy.

I hung well at the front each time across the white line of this hill. Looking behing me, though, the group never seemed to get any smaller. I later learned that there were about 36 riders in this main group for the second half of the race.

Things picked up on the last lap, as expected, and some new faces emerged at the front. Unfortunately for me, I recognized some of the faces as fellow cat 4 racers. I switched my focus from the overall race, to trying to be the first or second cat 4 rider across the line.

This may have been a mistake, because I lost my position at the front as we rolled down the final hill, across the lake and into the uphill sprint. I was so focused on positioning with respect to these Cat 4 riders, that I didn't realize that the racers passing me (though not technically racing against me) would later be obstacles as I climbed the final sprint.

The race came down to position at the bottom of the hill for the 36 riders in this group. Though I had lots of power left, most of it went unspent, as I was navigating my way around those ahead of me that weren't accelarating at the same rate. This isn't an excuse, actually it is what I love about racing bikes. It isn't just fitness, strength, intelligence, tactics, experience, wisdom, endurace, post-race massages, shaven legs, saddle sore maintenance, etc.... it is all these things combined. So I wasn't where I needed to be on the final sprint, my fault... lesson learned.

Midway up the hill I saw team mate Bill Ford. He seemed to be in perfect position for a great finish. I later learned that his chain broke just seconds later, so he had to walk across the line. Even with that he ended up 40th out of 124 and 6th out of 10 Master 40+ racers. Great job.

I ended up taking an outside line, on the far side from the judge. This meant I had to travel extra distance, but it was the only line available, as everyone was agressively charging up the hill. I barreled across the line, knowing that at least 2 cat 4 riders were ahead of me (it ended up being 4).

I came in 5th out of 26 Cat 4 riders, and 17th overall. This is a good result for me, at least considering year's past. It was a blast to race with Cat 1,2 and Master 40/50+ riders. Good experience and confidence for the future.

Thanks to Greg Harper (who came in 2nd in the Master's 40+ race!, awesome) for driving and supporting racing in Muscatine.

Okay, now time to take a week off to recover... Yeah right, it is full-on in april and may, so time to turn it up a notch!

TV Time

Today I had Greg Harper come out the the TV studio here at the College where I work. I produce a weekly Access show called "Musca-T-Time" and thought it would be cool to spend one of the episodes talking about the Local BiCycle Racing Scene...
We talked about a wide range of subjects including: the 2008 racing team, types of racing, training, equipment, recreational rides, RAGBRAI, the Melon City Bike Club.

I am hoping to encourage more people to take up cycling so that it can potentially change their life in ways that has changed mine. Who knows, maybe the next great Tuesday Night World Champion was watching and will show up next week.

Crit Racing at Lake MacBride

To me, Kent Park feels like the unofficial start to the Iowa racing season. It is springtime, and a lot of the upcoming year's racers are in attendance. With that in mind, Sunday's race "The Long and Grinding Road" was positioned as a training race for Kent Park.

This caused a very competitive field, despite the bitter coldness, with 33 riders lining up. I imagine this race would have been even larger if the weather would have been more hospitable. The format of this race turned out to be much like a crit. Except the circuit was slightly longer than a mile and we were doing 2 hours + one lap (instead of 45 minutes). I calculated about 44 miles of total racing. Each lap had an uphill section, a downhill section and a mild headwind section. We ended up doing over 30 laps.

A lot of familiar faces were in attendance, with the exception of a team of three cat 1,2 riders from wisconsin wearing orange jerseys (Great Dane VC). No one knew exactly how to read them, so they ended up adding an excellent element of competition and strategizing to the race.

Because we ended up doing so many laps up the park's incline section, I would say the race favored the lighter rider who likes to attack on hills. As proof to the this I believe the top 5 riders were all under 150 (jim cochran, sean walker, james carrico...).

The wisconsin guys were organized and even had hand signals to communicate their tactics to each other (not to mention matching orange bikes). Jim Cochran ultimately escaped the group and built up a :50 second gap which held for the win. The Wisconsin guys were content to race for second, which they did successfully. We weren't really chasing Jim toward the end of the race. I believe because it seemed like the three guys from GDVC were technically 'obligated' to take on this task.

About one hour into the race is when riders who were still in the main group started to pop. There was a group of around ten, however that held together, despite some pretty quick laps from time to time. There was never a definitive effort to catch the leader, or make another break, but each lap was tense, not knowing if the 'hammer' was going to come down prior to the bell lap.

I was at the front portion of the lead group most of the second half of the race. I just felt comfortable with a certain tempo, and didn't want to be too far back if someone attacked. I dosed out my efforts, focusing more on 'holding back' then 'keeping up'. This is a good sign of fitness for me, because I know last year at this time, I would have been hanging on for dear life.

In the race for second, Sean Walker (and two of the orange Wisconsin guys) attacked hard on the last stretch of the final lap which is an uphill finish. My legs completely popped as I tried to match this acceleration... however, I didn't get passed, though I was basically standing still, because the last lap had spread everyone out, and I had a good gap between the next placed rider. I finished 6th overall, or 2nd out of 11 Cat 4 riders.

I had a lot of momentum at the start of the 2007 season... but some personal issues threw me off track in March and April. I came out of the funk strong, however and began winning cat 4 races mid-summer and into the cyclocross season. So, I am on sort of a mission, picking up where I left off last year at this time.

There are going to be a lot of great races this year, and the skies are only going to get clearer from here! I can't wait to put my baclava (?) up for the season. Man it is hard to look cool wearing a ski mask. If you want to see how cold it was and/or how dorky I looked, there are some pics by Shane Oswald here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/iowa_cycling/

Perfect Pushups

Ok, I know, something just doesn't look quite right with this picture... I mean why am I wearing a helmet to do push-ups? Regardless, I have decided to start an upper body routine patterned off of these push-up gadgets. I recall reading an article where Lance Armstrong was speaking about some of the perks of retirement. He mentioned that he could finally do push-ups. You see, when he was a pro cyclist, having a built upper body really only meant extra weight to carry up the hills of the Tour de France.

Hmmm, I think I can handle a little extra weight, especially in the form of muscle. Though, I did enjoy using this 'dead weight' idea to justify why my free weights gathered dust all summer. The main inspiration though, is the fact that I am involved with the new MUSCATINE MULTISPORT club. And, the gear we are getting is sleeveless, so having a bird chest and pencil arms would be hard to conceal. Below are the templates of the skinsuit I ordered.

I did the navy seal routine sunday, and my triceps and chest are still too sore to workout again. I guess it was a good thing I started acknowledging my upper body. Now, don't look for 'big guns' to emerge from my tri-suit this summer. I am going to do the bare minimum for upper body. After training rides I really just don't feel like pushing myself up and down for multiple sets of 20.

Prairie Rude Days - 2008 Season finally starts

I had trouble sleeping before this one... but as I was tossing and turning I realized where this race's name comes from... Paris Rouibaix. Hmm, funny. Normally this race is run through the sidewalks of the High School campus in Cedar Rapids, but their was too much sand and grit, so we instead did a 5 lap circuit out on the county roads.

If I would have known this the night before, I would have fallen right asleep, because this race format was much less technical and didn't feature the mass sprint at the beginning.

After the first lap I remember thinking, "huh, there isn't really any place to make a break, except maybe on one of the four corners". Then on the very next lap, a very subtle acceleration on an uphill stretch caused a gap. Me, Tracy Thompson and Benjamin Lewise were in this break. Tracy immediately assumed the role of 'coach tater' and gave us suggestions regarding speed. The rest of the race we basically pace lined until the final stretch.

Tracy's first action was to verify that we were each in a different category, in that way, we technically weren't competing against each other. Benjamin informed us that this was his first race. Naturally, my ego kicked in, and I decided I wasn't going to come in third. So, that left 1st overall or second place overall, either of which I was going to be happy with.

I ended up second overall and 1st out of the 6 Category 4 entrants. So technically I won the race that I entered, so the new Harper's Cycling Jerseys have debuted in winning fashion.

I elected to take the plate of chocolate rice krispie treats as my trophy. I completely ate the entire plate by nights end. My gut was stuffed, but this was still better than last year's routine, which would have been to take the 12-pack of Michelob Ultra and finish that off. Though, I suppose the calorie content would be about the same, with the beer, I wouldn't have felt like going to the St. Patrick's day group ride on Sunday...

About that ride...I am not going to comment much about group rides on this blog, but in general, Muscatine has a great line up of cyclists who tear it up on group rides all season long. Without these hard training rides, I wouldn't be able to compete in the regional races. Considering how sparsely populated the greater Muscatine area is, it is fortunate to still have good local competition.

Sunday rides are supposed to be 'easy rides' but we always end up sprinting. We went over to Illinois and had a nice ride. The weather is still cold, so I put on about 10 pounds worth of gear, and felt warm and toasty. It is very hard to go out in cold weather without the morale support of a group, so I am always thrilled to be logging miles when the wind chill is below 40 degrees.

Tiime to start loggin miles

Ok, I guess since the daylight savings adjustment has given us more afterwork light (and less excuses), I have no choice but to start riding outdoors. Don't get me wrong, riding outside is what it is all about, but it is still sort of nasty out. Puddles, mud, windchill, frozen toes, etc.
But this is when we seperate the men from the boys, and the girls from the punk rockers.
I have 110 outdoor miles for the year. I assume I am way behind most serious cyclists, but I have a plan... oh yes, I have a plan and I am exactly on schedule.

I have developed sort of an addiction to jogging on the treadmill, but I have to try and cut that down to once a week. Jogging creates dead powerless legs, sure it helps Cardio and VO2 Max, but nothing trains one for cycling better than cycling.

Our first tuesday night ride reminded me what my season would be like racing against pure cyclists, if I didn't shift my priorities. I was hanging in there, but didn't feel very powerful. So, yes, I took off lots of weight through running, so my power to weight ratio would be improved, except now I have to switch back to getting the power up. When and if this happens, I will be in peak form.

The first 'stop ahead' sign sprint of the year goes to Bill Harper, Congratulations! It is always nice to leave mr. wiford speechless, as he missed his chance to pop the cherry of our virginal tuesday sprint.

Muscatine now has a new Multisport Club, which I am a part of, so I will keep running, but only once a week (assuming I can beat this addiction). I figure I may get creamed on the running portions of duathlons, but should be able to make up time on the bike.

Weekend Romance (I got some HED's)

This weekend seemed like a good time to make some sacrifices (socially and nutritionally), considering that the weather cancelled my racing plans. Even the Trihawks 5k in Iowa City got post-poned due to coldness. So I decided to try and eat sensibly and do some fat-burning type indoor workouts.

In between eating and exercising I was excited to spend time with the newest person in my life, as my new HED JET 60 training/racing wheels had arrived. Being a single guy, I was excited to have someone to hang out with, especially a girl with such sexy aerodynamic curves, and slim profile with just the right sized spokes.

I talked her into letting me take some intimate photos of her. It took awhile to convince her that I wouldn't post these on the internet (oops), but eventually she shed her innertube and posed.

Pretty hot, huh? I got a little artistic with this low-angle shot of her. (Notice she didn't have any tires on, all I had were those recreational 25mm ones, which were too big, so against our better judgement, we opted to go without any rubbers)

Well, needless to say, things ended up in the bedroom. Her she is relaxing on my bed...I am a lucky man.

Then things took a turn on the 'funky side'. Teddy hopped up on the bed. He promised to keep his hands to himself, so I took a quick snapshot, and went into the kitchen to get some accelerade and a protein bar, hoping to refuel a bit.

Much to my surprise, Teddy's attraction for my new Wheelset was too much for him to handle.

I took a couple of photos to use as evidence then kicked his ass. What a jerk.

Fortunately, I had a set of old training wheels down in the basement, so Teddy ended up having a happy ending as well.

Autographed Posters are now available!!!

Proceeds go to the Muscatine "Adopt A Pot Hole" foundation. Thanks for your support!

2008 Jerseys Have Arrived!!! Time to Race.

Yes, it is time to get down to business, our 2008 Team Kits have arrived! I think they look sweet and will provide a fresh start for the 2008 racing season.

These Jerseys will hopefully be seen crossing finish lines in high placings throughout the midwest. As of right now, we have about 11 people on the team, so look for us out on the course in our new gear:

Greg Harper

Bill Ford

Chad Bishop

Tyree Williams

Joe Mann
Robert Hayes
Jon Sulzberger

Bill Harper

Mike Doyle

Eric Henricksen

Lonnie Cook

The Jerseys aren't just for racers,they are for club members & fans as well. In fact, we have several ladies who already have ordered their jerseys.

Speaking of the ladies, Bill Ford is offering specially autographed Jerseys (at a significantly increased price). He will train in them prior to autographing to give the jersey's that authentic 'man smell' that is guaranteed to please any aspiring Harper's Racing Team bike groupies. (females only please)

Yes, I look mean and mad, don't mess with me.

Body Fat

With yet another Race cancelled (Cody Race #1, Mar. 15th), and daily temperatures currently about 20 degrees below the usual average, I am, again, obsessing about body composition.
So, for those who read this blog to keep motivated and educated with respect to cycling here is some new info I am using as guidelines:

Men (% Fat)
Essential Fat 2-4 percent
Athletes 6-13 percent
Fitness 14-17 percent
Acceptable 18-25 percent

So, amateur cyclists should strive to be in the 6 to 13% range. If you are over 40 you can add two percentage points. I have a bodyfat scale, so I keep track of this data.

In general, healthy fat for men is 8 to 19% (up to 39 years) and 11 to 21% (40 to 59 years). So racer or not, being in these numbers reduces the risk of a variety of diseases.

Also, if you want to check your BMI, (Body Mass Index), visit this site and punch in your numbers. Unless you are very muscular you will want to be between 18.5 and 24.9 (don't makes excuses if your BMI is over 25, you are just too fat to perform at your best).
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bminojs.htm

I am about 12.6% body fat right now and BMI is around 23.3 so doing pretty good, just a little fat to trim, then into maintenance mode.

Outdoor Training

I got outside for the second time this year on Sunday, bringing my outdoor mileage total up to about 80 whopping miles for the year. It was windy, but not cold, and our group of four got in some good mileage.

I was very thankful after the workout that I made it to the outdoor group ride, as opposed to doing another indoor routine. I was able to assess my racing fitness, and see where I need some work. Nothing ground breaking, I need some hill work (no real way to get hill training indoors), and endurance (again, I can't stomach going longer than 90minutes on the trainier, so not in much shape for rides that go over 30 miles).

On the plus side, I am light (My morning weight was only 163.6lbs), so the other three guys seemed to roll away from me on the down hill sections (last year at this time, I was the heavy roller). And, I was't as winded as usual due to my cardio work on the treadmill. Also, I was strong on the flat headwind sections, an area I am focusing on due to my time trial aspirations.

Looks like some more crappy weather until the weekend, but at least a lot of the snow has melted.