Velodrome collaspe - pictures.

The Velodrome roof collapsed on boxing day... heavy snow load combined with power failure. 

Here's a link to some photos of the Velodrome post deflation... 

Most likely won't be able to get back in for a month...

Back to the Computrainer...

The weather has warmed up a bit... so even though there is still a lot of snow on the ground it really wouldn't be much fun to go cross country skiing on it... warm, wet, yuck.

But the roads are still like ice canyons (literally, our block is single lane with piles of snow 6-8 feet high on each side...)  and it simply wouldn't be possible to ride a bike (well maybe a mountain bike with really big knobby tires at low pressure...) 

And it's been two weeks, so I'm scheduled to get back to work... so it was Computrainer... Did a simple L2/L3 ride, two hours... 

I was going to go to the track tomorrow.. it was supposed to be open 2-6 Monday and Tuesday.. But apparantly the heavy snow load collapsed the roof on Friday night during the power outage. No idea when it will be re-inflated and open again.. Probably not until the new year. So most likely Computrainer all this week.

Westwood Plateau Nordic Area

Yesterday and today, out with the dogs up at the top of Westwood Plateau.

Fortunately somebody with a snowmobile was out put down a nice track to follow. Off the track it was over two feet deep... The dogs had a great time. Although Lily (a medium sized Weimeraner) had some trouble if she got off the track as the snow was then about level with her back. She tended to let Cervelo (our younger but bigger male Weimaraner) lead the way. 

Snow... More Snow.... Even more Snow,

With two feet of snow and counting.... there was no option... picked up some entry level Nordic cross country ski's at MEC.

Today I put them on outside my garage and ski-toured up my street over to Port Moody's one and only Bert Flinn Nordic Park (who knew, usually we think of it as Bert Flinn Park with it's off leash Dog area and mountain bike trails)... The trails at the upper end (Strong Road) are just about right for beginner ski-touring.. It's been decades (plural,  yes...) so beginner was just about right. Spent two hours out there with one of he dogs. I think he had almost as much fun as I did.

Rumour has it that nordic ski-touring can be just as aerobic as cycling (or more...) I guess you have to get good at it first. The modern equipment is pretty amazing. Waxless ski's. Step in bindings. Light weight. And pretty in-expensive too. Just put it on and go... Then stand up and try again... Repeat ad nauseum...

Kudo's to Ryan Cousineau, I drove by him down by Rocky Point yesterday. He was kitted out in nice retro cycling style and was out trying the trails around Rocky Point... only about -2C and a foot plus of new snow.. I should be so dedicated...

With luck should be able to get a couple of days in at the track next week. It is supposed to be open for two training days between X-mas and New Years.

Update - holiday baking 5, me 0

Just over a week off the bike and the wifes holiday baking is winning.... up about 5 lbs... 

For some alternate advice for the holidays.... see here.

BVC Friday Racing - A/B again arghhh...

Another Friday nights racing spent chasing the A's...

Three races with 5 A's and 12(?) B's... Stewart Bowmer actually managed to get a 5th in the Elimination race... 

Other than that it was a shutout... Us B's might as well not have started the races... We certainly didn't affect the outcomes...

This chart shows the 5x10 points race we finished with... I averaged 47km/h... and I was lapped at least twice by the A's... I did manage to get onto them for about 20 laps when they lapped me the first time... Almost even got a 4th in one of the sprints... My best race of the night :-(

Anyway, overall it didn't affect the B's overall points... So it looks like Ben Cowburn will take 1st overall for the series. I'll take second. Anthony King third.

So now it's a couple of weeks off the bike.. I'm hoping to get up to Whistler and try out the new Peak-2-Peak Gondola. My son Ryan was up there today for the opening. He was skiing Whistler and went over to Blackcomb for a coffee and was back in 30 minutes... He says it is an incredible ride...  4.4km in length with 3km in the unsupported center span. You are 400m above the valley floor in the middle. Apparantly 2 of the 26 Gonodolas will have glass bottoms.. :-)

In April 1975 I ski-toured with a small party from the current Blackcomb lodge location to Whistler via what is called the Hortsman Traverse... took us 10 days... Now it's 11 minutes... 

BVC Workout - L2

Easy night at the velodrome....

Just did a mostly L2 workout. A bit of L3/L4 in the middle. 

Mostly just tapering for Friday night. Then two weeks off...

BVC Friday Racing - absolutely nothing

Big and fast A/B field (5 A's, 14 B's)..

Lot's of much too fast racing for me... "Resting" pace of 48-49 km/h... :-(

I just didn't have the legs to keep up... and to make it worse I was on my old training wheel on the back as the Zipp disc has a flat... (I figure that the disc is good for about 30 watts at those speeds... in other words, I have to put out 30 watts more on the training wheel at the same speed..)

Anyway... good training... but not much fun. On the other hand I don't think the other B's where making much headway either...  Boris Martin managed a 3rd in the 60 lap Scratch race.. Steph Roorda a 5th in the 4x10 Points and Matt DeLuco a 5th in the Elimination...

Today I spent two hours on the Computrainer (drizzle at 2-4C not my idea of suitable training weather...) mostly L2 pace.

Next Friday is the last of the Fall Friday nighters... then two weeks off the bike.