top view...

to better show its actual contour.

co2 vent

the hood

Training 12-30-12

Folsom Canal, 44.5 miles. QuestXS (foothole covers). 21.8mph average.

Training 12-28-12

Folsom Canal, 44.5 miles. QuestXS (foothole covers). 23.7mph average.

and more...

cont...

hood under construction

I started on the hood and have the base finished. I made a full flange to fit into the cockpit opening so it stays on without fasteners.

Training 12-26-12

Folsom Canal, 44.5 miles. QuestXS (foothole covers, hood base). 22.6mph average.

Training 12-24-12

Folsom Canal, 55.5 miles. QuestXS (foothole covers). 25.4mph average.

Training 12-21-12

Folsom Canal, 44.5 miles. QuestXS (foothole covers). 22.2mph average. Wind and rain.

Kevlar foothole covers

Training 12-19-12

Folsom Canal, 44.5 miles. QuestXS (foothole covers). 23mph average. I used the same easy effort as last ride. The foothole covers work. They're 2" convex so I suspect they increase air pressure at the wheel well. My next project will be to make inner wheel well covers.

Training 12-17-12

Folsom Canal, 44.5 miles. QuestXS (open cockpit). 21.0mph average. This ride was done at a health-inducing ~50% effort. I have a sneaking suspicion, just as I did back when I was riding every other day and alternating 50 and 70% days, that training exclusively at this (50%) intensity might be the best possible way for me to achieve maximum race fitness. I call it Under-the-Radar-Training (URT) as opposed to what I have been doing lately, Hardly-Under-the-Radar-Training (HURT). By under the radar I'm referring to the endocrine system. Training above a certain intensity causes a rise in the production of anabolic hormones. That's great for a while until the pendulum swings the other way in the body's effort to maintain homeostasis. With my old body that return swing comes pretty quickly. Since I don't have access to a time machine and am unwilling to use drugs to counter the catabolic onslaught I think I'll try sticking with 50% and not swinging the pendulum; just focus on maximum health and when race day comes just go kamikaze-style. Another way I'm reducing stress is going back to riding on the Folsom Canal Trail. Thoughts of not wanting to deal with traffic have been entering my mind and that's a sign of overtraining for me. Also, I put the 140mm cranks back on. After the previous two rides I've been feeling a little knee pain. Too much intensity probably caused some of that but even though I raised the bottom bracket I still feel it needs to be raised another two inches. As it is, with the increased range of motion my knee angle is too acute at the top of the stroke.

Training 12-15-12

Galt, 30 miles. QuestXS (open cockpit). 20.7mph average. I rode the first ten miles at my usual-of-late pace and then it finally hit me that I need some easy ride time so I took it easy the rest of the way. I've been way too focused on the manhood validator (aka the speedometer). I'm turning into one of those tiny-balled dipshits who shoot their miniscule wad every ride and wonder why they never have any race fitness (am I angry much?-- another sign). I need to relearn how to wear a 20mph average speed as a badge of honor, instead of being such a douche, and go back to the days where I was torn between fearing that I was going too slow to possibly build fitness and feeling like a smug mofo who thought he knew something others didn't by doing so. In other news, I was able to raise the bottom bracket 3/4" again. I had to cut off the ends of my shoes to make it work. They still rubbed a little but I have some extra room to trim.

Training 12-14-12

Galt, 30 miles. QuestXS (open cockpit). 24.8mph average. 3000(+) calories isn't going to cut it. I had to eat more last night. Ahh, screw it, my training isn't going to tolerate caloric deficits for any amount of time. Besides, I still weigh the same as I did in high school. I was heavier than I am now when I was riding the dual-20 FWD and setting training course records. I need to give up on my poseur dreams.

Training 12-13-12

Rancho Murieta (long course), 29 miles. QuestXS (open cockpit). 24.1mph average. I was slower than expected. I had a 23.1mph average at the turnaround point. My best on the tailfaired, dual-20 FWD was 26.0mph at that point. I'm wary of the fact that I'm doing a lot of moderate powered rides without any easy ones. This is the first year I've ever trained like that. I may be killing my aerobic top end by doing that. When I was riding the dual-20 FWD I was alternating harder and easy rides for six days per week. It would probably serve me well to do that again and keep my average speed below 22mph on slow days. That's probably what I SHOULD do. I'll see how I feel tomorrow. I don't want to hold myself back if I don't feel like it. Another way I can look at it could be that this is winter base training and I should only concern myself with putting in work and not concern myself with my aerobic top end at this time. Then when race season comes I can start taking steps backward to get a running jump to race fitness. These mild beatings I'm taking on an almost daily basis might actually be saving me from myself by preventing me from flying too close to the sun when it doesn't matter. After all, I did burn out when I was riding the dual-20 FWD. I was flying high, breaking training records, then suddenly crashing like Icarus. Even though I'm not exhibiting record-breaking fitness I feel pretty good.

Training 12-11-12

Galt, 30 miles. QuestXS (open cockpit). 25.0mph average. Each day with the long cranks I feel I'm using more hamstring and less quad. It sure seems like the best way for me to get speed with the velomobile is to over-gear, almost bogging down, and digging my way out of the hole with my hamstrings, slowly accelerating up to higher than normal (with traditional pedaling technique) speed. Once there it's pretty easy to stay on top of it even though it almost feels more like a weightlifting exercise than cycling. I blew my diet last night. I guess 2300 calories is too low for what I'm doing. My blood-sugar crashed and my body told me to eat now and eat a lot. So I did. That's two small steps forward and one big, Neil Armstrong-step back for fatkind. Oh well, I don't feel bad. It was one of those cases where if I did manage to fight the urge I would definitely burn more muscle than fat. Anyway, I'm going to add two cups of oatmeal and three tablespoons of sugar to my daily diet. That'll put me a little over 3000 calories.

Training 12-10-12

Galt, 30 miles. QuestXS (open cockpit). 24.4mph average. I'm still running a caloric deficit. Today's ride was entirely on fumes. I'm on a strict diet and passed my first test by declining a plate of baked goodies after my ride today. My diet consists of a dozen eggs fried in butter and a half-gallon of 2% milk. That's about 2300 calories per day. I also take a multi-vitamin/mineral and extra vitamin E and a gram of vitamin C. I've been fickle about my body weight over the past few years because I wasn't convinced that losing weight would help for the kind of cycling I do. I've done relatively well weighing 200lbs or 170lbs. My first three trike TT's this year, the first time I've raced in the closed position, suggested that being lighter is the way to go as I was sucking wind. My legs had an aerobic capacity higher than my heart and lungs could supply. Losing a bunch of unnecessary mass should help in that regard. It'll probably help summertime velomobile riding, as well, being less of a sweat hog.

Training 12-9-12

Galt, 30 miles. QuestXS (open cockpit). 24.2mph average. I feel my quads working a little more than I'd like. That's due to having to put the bottom bracket down to the original height and the extra knee bend. But, it's a new range of motion for my quads so hopefully it will go away on it's own. If not, there's always the foot holes in the lid option. I ran a significant caloric deficit yesterday-- probably 1500 calories under maintenance. I've been pretty much on a surplus every day until now.

Training 12-8-12

Rancho Murieta (short course, plus), 30 miles. QuestXS (open cockpit). 23.8mph average for the RM portion. I felt slow today. That's probably because I had to contend with the extra damage caused by the longer cranks.

Training 12-6-12

Galt, 30 miles. QuestXS (open cockpit). 24.2mph average. Given the change in crank length and the two harder rides earlier in the week I figured I'd be doing an easier 22mph ride. The long cranks feel so much better for my body position in the velo. I like the longer time under load per cycle along with the reduction in cadence.

Operation Long-crank

Thanks to my new seat I was able to install 170mm cranks. I had to elongate the foot holes in the back. With the 140's I can't tax my heart and lungs to the max aerobically. I know from my TT's this year that I can with the 170's. I feel my heart and lungs have the most room for improvement so that is the area I want to stress.

Training 12-4-12

Galt, 30 miles. QuestXS (open cockpit). 24.6mph average.

Training 12-3-12

Rancho Murieta-Ione, 48 miles. QuestXS (open cockpit). 26.0mph average. At the shooting range at 19 miles, which was my old test destination, my average speed was 24.8mph. As a comparison I've done 24mph on my first, steel, dual-700 highracer and 25.1 on my Fogcom steel lowracer. At the turnaround point of today's ride I had a 25mph average. I'm coming to the conclusion that in the 20's the open, un-aerodynamically enhanced Quest has little advantage over a good racing recumbent bike. Once I hit 30 it's a whole different ballgame and then it's not even close. I finished today's ride cruising at 32mph. My Coastdown Hill speed was 41.4mph today (done, as usual, with a 25mph run-up). My new seat works fine. It's much stiffer than stock and takes up much less room.