VR trainer progress

Py's VR trainer tools are going wireless using ANT+ Sports. Now also displaying CAD & HR together with virtual speed, grade, rider moving on 3D terrain and more:

PS: One week later than expected, but cast off and all pins out -- what a re leave :-) Well, some PT on schedule to work out this week fingers and more or less fully stiff wrist and thumb.....

Cross Training and fun

26.3" of snow, that is the official number the Blizzard 2009 of last Saturday dropped in the Island -- a one night record since recording at Upton!

Not that Py was prepared, but alway wanted to own his own XC ski setup, so he quickly managed to get one and next day headed out for a test and then checked out Wildwood SP for some really nice lap of XC with a friend. Amazing good condition for this Island!

And on his way home he picked up a Bird Feeder and some food for the Tweeties, and installed it at home. A little unconventional 3-Point suspended construction to prevent swinging.

And sure, he picked a strategic good spot to conveniently watch the tweeties from his couch :-)

First visitor, looks like a woodpecker:

Blizzard turns Long Island into a true Winter Wonder Land

Not unexpected, but still a good surprise in the morning. Freezing temperatues, high blowing winds with a lot of snow turned Long Island into a White Winter Wonder Land -- just over night about 2ft fresh powder and much more where it got piled up by the wind. Py's porch screen door, it steps down usually, was just about to be still pushed open...

Now, some still one handed shovel job of this fluffy stuff... took a while, but he picked the best part of the day between 9am an noon, a few sun rays made it down while working the way to the gate.

Inside clear to open and clear out the rest...

It's these days, the big and small SUVs with 4WD + Tracing Control rock :-)

RP2IPBP - the return just before the blizzard

Py needed to get moving again, some improvisations and go...

Well, major issue was to find a working combination of bike outfit fitting over this damn cast contraption. Some last minute looking and goofin around, and a working combination was found and on after some struggling.
Just good in time to Tildas, meeting Doug and a few more riders shown, also Owen stopped by on a different ride mission to say hello.
Starting out with four riders, one more joined a minute later and the five were on a go. Py still undecided if he would do it or cut off short -- what would be trouble some in case of a flat.... riding worked out quite well, just a bit uncomfy and little less great bike control. Decided to go for it. One of the riders took off 3/4 out east on a different route and G went back just before Doctors.
The remaining three proceeded East and finished Doctors but skipped the out and back part to the beach, just nasty cold wind. Water was getting icy...

Water was getting slushy... time to get back, good moving, back before noon and just before the first flurries started coming down. -- Let the blizzard hit now.

Felt really good the fresh air on known route -- 74km -- 2h30 -- 10 WPts :-)

Recovering from wrist surgery, porch trainer rides, getting inventive

More missed real rides, a great day, even very cold and windy. Still recovering from surgery. And what really makes Py a bit unhappy and concerned, is that his thumb -- it was perfectly fine before surgery -- still is almost fixed, little numbish, kind of blueish and feels funny, a bit like a sleep. However, he hopes it is "only" these dumb (potentially useless???) pins into his distal radius... well, counting down, 9 days more suffering until the next hopefully much better phase of recovery with pins out.

In the mean while, trying his best to hang on.... with boring hours on now his own new trainer, big thx to Craig for lending him his previously. Well, while spinning along on the porch, he made up all kind of ideas how to improve the situation and make it more interesting and meaningful.

First step to his own home add-on Computer-DSP-Trainer with Power reading and more numbers of interest, including climbing data such as elevation and a virtual computed speed at grades other than 0%:

Today, a first real 1 hour test ride with DSP/Computer attached. Average Power of 206 Watts, several 2 minute intervals at 300W (well, that starts to hurt) and a few burst tests (little hard/unstable free hand) but got up to about 650W for short periods.

Work in progress, adding the virtual ride using 3D scenery via Google Earth hookup to this system.... stay tuned here for his progress on this. Nothing is impossible, adding more riders, real or simulated, draft, wind.....

Turkey Day -- grey and drizzly -- best of WLSCC

Not the greatest conditions outdoors lately, even worse today. Even Py can not go out ride either way, but still, it feels depressing, dark and grey, wet. What-so-ever, good enough for the >porch rider< -- while listening to his favorite Radio Station from oversea, imagining some better scenery, putting in a set of longer virtual climbs, he managed to stay record breaking 91 minutes on it...

* * * W L S C C weekend Photo Review * * *
notes on Py's photography: one-handed camera operation this time + video same time, using tripod; due to low light most the time use of fixed 50mm f1.4 lens (x1.5 DSLR) for best results avoiding the use of speed light for the riders well being :-)

* Day 1 *

- Men 2/3/4 Saturday -

in here, Bib# lookup via USA Cycling results
90: Cort Cramer, 96: Tadeusz Marszalek, 100: Todd McLoughlin,
49: Mike Festa, 85: Dave Trimble, 45: Mark Broadwater,
73: Brian Wolff, 76: Robert Wolff

- Women - Elite - Uci, Saturday -

in here, Bib# lookup via USA Cycling results
just a few of the top womens
4: Amy Dombroski, 6: Kelli Emmett, 23: Georgia Gould, 2: Laura Van Gilder,
3: Mary McConneloug, 1: Natasha Elliott, 22: Maureen Bruno Roy



- Men - Elite - Uci, Saturday -

in here, Bib# lookup via USA Cycling results
just a few of the top men
1: Timothy Johnson, 3: Jeremy Powers, 2: James Driscoll, 4: Ryan Trebon,
5: Christopher Jones, 12: Adam Craig, 10: Michael Garrigan




* Day 2 *

- Women - Elite - Uci, Sunday -

in here, Bib# lookup via USA Cycling results
just a few of the top womens
4: Amy Dombroski, 23: Georgia Gould, 6: Kelli Emmett, 6: Kelli Emmett,
2: Laura Van Gilder, 3: Mary McConneloug, 1: Natasha Elliott, 7: Sara Bresnick-Zocchi




- Men - Elite - Uci, Sunday -

in here, Bib# lookup via USA Cycling results
just a few of the top men:

1: Timothy Johnson, 3: Jeremy Powers, 2: James Driscoll, 12: Adam Craig,
9: Valentin Scherz, 4: Ryan Trebon, 5: Christopher Jones,
7: Joachim Parbo, 17: Tyler Trace