Aug 2008

If you are a regular reader of my blog (that is if I have any regular readers left) you may have noticed a lack of blog entries. August was an extremely busy month for the Steele family.

The first weekend, I put aside the road bike and competed in a mountain bike race at Koaloa ranch. Koaloa ranch is a very popular tourist destination on the Windward side of Oahu where they have filmed several movies and TV shoes including Lost and Jurassic Park. It is nestled in a beautiful valley . The race included significant climbing on Jeep roads followed by some technical single track. This year my fitness level is definitely on track but all of my bike miles have been on the road bike. I started the race in the front of the pack climbing the hills feeling pretty strong. That all changed when we left the hills for the single track. I was definitely a fish out of water. When we lived in CA I was the King of the Single track riding the most technical trails with no problem. Not now. I was timid. I kept telling myself the advice I used to tell my friends "momentum is your friend" but couldn't force myself to listen to it. I kept stopping to walk over the technical sections. Needless to say the guys I left in the dust on the climbs did the same to me on the single track. Each lap I would pass a bunch of guys on the climbs only to have them pass me on the single track. I ended up in 9th place overall and 3rd in my age group.

The week of 10 -16 Aug was full of activity. At work we held our annual Manpower Conference which my office was responsible for setting up and at home, Stephanie had her College Graduation at HPU. Normally I wouldn't have been that excited by the conference by one of my best friends Curt was attending as our Career Field functional Manager. Curt arrived on the 10th. I picked him up at the airport and had him come over for supper. Ben graciously let me borrow his mtn bike and golf clubs for Curt to use. We were able to play golf and work in a bike ride between the conference.

Mom and Gina arrived on Wednesday for Stephanie's graduation. Stephanie really appreciated them coming since her graduation was kind of short notice. She originally planed on finishing in January but she was able to squeeze in a few more classes so she could walk in August. It was so great to see her walk across the stage. You could tell she was proud of herself as we were proud of her. The ceremony was held in the Waikiki shell, which was a beautiful. It was too late after the ceremony so we decided to have the traditional graduation dinner Saturday at the Hale Koa after going to the outdoor Mass.

To close out the month, I competed in the Annual Dick Evans Memorial Race. This ride has been going on since 1983 to remember a Cycling Ledgand who was killed while riding his bike in Honolulu. The race circles the island for 112 miles. We lined up in Hawaii Kai at 0545 and started with a police escorted trip across Honolulu. the first 30 miles was considered neutral as we tooled along at 20 miles per hour. It was great rolling through the stop lights. It took only 20 minutes to get from Ward Center to the Kuntz gate turn off. It can take as long as 90 minutes in a car. Once we got to Kunia road, the real race started as we climbed the hill. I kept telling myself what John Girmsey said about keeping with the lead group up the hill and was able to hold on. I was so glad I listened to John as I was able to recover as the lead pack dropped the tempo after the climb. I was feeling pretty good on the flat part of Kam Highway and decided to stay in the front of the pack. This was not good strategy as I used way too much energy. I was towards the back of the pack at the last water station and failed to make the break as the group attacked up the hill. I stayed in the chase group and we were able to catch up just as we hit the second long climb between Koneohe and Kailua. That is where I fell off for good. My legs were cramping and I barely made it up the hill. Luckily Casey came up behind me and he, I and another guy traded pulls until we almost caught the chase group just as they headed up another hilly section. Casey ended up getting a flat so I had to solo it into Wiamanolo until Shanon and another rider caught up with me. I stayed on their wheels until we hit the Makupu climb where my cramps started up again. I managed to ride all the way up the hill but couldn't keep Shanon's wheel. I was able to finish but had both legs literally freeze up with cramps after I crossed the finish line. My original goal was top 25. I finished 26th or 27th depending on where you look. Next year I may not be as strong but at least I will be much smarter.

I guess it is about time for a new post

My cousin Marci, her Husband Joel and her boys came for a visit last week. We had a great time introducing them to the pleasure of Island Life and the Tour De France. Marci has two boys Avery and Chanse. Avery is 15 and Chanse will be 8 on Marci and My Mom's (twins) birthday9 Aug 08. The boys really enjoyed the Beaches. We visited the Hickam Beach several times and also spent time on Sunset, Waikiki, and Kailua. I tried to convince Chanse that the Tour De France was the best thing on TV but he still preferred Sponge bob.

The Friday after they arrived, they went to the Hickam Beach in the afternoon while I was at work. The Top 3 club was hosting a party at the Beach so we decided to go to it. Part of the entertainment was a jousting stage. Joel, Avery and I signed up. I got beat in the 1st round by Avery then they needed another competitor so they let me joust against Joel. I won that one and had to take on Avery. By this time I was starting to figure the trick was to push instead of hit. I was able to beat Avery the second time but he landed one hit squarely on my shoulder which I injured in may. I was able to continue to joust and won an ipod shuffle. Marci and Chris both won $25.00 gift certificates and we all ate for free. I guess I got my $10.00 annual dues worth.

I took Monday and Tuesday off and we went all over Oahu. We found a nice hike through the rain forest while driving around on Saturday. We went back and hiked it Monday. Afterwards we drove to Tantalus Lookout and to punchbowl national cemetery. They also squeezed in a Luau, a trip to the Arizona Memorial and a shopping excursion to Waikiki. We hated to see them go on Thursday as we had a great time during their visit.

Yesterday, I raced in the Boca Stage Race road race. Courtney's Birthday is today so i didn't race in the other stages. I have had a cold coming on the last few days so I wasn't sure how I would do. The course was a 3.5 mile loop that started with a decent then had 3 climbs on the back side, the last leading towards the finish. My goal was to stay in the lead group as long as I could. The first lap was neutral then the pace picked up. Each lap we would hit it hard on the uphills and rest on the decent. There were 10-12 of us in the front group. On one of the Middle loops I gunned it on the last climb and got about a 100 meter gap on the rest of the lead group. I held it through the decent but slowed abit because I didn't want to fight the wind alone. I was hoping to break up the group up a bit as they accelerated to catch me. On they next uphill section, a couple of guys made a break for it. I bridged up and brought another rider with me. We stayed ahead again but were caught on the decent. The breakaway and bridge took it's toll as I could tell my legs were sore on the uphill section. I was able to hang on with the front which slowly started to chip away riders. The bell lap we were down to 5 riders. I took a pull on the section leading up to the last climb but was passed on the climb by 3 riders. I hang on for 4th place out of a field of 35 riders. I felt pretty happy with my results. After the race, I went to Momentum and had the bike tuned then headed home. We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for Courtney's Birthday. Courtney had 5 girls over for a party and 3 stayed the night. I think they had a great time because they were up until 430 in the morning. Today we are going to celebrate her birthday with just the family.

Would ah, Could ah, Should ah: DIDN'T: Kalaeloa Crit

Sunday's Kalaeloa Crit was my best opportunity this year for a win. The course was perfectly suited to my riding. The short straights kept the pace to a level where I could hold on to the front and still keep a little reserved for the final sprint. Unfortunately, I let myself get boxed in on the back stretch had to wait too long to start my sprint. At the Hickam Crit, I needed the finish line to be about 10 yrds closer, for Kalaeloa I needed it to be about 10 yrds farther. I placed 5th overall in the 4/5 race and recieved my 3rd, 2nd place State Medal for the 4/5 41-45 yr olds. I also placed 7th in the miss and out race, 2 laps short of a prize.

This was the most enjoyable race of the season so far. There were alot of families watching giving it a real family atmosphere. The Cambrio team bbqed some hot dogs and great burgers and were sharing with all the teams. Thanks to all the HACC volunteers and John for making it happen.

Check out Bennie's great pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/gadawgs05/HickamAreaCylingClubCrit

It is the Most Wonderful Time of The Year

Some folks can't wait for the 4th of July weekend because of the fireworks, picnics and parades. Although I enjoy these things, the 4th of July Weekend starts for me the best three weeks of television of the year. There is something special about being able to turn the
TV to Verses almost any time of the day and watch cycling. I get up in the morning and get to listen to Phil Liggett for the beginning of the day's stage. At lunch, I get to catch the finish again with Phil. When I get home, I get to listen to Bob (Bobke) Roll cover the race. If I miss any of it, I can catch it again before I go to bed. That is the way TV was meant to be./

Fourth of July Weekend

After the 80 miler on Thursday, we took the 4th off from the bikes. I slept in until 0800 then we all headed to Wright Bro's for breakfast. After Breakfast, Heather, Chris and I took Ginger on a nice walk along Pearl Harbor. We had tickets for Bay Fest so we cooked out in the afternoon. Bayfest was a blast. I really enjoyed the Little Big Town concert. I have always enjoyed their music I just didn't realize how many good song they released. I think I knew the words to everyone of the songs they played.

Rodney Adkins was the main act. We got to see him last year at the College World Series. I enjoyed the show. My only complaint was that he played almost the same set as he did last year. I guess when you are a new singer, you only have so many songs you can play. After the concern, we watched a great fire works display.

Saturday morning Heather and I did a 30 mile ride around Hickam, Pearl and Ford Island.

When we got to Ford, I did some 30 second intervals while Heather rode around at a moderate pace. My goal was to lap her in 20 minutes of intervals. Luckily she started to get board and slowed down so I caught her on the final interval. On the way home, my blue tooth head set fell out of my ear. Several cars passed us and the last nudged it into the other lane. Luckily it still worked.

Later in the afternoon, Chris, Heather and I headed to the northshore to sunset beach. The surf was pretty strong which made me regret not bringing a boogy board. I did get to do some snorkeling and swimming and had a good time playing in the waves. The whole family went to JR Rockers for supper.

After Church on Sunday We ventured out west and hiked to kaena point. Most tourist don't venture out that way due to the rough nature of the area. I find it to be one of the most beautiful areas of the island. The hike wasn't too bad until we got to a section where the old road was washed out and we had to scale a cliff using a nylon rope. Chris and Ginger were both pretty exhausted for the return so Courtney, Heather and I ran back and got the Jeep. It was nice getting to do a little four wheeling. I haven't had it off road since last summer on my dads farm.

We got home around 6 tired and hungry. I cooked some ribs out on the grill and we ate around 8. Heather had to do most of her packing. It was after midnight when I went to bed and I didn't want to go to work at all. Most of all we were pretty sad today because Heather headed back to Illinois. She wanted to get back before the rest of the student's returned so she could find a job on campus. The worst part of being here is the fact that we don't get to see much of her. At least when she is here we make the most of it.

Ride to Kailua and Back

This morning Heather and I got up early to join the HACC for the initial part of the Scott Kimsey going away round the island ride. We were running a little late so everyone was eager to go when we arrived. I was surprised that so many people showed up for the ride. Unfortunately the guest of honor wasn't one of them. His new job plans got shifted to the fall and he had to take care of some personal business. Fortunately for us, he will be able to do a few more HACC rides before he heads to the mainland.

The traffic was pretty heavy on Nimitz until we passed the sand island turn off. Marianne ended up getting a Flat at the same spot that Jim Phillips did on my birthday ride. It looked like a NASCAR pit crew as several pitched in to fix her flat. We were quickly We fixed her flat.




The traffic lighten up has we headed down Waikiki and up around diamond head. We added some miles by going through Portlock and taking the Waimanalo bi-pass. As we headed into Kialua we had to stop for some road construction. Unfortunately a couple of the riders got tangled up and hit the pavement damaging their wheels. Luckily no one was hurt too bad and a few calls to spouses were made for pickups. We refueled at the little market/coffee stop on Kailua Beach then Heather, Marianne and I headed back the way we came from. The ride back was very nice. It is a little easier to navigate with 3 riders than it is with the large group. Heather did amazingly well considering she has ridden less than 100 miles prior to this ride in the last year. Traffic picked up and Nimitz was kind of hairy but we made it back all in one piece with 81 miles under our belt. After words Ben brought his puppy by and Ginger and her had fun playing. We went to the Hickam beach then we are heading out for Pizza. Not too bad for a family day.

State Champianship Road Race

Here is a great Picture Ben took of our family at my Graduation

Sunday Morning Heather and I got up at 0530 to head to the North Shore for the Pineapple Hill Hawaii State Road Championship. The HACC had to provide a wheel truck and Heather volunteered to drive. Unfortunately she drove for the 123 race and didn't get to see me race.
The first part of the race is a down hill section that we ride every Saturday called Snake hill. I was glad to have the experience with the road as we were headed down it in a tight pack going 35 + miles per hour. It was nice knowing were all the bad spots were in the road. At one point I looked down at my computer and I was going 47 mph. My strategy was to hang in the middle of the pack during the down hill and conserve for the climb. When we got to the bottom of Pineapple Road it went up to the front and did a hard pull. I knew I couldn't hold the pace for too long so I eased back as a group of riders passed. I was able to hold on with the front group of 15 or so riders. Bryant and I were the only HACCers in the front pack. Luckily the pace slowed as we road at the top of pineapple through to the feed zone. It was nice being down to only 10 riders for the fast decent. At the bottom of Pineapple Hill, one of the riders took off, Bryant and 2 others were able to keep his wheel and the rest of the pack split off the back. Unfortunately I was in the back of the pack with the split happened and couldn't get up to the front group. I joined up with 5 other riders and formed a chase group. We worked very well together but couldn't catch the front group. We stayed together for the final climb until we turned off on snake road. A couple of riders took off. I was able to catch their wheel and tried to sprint around them hoping to out sprint the group. As I tried to sprint, my legs turned to jello and 3 of the riders passed me. Bryant placed 2nd and I ended up getting 8th in the 4/5 race, but 2nd in my age category for my 3rd State championship medal which unfortunately I managed to lose between the race and my house. Not to bad for my first year or racing on the island. John Girmsey won the gold master's race by quite a margin. Shannon Cutting placed second in the Women's race. Again the HACC did very well.
The new bike was great. It was so nice having crisp shifting. I put new Keo pedals and was having some pain in my left knee. Heather and I rode down to Momentum and Biz tweaked the fit a little which seemed to take care of it as the knee didn't bother me at all during the race.

Heather has been doing a pretty intense workout for her softball off season. The workout involves sprinting, jumping and an occasional 1.5 mile run. She runs her 1.5 in the 11 minute range but hasn't tried any longer runs. We decided to see how far she could run at a 10 minute pace. We started running laps at the track so we could watch our pace. After 6 laps we were getting board so we decided to do the big loop. After the big loop we finished with a 9 minute mile on the track. I was very impressed that someone who hasn't ran more than 1.5 miles at a time could knock out a nice 4 + mile run finishing with a faster mile than her first. After her college softball career is over, she is going to make a heck of an aerobic athlete. I am sending her my old road bike so she can ride it at school.