kjtsuda

On a mission to get fast, and the stories that come with it. Kenny - Denver/San Jose

[kjtsuda-blog]

Kenda Cup/US Cup Bonelli race report: I'm happy to say the first big XC race of the season is over. I was really excited to see where my form and fitness was at, coming off of a very good training block and off season. It was also my first cat 2 race after being upgraded last year. I've always really liked the bonelli course, the rough technical descents, and short steep punchy climbs suit me pretty well. In the first lap, I put a big attack in on the first climb, and went off the front with one other guy, and we ended the lap with about a 3min lead. During the second lap, we worked together and grew the lead to 4-5minutes. We had a few guys try to bridge the gap to us, but we're not able to hold on. We both knew it was most likely going to come down to a sprint finish to determine 1st and 2nd. We both were launching attacks on eachother, but both of us were able to respond, and neither of us were able to shake the other person. Half way through the last lap, we started lapping some of the guys at the tail end of the pack, and that's when I ran into trouble. Derek (the guy I was leading with) and I were making a pass on the fastest descent of the course, and Derek passed the guy clean, but when I went to pass him, the guy made a suddenly swerve and clipped my front wheel, sending me over the bars and 5ft over the edge of the trail. I landed in some fallen tree stumps, and was stuck upside down for about 30seconds trying to get out. Once I got up, Derek was long gone, and I hopped back on the bike and salvaged what I could of the race. I took a really hard blow to my right quad, rendering my right leg useless. It felt like the worst dead leg I have ever gotten. I spend the rest of the last lap, powered by one leg, and I ended up getting caught by the third place guy, 20ft from the line. I ended with a 3rd place trophy for the day, a cut up speedsuit, and I really sore body. Unfortunate I went down in the last lap and lost my chance at the win, but I am happy with my form and fitness. It's a good feeling to be at the front of a race controlling at setting the pace, rather than riding someone else's pace

[thespecializeddigest]

30,000 miles, 5 countries, 3 teams, 7 crashes, and 100 races quantify my experience, my love affair with this sport. The dozens of shoes, jerseys, helmets, sunglasses, and the 9 bikes I’ve owned are the tools. As tools, they began as well designed mass produced objects of function. And like the best tools they become better through work. By the end of the first season, they are uniquely mine. The indents and folds hold my hands and feet perfectly. The scuffs and scratches tell a story that has been earned.  White leather, gleaming paint, bright tape, out of the box and off the rack–the new tools. These are the blank pads where we write our experience out. We use them and they become treasures, one in a few thousand miles.

Dylan

[kjtsuda-blog]

Super stoked the first XC race of my season is this weekend. With the trails being muddy from yesterday's rain, I kept the knobby tires on the Tarmac. The last couple weeks have been a solid block of training, so this week is all about priming the legs for the weekend. Also, I'm finally running a 34t front chainring like a big boy.

[kjtsuda-blog]

WARMUP | kicking of the 2016 race season with the Seaside Circuit race #audi #cycling #iamspecialized

[kjtsuda-blog]

I forget how fun it is to get caught out in the rain. Lately I've been trying to avoid the rain, but getting caught in a downpour on the crux, while charging through mud and rain was too much fun. #squishysocks #audicyclingteambayarea #wintercycling #cycling #iamspecialized

[kjtsuda-blog]

Red rocks and Dino footprints

[thespecializeddigest]

LAST CALL FOR FALL It felt and looked like early September this past November weekend in New York City. No shoe covers needed? Tons of #foliagebro still present? We’ll take it!

[kjtsuda-blog]

Beautiful.

[kjtsuda-blog]

Death by turbo trainer: today was my first workout in CO, and due to a combination of having no idea where to ride, and the roads being covered with ice and snow, I decided to keep the ride indoors. Trainers are often referred to "torture devices" since minutes crawl by as you stare at the wall, and nothing takes your mind off of how hard you're working. I'm trying to get myself to like training indoors, since winter is still to come, and I feel like the trainer is going to become my new best friend/worst enemy. Anyways, my power meter died for some reason, I think it was because of the cold weather on the drive here, so I wasn't able to tell how my power to heart rate has changed since moving here, but I can say my heart rate is 6 bpm higher at resting, than what it is at sea level. Today's ride was all zone 2, since I'm still in my base stage of training, but in another 4 weeks, I'll be starting my first building block, exciting! I can tell all the low intensity, long base miles have improved my endurance, so I'm excited to start building some strength and power on top of the base I've build. I hope the weather cooperates and I'll be able to spend tomorrow outdoors 👍🏻

[kjtsuda-blog]

Because, San Francisco.

Random thought: it’s odd how I’m getting used to the cold weather already. Usually I’m my fingers are borderline falling off in 60 degree weather, but I’ve ridden the last two days in sub 25 degrees, and I’ve been fine. No complaining here 👍🏻

[kjtsuda-blog]

Today we rode Moab and it was incredible. We woke up this morning and the canyons were covered with snow, but it quickly melted in a couple hours, turning it into perfect riding conditions. We rode the famous slickrock trail, which was absolutely beautiful, and surprisingly tough. We climbed over 2k feet in just 10miles, and all the elevation gains were due to short punchy 30-35% climbs. It’s a weird feeling spending 100% of the ride on rock, and never setting any tread on dirt. Next stop: Denver Ps: dropper posts and for suckers

[kjtsuda-blog]

Today was a big day. Not only does today mark the start of this blog, but it’s also the start of my Colorado journey (I figured the two complimented each other). This morning at 6am, I packed up my car, threw the bikes on the rack, and kissed my mom goodbye. It’s was extremely difficult, what made it so tough was seeing my mom in tears over me leaving, and knowing I’m leaving all my friends, family, and everything ive grown accustomed to over the past 26 years. It was rough, but I know this change is going to be great.

In other news, we absolutely crushed the drive today, shoutout to Utahs 80 mph speed limit! We initially planned on stopping in Vegas, however we quickly found ourselves set on setting up camp in Moab, Utah. My dad has always had riding the famous slickrock trails in Moab, Utah on his bucket list, ever since he started racing bikes back in the 90’s, and tomorrow he’ll get to scratch that off the list. After clocking in a swift 15 hours in behind the steering wheel today, tomorrow we get to wake up in Moab and shred slickrock, I cannot wait! One thing I realized today while driving through ginormous canyons and desolate valleys with no cell service or signs of human life, was how incredibly small we really are. Try this: open up maps on your phone, and zoom out. Zoom out past your street, past your neighborhood, past your city, past your state, past your continent, and you’ll quickly see how that little dot marking your location vanishes. Anyways, time for some overdue rest.

Peace