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4 Year Anniversary of the Great Australian Crossover

Yes, the years just keep passing along and then one day, it’s time to look back. For a long time now, I’ve been meaning to get back to my blog entries from the 2022 adventure across AU. Not really thinking about the dates we rode and today’s date, I got a start on reorganizing all […]

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Rat Racer Bike Coaching Plans

By Pat Whelan, USAC Level 3 certified coach. (Hereafter “coach”) Welcome to Rat Racer Coaching and coach Pat Whelan’s coaching offers. If you are looking at this, thank you. An athlete/coach relationship is a significant step in improving your fun, improving your sport goals and improving your overall health. Glad to have a chance on your […]

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When Your Bike Computer and your Training Peaks account workouts don’t/won’t sync.

Structured Training to improve and accomplish goals = COMPLIANCE To perform a scheduled Trainings Peaks workout without having an “agenda” or a description/list of all the “steps” in the work out is like shooting an arrow while wearing a blindfold. As you know, an hour-long workout can have a huge number of steps and changes […]

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Rat Racer Coaching, My Philosophy

Time for me, Pat, to start to share in all the wonderful experiences and knowledge I’ve acquired racing at velodromes around the USA and the World. Plus, I’ve been lucky to have some great coaches encourage and train me to get some personally rewarding results and experiences. I’ll share some of that knowledge as well. […]

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Strength Training

For Cyclists, 2026. Strength training as it relates to cycling, has advocates and some nay sayers. It is my thought that you will not be a competitive racer without some measure of strength training. Also, as we age, strength training is good for our overall longevity, health and well-being. It perfectly matches to my mantra, […]

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Annual Training Plans (ATP)

What really is an annual training plan and is it productive to create one? The term Annual Training Plan, ATP, has been used for years, probably decades when it comes to designing a plan to improve athletic performance. There are training platforms, like the one I use, Training Peaks, that have a semi-automated method to […]

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How do I analyze my workouts, if I even do that?

First you might want to ask, how serious am I related to training and bike events. Like all of life there are almost unlimited levels of commitment to what we decide to do. Rather than get bogged down by all those possibilities, let’s narrow the focus to someone who rides regularly, at least 2000 to […]

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Indoor Bike Training, why, what, how

and Lastly The Goal! This won’t be the first or the last discussion about indoor, off-season sports training. (which for me is mostly some kind of on a bicycle locked into a machine that roughly duplicates riding outside.) I view it as crude substitute for what I really enjoy, riding a bike outside. For some, […]

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Key ride metrics for Events & FTP Tests

Hey all, Happy start to 2026, hope you all have a great year doing all the amazing things you are planning. Are you planning to ride an early year FTP Test, some may think it is valuable. These efforts are never easy but depending on your bike plans and goals for 2026, they may be useful […]

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Winter indoor ride techniques I think about

Those of you riding on some kind of trainer through the cold months, this is a great time to think about your “form” on the bike. It’s easy to get sloppy when riding a trainer that locks you into place. How you ride this winter will influence how you position yourself on the bike when the […]

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What do you do for off season training in Minnesota?

Can I join? The answer is YES, and I am still offering this as a FREE option for your winter mostly off season. Click the link for details, read the post to see how it all came to be. PJW Racing website link pat@pjwracing.com I get this question often. In my early days of Velodrome […]

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Saturday, last day of the adventure

Well, sleeping was a bit fitful, seems to fit in the pattern of the last two weeks. Maybe I just am fully rested, hopefully yes because today will be another very long day. Woke before the alarm, I guess it’s just time. The hotel had a wonderful Euro breky variety, as expected. Now, time to […]

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Friday, 11.10.25 Goodbye Roubaix

I’m leaving Roubaix today 12 days after starting this adventure. One last quick stop at the velodrome to say goodbye to Larry from LA and others I’ve met through the week that made the stay here rewarding. I’m heading to the CitizenM hotel which is supposed to be very close to CDG airport. My plan […]

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Thursday, off day, free to try and find a rental bike in Ypres (leper)

After an evening track race session, me, and I believe a lot of other racers are really filled with adrenalin and it just takes a few hours to burn it off, start to relax and then, hopefully get to sleep. That was the case last night, reading a while, tried to tune in those helpful […]

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Points Race day, last chance in 2025

Today is my last somewhat stressful race day. Like most of the last few days, my event is late in the afternoon so I can have a later alarm, 8:30 but the Airbnb decides on some kind of loud noise from the plumbing I guess I am up at 7:30 instead, thank you so much. […]

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Tuesday, 500TT day, this should be hilarious!

Finally, a reasonably good night’s sleep using my newly found calming nature sounds playlist. It reminds me of sleeping on my sailboat in the summer with the waves washing against the hull, the tree leaves rustling, raindrops on the coach top and maybe some light thunder in the background, very peaceful and calming and restful. […]

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Monday, 1st race day, 2nd to last race of the day’s session.

1 week in to a two-week adventure. Again, my sleep schedule is a mess. Reading at about 9 and falling asleep so lights out at 9 pm. Midnight and I am awake again. Find my book and spend an hour and try sleep again. No go, another bit of reading maybe? Still no sleep and my alarm is […]

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Sunday, 10.5.25. 1 to go!!

Tomorrow, first race, 5K Scratch Race, nervous but ready This will sound familiar, certainly familiar to me as it felt like a repeat of previous nights here and speaks to how long it takes my body to adjust to major time changes, 6-7 hours later than MN time, part of the reason I arrived 7 […]

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Saturday, 10.4.25, an off day

Up at 8:00 alarm, only one hour of mid sleep wake/reading time so I’m acclimating. I am getting better with the minimal kitchen items so breky is getting a bit more routine and less awkward. Off to track to try and register and try out the LiveTrackTiming app on iPad. Another new to me process, […]

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Friday, Still not on the start list, first race Planned is monday

It’s 7 am and I am awake, not sure I can call it rested. My alarm is set for 7:30 so no reason to not stay awake. Back home we have an antique gas stove from my grandparents, sentimental remembering, I don’t do much sentimental, but that’s our homelife. This tiny kitchen has an espresso […]

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Yike’s what time and what day is it, day three, Four?

After my 30 plus hour Monday/Tuesday and then collapsing into maybe a comfy bed, I wake with a start and a lot of confusion. The Airbnb I am in is very dark inside. There is an alley like entrance that allows access to multiple apartments, and it is fully shaded from any daylight and the […]

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Day One which became two. The beginning of all the details of the 2025 adventure

Monday, Sept 29th, the adventure began. Although I have been planning and training for this for over a year so maybe it’s a 365-day adventure. All about the process and if you don’t love the process, the final results can’t justify the time invested. I plan to dig into the details of my 2 weeks in […]

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World Masters Track Championships, Roubiax France 2025

Back to talking about and doing velodrome track racing Summer of 2025, potentially the last season for me to compete in Velodrome, aka track bike racing. If you have viewed or read this blog you know that recently I was in Colorado Springs participating in what I posted as my last National Championships, hosted this […]

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6 years is a long time

6 years, well almost 6 years give or take a few months. That’s quite a break between my last track/velodrome race week, late fall of 2019 in Manchester, UK and Colorado Springs August of 2025. Whew! I still have the same coach and similar ride and training program as I did back then when MN still had […]

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What’s with all the Numbers? Why should I care?

Great Question. In its simplest form, cycling could be, should be, might be just a fun experience to get outside, maybe inside during winter cold snowy days in MN, enjoy a ride, get some fresh air and allow our bodies and brains to relax and rebuild. Time to let go of some of the days stress. […]

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Training Peaks, my choice

My go to training platform is and has been Training Peaks In total transparency, I do not sell Training Peaks, I am not paid by Training Peaks, although there is a way as a coach to generate income from Training Peaks. I do not get any special deals available only to me nor do I […]

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Apps for Tracking Data

Do I really need one? The answer is yes, no and maybe! Ok, that was not helpful so let’s talk. What is the goal you hope to achieve? Is it a casual, not significant, not a lifetime goal, a just for fun experiment? If the answer to those questions is yes, then a dedicated App to track metrics and […]

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Decision Time?

Hopefully you have at least glanced at the last blog post and found the Athlete Interview doc. Maybe you are just not quite there about hiring a coach. Maybe a coach relationship is in the past. I understand, life changes, so much these days as we all know. Maybe you just don’t think you need […]

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Success in my biggest Event this year, how do I get there?

When you decide to get more heavily invested in training and sport, you may want to engage with some sort of coach. There are lots of options from web-based platforms, virtual coaching from all the apps that are looking for subscribers, personal coaches, amalgams of choices, you may even want to just coach and train […]

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Mental Tenacity

I thought we were going to investigate Training Metrics. And the answer is yes, metrics discussions will come soon. Bear with me as I transgress. And to continue with this thought process you need to click here or go to MENU, top right of Home page and look under The Informed Athlete.

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The Informed Athlete

The Informed Athlete (TIA) As a preface to this, not all of us involved in “Sport” are interested in competing in some sport event, and that is ok. What I have seen while being involved in mostly the sport of Cycling, is that most want to perform better, longer or with more enjoyment and satisfaction as […]

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Day 27, it’s all coming to an end.

Bonjour, wait, what happened to days 18 through 26? Well, I’ve been on vacation which means I really don’t have deadlines to meet, and my days are spent mostly enjoying those vacation days. Fitting journal, blog, video, and reviewing and posting pictures into the schedule just must take a back seat. If you have viewed […]

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Day 18, Maastricht, a bike ride & crazy weather

Today I am hoping for a more fun bike ride experience. Yesterdays Amstel Gold bike race started in today’s destination town. Again, not a very big drive, only about 35 km, half an hour plus traffic time in Liege. I have no expectations about Maastricht, having never been here before. None of these small towns […]

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Day 17, Valkenburg and Amstel Gold

It’s a Sunday in the Nederland’s in the spring, I wonder what we should do. Maybe we should hop in a rental car and do a short drive to a scenic smaller town, walk around some and see if there is anything exciting happening. Yes, sounds good, let’s do it. Claim the car from the […]

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Day 16, 1st full day in Liege.

We have had two lazy days, yesterday (Friday the 19th) because of significant rain and cold weather partnered with packing for our exit from Liege and then today (Saturday the 20th), a drive from Liege, to Brussels, drop our luggage at our one night only hotel, return the rental car to Budget and then mill […]

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Day 15, drive to Liege and then some.

Time to move from our lovely Lille accommodations to a big town I have never visited. I picked Liege as it would be close to the last two races we were planning to watch, plus, it’s an undiscovered area and we have a rental car to get us there and around the area. Before arriving […]

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Day 14, Ypres & Kemmelberg.

Today is unusual because we plan to visit a town for the second time, Ypres, or Leper. Depending on the language you speak. It is a wonderfully scenic town plus I am determined to find and ride the Kemmelberg cobbled climb. I found a Ride with GPS route that is labeled Kemmelberg Short, must get […]

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Day 13, Overijse & bike racing, riding.

4th in a series of bike races we get a chance to attend and partake in the crazy Belgium Spring Classic fever. This race is named Brabantse Pijl, Brabantse being a region of Belgium. We are staying in Lille and with that we have a rental car for transport making getting to places, including races and […]

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Day 12, Ypres or also spelled Leper.

We are on day 19 of our adventure and the weather has really turned “soft”. (Yes I am a few days behind of blog updates) We endured major winds and torrential downpours while driving yesterday, huge winds, downed trees and power lines, traffic jams on the highway, hail, we got the full experience and today […]

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Two fer day, Day 10 & 11, Kortrijk

Day 10, uggh! I’m paying for my Arenberg day today. My cold is back in full swing, 2.5 hours of hard riding took a lot out of me. Today I was planning to drive back to the Forest, hang out at the entrance, have beer and frits, and watch the big screen for most of […]

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Day 9, Forest of Arenberg, and Lille

This is going to be one of those big vacations that will have a lot of emotional variety. The concern I experienced during all the days and nights of planning and hoping all the puzzle pieces fit properly. Airport departures and arrivals with bike cases are always unnerving, I’ve never permanently seen items go missing, […]

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Last two days in Brussels, Day 7 & 8

I would like to forget day 7 of this trip, my cold virus that started a few days ago has come into form. No energy, tired, congestion, scratchy throat, all the good things. Yes the pharmacy person was right, I should have been sleeping and resting instead of traveling to watch a bike race and […]

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Schoten via Antwerp, Day 6 and the Schelderpris

We are off on another rail and looks like bus adventure. Early rise today as we have many miles to cover before we camp out and watch more men’s and women’s races. The weather is still cool with the expectation of rain, of yea, just what I needs as I try to recover from this […]

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Weather day in Brussels instead of Ghent, Day 5, Tuesday.

When I was here with Bushy in 2017, we didn’t realize how lucky we were with the weather. I don’t remember any rain days at all, cool, maybe cold at times and windy but no rain. Fast forward to 2024 and so far, Saturday/rain, Sunday/rain, Monday/rain, Tuesday/overcast, Wed./rain, I may be a bit ahead of […]

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Casual and bike day in Brugges, day 4

Another chance of adventure at hand. Today we are off to Brugges via bike, bus, and rail. The pan is for a casual tourist day in Brugges as well as a short bike ride around the town of Brugge. The challenge is getting to Brussels Centraal rail station with the bike. I haven’t seen a […]

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Day 3, Sunday, Ronde van Vlaanderen

Today we attempt to negotiate the bus routes and rain routes to get to Oudenaarde, site of the finish of our first Spring Classics, Tour of Flanders. The alarm is set for 7 A.M. which is again entirely too early. I was up for an hour or so in the middle of the night so […]

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Day Two, discovering and learning

What is that NOISE!!! Oh no, it is my phones new alarm music. I’ve only heard it a few times, and I am starting to hate it. It didn’t help that I woke up midway through the night and was a wake for 1-2 hours, jet lag! I left the phone in the kitchen, so […]

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France & Belgium, day 1

This was one of the least planned as far as time spent prior to travel but probably the most intense detailed trips I have ever planned. A month in mostly Belgium and some France loosely based on a prior trip I did with my Aussie buddy, Bushy in 2017. The idea started with Bushy mentioning […]

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A Pause in the Australian adventures of 2022

I know, I am so close to adding more video. Two more towns until Adelaide and a chance to repair GoPro world. But I have a new fun adventure ready to take flight, literally. I’ll be sharing that for about a month and then back to Port Augusta and beyond, reliving the 2022 adventure. Travel […]

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Halfway, Kimba South Australia

Kimba, major accomplishment on top of more personal accomplishments than I can count. Kimba is the half way point crossing Australia. I’ve ridden all the kilometers from Perth so far, even though I had a major confidence hit back the day we attempted a “camp out” in WA in the Nullarbor. Roughly speaking, we’ve ridden […]

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To Minnipa, 8.17.22. 160k

Smoky Bay To Minnipa and back to Highway A1 Highlights and a few lowlights of the day. Mostly highlights! After 1 plus days off recovering, we were rested and ready to be back on the bikes. Alarm at 6, up and breakfast and on the road by about 7:30 as usual to an overcast, cool […]

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Ceduna, Smoky Bay, views of South Australia

Ceduna and Smoky Bay, a partial rest day, moving east towards more populated South Australia with Adelaide in sight, almost! Ceduna, another milestone, located about 1900 kilometers east of our start in Perth and 15 days into the ride. Seems like ages ago, we stopped for an overnight on the drive to Perth, it feels a […]

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Nullabor Road House and then Nundroo Roadhouse.

The few days off in Eucla WA/Border Village SA, two road houses/hotels/pub/restaurants straddling the Western Australia and South Australia border was a very welcome time for me, Bushy and Scotty as well, I’m sure. I still think about looking west out over the seabed plain that we crossed to get here. Stark, endless beauty. Didn’t hurt […]

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2023, that’s a wrap

I guess this is my end of 2023 reckoning, but what can top my 2022 Australia crossing? I guess that is my excuse for not posting anything to the blog for so long. (I still have a ton of video to post. I only have the WA videos up and there is lots left to […]

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Sunrises and Sunsets

Celebrating the natural Australian beauty! Time for a video break and get back to pictures. One of my hopes for this adventure was to get immersed in Australian nature for 30-40 days. Riding a bike for any long endurance adventure allows you to get intimately connected to your location and this was no exception. Insulated […]

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Videos Madura and Eucla W.A. Aug. 10th & 11th

August 10 and August 11th, 11 days to cross Western Australia, one rest day. January 1, 2023, and I still can’t stop thinking about an unbelievable 2 plus months in Australia, July through September. Plus, I’ve only shared video from the Western Australia portion of the adventure. Like a voyeur, I keep looking at […]

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Revitalized

The two days prior to this ride were tough for me, physically and mentally. Norseman to Balladonia pushed more of my limits. We adjusted what was to be a very long one day ride into 2 days with a break in-between, camping out with no amenities in any direction for more than 80 kilometers or […]

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How to Subscribe to this blog

How Do I Subscribe to the Blog to get automatic announcements about new content? If you are already getting automatic updates, thank you, ignore all of the below because you already went through the SIGN Up Process. This might be harder than it really should be but here ya go. To subscribe to all new […]

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Videos from Aug. 7th & 8th, Coolgardie to Balladonia

Adventures come in many forms. Click on the link below or go to the MENU at the right to find lots more content. From Coolgardie we made our way towards Balladonia. I was still feeling the effects of an Australian cold virus, not Covid thankfully, so both Bushy and Scotty talked and then we all […]

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Videos from Aug 4th to Coolgardie & Aug. 5th to Norseman

5 long days done but we have barely started this journey. Another batch of videos for ya to enjoy as we continue east from Perth and then settle in for a well deserved day off in Norseman. A couple of great pub dinners at the same pub, really only one in town. Friday night must […]

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New Videos are up, just getting started

As Scotty and I said over and over, One Day at a Time. Just two days, Sunday July 31st and Monday August 1st. 6 videos to get started. To view them you need to go to the MENU at the top right, click on the word MENU then scroll down until you see the link […]

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More Pictures

Want to see a summary set of photos from across Australia? You will need to go to the MENU button at the top right, click it and more content is available including previous media and info plus a set of photos that will walk you across Australia from Perth to Sydney. You don’t even have […]

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Bike Geek Page of Statistics plus

Hi all, I’ve been back in MN now since Sept. 20th, wow, 19 days already. Have I given up riding a bike, well NO! Approx. 500 kilometers since my return. I am finally sleeping through the night on USA time again. Getting my USA body rhythm back again took longer than I expected. I am […]

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Epilog of sorts

Bushy, Scotty, thank you so much for thinking of me and inviting me to join you on this marvelous adventure. I am not sure I can adequately express all the gratitude with words. I think the three of us have all had our moments. Thank you! My family, my wife Vera, thank you for understanding […]

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Last three days to finish

Goulburn, Tuesday, 9.13.22, rest day #2 The mini break continues in Goulburn for one more day until we ride for the last two days and finish this epic adventure. I am glad we made some adjustments to the overall schedule. We adjusted to help recover before the last 250 kilometers of the ride as well […]

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Goulburn Arrival Photos 9.8.22

Click on the word MENU, top right of the blog home page and you will find a page of photos the Jude took when we arrived at Balmore Park in Goulburn

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Last Ride Week and then some 9.6 to 9.9

(Actual week 6 and Monday of week 7) Yackandanduh to Wagga Wagga, Tuesday, 9.6.22, 163 kilometers The last two days in Yackandanduh were a well needed break as I have mentioned in my previous posts. Now, back to serious ride distances again. 163 kilometers is just over 100 miles, generally considered a significant milestone ride […]

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Week 6 plus update 8.31 to 9.5

Ararat to Castlemaine, Wednesday, 8.31.22, 140 kilometers There is so much packed into each day on this adventure, recalling what happened even a few days ago seems impossible. There are days like this one where I have very little memory of where we were and what was outstanding. What I do remember is another wonderful […]

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Weeks 4 and 5 Update, 8.21 to 8.30

So much to remember in these last nine days, I suspect I won’t do justice to all the great experiences and all the laughter moments. I’ve done well journaling most all the days since leaving the states but as the adventure wears on and days fill, there seems to be less time and less dedication […]

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How to Subscribe to this blog

How Do I Subscribe to the Blog to get automatic announcements about new content? This might be harder than it really should be but here ya go. To subscribe to all new content, click on the word MENU at the top right of the blog. Then click on one of the main headings that are […]

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Ups and Downs of the Adventure

There have already been a batch of them. The most recent is arriving at Adelaide, spending time in Adelaide and leaving Adelaide headed to Tailem Bend. An amazing journey of 3000 odd kilometers since leaving Perth on Monday, August 1st. Planning for this journey, I felt fit and ready but also had background disbeliefs. I’ve […]

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Adelaide Break, 8.23 & 8.24

Arrived in Adelaide in the rain Monday afternoon, 8/22/22, end of the day, about 2 hours of cold, high traffic riding still on A1 all the way into the central business district and our Airbnb, which wasn’t ready to occupy at 2:00. Another high paced average speed, SCOTTY!!! We found a local Italian cafe who […]

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Week three update 8.13 to 8.20

Week three is done and dusted as Australians would say. I can only look back and think that the trip so far has been amazing. I’m not sure if I can fill in all the blanks on this last week but here goes. Each day seems to start similarly, alarm set at 6:00 A.M. usually. […]

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Ride week 2 summary 8.7 to 8.12

Friday, August 12th, Eucla W.A. Rest day. It seems like an eternity since my last post, but it’s only been 6 days since we had a day off in Norseman W.A. As I last said, Norseman was a well needed day off for me to get a handle on the Aussie cold virus The internet […]

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Norseman, Saturday 8.6.22 rest day, ahhhh!

Saturday August 6th, rest day, first one of the trip. I really needed today. Like all adventures, there is adversity. Starting last Thursday and Friday, Border Village to Kalgoorlie, I’ve been dealing with a cold virus. I’ve gotten better as the week played out but certainly not how I planned to feel the first week […]

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4 day summary 7.31 to 8.3

Internet access is intermittent along the Great Eastern Highway so these updates will come when I can connect. Also, the ride days are long which means prep time and recovery time is critical. That leaves less time to add posts, sorry. Sunday, 7.31.22, Applecross Perth to Cottesloe Beach and back, 50 kilometers Highlights: A 23 […]

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Picture Summary day

The three of us have managed to safely arrive in Perth, 6 days of driving, 7 days total since we left Goulburn. We have Saturday and Sunday to get the last minute plans in order and then Monday begins the slow roll back, arrival anticipated about the first week in September, certainly before Sept. 20th, […]

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900 Kilometer driving day 7.27

Wednesday July 27, 2022 Big driving day today, alarm at 6:00 A.M. but we are so close to the Western Australia border, maybe 100 meters, and there is a time change as soon as we cross the border, none of us I think, certainly not me, know what time it will be. Because we are […]

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thank you!

Huge Thank you is due! I’ve had some time to acclimate to my home away from home for the next two months, yes, I said two months! What I do need to express is my sincere gratitude to Bushy and Scotty, my mates for this adventure. I’m really not sure how this trip really came […]

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About ready for the drive west 7.23

It’s Friday P.M. in Goulburn and just about all our bags are packed waiting to see if we can fit them, the bikes and the three of us inside the van. Tomorrow we plan to start the drive towards Adelaide, at least part of the way as it is about 14 hours to get from […]

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Hanging in Goulburn 7.21 to 7.23

Prep and Acclimatization in Goulburn Success, I’m in Australia at my friends home for a week prior to the big drive to Perth. I feel lucky that all the travel to here went well, baggage check in, flight to LA, re check in and then the 14 hour leg to Sydney. It’s a super long […]

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Plane Ride that doesn’t end 7.20.22

Delta 041, LA to Sydney, 7/20/22 I’m still feeling like this is a bit surreal even though I’ve been in two airplanes for a total of about 13 hours plus the 5-6 hours of waiting in Mpls and LA airports. The anxious feelings I had about baggage and checking in during Covid ASE behind me, […]

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Aussie Visa, where are you?

Visa Oh Visa, where are you? I’ve been lucky enough to have traveled a fair bit over the years, in the USA and outside the USA. Americans are spoiled in that we think all we have to do to travel is just get in a vehicle of some sort, car, truck, train, plane and just […]