Goin' from the Gun

KOM!!

2011-12-09T15:24:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, its the little victories. I am KOM of the second section of Lee Hill on Strava. Check it out. Lets see how fast I get once I am actually in shape. This Strava thing may be dangerous. I can't keep "competing" and get distracted from my training. Was nice to have some fun but need to stay focused on my goals. If you have not checked out Strava, you should. It is a fun way to keep track of your training.

Check it out!

Click on the upper Lee hill section link

Tale of Two Races

2011-08-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

After I got married, Caitlin and I went to Traverse City for a week. I decided to race the Mass Avenue Criterium after not really touching the bike for a week. Needless to say it did not go well. I tried to cover some early moves to help out the teammates, but the efforts caught up with me. I was dropped like a brick at minute 55, which actually worked out as I was able to beat the rain and get back to my car. The race turned crazy with high winds that blew over race barriers and trash cans. I decided to get back after it so that I could do well at the Village Volkswagen River Gorge Omnium in Chattanooga, TN.

The race had a stellar field including Cesar Grajales of RealCyclist.com (with teammates Frank Trevieso and Oscar Clark), Phil Gaimon of Kenda p/b 5 Hour Energy, and Nate Brown of Trek Livestrong. Jonathan Jacob, the Elite National Time Trial Champion was also present. It was an excellent field for a non NRC event in rural Tennessee. The race started with an 8 mile time trial around a lake on top of Raccoon Mountain. I rode it in 7:54 which would have been good enough for 6th but for some reason 3 seconds were added to my time and I was officially 10th on the stage. I protested but to no avail. This would become the theme for that evening's criterium. The crit was fast, 30 mph average speed, and during the course of the race they offered a set of Zipp 404's for a field prime. There was a break up the road, someone in no man's land, and then the field. The rang the bell for us, and I led out Uberti who did an excellent sprint to take the win. They even announced that Panther had taken the prime. However, after the race they decided to give the wheels to the rider in no man's land. Turns out he was a local club rider. We protested and were given a very interesting explanation but ultimately did not change their mind. I was very frustrated and determined to do something in Sunday's road race.

Sunday's road race included two KOM climbs and a finishing climb of 3.5 miles up to the top of Raccoon Mountain. The race started out very fast and before I knew it there were about 15 riders up the road including most of the heavy hitters. Jonathan Jacob went to bridge and I followed to help with the chase. We caught the lead group and I thought we would sit up, JJ had other ideas and went right on through. I followed him and saw 1 km to the first KOM. I took it ahead of JJ and we kept on going. Frank Trevieso bridged and we stayed away until Sand Mountain, atop of which was the 2nd KOM. We were joined right before the climb by Cesar Grajales and Phil Gaimon. Phil set a hard tempo and I knew this KOM would not be easy. I couldn't believe it. It was like a dream come true. Racing up a mountain with great riders, including Phil Gaimon, Cesar Grajales (former winner on Brasstown Bald in the now defunct Tour of Georgia), and the current Elite National Time Trial Champion, Jonathan Jacob. I jumped with about 500 meters to go as hard as I could. I didn't look back and could not believe that I held them off and took the prize at the top. After the climb Cesar would not pull so we all took turns attacking him. This cat and mouse led to our lead group ballooning to 10-12 riders. After several attacks Oscar Clark and Phil got away. Cesar later joined them and the would contest the finale. The final climb was brutal. Jonathan left me pretty early and I struggled to the top to hold onto my top 5 finish. I was very happy with it. It was great being able to compete with such high caliber riders. Hopefully I can continue to improve so opportunities like this will come about more often.

Hopefully some pictures to follow.

FOR SALE

2011-07-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

ZIPP Super 9 Disc with both freehub and track axle. Tubular tire mounted and included. Asking $1800 OBO. Let me know. This wheel is ridiculously fast and has only been ridden twice. C'mon I have a wedding to pay for folks!

Tour of the Valley

2011-07-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

I got the chance to race with the entire Panther crew this last weekend at the Tour of the Valley in Youngstown, Ohio. It was a great weekend with Andy Clarke being gracious enough to open up his house to 5 cyclist. The hospitality was great. Thank you Andy!

The race consisted of a 9 mile Time Trial, a 93 mile RR and a 90 minute Criterium. The race started off with the time trial on Friday evening. I wanted to win win this race, but could only manage 3rd behind Paul and Dave Wenger. I covered the 9 mile course in 18:36. I was satisfied with my ride and more importantly the team was in a great place with 1st and 3rd on GC going into Saturday's tough, hilly Road Race.

Photo courtesy of Mike Briggs

We went into the Road Race with the goal of winning the stage, but more importantly of holding onto our lead in the General Classification. The race consisted of a 2k climb with time bonuses available at the top. We put Ryan Knapp into an early move to take the bonuses off of the board and it worked perfectly. Half way into the first lap I found myself in a move with Knapp, Greg, and Ryan A. along with a couple RGF's and Damhoff of ABD among others. The group worked well together, but to my surprise was caught. I think it is because nobody really worked all that hard with 75 miles of racing to go. Once we got caught Kirk escaped with 2 others, including Housley of Chemstar who finished around 10th in the TT and thus became the leader on the road. We could not afford to let him get to far up the road, so Paul attacked the steep rollers after the KOM and all of the other GC guys reacted immediately. Benefiting from this I attacked when everyone sat up. I rolled away from the front of the field and immediately got a decent gap. I was hoping that someone would join me so that I did not have to go across 2 1/2 minutes solo. However, no one came so I put my head down and got to work bridging up to Kirk and Nick Housley. I got them after 15 miles of chasing. It was a big effort and I needed time to recover. Kirk rode like a champion, taking long pulls to maintain the gap while giving me a chance to catch my breath. Unfortunately, this work caught up with him and he lost contact on one of the many steep, leg-killing rollers that follow the KOM climb. I rode the last 15 or so miles with only Housley, knowing that if we could make it to the finish I would be the leader of the GC. I put in a ton of work, and he got me for the stage win. I wanted to the stage but the race lead was a more than suitable consolation prize. Paul managed to escape the rest of the field and he and Kirk came home 3rd and 4th with another gap back to the field. This meant that going into the Sunday's final criterium we had 1,3, and 4 in the general classification.

Sunday's Crit was the easiest race I have ever done thanks to the awesome teamwork by the rest of the guys. I simply sat in and followed Housley to make sure he did not sneak away since my lead was only 23 seconds. The team rode flawlessly with Paul and Ryan A. picking up the mid race time bonuses. Near the end Paul escaped with Tom Burke and won the race with Ryan A. taking home the field sprint (without throwing up his arms ;) ). I crossed in 10th and thus won the General Classification. Thanks to everyone on the team for the awesome support , there is no way I could have done it without you. It was my first victory in a stage race, and it is always a nice view from the top step of the podium. Hopefully we will continue to win bike races.

On a side note we learned a few things this weekend.
1) Ryan Knapp is pretty good at basketball, but only when he is allowed to use the girl's ball.
2)Andy is a hell of a crit racer with a broken hip.
3) Lisa could drive a team car in the pro peloton.

Thanks for reading.

Nationals

2011-06-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

I finished up Nature Valley with a decent ride on the final day at the infamous Stillwater Criterium. I had the goal of finishing the entire race and perhaps improve my overall standing. I got popped off of the lead group with a little over a lap to go. I rode in, thus completing all 20 laps but only finished 37th on the day. Not as good as I had hoped for but I did improve overall. I finished my first ever Nature Valley Grand Prix in 34th overall, which is nothing to brag about but I was satisfied with it. I missed my main goal for the week. I set out to win the Green jersey for best amateur. I did not win the green jersey but I finished as the 5th best amateur. I am going back next year with the same goal in mind and hopefully I can accomplish it.

After Nature Valley things got hectic. Immediately after Stillwater I got in Mac's van and we drove the 12 hrs back to Bloomington, including traffic jams and detours through Gary, IN. We got home at 4 am. I woke up the next morning to fix my bike and then hopefully relax before driving the 11 hrs to Augusta the next day. Needless to say the repairs did not go well and my one day of relaxation became nothing but stress. I got the bike figured out and Mac and I got back into the van to begin the trek to Nationals. We stayed in Atlanta on Tuesday night and finished the drive to Augusta on Wednesday. We got to the TT course and did some pre-riding, unfortunately, my first ride in two days. The course was not as difficult as I would have hoped (this became the theme for this trip to Nationals) and was truly one for the specialist. I got the bike dialed and went home to rest before my 1 pm start the next day.

The morning of the TT went well. I was fortunate enough that Mac competed in the U23 event earlier, so I had a gauge as far as what it would take to do well. I set off right as Jonathan Jacob crossed the line and immediately knew what it would take, which would have been the ride of my life. I took off and felt terrible. I just couldn't find a rhythm and the legs were fighting me. I am not one for excuses but I would have loved to have had better legs. I am sure the travel didn't help but I rode as hard as I could and came home in 38 min 33 sec. At the end of the day I ended up 13th out of 70 something guys. I told myself going in that anything outside of the top 10 would be a failure and while 13th is not bad it is not what I set out to do. I know I am capable of riding better and it is disappointing that I didn't have the ride I know I am ultimately capable of. However, congrats must go to my friend and old teammate Jonathan Jacob. He is the world's nicest guy and to see him pull on the Stars and Bars as Elite National Champ was great. If I could not win I can not think of a person I would rather see get the gold. Congratulations Jonathan, awesome ride!

I then had 2 days before the road race so I rode around Augusta which is a terribly disappointing city. I thought with it being home of the Masters that there would be an interesting downtown or something, but there was nothing. The heat was absolutely brutal. I watched the U23 road race detonate and figured due to the heat that the attrition rate would be just as high among the 200 starters in the Elite race. I could not have been more wrong. with 28 miles to go there were still 100+ guys in the mix. I was baffled and angry. A selective race suits me, a bunch sprint does not. WIth about 20 miles to go I laid my cards on the table. I got into a minor split and then followed attacks and found myself in what I hoped would be the move. We came through with 1 lap (15 miles to go) and things went south. As I feared our group of 13 was a little too large, people started sitting on and the gap plummeted. Our break came apart and I attacked but was brought back. One guy from our break survived as a group of 5 formed with 4 miles to go and fought it out. I was disappointed but gave it my best shot and actually raced the bike race. Next year will be better I hope. Now onto the rest of the season. I have some good form after by far my most ambitious racing trip and am hoping it will pay dividends.

Here are some pictures from my soon to be wife of my TT (Wedding is August 6th!)

Nature Valley TT

2011-06-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

Didn't go as fast as I hoped. 7 seconds slower than my goal of sub 14 mintues. I did a 14:07 for 41st overall and 6th amateur. I am going to keep fighting and try not to be anonymous. Here is a sweet picture, thanks to Cycleture.

Iowa Update (better late than never)

2011-06-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was one of my favorite race weekends of the year, despite the fact that I have never had any success there. I was out to change that at this year's Memorial Day Weekend Bike Races in the Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois. I set the goal for myself of one podium performance in any of the 4 races. I thought (and kind of wished) that it would come in the second day, at the infamous Snake Alley Criterium. More on that in a second

The first day was the Burlington Road Race. The course was changed slightly from previous years in that it was extended to 102 miles. Little did I know how difficult those 102 miles would be. The team discussed the plan and we knew we had a couple sprinters who could potentially win in the Ryans--Knapp and Aitcheson. My job was to cover the early dangerous moves and if I found myself in a break then I would obviously try to win. I covered several moves that included the danger teams; Aerocat and Roadhouse. After about 30 miles of racing, John Grant very innocuously rolled off the front and I simply followed. We were quickly joined by Josh Carter from Aerocat. We immediately began working well together and the gap jumped up to almost 4 minutes at one point. We went through the turn around and got a good look at the field that was surprisingly moving at a good clip. I was surprised at the random assortment of those chasing, considering the three strongest teams were represented in the break. The moto informed me that I had a teammate chasing, so I immediately stopped working and sure enough Mac bridged in a monster effort bringing along one other.

As soon as he joined we were informed our gap had plummeted down to just over 2 minutes. We immediately started rotating as hard as we possibly could, dropping the rider who bridged with Mac. We only had a little over 1 minute with about 25 miles left. We were going as hard as we could, it was a full on team trial and a brutal effort. I wished I could have attacked about 5k out but with the pace and the small gap over the field it was too risky and I honestly did have the legs for a 3 mile effort at that pace. We hit the last hill that leads into the 600 meter downhill kick to the line and I attacked and was immediately caught. Mac then went to no avail and I countered one more time with absolutely everything I had. It unfortunately did not work and I tacked on to the sprint. Carter led it out with Grant on his wheel and myself in third. That is how we finished. I honestly thought I could win this race but ultimately could not pull it out. I was happy to be on the podium for Panther p/b Competitive Cyclist but would have loved to win.

The next day was the coveted Snake Alley Criterium and my legs were feeling the previous days effort. I started 41st which after call ups is closer to 50. I did not get the best start and was behind the lead group. Last year I went into the red too quickly and never caught the leaders. After not making the group as quickly as I would have liked I had no choice but to settle into TT mode and hope to reel in the leaders. I caught them with about 13 laps to go. When I arrived a break leapt off of the front and knowing that I didnt have the legs to win, I went to the front to bring it back for Ryan K and Ryan A. I got close enough for riders to start jumping across and the teammates were able to go with them WIth 2 to go I clung to the back desperately trying to stay in contact as the legs were dead. I got popped off at the top of the Snake the last time up and rolled in for 15th, a career best at Snake Alley but not what I had hoped for.

The rest of the weekend was a wash for me as I developed some knee pain and was not able to finish Melon City and did not line up for Quad Cities. I have gotten a lot of treatment in hopes to be at my best for Nature Valley and Nationals. I have lofty goals for both events and hopefully I can accomplish them. Hopefully I can look back at this adversity as something I overcame to still accomplish my goals. I will keep you posted.

Thanks for reading.

Joe Martin Stage Race Update

2011-05-06T20:16:00.001-07:00

I am down in Arkansas with a few of my Panther p/b Competitive Cyclist teammates for the Joe Martin Stage Race. I came down hoping for a better experience than last year when it was a struggle the entire time.

The first stage was a 2.5 mile uphill TT which I really wanted to do well in. I was one of the last ones off. I started off and immediately felt great. I rode as hard as I could and was satisfied with my ride as soon as I crossed the line. My time was 8:47 which was 30 seconds faster than last year. My time put me 37th on the day. I was hoping for a little higher but I could not have went harder so I am happy with it.

Today was Stage 2, a 110 mile road race with plenty of climbing. I attempted a few times to get into the day's break but to no avail. I decided after a few attacks to sit in for the rest of the day and try my luck at the finish. The run into the finish was crazy with about 5 teams trying to set up their leadouts. I had a hard time staying in the top 15 but knew that the last half mile was very hard with 3 steep climbs including one up to the finish. I kept my head down and and stayed glued to the lead group, crossing with the leaders and getting the same time as the stage winner. I was officially 34th on the day which moved me up to 28th on GC. I came here with the goal of a top 25 overall finish so that is still the plan.

My teammate Ryan Aitcheson had a hell of a ride today, getting 9th on the stage. There are 2 stages left including 110 miles tomorrow with some serious climbing. The hills tomorrow, while shorter, are much steeper so hopefully the lead group will get whittled down and I can continue moving up! The last stage is on Sunday with a fast crit. I am hoping for some good finishes and most importantly finishing my goal of top 25.

I will attempt to keep updating. Thanks for reading.

First W

2011-04-23T17:51:00.001-07:00

I went out to the Mitchell Memorial Road Race today over near Cincinnati. The day started early (a little too early) with a departure time of 5:30. It poured the entire trip but luckily stopped in time for the race to get under way. The race was 50 miles and not a ton of people showed up but there were still some good riders present. The race finished up a pretty decent climb so I like my chances immediately.

Once we were under way I put in some of my patented early attacks, but per usual, to no avail. We then got around to a pretty long descent and I took it easy as I had never been down it before and the roads were disgusting with debris and water. Two people actually got a gap on the descent (Brad Schaeffer-NUVO and Isaiah Newkirk). I rode on the front trying to keep the gap manageable until we got to the climb figuring it would all come back together. Once we hit the Climb Tyler Karnes (Hincapie Development Team) went and dragged me away from the group. As soon as he let up I went and bridged to the leaders solo. I had them by the top of the climb. We then traded pulls pretty evenly with Brad taking shorter pulls. I wasn't sure if he was trying to conserve or was hurting. The next time up the climb Isaiah went and Brad didn't follow. I went around Brad and it was just Isaiah and myself for the last 4 laps. We had a pretty sizable advantage and worked well together.

I began scouting the course for where I would make my move. There was a pretty steep little hill about a mile before the last climb and I decided to hit Isaiah hard right at the top, liking my chances if I could get a gap and turn it into an ITT, him versus me. I think this is the first time a plan of mine has actually worked. I went over the climb with a few seconds and ripped it on the wide open smooth pavement leading to the last climb. I felt great and knew after a glance under my arm that I had it. I hit the base of the climb and soloed to the victory. It was not the biggest race, but nonetheless it was nice to get a victory, It was my first (of hopefully many) for Panther p/b Competitive Cyclist. Now to continue to work hard and accomplish the goals I have set for myself this season.

Pics courtesy of Jeffrey Jakucyk

This coming weekend the whole team is getting together for a couple races, including the Cone Azalia Spring Classic which is a dirt/gravel road race near Ann Arbor in Michigan. I am looking forward to meeting the entire team and hanging out for a weekend of bike racing!

First Weekend in the books

2011-04-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday was my first race of the year, Hillsboro Roubaix. This race is always big with 100+ riders. It was my first race with Panther p/b Competitive Cyclist. I met up with guys (for the first time) and we hit the line. The attacks went from the gun and usually the first break does not go. This was not the case as the early move looked dangerous. I tried to get across to it and was chased down. After a couple more attempts both Greg and Ryan A. got into the move and it was gone. I spent the rest of the race trying to cover chase attempts and stay on the right side of the split. We came into the last lap and there were only about 20 of us in the lead group. I was pretty tired and just wanted to roll in when somebody decided to t-bone me in the second to last corner with 1/2 mile left. This sent my wheel into my frame as he hit me so hard as to knock the the wheel out of the dropout. I believe the frame is ok but the force of the impact and wheel hitting my frame took off the paint down to the carbon on both chain stays. I will be really upset if this stupid incident did more than cosmetic damage to my sweet new Canyon bike. It was not the best way to end a successful day but that is bike racing, I guess.
Back to the racing! With both Ryan and Greg in the break I liked our chances. Ryan ended up second with Greg third. Not a bad start to the season, not to mention that is was our first time racing together! I know the results will continue to rock as we get more familiar with each other and how we all race.

On Sunday I ventured to Ohio to do Hueston Woods with Ryan A. and Andy Clarke. The field was fairly small so we wanted to get one of us into the winning move, and when satisfied with it, shut down the field. Andy and myself tried a few times to get off of the front but once again it was Ryan getting into the break with a guy from XXX racing and someone from RGF. Ryan put in plenty of breakaway miles this weekend. Once the break was safely away I decided it was time to whittle down the field and started attacking and slowly but surely got it down to myself and 3 other guys. I was with Tyler from the Hincapie Development team and two guys who refused to work and just sat on. After all the work I ended up 6th on the day. Nothing too great but I will take it for the first races of the season. Ryan took 2nd again, so it was another good day for the team.

Pics courtesy of Jeffrey Jakucyk
I cannot wait to get into the thick of the season with the team. I am confident we are going to do some big things this year and I am glad to be a part of this team.

Tennessee (mini) Training Camp

2011-03-12T18:49:00.000-08:00

I ventured down to Knoxville, TN this weekend to do 3 days of riding. I went up the Foothills Parkway up to Lock Rock on Friday. It is about 11 miles. I then found a shorter 3mile climb but it was obviously much, much steeper. I will take the longer variety any day. I was down in the valley for a while and things took on a bit of a "Deliverance" feel. This sign on a church was great!

On Saturday I started at the visitor's center in Smoky Mountain National Park outside of Gatlinburg, which incidentally is one of the worst places I have ever driven through. I decided to do the 16 mile climb up to Newfound Gap which is almost 6000 feet.It took me 2 hrs to cover 32 miles, 16 up and 16 down. It was awesome. I have never done that kind of climb before, I would love to do a race that included that type of terrain. I may try to do "Roan Groan" in June which apparently has a 40 min+ climb to the finish.

Here are some pics of my sweet new Canyon, with SRAM force and some SRAM AL30 wheels. Thanks to Panther and Competitive Cyclist.
On Sunday, I ventured back to Knoxville to meet up with Adam Rodkey and Josh and Jake Prater. We climbed up the Foothills Parkway again as well as some other brutally steep climbs. I was also nearly bitten by a dog, it ruined a sock. I am just glad it didn't rip out my Achilles tendon. It was by far the closet encounter I have ever had with a mean set of jaws.

It was an awesome trip, the weather was beautiful and it was nice to get away and spend some time with Caitlin. Here are some awesome photos she took.

Panther Kit

2011-01-23T16:50:00.000-08:00

Excited about these.

No Words

2011-01-22T19:31:00.000-08:00

So apparently the frats and sororities are competing for a sponsorship from Vinyard Vines (a clothing company from my understanding) for Little 5 and have to submit videos and other things. It is pretty ridiculous in my opinion. However, this is the most embarrassing thing I have seen. Hard to watch but hilarious at the same time. Post comments, this is great! Watch here!

I have a feeling they are going to remove this video once they realize how terrible it is, so I wanted to ensure it lived forever here.

Please post your thoughts!!

Quick Update

2010-12-29T18:22:00.000-08:00

I know it has been awhile so I figured I would update all of my readers on what I have been up to. (Haha)
Unfortunately, my cross season was not as successful as I had planned on. I missed the last 4 races due to a separated shoulder. It happened on Combs road while I was doing some recon for the Gravel Grovel. It is kind of surprising that of all my crashes this year that the one that finally sidelined me was suffered during an easy training ride. I had designs of attempting to win the OVCX overall and at the very least win at least one race. I failed to to accomplish both of these goals which was very frustrating. However, after a lot of racing his year I was beginning to feel the effects of packing up the car every weekend; so in the end, it may have been a blessing in disguise.
As most of you already know I will be riding with Panther p/b CompetitiveCyclist next year. I am very excited and have big hopes for the upcoming road season. I cannot wait to get started. I have been spending a lot of time on the trainer due to the limited daylight. I will ride in the cold but it is tough to find enough hrs to get outside due to work. C'est la vie. I just have to keep the big picture in mind and it will be spring before I know it! Whenever I think about skipping out on a trainer session I think back to the awesome piece of reading that I found on gymjones.com Check it out, everyone should read it here.

I need your help

2010-11-05T13:56:00.001-07:00

Please go to facebook and like this video for me. I appreciate it!!

Click here (video of the zipp barriers at the Louisville USGP)

And We're Off!

2010-10-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

Well cross season is officially in full swing. I have raced a few times since Kings CX with mixed results. (to see awesome photos check out shrugsmugs.blogspot.com). I ventured up to Madison, WI for the Planet Bike Cup, the first round of the USGP. These were my first UCI races and I now fully understand why these guys are the best. I got a lousy start both days (59 out of about 65) but moved up to finish 38th the first day and 39th the second day. It was about what I expected, but I would like to get a top 25 in a UCI race before the season is up. I have 4 chances left with the Cincy UCI weekend(the Friday race is presented by Panther-my road team for next year! http://www.podiuminsight.com/2010/09/16/ride-fast-its-a-panther-stampede/) coming up and the Louisville round of the USGP.

In other news (photos by Caitlin coming soon!) round 2 of the OVCX series was yesterday and I was privileged enough to get a front row seat at the Ryan Knapp cyclocross clinic. He obviously won. Kersting was second and Andrew Dillman and I battled for third all day. He eventually won. This kid is a stud! He is 16, remember his name he is going to do cool things. I need to minimize technical mistakes. It is a relatively short but very intense season and I still aspire to win the overall. It is definitely going to be a battle though. I am currently 2nd overall and will probably drop to 5 or 6 after the Cincy UCI weekend because most of the guys are doing all 3 days while I can only do the last 2. I am not too worried about it. Blooomingcross is the following weekend with a clinic by the awesome Barry Wicks on the Saturday before! Come check it out.

Its CROSS Season!!

2010-09-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

Apologies for not posting anything for a while. I ended the road season on a so-so note with a "solid" 9th at the Indy Crit. Since then I have been preparing for the cross season! There have been some awesome developments. I am fortunate enough to be representing BikeReg.com for the season and could not be more excited. Check it out it's the best race registration website out there. The season has not gotten off to the smoothest start with a DNF at Huber Apple Cross and a not as good as expected opening weekend at Kings Cross.
Day 1 at Kings Cross I ran over a bike and flatted my front tire when 2nd wheel went down on an off camber section. I had to ride 1/2 lap on a flat front before I could get to the pit. I ended up back in 13th but put my head down and chased to end up a respectable 5th.
Day 2 was the first race of 15 in the OVCX Series presented by Zipp and BikeReg. Unlike my previous 2 attempts I got a decent start and was 4th or 5th going onto the cross and was second shortly thereafter. I took the lead when the leader crashed and tried opening it up. I was struggling with allergies and breathing and was not feeling like myself. However, I managed to shake everyone except for Josh Johnson (the eventual winner). I bobbled with a lap and a half to go and he never looked back. Congrats to him. He rode a great race. I ended up 2nd. It was nice to get an incident free race under my belt. It is going to be a great season and I am hoping to step onto the top step of as many podiums and possible.

Next up is the USGP in Madison, WI this weekend. It will be my first UCI race, I am stoked.

Pics from this weekend from my beautiful fiance, Caitlin Coar!

Contemplation

2010-08-02T18:31:00.000-07:00

Took another spill at Elk Grove on Day 1. Landed in the grass but ruined yet another tubular and was enough to really bother my back that was not 100% yet after the superweek incident. I am looking forward to CX but want to finish out the road season strong so I am taking a week to rejuvenate and hopefully have a turn of luck at the Mass. Ave crit on the 14th. However, I have also been thinking and I have been fortunate enough to have a good couple of seasons, despite the recent string of pavement surfing. Like Mr. Churchill says..."If you are going through hell, keep going."

So here is proof of my hard work. I have a long way to go to get to where I want to be but the reminder of progress is nice.

3/7/2010 1st -Sumantanga RR Training Series (Birmingham, AL)

03/21/2010 – 4th-Brown County State Park Road Race

04/10/2010 – 15th- 9th Annual Hillsboro Roubaix

05/01/2010 – 3rd-Winona Lake RR

5/2/2010- 4th- Winona Lake Criterium

5/22/2010- 10th-Urbana Grand Prix

06/26/2010 – 14th- Hyde Park Blast Criterium

06/13/2010 -20th- Tour de Grove

6/4/2010-1st-Time Trial- Tour of Red River Gorge

06/05/2010 – 6th – Tour of Red River Gorge Stage 1

06/06/2010 – 5th-Tour of Red River Gorge Stage 2

-2nd Overall in Omnium (Tour of Red River Gorge)

7/10/2010-4th-Bloomington Criterium

7/14/2010-1st- Firecracker 50 Circuit Race

7/17/2010-5th-Troy Classic on the Square

7/18/2010-1st- Cat ½ Indiana State Time Trial Championships

-40k in 52:44

7/20/2010-9th-Bucyrus Classic (ICC Superweek)

2009

6/28/09- Proctor Cycling Classic (Peoria, IL) 2nd

6/21/09- Tour de Winghaven (O'Fallon, MO) 6th

6/14/09-Men's Health Awareness Crit (richmond, KY)-6th

6/13/09- Tour de Olmstead (Louisville KY)-3rd

5/17/09-Nortons Commons Crit (Louisville KY)-2nd

5/09/09-Eagle Creek Traditional Crit (Indianapolis, IN)-4th

4/26/09-Brown County State Park RR-5th

4/26/08 Brown County State Park RR 3rd

Cyclocross

10/04/09- 6th- Tour de Louisville

10/10/09-1st- Java Johnny’s-Lionhearts International Cyclocross UCI (Cat 2/3)

10/11/09-1st-Cincinnati UCI 3 Harbin Park (Cat 2/3)

10/18/09-2nd- Bloomingcross

10/24/09-1st-USGP Cyclocross Derby City Cup (Cat 2/3)

10/25/09-4th-USGP Cyclocross Derby City Cup (Cat 2/3)

11/01/09-5th- Gun Club Cross

11/21/09-5th- Southeastway Cyclocross

11/22/09-5th- Brookside Cyclocross (State Championships/2nd in Indiana)

State Time Trial Championships

2010-07-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

Before I headed up to Wisconsin for Superweek I contested the Indiana State Time Trial Championships. I did not know what to expect since it was my first attempt at a 40 k time trial. I knew I had to pace correctly and save something for the second half. There was a tailwind on the way out so I knew the return trip would be difficult. I kept some in reserve and pushed after the turn around. I came in with a 52:44 which was faster than I was hoping. I managed to win the Cat 1/2 State Title which I am pretty excited about. I am going to attempt a lot more time trials in the future considering two of my 4 wins this year have been in said discipline. Pictures from the awesome as always Caitlin Coar .

Superweek

2010-07-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

It has been a year of highs and lows for me and my trip to Superweek could not have personified this more clearly. My first day was the Bucyrus Classic. It was considered a road race even though there were primes. The circuit was just short of 4 miles. I rode near the front and tried to follow moves that seemed dangerous. I found myself in a move with the extremely strong Cantwell of Fly V and one other strong rider. Cantwell was adamant about keeping this move clear and was demanding long pulls from all of us. I was struggling to do my fair share with these guys and luckily the move slowly ballooned to around 13 or 14 riders which allowed more time to recover. We stayed clear and I knew my odds of winning a group sprint were small so I tried an attack after the first hill and managed to scrape together about 15 seconds but it was not to be. I got caught at the base of the last hill. I sat in the group and tried to stay out of the wind and start my sprint as late as possible. I went as hard as I could and managed a top ten finish with 9th. I was extremely satisifed with the result partially because I could never have fathomed a top 10 finish at the fabled Superweek when I picked up a bike 6 years ago. I was on cloud nine.....until I was quite literally knocked off.

The next day was the Hincapie Lake Front Road Race. The course had a decent climb and overall suited me well. However, a break went very early into the 90+ mile race and I know it was the move. I was ok because my friend Mike Sherer was in the move and I did not have the legs quite yet after the previous night's effort. I was forced to be content with waiting and hoping to get into a secondary break. With around 6 laps to go of the 5 mile loop I was beginning to come around and found myself in a smaller group. We were descending the one safe, but fast, downhill on the course. I spotted a down rider 50 meters in front of me and the next thing I know the TT1 rider in front of me is sliding and I knew that it was going to hurt. I went over the bars landing on my head and back and coming to a sudden stop. I was in a lot of pain and my helmet was destroyed, that is two in one year. I was going to attempt the next day's race in Racine but it was cancelled due to tornadoes in the area. The day after I was in no condition to race with the pain in my hip and elbow so I sat on the dock of my friend Caroline's lake house, fished and had a few beers. The next day was the popular Downer's Ave crit so I lined up hoping the legs would come around so that I could compete and possibly squeeze out another result. However, it was not to be. My hip still hurt and to top it off the race was carnage. There were crashes everywhere! They eventually stopped the race and restarted and at that point I called it day hoping to keep what skin I had left.

All in all Superweek was a disappointment. I would have been in far worse spirits had I not managed the one decent result. However, it is always frustrating to travel planning on six days of racing and not even complete 2 entire races. But it is part of the game. I have found that this sport is constant peaks and valleys and being able to pull yourself off the pavement time and time again is what keeps things interesting and challenging. If it was easy everyone would do it. I will continue to line up hoping to finish first no matter how many times I crash and/or get beaten to the finish line because when you are able to get to one of those peaks....it is more than worth all the adversity.

RRG Gorge Pictures

2010-06-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Tour of Red River Gorge including the thunderstorm ridden, two wrecks and destroyed front wheel final stage. Thanks as always to Caitlin.

Could not be more relieved to be finished. Now the aches and pains set in.

Tour of Red River Gorge

2010-06-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

Tour of Red River Gorge

I ventured down to middle of nowhere Kentucky last weekend for the Tour of Red River Gorge. I went into it thinking that I really wanted to win the overall, it would be nice to win stages but in the end the only thing that really mattered to me was wining the GC.

The race started on Friday with a 7.4 mile Time Trial. I desperately wanted to win this because I was in desperate need of a “check” in the W column. I managed to get a TT bike thanks to Mike Sherer and Zipp who supplied me with an incredible sub 9 disc. I got it built mid week but the first real test (not ideally) was the prologue of Red River. I knew the people to beat would be Greg Strock (Texas Roadhouse) and John Eisinger (Cleveland Clinic). I was very focused and the course suited me; fast with some rolling hills. I rode as hard as I could, crossed the line feeling like it went well and waited for the results. After what seemed like forever the taped the results on the door and I won! However, it was just barely (2 seconds) over Strock.

The Saturday stage was a 51-mile rolling stage that was not expected to break things up. Surprisingly at the end of it I found myself in a breakaway consisting of Strock, Eisinger, and the other GC contenders. We barely managed to stay away with me rolling in for sixth. Since it was a points stage race it would have been nice to place higher but I did a ton of work to keep the group away and thus faded to sixth. Tiago Depaula won and since he finished 6th in the TT we were tied atop the leader board with 99 points apiece with one stage remaining.

The final day, a demanding 91-mile stage would prove to be the most epic day I have ever had in a bike race. It started as expected, slowly, with everyone trying to conserve as much as possible for the upcoming climbs. We crested the second brutal climb and all of the favorites were there, minus Taiga, who I had to beat. I wanted to keep it away but could not work because there was a long way to go. Everyone else was thinking the same thing and everyone came back together including Tiago, which was frustrating, but I had to remain patient, which is difficult for me to do. Then things started to get interesting. A rider from Cleveland Clinic attacked without looking and put his rear derailleur into my front wheel, removing three spokes. Clayton being the great teammate he is immediately stopped and sacrificed his wheel and Brett waited and paced me back to the group. I also received some unexpected help from Ryan Kiel, which was great. I got back on and tried to relax. We then encountered a long climb and once again I found myself surrounded by the leaders minus Tiago, another golden opportunity. However, Eisinger took an unnecessary risk around a corner, by now it was raining, and took down several of the lead group including Chris Uberti who dislocated his shoulder. (Although he later popped it back in making him pretty much a badass) I chased back on, once again thanks to my awesome teammate Brett Stewart. However all this confusion once again allowed Tiago to return to the head of the race. Finally, after another brutal climb, we were alone and Tiago was once again awesomely absent. We were descending in a group containing myself, Knapp, his teammate Gregory Christian, Strock, Eisenger, and a few others. Then came a switchback, I grabbed brakes nothing happened and I had one of the worst crashes of my cycling life. I did not once think about stopping but instead picked my bike and myself up and got on with the chase. I could see the group but was having a hard time closing. I saw Tiago, who had been dropped, and came to the sad realization that to get back to the leaders I had to work with the one person I desperately had to beat. It is amazing how quickly enemies can become allies in a bike race. We closed with a little over 10 k left. I luckily had two teammates with me in Brad and Weston who were both riding incredibly. We decided to let Greg Christian roll off of the front to take the 75 points off of the board. Then came a flurry of attacks with one by Eisinger finally sticking. I could not lose to him either so I had my great teammates get on with the chase. When we got close I tried one last attack knowing I would lose to Tiago in a sprint. I got caught before the line, finishing 5th and therefore 2nd on GC. It was a tough way to lose but I fought as hard as I possibly could and could not be happier with the result considering everything I had to overcome in one 91-mile race. Thank you to my NUVO teammates, and thanks to the promoters and officials for a cool race. I will be back next year looking for the win.

Pictures by the wonderful Caitlin Coar to come!

Joe Martin

2010-05-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

I realize it has been a while since my last post so here is a very brief recap of what has been happening.

I was 15th at Hillsboro, a little disappointing but I am proud of how I rode.
Cutters won Little 5...again. 4-PEAT!

I ventured to Winona Lake last weekend for a road race and a crit. I found myself up the road with 2 laps to go in the road race with Chris "I'm winning everything" Uberti and Will Nowak. Thankfully Chris beat Will who sat on our wheels for 15 miles to take the W. I was trashed and rolled in 3rd.

The crit on Sunday was wet which made it that much more technical. The break went in the first corner. I bridged and lapped the field with Sherer, Knapp, Puffer and Eisinger. Puffer ended up with the win and I rolled in 4th after narrowly avoiding a last corner pile up.

Now the reason for the post. I just arrived in Arkansas with Sherer and my official photog Caitlin. We got lucky and are set up in a beautiful home. I am so thankful to people who open their homes to strange men with shaven legs. It makes the trip so much more enjoyable. I am going to try and update this after every stage. Check it out here or go to where it is linked.

I am excited for the TT tomorrow. If I have some good legs I am confident that I can pull off a good ride. 8.5 minutes uphill is right up my alley!!

I will check in tomorrow thanks for reading.

Video

2010-03-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

Video Courtesy of BVN (Geraint Parry)

Update

2010-03-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

There is a lot to report. I will start with the coolest thing. I am engaged! I convinced the greatest girl on the planet to marry me. Thanks for being great Caitlin, I love you.

I have done a couple of races already; the Sumatanga Road Race in Alabama and the Brown County State Park Road Race. The race in Alabama was awesome! It finished up a one mile climb that averaged 12%. I established the break early and rode fairly conservatively since it was the first race of the long season. We hit the base of the climb and I went for it. I won going away! It was pretty cool. Granted the competition was not stellar with Rouge Roubaix being in Louisiana. However, a w is a w and I will not complain. Pics courtesy of the fiance.

Next was the absolutely brutal Brown County State Park Road Race. Every year I swear I am never doing this race again, especially after last years case of Rhabdomyolysis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhabdomyolysis The race this year played out differently than in years past. It stayed together much longer until the split happened with three to go. It was myself, last years winner (Eisinger), Sherer, Strock, and Kersting. I got gapped over the top of the hill the last time over and had no choice but to pull back Sherer and Eisinger bringing Kersting with me. I jumped to early got passed and ended up 4th with Eisinger repeating his victory. I will win this race one day!!

Post race Frustration (courtesy of Caitlin Coar)

Also I am riding some awesome stuff this year. Huge thanks to Nuvo cycling. It is going to be a great year.

Check out Zipp and Giant. These wheels are incredible and this is the nicest bike I have ever had the pleasure of swinging my leg over.

That is all for now. More to come.

Hopefully a sign of things to come!

2010-02-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

I ventured up to do the final installment of the Marian University Indoor TT series on Sunday. My heat was at 9 a.m. so I was up very early. I got there and started warming up and felt pretty terrible. The legs did not want to be awake yet and certainly did not want to do a TT effort. However, my the time the countdown had started they were feeling decent. Once the TT started I made a decision to really go after the hills on the rolling 6.2 mile course. It paid off. However, by "resting" on the downhills I managed to recover but could have lost valuable time. (more on that in a sec). I was in the lead for most of my heat but was not aware that I was putting down that good of a time until near the end. Long story short I missed out on the best time of the series by less than a second!!! Damn, but at least it is held my friend and training partner Ryan "Dr. Steelhammer" Shanahan.His best time is 14:27.5. My time was 14.28.49 for an average of 384 watts. I felt great but should have went deeper into the pain cave. There is definitely an art to riding a good TT on a computrainer and I would definitely love another crack at it! O well next year. Time to focus on the upcoming road season. I have a good feeling about it and am more fit than I have ever been. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come and not a one time performance. Well gotta go log some more hours in the wattage cottage so I can venture further into the pain cave! Thanks for reading and a bigger thanks to Zipp and Marian University for putting on a cool event. See you on the road!

Winter Update

2010-02-03T18:17:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since my last update for no reason other than the fact that there is nothing exciting to report on. After the cross season I took a much needed break before hitting the pavement to get ready for the road season. Unfortunately I have been spending more time on the terrbile trainer than actually riding outdoors due to the cold temps and limited hours of daylight. All in all though it has not been to bad. Hubbell has hooked me up with an awesome training plan that I am confident will have me ready to tear up the 2010 road season. I am very excited for the upcoming season. We have assembled quite the squad at NUVO. I love riding with all the guys and I expect big things. Can not wait to get started. See everyone on the road!

More importantly the Superbowl is this weekend....GO HORSE! I am also planning on venturing up to Marian for the last indoor TT (hopefully I can go deep in the pain cave!)

Brookside

2009-11-23T20:01:00.001-08:00

This perfectly sums up Sunday....more to come

Truesport purposely taking Bikereg.com related things out of their website?

2009-11-23T14:02:00.000-08:00

I found this curious. I have noticed that Truesport.com has not been listing Bikereg.com next to the names of their sponsored riders on the results. I now have proof that they are going out of their way to make sure there is no mention of Bikereg anywhere on their website. (both bikereg.com and truesport.com are race registration websites). I have friends who ride for Bikereg.com and am personally shocked that truesport would do this. Check this out.

The Elite Masters race also saw an exciting finish as Mike McShane (Calistoga Racing Team), Don Galligher (DRT Consulting) and Fred Rose kept things tight the entire race. Gallagher again did some good work on the front and looked like he might be able to challenge McShane with a sprint, something he couldn't do yesterday. With a couple laps to go, as they reached the top of the steps in a Galligher – McShane – Rose order, Rose decided to attack. He cut to the inside as he dropped his bike to the pavement preparing to mount and gave McShane a friendly push into the bushes. That surely instilled a little extra motivation in McShane, who doesn’t take kindly to being pushed around as he is almost always the smallest guy out there. As they came into the final barriers with McShane leading, it appeared to be over with Galligher and Rose left to battle for 2nd. Galligher slid out and hit the turf leaving the 2nd place spot and Indiana State Championship to Rose.
http://www.truesport.com/rzone/racereports/report.asp?recid=1401

This is the writeup on Truesport.com. Notice how there is no sponsor name next to Fred Rose's name.

Now here is the same writeup (the original) from CXmagazine.

The Elite Masters race also saw an exciting finish as Mike McShane (Calistoga Racing Team), Don Galligher (DRT Consulting) and Fred Rose (BikeReg.com) kept things tight the entire race. Gallagher again did some good work on the front and looked like he might be able to challenge McShane with a sprint, something he couldn’t do yesterday. With a couple laps to go, as they reached the top of the steps in a Galligher – McShane – Rose order, Rose decided to attack. He cut to the inside as he dropped his bike to the pavement preparing to mount and gave McShane a friendly push into the bushes. That surely instilled a little extra motivation in McShane, who doesn’t take kindly to being pushed around as he is almost always the smallest guy out there. As they came into the final barriers with McShane leading, it appeared to be over with Galligher and Rose left to battle for 2nd. Galligher slid out and hit the turf leaving the 2nd place spot and Indiana State Championship to Rose.

http://cxmagazine.com/tight-finishes-zipp-ovcx-brookside-cup-indiana-state-championship#more-7429

Notice bikereg.com next to Fred's name. This means that they went out of their way to edit the writeup. I am shocked and consider this quite petty. None of us are doing this because it makes us rich. However, we are all lucky enough to have sponsors who are gracious enough to help us out however they can. All they ask in return is a little bit of face time for their company or product. I find this just weird. Everyone deserves equal treatment and it is totally unnecessary to remove a sponsor because they may or not be a rival company.

Also, if you notice there are no pictures of Fred in the sequence of photos. I am sure Truesport sponsored athletes would feel the same way if Bikereg removed their sponsor from the results or race description.

Why can't we all just get along. Life is too short to be petty especially when we are all going to races and giving our all for the respect of our peers and a sense of achievement.

GUN CLUB

2009-11-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

Ventured to suburban Cincy last week. The course was an absolute mud fest. I had to dismount three times a lap plus two barriers for a total of five. I still need to polish my mud skills. I was making far too many mistakes and faded to fifth. I do not like losing to people I know that I am stronger than. It just goes to show you that it does not matter how strong you are if you are not technically sound. I need to get as many races under my belt as possible so that I can continue to improve. However, this might prove difficult seeing as the legs are beginning to feel the effects of so much racing this year. No big deal though I need to get my head around it and soldier on and finish out the year strong.

Overdue Update

2009-10-31T19:52:00.000-07:00

Thought I would update while I had a second. As everyone knows Bloomingcross was a couple of weeks ago and it went very well. The course was fast and no one fell off the bridges. :) I got a front row call up but managed to botch the start and went into the 180 about 6th and could not get clear until towards the end of the first lap. However, by this tim Mitchell Kersting had managed to build a little gap that I would sadly never close. The legs did not feel as good the did in Cinci but I still rode well and rolled in 2nd. Hopefully I can take down one of the remaining OVCX races.

Next was the USGP in Louisville. I was once again doing the 2/3 events before I man up and do the UCI races next year. I did not feel so hot and was truthfully feeling burnt out and unmotivated. It did not help that I had to leave super early to get there in time for my 10 o'clock race. The weather was chilly and the course had super-glue like mud everywhere. It robbed me of my power advantage which I was counting on because I felt flat. However, I was lucky enough to win Day 1 thanks to a call up. Andrew Dillman got 2nd. This kid is a balla!! He is 15 and gave me everything I could handle. If he can stay motivated he is going places. Big props to him. Day 2 I did not get a call up and was starting very far back. The legs felt terrible and I never saw the leader. I got up to 2nd but wrecked trying to get free. I ended up fourth. Guess who won?!...Dillman! Like I said this kid is going places. He rode away from 120 guys. He started near the front but I will never take anything away from him. Good luck to him and I look forward to following his progress. I took it easy this week in preparation for Gun Club cross here in about 14 hrs. Hopefully the legs wake up and I can go for that top podium spot.

Random thought.

Several people have pointed out to me that the proposed Senate Health Care bill will pay for abortions. How they have managed to take a several hundred page document and condense it to one ridiculous point is beyond me. So what, would you rather have the kid raised in foster care because the parent does not want it. You talk about having to pay for this bill, who do you think would have to pay to keep this kid in the foster system? Another thing, it amazes me that more often than not people who are anti-abortion and PRO-LIFE are also pro death penalty. People are awesome. I do not think this country has ever been so polarized and I believe it is because people are being misled by those they elected to represent them; on both sides of the aisle. Just my thoughts.

Have a good one and remember to think for yourself. Don't believe everything you seen on that T.V.

Harbin Park Photo Dump

2009-10-13T19:15:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Caitlin for all of the awesome Pictures.:) Also thanks to Jeffrey Jakucyk.

Victory at Last!!

2009-10-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

I ventured to Cincy this weekend for the 2nd and 3rd days of the UCI festival with high hopes and expectations. I got there early on Saturday so that I had plenty of time to dial both bikes and to prevent any disasters like the previous week in Louisville. I got plenty of pre riding in and with the long pavement sections, I knew that course would offer plenty of opportunities to rail it and hopefully move up from my back row starting position. Fortunately everyone moved far left in preparation for the right hander onto the grass. I seized the opportunity and moved up the right, chopped some people in the corner and was 8th by the time we got onto the course! Nice! I rode hard and caught the leaders, and decided to leave them early and go it on my own. I had it pretty comfortably and then dropped and chain with 1 1/2 to go. I immediately thought, "NOT AGAIN!" I managed to get it back on and only get passed by second place I quickly caught him and went on to grab the W! Although I did not get to salute because I thought I had another lap, It did not matter. The victory was so sweet and a long time coming. It felt awesome. I was really excited and looking forward to Sunday. I had my sights set on a repeat. I even got some awesome Challenge Grifo clinchers for my efforts.

Day #2 (Harbin Park)

I was excited to start Sundays race but was also nervous, and felt that if I did not win then the weekend would be a disappointment. I am a little hard on myself, but after the dry spell I was hungry for as many victories as possible. I was once again in the back row and grew worried when I saw the guy who got second the day before on the front row. I knew I was going to have to go balls to the wall and get to the front before he had a chance to build too much of a lead. The first couple corners were a clusterf%$k. People were stopping and dismounting and I was literally running over people to get to the front. Luckily there was a very long, false flat up to the finish line and I was able to pass a ton of people to get near the front before the sand. However, Roberson (2nd place from Saturday) had a nice lead on everyone. I was riding myself inside out and almost thought the gap was too big to close. I wrecked on lap 2 in front of Rodkey because I was simply out of control. I needed to compose myself and close the gap. I got to the leader with 3 to go rode with him for a lap, waiting for him to make a mistake. He dropped a chain in the sand and I went for it. I built a comfortable lead and then endo'ed into the sand the last time through and he was on my ass. I went as hard as I could and was free and clear. I won for the second day in a row making it a clean sweep for NUVO in the 2/3 events. I even had time for a sweet salute :). Hopefully pics to come. It was an incredible weekend.
However, it did not end well. Unfortunately both Ryan Knapp and Mike Sherer broke their collarbones in the elite UCI race with Knapp's coming in the final sprint. He got up and walked across the line to finish 11th showing some real courage. I can't wait for you both to get back out there. Heal up fast so you can finish the season as strongly as you started it.

B Bike

2009-10-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

So I am officially hooked on this cross thing. I just got a B bike. This will prove helpful if I ever have another emergency mechanical during staging. I am pretty stoked and can officially say I am obsessed with crossin.

My First (official) CX race!

2009-10-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

My first race was the 2nd round of the OVCX series. It had a little bit of everything including some awfully bad luck. All was going well until staging started. I grabbed my front brake for one last check and the cable pulled all the way out. Awesome! I panicked a little and headed back to the car for some emergency surgery. Luckily Fred was there to help. I got the brake fixed and headed back to the start line assuming they waited. I was wrong!! The race was on! I ducked under the caution tape just before the start finish line and the chase was on. I was at least 30 seconds down which really sucked. I quickly made up my mind to chase as hard as hell. I wrecked the very first corner and then again going into the first barrier. I guess it was pretty dramatic and I even took out part of the course. This crashing was not getting me any closer to the race. Luckily Adam Rodkey got my attention and told me to get my head back into it. I calmed down and rode as hard as my body would let me. I got some stragglers pretty much immediately and then set my sights on a group of 6 about 20 seconds ahead. I caught them and decided to go right on by and continue chasing after thinking briefly about staying with them and recovering. That seemed like the pussy thing to do with so many people still in front of me.

photos by my awesome Girlfriend Caitlin, let me know and she will be glad to take some shots of you if you would like. She comes to a lot of races with me.

Thanks to Fred, Ben Weaver, and Rodkey for the encouragement. The bad luck sucked hard but it gave me the opportunity to see just how hard I could push myself. It was awesome. I ended up sixth and now know that without a doubt I can compete with the people who are winning these races (aka Ryan Knapp haha).

And lastly big props to Knapp and Fred Rose for winning their races and a big thumbs down to truesport.com for leaving Bikereg.com off of the results. Coincidence? I think not.

The course was sweet and I am quickly falling in love with this 'cross thing. I am looking forward to the rest of the OVCX series.

The Huntington Clusterf&#k

2009-09-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I have not posted in a while because I have not been up to anything. Mainly because the road season ended. I did however get a cross bike that I have been spending an inordinate amount of time on. I am going to throw my hat in the ring and do some racing which should be interesting. Here are a couple shots of it. It now has a white stem and I cut the steerer tube.

All of these were taken at the start of what should have been a cool race. However, when something is terribly organized and perhaps too ambitious for its own good the results can be disastrous. For those who do not know the Huntington Challenge is a "road race" that includes road, gravel, grass and singletrack. It started off and I went pretty hard to get things going, while at the same time angering the local old men who pride themselves on winning this pointless charade. One of them said "Its not time to go fast yet!" Sorry but it is always time to go fast. Well we hit the first wooded section and I went to the front and rode hard but within myself. To my surprise (somewhat) I came out of the woods with several minutes in hand. I then did about a 40 mile time trial into headwinds on flat roads while maintaining by advantage. Albers was closing but was on a road bike and I was confident that if he did close the gap I would be able to lose him seeing as the race ended on technical single track. This is where it all unraveled. I hit a grass and wide trail section leading to the single track. Upon crossing a creek I came to a gate with no markings. After stopping and contemplating my options I saw a tiny path to the left and decided to continue around the gate. Awesome work guys, all it would take is about 4 ounces of spray paint. This led me to a gravel road. After about 2 miles of gravel with about 8 miles left of racing I came to an intersection with a course marshal. I paused looked at him and with no indication to the contrary via markings or signaling from this hillbilly continued straight. After a couple miles it became evident that I was no longer on course so I turned around. Knowing I had just lost was the most deflating feeling ever. I went back and this awesome guy says.."My bad..you were supposed to go right." You chubby worthless man burn half a calorie, raise your arm and point!! Or I don't know simply say RIGHT?!?!? At this point I just wanted to be done. I hit the singletrack came over a hill and was going down a fast descent when I discovered that someone had crashed and failed to move is bike. I hit it my front wheel stopped and I endo'ed into woods down a hill and into a thorn bush. I was pissed. I crawled back up inspected the rig and was officially shattered. I just wanted to be home. Then....to top it all off discovered that the wreck had dislodged my PowerTap head and it was nowhere to be found. Ridiculous!! Then I flatted.....most bad ass day on a bike of all time.
So here are my complaints.
1. If you are going to put on a race, mark it accurately and find volunteers that care or simply do not bother!
- I met the course designer who was not a bike racer or even a rider so therefore had no idea what is and what is not a good idea.
2. Truesport.com please do not promote these catastrophes. I do not want to go to a race and discover it is a clusterf&#k devoid of common sense.

This race should be canceled and never again considered. Seriously what I thought would be fun was terrible. To anyone considering doing this in the future, I beg of you do not waste your time or money.

Warsaw

2009-08-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

I raced the crit in Downtown Warsaw last night. It was one of the strangest races I have ever been apart of. Attacks went flying from the gun and with Alderfer having 4,000 guys it was difficult to cover them and keep track of who was up the road. Eventually several guys got up the road and Sherer and I somehow missed the split. Eventually we got clear and started chasing with people constantly getting popped off of the front group. We eventually lapped and joined the other 4 who had lapped. I thought we were going to be like the 9th and 10th people to lap but I was pleasantly surprised when the announcer said that we were 4 and 5 on the road. Once we were all together the rest of the field got out of the way and let us 6 battle it out. It was myself,Leibo, Sherer, Will Nowak (more on that later), Jacobs and Strock from Roadhouse, and someone in blue. The Roadhouse guys traded attacks and I followed hoping me and Jacobs could get clear because I knew I would have a hard time beating Sherer or Nowak in a sprint. It was about 150 yard drag race out of the last of 4 corners, not my kind of finish. It came down to the last lap and I tried attacking on the back stretch but did not quite have the legs to come around the train of Nowak and Sherer. However, I did manage to disrupt their train a little. I dove the last corner really hard to take the inside line and then tried to sprint. However, I could not come around either Sherer or Nowak with Mike winning and Will second. I ended up third...yet another podium. It is not surprising it was Alderfer's home race and they had to win. It was a fun race, with one exception.

Nowak flatted early and was put back in a group that was ahead of the group he was originally in. It is partially the official's fault for not being aware but the lion's share of the blame goes on Will for not speaking up. I know I would not be comfortable being in a group that would eventually lap the field without having actually earned it. But hey if that is the only way you can get up the road then that is just fine. Don't get me wrong Will is super strong and has been riding very well but that was a really lame move. Come on man have some faith in yourself and when you get put back in the race have the decency to speak up and do it the right way. Sherer also had a mechanical and had to take a free lap but was put back in the main field and worked his ass off with me to make our way across. Without him there is no way I would have made it. He is riding awesome with a top 10 at Elk Grove and that sprint that has now thwarted me twice this year. I just get annoyed and wish people would play by the rules and do things the right way. I do not train my ass off so that I can be taken advantage of by cheaters. Step up your game or step aside. Trust me it is much more satisfying to do things the right way.

The new ink

2009-08-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my new ink...for those of you who have not seen it. Big thanks to Colin @ skinquake for the incredible art work.

Sweet Pictures

2009-08-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

So my awesome Girlfriend happens to be a great photographer (even though she wont admit it) Here are a couple of my favorite photos she has taken.

Big Crit season

2009-08-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

Since getting my upgrade I have done 3 rather large races: The Chicago Crit and the Tour of Elk Grove. I have yet to do a Pro/1 event but they have been learning experiences nonetheless. The legs feel fine in these things I just have trouble maintaining my position. I am just not a big enough ass. I need to be more assertive and take more risks. I will just have to turn the brain off especially in the last couple laps of these things.

The Chicago Crit was a good time racing in Downtown. There is no result to write home about but it was awesome because of the company. She even took some post race photos. Also Caroline made me lunch which was awesome!

Tour of Elk Grove went better. However, I wimped out a little in the final sprint and ended up 30 something. I moved up towards the end but should have fought harder for wheels towards the end. A learning experience for sure.
Sunday was much better. I went for a prime and was caught just before the line. However, there was a split in the field with only 17 guys off the front. ( It later ballooned to 28). I rode aggressively and tried to make another move, since I knew the field would split again. I managed to stay in the money and ended up 21st. I could have played it smarter but would rather fight for it and end up 21st than play it safe and still not come away with a decent result. I am glad I made the split, it was a bit of a confidence boost. I am looking forward to the rest of the year especially the Marion Crit. Summer is winding down and I desperately want to continue to get some results and end the year on a high note.

Upgradde (with 2 D's, for a double dose of pimpin')

2009-07-25T13:13:00.001-07:00

Oh by the way, I finally got my 1 upgrade after months of failed attempts. I am excited to finally be able to do the Pro/1 races at the upcoming NRC events such as Tour of Elk Grove, Downers and Marion. Although I am upset that they changed the Marion course and took out the hill. Should still be a good time go. Lets see how I stack up.

Long Overdue Update

2009-07-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

Fort Wayne Crit- 2nd....got tag teamed by the Alderfer Boys, still a little bitter. Awesome ride for Mike and Issac though

Tour de Champaign (Day 2)- Was a pretty difficult race. Huff and Mead from Jelly Belly showed up. I missed the race winning move consisting of Schroetlin, a RGF and Jonathan Jacob from Roadhouse. I got up the road with Uberti (RGF) and we miraculously managed to stay away till the end. I ended up 5th. A great day of racing I really had to push seeing as how the legs never seemed to come around.

Next was the much anticipated World Championships of cycling aka The Bloomington Criterium. The pace was fast and furious from the gun. I found myself up the road with a good friend; Jason Fowler. The entire Cutter crew was there cheering, it gave me goosebumps. Unfortunately with some heavy hitters still in the group we were pulled back.

As the race progressed it became evident that it was going to end in a bunch sprint, and I knew the Nuvo boys had the man for the job in Hubbell. I went to the front with a lap and a half to go and rode myself inside out. Coming out of the last corner Hubbell yelled go wide so I obliged and he obliterated everyone easily winning the sprint. I managed to hang on for 3rd which was an unexpected surprise.

sweet picture (check out the Radars)

Podium (Pretty cool being up there with Fowler and Hubbell who has been so supportive of my racing, like the entire Nuvo squad. Thanks guys this summer has been awesome so far!

Proctor Cycling Classic

2009-06-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

After working every day last week I decided to skip the festivities at Hyde Park and rest up for the Proctor Cycling Classic on Sunday in Peoria, IL. The race was a 90 minute affair with two very long straights. It was extremely windy. The wind almost took the 404's out. The plan was to do the exact opposite of what I usually do and be patient and not play my hand until the end. However, the IS Corps boys launched attack after attack from the gun. Eventually Kyle Jacobson got a sizable gap. Jeff Schroetlin decided to go after him and I thought he was way too dangerous to let him go up the road. I followed and we immediately got a nice margin and caught Jacobson. We soon dropped him but he was out in the wind for a couple laps before we got to him. Jeff and I continued to roll and opened up an insurmountable lead. Every time the gap started to come down he would go to the front and drill it. The guy is very strong. I have to give props to my Nuvo teammates for riding tempo in the field and covering attacks. Eventually Jeff and I almost lapped the main field which would have been nice seeing as I had teammates that could have helped. However, Jeff did not want to catch and I did not want to bury myself to get up there and have him ride away from me. I led out the last lap and was not sure how I was going to win. He jumped with two corners to go and I could not follow. I had some speed just not enough to overtake him. I finished 2nd again. Just call me Mr. 2nd place or top 5. I have to have faith that the W will come, but it is obviously something I am doing. I need to close one of these out. I keep putting myself in position to win but cannot be the first across the line when it matters the most. I feel awesome and have some legs I just have to get the job done!
Lots of racing coming up though with Superweek, Bloomington Crit, and the Tour D'Burg.

Here is a nice write up from the local Peoria newspaper.
http://www.pjstar.com/sports/x931209964/This-time-first-is-first

Hopefully some pictures will follow shortly.

Race update and a little rant

2009-06-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

I will start with the rant to grab some attention

Ok I understand that the Tour de France is the biggest bicycle race in the world and arguably the toughest sporting event ever devised by man. However, last time I checked I lived in the United States, where we happen to speak English and not French. Therefore, I wish to beg race promoters to call the events the Tour OF _________ vs. the Tour de _________. I may just be weird but it really bugs me when people call their race the Tour de ________. And not just one person is guilty. Several race promoters , if not all, are guilty. Here in America....we speak English. I really think that people do not even realize that "de" means of. Just something to think about.

On the other hand I have also been racing. On Saturday I raced the Tour de Olmstead. It was the most fun I have ever had on a race course. With a gradual, twisting, uphill and an awesome technical descent the course at Iroquois Park in Louisville was incredible. The race started normally with the usual attacks. It worked out that I found myself off the front with the always present Kevin Atkisson from Roadhouse and Juan Pablo from the Aerocat team. Our break was very close to being caught. I attacked on the last hill of the course but could not stay away with Atkisson and Juan Pablo dueling it out in the sprint, with Pablo taking the W. I thought I had comfortably taken third only to hear someone yell my name and turn around and see the hard charging peloton. I threw down my mediocre sprint and held on for third. Another nice result but not that coveted "W",it will come though I am confident of that.

The next day was a crit in Richmond. The field was very small and dominated by Roadhouse and the Aerocat professional team. I found myself in a break of nine with 3 of each of the above teams represented. I followed as many moves as I could until the legs gave out. We eventually lapped the field and John Grant of Roadhouse and Emile of Aerocat slipped off of the front. I ended up sixth, another good result. I want to thank Atkisson from Roadhouse and Emile from Aerocat for their advice after the race. I am relatively new at this and any help is greatly appreciated. I am going to keep going and get my "vee" before this season wraps up....so everyone better be on the look out!

Norton Commons and Iowa

2009-05-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay (I say that like I have readers)

I ventured down to Louisville a couple weeks ago for the Norton Commons Criterium. It was a good field with my Nuvo boys, Roadhouse and Panther all represented. The race started off pretty quick and the attacks started flying. I did my best to remain patient. Went a group of 10 or 11 riders formed off the front I decided that something needed to be done. I went to the front initially to help pull the group back so one of my teammates could get to it. Leibo was in the group but was severely outnumbered and I thought it best to try to get someone else up there to help out our stud. However, after getting to the front I realized that I had rolled off the front of the group and therefore decided to go ahead and bridge the gap which was no easy task, they were moving!

I made my way to the leaders in about a lap and a half and found that it was not a breakaway but a group of 13 riders who constantly attacked one another, this attacking was the only reason we stayed away and eventually almost lapped the field. Leibo and I were severly outnumbered but covered the moves and were riding well. Before I knew it we were on the last lap and it was fast and furious. I was second wheel going into the last two corners. I was trying to cover an attack by John Eisenger who attacked going into the second to last corner and had opened up quite a gap. Going into the last corner I heard a wreck and unfortunately it was Leibo who was sitting behind me. This gapped the field and I was attempting to run down Eisenger who still had 30 yards. I was sprinting as hard as I could and I was gaining fast. As we hit the line Kevin Atkisson from Roadhouse was right there. I had no idea. We all threw our bikes and no one had any idea who had won. After cooling down I discovered that I was second. O so close yet again! They had to go to a photo and even though I was second I think it is still my best ever result and was a nice payday. Here are a couple shots of the finish.

Eisenger took the win, it was so much to be a part of a finish like that!

Iowa was much less exciting and the legs were starting to ask for a needed rest. This is my first season really racing a lot and it is going to take some getting used to so that I can hold onto this form through August.

The long road race on Friday is the only thing worth reporting. I found myself in a break at mile 30 of the 90 mile race. I thought it was pointless and rather dumb until we established quite the gap. Everyone I talked to in the peloton thought we were gone. However, we were caught less that 2 miles from the line and a long day in the saddle was all for not as it turned into a sprinter's paradise. I now understand why people at Le Tour try this suicide missions, I honestly thought it was going to stick. O well I played my card and it didn't work. That's bike racing.

Lastly, I must thank Diamond Dave, Clayton, Vinicky and Tina, for entertaining me through the weekend. I also owe Jon and Kate plus 8 a thanks for being on TV the entire weekend. That show is ridiculous and I do not blame Jon for cheating on that psychotic bitch. All in all it was a fun weekend and I am still searching for that W with some good races coming up!

Race Update!!

2009-05-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

Since my last feeble post I have done that bike racing thing a couple more times. The first time being the always fun Traditional Crit at Eagle Creek State Park. I attacked continuously from the gun until it was Chad Birdman ( I dont know how to spell his actual name) and Strock from Roadhouse. The three of us worked really well together until the attacks started flying with 3 laps to go. I was feeling great and covering the moves when with 2 to go I rounded a corner and my rear wheel fell out. The friggin skewer broke and cost me a shot at that illusive w. I managed to hang on for 4th but it was frustrating. To make it worse both Chad and Strock came up and told me that I was riding strong and probably would have taken it down. O well at least it was at an ABR race, but it still sucks when your equipment cost you a race. The most important thing is I am riding strong and feeling great, the W come!

Norton Commons update coming!

Rainy Wednesday Worlds

2009-05-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

Did Worlds tonight and as expected it was a low turn out. Joe Martin and Collegiate Nationals already took the big guns but the rain did not help. It was immediately Fred and I and after deciding to just ride Mr. Shanahan came flying by trying to break his hr record. He is a machine! It was actually great. My legs felt terrible and sitting behind him was a great way to get some speed without the effort. I pushed it on a couple of climbs and started to feel better. I am doing the Eagle Creek crit on Saturday which should be a good time. I decided not to venture to Arkansas for Joe Martin. After the sickness (as it will now be called) I was not feeling like it would be worth my time and energy if I was not feeling great. It should be a great weekend and the races are coming fast and furious now. I can't wait!

btw "Blacksheep" is a fantastic movie

Sunny King Criterium and Alabama

2009-05-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

I headed down to Alabama on Thursday for a little weekend get away after my last day of undergraduate classes. I came down to visit my friend Curtis and the hospitality has been incredible. I decided to do the Sunny King Criterium, and NRC crit. I did the 2/3 race instead of lining up with the big boys in the pro 1/2 because of the lack of riding this week and the sickness. I stayed up front all day and tried unsuccessfully to establish a break from the gun. When I decided that it was not going to work I sat in for the next 30 minutes and recovered after taking down a preme. With 6 to go I moved up to 3rd and 4th wheel and started covering moves to hold my position. I was feeling great and was 4th going into the second to last corner. Then someone dove the corner in front of me freaked out and locked up his breaks. (you did not need to break for any of the 4 corners) This cost me 15 spots. Then on the last slightly uphill sprint from about 25 deep I decided to sprint anyway. It felt like a great sprint for me at least and I was running people down; however, I ran out of road and crossed in 14th. It was extremely frustrating because I was not sitting in bad position. It was some sketchy kid who still has a lot of learning to do who did not show his face anywhere near the front until 2 corners to go and possibly cost me the race. I know it is bike racing but seriously if you can not corner stay out of the way, he is just lucky he did not cause a pile up. And do not worry I let him know exactly how I felt after the race (along with a couple others).

All in all it has been a great weekend and exactly what I needed. I am heading back to Bloomington and hopefully seeing some fellow grads while I keep on keepin on.

Update (for real this time)

2009-04-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

I realize it has been almost a year so lets make this quick so I can get to regular posting.

1. I won the Little 500 in 2008 with the Cutters who then became the all time winningest team.
- They just won again for a 3 peat and 10 Overall!!!!
2. I am riding with Nuvo and thanks to all of the guys for all of the help.

Now the posts will be consistent...I promise

I have two races under my belt...a 3rd at Ceraland and a Brutal 5th at the Brown County State Park Road Race. I raced so hard I seized and cramped after doing 10 laps solo. I had to go to the doctor and found out I have rhabdomyolysis. Read here--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhabdomyolysis. This sucks but it should not affect me too much I just need to stay cool and hydrated. I am feeling more fit than I ever have, it is going to be an amazing year.

p.s. I am not letting this shit get to me!! (that was purely for me).

When it rains it pours

2008-07-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

I have recently noticed how complacent you become when your equipment works. However, as of late, I have been repeatedly reminded of how frustrating, disheartening, and expensive this bike racing thing can be. It all started when the night before the Tour of Ohio, when I discovered that my carbon steerer tube was cracked. I hate carbon steerer tubes, in my opionion they are not worth the weight savings. I could deal with this. However, a week ago tomorrow, I destroyed my rear wheel and was officially out of rear wheels, but thanks to my gracious boss and friend I am still rolling on some Ksyrium SL's. Once again...crisis averted with not too much out of pocket costs. Then while adjusting stem and headset because of some wierd flex...I noticed that the bolt in the stem had sheared off, we removed the bolt but the threads were trashed. Now I am running a 130 Thomson instead of my usual 120, but I can deal until I replace it. Then today the icing on the cake, I don't know what caused it, a bad shift, carelessness on my part, or something else, but my big chain ring is drastically bent and needs replaced. This was my breaking point....I lost it and didn't even want to ride, however, now that I have had time to relax and take a couple deep breaths I am slightly less upset. I will fix this tomorrow and then pray that nothing else goes wrong and I get through this NRC event in Louisville. I am in desperate need of a new bike, I have been racing this one hard for almost 2 years. However,the funds will not be available until mid to late August so I will just have to cope and hope for the best. But like the title of this awesome blog says...."Keep on Keepin' On!" Plus like I always say, "It's not what you ride,it's how you ride it."
Keep training all, I will see you on the roads, hopefully with everything in working order.

I'm Back! (and very bored)

2008-07-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

First off, all of you faithful readers I know it has been a very long time. This affects some of you personally I know, especially Mr. Gaz. Now that there is a new title to this blog it obviously means that your PS3 alias is no longer valid, sorry.

Since the last post, I had knee surgery, won little 5, and switched from the MOB to Nuvo. I have been racing a decent amount and have got a taste of what it is like to race with bigger dogs than the ones who show up to races in Indiana. Haven't gotten a "W" yet but have a couple decent results with big hopes for the rest of the summer. I just hope that my 4th of July festivities did not damage my fitness too much. I should be fine as long as I keep the mullet, granted it is not as Euro as Mr. Knapps but I am working on it. I am heading to Louisville this weekend for a couple of crits, one of which is an NRC event. It just sucks that I don't get to compete with the big boys since it is only a Pro/1 event. I am still a lowly "2" and need just a few more results to get that to the one. Whatever, why my friends are out suffering against the likes of Toyota United I will be on the sidelines as an interested spectator. Also, since my race is 2/3 event it is a great chance for a good result, maybe even that coveted "W", and some decent bank.

Finals suck!

2007-12-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

Just got done with final #3 and need to shut the brain down for a while. 2 more on Thursday and then off to Florida for some warmer weather and sweet training. The weather has been absolutely miserable here in B-town for going on a week now, 30 something and raining daily. Makes it tough to stay motivated, but #9 is not going to come without sacrifice and brutal days in the saddle. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger right? Florida should be the shit, with temps in the 60's and 70's
should be able to get some pretty epic rides in and finally suffer a little bit.

...on a side note: Some shitty old man in a gas guzzling, global warm contributing piece of shit diesel decided to run me off the road on the way home from my last final which was just what I needed. I am not sure why motorists have to be such impatient, ignorant low lifes but it just goes to prove a point of how miserable people can be with their lives.Seriously, get pissed at something that is at least worthwhile. If you really cannot wait for a couple of seconds to go around or just give a cyclist some room then you really are worthless. I hope at some point I can be as angry and miserable as some of these ford-pickup driving rednecks that call Bloomington home. I love how they can be tough SOB's from within their massive truck...maybe one day they won't be so ball-less and they will stop and get out so that I can give them a clothesline at 25 mph. We live in a beautiful world and I love it.

....well that was my rant, I hope you enjoyed and if not thats good too. Keep training and stay warm!

Chi-Town Cross Ride (2)

2007-11-25T20:03:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Break was pretty sweet. Spent the week in Chi-Town and watched entirely too much football. My friend showed me this sweet cross trail that runs all the way up to the border of Wisconsin. Did a sweet ride with a pretty big group on Turkey Day. About a quarter of the way out it started snowing pretty hard which just up'd the sweetest level. It was pretty fuckin sweet to get off the road and onto a sweet trail. Nice way to get the hours in without poundin the road.
Decided to go out again on Saturday. By this time it had warmed up considerably which means the snow melted and the trail was uber sloppy and thus uber sweet. Decided to do a longer ride and up the pace a little bit. This probably wasn't the best idea since the intensity level is still pretty low in my program right now but whatever. When the conditions are as sweet as they were the trail was begging for me to get into it. The bike and myself got pretty dirty...although not as dirty as this guy...
....sorry for the obligatory picture. That is Lars Boom btw, hes a badass mothafucka.
I am thinking about trying my hand at some Cross racing here pretty soon. Would be a good test of fitness and would be fun. Updates on that decision coming soon.

Chi-Town Cross Ride

2007-11-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

Well, your drivetrain looks like you could eat off of it!"

-more details later

LOST

2007-11-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

LOST

Getting lost is great, especially when it is with friends and teammates on a bike. It was supposed to be a chill 2 hr. ride. Well when you act like you know where you are to save face when you actually have no fucking clue then 9 times out of 10 you will get lost. We headed west and ended up looping and running into the same roads. The ride ended up being 3 hrs. Normally, I would be angry but it was a great time. The whole team was laughing and enjoying it the whole time. It was beyond dark and we were still 30 minutes from home and totally invisible to oncoming cars, which in retrospect was probably pretty dangerous.

The moral of the story is that anything can be fun when you are surrounded by friends. It was one of the best rides I have ever been on. We are some adventurous mothafuckas which is a far cry from my previous team. I am totally enjoying the ride more than I ever thought I would and I know that this journey will culminate in success.

P.S. If only THE beefcake was here!

November Night Ride

2007-11-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

Decided to go for a ride as the sun was going down. Just an easy 2 hrs. The sunset was incredible and I only saw 2-3 cars the entire time. At the end it began to rain and it is incredible that I was able to ride in the rain on November 12th and not be absolutely miserable. Who woulda thought?

I think it took a ride like this evening's to remind me why exactly I do it. Obviously the main reason is because I am a competitive son of a bitch who likes to make myself, but more importantly others suffer. However, I liked the reminder of how peaceful a solo ride could be. I love being able to ride away from everything and just chill with nothing but my bike and the open road. I have come to the conclusion that there is absolutely nothing better. Tomorrow, the training continues............always with the ultimate goal in mind!

Here is the brand new machine that carried me........