Catching up on life. aka racing.

Catching up on Life

Three times in my life I have held a journal in my hands and said “I will write in this every day” and every time I have failed within a week. When I started this blog I promised myself “I will write an entry every”, at least I made it a little longer then a week this time!

Over the last four weeks a lot has happened, which means in my life a lot of racing has happened.

Short recap. Weekend of February 9^th and 10^th , two local races. The team used these races to practice lead-outs and to practice controlling the race so that we are more easily able to do this, if need be, on a national level. Even if your team is the strongest team in the area, practice, practice, practice…and even then you still may mess up.

Weekend of February 15^th through 17^th, Valley of the Sun Stage Race. Flat 15 mile time trials are not my forte, however something that I will be working on for the future, for it is something that is unavoidable for a well rounded stage racer. I pulled a midpack time but was still in reach if I were able to get in a move the following day. The following day however served to be by far the biggest disappointment but non the less the biggest lesion learned. Every rider in the pro peloton knows that being in the top ten wheels is a must throughout the entire race, however its actually doing this when 150 other people also want that same thing that is very difficult indeed. As the peloton made a right turn I found myself on the left side of the pack, sitting about 50 to 60 guys back completely unsheltered from the wind. After putting out about 500 watts for a couple of min I found myself shattered from the back of the peloton with a group of others who had also pulled my rookie move.  When a strong team puts a train on the front in a cross wind section, if you are not sitting sheltered from the wind you are in effect having to do the same amount of work as that entire team rotating on the front, which as you can imagine can only be done for so long. Due to my mistake I found myself in a chase group for 80 miles doing far more work then I would have been doing while still being in the pack. All this work just to start the next day and still be 20 odd min down. Very frustrating; this will not happen again. The crit the next day was a fun course in downtown Phoenix, was uneventful and fairly easy, but I couldn’t get away with a move and it came down to a sprint.

Weekend of February 21^st through 25^th, Grand Fondo Brevard in Florida. A teammate of mine Jos, had won this last year and the Fondo wanted to fly him and a few of his teammates out to attend the event again this year. This was a very rewarding experience for it allowed us to escape the desert for a short while and relax in the pool and the beach. We spent the days before the fondo supporting the cause that the grand fondo supports. It’s a group of kids that have not been given opportunities that most of us have, and helps them to push forward and succeed in life. I found this to be a great organization that is full of good people and good kids; the organization is called KLD. Please look it up and help if you can! All in all the fondo was a great experience full of great people and was actually a really great workout by the end of the day! Would like to come back next year if they will have me.

Weekend of February 28^th through March 3^rd, Merco Cycling Classic. From one side of the country to the other in one week we were now in the town of Merced, CA. I new this would be a interesting weekend when I woke up the day before the first stage feeling sick. Racing sick is just part of the sport, however it is something that every cyclist cowers from more then anything else.  Ive heard so many practices done by cyclists to get rid of sickness that each will swear by, rubbing ointment on your feet, drinking a gallon of coconut water, tea, breathing exercises, sleeping 12 hours, chugging water, and so on. I think it just comes down to if a rider has to do 120 miles of racing while feeling like they should be curled up in bed…well they are willing to try just about anything. First stage was a great great course with a sweet climb, even though I was sick my legs felt decent and I was always able to do each laps climb with ease. Phil Giamon pulled a very impressive move to bridge to the break, which I was too cautious to go with even though I was right behind him when he went. Next time I will be saying screw it and seeing if I can hold his wheel is he leaves the next peloton in the dust. The next day was the TT which is where my sickness really hit me, fire in the throat made for a fun 26 min on the bike. The next two stages brought more disappointment but a much needed solid training block.

These past few weeks I didn’t pull any results to speak of. But every rider, even the best in the world must constantly learn and make mistakes. This is how one learns how to get to the top of the mountain first. Break yourself and build yourself up, its those who build themselves up that find themselves on top in the end.

 One of jos cats. Always find something to make you smile everyday!

 Beautiful backyard in Florida. Was spoiled.

 The Group at the end of the fondo. Good Guys, good teammates.

   Valley of the Sun Stage Race