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 9th and 10th
, 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 15th through 17th,
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 21st through 25th,
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 28th through March 3rd,
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.
