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Saturday, July 25, 2009

Busy Busy Busy







I finally found some pictures from Fitchburg so there you go. The last few weeks have been crazy. I followed up a couple solid performances at the Piedmont Triad Omnium with the worst ride of the year at the French Broad Classic. I don't know what was up, I just didn't feel myself. But that's bike racing. It's time to move on and look at the last big push, the Crossroads Classic. Hopefully I can hold on to some form and finish off the road season on a good note. There are a couple more road races after Crossroads but I think it's about time to check out and take a little break before my cyclocross debut. I move out of the house here in Chapel Hill tomorrow. What comes next is a big question mark. Things are starting to shape up for next season but there are still some big decisions to be made. Like where I'm going to live. I'll keep you posted as I figure things out. Ok, so I should probably start packing.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Stage Racin' Recap

During the past few weeks there have been plenty of things to write about but not enough time. Here’s a relatively brief recap. After finishing Ohio with a somewhat disappointing 19th place overall and a best stage finish of 13th (I think) it was back to Chapel Hill for a week of making dolla bills before heading to the beach for the bro’s wedding, congratulations again guys. The next day it was off to Massachusetts for the 50th Annual Fitchburg Longsjo Classic.

It was the same crew as Ohio sans my teammate Daniel who broke the ball of his shoulder in a crash there. However, Tim took up the slack and decided to race his bike. Five guys crammed into Le Motel 6, it was going to be a fun race. It’s amazing how close you get to people after spending virtually every minute with them for two weeks. Our trips basically consist of laughing so hard you cry punctuated by racing bikes. I think we’ve found a good balance with this group of guys. We have a great time but when the kit goes on it’s all business. The race always comes first and everyone is surprisingly professional.

Fitchburg didn’t start off great and I was fairly disappointed with my time trial performance. I didn’t expect to win by any means. It was the first time trial I’ve done all year and I don’t specifically train for it. I also don’t have a TT bike. It was clip on bars, a TT helmet and off to the start gate. Sixty-eighth was not what I was looking for but I had to put it behind me and focus on the three days ahead. The circuit race was really fast. I felt ok and Shawn was ready to get me to the front for the finish but with 10 guys up the road I told him to save it for the road race. I just finished in the group which was surprisingly small by that point. I moved up eight spots in GC. The next day was eight laps and 87 miles mainly decided by the feed zone climb. It was probably the hardest race I’ve done all year. Shawn (who finished 10th overall in Ohio) and Tim were dropped the first time up the climb. It was going to be a long day. I tried to stay in good position and avoid getting gapped off. I was able to finish at the back of the front group in 33rd place. How tough was it? I moved up 30 spots in GC just from finishing in the group. It was one of those mental battles that stick with you. I hate to admit it but I was actually fairly pleased with my ride, even though it was for 33rd. I could go on and on about how bad it hurt and how deep I had to dig and how I’m the man for not giving up but that’s just bike racing and you’ve heard it all before. Not to mention the fact that it just doesn’t come as badass when it was all for 33rd place. The crit was surprisingly easy compared to the other days. I sat back and let the race unfold. With the GC leaders only separated by 2 seconds it was going to be aggressive. In the final 8 or so laps there were massive attacks by the guy in second place looking for those few precious seconds. With three to go I knew he was tired so I threw out an attack but he wanted those bonus seconds on the line and wouldn’t let me go. I was stuck behind a massive slow up with one to go and couldn’t find space to get back to the front. The legs felt great, I just couldn’t get a clear shot to use them. I finished somewhere in the field. Somehow I still moved up two spots on GC to finish 28th. Not great but not bad considering I moved up 40 spots after the time trial. Results have eluded me once again but the steady progression continues and hopefully the stage racing in my legs will pay off before the season is over.

Now it’s back to the hill and back to the real world. The last month has flown by, time to recoup and prepare for the final push of the season. It’s also back to the French press, finally, and my old routine. Panera you’re awesome, but enough is enough. Hopefully I can find some pictures from Fitchburg and put them up soon along with other random happenings I forgot to mention.