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Monday, May 24, 2010

Solid

With ever improving form things are starting to look up. Other than a bad weekend in Boone due to illness, this year has been a steady progression. I’m transitioning from mediocrity to rides that I would consider “solid.”

It’s nice to be up at the front fighting. Having a teammate like Jon Hamblen, who is crushing it right now, definitely makes things easier but the last thing I’m going to do is sit back and let Jon work everyone over. I want to play too!

Yesterday was the Downtown Wake Forest crit. It’s a race I won as a Cat 3 and I like the course so although it’s a smaller race I always enjoy it. To make a long story short, Jon lapped the field twice with only one other guy doing the same. On the last lap I made the executive decision to lead Jon out so he was sure to win, which he did. However, in retrospect it might have been the wrong decision.

I instinctively said race for the win, did it and we won. However, in doing so I ended up contributing absolutely nothing to the prize money split. I sprinted for almost every prime and ended up getting second or third in almost all of them. The guys taking the primes, aside from being good sprinters, were sitting in while I followed attacks and controlled the front of the race so they were going with fresh legs. Then I decided to lead Jon out and ensure that he didn’t get swarmed on the last lap. After doing so I sat up and came across the line one spot shy of money. If I had just kept going hard instead of pulling off I would have at least contributed something. I could have also sat back and sprinted for myself and Jon would still have won but at the time I felt like it was too much of a gamble, and maybe it was.

In the end, I don’t think I made any bad decisions but maybe didn’t always make the best ones. We won the race with effectively two guys but wearing a pro team kit I should have still been up there. When Jon handed me my prize money split I couldn’t help but feel like I had let him down. Don’t get me wrong. I rode hard and I did my job. If I hadn’t I would never have taken money. However, I wish I had done more and next time I will be riding with another lesson learned and even more motivation to prove my worth.

One bit of solace I did take from the day was when an old friend from Chapel Hill, someone I always respected as a person and as a bike racer, rode by me after the race and said one thing, “You’re on your way man.”

Monday, May 3, 2010

Rewind

The past week was so hectic it was hard for me to find free time with a computer around so I’ll give you a quick rundown.

It was USA Crits Speedweek which kicked off in Athens, went all week and finished up yesterday. So over the past 9 days I did 8 races and worked on the two “off” days. Yes, I’m kind of tired. Here’s a quick results breakdown.

Athens- 11th in the qualifier. I was caught behind 3 crashes in the last lap and a half of the evening amateur race so I don’t even know where I finished. By far, the 2 sketchiest races I’ve ever done in my life.
Roswell- 11th
Dixie- 3rd, teammate Johny Hammersticks won
Walterboro- 6th
Spartanburg- 19th
Dilworth- 7th
Dylan Mitchell Memorial Crit- 8th, Pat was in the move and finished 4th

Quick facts: Finished in the money 4 times, not much but every little bit helps. One crash which was at Spartanburg, nothing serious. One mechanical, broken spoke in the sprint at Walterboro. It’s definitely time to start wearing sunscreen. If you don’t want to absolutely blast Ke$ha before a race you better not be in the same car as me.

To clarify, all of the Speedweek races I did the 2/3 races in search of a win (except Athens which was 1/2, Dixie and Dylan Mitchell were also Pro-Ams) Obviously the win didn’t happen but I still think it was the right decision. You have to learn how to win before you can really progress and do it at the next level. I was up there fighting for the win and I learned some valuable lessons which will pay dividends later down the road.

The form is starting to come around and I had decent legs this week. I still think I’m on track for some good rides at the Tour of Ohio and Fitchburg which are definitely targets. Other than that it was another incredibly fun and exhausting week of racing bikes. Now it’s time for a little R&R before the final build towards Ohio. It always comes sooner than you expect it but I’ll be ready fo sho.

Maybe after some rest I’ll be able to render something more insightful.

Quote of the Week: “Latress on the menjay.” – Peter Klaven from “I Love You, Man”