The Heat

Since my last post there has been a lot going on but not a lot of energy to spare writing about it. The oppressive heat is legitimately draining, physically and mentally. So my time has been spent at work, training and not much else. However, here's a quick recap.

The Tour of the Valley went great! I was feeling good and excited about my first stage race with the pro sqad. I'll spare you the entire race recap but you can find it at the revamped team Web site, teammountainkhakis.com. To summarize, Joey, Matt and Oscar crushed the entire race and we made lots of money. However, I took a lot more than money back from Ohio.

My time trial performance seemed lacking on paper but my wattage was actually quite good. Not having a TT bike hurt me in the end but no matter, I was ready to work. The road race was on a fairly rolling course with a couple hills. Having three guys in the top four overall, it was up to us to control the race. That meant a lot of time on the front for me and Will. I have to say I rode better than I had anticipated. I did a lot of work, was able to suffer through the climb both times after leading out the guys into the bottom of it and when we hit the finishing circuits I was still in the very select front group. I was fairly spent on the circuits but my job was done. I wanted to have a big ride in the crit but it wasn't quite as good as I had hoped. I covered as many moves as possible in an effort to keep the pre-race plan intact but wasn't able to control the race quite like I wanted. I did manage to work my way up to 20th overall. Not bad considering I did so while being 100% focused on working for the team and spending a lot of time on the front. In fact, I didn't even realize it until Joey told me after we had left so they had to mail the check.


Tour of the Valley TT

It was also a great experience to room with Matt Cooke. Matt has ridden for some of the biggest teams in the country including Navigators and Health Net and his experience showed, on and off the bike. Being a professional bike racer in about so much more than what you see in a race. You have to be a complete professional at all times. It's a business and learning how to conduct yourself off the bike is almost as important and pushing the pedals hard... almost. Also, a big thanks to Jim Behrens for all the amazing support throughout the week. We all had a great time and he took so much weight off our shoulders. He is a true enthusiast and it's refreshing to be around someone who so purely loves bike racing.


Tour of the Valley Crit

After the successful Ohio trip I was ready for some French Broad action but numerous logistical matters led to only going up for the crit. Long story short, tried to get in a break but nothing was going, started pouring rain, felt good but was swarmed before the sprint and had the door shut on me in the final strait, 12th. I felt like rode good and had the sprint to win but should have been more aggressive after I was swarmed.

Oh, the other revelation of the past couple weeks. According to the coach, I'm a sprinter. After finally having reliable power data the sprint legs are looking good. I'll have to admit, the sprint has been feeling good lately. If nothing else, there has been a boost in confidence which never hurts. Hopefully I can pull the trigger on a good sprint the next couple weeks and come up with the goods. With Elk Grove and Crossroads right around the corner there shouldn't be a shortage of opportunities so keep your fingers crossed. With no job and the prospect of having to secure a ride for next year the pressure to perform has been taken up a notch. It's about to get interesting.

I Knew There Was A Turn Up Here Somewhere.

The last few weeks have been up and down. I’ve been training hard and feeling good. The wounds are healing nicely and I’m pleased with where my form is at. You always wish you could be stronger and hopefully I’m still on the upswing. Having said that, I’m in the best shape of my life right now and I’m really excited about this weekend. I’ll be at the Tour of the Valley in Ohio racing with the pro team. It’s a great opportunity to step it up and show that I can be a factor. We’re sending a strong team and any result other than the win will be a disappointment. So the pressure’s on and I have a feeling Ohio’s about to get a taste of old school fury.
The down came when I learned that the owner of the shop I work at was closing it down. So in about a month I’ll be sans job. It’s a bummer because it was a good situation. I more or less made my own schedule and had an amazing boss. I already miss T-bag’s antics and worldly advice. I feel like another speed dial number might have just been spoken for. While the shop closing wasn’t a total shock, it did force me to start thinking about what’s next. I feel like the best way to go about it was to start with what I know for sure and fill in the blanks. The one thing that I do know is that I want to give the bike another year. I’ve worked so hard and come this far, it would be stupid to give up just when I’m getting close. Plus, I love racing my bike. So that’s the easy part, now to fill in the blanks. I remember facing this dilemma last year and I think I have to face it in much the same way. Finish up the year on the road, see what happens with teams for next season and go from there. Until then, I just need to ride hard, try to get results and keep my eyes open for opportunities.
So looking into the immediate future, there’s a lot of work to be done on the road. Ohio this weekend, French Broad the next and then I should be flying for Elk Grove and Crossroads. There is $16,500 up for the two amateur races at Elk Grove and lots of prize money + no job= Elk Grove here we come. In any case, it should be a good opener for crossroads where I hope to have some good performances.
I don’t know where the next turn will lead, but I’m sure it will be taken on a bike seat. Time to Saddle Up.

Screw It, I’m Shaving My Arms

As I look back over the past couple weeks there is much to discuss. I hate to condense all of it into one post but typing has been a bit of an issue for the past week.

After my podium in High Point I was feeling good about my form coming into the Ohio/Fitchburg block. A weekend off racing yielded some quality training and I was ready for the final couple weeks before my biggest goals of the year. Then I finally won a bike race! Yes, it was a weekday race, but it was Dixie which is notoriously hard. It’s a coveted scalp for any Winston native. It felt good to give Hamblen some money for once and the piece de resistance came when Thomas Craven complemented me on how strong I was getting. Thomas, who is a Dixie regular, rode for 7-Eleven, was on the U.S. team the year LeMond won the World Championship and did the Giro d’Italia. His complement was a real honor and a nice ego boost.

After my coup at Dixie I headed into the Crit State Championships looking for a result. Friday night was a who’s who of North Carolina racers and with almost 70 guys lining up it was going to be fast. So it was, and despite me and Hamblen doing our best to get a break off the front, it was destined to be a bunch sprint. In the hustle we never got together and I ended up 6th with Jon 8th. I felt ok, not content mind you, with the result since everyone that beat me was legit and it came after doing a lot of work early on trying to make a break happen. Having only two guys there, covering all the moves and finishing both in the money isn’t a terrible day. I was hoping it was a sign of things to come.

Saturday brought the U25 race. Everyone had been talking about how I should dominate so I was feeling a bit of pressure. But as luck would have it, about 10 guys showed up. Not being categorized, some of those guys were 3’s and 4’s. I was one of four fairly strong guys in the race. The other three were all on the same team so frustration was in the cards. After one of their guys finally got away solo we were racing for second and just cruising around when I stood up to stretch my legs. The next thing I knew I was smashing into the pavement. I wasn’t sure what had happened at first. We weren’t going fast and I knew I hadn’t touched anyone else. This was the first time I’d ever crashed and just layed there. I went down right at a step little bridge so I smacked into it with my hip and just stopped. After a prolonged oh shit period I looked at my bike and noticed that my steerer tube had snapped in half. No warning, it just went all at once and that was it. A rare fluke and there was nothing I could do but put a new fork on and deal with the pain.

Despite having a golf ball sized welt on my hip, I was going to be tough and race the next day. When I woke up the swelling had gone down and after loosening up on the bike I was actually feeling pretty good. However, any inkling of positive energy was short-lived. After the first lap there was a small group just off the front and I was on the wheel of the guy chasing it down. There was a fast downhill into a tight corner and the guy on the front went in too hot. He slid out and there was nothing I could do. I hit the pavement doing over 25mph and it was not pretty. I didn’t break anything but the road rash was no joke. I got it all over and it’s deep in places, especially on one palm which means I can’t hold the bars well enough to ride. Ohio…gone.

I know the guy that took me out quite well and I like him as a person. He recently upgraded to Cat 2 and while he’s strong, he’s obviously not the best bike driver. He took an unnecessary risk and we all paid the price. He had some road rash and a concussion and the guy behind me broke his collarbone and had to have surgery to repair it. It was stupid to be that reckless on the second lap when the small group was definitely going to come back. I had to lay in bed pain, not able to sleep, sticking to the sheets, thinking about how much work I had put into being fast for Ohio and Fitchburg and then having it all taken away because of someone else’s mistake. All those hours spent shivering on the bike over the winter, thinking about wearing the leader’s jersey or winning a stage, kiss them goodbye. It was a hard pill to swallow.

This week has been terrible. I have trouble sleeping, there’s constant pain and I effectively have one hand. My wounds are a constant reminder of last weekend. However, that’s bike racing. Shit happens and you move on. I’ve been on the trainer the past few days and shouldn’t lose much fitness. Hopefully I can jump right back in to getting results. There’s still plenty of racing left and I’m dying to make something happen before the end of the year. Maybe this crash is just the motivation I needed, or at least that’s what I’m telling myself since crying over missing Ohio isn’t going to do any good.

I should be back to racing soon and hunting for some good finishes. Thanks to everyone for their support over the past week and to Jay Cox for the use of the fork.

Quote of the Week: “That sucks.” –virtually everyone I’ve seen over the past week

Why Do You Pedal?

As I sat here at work trying to think of something interesting to write about I was starting to get discouraged. Just when I was about to give up the ghost, “crazy” Ivan stopped in front of the shop window.

For those of you not in the know, “crazy” Ivan is a gentleman that frequents Mock Orange Bikes which is right next door. More or less homeless, his bike is obviously one of his few possessions. He comes by virtually every day and always has something “wrong” with his prized possession, an older steel framed road bike. Resplendent with saddle bag, reflectors, chain guards and all, Ivan never seems to lack pride in his machine. He struts along pushing his bike just feeling good. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Ivan actually ride his bike. Nonetheless, as I watched him check his wheels that were undoubtedly just trued for the billionth time, it made me realize that people ride bikes for all different reasons and it prompted me to think about why I ride a bike.

It’s important to take a step back sometimes. Not just with cycling but any interest you may have, or life in general. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in something that we forget why we are there in the first place. You can skew in different directions without even realizing it and in doing so, turn something you love into a secondary chore. It becomes routine and mundane. In essence, you forget to enjoy it. Sometimes we spend too much time looking at our power meters and forget to enjoy the scenery. (That’s an analogy, think about it.)

Ivan may have a simpler life than most of us. He has plenty of time to stare at his bike, eyes glistening and grinning ear to ear, but we can all learn something from him. Not one bit of enjoyment with his bike is lost. While most of us have jobs, school, children, etc. to occupy much of our time, we should never forget to enjoy the things we really love and remember why we started doing them. How often do you find yourself rushing to squeeze a bike ride in between work and other happenings, or chugging a cup of coffee on your way out the door (don’t rush my coffee experience, I want to savor it!)? The fact is that sometimes we have to. Time is a precious commodity and sometimes it’s scarce. However, when you are fortunate enough to have a few extra minutes, remember why you’re doing whatever it is that strikes your fancy. Soak it all in, your soul will appreciate it and it can be the difference between hating life and loving it.

There's nothing revolutionary about this. I didn't invent enjoying life. However, a little reminder every now and again is good. So thanks Ivan. Right now he is undoubtedly strutting around town with his life’s true joy, totally oblivious to how he impacted my day or that I’m writing this post about him(and to the fact that someone may or may not have created a Facebook profile for him). There’s also a good possibility he’s already downed a 40oz., but ride on Ivan, for I am but a student and you are the teacher.

Quote of the Week:
Ivan: “My front wheel’s messed up”
Zach (Manager of Mock Orange): “How’d you do that Ivan?”
Ivan: “Crashed.”
Zach: “How’d you do that?”
Ivan: “Drunk”

Hey Podium, Long Time No See.

It’s been a while since I’ve visited the podium, excluding weekday races, but last weekend at the Downtown High Point Crits I finally made it back. As with any big local race there was some build up. Being next to my current adopted hometown of Winston, the crowd and the field were filled with friends. With the added prestige of being twilight crits there was a bit more than money on the line. The lights were on, the band was loud, the beer was flowing, the stage was set.

It seems like it would be hard to get excited about a crit at 10:30pm in the rain but all I could think about Friday night was racing my bike. My only teammate was Mark Hekman, past winner of Athens Twilight and last year’s USA Crits overall winner. I definitely saw it as an opportunity to prove I was worthy of the jersey. I raced hard early hoping the race would blow apart with the wet course but it was all in vain. The race stayed together and I was too patient coming into the last corner. Mark managed 2nd despite coming out of his pedal in the sprint and I rolled across in 11th, not good enough.

The skies cleared for Saturday’s race. It was a different course but utilized the same start/finish straight. With Mark gone to race at Sommerville, it was up to me to get a result for the pro team based 20 minutes away. There was going to be a break and I was going to be in it. That was it, no questions. In the end, that’s exactly what happened. We went early, the composition of the break shuffled a little bit with a couple guys getting dropped but four of us finally found a good rhythm and stayed away.

The break getting established.

Wiping crap off my face.

I enjoyed my time off the front. I can’t lie, it was a bit of an ego boost to come through the start/finish stretch and hear all the people shouting my name. A big thanks goes out to all of you. It definitely made me want the win that much more. However, my options were limited. It was going to be hard to get away and with two good sprinters in the move the win wasn’t going to be handed over easily. The fact that we basically soft pedaled the last eight laps and everyone was able to recover didn’t help my cause either. I put in a dig with one to go but no luck. Everyone else was content to sprint it out and I was in too low of a gear coming out of the last corner so that was it, third.

I can sit here and shoulda, coulda, woulda all day but in the end I got third and that’s that. It was a move I could have won out of for sure. You always want to win and I’m not content with third. However, I’m going to feel good about it and enjoy the moment. It was another step up and as long as I’m moving forward I shouldn’t get down on myself. It also serves as a confidence builder coming into the Tour of Ohio and Fitchburg, two of the big goals for the year. The form is on track so I’m really hoping I can make something happen at those races. The extra love in the bank account from the weekend was also a relief.

As a side note, the venue was awesome! I hope they can keep those races going and Chip did and awesome job organizing everything. Live music, a beer garden, Chad Andrews calling the action, all completely sheltered, it was 100% PRO. If you weren’t there you missed out.

The venue before the masses arrived.

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.”

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”