Facelift

As you can see, I made a couple changes since the road season is more than officially over and cross has begun. I’m pumped since the new kits are my favorite color scheme ever! It is also my first experience with Giordana clothing and I’m really impressed. It’s quality stuff. I’m also digging the new Ridley Crossbow. I’m probably not the man to do an all out review of a cross bike since I spent most of the time creeping through the woods, hauling ass on the straits and generally praying I didn’t spend any more time on my ass but I can tell you it looks sweet and seems to get the job done with much more panache than myself. If that’s not good enough for you come by the Mock Orange tent at the next race and ride or race on one of the demo bikes.

As for the races themselves, it was a frustrating but overall positive weekend. Due to a little license misunderstanding I ended up doing the CX4 race on Saturday. I swear, it wasn’t my fault but to all the people giving me shit before the start about doing the 4 race, I told you not to worry. Almost 90 guys lined up and luckily I muscled my way onto the front row. On the line it started to rain. Awesome, I’ve never ridden a bike in the mud before in my life, much less in a cross race. The first time I’d ever ridden’ a cross bike was Wednesday. Even so, I knew I was going to catch all kinds of hell if I didn’t win. The whistle blows and I can’t get clipped in, nice. First corner, crash, I avoid it; second corner, crash, I avoid it. Now there’s like six guys ahead of me. I cautiously get around all but one guy who is going fairly fast so I sit on his wheel for a while. Only a couple laps in and I can’t even see third place. The guy I’m with is slowing down and I know he’s about to blow, hard. I decided to wait till that happened, pin it, and wax everybody. It was a great plan till he crashed and I crashed avoiding him. I was riding tubeless wheels and the front tire burped letting all the air out. No sweat though, I’m right at the pits. I’ll just pull in, grab a wheel off the spare bike and rock out. Too bad everybody was busy drinking and didn’t put the spare bike in the pit. So I walk over to the tent, grab a wheel and get some practice in. Not a big deal, if I had raced at 11:00 I probably would have done the same thing and I should have made sure the bike made it to the pits anyway. Oh well, live and learn. It’s cross, I’m not going to get upset about it and my teammates are too awesome to be mad at. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have had a spare bike anyway.
With my first race done I was looking forward redeeming myself on day two. I got the license issue worked out and did the CX3 race. The course was awful for me. I don’t want to think about how many turns there were. My tactic was to use my fitness to haul ass on the fast sections and be cautious through the technical parts so I didn’t crash. It was a good plan except there were really only a few places I could open up the throttle. After pre-riding the course I made the mistake of hitting the bathroom right before the start and was the last one to line up out of 39 starters. The race starts and the first time into the woods it just stops. I ended up running the first wooded section since guys were going so slow. Thirty seconds into the race and I can’t even see the leaders anymore, just a never ending line of guys in front of me. At this point I’m like ok, I can’t do anything about it now except go as fast as I can and see what happens. So I focus on finding good lines and pushing the fine line between going fast and crashing. The whole race I’m passing people. I don’t know what position I’m in and it really doesn’t matter. I was going as fast as I could go without taking any big risks. With one lap to go I can see Joe in front of me and he finished third the day before so I figure I’m up there somewhere. I end up 7th which wasn’t too bad considering I started at the very back and it was a terrible course for me.

With the racing done it was time for a beer, a brat and some heckling. A luxury not often experienced during road season. I’m super pumped to be riding for Mock Orange. It’s an awesome group of guys that ride hard and have fun. It’s a nice break from the road since I’m trying not to put any pressure on myself and not sweating the little stuff. I’m saving that energy for the road. Next weekend in Boone, NC should be a good time and I’ll be looking for a podium finish.

Hopefully I’ll have some news for the next year’s road team soon. If everything comes off as planned it’s going to be an awesome situation but it’s not 100% yet so I’ll hold my tongue. It also looks like I’m moving to Winston this week which will be a nice change of pace and much needed change of scenery. Hopefully I’ll find some more pictures from the races to put up as well.

Hello Old Friend

So it’s been forever since my last post but a break was much needed, from everything. Now that I’m mentally recharged it’s time to do work. The road season officially ended and I’d have to say I’m ok with how things went. I made a ton of progress across the board and I’m ready to do the same thing again next year. Right now I’m trying to focus on the fast approaching cross season. Training is back full force and it feels good to get back on the bike. I think I’m on track to give cross a full go so I’m excited about the first race.

I’ll leave the road team situation for next year to a different post. Things are constantly changing so anything I would say could change at this point. Instead of constantly updating I’m just going to wait till it’s set in stone and fill you in.

My rant for the day is the fact that it finally happened. I’ve been beaten by somebody that was definitely on drugs. Mitch Comardo won the French Broad Road Race and it was just released that he tested positive for a whole slew of crap. He didn’t steal any money from me that weekend. If you remember my post from that race it was probably the worst weekend I’ve had all year. The prize money wasn’t anything to write home about anyway, that’s not what got to me. It was the fact that he took away somebody’s opportunity to ride across the finish line and throw his hands up in the air. That’s why we all race bikes. It’s that feeling we get when we come out on top. It’s what we think about when we’re freezing on a five hour ride in January. If you’re not Mark Cavendish it’s a feeling that you rarely get to experience. Then he tries to spew some crap about how he’s taking full responsibility, not contesting the results and accepting his punishment like that negates what he did. Admitting you did something wrong doesn’t make it right…jackass. Have fun not racing bikes for two years. I’m out.

Cowboy Up

It’s been a long week. The past nine days brought eight races and the last big week of the year for me on the road. It started with the WNC Grand Prix in Black Mountain, NC. I loathe driving to the mountains and doing flat crits. Luckily there was a short, steep hill right after a 180 degree turn that made the course tough. I felt a lot better than I did at French Broad but still not 100 percent. Stomach cramps ended my shot at winning the 2/3 race with about three laps to go. I held on for 10th, last money spot. My $10 check was not what I wanted but it’s been so long since I’ve won anything it was a step in the right direction. I also started the Pro 1/2 race but I didn’t have that hill in my legs anymore.

I knew after a couple days of rest I would be on track for the Giordana Crossroads Classic. It was going to be another step up. With Presbyterian and Hanes Park over the weekend big guns come early to tune up and get ready. Lining up with some of the best pros in the country was a new and gratifying experience. Crossroads are the only races I’ve done every year since I started riding bikes. I’ve done the 4/5 races, the 3’s and now the Pro 1/2. As I sat there on the line it made me realize how far I’ve come. From getting dropped in the 4/5 races to battling it out against some of the best riders in the country, it’s been a long a journey that’s only just begun. Crossroads were also the first real Pro races I ever watched in real life. I vividly remember standing at the finish line as Davide Frattini from Colavita won in Salisbury and this year as I lined up and looked over at the Colavita guys it all came rushing back. I’ve been so focused on the future and trying to make it as a bike racer I hadn’t ever really thought about how far I’ve come already. As the road season winds down for the year it was good for me to look back as I head into another off season in preparation for taking another step up next year.

Lining up was real philosophic but after the race started it was all business. I don’t know what our average speed was but I don’t think I want to, it was fast. I felt ok, when I was sitting in it was just below my red zone and I was more or less comfortable. Moving up was a different story. There’s plenty of room to move up because it’s usually single file. However, there’s a reason it’s single file. It takes serious effort to move up and there was only so much gas in the tank. I finished 35th the first day and looked to improve throughout the week. I finished the next two days but was unable to improve the result. I didn’t finish Friday or Saturday for various reasons but tried not to come down on myself too hard. I really wanted a result in the 2/3 race on Sunday and rode hard but the cards just didn’t fall right. I ended up 15th after having the door shut on me in the sprint and hitting my brakes. It sucks but it’s also good motivation. Knowing that I’m so close to results gives me something to think about during the long hours of training that are sure to come this off season.

Now it’s back to the real world. Still don’t know where I’m going to be living a month from now, or where I’ll be working. I just know I’ll be riding bikes. I will be racing cyclocross for Mock Orange Bikes which I’m super pumped about. My teammates are all awesome and I’m looking forward to bangin’ bars in the dirt, more on that to come. Here are some links to more pictures from crossroads. This week reaffirmed that the Kane is an awesome race bike. I don’t want to count up how many corners and accelerations there were this week but the Kane took them all in stride.

http://www.cyclingphotos.ca/gallery/9196016_Tw7tL/1/613823762_hspBF/Medium
http://www.cyclingphotos.ca/gallery/9177601_ZSjEc/1/612469820_SNZsT/Medium

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.

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.

Like A Boss

So take us through a normal day for you:
Wake up.
Like a boss.
Eat mad food.
Like a boss.
Work on my bike.
Like a boss.
Go to the race.
Like a boss.
Sing along to Taylor Swift with four other guys on the way to the race.
Like a boss.
Flirt with the girl in the café so I can use the bathroom without buying anything and end up using the bathroom and getting a free cookie.
Like a boss.
Get dropped on the KOH along with three fourths of the field.
Like a boss.
Chase back on through the “caravan.”
Like a boss.
Hard ass crit.
Like a boss.
First place finisher not in the break.
Like a boss.
Eat more food.
Like a boss.
Pass out.
Like a boss.

Ohio Looms

It’s been a long and exhausting week and the next one is going to be the same but for a different reason. The next eight days hold seven days and 415 miles of racing. Tomorrow is the NC State Road Race Championships and Monday it’s off to the Tour of Ohio.

I’m looking forward to the trip for several reasons. First of all, what could be better than racing bikes for a week? Yeah, racing bikes for three weeks would be better but such is life. Second, just getting out of Chapel Hill and riding somewhere else is going to be awesome. I love Chapel Hill but having trained here for almost four years now it’s getting a little old. The same roads day in and day out take a toll on you mentally. Third, I love traveling. Ever since I was a kid I’ve loved striking out in search of new wonders. You never know when you’re going to stumble upon some new treasure. Whether it’s the best culinary creation you’ve ever imagined or simply amazing scenery passing by the window traveling is always a welcome adventure. Fourth, I get to stay with some old friends that have been gracious enough to offer us their house for the week. I don’t know if people realize how much that means to poor cyclists but not having to pay for a hotel for a week is often the difference between going to a race and not. To everyone who has ever, or will ever offer a cyclist host housing, enormous thanks.

One more rent check, decision time is fast approaching. I’m ready for new surroundings but where to go, where to go. Time will tell, but for now it’s time to ride hard, race smart and enjoy the moment.