great movie, great scene

orbea

the process to create the most euro training bike has begun.

Cross is here

So the cross season is here. I guess I should talk about what else happened. I got swine flu. I took two weeks off because of swine flu. I then kind of rode for a week and raced gateway at the end of that week. I finished gateway everyday, made one good attack the whole weekend. then took another week off after gateway. then raced a cross race my second time on my new bike. felt horrible and out of shape. rode some more the next week. went to night cross. got 6th in the 3's. felt really good finally, and was very satisfied. rode some more last week, hitting a lot of the cross practices. raced ronde von evergreen sunday, got 7th in the a race. I'm feeling pretty wrecked right now. decided to take a second day off after this race. the course totally sucked and sucked the energy out of me too. it was slow and bumpy as hell. unlike night cross which was smooth and flowy. I didnt ride yesterday and i'm gonna sit out today not only cause i'm worked, but my shoes are also soaked and i have a ton of work to do. I am also a bit overwhelmed with school, specifically photo class. I'm gonna try and ride tomorrow morning, and thursday morning. there isn't a race this weekend, so i think a little rest this week could be good. there is a race at cape and one of the illinois cross races the next weekend. I might also head to louisville gp. i'd like to do another big race other than nationals if i decide to go. i think it'd be pretty sweet. in other news i'm rollin a new bike this year. i passed on the trek while i still could to joey, who proceeded to trash it with lame stickers. idiot. but i scored a sweet Ridley Crosswind with an X Fire fork. I got some new rival shifters for it, and am running the old rival i had on my trek. It's got wcs everything, down to the hubs. got some new trps for it. the race wheels are wcs hubs with reflex rims, and griffos. they're about 60 grams lighter than my bontrager race x lites with the maxxis razes. all together the bike comes to 17.11 lbs, which i'm pretty happy with.

here is a pic of me on the bike.

silly kids

this is a pretty funny commercial.

Good Shit

dope beat, c-c-crazy lyrics

the road season

So i've decided to just do a road season recap before gateway cup, since it's always a let down anyway for 99% of local dudes. I have learned a few things this year.
#1. like I said after the first time I glanced over the training program we were supposed to do this year. It's way too much. I never followed it, and I am very glad I didn't. Look at Matt Pence, who would tell you himself that he has been overtrained. He fucking smashed the early season, winning everything, being the guy to beat at every race. Then, when it came to the races that really counted, the ones to get him on the national team, his legs just didnt have it. I feel bad for him, because this plan was supposed to have him peaking for these races, not riding at his absolute worst this season. Who has time to ride 3 hours on a wednesday in the spring, after spinning for 45 minutes in the morning, while going to school. It's too much. We have jobs and school and lives. We aren't pros. I just don't see how more people didnt see this before.
#2. I can't buss tables and race. My last good result is Hellbender, I got 5th. On the way home I called McGurks and set up work for the next week. I dnf'd that tuesday night crit, and from there on never really got going. I had a few good races at superweek, when I wasn't working, but came home and felt the absolute worst i have ever felt in a race at the state crit. I don't care how much you work a week, or how much harder your job is. I have worked in a bike shop. This is harder. I'm in the heat, walking and carrying plates, ice and buckets full of plates and ice. all day. And then coming home to train at 3:30 or 4, the motivation is dwindling, so not only does walking around for 5 hours a day and carrying stuff take a toll on my legs, but trying to train after doesnt make the training super effective.
#3. I have horrible self discipline. I need a training plan, and I need to follow it better. end of story.
#4. I think i'm catting up for gateway. I'm not going to do anything in the 3's most likely, so I'd rather race in the big show. And, I want to race 1/2's next year, so I might as well get in a little experience this year.

state champs

Not so great. Bad legs. Missed my feed. Nice lunch afterwards.

continuing with some more good movie scenes...

watch this

update

Hey, so i havent dont this in a while...

Snake alley was a bummer. Some idiot crashed me out after the whistle blew and I broke my right shifter. I was still able to ride it, shift and brake, but it was flopping around. I started 2nd row. I was 2nd to last up the snake. I was able to work my way up to 31st, out of like 70, which was still disappointing. Grman got 4th, and I knew I could have been up in the group he was in easily. Melon city was boring. Rock Island was rainy, and thus, super sketchy. I survived like 5 separate crashes right in front of me. I finished like 24th I think? Tulsa was a bit disappointing. My legs didn't feel great all weekend. The second day logan and I were trying to do something in the closing laps, but neither of us had the legs. The last day was brutal, and the day I felt the best, but was only able to pull off a 21st, (they paid 20 deep). I think 35 guys finished, and around 80-90 started. The race on saturday was protested by west borough baptist church. if you dont know who they are, look the psychos up. I went to this show last week at the pageant. It was awesome. Best live performers i've seen yet. You should really watch this video. The song is awesome. And it gives a hint of how insane Karen O and her costumes are. The guitarist took some pictures from the stage during the show. I'd love to see a collection of those.



here's the same song at the pageant when I saw it. she came out after the encore wearing this cloth mask. She hit a button and all these pink neon tubes lit up, as you can see in this video. I was in the pit, about 5 feet to the left of where this person was.

weekday update

Hello blog readers. It is thursday afternoon and I have opted for the chris yenkee prescribed rest day. I think after bussing tables for 5 hours a day the last 4 days, my legs need it. I recently started at McGurks in soulard. I work weekdays, come have lunch and maybe I can cleanup your trash for you, and see how much you didnt eat. Work is actually pretty good. It's kind of fun, pretty easy, yet wears me the hell out. On tuesday I had no legs in the race, I think due to all of the standing/walking. I dont sit down or stop moving from 10-3 everyday, but thats what I signed up for so I can't complain, and the money is pretty good. I love working, anywhere that pays you, just because money comes so quick and easy. It's good to be a workin man again.
Hellbender was sunday, and I was pretty pumped. I pulled off a 3rd place there last year. I also knew that the race was a race that is really hard, and favors those riders that can climb a bit. We set off for the 70 miles, and things were pretty easy. Up the first climb, i was sitting far back in the group, and had to make up spots, but ended up getting to the front and getting away with a total of 8 including pence, devin and heine. We were organized for a bit, but then went to pieces when a gateway guy wouldnt pull through. I looked back to see keaton, grman and kevin moore pulling another group of 8 or so. They made contact a few miles after the climb, and then we rolled for another 5 or so with 16 guys. Then we looked back to see shawn pulling a group of 8 ish guys. They made contact with us and it was gruppo compacto. We rolled easy until the second time up the hill when pence tried to hit it again. He got about 20 feet off the group, and devin tried to follow. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't hurting, but I knew we couldnt ride away together. We ended up just staying together until the end. The last 2k were nuts. No way to move up at all. I ended up hitting the last corner around 15th or so, and taking it rather conservatively. I ended up 5th in the sprint and pence pulled off the V. Another 50 meters and I would have had 2nd for sure, probably 1st. I was flying to the line, and I was bummed I didnt have a better place through the last corner. The elusive first victory of the season is still hiding somewhere. This weekend is quad cities. I havent been up there in a few years. I am super excited for the snake. another race that favors a rider that is strong and can climb decent. I am excited and optimistic about my potential. I believe I am starting 3rd or 4th row. I am hoping for at least a top 10. In the world of pro cycling it seems that a replacement for erik zabel has been appointed with the likes of garmin's Tyler Farrar.

watching this right now...

this might be one of my top ten favorite movie scenes.

Studying for exams

Race yesterday was kinda stoopid. Didnt race super smart, and watching the video of the sprint is depressing. Had I not wasted some energy attacking with 2 to go to try and get grman, I could have probably won that sprint. It was also super lame to see grman get pulled back from getting his inevitable win by his own team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNq4hIW3BQQ

this song is the sweetness.

best music video evar

Tour of hermann was awesome. Tore the crit up with pence, he got the win, I got 6th after splitting the lead group in half and attacking the second group of 6 that I was in. Also got a 50$ revolution cycles prime, anyone want it? The rr was nice too, got into a break of 8 with keaton. It was an epic day, truly a jens voigt hardman day. We spent over 40 miles off the front, and I was cooked from the crit and tt the day before, and was only able to take 8th...bit of a bummer. Keaton took the win, which was awesome. Tour of STL sucked, but Pence took the overall after getting 2nd 1st and 1st....time to cat up for him haha?

Roubaix

So I woke up at 8:30 this morning and found a live french video of Paris Roubaix. Between my french, and the live cyclingnews feed I had a good time watching the race, and understanding what was going on. The race was pretty nuts, and as expected, Boonen prevailed. The crashes in the last 20ish K's were a big bummer, but I guess thats part of Roubaix. I would have liked to see what would have happened had Flecha, Hoste, Vansummeren, and Hushovd not crashed, and Pozzatto not gotten stuck behind. I was very happy to see Vansummeren up in the front. I have always liked Johan, perhaps because he looks enormous on a bike, he is like 6'7". I am marking it down now, the best acquisition by a team this year....Goes to Quickstep acquiring Sylvain Chavanel. I have always liked Chavanel, a poster of him hangs on my dorm wall, because he is as hard a worker as they come. He spends ridiculous amounts of time off the front in races, and when he gets a victory, it is always well earned. He seems to also be bolstering Quickstep's lineup, and helping them with some excellent victories, Roubaix and Flanders to note a few.

Weekend Races

So this weekend was the first whole weekend of races. Saturday was hillsboro, and the weather was unusually nice. The race went ok, a break rolled off about 4 miles in, and ended up staying off. A bit of a surprise to all. We had a guy attempt to go across to it, but after some confusion, that didnt work out. My main goal was to finish with the field. Which I did, rolling in with the remainder of the peleton, about 30 guys, and finishing 29th. Today was tilles, a pretty good circular crit. I did the 3/4's and the 1/2/3's. The 3/4's was pretty easy, but hard to move up. The pace wasn't fast enough to string the field out, so it was pretty much stacked from curb to curb. I was able to put a good counter attack after matt pence got pulled back, and stayed off the front with shawnerr for a few laps. After that my legs felt kinda crappy, and the race was getting sketchy so I just rolled in in the pack. Keaton, Grman and I went to CBW and ate too much, all of us feeling like borderline throwing up before the 1/2/3's. The 1/2/3's was pretty fast and fun. I felt better than expected, and put a good bridge in to get up to a pretty good group. From there on I just sat in. With about 3 minutes to go, there was a crash on the back side that I got caught up in. A guy in front of me stood up after crashing, and said "uggh my finger". Holding up his hand to reveal a sharp piece of bone sticking out of his ring finger. Perhaps the most horrible thing I have ever seen first hand. I am pretty sure Jim VanDeven broke his collarbone. Not sure though. Speedy recovery to them both. After the crash, I couldn't really focus, and just tried to finish. All in all a pretty good weekend of racing, and definately getting the legs in shape.

recap

So, its been a while. I was going good there for a bit, but then I fell back into old habits of not updating. Lets see....I guess forest park is what happened most recently. I basically sat at the back, in the draft and kept joe company in his first 3's race. At 5 to go I started looking for my ride up to the front. Coming through with one to go I was on the outside at the front and saw this guy jump, who had been off a few times during the race already, but seemed pretty serious. So i jumped to get on his wheel, also seeing it as a good way to close in on the actual front of the peleton. We were slightly off the front, but I wasnt going to pull through, as I really wanted it to come to a bunch sprint. He swung way off just as patrick hawley and aaron hinni from BS, came up charging on the right (this was on the back stretch of the course before the round about turn). Surprisingly nobody was on aarons wheel, so I jumped right on that. They charged all the way to the last corner, where aaron let up. I Hesitated and people started to come around me. We were already going so fast that there was no real opportunity to jump or anything. I just pedalled. I ended up leading matt pence out perfectly, not knowing he was on my wheel, and he was able to get the win, with me coming in 7th. I was a bit bummed, because I knew I should have been able to win. I think I might have had more jump had I not been at the front for the last whole lap. Coming off the tuesday night before, where I followed another BS leadout train, and was able to win by a hefty margin, I was feeling pretty good. But whats done is done, and we got the win as a team. Paddy also took a nice victory in the p12's. Next up is Hellsboro, and Tilles. Not excited about Hellsboro, goal is to finish with the pack, or what is left of it.

ouch!! (not p/b maxxis)

He sure is lacking in the style department, and looking real cat 5. Look at all those spacers??!?!?!? OREC wouldnt be proud. I also believe that he is sporting the new "time trial specific" radars, which are supposed to be taller. Apparently taller means stupid looking. Not to mention the clashing livestrong garb, and the distasteful astana kit this year. Lance ain't looking to sharp. At least he didnt do full livestrong, otherwise keaton would have had his work cut out for him...




that is how you look good during a time trial, in a cool astana kit, wearing fresh (my dougie) radars

wow

just rewatched this. its even more unreal the second time...

helo

Not much going on here. Training hasnt been focused so much on "base miles" and "workouts", as it has been doing yoga to get my back ready to slam my stem flush against my headtube for maximum euro effect. maybe a team camp next weekend? Im not really sure.

bump this

can't sleep

it's 7:20 right now, and I shouldnt be up. I dont have class till 8:30, and it's yoga class. I didn't fall asleep till at least 1, I don't know what my deal is. i just feel like my mind is going a million miles an hour right now, thinking about all kinds of things. Got in some good long rides this weekend with AA, and keaton. We went out to eureka via castlewood-greensfelder-high ridge-home. It was a solid 60 something miles. Sunday AA went another 60 something out clayton and over to babler, while keaton and grboy turned off early. It was truly a "jens voigt hardman day", as it started snowing pretty substantially for the last half hour when we were coming back through kirkwood. It feels good to be back in the groove. I talked to dan, and it looks like he's gonna be taking care of the training aspect of my life, which is good and reassuring. Talking with AA about the upcoming season, and racing has got me reaaaalllly excited. I am ready now.