Fitchburg TT...Euro-Hawk...Lame!

I have been noticing allot lately that everyone has the stupid eurohawk haircut. You know the one I am talking about. Not the full on skin head mo-hawk, but the shorter sides and the long hair down the middle. All the greasy euros in the World Cup soccer games are sporting them. Some are feathered with gel at the front and maybe even some high lights on the ends. I am so over the stupid Euro-Hawk cut! I am seeing allot of that same style haircut on the road scene now ever since Boonen was sporting it last season. Now there are a few wanna-bees rocking the Euro-Hawk and there is one guy on almost every pro road team that has one. Maybe I should grow the afro out again? I have had a few requests lately as it is getting long again and people are reminiscing about the days when I looked like Ronald McDonald. I personally hated it and thought it looked like a dead cat on top of my head. The point is, I am over the Euro-Hawk, it is lame, cut it!
The Fitchburg Longsjo Classic is underway now. I sucked it up in the TT in my usual style. I actually felt good is the thing. I felt good and went slow? Still trying to figure it out. I know where I made some mistakes along the way. My concentration was better this time but not great and I lost time in both turns as I was afraid of being the only one to dump it in the corners. There are allot of D-Towners here at this race. Troy Wells cam out with the best Durango TT ride in 37th, even beating his older bro in 41st. Must be good training making wraps all day at RGP's. Even saw Adam Snyder today cheering us on.
Today is the Circuit race which has a good climb in it and we do 25 laps. I guess it is super hard and in years past no one has gotten away but there are some gaps in the field later in the race. The road course is pretty tough as well with a wicked fast descent and a good steep finishing climb. I hope the legs feel better ad they go, but lately they have been feeling stale.
After Fitchburg I am heading back to Durango for a few weeks to rest a little and get some good training in. It will be good to be home for a few weeks and I look forward to some stable surroundings, some good coffee, and good rides.
We are staying in the Fitchburg University Dorms on the campus. I never had to live in the dorms because I started college late and am what you call a "Non-Traditional Student". Being older I missed out on the experience. I can honestly say that it isn't an experience that I regret not having in my life. I am rooming with Bill Elliston (Aka Dirtbag, Wild Bill). Somehow ended up getting the top bunk. When you climb up there the whole room shakes and the bed feels like it is going to collapse. The mattress is a luxurious twin with a fine plastic coating so that when I wet the bed at night is runs off the mattress onto the person underneath. Oh, and it makes you sweat like a banshee. The good thing is there are multiple showers and it is pretty quiet with a big kitchen and a t.v. down stairs so that Todd can watch the O.C. or whatever soap opera he is watching this month.
Well, I will post an update later after the Circuit race. Whish us luck, rubber side down all that jazz. Look forward to seeing everyone in Durango. Oh yeah, word is that there may be a big cross race in Durango this fall. More later.......

Martha Stewart up in here.

I found out last night that Martha Stewart lives here in Westport. I guess when you make billions of dollars using a glue gun and balsa wood to make and entire house and writing articles about how to make cookie cutters out of a coat hanger you can afford a mansion here in Westport. Oh yeah, and the fact that she made millions on inside stock tips helps to. That's a good thing!
I meant to download some pictures of Westport onto this update but I forgot my cord so those will have to wait another day or two. I have been just hanging out at the team house. It is actually really starting to get to me. I like Westport but there isn't a whole lot do out here unless you are riding or hanging out here at the Starbucks which is a 10 minute drive from the house. Complaining and whining again I know! I am trying to get back to Durango, might happen, might not.
I did a time trial today in preparation for Fitchburg and I am heading out on another ride. The two a days are mandatory lately to stay thin and fit. The fire has been burning hot lately and I keep eating more than I need. I think I have put on a few pounds. Crawford always tells me when the fire is burning hot to feed it! I think the fire is burning out of control lately and I need to smother it quick. Speaking of fire, if you are wondering what my brother is doing, he is fighting fire again in Idaho. He is raking in the dough the lucky dawg. It is hard work, but sounds like fun to be outside working all the time.
Well, that is all I have. Gotta hit the TT bike again. Ciao

East Coast Hardcore

Phew! Searching for free wireless out east has been like trying to find a needle in a haystack. After endless days and nights and doing about 10 circles around Westport we finally found some wireless. Updating has never been so hard until I headed out east.
The road riding out here is some of the best I have ever ridden. Once I get my bearings I won't ever have to ride the same road twice. There are so many cool roads that wind through the dark woods smelling of rich mahogany. The east has a lot of history in all of these small towns. Allot of them were settled before we even became a country in the 1600's and were under British rule. Crazy! The towns aren't lacking any culture but they are lacking people under the age of 40 (and coffe shops with free wireless). Everyone who lives here is older.
Today the rest of the team left for a couple of crits up in Rochester, NY. Josh Bezecny and I stayed back at the team crib because we suck right now. We did a sweet east coast hardcore ride today in the rainfor a couple of hours. It was pouring on us from start to finish, thunder and lightning, but we kept going anyway. (Dumb).
That is really about it. Getting ready for Fitchburg next week. Trying to rest up a little before the suffering begins in Pennsylvania next week. The forecast for tomorrow is 100% rain. Time to get my east coast hardcore on.

Professional Spectator

Steve Tilford is good and old, but not as old or as good as Ned Overend
Josh Bezecny on the attack up the climb 22% grade
Frank Pipp, our go to guy! Top 5 in GC, 5th on the day, took the sprinters jersey
Guppy, Bezecny, and Johny "Big Legs" Hayes killing it on the climb
Ken Mills our Director, viewing some questionable material(???? Porn) on his computer

I headed out to the last stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix today to support my teammates. It was an exciting race. Steve Tilford attacked early on in pursuit of the KOM points but was shut down early. Frank Pipp held onto the sprinters jersey and moved up to 5th overall. Ivan Stevic won the stage for Toyota United and Karl Menzies for Health Net won the overall. Frank kept the team afloat this weekend making it happen for Target Training. Thanks for picking up my slack Frank.

Johnny Hayes gets huge props for throwing down this week. He was there in every stage, right there. Good job Big Legs!

Tomorrow we head back out to Westport. It is going to be a long day of traveling. I am looking forward to a few rest days. We are going to take the TT bikes with us so we can train on them. This way I have no excuse for doing bad in the Fitchburg TT. I have to say I am not going to be sad to leave the mid-west. This race was a total bust for me. Not because it is a bad race, just not feeling the flow on the bike. Hopefully I can recharge for a few days and hit it hard again.

Sucking it up a Nature Valley: DNF

My first attempt at the Nature Valley Grandprix has come to an end. I have been sucking it up all week and I am not sure why? The legs just don't feel good at all and my head has not been into it. Stage 3 was the downtown criterium on Friday night. The crit didn't last long due to gail force winds, lightning and a couple inches of standing water on the course. The race got called after 19 minutes of racing and no one really lost anytime of got any bonuses on the day. The stage was called off.
Yesterday was the fourth stage and the second road race of the week. I wasn't feeling good again and the Health Net guys soon had it in the gutter. I covered an early Jelly Belly attack and that let me know that my legs were feeling like crap. It was all I could do to hang on as we were going full throttle into the cross wind. After it mellowed out again I was moving up along the right side of the group when some dipshit from the Mercy team got in the grass and tried to ride back onto the shoulder of the road. He caught the edge of the pavement and went down in front of me. There was nothing I could do and I went down along with about five other guys. Ended up with a few more scrapes and bruises on my left side which is the same side I went down on last week. It wasn't a bad crash but it took a while to get my bike going again as I had to stop a second time to straighten out my bars and shifters. Ken tried to pace me back up behind the car but an official was sitting there on us the whole time. The pack was flying and I had a hard time getting back up there and finally made it after 10k of motor pacing. It was epic. I made it onto a group of blown riders at the back of the field. I should have gone right through them but was hurting from motor pacing. The group just fell apart in the wind and soon we were way off the back. I rode it into the first feedzone and pulled out of the race. I need to recharge and get ready for Fitchburg in two weeks as it will be twice as hard.
My teammates Andy, Josh, and Frank continue to do well in the race. Frank has single handedly earned himself the sprinters jersey and finished 6th yesterday in the race. At one point I thought he was going to win because he was off the front with just 4 miles to go. Health Net ended up bringing it back together for a sprint finish. Frank ended up finishing 6th on the day.
This afternoon is the final stage of the race. It is a criterium again downtown with a big climb in it. Tomorrow we head back to Wesport for a couple of weeks. I am looking forward to a little less racing, some training, and some rest. Happy Fathers Day!

Nature Valley Stage 2: ..the wind blows!

Yesterday was stage two of the Nature Valley Grand Prix and it couldn't have gone any worse for me. Actually, it could have gone allot worse becasue I didn't crash. Only a 58 mile stage so it shouldn't have been to difficult right. Wrong. At about mile 8 we made a left turn into a cross-tailwind. Health Net put it in the gutter and it was hang on as long as you could. I was hanging, then hanging some more, then SNAP! My legs felt like lead and I cracked falling off the lead group. Shortly after my group came to the only section of the course that I had been looking forward to all day, the 2 mile dirt road section. Guys were weaving all over and I ended up in the gutter. I worked my way to the middle and started hitting it hard cross style moving right up to the front of the group which at this point was only 10 seconds of the leaders. I was feeling comfortable again and moving up when I got a rear flat tire. I called on the radio for a wheel but Ken and "Jelly" were to far back because the field had been blown apart for so long and the riders were all over the dirt road. That was it. I was done for the day. I kept it buried and tried to catch back up but no one would work with me at all. I found myself in a group of guys that wouldn't do shit the entire way back. They wouldn't even rotate just to get back to the finish faster. It was so slow and so boring! I lost 8 minutes on the day and I feel cracked.
Frank Pipp had an awesome day finishing 4th in the sprint. He was right there and is tied with a Sierra Nevada rider for the sprinters jersey. Good job Pippsy! I hope I can hang in the crit tonight as I hear the race is super fast the whole time. Game on!

I didn't crack at mile 3......It was mile 4!

I knew that it was possible to crack in a 4.5 mile race. I blew after a tiny roller at mile 4. Just went a little to hard and the legs kind of loaded up. I was having a great ride until that point and actually felt good on the time trial bike for not doing a time trial since collegiate nationals. Everything was good except my 30 second man was Kirk O-Bee (Health Net) he caught me at the line after I blew. O-Bee ended up in the top 5. I think all of us got caught by a Health Net rider. Frank Pipp was probably our fastest guy but no results yet. Lots of Durangotangs out here in Minnesota. Johnny Big legs was out there with the rest of the Sakonut team and their huge Lazer TT helmets. Those things look huge!
Tomorrow is the first road stage and it is a short one. Only 58 miles. I am predicting a day of many attacks from the gun. We only have 4 guys so we will have to be aggressive and make sure we are in all of the important moves. Anyway, I just got my rub down and am going to try to crash out soon. The cup of coffee that I had at 4:30 might beg to differ with me trying to sleep soon. Sager looks like he is having a tough time and reading his blog is a bummer www.jasonsager.com . I think every racer goes through this phase every now and again. I know that I do on occasion, but you just have to take a little break and try to find the motivation for the next one. Hang in there Sager, you are still my hero! Alright, stay tuned for more race updates from Minnesota, yippie!

Philly: Crashed and burned!

Finally some internet. We are kicking it at host housing in Minnesota getting ready for the Nature Valley Grand Prix prologue. I don't go off until 6:55 tonight and it is only 4.5 miles. Don't worry, you can still completely detonate yourself in that short of a distance and if all goes well, I shouldn't blow up until about mile 3 tonight. We got out on the TT bikes this morning and they feel pretty comfortable. I think I might get to use the disc that Lemond used in the 89 Tour when he won. It is so old.
The last day of Philly week was great for the team and one of the coolest racing experiences I have ever had. The whole city pretty much shuts down to put on the race in downtown. The Philadelphia paper said that there were 500,000 spectators out cheering and I believe it. I thought the cross racing crowds were big. It was awesome, the entire course was lined with people totally wasted and high on crack at 9:00 in the morning. Hey, if that is what it takes to get people out there screaming for you. I had a good race and felt great early on in the 156 miles. The famous Manyunk climb was very difficult, but not as hard as battling the other riders for position going into it. A few laps I had great position and it was a piece of cake to stay at the front with the big guns. On the 6th lap out of 10 up Manyunk, I was leading the way and covered an attack from Danny Pate and then Ivan Stevic. I felt good! My luck changed though when coming around the feed zone for the 7th lap. I didn't even see it coming. A red Clif Bar water bottle attacked my front wheel in the feed zone, flinging me to the pavement. Actually, I just hit it and wiped myself out. Rookie! I got up slowly and almost threw in the towel. I looked for the team car but it was know where to be seen because Ken was squawking someone's ear off about how one time he saw someone go backwards at 100mph in a team car or something stupid. I got back on the bike and had to hold onto the team car to get a new radio, mine was done for the day. Alejandro paced me back up to the main group. I didn't feel the same after the crash and my left glute was super sore. I took the entire fall on my butt cheek. Whaa! Going into the 8th lap there was another crash and laid it down gently on top of Antonio Cruz. The field was drilling it for position just before Manyunk so I had a hard time getting on. I made it onto the back in time to avoid another huge crash. I tried to claw my way up Manyunk but was to blown from my effort of chasing on and got gaped out. I was done at mile 114. As I finished my ride of shame back to the feed zone tent the fans cheered me on the entire way. It was pretty cool how many people were out there watching the race. What an awesome experience.
My teammates did well. Andy Guptill (Guppy) impressed me even more with a solid finish in the top 30. Frank Pipp (AKA "Some on grabbed my seat in the sprint", Pippsy) finished 14th in the sprint with the leaders. And Dustin Macburnie got in the early break and won the KOM competition and got a big check. Lucky Dawg! So the team did well. Unfortunately we lost one of our riders, Eneas, and he broke his collarbone. Bummed for him as he just got back from a broken wrist and was riding awesome.
So that is it for now. I will update after the time trial. I think my riding is getting better. No results to really prove it to you, but this road racing stuff is not as easy as you think. Looks like Todd Wells (Wellsy) is going o be racing with us in Fitchburg. Great, I guess I should start getting myself ready for the verbal abuse now.

One more day of Philly Week!

Sorry for the lame updates lately. I have been super busy racing and recovering. CSC Invitational should be called the Emergency Room invitational. I am not joking when I say there were no less than 15 crashes during the race. The race was 100k on a 1Kilometer circuit with 6 corners. It reminded me of a short track with about 3 times as many people. I have never gone so hard to get to nowhere in a race. It was unreal hard! The legs weren't feeling it and I never saw the front of the field.
The next day was the first race of Philly Week, the triple crown of cycling. Three races in one week. The first one was last Sunday in downtown Langcaster and it was so fast. The course was awesome but there was a 15 man pile up at 40 mph in the first 3 miles of the race. Somehow I rode right through it, Lucky! I covered some moves for the teammates, and towed the field for a half a lap before I completely blew up. The legs again were not with me.
Finally, yesterday I was feeling like myself again. The team rode very aggressively and attacked right from the start. I had good climbing legs and even attacked! That's right, I attacked instead of hanging on for dear life. However, once again my rookie positioning killed me at the end. I was to far back on the last two laps when Health Net got on the front and then Toyota United took a turn. I couldn't move up and got gaped out. I had to lay down 100% of the famous Shriver Surge to get back up to the field. I made it though. I thought for sure I would get blown away on the final climb. As it approached guys were coming off the group and dropping like flies. I maintained feeling good and then I took off, hit the big ring and climbed so fast I couldn't believe it. I was flying up the climb. It was an effort that came to late in the race. I was to far back and although I nearly bridged back up to the main group, the climb ended before I could do it. I sat on with some German guy and sprinted him for 43rd, thats right! You know it. Hey, I didn't win, but I felt good which is what I have been waiting for the entire time I have been out East. I think the form is coming on in the next couple of weeks just in time for Nature Valley next week in Minnesota.
Living the life on the cycling scene has been great. It isn't easy being away from home and when you are traveling a ton it really isn't much fun. The hard days of racing are paying off though and I should be going super fast very soon. Wish me luck on Sunday in the last race, all 156 miles of it. OUCH! I hope I can contribute and finish. Here is a link you can follow to read the live report on Sunday, http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2006/jun06/commercebank06/. Thanks for the support!

Hardest Races of my life, Philly Week!

I will throw up an update later today, but these races out East are incredibly hard. Doing the Triple Crown in Pennsylvania. Unreal. You can read the live reports on www.cyclingnews.com. Alright more later.

CSC Invitational......Pre Race

We are here just kickin it at the Hyatt in downtown Arlington, Virginia getting ready to race in the CSC Invitational. It isn't going to be hot and humid but raining instead. Another insanely fast race on a 1Kilometer course. 100 laps in the rain at full throttle with about 150 professional riders all laying it out on the line. I hope the legs are going to be good today because I need to have a good ride. Finally got some descent sleep which has been much needed. The teams on the upper floors weren't so lucky because a fire sprinkler broke on the 16th floor and flooded down through the 10th floor. Sucks to be them. I will throw up an update after the race tonight in Philly. Philly Week starts tomorrow. Wish us luck!

Cap Tech Classic..I know I could have won but......

Tonight was the Cap Tech Classic. I promised an update earlier and knew that I would not be able to sleep. I had this race in the bag, an NRC, from the start. I felt so good....but then it all came apart. It all started when I lost a bar end plug for my handelbars. The bike just wasn't handlig the same in the corners. Wait no, it was the pre-race West Nile virus I must have gotten from my twenty different mosquito bites. It could have been that Ken Mills mixed my race bottles at a 17% sugar solution instead of a 7% solutiong like I asked him too, thanks Ken for ruining my perfect race. Dang it!!!

Not really, it was no ones fault but mine tonight. I felt like poop! That is all there is to it. The legs were not having it from the get go. I don't know what my excuse is other than I pulled out in "true wuss fashion". It sucked, I sucked, no really sucked! Maybe CSC will go better. Gotta get some sleep now.

All over the place...East Coast and Down South!

Checking out Westport, CT with the team.
Westport is right on the Ocean, Ah yeah!
We checked out the Target Training facilities in Westport (Guptill struggles with the 12lb ball)
One of the huge bridges we went across leaving New York City

Sorry for the lame updates lately! I wrote a blog the other day and then the internet went out. I hate it when that happens. I have been out East with the team for the past week. There are tons of people and lots of humidity and scorching temperatures. We races last weekend in Baltimore, Maryland at the Bike Jam crit. The course was in the same park that Cross nationals was held in four years ago. It looked like a great place to have a cross race. I felt pretty good for traveling for 14 hours the day before and only 5 hours of sleep. The next race we did was the Tour of Somerville Crit. I got into the break but there were 5 Navigators guys and 3 Collovita guys. They kept attacking me until I couldn't cover the attacks anymore. I was done after that, the temperatures got me and I cracked, straight out the back. Somewhere before I cracked I won a prime by accident. How you win a prime by accident, no idea??

Westport is a pretty cool town and it looks like I will be spending allot of time out here. I may even be out here until school starts again. Target Training is renting us a sweet house right in Westport. I guess it is one of the top 10 richest communities in the country. It is nice, but mostly old people live there (nothing against the elderly).

I am now in Richmond, Virginia getting ready to race the Cap Tech criterium. It looks like it is going to be one of the hardest races I have ever done. It is 2.5 hours of serious racing, 100 kilometers with a steep climb every lap. There is even a King of the Mountains (KOM) prize. We don't start racing until 7:30 and I guess the crit lasts almost 3 hours. It is going to be epic. I will be up all night I am sure so I will try to throw up a quick race report tonight, no guarantees though. The field looks to be super stacked and fast. I hope I have the legs. Thanks for stopping in again!