Sea Otter '02

A decade ago(sounds cool) I was on the best form of my life!  It was 2002, Andrea and I had just moved into our first house together in Tucson, I was working a super easy job answering 411 info calls for Verizon at a call center from 2pm - 6pm Mon-Sat, and training was going really good.

ready for a good weekend!

I had raced at the Sea Otter classic as a pro the last 3 years in a row and the results were consistently getting better and better.  I knew the Sea Otter was a big race with lots of tough competition, but with the start on the Laguna Seca I knew everyone had an equal chance at getting a good jump.

Andrea and I made the drive from Tucson and stayed in Cambria, CA.  The next morning we woke up and had an awesome drive up the coast and arrived in Monterrey...ready for stage 1.  The Fatboy Crit.  10 years later I don't remember the race at all, but according to the training diary I was in the second group???

The next day was the Time Trial...I was 32nd  then the Short Track on Saturday...24th not bad...

10th or so wheel around the first corner in a purple/yellow Hayes jersey

The XC was what I was really gunning for though....and I finally had that good start I was hoping for...in the top 10 at the top of the raceway and into the dirt.  Ready to suffer for 2 big laps.  The only part of the race I really remember was early on passing JHK and Wells on a climb, and then on the final climb I was going up with a group of 5 including Travis Brown.  He kept telling me to slow down...so I did.....experienced veteran mentally out does the young gun.....I also remember passing Andrea who was doing the one lap race as she was on her final climb also.  Travis dropped me on the downhill and onto the track and then finished 15th.  I was 17th.  2nd American.  I was pumped and to this day still feel it was one of the best rides of my career.  Check out the names that use to show up to the Sea Otter...now its just Canada vs USA.

I can't find the results from 2002....but below is the top 88 in the GC in 1999 - check it out...some pretty big names in there even on the 2nd page.  There were 110 GC finishers and en entire 4th page of DNF's with more big names like Larsen, Gould, Fumic, Tcherkasson, Kalberer etc

Results sheet from 1999

Wish I had the results from 2002

One month later I went on to win the Cat 2 Tour of the Gila...I better start studying this old training diary!

Eagles and Horses

Its the time of the season where I just have to saddle up and get the job done.  Last weekend we went to Eagle River for a little variety and some awesome roads to train on.  It was a quick trip, but always worth it to have a relaxing weekend in the Northwoods!

Back on it yesterday for a 50+ miler with Tristan and today for a solo 60+ miler.  It was windy today.  I tried to use the old reverse psychology tactic on the fatigue level today.  Go with the wind and get as far away from home as possible.  I made it to Manitowoc and then proceeded to ride into a cold stiff headwind for almost 2 hours - bad idea.  Good thing the new Momentum Endurance clothing from LG is comfy and warm!  It was a little brutal, but mission accomplished.  Half way through Base One.

Found this ugly guy in the lake up in Eagle River anybody know what it is?

This is also the time of year where I spend a lot of time dialing in the deals with sponsors and supporters.  I'd  like to thank Bontrager for stepping up and helping out a ton this year.  The new RXXXL road shoes are awesome, anytime you can throw on a pair of shoes and just start cranking out the miles with no discomfort, you know they nailed it....gotta check them out.  I'm thankful for the continued and added support from the Trek family.  Also pumped to be in talks w/ Shimano again for the upcoming cross season and continued support w/ mtb parts.  It's sweet to be working with the best.

80 degrees in the cabin - Andrea loves it...

Last but not least, Hyundai.  Just had a meeting with the boss over at Hyundai and I'm happy to announce they are on board again for another season of racing.  They are definitely one of my biggest supporters.  Now to decide...the trusty Touring or a new Accent at 40mpg???  If you are in the market for a great car w/ a great warranty and great gas mileage let me know...I gotta guy!

Fresh Start

Just finished up w/ an awesome weekend hanging with the family and enjoying the last weekend of not "officially" training.  Things started off pretty good w/ a sweet Easter care package from the guys at Bontrager....shoe covers, gloves, a really sweet old school Bontrager cycling cap and some of the most comfortable bib shorts that I have ever ridden.  With the new array of accessories I had to go out and pedal the bike a bit this weekend! 

At the end of the ride on Saturday I swung by the new RACC / GearGrinder team managers house and picked up all my new team clothing.  Motivation to go out for a ride Sunday after an awesome Easter brunch.

Don't worry though...plenty of time over the weekend watching the Brewers, The Masters, and River Monsters!

Now its Monday...start of a new week and time to "officially" start training for the season.  First ride in the books today!  AVG HR 95, AVG Speed 11.6 & AVG Power 108.  Mission Accomplished!

The first MTB race is 4 weeks away...if you want a sweet training plan you can check this out.

I'm really excited to start this season w/ the support of my family and all my sponsors.  Check them out on the left side of the screen!

my thumbs hurt

The off-season is almost over.  The forced rest was pretty painful in many ways(not really just being dramatic for a gripping blog read)! 

First off it was just painful to not be riding a bike.  The forced rest was an evil necessity though...gotta let the body rest up and be ready to go for the season.  I did cheat a little and ride a few times this weekend.



With a little extra time on my hands I have been having fun w/ Strava.  Sometimes you need an excuse for a destination on a ride.  All Strava segments for Sheboygan county should be dialed in by the end of base period.  So far Mt. Hingham Climb, Silver Spring Climb, and my faovrity LT testing grounds the Lakeshore TT!

Also a little pain with the temps - I got soft in Tucson.  Riding bikes at 38 degrees and overcast is not quite as cool as 70 and sunny.  For that matter same goes for doing yard work...

Last but not least I spent a day ripping tubulars off of my cross wheels from last season.  No way I was going to roll one of those things off the rim.  My thumbs hurt after that one....now they are all off and most of the wheels are HEDing back to MN for some testing and then getting recycled to a Jr. program.

6 days to go and my season officially starts....yours can too if you want a top secret training plan for WORS #1 @ Iola

I also like to start the season with a clean garage!  Check out the FOR SALE page and buy something!

Barry - Michigan

Nothing like driving across the country, racing 4 days of muddy singletrack and gravel roads, then driving the rest of the way home Wednesday only to realize that after 2 months of vacation the temps in Sheboygan are warm, but the temps in the water heater are frigid.  A quick call to the pumber on Thursday for a new water heater and Friday I was loaded up again and heading back for more gravel roads.  Good thing with Gas Prices so high I am rolling in style w/ 32.0 + MPG fully loaded!

The Cronus CX was ready to rock, I still had some HED wheels w/ tubulars glued up, in fact I hadn't touched the cross bike since 10 ft past the finish line at Nationals...so I figured it should be good.

I drove over to Plainwell, MI and crashed with old school MI rider Marty Minka!  It was awesome to have a comfy couch to crash on and a good hearty breakfast of Bacon and Eggs the morning of the race.

I had to laugh before I loaded the bike up for the trip as I was lubing up the chain.  For 6 or 7 monhts I had been telling Bruce at PRO GOLD that I really didn't like the ProGold Xtreme chain lube - it just made things too dirty with the thicker lube, and the normal stuff lasted plenty long for a cross race.  Barry Roubaix was a different story though - 3 hours in the saddle of nasty gravel roads, deep puddles, and huge sandpits.


After some early moves on Sager Rd. the group swelled a little too much for my liking so I threw out the first major attack.  I hovered out there for a while and as soon as I got reeled in Mike Andreson countered...I was pumped...some mtb'ers, both riding Trek cross bikes, attacking the roadies on road sections!  As Mike was getting realed in a Bissel rider jumped across and I had a free ride up to Mike...right away I knew this was the move....we had some power and some other Bissel guys sitting on in the group.  2 others bridged up and we were 5 strong and started rotating right away - 45 miles later we hit Shaw Rd. and Mike A was killing the sand section...not on his bike, but on his feet.  It hurt but I suffered and stayed with him for the Mike Anderson going downhill on sketchy stuff skills clinic that I always love.  After the section we were clear and worked together towards the finish.  My chain was silent like the night with the Pro Gold Xtreme, and Mikes was squeeking away!  In the end Mike had a little more power and got a good jump at the finish for the W.  I told Thom from cyclingdirt that it was the file treads that helped Mike win...next year file treads and I'm dropping the Camelbak!

For whatever reason I was a lot more motivated to do this race compared to last year - Maybe I wanted a little redemption after suffering for 65 miles on the Top Fuel last year.

After the race I headed over to Pinckney where I grew up and went to High School.  It was awesome to visit with some old friends and check out the old neighborhood.  The drive back home Sunday was a bit long and painful, but I made it and I'm looking forward to 2 weeks of R&R at home before officially starting the season.

HOME

Well the Gravel Rouser is all finished up! Saturdays Stage 3 was epic as always and they Rousers Brain Trust even threw in a serious river crossing!

Sundays Death March was the final stage and we were lucky enough to get in some riding before heading to the Columbus airport for a quick flight home so Andrea could start a new job!


I was lucky enough to be able to go back to Athens after the airport run and chill out for a few days with mom and dad before driving home Wednesday.  It was an awesome visit with plenty of NCAA wrestling and NCAA B-Ball.  Mom was pretty pumped that the Bobcats made it to the sweet 16.  Thanks to Athens Bicycle for another great weekend of rousin'.

It's super awesome to be back home after almost 3 months...but, now that I've been home for 24 hours I'm thinking about rolling out again for Barry Roubaix.  Haven't touched the cross bike since Nationals, but I think its ready to rock!

oHIo

After a long drive from Tucson to Athens I was pretty done for...luckily no matter how tired you are, a person will always find the energy when the best event of the season is going on...welcome to the Gravel Rouser Classic 2012:

Take this job and shove it TT Stage 1.

An epic mtb ride Sunday in Tucson - Three days in the car and straight to Jim's back yard off of Simm's Rd up on the ridges in Athens.  My ribs were still really sore from the crash on the Milagrosa trail, but Jim and Company layed out one of the best TT courses to date for the Gravel Rouser and I was going to let 'er rip.  Check out the video for some great action:



In the end I lost the title by 2 seconds!  Luckily I had a little redemption when all the guys wanted to do a mass start 1 mile race after the TT - no clock on this one...it was for blood!

Stage 2 was the Grab & Git -

A 5 stop Scavenger Hunt around town with a map and then a mad dash to the finish.  It really all comes down to the stop where you draw a cork with a number out of the bag.  The number on the cork can be a time bonus or a time penalty.  Veterans of this race also know the funny article of clothing stop can be critical - you never want to get something that would cause overheating, get caught in the chain or cassette, or in any way interfere with aerodynamics!

Check it out:




Stay Tuned for Stages 3 & 4

1850!

Well I'm rolling out of AZ today and headed towards more fun in OH.  We finished things up with a crazy week with lots of non-stop action!  Gotta go out in style!

We had a blast hanging out with all of our friends this year.  BBQ's, Birthday Parties, Supper Club dinners, and of course tons of bike riding.  I can't wait to do it again next year.

The last 5 days were extra crazy with Bill Street 'Player' in town.  We tried to cram in as much fun and riding as possible.  It started with an epic failure out at the Pistol Hill section of the AZ Trail.  First time on Bill's new bike and a piece of housing under the BB was a little short.  Every time the suspension moved the bike would shift and it eventually lead to a broken chain.  Lots of hiking, jogging, skateboarding, to get out of the dessert in time for the Dr. appt w/ Bill Peterson.  Luckily we made it without to much craziness.

We all wanted a little work done with Bill Peterson as he is one of the best in his business.  Bill is an awesome guy who is fighting lung cancer and is very well known in the cycling community as the go to guy for cycling orthotics and bike fit issues.  He is the man who helped Andrea with a leg length discrepency and is pretty much the sole reason she is still riding today.  Street Player has the same problem and is now all squared up on the bike and has some custom insoles en route to Sheboygan.  I wanted to get Bill's opinion on my cleat position now that I have new Bontrager shoes and I also picked up a pair of insoles.

It was also pretty interesting talking to Bill about his cancer treatments.  It was awesome to hear that he is a huge fan of drinking alkaline water!

Saturday Street, Andrea and I did an epic up Mt. Lemmon.  Andrea turned around at the highest elevation at mile marker 21.  Street and I dropped down to Summerhave tomake it tothe Cookie Cabin.  Andrea made the right call as it was frickin cold up there.  Chili, Hot Apple Cider and a cookie were not enough to warm the soul a fear was setting in for the cold descent.  Street Player had to shove a Pizza Box under his jersey to protect him from the wind and then with an unprecedented move put a paper plate under his helmet to act as a cycling cap!!!





We finished things off yesterday with a big mtb ride.  We even talked Cole 'the roadie' House into joining us!  We climbed up Mt. Lemmon to the 12 mile marker from Le Buzz.  Then we descended Bug Springs, Prison Camp, climbed up and over Molino Basin, and then down the AZ Trail and down Milagrosa.  4:00 hours of ride time, 6 hours of total time. 

It was pretty sweet.  I was also joined by John Beck, Chad Sova, Bill Street, and Andrea!  I had to laugh at Le Buzz when some other roadies were giving Cole shit about mtb'in.  He clearly has some skills and hopefully we have some good video footage from the GoPro.

After the big ride it was out for one last dinner at El Charro with the crew.  It's going to be tough to go another 10 months without Carne Seca!  Now I'm going to need to take an off-season from my off-season  leaving Tucson with 1850 miles in the legs....how about after Gravel Rouser!

10 to Go

10 days remaining in Tucson.  Snow back home, 85 degrees tomorrow in the desert.  Before heading home we will swing by Athens for another Gravel Rouser Classic.  Athens is always a good transition to prepare for the bad weather that Sheboygan is sure to have for the next 2 months!  I always question my reasoning for vacationing in Tucson and then going home to start the training for the year....seems kind of backwards.  So I'm actually kicking around the idea of heading back out to Tucson for the month of April for my first block of training....that might make me a little too soft???

This week I did cheat a little and partake in two pretty serious training rides.  Not that I really wanted to go training but the Kenda 5 Hour Energy Pro Cycling Team pb / Gear Grinder training camp is going on about 50 meters from my front door and I couldn't pass up on the opportunity for a new learning experience.

So last Wednesday I suited up and joined the team for a big day out to Madera Canyon.  120 miles w/ a 15 minute TTT up Helmet Peak Road 2 hours into the ride and then a pretty tough 45 minute climb half way through the 6 hour day up Madera.  I felt OK sitting on the back of the TTT and AVG'd 372(whoever was pulling up at the front was frickin' strong!), but 45 minutes later on the climb I was hurting a lot and got popped before it started to get steep.  My HR was jacked from the first real effort of the season and never wanted to go back down after hitting 190 on the run in to the climb.

I was pretty thrashed after 120 so I took it pretty easy on Thursday and then joined the guys again Friday for the big day up Mt. Lemmon.  Whats kind of cool about road riding w/ the guys is that before hitting Mt. Lemmon they go out for a 2 hour loop.  Normally my training rides are two hours!  So I just sat on the back of the train and enjoyed the scenery.  We rolled to the bottom of Mt. Lemmon with 45 miles on the legs(nice and warmed up) and divided into three groups for the climb.

Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 all decided by team director Frankie Andreau.  I jumped in the back of Group 2.  G1 got a 5 minute head start - then our group - then G3 another 5 minutes later.  We were racing to the 14 mile mark on Mt. Lemmon.  We were off and I knew it was going to hurt.  I was in the group w/ Paul Mach, Jim Stemper, Jon Murphy, Roman Kilun, and last years Elite road race National Champ Max Korus.  I was hoping I gained all my fitness back after Wed's big ride and was ready to climb with the best of them....My best ever time to the 5 mile mark was 18:41 - we rolled through at 18:46 but still had 9 miles to go.  These guys were crushing it....I took one pull early on, but that was all.  At the 8 mile marker Frankie drove the Hyundai by the group and told us to stop holding hands....the group shattered and I had to jump across to the front of the group...then I was over my limit..I was able to hang on for another 2.5 miles but popped around mile 11.  The last 3 miles were solo and hangin on for dear life.  I did 356 for the first 40 minutes until I popped and then 315 for the last 15 minutes.  Even though I slowed down my HR was still jacked from the effort and the altitude and stayed at 180 for the 56 minutes of climbing!

It was awesome to go and jam with the guys, but now its back to the off-season and time to enjoy the last 10 days in Tucson - on my Top Fuel!  Thanks KendaProCycling for the great rides.

Dyin' & Livin'

This week started exactly opposite of what I had hoped.  Last weekend was the big inventory at Trek Bikes of Tucson.  I had hoped to finish up early Sunday evening and then have the next 3 weeks of pure vacation, w/ no camps and no work, to look forward to....

Instead Sunday night after work BAM - it hit me so hard that I didn't know which end was up...especially because it was coming out of both ends.  From 8:00pm after a dinner that obviously didn't stay in me until about 3:00am I had to visit the toilet every 15-20 minutes.

By Monday morning I was smashed...I was stuck in bed all day.  Tuesday I was ready to get out of bed after 36 hours, but it wasn't meant to be....after a weak attempt it was back to bed....I was so dizzy and nauseaus that I couldn't even watch a movie in bed....OUCH I think its the worst I've ever been.  So finally after 60 hours of straight bed time besides 20 or so visits to the toilet I was starting to be back to normal.  Just super weak and about 8 lbs too light.

I was finally back on the bike Thursday for an easy MTB spin at Fantasy Island and then at it for real again w. a nice ride up to Windy Point on Thursday w/ Karew.

Again I hit the wall on the way home....but with plenty of Mexican food in the forecast I was able to overcome the calorie deficit and now I'm back to normal!!!

I'm looking forward to the last 2 weeks in Tucson.  The big 5 Hour Energy pro road team just rolled up to the house!  I'm pretty excited to see what its all about.  It'll be like I'm a roadie for a week long pro team training camp!

Worked Over

Last week was big - bigger than expected. Somehow I ended up with 20+ hours on the bike, but don't worry I'm making up for it now....

It started with a big commute to Trek Bikes of Tucson last monday to finish up the pre-inventory audit. Tuesday was a solid 50 miles w/ Brian Rach and Andrea out to Collassal Caves and Saguaro East to test the time/distance of a route for the upcoming camp with the crew from Detroit.

Andrea & Rach in Saguraro Nat'l Park

Wednesday I wanted a good jam session with Trav and the GoPro so we hit up Mt. Lemmon and the Bug Springs trail. Anytime you do this ride its big, but rolling from home, to Le Buzz, up the Mtn, down the trail, and then back home is big...especially when you have to finish up The Alp de Ridgeside. Its actually a nice neighborhood road with a great bike path along the edge and lots of nice homes. It winds back and forth as you climb a gradual 5% back towards the home on Old Spanish Trail. No matter what kind of ride you did though Ridgeside manages to kick your ass .especially at the end of a 55 mile mtb ride. It was all worth it though...see for yourself! And don't forget to switch to HD!

After the big ride it was a bike build session for the crew and then a delivery trip to the Jeremiah Inn.  Thursday camp started with a good jam session out to Colassal Cave again for a solid 60 miles and Andrea took Mary Ann mountain biking at Fantasy Island.  Friday was another mountain bike session with Andrea, Mary Ann, and Wayne hitting up Fantasy Island again while Tom and I rode the AZ Trail.

Sam & Emily w/ 26 inch wheels!!!

Friday was non-stop action - as soon as camp ended for the day I was off to Trek Bikes of Tucson, Oro Valley for "Meet The Pros Night"  We had an awesome turn out with 30+ loyal TBOT customers and superfans.  Sam Schultz & Emily Batty covered the MTB/Nutrition side of things, while Linsey Corbin talked about Tri's and Training.  I touched a little bit on Cross, Sponsorship, and we tied it all together with how to race "Fast" and a really fun Q & A session with everybody.  It was a blast, but by the time I got home at 11:30pm I was wasted, but not finished yet...still a whole slew of e-mails and files to analyze for my day job at Momentum Endurance!

Saturday was the big day up Mt. Lemmon - one trip up the Mountain and I ended up with 70 miles and 8,000+ feet of climbing going back and forth between the groups.  The girls were joined by Candice from Trek Bike of Tucson and had a blast while the guys were on a mission to make it to the top.  Everyone had fun and we finished the night off with a good dinner at El Charro with guest appearances from a few of the Kenda 5 Hour Pro roadies.

The big climb up Mt. Lemmon

By Sunday morning I was really hurting.  Already 18+ hours on the bikes and another day to go...luckily the gang was feeling it too and we took an easy ride out to the end of Tanque Verde Rd. and finished off with an easy cruise to Le Buzz for some coffee.  The campers took off Sunday, but left me with a slew of work.  Swapping wheels, cleaning bikes, trading pedals, and then boxing them up to ship back t the Motor City.

Taking care of business!

Andrea flew home Monday morning for a job interview so we went for a nice Valentines dinner Sunday night at Zona 78!  Rosco and I have been bachelors for the last 2 days and haven't really accomplished much!  No bikes - 3 movies - On the road to recovery.  This weekend is the big inventory at the shop and then vacation really starts one month later!

New toys!

Having fun w/ the new GoPro Hero2

Work, Riding, & Sponsorship all in one

Again its been pretty busy down here in Tucson!  Time seems like it's flying by and we are still having a blast.  I started working at Trek Bikes of Tucson this past Monday.  Dave and the gang needed a little help with the big end of season inventory and I always need a good deal on big parts!  So its working out good.  I have a 15 mile commute each way.  I love commuting in Tucson when the weather is so nice!  Also at Trek Bikes of Tucson next Friday is a Pros Night w/ Sam Schultz, Emily Batty, Linsey Corbin and myself.  If you are in Tucson and want to party, come on up to the Oro Valley store and say HI!


Ride #1 - The shakedown @ Fantasy Island

Speaking of Trek..the new MTB arrived last week!  As always it is frickin' awesome.  Two rides on the thing and it was dialed and ripping down the mountain!



SOP to swap out to the DT  XR Carbon!  Light & Stiff!

Ride #2 - letting it rip on Bug Springs

In a kind of related subject I'd like to welcome on board my newest sponsor!  BONTRAGER  It works out pretty darn good that my bikes come fully stocked with the Bontrager XXX component group and along with some additional help from Bontrager I will now be racing in the new Oracle helmet and the new super comfy XXX shoes!  Yep thats right...that link was to a road shoes...the new RXL Mtn shoe hasn't even made the website yet, but you can check them out in the photo below.

I gave the road shoes a first go yesterday on Mt. Lemmon.  They were like slippers...ride got cut a little short when we had to come to the rescue of Woody the Owl!  Poor Woody...I hope he is recovering good at the Tucson Wildlife Center.

Ready - Action

It's been non-stop down here in Tucson, but I'm loving it!!!  When we rolled into town on Day #1 and saw about 50 cyclists on the road you couldn't help but smile.  This town just has a vibe that you can't beat.

A great way to end the day!

Training Camp was awesome and the guys felt the same way.  We hit up some amazing road riding, some mtb riding, and even got to see some of the best sprinters in the country take to the start line of a local crit. 

one of the many scenic roads in Tucson

post ride power analysis

We also had our fair share of local cuisine!

Nothing beats the Cookie Cabin after the giant climb up Mt. Lemmon

All in all the camp was a huge success.  Thanks to the Jeremiah Inn for awesome accomodations and PRO Bikes of Tucson for great service and the rental bikes.


After wrapping up the final details of camp on Monday it was off to the trails again for some fun!  This time Andrea and I joined Bruce from Pro Gold Lubricants for some singletrack shredding!  I didn't have a bike yet so I borrowed Bruce's Niner full suspension.  It was fun, but man I felt like I was on a slow motion downhill bike...26 inch wheels for me please.












Tuesday after camp it was time to make my first journey into town to take care of some business with Trav @ Momentum Endurance headquarters and say Hi to the guys at Trek Bikes of Tucson.  Lucky for me when I walked in the shop they smiled and said they had a brand new Top Fuel in the back!

Wednesday before I could get my bike built up I got a call from Tommy D for a ride.  I was a little nervous at what he meant by a "long" "easy" ride.  With my specific cross training the last 3 months, long for me was about 2 hours.  I really haven't seen Tom since 2002 or 2003 when his mtb career was coming to an end and his road career was taking off.  As juniors on the Devo team we were room mates at some of the races.  It was pretty sweet to catch up on life, reminisce about the old days of mtb'ing and hear some good war stories from the peloton.  Coolest part of the ride though was talking about Christian Vande Velde and our battle at Chequamegon!  At the end of close to 90 miles I was smashed and Tom went out for another 60!  Easy 150 miles???

I've got a few goodies down here that I need to sell.  Check them out and let me know if you might be interested.  The Top Fuel is almost finished...stay tuned for pictures!

Tucson & The Off season!

It's been a busy start to the 2012 off season.  After CX Nationals we took a day to get cleaned up and then we hit the road!  I was pretty pumped to get out of town.  I think we timed it perfectly w. the first snow storm of the year hitting 2 days after we left.

Rosco was the co-pilot!

Rosco, Andrea and I loaded up the Elantra Touring w/ Elicia in tow!  We caravaned across the country, and shared hotels until we hit Albuquerque.  We crashed one last night together and in the morning we went south and Elicia continued West to California.

We arrived Thursday afternoon and it felt like home!  We took a quick spin to Saguaro National Park and then went out for our first Mexican feast at El Charro!  I love the Carne Seca and it seems Tucson is the only place in the world that offers it up.

It felt a little busy getting settled in, hitting up 4 grocery stores, unpacking, and getting ready to race all one day one!  Yep thats right!  Racing after only one full day in town.  Andrea had the itch so we slapped on a number plate and she let it rip.

The womens fielf took off w/ approximately 20 women in the first wave.  Two of them were Pros including Chloe Forsman Woodruff.  Andrea finished the race 3rd in the Cat 1 women and 5th overall with the 2 pros.  She was nice enough to let me borrow her bike after the ride so I could hit the dirt a little too.  I'm still waiting for my new Trek Top Fuel to arrive.

Chloe w/ the holeshot

Sunday was a quick ride to mile 14 of Mt. Lemmon where I hooked up with old team mate and Tour De France superstar Tommy D for a little training.  We followed that up with a big bowl of chili and and some Sunday football.  Two Sundays in a row w/ results that we didn't want.


Monday the Momentum Endurance Training Camp bikes started to roll in so I was busy building bikes and prepping for the arrival of the athletes.  Tuesday was a meet and great and an easy spin to get things warmed up for the next 5 days of riding.  Time to get hit the road!

Nationals

A mixed bag of emotions on this one.  In the end though I know its not what I wanted or its not what I'm capable of so I'm calling it a dissapointing race.

I am however happy that the season is over and I can call it one of my best.  I feel I was very consistent and had better results than the any other season.

The race itself went down like this....an early departure from Sheboygan Sunday morning.  A stress free drive and an early arrival to the race course.  The conditions were a little different than Wednesday when I had pre-rode but I was expecting that...

I set up camp under the Trek tent thanks to my good buddy Demo Ken!  He had prime real estate on the infield, close to the pits, and just past the finish line.  He also had a nice warm trailer that I could stand up in a get changed! 

I headed out for a pre-ride and felt pretty good.  Not fantastic, but not horrible.  I was hoping for a clean first lap and then I thought I would be good.  I chilled out a little, pinned my numbers, and then headed out again after the womens race to see how much the course had changed as the temps were rising and the ground was thawing.  I didn't think it chagned that much.

I swapped clothes did a little time on the trainer and headed to the start line.  I was second row.  GO and I was off...a good start!  A little chaos in the first 4 corners but I made it unscathed.  I was sitting in 8th or 9th at the top of the first climb.  I finished up the lap and was sitting on Chris Jones wheel in 7th or 8th place.  Perfect...I felt like Chris was going to be my free ride back to the top 5.  I relaxed and as soon as I did I went down hard.  I got up pretty quick, but I was a little rattled.  I jumped back on the bike losing very little time, but in a cross race that early on I went from 8th to 14th in a split second and Jones was gone.  I was now in a battle for the top 10. 

I thought I was OK and planned to sit on, change bikes, and then get going again.  I knew it was going to be a long hard race, but they legs never really go going.  In fact it started to hurt more and more.  I suffered to stay in contact with 9th and 10th, but I couldn't.  Soon I was in 11th and 12th.  I crashed again.  Confidence was going out the window.  I lowered the tire pressure, but it wasn't enough and I could never steer the bike like I could in Chicago.

45 minutes into the race I though we would have 2 to go, and when I saw three to go it crushed me.  My energy was dissapearing fast and soon I was in 12th all alone.  I started going slower and slower so I didn't crash again.  It hurts.  With 1/2 lap to go another guy caught me and I tried to drop him a few times, but I couldn't and he easily outsprinted me.  13th place at the finish.

This was not a course that you could hide on if you were having an off day.  I was hoping to feel as good as I did in Chicago or better, but it didn't happen.  There are a few reasons why I think this is the case and hopefully I can work on it and be better next year!

 The fans were amazing.  The pit crew of Tim, Elicia, and Andrea were awesome!  I couldn't do it without the support of all my individual sponsors.  Thanks everybody for a great season.  Time for a vacation!

Pre - Race

Well two days to go and the season is over.  This weekend should be fun, but it is always a little hard to end the season...especially when your form is on the way up.

I took a few days off after Chicago because I was smashed.  Two days of hard racing and two days of good recovery.  By the time Wednesday rolled around I needed to get out and do some riding.  I also had some other things to take care off...wheels from Cycle-Ops, wheels getting worked on from my homey Mike Heenan, wheels to drop off for the MWI team.  My best option was to drive to Madison, take care of all my business including registration and pre-riding the course. 

I dropped a wheel at Saris, I picked up my lucky #14 race bib, picked up and dropped of some wheels with Mike, then suited up to check out the National Championship course.  There has been a lot of talk about this race course.  Too easy, too icy, whatever it is it IS and I needed to check it out.  I started out the ride w/ a 1 hour spin around Verona and then headed to the course for a lap between the Womens and Mens SS race.  It was tough.  Soggy false flats, mud covered ice, slippery off camber corners, and a hard hard ground that doesn't allow you to run too low of a tire pressure.

I got a lap in but I needed more, so I set up a trainer and spun for another 40 minutes while watching Tim rock the SS race.  Then I headed out for two more laps.  First at 22 psi and it was good for the mud, but too soft, then at 24 psi which was about perfect.  Who knows how much it will change between now and then, but it sounds like its still muddy.  The coolest part about the course preview though was running into one of my favorite sponsors HED Cycling...check this out!  As I mtb'er I really hope to rock these next year!

 

HED's new disc specific Stinger 5

HED also had a disc hub laced to an Ardennes! 

Today I spent chillin' and cleanin'.  I cleaned the house so we can be ready to leave for Tucson as soon as possible!  Again I can't wait for the Momentum Endurance Training Camp!  Then I spent some time with the bikes.  New cables and housing, cleaned and regreased the BB's and headsets, and then gave the bikes a good bath!  They needed it after the CCCNYR.



the calm before the storm



8 degrees in December of '08 at Lambeau

Now its time for a dinner, a movie, and early to bed.  A little warm up ride tomorrow followed by some football and another night at home in my own bed.  Then Sunday morning I'll drive over set up shop and let it rip!  I can't beleive the weather.  5 years ago we went to Brett Favre's last home regular season game at Lambeau..we need every possible item of clothing to stay warm.  It was 8 that day.  We are lucky! See you there!

4th & 1

Two solid 4th place rides for me this weekend at the CCC NYR in Chicago; One To GO!

It was game on starting Friday.  Fidea Cup from Leuven on the web at 8am.  Training at 10am for 2 hours.  Lunch, Nap, Bike Cleaning at 3pm - 6pm, dinner, laundry, pick up Gear Grinder van @ 8pm.  Load van for an early departure 7:30am the next morning to Chicago.

I finally just caved in to the free Netflix trial.  So far pretty awesome.  We have the slowest high speed internet in the world, but no problem to watch a movie or a tv show.  Sat night before bed I needed 30 minutes of spacing out so I watch the first episode of The Wonder Years!  Gotta love that show.

We made it through Chicago traffic with no problems and arrived to the Indian Head resort.  It was more like a groomed tractor pull!  The bermuda grass of the golf course was more like a wet sponge, and if there were any dips in elevation it was a mud bog.

I felt good on Friday and I had been doing a lot of CX practice in the sand at the beach by my house.  I immediately felt comfortable in the mud, my legs felt good, my HR was responding, and I knew it was going to be a good day!  I just didn't know how good...

I had a good jump of the line and then pulled out of my pedal...luckily I was already up to speed and held a good position around the first few corners.  I immediately felt good and moved up to Trebon's wheel.  I even pulled through the start finish on Lap #1.  I was feeling good so might as well go for it...

The first slight problem..in the middle of lap 3 Chris Jones crashed right after the pits...I tried to avoid it, but went down when I ran him over.  Powers was going through the pits and was able to avoid the crash and Trebon was going off the front.  Jones and I started to chase.  A lap later half way through the race Jones stopped pedaling and told me we were getting to close to Powers.  The Rapha team card had been played...oh well, I was riding better than Chris in the technical stuff and all I needed was for him to make another mistake.  I pulled and entire lap.  Starting the next lap I nailed a mud bog perfect and looked up and saw Powers....I knew I was bringing him back.

As I caught Powers, Chris was off the back a little because he has just went through the pits...I wanted to keep the pressure steady and hope for that mistake.  No go.  With one to go I pulled through the start/finish and the crowd was roaring...it was awesome.

I attacked then a couple of times and had some daylight, but never enough.  Jones took one little flyer, but it didn't stick.  Powers then went and I didn't want to get 1-2ed for an entire lap so I let him go thinking I had a better chance for the podium beating Chris one on one.  Unfortunately when you pull a guy around a windy course for 30 minutes he has a little more in the tank at the end....I finished 4th, but was very happy with how I felt...I think I can still get a little fast this week!

Day 2 I was tired.  I inspected the course and it seemed heavier so I wanted to save some energy for the race.  That was my mistake.  I didn't really rally it and when I started and hit the first section of mud I knew I was in trouble w/ too much air in the tires.

Half way through the race I went from holeshot to 7th or 8th place and then I crashed.  Myerson crashed into the back of me and the lead group was going going gone.  Lucky for me it was right in front of the pit, but the spare bike had the same pressure and I didn't have a chance to communicate w/ Tim that I needed lower pressure because I hadn't passed the pit yet..  Next lap I was able to do so and then next lap I finally got a bike w/ good air.  1/3 of the way through the race and I was finally dialed.

I was riding w/ Wicks and Lindine, but as soon as I changed bikes that lap I was on my own.  I was the first guy to ride the hill when I finally got my tire pressure dialed, but it took a lot of energy.  I settled in and started to watch Jones come back towards me.  With 2 to go I was on my good bike...the other bike's valve cores were frozen and there was still a bit too much pressure.  I put 16 seconds into his gap and I really did a smooth lap.  I think he saw me coming though and started to go faster.  I switched to my not so good bike and wasn't able to close the last 10 seconds...another 4th.


Another awesome weekend.  Thanks to Andrea, Elicia, and Tim for helping in the pits and cleaning dirty clothes, thanks to Gear Grinder for the van and the tent, the superfans, and all my other sponsors who make it possible.  Check out www.podiuminsight.com for more great pictures and full race recaps.  See you in 6 days!