Common Crit ..... I've had better days

Well yesterday was the race around the capital, the Common Criterium. It was a combined feild race, so i was in with the Cat 3s. This was good for me though, because im going to upgrade soon and i wanted to see if i belong. It was a fast race. I sat at the back for a while and moved up through the peloton when i was too clost to the back. Some of those PartyNet guys need to learn to ride, they were diving to the inside at the last second, which was causing all kind of pandamonium. Eventialy after a prime, Darrell got off the front. That was good because it gave Scott, Roger and I a break. But i saw a WCMR moving up the right side, so i stuck to his wheel and eventualy we were in the break too. Just the 5 of us. No one really seemed to want to work exept D and I. Well inevitably the group caught us, and lukily for me...my chain dropped. I lost about 15 seconds getting it back on, which was bad. There was only about 15 min left in the race. I never caught the peloton, though they caught me. I TTd the rest of the race at a HR of about 197 bpm. As i came around for my last lap, i saw about 6 guys on the ground in the second corner, i guess someone didnt hold their line. I finished behind the group, on my own, pissed off. But hey, thats racing. I would like to thank Joe Lekovich for making us all laugh before and durring the race. So, yeah. Here are some pictures...

I hate wind

I hate wind. It really sucks to try and ride in.

Its my birthday!

Im 19!

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

Wow, it was HOT out today! As im sittting here, the weather icon on my desktop is saying that its 95 degrees out there. Not an ideal day to ride, but none the less, i rode. I accualy rode for an hour and forty five minuets. I went through 5 bottles of water. (2 of them over the body) It was nice to get back in the saddle for a little bit. Its been a week now with very little riding after i went down at Dexter. So anyways, you guys are watching Le Tour, correct? Anyone else think that Robbie McEwen is insane? He has always been one of my favorite rider, and after todays stage, crashing with 12 miles to go, then winning the sprint by a bike length.....wow. Thats all i can say.

Tomarrow is suppose to be hotter, and im still going to go ride. Hopefully i will see you all at the Common Crit. I wont be at tuesday night crit practice because tuesday is my 19 BIRTHDAY! So i have plans here.

Feeling better, and so is the bike.

Well i just came in from the garage. FINALY my bike is reasembled. It took me about an hour to take off the broken parts, and replace them, re-ajust all the cables, and redo the bartape. Also, i am feeling alot better. I have complete range of motion with very little pain, wel not so much pain as stiffness. So im going to call Kurt and see if he wants to go ride.

Oh yeah, i was approved yesterday for a $4000 student loan, and we didnt even talk about college. The gentleman interviewing me was a cyclist. So we talked about Le Tour for 15 minuets, and he gave me approval.

X-Ray

Well i went down to th eHospital the other day and had an X-Ray of my shoulder taken. My dad looked at it, and it appears that there is no fracutre in either my collar bone or scapula. My doctor (aka my dad) said its probly just a really deep bruise. I believe that, because depsite it still hurts, i have more rang of motion today. So, in short. No its not broken, yes it still really hurts.

Dexter Crit

To start...I will post about camp when i have a little more time.

So anyways, Saturday was Le Tour de Dexter, State Criterium Championship. After a week of hard riding, i drove all day and just slept in my car in Dexter, because i wasnt going to want to drive from J-town. I felt pretty good warming up for the race. I was a little skeptical from the start due to the fact i was on my spare wheelset (i flatted my good set on the last day of camp) and my rerar shifter was acting up.

When i got there, i signed in at registration, put my number on, and found Scott and Ben. The three of us went out to Huron River Drive to warm up durring the Cat 5 race. We got back just in time to take off our LS Jerseys and Scott to get his spare wheelset in the pit. Then it was time to line up.

I took a spot along the right curb in the front of the pack. The whistle blew, and we all clipped in and went right into the 180 degree turn, then it was a slow rise to a right hander then the short one block hill that lasted around the next right hander. Then a fast decent with a right-left-right dangerous turn series. On the first downhill right hander, somone in the back hit the deck and took out two or three people. The race stayed together for a while, then on the hill Brent Del Rosario from the Wolverines took off. He finished 3rd at Allen Park, so i knew he was a strong rider. I quickly bridged the gap and was with him by the top of the hill. We already had a gap on the peloton and we agreed to work together. Well, it was short lived, because as soon as we hit the 180 degree turn, my bike went out from under me. I went a little too low in the corner. i quickly got up, grabbed my bike and moved to the side of the road so the peleton could get by without too much hassle. I jumped back on my bike and rode back to the start and asked for a 5mm allen wrench, my stem and wheel werent alligned. Once the peleton came back, i jumped back in and moved to the front. Then as fate would have it, around the right hander at the top of the low rise, i flatted. I then proceeded to cut back accross the course to the wheel pit and grabbed one of Scotts wheels. I jumped back in the peloton and sat in the middle for a little bit to recover. With only a few laps to go, two guys went off the front. I did my best to chase them down, i was on the front for a while, but i didn't catch them. On the last lap, they still had a gap. And i was sitting near the front. If memory serves, they beat us to the line. I held on for top 15 i think. Im really not sure. The officials might have me as DNF. We will find out when results come.

I talked to Brent after the race, after i touched base with the team and the paramedics. Brent said when he heard me go down "his heart sank". He was sure we would stay out for a while.

Despite feeling strong, it wasnt a good race for me. Sitting here now my shoulder is throbing in pain. I had Xrays taken yesterday and my Dad went down to the hospital to read them today. He thinks it could be a possible collar bone fracture. We will have to see. Well there is always next year. Right now, im going to go ice my shoulder.