So other than racing I have been up to other stuff. This is my junior year in College and I am not even halfway done. Deciding to study Pre-Med as well as Exercise Science takes quite a bit of time. My hardest class this semester is Biomechanics. Explaining every movement and motion of the body in scientific terms is fun (sarcasm). I do like the class though and I like my professor. Its a lot of math and a LOT of brute memorization of all the muscles that act on every movement.
That is my hardest class, but all my classes are pretty hard (except Intro to Sociology) because of all the reading and writing. I am taking a writing class, a sports psychology class and a nonverbal communication class. When I am not in class or studying I am riding or at work. And on the off chance I am free on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday (usually when I catch up on homework) I am with my girlfriend. I really don't spend much time around the computer, hence I don't update.
And yes, I said girlfriend. I am dating a girl named Julie that I have literally known forever. We had a while where we didn't talk because I transferred schools, but we remade contact last summer and started dating this fall. She lives in Jackson, but attends Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Makes for a long drive to see her, but its worth it. She is going to try and come out the the Mad Anthony Cross race and I am trying to convince her to go to Kalkaska to watch Iceman with me and watch the new cross race they are putting on.
In racing news as I posted, I am now a Cat 2. You have seen my results, I feel it is time. As Joe told me "What do you have to prove at the Cat 3 level? Getting a few wins over people you have already been beating?" Thanks Joe, that really was the kick I needed to put in for my upgrade.
So now that I am a Cat 2 my goal is to train a LOT this winter. Im going to start running again and hitting the gym 3 days a week while riding 5-6 days a week. Ill use CX as good training through December and maybe try a few races at the A level.
November will provide with a good week for training as I will be in Sedona, AZ for Thanksgiving. James, I will be there from Nov. 20-27, you guys should come up. And according to my brothers, the 5 Maino boys are all going skydiving while were there.
And finally, I have a new apartment in Ypsilanti. Its a nice 1000 sqft. 2 bedroom apartment 1 block off main campus on the corner of HRD and Cornell St. If anyone is in the area and wants to ride this off season, give me a call.
Well I hope you all feel filled in. That is everything important that has happened in the past few months.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Heeeey yooouuuu guuuyyys
Well once again I must open with I AM STILL ALIVE. I am very sorry that I do not post very often anymore (partly because I am under the impression no one really reads this) but mostly because this semester is kicking my butt and we are only 3 weeks in. Anyways, here is a list of the races I have done since my last post and short race reports to go with them, but nothing like my usual 2 page race reports.
State Championships - as you may have noticed I was 3rd at the State Crit Championship race. I wasn't a slouch while racing either. From the gun I got in a break with one of the hot pink grand rapids riders (as you can tell, I dont know names all that well) and we were out there for 3-4 laps. It felt like every 3rd lap or so there was a prime and I made sure that I was up at the front every time, not for the prime but in case a breakaway started. Crossing the line at the bell lap we were all together and I was sitting at the back of the group. I made some tight cornering and put in a good effort and found the wheel I was looking for....Scott Gifford. Scott looked back and I yelled "FULL GAS!" and he hit it. Right then a rider took a flyer on the inside and Scott did his job perfectly. He threw the hammer down into the headwind and closed on the guy he got me to the final corner like I wanted and when he pulled off he couldn't turn his legs anymore, I launched my move from the last corner, about 220m form the finish line. It was literally at the last second that I was edged out for the win. But it was an intense race and Team MCG rode fantastic keeping the group together and not letting riders go up the road. And a huge thank you to Scott for a wonderful lead out.
Cherry-Roubaix - The crit was short and rainy. It was apparently a hard race as over half the field got dropped and lapped including all the Wolverine riders. My goal was to stay at the front, not crash and sprint at the end. A breakaway eventually formed with York in it so we let it go. This was after about 9 attempts to get a break started many of which I was in. Eventually by the end of the race, the break of 3 won and there was another break of 2 that somehow got away. I took the field sprint for 6th but there wasn't much of a fight as I had the best line through a very nasty and slippery corner. The road race was dry but windy. I felt like crap at the start and didn't think I was going to make it through the race, I was right. The feild split several times, each time MCG had me York and Bush at the front. But it always seemed to come back together. Eventually the winning break was formed of 4 riders that had about a minute on the peloton. Adam was trying to pull them back in but needed help and waved us forward. It was pretty cool to see all 7 MCG guys lined up hammering away trying to shatter the peloton. I was directly in front of Adam and when we made the last turn on the course (we still had 3 laps to go) I looked back and told Adam to hold on. I shattered what was left of the group and pulled York up to the break, then pulled out of the race after chasing the remnants of the peloton for a few miles. York won.
Trohpee - This was a fun race. I was completely laid back and didn't want to try much as I was doing 4 races that weekend. I just stayed with the main group and near the front. Mark kept an eye on me in case I got in trouble or was out of position. Because this was the last chance Pat Robb had to gain points on Todd for the Challenge series, the two of them were attacking and counterattacking each other. Fine with me. Eventually we came to the final climb as a group, Bush tried to take a flyer 2k from the line, which was about 300m too early. As the peloton hit the climb, everyone got stupid and started running into each other. I got pushed to my left and then cut off. But because I had been saving my sprint and was peaking for that weekend, I had the energy to come around just about everyone. I missed 1st place (Cotes) by about half a bike length. Oh well, fun race.
Erie Street - I am not going back. I will not publicly share my opinion on Canadian bike racing.
Devos - 2 races down, 2 to go. This was the last Challenge race of the year and a lot of money on the line. From the gun I went on a solo break to open the legs. The peloton didn't really chase and I didn't try all that hard but it made for a good photo shoot. It was a pretty typical crit. Several breaks, nothing stuck. Lots of primes. I just stayed at the front and watched for any move that I thought would be worth the effort. That move never came and with 1 lap to go, Leadout did exactly what their name implies. I was way out of position at this point but lucky for me, tacked on the back of the Leadout leadout was Kevin Collins and on his wheel was Mr. Lekovish. I made a hard effort to get up there and was really hoping Joe would let me in. He told me afterwords that he didn't want to let anyone on that wheel, but he let me so I thanked him very much. It was a 3up sprint and I am not an amazing sprinter so I was 3rd. Not a bad way to end the Cat 3 season.
I raced the 1/2/3 race and my legs cramped and I dropped out. But not after accidentally getting off the front.
Now to the more recent. CYCLOCROSS
It is that time of the season where the road bikes get knobby tires and skinsuits are back in style. I missed the first weekend of racing due to taking a little time off. But the off season is now over and its back to racing. Yesterday was the Ithaca Grand Prix. I had not touched my cross bike since March until that morning. I donated blood earlier that week. I started running for the first time in 4 years so my legs were in pain. And I never had breakfast, I cant just wake up and eat.
Needless to say, I went into that race with NO expectations. I hadn't done any type of dismounts or remounts and I hadn't ridden since Devos so it was going to be a fun race. The course was quite technical with a lot of turns, 2 run ups and a toboggan run that hurt the legs to ride up. The B race was 7 laps (45 min) and I started from the middle of the group of 25-30ish. In the first half lap there were 2 crashes that I managed to get around and going through the start finish with 6 laps to go, I was in the lead group of 5 way ahead of everyone else. There were 3 Wolverines and my roommate Jason (from Wisconsin) in the group. I started losing contact and the group split up on the 2nd lap. I was feeling pretty crappy on the 3rd lap and a Sandbag rider was about to pass me when he flatted. At this point I was at least 20-25 seconds ahead of the closest person. By the end of the 4th lap I was not feeling too hot and some guys were making ground on me, but on the 5th lap I got a second wind and pulled away again (still never making up any ground on the leading 4 guys). The final 2 laps were just survival and trying to maintain my 5th place. When I got to the amphitheater and went to dismount, my skinsuit got caught on the saddle, I managed to stay upright but not after slaming my bike into the barrier. I also fell approaching the low barriers on the 6th lap, foot didnt release from the pedal.
I did manage to not get caught (very narrowly, like 5-8 seconds) and I did get 5th place. Not bad for the first intense ride I've had since Devos and having donated blood earlier this week.
State Championships - as you may have noticed I was 3rd at the State Crit Championship race. I wasn't a slouch while racing either. From the gun I got in a break with one of the hot pink grand rapids riders (as you can tell, I dont know names all that well) and we were out there for 3-4 laps. It felt like every 3rd lap or so there was a prime and I made sure that I was up at the front every time, not for the prime but in case a breakaway started. Crossing the line at the bell lap we were all together and I was sitting at the back of the group. I made some tight cornering and put in a good effort and found the wheel I was looking for....Scott Gifford. Scott looked back and I yelled "FULL GAS!" and he hit it. Right then a rider took a flyer on the inside and Scott did his job perfectly. He threw the hammer down into the headwind and closed on the guy he got me to the final corner like I wanted and when he pulled off he couldn't turn his legs anymore, I launched my move from the last corner, about 220m form the finish line. It was literally at the last second that I was edged out for the win. But it was an intense race and Team MCG rode fantastic keeping the group together and not letting riders go up the road. And a huge thank you to Scott for a wonderful lead out.
Cherry-Roubaix - The crit was short and rainy. It was apparently a hard race as over half the field got dropped and lapped including all the Wolverine riders. My goal was to stay at the front, not crash and sprint at the end. A breakaway eventually formed with York in it so we let it go. This was after about 9 attempts to get a break started many of which I was in. Eventually by the end of the race, the break of 3 won and there was another break of 2 that somehow got away. I took the field sprint for 6th but there wasn't much of a fight as I had the best line through a very nasty and slippery corner. The road race was dry but windy. I felt like crap at the start and didn't think I was going to make it through the race, I was right. The feild split several times, each time MCG had me York and Bush at the front. But it always seemed to come back together. Eventually the winning break was formed of 4 riders that had about a minute on the peloton. Adam was trying to pull them back in but needed help and waved us forward. It was pretty cool to see all 7 MCG guys lined up hammering away trying to shatter the peloton. I was directly in front of Adam and when we made the last turn on the course (we still had 3 laps to go) I looked back and told Adam to hold on. I shattered what was left of the group and pulled York up to the break, then pulled out of the race after chasing the remnants of the peloton for a few miles. York won.
Trohpee - This was a fun race. I was completely laid back and didn't want to try much as I was doing 4 races that weekend. I just stayed with the main group and near the front. Mark kept an eye on me in case I got in trouble or was out of position. Because this was the last chance Pat Robb had to gain points on Todd for the Challenge series, the two of them were attacking and counterattacking each other. Fine with me. Eventually we came to the final climb as a group, Bush tried to take a flyer 2k from the line, which was about 300m too early. As the peloton hit the climb, everyone got stupid and started running into each other. I got pushed to my left and then cut off. But because I had been saving my sprint and was peaking for that weekend, I had the energy to come around just about everyone. I missed 1st place (Cotes) by about half a bike length. Oh well, fun race.
Erie Street - I am not going back. I will not publicly share my opinion on Canadian bike racing.
Devos - 2 races down, 2 to go. This was the last Challenge race of the year and a lot of money on the line. From the gun I went on a solo break to open the legs. The peloton didn't really chase and I didn't try all that hard but it made for a good photo shoot. It was a pretty typical crit. Several breaks, nothing stuck. Lots of primes. I just stayed at the front and watched for any move that I thought would be worth the effort. That move never came and with 1 lap to go, Leadout did exactly what their name implies. I was way out of position at this point but lucky for me, tacked on the back of the Leadout leadout was Kevin Collins and on his wheel was Mr. Lekovish. I made a hard effort to get up there and was really hoping Joe would let me in. He told me afterwords that he didn't want to let anyone on that wheel, but he let me so I thanked him very much. It was a 3up sprint and I am not an amazing sprinter so I was 3rd. Not a bad way to end the Cat 3 season.
I raced the 1/2/3 race and my legs cramped and I dropped out. But not after accidentally getting off the front.
Now to the more recent. CYCLOCROSS
It is that time of the season where the road bikes get knobby tires and skinsuits are back in style. I missed the first weekend of racing due to taking a little time off. But the off season is now over and its back to racing. Yesterday was the Ithaca Grand Prix. I had not touched my cross bike since March until that morning. I donated blood earlier that week. I started running for the first time in 4 years so my legs were in pain. And I never had breakfast, I cant just wake up and eat.
Needless to say, I went into that race with NO expectations. I hadn't done any type of dismounts or remounts and I hadn't ridden since Devos so it was going to be a fun race. The course was quite technical with a lot of turns, 2 run ups and a toboggan run that hurt the legs to ride up. The B race was 7 laps (45 min) and I started from the middle of the group of 25-30ish. In the first half lap there were 2 crashes that I managed to get around and going through the start finish with 6 laps to go, I was in the lead group of 5 way ahead of everyone else. There were 3 Wolverines and my roommate Jason (from Wisconsin) in the group. I started losing contact and the group split up on the 2nd lap. I was feeling pretty crappy on the 3rd lap and a Sandbag rider was about to pass me when he flatted. At this point I was at least 20-25 seconds ahead of the closest person. By the end of the 4th lap I was not feeling too hot and some guys were making ground on me, but on the 5th lap I got a second wind and pulled away again (still never making up any ground on the leading 4 guys). The final 2 laps were just survival and trying to maintain my 5th place. When I got to the amphitheater and went to dismount, my skinsuit got caught on the saddle, I managed to stay upright but not after slaming my bike into the barrier. I also fell approaching the low barriers on the 6th lap, foot didnt release from the pedal.
I did manage to not get caught (very narrowly, like 5-8 seconds) and I did get 5th place. Not bad for the first intense ride I've had since Devos and having donated blood earlier this week.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
2010 Season
I will be racing as a Category 2 cyclist for the MCG p/b Trails-Edge.com Racing Team next year.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Coming this weekend!
An update of the end of my season, next seasons plans and everything else I have been up to lately. Contrary to the last comment I received, I am back in school and WAY busier than I have been in the past 3 years. Nor have I had internet since I got back to school. But I will be posting sometime in the next few days about the last month of my life.
Monday, August 24, 2009
State Criterium Championships
3rd Place! Missed 1st by about 2 inches. Should have the race report tomorrow.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Still Alive
With work, riding, moving apartments, securing loans for the school year and making sure I am involved in research projects this fall, I have neglected my blog. Though it appears that only Doug and DMO read it. Anyways, since my last race (Superior) alot has happened. I went up to Isle Royale with my dad and brother Greg. We spent 4 days hiking, kyacking and camping. Ever kyacked in open water in northern Superior? 2 thing: 1) 4 ft waves make kyacking scary. 2) The farther north you go in Superior, the colder the water is. I could not stand in the water longer than 15-20 seconds. It was a lot of fun and my shoulders were really tired the following week from all the paddling.
Just before going up north I raced Maillot Jaune. I broke my sunglasses before the start. I raced hard and stayed with the lead pack. Set tempo for several miles trying to let Adam rest. Then Alexey attacked and I used what was left in the tank to try and pull him back. Dropped out of the peloton, finished 2 minutes back with Scott. Alexey won and Adam was second. I still had no racing glasses.
The next day was the State TT. I finished 8th I think. or 9th. Not sure. Top 10. Went over an hour which upset me but oh well. Our team did great 2nd and 3rd I think. We were taking off with the Team Classification in Michigan Challange and had 2 guys posed to take the lead from Pat Robb.
Last weekend (not this past one) was Grand Rapids. Rain and brick streets do not mix well. 14 crashes in the Cat 3s. 2 riders managed to not crash or get caught behind a crash. I was one of them. I stayed in the top 5 and kept uping the pace to get rid of poor riders and not let the field bunch and cause more crashes. Alexey attacked again and I refused to chase when I made it to the front of the rotation. I would just match his pace. He ended up winning 4 primes and I got 2. On the last lap I was set up for the win, perfect position. The guy in front of me crashed. I got around him and made up a few spots. Then got pushed out on the 2nd to last corner and nearly ended up in the curb. Made it around the final corner 5th, but 3 guys had a 10m gap already. I was closing on them but the line was too close. I got 4th. Probably would have won. Won a 1/2 hour massage and a $100 gift basket plus $60 for 4th and Oakley had a drawing where I won a set of Radars (the antifreeze sprinter pair). I now have racing glasses (I just have to pick them up). Good weekend.
This past weekend was Ada. As always the race was fast and hot. Our team went out in full force the get and keep Adam and Todd 1st and 2nd overall in the Michigan Challenge. We went out too hard. Scott had nothing, Josh had nothing. Todd worked the front too much. Adams legs were tired which left Joe and I to pull the peloton and get in breaks. Our team won our share of the primes (Joe-Socks, Adam-pump, Me-$120 Uvex Helmet (ebay)) But we didnt have it in the finale. Joe and Josh both crashed in the chicane on the course. I was doing 3-5 lap pulls on the front of the peloton. Eventually I blew myself up and got dropped. Rode the last 6 laps solo and finished 22nd. Team got 7th, 13th and 15th. Kind of disappointing for the MCG boys after all the work we put in, compared to our usual placings. But that's racing!
Well that catches us up. Sorry the reports were short and not as insightful and detailed as usual. I am at work and have to go clock in in 5 minutes so I had to rush.
Final question for all the readers: There were 3 bike shops sponsoring the Meijer Grand Rapids Race. One of those shops has my sunglasses. Could someone list the 2 shop sponsors other than Village Bike Shop, because I know its not them.
Just before going up north I raced Maillot Jaune. I broke my sunglasses before the start. I raced hard and stayed with the lead pack. Set tempo for several miles trying to let Adam rest. Then Alexey attacked and I used what was left in the tank to try and pull him back. Dropped out of the peloton, finished 2 minutes back with Scott. Alexey won and Adam was second. I still had no racing glasses.
The next day was the State TT. I finished 8th I think. or 9th. Not sure. Top 10. Went over an hour which upset me but oh well. Our team did great 2nd and 3rd I think. We were taking off with the Team Classification in Michigan Challange and had 2 guys posed to take the lead from Pat Robb.
Last weekend (not this past one) was Grand Rapids. Rain and brick streets do not mix well. 14 crashes in the Cat 3s. 2 riders managed to not crash or get caught behind a crash. I was one of them. I stayed in the top 5 and kept uping the pace to get rid of poor riders and not let the field bunch and cause more crashes. Alexey attacked again and I refused to chase when I made it to the front of the rotation. I would just match his pace. He ended up winning 4 primes and I got 2. On the last lap I was set up for the win, perfect position. The guy in front of me crashed. I got around him and made up a few spots. Then got pushed out on the 2nd to last corner and nearly ended up in the curb. Made it around the final corner 5th, but 3 guys had a 10m gap already. I was closing on them but the line was too close. I got 4th. Probably would have won. Won a 1/2 hour massage and a $100 gift basket plus $60 for 4th and Oakley had a drawing where I won a set of Radars (the antifreeze sprinter pair). I now have racing glasses (I just have to pick them up). Good weekend.
This past weekend was Ada. As always the race was fast and hot. Our team went out in full force the get and keep Adam and Todd 1st and 2nd overall in the Michigan Challenge. We went out too hard. Scott had nothing, Josh had nothing. Todd worked the front too much. Adams legs were tired which left Joe and I to pull the peloton and get in breaks. Our team won our share of the primes (Joe-Socks, Adam-pump, Me-$120 Uvex Helmet (ebay)) But we didnt have it in the finale. Joe and Josh both crashed in the chicane on the course. I was doing 3-5 lap pulls on the front of the peloton. Eventually I blew myself up and got dropped. Rode the last 6 laps solo and finished 22nd. Team got 7th, 13th and 15th. Kind of disappointing for the MCG boys after all the work we put in, compared to our usual placings. But that's racing!
Well that catches us up. Sorry the reports were short and not as insightful and detailed as usual. I am at work and have to go clock in in 5 minutes so I had to rush.
Final question for all the readers: There were 3 bike shops sponsoring the Meijer Grand Rapids Race. One of those shops has my sunglasses. Could someone list the 2 shop sponsors other than Village Bike Shop, because I know its not them.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Soon.
I know I haven't updated. I have had nothing to write about. Marquette was the last race I did. I am racing this weekend so there will be updates from Fenton and the state TT. I also purchased a new wheelset and will have a review of them on here. So just be patient and soon something will appear. Also, Monday-Sunday I am going to Isle Royal in the northwest part of Lake Superior for a week of kyacking, camping and hiking. T'will be fun.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Superior Bike Fest - Circuit Race
What is harder than a 35 minute crit? A 19 minute circuit race.
Sunday was the 3rd and final day of racing. The clouds had left and the sun returned, but the sun brought its friend, the wind. The race was held on a 2 mile closed circuit around Presque Isle. The road was about 8 feet wide all the way around but smooth. On the back side of the loop there was an 1/8th mile steep uphill section, from there it leveled out and gradually dropped to the finish line. There were really only 2 turns on the course and both were right handers that came at the end of the lap. The first one was really rough on the inside and still downhill. Not bad if you can handle a bike, but as there were wooden posts every 3 feet around this section on the side of the road, if you overshot it you were done. The other one was smooth and fast, but you needed every edge of the tiny road. From there it was a short sprint to the line. Where ever you were on the first right hander, was probably where you would finish.
Our race was 4 laps, 8 miles. We knew it was going to be fast. From the gun (whistle) I went to the front to dictate a pace, but 3 seconds later York flew by me going for his inevitable breakaway. Everyone chased and the peloton got back together as we hit the bottom of the hill when another rider attacked. I rode around everyone on the climb to get to the front and set pace for Adam, but he sat up and the next thing I knew, I was bridging a gap for a breakaway. Florian, Rodd and a 5th guy from either Fusion or Leadout all bridged over and we had a 5 man break with major teams represented.
We tried working together, but people were so tired from bridging and the weekend of racing that most of us had nothing left. Florian, Rodd and I continued to take pulls despite being tired. Crossing the line with 2 laps to go the peloton was not far behind us so we sat up. A teammate of the original breakaway rider then flew past us and Florian gunned it and caught up with him. I tried but had nothing and went to recover in the group.
The next two laps saw attack after attack and the hill got harder every time we hit it. Both Colin and I were dangling on the back just trying to finish the race. On the final lap there was a split in what was left of the peloton. I went to the front to get York so I could pull him across to the 8-9 riders going off the front. He didn't seem interested so I used what I had left to get to the group and try for the best position possible. I picked up two spots in the corners and sprinted for the line. King of 12th place. York crossed the line a second later and yelled "Was that it? Oh, dangit!" He didn't realize that was the last lap.
All in all it was a good weekend. 3 races, 3 destroyed pelotons. 10th, 12th and 12th place finishes with an 11th overall. Adam was 2nd overall and Colin was 9th. Not a bad weekend for MCG.
Sunday was the 3rd and final day of racing. The clouds had left and the sun returned, but the sun brought its friend, the wind. The race was held on a 2 mile closed circuit around Presque Isle. The road was about 8 feet wide all the way around but smooth. On the back side of the loop there was an 1/8th mile steep uphill section, from there it leveled out and gradually dropped to the finish line. There were really only 2 turns on the course and both were right handers that came at the end of the lap. The first one was really rough on the inside and still downhill. Not bad if you can handle a bike, but as there were wooden posts every 3 feet around this section on the side of the road, if you overshot it you were done. The other one was smooth and fast, but you needed every edge of the tiny road. From there it was a short sprint to the line. Where ever you were on the first right hander, was probably where you would finish.
Our race was 4 laps, 8 miles. We knew it was going to be fast. From the gun (whistle) I went to the front to dictate a pace, but 3 seconds later York flew by me going for his inevitable breakaway. Everyone chased and the peloton got back together as we hit the bottom of the hill when another rider attacked. I rode around everyone on the climb to get to the front and set pace for Adam, but he sat up and the next thing I knew, I was bridging a gap for a breakaway. Florian, Rodd and a 5th guy from either Fusion or Leadout all bridged over and we had a 5 man break with major teams represented.
We tried working together, but people were so tired from bridging and the weekend of racing that most of us had nothing left. Florian, Rodd and I continued to take pulls despite being tired. Crossing the line with 2 laps to go the peloton was not far behind us so we sat up. A teammate of the original breakaway rider then flew past us and Florian gunned it and caught up with him. I tried but had nothing and went to recover in the group.
The next two laps saw attack after attack and the hill got harder every time we hit it. Both Colin and I were dangling on the back just trying to finish the race. On the final lap there was a split in what was left of the peloton. I went to the front to get York so I could pull him across to the 8-9 riders going off the front. He didn't seem interested so I used what I had left to get to the group and try for the best position possible. I picked up two spots in the corners and sprinted for the line. King of 12th place. York crossed the line a second later and yelled "Was that it? Oh, dangit!" He didn't realize that was the last lap.
All in all it was a good weekend. 3 races, 3 destroyed pelotons. 10th, 12th and 12th place finishes with an 11th overall. Adam was 2nd overall and Colin was 9th. Not a bad weekend for MCG.
Superior Bike Fest - Road Race
So after getting 7 hours of sleep I woke up and got ready for our 55 mile road race that was not flat. Unlike the previous day, the weather was overcast, cooler and threatening to rain. With Mark in the hospital, he said I could use his bike if I wanted to. So I did. Tipping the scales at just under 14 lbs and outfitted with American Classic carbon wheels and SRAM Red, it was a great bike for the undulating day.
The cool thing is that Mark and I have the same pedals and inseam, so I can just jump on his bike and go without adjusting it. I got kitted up and rode up to a bagel shop to have breakfast with my mom, dad, brother and his wife. After I finished my super nutritious breakfast of a sausage egg and cheese bagel accompanied by hot chocolate, I made my way down to the staging area about a mile away.
At the start some people were giving me crap about riding Mark's bike saying that it is crash prone. I didn't care, if Mark couldn't be racing, then his bike was. There were about 35 guys on the start line and we went 8 minutes after the Cat 1/2s. The first 2 miles of the race were a neutral roll out. The lead car (corvette) drove about 18 mph and we just talked in the group. At the official race start the car took off, but the peloton didn't want to play. We all sat there and just kept our nice light tempo. As we approached Marquette Mountain about 2 miles later the attacks and racing started. York took off up the 1.5 mile long climb and the group followed. It was obvious no one was getting away on the climb, so we rode it steadily as a group dropping 3-4 guys by the top.
Once over the top, it was about 10 miles of flat, smooth, HEADWIND roads. I capitalize headwind because it had to be an 18-20mph wind in our face. I stayed tucked in the group with York as Colin went on a breakaway that eventually got pulled in. Teams were keeping the pace pretty steady and we hit the turn as one group. This section of road was about 3 miles long before we were headed back in the direction of Marquette. There were several attacks in this area that had the peloton strung out, but on an uphill section after the next turn, Jones dropped his chain, only for 3-4 seconds, but that's all that was needed. York, Birmann and Kuyper all went flying off the front because York attacked knowing Jones couldn't go with him.
Over the next 30 miles the peloton averaged like 25mph. We were just flying because the other teams wanted to pull the break back. I have to give a lot of credit to the Leadout guys, Mike Jones, Andrew Florian, Joe Lekovish and Colin Snyder. With all of us blocking we allowed the break to stay out front. At one point the break was about 5 seconds in front. By the finish, they were about a minute out. For some unknown reason, as the peloton entered the two house village of Palmer, we sat up and rode slowly. I wasn't complaining, but no one knew why.
As we came back down Marquette Mountain, it started to rain a little. We knew at this point the break was sure to win so it was time to think about positioning for the sprint. Jones and I were near the front without being on the front as we came into the urban area. Interesting little bit: There was a pickup truck driving in the middle of the road in the same direction we were headed. But they were driving at 15 mph. The guys at the front of the group didn't know what to do, and next thing you know, Florian, Jones and I had flown around the truck and were on the front of the group. A police officer stopped the car but we were already mostly around it.
Anyways....the final 2 miles were fun as guys had their teammates drilling the front. I was trying to pick out my spot for the last corner and decided 4th wheel was best. So I rode around a few guys and literally elbowed my way into the spot I wanted. As we rounded the last corner I thought to myself "Yes this was the perfect spot" but then I also thought to myself "Crap, I'm not a sprinter". Went around the corner 7th (remember breakaway of 3 already finished) and ended up 12th. Kuyper won again with York in 2nd. Birmann 3rd, Jones 6th and Colin 11th. The overall now had me tied for 9th, Colin in 8th and the podium of Kuper, York and Jones.
With a super fast circuit race in the morning it was time to get some rest and catch up on lost sleep.
The cool thing is that Mark and I have the same pedals and inseam, so I can just jump on his bike and go without adjusting it. I got kitted up and rode up to a bagel shop to have breakfast with my mom, dad, brother and his wife. After I finished my super nutritious breakfast of a sausage egg and cheese bagel accompanied by hot chocolate, I made my way down to the staging area about a mile away.
At the start some people were giving me crap about riding Mark's bike saying that it is crash prone. I didn't care, if Mark couldn't be racing, then his bike was. There were about 35 guys on the start line and we went 8 minutes after the Cat 1/2s. The first 2 miles of the race were a neutral roll out. The lead car (corvette) drove about 18 mph and we just talked in the group. At the official race start the car took off, but the peloton didn't want to play. We all sat there and just kept our nice light tempo. As we approached Marquette Mountain about 2 miles later the attacks and racing started. York took off up the 1.5 mile long climb and the group followed. It was obvious no one was getting away on the climb, so we rode it steadily as a group dropping 3-4 guys by the top.
Once over the top, it was about 10 miles of flat, smooth, HEADWIND roads. I capitalize headwind because it had to be an 18-20mph wind in our face. I stayed tucked in the group with York as Colin went on a breakaway that eventually got pulled in. Teams were keeping the pace pretty steady and we hit the turn as one group. This section of road was about 3 miles long before we were headed back in the direction of Marquette. There were several attacks in this area that had the peloton strung out, but on an uphill section after the next turn, Jones dropped his chain, only for 3-4 seconds, but that's all that was needed. York, Birmann and Kuyper all went flying off the front because York attacked knowing Jones couldn't go with him.
Over the next 30 miles the peloton averaged like 25mph. We were just flying because the other teams wanted to pull the break back. I have to give a lot of credit to the Leadout guys, Mike Jones, Andrew Florian, Joe Lekovish and Colin Snyder. With all of us blocking we allowed the break to stay out front. At one point the break was about 5 seconds in front. By the finish, they were about a minute out. For some unknown reason, as the peloton entered the two house village of Palmer, we sat up and rode slowly. I wasn't complaining, but no one knew why.
As we came back down Marquette Mountain, it started to rain a little. We knew at this point the break was sure to win so it was time to think about positioning for the sprint. Jones and I were near the front without being on the front as we came into the urban area. Interesting little bit: There was a pickup truck driving in the middle of the road in the same direction we were headed. But they were driving at 15 mph. The guys at the front of the group didn't know what to do, and next thing you know, Florian, Jones and I had flown around the truck and were on the front of the group. A police officer stopped the car but we were already mostly around it.
Anyways....the final 2 miles were fun as guys had their teammates drilling the front. I was trying to pick out my spot for the last corner and decided 4th wheel was best. So I rode around a few guys and literally elbowed my way into the spot I wanted. As we rounded the last corner I thought to myself "Yes this was the perfect spot" but then I also thought to myself "Crap, I'm not a sprinter". Went around the corner 7th (remember breakaway of 3 already finished) and ended up 12th. Kuyper won again with York in 2nd. Birmann 3rd, Jones 6th and Colin 11th. The overall now had me tied for 9th, Colin in 8th and the podium of Kuper, York and Jones.
With a super fast circuit race in the morning it was time to get some rest and catch up on lost sleep.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Superior Bike Fest - Crit
Alright, so this isn't the update you were waiting for, but this one is by far more interesting.
This past weekend was the fricken awesome Superior Bike Fest up in Marquette. 3 days of race with a tough crit on Friday, an undulating road race on Saturday and a fast circuit race on Sunday.
The crit was an 8 turn course that is pretty much downhill from turn 1 to turn 5, then it shoots back uphill after turn 6 to the start line. It was fast, the whole time. About 35ish riders were on the start line. When the official blew his whistle there was a battle between Brett Beddow and me for control of the front of the peloton. I eventually got to the front and pulled the peloton through the second turn and nearly overshot it, keeping the bike upright in the gutter with everyone behind me doing the same. No one had taken the corner at speed to realize it was so narrow. That corner 2 laps later would be the cause of 5-6 guys crashing at the front of the peloton, including Taylor Birmann who slammed into a light post. Taylor got back up and in the race, but some of the others weren't so lucky. That same corner would later be the cause of 2 more crashes.
Because the pace was so high, we were shelling riders off the back quickly. Then when I was on the front of the peloton I heard a crash behind me and when I got to the finishing straight, I discovered Mark Bush was missing from our team. He had crashed and broken his collar bone into 3 pieces and it was almost coming through the skin. I now focused my energy to help York win the crit, because we were the only 2 MCG guys left in the small group. So I would go to the front and pull hard for a lap, drop back to recover then go right back to the front and push the pace to get rid of as many riders as possible. I have to thank teammate Colin Snyder for working back to the peloton after being dropped and helping me when I was dangling after doing my pulls.
With 2 laps to go Andrew Florian attacked on the uphill while I was at the front of the group. My options were to chase him down or go with him. I chose the later. He told me afterward that he was trying to drop me on the hill and he came close, but I just dropped my head and soldiered on. I eventually caught him and we immediately started working together. We had a huge gap, but someone in the peloton asked their teamate to expend himself to catch us, and they did. So Florian sat up and I just kept going hoping maybe I could out ride the group in the last .7 miles. I was riding as hard as I could, the croud of 2000ish people all cheering on my last effort. I looked down under my seat as I was approaching the 3rd corner, I was caught. So I took the corner wide and eased up a little. It wasn't the peloton. Kuyper had bridged up to me and I had mistaken him for the peloton. By the time I realized this, it was too late, I had screwed up and lost my podium spot. Kuyper would go on to win the crit a half mile later with Jones in 2nd and York 3rd. I finished just off the back of what remained of the peloton, behind Colin, in 10th place.
After the race I picked up Mark's equipment and took it back to my hotel. Later that night Sarah (Mark's fiance) came by to drop off the other bike so she didn't have to drive around with it on the car all weekend. She was not having a good night, that was for sure. She had to go back to the campground 30 miles away to get stuff for Mark and it was dark, she didn't know where she was going and she would have to go back to the campground to sleep and return early in the morning because the hospital wouldn't let her stay there.
Well sometimes friendship comes before racing. (Rarely I know) But I decided to go to the campground with Sarah because I know the area pretty well. We then went to the hospital to see Mark and make sure he was comfortable. Then I offered to lat Sarah stay at the hotel with me and my parents because it was 9 blocks from the hospital. It was 2am when I finally went to bed. Road Race start time: 10:25am.
This past weekend was the fricken awesome Superior Bike Fest up in Marquette. 3 days of race with a tough crit on Friday, an undulating road race on Saturday and a fast circuit race on Sunday.
The crit was an 8 turn course that is pretty much downhill from turn 1 to turn 5, then it shoots back uphill after turn 6 to the start line. It was fast, the whole time. About 35ish riders were on the start line. When the official blew his whistle there was a battle between Brett Beddow and me for control of the front of the peloton. I eventually got to the front and pulled the peloton through the second turn and nearly overshot it, keeping the bike upright in the gutter with everyone behind me doing the same. No one had taken the corner at speed to realize it was so narrow. That corner 2 laps later would be the cause of 5-6 guys crashing at the front of the peloton, including Taylor Birmann who slammed into a light post. Taylor got back up and in the race, but some of the others weren't so lucky. That same corner would later be the cause of 2 more crashes.
Because the pace was so high, we were shelling riders off the back quickly. Then when I was on the front of the peloton I heard a crash behind me and when I got to the finishing straight, I discovered Mark Bush was missing from our team. He had crashed and broken his collar bone into 3 pieces and it was almost coming through the skin. I now focused my energy to help York win the crit, because we were the only 2 MCG guys left in the small group. So I would go to the front and pull hard for a lap, drop back to recover then go right back to the front and push the pace to get rid of as many riders as possible. I have to thank teammate Colin Snyder for working back to the peloton after being dropped and helping me when I was dangling after doing my pulls.
With 2 laps to go Andrew Florian attacked on the uphill while I was at the front of the group. My options were to chase him down or go with him. I chose the later. He told me afterward that he was trying to drop me on the hill and he came close, but I just dropped my head and soldiered on. I eventually caught him and we immediately started working together. We had a huge gap, but someone in the peloton asked their teamate to expend himself to catch us, and they did. So Florian sat up and I just kept going hoping maybe I could out ride the group in the last .7 miles. I was riding as hard as I could, the croud of 2000ish people all cheering on my last effort. I looked down under my seat as I was approaching the 3rd corner, I was caught. So I took the corner wide and eased up a little. It wasn't the peloton. Kuyper had bridged up to me and I had mistaken him for the peloton. By the time I realized this, it was too late, I had screwed up and lost my podium spot. Kuyper would go on to win the crit a half mile later with Jones in 2nd and York 3rd. I finished just off the back of what remained of the peloton, behind Colin, in 10th place.
After the race I picked up Mark's equipment and took it back to my hotel. Later that night Sarah (Mark's fiance) came by to drop off the other bike so she didn't have to drive around with it on the car all weekend. She was not having a good night, that was for sure. She had to go back to the campground 30 miles away to get stuff for Mark and it was dark, she didn't know where she was going and she would have to go back to the campground to sleep and return early in the morning because the hospital wouldn't let her stay there.
Well sometimes friendship comes before racing. (Rarely I know) But I decided to go to the campground with Sarah because I know the area pretty well. We then went to the hospital to see Mark and make sure he was comfortable. Then I offered to lat Sarah stay at the hotel with me and my parents because it was 9 blocks from the hospital. It was 2am when I finally went to bed. Road Race start time: 10:25am.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Check Back Tomorrow
If you check back tomorrow, I am going to post about racing in South Bend yesterday, my non-time trial and my downtown escapade today.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Luck is Changing
So this past weekend was the Tour de Mt. Pleasant put on by the Chamber of Commerce. First off I want to say that this was an AMAZING event. Really really well organized and thought out. Tons of volunteers, no traffic issues and a really fun atmosphere. I will be back again next year for sure!
So as the title suggests, I finished both races this weekend. So for mass start races, I am 2 for 6 so I am shooting a 33% finishing rate. Anyways, the crit was fast. 6 corners over .8 miles. The roads were pretty wide for the most part. Turn 5 however was very tight as it went from about 4 lanes wide to a 1 lane boulevard. The boulevard also had asphalt patches, tar patches and a pothole. It was impossible to go more than two-wide into this corner, evident when Scott got pinched out, jumped the curb, rode the sidewalk and jumped back in the race without losing his position.
The first several laps were really fast with attack after attack going down the road. We had 10 guys in the race (of a 30 person peloton) so we were represented in every break. Eventually Mike Jones(Priority) and my teammate Adam York(MCG) got down the road and stayed out for about 1/3rd of the race. With 4 laps to go, we pulled them back in and Andrew Florian(Priority) attacked and I was in a position to go with him, so I did. For about a lap both of us thought we might be able to win the crit. We were exchanging pulls at 400-500 watts and I was having difficulty holding Florian's wheel but I stuck it out. With just over a lap left, the peloton pulled us in and our 3 lap break was no more. At that point we had expended way too much energy to tack back on the peloton so we rode the final lap slowly and talked about the race. Coming up to the finish line I eased up and let Andrew cross first, it was only the difference between like 25th and 26th but it was a gesture because he worked harder in the break than I did.
Mike Jones and Taylor Birman attacked as Andrew and I got pulled in and they went on to beat the peloton where Mark Bush 2nd in the feild sprint for 4th place. After the race the team talked about what we did right and wrong. We decided that we need to be more aggressive and never let a rider down the road without one of us when we have that many people. My stats for the crit: Averaged 220W for an hour with and average HR of 180.
I then watched the Cat 4 race and cheered on Alexey. With 200m to go with the pack sprint, Alexey crashed hard. He hit the ground at 30+mph and skidded 10-12m on his back. His bike was fine and he seemed alright, just mad.
The following morning was the 33 mile road race. The peloton was smaller, but we still had 10 riders. It started off fairly slow. I took the first pull through town and as I pulled off, Colin attacked letting the MCG boys rest. Eventually he was pulled back in and over the next 5 miles attack after attack went down the road. Every one had an MCG rider with it. I did some pulling at the front and eventually got myself into a break with Birman, Florian and my teammate Todd Hoover. We thought that might have stuck but the Wolverines weren't going to have any of that. Finally the winning break was formed. Scott and Todd (MCG), Mike Jones (Priority), Patt Robb (Wolverines) and the CMU guy. With the three major teams represented, there were only 4 guys in the peloton without a teamate down the road. So the Wolverines worked with us and we blocked at the front to give the break more time. It worked because they won, Jones winning the sprint, Todd 2nd and Scott 5th.
Meanwhile back in the peloton we were talking about going to get Dairy Queen. Which almost everyone was in agreement for. While we were discussing ice cream and women, Tony and the Max Edge guy decided to make a break for it, so we let them go. Shortly thereafter we were passed by the masters field. With about 5 miles to go, we decided the break had plenty of time and we ramped it up to help Mark win the field sprint. It was picture perfect with 8 MCG guys lined up at the front of the peloton. Eventually Taylor decided to attack and Mark and York went with him. They would eventually catch Tony and beat us to the line with Mark taking 6th and York 9th. On our approach to the line Brett Beddow (Wolverine) attacked and Florian(Priority) went with him so I went too. Brett sat up and Florian took off again so again I went with him. Then Florian sat up and I made an attempt to get 10th place. I dropped my head and hammered. The group caught me with about 150m to go. The bright side was that the Wolverines chased me and lead my team out so Joe took 10th place.
(Posing for Kroske)I finished behind the peloton both days, but I finished! And it wasn't a bad day for us with 2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th and 10th place. We even ended up with Todd taking 3rd overall on GC behind Priority's Jones and Birman. All in all it was a great weekend.
Photos by Scott Kroske Trea Bott and Sarah Ritter. Video and more images coming soon.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The Cycling Gods Still Hate Me
So I got off work early to drive up to West Branch for a race anticipated to be one of the most grueling in the state. I didn't really have a place to stay yet, the original plan was to stay in my car. But both Doug and Mark offered a bedroom at the Super 8.
Doug got there first, so I stayed in his room. We woke up at 6:45am, packed up the stuff and met up with the other MCG riders for breakfast. There really wasn't much to eat...it sucked. Then it was off to the course.
Driving up the hill to the finish line was interesting because it made you realize how far away the finish line is, even thought it looked close. Not 2 minutes after arriving, Joe comes up to me and says that we don't have wheel support and wondered if Elisa would want to drive behind us. Once she got to the start area, I asked her and she agreed. We then told all the Cat 3 teams that we had a wheel vehicle and I cleared it with the race organizer.
Before long, the car was loaded up with wheels, the sun was shining and the race was about to start. The race started pretty slow. No one seemed that anxious to get off the front of our 66 mile hilly race. There were a few attempts, but they were all brought back.
At one point, I was riding Andrew Florian's wheel and we just came off of a downhill, so we were moving 30+mph and either we switched townships, or the road commission ran out of money, because the edge of the road we were riding just stopped. I was told someone pointed it out, but neither Florian or I saw it. Andrew successfully stayed on the asphalt as I did not. I went over the 1 inch or so drop and the sidewalls of my tires were rubbing with the road. I don't really remember how I did it, but I got back over the ledge, and kept my bike upright (though at one point my bars were turned about 30 degrees to my bike and I was at 35 degrees with the road). Everyone around me (Bret, Pat, Joe and Colin) was surprised and thankful that I didn't crash. It definitely scared the crap out of me. I decided to stay away from the edge from that point on.
A few miles later we turned and headed South. This section was quite hilly and had a very strong head/cross wind. This was definitely a portion of the course you did NOT want to get dropped or have a mechanical (as if there was a section of this course you WOULD want to lose contact with the group). As luck would have it, while riding in the middle of the group on smooth roads down a hill, as someone attacked, I had a front flat. Luckily we had a wheel car so I had a chance of getting back. I swapped wheels and took off for the peloton. Elisa is new to neutral support and didn't know she should have paced me back. So without the help of the wheel car, in a headwind with the peloton chasing a break, I tried to catch the group...yeah, like that's going to work.
I chased as hard as I could for about 35 minutes and just kept losing ground because I cant power through the wind. I eventually got overtaken by the Masters field and sat at the back of their group until the bottom of the final climb. I was toast. I made it up the climb but had nothing left, with 44 miles left, I dropped out of the race. I rode up and down the hill twice to get some leg work in, and as my group came around the next time, I jumped in the car and drove behind them.
I guess the first time they hit the hill, Mac Brennan put in a nice attack that made a selection of 6 riders that would go on to win the race. Mac would cross the line first, 50 seconds ahead of my teammate Adam York in 2nd place.
While chasing, I had considered quitting this sport. But I know I couldn't do that. So I will train hard and be back at the Tour of Mt. Pleasant ready to win, or help my team win. Hopefully my severe case of bad luck has passed, and lets hope that it isn't contagious.
Doug got there first, so I stayed in his room. We woke up at 6:45am, packed up the stuff and met up with the other MCG riders for breakfast. There really wasn't much to eat...it sucked. Then it was off to the course.
Driving up the hill to the finish line was interesting because it made you realize how far away the finish line is, even thought it looked close. Not 2 minutes after arriving, Joe comes up to me and says that we don't have wheel support and wondered if Elisa would want to drive behind us. Once she got to the start area, I asked her and she agreed. We then told all the Cat 3 teams that we had a wheel vehicle and I cleared it with the race organizer.
Before long, the car was loaded up with wheels, the sun was shining and the race was about to start. The race started pretty slow. No one seemed that anxious to get off the front of our 66 mile hilly race. There were a few attempts, but they were all brought back.
At one point, I was riding Andrew Florian's wheel and we just came off of a downhill, so we were moving 30+mph and either we switched townships, or the road commission ran out of money, because the edge of the road we were riding just stopped. I was told someone pointed it out, but neither Florian or I saw it. Andrew successfully stayed on the asphalt as I did not. I went over the 1 inch or so drop and the sidewalls of my tires were rubbing with the road. I don't really remember how I did it, but I got back over the ledge, and kept my bike upright (though at one point my bars were turned about 30 degrees to my bike and I was at 35 degrees with the road). Everyone around me (Bret, Pat, Joe and Colin) was surprised and thankful that I didn't crash. It definitely scared the crap out of me. I decided to stay away from the edge from that point on.
A few miles later we turned and headed South. This section was quite hilly and had a very strong head/cross wind. This was definitely a portion of the course you did NOT want to get dropped or have a mechanical (as if there was a section of this course you WOULD want to lose contact with the group). As luck would have it, while riding in the middle of the group on smooth roads down a hill, as someone attacked, I had a front flat. Luckily we had a wheel car so I had a chance of getting back. I swapped wheels and took off for the peloton. Elisa is new to neutral support and didn't know she should have paced me back. So without the help of the wheel car, in a headwind with the peloton chasing a break, I tried to catch the group...yeah, like that's going to work.
I chased as hard as I could for about 35 minutes and just kept losing ground because I cant power through the wind. I eventually got overtaken by the Masters field and sat at the back of their group until the bottom of the final climb. I was toast. I made it up the climb but had nothing left, with 44 miles left, I dropped out of the race. I rode up and down the hill twice to get some leg work in, and as my group came around the next time, I jumped in the car and drove behind them.
I guess the first time they hit the hill, Mac Brennan put in a nice attack that made a selection of 6 riders that would go on to win the race. Mac would cross the line first, 50 seconds ahead of my teammate Adam York in 2nd place.
While chasing, I had considered quitting this sport. But I know I couldn't do that. So I will train hard and be back at the Tour of Mt. Pleasant ready to win, or help my team win. Hopefully my severe case of bad luck has passed, and lets hope that it isn't contagious.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Das Tour de Frankenmuth
So I went up on Friday night to Birch Run and shared a room at the Holiday Inn with Doug, Derek, Colin and Elisa. We had dinner at Applebees, checked in to our room, unloaded the bags and bikes then sat in the hottub for about a half hour.
6am the alarms (3 of them) went off and it was up and time to race. We loaded up the room and the bikes then made our way to the lobby for breakfast. I brought Nutella from home to put on our bread....delicious.
Once we got to Zehnders for race prep, we realized that there was no wheel support. The Cat 1/2s had a wheel car, and there was one other wheel car that serviced the other 200 riders. Great idea.
It started raining before the start and Joe and I just chilled out in my car away from the water. Luckily it let up and the temperature picked up before the start. Our race started prety slow. I was expecting some attacks from the gun, but our MCG guys and the Priority guys went to the front and set tempo for the first few miles. The corners were still wet, so we were being carfull not to crash.
Despite our best efforts there was a crash. But it was not because of a wet road. At like mile 2 someone overlapped wheels with me then ran into my wheel and went down. I thought I had caused it, but I talked to a few guys and they all said I had held my line and it was not my fault. However, I was sitting in the top 10 of the peloton at the time, so the crash took down 60% of the feild. We all sat up and waited for the group to get back together and the team capitans to take the toll on their teams. We lost Adam York and Colin Snyder to the crash. So we were down to 7 guys. About a mile later, Joe Lekovish flatted and because there was no wheel support, he was out so we were down to 6.
The rest of the frist lap was really easy and pretty laxed. A few guys tried to get away, but we all said no to most of them and pulled them back. Around mile 8 or 9 a break of two riders including Priority's Mac Brennan got away. We let it go because we had plenty of time to pull it back with 51 miles left in the race.
When we came around to the feed zone the first time, I thought I hit a stick, I heard and felt something in my rear wheel. But it stopped and looked fine, so I stayed with the peloton. As we came through the start area, we were strung out in one big line and upon the first corner of the course, I discovered that it was not a stuck. I had broken a spoke. Around the corner, It came loose and got caught in my cassette, so I could't pedal. And with no wheel support, I was out of the race and my team was down to 5 riders after starting with 9 after just one lap.
I went and hung out in the Feed Zone to help my team. Lucky I was there, because on the Cat 4s last lap, a guy in all black dove left in the middle of the peloton causing a HUGE crash. Bike in the air, people down left and right, riders in the ditch...it was bad. Darrell and I went running across the street ro help. Almost everyone was fine. There were 2 riders that were hurt bad, one guy with a broken collarbone. I called 911 to get the ambulance, then stood in the road directing traffic and racers around the rider and the ambulance once it showed up.
After the rider was taken car of, I went to the start line to watch the end of my race. Brennan and his breakaway companion never got pulled in and made it to the line with Mac taking the big W. As the peloton came through, Scott got 9th in the feild sprint and ended in 11th, Mark Bush in 14th.
From talking with other riders, it appeared that just finishing this race was an accomplishment. It is flat, there was no wind. Finishing this course should not have been a feat. But it was. There were also a LOT of mechanicals at the race, and some odd ones at that. I saw a bike missing a saddle, but the rails were still there, just missing the saddle. Alan Antonuk said his cassette fell off when riding. How does that happen? Another rider got out of the saddle while riding and his rear wheel fell out. Odd day.
After all was said and done, I went and had a word with the race organizer. Having no wheel support is not a very wise idea. He said it was becuase they had a lack of personell. Well here are my arguments:
-every feild had a lead vehicle, we dont need lead vehicles. We have course marshalls that can direct us...just like every other race in the state. Take those lead vehicles and put them BEHIND the race, you had enough drivers.
-Every feild should have a car behind the race for safety reasons. Say there is a crach in.....lets say the Cat 4 feild. Say some rider goes off into the ditch and breaks their collarbone. How is a LEAD car going to see that? A FOLLOW car would and moreso, they would have a cell phone to call 911. The rider Darrell and I helped out was lucky that he crashed in the feed zone where there were actually people around. What if he had been knocked unconcious and fell into a ditch in the middle of the course? Who would have seen him?
-"we didnt have enough volunteers" is complete BS. Tri-City cyclists were out racing yesterday. They are instant volunteers. Clubs do not put on races for themselves, they put them on for the STATE. Riders have to make sacrafices, if you are putting on a race, get your friends to volunteer or you should untill every corner is covered and every feild has a follow car.
-I think it should be a rule that every road race requires a follow vehicle for every feild. It annoys me that I paid $35 for registration, $25 for a room, gas money, work off, months of training to get a broken spoke 1 lap into a race, and the organizers are too lazy to have wheel support, so I have to drop out of the race an dont even get a chance to get back in the race.
I know I am being mean to the organizers, I know they did what they could. And I am thankful. I love this race, it is a great course. I will be back next year. But only if they have neutral support for every feild (like last year). It is not a convienience issue I am complaining about, it is a safety issue.
6am the alarms (3 of them) went off and it was up and time to race. We loaded up the room and the bikes then made our way to the lobby for breakfast. I brought Nutella from home to put on our bread....delicious.
Once we got to Zehnders for race prep, we realized that there was no wheel support. The Cat 1/2s had a wheel car, and there was one other wheel car that serviced the other 200 riders. Great idea.
It started raining before the start and Joe and I just chilled out in my car away from the water. Luckily it let up and the temperature picked up before the start. Our race started prety slow. I was expecting some attacks from the gun, but our MCG guys and the Priority guys went to the front and set tempo for the first few miles. The corners were still wet, so we were being carfull not to crash.
Despite our best efforts there was a crash. But it was not because of a wet road. At like mile 2 someone overlapped wheels with me then ran into my wheel and went down. I thought I had caused it, but I talked to a few guys and they all said I had held my line and it was not my fault. However, I was sitting in the top 10 of the peloton at the time, so the crash took down 60% of the feild. We all sat up and waited for the group to get back together and the team capitans to take the toll on their teams. We lost Adam York and Colin Snyder to the crash. So we were down to 7 guys. About a mile later, Joe Lekovish flatted and because there was no wheel support, he was out so we were down to 6.
The rest of the frist lap was really easy and pretty laxed. A few guys tried to get away, but we all said no to most of them and pulled them back. Around mile 8 or 9 a break of two riders including Priority's Mac Brennan got away. We let it go because we had plenty of time to pull it back with 51 miles left in the race.
When we came around to the feed zone the first time, I thought I hit a stick, I heard and felt something in my rear wheel. But it stopped and looked fine, so I stayed with the peloton. As we came through the start area, we were strung out in one big line and upon the first corner of the course, I discovered that it was not a stuck. I had broken a spoke. Around the corner, It came loose and got caught in my cassette, so I could't pedal. And with no wheel support, I was out of the race and my team was down to 5 riders after starting with 9 after just one lap.
I went and hung out in the Feed Zone to help my team. Lucky I was there, because on the Cat 4s last lap, a guy in all black dove left in the middle of the peloton causing a HUGE crash. Bike in the air, people down left and right, riders in the ditch...it was bad. Darrell and I went running across the street ro help. Almost everyone was fine. There were 2 riders that were hurt bad, one guy with a broken collarbone. I called 911 to get the ambulance, then stood in the road directing traffic and racers around the rider and the ambulance once it showed up.
After the rider was taken car of, I went to the start line to watch the end of my race. Brennan and his breakaway companion never got pulled in and made it to the line with Mac taking the big W. As the peloton came through, Scott got 9th in the feild sprint and ended in 11th, Mark Bush in 14th.
From talking with other riders, it appeared that just finishing this race was an accomplishment. It is flat, there was no wind. Finishing this course should not have been a feat. But it was. There were also a LOT of mechanicals at the race, and some odd ones at that. I saw a bike missing a saddle, but the rails were still there, just missing the saddle. Alan Antonuk said his cassette fell off when riding. How does that happen? Another rider got out of the saddle while riding and his rear wheel fell out. Odd day.
After all was said and done, I went and had a word with the race organizer. Having no wheel support is not a very wise idea. He said it was becuase they had a lack of personell. Well here are my arguments:
-every feild had a lead vehicle, we dont need lead vehicles. We have course marshalls that can direct us...just like every other race in the state. Take those lead vehicles and put them BEHIND the race, you had enough drivers.
-Every feild should have a car behind the race for safety reasons. Say there is a crach in.....lets say the Cat 4 feild. Say some rider goes off into the ditch and breaks their collarbone. How is a LEAD car going to see that? A FOLLOW car would and moreso, they would have a cell phone to call 911. The rider Darrell and I helped out was lucky that he crashed in the feed zone where there were actually people around. What if he had been knocked unconcious and fell into a ditch in the middle of the course? Who would have seen him?
-"we didnt have enough volunteers" is complete BS. Tri-City cyclists were out racing yesterday. They are instant volunteers. Clubs do not put on races for themselves, they put them on for the STATE. Riders have to make sacrafices, if you are putting on a race, get your friends to volunteer or you should untill every corner is covered and every feild has a follow car.
-I think it should be a rule that every road race requires a follow vehicle for every feild. It annoys me that I paid $35 for registration, $25 for a room, gas money, work off, months of training to get a broken spoke 1 lap into a race, and the organizers are too lazy to have wheel support, so I have to drop out of the race an dont even get a chance to get back in the race.
I know I am being mean to the organizers, I know they did what they could. And I am thankful. I love this race, it is a great course. I will be back next year. But only if they have neutral support for every feild (like last year). It is not a convienience issue I am complaining about, it is a safety issue.
Monday, May 18, 2009
It's never too late to post...
Sorry all. I have been quite busy lately and as you can see I have neglected my blog.
Anyways, I finished my Sophmore year in college. All As and Bs this semester, just like the last one. I have moved out of the dorm and off campus. I now live in Ann Arbor near the Geddes Cemetary. It is a decent apartment, not amazing, but for $300/month with everything included what do you expect? This fall I will be moving back to Ypsi, but no longer on campus. I will be living in an apartment with a few guys I know from school.
Work has been SLOW lately. All the students went home. Everyone's hours got cut. I went from 40 to 27 and next week I only have 18. The biggest problem is that I have asked for Tuesday and Thursday evening's off for Crit Practice (starting this week) and Waterford Thursday Night Worlds, and they keep scheduling me for Tuesdays. So I am missing the first crit practice, maybe the second, but I'll work it out so I am there for the rest of the season.
Ok, the race reports you guys all care about:
Willow TT - Bike broke the night before, had to use a different one, bad wind, horrible time. Lets not talk about it. One of my worse days on a bike.
STS #4 - Tons of fun. Sunny skies made for great racing in the A feild. I was doing fine and holding my own in the group until my spoke broke, still no one knows how, then I had to get back into the race, which used a lot of energy. Dropped out with 10 minutes left.
Cone - Flatted 15 minutes into the race on the second gravel section. However, our support car had stopped to fix someone elses wheel and was passed by the Masters feild. So when I flatted the car was behind the Masters feild about a mile behind. So I rode a flat tire for about miles until I got it changed and chased hard to try and catch the group, but they were like 2 miles down the road and it wasnt happening. I dropped out and jumped in my car to help pick up riders on the course.
Kensington - Scott put on a great race. Our race was 64 miles long and we were riding or Mark. To make our job easier, York attacked in the opening MILE of the race. A Leadout rider went with him. His Leadout teamates did a great job blocking on the front, and the Priority riders didnt seem eager to chase. Well that breakaway got 3.5 minutes on the feild and York won the race! As I was helping Mark, I used a lot of my energy to keep him out of the wind. He then flatted and refused to take my wheel (he thought there was another teamate behind us, ended up that there wasnt). So I had to chase hard to get back on the peloton, and a lap ana half later, a serious acceleration was put down on the climb and I couldnt maintain contact. So I dropped out.
So I have done 8 races this year including the STS races and Waterford Worlds, and I have 8 DNFs. I really hope I can change that around. Frankenmuth is coming up this weekend. Lets see if we can repeat the victory.
Anyways, I finished my Sophmore year in college. All As and Bs this semester, just like the last one. I have moved out of the dorm and off campus. I now live in Ann Arbor near the Geddes Cemetary. It is a decent apartment, not amazing, but for $300/month with everything included what do you expect? This fall I will be moving back to Ypsi, but no longer on campus. I will be living in an apartment with a few guys I know from school.
Work has been SLOW lately. All the students went home. Everyone's hours got cut. I went from 40 to 27 and next week I only have 18. The biggest problem is that I have asked for Tuesday and Thursday evening's off for Crit Practice (starting this week) and Waterford Thursday Night Worlds, and they keep scheduling me for Tuesdays. So I am missing the first crit practice, maybe the second, but I'll work it out so I am there for the rest of the season.
Ok, the race reports you guys all care about:
Willow TT - Bike broke the night before, had to use a different one, bad wind, horrible time. Lets not talk about it. One of my worse days on a bike.
STS #4 - Tons of fun. Sunny skies made for great racing in the A feild. I was doing fine and holding my own in the group until my spoke broke, still no one knows how, then I had to get back into the race, which used a lot of energy. Dropped out with 10 minutes left.
Cone - Flatted 15 minutes into the race on the second gravel section. However, our support car had stopped to fix someone elses wheel and was passed by the Masters feild. So when I flatted the car was behind the Masters feild about a mile behind. So I rode a flat tire for about miles until I got it changed and chased hard to try and catch the group, but they were like 2 miles down the road and it wasnt happening. I dropped out and jumped in my car to help pick up riders on the course.
Kensington - Scott put on a great race. Our race was 64 miles long and we were riding or Mark. To make our job easier, York attacked in the opening MILE of the race. A Leadout rider went with him. His Leadout teamates did a great job blocking on the front, and the Priority riders didnt seem eager to chase. Well that breakaway got 3.5 minutes on the feild and York won the race! As I was helping Mark, I used a lot of my energy to keep him out of the wind. He then flatted and refused to take my wheel (he thought there was another teamate behind us, ended up that there wasnt). So I had to chase hard to get back on the peloton, and a lap ana half later, a serious acceleration was put down on the climb and I couldnt maintain contact. So I dropped out.
So I have done 8 races this year including the STS races and Waterford Worlds, and I have 8 DNFs. I really hope I can change that around. Frankenmuth is coming up this weekend. Lets see if we can repeat the victory.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Its never too early to start training for Cone...
So yesterday before I went to work, I jumped on the bike and get some dirt riding in. I didn't have a ton of time (just over an hour) so I went out and averaged 3 W/kg in preperation for Cone.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Mathemagic
So the Undergraduate Symposium went well this morning. During the luncheon after the presentations, we had a guest speaker. This is Arthur Benjamin, a math teacher from some college I dont remember and is freaky fast at calculations. This guy is amazing. If you have 15 minutes to spare, watch this whole video. If you only have 5 minutes, fast forward to 10:30 and just watch the end. And if you can believe it, he was faster today than he is on this video.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Cycling Gods Hate Me
Well I finally got to 2 days where I actually have the time to ride...and now I'm sick and can't. Been working all week at my new job at Panera on N. University in Ann Arbor and it has been eating up all my free time. (33.5 hours this week) Outside of work, on the weekdays I literally have no free time, evident by my lack of posting, because I am in class or in the lab with Dr. McGregor getting ready for Friday's Undergraduate Symposium. This afternoon and tomorrow morning were the only times I had to get some riding time in, but alas I have a pretty bad cold. Hard coughing every minute or two combined with mucus and a headache, feeling really drained and wouldn't be able to do anything on the bike.
So yeah, the cycling gods hate me. I will eventually be back in form, but it might not be untill June, which means the May and STS races are going to hurt.
So whats been up? Alot. When I last left you, I was making a trip to Houghton, Michigan with my parents and Julie. It was a lot of fun. Julie and I spent all Saturday walking around Houghton looking at the ice sculptures and going in stores. Then we crossed the bridge to Hancock and did the same thing. That night we went down to the river and watched the fireworks for winter carnival, it was scarry at one point when a firework tipped over and ignited in the launch area, but everyone was ok. Sunday morning I woke up to my brother tossing me some clothes. He said we were going XC skiing, well thats a first for me. It was a lot of fun, it took me a minute to get going, but I eventually got the hang out of it and now I want my own set.
The final week of February was my spring break. The Friday I got out of class, my dad flew to California. He met up with my brothers Eric and John to watch the Solvang TT for the ToC....I was on spring break...So instead of going to watch my favorite riders race in the USA, I was doing morning rides around Jackson. One morning I had an encounter with black ice and banged up my knee pretty good, but its all better now. I did go to the DIA with Nick Michelle and Julie that Friday. It was interesting to see what was on display. Lots of random chess sets, some very...different and others very awesome.
It was then back to school and once we hit the weekend, I went up north with Liz, Kim, Coling and Liz's family to ski for two days. On the first run on the first day, Liz's brother's friend fell and broke her wrist. It was her first time breaking somehting, but once she got pass the initial shock, she was fine. The skiing wasn't too bad for being March. I spent Saturday in a sweatshirt. Sunday was cooler so the snow was harder which meant better skiing. Liz and I raced each other a few times, and I won each time.
As some of you know, the new team kits are in. I picked mine up from Scott last Sunday, then rode with the EMU gang for a few miles before meeting back up with Scott and rising to Northville to get the LS jerseys. On our way back, from Northville to Saltz Rd. in Canton, I don't think our speed dropped below 25mph. We were each doing pulls (obviously I got the better draft) and my pulls were in the 400-450W range. It was a good ride.
I have also located an apartment I believe I am going to lease. I would be leasing with two freinds from school. It is a spacious 3 bedroom/2 bathroom condo on Washtenaw and Oakwood. It is literally on the corner of campus. With utilities and rent between the 3 of us, we would be paying roughly $350/month/person.
I am no longer coached anymore. I talked to Darrell and we ended out athlete/coach relationship. Partially because I don't have much money right now and partially because I enjoy having a coach who can watch me race and be at my races. That would be kind of difficult for D to do while in AZ.
So yeah. That's what I got going on. Hope that was worth the wait. (I know it wasn't)
So yeah, the cycling gods hate me. I will eventually be back in form, but it might not be untill June, which means the May and STS races are going to hurt.
So whats been up? Alot. When I last left you, I was making a trip to Houghton, Michigan with my parents and Julie. It was a lot of fun. Julie and I spent all Saturday walking around Houghton looking at the ice sculptures and going in stores. Then we crossed the bridge to Hancock and did the same thing. That night we went down to the river and watched the fireworks for winter carnival, it was scarry at one point when a firework tipped over and ignited in the launch area, but everyone was ok. Sunday morning I woke up to my brother tossing me some clothes. He said we were going XC skiing, well thats a first for me. It was a lot of fun, it took me a minute to get going, but I eventually got the hang out of it and now I want my own set.
The final week of February was my spring break. The Friday I got out of class, my dad flew to California. He met up with my brothers Eric and John to watch the Solvang TT for the ToC....I was on spring break...So instead of going to watch my favorite riders race in the USA, I was doing morning rides around Jackson. One morning I had an encounter with black ice and banged up my knee pretty good, but its all better now. I did go to the DIA with Nick Michelle and Julie that Friday. It was interesting to see what was on display. Lots of random chess sets, some very...different and others very awesome.
It was then back to school and once we hit the weekend, I went up north with Liz, Kim, Coling and Liz's family to ski for two days. On the first run on the first day, Liz's brother's friend fell and broke her wrist. It was her first time breaking somehting, but once she got pass the initial shock, she was fine. The skiing wasn't too bad for being March. I spent Saturday in a sweatshirt. Sunday was cooler so the snow was harder which meant better skiing. Liz and I raced each other a few times, and I won each time.
As some of you know, the new team kits are in. I picked mine up from Scott last Sunday, then rode with the EMU gang for a few miles before meeting back up with Scott and rising to Northville to get the LS jerseys. On our way back, from Northville to Saltz Rd. in Canton, I don't think our speed dropped below 25mph. We were each doing pulls (obviously I got the better draft) and my pulls were in the 400-450W range. It was a good ride.
I have also located an apartment I believe I am going to lease. I would be leasing with two freinds from school. It is a spacious 3 bedroom/2 bathroom condo on Washtenaw and Oakwood. It is literally on the corner of campus. With utilities and rent between the 3 of us, we would be paying roughly $350/month/person.
I am no longer coached anymore. I talked to Darrell and we ended out athlete/coach relationship. Partially because I don't have much money right now and partially because I enjoy having a coach who can watch me race and be at my races. That would be kind of difficult for D to do while in AZ.
So yeah. That's what I got going on. Hope that was worth the wait. (I know it wasn't)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Coming Soon
I swear! I will update soon. There has been a lot going on and I have no free time right now. I have class untill noon, in the lab and analyzing data for my undergrad research untill 3 and work from 4-12. Then I wake up and repeat it all. Tomorrow I have a free 3-4 hour block that I will try to get a post and some pictures up, if it doesnt happen, my excuse is because i was out riding (which I havent done since....Sunday, and the last time before then was....Monday) Yeah I am WAY out of form and the spring campain is not going to favor me.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
"Lance is an amature athlete"
I hate people who dont appreciate how hard our sport is. I came across this and it made me mad. So I felt like I should share it.
Here it is
Here it is
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Class List
For those interested, these are essentially the required classes for a major in Exercise Physiology with Pre-Med studies (acceptable for U of M Med School)
BIO 110 - Introductory Biology I
BIO 120 - Introductory Biology II
BIO 301 - Genetics
BIO 305/306 - Cell and Molecular Biology/Lab
CHEM 121/122 - General Chemistry I/Lab
CHEM 123/124 - General Chemistry II/Lab
CHEM 371 - Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 372/373 - Organic Chemistry II/Lab
CHEM 351 - Foundations of Biochemistry
CHEM 451 - Biochemistry I
PHY 221 or 223 - Mechanics, Sound and Heat
PHY 222 or 224 - Electricity and Light
ENG 121 - Composition II
ENG 225 - Writing in a Changing World
ENG 323 - Writing in the Professional World
LIT 100 - The Reading of Literature
PSYC 101 - General Psycology
PSYC 360 - Abnormal Psycology
PSYC 366 - Health Psycology/Behavioral Medicine
SOCL 105 - Introductory Sociology
SOCL 312 - Medical Sociology
PHIL 223 - Medical Ethics
DTC 204 - Sports Nutrition
SPMD 201 - Anatomy
SPMD 202 - Physiology
SPMD 280 - Pharmacology
SPMD 300 - Exercise Physiology
SPMD 305 - Kinesiology
SPMD 325 - Practicum
SPMD 380 - Behavioral Aspecs of Sports Medicine
SPMD 410 - Lab Techniques Human Performance
SPMD 430 - Electrocardiography
SPMD 431 - Pathophysiology
SPMD 432 - Exercise Programming
SPMD 433 - Principles of Strength and Conditioning
SPMD 480 - Internship
SPMD 434 - Echocardiography
SPMD 515 - Diabetes and Obesity
SPMD 518 - Sports Supplements
PHED 260 - Motor Development
PHED 360 - Motor Learning
CPR Certification
BIO 110 - Introductory Biology I
BIO 120 - Introductory Biology II
BIO 301 - Genetics
BIO 305/306 - Cell and Molecular Biology/Lab
CHEM 121/122 - General Chemistry I/Lab
CHEM 123/124 - General Chemistry II/Lab
CHEM 371 - Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 372/373 - Organic Chemistry II/Lab
CHEM 351 - Foundations of Biochemistry
CHEM 451 - Biochemistry I
PHY 221 or 223 - Mechanics, Sound and Heat
PHY 222 or 224 - Electricity and Light
ENG 121 - Composition II
ENG 225 - Writing in a Changing World
ENG 323 - Writing in the Professional World
LIT 100 - The Reading of Literature
PSYC 101 - General Psycology
PSYC 360 - Abnormal Psycology
PSYC 366 - Health Psycology/Behavioral Medicine
SOCL 105 - Introductory Sociology
SOCL 312 - Medical Sociology
PHIL 223 - Medical Ethics
DTC 204 - Sports Nutrition
SPMD 201 - Anatomy
SPMD 202 - Physiology
SPMD 280 - Pharmacology
SPMD 300 - Exercise Physiology
SPMD 305 - Kinesiology
SPMD 325 - Practicum
SPMD 380 - Behavioral Aspecs of Sports Medicine
SPMD 410 - Lab Techniques Human Performance
SPMD 430 - Electrocardiography
SPMD 431 - Pathophysiology
SPMD 432 - Exercise Programming
SPMD 433 - Principles of Strength and Conditioning
SPMD 480 - Internship
SPMD 434 - Echocardiography
SPMD 515 - Diabetes and Obesity
SPMD 518 - Sports Supplements
PHED 260 - Motor Development
PHED 360 - Motor Learning
CPR Certification
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Well hello everyone
How are you? I guess it's been two weeks so I figured I should update.
Been riding outside a bit lately. Rode with Scott one day out on snow covered dirt roads. Was a nice 1.5hr ride. Then rode outside with Jason while he was on recovery, that was a nice 2 hour ride. Then this past Sunday I did the Worst Day of the Year Ride. Scott, Mark Caswell, James Knight and me represented MCC p/b Trails Edge on the 40 mile ride. Joe decided he couldnt make it 40 miles and opted for the shorter ride (haha just kidding, he went to represent us with Randy in another group). I took a tumble at an ice covered intersection and bruised my hip, but im fine now. The ride was fun. There were some fairly fast sections due to Brendan Benson and other racers pushing the pace. Being on a CX bike, I wore myself out and ended up getting dropped. Twas a good ride anyways.
The two days prior to the WDotY ride, I went up north again skiing with my papa. We got up there Friday night and got in 2 hours of night skiing. Then we got in 4ish hours of skiing in on Saturday. While up there I ran into my cousin and he asked if I wanted to go mess around in the terrain park. I agreed.....bad idea. I ended up falling a few times while trying to grind and strained a lot of muscles. But again, im fine now. (yay super fast body recovery) It was fun, but super cold up there with a lot of wind. I also ended up driving for 9.25 hours of the total 10 hours of driving in a period of 28 hours. My dad drove from Mason home where I slept as I had to head back to Ann Arbor as soon as I got home.
Saturday night was fun, hung out with freinds in Ann Arbor. Sat around Starbucks and talked alot. Then spent a while in Borders Books where I read a great article about DaveZ.
Im excited because next weekend (the one following superbowl weekend) I get to go up to Houghton (not houghton lake) Michigan for winter carnival. I am staying with my brother and taking my freind Julie. This is where the MTU students create awesome ice sculptures and its pretty much a 4 day party. Ill also go skiing.
After a fun weekend, it was back to school. Classe are going fine. Im learning quite a lot this semester. Other than school and training, I am just trying to get everything in order for my life haha. Im applying for jobs so I have some money and searching for appartments for the summer. I found a great one, but the landlord will not return my emails and didnt list a phone number. So if anyone reading this knows of someplace that is hiring, or of a good appartment near EMU, let me know.
And now for, I guess the big news. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I am seriously considering pursuing medical school. I was going to go for my PhD in Ex Phys, but in the same time I could be an MD. Ive always liked medicine and I think I could be really good at it. I will still keep my Ex. Phys. major, but instead of a minor I will take pre-med classes. This will add another year to my undergrad, but o well. The only downside...once I get into med school I will probably have to hang the bike up for a while. But we will see. I also intend on taking an EMT course this summer and work in an ER or on an ambulance for a few years.
So yeah, what does everyone think?
Been riding outside a bit lately. Rode with Scott one day out on snow covered dirt roads. Was a nice 1.5hr ride. Then rode outside with Jason while he was on recovery, that was a nice 2 hour ride. Then this past Sunday I did the Worst Day of the Year Ride. Scott, Mark Caswell, James Knight and me represented MCC p/b Trails Edge on the 40 mile ride. Joe decided he couldnt make it 40 miles and opted for the shorter ride (haha just kidding, he went to represent us with Randy in another group). I took a tumble at an ice covered intersection and bruised my hip, but im fine now. The ride was fun. There were some fairly fast sections due to Brendan Benson and other racers pushing the pace. Being on a CX bike, I wore myself out and ended up getting dropped. Twas a good ride anyways.
The two days prior to the WDotY ride, I went up north again skiing with my papa. We got up there Friday night and got in 2 hours of night skiing. Then we got in 4ish hours of skiing in on Saturday. While up there I ran into my cousin and he asked if I wanted to go mess around in the terrain park. I agreed.....bad idea. I ended up falling a few times while trying to grind and strained a lot of muscles. But again, im fine now. (yay super fast body recovery) It was fun, but super cold up there with a lot of wind. I also ended up driving for 9.25 hours of the total 10 hours of driving in a period of 28 hours. My dad drove from Mason home where I slept as I had to head back to Ann Arbor as soon as I got home.
Saturday night was fun, hung out with freinds in Ann Arbor. Sat around Starbucks and talked alot. Then spent a while in Borders Books where I read a great article about DaveZ.
Im excited because next weekend (the one following superbowl weekend) I get to go up to Houghton (not houghton lake) Michigan for winter carnival. I am staying with my brother and taking my freind Julie. This is where the MTU students create awesome ice sculptures and its pretty much a 4 day party. Ill also go skiing.
After a fun weekend, it was back to school. Classe are going fine. Im learning quite a lot this semester. Other than school and training, I am just trying to get everything in order for my life haha. Im applying for jobs so I have some money and searching for appartments for the summer. I found a great one, but the landlord will not return my emails and didnt list a phone number. So if anyone reading this knows of someplace that is hiring, or of a good appartment near EMU, let me know.
And now for, I guess the big news. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I am seriously considering pursuing medical school. I was going to go for my PhD in Ex Phys, but in the same time I could be an MD. Ive always liked medicine and I think I could be really good at it. I will still keep my Ex. Phys. major, but instead of a minor I will take pre-med classes. This will add another year to my undergrad, but o well. The only downside...once I get into med school I will probably have to hang the bike up for a while. But we will see. I also intend on taking an EMT course this summer and work in an ER or on an ambulance for a few years.
So yeah, what does everyone think?
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Undergrad Symposium
So leave Friday, March 27 2009 open if you can. Then come to Eastern to see my success.
Dr. Mcgregor approached me a few weeks back about presenting this year at the 29th Annual Undergraduate Symposium this spring. This is where mostly Juniors and Seniors present their research that they have been working very hard on for a while. As you know, I am not a Junior or Senior. I am a Sophmore. So this is kind of a big deal for me. All the research and analysis I am doing are based completely off classes I have yet to take.
My research is interesting to those cyclists who read this. We have a Velotron ergometer in our lab. There is no literature to support the accuracy of the power output for said Velotron. We also have an SRM power meter on this Velotron. SRM is the "gold standard" of power readings. At the most boiled down point, my research is comparing the accuracy of the Velotron to the SRM.
I have 2 months to run the research and write the paper and create my presentation. Wish me luck. Its going to be a fun semester.
Dr. Mcgregor approached me a few weeks back about presenting this year at the 29th Annual Undergraduate Symposium this spring. This is where mostly Juniors and Seniors present their research that they have been working very hard on for a while. As you know, I am not a Junior or Senior. I am a Sophmore. So this is kind of a big deal for me. All the research and analysis I am doing are based completely off classes I have yet to take.
My research is interesting to those cyclists who read this. We have a Velotron ergometer in our lab. There is no literature to support the accuracy of the power output for said Velotron. We also have an SRM power meter on this Velotron. SRM is the "gold standard" of power readings. At the most boiled down point, my research is comparing the accuracy of the Velotron to the SRM.
I have 2 months to run the research and write the paper and create my presentation. Wish me luck. Its going to be a fun semester.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Skiing
So Saturday my mom called me around noon "Come home, you're going skiing with your Dad and your brother tomorrow and you are driving up tonight". So I went back to my dorm, grabbed my skiis and made my way to Jackson.
My Dad got home from work around 7pm and we loaded up the car and drove to Harbor Springs. We stayed at the Comfort Inn that night and went to Nubs Nob in the morning. I was surprised to see almost no one at the hill on yesterday (Sunday), my Dad blamed it on the economy. Regardless it made for a great day of skiing. We never had to wait for the chairlift and no single run was saturated with skiers.
A family freind, Nick (not the one that went to all my races, a different one) went up with us too. This was his first time on a large hill on his snowboard. It made for some interesting watching. I think his record was 5 falls on one black diamond. But near the end of the day, he had gotten a hold of it and was doing much better.
It was nice to try out and use my new boots and skiis. The carving was different because the skiis are wider and the boots are stiffer, but it was fun. Due to the fact that they are twin tipped skiis, I did go down an entire run backwards and I did hit up the terrain park for an hour or so.
Monday, January 5, 2009
I am Genius!
Ok not really. Im sure anyone can set up a PowerTap, but it took me about 2-2.5 hours to hook it all up, download the software, reset and learn the whole system. I can now train and race with power! In honor of my achievement. Here are some pictures of my christmas stuff I promised.
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