My attempt to conquer the real world!

Cone- Azalia

2011-05-04T13:17:00.007-04:00

OUCH! That is the only word that adequately describes this race. It is a 10 mile loop, 4 miles of which are over dirt/gravel roads. This race is usually brutal, but this year was worse than previous editions as the Michigan winter was unkind to the usually semi-smooth dirt country roads and it had rained all night and into the morning. Platt Road, the longest straight section of the race and is not paved, was infested with potholes this year. There was no clear line through it and the holes were all 4-5 inches deep. Two things were sure going into this race: 1) Don't be in the middle of the peloton and 2) Equipment was going to break.

The Pro/1/2 race started with about 28 guys, half of which were from Bissel of Panther. Riders such as Kirk Albers and Paul Martin showed up to throw down, so it was not going to be an easy day in the saddle (as if Cone ever is...). As we headed into the pothole section on the first lap, I sat up with Alex Vanias and let the peloton get a little gap. Once they hit the bad section and everyone freaked out and started diving everywhere, Alex and I jumped to the soft right shoulder and moved around to the front. It was when I was at the front that I realized how strong the wind was that morning, we were driving directly into a 20+ mph headwind, so I moved back a few spots but stayed near the front to not get caught out in crashes.

After clearing Platt Rd there were only about 18 guys left in the group, all of us were covered in mud and dirt from the wet water filled holes. Most of out shifting and bearings weren't working smooth either. The dust and mud had gotten into the cogs, pins and rollers and everyones bike was squeaking. Luckily the next dirt section (short tailwind, then turn left into the crosswind) was much smoother. As we made the turn two guys went down on the inside, from what I understand one of them broke their ankle and still rode another 40 miles on it. The crosswind made this section brutal as you couldn't hide because the wind came from the left and the good line was along the right shoulder. I made it through with little trouble though and we turned into the tailwind for a couple of miles which allowed my legs to rest.

(My dirty legs after the race)

So I made it through 1 lap safely. 6 more to go. The next lap followed more or less the same pattern. We DRILLED it on the dirt sections and rested in the tailwind, at some point a Panther and Bissel rider got off the front. The other riders in the group wanted to chase, but we knew as soon as we pulled it back the two heavy hitting teams would launch more riders. So we were content to sit in and not work too much.

On the third lap I made a positioning mistake. I got through Platt without too much trouble, other than thinking I broke my steering tube when I got pushed into a series of potholes. But the second dirt section I was on the back and took a bad line through the corner. Well this was about the time the Bissel guy in the break flatted and the peloton passed him. So all the Bissel guys went to the front and drilled the pace in the crosswind. I had gapped myself and was now holding 550 watts (I weigh 146lbs) pulling myself back to the field. I made contact right as we turned into the tailwind and Bissel went even harder. I never got a chance to recover and lost ground on that section of road. I was time trialing myself to get back to the peloton, but even while I was holding 32 mph the group was pulling away. 1 hour of racing had passed, I had completed about 26 miles with the peloton and my race was already over. I checked my average power output for the first hour and I had been riding at 90% of my FTP for that first hour.

(My drivetrain after the race)

Well my day wasn't over. I decided to keep riding and see if I could finish the race. But after another hour of riding it was clear my legs were going to lock up and shut down before that could happen, so I decided to try and beat the Cat 3s to the end of their race. That meant I had to complete 5 laps total (51 miles), 24 miles of which I was riding solo.

Well I achieved my goal. I finished the 5 laps in a time of 2 hours 20 minutes. The Cat 3 peloton of 7 or so guys came in at 2 hours 21 minutes. I checked my average power for the 51 miles, I had ridden the entire time at 82% of my FTP. So I actually had pretty good legs, but the 1/2 field takes no prisoners. Paul Martin won, no surprise there.

(My drivetrain after it was washed)

After the race I cleaned off my dirt covered body and drove to Jackson to enjoy the hottub at my parents house, wash my disgusting bike and take it apart to make sure I didn't break anything. Fortunately my bike held up, but I know a few guys that broke wheels, frames and seats on these rough rough roads.

Willow Time Trial

2011-05-02T21:01:00.005-04:00

So Saturday morning was the first real race of the Michigan racing season: Willow Metropark Time Trial. There were 13 guys signed up in the Cat 1/2s and 14 in the Cat 3s. It is a 20k race consisting of 6 laps of the park usually coupled with steady, fairly strong winds.

I got there early enough to talk with all the guys I haven't seen in a few months, help the Juniors prepare for their races, sign in, get my number on, use the bathroom, set up the team area and then warm up. Ventus Cycling had 6 guys racing: Me in the 1/2s and Bush, Benke, Bott, Holloway and Rainville in the 3s. We all warmed up under our team tent together, no one really talking because we all have our own pre race routines which usually consist of listening to music while we get the muscles primed.

Before we knew it everyone was scrambling to get ready. All the Cat 3 riders went off within 5 minutes of each other so they all jumped off and rode to the line together. I had another 15 minutes so I got my skinsuit on, helmet and shoe covers on and rode around the parking lot for 10 minutes before headed to the line. An interesting tidbit: I raced with earplugs in under my TT helmet. It was in an article I read a while back and maybe Darrell told it to me, I don't really remember. But the theory goes that we judge out speed based on the wind speed we hear. But with earplugs in you cannot hear the wind so you cant judge your speed or exertion, so you can push yourself harder. It was a really cool experience and I think I am going to continue time trialing with them because its nice to hear nothing but your own breathing. No distractions.

Anyway, I knew I was in for a depressing day on the bike because I hadn't been training at all over the winter and I am not the best time trialist. To add insult to injury, 4 of the best time trialists in the state started directly after me, Minnima, Vanias, Vermeulen and York. My plan was to determine my speed based on when I got passed by each rider. My goal was to go under 32 minutes.

31 minutes and 50 seconds later I crossed the line. Last person to finish the race. I had been passed by all 4 riders behind me almost exactly when I thought they would pass me. I ended up 12th, edging out Kroske who was not on his signature P3 having sold it last year. It was a better day for my teammates who ended up 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 13th in the Cat 3s. All in all it was a good day for the team. I wasn't too upset. Out of form and still able to hold 25mph for 32 minutes isn't too bad. My only goal after the race was to rest and recover. Cone-Azalia was the following morning.

New Season, New Team, Old Blog Reincarnated

2011-03-30T19:08:00.003-04:00

Hello to the 3 people that will read this,

I know it has been about a year since I really updated this thing. Thats because it appeared that no one ever read it. But in the past year I have gotten closer with my family, aunts uncles cousins brothers etc. and most of them are interested in my racing. So I am going to try to revitalize this blog for them.

So what has been up? As you probably notices by the massive picture of me at the top of this page (photo credit goes to Erika Fulk) I have changed my blog, I changed my blog because as most of you know I changed teams. have spent 3 years racing for South Lyon/MCG and most of the people I was friends with on the team moved away or stayed as Cat 3. That meant that York and I were alone in the 1/2 races. There wasn't much left for me at MCG and I wanted a new challenge, so I teamed up with my good friend Mark Bush and we started the Ventus Cycling Team. This is a team designed to promote Michigan racing, bring in new riders and help them move up to Cat 1 or Cat 2.

I am very happy with my decision to change, I will miss racing and hanging out with the MCG boys, but in this sport even when we're on opposite teams most of us are still friends. We currently have 10 Cat 2/3 riders and are in the process of creating a development team so we always have young talent. If you're interested in riding for us, contact us at info@ventuscycling.com.

So what have I been doing all winter? Not riding. I know I should be, but I had no motivation at the end of last season and it carried through the winter months. I am back to training now and should be competitive by June. I did race the first AAVC STS race this past weekend. I managed to finish with the peloton, though we were lapped by a 6 man breakaway. I honestly did not think I would finish because I had not been training, but I still know how to suffer. So I just put my head down and rode. Averaged 230W for 48 minutes, finished at the back of the group because I had no legs to sprint. All in all I was actually quite happy with myself.

Also on deck for this season, I have a new GoPro Helmet Camera. I will be wearing it in the majority of my races depending on road conditions (so NOT Grand Rapids or Maillot Jaune) and I will post clips or short 2-4 minute video from the races here. Check back soon to see video from the AAVC race and our team photo shoot.

Thanks for reading, I will do my best to keep this thing updated. Here is to a fun filled summer and successful cycling season!

Jumping Ship

2010-11-09T22:14:00.002-05:00

By now, both of the people that will still read this blog know I am no longer racing for MCG next season. I have taken on the task (along with Mark Bush) of starting our own team. The team will be called Ventus Cycling.

I will be posting my race reports right here for the 2011 season as well as video from the POV camera I am working on purchasing. It will be mounted under my stem for some races, and that footage will be available here.

I will also be managing the official team blog which is ventuscycling.blogspot.com

Goodbye

2010-09-10T09:26:00.001-04:00

Say oravoir to this blog. I havent used it in a year so I am deleting it. I will create a new one for next season.

Selling the Giant

2010-04-05T10:24:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone, going to invest in a new very nice racing frame for this season. Not telling anyone what I am getting yet. It will be a surprise so stay tuned Thursday or Friday for pictures.

In the mean time, I am selling my Giant TCR because I dont ever use it and I need money for the new frame. So if you are interested it is listed here.

Thanks

For the Record...

2010-03-30T21:32:00.003-04:00

...no one ever comments on these so I have no idea if anyone reads it. Anyways here we go, up and running. Going to try and keep this updated for the rest of the season (we will see how long that lasts).

So this was quite a busy past week for me. Had two exams, trying to get the Met Cart in the Ex. Phys. lab working properly so Jason can do his thesis, and the Undergraduate Symposium. The Symposium is where all the bright undergrads present mostly their own research. I had to give a speech on Acceleration Economy Differences in Trained and Untrained Runners. It was fun for me but boring for the audience, oh well. After the Symposium I had to go to work. The following morning marked the true start of cycling season.

So yeah last week I did the Fisk Knob TT. But come on, its a TT. Its a great race wish good competition and a great way to see where your fitness it, but its still not a road race.

Saturday morning was the first race of the FRCC Spring Training Series. Field sizes were surprisingly large considering Barry-Roubaix was the same day on the other side of the state. We had 53 riders in the A group. There was a strong wind out of the east which meant on this course when you go down the hill you are in a strong headwind. So any gap forming on the way up was much bigger by the bottom. The race started off fairly easy. Several people attacked, there were surges but it was all still manageable. At about 35-40 minutes in there was a big split while the pace was high. 15-20 of us were caught out in the second group including my team leader and only other teammate in the race, Adam York.

My goal was to get Adam up to the main group to contend. So for a half lap, I pulled the entire second group up to the main group, I was pushing just around 600 watts to accomplish it. Needless to say, I was exhausted and when the back of the group came around I couldn't jump on. I sat out a lab and jumped back into the rear of the group for a while until there was another split with 25 minutes to go. Again I went to the front as Adam was in our group again. Jamie Smith had been caught out in this split too and was up there with my trying to get a paceline going. Surprisingly some A riders have no idea how to work a paceline. I got frustrated so I did one last insane effort and then dropped out. I needed to rest up for Sunday.

Julie was at the race with me and her and I watched as the A group sprinted for the line. Taking the win by about a bike length was none other than little Tony Wieczorek. A 17 year old schooled some of the best 1/2 riders in the state and won. Congrats. It was then time to recover and prepare for AAVC.

Sunday marked the first of four AAVC spring training series races. The weather wasn't windy but the rain decided to make a guest appearance. Temperature was about 37 degrees and by the time we got to race, the road had puddles and the rain was harder than ever. 45 minutes of crit racing with about 20 guys. I was a little tired from Waterford, but I was still happy with how I rode. I was constantly mixing it up at the front with the other guys, I tried to get into 3-4 breakaways but none succeeded. I even out sprinted Alan Antonuk for a prime.

2 riders eventually made it into a successful break that stayed away for quite a while. As I had no teammates my job was pretty easy. I would go to the front, ride hard then go back and recover. Once I recover I went back to the front and rode hard etc. etc. etc. I had no idea how much time was left in the race as the lap cards were not being updated and I could see the break coming close. So I went to the front and did one last hard effort knowing I was going to get dropped. It was so cold and wet that if i tried to stand up my quads would cramp and I knew there would be a surge on the hill. So after my hard effort I pulled out and hear "3 laps to go!". Just my luck.

Alexey had a 2 lap flyer that got caught in the last lap where Antonuk took the sprint for the win. I wasted no time changing into dry warm clothes. We were all soaked to the bone by the end and most of us couldn't feel our fingers. Great day of racing though. I may not have finished either race this weekend, but I am not unhappy with my results. I am stronger than I was last year at this time by far. As I keep telling myself. This is my first season as a 1/2 it will be a learning experience.

Next week I am racing Saturday as we dont have racing Sunday due to Easter.
Pictures courtesy of Blake Beddow's facebook.

I know I know I know

2010-03-24T14:37:00.002-04:00

I am doing horribly bad with my blog this year. It will turn around here probably next week. I have just been slammed with school and I have a big presentation coming up on Friday that I literally JUST finished (still needs to be reviewed though).

I did however do Fisk Knob this past weekend. 17.4 mile Time Trial out in the middle of nowhere. I managed to ride 65 seconds faster than I have ever done the race for a total time of 43:59. That is an average of 23.8 mph for 44 minutes. As I haven't been training much and have not done any TT work, I was quite happy with my time. It was good enough for 4th in the 20-25 age group and 14th out of like 190 racers.

It was a good test, but there will be a better one this weekend. I am doing both the FRCC and STS training races this weekend. Hope to see you guys out there!

Back to schoolwork now...

Spring Break 2010 Begins

2010-02-28T00:10:00.002-05:00

Made it down to Panama City Beach in Florida today. Took us 2 days of traveling to get here. Stayed with my cousin Scott in Tennessee last night, woke up and drove to his college to have breakfast. All I have to say is that if I had $300,000 to spare, I would definitely go to Sawanee University of the South.

Once we got to the very nice hotel, we unloaded the car (yes I brought my bike) and checked out the pool deck. We immediately changed into our swimsuits and jumped into the warm pool. We hung out there for an hour until we got hungry. We then showered changed and headed out to scout the area. We went to Wal-Mart to get food (we have a kitchen), ate at Sonic, then dropped by the liquor store and headed back to the hotel.

Now I am sitting here typing this after we unloaded everything and cleaned up the kitchen. I am headed to bed so I can get out on the bike early and scout out the area for semi-decent training routes. Picture and more story later.

I know I fail at this

2010-02-05T12:32:00.006-05:00

But hey look, I'm posting now. I'm sorry to my 3 readers that I have not updated this in a long time. It is the off season, I am in my junior year of college and I don't have all that much to write about, but if I did, I wouldn't have the time do to school. However, today is one of my very few free days, so here it goes.

So I was over in Kalamazoo on January 9th with my brother Pat and my parents, skiing. Pat starts talking about a trip Eric is trying to put together for the following weekend. I call up Eric and invite myself, he was going to invite me anyway, just hadn't gotten a chance to call me. So that evening I booked my flight and the following week on Thursday January 14th, I flew out to Seattle.

The point of the trip was to get all five of the Maino brothers together to go skiing out West. It was 80% successful. Greg couldn't make it out, so it was just Eric, Pat, John and me. My flight was 4 hours ahead of Pats, so Eric and John picked me up at the airport and we went to eat, then drop off my luggage at their townhouse. We then went back to the airport to pick up Pat and headed to a bar to meet up with a bunch of their friends (Pat used to live out in Seattle.)

The following morning (John and Pat not feeling so hot) we loaded up the 2 cars early and hit the road. In the first car was Colleen (driving), John and me. In the second car was Eric, Pat and their friend Lassi. It was 2 hours to the boarder of Canada, and another 2 hours to Whistler. Yes, Whistler. Where the Olympics are being held in one week, one of the nicest skiing resorts in the world, Whistler. To make the trip even more fun (as expected when 2 or more Mainos are together) we raced to the boarder. Despite Colleen getting pulled over, we did cross into Canada before the others.

Once we got to Whistler we found our condo and suited up to ski. We took the lift tickets that came with the room and headed to the mountain. Well luck would have it that those tickets weren't valid for that day. So instead of reissuing the tickets they told us that we couldn't ski. The sky was amazingly blue, the slopes were in perfect condition and do to poor customer service, we couldn't enjoy it.

So we went hottubing. Then got dinner. Then watched some hockey and went to bed. We wanted to get up early and hit the slopes. And we did. We were on the mountain by 8:45am the following morning and it would be a rough day for me. I have never skied out west, so I have never skied powder. And let me tell you midwesterners who think skiing is skiing and snow is snow.....POWDER IS NOT THE SAME AS OUR CRAPPY MIDWEST SNOW. Its way more fun, but way harder to ski. So Saturday was a learning experience for me. I have never had sore legs from skiing....but then again, I've never skied out west.

After a fun full day, we went back to the condo, took a nap, ate, sat it hottub, watched more hockey and went to sleep. Again we were up and on the hill early Sunday. I was more confident in myself that day, and we proceeded to go as high up the mountain as they would let us. After one run, they had the peak open. John went skiing through the trees on the first run and decided to see how his ski tasted. But he was fine and we took off for the peak. On the run down, my brothers thought I was going a little fast, my right tip caught and I went face first into the snow. Both skis came off along with both poles. My brothers came to see if I was fine. Landing in power is one of the coolest experiences ever. I was fine with the exception of two nice bruises. We spent the rest of the day skiing 7th Heaven, gliding over fresh powered through the glades. It was amazing.

Well that was all the skiing we could get in for the weekend. The next morning we were up early driving back to the States. Pat and I were to fly out that evening because we didn't have school for MLK day. Unfortunately as I checked in for my flight, I had booked a flight leaving Tuesday. So I got an extra day in Seattle. I walked around the city, down to the market and back to the townhouse. Then flew home on the red eye. It was an EPIC trip.

Stay tuned for my next major event. Spring Break in Panama City, FL. (Yes I am taking my bike) We leave for Florida in 23 days.

Coming Soon to the Internet Near You

2010-01-19T23:10:00.002-05:00

My BLOG! Now that Alexey has a new blog and Darrell reserected his blog. I guess I should reinstate mine.

This past weekend, I flew out to Seattle (where I currently am) to meet up with my brothers. We drove up to Whistler B.C. to ski for 3 days. It was amazing. I fly back in 2.5 hours, get in at 6:10am and have class at 10am. SHould be fun.

I will update my blog and give a full description of the trip sometime in the next two days, along with pictures.

Stay Tuned.

Other than racing...

2009-09-30T19:00:00.001-04:00

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.

Heeeey yooouuuu guuuyyys

2009-09-28T18:02:00.002-04:00

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.

2010 Season

2009-09-23T22:51:00.001-04:00

I will be racing as a Category 2 cyclist for the MCG p/b Trails-Edge.com Racing Team next year.

Coming this weekend!

2009-09-16T23:02:00.001-04:00

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.

State Criterium Championships

2009-08-24T23:06:00.002-04:00

3rd Place! Missed 1st by about 2 inches. Should have the race report tomorrow.

Still Alive

2009-08-16T16:24:00.002-04:00

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.

Soon.

2009-07-23T18:34:00.002-04:00

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.

Superior Bike Fest - Circuit Race

2009-07-01T11:45:00.002-04:00

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.

Superior Bike Fest - Road Race

2009-07-01T11:10:00.003-04:00

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.

Superior Bike Fest - Crit

2009-06-30T10:07:00.004-04:00

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.

2009-06-22T14:51:00.001-04:00

Ok i lied. .called into work early. Will post tomorrow.

Check Back Tomorrow

2009-06-21T18:47:00.002-04:00

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.

Luck is Changing

2009-06-16T10:18:00.002-04:00

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.

The Cycling Gods Still Hate Me

2009-05-31T13:47:00.002-04:00

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.

2009-05-26T10:17:00.003-04:00

Just checking to see if my phone updates are working. Now I can give short reports from the finish line.

2009-05-26T10:17:00.001-04:00

Just checking to see if my phone updates are working. Now I can give short reports from the finish line.

Das Tour de Frankenmuth

2009-05-24T11:00:00.002-04:00

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.

It's never too late to post...

2009-05-18T09:36:00.002-04:00

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.

Its never too early to start training for Cone...

2009-04-13T15:39:00.002-04:00

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.

Mathemagic

2009-03-27T18:05:00.002-04:00

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.

The Cycling Gods Hate Me

2009-03-21T19:13:00.005-04:00

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)

Coming Soon

2009-03-18T00:30:00.003-04:00

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.

2009-03-10T20:30:00.001-04:00

"Lance is an amature athlete"

2009-02-15T11:55:00.005-05:00

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

Class List

2009-01-29T00:19:00.001-05:00

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

Well hello everyone

2009-01-27T18:13:00.002-05:00

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?

Undergrad Symposium

2009-01-14T20:27:00.003-05:00

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.

Skiing

2009-01-12T16:29:00.002-05:00

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.

I am Genius!

2009-01-05T18:11:00.002-05:00

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.

Christmas

2008-12-30T10:07:00.003-05:00

So I know its been a while (Not as long as Darrell or Colton), but here is a new post!

Doug was asking what I got for Christmas this year. I will put up pictures later (once I take some) But the base of my gifts include all new ski equipment (skis, poles and boots). This is the first time Ive ever gotten new ski equipment since I got my frist pair about 14 years ago. Its just been hand-me-downs from my brothers.
The skis are twin tipped rossignols and the boots are the race inspired high performance Nordica "Supercharger Blowers."

The other gift (that I wont get untill January 5th) is my long awaited PowerTap. I am buying it from a friend at Eastern. He lives in Wisconsin near the factory. He took it back with him over break to get it overhauled so I am practically getting a brand new PowerTap for a third of the cost. So expect my training to go a lot better this year and look for me to be even faster (hopefully).

Other gifts include: Apples-to-Apples (fun game), Patagonia snopants, lots of Axe, Ipod case, Bose headphones and assorted DVDs.

What did YOU get?

White-er

2008-12-19T10:43:00.001-05:00

It snowed A LOT last night. Shoveling my long driveway sucks.

White

2008-12-17T08:45:00.001-05:00

It snowed. Back to the trainer :-(

Cold

2008-12-16T17:19:00.002-05:00

Went riding outside for the first time in a while. 20 degrees, 8mph wind and light snow. Trails were a little slick but kept the bike upright. Sitting here 45 minutes after finishing and showering and my lungs are still burning and im coughing.

Tis the season

2008-12-08T18:10:00.002-05:00

2009 Cycling season that is.

So this is about the time of year that I consider to be the start of the new season. Now is the time we are meeting with teams, setting goals, taking inventory of equipment and clothing, ordering clothing and starting base.

Today was day 1 of base training. I spent an hour and a half on the trainer then did 150 situps, 75 pushups, 5 minutes of wall sits and 5 minutes of planks. As the weeks go on, I will add to the off bike strengthening including running, plyometrics, weight training (already started) and other core workouts.

My goal this season is to follow my training plan very closely. I did not do such a great job last year and didn't progress like I know I am capable of. So this season I am going to follow the plan and hopefully become a force to reckon with on the road. Time will tell.

The good thing about training, I felt great today after I was finished. I felt as if I could breathe clearer and deeper, move faster.....I just feel in shape again and I have missed it. I hope all of you are training for the season ahead, there are a lot of races to be contended this year!

Vande Velde

2008-12-05T11:59:00.003-05:00

So last night I got the chance to have dinner at the Dante Aligheri Society "100th Anniversary of the Giro d'Italia" celebration with a few of my fellow MCG teamates. The pizza, pasta and salad was fantastic.

After dinner a man did a presentation on the Giro D'Italia and introduced his friend and pink jersey owner Christian Vande Velde.

Vande Velde got up in front of everyone in the room at answered questions for about an hour. He answered everything from his amature track career to how pissed David Miller was when his chain broke. Climbing, descending, radio talk and the olympics were also covered. It was a really fun, laid back night.

Vande Velde is a very smart talented rider that has big hopes for next season and I wish him well.

After he got done talking, people got autographs, the team got a picture with him and I got to hold his pink jersey.

Whats funny, is that I was actually more exited to be with my teamates than I was to see Vande Velde. I love racing in the summer and being around the great guys that form up the Midwest Cycling Group and it was just a lot of fun sitting around the table talking about the upcoming season. Let me tell you...this is going to be one heck of a season in 2009. I can't wait!

Flying

2008-12-03T19:16:00.003-05:00

This is 6:15 of my flying around Seattle. Nothing spectacular, the landing is pretty cool though. I cut the sound out and added a song from my music library that was about as long as the video, which turns out is Pirates of the Caribbean. I cut out the sound because 1) Pat swore and we cant let the young ones hear that 2) it was pretty much a loud propeller the whole time. So enjoy.

Home

2008-12-03T10:06:00.003-05:00

(Seattle from the back of the Ferry)

So I figured I should update this to give people something to read. (James covered the watching part, check out Bike Boy's blog)

Anyways, I made it home from Seattle. Enjoyed the last few days there. On Thanksgiving I got to go up flying with my brother in a little Cesna around Seattle. I will edit video and put it up later. It was pretty cool taking off from Boeing Field...2 mile long runway, 300ft across...It was huge!

On Saturday we got to take the ferry to one of the islands around the city. It was fun, we had lunch at a little pizza place and I must say, it was delicious. We made our way back to the city after an hour or two of walking around. We packed and headed to the airport at 7:30pm to catch our 10:10pm flight. (1:10am Eastern Time) We landed at 5am in Detroit and I was home asleep on the couch by 6:45am. I slept on the couch because the child behind me on the plane kept me awake for the last 2.5 hours of the flight. After I woke up, I headed back to campus.

(Our plane from Sea-Tac to DTW)

It was good to have a break, but now we are preping for finals. On top of that, next semester is going to be quite busy. I have 17 credit hours, 2 labs per week. Working on research with Ian in the Ex. Phys. Lab. Working with Dr. McGregor on my Undergraduate Symposium presentation. Getting a job so I have money for rent and cycling this summer. Locating an appartment to live at this summer and next year. All while staying up with my training.

(All the cars on the ferry)

If anyone knows of a decent appartment in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area, please let me know.

In other news, I am now on Twitter. (http://twitter.com/zachmaino) I also created an account for the Midwest Cycling Group so that I can update race results from the race on my phone this summer. So if you miss a race and want to know results as soon as they are final, make sure you check out http://twitter.com/MidwestCycling.

Be Thankful

2008-11-27T19:57:00.002-05:00

So on my Thanksgiving out here in Seattle, I got to go to the supermarket with my parents, get my hair cut by my brother (see below), go flying with my brother (see below, video next week) and have dinner with my family.

Spending the day with the family made me realize that I am thankful for my family. As much as my 4 brothers and sister-in-law pick on me, I am still glad I have them in my life and that I can spend one week out of the year with them. I am also thankful for my great friends. There are 5-6 people I am friends with that I know I can count on, so I am glad I have them. Finally (not really, but for conversation sake) I am thankful for my team.

I am not saying I am thankful for my team because this is a cycling blog. I really am happy that I have the great teamates I do. I just read Jamie's blog about how cycling is a team sport and left a comment about how our team is a TEAM. We win and lose as a team, we don't focus on individuals so much, which I love. I am glad our team bonds, it gives me a group of great people I can share my passion with.

So with that said, I am thankful for my family, my freinds and my team.

For the sake of getting a few comments,
How did you spend your thanksgiving? And what are you thankful for?

200

2008-11-25T19:45:00.002-05:00

This is my 200th post. In honor of it...here are some photos from Seattle.

Where I am

2008-11-23T20:34:00.001-05:00

I'll be home Saturday.

Testing

2008-11-18T18:36:00.003-05:00

So one of the upper Exercise Science students approached me and asked if I would act as the subject for his class presenataion. He was describing and running a Charmichael test. I said sure. I had to follow a 15 minute warm up protocol, then ride a 3 mile time trial.

For the sake of testing, he hooked me up to the metabolic cart for data. (it wasnt necessary) So I came away from the test with some data. Its not bad right now seeing as I am 5'6", 136 lbs and its winter and I havent ridden in a while. Here is the data:

3 miles
7 min 37 sec
Avg Speed - 23.6 mph
Peak Speed - 27.0 mph
Avg HR - 184
Peak HR - 193
Avg Power - 281 W
Peak Power - 451 W
VO2 Peak - 65/kg ml/min

According to that data, my power to weight ratio at this moment is 4.55 W/kg

Bye Bye Teeth

2008-11-13T18:07:00.002-05:00

So this morning as soon as class was over, I drove to Jackson and went straight to my oral surgeons office. It was the day every teenager dreads...getting my wisdom teeth removed (10am appt)

The surgery didnt hurt one bit, as I was not awake for it at all. I remember them putting an IV in, and my next memory is waking up when it was time to leave. I remember getting in the car with my mom, and my next thought is waking up on the couch at home at 2pm.

I stayed on the couch untill 3-3:30. Then drove back to school. Now I am currently on Vicodin, Motrin and Amoxicillin for pain and infection.

I have a lot of homework to do this weekend, and a friend from AZ is coming to visit. She and the rest of the group want to go to the club. I will let you guys know if its interesting (because ill be on Vicodin)

A cool performance

2008-11-12T10:31:00.003-05:00

This is a video of a group called 'Blast!'. It is a musical group that consists of only brass, percussion and dancers. They have been to Jackson twice where I have seen them both times and I have seen them in Detroit once. It is a very cool performance based on the color wheel. Different songs reflect the different colors. The first video is representative of the color black and is called "Battery Battle", its mostly percussion. The second is the closer for the show, obviously the color is red.

If you get a chance to see this group live, you should.

New President

2008-11-06T09:59:00.003-05:00

In other news, I am sure you have heard (it was on the news a little in the past few days) Barack Obama is going to be the new president of the United States of America. I know everyone has their own opinion, so I am not posting this to start an argument. Just thought it should be posted because there is a fun story from my end.

So at 11:03pm Tuesday night I was in my friend Liz's room on the couch with her. That is when we heard that Obama was projected to win. About 5 minutes later our friends Colin and Janis come in and said we had to go outside.

When we got out there, campus was going crazy. There are many many Obama supporters on our campus and they all got together to celebrate in the streets. Literally IN the streets. The police didn't even try to break it up and cars had to turn around because they couldnt get through. It was pretty cool to see everyone united about something, its all too rare these days.

So I thought that was fun. I am not partial to any cadidate. I would have been happy with either McCain or Obama in office. Becuase no matter who won, no one can change it, so we might as well enjoy it. It is like Cat said, "They would both have had great successes, and they would both have had many disapointments. Lets hope the success outweighs the disapointment."

Vets Park

2008-11-06T09:23:00.005-05:00

Ok I know, I know, I know. It's Thursday and the races were Saturday and Sunday. "Why aren't you updating your blog Zack?" I know many of you were thinking that (or I hope you were.) Anyways, school has been busy and I have been tired. After taking an 8 week break from competition after Ann Arbor, then jumping in and doing two mens B cyclocross races at Vets Park back-to-back takes a lot out of the system. So when I havent been studying, in class, doing homework or eating...I have been asleep trying to recover. Which let me tell you SUCKS! Ace had me resting and not on the bike Monday-Wednesday and it was SO NICE outside and I couldn't enjoy it. Oh well, it's still nice today and I have to get in some intervals. Anyways...the cross races.

Saturday
So this was my first ever cyclocross race. I had debated doing the C race or the B race, but due to the amount of crap Joe L, Rob P, Rich S and Mark L would have given me for doing the C race, I lined up for the first ever time on grass with the Mens B field. I really had no idea what to expect, I had watched two cyclocross races in my life, attended two practices and had successfully jumped over a set of barriers once.

The whistle sounded and everyone gunned for the wholeshot(holeshot?) I didn't get a great start and was sitting about 18th or so back out of the 30 of us. We wound our way through the course and soon it broke up. I was in no form to stay with the leaders but there were these two guys about my strength battleling in front of me, so I stayed with them and eventually got passed them.

Comming through the middle section by the pit I took a corner a little fast and the front wheel went out and I went rolling across the ground. I got back up and hadn't lost a spot.

About halfway through the race John Marymor from U of M passed me. I decieded that I wanted to try and beat him, so he was my target. I eventually worked back up to him and passed him, eventually making it to the finish in 16th place. Not bad for a first timer. (and I made it over all the barriers safely and swiftly)

The coolest part of Saturday was that Ace and BB had brought a drum and Joe had scored a few flags of flanders. So the Southl Lyon team set up camp on the top of the hill where we could see the whole race and cheered on everyone in the race banging drums ringing bells running and waving flags. It was pretty cool.

Sunday
COLD! Sunday was just cold. The cool thing about Sunday was that the Specialized Demo Truck showed up. So people could test ride (and race) specialized bikes. On the downside, there was less cheering as Ace, BB, Joe, John R. and Doug (who said he was going Sunday) weren't there. However I was happy to see both of my parents show up, along with my trust soigner Nick and our friend Michelle.

Well I warmed up and lined up for the second time in two days and the second time in my life for a cross race. I was deffinitly feeling the effort of the day before. Again the whistle sounded and everyone took off. I got a little better start this time, sitting about 10th out of 40 ish people as we rode away from the line. I hit a hole and got tangled with a guy on a mountain bike for a sec, but we get away from each other without causing a problem.

As we cruised towards the middle section by the pit, it was a sharp left hander. I was trying to move up on the right side to gain a spot or two...which resulted in my losing 15. I went into the tape because I carried too much speed through the corner. I had to get off re-adjust and jump back in way behind the spot I was in. Had I not gone off course, I probably would have stayed with thr group of 7 guys that fought for 5th(?) place. Because I nearly caught them while I was making up spots, but never actually did.

Again John Marymor was one of the few people I was trying to beat. I had a nice gap for a while, but started tiring out and John caught up with me. With one lap to go he was sitting on my wheel. On the last time up the big hill, I put in a hard effort that hurt a lot. But it gave me a small gap on John that I barely held to the line. Again I ended up in 16th place.

It was fun racing cyclocross. I will deffinitly do it again as soon as I can. The problem, the next one in Michigan (other than Iceman) is three days after I get my wisdom teeth out. The next one is while I am in Seattle, and the next one is the day after I get back (yeah...I'll be at that one)

After the race, Nick tried one lap of the course on one of the specialized bikes. He said he would never do cyclocross, he doesn't like technical stuff, which is why he loves the road. Michelle said it was deffinitly more entertaining than road racing. After it was all said and done, my mom my friends and I went to Mongolian BBQ. Tasty.

Happy B-Day BB!

2008-11-04T09:45:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to James "Bike Boy" Anderson! Turns the big 14 today! Now he gets to race in a harder junior category. Here is to another year of a wonderful life!

Painfully Fun

2008-11-01T18:18:00.003-04:00

I did my first cross race today, went and raced the Bs at Vets Park. Finished 16th out of like 30 starters and crashed once. Not too bad. Afterwords I partied it up with the South Lyon guys (and BB) cheering on our teamates in a way we never have.

More pictures and a full report will be up tomorrow after the next race.

Fail the Press

2008-10-28T14:55:00.004-04:00

Anyone catch this? It was on "Meet the Press" when they went to Waterloo Iowa to interview John McCain. They showed a map of the battleground states for this election. Apparently Virginia is a huge battleground state! haha

(If you are geographically challeneged, that is not Virginia, thats North Carolina)

Its Alive, ITS ALIVE!

2008-10-23T11:50:00.002-04:00

Guess what! As of 11:43pm I have a fully functioning, raceable cyclocross bike. I am going to the AAVC Cross Practice at Vets Park tonight to get a taste of this side of the sport. Wish me luck. Enjoy the pics.

Cross Pictures

2008-10-21T22:35:00.002-04:00

For the sake of making another post, here are some random pictures.

Lower Huron Masters

2008-10-20T11:58:00.001-04:00

So here is the video I shot of the masters. This pretty much showcases Joe L, Mark L, and Rob P.

Lower Huron Mens B

2008-10-19T22:55:00.002-04:00

I decided not to edit the video at all. I just threw it together in order, no music, no transitions or credits. The video pretty much features Chris Aten and Roger Bowser with an interview with Chris at the end. There is not much dialogue, Im sure many of you will get annoyed with me saying "come on" and "get up there" a lot. I also have clips from the Masters race, so look for that tomorrow evening. Enjoy!

Half Built

2008-10-16T22:23:00.004-04:00

So I spent some time today assembling what I had. I have a chain, a 46t chainring, cleats and pedals too, but without a crankset and bottom bracket I cant do much. So this is what I have. I know its really pretty isn't it. Remember I have been buying as cheap as possible. Its not amazing, but its not the bike that makes the rider.

Almost...

2008-10-16T09:46:00.003-04:00

So as of 11:36pm last night, ALL of the parts for my cyclocross bike have been ordered. That means that I should have a completely built and functioning CX bike by the middle of next week.

Downside...I wont be able to race Lower Huron this weekend. But I will be there with my cameras getting some footage for the team.

College and Cyclocross (or lack there of)

2008-10-13T20:09:00.002-04:00

Hello Hello Hello,

So lately I have been spending hours in front of the computer burying myself in work. Physics, Pharmacology, Math, Speech and Listening Behavior keep me pretty busy with the homework. When I am not doing homework or in class, I am riding, in the gym or building up a cross bike.

I am almost done with the build. I lack a crankset and shoes. Other than that I have all the other stuff for the bike. I have been having trouble getting the components from my source lately, so I might just get on Nashbar and get a cheap crankset and shoes. I doubt I will be at the race on the 19th to race. I will be there with my cameras, but I probably wont have the bike (and deffinitly not the form) to race.

In other news, this past weekend I went home Saturday to hang out with my friend Mark. But before that I went to the AAVC Junior picnic. I took the road bike because there was a little racing going on. Mark Lovejoy had set up a short "cross" course for the juniors. After a few warm up laps we had a 5 lap race. Darrell and I waited a lap or two before going around the Juniors. Once I got a gap on Ace, he couldnt close it. I eventually ended up winning, even after running into a pole. The juniors seemed to enjoy themselves (though BB didnt take part in the race) and I think we might have inspired a new generation of cross racers. After the race, I went to
Jackson.

Mark goes to school in Illinois and was home for a few days so I met up with him. After lunch we met up with my brother out in the country and shot some rifles. This is only the 3rd time I have shot a rifle and it was fun. I was shooting about 80% taking my time to make sure the shot counted.

I am back to training 5 days a week now after a long break to rest. It feels good to get back on the bike to ride. I have missed it. I am very weak right now only being able to sustain 22-23mph for a couple of miles.

I had a meeting with Ace and we discussed my year ahead. It looks like I will be doing some early season racing in the south durring March and April to get some Cat2 upgrade points. My goal is to upgrade the Cat2 by the end of June. If you want to travel with me this season south to race, let me know. There is always room.

2009 Race Info:
Cone-Azalia - CANCELLED unless picked up by another group
Gaslight - CANCELLED
Rose City Crit - Back for 09'
Maillot Jaune - Becoming "Tour of Mount Pleasent" 2 days
Priority Health - Adding a 3rd day of racing (Friday)

So it looks like we have a full calender for the 2009 season. I hope you all will be ready to race and assemble strong teams. If you do not have a team, or are thinking you want to switch teams...the former South Lyon Cycle Racing Team is looking for talented Cat3 and Cat4 bicycle racers who fit in with our team atmosphere. Interested riders can contact Darrell Anderson (darrell@velospeedtraining.com)or Scott Gifford(on facebook)for more information.

Hello?

2008-09-29T16:10:00.002-04:00

So just wondering...I know its the off season (for road) but does anyone actually read this anymore? With the exeption of Cat's spitefull comment about Priority, the last comment was September 4, 2008 9:56 PM. Thats 25 days I have not heard from Colton, James, Doug, Darrell or others. I almost miss Dougs posting sprees.

Lately...

2008-09-28T11:47:00.005-04:00

So here is a picture montage of what I've been up to latelty. Currently I am watching the World Championships online.

I am still around!

Still hanging out with Cat.

Ryan doing some reading.

Making friends and playing darts.

Playing table tennis

Marching Band at homecoming.

Still riding a little.

Getting free ice cream.

And eating it with friends.

Campus at night

My friend Karl playing his guitar and singing one night.

Happy B-Day Ray!

2008-09-17T22:05:00.002-04:00

Today is "Big" Ray Dybowski's birthday. So Happy Birthday Ray!

I do not know Dybo very well. I first held a conversation with him this past July in Indiana at the Pancake Stage Race. He truly is an amazing person. He knows so much about this sport and knows how to help help anyone in need.

Since then I have heard many many stories about The Godfather and have talked to him at many races. It is great to finally know the most respected rider in the Michigan peloton. So again, Happy Birthday Ray!

Priority Ann Arbor 2/3 Video

2008-09-13T18:26:00.002-04:00

This is pretty much all the footage I have of the race. The finish was missed by accident, the videographer did not realize how much time was left.

I tried to eliminate all the boring/waiting parts, so the random short clips of 1-2 riders are the leaders. I did not want to make this video 4 minutes longer by leaving the gaps in it.

At 2:31 you see the leader go by, this is the only full length clip in the movie. It shows you how big the gap(24 seconds) was to the peloton (at 2:55 on video.)

Priority Weekend

2008-09-11T10:08:00.003-04:00

Awesome. Just awesome.

That is the best way to describe these races. I cannot wait untill next year, I am going to peak for these races. Colton, you need to come back here for these races next year.

GRAND RAPIDS
This race started with something like 60-70 riders. All Cat2/3 so we knew it was going to be a hard race. My goal for this race was to finish. The course was not all that technical, there were two brick sections that were not smooth, but not rough ennough to keep me from using my carbon wheels. The venue was awesome too. Last 200m baricaded with sponsors logos lining the street. A nice big start/finish line and a two story podium that housed the announcers, officials and winners podium.

I lined up at the very back of the group because I was doing a warmup lap when the riders were called to the line. The race started fast. A break was established for a while and I did what I could to help the team. My goal was to get to the front and do at least one pull through the start/finish line and get my name out there. So I started working my way to the front and man was it HARD! The feild was moving so fast that I had to expend most of my energy just to get around a few guys. At one point Big Ray went by me and I jumped in his draft. I finially got up to the front and sat on a West Coast Riders wheel for about half a lap. Then around the 200m to go sign I pulled through. That was a great feeling pulling the entire peloton across the brick streets.

After that I pretty much sat at the back. I used way too much energy and just wanted to stay with the group. So I dodged the dropped riders and managed to hold on. With about 2-3 laps to go, there was a crash. Darrell had been pushed into another rider and 4-5 guys went flying to the pavement. I was so far back that I had no trouble getting around the mess.

On the last lap I just held my position and finished with Alan A. and Brent D. I ended up 28th. Not bad for my first Cat 2 caliber race.

After the race I stayed and got footage of the Pro Mens and Pro Womens races. I have about 4 hours of video to get through, so I will post when I have time to edit.

ANN ARBOR
Rain started the day off gloomy. And it was the cause of some crashes in the early races. By the time our race started the rain had stopped and the sun was trying to peak out from around the clounds.

It was nice having a race nice and close. I had 7 of my freinds, my parents two of my brothers all show up to watch me race. Most of them have never seen a race like this, and deffinitly not a this caliber. So I was exited to have a fan base and wated to ride well.

This course was beautiful. I loved it. Techincal and fast with some "climbing." It was a tough tough course with only 1-2 spots that allowed you to move up in the peloton. We thought the feild was going to split for sure.

The race started and I went immeditatly to the front. I didnt want to go down on the first lap in some of the technical corners. We started with 55-60ish riders again today. On the last hill before the finish, I went to the front to pull. No one was interested in matching my speed, so I said what the heck and went for an early break. It was good publicity for me and the team. I did a 2 lap solo breakaway and then sat for a while in the feild.

For the next several minutes I just stayed in the draft, moved up on the hills and held a good line through the turns. However, Nathaniel Williams got off the front and had a signifigant gap. Thats when the pace just skyrocketed. Riders were dropping off the back like flies, they were all abandoning or getting pulled at the line.

I worked as hard as I could to stay with the feild, and trust me, there are times I almost quit. But I didnt want to dissapoint my freinds so I stayed in there. With about 3 laps to go, we realized we picked up the chase WAY too late. The course was too technical for the peloton to close the gap.

With 3 laps to go, they called a prime. I had no intention of going for it at all. But as we rounded the second to last corner at the bottom of the hill, I was sitting 4th wheel. It was for $50. So I took off on the hill. I thought that if I had a big enough gap on the hill, I could hold it to the finish. I was almost right. I looked back with about 100m to go and saw Brendon Benson comming after me. I used everything I had to get to the line first...but he is a great sprinter. Needless to say, I didnt win it. I lost it by about this [ ]much.

After that, Brendon and I both tried to get on the back of the feild. But it was useless. We both used all of our energy in the prime and rode in behind the pack. I finished dead last....but I finished. Remember I said we started with 60 riders. I placed 24th. We lost 2/3 of the peloton to an awesome race!

After the race I went to eat at BDs with my family. I then took footage of the Mens Pro race which included Frankie Andreu.

Congrats to Eric Chris and Scott who rode well this weekend. Eric managed 4th on both days. Chris was 5th in Ann Arbor. Scott was 9th in Grand Rapids and 14th in Ann Arbor.

It was a great race and I cant wait untill next year. THANK YOU PRIORITY HEALTH!

Priority Eve

2008-09-05T20:28:00.003-04:00

So I am sitting here in my room at the Courtyard Marriot in downtown Grand Rapids the night before the race.

I got here about an hour and a half before my parents and waited in the lobby for a while. I got to see Jamie Smith, the Colavita girls, Jittery Joes and Team Type one riders all come in. If I had thought about it sooner, I would have asked the Colavita girls if I could have gone on their ride with them, but I failed.

I wanted to talk to the Jittery Joes guys and tell them I was from the team, but they were a little busy and we never really met up after that. (Though they are literally directly across the hall from me.)

There is some party for the Priority race going on next door at the BOB, but I dont know what allows one to get into said party. So I went down to the eve on the ave and walked around with my parents. Now I am about to go to bed, because I am really tired.

School started this week, which is why Im tired, but thats a whole other post...

This race tomorrow is going to be AWESOME! Its going to be fast and its going to be hard. I cant wait.

Trophee and Devos Reports

2008-09-05T19:50:00.002-04:00

TROPHEE

So this was a pretty fun race, but I didn't expect it to some down to a feild sprint. I went in as the team leader with 3 guys riding support for me. Scott did great on the flats, keeping me protected and at the front. Doug helped out at the front as well. Eric stayed near me, ready to make it to any break that might form.

On the hills, I would always end up off the fron with 4-5 other guys who were also good at climbing, but we never stayed out there and always ended back in the peloton.

Thats pretty much how it went, lap after lap. A break would form then it would get pulled back. The climbers would battle on the hills, but eventually be pulled back. There is too much flat road between the climbs. The race needs to finish on top of Col de Trois to make it really interesting.

Anyways...the last time up Col de Trois, I made a move and got some of the other climbers to go with me. We wanted to cut off the straglers and downsize the peloton. But it was expected, so once we were at the bottom of the decent and saw the peloton on us, we sat up and went to rest to try and battle out the last climb.

The approach the the final climb was great. Scott and Eric did an awesome lead out for me. I kept yelling "BOTTOM OF THE HILL!" and thats where they got me. However, there were about 5 guys who had just been sitting in doing NOTHING the whole race and they took off from about 350m. I stayed with them for about 300m and came undone in the last 50m.

I ended up 9th, just behind Tony in 7th and Eric in 6th. I was disapointed in my placing, I thought I could do better. But congrats to Alexey V. who finished with the 3/4 peloton. Too bad BB couldn't be at the race, I'm sure he would have been right up there too.

NOTE: Team Fusion, please inform the rider on your team that got lapped by the peloton, that attacking while being a lap down is bad form.

NOTE: I got to drive neutral support for the Masters and Womens. Video below.

DEVOS

Didnt race Sunday, but woke up Monday morning ready to race. I picked up my freind Jason who just moved here and is a cat 3. We drove over to Aubrun Hills where my parents met me with my race wheels which I hadn't brought to school.

After I registered I met up with the team which consisted of Joe, Scott, Dominick, Eric and me. A pretty strong team if you ask me. Other heavy hitters there were Antonuck, Minnema and Birmann.

The course was kind of an 'L' in a bowl. The two highest points were the 180-turns. There as also a 90-right turn and a 120-left turn. We knew the 180s were going to be a little sketchy. And they were. They took down about 4 riders and I was almost one of them. I clipped my pedal pretty bad exiting one of them.

The race was fast. 52 minutes at over 26mph. There were constant attacks and bridge attemps so it wasnt hard to move around the group, but hard to hold your position.

I made an attempt or two to get in a breakway. Scott Eric and Joe did too. None of us were very successful. The feild was riding very sketchy for some reason. It was just a 3 feild of about 40 riders, but it wasnt as relaxed and safe as it usualy is.

However, we did make it through to the end. As we came around the last 180, it was about a half mile to the line. I went to the front with Eric on my wheel with Scott on his. I dug as deep as I could to give Scott what he wanted. But it was too hard for Eric. A gap formed and it was too late to recover and get a good leadout. Scott was left to his own in the last 400m.

I was hurting bad so I sat up about 200m from the line. As the peloton flew by there were some elbows being thrown and riders sliding into each other. One rider went right into Scott which resulted in Dominick going down hard.

After we got him off the road and looked at by the paramedics, I got him to a care center where his wife met him. My dad thought he had broken his collar bone. It turns out he seperated his shoulder. So D is out for a while and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Seeing as I finished behind the feild, I didnt bother looking at results. But there was some mix up and the officials wrote me down as having finished 13th. They paid to 25 places. So now I have to see if I can get that money. haha.

Trophee Video

2008-09-04T14:56:00.005-04:00

Hey all,
Sorry its been a while. I have been trying to get internet access here at school. Then once I got it I have been running around buying books, eating and meeting people. So I had some downtime this morning so I edited these videos. Its not great work, but it gets the point across.

This video was shot while I was driving support for the Womens race. I had a tripod set up in the passengers seat. I have half of the first lap and the entire last lap but to music by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

This video was shot while I was driving support for the Masters race. The tripod had been taken down at this point and I was shooting the camera with one hand and driving with the other. I was paying attention to the road and the riders, not so much where the camera was pointed, so sorry if the image is less than par. And sorry about the cheesy music.

Comming Soon

2008-08-31T11:49:00.002-04:00

Hey all,
Sorry that I have not touched my blog in about a month. I have been busy riding working and getting ready for school. I moved back in last night, but I dont have internet access yet. (I am using Cats computer) Once I have access I will post. I have about 4-5 videos to put up as well.

Sorry for the wait.

Ada, BTR and Hines

2008-08-11T18:12:00.002-04:00

ADA
Started with 41, finished with 25. BRUTAL race. Felt like a cat 1/2 race. I spent most of my time at the front with Craig or off the front with Minnema. Won a $20 prime over Jimi. With 5 laps to go I went to the front and hammered untill my vision started to go. I pulled off with three laps to go and let Craig take over. I rode the last few laps on my own and finished 25th.

BTR
WINDY! That sums it up. We had 5 riders there: Scott, Eric, Dominick, Chris and me. I raced pretty conservatively. I followed Minnema on most of his moves. Chris got in a break or two. It was a long race at an hour and fifteen minutes with some iffy corners. I got to the front near the end and pulled Roger back, but couldnt hold my position and ended up 14th in the sprint. Scott was 7th, Eric was 9th, Dominick 13th and Chris 18th. Video of the race will be up this week (i hope)

HINES TT
It was cold. Woke up at 5:15 to get the car packed and head to the course with Cat and Nick. Nick was doing his first TT ever. We warmed up, and I saw nick off. Then went back to warming up. There was a strong wind that made the ride out fast, the ride back very very not fun. My goal was 27:15. But when I hit the turnaround I died. The wind was horible. I felt like i was riding a flat tire the whole way back. Darrell started 1:30 behind me and passed me at the 9mi mark. Kroske started :30 behind me and passed me at the 10mi mark. But I caught Kroske right on the line. My time was 29:03. 2 minutes behind Darrell and Minnema. 30 seconds off Kroske. I settled for 8th, just behind my teamate John Burrows in 7th. Darrell was 3rd. It was intense and FAST this year.

NICK GOT 3rd IN THE CAT5s! With a time of 35:27. In his first TT ever!

Video of this race with several interviews (Scott, Darrell, Bike Boy, Alexey, Doug, Kroske, Nick and myself) will be up later this week too.

Frankie Andreu stopped by on a morning ride.

Sorry these posts arent very good. I dont get a lot of computer time anymore, busy.

FINALLY!!!

2008-08-03T15:58:00.003-04:00

Here you go! The long awaited video from Indiana. Sorry it took a while, I was using brand new software and trying to figure it out. It isn't anything like Bike Boy's cinimatic adventures, but it works. haha!

What do you all think?

Pancake Stage Race

2008-07-28T17:02:00.002-04:00

Two days, three races.

Saturday was the 57 mile Road Race through the pancake flat corn feilds. Sunday morning was a 20k Time Trial and Sunday afternoon was the 50 minute Criterium.

The Road Race was windy. 7 miles out wind at our back, one sharp 100 degree right turn, one shicane. 7 miles back in with a strong headwind, another shicane. Then a right turn and about 1.4k to the line with a cross wind.

Domnick was the only other SLC rider in the 3/4 feild with me and was very active untill he flatted on the 3rd lap. He had been in a breakaway with 3 other riders. Three of them were pulled back in the the peloton and another rider took off up to the lone rider and the two stayed away for a while. But the rider that bridged up to the lone rider was not strong enough to stay in the break and was pulled back. There was now a single rider up the road. We never brought him back. I spent a LOT of time at the front along with Kroske and we never pulled that rider back.

Coming into the sprint, we were racing for second. I made my move about 350m from the line. I was going to TT off the front. It worked. I got my gap and had the power to sustain in the the line for 2nd. But my legs cramped up. It wasn't like the twitched a little, they completely locked up, I was yelling in pain. I had to coast the last 75-100m and ended up 7th. (?)Moore was 1st, Kroske 2nd, Brent DelRosario 3rd.

My goal was to get my body recovered and have a much better second day of the race. It worked. I showed up the following morning tired, but ready to ride the TT. Much to my disapointment I opened the trailer to find my TT bike broken so I had to ride my Look. I managed a 5th place finish. Moore and Kroske went 1st and 2nd again. Good news for me though, the guys who finished 3rd and 4th in the TT finished behind me in the road race, so I now sat 3rd overall behind the other two.

The criterium was an important race. Moore told me he couldn't sprint, so we knew he was going to try and get away before the finish. I wanted to win to confirm my 3rd place overall. I told that to Scott (who came down for the crit) and Dominick, and they said that was fine. We came up with a plan. I was to stay in the feild protected from the wind, either on a teamates wheel, or marking Moore in case he moved. Scott and Dominick also agreed to pull any breakaway back. None of us knew it would go so well.

Scott was at the front for most of the race, setting a high pace that kept attacks low. Dominick sat on Moores wheel and I sat protected behind Dominick. Whenever Scott needed to rest, Dominick moved to the front and I sat behind Moore. Every breakaway was pulled in, and every move Moore made was countered by one of the SLC riders.

With 2 laps to go, both Scott and Dominick were at the back resting and I was following Moore. He attacked. I looked back and the only rider to go with us was Kroske. The top three in the race were off the front. With one lap to go, I pulled through and the three of us still had a gap. I pulled off and Moore pulled through and I jumped on Kroske's wheel. This was the technical section of the course. In about a 1/3 mile, we had 6 turns. There was no room to move around each other, so Moore had to keep pulling. The peloton caught us just before the final corner. Moore Kroske and I went around the corner in that order. Kroske went left of Moore and I went right. It was about 125m from the corner to the line. A perfect distance for me. I gunned it and as I came to the line I looked both left and right and the closest person was about 8 feet behind me. I WON!

Everyone from Michigan went crazy. All the SLC riders my whole group, even Kroske (who ended up 3rd) was cheering. I almost cried I was so happy. This was my first ever win. I kept shouting "Yeah!" down the road and I looked right and Scott was yelling "Thats how you do it!" to me. It was awesome!

That win secured my 3rd place overall, and Kroske edged out Moore by a SINGLE POINT for 1st overall.

It was an amazing race. But I owe it all to Dominick and Scott. There is no way I could have won on my own. They rode FLAWLESSLY! They kept me at the front, rested and out of trouble. That win was for them. After all the work they did for me, as selfless as they rode, I could not let them down. They did well too. Dominick managed a 4th place finish and Scott in 5th. They also won 3 primes between the two of them. It was a good day for our team

'Thank You' time:
SCOTT AND DOMINICK! You two were amazing!
Mom, thanks for putting up with me, driving and support.
Nick, thanks for being my mechanic and soigner.
Elisa, thanks for taking video.
Camille, thanks for pictures, comedy and support.
Cat, thanks for encouragment.
Darrell, thanks for my training plan.
James Knight, thanks for the bike I rode to victory.
Eric, thanks for the wheels I rode to victory.
South Lyon Cycle, thanks for giving me a team to ride for.
Race Organizers, thanks for a great and fun race!

As soon as I get pictures from Kroske, Alex and Camille I will post some.

2008-07-28T16:28:00.002-04:00

Pancake Stage Race. Criterium. I was the first across the line. Pictures and a full recap will be up later tonight.

Cedar Point

2008-07-22T10:04:00.004-04:00

Went to Cedar Point yesterday with Camille Nick and Elisa. It rained for a bit. It was fun. I had to drive there and back. Now I am tired. Crit Practice will be fun.

Nicks Blog

2008-07-19T00:03:00.002-04:00

So our friend Nick has decided to start his own blog about his rides. He started it on Thursday, the day Ricco was banned and fired. The website is:

www.riccocansuckit.blogspot.com

Check it out.

Up North

2008-07-13T10:01:00.006-04:00

So as I said, I spent a few days up north. My friends Elisa and her cousin Camille go up north with their family every year. They had two spots left in the house for a few days and asked me and Nick if we wanted to go up there, and we said yes.

So on my birthday I packed up the car, picked up Nick and headed north. Once we got to the house in Northport we went tubing on the bay, then Nick and I went for a ride to the lighthouse, we came back rested a bit and the whole group (all 13 of us) went out for dinner for my birthday. We got back and had the lovely cake that Elisa and Camille had made for me.

Friday we spent a bit of time at the beach where I tired my body out by swimming a lot. We then went to Leeland to walk around Fishtown and other shops. We got ice cream and headed back to the house. Nick went for a ride but came back after his cleat came loose. We all rested a bit from the day and after dinner the four of us (Nick Elisa Me and Camille) went to Traverse City to walk around the Cherry Festival and get a free slurpie from 7 Eleven (because it was 7/11/08)

Drove back Saturday and took Elisa with us for company.

In bad news, we will be seeing less of Cat at races. Her and I arent on the best terms right now. But maybe you all will be able to meet Elisa and Camille.

I am now sitting here watching The Tour climb the Col D'Aspin, its pretty split up right now.

Birthday!

2008-07-09T20:43:00.002-04:00

On July 10, 1988 at 3:47am I was born.

Tomorrow is July 10, 2008. That makes me 20 years old (Easy math Doug)

I just thought I would write HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! because I wont be online tomorrow.
I am going to Traverse City for 2 days. (Yes I am taking the bike)

In honor of my turning 20, I think all of my cycling buddies should pitch in and buy me a Cervelo P3 Carbon time trial bike. Thanks guys! haha

20

2008-07-06T13:10:00.002-04:00

So the only real update I have is that my birthday is Thursday. I will be 20 years old. The only other interesting this going on is Le Tour. I watch it live every morning. So yeah....thats about all I have to say.

Weekend of Hardship

2008-06-30T09:41:00.004-04:00

DNF. That sums up my weekend. Rockford. State TT. DNF.

-ROCKFORD-

Saturday at noon, I met Chris in the Best Buy parking lot. We carpooled (along with Cat) to Rockford for the race. While on the way, about 20 minutes from Rockford, I look out my rear view window and what do I see? Chris's front wheel had come loose and flew off the rack. It went bouncing down the highway avoiding cars and landed way off the side of the highway.

Cat Chris and I all got out of the car ans start searching. After about 15 minutes, Cat found it hidden in some high grass. You couldn't tell it had just been thrown at 75mph. It was actually more true than when we put it on the roof.

Once we got to the course, we wamred up and prepped to race. Chris, Dominick, Scott, Joe, Tony and me all lined up for the start. Minnema, Antonuk, Martinez, DelRosario and Kroske were all there too.

The race was fast. Everyone was hurting, but I felt like crap from the start. Everytime we hit the hill I would move back, I would pick up some places in the corners, but then I had to tuck tight behind someone becasuse the longest section of road had a direct, 30+mph headwind. (Bad for me because I am so light) Tony and Chris were doing a wonderful job on the front, relay attacking the first half of the race. Then Joe moved up and took a prime. Scott was sitting safely, just waiting for the right moment, and conserving. Dominick and I were nowhere to be found, just chilling at the back, trying to hang on.

About 15-20 minutes into the race, the winning break got up the road. Minnema, Antonuk, Chris Aten and a Spout rider. The pace picked up at this point, to pull them back in. People started getting twitchy, then it happened. Someone made a Cat 5 mistake, moving over into another line without looking back. The result? 3 guys hitting the ground, I dont know who the first guy was, but there was a Wolverine down, and Tony his hard too. The problem was that it happened on that long headwind straightaway. So I heard the crash before I saw anything. The guy I was tucked behind moved at the last second, and there was Tony lying on the ground in front of me. I had about a half second to react, so I did what people have told me was quite and impressive bunny hop, and jumped over Tony.

Now I have about a 50 meter gap and a 30 mph headwind. I rode hard untill the hill, then I had enough. I figured I wouldnt catch the peloton and could conserve for the time trial. I looked over at Brent who was next to me, and we both called it quits at the same time. We both rode over to our teamates and tended to their injuries. By this point, the break had about 40 seconds on the peloton. In the finale, Antonuk picked Chris at the line, and the Spout guy took Minnema by a hair for 3rd.

-STATE TT-

Again, Cat accompanied David and me on race day. Nick was supposed to go, but bailed last minute, so I had room to stick the tent in my car. We got to the course and picked up our numbers. We set up camp next to the car under the tent to keep out of the rain.

Originally the course was shortened due to flooding. But by racetime, it was back to the full length.

Time trials dont get much to report. I warmed up and started my race. Minnema was one minute behind me, and David at 2. It was 40k, two laps. By the first turnaround at 10k, Minnema overtook me. By the second turnaround at 20k, he was long gone, but I still had about 90 seconds on David.

I have been told the turnarounds were slick and people were slipping, but I had no problem. John Burrows crashed in one of the corners, destroyed his glasses and still managed to get under an hour. (Which was my goal too)

Well about 1.5k into my second lap my rear tubular flatted. I was mad....really mad. I am fine now, but any Roadie understands the feeling. You work so hard, invest so much money...then something you can't controll ruins it all. I was on my way to about a 59 minute 40k too. O well.

Darrell won. Beat Minnema by 35 seconds!

BB got jipped. They never told him the course was back to full length, so he turned around early and had to take a restart. The problem, restarts get DQd. So he did TWO 20k TTs AT FULL EFFORT AND STILL WON in his category. But was relegated to the back.

The course was muddy.

Photos by Cat.

Tigers Game

2008-06-26T16:00:00.006-04:00

So I went to the Tigers game last night.

It was wet.

Cat, my dad and I left Jackson about 3pm and met up with my cousins in Detroit. We got on the 'People Mover' (creative name....not) and went to Greektown. We went to a pastry shop and I got a chocolate concoction. We then walked to Cheli's and had dinner.

From there it was to the stadium. After five ish innings, the rain came down. We stayed untill 10:30 then left. My dad had to be at work at 6am.

It was fun despite the fact that it is the most boring game on the planet.

I don't like baseball.

Dumb Websites

2008-06-24T09:11:00.000-04:00

Anyone else hate Active.com? Because I really hate Active.com.

71 miles in 4 hours

2008-06-20T18:19:00.000-04:00

Fun ride today. I hate wind!

Update

2008-06-20T09:40:00.002-04:00

So this week has been pretty boring. I have just been hanging out with freinds, watching movies and eating ice cream. I realized last night that 'Miracle' is one of my favorite movies.

Yesterday I went out for just over two hours doing intervals. I rode from Jackson to Brooklyn, back into town and around Ella Sharp Park 3 times. An awesome thing came out of my ride. A freind I have not seen in over a year, or talked to in a few months texted me asking if I was riding. In short...we ended up hanging out in the park for a while. Its good to see old freinds.

Today I have to get in 4 hours. I am thinking about riding to Chelsea. I will probably head out around 11 ish.

No Superior Bike Fest for me this weekend. Next year I would like to get a group to go.

August 16th - 17th (i think) I am planning on racing the National Criterium Championships in Chicago with a few teamates.

Here is a list of songs running through my head on yesterdays ride...
-Life is a Highway (Rascal Flatts)
-Instanbul not Constantinople (We Might be Giants)
-The Adventure (Angels and Airwaves)
-Sing Sing Sing (Some Jazz Band)
-Don't Stop Believing (Journey)
-Keg in the Closet (Kenny Chesney)
-Better as Memory (Kenny Chesney)
-Malaguena (Blast!)
-Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
-Red Dirt Road (Brooks and Dunn)

Yeah I know....kind of a random list.

Allen Park

2008-06-16T10:43:00.003-04:00

Sorry Doug that I am not lightning quick to post about the race. Keep in mind that I was working at MIS this weekend. So after the race I went home, unloaded, changed and went to the track and worked all day Sunday, where there is very limited computer usage. (1 computer to 50 medical staff)

Anyways....the race.

I showed up about 6.5 hours before my race. My friend Nick who has been helping the team decided he would try to race. He ended up not finishing and waiting with a rider who crashed and broke his hip. He told me later that this sport was harder than he originaly thought.

After his race a sat around for a bit. Then I asked John as he was getting ready for the 1/2 race if I could have a radio. (The team was using radios to talk to each other) My job was to give out time gaps and encouragement. It also helped me quickly get John a new back wheel after he flatted. That race resulted in a breakaway lapping the peloton, so the peloton got pulled. John Z. was the only SLC rider left in the group so I annoyed the heck out of him by constantly yelling "go! go! go! come on! push it!" in the radio.

After I assited in the kids race that followed the 1/2 race, I kitted up and warmed up for our race. At the line, SLC lined up with 9 guys including Chris, Darrell, DMO, Dominick, Eric, Joe, Scott, Steve and me.

We rode a very aggressive race. Darrell took off the front from the gun. From that point forth, any break that tried to form had at least one SLC rider in it. Dominick made a monster move up to a strong break in the middle of the race. It stayed away for a few laps but was eventually swollowed up by the group. I put in an attack or two of my own, but I am not a strong rider so no one ever chases me. The wind was too much for me, so I sat up and ate a powerbar as I waited for the peloton.

Once I got back in the group, I found Jimi and locked myself to his wheel. If he took a drink, so did I. Anytime he would move up and pass Scott Eric or Darrell, I got their attention and let them sit on his wheel in case he made a move. This ended up working out perfectly, because Minnema took off and when he looked over his shoulder, what did he see? 5 South Lyon guys in a train behind him. He was a marked man. When I wasn't on Minnema's wheel, I was on Martinez's wheel.

With about 15 minutes left in the race, the offical annonced that we had 5 laps left. They cut our race 10 minutes short! Seeing as there was not much time left, I worked my way to the front, and with 3 laps left, I was on the front of the South Lyon Cycle Train that was leading the peloton. Darrell yelled "hold up" so I let up a little. I look over my left soulder and DMO just rocketed up the road. Now we were in a pickle. Do we continue the leadout? or do we let DMO go for the gold?

The leadout failed because we all thought DMO would make it to the line. But at the start of the last lap he was caught. I was sitting mid-peloton and couldn't move up, so I knew I was not going to have a good finish. As we rounded the last corner Martinez, who was the first guy through the corner, came upclipped. He then moved right, in front of the peloton, slowing everyone down. Brinkman got around him before he swerved, and got a nice gap for the win. As I came up by Lupe, I saw his chain was off too. Thats when it happened...Martinez lost controll and was catapulted off his bike, landing on his face. As I turned and looked, Doug from the Wolverines went down too and left in an ambluance. I am pretty sure he is alright.

That crash was very close to me, I am lucky I stayed upright. I am sorry for Doug, I hope he is alright.

Kudos to Christy Keely who won the womans 1/2/3 race and finished with the mens cat 3 feild after getting her front wheel taken out by someone who was not paying attention. She rolled across the road and was back mixing it up with us a few laps later.

Congrats to Joe! This was a fast race, and Joe was there on the front with 3 laps to go and finished with the feild!

Cedar Creek State Championships

2008-06-09T15:54:00.004-04:00

Epic. Biblical. Legendary. Majestic. These are some of the words used to describe the race yesterday.

5 laps, 85 miles. The Cat 3 feild started with 33 riders. Heavy hitters including Jimi Minnema, Lupe Martinez and Peter Beels. The race started under sunny skies. The first few laps were pretty relaxed. No one was in a rush to hammer for 85 miles. But eventually someone started the game and we had to chase.

On lap three the race really started. One Spout rider attacked at the start of the lap through the feed zone. Once the peloton caught up to him, a few people told him that was not a wise move and a bit unethical. The pace then got driven for a while by Greg Battista to the bottom of the hill where Minnema and Antonuk gapped the peloton and just kept going.

With Jimi up the road in a move similar to that of Frankemuth, the SLC team knew we had to close that gap down. We all went to the front to pull. We even got close a few times. The problem was that no one else wanted to work. I think we had 4 SLC guys and 2 other people helping chase. Riders who were not seen at the front untill the end of lap 4 or lap 5 were the PH boys, the Spout riders and the Wolverine guys. Me thinks they will help chase next time.

Because no one would help, I was getting frustrated. That is why I got in 4 different breakaways to try and bridge up the Minnema. I did this with two goals in mind. 1) Make it to the breakaway and get 3rd. or 2) Get the feild to chase me and catch the breakaway. Both failed.

Once I got back to the pack I told everyone that we were going to be sprinting for 3rd place, but everyone told me to be quiet and worry about my own race. Well with 10 miles to go, a lot of riders realized we were not going to catch them and started apologizing to me and told me they should have listened.

With about 7 miles left, the sky started leaking and little drops of water started comming down. About a mile later as we crested the hill the sky opened up completely. Rain POURED down on us. You couldn't see more than 15 feet in front of you. To make it more epic, there was a lightning storm too. I had to take my glasses off because they were fogging up, but this didnt help much because I couldn't see with the rain in my eyes. Someone I made it to the finish. I couldn't break either becuase I was on carbon wheels.

As the feild approached the line and made the final acceleration, I couldn't go with them. My legs were dead from the breakaway attempts. I ended up 20th overall. I probably could have gotten 3rd if I had conserved through the race.

Overall it was a successful race. I was very disapointed with the other teams that would not chase when we had the chance to catch Jimi. Hopefully they learned.

A HUGE THANK YOU to my mom, Nick, Mr. Wieczorek, Mrs. Iser and Mark for handing off bottles for the team.

[Photos by Joe Lekovish]

MS 150, Day 2

2008-06-09T15:52:00.000-04:00

75 miles. Really hot. I wore sunscreen. We passed 420 riders. Went home.

MS 150, Day 1

2008-05-31T19:01:00.004-04:00

Woke up this morning at 6am to prep and ride. Once we got over to the high school we registered. We put our numbers on and picked up some freebies.

As we prepared to start, they had us wait due to severe storms. We ignored them trying to stop us and went to breakfast at this nice little diner. I had french toast, it was amazing. After breakfast we headed out into the dense cold fog for our long day in the saddle.

The first half hour was quite cold. But it warmed up, the skies parted and the sun came out. From then on, the weather was beautiful....with the exeption of that pesky wind. It was directly out of the west off the lake around 25 mph, and gusting up to 40mph. (Tailwind = fun)

The first hour wasn't bad, once we got into a rythm of rotating the workload and passing other cyclists. Then we made a mistake. We missed a turn...somewhere. After going through two intersections where there were no markings, we knew something was wrong. So Scott pulls out the map and Darrell gets on his Blackberry to find our location and route us back. We ended up adding 8 miles to our 100 mile trip. (for Doug, 100 + 8 = 108 miles)

Once back on course we stopped and got water, PB&J and banannas. From there we continued along the lake on our way to lunch. After flying down a westerly road, we made a left hand turn. Not far past said turn, Scott flatted. Not just a pinch flat, it was like he rode over a razor blade. Whatever he hit sliced through his tire and tube. Once we got it replaced it was buldging a bit. We made it another 5 miles before he flatted again. He told us to ride the next two miles to the lunch stop without him and send a SAG vehicle back. So we did. but he replaced that tube and rode the the lunch stop. There he bought a new tire.

The last half of the ride was pretty eventless. We had to slow a bit for James to stay with us. Once we hit the century loop we had a ton of tailwind time. The downside, we had to ride back.

On the way back Darrell and Scott rode in front and me to the side allowing a pocket for James to ride in. We stopped at the 100 mile mark so James could take in the moment of his first century.

Once we got back, we went to dinner and carboloaded. After that Scott and I went to the local bike shop and had massages. It has been a fun day. One down/upside. I didnt wear sunscreen. So the downside, I an burned. The upside, my tanlines are smokin'.

Miles of Miles

2008-05-31T16:36:00.002-04:00

Check back later for a full report and photos, but the four of us rode 108 miles at an average of 18.4 miles an hour. Bike boy survived it!

Strong winds made for a fun ride, as did our...erm....detour, and Scott getting two flats within 5 miles of each other.

It was a ton of fun, but we are off to dinner and then free massages!

Holland Arrival

2008-05-30T22:30:00.002-04:00

So we got to Holland this evening after stopping to have dinner at Noodles and Co. We went to get our rooming assignments and learned we cant check in for the ride untill tomorrow morning.

So after unloading the trailer, and putting stuff away in our cozy decorative dorm room we get to stay in for the next two days, we took a walk around downtown.

We went into Velo City Cycles and looked around. They have some nice stuff and I got to try on the new line of Giro sunglasses....nice. Then they said "last call for the drawing" and we asked if we could put our names in, and they let us. The drawing was for a cycling cap, water bottle and SIDI socks. The name called was none other than James Anderson, our very own Bike Boy!

From there we kept walking untill we reached our turnaround point, the Coldstone Creamery. Scott got a smoothie, BB and Ace shared an 'Oreo Overload' and I got the 'Peanut Butter Perfection'. Delicious.

We walked back, I showered, shaved and brushed my teeth. Now I am getting ready for bed, and when I post this it will be lights out. Doing a century tomorrow, it will be Bike Boy's first time to break 68miles? something like that. Its going to be fun.

Most importantly, I learned a bit about Scott in his younger days and we are bringing back his old nickname. Instead of Scott or Giff, we (or at least I am) are going to call him STIXXX. The extra X's are for the way it was spelled on his license plate. Yeah it was that serious of a nickname, it was on his license plate.

Well its lights out for me and Stixxx, check back tomorrow for ride recap and photos!

No Chris

2008-05-30T13:40:00.000-04:00

Nevermind. Chris has to work on Sunday and cannot make the ride.

Pre MS 150

2008-05-30T13:35:00.002-04:00

So Scott Darrell Chris and James are all meeting here at my house in Jackson. We are loading our bikes in my utility trailer and putting our bags in Scotts car. The five of us will then spend the weekend riding for a wonderful cause.

I have the trailer preped and ready to haul. My bike is loaded up and my bag is packed. Now I am waiting for the others to arrive for our 4pm departure.

I am taking my computer with me so in the evenings, Bike Boy and I can find a coffee shop with wi-fi and keep our readers happy! (also so i can stay up to date with my email inbox)

Tour de Gaslight

2008-05-27T08:34:00.004-04:00

The last check said we were supposed to get hammered with rain and wind. They were right about the wind. The skies opened up and the sun was shining. We ended up racing in 81 degree burning sunshine with 17mph winds. Can't complain.

We arrived to the course just after 10am. My start time was not untill 12:40pm. I went to the registration table and picked up my number along with some freebies including a 'Tour de Gaslight' drinking glass. This was by far the smoothest registration I have gone through.

Once I pinned my number on I kitted up and headed down to the course to spin a little and watch the Junior and Cat 5 races. Bike Boy got 6th in the Junior race. The cat 5 race surprised me. They actually raced. One team had two guys off the front and the remaining teamates blocked in the peloton. When did cat 5s start racing? haha

My race was a combined field race. The 3s and the 4s were racing together. As we lined up at the front of the pack, I turned around and was astounded to see the 73 member feild ready to race. We finaly started our 45 minute + 2 lap race, and it was fast. We averaged 26mph the whole race. It never really slowed down. Attacks came constantly.

Throughout the race I tried to stay on Larry Warbasse's wheel. He returned from racing in Belgium a few days ago and was riding strong. Two times we got off the front together, but the peloton pulled us in. I tried a few more times to get off the front. I was off a grand total of 4 times I believe. When I wasn't off the front, Tony was trying to attack, and when Tony was not attacking, Joe was.

There was one crash near the end of the race as we made the turn onto the finishing straight. No SLC rider was involved. With 4 laps to go I attacked again. I was trying to let my team rest for a lap before the sprint. As I got pulled in I was sent to the back of the peloton because of the speed. I took advantage of the wind and made my way back to the front. This required quite an effort. I managed to make it to the top 20 before the final turn. The feild swept wide and i was lined up with the curb. I had to break hard which cost me a few spots. I then got out of the saddle and sprinted for the line. Darrell and Chris were ahead of me, and Tony was to my left. He out sprinted me by half a bike length. As I dove at the line I looked left and saw two other guys right at the line I was not sure if I had beat them. Turns out I did.

I thought I was just outside the top 20, but I ended up finished 16th, Tony 15th, Chris 13th, and Darrell 5th.

It was a super fast race and my tanlines are enhanced do to not wearing sunscreen.

After the race the SLC guys and the Wolverines were talking to the Bissell guys who are returning to Florida today. The congratulated us on our racing. They said we are very clean racers and that they wanst to return in a few months.

Then me, my dad my freind nick and my brother pat went to Mongolian BBQ for lunch.

Thank you Pat Dad and Nick for comming to the race and taking a ton of pictures and video.

Tour de Frankenmuth

2008-05-25T22:39:00.011-04:00

This post is dedicated to my impatient friend, Bike Boy.

So Friday night after I attended Cat's high school graduation ceremony (where she was Valedictorian and gave a nice speech) my Dad and I drove briskly to Frankenmuth. We arrived at the hotel just before 11pm. By 11:01 we were asleep. Thank you again Doug for offering to share the hotel room.

Saturday morning came quickely and it was cold! Temperatures in the low 40s. We made our 1.3 mile trek from the hotel to the parking lot full of cyclists and began prepping for the race. My Dad stood around and took pictures while I got my number, pinned it on and prepped my bike. He did however take the team's spare wheels to the support truck. As we were warming up, there was a hot air balloon launch taking place, Joe has a picture somewhere.

We rolled to the start line for our supposed 7:33am start time with the I/IIs going at 7:30. But at 7:47am the race still had not started for anyone. But eventually we got off and from the gun the racing started. Two riders sprinted off the front before the first corner. We left them out there and slowly pulled them in over the next few miles. Another flurry of attacks followed for a while but the right group just never formed so no one stayed out front very long.

Joe was very active at the beginning, attacking again and again. But as he said he ended up "out riding himself." I remained at the front for the better part of the race. I dropped back occasionaly to rest and recover, maybe talk to John Scott or Tony and see how they were doing and what their plans were, but spent a lot of time with Darrell watching the front. I would do my share of blocking everytime an SLC rider went off the front, but as I stated, all the early breaks were useless.

At the halfway point in the race, I was not feeling great. I had started the race on nothing more than a clif bar and a GU. Durring the race I consumed 5 GUs to keep my body functioning but it didnt feel like enough to get me to the finish with the feild. I made this known to my teamates so they wouldn't be looking around for me at the finish.

Durring lap 3 of 4 a rider got away and got a nice gap. We pulled him in on the run into the start/finish line. I would like to insert a small rant here about the finish line. I guess the city wouldn't let the race shut down the street. But 4 lanes across, maybe leave one lane for each direction and two for the race...no. The finish line and the 300 meters leading up to it was 6 feet wide and downhill. Do the math. Cyclists moving 40+ spriting with only 6ft of space....not too bright if you ask me.

On lap 4, the final lap, I was still with the peloton. This was where my mentality changed from "finish the race" to "finish with the peloton." I rode up to Darrell and he asked me to find the rest of the team and move them to the front to block so he could attack. As I moved back, I discovered we had lost Joe and John so I got Tony Scott and DMO to move their way up. But Darrell had an opportunity to go and took it. It didn't last long because we couldn't block because we hadn't had the time to move up. Eventually the team got to the front, but Darrell waiting on attacking.

Around 10 miles from the finish line, a Bissell guy made an attack and got a substancial gap. I told DMO to go with him. As the group pulled DMO back I made a small attack but was met with some yelling. They told me to "roll it" as in paceline. I wondered why and looked back...to my surprise there were 11 of us with a gap on the peloton. No one is sure what happened. I asked around, and no one really knows. But we formed a breakaway somehow. In the break were DMO, Darrell, Me, an ISCorp rider, the other two Bissell guys and 5 other guys from assorted teams. NOT included in the break was a Wolverine.

Well we tried to stay away to the finish. DMO and I did more then our share of setting the pace. We were assisted by the ISCorp rider and Darrell. However, the two Bissell guys sat 5th and 6th wheel, understandably not working. The 5 assorted guys behind them were from the MTB scene and didn't have the technical skills to paceline efficently. This left the 4 of us out of a group of 11 to chase down the one guy out front and beat the peloton.

My mentality changed again here. It was pretty much "Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!" because I was in so much pain. I wanted to quit, but I knew Darrell and DMO needed me, so I dug extra deep to help them. This whole time, our gap to the peloton was increasing. Scott said that him and Tony blocked while the peloton chased, but they just could not pull us back in.

As we flew through the feed zone about one mile from the finish, I was in the gutter. I had been red lined for a long time and was on the verge of shutting down. 500m from the line the road goes slightly uphill. I put everything I had left into my legs to try and get Darrell a leadout (racing for 2nd place, we never caught the Bissell guy) but I was in too much pain, I had pushed harder than I ever had before and had nothing left. I had to ease up and ride to the finish behind the group, Darrell getting 5th overall. DMO crossed just ahead of me in 11th and I got 12th, not bad for being the driving forces of the break. The peloton was about 40 seconds back.

Overall it was a good race. I was pleased with the work I did for Darrell and the break. A few of the guys even congradulated me on my efforts.

Things I thought of, but was too lazy to fit in above:

- I lost my wheel magnet at mile 45 which annoyed me, so I cannot tell you how fast the break was moving.
-Scott and I both hit a huge pothole that I thought broke my wheel, it ended up being fine.

-Thank you Tony for giving us gaps on purpose to start breaks.

-Thank you Tony and Scott for blocking in the peloton

-Kroske, make sure you are paying attention next time so you make the break and can't complain about it haha

-Sorry Kroske for almost running you off the road.

-Thank you Dad for lunch, pictures, support and driving home.

[Photos courtesy of my Dad]

[[As usual this post was not proofread for clarity or grammer]]

Possibly the best day of the season...

2008-05-20T16:46:00.002-04:00

CRIT PRACTICE STARTS TODAY!!!! 6pm at Runway Plaza.

I love crit practice, because it comes once a week. There are seveal short races, and it is just a great training tool. You dont have anything to gain or lose, which makes the racing so much better.

I really love crit practice. Hope to see you all there!