Transformers

Thanks to my buddy Griz:


http://uk.promotions.yahoo.com/transformers/

Uh um, this will not suck.

It's worse than PINK

Is that salmon?

And now here's something we hope you'll really like

I know what tyres I'm gettin in the spring!

I'm Fergalicious

I've been training really hard lately for next year. I can't wait to start racing! Only a couple months now.

I put in about 15 hrs this week. I'm trying to add an hour each week and then I'll taper down after the first race in March.

Wish me luck.

My stance

Ok so everyone hates Disco for signing Basso. I can understand everyone's feelings on that. But don't you all think we need to wait for all the facts before writing him off. Think about this. How many times have you heard about a celebrity having someone say they're the father of their child. Very rarely turns out to be the case. Even if it does that's not the point. Pro cyclists have earned a sort of celebrity status never seen before in our sport. I think this kinda makes them easier targets for scandal. We all know public opinion can have a substantial effect in certain situations. Maybe certain organizations in our sport are as dirty as the riders. Did you ever think about that? I sure as hell don't watch cycling for the organizations, where's your loyalty? So when it come to Mr. Basso, sure I have my suspicions, but they're mine. And until all the facts are in, I say he's innocent. If your just going to write him off like that because you believe the media then you'll probably believe me when I tell you he hates Muslims. Think about it. He first raced for Fassa Bortolo and Italian team. Then CSC a Danish team. Now an American team... The Pope's speech, the Danish cartoon, our war in Iraq. Pretty freakin' ridiculous isn't it. Well, yeah it is. Just wait for the facts. For the record the above little tale was for illustrational purposes so don't post any political or anti-muslin banter on my blog. Just wait for the facts. And NO Basso doesn't hate Muslims. In fact I've never spoken to him so I wouldn't know.

Here it comes... BUUUUUTTTT... If he, just like any other rider, turns out to be a cheat, then I'll forget he ever existed as a professional rider.

Austin Camp 2006

Hey buddy

The All Blacks Haka

I think we should do this before every race:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4415484536180232877&q=the+all+blacks&pr=goog-sl&hl=en

This is for all you haters

http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/pro-tour/2006-2007/sport_sto1010989.shtml

Nys Der.

B-o-o H-o-o

Source: www.velo.news and leave Basso alone!

No cross for me this year I guess. Well it's to be expected. After Cooper was born someone had to watch over my 2 year old. Since I'm the father I guess that would be me. Of course I'm joking and would rather play with my son more than anything, but...

I'd like my cake and eat too.

Oh well. 2K6 is in the bag and I think I did alright. Ended up 5th in my age for Comp on the dirt. Got my Cat 4 up grade on the road. Raced Chequamegon from the way back of the pack for a 301st place finish. Hey, at least I made the 1st page of results. The only thing that I didn't accomplish was racing any of the aforementioned cyclocross. :(

Not that I was ready for it but I did get my Cat 3 upgrade for cross so I could try a couple A2 races. Had better things to do--maybe next year.

Speaking of next year. This tread-head is going to give it a go at a road focused calendar for 2K7 . The goal is a Cat 3 upgrade, everything else is gravy. Oh yeah, maybe get in some cross too.

So goodbye 2006. Now it's time to relax, watch the tube and get fat. Then sometime around the end of March I'll start training.
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

Yo Dogg!

Yo yo yo. Guess what dropped dis week?

Ah yeah. The highly anticipated debut release "Playin with Fire".

Bet y'all didn't know I was a huge K-Fed fan huh.

Family Tree

Here’s a question for everyone. Is there an international bicycle racing hall-of-fame? Or, does anyone know how to trace the lineage of the current teams back through their list of title sponsors? For example: team Disco was USPS, and something before that. It would be neat to see some kinda family tree of cycling teams. Thanks!

What do Mapei and Bobby Gordon have in common?

NASCAR

Yup, it's true. There was some bantering going on the mfc forum, I think, about car racing and which was the best Indy, F1, Rally, Nascar etc. Well, the #7 car of Bobby Gordon will be flying the Mapei brand name across the hood (bonnet) at Lowes Speedway this weekend.

I found this humorous do to the fact that most cyclist, I believe we're talkin road cyclists, thought that NASCAR was too much of a redneck sport.

My neck must be a little red then.

Here's another little fun fact. The group that managed the Posties US Postal Service Cycling Team also managed the Nestle car.

Who's the redneck now?

Cat 3!

Yup, I'm a cat 3 now. Hard to believe that I'm a 3 so quickly after becoming a cat 4.

Just wish I could say that I was a cat 3 on the road. Looks like I can choose between A2's or B1's when ever I get around to racing cross this season.

Cross training?

Yeah it's cross season again.

I'll be lucky if I hit a race this year. Which is fine cause I got a good reason. By the time I feel like really training again the cross season will have come and gone.

So here's my question for an audience of 5.

What are some good ideas for cross training in the off season?...

End of the trail

Well that wraps up another season of racing.

Ended up 5th in Comp for my age group for MNSCS

Got my cat 4 upgrade on the road.

Not too bad.

But I want more!

See ya all next year...

Get your party ON!

Could have used these at Cheq:

http://adage.com/article?article_id=111941

From way way back to 303rd

What a blast. Chequamegon was this weekend and I was able to get into the race after 15 years. Lot has changed. Ton more people and more talent.

I learned right away how hard it was going to be. Think I got to the line at about 9:15 only to see that everyone had reserved their spots with bikes. That was not a sight to see. So I took the walk of shame all the way to the back. I think it goes without saying that I was kicking myself. I mean what was I thinking. 1800 racers and I'd show up and hop right in. Really Marc:(

So during the roll out I kinda made my way but not too aggressively. Once we got on 77 I was movin through the crowd. Jumpin on wheels and snaking my way. Then when we got on Rosie's field I was haulin'. And that was pretty much my race. I just kept chasing down group after group.

It wasn't until mile 30 when I started to slow a bit. I think I could hear my legs asking me why we were still going.









At some point around there was when I saw Da Kruse chasing frogs in the ditch.

He said he flatted but I saw the jar in his hand. He looked really happy though.

Finally I approached the finish area and gave it every last drop. I think it took me some where around 5 minutes or so before I snapped out of my daze. I was dead tired.





Now for his five seconds of fame on a blog that no one reads...
Chatted with Eric Dahl at the finish. It's always cool when the fast guys talk to you. He finished in the top 30 but I know he could have beat JHK. Maybe next year.










Here are some pic's that I grabbed from www.skinnyski.com:

No More Sandbagging

I'm a Cat 4 now:)

Try # 2

Just submitted my second attempt at upgrading to cat 4. :)

The verdict

Yeah it may only have 105 and no name brakes but this budget racer's got it where it counts. Took it out on it's maiden voyage on the GP ride this morning. Freakin' awesome. Cuts through the wind, has the right gearing, light, and the geometry makes all the difference. Good example would be one of the hill sprints, that I won, I kept poppin' wheelies since the rear wheel is tucked in right behind the bottom bracket.

Only con, I can't be one of the cool guys sporting DA. I can live with that.

New wheels for real!

Yup. It's true. I finally have a road rig!

Too bad it's at the end of the season and there's no more races.

GOOD NEWS: No more sick blogger

Note to blog master at: http://sickboy.dyndns.org/blog/

Stop being a wuss and fix your blog.

Or at least post your racer blog links so I have something to read at work.

Cross or mtb?

Which should I ride for my return to Chequamegon this year?

My cross bike or my mountain bike?

A piece of humble pie

It all started some 3 or 4 years ago at the Powder Monkey when I got my first taste of DNF. The course was much the same as it was thie past weekend with the little exception of a slight drizzle. It was just enough to make all the roots and rocks super slippery. I had raced here a few times over what's now 16 years of racing. But that day 3 or 4 years ago was to be my toughest race. Guess I couldn't hack it with all the real mountain biking conditions; rocks, roots tight twisty single track, and long climbs.

So the only monkey this weekend was the one on my back. To date this has been my best season but I knew that all the races leading up to this point were, for the most part, easy. And knowing that this was the race that started a series of DNF's for me, I'll admit it, I was concerned at the start. I thought I felt pretty good. Enough to think that I could actually do well, maybe top 5 overall. Au contraire.

From the gun up the first climb I was gasping for air. Not good. Lost contact with the main group before reaching the summit. This was bad 'cause I knew that the single track would string things out quickly. Halfway through the 1st of two laps I knew I was in trouble. Then Cory Gross came up on me and I told him that I wasn't going to let him get away. Well, I let him get away alright. I felt like that basketball movie were the pro's got their skills taken away from them. It was like racing as a beginner. No offense to beginner riders. I just felt like I was racing two levels below normal. Shortly after that the Grizz came up and blew right past. He's like the Randy Moss of single track. He was up until he picked the wrong line and went ass over tea kettle. I came down a rocky decent and he's just getting to his feet and putting his shades back on his face. This was really too bad 'cause he was smokin'. So we rode together for the rest of the race .

8/30/06
So I started this entry weeks ago and am now getting back to finish it. When I started this entry I was kinda thinkin' that my mtb season was over... Well I've decided to try and hit the St. Cloud race after Chequamegon. I figure that course might better suit me and that I might be able to make up some lost points, not to mention get the Monkey off my back, again! Besides, after the St. Cloud mtb race I'll be bidding farewell to mtb for a year and focusing in on road racing.

Oh yes, the transformation has begun!

Wiken Wimps @ Welch

Well what can I say. No WWW this year. I knew I wasn't ready with the lack of training but I thought I'd do better then 7th. Oh but I'll take it. It was nice to make it back to Welch after 3 years of missing it for various reasons. And the rain/downpour was something I haven't experienced for at leat 10 years. I'm just glad I had the Wall behind me before it really came down. Poor Grizz. He got the pleasure of dragging his mud caked bike for the last lap. Sorry man. Once that rain came down it completely changed that race. I was pretty pleased with how well I rode under those conditions. I was able to push myself without loosing control thus putting more distance on those behind me. Speaking of behind, Dan started kinda late do to his lack of shoes that he realized after picking up his bib#. He went all the way to bloomington and back starting some 20 minutes in arrears to the group. Nice job anyway Dan!

Next up Powder Monkey...

H WooD Dakota Tech Race

Source: www.rally-live.com
Had an awesome time tonight. That's a fun course-- my first time. Maybe I didn't race the smartest race, but I wasn't there to doing anything big. Just check the legs for this weekends mtb race at Welch. Looking back I'm kinda kicking myself. It would have been fun to see what I could have done if I would have stayed in the pack or gone off the front. Either way I was happy with my perfomance. So happy that I think I'll trade-in the knobbies next year and just focus on racing road. Since the Grizz didn't show I don't have any pics, but here's one that shows how I felt.

White Knuckles Baby

Source: www.velonews.com

Say it ain't so Floyd!

Floyd might just be a fake!

Check out www.velonews.com and www.eurosport.com.

Looks like Floyd was named as the rider in question for the positive "A" sample.I'd really like to think that this is all a misunderstanding, but we know how these things turn out. So I gotta ask, WHY THE TEMPTATION seriously!

By now they should know that they're going to get caught. I'm not so sure that our sport should get a rep for being the dirtiest sport, it should get a rep for the stupidest.

I'm glad I'm an ameteur racer.

I think Miami Vice II will have Tubbs and Crocket rollin' on 700's. They could get more collars chasing the peleton than busting down crack houses.

Don't Hassel the Hoff!

I know I shouldn't kick a man when he's down but look at the similarities here. In this picture of Jan enjoying un bier, you got to admit, he looks like David Hasselhoff.

Don't believe me. Check out the Hoff's latest video:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3382491587979249836&q=david+hasselhoff

FLOYD, FLOYD, FLOYD !

*If you're waiting to watch tonight DON'T READ THIS! *

(source: Eurosport.com)

Slap me six ways 'til Sunday! I can't believe how our boy Floyd straight-up destroyed an 11 man break to win stage 17 and pull within 30 sec.'s of Pereiro!

Do not miss the TT on Saturday.

Muddy River

Well... Tough day in the saddle for this guy. From the gun I was in 5th position and feeling relatively good. Just into the 3rd of 4 laps I hit a little jump and caught what would be too much air. For the record I wasn't trying for mad air. Experience has taught me a XC race is not the place. Anyway, I get a some, and while airborne I get off line heading straight for a 12 inch diameter tree. I had just enough time, once I hit the ground, to realize there was nothing I could do. We're talking fractions of a nano second. So I nail the tree with my thigh, arm, shoulder, and I think my head, hearing all kinds of things snapping and metal klinking. Is that a word? The funny thing was I didn't even hit the ground. The damn thing stopped me dead in my tracks. I probably went from say 14-16 miles per hour to zero in the fore mentioned nano second. Of course my chain popped off but when I tried to flick it back on my arm wouldn't respond. I thought for a second that I broke my collar bone. After a couple more seconds I was able to get it moving and flick the chain on. Boy was it slow going after that. Wasn't sure if I was going to finish but I knew from my "Spring Cup" experience that you have to give yourself a chance to ride back into the race. And I did just that. I lost quite a few positions and some great momentum, but was able to pull off 11th overall and 6th in age. I rode a little when I get home to loosen up my thigh and it felt pretty good. I'm happy that I have a month now to recuperate.

Next up Welch...

Bluff Riders Charge

Mankato was sweet today. Felt really good. Got 6th overall and 4th in age. Just missed the podium. >:( Oh well. Muddy river is coming up quick, hope I can keep the form.

Too much time away from the bike?

Well after about two weeks off from being sick and out of town on business I will attempt to get back to business. I guess I really have only a week to get back into shape for Mt. Kato. This race has treated me well in the past and I'd like to keep that going. I could be really stressed about being off the bike for so long but I think it will be good for me. And yes, I am going through withdrawal. I'm looking forward to riding tomorrow and paying for my absence. Should be a great day.

So with that out of the way, what the hell is going on with the Pro Peloton? Basso, Ullrich gone. That sucks for everyone else but rules for tea Red, White and Blue. It's going to be a fight between either Hincapie(I hope) or Popo and Landis.

Comfy pace and cow dung smells

Rode this morning before work. For a change I could say it was cold. Being close to the river can create quite a change in temp quick. After I had a chance to warm the legs up I decided to attack the very next incline to start my ITT of my Dirty Thirty loop. Hmm, bridge to engine room we need more power... No response. It was pretty clear that my intentions of putting in any kind of an effort were futile. So I decided to ride recovery pace (the plan for the week) and take in the scenery. Before long I was taking in some smells that stunk as much as my legs. Thanks cows.

Anyone want to go cow tippin'?

6 more days 'til Millar Time

British Championship marks the return of the Scot David Millar to professional cycling after a two year ban for using EPO. It'll be great to see what the lad brings to the table after two years off. I for one am a fan of Millar's and hope he does something special.

Afton Avalanche

Hot! Really hot! I rode the course last Wednesday and thought it was going to be a little easier this year. With todays heat it was as nasty as ever.

I was able to get a front row start which made all the difference. Made it through the first singletrack section with no bottleneck. Tried to hold onto the lead group but eventually slowed into a pace that left me lonely the rest of the race. Besides that it was the typical up down, up down that is Afton. This was by far my best finish on this course and I'll take it, 10th overall and 5th for my age group!

But, it came at a price. I guess my body doesn't want to sleep after the effort that I put in today/yesterday, hence why I'm up at three in the morning writing this. I have what I like to call happy legs. They just don't want to sleep. I just keep tossing and turning. Weird!

Rested and re-motivated

I think DMX said it best. "Stop... drop... shut'em down, open up shop".

I'm feeling pretty good again. Here's a pic of me from my ride today:











source: velonews.com

Tired and unmotivated

Not sure if you can say I've over trained, but I really feel like I need a break from riding/training. Maybe I'm down on my performance thus far in '06???

No ride again today for this guy.

Maybe tomorrow.

Steeple Chase

20th overall, 12th in my age group.

Not super pleased with the result.

And that'll do it for this entry.

The big bluff

Finally after many years I get a win. What a night.

The cat 5 race started just like any night and I felt really good, or so I thought. Went for the 1st sprint and the legs just weren't there. Thought that was kinda odd after putting in the 100 mile ride this weekend. Lalla said before the race that he thought those 100 miles would play to our advantage tonight. So the second sprint came and again I could only muster like 8th or so. So, I was thinking oh crap, maybe I'm not feeling so great, and decide to sit the 3rd sprint out and rest for the final. As we headed out on the 12th and final lap I decided that I wasn't going to wait for the sprint to start as we made our way up the final hill. NV and Hoigarrds had been playing some tactics and I really wanted to spoil there fun all by myself. So, half way through the back straight I start ramping it up. I go around the outside and notice that no ones taking me seriously. Their mistake. By this point the left turn after the straight before the merge was approaching and I wanted to use that merge/bottleneck to my advantage. So I just hammer. Hammer my arse off! I come haulin around the ess curve praying that my tires will hold. And hold they did. Made it to the final climb and kept looking back to see if they were coming. No, not yet. Pedal, pedal, pedal. Look back, still no real reaction. Nice! No one wanted to commit. Bad news, I was popped. I told my self, cry, scream, shed blood, or black out, but you get your butt across that line. There was no way I was going to blow this. I had just enough to keep the group behind me. Score 10 points for me and the overall win. Yah hoooooo!

No way that just happened. Did I mention that I was listening to the "Gambler" before the race. I found an ace that I could keep!

Just like some one mentioned in their blog a few weeks back. It's funny how you do well and everyone's like, hey when are you going to upgrade, or call you a sand bagger (Pete). I say bring it on. Make sure your comment reaches the ears of those who can grant upgrades. I want to be a cat 4. It's hard focusing on racing mountain bikes and getting your 10 mass starts. If this tips the scales I'm all for it.

101.4

No this is not a new radio station. Adam decided that with part of the team going down to Chippewa Falls for a century ride that we'd have to put one together for those of us who we're staying local over the holiday weekend. So after we suckered Lalla into riding with us he recommended that we start off with the Grand Performance ride and then continue on from the shop up to Stillwater. So that's what we did.

Have to admit I was a little nervous for the GP ride since it has a history of being pretty big. Kinda think Adam was too. So I rode from Woodbury to Lalla's in West St. Paul where we hooked up with the ride. The ride was just the amount of challenging that I was looking for. Much better than the ride I did earlier in the week. The sprints were a little tricky for Adam and I since we really didn't know where the were. We did manage to go 2-3 for the 494 bridge on 13. That was awesome! Not sure but I think we figured around 40+ at the line.

From the GP ride we were able to sucker one person to join us for our Stillwater leg. Took the paved trail that runs along 36 from the Capitol to highway 12 and 12 into town. Nice route choice Lalla. It was a great morning of riding. I peeled off from the group on the way back at the junction of 12 and Manning. Ouch! Solo headwind all the way home. Got close to home a little short of 100 miles for the day so I went out for a small loop around my house to make good on my goal. That was the best 100 miles I've ever done!

Grizz took some pics that I'll steal and post later.

Football is not the only game of inches

Great weather and awesome course. Nice work Erik's! Harmon park is now my favorite trail. Started off fighting for a good position and had to get a little nasty with a couple dudes. I mean really, they're holden up the show. I kept tellin' them to go but they'd only go when I called out my pass. That's really irritating. I know in this instance I don't have the right-of-way but when you're going too damn slow... get out of the freakin way! It was really bad. I'd call out my pass and they'd speed up and cut me off. I was sooooooo close to just checking them out of the way. So here's a warning those I pass. If I'm coming up on you pretty hard... GET OUT OF MY WAY! I'll put you in the ditch!



So I hook up with Paul S. and the Grizz once we passed all the riff raff and we're haulin'. I'm starting to feel really good like Jens Voigt or somethin'. We get out of the singletrack and I go for the gels and H2O. Then I feel the power of the Earth's gavitational pull and cheese grind it on the pavement. There goes the day. Not sure what really happened just some bad contact at the wrong time I guess. It took me a while to remember who I was and that I was in a bike race. Weird! Got back on the rig and Paul had dropped back to check on me and pull me back up to speed. Thanks to the adrenaline I was able to get going right away. Started to feel good again and was almost done with the 3rd lap just past the rock when I cramped up like a SOB. Thankfully Scott and Ty were there snappin pics. So I hung out with them for a while thinking I was done racing for the day. So after chillin for a while I decided to roll back to the start/finish to turn in my transponder and report my DNF. Well I started feelin good again. Rode myself back into the race. Unfortunately my race was over and I was just riding for points and to get my monies worth. I was surprised when I started hammering again. I was feeling pretty good and glad I decided to keep going after I went through the s/f. It was kinda fun racing by myself just crankin. Then Doug Swanson came up on me and passed. I swear that guy's a ninja. He's so quiet on the bike. So smooth. So I got to pretend I was racing expert again and with the lead racer. That didn't last long. Then a little while later Eric Dahl came up and had a chance to chat with him and give him some props on his new gig w/C'dale. Very nice! Tried to hold off the group behind him for a spell so he could get some more time on them... Not really. I couldn't quite block after the hell I went through for my race. It just didn't seem right.

Anyway I finished up dead last in my age group but got some much needed points. I'm pretty sore today but all in all I'd say it was one of my best races. If I wouldn't have stacked it or cramped I'm pretty confident I would have finished in the top 10 for sure. I'm also proud of myself for hangin in there and finishing the race. Didn't know I could be that tough. Good to know.

Well, I'm off to go see Ice Age 2 with Finley. That will cap off a pretty stellar weekend.

Check out the Grizz's pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/grizzlyadam/tags/mnscs1/

Call it... 11:00 pm

It is done. I finally got the new mtb built, and I must say I did a pretty nice job of it. I was able to eyeball everything up for the drivetrain and barely make any adjustments. It rides pretty sweet too, and it fits. I can't wait to unveil it at this weekends Spring Cup at Harmon Park. I'm exhausted and ready to crash. More after the race.

*UPDATE*

It may be an Access POS but it sure rode well for only $130.

Here are some pics of BASEHELL:

Here's my protege

Opus # ?... 2 for me

What a night. I'll admit I wasn't thinking about the points tonight. Maybe I should have. But my passed experience at Opus has taught me that I have plenty to learn when it comes to circuit racing. 1st time I did it I got dropped, not my fault really, but dropped none the less. 2nd time spit out the back on the last lap just before the finish. last week, same as my 2nd attempt. Tonight, well that was different. I decide that I'd stay towards the front for the whole race and not go for any primes until the end. I went for it alright! It came down to that darn last turn before the hill that gets me every time. I came around the outside pretty much uncontested. So right as we hit the hill on the straight I start to rev it up. I feel Tim (from the Oakdale Erik's) hop on my wheel. He doesn't stay long and makes a move to go around me on the right. So I crank it up, he cranks it up, the next thing you know it's just me and Tim going all out for the line. We're both redlined and he gets me at the line by a wheel. I was really hoping to get the 10 points which would have made for a two way tie for 1st overall, but that's the best second place sprint (4th overall) I've ever had.

This sport ROCK!

Maybe I should stop racing mountain bikes and only race road?

Cheq. 1992

Oh yes check this pic out. Those were the days. Sadly that Kona Hot I was rollin is a lot better than what I'm on today. Notice the onza sticker on the Julie Furtado Leader helmet, and the first generation Marzocchi. I was so fast back then. I think I'm shedding a tear. Sniff, sniff.

Spring Cup

I can't believe the Spring Cup is this weekend. That was quick! Too bad I'm behind on my so called training schedule, I'm sure I could have pulled of a win. Ha ha! Should be a sweet race with plenty of action for all. The weather looks awesome for racin' with temps in the 70's and sunny skies. Cross your fingers so it stays that way.

Who's going? Who's ridden the course?

Doing Opus CX style

Yeah well since I don't have an official road bike I'm forced to ride the redline. Not that it would make that much of a difference, or would it?

Started off pretty well. I knew I didn't have for the overall win or at least I knew I'd have to suck wheel too much to get it. I really just wanted the miles and experience. Rode pretty strong. Got 4th or 5th in the 1st sprint, didn't go for the second, got 1st or 2nd in the 3rd sprint, was about to attempt a long sprint for the finish but the engine room shut down as I came up on the last turn.

Oh well, maybe next week right?

Anyone seen my bike?

Really! I haven't been on my bike since the Monday after Oxbow. This basement is killing me. This was looking like the best start to a season ever for me. I think I've reached the max time off before you actually start losing fitness. Unfortunately I'm not out of the woods yet on this basement stuff. The carpets getting installed as I write this which leaves a few plumbing details, some painting, and trim work. So, Tuesday at Opus is out. >:(

So everyone is getting stronger and I'm getting spit out the proverbial back. This leaves me with 3 weeks to get the form back before the Spring Cup. AHHHH! I still haven't built my mtb bike. This sucks! And the worst part is I saw that the guy I hate to lose to was at both Ken Woods(Andy will be so proud with my spelling) and the Iron Man. You know how you have that one rider who you know you should and can beat, that's why you hate them. Yah, looks like he'll be kickin my can all season.

Time to go undercover...
...Undercover training that is. Super dooper top secret training. Stealth-like.

Since the weather is so nice I think I'll finally take the semi-slicks from Oxbow off the bike and trade them for some slicks and ride the trainer.

Did I mention it's been so long that I've been on my bike that I have hairy legs again.

Gotta turn this around fast!

BTW- the picture is from a party that Tyer had. We tried to recreate our prom from a million years ago. I had to put something up that made me laugh.

Hell of the North

This picture just about sums it up for tomorrows race.


source: Velo News

Need motivation?

I just had to post this clip from Velo News

Saul Raisin's dedication is inspirational:

I was distressed to read about Saul Raisin's crash and his drug-induced coma. I remember racing in Union City, Georgia, several years ago. It was a split day: a morning time trial and an evening criterium. After the criterium (which was held in a shopping mall parking lot) there was this kid riding around and around the 1 mile shopping mall access road. He was there after all the races were over, and he was still doing laps around the mall after the race-sponsored pasta dinner (we are talking four or so hours of riding in circles, folks). I remember walking out of the mall after dinner as the sun was dipping in the sky, and I saw the same kid still cranking around. I thought, "Who is this kid? That is some dedication."
It turns out that was a young Saul Raisin who needed to get in some extra training miles, and the mall road was the only place to do it in an urban, traffic-clogged setting. He did not use the unfriendly cycling terrain as an excuse to dodge training. There was work to be done, so he did it.
I saw him the next morning in the race hotel and overheard some other guys asking him why he rode so long around the mall. A simple "I needed to get in the miles" was his reply. What a professional.
Steve Prefontaine said that "to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." Saul's dedication that day demonstrates that he too must live by that motto. I often think of him that day when I struggle in my own training, and his example still gives me an extra boost of motivation.

Hang in there, Saul.

John HartKnoxville, Tennessee

(Source: Velo News)

Please keep Saul in you thoughts.

A little something...

Been a little too busy to write anything lately. Between work, riding and working on my basement, I just haven't had the time or energy. Well, I've got something that I can finally report on. Christine and I are expecting number two in October. Looks like the baby might show up right around Halloween. Good reason to miss out on some of the cross season:)

Cheq in!

Yeah baby! My check cleared too! So it looks like I made it in to the 2006 Chequamegon 40.

Dogwood Classic Recap

The race was awesome. Super suffer fest. I've never seen so many hills. The weather was perfect 40* at the start and 50* by the end. I did really well for myself. Stayed with the lead group the whole way until the last 10 miles. Got dropped twice and was able to fight like hell to get back on. After the third time I was cooked. Came in a few minutes after the lead group. All in all I was quite please with my performance. Clocked a top speed of 46 mph. More to come later. I'm dead!

*Here is a link to some pics of the race.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kaotosenyin/album?.dir=ef0c&.src=ph
Still waiting for results.

'On the Road Again'

Finally got outside for some real miles. Didn't clock a ton but it's a lot more and earlier than any year to date. I'll try to get some more in before I head down to the Dogwood Classic next Friday.

It's Back On!

After a week and a half off due to my training facilities being in an upheaval, and a bad cold, I'm back training. Boy does it feel good to be back on the bike. I was going crazy. I only have a week until the Missouri race. I think I might be a little behind schedule, which is ok, so I'll more than likely ride for the Minnesota contingent. Should be a good time.

So now that I finally got back on the bike maybe I'll go skiing tomorrow?...

FLOYD

First ToCA and now a great showing at Paris-Nice. I've got to say I'm not too surprised Floyd's doing as well as he is. All of Lance's disciples are doing really well. Well, except for Tyler. Though it seems riding for the 7 time Tdf champ has left a bad taste in their mouths to ride for anyone nowadays. Wouldn't it be nice to see an all American team. Don't get me wrong I was all for Team 7 Eleven back in the day, but we really have some great talent coming out of the states now. I know it's no secret, it's just fun to imagine how we'd crush EVERYONE!

Photo: www.velonews.com

INDOOR TRAINING

Well the first solid month of training is almost in the books. It's actually been kinda fun this year. Heck, when you can have the tube tuned into the Olympics, the lappy on www.cycling.tv and the iPod on shuffle, you can't lose. Although it's been fun I'm really excited fo the up coming weather. Looks like upper 30's for a while. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this weekend. Of course we'll still get nailed with a dump of snow in March. Maybe I'll be able to bust the skis out for a little XC'n.

Back to the training. I'm feeling pretty good so far. Probably better than ever! The true test will be the road race in Springfield, Missouri. It's about a 10 hour drive down so having to race the next day will be a little of a challenge. Which will be fine since I won't be going for the win. Like I'd get it anyway. Ha ha! I'm really looking forward to testing out my top secret weapon. That's why my first race has to be far enough away so no one around here will be ready when I unleash it. It's going to be awesome!

I just hope that all the hype from everyone expecting me to win a couple races doesn't get to me. I don't want to Bode things up. Honestly, cut the guy some slack. He kicked butt on the World Cup and just because he couldn't be on during the Olympics everyone's down on him. How many people out of all the critics know anything about down hill ski racing? Not too many of them. As far as him partying at night, come on. That's what we're known for. I can say that because I raced for a little bit and skied for over 20 years. Oh yeah, and I'm sure she'll read this blog, Picabo, Shut it! You're retired and no one wants to hear from you. Let the girls have their fun.

Sorry for the rant. Had to be done.

ToCA needs more TV coverage! Way to go Floyd. Too bad Tyler. Nice first race Toyota United. Anyone want to give me a new 80mm black Manitou R7 just for fun?

Look who has the ToCA lead...

I just had to post this for Andy since he can't stand George. He happens to be one of my favorite riders. And I think he's quite underrated.

What do you think?





www.velonews.com

1st. Race of the season

Looks like I might be heading down to Branson, MO or a little early season road race. The In-laws are going there to vacation and get some golf in. So, we decided to go with and I thought it would be a great opportunity to start the season with. That leaves me with a little more than a month to get ready. Sure am glad I already started training.

I'm really looking forward to a good season of racing. This year I decided to move up to B1's for cross and had a pretty decent year. I averaged about 15th place and ended the season at the Hudson Cross, GREAT RACE, in 7th. I believe. I addition to that I started training earlier than last year. So I should have a pretty good base and now that I have a bike that actually fits me... Who knows. It may be biting off more than I can chew but I would like to actually win an MTB race this year. I haven't done so since the 1991 Star of the North Games in the beginner class. It would be nice to taste victory again. I mean why go through all this training and pain if you don't hope to win one of these things. It may not come to fruition but it's worth a shot.

So how do we get there? Not 100% sure but I plan on using some strategically placed RR's as tune-ups for the dirt. Here's the tentative schedule:

March 25th RR Springfield, MO
April 15th Oxbow Classic
April 22nd Durand RR
April 29th Kenwoods Memorial RR
April 30th Iron man 100 mile
May 2nd Opus
May 9th Opus
May 20th Spring Cup
May ??th Tour of 10k Lakes (Afton course, my back yard)
June 18th Afton MTB
June 25th Waconia Triathlon
July 9th Mt. Kato
July 16th Muddy River Rock n' Roll
August 13th Welch (WWW?)
August 20th Powder Monkey
August 27th St. Paul Circuit Race
September 10th St. Paul Classic Hill Climb Challenge
Mixed in with all this I'll try to hit some of Penn's Thursday night races @ Buck
Hopefully I can get a spot for Chequamegon
Then... the cross season

And we start all over again!

Who's Hungry

I don't know about you all, but when the training season hits I always find myself in front of the fridge. Our fridge isn't stocked that well right now but keep opening it as if a meal would magically appear. Kinda like the Jetson's food processor. I always used to get crap from my buddy who thought I had a tapeworm. I've always been able to eat a lot and stay around the same weight. Poor Marc I know. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not complaining. But, I do think it has an affect on my ability to maintain necessary energy levels while competing. For example, I burn through 5 energy gels in 1 hour and a half long mtb race. Is that typical? How many do you go through?

United Pro Cycling Team

What a great model for a domestic team. Check this link to Velo News for the skinny:

http://www.velonews.com/race/dom/articles/9465.0.html

Winter Transfers

Some interesting trasfers over the winter:

http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/uci-protour/2005/teamtransfert.shtml

Horner or Joker?

Seriously. This guy loves to ride his bike. He's always smiling. I wonder if I look as happy when I'm racing?




www.velonews.com

Nothing to report!

I've gotten some pressure to update my blog lately, I won't use any names. I think some people think that because they have no life and can always come up with things to write that everyone else can too. Well, I never saw the rules that stated I had to write with any frequency. Besides, I never had a diary as a kid. Maybe my life is a little too boring or maybe I don't have much time to sit in front of this box and brag about my numbers and how hard I'm training. Who really wants to hear about that? And do I really want to disclose that information? They call it the off season for a reason.

2006 Pre Season Training:

Weights
Base miles

There! Ya happy?
You know who you are...

Happy New Year!

Celebrated New Years at home with Christine and Fin. For $45 we feasted on a Lobster dinner from Kowalski's which included twice baked potato, green beans, salad and a wicked turtle brownie. Mmmmm! Since the little guy isn't of age to drink just yet we welcomed the new year with a sparkling pear apple juice toast. Of course I got my rear handed to me in our traditional game of Trivial Pursuit. All-in-all 2005 was a pretty good year. Moved into our new home, had a pretty good season of racing, too many really to mention but the best of all, my Mom beat cancer(she's one tough lady). With that said it's been a great year!

Looking forward into 2006

Guess this is the part where I make all my New Year's Resolutions. I don't care for that exercise very much so I'll just call them goals. Compete in enough races to be a contender for the MNSCS, do another triathlon, some more road races, and really try to excel at cyclocross. Oh yeah I almost forgot. This is the year I will win at Welch(WWW)!

Good luck to all in '06!