It has begun

Training, or at least my version of it. XC skiing, which I suck at, and hockey tomorrow with some Wild players, maybe. That should do it.

I'm way over my head...

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

До свидания

Merry Christmas!

Let it grow, let grow, let it grow.

Since I'm done for '07 there's no need to shave the legs, yahoo!

And to all my hundreds of readers, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Nat's and more...

Congrats Bjorn
My race recap
Product review
Year end recap

Bjorn, Bjorn, Bjorn!

First off a big congrats to Bjorn and his first place in the U23 race today! What a great finish! He really showed his grit out there after a crash that gave Driscoll a little bit of a gap. Bjorn kept his cool and pedaled right back up to him for a spectacular sprint finish. I missed it since I was warming up but got to see a replay on Jay's camera. He was my pick for the win for the U23 and I'm gonna have to go with Page for the Elite race tomorrow.

Masters 30-34

Twas a little cool out there today. Had to sport my Vikings beanie under the my lid to keep my brain from freezing. Before I get ahead of myself here I want to throw out a big thanks to Lalla and his MSU crew Francis and Gary for letting me crash with them this weekend. I really appreciated the hospitality.

AS always I told myself that I was going to race a smart race and not go out too hard. Well, when you're staged in the middle of the field you kinda have to go with the flow of traffic so as not to cause an incident. It didn't take long before I forgot my strategy. I was going to let things string out and then settle into a rhythm that suited me. After we made our way off the tarmac I was feeling really good and noticed that I was technically better than the gents around me. Everyone was playing follow the leader and staying to the inside. I was like the heck with that and cruised around the out side. I was making my way around people pretty easily and felt like a rock star, at least for the first lap. Then a couple guys stalled out in front of me and with no where to go I got tangled up. I was able to get going again and to my surprise continue to pass a few riders. I was maybe in about 20th or so position from my 35th or so at the start.

eventually the cold numbed up my hands and feet so I started to slow up a bit. Just not tough enough I guess. My teammate Aric started at the back of the pack and I guess got held up by the crash at the start. Not sure how bad it was back there but I was excited to keep him behind me as long as I did. Of course if he had started up front I would have never seen him. But hey, I was pretty proud of myself to stay ahead of a rider of his caliber. Eventually he made his way up to me and I was thinking I'll try to stay on his wheel, ya right. Will I did for a little while, most of that lap. But then he was gooooooooone.

But that was ok 'cause I started to see Kent Throlson just up the way and decided to put in another effort and try to bridge up to him. I was just entering the run-up section and he was coming out. I was feeling pretty good and thought I had a chance. Just as I was making my way up the last set of stairs I cramped up. I had to pull over and stretch it out. Oh well, maybe next time.. As I made my way to the start finish they were waving me off the course :( It felt like I was caught in a speed trap and was about to get a ticket. I was just starting to feel good again. But it felt better to be done. I was pretty happy with my race. Especially since it was my 6th cx race of the season and I finished 47th out of 70 riders that took the start. Got the bike washed off/iced up and headed back to the hotel for a quick shower and then back up 35W to the Cities.

thanks again for all the cheering, Mike, Jay, Francis, and all the others out there that I couldn't recognize, it keeps ya going:)

Michelin Mud II cross tyres

On my way out of town for Nat's I realized that the casing on my trusted Hutchinson tyre in the back was blown so I had to stop and pick up a new sneaker. I was going to go to the shop but no one answered the phone so I thought everyone was probably in KC. Well I ended up with the Mud II and to my surprise it worked really well. Hooked up nice on the snowy off cambers and ruts, there were a few. I think they have a little more volume than the Hutchinsons which would have been nice up front with the rough conditions. Good tyre!

Year end recap

What a year. My best so far on a bike. Started off kinda rough in Iowa with that double header back in March. Got caught chatting it up with Tuffy in the back of the pack. I remember Him telling me that we were at the back of the pack so I stood up to see the pack starting to accelerate. So I grabbed the big ring and took off passing a bunch of riders only to cook myself trying to bridge up. Just as I made contact with the group they took off again up the climb. Bye Bye. My day was done. So done in fact that I sucked it up bad in the crit the next day. After that race I got busy with family stuff and didn't make it to any of the RR's. Did an Opus, 15th(or so) at the State Crit, 3rd at Northfield(should have got 1st or 2nd), 1st at Hopkins, 4th at the Campus Crit (should have got 1st), 1st at a Dakota, then 12th at the State RR(should have got 1st). All in all a pretty good year. Ok a great year for me.

Keep your ears tuned to the Bike Throw this week, should be some good stuff. ;)



Good luck Lalla, Francis and everyone else who is racing tomorrow (today), GO PAGE!

Weez out...

*If any of this doesn't make sense (especially the coulda, shoulda, woulda part), notice what time I wrote this. I'm dead tired but my legs are restless and won't let me sleep* :(

Wuz Up Wit Wiki?

Like anyone cares. I'm afraid that my content is dwindling. It is that time of year. Just waiting for Nationals so I can be done racing for 2k7. Not that I race a ton but March to December is long. For those dedicated readers (5) I should have some news after KCCX. Then I'll take some time off, start training for 2k8. Don't expect any training updates on this blog. Just know that I'm training and will be a force to reckon with in the 3's next year. It will be a great year.

Happy Thanksgiving

Some words of wisdom:

http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail178.html

Tough day inthe saddle

What can I say. I rode like water, I couldn't pick it up. No surprise. Still a great time as always. Couldn't realize I had actually had fun until my eyes came uncrossed.

There might be a few people concerned about my performance today. To them I say don't worry. I have a month till Nationals and plenty of time to get my fitness back before the road season.

For now I'm going to go back into my living room and continue watching "Fire Fox" with Coop.

Ho hum

That pretty much covers my cross season this year. Not enough races. Being sick. Not enough training. Blah, blah, blah.

That brings me to this weekends State Championships at Basset Creek. I was getting all excited, ok trying to get all excited, about the race when I heard from the boys at BT (Bike Throw) how the Cat 3 race was stacking up. Oh snap! I'm thinking what's the point. I've sucked it up all season. Haven't really trained in 2 weeks. Still feel like crap. Now this.

I had such high hopes for my cross season this year. Those hopes are in the toilet. :P

I guess I could whine about how things have turned out (done) and how badly I'm going to get spanked on Saturday (TBD), or just not show up...

Or, or I could just toughen the %!&# up!

Here's to you Stewie!

2nd to last

Well today I tried my hand at the A Race. All I can say is thanks to the crew at Grumpy's/LGR. You guys put on a hell of a race with the sweetest course! It really felt euro. Like I know what that means... Anyway, the course was so much fun that I didn't even realize how bad I was sucking for my first A race. Thank you!

www.skinnyski.com

I'd write up something for a race report but my cold and lack of training really put me into a not so comfortable place today. I can't remember much except thinking how cool this course was. There was a little mud :P that kicked my butt. Did anyone ride that ditch every time? I managed to ride it on laps 1 and 2 but made friends with the Earth on lap 3 and decided to dismount and run it the rest of the race.

www.skinnyski.com

Again, I went out too hard from the start and faded back, and back, and back. Oh well, I wasn't expecting much on the day but my goal was to not come in last place. Job done!

I want to give a shout out to everyone who cheered me on today; The Fam, Pete, Dan, Ben, Jay, Kristy, Rob, Leslie, Ty, Jean, and it sounded like others. It really helps on days like today.

Next up:

Milaca ( maybe)
State Championships
Nationals

Good and Bad

Well, I was feeling kinda crappy just before my departure for the race today and decided to bag it. I just knew that if I raced I'd be wasted and probably end up sick. Wa wa, I know. But I've got some very important meetings for work next week and can't afford to call in sick.





The good part about missing the race was that I was able to install this...

a brand new Sram cross crank onto my trusty old Redline. First estimates show that it shaved 2lbs off the overall weight. NICE!

With a wheel change I might be able to get it down to 19lbs just in time for the Grumpy Cross.

Who's your favorite?

Listening to the Bike Throw I thought about how cool it is that SR and Homme are reporting on the local bike scene. So it got me to thinking who my favorite local rider is...

So I'll throw that question out to my readers, all 5 of ya.

Who's your favorite local, not including yourself:

Twine Ball Torture Fest

(Pic: Sport.be)

This weekend I drove all the way out to Darwin , MN for the Twine Ball Cross. I was pleased to find that the drive was well worth it. It was a hard course with plenty of climbing both on and off the bike. I was hurtin the whole time. I just couldn't recover after each effort.

I ended up finishing a little better but that could have been a result of the smaller turnout. I think there were 40+ racers in the B's.

Oh well, I finally got some CRY points which was nice for what could be my last B race. I've decided to give it a go in the A's at the Red Barn Classic. Not that I've posted any results that warrant the move to A's, but it's all about pushing myself to get better. I'm hoping that it will make the 45 minutes at Nationals hurt a little less.

And no the pic up top is not from the Twine Ball race. I just thought it was a cool picture of the three amigos.

Cool Cross vid from the 50's

Boom Boom Cross Jam

Results aren't up yet. I think I came in around 15th. Got third wheel on the start and avoided the accident that took out Pete and Tim from Grumpy's. :(

It definitely was an improvement on Hudson for me. Just can't seem to go fast enough. I'll have to work on that this week.

I'll be back wearing my Silver next week @ Powder Horn. Just wanted to give my friends at BCR some airtime.

Thanks http://www.skinnyski.com/ for the pics!

Practice + Confidence = Success

You feel good every time you learn something new. Especially when it comes to cycling. Well, at least I feel good.

Most of you have already mastered re-mounting w/o having to do the little stutter step. Today was the day that it finally clicked for me. Very much like when I learned (from Doug Swanson, H-wood Cross Clinic) how to dis-mount by placing your right leg in between your left leg and the bike (sweet spot) instead of bringing you right foot around and basically kicking you left foot off the pedal. It's really weird cause I don't think I could go back to the old way (stutter step).

Since I decided to go to Nationals and race the 30-34 masters event :P, I've decided to actually train for cross this year. Hudson wasn't a great result but it was a great opportunity to check my fitness and see how much I need to improve. To help in the motivation department I even have a little course set up in the park across from my house complete with grass, pavement, sand, a run-up and two barriers. If nothing else it's fun freaking my neighbors out. I'm sure by now they think I'm a freak.

Next up:
Boom Island Factory Cup. I've never raced this one so I'm looking forward to it and hopefully in better form.

One down

Yup, while I sit here eating my post race sandwich I can easily say I have work to do. I ended up 19th on the day for the B race. Now, in a few weeks that 19th place won't sit so well with me, I was very pleased with my performance. Technically I rode well, even when I got tired. It's been over a year since my last cross race and I quickly remembered how hard these things are. At least now I have a good gage on where I need to be. Net net, I'm stoked for the season.

Enough talkie talkie...

Don't worry Mike, it's all good. ;)

ToA???

This would be awesome if they could pull it off. However, it conflicts with the Vuelta and the Tour of Missouri, etc. And take a look at the dates and distance. 30 stages. Can you say doping problem. I mean really 7500+ kms. Very cool, but it doesn't make sense and I don't see it happening.

http://www.velonews.com/race/dom/articles/13387.0.html

Your thoughts:

Huff Crash-Tour of MO

Ooch!... Damn!

Too funny

Not for you younger readers, some bad language:

Floyd forced to cough up TdF title-Ha ha

That's right. Cheat and you lose dude!. I'd put up a link but you should have a problem finding the story. It's everywhere.

And the douche bag of the year award goes to...

Colin McRea 1968-2007

Being a huge fan of rally racing, this was very sad to hear:

http://www.rally-live.com/wrc/en/index.shtml

Here's a video tribute:

H-WooD Cross Clinic

Wow! That was a good time :)

It was fun getting back into the swing of things and Doug and Aric had a lot of good tips--Thanks!

The clinic was all I needed to remember how hard cross can be. I must be getting old, the bod is a little sore, and the lungs need to be worked on a little before my season starts.

But that's why I love cross.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Hudson cross race...

Things that are Cool and things that are not:

Things that are cool:

1. Grumpy's/LGR putting on a cross race at the Velodrome (super cool)
2. Vuelta starting today
3. Team Slipstream getting a bid for the '08 TdF (hopefully)
4. Me being able to race cross this year :)

Things that are not cool:

1. Tommy D crashing out of the Vuelta
2. Critical Mass acting like an ASS! (way to make bikers look bad)
3. Lance pulling the plug on Disco forcing riders to look for new deals--if they can.
4. Public bathroom shenanigans

It's official

More pain and torture in my future. I've moved up a notch to cat 3.

Hell ya!

Now onto better things, like cross. After taking a year long break--I'm baaaaaaack!
I'll start it off with B's and see when I'll be able to hang with the A's. Of course that means I'll have to race with Paul again. :

I hear that Sickboy is making a come back too. Or did he race cross last year. I guess I thought the whole world stood still while I wasn't racing. Maybe not?

Mud, Sweat, Cold and Vomit...

...Awesome!

Make sure you all make it out to the Hollywood cross clinic on the 9th!

Race re-Crap

That about covers it. What a waste. Went way way too early and popped before the line for a top 20. LAME!. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Oh well, it's time for cross. :)

State RR Championships on Sat.

I'm really looking forward to this race. As for many others, this will be my last race on the road bike for '07, and my last race as a cat 4. The conditions will be perfect and the legs are feelin' pretty good so I'm ready to go all in. ;)

I'll post a race recap when I get back.

4th @ Campus Crit

Great race nice and technical! I was feeling a little lethargic out there this afternoon so I was very happy with a 4th on the day, very happy.

Now I can upgrade to 3's after the State RR Championships.

All ok here

Pretty sad news about 35. I've contacted my family and everyones ok.

JV is my hero

Here's why

1st @ Dakota tonight-4/5's

Ended up being a sprint between me, Chris Fisher, Mark Byrnes, and a Looner. It was kinda funny on the last lap. We were 4 abreast smiling at each other wondering who was going to make the move. Good times!

Ride Sat. AM?

Anyone riding early Saturday morning that I tag along with?

I ain't got no friends...

TdF, a race for 3rd place

Looks like the race is locked up for the Dane. He may have skipped some drug tests, but the 14 he's had in the Tour have been clean. That said leave the guy alone. Based on the current system he's not violating any rule.

Now the rest of the Tour will be a battle between Discovery and Predictor Lotto. With about a minute between Cadel and Levi, it's the race to watch!

No TGC for me :(

Thanks to some idiot during my commute home last night my Jetta's all busted up. Stopped on 94 on my way back to Woodbury and this dumb ass lady rear ends me. She smacked me hard enough to shove me into the car in front, Jeep w/ a receiver hitch, which smashed my front end. It started smoking so I had it towed. Needless to say I was pretty pist (note the colorful language today). My back is a little sore and since I was getting over a cold I picked up after Dakota, I decided to bag my dreams of getting any upgrade points. Thanks Bizatch!

Hope you all did well and come back in one piece.

Please hit me up with some race reports so I can get my fix racing vicariously though y'all.

---

BTW

I had a pretty good feeling that it was going to come done to Vino (sans injury), Cadel and Levi after today's TT. Those were my top 3 for the Tour this year. Some don't think that Levi has is to be a Tour contender i.e. Super Rookie, I think you're all wrong. Now he will show you how wrong you are. Wait for it...

That said, my money is on Cadel.

Dehydrated = No Recovery

Hollywood circuit race last night was hot. And apparently I wasn't ready for the heat. Took off on the last lap to breakaway and soon realized something wasn't right. I just couldn't go. Sorry team. :(

Otherwise Silver had a great showing last night in the Masters 4/5 with Wally taking 3rd and all the other moves. It was awesome racing with so many teammates. I had a blast even though I stunk it up. We'll get LSC next time.

Who's going to the Tour of Granite Country? I'm planning on doing the RR 4/5's non Masters. See ya up there! :)

Skater vids

Fin and I were just surfin' the Net for skater vids. We thought this one was pretty cool.

Bring Down the Rain Part II- Hopkins Crit

First let me start by thanking Ted and Ben. It's always helpful to have teammates out there.

I was pretty excited for this one after my performance at Northfield. I guess I'm on form right now so I'll milk it for all it's worth. The race started out same old same old. Some attacks that didn't really get away. Then with about 12 laps to go Ben jumps and gets a pretty good gap on the field. I was hanging out in the back reserving myself for later. Once I noticed Ben up the road I tried to make my way to the front to block for him. Thing about Hopkins and it being square, it's hard to advance on the field. So after he was out there for a few laps I decided to be a little more aggressive to get up front. So after the group made it's way through the start/finish and around the first turn I decided to sprint up the inside to get to the front. This turned out to be too successful. As I approached the second turn I was concerned about cutting people off so I went real hard into the turn. Upon exiting I had created a little gap on the field and only soft pedaled for a little bit when some dude jumped on my wheel. Indistinctly I pedaled a little more until I realized that I was and idiot and sat up. I didn't want to help this guy bridge up to Ben sucked onto his wheel. He wasn't slowing down so I let him go. I figured that if he wanted to chase Ben down he'd have to do it himself.

Even though I let him go my actions created enough excitement to stir up the group and unfortunately bring up the pace. That wasn't good, my bad. Eventually the group brought Ben back. Sorry Ben. My intentions were good. It was my experience that sucked.

Note to self: Next time in that situation be more stealthy!

At this point I was up at the front and everyone was getting rev'd for the finish. With a few to go Ben asked how much I had left to set me up for a lead out. Just as he started to set it up I got blocked and had to go around the opposite side to link back up with him. No dice!. :( I wasn't able to get back on his wheel 'til the next lap. Which worked out just fine. With one to go I launched off his wheel and jumped off the front right after the first turn. After making it through the back straight my legs started to feel it but I decided that I wasn't going to blow this for anything. As I made it around the last turn I looked over my shoulder to see how hard they were coming. Looked back up the road to the finish and buried the needle. I've never had so much fun racing in my long 17 year career of racing bikes.

This sport rocks!

Thanks:

Ben

Ted

Mike

The Fam

Everyone else who cheered (it makes a difference)!

My family

*Thanks skinnyski and Bro for the pics

Northfield Crit- Bring down the rain!

This is how the day started.

Drove down to Northfield with my neighbor who runs the J&B DC here in the cities. AS we roll out we both say something to the affect that we should bag the race and spend the day with our families--being the 4th and all.

Well we decide to go anyway.

His race is at 9:40 and mine at 11:30. I've got plenty of time to get ready, maybe too much. Anyway Bill gets ready and rolls up to the line. He's been away from racing for 6 years and doesn't have the chain on the big ring for the start. He can't spin it up onto the big ring so he heads over to the neutral support to fix it. Just as he get it in the stand they start the race. Not cool cause by my watch it's 9:38. He finally gets it set and tries to catch up with the group. Not happening. He tries for a lap or two and throws in the towel.

At about the same time Todd Heiser rolls up to me to ask if they already started the race. I had to break the bad news.

This was not a good start to the day...

So Todd and Bill are left with nothing to do but watch the race that got away. :(
Too bad cause it was a good race. Scott Flanders took a flier with several laps to go and held it to the end (foreshadowing). That guy is hardcore.

Normally when I arrive way early for a race I get really nervous. Today was no different.

After a good time warming up I got to the line with my "A" game. I was feeling pretty good and grabbed a spot in the 2nd row. All I could think about was the Gatorade that Bill promised me if I podium'd and that I better do something good here today if I'm going to be away from the fam on the 4th.

I'll get to it.

Before we started I noticed that Sam and Eric Oftedahl and Chris Fisher were on hand and thought that my day was over before it started. Damn!

So were racing and the tempo is pretty good. The attacks didn't seem too threatening so I hung out at the back. Since I didn't really know Eric or Sam, the only other H-WooD riders, there wasn't any plan to work with each other. From what I could see Eric, Sam and Chris were hammering the pace and going for all the primes. Being that these guys are semi-pro mtb'ers, and kick my ass on the dirt, I was just hoping to hang in to the end.

I think it was a little over half way through the race when I realized I was at the back of the field of about 16 or so riders (started with 47). The rest got shelled off. I decided that I had reserved myself enough and wanted to move to the front to show Sam and Eric that I had enough in my legs to do something. At the time I had no idea what that something was. I was thinking that they may try to launch Sam at some point and figured that was cool with me and that I'd help my much faster teammate out. So I move up to the front just as some guy goes off the front. So I decide to kick it up a notch and chase him down. By now we have just over 8 laps to go. As I get up to this guy he just sits up. I coast past him and look back at the group. No response. So I decide to dig a little and see if I can't put some time on them. As I make my way around this technical course I hear someone yell out "you have about 20 seconds on the group". As I'm doing this I can hear Lalla "What are you thinking"? As I continue on my own I hear the time gap drop to 15 seconds then to 10 seconds. OK time to rethink the strategy here. So I sit up and wait for the group hoping that I can drop back into the front with these guys.

I make my way back to the front of the group and realize that I'm recovering quite quickly. NICE! Now all I'm thinking about is positioning for the sprint. With one lap to go I'm in great position and feeling even better. Can't remember what happened on the back side of the course. But as we made our way around the final turn I had a little ground to cover. It think I was in 6th or so position. That's when I went ape. I felt so strong and just went for it. Just then I get boxed in by two dying riders. I could see that Chris was in front with two guys chasing. Once a lane opened between these two I was on the gas again and gaining fast on the third place guy. I knew that I was held up too much to contend for 1st or 2nd but that I had a shot for 3rd. just a couple meters from the line the 3rd place guy popped and I had to throw the bike at the line to get it. I probably got him by half a wheel. man did that feel good. I was so excited to have race so well. I did wonder a little what it would have been like if I hadn't got boxed in. I know I had the legs to make a run at first. But then again, that's racing. In all fairness though, Chris and the brothers Oftedahl were using this as a training workout and if they hadn't been pushing the pace the whole time or going after primes, they would have worked together and probably gotten 1,2,3 on the day. Either way it felt pretty darn cool to be able to race with that caliber of riders.

How NASCAR can save cycling

Here's an idea. Why doesn't the UCI adopt the same penalty structure as NASCAR?
This way the team will have more of an interest in the teams adherence to anti doping policies.

Hell ya, leave it to NASCAR to save cycling.

Go Jr.

Moving Forward

I've actually been riding quite a bit. Feeling good. Getting ready for next weeks races--Northfield and Hopkins.

This Wednesday I'll be helping my road team out at the Black Dog TT.

SaturdayI'll be helping my mtb team out at the Leb TT.


Then it's back to racing... finally!

Vegas Baby- The Pics

Here are the pics from my trip to Vegas last week:


My favorite burger joint In-N-Out Burger, Yum!


The lagoon at the pool... Ahh



The Hoover Dam



Havin' a good time at one of the resort bars



A view from atop Bootleg Canyon 3500+ feet



...another



The trail





Me feeling back home in the desert



Note: it was 105 degrees and climbing

I miss the Ritz, very nice

Question

What are cargo pants good for?

Time for an update

I'll back track a little to the State Crit last weekend.

I'm still learning. Rode pretty well stayed with the pack and ended up 14th on the day. What I learned. When someone is up the road and there are 2 laps to go... Don't try to reel him back in. Could have done a lot better if I would have just raced for second place. Oh well, live and learn.

---

Today tried a little racin' in the dirt. Man this stuff is hard. How easily we forget. I was about half way through the 2nd of 3 laps when I cased a sharp rock. Pfffsssssssssssss. Dead flat. I got the tube changed in record time and only gave up maybe 3 spots when I went for the co2. Could get the damn thing to work. And no I didn't let the air out. So I'm trying everything, even read the directions. Arghh! Then Adam rolls up complaining about drive train issues. After 10 or so people went by I decided to bag it. Guess it was finally my time to get a flat in a race. Can't bitch too much.

---

Going out to Vegas on this week and have a half day mtb ride planned. Should be a good time. I'll get some pics up later.

Leb TT

Why?

I'm mean why not wear tri briefs and leg warmers to complete the outfit.

Opus V

Where to start...

I was shocked to be racing to say the least.

It sure was nice to be back to racing after a month and a half off :(

I was too excited to really care how I ended on the night. I was talking to Tim Girod (cat 4 points leader) about my strategy for the night, I was thinking about going for the first sprint so I could have enough time to go for the last. Tim had a better idea of going for the 2nd since most would hit the 1st with their fresh legs. So I agreed and changed my plans. Well, I thought I had...

We roll up to the start and I find myself on the front line. What am I thinking here? I joked around that this would be the only time I would lead the race. Ha ha. Gun goes off and Tim and I lead everyone out around the course. Pace is quite leisurely. Third lap. I find myself in pretty good position and decide to go for the sprint. So I whined up with everyone and manage 5th. I kinda held back a little bit being concerned that I'd blow up. Looking back now I should have buried the needle. Oh well.

So now I'm thinking it won't be long till I shoot out the back and get lapped. My legs were feeling pretty tight and heavy at this point. I just kept telling myself to stay with the pack, do what ever it takes. Surprisingly my legs started to come back around. Around enough I guess.

I was able to hang with the group quite easily and even take the lead a couple times. I even lead out one of my Silver Cycling teammates Ben Schinke.

Just before the final lap I decided to make a break and take a flyer. So up and over the start/finish I went with no one on my wheel. Dropped down the hill through the S's and just before the back straight saw that Jason Wenk(All 9 Yards) was right there. I knew at that point that I didn't have it in my legs to contest.

In the end I was super stoked!

Here's why:

1. First time racing cat 4 at Opus
2. Usually get lapped my first time at Opus every year
3. And the kicker--I haven't trained that much lately

So the bug is back and I can't wait till next Tuesday!

Up 'n Up

Well, we finally got a new car so there goes that excuse. And Opus might be a go. I've got lots of ground to make up.

Didn't I say that last year?

This is getting old.

I need to get back to race in a bad way...

Embro Junkie

I'm baaaack!

My latest trial is the POWERbreathe distributed by Gaiam.

Here's some quick stats:

Studies have shown that time trial performance improves in elite rowers (Voliantis et al., 2001a) and cyclists (Romer et al., 2001a) by as much as 4.6%! That slashes almost 3 minutes off a 40km cycling time trial, and gives a winning margin of more than 60m in a 2000m rowing race!




Now I'm not sure how well this little jem will work. But since I've been using it twice daily I find that when I finally get a chance to ride, I don't feel as lousy as I should. Guess I'll just have to see if it really works and report back later.

I do get some funny looks when I use it on my commute to and from work though.

Basso out, Nod goes to Levi

I feel bad about Basso, I think he is a great rider, but my boy Levi is back where he belongs. Back in the team leader position.

www.velonews.com
www.eurosport.com

Now meez likes Disco again!

No news

Waiting....

Update

Sorry for the long wait everyone. Haven't had much to report. Missed Oxbow, Opus and will more than likely miss Durand. Witler's back :(

Oh and I'll be missing Ken Woods as well, on account it's my son's B-day. Which is very cool 'cause I'm getting him his first bike. :)

But never fear, I'm still training, not as much as I'd like but still training none the less.

And I haven't had a chance to represent the new team yet (Silver Cycling-H-WooD Cycles). :(

On a positive note, I won't be able to bitch about being burnt-out this year. :)

Ride, Finally

Finally got out for a ride. It's been since the Iowa races. Put in 45 miles. Nothin' big but man did it feel good. I think the little break me did some good.

Still undecided about Oxbow.

Who's going?

Watch out Hatorade!

http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003568787

Ronde

Looking.... eh

Here's me being not fast down in Des Moines last weekend. I haven't ridden my bike since. It's good to have a couple races that make you wonder why you want to upgrade.

Need a laugh?...

Even if you've seen it before, it still makes me cry:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6021365693605761325&q=darth+vader&hl=en

What I miss

I would give up this season on the road if I could spend some time at my old stomping ground.

These pictures sum up why I love racing mtb's:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtbphotos.php?id=/photos/2007/mar07/NORBA_1_07/NORBA_1_071/JD_phxnorba07033

http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtbphotos.php?id=/photos/2007/mar07/NORBA_1_07/NORBA_1_071/JD_phxnorba07030

The desert is where it's at!

EPIC!!!

Ok maybe not EPIC. Just wanted to say EPIC since it was a little over used this weekend. Well maybe it wasn't...

I did manage to get away from the wife and kids for a weekend of racing. Got my rear handed to me in the process. That's kinda EPIC.

Satuday's RR in Altoona:

Made the 3 and a half hour drive from the Cities just in time to register throw the bike together and get in a warm up. The race started and I was felling really good, really strong. By the time we got into the second lap I was kinda bored actually. Except for the constant accelerations out of the turns. It seemed everyone liked taking the turns really fast and then honking on the brakes. Well 3/4's into lap two I was haning out with Tuffy who just got done telling me that this was it and to be carefull 'cause we were at the back. So I figured it was time to heads back up towards the front. Problem was that front started pedaling away from us. OH CRAP! I quickly realized that I had to gas it or my race was over. So I did. I had to put in a pretty hard effort, too hard, to get up there. And once I was there the group hit a small climb and drilled it again. Pop goes the Wiki! I was in trouble. Nothin left in the legs and I was dropped. GAME OVER. Should have been more attentive. Could of had a much different result on the day.

Still mad about this one >:(

Des Moines Crit

Uh where's the sun and warmer temps I was promised by the weatherman? Man it was cold! I toughed it out anyways, not sure why. It stared off fine but then on the second lap, kabooooooom, bye bye. Legs said eh eh no chance dude. That sucked!

I did want to thank everyone out there who cheered me on and forced me to stay out there; Andy, Mike, Rob, Some Grumpy's guys and Super Rookie--thanks for the push!


All in all great weekend! Got some good training in (get it). Made some new friends hung out with old ones. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Wer'z da Grizz?

It seems as if I'am losing readership these days. The only people hitin' the WiKi BLOG are Mike and Dan. Thanks guys.

We here at the Wiki BLOG value our readers and will be taking steps to better our product in the next few weeks.

Stay tuned...

Thanks

I was going to do a ride report but don't feel like writing much right now. I did however want to take a second to put out a huge Thanx to my buddy Lalla for waiting up for me on the GP ride. I was I little late hitching onto the ride coming from Woodbury and Mike being the great guy that he is pulled off at Delaware and waited at least 5 minutes. Very cool, Thanx Mike!

We TT'd it and took a little shortcut and caught back on, NICE!

Mike I think you'll do pretty well this year, riding very strong.

You da man!

My favorite time of year

Death to all snow I say!

It's time to ride once more (outside).

I don't know about you but I love the first of the spring training rides. Obviously the warm temps are nice but being able to smell things again is nice too.

Wrap it all up into one smell--the earth, mud, grass, flowers. Wait, did I say flowers? Sure, I'm man enough to say that right? Okay maybe I should say plants. That's better.

Alright, this post is going south quick! Time to talk about something more manly.

Got it!

My Jedi Bike Training is almost complete. I'm feeling stronger than ever before. Time to throw down!

You ready?

Flash back

Hit this link:
http://web.archive.org/web/20031124230903/http://sickboy.dyndns.org/

New colors to fly...

I've decided to venture away from a focus on racing mountain bikes and go full-time with the road racing thing (or at least my version of full-time).



With this change in focus comes a change in kits... more of an addition really.

Not that it's any real big news (meaning- I'm not a Pro) but I've decided to ride for Silver Cycling/H-WooD Cycles for the upcoming road season. I'm really excited and looking forward to gettin' to know the new squad.

Does this mean I'm leaving BCR, heck no!. When I hit the dirt this year I'll be sportin' the orange of BCR as usual.


Looking forward to a great '07.


First order of business, the Altoona RR and Des Moines Crit.

Captain America Is Dead?

http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/mar/08/captain-america-assassinated-now/

Embro Junkie

Well, we finally got a product review from Embro Junkie



This weeks (like there will be one next week) product review,

Elite Ozone Depil Mouse.

After several months of not shaving the old legs they can look like that of a gorilla. Boooo. So with a gift card from perfromancebike.com I decide to give this stuff a try.

To use, simply spray on holding can 10-15 cm away from your legs. Leave it on for a good 6 to 9 minutes. Application time varies depending on hair structure. Then wipe off. Make sure that by 12 minutes you've rinsed it off. Harmful side affects may occur if you don't. So says the can.

As one can see the initial results weren't that great. I'll admit, the error was made by the user not the product. Seems as though you need to apply enough so that the foam covers the hair completely. After waiting 48 hours for the second application, this is so you don't melt away any skin, it worked smashingly!

Over all Id say the stuff works quite well. Might not use it again for the first mowing but definitely maintenance throughout the season.

Must be tough...

Straight from a reader of Velo News

I got a kick out of this:

What's with those Discovery jerseys?

Editor:Is there a reason that "Discovery" is written upside down on the back right side of the team's jersey? You would think they would have caught that one.

Udo ReisingerChapel Hill, North Carolina

Perhaps it's an attempt to get the attention of the mainstream media (MSM), which is said to view everything from the left. - Editor

First win of the season for BCR!

Yup it's in the record books folks. Yours truly scored a 1st place at this years Eelpout Peel Out.

No it wasn't a bike race, we're talkin 5k run. I've got a ribbon to prove it too.

I was up in Walker, MN for the Eelpout Ice Fishing tournament. And no, we didn't catch any fish. Had a couple beers (obviously in no shape to run) and lost a nice amount playing poker. Good times!

I should mention that I won my age group 30-34 that had 4 people in it. But I still won the blue ribbon so ha!

Nice job Levi!

Dogwood Update

New race flyer:

http://www.ozarkcyclingclub.org/4th_annual_dogwood_classic_road_.htm

Training?...

Yup, not much of it going on here lately. Had a nasty chest cold for nearly 2 weeks now so I've had to take it easy. Oh well, I still have plenty of time for what I need to accomplish.

Soon to come:

Product review from Embro Junkie. Should be good.

Train on trainer

Is anyone clean???

Le Monde: Pereiro positive for salbutamol
JANUARY 18 - Spaniard Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d’Epargne), who finished second to Floyd Landis in the 2006 Tour de France, twice tested positive for the banned substance salbutamol during the race, French newspaper Le Monde alleged Thursday on its website. . . .

Or check www.velonews.com

Basso signs deal with Nike

Too lazy to write, follow link:

http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/pro-tour/2006-2007/sport_sto1050451.shtml

2007 Dogwood Classic

Hey everyone 2007 is amongst us now so racing is not too far away. Hope you've all been training. :)

Last year I ventured down to Branson, MO and took part in a road race just up the street in Bradlyville (about a half hour or so south of Springfield, MO). I've told several of you about the race and it seems that it's stirring up some interest. I hope to make it myself but either way I plan on posting the information for the race here on my blog.

Currently it sounds as if the race will take place Sunday March 25th. Last year they held the race on Saturday which was nice for getting back to MN for work on Monday. Might be a little tough this year. They don't have any race info up for this years event but you can take a look at last years info here: http://www.ozarkcyclingclub.org/Flyers/Dogwoodflyer.pdf

This was a great course with a few tough climbs and really no flat spots. 53 miles for cats 4/5 and 106 for 1/2/3's. This race is a great way to get in some warmer weather spring race miles.

I will update this post as more information be comes available.

Good News!

We actually have an American team that we can cheer for this year at Paris Roubaix and Criterium International and a host of other european races.

Check it out:
http://www.velonews.com/pr/prn/articles/11405.0.html