Recovery ride

Anyone interested in a recovery pace ride tomorrow leaving from my house @ 6 am? I'm planning on riding 70-80 miles. Not sure on the route but I might head up to Stillwater then over to Wisconsin then down to Prescott. Or up and around Square Lake. I guess I'm open to suggestions.

Heck ya!

This is a positive trend...

http://www.velonews.com/article/77889/garmin-is-the-new-title-sponsor-of-the-slipstream-chipotle

Keep on keeping on

Tonight I made it to the State Fair Crit for the 1/2/3 and the 3/4 race. I hung in the 1/2/3 race longer than last time but wanted to save myself so I could work for my teammates in the 3/4 race. Turns out that was a good call. Since Jason was doing pretty well in the series we were trying to deliver him first across the line to get some points and maybe, I'm not sure, even win the series. Well.... it didn't all turn out the way we planned. I kinda blame myself since I should have brought Jason to the front going into the back straight on the final lap. If he would have been in a better position for the sprint I think he could have won it. Oh well. In the end I think he got 4th and I was able to muster 8th place which was great for me since it was a big improvement on my 29th place at Stillwater on Sunday. Continuous improvement. Can't ask for more.

Getting back in the groove...

What a way to spend Father's Day! Had my family, Christine's parents, my parents out at the race to cheer me on. Also, had Lalla and my neighbor (thanks for the pics) on the hill screaming at me. With out all that cheering I never would have made it. Thanks!
I'll admit I was pretty anxious to race on this course with the killer uphill and the screaming downhill into the tight turn at the bottom. Thankfully after my preride I was feeling much better. Which made me think of two things I was glade I did in preparation for this race; 1)racing at Afton the week before and 2)changing out my cassette.

After the start and making it up the hill I was actually feeling ok, but that second hill, like Ed said, was the kicker. I didn't blow up but those who were stronger (David S.) were able to separate themselves from the rest. I think it was on the 2nd lap where I settled into group of 3-5 riders where the racing for me started. As always, when the leaders are up the road it's nice to have a race within a race to make it fun. That group consisted of William Mayaviski and Brian Fosler (St. Paul Bicycle Racing Club), Jake Helmbrecht (Grumpy's/LGR) and Alex Atherton (Loon State). It was fun trading off with those guys. My one regret of the race was on the last lap going up the kicker on the backside. I had William and Jake on my wheel and I thought I'd try an attack and gap them. My timing was just a bit off and I gave up too early. I should have cashed in my chips and continued up the climb and bombed the short downhill and around the corner. If I had done that I might have got them to sit up. Shoulda coulda, woulda. ;)

All in all I was stoked that I didn't pop or get lapped. I even got to pass Kruse on the Chilkoot! I'm coming after you sickboy! Also, I wish I would have know that Erik Dahl was there. Great to see that you're back to racing! :) Or maybe you have been and I just haven't seen you since I race--like never.

The most fun was had, however, during the kids race where my eldest (Finley) raced in his first bike race! Proud Papa! sniff sniff.

So hopefully I'll finally be on a racing roll here and race tomorrow at the State Far Crit and then again in Richmond this weekend. I have to get ready to defend my title at Hopkins ya know. :D

Afton recap

What a great race yesterday. Good conditions, challenging course. It was nice to get back out on the dirt. It's kinda strange for me though. I used to know everyone, not personally but I knew all the faces and who the fast guys were. Not so much anymore. Does that make me a roadie? Or, the cringing that ensued after we hit the first section of mud. That has to make me a roadie.

Anyway, the race got under way and like last year I got hosed on the start. I was in 50th or worse position out of 69 riders. :( That's what you get I guess when you don't cheat and line up with the Experts. Douche move guilty parties. So after coming to a complete stop in the woods and chatting with people to pass the time we finally got moving again while the lead group was way up the trail. I have to admit it was nice just being there for the training and not really caring about my result. So after that we were single file for a while not really moving that fast. Then we got to Shady Lane. Not to toot my own horn but that's where I poured it on. I probably passed close to 20 riders. Then came the Man Handler. Dropped another 15-20 riders. I remember thinking that this was kinda fun. In truth I was excited that I hadn't paid for my effort up the first two climbs. I figured it would catch up to me real soon.

The second lap was just like the first except the passes where a little less frequent. On the third lap I was starting to feel it, starting to get caught. It didn't help that I had lost my second bottle on the 1st lap. :( I was starting to slow and my dreams of gaining on the leaders faded fast.

All in all I was stoked with how I rode. Hopefully I'll be more prepared for Stillwater on Sunday, maybe even turn the proverbial corner. We'll see.

It's time to get DIRTY!

In an effort to lift my fitness I will be heading to Afton on Sunday to compete in the Comp class. Since I don't do track I thought this would be the perfect way to get some intensity training, especially since it's in my backyard.

Sounds like Lalla will be joining me along with Dan. So we'll see what we can do to get some team competition points for BCR

Maybe we can pull off a 1-2-3. That would be SWEET!

Since the race starts at 1pm I plan on riding from my house leaving at 12. Let me know if you want to join me. It's about a 9 mile trip.

Let me tell you why I suck as a bike racer...

...I'm like water, I can't pick it up.

Sure I haven't raced since Ken Woods, well, I didn't really race, I pretty much dropped out. So that would put me back to the 1st Opus of the season. There I at least finished with the 1/2/3 group, whoopee.

Yet I still expect to do well in a 1/2/3 event even though I haven't really raced this season and I'm a newbie to cat 3. So yes, my castle is in the sky with no real foundation on the ground.

So it's back to the drawing board to see if I can figure out some way of salvaging my season. I just feel real bad about letting my teammates down.

But just like my lacrosse coach used to say,"It's time to get nasty!"
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-Updated this morning-

Wah wah. Blah blah.

This always makes me feel better:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4415484536180232877&q=the+all+blacks&pr=goog-sl&hl=en