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2009-03-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

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2009-03-18T22:02:00.001-07:00

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2009-02-04T11:01:00.001-08:00

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2008-04-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

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Merry Christmass!

2007-12-15T17:06:00.001-08:00

lots of swimming. lots of riding. lots of running. 08' is going to be a good one.

... talk about a fast bike to swim transition!

Mud On The Tires

2007-10-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

Been on the road a lot these past few weeks. Things should start getting a little more interesting starting this weekend. 'Cross is in full swing now and that first USGP isn't far away so check back soon.

Not Dead Yet

2007-09-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

I know, you've head that one before. Things are slowly getting back to normal since the move, including a return to the blog. Finally finding the battery charger for the camera was a definite push in the right direction. A lot has happened in the past few weeks that i have neglected to post about. If you still haven't heard, I packed up and moved shop north of Boston to Lowell. I got a great converted mill space with a loft that I now call home. Settling in has been a slow proses with being out of town every weekend. The pics here are from move in day. I'll try and get some of it now that everything is furnished.Before I had time to put things away I was packing them right back up for that little week in the Adirondacks at the end of August. Riding, running, swimming, hiking, climbing, camping- the usual. It's not something to blog about so I'll leave you with a few from the photo gallery. Back at Harvard now for round two. With the return of school means cyclocross is here and I'm ready to get going. If the motivation to talk about it sticks around, I'll keep you updated with the race recaps and weekly going-on's. There's more to gt to. I'll save that for another time.

Go ahead and get gone

2007-08-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

Two posts in a row with no photos is still better than no posts at all. This week has been about as busy as it gets around here, getting in some big rides and moving everything I own up to the Loft. I made a handful of trips with the Durango and then rolled out the seventeen footer U-haul yesterday for the big stuff. That big rig had some giddy up under the hood, too bad trucks can't drive in the passing lane. That was a long 60 minutes of nearly killing every soccer mom not paying attention as she merged on to the highway. Good thing I got the optional insurance package! The new place is starting to resemble something that could be lived in although it's not quite home just yet. I still feel like I'm in someone else's place filled with my belongings. I'll get some images up soon- do a little Cribs spoof. The best part, by far, of the new location is the overwhelming amount of land that I have yet to explore on wheels. After 19 years of the same loops, it's unbelievable to have a new route ahead of me day after day. Anyone in the area willing to disclose information about your favorite rides, I'm all ears. early morning so I'm out. Congrats to Lyle for what looked like a solid top 10 in NC, I wish I could have witnessed it in person!

It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine

2007-08-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'm back. August 1 is here and with it comes the return of the blog. As annoying as all your Emails were :) I appreciate all the demands to bring it back. Ever since way back in Fontana things have just been going on hyper drive. Funny how when life gets exciting enough it's then that you loose the motivation to share the stories. Plenty of you seem to think I left my bikes on the street corner for the garbage man to pick up- that's not the case. I just needed a couple weeks off the national tour to take care of some things on the home front. I had some fun threesomes around the Northeast and Virginia to keep things exciting for a couple months (read: off-road triathlon.) Turns out I'm not terrible at a few other sports and, when done in rapid succession, can put together some descent results. Mountain biking is still where it's at for me- I get my daily dosage of dirt- but the plan is to carry on doubling up through Xterra world champs and see where things go from there. Aside from the daily shammy dance, I've bought a car, organized a cyclocross series for this fall, and as of today, moved into my new condo in Lowell. No need to catch up all at once, this should be enough to feed your curiosity for now. The last thing the blogosphere needs is another Frank Mapel, so we'll keep this short for today.

Virginia

2007-06-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

The time is now

2007-06-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Alright, I'm back. Just needed a break for a while. Thanks for the Emails, I forgot I'm not the only one who reads this stuff! A recap in full would take more time than I have at the moment, so you're going to have to catch on as we go this weekend. No, I didn't move to Alaska to work on a fishing boat and no I didn't give up cycling. That said, I'm hopping a flight to Virginia in a few hours for the Xterra East Champs. I've got packing to take care of, so the details are going to have to wait 'till tomorrow. Something along the lines of...

2007-05-29T21:01:00.001-07:00

I'll be right back.

But me and Cinderella, We put it all together

2007-05-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

She don't have to know

2007-05-15T23:50:00.000-07:00

Secret Training

2007-05-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

The lack of updates are lame, I know. I've been busy with a little secret training back at home this week and apparently too cool to blog about it. I've got a lot to say, when the time is right...

Blogs

2007-05-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

A good write up and some pics from Cali at Lyle's site.

I'll Take What's Mine

2007-05-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

So, let's make this quick. We'll strait up skip the back wrenching write-up from Firestone and get right to Fontucky. Friday XC was going smooth. Took things out pretty chill with last weekend still fresh in my mind and found a good rhythm over the first couple laps; continuously moving up. at the half way point I made a conscious effort to bring things up from 90% to full gas. Maybe five minutes after that point, I got a little too greedy and took too much speed with me into a rock garden and well, the rest is history. There are few sounds on the planet more frustrating than the air slowly escaping your tire mid race. put a tube in: flat again. Filled with grass: disintegrated. filled with more brush/scraps from cardboard box: still no go. I guess this is the cycling gods idea of a joke on the guy who spends too much time on Track&Field news. It was a long run to finish up. So, what do you do after a could have, would have, should have been race on a Friday afternoon? You scrounge together a sixteen tooth cog and some spacers and take your frustrations out on the single speeders the next morning. What a crazy sport that is. and yes, it's an entirely different sport in my mind. Stomping out 30 rpm's with the 16 on climbs just fifteen hours earlier I was struggling to turn over the 32 on. Taking five minutes to close a twenty meter gap on a fire road that on any other day could be sprinted across with five hard strokes in the 11. Then there's the whole arms and back requirement; I have nether. With some fresher legs it would have been hard. A week after rolling off a cliff and a day after running the course a few times with a bike on my shoulder, it was downright difficult. Props to Phat Marc and the rest of you nut jobs who do this full time.

Wicks likes his red heads White. Although there was that one exception. Sunday morning brought with it yet another trip into the pain cave. Back to back XC's are not usually the way to taper off for a Short Track. While everyone else warmed up I couldn't help but feel like I was still warming down from the last one. Needless to say, the legs were not all there. I guess it'd been a while since I've lined up for one of these things, and I forgot they start racing from the gun. oops. Last place is always a fun spot on lap one, if you're into swallowing large portions of airborne dirt and dust. I realized soon enough that if I spent the fist thirty minutes settling in, the race would be over before I started racing. Well, I don't know how, but things started to come together as the clock ticked on. A couple guys here and there and before I had time to think about how much I don't like Short tracks, I was up at the business end of the pack actually racing one of these things instead of just hanging on for dear life. It was a steady progression towards the front until Lyle came up from behind with four to go. I sat on his wheel as long as possible (not literally, that would be unsportsmanlike, and extremely uncomfortable if the wheel was in motion!) but he had other plans with one to go and went off like a bat out of hell, leaving me to dangle in just off the back. Still, not a bad showing.

Things are getting interesting around here these next few weeks. Now is not the time to go into detail, but new territory is about to be explored. Staring in New Jersey...

Fontana Cont.

2007-05-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

Where the streets have no names

2007-04-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

"did I win?"

The Fever

2007-04-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

When darkness turns to light

2007-04-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

Thirty eight and raining to seventy five and sunny over the course of three days. Go figure. I'm taking in as much of this fresh air as I can in the next twenty four hours before being engulfed in the grey, smog saturated air of LA. Judgment day's on the way, so I should go catch up on my bike practice.

Dye my eyes and call me pretty

2007-04-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

Taking one below the belt

2007-04-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

I can only imagine that's what it must be like to loose a woman and have her take the dog too. I was feeling J's pain already, but to have another guy come "seamlessly" swooping in and pick up your dog as well, that's just below the belt. I don't care if my wife sleeps with half the town; just let me take the dog. True to his fashion, he's pushing through the desire to 'DNF' and simultaneously sharing the experience, so that we might learn from his struggles. Chin up bro. While we're talking about everyone sites but mine, how about Wells' and everyone's poison oak. What's the deal with the course designers at the Sea Slaughter? How many more years are we going to have to go home covered in that stuff? $45 per entry should cover the cost of some hedge clippers, no? Then again, my skin already looks like that, but let's not go there. Looks like perfect conditions for Farmington on Sunday! Root 66 is back and taking names. The turn out is going to be huge for this one. Last time the sun shined for this back in 05' it was huge, and this year is only going to be better. Winding Trails is one of my favorite race courses in New England, if not nationally. It's the one race a year when you put on the ridged fork and run a 1x9 with a double dos (44 tooth). I ran the cross bike there last fall (pun intended, unfortunately) and it was flying! Should be a good day...

When I think back to all the crap I learned in high school

2007-04-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

Mmmm. Dry roads! Hill-peats was the name of the game today. As I've said before, when you live at two hundred feet, it's not always easy to rack up the kind of climbing you need. With a little creativity though, and an endless appetite for the same roads, over and over and over again, it can be done. I had to fly solo today, again, as nobody seemed to want to leave their trainers with rain in the forecast for the seven thousandth consecutive day. Sucks to be you guys. I hope you enjoyed sitting around in a pile of your own sweat, watching the 2003 Tour Highlights DVD again. Also, to mix things up a bit, I tried out these new intervals today. I call then,"Stop touching your brakes you punk ass bitch." For anyone who's raced the Kamikaze at Mammoth, their kind of like that. Over and over again, on each an every (down)hill-peat. Hands off until you reach bottom or leave the pavement; whichever comes first. Like I said, The Great Thin Hope is running away with Georgia. With the exception of being struck by a falling meteor, this thing is money in the bank. With the overall being such a bore now, the real action is going to come from the true GC riders tomorrow, looking to salvage whats left of this years tour. Look for the big names to go away early and never look back. All this tactical bs is exactly why I don't like RRing in the first place. Can you imagine if Sauser and Absalon just let some guy ride away from them at the World Cup opener this weekend, simply because he was paid by the same company? In your dreams. Give me a start and finish line, and I'll show you the fastest way from one to the other. Period.

Your trampoline has got holes in it

2007-04-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

Yup, it's still raining. (and not just men) I think I'll move to Seattle. You know, somewhere that rains less. I had another 'good' ride today, but it really doesn't mater how good your legs feel when you CAN'T FEEL YOUR LEGS! I'm going to voluntarily have my fingers amputated. I can't feel them anyway, except for when they are pulsing and blue two hours in to every days workout. There are not a pair of gloves on god's green Earth that can keep my digits comfortable in sub forty rain. I don't know how you Portlanders do it. On a warmer note: Georgia. Well, warm for the ten or so guys who finished TWENTY NINE MINUTES up on the pack! That's jumbo time in a grand tour- this is one week! It's going to take an out of this universe ride to pull back that kind of time. My money's on Brajkovic now. If you're unfamiliar with Brajkovic, then no, there is nothing wrong with your computer. He really is that ripped. (note to self: Begin oatmeal diet asap.) If he's got one tenth of the form he was showing that first week in Spain last year, he should run away with this. After that, maybe Timmy J takes a spot on the box? That would be nice. As for my own excursions, things are pretty chill until Cali in two weeks where it's back to back [The race series formally known as] NORBA's.

Lean a little is what we’ll do

2007-04-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

The Marathon went down today. Baba could only muster up a third. Dieter's boys went 3 in the top 7, so I guess you can't complain. But in the end, Second is just the first looser, you know? There's always London next week... Well, I'll save you the weather rant for today. No, it's not changed. Sunday was yet another forty two degree slug fest in a down pour. It's just at this point, it doesn't even matter. My senses are so out of whack, and it's been so long since pleasant conditions ever existed, that be in rain or sleet or snow; it's all just become another part of the gig. Training hard can suck sometimes, and training hard when the conditions are poor can suck even more, but always remember- The alternative is unacceptable. The only thing that could be worse than training that hard would be to slack off your way to another mid pack rondevu. "Believe Me, Nothing Comes Easy." And while we're using quotations... Jonathan- (in reference to having someone confuse him and Ivan Basso in a picture)-"you're confused, it's not actually me, it's Ivan Basso." Lauren-"Will you say this to me when I wake up in the morning?" Now, like Playa J said, I've got a race to win.

Sometimes the sun goes round the moon

2007-04-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Have you in your life seen a more sexy wheel?

Winter just will not let go. It's like David Bedford leading out the 10,000; just pull off and give someone else a shot already. (Mainly, Spring!) (I warned you about the running fetish) My cold weather tolerance is at an all time low. When it comes to the idea of another workout in sub forty's, I am mentally running on fumes at this point. It's mid April for crying out loud and my legs have only seen the sun here in New England ONE day this year. All this while the guys at Paris-Roubaix get mid eighty's and sun shine. Someone in the weather department made a huge screw up. Since the bitch session has already begun, here are a few more things that P me O. 1)"Personal Trainers" who try and tell cyclists that riding more than two days in a row is stupid because you can't workout the same muscle group that frequently. 2) When guys use the excuse, "She must be PMS'ing." 3) The word "beige." 4) Running out of cereal. 5) non bib shorts. 6) People who pronounce "Idea" as if it were spelled with and "R" at the end. That's it for now. The weekend is a busy one, maybe I'll have something blog worthy when it's all said and done.

Coming out of the closet

2007-04-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

We've all got one. An obscure pastime we don't like people to know about. Fatmarc has his comics. Me; I am a closet track geek. Yes, it's true. I spend as much time surfing Dyestat and T&F News as I do cyclingnews and pezz. After devouring an interview with the winner of Flanders, I head right over to 'Let's Run' and drool over Jordan's 440 splits at Arcadia. I just wanted to get that out. I cheat on my sport, and I don't care who knows it.

Release Your Inhibitions

2007-04-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

On the seventh day, before God rested, he created Bag Balm. And it was good. Really good. Two-a-days started yesterday with a fun MTB session in the a.m. and Tuesday Night Worlds in the p.m. Worlds is surly my favorite roadie ride, hands down. (editors note: Can I still call it a road ride despite the fact that I ride my MTB?) After showing up early and finding no one in the lot I was worried everyone had punked out with the cold weather moving in. But, sure enough the hooligans rolled in one by one to form a solid twenty something group. Turned out to be a more mellow pace then normal, but still a good end to a long day in the shammy. (see: thank god for Bag Balm.) The only real split happened up the long-ish gradual drag about mid way. As usual, there I was sitting in a group with three guys under 5'2". I pleaded for them to unzip their jerseys and sit up a bit, but I just got the same "You're just that strong" comments as always. Today was impressive by Massachusetts' standards. It's not easy to rack up 8,000 feet of climbing when you live at 208 ft. and the highest point within fifty miles is 668 ft. Let us just say I know the access climb to the ski area better than the back of my hand. I've got to be going on one thousand repeats by now, and in know way am I sick of that road. That thing is love for life. Half way into my ride I blew a spoke on the MTB and had to go back and get the 'cross bike to finish the day. The guys who had been doing the climb with me almost ran off the road on the way down trying to figure out how my green mountain bike became an orange cyclocross bike over the course of one climb. It's nice to live across the street.

a falling blossom only touches lips that lie

2007-04-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

Crit racing is just stupid. Made the trip out to Wells this morning for a little intensity work. The race serves it's purpose training wise but not much else. The whole having to rely on other people part of road racing just doesn't sit well with me. It's one thing when you have a like minded group who are all willing to work; it's a completely different story when you put together fifty guys who all think they can bridge the gap on their own. I can't wait to get a little nobbie action next weekend. The race is just West of who-the-hell-knows-where, NY. The drive is going to hurt as much as the race but you know, Cash Prizes, so it's all in good spirit. I don't think I've ever raced Mountain in NY. 'Cross on Long Island, and there was that Road Race in Salem last year... So I guess this will be my first. Next up though is my second favorite workout day of the year. Tuesday Night Worlds out of Needham. That ride brings out all the sketch-balls in the area for one night of fun loving suffering. More on that Tuesday...

The Life Of A Go Get Her

2007-04-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

So the first race in the big leagues didn't work out exactly as planned. Small setbacks throughout the week topped with a little mechanical trouble on game day made the finish less than ideal. Still a great success in terms of training and getting the first one out of the way. Chances are this will be my one drop in points for the year, so in itself not a huge deal. This is by far the hardest part of the pre race week. Rest. here you are in the sun for a change with mountains in every direction and the only thing you can do is sit around and wait for the gun to go off. It's like making a starving man watch you eat a sandwich. It's all worth it; or so they tell me. Race day itself was kind of a blur. after another 4 hr. night I had plenty of time to stew around the hotel and wait for my 8:00 am pick up. By the time we made it to the course the temps were already pushing triple digits. Sitting in the back of the car and taking shots of H2O sounded good to me. A five minute spin in the sun made for adequate warm up and it was off to staging to join my fellow hundred head cases. Things shot into the single track 200 m. in and after that passing was a novelty no one was wiling to allow. This caused a certain conflict in my negative splits race strategy, but sometimes the course plays you, not the other way around. I compromised and gave it a bit of gas just to make sure I made the tail end of the front train. Things were pretty mellow from there. My brain settled on a race song to pace my breathing and everyone up front seemed content to take a controlled approach to that first ten of forty miles. around the last couple climbs people started to string out and it was time to start biding time. I just put it in cruse control and readied myself for a long hot day in the desert. Well, the bike gods didn't like that idea. Snap went the bolt in my seat clamp. Before I knew what was happening I was riding around standing up on what must have looked like some over sized trials bike. After trying my best to limit the losses I found a generous DNFer who had the heart to let me take his clamp, but it never quite held the post up long enough to get any sort of comeback going. And so on and so forth. Que Sera, Sera. All in all, not a bad spring break, on and off the bike. Time to get fast now.

Arizona In A Nutshell

2007-04-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

Good training on the mtb and some hopeful indications for later on. Mechanicals blow but what will be will be. Pics and report later. I'm toast.

Smack That

2007-03-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

We're not in Kansas anymore. Or the East coast for that matter. The courses out here are like another planet. Went out for another couple loops of the XC this morning and I've got that thing dialed. Not that that's really saying much for a course like this. Once you master one corner you've mastered them all. The boys are back in town. First race of the year and the pasty white legs of winter are as blinding as the Arizona sun. With everyone coming out of hibernation it feels like the first day of school after summer break. New kits all around and everyone has some new shiny pre production toys to show off. Word on the street is 'Rad' Ross is going to be turning some heads this weekend. I wonder who else is packing some secret winter fitness... I still can't figure out why they call it 'Fountain Hills'?

phenomenon and on and on

2007-03-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

So let's get right down to it. North East is cold. Arizona is hot. any questions? Trudged out to the course today for a couple laps of the XC. For the repeat offenders out there, it's not the same as 05'. Well, kind of. What was the TT is now more or less the XC loop. and what was the XC is now the TT. laps are a little over ten miles and smoking fast. Some sections get a little on the rocky side but nothing the right tire pressure can't handle. pre riding was forty minutes a pop so the race itself is going to be a lot shorter than anticipated, as they are only having us go for three laps. It has zero climbing. it feels like you are descending 90% of the time and when you are actually ascending, you have so much speed coming in to it it's the equivalent of walking up an escalator instead of stairs. Kind of blows, but not too bad for the first go of the year.

Ran into some of the Colorado boys after the first lap ( Blake, Nick, Bryan, Shep) Nick went and won this thing last year so he was a good wheel to follow around and casually observe. Blake is coming off a good week down in PR and should defiantly be making it hurt in the semi's. Hard to say how anyone is riding right now, with it being the first showdown of the year. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Blake, this one's just for you.

Game Time

2007-03-26T17:21:00.000-07:00

It has been 218 days since this. Only 5 more to go...

Drinkin' Wine Spo-De-O-De Drinkin' Wine

2007-03-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

This time next week... Time to get down. Who knows? It could happen...

41:04

2007-03-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

I've got more PR's than I know what to do with lately! Made another step up at the access climb on today's repeats. Four reps added from last week and seven seconds off the average! To non distance athletes that means next to nothing, but for anyone who's been in the same position you know just how big those couple of seconds are. Imagine if you went back to your last mtb race and took seven seconds off every five minutes of a two and a half hour race... It was almost ten years after the Fins ran the mile in 4:01 before Roger broke four. One second can be a life time. The fun factor was lacking in comparison to last week with the temp twenty five degrees cooler and no company to chat with on the recover loops. A couple roadies joined in for a few but I think they were intimidated by my bar ends on risers combination, and left. As Tim pointed out, riser bars with bar ends only makes me as gay as Roland Green. And he's a two time world champ, so... On hard days like this I always leave the iPod home to maximize the focus factor. As a result, I always end up with a song or two stuck in my head for the ride. I'm always amazed at how obscure a song I get stuck with in hard rides or a race. Today was ridiculous. 'I see you windin' n' grindin' up on that pole, I know you see me lookin' at you and you already know...' It didn't matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get it out. It didn't help when I would break into laughter half way through an interval every time my internal jukebox would get to ' cuz I'm lovin' the way you shake your ass , bouncin', got me tippin' my glass ' God I've never been more ashamed of myself. I guess as long as the legs are happy I can deal with it. NOVA in nine days. It's crunch time!

Albertoooo!

2007-03-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

Contador finally made up for all the early season bad luck he's been stuck with and took out the overall at P-N! I was convinced he was destined to come up short after missing that split on stage 3 but who's to say what's impossible, right? Couldn't have planned a better end to an already great weekend. It's been a while so here's whats been going down. Hit the access climb at the Hilly Blues Wednesday with Chris Hong for the first workout on the new mountain bike. It was a new PR average for more than 5 reps: 8 in 42:07. Good sings for a day well below threshold. Backed that up with another day on the MTB with road slicks for a brisk four hours tempo on Thursday. The new IF is riding really great so far. Feather light and super stiff. I'll take a mulligan on Friday. I've had better. The weekend brought canceled races and repeat TT's on the computrainer. My body was not meant to ride that hard indoors. I can safely say I have never sweat that much in my life. I was popping Endurolytes like they were jelly beans! Not much else for the weekend other than spinning around in place like a fool. Loads of sleep too... Looking ahead, NOVA's only a couple weeks away! Looks like they are no longer taking your overall GC for the Cross Country series points. I haven't decided if I like it that way or not. We'll see how things play out when the time comes.

Swim like you're on fire, live like your last day, drink like its water, there's no tomorrow

Here I Come, You Can't Hide

2007-03-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

back in business baby. The cobwebs have been cleared and intensity is now common place in the weekly events. Wells was good for a quick effort. everyone was antsy and going at it from the gun but couldn't walk the walk and keep anything away. finally the right group got away and we held on for a long while but eventually the roadie mentality struck and people just got selfish at the finish. I've never been so pleased to not be able to sprint. maybe I'm finally converting some of those fast twichers. The white bootys and carbon goodies were out in mass. After all, who would dare race their training wheels at a training race? Not these guys. What good is a chain saw in a knife fight if you don't have the guns to back it up. you know?There was still a ways to ride after this. Ugh. That's right: flip flops without socks. It's that time of the year; the mercury is on the rise. ...just in time, too.

As the surface breaks reflections fade

2007-03-06T20:23:00.000-08:00

Looks like Mr. 24 packed up his weather and shipped it East for the week. Walked out this morning to a negative fifteen degree wind chill and walked right back inside. It took another three layers to get me out running and even then I don’t think my body temperature went above freezing. It goes without saying I ended up on the trainer for another painful couple of hours. At least there were a few intervals to help pass the time. The efforts themselves seem to stop time in its place, but the recovery blocks go by twice as fast to make things fair. Kind of. It’s been a long time since I went this red without a number on my back. It’s easier to pull off outside, but there’s something empowering about reading quadruple digits on the power meter than can make doing these things on the computrainer fun sometimes (like once a year sometimes). Things are looking hopeful as the week goes on; above freezing at least. It would be nice not to have to race in mittens and ski goggles this weekend…

One Way Ticket To Trainerville

2007-03-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

I'm a little girl and stayed inside today. It was raining and I just didn't want to do it, blah, blah, blah. I wish I could go on and on waxing all masculine about how riding the trainer puts hair on your chest and makes men from boys, but the truth is, it just makes me want to watch The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants and have a nice cry. This part of riding is the stuff they hide in the fine print when you sign on to train as a cyclist. Big mountain views from the Alps grace the cover and the pages are filled with lushes descriptions of Utah single track on sunny days; but in there, on the back page in size two font, is the paragraph about having to sit alone on your trainer for 3 hours every month through the winter. I can't believe I fell for it! How can you pass up scenery like this!I swear to god I saw that bear blink a few times. Stop looking at me, swan. (<-name that movie) I'm going to have to start wearing my helmet on the trainer. I'm tall, but this is getting to be ri-god-damn-diculous. Heaven forbid I try to stand up indoors! I'm getting fed up with this winter stuff. Can we just start racing already? Enough is enough- I'm moving to the equator.

March Madness

2007-03-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

Mmmm, nature’s Gatorade. You west coasters wouldn’t know anything about this; and while on the topic, I made some ridiculous pancakes tonight for Dinner II. I’ve been working on this recipe since PC this summer, and tonight we hit the jackpot. These things put the cake in pancake-- they are like strait candy—for sure not your pre-race meal. The best part is I didn’t burn off the calories in today’s training. It can be hard to maintain weight—let alone gain anything – while putting in monster base hours everyday, so these rest periods are like a free for all: double servings of carrots, and extra bowls of cereal, oh my! The New Girl is sitting on the stand downstairs just a few steps away from being ride ready; just waiting on a set of hoops from NoTubes and she’ll be workin-it. Here’s hoping the white stuff melts away before then! Things are going to be eye opening if we have to transition from slushy slogging in New England forests to hard-as-rock, rip-roaring single track in AZ next month for the NORBA kick off. That stuff is all pretty mellow thought, so no extraordinary handling skills are needed. The only thing that makes it technical is the high speeds, requiring fighter pilot reflexes, and I’ve been watching Top Gun on the trainer regularly enough to feel confident in my do-or-die decision making. Going anaerobic tomorrow, and I feel the need- the need, for speed!

Chillaxin At The North Pole

2007-02-27T12:20:00.000-08:00

Oh la la! Look at all this free time. When you spend so many weeks out on the road for 90% of your day, it’s hard to find things to do during theses R&R weeks. You say to yourself so many times, “Not today, I’ll have time for this during the easy week.”, yet now that it is finally here, all I seem to have on the table is some school, some sleep, and some more school. For now, I’ll take it! Heard from Bruno that IF is getting a sponsorship deal with Ergon (hence the below post.) I might have peed my pants a little when I got that Email, I was so pumped. I’ve had the chance to ride some of their grips in the past year, and they are just out of this world. Like a lot of people, I always wrote them off as a nice innovation for the enduro-junkies but not a real necessity for the XC-ers in the bunch. Well, I was dead wrong; these things have a place on any and all bikes that dare to call themselves ‘Mountain’. Just a few more days of this pedestrian stuff and then things are going to hit anaerobic with a bang!

Hot Stuff

2007-02-26T20:06:00.000-08:00

Man, I can't wait to get my hands on these!

NERD- Maxxis

2007-02-20T11:05:00.000-08:00

Been holding off on this on for a while; waiting for i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed, but it's finally official.

More details later. The roads are calling my name. for now- check out some of the new 07' gear.

Our Name Is Our Virtue

2007-02-18T20:24:00.000-08:00

Well, all good things must come to and end. (Editors not: almost all things*) The rollercoaster like frozen tundra that made for such bad ass mountain biking these past few days and nights finally kicked the bucket this afternoon when the sun made a comeback and temps shot into the mid thirties. Ah well, it was nice while it lasted. Consequently, it was back to the road bike for the last five hours this week. Speaking of good things coming to an end, my EIGHT month run without a flat finally came to and end. Lucky for me I was only about 15 minutes climbing from home, so I just rolled it back, where I promptly put back on my cyclocross wheels/tires (I should have never gone back to road slicks). With everything back up and rolling it was too late to go out for the loop I had planed, so I did what I’ve always done to get through my long rides- spend the first two and half hours trying to get as lost/far from home as is possible, then, hopefully find my way back within the limitations of that days duration goal. As the years go by it’s getting harder and harder to get myself completely lost, but once outside the 50 mile radius of home it wasn’t too hard to find some new streets that took me through undiscovered topo. The find of the day was the appropriately named “Mountain Street”. At first sight I wanted to laugh, knowing that there’re no mountains anywhere in the area, but surprisingly it wound its way back and forth up the better part of five hundred feet. The grades where pretty mellow at the start, but it turns to dirt (or ice, as it was today) about half way up and kicks to around 15%. With today, another week is in the books. This means desert and sleep and all the other tomfoolery that comes along with Sunday's culmination of a long week. Like Nick said, “all work and no play is no fun at all.”

Don't Stop Get It Get It

2007-02-17T17:35:00.000-08:00

You can rest when you're dead.

Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me

2007-02-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

Here in the England of New, we don’t really get to see the trails to much during the winter. There’s typically six or more inches of crunchy/slushy snow just soft enough to let your wheels sink deep enough to keep your pace below that required for the bike to stay upright. So what happened today was like winning the lottery, twice. After Wednesday’s ride from hell, things made a complete one-eighty overnight. That fresh six inches combined with twelve hours of thirty two degree rain froze overnight and left the trails solid as a rock. A pair of good studded nobbies and it was like a gift from heaven. Conditions like this can easily go wrong if the foot soldiers get to it first and leave their mark, roughing up the riding surface. Fortunately, no one had time to get out before things froze over. It was the perfect combination of concrete hard ice topped with the slightest dusting of powder to give you that little extra bite in the corners. Screw trails at this point; every square inch of ground around was ripping fast and just asking to be shredded all-day-long. Things are suppose to break freezing this weekend, so it looks like the only thing to do is man-up and get out there right at the crack of dawn before it has a chance to turn to that same old slushy/soggy bullshit. Next week is the last purely “base” week this winter, and the highest volume of my short stint as a cyclist. Sorry to keep things so lame; I keep getting asked to post about things other then the mundane-ness of the bike-geek lifestyle. Not that these 30 hours a week are all that’s going on- I just highly doubt any of you want to waist your time with the rest. Girls, bikes, school. You were all 19 once, I’m sure you get the picture. Still, I’ll try and throw in some off the bike antics this week to change it up a bit. In other news: no more Sonoma NORBA. As much as I never want to see those lousy excuses for trails ever again, as the place where I won my first stars and stripes, it holds a special place with me. And god knows I’d rather race that crap while spending a week in wine country than live an extra five days in SMOG capital USA (LA). There’s a compu-trainer down stairs waiting for an hour and a half of easy spinning…

'Running With The Buffaloes"- Chapter six.

2007-02-14T15:56:00.000-08:00

Yeah; that's right Mother Nature, take that. Honestly, the audacity of that woman to go dumping thirty two degree rain all over my long days. You can take your 'severe weather advisory' and go shove it.This one goes out to the white pick-up truck (and we all know what kind of people drive white pick-ups) who's wheel spray literally took me off the road and perched me high upon a snow bank. I tried to get the finger up in time for him to catch in the rear-view, but those Lobster Gloves weren't allowing it. Lastly, to whoever drives those damn salt trucks up and down the roads all day. I just met my sodium needs for the next year and half over the course of one ride. These clothes might as well be burned (or hung out at pasture in replacement of some farm animals salt block). Conditions like this make surfing look like a viable alternative for getting in the hours. I smell plane tickets.

Old School

2007-02-14T15:45:00.000-08:00

Looks like team 'Coast to Coast' is going to be rocking the road seen bigger than ever this year. Three guys coming hot off 'cross worlds and the rest putting in those big road miles. Glad I don't have to deal with that Junior business anymore- these kids are getting fast.

Live A Life Less Ordinary

2007-02-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

I walked outside this morning and wanted to die; and conveniently enough the weather had the same thing in mind. It was back on the bloody trainer for another butt numbing session of indoor work, (hooray!) Once that nonsense was out of the way, it was time to dust of the mountain gear and take to the hills for an afternoon of what I can only describe as pandemonium. There’s barley a snow cover at all in the woods, but the ski area has had the artificial stuff cranking out all week so there’s a good base coat laid down. I made the usual rounds; up the self titled Ninja Pass and then down The Other Run with my friend Bob from Switzerland. Given the icy snow conditions I was able to shave eight seconds off my previous PR. Other than having to avoid the grooming machines driving up and down the slopes, it was incident free and only slightly more butt numbing then the trainer workout. Tomorrow is back to business with another long day (let it be outdoors; please oh please) with the first specified efforts of the year. Hakuna Matata!

Like You Don't Even Know

2007-02-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

How are you getting in your base miles?

Base Symptoms

2007-02-01T12:33:00.000-08:00

First, there is the loss of feeling in each and every finger.Second, attire like this is considered acceptable wardrobe for public exposure. The hat with built in headphones and mountaineering goggles combo are a registered trademarked of the IF Colt Could Fly winter riding collection (so just incase the guy in charge of those “assos” adds that have been gracing the inside cover of ‘Velo News’ for the past millennium gets any smart ideas about steeling the look- He can take it up with my attorney). Then there’s the ‘Double Shammy’. When you’re putting in more hours on your bike then you are on your couch (or at work, or even in school, for that matter) eventually you reach this point. Consider it a right of passage; that is if you can deal with knowing people are staring, thinking, “His butt sure got huge this winter.”

Rock Me Mama!

2007-01-29T19:12:00.000-08:00

"I would prefer you go for a hike but if you really really need to ride then just go..." -Coach.

Julie Arcaro: SO HOT right now!

2007-01-25T13:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks : )

Why I Stayed Home

2007-01-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

Flirtin' With Disaster

2007-01-23T14:53:00.000-08:00

More attractive then the Farinella's and faster than the Mercado's: these are my girls. Still on Dell and Rose thus far into base, but by stage two the new girls'll be ready to roll. I can smell the dirt now... Colt McElwaine was a believer in all manner of Comebacks and Second Chances, but whatever happened, it would not be like it always was. Never, ever again.

Let's Talk About It

2007-01-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

So enough is enough with the absence here. I’m not about to follow Mr. Halliday down the road of disappearance. I’ll save you the promise of posting detailed descriptions of my recent journeys. You all know full well I’ll never get to it. Not that these past few weeks haven’t been magnificent; they have, I just don’t have the mental energy stores to try and recount every emotion and excursion for you on this silly web log. The start of base has come and gone and I find myself comfortably settled into the daily grind that is the off season. I’ve gone about upping both duration and intensity this winter (as is logical in the case of a wee grasshopper such as myself) and what do you know, my body has taken it upon itself to up the exhaustion as well! No complaints here though; there’s really no other feeling that leaves me content at the end of the day. Something about laying there in bed with the lights out at 9:30 makes everything seem right in the world. Tomorrow morning the winter wonderland will welcome me back from these tropical climates with open arms and frost bitten fingers. It’s been a nice retreat down south but, honestly, I’m not disappointed to get back inland where the roads elevate at places other than the intercostals’ overpasses. These flat beach routes have there appeal, but after four hours along the coast you might as well be sitting on your trainer surrounded by palm tree wall paper. A little running and mornings in the water have helped break up the time in the saddle and keep my sit bones from settling into a constant state of numbness. As they say, your heart can’t tell the difference between spinning circles and pounding pavement., and at this time of year, anything that makes it go thump is fine with me. If nothing else, a little bone density can’t hurt, right? Delilah is outside patiently waiting to be put in her box for tomorrow’s flight, so I’d better be getting on that. She hates it when I make her wait.

"Will you sign my tan line?"

2007-01-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

Almost home.

I keep pace with crickets gladly

2007-01-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

Chill

2007-01-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

A few more images and a parental write up from the Arizona break to keep you busy while I slack on the text. Base is all systems go and only one trip left before school takes its spot along side training. Thanks for being patient... Some cool photos. and the write up. "Obviously he must have ran most of the time..."

202

2007-01-03T22:37:00.000-08:00

2007-01-03T00:17:00.000-08:00

2007-01-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

Just run it out.

Rock n' Roll All Night

2006-12-28T21:10:00.000-08:00

The calm before the storm

Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me: The IF Colt Could Fly 2006 Year In Review.

2006-12-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

Part One.

2006-12-22T14:23:00.000-08:00

fortune cookie of the year Award: ^The upside of NORBA award: After racing a cold and rainy 24 mile spectator free loop at 11,000 feet, there's always a nice rock waiting for you and your friends to sit around and talk about the good ol' day's on OLN when everyone got paid and everyone got laid. The upside of UCI cyclocross: It's the new NORBA. The www dot hottie of the year dot com award: JHK sure can pick em'. A.D.D. attack of the year award, ROAD: Blake goes Hincapi over a ten foot stretch of cobbles and lived to tell the tale. Enter joke about asphalt here _____. A.D.D. attack of the year award, MTB: Not even Kirk's 18 inch biceps and studded belt could compete with the forces that are gravity. " Get up. Your embarrassing yourself." Best fight: Betsey here talked a big talk but, when it came time to rumble, Nala smacked that all on the floor. Tag team: Flawless victory. GQ Man of the year: Wink gets'r done.The " Someone must have mad massive diarrhea all over the course" award: Portland, OR

Part Two.

2006-12-22T03:11:00.000-08:00

The yes I'm White and yes, my lunch crew and I watch BET at the highest possible volume level award: Tim Halliday People magazine sexist rabbit of the year: Snugs The someone should tell them this is not baywatch moment of the year: Maybe next year Rivers cowboy-up man of the year: Trebon finely uncorks an entire cross' season of ass whoopings. The if you must ride at the back you might as well look pretty doing it moment of the year: Tacoma, WA. The no talent ass clown of the year award: Matt from the republic of bucket. Am I missing something? Is there some sort of old man development team going on here? Sorry matt, I couldn't here that shit you were talking, my stars and stripes jersey was making too much noise. The bury me in my skin suit award: Me. The it's so easy a cave man could do it race of the year: Six hours of short laps in the mowed grassland of California in July = a walk in the park. (like the kind of parks they have in the middle of the Sahara desert where you get mugged around the corner of every sand dune.)

Part Three.

2006-12-22T02:20:00.000-08:00

The how the hell am I going on 20 award: Me again.The watch out in 007 Award: Snyder is going to walk away with some top notch results in the coming season. (If only they had a separate podium based on your sexual preference...)The who would win in a Rebecca Much vs. Geneva Jensen cage match award: Much with the win.The when life gives you lemons make lemonade but when it gives you lime [disease] just man up and toe the start line award: ^ The don't just stand there bust a move VOGUE moment of the year: Judy Merzbach, uncontested. The I'm Jason Sager and you fu*king know it moment of 2006: ^Breakthrough performance of the year, Female: Troy Wells.

Part Four.

2006-12-22T01:23:00.000-08:00

The I wonder if this flash is strong enough to take a picture in the dark-Oh my god I'm such a myspace whore picture of the year: ^ The National Champion who? award: Trebon might have won the race that day, but your going have to win more jerseys than that to get me to give up my bed. Most prestigious race of the year: The Camp Gorham triathalon went off like a well oiled machine. Tri organizers from around the world should take note of the professionalism with which Mr. Bash ran this event. The most comforting trial sign: Welcome to UT! The "Amy Jurekovic, SO HOT RIGHT NOW!" drawing of 2006: This girl has skillz to pay the billz. The Hello summer 2006 moment of the year: let freedom ring. The "That is so AJ Acosta" race of 06': Stars and Bars, mmmyeah The we are no where even remotely close to Kansas moment of the year: ^ The Hey look! I'm in second place, quick someone take a picture! moment of the year: Bringing sexy back on Timmy J's wheel. USGP #2

Part Five.

2006-12-22T00:34:00.000-08:00

The wow just yesterday I was racing beginner on the EFTA circuit and now everyone on Oregon knows my name what happened moment of 2006: USGP #6.The how come every time you come around my London London bridge wanna go down award: If I where I woman I'd go gay for Sameera. And you would too.The I don't want to grow up, I just want to be Fat Marc award: Give me Phat Marc's speed on a cross bike, Half as manly facial hair, and a wife even one fifth as fine and I would be a happy man. Not to mention a duo of sick nasty single speeds and an ability to whore his sponsors like no one else.The sticking it to the man moment of the year: Hilton comes in on a wildcard and eats the rest of the nation for brunch.The CONGRATULATIONS of the year award: Way to go nick! Falls in love at first sight and asks her to marry him the next day. I'm right behind you buddy.The "Well, Debbie would" award: "It's hailing and I still need to get in that last hour but everyone else is going home. Should I finish? Well, Debbie would." It's rare that you find a hero outside of your sport who can still motivate you to get up and do whatever it is you do everyday. I highly recommend you find one for yourself.The Roll model of the year award: The unsponsored working guy who reminds us why we love this crazy sport to begin with. It's guys like Steve, who get up before sunrise to train for a race he probably wont make the podium in, that makes it inexcusable for the rest of use to make excuses. Round of applause goes out to Mr. Stephen D. Zepeda.Get your champagne at the ready and start your count down! 007 is just around the bend. Here's to getting it all figured out

Withdrawal

2006-12-18T18:07:00.000-08:00

The boys are back in town. Troy and Snyder get it done. Todd reprezents! (photo: velonews fred). Only have a few shirts left so if you want one get on it.

Nationals In A Nut Shell

2006-12-17T16:31:00.000-08:00

Thousands of stories/ images to come over the next few days about the end of the 2006 season. Nationals was everything it was cracked up to be and, consequently, I am ready to sleep for a good solid week. Thanks for all of your support and words of encouragement over the weekend and sorry about almost taking off your head with that 360, Dave! Check in soon for the scoop. Thanks Chris M. For the photo. And thanks Abbi Orca for making me look like The Swamp Thing.

Just A Half A Drink More

2006-12-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

The air is getting colder and the lights are out on the front porch. This can only mean one thing: The Cyclocross National Championships are almost here! If you don’t want to know who will be going home clad in stars and bars, then stop reading here... Collegiate: 5th Mitchell Peterson, 4th Adam Snyder, 3rd Toby Marzot, 2nd Troy Wells, 1st Jamey Driscoll. Women: 1st Anna Milkowski. Master Men 30-34: 4th Brian Hughes, 3rd Justin Robinson, 2nd Michael Gallagher, 1st Johannes Huseby. Master Men 35-39: 6th Fat Marc, 5th Jon Bruno, 4th Roger Aspholm , 3rd Matt Kraus, 2nd Brandon Dwight, 1st Shannon Skerritt. Master Men 40-44: 3rd Mark Noble, 2nd Andy Applegate, 1st Dale Knapp. Master Men 45-49: 1st Gunnar Shogren. Master Men 50-54: 1st Paul Curley.

Master Women: IF will take home another two championships. Go Mo!

2006-12-13T15:09:00.000-08:00

Junior Men/ Women: The 15-16 will be one of the more exciting races of the day. A number of kids could come up with the goods on the big day but expect to see the Blue and Yellow of Coast to Coast rider Luke Keough out front with CCB superstar Gavin Mannion close behind in second. In the 17-18 main event you’ll see the front group distance themselves from the rest of the field early on. Ethan Gilmour, Nick Bax, Sean Worsech, Jerome Townsend, and Nick Keough will battle it out for the last few steps on the box. Out front it will be a battle between defending 17-18 champion Danny Summerhill and last years 15-16 Champion Alex Coelho. Summerhill is coming on strong late in this season, and his experience should put him on the top step when all is said and done. In the lady’s race Stephanie White will prevail.

U23: With defending champ Troy Wells no longer eligible for the U23 crown, Jesse Anthony will resume his winning ways with ease, earning a 7th cyclocross national title, right? …Wrong. The 2006 U23 field is the strongest the USA has ever seen. Anthony has as good a chance as anyone, but he’ll have to fight harder than ever to make it out on top. USGP Champion Jamey Driscoll and USGP rounds 3 & 4 winner The Real Joey Thompson must also be put atop the list of serious candidates for the crown. My money is on Driscoll with Jesse just nipping The Real at the line for second. Rounding out the last two spots on the podium will be either Toby Marzot, Chance Noble, or Bjorn Selander. Spoilers could be Kyle Hammaker or Brian Hayes if they can pull together the ride of their life. For the women, be sure to cheer as Arielle Filiberti rolls across the line to her second consecutive National title.

Women: There is no safer bet in this years national championships than Katie Compton for the win. Georgia Gould will give her a run for her money laps 1 and 2, but will eventually settle in for a comfortable 2nd. The real head to head racing will take place behind. Ann Knapp, Mo Bruno Roy, Deidre Winfield, Ronda Mazza, and Kerry Barnholt all have the potantial to be standing on the box in the end. Expect to see the girls from the North East snatch up the last few spots in the top 10.

Men: Now, I’m not saying Tim Johnson is going to win, (Trebon is still pissed about my picking Page in 2004), all I’m saying is I think Timmy J could, with a little good luck (or bad luck on Ryan’s behalf) pull off the upset of the weekend. Ryan is obviously the man to beat. When he’s on, there’s no one else with a US passport who can match his power on a ‘cross bike. The last three steps on the podium are near impossible to call. Todd Wells is coming off sluggish legs this past weekend but, as the defending champion, can’t be written off. J Pows has been moving up week after week and I hear a lot of people throwing his name around as the possible spoiler to the Johnson/Trebon power hour. Wicks showed us all what he’s packin’ in Bolder last month and if the right tactics play out, he has the sprint advantage over the others should it come down to a pack finish. The unknown is Jonathan Page; racing for the first time since a bad shoulder break nearly three months ago. We all know what he can do come Nationals, but with the rest of the US men on fire recently, I ‘m not risking my money on Page cracking the top three. The usual suspects will animate the racing within the top 15, with Matt White having a career day. In the end though: 5th Todd Wells, 4th Barry Wicks, 3rd Jeremy Powers, 2nd Tim Johnson, and 1st and foremost, Ryan Trebon.

And that’s just how is it is.

My Love

2006-12-12T18:38:00.000-08:00

Sunday Morning Rain Is Falling

2006-12-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

On The Block Disobeying The Law

2006-12-08T12:53:00.000-08:00

Ten days and five races left in 006. RI tomorrow for NECCS #6 and Big news to come. For now, join me in a snow dance.

Daughters will love like you do

2006-12-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

Beats all you ever saw, been in trouble with the law since the day they were born.

2006-12-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

2003 represent! The Big Bang was always one of my favorite events on the calendar. I wonder what ever happed to the rest of that years EFAT crew? I slept a whopping 12 hours last night! Had just enough time to break the fast and get in a quick run before planting myself back in bed for the live web cast of Nike Team Nationals. Mixed feeling on my part, but overall I was quite satisfied with the outcome. Everyone ran there hardest, and that's all you can ask. First the Kenyans lived up to there creed in the mornings open races sweeping the top spots in both the guys and dolls races. Then the real deal ladies went off at 10:30. I almost peed my pants with excitement as the Hilton girls were owning the field after the first 2k. Then, Murphy’s law prevailed, and we inevitably lost ground and could only muster up a second place. (I say we because by 4k i was running circles around the room faster than they were) Not all was lost as the title will still come back to New York for an unprecedented third strait year. Not to mention the hottie from Colt's Neck, NJ (aka, My Neck) who ran away with the victory in the individual sense. The guys finals was too close to call throughout. I think the top 3 teams where separated by a mere 20 points after the 4th interval. Steve Murdock (aka James, for some reason?) ran a sick nasty fast 16:26 (Compared to the Kenyans 15:53) to take the Individual honors and Coatesville boys took the close battle in the team standings. My buddies from Los Alamos had to settle for a disappointing 13th after some food poisoning and a loss of shoe. Bummer... My leg's are more or less two big sacks of mashed potatoes after this week. Another good day tomorrow before things finally start to taper off for Nationals. For now, it's a third strait meal in bed and lights out.

Not because she's phat like Cindy Crawford

2006-11-30T15:32:00.000-08:00

Half way threw today’s ride, the built up boredom of a long week on the pavement finally got the best of me. With a few hours remaining, i hightailed it home and peeled out of the drive way on what a bike should be. Ridged, Heavy, and with as many gears as there are brakes: one. The mud was thick and the water logged branches hung at a decapitatingly low level. It was everything i remembered and more. Pure, unadulterated bliss. Fat Marc quotes swirled around in my head about the high of riding the single and for those brief moments, heart rate zones and power outputs took a needed backseat to thoughts of "I bet i could gap that" and "well, worst case: it's a soft landing." The words "It's about time!" echoed in my head until day light finally sizzled out. With the culmination of the last BIG week before nationals, it was time for some pizza and a trip through the old CD case. The 90's are here, and don't call it a comeback. That hat always means trouble... See you in Wrentham Sunday?

You And Me, And A Bottle Of Wine

2006-11-28T10:34:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow morning, my best friend of the past two years, two hundred and thirty five days and I will be parting ways for good. She came into my life at a time when I had no one else, and stayed with me through every up and succeeding down along the way. She shared the fame when things went well and kept her chin up when no one cared to even watch. She put up with the travel, the long hours of winter, and the innumerable hours of pounding the trails from mountain pass to mountain pass. On those hypothermic days at 11,000 feet, it was her strength that carried me safely down the mountain. At the fifth hour in the 98* heat, she was there to drag me back to the car. On those moonlit nights at Gorham, when no one else cared for adventure, she stuck by me deep into the soggy forests of the Adirondacks to share in my favorite pastimes. I'll never forget her smooth titanium limbs as they glowed across the camp fire as we sat late into the night along the banks of Cascade Lake. No exchange of words was needed; I knew what she was thinking and visa versa. We had cruised the strip in Vegas and sipped cyctomax poolside, but there was no where we'd have rather been at that moment, then freezing our buts off at a dark and diminished camp site in upstate New York. She is the living definition of loyalty, and someone we can all learn from. Despite the many identity changes she has passed threw over the years, at heart, she's still the same sweet girl I've known from the word go. I've never known another girl like her, and I don't suppose I ever will. She's my Steve Prefontain; the type a rider only she’s once in a life time. Her name means successful, but Nala was so much more than that. She was a pioneer, an explorer, a friend. She was an Independent woman. And to say she will be missed, wouldn’t do the feeling justice.

This One Goes Out To You, J.

2006-11-28T07:08:00.000-08:00

Gabcast!

David Chiu Is Bringing Sexy Back

2006-11-27T09:48:00.000-08:00

You Know The Drill

2006-11-26T16:19:00.000-08:00

Not much to talk about on this one. I got some good training in and J Pows has more ripped calves than all of "toovanillaforyou"'s coworkers combined. I'm going to go take a nap. Nat's are just around the corner, and training starts pronto.

Tag Team, Back Again

2006-11-21T10:21:00.000-08:00

USGP's are over and done with. Class for now, race reports and all that on the way [once I get back on this East Coast time] I'll have shirts at Sterling Saturday so find me if you want one. Snack on some pics for now...

Upfront Style Ready To Attack Now

2006-11-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

Skillz To Pay The Billz

2006-11-20T21:17:00.000-08:00

City Of Champions

2006-11-13T10:02:00.000-08:00

There is really no point in talking about this race. Flats and mechanicals were the theme of the day, and a overall sluggishness set the dominant mood for the morning. Conditions were ideal for a fun training race. Deluge rains pounded the Brockton, MA "course" all night and morning right up until the gun went off. The course itself was a far cry from the typical Euro layouts we find at the UCI races. It was a long loop of muddy single track laced with sharp rocks camouflaged by the muck. There were two or three slick corners that required a foot out and your undivided attention and one set of make shift barriers that I was riding like a champ.The field size was small but not lacking in fast guys. Old man Hughes made his first race appearance in months (maybe even years?) The start was fast as they always are and I settled somewhere around 5th wheel coming into the single track section. Lucky me stuck behind Bobbles Maggie who couldn't keep his bike upright to save his life. I did my best to talk him through it and encourage him to just peddle, but his brain just wasn’t firing on all cylinders. Coming off the bridge onto the road we were a group of four with Mark sitting on the back in his rain coat and fender, just waiting for the right moment to make a move and collect his $500 check. After owning the barriers like Sven Nijs (on the hoods with no tap) I opened up a gap on the rest of group who had resorted to running. I pushed through the rest of lap, taking a moment to try and remember the last lime I had led a 'cross race in the Elites. The sluggishness eventually set in and my three temporary companions rode away with ease.After marching around in no mans land for a few laps, I decided It would be more fun to race with a group, so I sat up and waited for the group of five that was floundering about thirty seconds back. This is where the luck took a change for the worse. Flats, chain suck, bar problems; I did a lap on a strangers 52cm midget bike (sorry, little person bike) while both my Kona's where rendered unridable for a lap. (For the non-cycling crowd, just think of a clown car. that's me on a 52cm frame)After innumerable bike changes and adjustments, I was able to prance around like a dejected puppy for he last few laps. Small child doesn’t even begin to describe it.If your going to have a bad race, you might as well get dirty in the process. Back to class for a few days and then hitting the road all over again for the next big show. The thought of cleaning the bikes and packing them up again is one I'm trying to repress for as long as possible. For now, time to lace up the running shoes again!

FREE JASON SAGER!

2006-11-09T19:04:00.000-08:00

Due to USADA’s failure to efficiently manage the testing controls at the Park City NORBA national this past July, Jason is looking at a one year competition ban. We all follow J’s blog and it’s his words and passion for the sport that gets us all pumped to go out and race our tails off every weekend. He’s done nothing but good things for the sport over the past decade and he stands today as the definition of “fan favorite.” He earned that title by connecting with each of us while being a role model for aspiring racers looking to do it right. Show your support for J’s cause with a “Free Jason Sager” T Shirt. See ordering details in the comment section.

On The Road Again

2006-11-08T19:50:00.000-08:00

Around and around the world I go. Where I stop next, nobody knows. Is there anything funnier then watching two Canadians try to use USA Cycling airline vouchers? " I'm sorry Mr. Towel-loose, but like I just told Mr. Kabush; I'll need to see a copy of your USA cycling license."

Hey, don't write yourself off yet

2006-11-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

Saturday: Ridiculously fast course. Practically no elevation chance and every corner was on rails. Tim and I got in a god warm up and had plenty of time to check out the course. Three dismount sections in all with one set of traditional barriers, on set of logs and an L shaped sand pit. I started somewhere back in the 60’s of the 120 or so. The start was too fast for the fakers, and there were body’s strewn in every corner. The burning rubber smell was only slightly masked by the hint of burning flesh. I made some good moves to get through it all and settled in nicely to my usual first lap bump&grind pace. Unusually though, I was able to hold onto that pace for the second lap, and the third after that and so on. I found myself racing for once rather than playing survivor. After moving up a bit over the first few laps, it was a constant game of pass and be passed. I finally settled into a group of none other than pro tour riders Chris Horner and Fred Rodrigez. Chris put down an little move on the dirt jump section only to be relegated back a few spots y a mechanical. I rode around trading the lead with Freddie for a few laps and we were making up good ground. Coming onto the one paved climb, I thought, “ How often do you get the chance to attack a guy who’s finished second at the Tour de France?” So I through down a big acceleration coming up into the bridge and shook him off my wheel. Pretty much the highlight of my day. It ended with a group of four or five of us coming into the finish, and I was able to win that sprint over Mike West. (Why Mike West was racing ‘cross, who knows?) Sunday: Not as fast of a course, but just as fun, and the spectator population could take on the state of Rhode Island. Tim and I are geniuses and went to warm up on the running track while everyone else spun up and down the same neighborhood street. Noticing our brilliance, Chris Horner decided to join the track riding phenomenon Tim and I had started. (we promptly chased him down and lapped him). I started back in the 60’s again, but today brought out closer to the 150’s in terms of total participants, so in essence, it was better. The start strait was a little longer and gave things more a chance to stretch out. I wasn’t caught behind a crash until the first little off camber corner on the grassy slope parallel to the finishing strait. I promptly executed “The McElwaine Carry” and made it through on my feet while moving up quite a few places. Don’t be surprised if you see Sven with his bike over head next time one of those lousy Czechs stack it up in the first corner. (Because he obviously reads this blog). I stayed pretty consistent thorough the first few laps. Moving up a place or two here and there, a lot depending on who did and didn’t ride the sand pit. I really started reeling them in the last few laps when things were winding down. Despite a misunderstanding with a TIAA rider on the last lap, things ended up pretty good. My ego still isn’t recovered from being beat in a sprint by Nat Ross thought. Something about being out kicked by a 24 hour specialist just doesn’t sit well. As usual in cycocross, the racing seems merely a side note in another great weekend of hanging around with your buddies at the park. It was good to meet a lot of the guys from that area I’ve known up until now by name only. It’s hard to believe you could beat the love of the fans here in the North East, but CO had that same feeling of support. The wall of noise that surrounded the courses was much appreciated.

USGP Your Mom

2006-11-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

So race reports and all that jazz on the way. For now, some divine secrets of the CO cycling seen.Made the trip down from Ft. Collins to the Bolder 'cross races this past weekend with Timo. The crossoholics showed up in huge numbers to throw down this weekend. both on the bike and on the sidelines. As all the national races do, it gave me a good chance to catch up with the west coast crew and spend some time with a few old friends.I'll get into my own races when i have the mental energy, but i should make note of a few key performances in the mean time. First, Ethan threw down both days to take a step on the box. Someone should probably teach him how to slow down without using the metal fencing as a stopper though. Then in the big boy race, TRJT handed the rest of the U23 field there ass's on a shinny, 17th century, diamond incrusted platter. That guy stepped up his game big time. I don't know what Mr. Anthony was doing this weekend, but he might as well have been standing still as far as results go.With the races in the bag I've been spinning the legs out with style. I threw down on some dirt jumps this afternoon that would have had the one and only T O double D drooling over. Things were certainly sketchy on the 'cross bike. Cracked carbon bars: $150. Tacoed tubies: $1,500. Showing up the wanna be T.J. Lavins on a 'cross bike: priceless. First the BMXers, then the skaters. Is there any one left I'm not cooler than. Honestly now. Basically, my 'cross bike is hotter than your girlfriend.Ethan and Jerome stayed around after the GP's to come look at some schools, so Timo and I walked them around for a while. It was a good chance to catch up with the fat tire crew this time of year. Ethan is pretty much the man, and the kids down the hall all asked if Jerome was a homosexual. Made an appearance at the team cycling meeting this evening to get a feel for how the Ram's do business. Comrade Peter Stetina won the best crash award for the week, and was allowed the honor of laying his John Hancock on the team crash helmet. (And yes, By John Hancock, I do mean Winnie The Poo. Seriously, His signature looks like something off my 2nd grade spelling test. A real cool guy, none the less.)For now, I'm getting my Jason Mraz on in attempt to delay packing up the bike. I'm still a little shook up from my encounter with the side walk this evening in my brief (but glorious) skateboarding expiation. Who knew cracks in the side walk could cause such a projection. I ate it harder then a drunk Troy Wells practicing 'cross dismounts at 2:30 am. Tony Hawk, eat your heart out.

Rocky Mountain High

2006-11-03T12:24:00.000-08:00

Colorado. No ocean out here, but plenty of rippable urban single track. Made it into Ft Collins yesterday afternoon, promptly met up with Tim, and hit up some local 'cross action until sunset. The single track around Campus here is perfect for cross bikes. Just the right dirt consistency for the skinny nobbies to rail on. The flight out was lame. I got got busted for trying to sneak into first class. It was nice while it lasted, and I only had to move back to an exit row, so it wasn't too bad. It's just no fun when your lap top battery dies before take off. At least the rabbit sitting next to me was a cool cat, and didn't fight me for the arm rest. Things are a little tight with all the bikes in town this weekend. There's a few [relatively] clean dorm's on the hall, so there's always a place to chill if you feel like stretching out. After the ride a bunch of us hit up the Thursday night CRU. It's basically catholic church, but we sing with a live band and the preacher accidentally asked god to allow him to bury (as opposed to marry) his wife. It was pretty funny. None of the guys are really religious, but apparently it's a good place to pick up girls. After rocking out at church, Timo had a three on three indoor soccer game. His team, "The Holy Men" (despite being co-ed.?) played a good game, but lost on technicality's. We're just about to head out for some openers before dinner, and then it's off to the races this weekend. Saturday brings us to Longmont and Sunday to Bolder(?). There going to be some good ones, so stay tuned for the break down.

We're Still Fighting It

2006-10-31T18:11:00.000-08:00

Went down to Indy Fab today to take some measurements. You know your in IF country as soon as you get within a ten mile radius of the place. Matty B picked me up and we hit up a local coffee shop to get the morning started off right. Sure enough, locked up to the railing outside the shop was a Ti/Carbon XS fixed gear messenger bike. It's not every day you see a $7,000 bike locked up outside the local bean joint. After that it was back to the factory for all the specifics and a little meet and greet with some of the new guys. Now a lot of you have some sweet set ups out there regarding teams and sponsorship. But how many on the start line can say they were fit for there custom ride by the president of the company himself. It's not every cyclist who meets the team that will be designing, preparing, tacking, welding, finishing, painting, packing, and shipping there bike before hand; having the ability to discuss every aspect of your future ride, down to the last millimeter. Did your team ask weather you wanted your brake cable routed on the top or bottom of your top tube? Did they design the length of your top tube around the set back of your favorite seat post, or adjust the trail of your bike depending on your fork of choice and the race courses you want it to best perform at? probably not. That's not to say that your not getting the hook up, I'm just saying, Independent Fabrication kicks ass.From the coolest place in B-town to the most depressing place on earth. The RMV, otherwise known as the bingo hall from hell. "Now serving, B-42." Listen to that shit for 2 hours and you'll want to burn out your eye balls with a cigarette lighter. The time passed easier having a couple mid terms to study for, but even so, that is not the place you want to study for a test. Don't be surprised if you accidentally answer B-42 on every multiple choice question.Back to school for a little class, and a little fill in the blank. There was an astronaut sitting next to me on the red line this evening. I wonder what he’s doing in Boston? there was also a cowboy, a pirate, and a kid who was wearing a whole lot of toilet paper. Some sort of wacky convention going down at Harvard i guess? also out tonight were an alarming number of prostitutes ( or so they'd have you believe. ) Since when is skank an acceptable costume to trick-or-treat in? And further more, if you are one, dressing even skankyer on Halloween does not constitute a costume. Show me some creativity, not just fish net's and your cleavage. If the pillow case your carrying is the largest piece of fabric on your person, you've gone horribly astray. Me? I'm dressing up as a bike racers/ college student with 2 bikes to pack and a mid-term to ace. I know, scary hu? I thought about just giving in, and dressing up as a whore myself, ( Fat Marc, the Spot brand whore, that is ) but i just wasn't sure the neighbors would get it.