Hello Friends,
So this past weekend has been another fun one, its almost 1am and I am just finishing up my demo video for the GSSI Show. So on top of riding, I became an expert at filming and video editing... Not bad for the first go around... More to come this season!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Coffee Love Affair
Boom! 5am, my phone is going nuts trying to revive me from last nights coma. As I struggle to move into reality, I slowly reach over and turn the alarm off, get out of bed and take the stroll to the coffee maker. As I wait for that fresh brew, I can catch some quick Z’s.
This becomes a quick ritual and some wonder, what is the deal with cyclists and coffee? Seems like we are always in our kits at some Java House (Hopefully Supporting the “Local Guy”) pre and post ride. So what is the buzz about?
Personally, there are a lot of great contents of coffee, mainly caffeine. This stimulant has been on and off the hot topic radar for huge period of time, but has tons of great properties for active individuals! Even I had to take some time to really gather all its properties, I am not even going to try to list them… but there are some great resources out there visit http://coffeescience.org/ and http://www.cosic.org/ who can give you the whole story, now all you need to know is what brew you are making tomorrow!
So many brands, so many flavors and too little time! I am whole bean type of guy and enjoy that freshness from the grind-your-own style, with that in mind I would love to go over some great brands and where you can get them.
Kinetic Koffee
• USDA Organic Coffee available at some select bike shops or online at www.kinetic-koffee.com
• Best value and prepackaged beans you can buy
• Great flavors will give you that extra kick in the morning!
Fresh Market
• Organic and non-organic blends
• Fresh varieties from $7.99-$13.99/lb
• The best roasts and flavors keeping you going all day
Whole Foods
• Allegro and 365(store brand) Organic blends
• Fresh varieties from $11.99-$15.99/ lb
• Not quite as fresh and tasty as Fresh
This becomes a quick ritual and some wonder, what is the deal with cyclists and coffee? Seems like we are always in our kits at some Java House (Hopefully Supporting the “Local Guy”) pre and post ride. So what is the buzz about?
Personally, there are a lot of great contents of coffee, mainly caffeine. This stimulant has been on and off the hot topic radar for huge period of time, but has tons of great properties for active individuals! Even I had to take some time to really gather all its properties, I am not even going to try to list them… but there are some great resources out there visit http://coffeescience.org/ and http://www.cosic.org/ who can give you the whole story, now all you need to know is what brew you are making tomorrow!
So many brands, so many flavors and too little time! I am whole bean type of guy and enjoy that freshness from the grind-your-own style, with that in mind I would love to go over some great brands and where you can get them.
Kinetic Koffee
• USDA Organic Coffee available at some select bike shops or online at www.kinetic-koffee.com
• Best value and prepackaged beans you can buy
• Great flavors will give you that extra kick in the morning!
Fresh Market
• Organic and non-organic blends
• Fresh varieties from $7.99-$13.99/lb
• The best roasts and flavors keeping you going all day
Whole Foods
• Allegro and 365(store brand) Organic blends
• Fresh varieties from $11.99-$15.99/ lb
• Not quite as fresh and tasty as Fresh
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Ocala Stage... The End of 2008
So its October and we are still racing our bikes in Florida� As we finish the season off I was heading into the final weekend high up in the Florida Points Standings and looking to jump into the 6th spot. We finished in style with a three event stage race which consisted of two road races and a short time trial.
The road race on Saturday started a little mellow, I did my signature early attack hoping to try and bring some people with me. This was a failure. I decided to sit in at that point and see what happens as we had a time bonus sprint in about 5 miles. As we're rolling into the bonus sprint we went up a hill and then downhill towards the line, the last mile to the line were strung out and nervous! Chris (teammate) and I were in great position about 5th and 6th wheel coming into the hill. Suddenly, Chris and another rider began bumping shoulders and next thing I know Chris was on the ground, along with half the field. One of my other teammates somehow got ran over by the motorbike, did a full flip and landed on his feet running! I ended up taking 2nd in bonus to Grant Potter(Herbalife), who is flying coming off Master's Worlds!
Despite some late moves the race was doomed to end in a field sprint. I figured with my time bonus I was sitting pretty, I came up the hill 3rd wheel and was rocketing on the sprint when the wheel in front of me sat up and I became boxed in. Took 7th in the stage, 3rd in GC. Chris decided to pack it up after that since he was pretty banged up.
Next up the TT, which was 5.2 miles� It was hilly so extremely hard to get a rhythm. I ended up losing a minute by the end. I still put in a good time at 10:10� But it surely wasn't the 9:02 Bobby Sweeting(Toshiba-Santo) had posted! So going into the last stage I was 14th in the GC
The last stage was under 50 miles and it was pretty steady all day, a few attacks early showed that not a lot of people were interested in getting off the front. A few times I ended up off the front just when trying to string it out. As the race developed into the later laps, splits started to happen. I found myself into a 6 man group with all but two of the top 10 GC contenders. Another split occurred and I looked at the Herbalife rider since I knew he was protecting the overall lead for Grant Potter and he seemed content letting those guys up the road.
Soon after we got reeled back by the field it was pretty much an all out chase for the next 2 laps by Herbalife and Toshiba-Santo. I was pretty content watching these guys do all the work and stayed towards the top 20 guys to insure there would be no splits. As we entered the road back off the circuit, Grant Potter and Bobby Sweeting were throwing down and the break group was insight. I saw my chance develop when a few other riders including a Toshiba rider and myself attacked. We bridged up to the guys with about 1 mi to go and were driving it. I came into the corner third wheel and was waiting for a massive acceleration to happen, but never did. So I went from about 350 meters out and was able to hold everyone off! Taking 7th in the GC was also great!
Its always best to end the season with a win! Thanks to Robby Ketchell and CPT for keeping me fast all season. I have acheived all of my season goals and more with the best guidance I have had during my career.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Hello 2009! Hello GA! Hello Twlight Zone
Welcome back folks to the 2009 season! The season has started! These means long days and slow or slower rides! This venture started two weeks ago, as we rolled into the fall calendar for the Florida Points Series, with a nice 6 Hour day... This was great as I was able to get into the break on the Saturday Circuit. I kicked an attack with 4 laps to go and slowly got some people to follow to insure we stayed away.
The sprint was very close and I came out at 4th.
Sunday, we had a nice short Road Race and I felt like taking the bull by the horns, as we were in a combined 1,2,3 field and I wanted to thin the heard from the gun. Maybe not the best tactic, but I was able to rock 14th in the end after a long day of bridging gaps and sitting in breaks.
Moving into the next week, I had some back to back 4 hour days after taking Monday off. Then Thursday I went up to Georgia with some Florida mates; Josh Servi and Tom Bargnesi, for the upcoming six gap century. Not knowing what to expect, I rode a crappy gearing and worked hard all weekend. 11-23 was not great for those hills.
After the voyage, we rushed to get a ride in as soon as we arrived in Dehlonga, GA. We hustled and got kitted up and got in a nice 40 miler. As we got back, ate and drank a lot of beers, we got a phone call.... ENTER THE TWILIGHT ZONE
Our friends are on their way, but cannot find gas, and what is going on... there is no gas anywhere.
So we decided to start our trek for petrol... and to my surprise Georgia HAS NO GAS
Suddenly we morph into 1974! I need more beer for this one!
So eventually our mates found a station that had gas and made it to our cabin.... we head to bed and set voyage for our next epic day of riding.
WE wake up and gas seems to be the hot topic all day, eventually it became a joke about finding gas, but I was never far enough back in the group to hear the BS.
SO day one: we hit Niels gap, Jack's gap then right up to Brasstown Bald, then back up the other side of Niels to a nice lunch and some Newcastle.
Just to let you know we were not holding back... Josh and I were firing shots off like we were racing for a tour stage. Josh was definitely the man up Niels and somehow I was able to gas him up the Bald!
Back into town, we head for a night of Terrapin Pale Ale and food...
The next day (Still no gas) OH WAIT 45 mins in line at a station and we find gas!
Supposedly we are having a nice easy ride, but a group of cyclists can never ride easy. We hit up the back side of Woody's gap and start another epic throw down...
Saturday night we ate in and did not party as the century was upon us.
CENTURY DAY!!!!
So there is more people than I have ever seen and I felt awful for the first 40 miles. I came unglued on Jack's gap and rode in small groups the rest of the day. Somehow I felt great the last 20 miles and rode flat out. I came in at 5:40.... Pretty respectable. Josh came in around 5:55 and Tom had a Mechanical. Honestly this was the hardest century I have ever done. 6 epic climbs spread into 104 miles, made this not for the kids. I was in pieces after rolling in.
So this meant tons of food and BEER
We party and Head back Monday.....
20 hours later and 500 miles later... Hello 2009
The sprint was very close and I came out at 4th.
Sunday, we had a nice short Road Race and I felt like taking the bull by the horns, as we were in a combined 1,2,3 field and I wanted to thin the heard from the gun. Maybe not the best tactic, but I was able to rock 14th in the end after a long day of bridging gaps and sitting in breaks.
Moving into the next week, I had some back to back 4 hour days after taking Monday off. Then Thursday I went up to Georgia with some Florida mates; Josh Servi and Tom Bargnesi, for the upcoming six gap century. Not knowing what to expect, I rode a crappy gearing and worked hard all weekend. 11-23 was not great for those hills.
After the voyage, we rushed to get a ride in as soon as we arrived in Dehlonga, GA. We hustled and got kitted up and got in a nice 40 miler. As we got back, ate and drank a lot of beers, we got a phone call.... ENTER THE TWILIGHT ZONE
Our friends are on their way, but cannot find gas, and what is going on... there is no gas anywhere.
So we decided to start our trek for petrol... and to my surprise Georgia HAS NO GAS
Suddenly we morph into 1974! I need more beer for this one!
So eventually our mates found a station that had gas and made it to our cabin.... we head to bed and set voyage for our next epic day of riding.
WE wake up and gas seems to be the hot topic all day, eventually it became a joke about finding gas, but I was never far enough back in the group to hear the BS.
SO day one: we hit Niels gap, Jack's gap then right up to Brasstown Bald, then back up the other side of Niels to a nice lunch and some Newcastle.
Just to let you know we were not holding back... Josh and I were firing shots off like we were racing for a tour stage. Josh was definitely the man up Niels and somehow I was able to gas him up the Bald!
Back into town, we head for a night of Terrapin Pale Ale and food...
The next day (Still no gas) OH WAIT 45 mins in line at a station and we find gas!
Supposedly we are having a nice easy ride, but a group of cyclists can never ride easy. We hit up the back side of Woody's gap and start another epic throw down...
Saturday night we ate in and did not party as the century was upon us.
CENTURY DAY!!!!
So there is more people than I have ever seen and I felt awful for the first 40 miles. I came unglued on Jack's gap and rode in small groups the rest of the day. Somehow I felt great the last 20 miles and rode flat out. I came in at 5:40.... Pretty respectable. Josh came in around 5:55 and Tom had a Mechanical. Honestly this was the hardest century I have ever done. 6 epic climbs spread into 104 miles, made this not for the kids. I was in pieces after rolling in.
So this meant tons of food and BEER
We party and Head back Monday.....
20 hours later and 500 miles later... Hello 2009
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Anaerobic Threshold Aka The Bread and Butter
So welcome back to the next installment of Training with the Whiz, riding at high levels does not always mean putting in big hours. This was a big mistake that I had when I was training myself, and also a big folly that I see with local and national level guys. What happens with the big hours is that you hit a plateau, you will hit this and hold it for sometimes up 6 weeks, then you bomb hard.
So to battle this its really important to get in short intense rides, two hours or under, to work the anaerobic systems and recovery inside of those efforts. Working these workouts will help put more "bullets in your chamber" during a race, or make sure that you have the snap when things start to heat up.
The workout I am going to show is one of the best for the race season (this was highlighted on vs. with Chris Carmichael) 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. Robby prescribed a warm up into a 30 minute straight block of 30s on/off (30 intervals) with a minimum average wattage of 350, 20 minutes of recovery then 10 minutes of 30s on/off with a minimum average wattage of 400.
So when you put that on screen it will look crazy
Here is my download
After a block of time off this was not so much fun, my numbers were pretty low for me in terms of where my heart rate was, and I was pretty close to throwing up about three times. I kept a very high cadence and did a majority of the intervals seated to also help with some core maintenance on the bike.
If we had some hills here, this workout is perfect for climbs, it would also facilitate maintaining higher watts since gravity is on your side. Unfortunately, Florida has rollers at best. So you just have to put your head down and go.
Feel free to comment with questions and I hope to make this blog a tool and resource for all
So to battle this its really important to get in short intense rides, two hours or under, to work the anaerobic systems and recovery inside of those efforts. Working these workouts will help put more "bullets in your chamber" during a race, or make sure that you have the snap when things start to heat up.
The workout I am going to show is one of the best for the race season (this was highlighted on vs. with Chris Carmichael) 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. Robby prescribed a warm up into a 30 minute straight block of 30s on/off (30 intervals) with a minimum average wattage of 350, 20 minutes of recovery then 10 minutes of 30s on/off with a minimum average wattage of 400.
So when you put that on screen it will look crazy
Here is my download
After a block of time off this was not so much fun, my numbers were pretty low for me in terms of where my heart rate was, and I was pretty close to throwing up about three times. I kept a very high cadence and did a majority of the intervals seated to also help with some core maintenance on the bike.
If we had some hills here, this workout is perfect for climbs, it would also facilitate maintaining higher watts since gravity is on your side. Unfortunately, Florida has rollers at best. So you just have to put your head down and go.
Feel free to comment with questions and I hope to make this blog a tool and resource for all
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Training with the Whiz
So now after some much needed time off its back to structured training... Hello agony and suffering. So today's menu was a four hour ride, broken down at 3.5 hours in zone's 2/3, followed by 20 minutes LT then recover, then three sprints 10s 20s ans 30s. I knew that this was going to be great after not doing these rides for 4 or so weeks. Everything was good, speed was where it needed to be, power was a little lower compared to my heart rate, but that will come in a few days of doing training again.
Here is the screen shot of the download:
For me keeping my cadence high and letting my power fluctuate more my main goals. As far as the 20 minutes at the end, I was in town and sort of just suffered through and the sprints were in the rain so power was relatively lower than normal.
These rides definitely help being ready at the end of the race, its a fail safe to train then end the rides very hard.
For coaching, I use Robby Ketchell, he was previously with Colorado Premier Training, but is now under his own banner, www.ketchellsportsscience.com
We have had a great relationship over the years, racing together and coaching. Robby works with a lot of the top echelon riders in the US, Chris Baldwin and Mike Friedman to name a few.
Also, for most of you know, I did get signed by the Colavita Development Team for next season. They were very pleased with me as an individual and rider. Now I just have to get that Cat. 1 upgrade as the team will be all one's next year, with a better budget and more complete calendar.
Keep fighting the good fight..
PS if you ever want to see files directly, just email me and I will send them to you!
Here is the screen shot of the download:
For me keeping my cadence high and letting my power fluctuate more my main goals. As far as the 20 minutes at the end, I was in town and sort of just suffered through and the sprints were in the rain so power was relatively lower than normal.
These rides definitely help being ready at the end of the race, its a fail safe to train then end the rides very hard.
For coaching, I use Robby Ketchell, he was previously with Colorado Premier Training, but is now under his own banner, www.ketchellsportsscience.com
We have had a great relationship over the years, racing together and coaching. Robby works with a lot of the top echelon riders in the US, Chris Baldwin and Mike Friedman to name a few.
Also, for most of you know, I did get signed by the Colavita Development Team for next season. They were very pleased with me as an individual and rider. Now I just have to get that Cat. 1 upgrade as the team will be all one's next year, with a better budget and more complete calendar.
Keep fighting the good fight..
PS if you ever want to see files directly, just email me and I will send them to you!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Back in the Saddle
So I am back, and as per many questions the blog will go on, I am going to share some screen shots of powerfiles and other things involved with my riding and day to day fair.
So long story short, I am back to just being a bike racer. I was sitting in an airport all day, when I found out that my position with Glory Cycles was no longer part of the company schema...
We part ways as friends, so now I am in the hunt for a new job. I have worked hard to build up a network in the cycling community so I am sure that the chips will fall into place in my favor.
Now we got that out of the way, today was greated with pleasant news, that I did earn a spot on the Colavita Development Squad for next season. So that was motivating in my slew of resume editing and emailing people...
Got kitted up and got my roll on for two hours.... It was great to be back in the FL riding... Nice and easy today and some sprints... I am pretty much doing whatever rides for the next week or so, then back to some structured training. Looks like we may be riding the Vuelta a Chihuahua in Mexico in September if the team gets the invite.
Keep Reading... I'll Keep Writing
So long story short, I am back to just being a bike racer. I was sitting in an airport all day, when I found out that my position with Glory Cycles was no longer part of the company schema...
We part ways as friends, so now I am in the hunt for a new job. I have worked hard to build up a network in the cycling community so I am sure that the chips will fall into place in my favor.
Now we got that out of the way, today was greated with pleasant news, that I did earn a spot on the Colavita Development Squad for next season. So that was motivating in my slew of resume editing and emailing people...
Got kitted up and got my roll on for two hours.... It was great to be back in the FL riding... Nice and easy today and some sprints... I am pretty much doing whatever rides for the next week or so, then back to some structured training. Looks like we may be riding the Vuelta a Chihuahua in Mexico in September if the team gets the invite.
Keep Reading... I'll Keep Writing
Monday, July 7, 2008
Fitchburg Stage 4
Welcome back folks...
Sorry for the delay in getting these last two posts up, we have been like caged chickens and now we are getting some freedom...
So I had a nice breakfast of PB and J, then right to the kit, got in about an hour spin to warm up. There were no need to open up after 10 days of racing. I got to sign in and had a great conversation about my crash with one of the head officials, who informed me that the Metlife team, who's feeder caused the crash, was being fined. This made me pretty happy, a small prize for losing 11 minutes in a stage race...
So politics over, our course looked awesome, a nice uphill finish, with a 180 turn at the top and then a long back stretch followed by two left turns, measuring exactly one mile. The race went for 28 laps, at the start my position was bad on the back line, but I made it to the front in two laps.
I made some great early moves again and was in some promising breaks, but nothing was sticking. With three to go I knew it was now or never. I attacked on the inside on the back stretch and an NCCS rider saw me and put me right into the curb on the corner. I bumped him hard to stay upright, came unclipped and was pretty much at the back of the field by then. My sprint started then. I dodged another crash on the last corner and went hard to end up 24th. Finishing 70th overall. Not my best stage race, but the team DS was very happy with how I raced and pleased to see all my efforts and hard work. The team will be using me if they get selected for the UCI race in Mexico in September, or anything else that may come up.
What great trip. The day ended with some beers, a drive to Boston to stay with another teammate. Then a night on the town.
Monday morning came along, with some eggs and toast, then off to a hike in the Blue Hills Reserve, which was beautiful. We came back home, then rode for 2 hours around South Boston, on the HarborWalk trail in Dorchester...
Great times and all to see the world on a bike!!!
I hope you all enjoyed reading these posts as much as I did writing them
I had a great time here and hope to share it with everyone when I get back...
Untill Then
Sorry for the delay in getting these last two posts up, we have been like caged chickens and now we are getting some freedom...
So I had a nice breakfast of PB and J, then right to the kit, got in about an hour spin to warm up. There were no need to open up after 10 days of racing. I got to sign in and had a great conversation about my crash with one of the head officials, who informed me that the Metlife team, who's feeder caused the crash, was being fined. This made me pretty happy, a small prize for losing 11 minutes in a stage race...
So politics over, our course looked awesome, a nice uphill finish, with a 180 turn at the top and then a long back stretch followed by two left turns, measuring exactly one mile. The race went for 28 laps, at the start my position was bad on the back line, but I made it to the front in two laps.
I made some great early moves again and was in some promising breaks, but nothing was sticking. With three to go I knew it was now or never. I attacked on the inside on the back stretch and an NCCS rider saw me and put me right into the curb on the corner. I bumped him hard to stay upright, came unclipped and was pretty much at the back of the field by then. My sprint started then. I dodged another crash on the last corner and went hard to end up 24th. Finishing 70th overall. Not my best stage race, but the team DS was very happy with how I raced and pleased to see all my efforts and hard work. The team will be using me if they get selected for the UCI race in Mexico in September, or anything else that may come up.
What great trip. The day ended with some beers, a drive to Boston to stay with another teammate. Then a night on the town.
Monday morning came along, with some eggs and toast, then off to a hike in the Blue Hills Reserve, which was beautiful. We came back home, then rode for 2 hours around South Boston, on the HarborWalk trail in Dorchester...
Great times and all to see the world on a bike!!!
I hope you all enjoyed reading these posts as much as I did writing them
I had a great time here and hope to share it with everyone when I get back...
Untill Then
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Fitchburg Stage 3
Welcome back for another day in Paradise here....
Today's stage was a 50 mile circuit race in downtown that proved to be deceptively difficult...
I slept in until the 12th hour... so boom knock on the door, speed shower and super speed to get the kit rocking and I was on my bike out the hotel doors. I went so fast I didn't even pin my number on.
So I warmed up by TT'ing it to the course (about 6 miles away), I got their with time to spare for sign in and number pinning, lucky me. Today's goals for the team were for me to be at the front and get into some early moves and then hold on until the finish.
The race was hard from the gun, but the end we averaged 27.70mph for the 50 miles..... Mind you this is with almost 2.5km uphill. So I got into the moves early on and was not feeling great, the downhill sections added some recovery for the legs but not for the nerves as there were constant jocking for position.
I felt the opposite in this race as the road race, it seemed every time we went up the climb I was hurting more and more. We sent a guy off with 1 to go and it almost worked as he got caught on the downhill section, I was sitting pretty for a top 20 finish and my legs shot the wall going up the climb and I finished in the group around 51st.
The week of racing is starting to add up, as is sleeping in a hotel room this long. But we have a guy sitting in 19th in GC, I moved up a few spots after the crash and I am 12 minutes down. Tomorrow is the final day... A mere 28 mile long crit in downtown... I have not seen the course, but hope to place well after a hard 10 days...
Hope all is well with everyone and I'll see you soon
Today's stage was a 50 mile circuit race in downtown that proved to be deceptively difficult...
I slept in until the 12th hour... so boom knock on the door, speed shower and super speed to get the kit rocking and I was on my bike out the hotel doors. I went so fast I didn't even pin my number on.
So I warmed up by TT'ing it to the course (about 6 miles away), I got their with time to spare for sign in and number pinning, lucky me. Today's goals for the team were for me to be at the front and get into some early moves and then hold on until the finish.
The race was hard from the gun, but the end we averaged 27.70mph for the 50 miles..... Mind you this is with almost 2.5km uphill. So I got into the moves early on and was not feeling great, the downhill sections added some recovery for the legs but not for the nerves as there were constant jocking for position.
I felt the opposite in this race as the road race, it seemed every time we went up the climb I was hurting more and more. We sent a guy off with 1 to go and it almost worked as he got caught on the downhill section, I was sitting pretty for a top 20 finish and my legs shot the wall going up the climb and I finished in the group around 51st.
The week of racing is starting to add up, as is sleeping in a hotel room this long. But we have a guy sitting in 19th in GC, I moved up a few spots after the crash and I am 12 minutes down. Tomorrow is the final day... A mere 28 mile long crit in downtown... I have not seen the course, but hope to place well after a hard 10 days...
Hope all is well with everyone and I'll see you soon
Friday, July 4, 2008
Fitchburg Stage Two
Holy hard stage....
When you don't ever climb hills... This course is not for you. It was a course not for kids. 92 miles of agony and pain.
So pretty much the race was one of attrition.... Lap by lap the field became smaller and smaller, by lap three I was contemplating why I was a cyclist, and wanting to quit and enjoy my 4th of July. Then every lap I was stronger and felt better and better....
Then on the last time through the feed zone, BOOOOOM disaster struck. I was in the front group when some genious spectator/feeder decided they were just going to drop their bottle right in the road directly in path with my front wheel. I hit the deck hard, I was stunned. I exchanged some choice words with the gentleman regarding his skills as I got on my bike and attempted to limit my loses. I chased until I was on the verge of blacking out. I ended up 11 minutes in the hole by the end of the day. The majority of our team DNF'd. We lost one guy to a crash in the first 5 miles, another guy the first time up the climb, and another guy by lap 4.
I must say this was the hardest course I have ever done. Puts anything else to shame. The sad thing was I was there at the end and had some bad luck. The team DS was really happy that I dug hard and did not give up. He told me that he was estatic to have me for this weekend and enjoys watching my racing style. So kudos to me...
The was a little rough since we were in a time crunch to get to the race. Which was a little bs, but out of my hands. We made it there with enough time for me to sign in and get on my bike...
Little bit of stress there... but oh well thats life
Tomorrow is another hard day with a 50 mile circuit race that has a lot of climbing. So one thing is certain for me... By the time I get back I am going to be going really fast after some nice rest days..
Now we are in the hunt for stage wins.
Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you with tomorrow's good news
When you don't ever climb hills... This course is not for you. It was a course not for kids. 92 miles of agony and pain.
So pretty much the race was one of attrition.... Lap by lap the field became smaller and smaller, by lap three I was contemplating why I was a cyclist, and wanting to quit and enjoy my 4th of July. Then every lap I was stronger and felt better and better....
Then on the last time through the feed zone, BOOOOOM disaster struck. I was in the front group when some genious spectator/feeder decided they were just going to drop their bottle right in the road directly in path with my front wheel. I hit the deck hard, I was stunned. I exchanged some choice words with the gentleman regarding his skills as I got on my bike and attempted to limit my loses. I chased until I was on the verge of blacking out. I ended up 11 minutes in the hole by the end of the day. The majority of our team DNF'd. We lost one guy to a crash in the first 5 miles, another guy the first time up the climb, and another guy by lap 4.
I must say this was the hardest course I have ever done. Puts anything else to shame. The sad thing was I was there at the end and had some bad luck. The team DS was really happy that I dug hard and did not give up. He told me that he was estatic to have me for this weekend and enjoys watching my racing style. So kudos to me...
The was a little rough since we were in a time crunch to get to the race. Which was a little bs, but out of my hands. We made it there with enough time for me to sign in and get on my bike...
Little bit of stress there... but oh well thats life
Tomorrow is another hard day with a 50 mile circuit race that has a lot of climbing. So one thing is certain for me... By the time I get back I am going to be going really fast after some nice rest days..
Now we are in the hunt for stage wins.
Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you with tomorrow's good news
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Fitchburg Stage One
What a day here in Fitchburg.....
So stage one is an uphill tt... Not a big fan here... Especially on a bike that I have ridden twice. We'll get the crap news out of the way first, I finished 2:30 down. Some of the climbs I kept a lid on and others I tried to grind up them...
Maybe not the best strategy. Our best guy is 1:30 down, so we will have lots of options during the road race, I am not sure what the story is going to be tomorrow, but I am sure its going to be hard.
The course today had the worst roads ever, and it was hard to find smooth lines. I caught my 30 second guy in the first 1k, so I am thinking I went a tad too hard...
So the day started up with packet pick up, then haul a#$ back to the hotel so we could make our start times. Finally got everything I needed with clothing and everything else... Finally got all settled and it was time to ride to the TT course.
I was a little worried I was not going to have TT wheels for the start, but the team bus pulled up on time...
So got that out of the way, I went uphill semi-fast... then had some homemade pasta, some food from Starbucks and Wheat Thins.
So all in all, little bit of a crazy day... Not the best result, but not really my favorite course. Tomorrow is more my flavor, so look for a good showing from Colavita.
PS Happy Fourth Tomorrow... Blow somethings up and drink some for me
So stage one is an uphill tt... Not a big fan here... Especially on a bike that I have ridden twice. We'll get the crap news out of the way first, I finished 2:30 down. Some of the climbs I kept a lid on and others I tried to grind up them...
Maybe not the best strategy. Our best guy is 1:30 down, so we will have lots of options during the road race, I am not sure what the story is going to be tomorrow, but I am sure its going to be hard.
The course today had the worst roads ever, and it was hard to find smooth lines. I caught my 30 second guy in the first 1k, so I am thinking I went a tad too hard...
So the day started up with packet pick up, then haul a#$ back to the hotel so we could make our start times. Finally got everything I needed with clothing and everything else... Finally got all settled and it was time to ride to the TT course.
I was a little worried I was not going to have TT wheels for the start, but the team bus pulled up on time...
So got that out of the way, I went uphill semi-fast... then had some homemade pasta, some food from Starbucks and Wheat Thins.
So all in all, little bit of a crazy day... Not the best result, but not really my favorite course. Tomorrow is more my flavor, so look for a good showing from Colavita.
PS Happy Fourth Tomorrow... Blow somethings up and drink some for me
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Rest Day
Welcome to probably the least eventful posting of the trip.... The Coveted REST DAY...
I was thinking about things that I wanted to address in this blog day to day, but never really had a chance to get it going... Like how many dollars in Odwalla Juice I could drink every day or after the first two days how man tires I would go through while I am here, but that ended quick. So Maybe the last day I can come up with a full summary of everything just to keep it all in perspective.
I also want to thank everyone again, had some great phone calls and text messages for support. I really have dedicated this season in my mind to my recently deceased Grandfather, who did a lot of my raising growing up. I know that he always wanted me to succede in any of my ventures, but I knew how keen he was to athletics. So this year has been in his memory and I know he is watching somewhere, proudly!
Now moving on to my day, we had an early photo shoot this morning and had all of the team photos done. So basically, we packed up our hotels rooms, got kitted up and stood around in the parking lot looking cute.
We then packed up the vehicles, some people decided to ride to Fitchburg, I opted to ride in the car and set up my tt rig when I got there. So we get there in about an hour or so and unpacked. The weather was looking rough, but we had to get our ride in regardless.
I mapped out the route to the course then we were off after a little wait for weather. We finally got to the start... This TT will not be fun.. Looks to be about 4.9 miles uphill then 1.5 downhill....
The legs felt good and I formulated some strategy for tomorrow, lets just hope it works.
The ride back was a little more interesting, we got dumped on hard, then my roommate Steve hit a storm grate and it caught his wheel about 1 mile from the hotel. It was a rough trip for him, with two crashes. But he's ok, more pride bruised than anything else.
Eventually we did laundry, ate, found the one grocery store in town and got some snack stock...
I am off to get a nice massage and then to bed...
Thanks for reading the blog and look for a good result tomorrow!
I was thinking about things that I wanted to address in this blog day to day, but never really had a chance to get it going... Like how many dollars in Odwalla Juice I could drink every day or after the first two days how man tires I would go through while I am here, but that ended quick. So Maybe the last day I can come up with a full summary of everything just to keep it all in perspective.
I also want to thank everyone again, had some great phone calls and text messages for support. I really have dedicated this season in my mind to my recently deceased Grandfather, who did a lot of my raising growing up. I know that he always wanted me to succede in any of my ventures, but I knew how keen he was to athletics. So this year has been in his memory and I know he is watching somewhere, proudly!
Now moving on to my day, we had an early photo shoot this morning and had all of the team photos done. So basically, we packed up our hotels rooms, got kitted up and stood around in the parking lot looking cute.
We then packed up the vehicles, some people decided to ride to Fitchburg, I opted to ride in the car and set up my tt rig when I got there. So we get there in about an hour or so and unpacked. The weather was looking rough, but we had to get our ride in regardless.
I mapped out the route to the course then we were off after a little wait for weather. We finally got to the start... This TT will not be fun.. Looks to be about 4.9 miles uphill then 1.5 downhill....
The legs felt good and I formulated some strategy for tomorrow, lets just hope it works.
The ride back was a little more interesting, we got dumped on hard, then my roommate Steve hit a storm grate and it caught his wheel about 1 mile from the hotel. It was a rough trip for him, with two crashes. But he's ok, more pride bruised than anything else.
Eventually we did laundry, ate, found the one grocery store in town and got some snack stock...
I am off to get a nice massage and then to bed...
Thanks for reading the blog and look for a good result tomorrow!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Exeter Twlight Criterium
Holy Twlight Crits... One thing people don't understand about racing twlight crits is that you usually don't get done until 8:30-9pm (sometimes later, in last nights case, 10) so then you have to eat, travel back to your hotel, shower and then wash your clothes. This makes bed time around 2am. This can really scramble you schedule....
So back to my not so boring adventure... 9am wake up and right to massage therapy... Lets say there are professionals and girlfriends...
Holy smokes I had the full work down and had an alignment, which was pretty cool, I had things pop that I didn't know could, like pulling my ears until they cracked... Super Weird, but hey I felt good. Then right back to bed.
I finally woke up around 12 and then made my way to a local deli, which was amazing. Then back to the hotel, for some work/email time and rest.
Finally 3pm rolled around and we packed up our stuff all pilled in the van and made our way to Exeter. This was about 1.5hr drive. The weather looked really bad. By the time we arrived at the course it was pouring. I really don't enjoy night crits, and also night crits in rain...
But I saw Jonathan Page registering and was like Holy Crap that guy is my hero(cyclocross hero, I think my real hero has been my dad)so I had no choice to race. I saw who was there, and knew immediately this was going to be full gas. Rite Aid was representing the Yellow jersey for the week, Bissell had a full squad, Team Type 1, Kelly Benefits and Time Pro also had riders. This was going to strung out from the gun.
Knowing this, especially in the rain, I made sure that I was in the front at the start. The race was exactly how I predicited. STRUNG OUT... There were a lot of crashes, but they all happened behind me, so that was a plus. I stayed in the top 30 riders all night, at points the 53x11 was not enough, I was spinning it out through the start/finish. We were going so fast I had no idea where we were in the race.
Finally, I saw the 12 laps to go come up and I knew it was time to solidify my positioning to insure a good sprint. I was sitting 5th and 6th wheel for a few laps but would get flushed out here and there. By 5 to go, there was no moving up. The last lap I was in my 11 the whole lap.
So I managed 27th, 3rd best finisher from the team. We finished 14th, 19th, 27th and 30th with 2 DNF's
No one crashed so that was good. I was mixed about the result, but in retrospect that race was hard hard hard...
Just food for thought... 124 started the race. 58 Finished...
There was no spots for the weak of heart here.
Tomorrow is a team photo shoot. Then we travel to Fitchburg to prepare for the upcoming stage race.
I am planning on smoking the TT... maybe I can grab a Yellow jersey.
Thanks for letting me take you from you day...
Look forward to reading all of your great comments!
So back to my not so boring adventure... 9am wake up and right to massage therapy... Lets say there are professionals and girlfriends...
Holy smokes I had the full work down and had an alignment, which was pretty cool, I had things pop that I didn't know could, like pulling my ears until they cracked... Super Weird, but hey I felt good. Then right back to bed.
I finally woke up around 12 and then made my way to a local deli, which was amazing. Then back to the hotel, for some work/email time and rest.
Finally 3pm rolled around and we packed up our stuff all pilled in the van and made our way to Exeter. This was about 1.5hr drive. The weather looked really bad. By the time we arrived at the course it was pouring. I really don't enjoy night crits, and also night crits in rain...
But I saw Jonathan Page registering and was like Holy Crap that guy is my hero(cyclocross hero, I think my real hero has been my dad)so I had no choice to race. I saw who was there, and knew immediately this was going to be full gas. Rite Aid was representing the Yellow jersey for the week, Bissell had a full squad, Team Type 1, Kelly Benefits and Time Pro also had riders. This was going to strung out from the gun.
Knowing this, especially in the rain, I made sure that I was in the front at the start. The race was exactly how I predicited. STRUNG OUT... There were a lot of crashes, but they all happened behind me, so that was a plus. I stayed in the top 30 riders all night, at points the 53x11 was not enough, I was spinning it out through the start/finish. We were going so fast I had no idea where we were in the race.
Finally, I saw the 12 laps to go come up and I knew it was time to solidify my positioning to insure a good sprint. I was sitting 5th and 6th wheel for a few laps but would get flushed out here and there. By 5 to go, there was no moving up. The last lap I was in my 11 the whole lap.
So I managed 27th, 3rd best finisher from the team. We finished 14th, 19th, 27th and 30th with 2 DNF's
No one crashed so that was good. I was mixed about the result, but in retrospect that race was hard hard hard...
Just food for thought... 124 started the race. 58 Finished...
There was no spots for the weak of heart here.
Tomorrow is a team photo shoot. Then we travel to Fitchburg to prepare for the upcoming stage race.
I am planning on smoking the TT... maybe I can grab a Yellow jersey.
Thanks for letting me take you from you day...
Look forward to reading all of your great comments!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thompson Raceway GP
Its that time again....
Another day and another race down....
So no riding this morning, just took pretty easy, the races were set pretty late as the Pro race was scheduled for 7pm. So we had a nice IHOP breakfast, then nap... then I did some work, packed my stuff and boom off to Connecticut.
So a little course description for this race... It was a 1.1 mile Nascar oval. Sounds like it would be pretty stupid to go around in a circle for that long, but this was actually one of the coolest damn crits I have done.
We had a smaller field, only 65 guys, some usual gangsters there for the week, Rite Aid was there in full force, Justin Spinelli, Ward Soler and the LG Crocs Cycling team from Quebec...
Down to race time, it goes from the gun, with in 10 minutes there are 5 groups split across the course, our whole team made the split and we began helping Rite Aid drive the pace. Eventually, the race came back together as the weak were shelled and a LG crocs rider took a massive flyer and was 3/4 of a lap ahead of us before Rite Aid decided it was their race. We sent two guys to help pull the move back and it came together with 9 to go.
At some point I was feeling super good and took a prime for the overall points standing. Our DS was amped since our name got called out.
We countered and it stayed away until three to go, then the sprint actually started then. I was fighting for wheels, I knew Clayton Burrows is a fast finisher and the fight was on, I ended up on Chris Scott's wheel which I didn't think was a good one, but held on, he opened up the sprint in the middle of the two lead out trains of Rite Aid and LG Crocs. I swerved off his wheel and got in the crocs train and sprinted their guys out.
Chris Scott somehow took us by surprise and won, I managed 7th and holy smokes I learned to sprint. I was the best placed finisher from our team
As soon as I head back to the trailer, our DS told me to stay suited up as I was to race the immediate next race, Catagory 2, not really my plan... But you can't say no when you are fighting for a team spot.
So back to back races...
I ended up in the break for the first half of the race then I stayed at the front marking attacks and moves for a teammate I set up the road. I spent 5 laps going across after some gomer decided to take me halfway for free, but I didn't have enough gas in the tank. We dominated the race and finished 1st, 2nd, 4th and 8th(me).
So all in all, two races and two top 10's
Nothing wrong with that. I may take tomorrow off to get prepared for Fitchburg, but we'll play it by ear after I get my morning massage and adjustment.
Thanks for stoping by again... Hope this is as fun to read as it is for me to be here.
Thanks again for all of your support! If I had a million dollars, I might buy you all cheesy tourist-esque gifts from beantown.
Another day and another race down....
So no riding this morning, just took pretty easy, the races were set pretty late as the Pro race was scheduled for 7pm. So we had a nice IHOP breakfast, then nap... then I did some work, packed my stuff and boom off to Connecticut.
So a little course description for this race... It was a 1.1 mile Nascar oval. Sounds like it would be pretty stupid to go around in a circle for that long, but this was actually one of the coolest damn crits I have done.
We had a smaller field, only 65 guys, some usual gangsters there for the week, Rite Aid was there in full force, Justin Spinelli, Ward Soler and the LG Crocs Cycling team from Quebec...
Down to race time, it goes from the gun, with in 10 minutes there are 5 groups split across the course, our whole team made the split and we began helping Rite Aid drive the pace. Eventually, the race came back together as the weak were shelled and a LG crocs rider took a massive flyer and was 3/4 of a lap ahead of us before Rite Aid decided it was their race. We sent two guys to help pull the move back and it came together with 9 to go.
At some point I was feeling super good and took a prime for the overall points standing. Our DS was amped since our name got called out.
We countered and it stayed away until three to go, then the sprint actually started then. I was fighting for wheels, I knew Clayton Burrows is a fast finisher and the fight was on, I ended up on Chris Scott's wheel which I didn't think was a good one, but held on, he opened up the sprint in the middle of the two lead out trains of Rite Aid and LG Crocs. I swerved off his wheel and got in the crocs train and sprinted their guys out.
Chris Scott somehow took us by surprise and won, I managed 7th and holy smokes I learned to sprint. I was the best placed finisher from our team
As soon as I head back to the trailer, our DS told me to stay suited up as I was to race the immediate next race, Catagory 2, not really my plan... But you can't say no when you are fighting for a team spot.
So back to back races...
I ended up in the break for the first half of the race then I stayed at the front marking attacks and moves for a teammate I set up the road. I spent 5 laps going across after some gomer decided to take me halfway for free, but I didn't have enough gas in the tank. We dominated the race and finished 1st, 2nd, 4th and 8th(me).
So all in all, two races and two top 10's
Nothing wrong with that. I may take tomorrow off to get prepared for Fitchburg, but we'll play it by ear after I get my morning massage and adjustment.
Thanks for stoping by again... Hope this is as fun to read as it is for me to be here.
Thanks again for all of your support! If I had a million dollars, I might buy you all cheesy tourist-esque gifts from beantown.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Boloco Heartbreak Hill GP
First off lets avoid some up coming confusion from yesterdays race.
This is the first year in USA cycling that their are NO CATAGORY 2 Riders allowed in NRC events.
So I did race in the Catagory 2 race...
I know this will all break your hearts, but hey this blog is purely informative. I have no desire to build my ego. If i need to do that I would post 78 times a day on Windermereroadies.com
So now that we have built that bridge and moved on, lets get on to today and its race...
Started out with more clothing, then a nice 1.5 hour ride, then some Subway.
Then down the road right into Boston... I got to see Fenway Park as we got lost and Logan Airport.
We eventually got to the race and to my surprise I had been issued a set of Bora wheels for the rest of the races as I had "put my nuts against the wall" as our DS John Freisen so eloquently put the night before. This juiced me up some as I have not yet ridden Bora's. Moving to the race
Which was all business. 50 miles all down and dirty... They didn't call it Heart Break Hill for nothing.
I started the day by taking a huge flyer the first time up the climb which made it easy for Kyle Wamsley to establish himself into the next move (even though we are technically racing on seperate squads.. I am on the developement team) so mini victory there....
Go team! everyone rode super strong until 4 laps to go where the sky turned black and opened its eyes and dumped the worst rain I have raced in 2 years.
with 2 laps to go my position was looking good for another top 20 finish and then I completely melted down. It was just one too many times up that hill at 24mph. I put my head down and tried to stay on Tim Johnson's wheel and next thing I knew I was by myself in the 50mph downhill section. I stuck it out and rode tempo passing those with less heart, payed off...
No official results posted but my team DS thinks I was definately top 30. Thanks to all you supporters and everyone thats helped me move this far in this racing career. You're all special snowflakes
Tomorrow is a Race Track Crit at night... I love Night CRITS!@@#@!
NOT
At least it really will be Nascar style with no Corners and some lights...
Keep Reading and Keep Riding or Not working when you should be
This is the first year in USA cycling that their are NO CATAGORY 2 Riders allowed in NRC events.
So I did race in the Catagory 2 race...
I know this will all break your hearts, but hey this blog is purely informative. I have no desire to build my ego. If i need to do that I would post 78 times a day on Windermereroadies.com
So now that we have built that bridge and moved on, lets get on to today and its race...
Started out with more clothing, then a nice 1.5 hour ride, then some Subway.
Then down the road right into Boston... I got to see Fenway Park as we got lost and Logan Airport.
We eventually got to the race and to my surprise I had been issued a set of Bora wheels for the rest of the races as I had "put my nuts against the wall" as our DS John Freisen so eloquently put the night before. This juiced me up some as I have not yet ridden Bora's. Moving to the race
Which was all business. 50 miles all down and dirty... They didn't call it Heart Break Hill for nothing.
I started the day by taking a huge flyer the first time up the climb which made it easy for Kyle Wamsley to establish himself into the next move (even though we are technically racing on seperate squads.. I am on the developement team) so mini victory there....
Go team! everyone rode super strong until 4 laps to go where the sky turned black and opened its eyes and dumped the worst rain I have raced in 2 years.
with 2 laps to go my position was looking good for another top 20 finish and then I completely melted down. It was just one too many times up that hill at 24mph. I put my head down and tried to stay on Tim Johnson's wheel and next thing I knew I was by myself in the 50mph downhill section. I stuck it out and rode tempo passing those with less heart, payed off...
No official results posted but my team DS thinks I was definately top 30. Thanks to all you supporters and everyone thats helped me move this far in this racing career. You're all special snowflakes
Tomorrow is a Race Track Crit at night... I love Night CRITS!@@#@!
NOT
At least it really will be Nascar style with no Corners and some lights...
Keep Reading and Keep Riding or Not working when you should be
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Cox Charities and Long Waits
So yesterday was a long day, the team director got lost coming to the Providence Airport... All in all I sat waiting in the port on my labtop for 7 hours.
I had my share of $10 airport entrees and moved to the vending machines for some gatoraid and pretzles to hold me over.
He picked me up in due time, we ate at a small pizza joint and I had a great sub and then it was to the hotel.
I woke up and went immediately got my bike dialed in, got my kits and helmet and then some lovely Odwalla Juice (Its the Jam) and went for an opening ride and some lunch.
Steve, my roommate for the next two days opted for Ihop, but there was a huge wait, so we went to the local burrito joint and got our grub on... Only to be interrupted by the team DS letting us know we had 25 minutes to get back to the hotel for the race... Great planning on our part
So we get to the race no problems, and great no parking...
Good thing we have bikes...
My warm up was not quite up to par as we had team meetings and had to work out radio issues. But no worries, I was planning on attacking early anyway.
The course was sick, 1 mile loop with a great climb. This thing was like the kicker going up Buckhill rd. on the Sunday Windermere Ride.
So going up to the line, I had a crap spot again! This time it only took me two laps before I was off the front.
Then boom, I came around the 4th corner way too hot and blew out a tyre. Somehow I managed to stay upright, as a crash insued behind me.
As my luck continued a turn for the worse, a break got established during my free lap.
I get back into the race and make my mark, I did not sit anywhere past the 10th wheel the rest of the day. I made sure I was top 5 up the climb every lap. This set me up great for the field sprint, but I was bottlenecked a bit a came across for 17th.
Not a bad day even with some mishaps. The scandium bike I am riding is wicked stiff, so if blow the rest of the week its not the bikes fault.
One final note, as I promised you all I would forget something, it became apparent in the morning when I had tooth paste, but no TOOTH BRUSH!!!
Tomorrow is the Heart Break Hill GP, so hopefully I can show up again...
I had my share of $10 airport entrees and moved to the vending machines for some gatoraid and pretzles to hold me over.
He picked me up in due time, we ate at a small pizza joint and I had a great sub and then it was to the hotel.
I woke up and went immediately got my bike dialed in, got my kits and helmet and then some lovely Odwalla Juice (Its the Jam) and went for an opening ride and some lunch.
Steve, my roommate for the next two days opted for Ihop, but there was a huge wait, so we went to the local burrito joint and got our grub on... Only to be interrupted by the team DS letting us know we had 25 minutes to get back to the hotel for the race... Great planning on our part
So we get to the race no problems, and great no parking...
Good thing we have bikes...
My warm up was not quite up to par as we had team meetings and had to work out radio issues. But no worries, I was planning on attacking early anyway.
The course was sick, 1 mile loop with a great climb. This thing was like the kicker going up Buckhill rd. on the Sunday Windermere Ride.
So going up to the line, I had a crap spot again! This time it only took me two laps before I was off the front.
Then boom, I came around the 4th corner way too hot and blew out a tyre. Somehow I managed to stay upright, as a crash insued behind me.
As my luck continued a turn for the worse, a break got established during my free lap.
I get back into the race and make my mark, I did not sit anywhere past the 10th wheel the rest of the day. I made sure I was top 5 up the climb every lap. This set me up great for the field sprint, but I was bottlenecked a bit a came across for 17th.
Not a bad day even with some mishaps. The scandium bike I am riding is wicked stiff, so if blow the rest of the week its not the bikes fault.
One final note, as I promised you all I would forget something, it became apparent in the morning when I had tooth paste, but no TOOTH BRUSH!!!
Tomorrow is the Heart Break Hill GP, so hopefully I can show up again...
Friday, June 27, 2008
Coffee, Planes, Sleep and Bad Airport Food
So this flash in the pan trip has started...
Boom 5am rolls around, I make sure to drink a lot, let me repeat a lot of coffee. Make sure I didn't forget anything, like a jacket or my pedals or toothbrush...
The verdict is still out on that since I still here in the airport.
I get to the MCO and find out that apparently to fly you must slice your left or right nut off to get any bags on the plane. I can carry two on, but I can only check one? Great plan airlines! Made it through security in a breeze and move on to a morning of emails and work until I had to board.
Flight One: (MCO to Philly)
I was awake long enough to get my free drink, pee and give my empty glass back...
Great flight, bad landing
I got off and had to stretch the legs, walked around the philly port, grabbed a $10 chicken salad and then made my way into a 45min short flight.
I cashed in some karma points by letting some guy have my seat so he could sit with his wife and then proceeded to past out as we started to taxi.
I woke up just in time to see the bays of Providence... Looked awesome from the plane.
So now I check my email and was not quite sure when I am racing, but just got email confirmation that TOMORROW is the first day, not sure if that is the NRC race or if its the next day, but should prove fun after being in a plane all day. Also waiting for the Colavita bus to get into town... Could be a long day.
Keep checking back all week I will have great stories and reports from the whole race week.
I am new to this, so if it sucks you are just going to have to surf windermereroadies.com or something else...
Boom 5am rolls around, I make sure to drink a lot, let me repeat a lot of coffee. Make sure I didn't forget anything, like a jacket or my pedals or toothbrush...
The verdict is still out on that since I still here in the airport.
I get to the MCO and find out that apparently to fly you must slice your left or right nut off to get any bags on the plane. I can carry two on, but I can only check one? Great plan airlines! Made it through security in a breeze and move on to a morning of emails and work until I had to board.
Flight One: (MCO to Philly)
I was awake long enough to get my free drink, pee and give my empty glass back...
Great flight, bad landing
I got off and had to stretch the legs, walked around the philly port, grabbed a $10 chicken salad and then made my way into a 45min short flight.
I cashed in some karma points by letting some guy have my seat so he could sit with his wife and then proceeded to past out as we started to taxi.
I woke up just in time to see the bays of Providence... Looked awesome from the plane.
So now I check my email and was not quite sure when I am racing, but just got email confirmation that TOMORROW is the first day, not sure if that is the NRC race or if its the next day, but should prove fun after being in a plane all day. Also waiting for the Colavita bus to get into town... Could be a long day.
Keep checking back all week I will have great stories and reports from the whole race week.
I am new to this, so if it sucks you are just going to have to surf windermereroadies.com or something else...
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