From the brink

This weekend I came the closest I've ever come to quitting cycling. Saturday I bonked real hard in the Deodate Road Race and dropped out half way through the 2nd to last lap. I was so pissed that I told myself I was quitting, at least for a little while, and focusing my energy elsewhere.

Alone this result would not have pushed me to the edge- but this result combined with a disappointing summer plagued with illness, fatigue, and poor results seemed to be putting the final nail in my cycling coffin. Although I told myself I would not do the the Doylestown race on Sunday, I did it anyway. I didn't have anything else to do and was looking for some redemption.

The 3/4 race went pretty shitty. I felt real sluggish and I did not contest the sprint as it was sketchy. I don't mind going elbow to elbow in a sprint, but these were the worst bike handlers I've seen to date in a race. Call me a pussy, but I've got bigger fish to fry than the cat 3's.

Immediately following that finish I was feeling great. So, I slapped on a Dynaflow jersey to race with Lou and Andy in the Pro/1/2/3- a test run if you will. It went amazingly well. I spent the first half of the race covering early moves and was amazed at how strong I felt. It felt good to reel in the big boys. Lou was very strong up front and Andy pulled out some balls at the finish to lead Lou out. It didn't go quite as planned for us- I was tired from previous racing and Andy got caught up behind a wreck I think, but it shows some real promise for when the 3 of us come together under one goal. Not to mention I love racing with those guys.

So, this weekend is Christiana. I love the crit there- it is super fast and super technical. I won it as a 4 last year and took 3rd in the GC. Hopefully my bike will be decked out with a set of Zipp 909's for the TT.




Then I am off to the beach with my lovely girlfriend and some of her family for a little R&R. It'll be a fun little road trip for the two of us. We have the best times making fun out of simple adventures.


Bring it on Christiana.

A special thanks

I just want to recognize someone who deserves a little thanks. My girlfriend. She is always supportive of me and what I want to do, especially my cycling. She pushes me to ride when I don't want to because she knows it makes me feel good and she never makes me feel like I have to sacrifice the bike to be with her- and at the same time she never makes it feel like I am sacrificing her when I have to spend long hours on the bike. And while she doesn't always get enthusiastic about going to races, she still spends hours in the sun just to be there and support me.

So, thank you, Kat. I love you.

It's been so long!

Wow...I really have been out of touch for a long time. But I have been busy enough to warrant the blog hiatus!

Let's start with the final weeks of my first senior year. I finished out the college racing season by taking the overall win in Men's B. I must admit that 1st overall felt pretty damn good after debating a jump into the 'A' field all season- a bit of justification and reward for my work.

What's even better was that I pulled off nearly 20 hours of training during the week, raced every weekend of the season, held down a job as a mechanic as the Bicycle Shop and pulled out a 3.6 GPA for the semester.

Today I was fortunate to attend the party that is the USPro Championship race in Philly. Particularly awesome was getting to watch my coach, Bill Elliston, of TargeTraining tear up the Manyunk wall. Risking coming across as a bit pretentious, I can't wait to be that fast. Even more awe-inspiring was watching Mike Friedman position himself into the winning break of the day and sprint to 8th place. It's crazy to think that kid used to race for my Penn State team and he is major league fast. He has had a fantastic year racing with TIAA-Cref.

We started out in the morning in Manyunk and watched the field hit the wall 4 times. The best way I can describe the atmosphere is to transplant the frat environment of State College into a small, crowded European town. I think the best was watching two guys who resembled Belushi in Animal House struggle to carry a keg up the wall. They'll be sore in the morning and not entirely from the hangover.

We then traveled to art museum area to witness the finish and partake in the marketing blitz. I was able to play with the new SRAM groupo and must say I am thoroughly impressed. Plus, they had the parts hung on Colnagos. Yea baby.

Also noteworthy was the appearance of the Toyota-United Pro girls. There were at least 6 young women in team skinsuits hocking team merchandise and attracting attention to the sponsors' logos which were boldly displayed on their well endowed chests.

Okay, now for a little bit of bitching (you knew it was going to happen at some point). My season as a Cat 3 hasn't gone as planned and I don't think I'll have the points to be a 2 in time to race in the National Championships in Seven Springs. But hey the upside is that'll save me $100 in registration fees.

Well, that is enough jibba jabba for now.

Time flies when you're...

It seems that the older I get, the faster time goes by. It has been a month since I have updated this thing, but it feels like yesterday.

This week has been busy as all get out, and its going to get progressively busier as the week comes to an end. I have an interview for an internship at a law firm in York on Thursday. Then on Friday I am getting a V02 max test done so I can start up coaching with Bill Elliston of Targetraining. (thanks Stephan)

Following those shenanigans its off to race at Lehigh Saturday and Bucknell on Sunday. Needless to say I should be pretty wiped Saturday coming off the testing.

Now, to bring you up to speed on the past month.

College racing hasn't gone as planned. Although the season is still quite early for me and I don't have the punch I normally have, I am frustrated and bummed at my results. Rutgers went very well- my ITT time put me in 8th in the B's and would have put me in top 20 in the A's. I finished 6th in the crit, but had a disappointing bonk in the circuit race.

Philly sucked- 2 flats. Lemon hill was exciting as hell in the rain, though. Until I flatted with 3 laps to go. I'm just glad that course didn't claim another bike.

Columbia started out really strong- 2 2nd place primes. The wind was brutal! But the course is amazing. However, there was a crash in the first turn on the NEUTRAL LAP!! I was in perfect position for the sprint to the finish, usually my favorite part, but when I started my sprint I just didn't want it and dropped back from the front of the peleton to finish in 10th....

Till next time...

Stupidness

Let me tell you what is really mind-boggling stupid.  Attendance in college classes, especially if its one of those classes you don’t even have to go to get an A.  THIS IS COLLEGE.  If I decide that I don’t have to go to class, that’s on me.  I pay for the ability to decide.  Usually it’s the lazy profs who take attendance to try and make it appear as though something important is going on.

Ready for the ECCC

I am ready for Rutgers. I can't sleep because I keep visualizing decimating the Crit.

I spent nearly 5 hours today prepping the bike for the season. I installed a new DuraAce crankset on my baby, its hella stiff and feels so nice.

I also trued all the wheels, tuned the deraileurs, rewrapped the bars, and replaced the chain (mavic ones don't mesh so well) .

Let's go ECCC.

Never again

From this day forward, nothing gets in the way of my training.  Nothing keeps me from riding my bike when I am supposed to.  Not even when I nearly electrocute myself.

Finally Rode today! and Asylum

I finally rode today. It was magnificent. The weather was gorgeous. Nuff said.

Oh, and Ritchey's WCS Bar and Stem are suprisingly hella stiff for their weight. Much stiffer than my previous FSA stem and Bontrager bar.

If I get another mountain bike...it must be an Asylum OCD. 29er full suspension based off the Titus racer-x for Speedgoat. Oh goodness. Perfect for epic rides and my shitty back. Plus when I ride a 29er mtb I feel like a little kid again- giddy and stuff.

Sickness! Cross?

Hopefully this is the last night I am stuck with this sickness, whatever it is.  I just can’t seem to stay healthy for too long.  Perhaps I have a weak immune system?

Man, there is this Colnago Dream Cross bike on e-Bay I really am into.  It would be a matching sister to my road bike and I really want to try some cross.  Not to mention it would make a great bike for commuting as I will do a lot more of it next year.  I can slap fenders in the winter and wide, knobby tires to get through the State College muck.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my fixie, but I am getting tired of commuting on it.  And while I am rather ballsy in traffic with it, sometimes I realize I have tempted death on numerous occasions and for some reason death let go, probably for the chance to go another round.  I would rather turn it into a track bike or sell it and put the funds towards a track bike.  I wish there were a track closer than T-Town.  That’s what this campus needs- a velodrome.

Blah

Very little time to ride this week. It's hell week of the play, which means after Saturday I will have all the time in the world to ride. Huzzah.

I AM NOT LOOKING FOWARD TO LIVING ON CAMPUS AGAIN. That will make it 5 years of living on campus for me. I want my own place- a nice little apartment with a bedroom and a kitchen and living room. Thats all I want. A roomier place to keep my bikes. A couch and a television to relax. A kitchen to cook my own meals and control what I eat a little more.

Damnit... I know people say to stay in school as long as you can. But 5 years is a lot of college, especially on campus. And definatley if you are going to grad school for J.D./MBA.

More motivation to put my all into attempting to go pro. I want nothing more than to race my bike and travel the country/world.

Busy

Damn I have been busy. Trying to balance training, school, work, and rehearsal (yes, I am in a play this semester) is tough stuff. I have been getting up at 6 to train, and have been putting in a few hours down at The Bicycle Shop in the window-less dungeon.

That place is dangerous... I always end up spending more than I earn.

Just washed Vittoria. God I love a clean bike.

Saw on Stephan's blog a post about night riding. I wish I could afford a set of lights- I love riding at night. Especially the sandman crits we have here on campus at times. Amazing.

PA Bar Changes

I just looked over the minutes from the PA BAR Governance meeting. It appears that this year state champions (crit, tt, rr, whatever) will get a jersey signifying their accomplishment. This is a great idea.

Albeit a little annoying since I won the Crit Championship last year and got nothing to show for it! Well, I do have my pride. Guess I will just have to win again this year. HAHA.

You can see the minutes here

Can't wait for summer racing

I CAN’T WAIT FOR SUMMER RACING. I think that’s the only time I am really happy.

Hopefully, this will be a regular sight in the cat 3 races this summer.

College is not conducive to cycling

I find it harder every day to train while I am in college. Its not so much a matter of time as it is motivation. I am motivated to ride, but when I have to train indoors and I have already been in class for several hours of the day, its nearly impossible to get myself on the trainer. Even the rollers are boring at this point.

And classes drain the hell out of you. Well, at least me. I don't get it.

Oh wait, yes I do. Mindless classes. The less your brain has to work in a class, the harder your body has to work to keep it from breaking the fuck out of your skull. This must be the source of my exhaustion.