Blackberry Criterium 9/6/09

WET! That is the only word I can think of to describe the race and the weekend for that matter.

We, being Lindsay and my parents arrived to partial clear skies about a hour in a half early with a race start at 11:00. We hung around a bit as they worked on getting the course finalized and waiting for registration to open. Just as I got suited up and was ready to begin warm up it started down pouring. My plan was to warm up under cover on the trainer but I thought it would be better to do that on the course so I knew what I was getting into. I was going to get wet anyways, I figured no sense in delaying the inevitable. The course was shaped as a square bowl with 2 turns at the top of each side. I actually really liked it as we pretty much had 4 lanes all to ourselves on both sides of the course. During my warm up I almost crashed as the cross wind was really brutal coming down the start/finish side and I was so close I unclipped one of my feet anticipated hitting the deck. Thankfully I didn't.



As you can see it is pretty wet.

I decided to go with out a rain jacket as my thought was it would slow me down in a sprint and or be a bit of a issue. It probably wouldn't but in my mind I already convinced myself that and it wasn't cold, just wet. I had every intention on making sure I was there at the end for the sprint and was fairly confident I could finish on the podium. As I have proved in the past my plans sometimes don't work out in the end but I had a plan atleast. We had a total of 22 or 23 riders so the field was pretty small but I was surprised there was that many with the way the weather was. The race started a little slower than usual due to the obvious storm that was taking place while we were racing. Just think, racing on a bike with tires no wider than that of a nickel in the rain and NASCAR won't even race in the rain with 4 wheels!



With 6 or so laps to go I was in the middle of the pack near the front when a Wines rider went to the front and got away. I yelled that there was someone coming up and a Cucina Fresca rider next to me said "Ah let him go, he is going to early". I watched 2 more guys bridge the gap to the Wines rider and got to thinking that I should move closer to the front. With 5 laps to go the break away of 3 seemed to be working together and were gaining more time on us. As we went by the start/finish line to get 5 laps left I decided I should try and bridge the gap. I went as hard as I could and pulled a good size gap on the field and closed in on the 3 in front. It seemed everytime I would get closer to the 3 leaders they would move a little farther away.



This was the worse possible scenerio I could be in- stuck right in the middle of the two groups taking the full brunt of the wind working my a$$ off. I was able to catch one of the riders on the last lap but the field passed me going down the hill right before the finish. I sat up and coasted through in 12th place. Not to bad of a race. There were no crashes which is great because it was pretty slick out there. Thanks to the family and Lindsay for the pictures. Good to have them there cheering me on in the weather.





The dogs taking in the action.

Until next season!

Lake Velo # 3 Carnation

This course was a flat course out in the farm land of Carnation. Friday night it rained all night and when I woke up Saturday morning it was still raining. Boo. I wasn't really looking forward to racing in the rain. A good friend of mine Jake Frame who used to race pretty seriously a few years ago (I'm trying to get him back into it) and seem's to know all the local racers, once told me he would never ride in the rain. Back when he told me that I didn't really understand it because at the time I was just riding the bicycle for motorcycle race training. Now I understand it. I raced in the rain and snow earlier in the year and since April I think I have raced once in the rain. That is several months of loving the sun and dry weather. I understand now Jake, thank you.

The race series is put on by Hagens Berman Cycling Team Pro/AM team which holds a few of our Cycle U coaches and seems to dominate the local race scene. The whole way up it rained. When I arrived it was down to a mist. We had a large team show up with 9 Cycle U members ready to race and hoping it would dry out. Sure enough with about 20 minutes to go the weather cleared up. We unlayered and lined up to race.

It started somewhat calm then picked up in pace. A couple guys tried getting away right on the first lap so that made the pace even faster. The next lap was fairly calm. We were doing a total of 6 laps. We came around a corner and a friend of the teams that races at Pacific Raceways and is a very strong triathlete as well as a top Time Trialist hit the deck hard right in front of me. He landed hard and I could hear the wind being punched out of him. That kinda shook me up a bit and then a lap later there was another pile up in the same corner with 5 guys taking Chris down from the team. However he was up quick and trying to get back on his bike when I went by. Every lap after that we were all tip toeing through that corner. We let 1 guy get off the front for a lap or two. The pace kept speeding up and slowing down which made staying on Rolly's wheel difficult. With 2 laps to go the "plan" was to get 2 or 3 guys to the front to hammer the pace on the last lap and then Rolly would lead me out for the sprint. Plans never seem to happen the way you want them too. None of the other teams in the group wanted to work to get the guy off the front back, so Rolly moved to the front and started putting in some hard efforts that snapped the guys back to what we were doing. We were racing bikes, not on a Sunday ride. The pace increased and I was able to get on the back of Rolly's wheel with half a lap to go. This is when the extra power from good ole adrenaline comes into play. Everyone is bumping trying to get in the best position as we came around the last corner. It was really nice because we had both lanes at 1000 meters. Normally it is only at 200 meters. I sat on his wheel as long for a little bit then everyone started sprinting by us. I moved out and went, but knew we still had a ways to go so I didn't crush the pedals too hard. I went by a few guys that sprinted to early and got behind a Hagens Berman rider. I moved over to his left on the shoulder and began my sprint. Just as I did that he moved over as well and I had to sit up. Wrong place at the wrong time. I rode across the line right behind the top 3.



It was a fun race and I finally was able to get myself in a position to try for a win. Our pace was just under 25 mph on average. My max speed was 39.7 on the sprint. Thanks to Rolly for taking control and getting me up there with a chance.

Last race of the year is in Bremerton at the Blackberry Festival on Sunday 9/06.

Blue Train Part Deux

As the season is coming to an end, there are only a few races left - Saturday is the last of the Lake Velo Series, Sunday will be the last race at Seward Park and then I head over to Bremerton the first week of September for their end of the season race. It has been a good year and I look forward to training in the off season and coming back even stronger. We are also planning to create an even stronger Cycle U team for next year. It might be a Orange train instead of blue but who knows, either way Cycle U will be laying the hurt down for next year.


Last week I raced at Pacific Raceways and they did a points per lap on the flat course. What this means is the person with the most points at the end wins. Every lap was a bunch sprint so it was pretty hard but it was actually alot of fun after you recovered from each sprint. I won 2 sprints and took a 2nd and 3rd place which was enough to get me 2nd overall. There were a few Cycle U guys there, John W did alot of work and Shawn H led out for the final sprint so that was pretty awesome.


Sadly, last night was the end of the season race at Pacific Raceways. As the course is flat it was again going to be a bunch sprint and with it being shortened to 40 minutes - it was going to be fast. Right from the beginning, a guy from the NRC/Pedal Mashers took off the front. (I feel bad I should know these guys names by now!)
The pace picked up and we moved along pretty good the first few laps. It eventually settled down a bit and we then got slowed even further as the Masters group and Cat 1-2 guys passed by. (I suppose we weren’t going that slow as our average speed was still 23-24 mph.) Soon after the group went by, I noticed NRC dude hanging out in the wind on the straight away throwing up while still on the bike. Then after he got done he moved to the front of the group and went off the front again! This guy was crazy. He soon ran out of steam though and stopped. He is a funny guy and apparently this isn't the first time he has “puked and rallied”. With 2 laps to go, the blue Cycle U train began its move to the front. We had a pretty big team last night: me, Travis, Shawn, Jon, John W, Tim, and Chris (I am pretty sure that was everyone). As we made our own line to move closer to the front, I sat on Chris' wheel while Jon and Travis moved us up to the front of the line. We slotted in behind the 2 Starbucks guys and made our way around the last corner. Just as we got on the front straight - everyone kind of parted ways and a guy in a red jersey flew by and moved to the front of the group. I immediately moved over and got behind his wheel. I sat there for a bit waiting for someone behind me to start the sprint but nobody came by so I decided I would go. I moved out of his draft and started my kick to the line. As I was sprinting I put my head down and caught a few glimpses with my peripheral vision as to what was going on behind me. As I didn't see anyone - I put in a few more hard efforts to seal the deal and then crossed the line in 1st….what a great way to finish the season! Jon and John W put in some big digs and John W got 2nd on a Preem lap while Shawn was also working on a Preem lap and unfortunately broke a spoke. Travis, Tim and Chris did some great work to close some early gaps and it was a great team effort once again. With that win it moved me into 4th for the overall points for the season. I really had no idea I was even close to the top so it was a pleasant surprise. If you ever get a chance to come down next year or attend any BuDu Racing events they put on a good show. They even had cupcakes there last night to feed us! Overall, they have given out over $3500 in cash prizes this season. They hold down a pretty tight ship and I look forward to next year.

The Blue Lead Out Train

I have been racing during the week which is a good way to break up the long work week. Tuesday nights are Pacific Raceways, and I raced Seward Park last Thursday for the first time. A few weeks ago I got 3rd on the line at Pacific which equals my best result there. Check out the great photo Lindsay got.



The Seward park race was my first time there and the course is pretty small. I think it is .6 of a mile with a nice little hill right before the finish. Cycle U had a good showing with 4-5 guys. I hung out in the pack for the first couple laps as it is a pretty fast course with not alot of flat ground and I wanted to get a feel for the pavement and corners. You’re either going down or going up. On one of the laps I tested my legs up the hill and moved right to the front of the pack and led everyone over the line which I quickly slowed up and allowed someone else to set the pace. Last lap and I am right up in the front group, probably 10th wheel or so and I am on the inside next to the curb with no where to go. As everyone starts sprinting up the hill I have to manuever around 4 guys to get away from the curb. I was able to get up behind 3rd place and out sprint him up the hill to the line for 2nd. I finished just behind 1st place and knew if I had a better position I could have challenged him for the big W. Soon I thought I will get a win.

This brings us up to date to Tuesday night at Pacific Raceways. Leading up to last night we were getting alot of guys saying they would be there. We had 8 guys last night I believe and Rolly announced to the team that they all would be leading me out to the line to try and get the win. This obviously is a great feeling to have knowing that the team is willing to kill themselves so I can get a win. This brings a quote to mind from a movie I am sure everyone is familiar with. "With great power comes great responsibility". So not only was it cool they were going to do this but it put some pressure on me to not choke. Coach Craig was there and was going to be racing with us as well but thankfully he wasn't racing against us as he was just moving through the field providing advice to everyone about lines and what to do. On to the racing. We took off with a field size of about 30 and I stayed as much in the pack as I could. The more you are out of the wind the less energy you spend. It was a great sight to see all the Cycle U boys up there near the front controlling things and watching the other teams, to make sure a break away didn't happen. With 3 laps to go I began to get nervous, knowing that I had to pony up and come with the goods in a few laps for the final sprint. With 2 laps to go the 5 guys that the team chose to go to the front were there doing their job, hammering the field as best they could. The funny thing was the team was off by a lap as we came back around to get the last lap. The guys that hammered it, Travis, Chris, and John I believe were toast now. It would have been a perfect lead out but we still had a lap to go so we all just sat up and had a quick laugh as the field came by. Remember this is our first try at leading someone out at the end of a race. We stayed close to the front and then a break of 2 went and out of nowhere Shawn flew by us and bridged the gap to the 2 guys. That was pretty cool to see. Then another attack came and this time it was Coach Craig that took off to bridge. About this time Rolly moved to the front of the group and started issuing the pain. I stuck to his wheel the whole lap. No matter where he went I barged my way to make sure I was behind him and kept telling him, "I'm still here". Just as we came around the last turn we caught Coach Craig and the other rider. Rolly was just hammering it and I kept rubbing my front wheel on his back wheel on accident, which could have been a nightmare if I took us both out but I was staying as close to him as I could. Nobody got by us until we got to the start of the straight away when Rolly was starting to run out of gas. A guy moved to the left of me and started his sprint. I yelled to Rolly on the left and I was going, which allowed Rolly to sit up and move to the right, his job of getting me to the lead sprint complete. Now it was up to me to come through for the team with the win. I moved over and got behind the rider's wheel and thought to myself this is going to be painful as we still had the whole front straight to go with the finish line at the end. I had shifted all the way up to my biggest gear and was out of the saddle sprinting. I moved out of his draft to the left and just as I did my big gear shifted in. Apparently I wasn't in the biggest gear yet as my shifter was delayed in shifting all the way up. This gave me the extra kick I needed and I was able to out sprint the guy to finish! As I crossed the line I sat up and clapped my hands together a few times very happy and then fell back down to the bars to try and catch my breath. It was a long sprint but it was an awesome feeling to get my first win and really get the first team win as everyone on the team did something to get me there. I was really happy to pay them all back with getting us the WIN plus we did all this in front of Coach Craig... Big thanks to everyone on the team and next week we will choose someone else within the team to work for.

Cycle U will be racing this weekend in the Snohomish area so hopefully we can use our practice to getting us a win.



Until then More Power Scotty!

Skagit Valley Omnium 7/18-7/19

This was going to be the last Omnium (stage race) of the year which is sad. I really enjoy the 2 day races. Its a suffer fest but a great time, if that makes any sense at all. Coming into this race I was feeling really good and strong. I borrowed Travis's power and TT stuff earlier in the week and was able to put out some big power (watts) number's on Thursday during our team ride. This, I believe would come back to haunt me on Saturday.

Shawn arrived to pick me up around 9:30 Saturday morning to head up to Bellingham to start the road race portion of the weekend at 12:45. The road race was 6 laps of 8.7 miles for a total of 52 miles and each lap had 500 ft of climbing. Now this doesn't sound like alot and I even didn't blink an eye at that number. There was a good turn out for the road race with close to 70 racers in our 4/5 category. We began the race and straight away we began a climb. It didn't get much easier as Rolly and myself seemed to find ourselves at the back of the pack again. There was no shoulder and the road was very narrow so it was very hard to move up. We got the yo-yo affect big time in the back. Basically this happens when the front speeds up and slows down alot and doesn't maintain a steady speed, which gets really annoying and tiresome. I began moving up through the pack to try and get towards the front a bit more. Then we came around for lap 2 and began one of the climbs and several people started popping off the front. It was hard to manuever around them so it was bob and weavin on the climb. I lost contact with the front group but had Greg from the team there and we were able to chase back on. I got next to Mark from Starbucks team and mentioned that I almost got dropped and then it seemed we were right on the next hill and that was it. I was done. There were 3 of us that latched on and formed our own little chase group. Greg from the team was there and we all took turns at chasing and picked up several riders along the way. We did this for 2 laps but we weren't gaining any ground on the lead group just limiting our losses. Another lap passed by and I blew big time. I literally had nothing left in my legs. The pain I felt and the mental pain was nothing I have ever had to go through. It hurt just to turn my legs over and several times I almost came to a complete stop. I also couldn't drink enough water as I was out of water on lap 5. You could walk faster than I could go on my bike. It was pure pain. I soldiered on and finished 31st out of 39 finishers. I decided on the bike while I was suffering trying to figure out what had happened to me, that doing the ride Thursday night is what did me in. My training all year has had me resting on Thursday's. Lesson learned and now I know what it feels like to pop, explode, blow up, and suffer. The ride home in the car was brutal too as my legs ached the whole way home.

I woke up Sunday morning and left to go meet Rolly to head back up to Bellingham for the time trial and criterium. The time trial started early with me starting at 8:44.00 and Rolly starting at 8:44.30. The course was down and back with a hill we had to hit twice for a total of 8 miles. I did the race on my road bike and felt fairly refreshed before starting. The legs were a bit of a question mark but once on the bike they felt ok. The tingling and ache from yesterday were gone. I finished 15th out of 19 racers with a time of 20:39. They say that a TT bike will cut your time by almost 30%. Rolly passed me 2 miles into it on his plush Specialized Transition. He would finish 3rd with a time in the 18 minute range I think. Either way he got 3rd which was great. Now the goal was to go find some food and check out the criterium course.

The crit started at 1:00pm and would be 30 minutes. The course was nice with your basic 4 corners. There was a nice false flat (slight incline) that had a big corner you could take fairly fast.



The race began and this time Rolly and myself were at the very front. The pace was fairly fast the first lap as most crits are. A few minutes later I could hear the sound of air coming out of someone's tire. I rode past start finish and looked down and realized that it was coming from my front tire. Just as we came up on the fast corner, which was turn 1 the tire went completely flat. I was very close to hitting the deck as the front doesn't like to turn when its flat and I almost fell over. I nursed it around to a area I could get accross in the middle and get back to the pit where I could get a new front wheel. I got all set up and was pushed off to get back in the pack as they flew by. I was happy with the new wheel and tire but I had alot of movement out of the front end when I got on the brakes which made me nervous going into the corners. I decided I should just use the back brake instead and it seemed to be fine. With 2 laps to go I was hanging around the back of the pack planning my next move. I decided on the last lap after turn 2 I would just hammer it. I got next to Rolly and said "come on, follow me". As I went by though there was a guy on my left that was moving over a bit towards me that I almost clipped. I heard a noise of bikes hitting the ground or each other but didn't think anything of it. I hammered it all the way around turns 3 and 4 with nobody passing me. I got about 350 meters from the finish line when I pulled off to give Rolly the sprint to the line but there was no Rolly. It took a second for the 2 guys that sprinted for the win to get around me after I pulled off, which means I probably should have kept going but I really don't think I had anything left. Plus, that wasn't my goal when I started the sprint after turn 2. The goal was to lead Rolly out to the line. Rolly rolled by in the pack and come to find out the loud bang was him and the other guy coming together. Thankfully nobody went down. Rolly had some frame paint all over his front rim from the other guys bike who moved over on us and said that was the hardest he has been hit with out crashing. This weekend I probably learned more about my body and racing than I have so far this season.

Thanks to the Cycle U team that was there on Saturday at the road race, Chris, Shawn, Greg, and Rolly.

Till next time.

34th Annual Joe Matava Burien Criterium 7/04/09

Its been a month or so since I had a serious bike race. After the Ballard Crit in early June I had a sinus infection that took me out of racing for most of the rest of the month. I would say its been 2 weeks now where I have been able to really get back to riding and training. I really had set this race on my calendar back in Feb as a race I wanted to really do well in. Getting sick and being off the bike for almost 2 weeks really set me back a bit.

My week leading up to this race was pretty good. I raced at Pacific Raceways Tuesday night and felt real good. My legs felt like they had come back. We did a team ride yesterday with a couple of teammates and the legs felt okay but not great. The race was at 8:00 am so we would miss the hot weather which I was happy with. The course, I must say was fantastic. The pavement was new, smooth and by far the best pavement we have raced on when racing criterium's. There were roughly 50 riders lined up for the start. The start to the race was fast as most crits are and I was at the back of the group, which I need to stop doing. It takes alot of effort to work your way through a pack of 50 guys who all want to be as close to the front as possible. Our race was for 30 minutes of non stop pain! I was doing ok and was feeling comfortable with my pace. I didn't really have any advantage with the corners as I was hoping for. The course was your basic .6 mile lap with 4 corners. With about 8 minutes remaining they start counting us down via laps. My plan at this point was to start moving up to the front of the group. I was having good success moving past people on the outside of the track. We came around the start finish line and got the 3 laps to go sign when I saw a couple guys leaning on each other a few feet in front of me. This usually means there is about to be a crash and once again I was in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Next thing you know there are bodies hitting the deck and bikes flying. With the line I was using on the outside this placed me in a bad spot. I had the rear wheel locked up and sliding straight towards one of the guys that went down. I came to a stop before hitting the body that was in front of me and had to get off the bike to get around him. Once I got going again I had to put in a serious effort to catch back up to the group. It was painful but a lap later I was back on. This gave me 1 lap to rest and catch my breathe before the final lap. I tried to stick with my plan and get towards the front of the group for the last lap but I was pretty spent at this point. I managed a short sprint on the finish straight and passed a few guys before the line but atleast I finished in the group.

I was a bit disappointed that I again was in the wrong position when a big crash happened but alteast I wasn't in it and I was able to catch back up to the group. All in all it was a fun race and our average speed was just over 24 mph.

Thanks to Shawn, and Jon, for coming out and racing. Also thanks to Lindsay and Shawn's wife Amy for the support. The next race is 7/18-7/19 in Bellingham which will be another Omnium.

Enjoy the weather and Happy 4th!

Ballard Criterium 6/06/09

The Ballard Criterium is from what I have heard a pretty hard criterium. First, let me back up a bit. The last couple weeks I started racing down at Pacific Raceways on Tuesday nights. This makes a Tuesday night pretty fun. Much better than riding around on the streets by the house. Each week they change the course up so that keeps it interesting. The first week I raced their I sprinted for far too long and popped right at 50 meters to go and finished in the top 10 or around there. Then this last week I finished 3rd in the sprint up the hill in turn 3. I also raised my max heart rate to 196 bpm. Which is just crazy to me because when I started racing bicycles my max was 186. These races are really good for the training, even though they are only 45 minutes in duration I have been able to really see what my legs and body are made of. So far so good. With that in hand I was looking forward to the race no matter how hard people said it was. I also recently upgraded to category 4 which means the competition gets even harder. The Ballard Crit would be a combined field of category 4 and 5 racers. I met up with Mike and Travis on the Cycle University Team and proceeded to make our way to the course. Once their we met up with my parents and the rest of the team and were able to ride the course a bit before the racing started. Oh the course was kinda scary. I had a bad feeling it was going to be real hard and dangerous. Their were 4 left hand turns with the first left on a slight down hill with a slight sink hole in the middle of the corner and several cracks in the pavement. Then a short shoot to the next left turn which also had cracked pavement. This corner wasn't so bad actually(All the corners had several hay bales stacked up and posts covered with bales). Then through the back straight against a head wind. The 3rd left hander was ok but you had to watch your line because in the middle of the corner there was a man hole cover with some broken up pavement around it. The 4th and final corner had bricks all the way through the corner. This was going to be tough. We got maybe 2 laps before the Master's (35yrs old+) group went out, so there wasn't much time to get your lines and the corners sorted out. I have a thing where I have to got to the bathroom right before I race, it doesn't matter if its motorcycles or bicycles. Mike and I waited in line for the only 2 port-o-potties on the sidewalk and when we came out they had lined everyone up for the start. We made our way and parked it right in the front and one of the officials wasn't to keen on that so we moved to the back of the group. I wasn't to keen on being at the very back but I guess it was a bit rude to just show up and park it right in the front. We got some advise from Coach Ed from Cycle U right before the start, his advise was to hang on for life because the first 10-15 minutes is going to be crazy. I really don't remember the first couple laps. I remember wondering how many are racing because our group was huge. My goal was to make my way to the front quarter of the group as fast as I could so nobody got away. I found a good line I liked and it was on the outside of everyone else. I could carry some good corner speed and generally would pass at least 2-3 guys on the outside as long as I didn't get pinched. Going over the bricks was pretty cool until we were at race pace. Then it felt just like racing motorcycles and getting on the gas to early coming out of a corner and having the back tire break loose. The first time it happens its kinda sketchy but after you get used to it and the bike doesn't spit you off on the pavement, then its ok. The first couple times I had to verify I didn't have flat because the back end kept sliding out. After I realized thats how it was going to be I just ignored it and let it work itself out. I should also mention that this course flatted atleast 3 guys I saw due to the hard changes in pavement. This race was 35 minutes in length and with 10 minutes to go to the finish the promoters would start counting down by laps.
I would say it was in the first 15 minutes when the carnage started happening. Going down the back straight there was a huge pile up. I had some room to miss this but there must of been atleast 5 or more people on the ground. Then a couple laps later in the 3rd corner I see my teammate Jed in the air, then on his back sliding looking right at me. Grabbed some breaks, got the bike sliding but was able to get stopped before hitting a bike. Props to him though as I saw him back on the course later still racing. I made my way to the front by this stage and was in the top 20 and several times in the top 5. I was 100% sure I didn't want to get to the front by mistake and take any pulls. I pulled enough getting myself to be there. The plan was to hang out with this group and with 2 laps left start slowing making my way to the front 10. Then on the last lap I was going to run my lines on the outside and see if I could get a bit of a break before we got on the front straight. At that point it would be the finish sprint, may the best win. We got the 3 laps to go sign, came around the back straight fine and then the 4th corner right before the start a big crash happened. It seemed that every crash happened right in front of me. I took evasive action, which was both hands with a handfull of brakes front and rear. First the back end fishtailed right, then left, then I got it back to the right again and at this point I was heading for a pole, curb and haybale. First thought was, there goes my front rim, then I was like, this might hurt. Thankfully the bike and myself were completely sideways sliding as I hit the haybale. No curb and no pole. Yes! I got my foot unclipped, pushed myself through the bikes and bodies and headed off. My handlbars were slightly bent, so I hit them a few times to get them straightened out. I tried to get back on to the main group but I was too far off the back. I put in some hard efforts on the back straight but my legs were toast and I thought, hell at this stage I am sure there will be another crash and I could end up in the top 10! There was another crash but only involved 2 guys. I was caught by a group of 4 guys that were also off the back that were caught out by one of the many wrecks and we all sprinted to the line. As far as I know everyone who wrecked was ok. I haven't heard that anyone was hurt beyond bruises and severe road rash. Having the family there yelling at you everytime you went by was pretty cool. Everytime I went by I looked forward to getting back around again so I could hear the encouragement to keep going!

Out of 78 riders only 29 finished the race. I finished 25th. For sure not a place I wanted to finish but considering I was almost on the ground 2 maybe 3 times, I was fairly happy to finish.
Thanks to Mom, Dad, Uncle Craig, Trav and Lindsay for being there. Thanks to the Cycle U crew.

Wenatchee Omnium Stage Race

Lindsay and I left Friday and arrived at our "fine" hotel in Wenatchee. I guess we shouldn't expect too much out of a $49 hotel but hey it did have free breakfast with a waffle maker. I love waffles.

Saturday Morning Time Trial:

I met with Rolly and Mark there at the hotel and we changed and headed out to ride the TT course. It was a fairly easy course with a few rolling hills. The biggest concern was going to be how the wind was come Saturday morning. I borrowed some TT equipment from my teammate Travis Dougan. He gave me his disc wheel with his power tap, his space helmet, and TT bars. The bars wouldn't fit on mine so that was the only thing I wasn't going to be able to use. I took the last 3 spacers out of my handle bars so I could get the front of my body in a more aero position. I lined up at the start line and we were going off every 30 seconds but the person in front of me was a no show so I didn't have anyone to try and chase. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it. I have never trained or used a Power tap before so I tried not to mess with it too much. I had my cadence, speed and power up on the screen and just tried to keep my cadence right around 100 rpm's. I went out and turned around and then the suffering began. There was a strong headwind on the way back to the start/finish line. Its pretty demoralizing peddling as hard as you can and just not going anywhere. I hunkered down as much as I could to make myself as small as possible and made sure to keep my elbows in to limit any drag. The TT was 9 miles of being in your red zone the whole time. I was pretty wiped out afterward and never using a power tap before I cleared everything as I went across the line thinking it would save it. Oops. No data. I found out later in the evening I finished 15th. Not to bad I thought and having those things from Travis I beleive made alot of difference. Just imagine if I had a specific Time Trial bike? Maybe next year. FINISH 14th / 24:49.93 minutes




Saturday Evening Criterium:

We had our coaches from Cycle U there this weekend for the road team which was a huge help, Coach Ed, Coach Kristi, and Coach Lang. We arrived at the course downtown Wenatchee at 3 pm and walked the circuit with Ed and Lang. This was a huge help and just talking tactics and things to watch out for and lines to be on was great stuff and a huge advantage I think. We lined up and the promoters shortened our race from 30 minutes to 20 minutes. This we believe was the reason the criterium was so brutal. It was non-stop and there was never a chance to rest, not even a little bit. I began to fall back a bit in the first few laps. The course was 4 right hand turns with the last corner being a nice little hill a block long and the first corner being the downhill part for a total of .6 miles. The second corner at the bottom of the hill had a man hole cover right in the middle of the corner. I found that I was able to carry a ton more speed in the first downhill corner and then make up even more ground on the guys in the corner with the man hole cover. It was a bit sketchy and I did hit part of the cover one time that bounced me all the way to the outside of the corner but other than that this is where I would make up my ground. The group I managed to catch up to had 4 or 5 guys in it. Each lap I practiced the move in the first and second corner and every time it seemed to work. A big help was having Coach Ed yelling at me to close the gab and just yelling encouragement. We came around for the final lap and I was at the back of our group right where I wanted to be. The reason I was carrying so much more corner speed was everyone would stop pedaling hard and soft pedal in between the two corners. I was able to get the bicycle upright in the middle of the first corner and start pedaling hard almost all the way down the hill to the second corner. Then my momentum would carry me through the second corner. I was able to get every line I wanted on those two corners and I moved closer to the front of the group for the short hill climb. Once on the straight for the start/finish, I out sprinted the guy in front of me to finish ahead of my group. The majority of the field was dropped and pulled from the course along with Mike and Mark who hung on as long as possible. Rolly finished in the top 5 after finishing 3rd in the Time Trial. FINISH 9th



Sunday Road Race:

We were racing 33 miles and after a 3 mile roll out it was 12 miles up hill. Coach Ed and Coach Kristi spoke to us before our start time and just said ride your own pace up the hill. Let the eager guys go up the hill fast and pop. I hung with Rolly as long as I could and he just motored up the hill. I was able to latch on to a couple guys and we paced ourselves up the hill. We made it to the church for the neutral water.



The climb at some sections were 21% and really tough. I tried to stay in the saddle as long as I could then take a couple short breaks standing up. Once we got to the very top it was beautiful scenery and a mass relief. My plan was to hang on during the climb and make up my time on the decent. When we reached the top we had a group of 4 or so. I immediately stood up and hammered the pedals and took off. The decent was pretty fun with some tight corners and some fast sweepers. I broke the group behind me and was on my own, elbows in, knees in, and chin on handle bars allowed me to reach 48 mph! I passed a few guys on the way down the hill and as I was coming to the end of the decent I looked back to see one of the guys left. I waited for him to catch back up so we could work together. We could see a large group at the bottom of the decent. Adam and I have worked together before at some other races and always chat it up in the peloton. This worked out well as we both took very quick turns at the front pulling each other along. As we got to the bottom of the hill the corner marshal for some reason thought it would be ok to keep 2 cars waiting pretty much in the middle of the intersection. One of the guys that I followed on the climb was fixing his bike so I assume he crashed there in the intersection. Then we came up behind the follow car and the race official. They decided to stop in the middle of the corner. Adam and I were pretty fired up at that point and yelled at them as we had the momentum and worked so hard to catch the group in front of us only to have the official stop the car right in front of us. After a few choice words we got back to our rotation and finally caught the group. Now there was close to 9 of us as we picked up a few more guys. About 2 miles before the finish I was thinking to myself how was I going to out sprint all of these guys. I wasn't feeling to confident I had anything left for a big bunch sprint. A few seconds later I saw bike after bike flying in the air in front of me. Sh*tttttt... I grabbed a handful of brakes and tried at the same time to get my feet out of the clips. I moved over to the right side next to the guard rail to try and avoid the carnage in front of me. I got stopped right in front of Adam and fell over on a bike. Adam was on the ground as he couldn't avoid the bikes and went down fairly hard on someone else. I got out of my clips and looked around and was pushing my bike and going again. We were probably cruising along around 22 mph when the crash happened. A guy and his teammate clipped wheels and that's what started it. As I got going again there were 3 guys in front that missed the wreck and I knew I wasn't going to catch them so I just tried to get as big of a gap as I could between the guys behind me. Thankfully I didn't have to sprint to the line and finish in 10th place. Rolly finished in the top 5 and Mike and Mark finished just after I did. What a great weekend it was.
FINISH 11th.

OVERALL Tied for 10th but listed in 11th place.

I plan on taking the rest of May off and getting back to it in June. Big thanks to the coaches that came out and cheered us on and talked strategy. Lindsay and Jodi for cheering for us from the beer garden and keeping us in line.

Nooksak Road Race

After last weekends flat with 1k to go I was itching to get that out of my system and have a good finish. I got a ride down to the course in Ravensdale with Shawn who was taking a weekend off. We arrived and had several Cycle U guys racing as well as one of the girls racing too who finished 5th in her first road race!! The first lap had a fair bit of drama. As we came around to the back side of the course there was some wheel touching going on in front of me. I was thinking to myself as I was right next to the shoulder where would I go if anyone went down in front of me? About 2 minutes later Mark was on the ground right in front of me. I took evasive action and swerved over in the dirt and missed running over his rear wheel by about 2 inches. I was close to going in the ditch as well but was able to get it under control. The wheel touching that was going on a few minutes earlier was apparently the same guys and this time they swerved over and took several guys down including Mark. As I came around I asked if he was ok and he was up and just about back on his bike. I made sure to get back on the pavement and then slowed with another Cycle U teammate to see if we could get Mark back in the pack. As the pack sped off I couldn't see Mark on the road behind me and the other Mark was hanging out so I decided I should go and get back on before I got dropped. As I read Mark's race report his chain came off as well as his seat was a bit turned, however both Mark's finished the race together. Good work guys.
The course was pretty fun with some rolling hills and a good little climb 1k before the finish and then flattened out at the line. The plan was for Rolly and myself to try and lead each other out at the line. Travis was going to try and stay with us to help lead us out too. Most of the race I was on the shoulder side of the road and as we came up to the hill right before the start line for our final lap, I looked over at Trav and asked him if my rear tire was low. "Yup sure looks like it". Just as he said that it was completely flat and I was out for the 2nd race in a row with a flat. I kinda stood there for a moment and cursed the tire god's. Then I decided to push my bike back to the finish line and once again I was at about the 1k to go sign. Thankfully this time it wasn't the last lap but still pretty frustrating. I arrived at the start/finish to see Shawn and we stood there and watched the finish. Pretty awesome to see Rolly come to the line in 2nd place!!! Atleast that part of the plan worked and I wish I could have been there to help him and get myself a finish. The brand new $45 rear tire I bought 4 days before was toast. It looked like someone took a pocket knife and sliced across the width of the tire. The cut went all the way through the tire. I think next week in Wenatchee I will stay away from the shoulder.

Glenwood Road Race 5/02

I decided on Wed that I was going to do this race and I was able to talk Shawn in to going with me. The forecast was supposed to be showers in the afternoon. Shawn arrived at 6:30 am and we loaded up and headed out. It was fairly warm out and as we got farther south closer to Tacoma it started to rain. We got to the parking lot in Port Orchard, got changed, got the bikes on the trainers and began warming up. The course was 13 miles and we were doing 3 laps I think to complete 40 miles. We had a full field of 50+. As we rolled out Shawn wasn't sure how he was going to do but said he would stick to my wheel. I rolled up to the front but didn't see Shawn. I coasted back and he said to go ahead as his legs were still feeling a bit heavy. With only 10 miles down we were coming to a corner and the pack in front spread out and started yelling. The 5 (I believe) that were at the front all went down in the corner. There was a guy in the middle of the road and 3 others spread out towards the ditch with 1 guy getting up out of the ditch. As we came back by on the following lap there was a bit of gravel on the inside of that corner so I bet thats what they all hit. The course was alot of fun with rolling hills and some good small climbs that weren't hard at all. The finish, again was on a hill but nothing compared to the race prior. I was feeling real good and was itching to try and get in a break. I moved to the front right before a hill and was able to gap the field a bit with another rider. I asked him a few times if he wanted to try and go but he wasn't really interested as we still had another 20 miles to go. So, we sat up and let the pack swallow us up. It was so wet. The spray from the riders in front of you was making things difficult to see. Normally I would try to spit away from myself and not on myself. However it was so wet there was no point. It was so wet. With 2.5 miles to go the pack started closing up and really getting a bit crazy getting themselves in position for the lead out to the line. I was probably 6th wheel and getting ready to make my move when the back end of the bike made the move that you hate. I knew immediately I had a flat but I thought if I didn't look down at it, it would disappear. Nope. I moved over to the yellow line and threw my hand up as the pack flew by. I couldn't believe it. I could see the 1k sign about 100 yards up the road. I flatted that close. I sat there for a minute on the side of the road cussing at anything and everything. I was so wet and annoyed. A follow car pulled up to talk to me and called the sweeper up to pick me up. I rode in the back of the truck back to the parking lot. As we were heading back I saw Shawn with another guy heading to the finish line. That was good to see that he made it. He would later report that he got caught out when that crash happened and the back half of the pack did as well. He finished though and that is what counts. Strong effort to stay with it in the weather conditions. I am on my way now to go buy some new tires as my back Michelin Pro 3 looks like a cheese grader.

Next week Ravensdale Road Race.

Vance Creek Road Race 4/26/09

Leading up to this race I was a bit worried. I don't think I gave my body enough days off the bike to recover. I did a team ride on Saturday that I probably shouldn't have done, and ended up bonking on the ride. After the ride I had to head over to Downtown H-D Buell for there grand opening of the new store in Renton. I couldn't believe how many people were. The new store is very, very nice and they are doing well so hopefully we will fire that hobby back up here this year and get out on the race track. Once home I put some Icy Hot on and tried massaging my legs and laid around watching tv. I tried really hard not to walk around the house unless is was an absolute must. Shawn and Mike showed up around 6:30 and we headed out Elma, WA. The course started at the old Nucleaur plant which was quite interesting and pretty cool to see up close.
The race started with a down hill and then led out onto a windy farm roads with alot of chip seal. I moved to the front and hung out there with Rolly for the first lap. After we climbed up the hill to complete lap one I couldn't find anyone else besides Rolly and me. Mike, Mark, Shawn, Tim, Chris, Doug, where was everyone? Well looks like it was just us. We completeled lap two and then Mike pops up and says "hey whats up". I was like, "where you been man I was looking for you". He then tells me he was right behind me the whole time. Apparently I didn't even see him. As we got up the steep kicker at the finish line we began our decent for the last time. There were several attempts to try and break away from the pack throughout the race but every time we brought the break back, it was going to be real hard to get away. My legs felt good and Mike and I decided to move up to the front on the down hill and then we talked about maybe doing a sprint on the down hill. We both knew it wouldn't work but said why not. So I sprinted off the front of the pack and went hard for a bit and then tucked in and coasted. I checked my speed right after I sprinted and it was around 42 mph. We were moving pretty good. Of course the pack caught back up and we were swallowed again. I paced the pack for a bit along with Rolly. Neither of us wanted to be at the front. As we started climbing the hill to the finish I knew I didn't have the legs to sprint up a steep hill. Rolly got blocked right at the 200 meter sign which could have cost him a really good finish. Mike took off and I just chilled up the hill then tried to put something together but didn't have it in my legs. We all finished in the pack and Rolly was in the top 15 I believe. All in all kinda a non eventful race but it was a good time. The whole team finished and nobody DNF'd so that was great.

Tour of Walla Walla

Lindsay and I arrived in the Wine country Friday afternoon to beautiful weather along with my parents. This was a 3 day stage race or also what is called in the states a Omnium, my first multi event bicycle race.
Friday was the road race for the Cat 1-2 and 3 pro's. Category 4 and 5 started racing on Saturday morning with an Individual Time Trial (TT) and a then Saturday night with a Criterium. On Sunday it would be a road race of 40 miles to determine the overall victor.
During the weeks leading up to this race I was doing a bunch of hill repeats at lunch then doing another 20 mile effort after work. I was feeling pretty good come Saturday morning.

Saturday morning TT:
After getting briefly lost as the race guide (bible) didn't indicate where the TT was located, we found the starting point. My departure was at 10:40 and I started warming up on the trainer in the parking lot at 10am. I have never done a TT before and don't have the aero helmet or the aero bars or a spare bike for that matter. There were some super nice TT bikes there.(Will have to add one of those to the wishlist). My time comes up and I get lined up at the starting gate. I learned from a teammate to not start in a big gear as it makes it really tough to get out of the box from a stand still. The ref counts me down and away I go. The TT is a 9.3 mile course with a hill that is at a 5% gradient. As soon as I got on the course my heart rate jumped right up to 180bpm. That was something I wanted to try and keep lower but no matter what I did it stayed right there. I kept my cadence at 100 and just trucked along. I caught the guy in front of me on the long hill and then on the backside of the track he went back past me. We both rode side by side to the finish line as we both sprinted to get a good time. I placed 22nd overall with a time of 24:59. 3rd place was 23:09. I was pretty happy with that. My goal was to place in the top 25. First goal accomplished. Here is my data.
9.3 miles - 452 Calories - 24:59 duration - Avg heart rate 177bpm/Max heart rate 182bpm - Speed avg 21.8 mph/Speed max 33.5 mph - Cadence avg 99 rpm/Cadence max 117 rpm



Saturday night Crit:
Our start time was at 8:40pm. This was a 1.1 mile course that we would be racing on for 25 minutes. We went down a little early to watch some of the other races and get a feel for the atmosphere. They had the whole downtown area blocked off and a big stage area for the announcer. I was pretty impressed and excited. The start of any bike race is important but as I learned at the crit the position you are in at the very beginning is even more important. I was pretty much at the back when the whistle went off for us to begin. Apparently a group of 20 or so took off and the only time I saw them was when I made my way to the front of the line. There were a lot of corners on this course and the pavement was good in areas and horrible in other. I had to slow down alot in the corners as most of the guys in front of me were taking them very erratically. I had more speed I could produce in the corners but was unable to use it. There was a Carter/Lenova rider that sprinted off the front when we went past start finish and I sprinted after him and closed it down. We talked for a minute about if we could catch the group in front of us and I wasn't sure as I couldn't even see them and had no idea how many were up there. We picked up a few stragglers from that group but never caught them. Next lap around I moved to the back of the group to rest for a minute and just as I got back there I heard the sound and saw the riders in front of me spread out. Doing 20+ mph and hitting the deck mid corner is a bad way to go down. We all made it through but it looked like there was 1 other guy that went down as well. By the time I got by the 2nd guy he was up and jumping back on. Crazy considering he just crashed doing 20 mph. The other guy didn't fair as well. The ambulance on the next lap was there so I assume he was injured. The rest of the race was fun and I was a bit more cautious. Last lap around I sat at the back again resting and then started moving up to the front for the sprint to the line. I think I waited a little late to make my move to the front and probably should have done it a few corners earlier. Out of our group I finished 5th and 17th overall. A lot of lessons learned for my first Crit.
Here is my data.
12.3 miles - 546 Calories - 31:24 duration - Avg heart rate 175bpm/Max heart rate 182bpm - Speed avg 23.6 mph/Speed max 31 mph - Cadence avg 94 rpm/Cadence max 112 rpm


Sunday Road Race 38 miles:
I was 4 minutes behind the leader and in 20th place. My plan was to try and get in an early break away if I could. The legs were pretty sore but they would come around when I got going, I hoped. Our departure time was at 11:40 so at 11:30 I headed over to the start line and sat there for a few minutes and around 11:35 we took off. I didn't even think about the time we took off. We got going and the first couple of miles were neutral and they wouldn't start us until we reached the top of the hill. This hill was pretty massive. As soon as got to the top we took off. There were a few times we were cruising on the flats at around 30 mph. The peloton was well behaved and much better than I remember other races. Usually there are a lot of stopping and going and usually a couple points where someone almost crashes because they aren't paying attention. Not in this group though. There were a couple break away's but every time we brought them back, another unusual thing that normally doesn't happen nearly as fast in Cat 5. The pace was extremely fast and we cruised up several hills at 21-22 mph. There were several times I almost popped off the back of the pack. I had the follow truck right next to me a few times waiting for me to explode out the back. I hung in there though and joined the group again. We went through downtown Waitsburg (where the road race started and finished) and got the 5k sign. Less than 4 miles to go. I thought I was just beat up from Saturday's races and was going to do all I could to stay on. Then we got to the same hill we started at. That was it. I popped off the back of the group and had no intention on trying to stay with them. I just had to survive to the top of this thing. I went across the line with another guy and he said 1 more lap to go. I was like, "wait a sec, what did you say?" He said 1 more lap. Then I asked, "what category is this?", his response was Category 3. I about fell off my bike. He told me to go home your done and good job for hanging with the Category 3's. I was a pretty upset that I screwed something so minor up. I met my dad on my way down as he was taking the amazing pictures he got of us. By the time we got back to the car I had cooled off. Overall I can't be too upset as this was my first stage race and I was the only one from my team there. It actually means I can hang with some fit guys. This actually has gotten me even more excited for the Tour of Wenatchee in May which is also an Omnium. I had a great time and it was fun to have the fam there. Lindsay and dad enjoyed the wine they sampled.
Cycle U will be racing again this weekend in Elma, WA at the Vance Creek Road Race.

Independence Valley Road Race

The course layout on this race was very exciting. It had 2 good climbs, 1 climb taking 3-4 minutes and the other around 2 minutes. Mike, Travis and Gerrit all met at my place at 6 and we took off for coffee and arrived in Tenino, Wa around 8ish. It rained the whole way down there. The forecast for the day was 100% chance of rain. We were hoping since the weather people here tend to get things wrong that they would get this wrong. It was pretty cold when we arrived and it was kinda stressful deciding on what to wear. There were a few times I almost didn't wear my rain coat. I thank the stars now I did. We all piled under one tent with our trainers and bikes and warmed up for a few minutes. I learned I need to warm up longer than 5-7 minutes when there is a climb within 2 miles of the start.



As we were rolling out to the "official" starting point it sucked. You go from dry and warm to cold and wet. The first climb wasn't so bad and everyone stayed together for the most part. The second climb is when the field was destroyed. It was also snowing and sticking.
Thanks to Jed's wife I believe for the pictures.





I was right there with the front pack but got stuck behind a slower rider on the decent and that cost me. I never did make it back to the main field. The rest of the race was survival of the fittest or craziest. There was a group of 3 of us that were rolling pretty good and we kept picking up guys that were dropped from the main group. It was Mike, Gerrit and I from Cycle U. Mike was sick so he gave me his food at the end of the first lap because he was in pretty bad shape and wasn't going to finish. First lap is done and we have picked up a few more guys so we had about 9 or so in our little group. As we head up the first climb again we lost several guys and I was feeling pretty good as far as my fitness. The first lap I couldn't get the heart rate below 170bpm and maxed out at 187bpm! Now I was cruising at 150-160bpm, much more managable. Mike was still with us coughing and sticking to my wheel. I made sure if he was going to finish he was going to stick to my wheel the whole time. He did some pulls at the front of our group but we tried to keep him behind us to save his energy so he could finish. I would say he was one of the crazy guys that stayed in. We got to the second climb and there was snow in the trees on the road and I looked down a couple times at my feet and I had snowed on them too, strange thing I couldn't feel them either. It was cold. It was hard shifting or even holding on to the bars. I made a little break on the decline and rode by myself for a bit then the group caught back up. Gerrit went off by himself and finished a few minutes ahead of us. As we came up to the finish one of the First Rate Mortgage guys that was with us took off for the sprint to the line. We weren't sprinting for anything but I felt good and went with. I was able to beat him to the line to finish 18th. The worst part of this whole race was riding another 2 miles to the cars after we finished. It was the worst experience on a bicycle I have ever had. However we finished and my hats off to Mike for being a tough guy and not wanting to quit. Thats all he kept saying the whole time, I don't want to quit. Its good to have a competitor and teammate like that.

Not sure what the next race will be but I will be doing the Tour of Walla Walla in April.

Tour de Dung #2 Sequim

This was my 2nd race of my very early bicycle racing hobby. Lindsay and I headed out Saturday and dropped the dogs off at my parents house along the way. We arrived in Sequim around 4ish and checked in to the lovely Econo Lodge. Was upset to find out that just down the street there was a hotel for half the price we paid. Oh well. Just have to remember that for next year. I met up with the guys on the team and we road the course to get a idea of what we were facing come Sunday. Lindsay and I had dinner reservations that night with the team at the Alder Wood Bistro at 8. Food was good and the beer was good too.



I didn't have any real goals for this race besides finishing in the pack and wasn't sure how it was going to play out. The course is fairly flat with some average rolling hills. The team thought it could go both ways as far as the pace for the race. It could be hardcore because its flat and there is no place to rest or it could be chill because you aren't working so much with no hills. We arrived after I got lost to the race course. Thankfully I found some bikers on the road that pointed us in the right direction. Of course if I listened to my co-pilot Lindsay, we would have never got lost to begin with as she just told me the exact direction that the cyclist told me... We got set up with our canopies and trainers. The teams that put on the race were a bit under staffed and didn't have enough forms to fill out so we sat there in line for 20 minutes. Then I had to go to the bathroom so bad waiting in line I got registered and went to another line and stood there turning blue and loosing my vision for another 20 minutes. All that done and over with I went back and hung out with the team and talked a little stragedy. The weather was pretty good with no rain but cold. They split the Cat 4/5 field because there were about 100 or so racers total. We were set to do the 12 mile course with 4 laps for a total of 48 miles. As we lined up for the start all the Cycle U guys immediately moved to the front of the line waiting for the start. Mike and I led off and rode at the front of the field for the neutral start which lasted a 1/4 mile or so. Once we passed that point it was relatively calm for a couple miles. Then the same guy that blew up the Mason Lake race a couple weeks back did the same thing. It had to of been the worst lap ever! The whole field didn't want him to get away so everyone whicked it up a notch. Luckily we had a couple guys go with him and the break was at around 8 or 9. Cycle U had two guys in there, Travis and Evan. Travis didn't stick with them and fell back with us but Evan stuck it out and hung with them. Again the first lap was horrible. We were at one point in the pack cruising around 30 mph. The next lap was alot calmer and much more enjoyable. The break wasn't coming back to the field as they already had a minute or so lead on lap 2. There were really no sketchy moments through out the race. We caught Evan towards the end of lap 3. I felt bad for him as he was in the break for so long. He jumped right in to the pack and at that point I moved to the front and we started increasing the pace a bit.

Final lap and I wasn't sure what we were going to do as a team towards the finish, since we weren't going for the win. Gerrit decided to make some people suffer as he sprinted off the front of the pack and yelled "come on, come on". Mike, Tony and myself jumped out of the saddle and sprinted with him but the pack caught back up to us a few seconds later. It was fun and we made some people hurt for sure. We went passed the 1k to go sign and I was near the front on the shoulder side. Next thing I know I see the 200 sign and I am still kinda stuck on the shoulder. There was enough room for me to squeeze up the side but it was going to be close. I sprinted and yelled "on your right" as I made my way up the right side. It actually worked out pretty well as I finish in 8th place overall. The race was alot of fun and the weekend in general was a great time.



Cycle University and myself will be racing at, "Team Group Health Independence Valley Road Race" this Saturday. I must say it is a very addictive sport, this bicycle racing is. Who would think, suffering on a bike for 2 hours burning 2000 plus calories and sitting on a little seat would be a good time???

Hmm...

Photgraphs were taken by the lovely Lindsay!

First Bicycle race under the belt!

Well its been a busy couple months, with training, getting the location sorted out for the wedding and trying to stay sane. Since joining Cycle Universities Road Race development team back in Nov 08 its been alot of fun training with a group of guys/gals on the weekends.

The first race of the season was Sat March 7th at Mason Lake Road Race out in Belfair. We had a really strong squad going into the weekend with around 8 guys in the Cat 5 class. We met at my house at 5:45 Saturday morning! Too early for sure. Of course the pre night jitters were back and welcomed back as its been some time since I had them from Road Racing motorcycles. However the lack of sleep the night before kinda sucked, but I was ready and feeling good. We made the 1.5 hr trip over there and arrived to see blue sky and sun. When we left Seattle it was windy and raining. This continued all the way there until we hit Gorst/Bremerton and we all started to get hope of a dry race when we could see the sky begin to open up and show the sun. We arrived with sun and set up our canopies and trainers in the parking lot to get warmed up. We ate and joked about stratedgy and just going out there and trying to stay together and survive. My goal was not to get dropped by the main field and stay out of trouble. Everyone told us leading up to the first race of the season that it was a total crash fest so we were all anxious to stay away from that. We rolled out to the starting grid for the start and there were a fair number of us in Cat 5. We got under way and followed the lead car around until we got to the first corner then they honked and we were officially racing. About ten minutes later I asked Shawn on the team if we were actually racing because it seemed we were going pretty darn slow. Apparently we were and were just cruising along. Which was ok until I realized just how cold it was. We had 3 laps of 12 miles around the lake for a total of 36 miles. Most of the team was right at the front and Shawn and I were chillin in the back of the pack. Probably not the safest place to be and it turned out to be very similar to a slinky being stretched out, speed up, slow down, speed up, grab a handful of brakes and watch the guys in front of you almost crash. It sure did make it interesting. I am actually glad I got to experience the back of the pack. This way I know how annoying it is back there and to stay away from it in the future. Although Shawn and I did make our way to the front and then the next thing we knew we are pulling the field at the VERY front. Not what we were expecting when we wanted to get closer to the front. Then the next thing you know we are at the very back again. It happens pretty quick. We came around a corner and the field just got hammered but a side wind and then a head wind. Not at all fun as you can never find a place behind someone that will block the wind completely. Lap one down and we are all still together until one of our guys Travis gets a flat. So now we are down to 6. We had several teams come up and mention how strong our team looks this year and it was good to see us with so many guys at the race. Cycle U pretty much controlled the first lap. There was a guy from Carter Volkswagen team that took off from the word go and was gone. Other than that the majority of Cycle U was controlling the field and Shawn and I were watching the back, haha... The constant speeding up and slowing down were starting to take a toll on both Shawn and I. The speed of the peleton was beginning to increase quite a bit. This was really starting to break up the back of the pack and guys were beginning to get dropped off. A group of 3 took off at the front and nobody chased from the field. Shawn was with me then he was gone. A few minutes later Mike ended up back there in the back and I mentioned to him I think we lost Shawn. We both turned around to see the car right behind us. That was it? The field was down to 25-30 guys out of 45+. We came up to Travis who got his flat fixed and was back in the race but a lap down. The field was really broken up and Travis came back and pretty much pulled Mike and I back up to the pack. We met up with Evan and Gerrit who had been at the front the whole day. As we went by start finish for the final lap, the 3 that took off earlier had a 2 minute lead on the field. There was no way we were catching them. Now this was going to be the hard part. The pace again picked up and the group of 5 of us stayed close to the front. I looked down a few times to see what our pace was and we were cruising along at a cool 26 mph. I was feeling ok and we came to a small hill and the pace slowed down a bit going up it but I was out of the seat and just kept my pace going, which moved me right up to the front of the field. We still had some time to go before we got close to the finish and I didn't want to be at the front pulling. We came on another rolling hill and thankfully a few guys came past and I was able to get back in there tow. We came upon the 200 meter sign and it was pretty awesome to watch everyone just spread out and sprint. I was done and had no sprinting in me. I rolled through the finish line with Mike and Travis. Gerrit took off for the sprint and did pretty good finishing in 11th. I took 19th right behind Mike. Wow, was that alot of fun. Here are my stats from the race.

1 hour 43 minutes
34.6 miles
20 mph average
37 mph max
161 bpm (heartrate)
182 bpm max
1513 calories burned.

The next race I am going to try and make is in Sequim March 22nd.

Till then
Brad