Here's a pic for your entertainment:
Aren't I creepy....
30.3.06
I need to update this thing...
So I'll do it this weekend I promise...Ciao ragazzi
Here's a pic for your entertainment:
Aren't I creepy....
Here's a pic for your entertainment:
Aren't I creepy....
22.3.06
Karaoke rules!!!!
Ok so before I make my lengthy blog about what has happened in my life for the last two weeks, I want to talk about what happened last night!
So last night I was not going to go out...then decided about 45 minutes before everyone was going that I was going too. They kinda wanted me to go too, so I went. First we went to JJ's bar...that was alright...I mostly was making fun of the guys trying to sell roses (3 of them came in during the 20 minutes we were there, so I was kinda getting annoyed with them). Gehling would have been proud...I kinda shut them down the same way, but not as angry lol. Ok so we went to the next bar, Lion's Fountain. We stayed there for about 15 minutes, nothing was really happening there, so we left. We ended the night at Looney's, which is definitely my favorite bar. We were probably there for a good 3 hours. IT WAS KARAOKE NIGHT!!! So I wanted to sing...it was crazy I wasn't nervous or scared at all...maybe its because I was a little under the influence, but sometimes that doesn't matter. We'll me and one of my friends here decided we were going to sing 'Take Me On' by AH HA! We rocked the place and we were the last singers to go for the night...so we had to make it good. We actually got the crowd into and they were singing along like crazy. We got a pretty good round of applause. It was great! I love karaoke so much now. And I'm happy that I'm not as shy anymore. I'm going to find some bars with karaoke at Madison, practice my skills at home with our new Karaoke Revolution (yes call me a nerd, but everyone that tries it loves it). And I think I'm going to start going to Looney's every Tuesday night for some good ol' Karaoke. Got any song suggestions...I dedicate it to you. Last night was probably one of the most fun nights lifes I've had since I've been here.
I need to get on my bike...Its been raining for the last 3 days straight. God damn it...and then I'm going to Venice Fri thru Sun. I hope I don't have to take off a whole week. I gots to keep continuing to get stronger. Oh and nuova bicicletta update....NO FRAME YET!!! I'm in lots of suspense right now. I just want my bici. I'm going to the shop in a little bit to buy my new helmet (Carbon Black Selev....Very Italian, Geo has one now in the UW Madison colours) and my new shoes (I'm thinking some euro white Diadora's) We'll see how much everything costs. Ciao
Waite
So last night I was not going to go out...then decided about 45 minutes before everyone was going that I was going too. They kinda wanted me to go too, so I went. First we went to JJ's bar...that was alright...I mostly was making fun of the guys trying to sell roses (3 of them came in during the 20 minutes we were there, so I was kinda getting annoyed with them). Gehling would have been proud...I kinda shut them down the same way, but not as angry lol. Ok so we went to the next bar, Lion's Fountain. We stayed there for about 15 minutes, nothing was really happening there, so we left. We ended the night at Looney's, which is definitely my favorite bar. We were probably there for a good 3 hours. IT WAS KARAOKE NIGHT!!! So I wanted to sing...it was crazy I wasn't nervous or scared at all...maybe its because I was a little under the influence, but sometimes that doesn't matter. We'll me and one of my friends here decided we were going to sing 'Take Me On' by AH HA! We rocked the place and we were the last singers to go for the night...so we had to make it good. We actually got the crowd into and they were singing along like crazy. We got a pretty good round of applause. It was great! I love karaoke so much now. And I'm happy that I'm not as shy anymore. I'm going to find some bars with karaoke at Madison, practice my skills at home with our new Karaoke Revolution (yes call me a nerd, but everyone that tries it loves it). And I think I'm going to start going to Looney's every Tuesday night for some good ol' Karaoke. Got any song suggestions...I dedicate it to you. Last night was probably one of the most fun nights lifes I've had since I've been here.
I need to get on my bike...Its been raining for the last 3 days straight. God damn it...and then I'm going to Venice Fri thru Sun. I hope I don't have to take off a whole week. I gots to keep continuing to get stronger. Oh and nuova bicicletta update....NO FRAME YET!!! I'm in lots of suspense right now. I just want my bici. I'm going to the shop in a little bit to buy my new helmet (Carbon Black Selev....Very Italian, Geo has one now in the UW Madison colours) and my new shoes (I'm thinking some euro white Diadora's) We'll see how much everything costs. Ciao
Waite
5.3.06
Una piove, vento, e freddo corsa...
Ok so if you don't know Italian, the title says 'a wet, windy, and cold race.
The start and finish...looks like a beautiful day, doesn't it...
I just got back from my race in Pistoia today and boy was it fun and miserable at the same time and WOW did it hurt. My team put me in the Mediofondo, the same as a granfondo, but not as long. My race was 85km (around 55miles), while the Granfondo was 145km (about 90 miles). It was probably a good thing that my team put me in the shorter one...just to feel out the race. The whole race was crazy though...there were motorcycles with the guy on back with the tv camera, team cars (I had my own team car!!!), people lined the streets, and we got to use the whole road to race on (they even shut down part of the highway for us!!!! It was amazing....I kinda felt like I was a P-R-O or something.
The winner of the Granfondo...he only beat 2nd place by 5 minutes...and then every one came soloing in in 5 minute intervals after that.
Well, it was raining on the way to the race, at the start of the race, during the race and at the finish! WOW thats always an awesome time. But it wasn't too bad...it was at least a warm rain. So a field of about 350 started (Granfondo and Mediofondo together). We started out fast again, but this time it was only about 28 mph. The field started breaking up like crazy. I had to get up there for a good position. There was a huge group up the road and then another group of about 40. I was able to solo it up to the group of 40 and stick with them. That was a feat though getting up to that group. I had a couple guys with me for awhile and then they couldn't do too much so I just went for it. I had a head wind of about 10-15mph and I was just cranking. I've definitely found that my LT and VO2max is higher. I was able to keep a higher pace for a while and catch up with them...it only took about 10km of suffering, but I was there. I held with them just fine.
The sprint for about 12th I believe in the Granfondo...
About 30km in there was a climb. I didn't even know what to expect of it, but I put it in my 39-19 and started hammering. It was a 6km long 6% climb....nothing bad. People were lining the climb cheering us on. By the end of the 6km climb there were 3 of us!! Out of a use to be group of 40!!! Hottness. And we were catching and passing people left and right. My climbing skills have improved a crapload. At the last part of the climb (the steepest part, about 8%) it was like a shot of the ToF. There were so many people lining the road, watching the race that there was only one little part right in the middle of the road to go. Like a little tunnel. Just think about those famous climbs in the tour where you think the rider is going to hit someone cuz they're so close. It was Hott!
What the hell is this course marshall doing?
On the downhill of the first climb things were very slippery. I'm not gonna lie I think I almost died...thank god for pulling MTB skills out of my ass at the last moment. The roads were so slick and wet. I was going around a tight turn a little to fast and my rear wheel started slipping, I saved it, it slipped again, I somehow saved that one, and then it slipped again. The last one I don't know how the hell I saved it. I should have gone right over the edge. It was close. But slipping 3 times in one corner? Thank you MTB skills. At the bottom I caught some guys that were way ahead of me during the climb. And it there were some rollers here and there...pretty much flat though.
At about 50km in there was another climb. This one was about 11km long at 4-5%. WOW it was a hard pace up it. I was able to keep it in my 53-21 for much of the climb. With about 6km left to go in the climb it was getting very hard to see. We were in a fricken cloud. Tells you how high we climb. So for half of the climb you really could not see anything in front of you. I was dropped because of the amazingly high pace. And went solo downhill (about 8km) and then about 7km. I noticed on every single climb that I was probably the best in the groups I was in (other than the last climb). I would just start hammering up the climbs look back and I would have a 50-75meter gap and it would increase. I think I just have to work on the endurance part just a little bit more...I felt fine at the end of the race...
I was working very very hard all by myself, cuz I could see the group in front of me in my grasp. Then....CRAMP. My right calf muscle decided to start hating me alot. I could feel it coming on and then boom...pain...and then it got a little worse. I rubbed it for a while and rode it off. I look back and a group is catching me...damn it...oh well it was only 8 guys anyways...I'll take it in the sprint. And they only caught me with about 7km to go. So we come into the final stretch and I'm certain that I'm going to outsprint all of them. And I did, by about 1 bike length. Good feeling. I still need to get a little faster with my sprints though.
I ended up taking 109th overall out of about 225 riders in the Mediofondo and 17th in my Category (A, 19-30 yrs old). I was happy with my finish...and my climbing. My average speed was 31km/hr and my time was 2hrs46min. Wisconsin is going to be so easy when I get back...HA you call that a hill!
Oh yeah and I got some Swag. In my bag was some cologne, some degreaser and a visor...yes I don't understand the cologne either, but I'll take it. And my team paid for transportation and my entry fee. SWEET!!!
Now I'm tired and want to take a very long nap. I hope my team is doing well in Ohio, happy training....
Ciao
The start and finish...looks like a beautiful day, doesn't it...
I just got back from my race in Pistoia today and boy was it fun and miserable at the same time and WOW did it hurt. My team put me in the Mediofondo, the same as a granfondo, but not as long. My race was 85km (around 55miles), while the Granfondo was 145km (about 90 miles). It was probably a good thing that my team put me in the shorter one...just to feel out the race. The whole race was crazy though...there were motorcycles with the guy on back with the tv camera, team cars (I had my own team car!!!), people lined the streets, and we got to use the whole road to race on (they even shut down part of the highway for us!!!! It was amazing....I kinda felt like I was a P-R-O or something.
The winner of the Granfondo...he only beat 2nd place by 5 minutes...and then every one came soloing in in 5 minute intervals after that.
Well, it was raining on the way to the race, at the start of the race, during the race and at the finish! WOW thats always an awesome time. But it wasn't too bad...it was at least a warm rain. So a field of about 350 started (Granfondo and Mediofondo together). We started out fast again, but this time it was only about 28 mph. The field started breaking up like crazy. I had to get up there for a good position. There was a huge group up the road and then another group of about 40. I was able to solo it up to the group of 40 and stick with them. That was a feat though getting up to that group. I had a couple guys with me for awhile and then they couldn't do too much so I just went for it. I had a head wind of about 10-15mph and I was just cranking. I've definitely found that my LT and VO2max is higher. I was able to keep a higher pace for a while and catch up with them...it only took about 10km of suffering, but I was there. I held with them just fine.
The sprint for about 12th I believe in the Granfondo...
About 30km in there was a climb. I didn't even know what to expect of it, but I put it in my 39-19 and started hammering. It was a 6km long 6% climb....nothing bad. People were lining the climb cheering us on. By the end of the 6km climb there were 3 of us!! Out of a use to be group of 40!!! Hottness. And we were catching and passing people left and right. My climbing skills have improved a crapload. At the last part of the climb (the steepest part, about 8%) it was like a shot of the ToF. There were so many people lining the road, watching the race that there was only one little part right in the middle of the road to go. Like a little tunnel. Just think about those famous climbs in the tour where you think the rider is going to hit someone cuz they're so close. It was Hott!
What the hell is this course marshall doing?
On the downhill of the first climb things were very slippery. I'm not gonna lie I think I almost died...thank god for pulling MTB skills out of my ass at the last moment. The roads were so slick and wet. I was going around a tight turn a little to fast and my rear wheel started slipping, I saved it, it slipped again, I somehow saved that one, and then it slipped again. The last one I don't know how the hell I saved it. I should have gone right over the edge. It was close. But slipping 3 times in one corner? Thank you MTB skills. At the bottom I caught some guys that were way ahead of me during the climb. And it there were some rollers here and there...pretty much flat though.
At about 50km in there was another climb. This one was about 11km long at 4-5%. WOW it was a hard pace up it. I was able to keep it in my 53-21 for much of the climb. With about 6km left to go in the climb it was getting very hard to see. We were in a fricken cloud. Tells you how high we climb. So for half of the climb you really could not see anything in front of you. I was dropped because of the amazingly high pace. And went solo downhill (about 8km) and then about 7km. I noticed on every single climb that I was probably the best in the groups I was in (other than the last climb). I would just start hammering up the climbs look back and I would have a 50-75meter gap and it would increase. I think I just have to work on the endurance part just a little bit more...I felt fine at the end of the race...
I was working very very hard all by myself, cuz I could see the group in front of me in my grasp. Then....CRAMP. My right calf muscle decided to start hating me alot. I could feel it coming on and then boom...pain...and then it got a little worse. I rubbed it for a while and rode it off. I look back and a group is catching me...damn it...oh well it was only 8 guys anyways...I'll take it in the sprint. And they only caught me with about 7km to go. So we come into the final stretch and I'm certain that I'm going to outsprint all of them. And I did, by about 1 bike length. Good feeling. I still need to get a little faster with my sprints though.
I ended up taking 109th overall out of about 225 riders in the Mediofondo and 17th in my Category (A, 19-30 yrs old). I was happy with my finish...and my climbing. My average speed was 31km/hr and my time was 2hrs46min. Wisconsin is going to be so easy when I get back...HA you call that a hill!
Oh yeah and I got some Swag. In my bag was some cologne, some degreaser and a visor...yes I don't understand the cologne either, but I'll take it. And my team paid for transportation and my entry fee. SWEET!!!
Now I'm tired and want to take a very long nap. I hope my team is doing well in Ohio, happy training....
Ciao
1.3.06
Ahhh, Hell Day Is Over....
Well today is finally done. Sweet jesus today sucked. First of all I had to wake up at about 7:30am to continue studying...I didn't go to bed until about 2:30am (I did that the night before too). This morning I woke up to a cold (about the 5th one I've had here, even though I take a crapload of vit. C) and a stomach ache...great way to start the day. So I studied for about 2 more hours and then it was test time at 10am. The first exam was Classical Myth. It didn't go as bad as I thought it would...I think I hopefully got a 90% on it. The 2nd exam was a Dante/Historical Greek Art exam. I think I did about the same on that too...and that was the one I was really freaking out about. So by 1pm I had two exams down in 3 hours. I was spent. But I couldn't stop there. Right after lunch I started studying for my Italian language exam. I studied right up to the exam at 4pm. They gave us 2 hours to do it, I got it done in 50 minutes. It wasn't hard, but I know I missed a couple things...probably another 90%. After all of that I definitely took a nap until dinner and it was glorious. I went to dinner and then I had class at 8:00pm. Sweet jesus I just wanted this day to end. At 9:30 we were done and I was going to start writing my travel journal thats due on Friday, but I watched Wedding crashers instead, which is a good movie and was a good break...and I have all day tomorrow to write 4 pages of a journal anyways. So here I am now just thinking about the upcoming racing season and I can't wait for it to come.
I'm getting a lot stronger and it definitely showed yesterday. Three of us went out and did the climb to Carmignano which is about a 10 minute climb. Well, at the beginning of the semester I would get half way up the climb in my 39-27 and blow up. One of the guys I was riding with yesterday would always breakaway from me halfway up the climb. Well, yesterday I put it in the 39-19 and started hammering all the way up. We both started at the bottom together, within 30 seconds I dropped him and kept making time. By the end of the climb I made 2 minutes on him! And at the top I was not winded at all. I would say thats a pretty big improvement in only 2 months. He got to the top and said "now you are best". That made me feel good. I keep improving steadily and constantly which is definitely a good thing. I will miss these mountains alot when I have to leave and go back to pancake flat wisconsin. I'll probably just do Observatory Hill 20 times or something like that to get my kick.
Well, tomorrow I'll be going on a 5 hour ride or so hopefully, I don't have anything due or anything to do so I don't see why it would be a problem. I have a Granfondo on Sunday which should be fun, and I'll be racing in the U23 field. I'll be able to go on long rides and not have to worry about anything for 10 days and then some...seeing that its spring break and we're starting all over in the classes, learning new things when we get back from spring break. I'll be totally alone (kinda sucky) in the villa from Saturday until Wed when Geo and Gehling come to visit me, which will be amazing. So I may try and get ahead on a 10 page paper I need to write by the end of the semester, some reading, watch some movies and spend insane amounts of time on the bike :) Sounds good to me.
And as for my weight, I think I may be ok where I am at a nice 75kg. It seems to be working for me right now, I'm not gaining or losing weight...and I kinda need that weight for when I get back to Wisconsin anyways to stay strong on the flats since theres like no climbs. And my climbing ability has improved so much at this weight anyways. If I lose some weight then so be it, but if not no prob, I can deal. I've seen a difference in my body recently. I'm more tone and have lost a little bit of stomach and chest fat. So I've definitely gained some muscle in my legs anyways, keeping the weight up.
Ahh and I almost forgot, thanks to Baumann I have a MTB team for this season, Stadium Bike out of Green Bay. On my 'elite' team are Dallas Fowler, Ryan Baumann, Cole House, Seth Lenss, and Me. Sounds like a pretty strong team...I just have to get my skills back for the single track. I've kinda lost those seeing that I've only really been focusing on the road and haven't raced a MTB event since June I believe. So my teams as of right now....In Italy - MTbike, Collegiate - UW Madison, Road - Brazen Dropouts/Cronometro, and MTB - Stadium Bike. Some pretty good teams there. SWEETNESS! Should be an awesome summer. I can't waite....
Ok well, its 2:30 in the AM so its time for me to get some sleep, happy training....
Ciao
I'm getting a lot stronger and it definitely showed yesterday. Three of us went out and did the climb to Carmignano which is about a 10 minute climb. Well, at the beginning of the semester I would get half way up the climb in my 39-27 and blow up. One of the guys I was riding with yesterday would always breakaway from me halfway up the climb. Well, yesterday I put it in the 39-19 and started hammering all the way up. We both started at the bottom together, within 30 seconds I dropped him and kept making time. By the end of the climb I made 2 minutes on him! And at the top I was not winded at all. I would say thats a pretty big improvement in only 2 months. He got to the top and said "now you are best". That made me feel good. I keep improving steadily and constantly which is definitely a good thing. I will miss these mountains alot when I have to leave and go back to pancake flat wisconsin. I'll probably just do Observatory Hill 20 times or something like that to get my kick.
Well, tomorrow I'll be going on a 5 hour ride or so hopefully, I don't have anything due or anything to do so I don't see why it would be a problem. I have a Granfondo on Sunday which should be fun, and I'll be racing in the U23 field. I'll be able to go on long rides and not have to worry about anything for 10 days and then some...seeing that its spring break and we're starting all over in the classes, learning new things when we get back from spring break. I'll be totally alone (kinda sucky) in the villa from Saturday until Wed when Geo and Gehling come to visit me, which will be amazing. So I may try and get ahead on a 10 page paper I need to write by the end of the semester, some reading, watch some movies and spend insane amounts of time on the bike :) Sounds good to me.
And as for my weight, I think I may be ok where I am at a nice 75kg. It seems to be working for me right now, I'm not gaining or losing weight...and I kinda need that weight for when I get back to Wisconsin anyways to stay strong on the flats since theres like no climbs. And my climbing ability has improved so much at this weight anyways. If I lose some weight then so be it, but if not no prob, I can deal. I've seen a difference in my body recently. I'm more tone and have lost a little bit of stomach and chest fat. So I've definitely gained some muscle in my legs anyways, keeping the weight up.
Ahh and I almost forgot, thanks to Baumann I have a MTB team for this season, Stadium Bike out of Green Bay. On my 'elite' team are Dallas Fowler, Ryan Baumann, Cole House, Seth Lenss, and Me. Sounds like a pretty strong team...I just have to get my skills back for the single track. I've kinda lost those seeing that I've only really been focusing on the road and haven't raced a MTB event since June I believe. So my teams as of right now....In Italy - MTbike, Collegiate - UW Madison, Road - Brazen Dropouts/Cronometro, and MTB - Stadium Bike. Some pretty good teams there. SWEETNESS! Should be an awesome summer. I can't waite....
Ok well, its 2:30 in the AM so its time for me to get some sleep, happy training....
Ciao
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
