Will this rain ever stop???
So today was day 2 back on the bike. It rained this morning, I went to hand out bus passes. I almost choked some people for asking retarded questions. Over and over people would ask the same dumb question. Yes there are dumb questions. And I guess handing out bus passes to faculty and staff for 8 days so far is kinda getting to me. I'm easily annoyed as most of you should know.
After that I called up Steamer to see if we're still going on the ride we planned if it was nice out. It was definitely nice. 84 degrees, feels like 90. Sun was out and everything. Went home and got ready and went. We got to the lights on Seminole, stopped and got soaked....from our sweat. It was so fricken humid.
As we went along the clouds started covering the sky and it started getting dark. We were going to do a couple intervals up Observatory, but we decided against that idea. We hit Paoli and it started sprinkling. We turn on to Trail Range Rd and there's construction. So we had to CX it and go around it into a field and come out on the other side of it. It started raining a little harder at this point. Frye then says "Knock on carbon, but I think it won't get worse than this." Right when he finishes saying that the heavens decided it would be fun to "rain on Frye's parade". It started pouring. Within a couple minutes we were riding thru rivers on the road. I couldn't look forward because the rain was hitting my eyes so hard. I kept looking at the ground. My thighs were getting pelted and it felt like I was getting hit with hail. About 5 minutes later the rain comes to a complete halt. There were deep puddles everywhere. Then the sun comes out...and goes away very quickly. We're almost to Seminole again and then look to our right. Black, omnious clouds and you could see the rain. The thunder sounded like lightening blew up a house right next to us. Ok time to TT it back. We got back fine, but soaking wet.
I haven't had a fun ride like that for awhile now. Everything is still so serious even though this month was dedicated to "fun rides". And my legs felt awesome...its been awhile since I've felt like that. I guess 3 weeks off does give me a good break off the bike. It just takes the second day to actually feel good.
Well, I'm bored at work. Only 2 more hours to go. Hopefully I'll go home and just pass out...not stay up until 3am. Tomorrow is more torture...bus pass distribution. I've learned my lesson. Don't sign up for buss pass distribution shifts. After that hopefully its nice outside, because I want to sit at a coffeeshop all day and people watch. And seeing that madison is filling up again there are some crazy people and HOTT girls to watch.
And I should have a new digital camera soon. I get paid pretty soon and have some ideas on cameras. I'll take tons of pictures and then blog about random shit soon. Make this blog a little more interesting....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
22.8.07
New Look....
Let me know if you like the new look! It was time for something new....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
Finally got back on the bike....
Not much to say tonight. I just can't fall asleep at 2am, so I needed something to do.
Well, its been almost 3 weeks, but I finally took the Schwinn out for a ride. The weather cleared up too after 4 or 5 days of straight shitty rain. I went with Dallas and Steamer for just a 1.5 hr jaunt with some hard efforts. Mostly a fun ride. I sucked. The legs were not feeling good at all. I had no power coming out of them and they didn't want to spin. That's what you get for taking that much time off I guess. By the end of the ride, though, my legs felt alot better...they felt better and warmed up with only 10 more minutes left of the ride. Oh well, gotta ease back into it. I fill like I wouldn't even be able to stay with the 3's field...
Friday I'm doing one more research experiment with Markus. Should be fun and interesting. Then on Saturday I'm going to do one loop of the WI Ironman course with Gehling....about 72 miles or so. Get those legs to know what spinning is again. I am excited about training again. I think of next year and what I want to accomplish. I'm inbetween two goals....I don't know which one I want to go with. I'll figure it out soon.
And soon enough I'll have my Frugeri up and running again...hopefully before school starts. In 2 weeks! Thats craziness....but I kinda can't wait. I want to be busy again...and out of the house alot.
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
Well, its been almost 3 weeks, but I finally took the Schwinn out for a ride. The weather cleared up too after 4 or 5 days of straight shitty rain. I went with Dallas and Steamer for just a 1.5 hr jaunt with some hard efforts. Mostly a fun ride. I sucked. The legs were not feeling good at all. I had no power coming out of them and they didn't want to spin. That's what you get for taking that much time off I guess. By the end of the ride, though, my legs felt alot better...they felt better and warmed up with only 10 more minutes left of the ride. Oh well, gotta ease back into it. I fill like I wouldn't even be able to stay with the 3's field...
Friday I'm doing one more research experiment with Markus. Should be fun and interesting. Then on Saturday I'm going to do one loop of the WI Ironman course with Gehling....about 72 miles or so. Get those legs to know what spinning is again. I am excited about training again. I think of next year and what I want to accomplish. I'm inbetween two goals....I don't know which one I want to go with. I'll figure it out soon.
And soon enough I'll have my Frugeri up and running again...hopefully before school starts. In 2 weeks! Thats craziness....but I kinda can't wait. I want to be busy again...and out of the house alot.
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
18.8.07
Thunderstorms are pretty sweet....
Yeah, its thunderstorming....
I took off the whole month of July to race Superweek...now I'm working about 80hrs in a 2 week period to increase my ever shrinking funds. Yeah it sucks. But still my job is super easy. I've been handing out bus passes to staff/faculty of UW-Madison. 10am - 2:15pm everyday this last week and I'll be doing that again Mon thru Thurs this coming week. I've also been working alot of night shifts. So this next pay check which I won't get for another 3 weeks should have 79.5 hrs on it. Pretty good. I'll be able to buy stuff again. But its fine...it needs to be done. Make money, spend money...who knows what January has in store for me. I'm pretty much busy with work until Aug 29th. But I did have a pretty good night of work tonight. Since it was raining the whole night, business was dead. So the 4 of us on duty tonight sat in the Memorial Union and have some good laughs, told some stories, etc. I really enjoy my job.
I've also not touched a bike in a week. I miss it, but I'm happy I've stayed off it for a little while. I'll probably get back on to it this coming week. I've been going to the gym and lifting a little to stay in shape. I'm also going to start running a little bit this week. Start slowly cuz my shins definitely kill after a run sometimes. Gotta ease into it.
Other than that I've had some stuff on my mind....really nothing I should let out. But its nice to have a friend of 18 years down in Madison to hang out with to get things off your mind. Last night we went to Casa de Lara and had a couple drinks with some of my roommate Mark's co-workers. After that the 3 of us decided to hit some golf balls at the driving range...yes a little tipsy. Then we hit the Par 3 course for some late night golfing under the lights. It was pretty sweet. Then came home and called it a night....
Well, not much more to report. I really need to do a couple more fun things before I'm swept away with school and the like. I think I'm going to go down to Evanston Labor Day weekend....
I really need to get a camera so I can get some more pics up on this thing....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
I took off the whole month of July to race Superweek...now I'm working about 80hrs in a 2 week period to increase my ever shrinking funds. Yeah it sucks. But still my job is super easy. I've been handing out bus passes to staff/faculty of UW-Madison. 10am - 2:15pm everyday this last week and I'll be doing that again Mon thru Thurs this coming week. I've also been working alot of night shifts. So this next pay check which I won't get for another 3 weeks should have 79.5 hrs on it. Pretty good. I'll be able to buy stuff again. But its fine...it needs to be done. Make money, spend money...who knows what January has in store for me. I'm pretty much busy with work until Aug 29th. But I did have a pretty good night of work tonight. Since it was raining the whole night, business was dead. So the 4 of us on duty tonight sat in the Memorial Union and have some good laughs, told some stories, etc. I really enjoy my job.
I've also not touched a bike in a week. I miss it, but I'm happy I've stayed off it for a little while. I'll probably get back on to it this coming week. I've been going to the gym and lifting a little to stay in shape. I'm also going to start running a little bit this week. Start slowly cuz my shins definitely kill after a run sometimes. Gotta ease into it.
Other than that I've had some stuff on my mind....really nothing I should let out. But its nice to have a friend of 18 years down in Madison to hang out with to get things off your mind. Last night we went to Casa de Lara and had a couple drinks with some of my roommate Mark's co-workers. After that the 3 of us decided to hit some golf balls at the driving range...yes a little tipsy. Then we hit the Par 3 course for some late night golfing under the lights. It was pretty sweet. Then came home and called it a night....
Well, not much more to report. I really need to do a couple more fun things before I'm swept away with school and the like. I think I'm going to go down to Evanston Labor Day weekend....
I really need to get a camera so I can get some more pics up on this thing....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
14.8.07
In every actor there lives a tiger, a pig, an ass, and a nightengale. You never know which one is gonna show up....
So it looks like I may be traveling to LA this January. I did an audition at the Rock Agency to go to IMTA and was picked to go.
First...the audition....
So an email was sent out about the audition maybe a month and a half ago. I kinda just put it aside and didn't even think about it. While I was at Superweek they sent me a letter saying that "they saw potential in me". Ok that was kind of a generic letter. But then I thought why not give it a chance...All they'll do is say no. So I called them up and made an appointment.
The audition was on August 7th at 6pm. I got there about 1 minute before due to traffic and unknown construction (even though I left 20 minutes before 6) and there were about 27 people there. 2 more came in after me. So there were a total of 30 people there to audition to go to LA. I was 28th in line to go.
They gave us a little commerical to memorize and would be doing a little walk. I sat there for 3 hrs before my turn...9pm. That's a good amount of time to memorize 4 lines. Some people were lucky though...they had only one easy line to remember. Oh well...I'll do my best. So I went into the room and did the commerical right away with some of my own style. Here's what I had to say....
"Brace yourself....here comes enough refreshment to cause an avalanche. We're talking super cool here. From the minute one hits your tongue, your mouth will be overrun with flavor as Tic Tac Bold Mint chills you out - from the tip of your tongue to the top of your toes. Thrill your mouth with Tic Tac Bold Mint."
So I was going well and then halfway through it I stumble on my words just a little bit and it screws me up. "Oh and that was SOOO good" they said. Well thats a good sign. I did it one more time and got through it. "Alright thats it, you can go." That was it. I had to say a commerical, they looked at me and I was done. 3 hrs just for that. It better be worth it. I had to call them up the next day to see if I was choosen to go.
The Call Back....
So...the next day I called to see if they liked me. I was a bit nervous...not gonna lie. "Definitely YES!!!" was her answer. That made me happy. They really liked my acting surprisingly enough. I guess I have an undeveloped potential and I'll be amazed with myself when I develop it. I made an appointment with Trish to talk about the whole thing the next day.
I went in and talked with Trish. I first asked her why they liked my acting so much. I guess I was bold, confident, willing to do it, and had a great speaking voice. Well ok. Awesome. So I found out that IMTA is Jan 7-13...a week long competition. I'll be in 18 different competitions from sitcoms to soaps to TV commericals to runway and prints and even swimwear (gotta get those abs nice and defined). Agencies from all over the world come to this to find new faces. Tokyo, Milan, Barcelona, New York, LA, etc. Some famous people got their start at IMTA...Katie Holmes, Ashton Kutcher, Elijah Wood and so on. Not gonna lie...its exciting....
Its really cool that I have this opportunity, because there are over 500 talents at the Rock Agency, 30 go to this audition and only 10 are picked to go. I kind of have to go now knowing this. The Rock Agency has a 100% callback rate going into IMTA, so they don't just pick anyone. They have an awesome reputation and do not want to lose it...so its really cool that they see something in me.
They want me to have another photoshoot to strenghen my profolio before I go...so I'll have another one of those at the beginning of October most likely. I will also begin acting and modeling classes starting sept 5th. I'll have a two hour night class every wednesday and a morning class every Saturday for two hours....for the next 5 months. We'll be going over everything pretty much. I will have to pay my way a little bit, but I think its totally worth it and who knows where this might bring me. I might be in your next favorite film. Or walking the runway in Milan.
The one thing that sucks...I need to get rid of my tanlines....
Oh and if you want to check out what IMTA is their website is....
http://www.IMTA.com
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
First...the audition....
So an email was sent out about the audition maybe a month and a half ago. I kinda just put it aside and didn't even think about it. While I was at Superweek they sent me a letter saying that "they saw potential in me". Ok that was kind of a generic letter. But then I thought why not give it a chance...All they'll do is say no. So I called them up and made an appointment.
The audition was on August 7th at 6pm. I got there about 1 minute before due to traffic and unknown construction (even though I left 20 minutes before 6) and there were about 27 people there. 2 more came in after me. So there were a total of 30 people there to audition to go to LA. I was 28th in line to go.
They gave us a little commerical to memorize and would be doing a little walk. I sat there for 3 hrs before my turn...9pm. That's a good amount of time to memorize 4 lines. Some people were lucky though...they had only one easy line to remember. Oh well...I'll do my best. So I went into the room and did the commerical right away with some of my own style. Here's what I had to say....
"Brace yourself....here comes enough refreshment to cause an avalanche. We're talking super cool here. From the minute one hits your tongue, your mouth will be overrun with flavor as Tic Tac Bold Mint chills you out - from the tip of your tongue to the top of your toes. Thrill your mouth with Tic Tac Bold Mint."
So I was going well and then halfway through it I stumble on my words just a little bit and it screws me up. "Oh and that was SOOO good" they said. Well thats a good sign. I did it one more time and got through it. "Alright thats it, you can go." That was it. I had to say a commerical, they looked at me and I was done. 3 hrs just for that. It better be worth it. I had to call them up the next day to see if I was choosen to go.
The Call Back....
So...the next day I called to see if they liked me. I was a bit nervous...not gonna lie. "Definitely YES!!!" was her answer. That made me happy. They really liked my acting surprisingly enough. I guess I have an undeveloped potential and I'll be amazed with myself when I develop it. I made an appointment with Trish to talk about the whole thing the next day.
I went in and talked with Trish. I first asked her why they liked my acting so much. I guess I was bold, confident, willing to do it, and had a great speaking voice. Well ok. Awesome. So I found out that IMTA is Jan 7-13...a week long competition. I'll be in 18 different competitions from sitcoms to soaps to TV commericals to runway and prints and even swimwear (gotta get those abs nice and defined). Agencies from all over the world come to this to find new faces. Tokyo, Milan, Barcelona, New York, LA, etc. Some famous people got their start at IMTA...Katie Holmes, Ashton Kutcher, Elijah Wood and so on. Not gonna lie...its exciting....
Its really cool that I have this opportunity, because there are over 500 talents at the Rock Agency, 30 go to this audition and only 10 are picked to go. I kind of have to go now knowing this. The Rock Agency has a 100% callback rate going into IMTA, so they don't just pick anyone. They have an awesome reputation and do not want to lose it...so its really cool that they see something in me.
They want me to have another photoshoot to strenghen my profolio before I go...so I'll have another one of those at the beginning of October most likely. I will also begin acting and modeling classes starting sept 5th. I'll have a two hour night class every wednesday and a morning class every Saturday for two hours....for the next 5 months. We'll be going over everything pretty much. I will have to pay my way a little bit, but I think its totally worth it and who knows where this might bring me. I might be in your next favorite film. Or walking the runway in Milan.
The one thing that sucks...I need to get rid of my tanlines....
Oh and if you want to check out what IMTA is their website is....
http://www.IMTA.com
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
August: Giving these Weary Legs A Rest....
I have decided to take a break from racing this month. I'm just riding my bike for fun for a little bit. Some really long rides, some MTB rides, some goof-off rides. Who knows what I'll do....
I'm going to start my winter training at the beginning of September, then I'll start racing again at the end of September. Cyclocross time!!!
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
I'm going to start my winter training at the beginning of September, then I'll start racing again at the end of September. Cyclocross time!!!
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
A Recovery Week Recap....
This week I pretty much did nothing. I slept until 1pm everyday. Ate. Hung out with a good friend. Thats about it. Biking was not on the mind much. I did get my MTB all built up and ready to go again. I actually went on more MTB rides than road rides. Just having some fun.
One MTB ride did kick my ass though. I was kind of getting my skills back slowly, but the 4th set of single track saw me moving faster. We only did 10 out of the 17 single track sections there are at Standing Rocks in Point. It was blistering hot that day and we ran out of water quickly. We were almost out of the final single track and my shoulder blade smacks a tree at about 15mph. That was more painful than when I crashed at Carl Zach. It hurt to move my arm, touching it hurt even. Picking things up was on the list of things that I couldn’t do now. I knew something wasn’t right. So when I got home I took some Ibuprofen and then went to the hospital to go get it checked out. I thought it was fractured or something....it hurt so bad. I saw the doctor...and I guess all it was was a bruised bone. Where it happened anyways could not have been helped. Great, thanks doc. Your great expertise did shit for me again. My shoulder did get better and felt better the next day.
Other than that....the week was relaxing and boring probably to you all. I had a good time at home and that’s that.
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
One MTB ride did kick my ass though. I was kind of getting my skills back slowly, but the 4th set of single track saw me moving faster. We only did 10 out of the 17 single track sections there are at Standing Rocks in Point. It was blistering hot that day and we ran out of water quickly. We were almost out of the final single track and my shoulder blade smacks a tree at about 15mph. That was more painful than when I crashed at Carl Zach. It hurt to move my arm, touching it hurt even. Picking things up was on the list of things that I couldn’t do now. I knew something wasn’t right. So when I got home I took some Ibuprofen and then went to the hospital to go get it checked out. I thought it was fractured or something....it hurt so bad. I saw the doctor...and I guess all it was was a bruised bone. Where it happened anyways could not have been helped. Great, thanks doc. Your great expertise did shit for me again. My shoulder did get better and felt better the next day.
Other than that....the week was relaxing and boring probably to you all. I had a good time at home and that’s that.
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
The Race I Didn’t Do: Whitefish Bay Crit....
I woke up that morning and did not really feel like racing. I told myself I would...but I just was not mentally ready for another 62mile crit. I got into my car and decided right there that I did not want to race. So I just decided to drive back home to Point for my nice rest week...
A nice start to the recovery week....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
A nice start to the recovery week....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
The Most Prestigious: The Great Downer’s Ave Crit....
I took off yesterday to make sure I was fresh for this one. My mother came down to watch me race this one. We got to the course extremely early to get a parking spot. I’m definitely happy that we did that. We walked around for a little while and then sat down at Cafe Hollander and got a cappuccino. Two hours before the race I did my pre-race preparations. Turkey sandwich on a bagel, pin up the jersey, get the water bottles ready. That all went well. Half an hour before I go I take a Starbucks Double Shot drink to give me a little sugar, fat and caffeine. Did that...and started warming up.
The field lined up at 5:30...expecting to go off at 5:45pm. We were far from that we soon found out. The organizers decided it would be a good idea to do about 45 minutes worth of thank yous, good-byes, your the bests, hall of fame shit, etc. The whole field was getting antsy. People were warming up in the back...most of them did not care about the presentations going on...I really didn’t either. I got all my stuff ready when I usually do. And I was ready to go. Then we thought we were ready...NO. We had to do a parade lap for some “movie” they were doing for next year. Ok so they have us go...it was suppose to be neutral at about 20mph....NO. We sped along at about 25mph fighting for position. When we got back to the start line I was 5 rows further back then when we started this “neutralized parade lap”. Then finally at about 6:30/6:45 they started the race.
I noticed something wrong right away. Maybe it was the super long wait to start and I was really cooled down. I don’t know. My water was tasting a little funky too for some odd reason...kinda like soap detergent or something of the sort. But for the first 35 laps of the 70 lap race I was hanging on the back throwing up little particles and fluids here and there. No idea what was going on, but I knew I needed to stay with this pack. I would sprint out of a corner, throw up, sprint out of a corner throw up, etc...for 35 straight laps. These were not easy laps either. We were hauling ass...this is known as the fastest crit of superweek. I think it was laps 20 to 25, but I was on the rivet. We were going amazingly fast. “Who is on the front and why are they going so fast?” At this point I am dying and puking...awesome! Somehow I was able to keep with it. Maybe it was all the friends and family I knew were watching me. I definitely did not want to disappoint.
Probably when I was on the back puking....
After the 35 laps I felt a lot better. And I mean alot. I was a whole different person. I moved from the back of the pack to the middle in one lap easily. I was able to corner better, move up more and more, and had a ton more confidence. All I can say is I was really worried for those first 35 laps.
With about 11 laps left they started a countdown for the “Super Prime” It was growing exponentially. By the end it was 4000$. I definitely wanted it just like everyone else. I was able to move to about 35th position or so by the final lap of it. I moved up pretty well. Maybe next year I can win it next year when I’m stronger!?!
The last 3 laps were pretty intense. Fast and furious. I just kept moving up and trying to hold my position....definitely things I still need to work on. The sprint went well for me, until a Rock guy that did his job up front slow pedaled right in my path. I had to slam on the brakes quick and go around him. I got 70th.
I stayed in the race which was my biggest goal. It was hard in the beginning. If you what it feels like to be going all out and puking during a race then you definitely know what I was going through....and I bet you did not enjoy it either.
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
The field lined up at 5:30...expecting to go off at 5:45pm. We were far from that we soon found out. The organizers decided it would be a good idea to do about 45 minutes worth of thank yous, good-byes, your the bests, hall of fame shit, etc. The whole field was getting antsy. People were warming up in the back...most of them did not care about the presentations going on...I really didn’t either. I got all my stuff ready when I usually do. And I was ready to go. Then we thought we were ready...NO. We had to do a parade lap for some “movie” they were doing for next year. Ok so they have us go...it was suppose to be neutral at about 20mph....NO. We sped along at about 25mph fighting for position. When we got back to the start line I was 5 rows further back then when we started this “neutralized parade lap”. Then finally at about 6:30/6:45 they started the race.
I noticed something wrong right away. Maybe it was the super long wait to start and I was really cooled down. I don’t know. My water was tasting a little funky too for some odd reason...kinda like soap detergent or something of the sort. But for the first 35 laps of the 70 lap race I was hanging on the back throwing up little particles and fluids here and there. No idea what was going on, but I knew I needed to stay with this pack. I would sprint out of a corner, throw up, sprint out of a corner throw up, etc...for 35 straight laps. These were not easy laps either. We were hauling ass...this is known as the fastest crit of superweek. I think it was laps 20 to 25, but I was on the rivet. We were going amazingly fast. “Who is on the front and why are they going so fast?” At this point I am dying and puking...awesome! Somehow I was able to keep with it. Maybe it was all the friends and family I knew were watching me. I definitely did not want to disappoint.
Probably when I was on the back puking....
After the 35 laps I felt a lot better. And I mean alot. I was a whole different person. I moved from the back of the pack to the middle in one lap easily. I was able to corner better, move up more and more, and had a ton more confidence. All I can say is I was really worried for those first 35 laps.
With about 11 laps left they started a countdown for the “Super Prime” It was growing exponentially. By the end it was 4000$. I definitely wanted it just like everyone else. I was able to move to about 35th position or so by the final lap of it. I moved up pretty well. Maybe next year I can win it next year when I’m stronger!?!
The last 3 laps were pretty intense. Fast and furious. I just kept moving up and trying to hold my position....definitely things I still need to work on. The sprint went well for me, until a Rock guy that did his job up front slow pedaled right in my path. I had to slam on the brakes quick and go around him. I got 70th.
I stayed in the race which was my biggest goal. It was hard in the beginning. If you what it feels like to be going all out and puking during a race then you definitely know what I was going through....and I bet you did not enjoy it either.
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
Cold and Wet: PCW Crit....
I'm just mad at this race. People are stupid and don't know how to ride bikes when it rains. Honestly, cornering in the rain is not that hard. And if you're going to pull out of the race because you're "scared"...don't do it in front of me. And if you crash all you're going to do is slide a little...you're not even going to get hurt....
I had to use too much energy to close gaps and got dropped halfway into the race when mother nature decided to piss hard on us. I got pulled with about 27 laps to go.
Grrr...
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
I had to use too much energy to close gaps and got dropped halfway into the race when mother nature decided to piss hard on us. I got pulled with about 27 laps to go.
Grrr...
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
I’m Actually Getting Better At This: Bellin Health Crit.....OH and Pictures....
So today I actually wanted to try some stuff.
I had one of the best starts I’ve ever had in a crit. I was 3rd wheel right from the start. Very nice position. I did start moving back a little bit after awhile, but still hung up front.
Not much happened for awhile. Halfway through the race they called out a 35$ prime. I told myself that I WAS going to go for this prime. I started in about 40th position and moved up pretty fast. Rock Racing was driving the pace. I kept moving up and got to the front. I sprinted past the 5 Rock guys on the front and was followed by two German Pros. They both nipped me at the line. I was pissed, but then realized what I accomplished and was happy. So then I just went back into the field and sat for a little bit.
With 7 laps to go a group of about 5 go off the front and get about 150meter gap. I decide to try and go for it and bridge up to them. I sprinted out of the field with everything I had. About a minute later I was catching on to the tail end...but right when I got there they decided to shut things down and let the field engulf them. Again...I was pissed, yet happy. So, I just sat in the field for the finish.
With one lap to go a crash happens on the first lap...as usual. I miss it by cutting in the inside and hang on for dear life as Rock Racing drill the pace. I wasn’t even able to breathe they were pushing the pace so hard. I sprinted and ended up taking 45th. Best crit yet.
I guess I was going "solid"....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
I had one of the best starts I’ve ever had in a crit. I was 3rd wheel right from the start. Very nice position. I did start moving back a little bit after awhile, but still hung up front.
Not much happened for awhile. Halfway through the race they called out a 35$ prime. I told myself that I WAS going to go for this prime. I started in about 40th position and moved up pretty fast. Rock Racing was driving the pace. I kept moving up and got to the front. I sprinted past the 5 Rock guys on the front and was followed by two German Pros. They both nipped me at the line. I was pissed, but then realized what I accomplished and was happy. So then I just went back into the field and sat for a little bit.
With 7 laps to go a group of about 5 go off the front and get about 150meter gap. I decide to try and go for it and bridge up to them. I sprinted out of the field with everything I had. About a minute later I was catching on to the tail end...but right when I got there they decided to shut things down and let the field engulf them. Again...I was pissed, yet happy. So, I just sat in the field for the finish.
With one lap to go a crash happens on the first lap...as usual. I miss it by cutting in the inside and hang on for dear life as Rock Racing drill the pace. I wasn’t even able to breathe they were pushing the pace so hard. I sprinted and ended up taking 45th. Best crit yet.
I guess I was going "solid"....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
13.8.07
A Deathmarch: Tour of Holy Hill....
So its true. Two days after a crash is the worst. My legs felt like complete shit from the gun. I was off the back in the first lap. I couldn’t find anything deep. Rock Racing was attacking constantly. And groups chasing found themselves attacking each other. Didn’t everyone know that there were 92 miles left??? I guess not. The humidity was also not my friend today. The funny thing was...all the big guns were just dropping out. I guess they didn’t like the roads. There was some very loose gravel and the corners were retarded scary.
I was going to drop out on lap 2...but found myself staying in it until lap 7. I was in a group of 5. 3 of them friends and then a Hong Kong rider. Sorry, but those Hong Kong riders need to learn how to race AND ride a bike. He almost took out two of us...in a group of 5!?! Its not that hard to ride in a straight line, especially if you’re riding in a pro field. One of my friends in the group decided he really wanted to get rid of the Hong Kong rider, so he kept attacking and we were being a little stupid and joining in. Wasting way too much energy to try and drop him. But he was like glue. It was crazy and sucked.
I pulled out on lap 7. I didn’t want to destroy myself too much more. I think it was a good decision. Tomorrow is a rest day for me. I’m going to rest.
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
I was going to drop out on lap 2...but found myself staying in it until lap 7. I was in a group of 5. 3 of them friends and then a Hong Kong rider. Sorry, but those Hong Kong riders need to learn how to race AND ride a bike. He almost took out two of us...in a group of 5!?! Its not that hard to ride in a straight line, especially if you’re riding in a pro field. One of my friends in the group decided he really wanted to get rid of the Hong Kong rider, so he kept attacking and we were being a little stupid and joining in. Wasting way too much energy to try and drop him. But he was like glue. It was crazy and sucked.
I pulled out on lap 7. I didn’t want to destroy myself too much more. I think it was a good decision. Tomorrow is a rest day for me. I’m going to rest.
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
WOW I Feel Surprisingly Good For Crashing: Evanston Crit....
So I woke up and was still pretty stiff. My road rash hurt and was pussing. Sounds delicious...I know. All I could do is see if the legs and the body were up for some racing today. Thank god I didn’t have to race until 5:45pm.
So I toured around Evanston with some really good friends that live in Evanston. They took me to a great restaurant for breakfast and then took me around a little bit. I showed them the course and talked bike so they would understand what would be going on in my race. As we kept walking the legs began feeling better and better. I didn’t look like a gimp anymore. I was going to race. I registered and got ready....
The race was really boring at first. I don’t know if it was slow because Rock Racing wasn’t there or people just did not want to go fast today. But the race was really easy. At one put Seth Meyer rode up next to me and we were talking about how ridiculously easy this race was. I was moving up pretty easily. Not much to talk about this race. But I did have fans yelling for me at every corner...that was pretty cool.
Then with 1 lap to go...a crash in corner one. Who knows how that happened. That corner could have fit an airplane through it. It was so wide...there was no need for a crash. I missed it and had to chase extremely hard to the main group of about 45. I didn’t quite have enough distance to catch back on. I ended up sprinting in a group of about 10 and won the sprint!!! I ended up taking 50th. My best crit yet.
I looked at the results afterwards and I had two warnings against me. One for failure to register. Um ok??? I had the wristband on. Number Two for not wearing the right kit. Yes I did wear my UW kit...but my BD kit was destroyed and that was the only one I had at that time with me. So I talked to an official and got it all waived.
Tomorrow = 100 miles of pure pain....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
So I toured around Evanston with some really good friends that live in Evanston. They took me to a great restaurant for breakfast and then took me around a little bit. I showed them the course and talked bike so they would understand what would be going on in my race. As we kept walking the legs began feeling better and better. I didn’t look like a gimp anymore. I was going to race. I registered and got ready....
The race was really boring at first. I don’t know if it was slow because Rock Racing wasn’t there or people just did not want to go fast today. But the race was really easy. At one put Seth Meyer rode up next to me and we were talking about how ridiculously easy this race was. I was moving up pretty easily. Not much to talk about this race. But I did have fans yelling for me at every corner...that was pretty cool.
Then with 1 lap to go...a crash in corner one. Who knows how that happened. That corner could have fit an airplane through it. It was so wide...there was no need for a crash. I missed it and had to chase extremely hard to the main group of about 45. I didn’t quite have enough distance to catch back on. I ended up sprinting in a group of about 10 and won the sprint!!! I ended up taking 50th. My best crit yet.
I looked at the results afterwards and I had two warnings against me. One for failure to register. Um ok??? I had the wristband on. Number Two for not wearing the right kit. Yes I did wear my UW kit...but my BD kit was destroyed and that was the only one I had at that time with me. So I talked to an official and got it all waived.
Tomorrow = 100 miles of pure pain....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
It’s Fun Going Down At 33mph: Carl Zach Cycling Classic Criterium....
I don’t know why but the Carl Zach Crit is an evil race. My day kinda ended quickly. The race started out extremely fast. I was holding on pretty well. Then 5 laps into it a couple guys go down...hard enough that the race had to be neutralized and stopped. So after going balls out for about 12 minutes we had to stop, sit and cool down for about 10 minutes. We got started back up and it was as fast as before. Then 5 laps later the worst case scenario for me.....
We were going up the left side of the finishing straight going about 33mph. We were getting scary close to the barriers. All of a sudden, one guy about 4 wheels up from me gets pinched off into the barriers. His bike breaks in half on the spot. His impact pulls the barriers out on to the course. Yeah, I didn’t even have time to hit my breaks. I went straight into the chaos. I slammed into a person? A barrier? Who knows...but the next thing I know I’m superman for about 2 seconds and then bounce on the ground...about 5 times. I stop 25 feet farther from where the crash actually hit. A lot of guys behind the 5 of us that went down couldn’t handle it and evacuated the race immediately because they were scared to race anymore. I just laid on the ground. My right shoulder kind of hurt and my right leg. Looks like I tore up mostly my right side. The medics helped me last. Ok, I was probably the least hurt anyways. They checked me out and asked if I wanted to get bandaged up or get back into the race. “I want back in the race!” I could quite use my bike though...didn’t know what was wrong with it and Dallas took it back to the car. Later on I found out that the front wheel was totaled and that was it. So the again neutralized field got all lined up again and I went over to neutral support to get a neutral bike. I got back into the race and made it to about 20 more laps before getting pulled. Its hard getting a bike too big for you and pain starting to set in. At least I got back into the race. More than the others can say from that crash. Many people were very surprised to see me back on the bike after a crash like that. People on the other side of the course said it sounded like a really bad car crash. I could definitely believe that, because that’s what it pretty much was...just on bikes. So I got pulled.
I went over got some sweet bandages put on (the fish-netting) and talked to some friends and strangers asking about the crash. I met Nick Reistad’s girlfriend’s Dad at one point. He saw the crash and said it look horrific. If I’m going to be in a crash it better be worth it. So we were talking and a woman interrupts us from behind. “Sorry that you had to crash. I saw you on the ground and thought your race was done. But thanks for the entertainment!” She then hands me a 20$ bill. Sweet! I guess I should crash more....well hopefully not. Lots of people talked to me...some of the officials, Eddy Van Guese (however you spell it), and just fans. It was pretty exciting, though, I can tell you.
So later that night the pain and the stiffness really set in as Dallas and I drove down to Evanston’s Crit the next day. My shoulder could not be moved much and when I got out of the car when we got there I fell back in. I could barely walk on my right leg. It hurt so bad. Damn...will I race tomorrow???
We’ll have to see....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
We were going up the left side of the finishing straight going about 33mph. We were getting scary close to the barriers. All of a sudden, one guy about 4 wheels up from me gets pinched off into the barriers. His bike breaks in half on the spot. His impact pulls the barriers out on to the course. Yeah, I didn’t even have time to hit my breaks. I went straight into the chaos. I slammed into a person? A barrier? Who knows...but the next thing I know I’m superman for about 2 seconds and then bounce on the ground...about 5 times. I stop 25 feet farther from where the crash actually hit. A lot of guys behind the 5 of us that went down couldn’t handle it and evacuated the race immediately because they were scared to race anymore. I just laid on the ground. My right shoulder kind of hurt and my right leg. Looks like I tore up mostly my right side. The medics helped me last. Ok, I was probably the least hurt anyways. They checked me out and asked if I wanted to get bandaged up or get back into the race. “I want back in the race!” I could quite use my bike though...didn’t know what was wrong with it and Dallas took it back to the car. Later on I found out that the front wheel was totaled and that was it. So the again neutralized field got all lined up again and I went over to neutral support to get a neutral bike. I got back into the race and made it to about 20 more laps before getting pulled. Its hard getting a bike too big for you and pain starting to set in. At least I got back into the race. More than the others can say from that crash. Many people were very surprised to see me back on the bike after a crash like that. People on the other side of the course said it sounded like a really bad car crash. I could definitely believe that, because that’s what it pretty much was...just on bikes. So I got pulled.
I went over got some sweet bandages put on (the fish-netting) and talked to some friends and strangers asking about the crash. I met Nick Reistad’s girlfriend’s Dad at one point. He saw the crash and said it look horrific. If I’m going to be in a crash it better be worth it. So we were talking and a woman interrupts us from behind. “Sorry that you had to crash. I saw you on the ground and thought your race was done. But thanks for the entertainment!” She then hands me a 20$ bill. Sweet! I guess I should crash more....well hopefully not. Lots of people talked to me...some of the officials, Eddy Van Guese (however you spell it), and just fans. It was pretty exciting, though, I can tell you.
So later that night the pain and the stiffness really set in as Dallas and I drove down to Evanston’s Crit the next day. My shoulder could not be moved much and when I got out of the car when we got there I fell back in. I could barely walk on my right leg. It hurt so bad. Damn...will I race tomorrow???
We’ll have to see....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
4.8.07
A Bad Day On The Bike: Green Lake Criterium.....
I wasn’t suppose to race today. Why I did when I had bad feelings about todays race, I do not know. There was just something about the course that I was “scared of”. It shouldn’t have been that hard of a race, but it was already in my head...so I was going to be doing horrible.
There weren’t that many riders at this race, because it was further up north. But Rock racing still showed up and other big names. The race started and was single file for 3/4th of the race. It was amazingly fast. My legs did not want that today and the course was still not right for me. I was shelled 25 minutes into a 2 and a half hour crit. I was not happy with myself...but a lot of others were shelled earlier or with me. It just was not a good race today. But now I should be good to go for tomorrow seeing that my legs should be fresh....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
There weren’t that many riders at this race, because it was further up north. But Rock racing still showed up and other big names. The race started and was single file for 3/4th of the race. It was amazingly fast. My legs did not want that today and the course was still not right for me. I was shelled 25 minutes into a 2 and a half hour crit. I was not happy with myself...but a lot of others were shelled earlier or with me. It just was not a good race today. But now I should be good to go for tomorrow seeing that my legs should be fresh....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
The Fastest Crit I’ve Ever Done To Date: Shorewood/Rainbow Jersey Criterium....
Well, this was the first crit of my Superweek P/1/2 career. It was a very simple course. It was 4 turns with a very tiny chicane on the third corner. The finishing straight was about .6 miles long, the first corner turned onto a super bumpy road that kinda made the “saddle area” (according to Seth Meyer) ache. The field would always take a rest on the backstretch and then would pick it up in the chicane on the third side.
I started in the middle of the pack and at the start was pushed to the back very quickly. I’ll have to learn to hold my position in these things or try and move up right away. The race was pretty fast for the first half of the race until a break got away. I don’t quite know when that happened seeing that I was watching the whole field in front of me. I started learning quickly, though, how to move up easily. I made up a lot of time and spots in corners. However, I would move up about 10 positions...look back and see only 3 guys behind me. So I would move up 10 more positions, but yet again I would look back and only see 3 guys behind me. Funny thing is...the guys I were passing were not passing me back. So...I was moving up and people were dropping off. I was trying to make it at least to the middle of the pack, but the middle would always become the back when I would finally get there.
Everytime we got to the finishing straight the peloton went as hard as it could and I understand why. They did a prime pretty much every single lap. A couple times I shouted to myself “stop the primes”. But nah, there’s another 100$ prime. Oh well, this is making me stronger and faster, right?
With about 10 laps to go...I feel a little looseness in my handlebars. 3 laps later, my handlebars are extremely loose and I’m turning them up and down with ease. I knew I couldn’t take a free lap though just because something is “loose” on the bike. It was probably because all those bumps on the 2nd side of the course. I kept going...but couldn’t get out of the saddle to sprint. I was able to stay in the saddle and motor, but I knew I had no chance in the final sprint. So with 2 laps to go I fell off the back of the pack and rolled in by myself. I didn’t want to crash or crash anyone out. I still went as hard as I could and gave a good effort to finish the race. I placed 113th. Last of the finishers...oh well, at least I can say I finished my first p/1/2 superweek crit seeing that Karl Menzies, Rock Racing, Peter Dawson, “The Terminator” Viktor Repinski, and other big names were there.
3 races down....7 to go.....
Ciao ciao....
I started in the middle of the pack and at the start was pushed to the back very quickly. I’ll have to learn to hold my position in these things or try and move up right away. The race was pretty fast for the first half of the race until a break got away. I don’t quite know when that happened seeing that I was watching the whole field in front of me. I started learning quickly, though, how to move up easily. I made up a lot of time and spots in corners. However, I would move up about 10 positions...look back and see only 3 guys behind me. So I would move up 10 more positions, but yet again I would look back and only see 3 guys behind me. Funny thing is...the guys I were passing were not passing me back. So...I was moving up and people were dropping off. I was trying to make it at least to the middle of the pack, but the middle would always become the back when I would finally get there.
Everytime we got to the finishing straight the peloton went as hard as it could and I understand why. They did a prime pretty much every single lap. A couple times I shouted to myself “stop the primes”. But nah, there’s another 100$ prime. Oh well, this is making me stronger and faster, right?
With about 10 laps to go...I feel a little looseness in my handlebars. 3 laps later, my handlebars are extremely loose and I’m turning them up and down with ease. I knew I couldn’t take a free lap though just because something is “loose” on the bike. It was probably because all those bumps on the 2nd side of the course. I kept going...but couldn’t get out of the saddle to sprint. I was able to stay in the saddle and motor, but I knew I had no chance in the final sprint. So with 2 laps to go I fell off the back of the pack and rolled in by myself. I didn’t want to crash or crash anyone out. I still went as hard as I could and gave a good effort to finish the race. I placed 113th. Last of the finishers...oh well, at least I can say I finished my first p/1/2 superweek crit seeing that Karl Menzies, Rock Racing, Peter Dawson, “The Terminator” Viktor Repinski, and other big names were there.
3 races down....7 to go.....
Ciao ciao....
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