So soon...I'll possibly know where I'll be soon or what I'll be doing.....
Soon: I just went into the Rock agency today and had some polaroids taken....means I'll be signing with someone soon....
Soon: The semester is almost done....
Soon: Natz, Tour of Arkansas, Tour de Leelanau....
Soon: Summer....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
29.4.08
25.4.08
My Last Regionals....
Ok I guess its time for my input on Regionals last weekend....
RR: 80 miles...8 laps of a 10 mile rolling course.
Started out pretty slow. The usual attacks here and there. 12 minutes into the race 4 guys got off....Dallas, Bennet from Marian, Will from Northwestern and Ren-Jay from IU. The field kinda just let them ride off the front. For the rest of the lap it was pretty nice and comfortable. Starting at lap two things started to get a little faster. John Meyers missed the break and seemed a little pissed about it so he got on the front and used up some of his man power to chase. 5 guys from Michigan helped with the chasing. This went on for laps 2 thru 6. The break got a max of 3 minutes and it only ever got down to just below a minute....they were working well together.
Lap 7 was slow as everyone recovered from all the chasing. Then lap 8 we rested for about 1/4 of the lap and then attack after attack went. It started to get really fast. Everything was being chased down. When we got to the bumpy Paris-Roubaix section with a tailwind, whoever was on the front was drilling it. The guy right in front of me seemed to be getting tired and losing the wheel ahead of him. I was not going to be dropped on the last 1/2 of the last lap. So I just went a little harder around him and pushed it back up to the field. I looked back and there was a 25 yard gap between the me at the back of the field that I just caught and the group I was just in. Thank god I did that....I believe many of the guys that were in that group were dropped with just a couple bridging up to the pack. I'm able to motor again! Hooray! I stayed with the field just fine till the end. I tried to move up in the sprint (which I need to work on by the way) and got up to at least the 1st half of the field. On the final climb up to the finish I was still feeling pretty good and was sprinting strong. However, one guy that was about 10th wheel or so is all of a sudden stopped right in my path. The whole field went left or right and I moved over just enough to edge past him...but I had to slow alot. And going uphill in my 53/16 was hard to get going again, but I finished in 24th. Better than last year where I didn't even finish.
TTT: 10 miles....
Wasn't my day. My legs didn't warm up properly and Bean accelerate strong right after I pulled up a hill. Didn't wait to see if I was on and was popped pretty early on in the TTT. The team still got 3rd, but I was pissed how things went down. Team...not individual people.
Crit: 75 minutes.....
Sweet jesus it was fast. I guess we averaged 27mph. Thats a pretty good click. The cratered capital square was taking wheels out left and right. I have never seen so many flats in a race ever (well in a crit...Natz last year on the dirt road was pretty ridiculous). Guys were crashing, coming to a dead stop right in the middle of the field due to flats...it was crazy. And we popped about half the field within 20 minutes.
We didn't slow down much at all. But I was hanging in there fine and didn't get a flat. Lucky! But I was almost crashed out at one point. Around corner 3 a Purdue guy right in front of me was jumping up and down on his bike checking his tyres or something...who knows. We enter the corner and BOOM! His rear tyre blows off the rim...sounds like a gunshot and he goes down face first with the sound of carbon grinding on asphalt. He's right in front of me and the only thing I'm thinking about is an image of me going right over him, face first into the ground. Shit....I slammed on the brakes just enough that when I hit him I bounced off his head and right back into the race. No idea how I kept that up...but now I had some work to do to get back up to the field. I was probably half a straight away back. I sprinted and got back on in about 2 corners. Gah...that was a close one...I guess that guy's face was fucked up pretty nicely....and I barely missed it.
The ending wasn't too eventful. Whole field sprint, I was cramping, did my best to move up, and took 30th or so. Overall it was a good weekend, but now its time to get ready for Natz. I'll be doing the TTT and the Crit. I'm hoping to give it my all in the crit and have something happen.
Other than that I'm sick right now and I'm trying to finally get ahead in my homework.
Races coming up for me:
May 3: WCA Baraboo Road Race
May 9-11: Collegiate National Road Championship
May 15-19: Tour of Arkansas
May 25: Tour de Leelanau
Time to get over this sickness and get some good training in....I'm better at Stage Races...I think they're more fun.
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
RR: 80 miles...8 laps of a 10 mile rolling course.
Started out pretty slow. The usual attacks here and there. 12 minutes into the race 4 guys got off....Dallas, Bennet from Marian, Will from Northwestern and Ren-Jay from IU. The field kinda just let them ride off the front. For the rest of the lap it was pretty nice and comfortable. Starting at lap two things started to get a little faster. John Meyers missed the break and seemed a little pissed about it so he got on the front and used up some of his man power to chase. 5 guys from Michigan helped with the chasing. This went on for laps 2 thru 6. The break got a max of 3 minutes and it only ever got down to just below a minute....they were working well together.
Lap 7 was slow as everyone recovered from all the chasing. Then lap 8 we rested for about 1/4 of the lap and then attack after attack went. It started to get really fast. Everything was being chased down. When we got to the bumpy Paris-Roubaix section with a tailwind, whoever was on the front was drilling it. The guy right in front of me seemed to be getting tired and losing the wheel ahead of him. I was not going to be dropped on the last 1/2 of the last lap. So I just went a little harder around him and pushed it back up to the field. I looked back and there was a 25 yard gap between the me at the back of the field that I just caught and the group I was just in. Thank god I did that....I believe many of the guys that were in that group were dropped with just a couple bridging up to the pack. I'm able to motor again! Hooray! I stayed with the field just fine till the end. I tried to move up in the sprint (which I need to work on by the way) and got up to at least the 1st half of the field. On the final climb up to the finish I was still feeling pretty good and was sprinting strong. However, one guy that was about 10th wheel or so is all of a sudden stopped right in my path. The whole field went left or right and I moved over just enough to edge past him...but I had to slow alot. And going uphill in my 53/16 was hard to get going again, but I finished in 24th. Better than last year where I didn't even finish.
TTT: 10 miles....
Wasn't my day. My legs didn't warm up properly and Bean accelerate strong right after I pulled up a hill. Didn't wait to see if I was on and was popped pretty early on in the TTT. The team still got 3rd, but I was pissed how things went down. Team...not individual people.
Crit: 75 minutes.....
Sweet jesus it was fast. I guess we averaged 27mph. Thats a pretty good click. The cratered capital square was taking wheels out left and right. I have never seen so many flats in a race ever (well in a crit...Natz last year on the dirt road was pretty ridiculous). Guys were crashing, coming to a dead stop right in the middle of the field due to flats...it was crazy. And we popped about half the field within 20 minutes.
We didn't slow down much at all. But I was hanging in there fine and didn't get a flat. Lucky! But I was almost crashed out at one point. Around corner 3 a Purdue guy right in front of me was jumping up and down on his bike checking his tyres or something...who knows. We enter the corner and BOOM! His rear tyre blows off the rim...sounds like a gunshot and he goes down face first with the sound of carbon grinding on asphalt. He's right in front of me and the only thing I'm thinking about is an image of me going right over him, face first into the ground. Shit....I slammed on the brakes just enough that when I hit him I bounced off his head and right back into the race. No idea how I kept that up...but now I had some work to do to get back up to the field. I was probably half a straight away back. I sprinted and got back on in about 2 corners. Gah...that was a close one...I guess that guy's face was fucked up pretty nicely....and I barely missed it.
The ending wasn't too eventful. Whole field sprint, I was cramping, did my best to move up, and took 30th or so. Overall it was a good weekend, but now its time to get ready for Natz. I'll be doing the TTT and the Crit. I'm hoping to give it my all in the crit and have something happen.
Other than that I'm sick right now and I'm trying to finally get ahead in my homework.
Races coming up for me:
May 3: WCA Baraboo Road Race
May 9-11: Collegiate National Road Championship
May 15-19: Tour of Arkansas
May 25: Tour de Leelanau
Time to get over this sickness and get some good training in....I'm better at Stage Races...I think they're more fun.
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
17.4.08
....
Can somebody please give me motivation to do something....
I only have 8 days of class left this semester...only 8! So close....I need to get my shit done so then those 8 days are easy....
Oh I also received my 9th epidural today...eat it pregnant women!
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
I only have 8 days of class left this semester...only 8! So close....I need to get my shit done so then those 8 days are easy....
Oh I also received my 9th epidural today...eat it pregnant women!
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
15.4.08
News....
Alright so first off this week sucks and I have way too much homework and no (absolutely zero) motivation to do it. I only have 2.5 more weeks of school left since I'll be leaving for Colorado during the last week of school. But still have tons of shit to get done before then....
Ok well I'm on a new team now. Pista Elite Pro Development Team out of Cleveland. I feel honored (once again) to be invited onto the team. We're getting some pretty good deals. Races and lodging will be paid for....and we're getting some free gear. We're going to be doing some UCI races this year and we've been invited to the Tour of Leelanau. So that's pretty sweet. I guess there's bigger things in the team's future so I need to really perform well this year. The team is made up of a whole bunch of collegiate riders. Riders from Purdue, Marian, Indiana, and now Wisconsin (me).
Now I just have to decide if I want to do the Tour of Leelanau or Snake Alley/Quad Cities during Memorial Day weekend. Leelanau is definitely more prestigious, but we'll have to see what I'm able to do. I need to know by this weekend probably....
Ok I guess I have to do homework...and maybe I'll know more about the team after this weekend....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
Ok well I'm on a new team now. Pista Elite Pro Development Team out of Cleveland. I feel honored (once again) to be invited onto the team. We're getting some pretty good deals. Races and lodging will be paid for....and we're getting some free gear. We're going to be doing some UCI races this year and we've been invited to the Tour of Leelanau. So that's pretty sweet. I guess there's bigger things in the team's future so I need to really perform well this year. The team is made up of a whole bunch of collegiate riders. Riders from Purdue, Marian, Indiana, and now Wisconsin (me).
Now I just have to decide if I want to do the Tour of Leelanau or Snake Alley/Quad Cities during Memorial Day weekend. Leelanau is definitely more prestigious, but we'll have to see what I'm able to do. I need to know by this weekend probably....
Ok I guess I have to do homework...and maybe I'll know more about the team after this weekend....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
12.4.08
TT....
I think I'm going to start practicing TT'ing more. I really enjoy it. It hurts alot yes...but I feel good with it. I will most likely be going to Elite Natz in Cali later this year...so I want to start practicing for it. Don't get me wrong...I'm going to get my ass whooped. I just want to do a little better.
I'm feeling pretty good for the GDVC crit tomorrow. Hopefully I can get in a break....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
I'm feeling pretty good for the GDVC crit tomorrow. Hopefully I can get in a break....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
10.4.08
Wisconsin weather....
....can suck it. Can it just stop raining/sleeting/snowing for just one day. Oh and take away the hurricane winds when we finally do have a nicer day. This weather just sucks ass. I want to ride out side....
Instead today I did an hour ride on the trainer on the TT bike....not much. Some intervals while dreaming of riding outside. Looks like its suppose to rain/snow for the next 3 days. Its looking like Sunday should be a little nicer. Its saying 44 degrees and partly cloudy. Hopefully it stays like that cuz I want to redeem myself at the GDVC crit on Sunday....
Time to take a shower and then start my take home exam....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
Instead today I did an hour ride on the trainer on the TT bike....not much. Some intervals while dreaming of riding outside. Looks like its suppose to rain/snow for the next 3 days. Its looking like Sunday should be a little nicer. Its saying 44 degrees and partly cloudy. Hopefully it stays like that cuz I want to redeem myself at the GDVC crit on Sunday....
Time to take a shower and then start my take home exam....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
The Recap....
So I finally have a little bit of down time to discuss the weekend. It was a fun one...4 races. I learned where my power is at and what I have to work on.
Race 1: Marian Collegiate Men's A Crit....
This one didn't go too well. It started out fast and I was in the field, but I followed the wrong wheel and a gap formed. There were about 10 of us in the split and we chased hard to get back on. Jon Cook was in this chase group too. We were about 15 meters off the pack....almost there...and everyone in my pack just gave up the fight. What the hell?!? I really wish I would have sprinted up to the group at that point. But we lost them and we were alone to ride along. Everyone was stupid in this pack. They just kept attacking and wasting their energy. All we needed to do was a pace line. We were pulled with 4 laps to go...
Race 2: Marian Crit P/1/2/3....
This one went a little better for me...until 30 minutes in. It started out super slow. Much different from a collegiate race. But about 3 laps in the speed picked up...but not because of attacks. They just started going harder. People were getting thrown off the back, but I was able to stay about 5 or 6th position with Dallas right behind me. About 20 minutes in a gap opens and about 14 riders are off the front...maybe by about 10 seconds or so...maybe a little less. I was sitting 4th wheel in the second pack...I was not going to be split from this group like the last crit. So I booked it up the right side yelling at a Mesa Cycles rider to get the hell out of my way cuz he was riding too slow to catch them. Dallas right on my wheel as I moved up and took control. He said I hit about 35 mph. He wasn't able to pull around at all. At one point I started to die a little bit and he knew he couldn't come around so he gave me a little push and that was enough for me to keep going and I finally closed the gap. A little recovery and I was good to go. About 30 minutes in I decide to attack. I start from about 5 wheels back. Jake Rytlewski comes with me and another guy. I get about a 10 second gap on the field...with Jake we should be gone. And then I enter the 120 degree corner...I guess I went in way too hott and I wiped out. God I was mad and in pain. I took that corner how many times? And then the one time I actually have a chance to be in a break initiated by me I go down. God damn it. I hugged the hay barrel right next to me and then I went to take my free lap. I got back into the race...did one lap and decided that the pain was a little too much. So I had to drop out. Damn it....
Race 3: Purdue TTT....
Freshie, Cook, Dallas and I practiced for 15 minutes and this was the first time since the Mizzou ITT last year that I was on a TT bike. It would be interesting and seeing that I wasn't able to walk on my leg very well, I didn't know how biking would hold up. It was a 6 mile loop. We went as hard as we could...I was going well and then we hit the short steep climb on the course. My road rash/crash the day before did not like that effort. So I started hurting a little too much, but I had to keep it up because we lost Cook just before the climb. We finished strong and completed the 6 mile course in 13:47. I would say thats not too shabby considering that we practiced together just 15 minutes before we went off. 2 guys had regular road bikes and I crashed the day before. Indiana won it in a time of 13:05, 2nd place was Marian at 13:13 and Purdue came in at 13:33. 4th place...not horrible...but we'll need some practice before Regionals and Natz.
Race 4: Purdue Road Race...
This was 8.5 laps of a 4 mile loop. So pretty much it was going to be a crit. I just wanted to stay with the field. A break formed of 10 guys. Then a chase of 3 riders and then our pack. I was able to hang with them until 1 lap left...my crash started to hurt. But with only one more lap to go I wasn't going to quit. I finished up strong and got 44th. Not the really the greatest result you can get, but at least my power is up a little more. Still need work though.
I took 2 days off and now I'm back on the bike. Today Dallas and I practiced our TT skills around Paoli. I kinda like TT'ing. I'm going to try and get out on the TT bike at least once a week. I'm thinking about dedicating Tuesdays for that.
The GDVC crit is this Sunday....hopefully I can try and do another break and not actually crash this time. It'll be good training too. Regionals is next weekend and Natz is only 4 weeks away.
Oh and it looks like I have a new team for 2008...details later....
Time for bed...
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
Race 1: Marian Collegiate Men's A Crit....
This one didn't go too well. It started out fast and I was in the field, but I followed the wrong wheel and a gap formed. There were about 10 of us in the split and we chased hard to get back on. Jon Cook was in this chase group too. We were about 15 meters off the pack....almost there...and everyone in my pack just gave up the fight. What the hell?!? I really wish I would have sprinted up to the group at that point. But we lost them and we were alone to ride along. Everyone was stupid in this pack. They just kept attacking and wasting their energy. All we needed to do was a pace line. We were pulled with 4 laps to go...
Race 2: Marian Crit P/1/2/3....
This one went a little better for me...until 30 minutes in. It started out super slow. Much different from a collegiate race. But about 3 laps in the speed picked up...but not because of attacks. They just started going harder. People were getting thrown off the back, but I was able to stay about 5 or 6th position with Dallas right behind me. About 20 minutes in a gap opens and about 14 riders are off the front...maybe by about 10 seconds or so...maybe a little less. I was sitting 4th wheel in the second pack...I was not going to be split from this group like the last crit. So I booked it up the right side yelling at a Mesa Cycles rider to get the hell out of my way cuz he was riding too slow to catch them. Dallas right on my wheel as I moved up and took control. He said I hit about 35 mph. He wasn't able to pull around at all. At one point I started to die a little bit and he knew he couldn't come around so he gave me a little push and that was enough for me to keep going and I finally closed the gap. A little recovery and I was good to go. About 30 minutes in I decide to attack. I start from about 5 wheels back. Jake Rytlewski comes with me and another guy. I get about a 10 second gap on the field...with Jake we should be gone. And then I enter the 120 degree corner...I guess I went in way too hott and I wiped out. God I was mad and in pain. I took that corner how many times? And then the one time I actually have a chance to be in a break initiated by me I go down. God damn it. I hugged the hay barrel right next to me and then I went to take my free lap. I got back into the race...did one lap and decided that the pain was a little too much. So I had to drop out. Damn it....
Race 3: Purdue TTT....
Freshie, Cook, Dallas and I practiced for 15 minutes and this was the first time since the Mizzou ITT last year that I was on a TT bike. It would be interesting and seeing that I wasn't able to walk on my leg very well, I didn't know how biking would hold up. It was a 6 mile loop. We went as hard as we could...I was going well and then we hit the short steep climb on the course. My road rash/crash the day before did not like that effort. So I started hurting a little too much, but I had to keep it up because we lost Cook just before the climb. We finished strong and completed the 6 mile course in 13:47. I would say thats not too shabby considering that we practiced together just 15 minutes before we went off. 2 guys had regular road bikes and I crashed the day before. Indiana won it in a time of 13:05, 2nd place was Marian at 13:13 and Purdue came in at 13:33. 4th place...not horrible...but we'll need some practice before Regionals and Natz.
Race 4: Purdue Road Race...
This was 8.5 laps of a 4 mile loop. So pretty much it was going to be a crit. I just wanted to stay with the field. A break formed of 10 guys. Then a chase of 3 riders and then our pack. I was able to hang with them until 1 lap left...my crash started to hurt. But with only one more lap to go I wasn't going to quit. I finished up strong and got 44th. Not the really the greatest result you can get, but at least my power is up a little more. Still need work though.
I took 2 days off and now I'm back on the bike. Today Dallas and I practiced our TT skills around Paoli. I kinda like TT'ing. I'm going to try and get out on the TT bike at least once a week. I'm thinking about dedicating Tuesdays for that.
The GDVC crit is this Sunday....hopefully I can try and do another break and not actually crash this time. It'll be good training too. Regionals is next weekend and Natz is only 4 weeks away.
Oh and it looks like I have a new team for 2008...details later....
Time for bed...
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
7.4.08
Recap...soon....
I don't have much time, but I want to get a recap of the weekend up. I'll either do it later tonight if I have time or it'll definitely be up tomorrow since I don't have class. Be watching....
It was a fun weekend though....and I'm getting stronger again! Hurrah! And I may have a new team...again...
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
It was a fun weekend though....and I'm getting stronger again! Hurrah! And I may have a new team...again...
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
1.4.08
Random....
Its been awhile. School, work, training, SB, etc have been keeping me busy. I'm just at Steep&Brew right now studying (clarification: was studying) for my NS 431 exam thats in 2.5 hours. I've just been reading some cycling blogs and staying away from actually being productive for this exam. Yup...no motivation like usual.
Well spring break went very well for me...riding and coordinating. I guess everyone liked the job I did and want me to possibly do it next year as well...we'll see about that. As for the riding...I don't think I've ever ridden that hard during a Spring Break. I did 525 miles, 30 hours, 23000 KJ. The first 4 days all the fast guys tore my legs apart. On day 4 I exploded and had to cut the 6 hr ride down to a 3.5 hr ride cuz my legs hurt so bad. I took the next day as a recovery day. The last 3 days of the trip I felt better than ever. And ever since the trip I've been going pretty well. I feel strong again and can't wait to race this weekend at Marian/Purdue. Hopefully I can make up for the poor performances I had at Mizzou/Lindenwood. I really need to start training hard and peak for Natz in Colorado. But I'm up for the challenge...and if I'm feeling pretty good and confident now things should go well....
One thing I do regret is having to give up my spot at Get A Grip. I really don't want to race unattached this year...and to actually have a good supportive team...I was really looking forward to that. I wish I could re-join them...but since I have no idea whats going on I guess I can't. I'm definitely very motivated to train and race again. Maybe its because theres not much snow on the ground and I got to finally ride some decent terrain in NC.
Other than that...I've been on the bike and doing homework. Thats kinda my life right now. Tonight after my exam some of us are going to the Great Dane to play darts and have some appetizers and drinks. Tomorrow I'm going on one of those killer rides where you have to crawl home cuz your legs stopped working from riding so hard...just getting ready for the weekend....
Ok back to studying I guess...school sucks....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
Well spring break went very well for me...riding and coordinating. I guess everyone liked the job I did and want me to possibly do it next year as well...we'll see about that. As for the riding...I don't think I've ever ridden that hard during a Spring Break. I did 525 miles, 30 hours, 23000 KJ. The first 4 days all the fast guys tore my legs apart. On day 4 I exploded and had to cut the 6 hr ride down to a 3.5 hr ride cuz my legs hurt so bad. I took the next day as a recovery day. The last 3 days of the trip I felt better than ever. And ever since the trip I've been going pretty well. I feel strong again and can't wait to race this weekend at Marian/Purdue. Hopefully I can make up for the poor performances I had at Mizzou/Lindenwood. I really need to start training hard and peak for Natz in Colorado. But I'm up for the challenge...and if I'm feeling pretty good and confident now things should go well....
One thing I do regret is having to give up my spot at Get A Grip. I really don't want to race unattached this year...and to actually have a good supportive team...I was really looking forward to that. I wish I could re-join them...but since I have no idea whats going on I guess I can't. I'm definitely very motivated to train and race again. Maybe its because theres not much snow on the ground and I got to finally ride some decent terrain in NC.
Other than that...I've been on the bike and doing homework. Thats kinda my life right now. Tonight after my exam some of us are going to the Great Dane to play darts and have some appetizers and drinks. Tomorrow I'm going on one of those killer rides where you have to crawl home cuz your legs stopped working from riding so hard...just getting ready for the weekend....
Ok back to studying I guess...school sucks....
Ciao ciao....
Waitey
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