Get Out and RIDE!

Off to Italia

2008-07-14T13:25:00.002-06:00

I'm boarding my flight to Italy in a couple of minutes (actually Frankfurt, then Florence, Italy) so I'll be short. Cascade went okay for us but not great. Mostly because I wasn't climbing quite how I expected. The team did a great job of setting me up on the Sat. RR after I was sitting 2nd on GC from being in the break Fri. and time trialing okay. However, despite everything going smoothly for me leading into the final climb on Sat. up to the ski resort - I was unable to hold the wheels of the fellas I needed to mark and ended up losing a significant amount of time. Disappointing because I know that I can climb with those guys when I'm firing on all cylinders and it sucks to let the team down after they worked hard to set me up perfectly. But we live to race another day. The race did have quite a few injuries this year tho. Our thoughts are with Ben Brooks for a speedy recovery from that horrific crash on st. 1. And also with BJM and Logan for a quick comeback from their broken chicken wings.
For me, it's on to the Granfondo Pinarello which is on Sun. I'm taking it kind of seriously because I think it'd be a big deal for Mr. Pinarello himself if one of his bikes came across the line 1st. I have no idea what to expect and don't even know if I'll have a shot at winning but I'm hoping that this form that I really thought I'd have for Cascade just took a week longer than expected. :)
I'll try to post from the former empire if I can and I will also do my best to take pics liberally.
Gotta go. Ciao! (lame, I know)

Full On

2008-07-07T12:18:00.005-06:00

That's the best way to describe the upcoming racing at Cascade. Have you checked the start list?!? This field is stacked! I'm looking forward to some quality racing and I'm feeling confident with my fitness coming in. It feels like I haven't raced in ages though I got back from piggy-backed stage races only 2 weeks ago. I feel like a different rider now and I've already laid down some expectation on myself despite the stellar field in Bend this year.
And after Cascade is concluded, I get to jump on a plane to Italy for some sponsor-related activities! Joao and I will be representing Bissell and Pinarello for the Granfondo Pinarello race/ride on Sun. July 20. Pinarello is one of our biggest sponsors with the half million dollars in product they provide us with each year and so it would be awesome if we could come and win the Pinarello sponsored Granfondo riding our sweet Prince bikes. The event takes place in the Treviso/Venice area which I've heard is beautiful. I'm excited but I also know I have a job to do!
In between my intense training blocks of late, I was able to sneak in my first camping trip of the year and first ever w/ Rebecca. The area is near Estes Park and was a 5 mile hike in near the North St. Vrain river. It is a beautiful area and our site was right next to the raging river. Very cool. We were also visited by a family of mountain goats (7) in the morning who were just grazing and staring at us about 100 ft. from above.
I also went on my first ride on Trail Ridge Rd in the Rocky Mountain National Park last week. I went w/ Frank Overton and some of his Fascat athletes. We had a great time riding and observing the breath-taking views - at 12,000ft, that can be taken a couple different ways. :)
But enough of this "summer fun" stuff. It's time to smash up the competition at Cascade! Bissell is bringing a very strong team and I think we should have all kinds of options to animate the race. Plus, I'll be racing with (against) Scott Nydam and Logan Garey - the first time we've all 3 been in the same race since we were teammates back in 2005. As I often remind Scott, "This is for Nick's (Sports Garage owner) undying love!" Thanks for reading. I'll try to post race and/or Italy updates when I can.
We saw lots of Columbines in full bloom on the hike to our campsite.

A view from a bridge near our campsite.

Trail Ridge Rd at around 12,000 ft. elevation. Oh, THAT'S why they close this road in the winter. pic taken by Gregg.

Basking...

2008-06-24T16:04:00.008-06:00

both in the glory of a Bissell GC win and the Colorado sunshine! Aaron Olson took home an impressive come-from-behind GC victory at the Tour de Nez last week. It was an awesome team effort to help him pull off the win but don't let his post-race quotes fool ya. He'll have you think that he let Graham and myself do all the work driving the race winning break on Sun. but that is far from the truth. Aaron pulled as much as Graham and I combined and when he came to the front, it was all we could do just to hang on to the wheel! Boys and girls, PT has found himself some form!! As for me....not so much. I was passed in a TT for the first time in my entire cycling career at Nez. Race winner Ian McKissick took 30s out of me in what seemed like about 3 min. (no lie) into my race. Wow. Talk about a morale killer. I think I'm coming around, but boy! does this racing business hurt when you haven't done it for awhile!!! I'm letting my body heal from Nature Valley and Nez and soon I'll be smashing it up the canyons around here in preps for Cascade which starts in 2 weeks. Cascade is one of my favorite races and I can't wait to be reunited with my lil' 4 year old girlfriend Kayla! (w/ the Sheasby host family)
Nature Valley was also an awesome experience for me. The racing I could have done without but the friends and family who showed up to see me race were amazing. Dad, Mom, Karen, Don, Doreen, Doris, Wellsy and Miller - THANKS FOR COMING AND CHEERING!!!

This 5 min. sunset was the highlight of the 6 hour drive through Nebraska. ugh.

Stillwater was by far the coolest thing about Nature Valley. It is an epic race and I was little disappointed to race it on sub-par form, but maybe next year?

CLHS baby!!

View of "The Biggest Little City in the World" from our 11th floor 'suite' in the casino.

Presenting: your 2008 Tour de Nez race winner! PT Aaron Olson!!!

We're close on this team. Sometimes too close (Joao). Donner Lake back drop - beautiful area near Lake Tahoe.

Vacation O-vah!

2008-06-10T17:56:00.003-06:00

Time to get back to this racin business. Nature Valley starts today and it sounds like I will have a strong family and friend contingency at the races, being so close to my roots. I have some requests for my family & friends making the trip to MN to watch: no streaking. no throwing objects at or in front of my opponents. and no pushing me...unless there is a really steep hill that I don't know about and it looks like I need it.
Speaking of pushes, I could have used a little help in my "warmup" race that I did on Sunday. I'm not sure why I did it b/c in no way did it resemble the racing at Nature Valley, but it was still fun to get out there. The race took about 70min. and about 60 min. of that was climbing - some of which was upwards of 15% gradient. Ouch. I lost count of how many times I called myself fat under my breath during that one. I finished 4th on the day which was about as good as I could have done considering how I was climbing. Shortly after, I jumped in the car with mi madre and headed for the homeland of Iowa where I've been the last 2 days. Kinda reminds me of swamp land around here. This rain and flooding has hit this area pretty hard.
Okay, let's hope this rain forecast fizzles out and we can race our bikes this weekend and the midwest can dry out a little.

Notice to the DEA:

2008-05-28T17:06:00.003-06:00

Take me off your list!
Hi, my name is Tom Zirbel, and I've been percoset-free for over 32 hours! If I can kick the habit, then YOU CAN TOO!!! I'm not going to lie, the heart rate jumped a couple of beats last night when I realized that I was going to try and sleep an entire night w/out my pain-saviour of the last 3.5 weeks. But I slept okay so that means no more happy pills for me...unless I reinjure my ribs again like I did last week.
So, if that's a valid indicator then I'd say I'm recovering well. I'm even starting to do real, honest-to-goodness training. How exciting! You should have seen me - I was even un-officially racing triathletes and sport riders alike during my ride today. I can tell that it's been awhile since I've had a competitive outlet, for sure. Is it time to shave the legs again??? I kinda felt like a bike racer for the 1st time in a month today.
I'm planning on being back for Nature Valley in MN which starts in 2 weeks so it's high time I log some hours and intensity in the saddle, I'd say. Nothing like being a little under-cooked for crit-filled stage racing.
Okay, thanks for checking in on me. And good luck to the Bissell Boyz who'll be tackling Philly Week starting this weekend.

upon further review...

2008-05-16T10:02:00.003-06:00

Ah, remember that time when I updated after my gila crash, reporting that I had a strained shoulder, 1 cracked rib and a broken bone in my hand? Just kidding about that! It took 11 days to figure out, but it turns out I have 3 cracked ribs, a broken collarbone near the sternoclavicular joint (don't I sound smert?) - which is adjacent to the sternum, annnd still a broken bone in my hand. It sorta ruins your day when you go a week thinking you have 2 broken bones, only to find out that you actually have 5 - surprise! It's especially irritating when you've been moving your arm in hopes of gently stretching out the tendons rather than keeping it completely static to let the bone heal. Moral: get 2nd and 3rd medical opinions folks!!! I wish doctors were all-knowing but they aren't (except for Otis, the Bakers, Taylor, Andrea, and T-Bone).
On a happy note, the pain is getting more tolerable and I can even ride some. I just have to take it easy and let my body heal itself unobtrusively. And the Bissell boys are doing well at Mt. Hood. Kill it in the TT fellas!!!

having lunch down by the creek w/ mis amigos. must fill days w activities like this or insanity will ensue.

Keep on truckin...

2008-05-11T13:46:00.002-06:00

On to that "recovery" stage where everything goes slower and takes longer than you hope/expect. I rode the trainer a couple days ago with some success but today I don't feel well enough to even walk around. No complaining though, Esparza from Tecos, who crashed on the same descent as me, is still in rough shape in El Paso. They have set up a fund to help pay for his medical bills. Donations can be sent to:
Wells Fargo Bank
1201 N. Pope St.
Silver City, NM 88061

Attention: Fausto Munoz Esparza Donation Fund

Next month, I plan to be doing this! But for now, will have to settle for this...on my good days:
this scuzzball hadn't showered since the crash 5 days previous!

Sorry Mr. Guptill

2008-05-06T13:26:00.006-06:00

Hey Everybody - I'm alive and well!! (relatively)
Man, I'd say we had an awesome Tour of the Gila! 2 stage wins, 2nd on GC, 2nd in the team's classification and we controlled the front of nearly every stage. Vega from Tecos is an amazing climber so Burke should be proud of his 2nd on gc.
I was looking forward to seeing how I would fair on the brutal last day but didn't give myself the opportunity when i overcooked a turn on the steep gila monster descent and slammed into Andy Guptill of Colavita who was just lifting himself up from crashing. Well, me and about 8 others crashed on the same turn. I guess we got a little carried away. I hobbled away w/ a strained shoulder (no broken collarbone), broken bone in L hand, and cracked back R rib. I'm a little sore of course but am actually doing fine. I have teammate Jeremy Vennell here to give me his special kiwi TLC when I need it, and my new friend Percoset has really come through for me too.
Thanks for all the emails, texts, phone calls, and blog comments first for getting the leader's jersey, then for the crash. :) Much appreciated. Here is a good pic of the week taken by Gleein.
we had to get a pic w this local after the crit (read his shirt)

It was a good day...

2008-05-02T13:20:00.005-06:00

Bissell had a good stage 3 at the Tour of the Gila. I won the TT to squeak into the leader's jersey by a full 2 seconds. Plenty to spare - I should have sat up the last 20m. BJM was 2nd on the day to slip into the top 10 on GC. Which is pretty impressive considering he's spent about 95% of this race off the front in breaks so far. And Burke had a solid ride and is sitting in 5th GC at the moment. The top 7 are all within a minute. Yikes! And with Sunday's epic mountain stage, there are going to be some massive time gaps. Oh, and we're leading the team GC competition which may not mean much but is always a subject of pride for the teams. We have a fun downtown crit tomorrow that has a little roller coaster section on the backside and then the slugfest on Sun.
We're staying in a cool host house about 20 miles outside of Silver City. It is very, how do you say....remote. It is an awesome place though and it gives us a good feel for this beautiful southwest U.S. region where people don't move here to have a bunch of neighbors. I love the rolling, desert terrain of NM. With my occasional hermit tendencies I can see myself living here someday.
our host Jeff's backyard view. Hammock essential.

from TdG, to show how well they treat us, here is documentation that my hotel bed came equiped w/ 7 pillows. wow. I guess that means it's fancy, right?

Here, Mayo shows her Bissell pride during the Brasstown stage at Georgia.

Thanks for reading and if you happen to have any good luck to spare, could you send it our way for the next 2 days? Thanks.

i hate this sport...no wait, I LOVE IT!!!

2008-04-26T06:44:00.003-06:00

After having a day so frustrating that I wanted nothing to do with this race or sport for a time, why not have the best day ever in the history of Bissell/Priority Health??? I've felt some rather extreme ups and downs in the last 48 hrs. I had a mechanical at the beginning of lap 3 of 4 in the TTT and wasn't able to catch back on and so wasn't able to help the team like I hoped. We lost a lot of time that 3rd lap but the boys recovered well and had a smokin 4th lap. We were obviously disappointed with our performance and wanted to make up for it on Stage 5. The stage was a brutal 134 mile up and down affair that was hard all day. Teddy did an awesome job getting into the break and gobbling up KOM points along the way - and nearly held it off until the end! Then the man of the hour, Rich England, showed that he's on decent form by winning the queen stage of the tour in a sprint finish by a select group of 15 or so. YEAH!! So that's 2 podium spots on the same day at the Tour de friggin Georgia. It's hard for me to even remember what it was that I was disappointed about the day before. I was so proud of the team effort put forth yesterday in that champion effort. Everyone did their job, be it covering moves, getting bottles, getting KOM pts, or winning a stage. :)
Okay, gotta go get ready for this Brasstown stage. Nothing like a little momentum to help you up a hill, eh?

Done w/ the Fluff

2008-04-23T17:48:00.003-06:00

Finished off stages 2 & 3 without too much trouble. Could have been better for us, I guess, but not too bad nonetheless. Stage 2 went like this: really fast first 70k until a group got off that the peloton was relatively happy with (or just too tired to respond). Then we went really friggin slow for the next 2 hours, letting the 3 breakaway dudes maintain a lead. Then, of course, it got really stinkin fast for the last hour. Overall, not to bad of a stage except that my body HATES going hard, easy, hard on rides/races. It's like the engine just shuts off during the easy portion and I sit there cranking on the starter to no avail when it gets hard again. I'd rather it just stay hard the whole way (done whining). Teddy came up just short of the KOM jersey behind Pipp near the end of the stage so that was bitter-sweet. And Jeremy got hit by a Toyota team car late in the stage after a pee break. He is okay, just a little scratched, bruised and irritated.
Stage 3 was a similar stage on paper to st. 2: 175k or so with no categorized climbs. However, in reality st. 3 was a bear! The 2nd half of that stage had some serious rollers (re: leg-busters) and then finished up on a killer 3k up and down circuit that we did twice. We averaged 44kph (27.5 mph) for a stage of about 110 miles. Ouch. One reason it was so fast is because Zwiza and his 3 breakaway companions must have been KILLIN it out front. They were hella-strong today. Hats off to them.
On a more somber note, fellow front range Coloradan Timmy Duggan suffered a nasty crash today on a fast descent. Word is that he broke a few bones and is hemorraging from the brain. He is in ICU and they are watching him closely but every indication is that he didn't suffer brain damage and he is expected to recover. We're thinking about you, buddy. GET WELL!!!
Next up is the team time trial tomorrow. We're hoping and expecting to shine in this event, it's just a matter of racing smart and communicating well. Then it's on to the hardest stages 5 & 6 which contain a ton of climbing and will be where the GC is separated out. So like I said, done w/ the fluff and on to the meat of the race -Game on!!

Tour de Georgia, St. 1

2008-04-21T19:19:00.004-06:00

Only so much you can write about a dead flat 115k stage 1 of 7 but I'll try. Bissell was aggressive today, initiating quite a few moves and Garrett was in the move that stayed away for a bit w/ 5 others. However, if nothing else I will have the unofficial title of being the first person to attack at the 2008 TdG. I was thinking of just calling it good and pulling out of the race w/ a "job well done" attitude but I decided to stick it out for a bit longer. And Rich scored a really good result for us with a 4th place finish in the sprint after getting a bit of help from Vennell down the stretch. Nice work, fellas!
I needed an action photo so Rich assured me that this is what he looked like while throwing his bike for 4th place on the stage.

Here is the view from our hotel room in Tybee Island. Check that - this is the view for HALF of the team, but Garrett, me, et. al are on the opposite side w/ a keen view of the parking lot.

What the...?!?

2008-04-16T17:56:00.002-06:00

It was 85 and sunny here yesterday. I guess Garrett and I should be ready for any weather condition the Tour de Georgia throws at us next week.

So long SoCal

2008-04-08T18:17:00.004-06:00

The California tours are over (for me anyway) and it’s time to travel to other regions of this fine country. Redlands finished up well for us with Burke securing a podium spot for the GC. That was his first podium at Redlands and he’s in his mid-30s so I guess that means that I have 4-6 years of improving (at least) before I hit my lifetime peak. Bad news on the weekend was that Omer broke his collarbone in a massive pileup 15 min. into the Sunset RR. He’s okay, “It was a clean break; I’ll be riding the trainer in a few days” he says, but he and a few others suffered some road rash on the day as well. Jeremy, Rich, and Teddy also went down during the stage and as a result weren’t able to catch back on to the lead group. BJM was feeling ill, yet was still able to stay off the front in a 3 man break for half the race. Aaron and I tried to help Burke and keep him in good position in the last part of the race. I was psyched to be able to help on a couple of occasions: once when burke was caught behind a crash and once when a gap opened up on the last time up the climb. I’m convinced he would have been fine without me but it always nice to feel like you contributed to a great effort. :)
It’s nice to be heading home but I’m gonna miss the home-cooked meals provided by Aunt Margaret this past week! We were so spoiled!!! And in fairness, I have to admit that the smog wasn’t too overwhelming during this stay. The mornings were often chilly and wet which helped dispel the sulfuric acid in the air, I believe.
Next up for me is the Tour de Georgia followed closely by the Tour of the Gila. I’m excited about Georgia having never done it. I hear there is some Copper or Brass something-or-other hill in it that is supposed to be challenging. Nothing my 200lb carcass can’t handle, I’m sure. :) Gila is definitely high on my list as well. It is in such a cool area and has great race courses. I haven’t raced it since 2004 when I was a cat. 3, so I definitely miss it and can’t wait to get back. I guess I better find my climbing legs for the upcoming races…
Take care. And it’s spring now so don’t forget to make time to get out and ride!
This was the family crowd support for the Sunset RR (minus Mike and Desiree who bugged out before picture time). Impressive, eh?

Burke in all his Redlands podium slendor.

Redlands Update

2008-04-04T19:46:00.005-06:00

Hey Everyone,
Burke had a good ride today for Bissell at the Redlands Cycling Classic. He got in the race winning break that went on the 2nd of 5 laps and made the podium on the day w/ a 3rd place showing. Nice work by the old sage/jedi master! He is probably sitting 3rd or 4th on GC at the moment so that's exciting as well. It was a circuit race that went right by Aunt Margaret and Uncle Jim's place in Calimesa where Jeremy, Teddy, and I are staying. So needless to say, we had some stellar crowd support once again.
As you could probably have gathered, yesterday was not one of my better days. I missed my start because a) I'm an idiot and didn't give myself any wriggle room and b) because the UCI officials checking the bikes decided to change the measuring rules for BB to bar ends and decided I was over the UCI limit for length even though it was the same bike that I rode in the Tour of Cali the last 2 years and US Pros last year, etc. I was not the only person to fall victim to this "new rule" as several other people were forced to ride their road bikes and/or miss their start as well. It is pretty disappointing and irritating when officials have the power to just wreck a person's race basically on a whim. As Henk Vogels vented to me "It's the same f%&$in measurements I've used for 2 Giros, Tour of Cali [and a shit ton of other giganto races] and they're gonna sit there and tell me that I'M wrong?!?" Grrr. There needs to be changes in our sport's administration.
However, the sun came up this morning and it turned into a beeeeeautiful day. I even got a lil too much sun (despite copious amounts of sunscreen), which is okay w/ me. I felt fine today in the 1st group of the peloton and am not looking forward to tomorrow's crit, but Sun.'s Sunset Loop should be full on fun.
Teddy, Jeremy and I spoke to about 200 kids from Smiley Elementary on Wed. about bike safety, what it's like to be a bike racer, and how FUN it is to ride a bike. In this pic I'm showing off my sz 50 DMTs. Pic courtesy of Teddy and his beloved Iphone.

Teddy sporting the KOM jersey at San Dimas from last weekend. Check out the impressive hip angle!

San Dimas Sketch Race

2008-03-29T23:18:00.004-06:00

A quick race update for ya:
Teddy King is holding the Sprint and KOM leader's jerseys heading into the final day here at the San Dimas Stage Race. There are no KOM points available so Teddy will just need to finish to retain that. The sprint competition however is very much still up for grabs and will require some aggressive (and fast) riding from Teddy aka iamtedking aka Iphone 4.
After a "sub-par" TT in which he was holding back vomit for most of it, Kiwi Jeremy Vennell is sitting 7th on GC in his second ever race on U.S. soil.
My personal highlights include talking trash to Michael Creed before the uphill TT on Fri. (he was my 30s man and I just said "Sucks to be you today" as I rode by him in warmup) and then rightfully I got schooled by him by like 6s. The biggest highlight so far, however, was surviving the RR earlier today. Sketch-ball City!!! That course, though cool and challenging on paper, is not designed for 140 aggressive dudes desperately trying to get an early-season result. If you happened to race this course today or sometime in the past, please feel free to use this blog's comment section as your forum. Maybe my old age (big 3-0 this year) and/or my being on blood thinners is making me soft and pansy-like so I'd like to hear what others have to say.
At the finish of the 2nd lap of 12, somebody crashed in front of me and because he slid, I had time to slow down ALMOST quick enough to avoid him but instead ended up with my front wheel on his chest and my left foot on the far side of him. "You okay?" A nod. Okay, time to get my chain back on and catch back up to the peloton which is receding into the horizon. Luckily Burke and Graham saw my episode and waited to escort me back to the group nearly single-handedly. Having good teammates is such a treat! I caught back on with minimal effort after a mishap that should have cost me big-time energy that I would need later.
So yeah, Teddy got into the main break of the day w/ 2 others to gobble up those sprint and kom points. Burke put himself in a move with 4 others late in the race that wasn't caught until the final time up the hill (about 3k to go). Zwiza and I crested the hill together on the final lap in about 15th or so and he attempted to launch me to the solo win w/ about 1k to go but I had little left in the tank and could hardly come around him. So, it came down to a sprint finish w/ Omer, Jeremy, Burke, Zwiza and I finishing on same time w/ the winner.
Unfortunately, Morgan double flatted at the base of the climb w/ 2 to go and since he was sitting 2nd in the U25 competition, Teddy and Graham gave him their wheels in hopes that he could catch back on but it was just too fast at that point and thus those 3 missed the front group. Bike racing.
It's a hard crit tomorrow and I predict carnage. It's got a good little hill and descent in it and is a bit long (90 min.) for people to fake it with tired legs.
I also have to say that I've had some pretty awesome fan support during my first 2 races of the season. At the ToC, I had my mum, 2 aunts, 1 uncle, 5 cousins, and a Boulder bud come out to watch. And here at San Dimas, I have my dad and friend, same aunt and uncle, and 2 cousins out to watch. It's pretty cool. It's a bummer the other racers don't recognize this and just let me win. Maybe I'll make an announcement before the crit. Thanks for reading!
We're staying at an Extended Stay hotel for this race and we've got 3 dudes packed into each room. Here is a pic of our room less than 24 hours after Bissell infiltration. And yes ladies, Iphone-1 does frequent our room shirtless from time to time. How lucky am I???

Breaking News!!

2008-03-26T23:23:00.004-06:00

This just in:
I received my Frostbite TT medal in the mail today! Don't know what I'm referring to? Read my blog entry on the team site from 2 weeks ago. Recent exchange between my roommate/landlord/romantic-nonsexual life partner Betts:

Betts brings in the mail, hands me small package.
Me: hmmm, what's this? Oh! I'll bet this is my medal!!! You know, from that local TT that I placed 3rd in... [I open package] Yes!! Sweet!
Betts: Remember that time when you finished 4th in the National TT?

buzzkill.

Thanks Mr. Haywood, for spending the time and $1.13 in postage to send me my prized medal.

The Bright Side

2008-03-25T19:07:00.011-06:00

What's the best part about crashing during an early spring local race???

It's usually cold enough that you're wearing lots of clothing (ie. protection) if you eat pavement.
So yeah, my crash-less streak (369 days for those of you counting) came to an end on Sat. during a local business park crit. I clipped a pedal going around a round-about because I was sick of the Pippster gapping me off every corner we went through. Kinda backfired. Little road rash, little collarbone scare but turned out fine, considering. And I clotted!!! Yay! Casualties included bib shorts, jersey, left glove, left knee warmer, and right arm warmer - not to mention scrapes on shoes, left pedal (duh), skewers and shifters. Sorry Mr. Olson. Pretty sure I was going to win that race, too. Hadn't decided how I was going to beat Frank Pipp, Pete Lopinto, Henk Vogels, and a few others to the line but I still had 6 miles to figure that out. I'm pretty sure it wasn't going to be by out-sprinting them though. :)
I decided to jump back on my steed on Sun. for another business park crit in boulder. It was just your run-of-the-mill local crit with 7 Toyota Uniteds, 2 Health Nets, 2 Slipstreams, 2 Team Type 1's, 2 THF Realty, a Jelly Belly, a slew of super strong amateurs....and don't forget the 2 Bissell riders! (Garrett and I) A little aside: not only was Toyota fielding an entire team with 2 team directors at this local college crit, they were also radioed up. I guess they really wanted that $200 first place prize. Sounds like someone is bitter... As you could probably guess, I didn't do all that well in this one either. My main objective was to make it really hard and get a good workout by attacking at every opportunity - which I did to my own peril. After my 3rd attack got reeled in, the break that stuck countered and I wasn't able to follow. A few minutes later my 5 or 6th attack resulted in a gap over the field along with Ben Day. We were making ground on the lead 5 (which he had 3 teammates in) when he attacked me after a pull into the wind and I had no response. I was little irked at this (mostly at myself for getting dropped) so I let the field catch me and made it my mission to help pull back the break so Garrett could contend for the sprint win. I rotated on the front with 3 other dudes for a few laps until it got to 4 laps to go. I then put in a really hard lap on the front, pulled the break to within 8s or so, and looked back to pull off and had 3 Toyota guys right behind me just smiling. It was clearly on me to bring it back at that point so I went all out for another lap but I made no dent in the advantage and so when I pulled off w/ 1 to go, the field was left to contend for 6th. Grrrr. I was really irritated w/ myself for a) getting dropped by Day during our bridge attempt, and b) not being able to pull back the break. BUT, looking at the bright side - I felt really strong again, I got a really good workout in, I'm not going to race w/ reckless abandon (r.e. like an idiot) in our team races coming up, and Toyota is not going to have a numbers advantage on us at the big races. Oh, and it's a LOCAL MARCH CRIT.
Got some pics here taken by Rebecca, who made it to her very first bicycle race on Sunday:
artsy photo of the start - look at that product placement!

Garrett and I posing with some goofball grinning in the background. However, turns out that goofball was the first amateur finisher on the day. Props Logan!

An early break containing Ben Day, Tommy D., me, Johnny Clarke? and Matt Cooke? who needs NRC classification?

closing on the lead break moments before I was discarded like a saturated kleenex.

Next up is San Dimas and Redlands. So get ready Aunt Margaret and Uncle Jim - we'll be infiltrating your home and fridge before you know it! And soon I'll be sporting my killer tan lines once again!
Oh and last week marked the 1 year anniversary of my being diagnosed w/ a DVT (blood clot in leg). I'm thankful to be 1) alive and 2) racing my bike. Both of which were in doubt at several different times in the previous 370 days.

Sprinter time!

2008-03-17T13:52:00.003-06:00

Sprinter: that time between winter and spring when you are just as likely to get 60 degrees and sunny as 5 in. of snow and freezing. coined by T-bird. Right now, it's the latter in Boulder.
So I did a local TT last week that you can read about on the Bissell Team site. It was an interesting day. This coming weekend, I'll take part in one or two local crits before shipping back to Cali for some more racing with the team. The local crits can be found here. Then it's the San Dimas Stage Race followed by Redlands. After that will be my first ever big, bad Tour de Georgia, followed by Gila. Should be a little knackered after that stretch of racing.
My fitness is still pretty good I think, despite taking a nice rest after the AToC and then getting a little tummy bug last week.
The Bissell Boys have been doing well in Cali this month (even without me?!?). BJM has scored a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the 4 races that I've seen results from. A good solid array, I'd say. Zwiza ran a good TT and Joao put out a good crit result this past weekend at the Sequoia Classic as well. And I hear that Teddy has been putting the hurt on the locals over in the Asheville area.
Now, I'm not to going to complain about the weather cuz I know it's been pretty rough for most everyone around the country this year but I found it amusing to get 3 forms of precip on my ride yesterday. It started once I got above 8000 ft when it started to snow on me. Then about an hour later following my descent back to the flats, I got the 30mph headwind hail, which was less than pleasant. Then I finishd off the ride with about 30min. of light rain. Ah, Colorado. Not known for its consistency. Don't want to get soft anyway, right?
Oh, and I broke down and got me one of them fancy computers that I can haul around on the road with my hipster self. Point being, no excuse not to keep this blog thingee frequently updated. All I'm saying is I'll try (I'm talking to you C.B.). Thanks for reading!

Today's pick-me-up: try not to smile when viewing this photo. Jake (2.5 yrs) and Aida (9 mos) get ready for a Ft. Collins 5k run this past weekend.

Cali Aftermath

2008-02-28T17:03:00.010-07:00

That was quite the Tour. Plenty of drama to go around with the weather, rampant sickness, start list oustings, and oh yeah - the racing. Most impressive performances from my standpoint: Cancellara's prologue - different planet. Levi's TT - who expected that kind of domination? Nydam's KOM jersey - overcame more than just mountains. Creed's St. 7 performance - anyone else would have quit after being as sick as he was the first 3 days. However, the Bissell team had an impressive ToC as well and I'm psyched on how strong AND cool everyone is. There are some questions that need to be answered but don't show up in the results: 1) just how many times did Zwiza give up his wheel (or bike) for a teammate during the tour? 2) Exactly how many kJs did Teddy burn during St. 4 being in the break all day? 3) How fast was BJM going while descending back to the group after flatting during st. 7? 4) How many times did Steve-O toss cookies during the week? All very intriguing questions that start to tell a richer story than just what was seen on VS. or the results page. Thanks for all the emails, texts, phone calls, and comments on the blog that I've received since the tour. I am in awe of the number of people supporting and cheering on this Bissell team. It's very humbling and I hope we can continue to race to our potential. I decided to post some of the pictures that I've been sent since the tour:
Bissell was a part of the Best Buddies program for Stage 7 and Aaron and I were introduced to our buddies for the day, Travis Raefield aka "Mr. Electric" and Brianna Barlow. You can check out all the photos for the week here.
Aaron, Travis, and Brianna signing autographs before the start

Travis making sure my Prince is over the UCI weight minimum before the start.

Travis cheering me on during my doomed solo attempt

Slogging up Sierra Rd during St. 3 - photo by Martin Brandt

off the front in St. 7, still feeling chipper, by the looks of it - photo by Bruce Nolte

Starting to feel it now...ouch! - photo by Bob Kahn

At the start of St. 3, I had just caught sight of Nydam's bro Aaron in the crowd cheering - photo taken by our very own Beth Skau.

It's Rrrrracin' time!

2008-01-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

Hello! Happy New Year and Cycling Season and all that! Off season is officially over. I was so "busy" w/ off season that I couldn't be bothered to post on the blog. I've stayed alive and well which is not always a given with me (though I had a couple of "close calls" that I'd rather not get into). I'm in Santa Rosa now for team camp which officially starts next week. The Bissell Pro Cycling Team has officially been invited to the Tour of California. So that will be our main focus for the next 3 weeks. ToC is a fun one. Ya got the stellar competition, the incredible venues, and all the media and fanfare hoopla. So I'm looking forward to that again. I went on a fairly long ride yesterday and averaged 16.5 mph so I'm obviously fit...16.5! I can't remember the last time that I averaged that low of a speed and wasn't soft pedaling. Keep in mind that I'm on a $9k piece of machinery that is made for speed. Oh well - hopefully it was just the coastal winds and steady downpour that slowed me down.
Right now, the team has rented a house for the month so we're staying in this decent place right out of town. People think we are spoiled pro athletes but sometimes we have to learn to adapt to any situation and still be expected to perform. I'm used to living in a boiler room w/ just enough room for me to sleep and now I'm expected to sleep in this giant master bedroom with a king size bed, fireplace, giant plasma t.v., huge bathroom with a bath tub and separate shower, and access to the back deck. How am I supposed to sleep restfully when the contrast is so great?? People just don't understand our plight. But I have to do this without complaint. It's rough.
On a different note, the new Pinarello Prince is incredible. You bike nerds need to see this bike (and ride it if possible). We have them equipped w/ easton, sram red, speedplay, and fizik saddles which all are awesome but the bike itself is stellar. And I'll go ahead and make the claim that SRAM Red is the best groupo out there. Okay, I've said enough about that. My point is two-fold: a) try the equipment we're on and see for yourself and b) I feel sorry for the other teams that we race against because they are clearly at a disadvantage. Which means more pressure on us to perform, right?
Okay, happy riding to those of you who do so. And for those who don't...buy a bike or something. Just kidding, spare yourselves the discomfort of wearing spandex.
backyard view from team house in Santa Rosa, CA

roughing it at the team house.

aahhh brings a tear to my eye. I'm not sure I'm worthy.

'07 in the books

2007-11-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

With Southland signed and sealed, I think I'm done racing for the year. What a way to go out! 5 stage wins out of 9, 2nd in KOM, and 4 dudes in the top 20. I can say now that I loved the racing down there though those first 3 days I was absolutely hating life at times. In particular, the times that I thought the sideways hail was ripping my flesh off 3 different times in Stage 2.
I could go on and on about the particulars of each stage and how dynamic of a race it was but it would take too long and be closer to a short novel than a blog post, so I'll just focus on the last stage - which reiterated a huge tenet of cycle racing for me.
I had been slightly sick the week prior to the tour and it was getting slightly worse with time. By the start of tour, I was coughing and spitting all kinds of colorful nasties. It wasn't affecting my legs though so I didn't make much of it. However, as the race progressed, so did my little cough. I'm sure racing all out in freezing rain and 40mph wind wasn't doing any favors. So, by Fri. Stage 7 I was feeling like complete poo. Every real effort I made on the bike was followed by a disgusting coughing fit and I did my best to sit in and survive the stage. That night after the stage was rough as well and I started to find it unlikely that I would finish the tour even though only 2 short stages remained on Sat.
If this hadn't been the last race of the year, I may have pulled the plug that night but I decided that there was no harm in trying in the morning with nothing left on the calendar. So I saddled up in the morning, warmed up slowly and made sure I had plenty of hot coffee in my belly at the start of the first stage. Surprisingly, my legs felt pretty good that morning and I was able to sit in all day thanks to Omer slaving away in the break.
For the afternoon stage, I decided to take a shot at a late breakaway if the situation was fitting. However, 5k into the stage I flatted, just as we turned into a crosswind and 4 guys were gapped off the back. So because the commissaire wouldn't let the caravan pass if there were riders gapped off, I had to do a 5 min. ITT bridge effort to regain contact with the pack. "There goes the energy for that late race attack" I thought to myself. I was a little irked. I had about 5 min. to get to the front so we could try to help Omer get the KOM points by setting a hard tempo up to the top. We set a really hard tempo but Omer was cracked from being in just about every breakaway during the week. However, the hard tempo split the field to about 10 riders with all the heavy hitters present. So then we rolled through pretty hard for a bit but then people started losing interest and the main pack caught us.
Then, director Glen thought it would be a good idea (ie. payback to other teams and fun to watch) for us to throw it in the gutter and smash the field. (Sorry for all the cycling terms but I don't feel like explaining so ask your nearest bike nerd to interpret if you want). Only problem was that poor Zwiza's radio wasn't working so he ended up being part of the field that was "smashed". It's funny now but damn he was steaming at the time! Rightfully so, I admit. So after we had our fun, the rest of the field (including Scotty) rejoined us a bit later and by that time it was about 15k to go in the race.
As soon as it was gruppo compacto, 3 dudes attacked and got a gap on the field. We had 3 4k loops left in the race so I decided to bridge up so we wouldn't have to chase. I really didn't think that it was the race winning move. When I caught them, I saw that it was #1 and #2 in the sprint points competition along with this strong (but little) dude who we raced at K2. The sprinters were going for sprint points that were every 2k so they were completely worthless in the break and were only concerned with each other. I suggested to Strong that we go right by them after the next time they sprint it out. They went all out for the next sprint and sure enough they just had to watch as we went by them on the other side of the road after they had thrashed themselves.
So now it was down to he and I with 2 laps (8k) remaining in the race. We still had a decent gap on the field and I started to believe that we could take it to the line. With less than 5k to go, Strong gapped me off as he went by me after my pull. I couldn't believe how strong he seemed because it didn't seem like an actual attack, he just seemed to be pulling away without trying. As we rounded the last corner with 300m to go before the start of the last lap, he just kept pulling away until 10m from the line he posted it like he had just won. I looked around wildly trying to figure out if it were I who had screwed up the number of laps or if it was him. But Glen was in my ear confirming that we had 1 to go. Whoops.
Well, the momentum has just shifted and despite just putting in a max effort, he continues to pull through with me due to what must have been embarrassment and guilt. I made my move to go solo with 2k to go. It was a weak attack, but he was so smoked that he couldn't accelerate at all. The last 1.2k into a headwind was probably the longest 1.2k of my life. That stretch would not end! But as I rounded the final corner, I knew I had it so I put in a few hard pedal strokes and then rolled over the line with a big grin (not before I poked a little fun at Vennel for his awkward attempt at a victory salute during st. 5's heavy cross winds). "What a crazy sport" was the thought that kept running through my head. I wasn't the strongest person out there that day. And I didn't have the easiest ride either. In fact, I probably had to work harder in that stage than any other racer. So how did I win? A little strength, a little craftiness, and a whoooooole lot of luck. I didn't even want to start the stage, and now I've ended my season with a victory. It reminds me of Nydam's lesson during that decisive stage at Georgia this year. He was dropped 5 or so times but just never gave up and ended up top 5 on GC. This sport is so unpredictable that you have to just keep plugging away even when things are going to crap, because that next victory could be just around the corner.
sorry, having trouble posting pics. another time...
thanks for reading. take care.

Expatriot?

2007-10-27T15:08:00.000-06:00

Greetings from the B-side of the earth. We are hanging in Hamilton, New Zealand right now awaiting the start of the Tour of Southland. New Zealand is absolutely beautiful. Very green, very rolling, very diverse. It seems to have a bit of everything really. We should have some time to be tourists this week as our legs need a spot of rest before the tour starts. The Sun Tour was some great (hard!) racing and we came out with some decent results. Yesterday we raced the K2: a 192km mountainous, windy affair that our director Glen has won like 13 times (or so). It was Epic (notice the capital "E"). We finished 2, 3, 5, and won the KOM title. The victory eluded us but beyond that is was a successful day. And the weather was georgeous so no complaints there. At one point on a descent, there was this incredible view overlooking the Pacific and beach towns and I nearly dropped myself from gawking at the view rather than steering my bike! No worries - I stayed upright. The Kiwis know how to have fun with the races too. All along the course they had all these signs with short quips for us to read and apparently possums are their main roadkill victims because they had like 5 or 6 of them tied up to sign posts dressed up in baby outfits holding beers. I thought they were stuffed animals until told otherwise by locals after the race. I'm sorry if you work with PETA, but that's pretty funny right? Think of the time and effort spent with these roadkill just to get a chuckle out of us during the race! Our hosts from Hamilton, Scott and Debbie, are friends of Glens and live right on the Waikato River. Scott is actually filling in for poor Teddy at Southland, because Teddy is recovering back in New Hampshire after his scary crash on the first stage of the Sun Tour. Thank goodness he's okay. Also, let it be known that Teddy was absolutely flying before he flew off the mountain. Back to Hamilton, We have a park and river path right outside the door. Very nice! Today, for recovery, we are planning the watch the water ski races on the river with plenty of beverages at arm's length. Should be fun. Theres been talk of caving, bungee jumping, and lounging on the coast for this week but we'll see if theres time for all that and resting up too. Sorry there are no pics. I'll make an effort to break out the camera or else I'll pay off Zwiza and use his pics.
Take care.

Ode to Benno

2007-09-27T12:51:00.000-06:00

This poem is for Mr. Oliver, our wonderfully unique wrench
A man who is not only smart but can do 350lb on bench

He’s a dude of many talents, as many of you well know
If you get him drunk and ask nicely, he may show you his “gun show”

Of course he fixes our steeds and even washes them too
But he also gives them his love like only special mechanics do

But there’s even more to this quiet man with all his colorful tats
Though he looks as though he may bite the heads off of bats

His patience is unparalleled, when dealing with high-strung spoiled pros
I wonder why he doesn’t just whoop our ass and feed us to the crows

He’ll consume nothing but coffee and beer for a stage race of 5 days
And then he’ll drive the van home in a drunken, sleep-deprived haze

And don’t be fooled by his scraggly beard and his worn cargo shorts
The man has a better vocabulary than the famous Will Shortz

You may catch him in a corner, reading Waltman, Poe, or Joyce
And this is no assignment mind you, this is his free choice!

Many say his calves are sculpted better than Arnold in his prime
So our mechanic may be juiced, how is that a crime?

And then there’s the team van, this part is hard to describe
He has this special relationship, way more than with the Vibe

He’ll drive that van for hours on end, with his foot firmly affixed to the pedal
Fueled by nothing but caffeine and seeds, while his Ipod blasts Death Metal

Bathroom breaks? Yeah right – those are for the weak!
Those bench seats have essence of sweaty Ben; one might say they reek

It’s considered his permanent residence, that much is for sure
He spends more time in that thing than any human should, anyone will concur

But that’s why we love him, he does all this without complaint
I even heard one time he applied Bag Balm to Garrett’s infected taint

Maybe that’s not true, but I know this for shizzle
We’re lucky to have Benno for 2008 on team Bissell!

who writes this trash?

2007-09-24T13:10:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I have to admit that my life seems like a poorly written novel. This year I've been dealt with some fairly extreme circumstances. I'm not trying to be dramatic here, I'm just pointing out that I try to live my life on a relative even keel, and these severe ups and downs are starting to mess with my psyche. Starting out the 2007 season on highs w/ a couple of the best results of my life at the LA World Cup and Tour of California to our team winning its first Tour at Central Valley. Then comes the blood clot out of the blue in March to put me in the gutter. Months later, with no recent results to my name, doubts and questions about my career and life growing louder with each passing day, I'm offered another contract for the 2008 season from my team. "We believe in you" they say and it nearly brings me to tears on the phone because again I'm reminded of how blessed I am. So this is mid-June and the fitness is really coming along and I decide to throw caution to the wind and start utilizing this form and producing some results for this team that I love. Whoops, we know where this leads: my near-death experience with a pulmonary embolism and a forced re-evaluation of what it is I'm actually doing with my life (What's my Personal Legend? "Alchemist" anyone?). My answer? I'm following my dream and my passion with the knowledge that tomorrow may, in fact, never come. That's not to say that I wasn't stupid for cutting my meds like I did but I know that it was a calculated risk based on bad information that led to my actions. My current decision to race on blood thinners is also a calculated risk, but it's a risk that was made after consulting with both a lung specialist and a hematologist and not just from a 28 year old pro racer with a B.A. in chemistry. So with the decision made to race when well enough to do so, I decided that USPro TT (6 weeks after getting out of the hospital) would be a nice starting point. It took the 1st week to get back to full breathing capacity, the 2nd week to get over my fear of suddenly expiring while riding out on my own, and 2 more weeks to actually open up my legs and remember what threshold training was all about. Leading up to the TT, I was getting noticeably stronger every day but still not at the level that I was in late June. I was trying to remain optimistic and not put any pressure on myself to perform, but I couldn't help but remember how fit I knew I was before I got sick again. So, I went out in the TT, played it conservative the first half never digging into the red and really never gave it some stick until the last 10k because my body was so unaccustomed to that level of effort that I was afraid of completely blowing during the race. So, to finish that race in 4th, 8s out of podium and 16s from the jersey was definitely an unexpected surprise. I couldn't have possibly asked for more based on the last 7 weeks leading up to that race. But I can certainly ask for more from myself in coming years. That race showed me what I'm capable of. Results aside, if I were to have proper training and preparation leading into that race, could I have gone 20s? 30s? faster? I think so. Since that TT, our team has had its share of ups and downs as well. In the USPro road race, a tired Ben was forced to lead the team yet again because none of us could make that next step up. 14 hours later, we lined up in Atlanta for the last NRC event in hopes of clinching the NRC individual title that Ben has led since March. We won the race but lost the war as Emile won but Rory finished in front of Ben to take the title. However, Ben had an amazing season and really should be proud of the way he pulled through time and after time for this team while balancing family life and the stress and strain of having another child in July. The team should also be proud of the way they rode so unselfishly for Ben throughout the entire season. The next week, we raced the Grand Rapids crit in front of and put on by our sponsors and we were schooled by 3 (albeit very good) Health Net racers. Last week, we raced the Tour de Leelanau, 109.5 mi road race with relenting hills and wind in northern Michigan. This type of race is right up our alley and so went better for us with Garrett scoring his first victory of the year and the PH boys going 1-3-4-7-10.
One of the downers about this sport is the lack of job security for yourself and your teammates. This coming year, we are keeping the roster mostly the same but not completely the same. As a result, I won't be racing with a couple of my buddies who I've developed friendships with over the past 2 years. A bummer, but hopefully positives will come out of these setbacks.
Okay, so do you want to hear my latest installment "In hindsight...maybe that wasn't such a bright idea"? So, I went to my high school buddy Wells' wedding this past weekend in Chippewa Falls, WI. It was a nice, pretty wedding but that is not the story - the story is how I managed to injure myself at the reception. Because I thought it would be funny (after a few beers, mind you), I decided to dive for the garter belt that Wells flipped to us according to ceremony. I'm talking a full-on, Pete Rose style head first dive on the wooden dance floor. It was a pretty sweet dive, I'm not going to lie. Probably about 10 feet or so of actual sliding on the buffed wooden floor. What I had forgotten was that I had my digital camera in my front pocket and landed with all my force on the camera. Results: I came up a foot short of the belt, my camera was still functional, but my left quad now has a deep bruise/charlie horse that has swelled due to the blood thinners and has kept me off the bike for 2 days now. The next morning as I was driving back to the airport from the venue, barely able to bend my leg past 20 degrees or so, I was again feeling down on myself and life in general. But then my new friend Kanye reminded me "that what does not kill me, will only make me stronger". And I said "Word, Kanye" as I blasted the volume in my compact Dodge rental zooming down the interstate to my destination.