here you go

So, here it is...enough said.

Catastrophe

Well, if you haven't heard yet, I crashed in the Sedalia Crit over the weekend. Here is a quick version of the race:
-Attack from the gun; rolled away from the pack for about 3/4 of the lap, got caught and watched Luke counter super hard.
-Went to the middle to recover...almost didn't make it
-Luke's attack was similar to mine; the pace remained over 30 for a few laps.
-Things calmed down, and recovery was mine.
-Hard attack into turn 2, began playing with physics and "rode the tight-rope"between the gutter and the peloton.
-Rider comes along side me as I begin to cut back hard into the road; I see that is impossible, so take the other option...the curb
-Front wheel clears, rear wheel explodes, sending me into one hell of an endo.
-Fork snaps at headtube, seats snaps off the rails, rear tire explodes.
-I realize I am alive, and well, and run to the wheel pit to get a bike (that's right, full Campy support...Thanks Merlin) and get back in the race.
-Mis-shift campy equipment 8000 times before finally coming off the back several laps later.
-Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, Jason said I was cornering like his grandma on the new bike; wouldn't you?

After I fell off, I got dressed, and wrestled in disbelieve that I had just totally f*ed my bike up. I was still very pleased to be walking.

I found out yesterday that the frame has a pretty solid dent in it as well. I will have pics later this evening.

A Coast-like day

Well, I got to ride in a LS jersey again today, which was lovely. Low sixties, and a fine mist made me feel like I was somewhere on the east coast. Funny too, because there was a lot of coasting going on this morning during my ride. I would watch Jason ramp up for a short interval, then I would just stop pedaling; it was poetry in motion.

It is really wired being home on a week-day, and I really haven't accomplished anything yet. K is going to kill me. So, here is the honey-do list.

-I have to do some paper work with bills, thank you cards, and home work
-I need to clean up my area in the garage (well, not really clean, but re-organize)
-Same goes for the office, bedroom, laundry room, and kitchen
-mow the lawn...probally my first task
-clean Paola's crapper...damn, it is in bad shape. You know K has had cats her whole life and she has managed to never clean a litter box???


Here is my list:
-Chill the heck out. I am always going a hundred miles per hour. It is time for a break.

I like my list better. Tonight, I am going to cook up some steaks and make my famous Curt-ators, maybe a glass of wine or so, and a movie. We started to watch Hide and Seek last night; pretty good stuff. I ended up leaving Krista for dead and talking to T on the phone. He updated me that all is well in New Mexico, and hopes to come hang out soon.

So, there you have it. My life in a nut-shell. I know you can hardly contain yourself to wait to see what happens tomorrow in the Colonel's life ; )

Happenings

So, not really all that much has been going on lately. A little bike riding, lot of work, and just the slightest bit of homework.

Last Wednesday evening, I got behind the car and had a really good motorpaceing session. K is really getting the hang of making me suffer. We came home and chilled out for a bit, then hit up the local grocer.

Thursday, was a super easy ride, with work and another short spin after work. I also rode my bike downtown to meet up with Keven and Dylan for a drink...coutner-productive?...Possibly.

Friday, I had a bunch going on, and I can't remember getting on my bike. I think by the time I got packed up for Chicago, and ready for work, I had to bolt. After work, TJ and I rolled up to STL and stayed with his aunt and uncle. We have been so lucky this season with finding places to stay.

The next morning was an early one; we jetted out of the city around 6:30. After missing coffee shops left and right, I crossed through three lanes to exit at Soulard for one of my favorites, Soulard Coffee Garden. We even ran into Joe and Jane Hill; only one problem, the shop was closed until 8. So, we hit the road.

As we crossed into Illinois, we pulled over at the local Denny's for some breakslow (you guessed it, a slow-ass breakfast). The coffee was only slightly above tolerable, and the lack of caffeine had me sleepy in just a matter of an hour after hopping back on the road.

After a slight traffic jam, we arrived in Downers Grove about an hour before TJ had to race. He got a decent warm up in, while I walked around to check out the event. If you have never been to that race, it is one to see. While most of the courses we race on claim to be "closed", there always seems to be some jackass in a car that gets on the course, and scares the crap out of everyone involved with the race. It is a bit different at the National Championships. There are 4 ft barricades that surround the majority of the course, not to mention the gang of officials, and army of corner marshals.

Downers Grove is a Western'burb of Chi-town, and has a trendy little downtown scene with Irish pubs, coffee shops (which thank you Caribou coffee, you saved my day), and several other restaurants and shops that give it a small town feel. In reality, it is part of the Urban sprawl of Chicago, and it is far from small.

TJ had a good ride, he maintained good position for the most part, and then attacked a bit too early at the end. Unfortunately, you have to do that a few times in order to not do that at all. I have made the mistake many times myself, and I am sure there are more to come.

And then there was the Pro-Am race. I have been to road races with a boat load of people before, but a 200 person crit??? Well, lets just say that you get used to it pretty quickly. It was disgustingly fast from the whistle (averaging nearly 30mph). All the pro teams were at the front, just trying to kill all of the amateurs. I was sitting about 2/3's the way back in the field just dying. I finally fell into a little groove about 5 laps in, but then gaps began opening. So, after closing the door several times, I was back in the hurt box.

A mouth full of pasta-puke and a few lost wheels later, I had popped off the back with 15 to go. With no hopes of catching back on, I did a cool down lap, and pulled out. Johnny had a few more laps in him, but had the same story for the end. A few of our Indy riders stuck it out, and I think Michael Kerberg my have snuck his way into the money.

We stayed with Java's sister (thanks again for making out trip cheaper) that night, and headed out to OTB for dinner. We had a much better experience at the Mexican chain this time around. Both TJ and I hit the sack pretty quickly that night, due to the long day.

A 6am wake up call was in order for Sunday as well. I ate very minimal food, and we got down to Caribou Coffee to get hyped up. The 2' s race was much more manageable than the Pro-am (28 mph seemed like a walk in the park...Well not really, but much easier than 30) race. Attacks started flying off the front like a box of saturn missiles on the 4th of July. I worked my way up to the top 20 or so, and watched who I thought to be the key players. About halfway through the race, there was a huge pile up in turn 7. I got caught behind it, along with 150 other guys. We chased back on to the 30 or so who avoided the spill, and I noticed there were four up the road. I hit the gas, and bridged the gap without bringing anyone with. The four of us kept it wound up through the remainder of the lap, but no one was willing to make the break stick. I managed to hold my position after towing the field around for a lap .5, and kept the 5th wheel going into the last lap. At the 5th corner, the front got swarmed by 50 riders and my position now sucked going into the kick. I took a lot of chances, and dove into the last two corners making up about 30 positions, and taking 25th.

So, I was not really pleased with my result, as I felt things could have been different. However, I was happy with the way I rode, and I too learned from some mistakes made during the race. Today is looking like a core workout, with a pedal session to and from work, and plenty of relaxing.

Sleepless in BoCoMO

Well, that is how I feel anyway. I have been finding it harder and harder to fully recover from my previous day. That is not indicative of how hard my ride was, my body is simply whittling down from work, riding, studying, and daily activities. I truly feel like I may be digging myself into a giant hole...We will see.

So, what has happened since the 10th? I have managed to go out and ride my bike, which takes quite a bit of effort these days, everyday (except for Mondays), which I think is grand. Unfortunately, my rides have been super concise. Time and motivation are not ample in the August mornings.

Tour of KC was a typhoon of disaster. Torrential down-pours kicked me in the junk from the minute we arrived. I really must get more comfortable in the rain. Since there aren't many rainy races, I really need to ride harder when I am just out in the rain on my own.

Day two was dry, fast, and filled with mucus. Or at least I was. I am not sure that I have a sinus infection, but I had enough snot to fill well, that is gross, so I won't get into that.

Java stayed with us while he moved his gal into her new place up here. It was good having him around.

Today, I am going to go take TJ bicycle skiing, then work, then go do some motorpacing myself behind K.

Beaten up

No, I did not have a wrestling match with the school bully (I should only be so lucky), but I do feel like I laid under the steam roller Jason and I saw yesterday morning when we rode. I was planning on a motorpacing workout...I am pretty sure the only thing I could have motorpaced behind was a semi going about 15 mph! Seriously, I am super tired. I am getting ready to go ride this morning, and I am hoping I can pull a hard workout out of my butt.

Work was a bear yesterday. Keven and I left the shop at 2:30 and returned at 9pm. After several deliveries, a weight-stack rebuild (this is the kind from scratch, with no instructions and 9 million pulleys), and firing down some good ol' Cici's Pizza (which, I still feel a bit gross from our debotury of food), I found myself passed out on the couch. I woke up several minutes later, and gingerly meandered through the house and down the stairs to pour myself a drink...One rum n coke later, I was out like a light. Moral of the story: 10.5 hr day at work coupled with a lackey ride + Cici's and a bit of rum = narcolepsy.

Would you like a bit of Ketchup with that???

No Tyrone, this really isn't a hit towards you...I just thought it would be nice to bring everything up to speed. Let's see, where do I start;

Thursday- I was supposed to go hit some hot laps at the hill loop...However, a lack of will power, and a bit of rain kept me inside that morning. I got a lot done around the house, went to work, and was absolutely wasted after. I did manage to hop on the trainer (how queer is that? It isn't even November yet) for about 45 minutes and get a nice long stretch in. On Friday, I went and cruised around with my buddy Wes and took him out on his first Big Tree. I also showed him a way to get out to Easley/Ashland without getting nailed by a concrete truck.

Saturday, Prozenberger, Tyrone and myself rolled around what will become known as the "lackey loop". I call it this because none of us really wanted to ride all that much on Saturday (it just seemed like a really good day to relax, have a few cocktails, and tenderize your grillin's ; ) but, we did anyway. Actually, the ride is pretty cool, it incorporates several portions of many popular rides here in BoCoMO. We went to Flatty with J, A, and Dillan (who just chilled like a villain) and then K and I want to the mall, and to the Blue Devil.

Sunday:::Fun in the sun at the State Crit. Jason used his age to beat the heat of the afternoon and raced with the other fogeys. He rode really aggressive, and I saw a fire in his eyes that I haven't seen for sometime. It was exciting to watch him ride his own race, and really execl. Unfortunately, he did not realize that there were two races in one (30+ and 35+), which could have led to a different outcome, due to the fact all the 35+ sucka's were up the road...Should have read the owners manual.

Tyrone was in the largest field of the day, which is typical for the Show-me Criterium: however, he has a touch of something nasty in his breathin' pipes, and can't seem to shake it. He will be visitin' the doc soon enough to get things cleared up.



And then there was 1/2. We stared the day off with a few distractions...Seven to be exact. The five bikini outfitted females in the front, and my wife on the sidelines (along with Lonnie Kennedy antagonizing her, as well as me) giving me the 3rd degree about where my eyes were. I tried to explain to her later that in bike racing, we are always looking at the figure, I mean racer in front of us...She didn't seem to understand.

The gal in the soft pink-kini was the bread winner, with the nicest buns of the group: however, only one of the girls met their second purpose of the day (I think the first purpose is pretty obvious), and that was to successfully read off all of our names. I am not kidding, only one of the gals could read! It was amazing. I guess breasts get you pretty far in life, then if you want to get any further, a bit of literary knowledge is needed; who'd' a thunk it?

So, after all the excitement of the pre-podium girls died down (which did take a while, since one of them offered up the five for a date to the winner of the race),
this is what things looked like...And pretty much stayed like that the entire race. A move would go up the road literally every lap. Every move looked good, so I tried to get into each one. There is one problem with that: I cracked at the 58 minute mark due to all the efforts. I had the highest average HR of the year (198) and felt completely horrible all night after. Johnny had a pretty good ride and finished 7th. I lost in excess of 7 lbs yesterday (which that does not include the pound of pasta, pear, and pb bagel I fired down 3 hrs out and all the water I drank), and felt like I got hit by a truck in the evening.

I had a really good dinner with Jason, Alicia, and TJ (with Dillan in the background), then Krista and I just chilled out. She massaged my legs, which actually worked out really well. I think I had a large amount of blood pooling going on. For all of you non-exercise phys connoisseurs that is not a good thing. Today, I am taking it easy, getting ready for a core workout, and heading to work. I am going to go study this evening, and set up a test for this Fri (hopefully). After that, I will just have two more, and be done with all of this crap.

Time flies

I can't believe it is already Wednesday. I would say school is creeping up on me, but in my case, school is slipping away from me. However, I have managed to complete my first assignment for my online course. I have 7 weeks to finish this thing, otherwise, I truley will have wasted a big chunk of change at the University.

Later on Monday, I did a super long core workout, and headed to work. After work, I got down to the coffee shop and studied (that sounds so weird)...the really werid thing is I miss studying. I really enjoyed going down to learn about the human body and sip on coffee. Unfortunatly, I am not learning anatomy or kinesiology right now...the subject I am learning is a bit more timely than the previous subjects, but not quite as interesting to me. Personal Family Finance is a class that I think everyone should have to take along with their capstone in the last semester, but it is really hard to focus on a class that only exists on the computer.

Yesterday, TJ put me through a bunch of pain while I tried to keep a draft from K's car. I think he was enjoying my suffering as much as I enjoy his...TJ is comming along quite well. It was one of the best workouts I have had this year, which is really exciting. However, I can see the light at the end of the season; time flies when you race every weekend, and it is creeping up quick. For the first time, I am really not looking forward to it (well, I am looking forward to it, but my feelings are much different this year than in years past). Later yesterday evening, and after work, I had a group of guys over that I have been hanging out with and trying to get to know over the past several weeks. Matty-X is in the group, and is off to Oregon to play for a while before he has to get serious and settle into Med School. Have fun Matt.

More riding today, but much easier: a core workout, work, and more studying to come.

Baby update: Dillion is hanging out at home with mom and pops...he is doing really well. It is amazing the things babies do. I spent about 30 minutes there yesterday, just watching him. Babies are cool.

This Just In

-Angela Naeth took a podium position at the ITU World Cup U-23 race in Edmonton this past weekend. She came out of the water near last and then worked her way up to 3rd with a strong bike and fast run. This result is owed in part to her 14th place finish in the Elite Women's National Road Cycling Championships earlier this month in Kamloops. Naeth has been Elitewave's rookie sensation - making waves in both the cycling and triathlon world at the same time! Next up - the National Triathlon Championships and hopefully qualification to the World Triathlon Championships.

That is my crazy Canuk gal Ange...doin' what she does best: ripping it up in Mapel Leaf country. Expect big things to come (as if this blurb was not big enough) from Angela, as she discovers her potential as a cyclist and triathlete.

--on another note, Happy Anniversery to Jason and Alicia...7 years and a kid! Take you guys out to the pasture