Rain

Today I figured I would start getting back into the training mode. The day started out looking great, but then the blackest clouds I've seen in a while popped up over the mountains. Having no rain gear with me I high tailed it back to the apt just in time and the sky opened up and poured.
And its been like that the rest of the day. I guess I just have to wait another day to start picking the intensity back up.

No Hood for Me

My health has been yo-yoing a lot this last week, but I think I am finally on the mend. Unfortunately I had to cancel going to Mt. Hood. It was just going to be too much. Bisbee, Gila, Tri-Peaks have all taken a toll on me and being sick two weeks out of May puts me in the position where I just need to get myself back to square one and get going again fully rested and in good health.

My parents are in town next week, so it looks like I won't be getting any races done in the next few weeks, but I can finally get some nice weather training here in Colorado. Plus it feels good to just be home and finally sleep in my own bed again.

Sick

I hate being sick.



Thats all I really have to say.

Phone Problems

It seems that my phone decided to stop working last night, so for those of you trying to get ahold of me, just message me here. T-Mobile is sending me a new one but it won't be here till Thursday. It sucks not having a phone.

Little Rock Airport

I hate sitting and waiting at the airport. I only got here slightly early (1 hr till boarding) and I tried to just read, but I always seem to get sucked into paying 8 bucks for the internet to look at the same sites I just looked at this morning. I guess I'll go get a cookie at Starbucks.

Tri-Peaks Stage 5

Last night our local Italian place was pretty busy so we had to wait around outside for a table. Blake demonstrates how tired we are by finding a prime piece of real estate to sit. All we need to do now is give him a sign and we can start making some money. After getting back to the hotel after the stages we normally took ice baths to try and keep the legs going. I had a book with me to read and keep my mind off the pain of the ice, but Blake had to use the reading material provided by the hotel.
Today's stage was fast, yet again. 72 miles, a few intermediate climbs then the final killer up Nebo of 3.5 miles of 18%. I seemed to finally get my legs back and was feeling good again and thought I would toss myself into the contention for the stage, but that didn't happen. With about 10 miles before the final climb a bad crash took about half the field down. Some idiot didn't keep it on the road and when he tried to save it he began to take down everyone around him and everyone else got caught behind the carnage. I joined a small group and was able to chase back on after a few miles, but it took the last bit of energy I was saving for the climb. I still finished around 15th or so, but not as well as I felt I could have before the crash. Unfortunately Blake actually went down in the carnage and came out of it with some war wounds and lost some time off the back.

I am just about all packed, going to try and get a spin in the morning, then finish packing and catch my flight back home at 2. It is definitely time to get out of here.

Tri-Peaks Stage 3 & 4

To start the day off there was an hour crit, with nine 90 degree corners per lap. There was about 120 riders starting and the pace was ripping around 30mph and started shattering people right off the bat. Blake and I both lasted right up to the end. The legs were a bit on the toasty side, and with five hours till the TT we just layed around the hotel room on the verge of passing out.

We made it to the TT and the legs are just carrying a little too much debt with them from the first days ordeals and I may have put out one of the worst TTs I've done in a long time. It was still respectable for about mid feild, but about a minute off of first. The course was 5.5 miles and I turned in a 11:40.

Tomorrow is a 70 mile RR with a few intermediate climbs and one final 3.5 mile 18% killer to the finish. I can't wait till this is over and in the bag, I just want to put this one behind me and start recovering and getting ready for a much better next stage race.

Tri-Peaks Stage 2

A pic from yesterday at the top of Mt. Magazine.
A look into the future, at least when I see this on Sunday afternoon I will have just completed that final climb to the finish.

Today was long and fast. It was a 105 mile RR with constant climbing (close to 11,000 ft) and fast descents. The final decent was just 5 miles from the finish and was wicked steep and technical, and low and behold, I had another bike problem; i.e. little to no brakes. So I sat it up and dropped off the back so I could get down safely, but thankfully didn't loose anytime.

Right now I am mostly just focusing on the TT tomorrow afternoon after the crit. Then will start taking it easy to hopefully change my luck to turn around before Mt. Hood.

Tomorrow

Well, I get to start tomorrow.

Tri-Peaks Stage 1

Well I think I have run out of good karma/luck. I was looking forward to a good race today, until mile one where my front tire decided to flat. Not good since the first 10 miles were steep downhill where the pack drilled it. I tried to chase on after the decent but I again had another problem. When I replaced my rear derailleur and chain yesterday they didn't like the old cassette, so there decided not to work together and I couldn't get more than three pedal strokes out before it began to ghost shift. So that took two more pit stops and more time lost off the back of the group. I got together with another unlucky racer off the back and tried to work and get back on but I left him after a few miles when I kept dropping him. So today was a solo road race, not fun, and not good since I officially didn't make the time cut on the first day. I am going to talk to the officials in the morning and see if I can start tomorrow, but as it stands today, I am out of the race. Insert expletives here.

AR

This last weekend was pretty crazy going to graduation parties, birthday parties, Mother's Day stuff, and catching up with Justin from high school who was in town.

The parties were pretty fun, especially when you have a dog running around drinking beer from anyone who sets their cup down for a second. I think he downed about 4 cup in about an hour or so. Poor dog is going to have a hang over in the morning.
Today was a travel day for me. Made it from Denver to Russellville, AR via Little Rock. The drive from Little Rock to Russellville was crazy. There was a bad storm where the rain made it hard to see just a few feet in front of you, but it has finally stopped raining so thats good.

When I got here I began the unpacking to find that my road bike got damaged in the transit. The rear derailleur is trashed and no one here in Russellville has a spare so tomorrow I have to drive back to Little Rock in search of one, then make it back to ride and prep for Tri-Peaks to start on Thursday. The airlines have been making me pretty mad lately. They tore up the bike carrier that I am just borrowing, then go and break my bike. Tell me again, what am I paying the extra money for when I take a bike? Apparently not for them to be careful with it.

Summer Is Here

It was still winter two weeks ago when I left. Today, its full on summer.

Home

I feels good to be home.

All I've been doing this last week is short easy rides and preping everything for the next trip. The weather has been awesome here, hitting the 80's and everything is finally green again and the ground isn't white.

Not much else to report.

Tour of the Gila Stage 5

Well yesterday was another disappointment. I went with a break about mile 10 and used a lot of matches to get away and try and stay way on some big rollers. It was a 105 mile RR with 10,000 ft of climbing. I was feeling the past two days of bridging and the early attempt to break that when we hit the final 15 mile climb to the finish I just didn't have it. I dropped a few more GC spots but that okay. I got some good moves in and got stronger. Now I just need to recover, mostly health and finish kicking this cold, and get ready for Tri Peaks. So I am going to lay around for a bit more, I'm pretty exhausted since I didn't get home til 2am, but I got to be in my own bed, thats all that matters.

Tour of the Gila Stage 4

The last few days I really haven't been playing it very conservative by sitting in and trying to maintain my GC, but rather racing trying to find a stage W.

Today was a 30 lap crit (about 35 miles), and once again a small group got off the front. I waited till around 13 laps to go and launched on the climb putting a huge gap between me and the feild very quickly. After three laps chasing solo I got within 5 seconds of the break which had been 50 seconds up on the pack. But once again the wind was not a racers friend today (metal barriers were getting blown into the course), and the break looked back, saw me, and railed it into the headwind leaving me out on my own. So I got caught by the pack, sat in till the end cause I had nothing left after my attept to go for it.

Tomorrow is the epic day. Start at 8 am, race 105 miles with close to 10,000 ft of climbing. Then after the race, jump in the car and drive to Tucson to catch a 7:30 flight back Home. I'll be back home tomorrow night!!

Tour of the Gila Stage 3

Today was a 80 mile, three category 3 cimb loop, and once again 5 guys rolled off the front at mile 7. The pace was drilled up the first two back to back climbs the first 20 miles. At the base of the back side downhill the group off the front had 6 minutes, and deciding I didn't have much to loose I attacked and brought one guy with me. Over the next 30 miles up and over the divide we drilled it and just made contact with the break when we turned into the last 15 miles of the race and into a very big head wind, which put us right off the back of the break. The legs were totally fried getting up to the break that once there we couldn't stay. So with 6 minutes up on the chase I put my head down and tried to solo it in to the finish. That idea didn't hold up since the head wind did me in and I was caught with 3 miles to go. I was able to grab the group as it came by and I sat in to the finish.

I tried, but it didn't work. Oh well, never know unless you try. I'm still feeling sick, but I get to sleep in a little in the morning and hope that that will get me over this crap.

Tour of the Gila Stage 1 & 2

Well things aren't going as planned.

First off, I feel like crap. I'm not talking about my form, but I've got some sinus and cough stuff going on. Not good.

I got 17th in the TT on Stage 1. The wind was horrible for us in the afternoon so not my best time and the result shows it.

Today was a 100 mile RR and I finished in the top 20 but with a steep hard climb to the finish not feeling good puts a big anchor on the bike and I lost some time but moved up to 15th overall.

The crappy thing is I know if I felt well the story would be a little different. However, there is nothing you can do about it.

So, not being able to take medicine with the threat of testing I am going to OD on vitamins and hit the sack. Not sure how much longer I will last, but I am going to give it my all everday till I can't.

Silver City, NM

The last few days have taken me from one dry hot state to another.

So long from Bisbee, AZ
Driving along the Mexico border, didn't see anyone needing a lift.

Hello Silver City, NM. Damn not this place again.

I did a little spin this morning, but not feeling that great. The legs are a little tired but still have some time to recover before tomorrow afternoon's TT. The hotel I am staying in hasn't been helping my health. I got put in a smoking room since thats all they had left (even though I booked a non smoking), and the people next door have been smoking non stop making the entire place hazy. So needless to say that my throat isn't feeling very good right now. Hopefully it will clear up before tomorrow. It seems once I get into longer stage races my health sometimes hits the bottom of the barrel.

So now I sit in the only place to hang out in this town, the local coffee shop.