Sorry it’s been such a long time since I have updated my blog. The last few days were crazy as there was a lot of stuff to do including two final races. The first race was in Zwegem which was about thirty minutes from where we were staying. When we got to the start of the race I was surprised to see a small field, about the same size as a junior Crit like Memorial Day. The course, as usual for Belgium, was flat and windy. The race started very slow compared to many of the other races we have been doing, so I let myself drift too far back in the pack, often as far as thirty riders back. This was a huge mistake. As soon as the real action started I was too far back to do anything about it. About halfway through the race 15 guys got off the front of the field. I tried to bridge in the windiest section which was a mistake. I got within about five seconds from closing the gap but eventually had to sit up and wait for the field. By this time Joel was beginning to lay down the hammer, so I was quickly dropped by the field and finished 27th. The team, however, had a really good result. Anders went off the front of the race. The break I tried to bridge up to included Alex and Lawson. Alex bridged to Anders and they came across the line one two and Lawson soloed away from the break and got third. Joel was really strong and would have done really well if he didn’t lose the break, and James finished one place behind me.
The race in Brugge on Sunday went a lot better for me. The entire 20 lap 63K race was on cobbles. I’m light compared to many of the other riders, and I assumed that this meant the race wouldn’t suit me. I started at the back of the race and got stuck behind some really slow riders on the tight course. By the time I got passed them the field was already thirty seconds ahead after only 3k of riding. I was really angry and started doing a full out time trial. I pulled for 10K before I caught Joel who had been dropped from the field. A couple K later we caught James who got dropped from our group quickly. At the end of 25K of racing I counted that I had caught 26 riders that I was now towing to the line. At this point I stopped pulling because I couldn’t see anyone up the road and knew that if I won the field sprint I would finish 6th. With 12 laps to go one rider jumped off the front of our group. The US team refers to him as little Fabian, because not only does he share a resemblance to Cancellara, but he also rides a Cervelo SLC-SL with 808s everywhere no matter how bad the road surface. I was tired and made the mistake of letting them go. With eleven laps to go I thought that it said one lap to go and attacked the group. I was surprised that nobody followed. I got to the finish thinking I had finished and was very confused to see ten laps to go. If I had kept going for another 15 seconds I would have bridged to little Fabian who ended up 5th. After I hesitated I had no option but to sit and wait for the field. In the end I finished 8th because I messed up my sprint and finished second in the field sprint. Joel did a lot of work for me even though he was just as strong. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The team had a great day too. Joel and James both finished inside the top thirty. Anders finished 17th. Lawson was fourth and Alex won again.
I got home Monday and went for an easy spin yesterday. My bike feels really strange but I think I'll get used to it again really soon. I might do the team ride today, I can't wait to see everyone again!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Day Thirteen
We went down to Brugge today to ride the track on our road bikes. It’s a 333 meter outdoor track, with a really silky smooth surface. We had a lot of fun doing a couple mock races.
Afterwards we went to the city itself. Established in Medieval times Brugge is preserved, pristine, and most importantly a great place to get great food. The team had a sort of unhealthy day eating chocolate, waffles, ice cream and frites. I would say, however, this was well deserved after three days of racing.
Afterwards we went to the city itself. Established in Medieval times Brugge is preserved, pristine, and most importantly a great place to get great food. The team had a sort of unhealthy day eating chocolate, waffles, ice cream and frites. I would say, however, this was well deserved after three days of racing.
Day Twelve
This was the final race of De Ronde Van Oost Vlaanderen. Unlike the previous days Team USA got to the start early and shared the front row with the guys in the leaders jerseys. They had 5k neutral start which was perhaps the sketchiest thing I have ever done. Everyone wants to be upfront, but the pace wasn’t fast enough to keep the pack safely strung out. At the end of the neutral start I was right at the back again.
The course was very flat; what I’ve noticed here is the courses are normally very easy, but the riders make them hard. The race was 6 laps of 10k. For half of the course there was a large crack in the middle of the road, which could easily take someone out. This combined with narrow roads and traffic islands possibly made this the most technical course I have ever ridden.
I’ve learnt a few tricks to staying upfront the past couple days and have really started to engage my brain a lot more. Here the fastest guy doesn’t always win. Luck is a larger factor than back home, but a good racing brain is the main determining factor.
As soon as the race started and I started to move up; I even surprised myself by staying in the top 30-40 riders for most of the race.
The laps ticked by quickly, because the pace was not nearly as hard as the first to days. I think the Belgians have a tendency to push high gears, despite their amazing ability to spin very quickly. I’m guessing this took the sting out of their enormous legs for the last stage.
With one lap to go I was sitting 40 riders back. It was time to move up. 5k into the lap I narrowly avoided a crash by riding off into someone’s driveway, narrowly avoiding their house, and somehow getting back on the road. Who knows how I stayed up, but at least I moved up 20 places or so. About 5k later there was another crash right behind me, which split the field. With 3K to go I was sitting behind James 15 riders back. We’re both good sprinters and if we had some luck with the traffic island we might have had a shot at the win. But we never got to find out. At that very moment some rider who took a trip onto the dirt bunny hopped erratically back onto the road. Some guy in-front of James went down. James fell and I flipped over his bike. I was really lucky, a 28 mile an hour crash and all I had to show was a tiny scratch on the hip and deep gouge on my left shoe.
I rode easy to the finish aware that I had no chance of catching the field and that I would get the same time as the field due to the 3k rule.
The team had, in my opinion, a good day. Anders finished 23rd, not bad for someone who is a climber. He also finished 29th on GC. Anders and Lawson were also in a break for about half the race which was at times 30 seconds up the road. They even got a bit of TV time. Alex had some trouble with the Avia team director. They have been in control of the race since the first day. They are a really strong team but I am under the impression they are disliked on the Belgian racing circuit. They all have very nice equipment compared to the other riders and are not the friendliest in the bunch. Unfortunately, their team leader didn’t get the chance to defend the jersey because he crashed about a K from the finish. I guess they’re blaming Alex for the crash or something.
At the finish the Belgian national champion won the stage and took the overall leaders Jersey by attacking the lead group a K out to win by more than 50m.
The course was very flat; what I’ve noticed here is the courses are normally very easy, but the riders make them hard. The race was 6 laps of 10k. For half of the course there was a large crack in the middle of the road, which could easily take someone out. This combined with narrow roads and traffic islands possibly made this the most technical course I have ever ridden.
I’ve learnt a few tricks to staying upfront the past couple days and have really started to engage my brain a lot more. Here the fastest guy doesn’t always win. Luck is a larger factor than back home, but a good racing brain is the main determining factor.
As soon as the race started and I started to move up; I even surprised myself by staying in the top 30-40 riders for most of the race.
The laps ticked by quickly, because the pace was not nearly as hard as the first to days. I think the Belgians have a tendency to push high gears, despite their amazing ability to spin very quickly. I’m guessing this took the sting out of their enormous legs for the last stage.
With one lap to go I was sitting 40 riders back. It was time to move up. 5k into the lap I narrowly avoided a crash by riding off into someone’s driveway, narrowly avoiding their house, and somehow getting back on the road. Who knows how I stayed up, but at least I moved up 20 places or so. About 5k later there was another crash right behind me, which split the field. With 3K to go I was sitting behind James 15 riders back. We’re both good sprinters and if we had some luck with the traffic island we might have had a shot at the win. But we never got to find out. At that very moment some rider who took a trip onto the dirt bunny hopped erratically back onto the road. Some guy in-front of James went down. James fell and I flipped over his bike. I was really lucky, a 28 mile an hour crash and all I had to show was a tiny scratch on the hip and deep gouge on my left shoe.
I rode easy to the finish aware that I had no chance of catching the field and that I would get the same time as the field due to the 3k rule.
The team had, in my opinion, a good day. Anders finished 23rd, not bad for someone who is a climber. He also finished 29th on GC. Anders and Lawson were also in a break for about half the race which was at times 30 seconds up the road. They even got a bit of TV time. Alex had some trouble with the Avia team director. They have been in control of the race since the first day. They are a really strong team but I am under the impression they are disliked on the Belgian racing circuit. They all have very nice equipment compared to the other riders and are not the friendliest in the bunch. Unfortunately, their team leader didn’t get the chance to defend the jersey because he crashed about a K from the finish. I guess they’re blaming Alex for the crash or something.
At the finish the Belgian national champion won the stage and took the overall leaders Jersey by attacking the lead group a K out to win by more than 50m.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Day Eleven
I got to the start late but yesterday I found out the hard way that moving up is a must, so I was prepared to do anything to move up. I was actually very surprised that how easily I could move up. After 3k of racing I was sitting 3rd wheel directly behind the race leader. This was to be the farthest I ever made it forward. As the race progressed I gradually slipped back. Halfway, with 30k remaining, I was 100 riders back. But at this stage I have become more comfortable moving up through the pack and have even managed to make sense of the random jumble of scream which the Belgians make. With 15k to go I found myself in another really bad spot about 80 riders back, in the gutter, trying not to get gapped in the crosswind. In order to stay out of the wind I had to ride inches from the side of the rode where all the long grass stung my legs. On the final hill 10k from the finish I rode up into a better spot and thought that I might have a chance of a relatively good finish. Unfortunately, with 5k remaining I was caught right behind a crash. I was on the outside where the crash happened and about 25 riders passed me on the inside. I started to move up again only to be caught behind another crash. Joel was caught behind the crash too, and because he is still in the running in GC I did everything I could to pull him to the line as quickly as possible. It turns out that that only meant a lousy 100 meter pull before I totally blew up and some Belgian passed me. It turns out that I didn’t need to do this as the officials are going to give everyone who was caught behind the crash the same time.
Alex and I have been sick the last couple of days so my resting heart rate is about 10 beats higher than usual. Whatever drop in physical performance this has brought on has had no effect on my performance, because here it’s not about how strong you are but how well you know how to race.
I feel good about my performance today. I have been upfront and am getting more used to really close proximity racing. Everyone on the team said that they thought today was a harder race. For me it felt a lot easier which must mean that I still have a long way to go I have definitely improved at finding a good spot in the pack. I think that I also chose which gears to ride in more wisely today. On some of the climbs I must have been the only one in the field to ride in the small chain ring. I’m used to small gears on the climbs and this made the transition to the super high cadence on the descents much easier.
The team didn’t have a great day. Lawson who is still sore from his crashed got dropped somewhere on the coarse. James was dropped on the final climb and finished three minutes down on the field. Alex was caught up in the final crash and broke a second bike. Joel finished one place in-front of me and but is still in contention for the GC win, and Anders was our only rider who finished with the field today.
Because both days have finished in field sprints, Alex, Joel and Anders still could win the GC if they win tomorrow.
Alex and I have been sick the last couple of days so my resting heart rate is about 10 beats higher than usual. Whatever drop in physical performance this has brought on has had no effect on my performance, because here it’s not about how strong you are but how well you know how to race.
I feel good about my performance today. I have been upfront and am getting more used to really close proximity racing. Everyone on the team said that they thought today was a harder race. For me it felt a lot easier which must mean that I still have a long way to go I have definitely improved at finding a good spot in the pack. I think that I also chose which gears to ride in more wisely today. On some of the climbs I must have been the only one in the field to ride in the small chain ring. I’m used to small gears on the climbs and this made the transition to the super high cadence on the descents much easier.
The team didn’t have a great day. Lawson who is still sore from his crashed got dropped somewhere on the coarse. James was dropped on the final climb and finished three minutes down on the field. Alex was caught up in the final crash and broke a second bike. Joel finished one place in-front of me and but is still in contention for the GC win, and Anders was our only rider who finished with the field today.
Because both days have finished in field sprints, Alex, Joel and Anders still could win the GC if they win tomorrow.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Day Ten
This was by far the HARDEST race I have ever done. Nearly everyone who is remotely fast in Belgium was there along with a Dutch team. I guess the race was comparable to a national championship in possibly the best cycling nation in the world. Needless to say the U.S National Team had a couple of problems.
We lined up with 20 minutes to go. In the U.S at almost every race this would ensure a front row spot. Not in Belgium. We were about 120 riders back. This was the biggest field I have ever been in, with 140 riders total. My pack skills are not where they need to be, particularly in Belgium. Almost as soon as the race started I had trouble moving up. The only pace I was able to move up was on the hills. Everyone over here rides really close together. I am not very comfortable going through gaps that my bars barely fit through, and riding through corners while bumping elbows with someone. In the races over here it’s not about how strong you are, but how good you are at staying upfront, which saves an enormous amount of energy. Everyone here brakes really hard before the corners and sprint out to break the guys behind them.
The race was fast from the gun. I tried moving up front, rather unsuccessfully. The other guys on the team have found there own way of dealing with this. Joel and Lawson have gotten pretty good at mixing it with the locals. They move up through the middle and stay up front. But they also seem to be able to find the crashes with two each. Alex goes really hard from the start and just manages to hold his position. Anders just uses his massive engine to stay right up front the entire day even if it means prolonged time in the wind. It seems that James and I are the only two who haven’t found a good way of staying up front.
Anyways, today it started raining really hard with 20K to go. I just followed the rider in-front of me, because I couldn’t see, and couldn’t break so I didn’t really want to be in the heart of the field riding close to other riders. This was a big mistake. By the time it stopped raining and was able to see up the road the field wasn’t insight. Someone had let a gap open and I was now in a second group with only 30 riders. The race caravan moved passed us and the chance of finishing with the field was gone. At this point I just saved my energy so I could possibly help a teammate for one of the next stages. At the end I decided to sprint to at least stay fresh. With 200 meters to go I was second wheel and just about to go before the race organizers neutralized us. Oh well. In the end I finished with a whopping average speed of 32 mph in just inside of the top 110. The rest of the Team didn’t do as well as the hoped but considering the difficulty of the race I don’t think we did to badly. Lawson just broke the top 130 because he crashed. James who narrowly missed the split in the field finished a couple places in-front of me after he got dropped in the final few K. Anders finished just inside of the top 60. Joel was 50th and Alex, our top finisher, managed 42nd.
We lined up with 20 minutes to go. In the U.S at almost every race this would ensure a front row spot. Not in Belgium. We were about 120 riders back. This was the biggest field I have ever been in, with 140 riders total. My pack skills are not where they need to be, particularly in Belgium. Almost as soon as the race started I had trouble moving up. The only pace I was able to move up was on the hills. Everyone over here rides really close together. I am not very comfortable going through gaps that my bars barely fit through, and riding through corners while bumping elbows with someone. In the races over here it’s not about how strong you are, but how good you are at staying upfront, which saves an enormous amount of energy. Everyone here brakes really hard before the corners and sprint out to break the guys behind them.
The race was fast from the gun. I tried moving up front, rather unsuccessfully. The other guys on the team have found there own way of dealing with this. Joel and Lawson have gotten pretty good at mixing it with the locals. They move up through the middle and stay up front. But they also seem to be able to find the crashes with two each. Alex goes really hard from the start and just manages to hold his position. Anders just uses his massive engine to stay right up front the entire day even if it means prolonged time in the wind. It seems that James and I are the only two who haven’t found a good way of staying up front.
Anyways, today it started raining really hard with 20K to go. I just followed the rider in-front of me, because I couldn’t see, and couldn’t break so I didn’t really want to be in the heart of the field riding close to other riders. This was a big mistake. By the time it stopped raining and was able to see up the road the field wasn’t insight. Someone had let a gap open and I was now in a second group with only 30 riders. The race caravan moved passed us and the chance of finishing with the field was gone. At this point I just saved my energy so I could possibly help a teammate for one of the next stages. At the end I decided to sprint to at least stay fresh. With 200 meters to go I was second wheel and just about to go before the race organizers neutralized us. Oh well. In the end I finished with a whopping average speed of 32 mph in just inside of the top 110. The rest of the Team didn’t do as well as the hoped but considering the difficulty of the race I don’t think we did to badly. Lawson just broke the top 130 because he crashed. James who narrowly missed the split in the field finished a couple places in-front of me after he got dropped in the final few K. Anders finished just inside of the top 60. Joel was 50th and Alex, our top finisher, managed 42nd.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Day Nine
Everythings going great in Belgium and I'm already looking forward to my next race in two days.
I’ve heard that it’s been really hot in California. I’m glad to be missing the heat, but the weather over here isn’t much better. The day we arrived was the only day it didn’t rain, and everyday it seems to be getting colder, but I guess this is why the Belgians are so tough and fast in adverse conditions.
Today we were supposed to go ride some of the more tricky cobbled sections from the Tour of Flanders, but it rained again this morning, making the cobbles to wet and slippery. Instead, we got to ride on the trainers inside. I finished my fifth book today leaving me with one more for the trip.
I’ve heard that it’s been really hot in California. I’m glad to be missing the heat, but the weather over here isn’t much better. The day we arrived was the only day it didn’t rain, and everyday it seems to be getting colder, but I guess this is why the Belgians are so tough and fast in adverse conditions.
Today we were supposed to go ride some of the more tricky cobbled sections from the Tour of Flanders, but it rained again this morning, making the cobbles to wet and slippery. Instead, we got to ride on the trainers inside. I finished my fifth book today leaving me with one more for the trip.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Some Photos
Cobbles are worse than they look on television
The Muir
The Cannibal's Machine
Lawson doing 700 watts on platform pedals
Day Eight
We went round to see some of the East Flanderian sites in the same region as our stage race this weekend. On the car trip over I was surprised to see, for the first time, some real hills. And these weren’t just hills, they were 25% cobbled climbs, which are hard to complete let alone race on.
First stop, The Muir, which is the decisive climb in the Tour of Flanders. Not only was the Muir steep, but it was also ‘paved’ with some of the most uneven in Belgium and is the last cobbled climb 20k from the finish.
After seeing the Muir we went to a cycling museum. I got to Eddy Merck’s and other’s Tour of Flanders Bikes. Eddy Merck was a man, because unlike any of the more modern bikes he was equipped with 19mm tires, almost designed to get caught in a grove and cause a crash, and his smallest gear for the 25% pitches was only a 42-21. In contrast the Discovery team road 25s and rode 39-23.
First stop, The Muir, which is the decisive climb in the Tour of Flanders. Not only was the Muir steep, but it was also ‘paved’ with some of the most uneven in Belgium and is the last cobbled climb 20k from the finish.
After seeing the Muir we went to a cycling museum. I got to Eddy Merck’s and other’s Tour of Flanders Bikes. Eddy Merck was a man, because unlike any of the more modern bikes he was equipped with 19mm tires, almost designed to get caught in a grove and cause a crash, and his smallest gear for the 25% pitches was only a 42-21. In contrast the Discovery team road 25s and rode 39-23.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Day Seven
We rode on the trainers in the morning for 30 minutes. Everyone else went easy because they raced yesterday, but I went a bit harder to ensure I didn’t lose fitness. Tomorrow we are going out to see some of the climbs from the Tour of Flanders.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Day Six
Today was the most ‘Belgian’ of days because the following criteria were met:
1. We had a race very near some of the cobbled climbs in the Tour of Flanders.
2. It rained, albeit lightly.
3. At no point was the road wider than two bikes at any point of the race.
4. Only one person on the team finished without getting pulled.
5. Wind; everywhere there was no escape.
We started the day with an easy ride hoping to spin out the legs before the race in the afternoon. Alex crashed, because one of his gears slipped when he stood up out of the saddle which resulted in the first cracked frame of the trip.
We left for the race in the team van. By the time we had registered we had very little time to warm up. This is okay because most of the European’s don’t warm up much before their races but this doesn’t stop them going out hard the last lap like it was their last. By the time I had warmed up and was at the start line I was at the back of eighty riders.
The course was 6.2K long and the race was ten laps long. It started out on a downhill for about 3k and then pitched up gradually for 3K. This under any other circumstances would have been a very easy course if it were not for a 200m stretch of cobbles, gale force winds, and 80 riders on roads narrower than the Iron Horse Trail.
As soon as the race started I began moving up until, by the end of the first lap, I was sitting inside of the top twenty riders. Unfortunately, on the turn exiting the cobbled section, felt my tire sliding, I barely saved it. I was thinking to myself at the time, “Hey this is strange. Why am I sliding? I didn’t take the corner that fast did I? It turns out I had a flat.
There are no neutral support cars or free laps over here so I knew that my race was done. I got of the bike and started wandering around in a somewhat methodical fashion hoping to find someone I knew. After about twenty minutes I found one of the team’s soigneurs Mario. He drove me around for the remainder of the race, so that we could watch. The flat was almost worthwhile because he shared a lot of his insights about racing in Belgium.
Today was not the team’s best day. Lawson got away on the second lap and had almost 30 seconds on the field. Five riders bridged up on the second lap one of which was Joel. This was to become the winning break, but Joel and Lawson were dropped and ended up being pulled with one lap to go. Alex flatted out of the main field with a few laps to go, and James was dropped in the crosswinds. Fortunately, Anders salvaged a good result. With two laps to go he bridged a massive gap between the main field and the break. In the closing Kilometers of the last lap he nearly got away but ended up finishing at the back of the break in seventh.
; The day ended up belonging to some ENORMOUS Belgian, ‘whose victory salute was, I have to say, completely over the top.
1. We had a race very near some of the cobbled climbs in the Tour of Flanders.
2. It rained, albeit lightly.
3. At no point was the road wider than two bikes at any point of the race.
4. Only one person on the team finished without getting pulled.
5. Wind; everywhere there was no escape.
We started the day with an easy ride hoping to spin out the legs before the race in the afternoon. Alex crashed, because one of his gears slipped when he stood up out of the saddle which resulted in the first cracked frame of the trip.
We left for the race in the team van. By the time we had registered we had very little time to warm up. This is okay because most of the European’s don’t warm up much before their races but this doesn’t stop them going out hard the last lap like it was their last. By the time I had warmed up and was at the start line I was at the back of eighty riders.
The course was 6.2K long and the race was ten laps long. It started out on a downhill for about 3k and then pitched up gradually for 3K. This under any other circumstances would have been a very easy course if it were not for a 200m stretch of cobbles, gale force winds, and 80 riders on roads narrower than the Iron Horse Trail.
As soon as the race started I began moving up until, by the end of the first lap, I was sitting inside of the top twenty riders. Unfortunately, on the turn exiting the cobbled section, felt my tire sliding, I barely saved it. I was thinking to myself at the time, “Hey this is strange. Why am I sliding? I didn’t take the corner that fast did I? It turns out I had a flat.
There are no neutral support cars or free laps over here so I knew that my race was done. I got of the bike and started wandering around in a somewhat methodical fashion hoping to find someone I knew. After about twenty minutes I found one of the team’s soigneurs Mario. He drove me around for the remainder of the race, so that we could watch. The flat was almost worthwhile because he shared a lot of his insights about racing in Belgium.
Today was not the team’s best day. Lawson got away on the second lap and had almost 30 seconds on the field. Five riders bridged up on the second lap one of which was Joel. This was to become the winning break, but Joel and Lawson were dropped and ended up being pulled with one lap to go. Alex flatted out of the main field with a few laps to go, and James was dropped in the crosswinds. Fortunately, Anders salvaged a good result. With two laps to go he bridged a massive gap between the main field and the break. In the closing Kilometers of the last lap he nearly got away but ended up finishing at the back of the break in seventh.
; The day ended up belonging to some ENORMOUS Belgian, ‘whose victory salute was, I have to say, completely over the top.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Day Four
I went the other 15-16s early in the morning for a super easy spin. We got back and all of us except Anders went for a walk in the town. Izegem is a large city and every day I am surprised to see that it is bigger than I thought it was.
Here at the house they have a fleet of commuter bikes to go into town. They are in amazing disrepair, which is fine because the mechanics are always too busy. Also, I guess the theory is that the less functional the bikes are the less anyone would want to steal them. Yesterday I went out with one for a couple K to get to know my way around. I have to say that I had a great workout because both the fenders were rubbing against the tires and the rear tire was flat.
After dinner we rode a couple miles from the house to do some drills. We started by practicing taking feeds at speed. After we had finished this we move on to some bumping drills. I’m not a very aggressive rider. Normally when in a large cat three field I would much rather move up the outside instead of push my way through gaps which really don’t exist. However, after today I think I am now a lot more comfortable at doing this. After finishing the bumping we moved on to motor pacing. I have never done this before, but Noel’s instructions were helpful. He told me to keep eye contact with the driver and use my peripheral vision to ensure that I didn’t hit the back of the car. To get the best draft I had to ride only a few inches of the back of the car. At first it was a bit unnerving but at the end Tim brought me up to about 35 miles an hour and I was only inches of the back. It’s amazing how little work you have to do when riding so close to a car; at 30 miles an hour I was hardly even pedaling. Of course motor pacing should only be done if the driver in front has agreed, knows what he/she is doing and not anywhere near any other traffic!!!!!!
Here at the house they have a fleet of commuter bikes to go into town. They are in amazing disrepair, which is fine because the mechanics are always too busy. Also, I guess the theory is that the less functional the bikes are the less anyone would want to steal them. Yesterday I went out with one for a couple K to get to know my way around. I have to say that I had a great workout because both the fenders were rubbing against the tires and the rear tire was flat.
After dinner we rode a couple miles from the house to do some drills. We started by practicing taking feeds at speed. After we had finished this we move on to some bumping drills. I’m not a very aggressive rider. Normally when in a large cat three field I would much rather move up the outside instead of push my way through gaps which really don’t exist. However, after today I think I am now a lot more comfortable at doing this. After finishing the bumping we moved on to motor pacing. I have never done this before, but Noel’s instructions were helpful. He told me to keep eye contact with the driver and use my peripheral vision to ensure that I didn’t hit the back of the car. To get the best draft I had to ride only a few inches of the back of the car. At first it was a bit unnerving but at the end Tim brought me up to about 35 miles an hour and I was only inches of the back. It’s amazing how little work you have to do when riding so close to a car; at 30 miles an hour I was hardly even pedaling. Of course motor pacing should only be done if the driver in front has agreed, knows what he/she is doing and not anywhere near any other traffic!!!!!!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Day Three
I think that I am finally getting over my jetlag and am beginning to feel better. It looks like my saddle slipped yesterday by more than 1cm so before the ride today I moved the saddle back up before the ride today.
We rode to Wevelgem today along the canals. I was surprised to see the finish line of Gent-Wevelgem was a permanent installation in-front of the local bike shop. Belgium truly is a cycling crazed nation. Not only was the finish line a permanent landmark, but the exploits of local and professional cyclists completely dominates the local paper, even including yesterdays race in Dikkibus.
I am looking forward to the race on Saturday. I’m feeling much better and I should hopefully be able to finish in the top twenty.
We rode to Wevelgem today along the canals. I was surprised to see the finish line of Gent-Wevelgem was a permanent installation in-front of the local bike shop. Belgium truly is a cycling crazed nation. Not only was the finish line a permanent landmark, but the exploits of local and professional cyclists completely dominates the local paper, even including yesterdays race in Dikkibus.
I am looking forward to the race on Saturday. I’m feeling much better and I should hopefully be able to finish in the top twenty.
the team
Noel: This guy basically runs the entire racing program. He won the world championships at some stage and really knows his stuff. He is very adamant that the U.S riders need to develop the skills to succeed in Europe as early as possible. He’s going to teach us how to take feeds and how to motor pace.
Ells: Ells runs the house. She does all the cooking for dinner. The food taste great, but at the same time nutritious to meet the need of all the athletes.
Tim: Tim is the head coach of the 15-16s. Although he himself has never raced in Belgium I think he really can teach me a lot about how to race here. A tip I have already picked up from him is to change immediately after the race and wash EVERYTHING with alcohol. This is just another way to improve you chances of not getting sick.
In addition there are other coaches for the U23s and mechanics. Most of them are Belgians. They are all amazing enthusiastic and knowledgeable with a true passion for cycling.
nwcc
15-16s
Joel (Specialized): I guess most of you guys already know him. In case you don’t, he’s the guy on specialized who looks like he’s twenty.
Lawson (NWCC): Lawson’s high up on the national ranks, and deservingly so. All I can say about him is that he’s fast. He was the highest placed US rider yesterday. He knows how to move his way through the field and is willing to attack.
Alex (Team Power Train) Alex has great bike handling skills; this is what is most apparent when you first ride with him. But he is also incredibly fast. If you have any doubt he beat Ryan at the stage race in Kentucky in 2 out of three of the events.
James ‘Sprinter’ (Specialized): James is sprinter stuck in a climber’s body.
Anders (Hot Tubes): Well the team says it all. He’s on the best junior team in the US and I can see why. Sometimes he rides 8 hour day!!! This is about the same that I ride during a typical week. And he has tan lines which are like black and white from riding so much. Something tells me he’s a climber, but he knows how to ride the flats of Belgium to. He seemed to be at the front the entire race yesterday.
Danny Summerhill ‘Summerhill’(Slipstream): Although he’s riding with the U23 I thought it would be worthwhile mentioning that he was here. He was second at junior CycleCross worlds last year after flatting. He is a clear leader always helping me and the other 15-16s out. It’s an amazing experience to be able to interact with a rider who is one of the most talented athletes in the US.
Kit Karzen (Some team in Socal): He just left yesterday. He was up here racing the track in Gent. I thought he would be worth mentioning because he destroyed everyone at Merco in the 15-16s last year.
Ells: Ells runs the house. She does all the cooking for dinner. The food taste great, but at the same time nutritious to meet the need of all the athletes.
Tim: Tim is the head coach of the 15-16s. Although he himself has never raced in Belgium I think he really can teach me a lot about how to race here. A tip I have already picked up from him is to change immediately after the race and wash EVERYTHING with alcohol. This is just another way to improve you chances of not getting sick.
In addition there are other coaches for the U23s and mechanics. Most of them are Belgians. They are all amazing enthusiastic and knowledgeable with a true passion for cycling.
nwcc
15-16s
Joel (Specialized): I guess most of you guys already know him. In case you don’t, he’s the guy on specialized who looks like he’s twenty.
Lawson (NWCC): Lawson’s high up on the national ranks, and deservingly so. All I can say about him is that he’s fast. He was the highest placed US rider yesterday. He knows how to move his way through the field and is willing to attack.
Alex (Team Power Train) Alex has great bike handling skills; this is what is most apparent when you first ride with him. But he is also incredibly fast. If you have any doubt he beat Ryan at the stage race in Kentucky in 2 out of three of the events.
James ‘Sprinter’ (Specialized): James is sprinter stuck in a climber’s body.
Anders (Hot Tubes): Well the team says it all. He’s on the best junior team in the US and I can see why. Sometimes he rides 8 hour day!!! This is about the same that I ride during a typical week. And he has tan lines which are like black and white from riding so much. Something tells me he’s a climber, but he knows how to ride the flats of Belgium to. He seemed to be at the front the entire race yesterday.
Danny Summerhill ‘Summerhill’(Slipstream): Although he’s riding with the U23 I thought it would be worthwhile mentioning that he was here. He was second at junior CycleCross worlds last year after flatting. He is a clear leader always helping me and the other 15-16s out. It’s an amazing experience to be able to interact with a rider who is one of the most talented athletes in the US.
Kit Karzen (Some team in Socal): He just left yesterday. He was up here racing the track in Gent. I thought he would be worth mentioning because he destroyed everyone at Merco in the 15-16s last year.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Day Two
I arrived in Belgium a day ago after a complete 24 hours of traveling, which involved the usual difficulties:
-Trying to fall asleep.
-Successfully falling asleep only to be awoken by a flight attendant who wants to know if you want to have chicken or beef. After responding “Beef” she then tells you that their out and you’ll have to be content with chicken.
-Finally going to bed again, only to be woken up by a crying baby. (Who knew that such small objects could make such a loud noise??????/)
-Finding a lunch at Amsterdam airport which cost less than ten euros, only to find that this is the very definition of impossible.
-And finally, explaining to a shopkeeper who only speaks Dutch and marginal French that he short changed you.
But despite all the difficulties I arrived safely but extremely fatigued. Then I had the arduous challenge of somehow staying up to 9:00 a complete 11 hours after my usual bed time.
Yesterday we went for an easy spin. On the ride we got to ride the pave. The cobbles are really tough because the roads are heavily crowned. If a rider goes too far to one side of the road he will find it virtually impossible to find the center again.
Today we had our first race. My plan was to stay near the back so I could observe what was going on and understand the dynamics of the race for the rest of the trip. I was surprised when 50 guys lined up in-front of me at the start. This was like no race I had ever done. The junior gears are 54-16. This doesn’t sound that small but when the races average around 28 miles an hour this is very small. The roads are about the width of the iron horse trail. But this doesn’t stop the Belgians from moving up even if it involves bunny hoping a side-walk and startling a few spectators. Half way into our race the rain started coming down. It wasn’t cold, but led to some very treacherous conditions. Lawson slid out and I think at times I nearly did to,h I could feel my rear wheel slipping at times. With 10K to go I was fed up of riding at the back. I rapidly moved up to front. I found that the first three wheels was the easiest place to be. This is because typically the riders at the front typically take really bad lines so that the riders at the back have to sprint out of all the corners. With 5k to go I was in a break with three other riders. This was a place I should never have been in. When the field caught us I was exhausted and was quickly at the back again. Some riders in-front of me weren’t cornering spectacularly and I found my-self of the back with a group if five other riders. I just rode to the finish somewhere inside of the top fifty riders. Joel crashed in the final 200m. Lawson had the best result finishing somewhere in the top 20.
-Trying to fall asleep.
-Successfully falling asleep only to be awoken by a flight attendant who wants to know if you want to have chicken or beef. After responding “Beef” she then tells you that their out and you’ll have to be content with chicken.
-Finally going to bed again, only to be woken up by a crying baby. (Who knew that such small objects could make such a loud noise??????/)
-Finding a lunch at Amsterdam airport which cost less than ten euros, only to find that this is the very definition of impossible.
-And finally, explaining to a shopkeeper who only speaks Dutch and marginal French that he short changed you.
But despite all the difficulties I arrived safely but extremely fatigued. Then I had the arduous challenge of somehow staying up to 9:00 a complete 11 hours after my usual bed time.
Yesterday we went for an easy spin. On the ride we got to ride the pave. The cobbles are really tough because the roads are heavily crowned. If a rider goes too far to one side of the road he will find it virtually impossible to find the center again.
Today we had our first race. My plan was to stay near the back so I could observe what was going on and understand the dynamics of the race for the rest of the trip. I was surprised when 50 guys lined up in-front of me at the start. This was like no race I had ever done. The junior gears are 54-16. This doesn’t sound that small but when the races average around 28 miles an hour this is very small. The roads are about the width of the iron horse trail. But this doesn’t stop the Belgians from moving up even if it involves bunny hoping a side-walk and startling a few spectators. Half way into our race the rain started coming down. It wasn’t cold, but led to some very treacherous conditions. Lawson slid out and I think at times I nearly did to,h I could feel my rear wheel slipping at times. With 10K to go I was fed up of riding at the back. I rapidly moved up to front. I found that the first three wheels was the easiest place to be. This is because typically the riders at the front typically take really bad lines so that the riders at the back have to sprint out of all the corners. With 5k to go I was in a break with three other riders. This was a place I should never have been in. When the field caught us I was exhausted and was quickly at the back again. Some riders in-front of me weren’t cornering spectacularly and I found my-self of the back with a group if five other riders. I just rode to the finish somewhere inside of the top fifty riders. Joel crashed in the final 200m. Lawson had the best result finishing somewhere in the top 20.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
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