Life is good

Sorry for the short posts but it's so easy with the iPhone.

I Just saw Floyd Landis.

I also saw Rashan Bhatti (sp) Ben jaque-mayne, Tony cruz, Ivan
dominquez, brad huff, Jonathan page, etc. .....racing......less than 1
mile from the plant I work at.

Life.
Is.
Good.

Cycling kicks ass.

Sent from my iPhone

Sometimes Chicago Sucks

6 lanes of non-moving suck.

Good quote

"never kill good for best. "

Sent from my iPhone

2009 Chicago Crit

Well...better than I thought.

I still believe that anytime you get to ride on closed off streets downtown you should seize the opportunity and make the most of it.

I have been feeling like crap on the bike lately and really wasn't expecting much. I tried to get a warmup in but it was another poor one. When we lined up for the cat 4 race I thought it was just a matter of time before I would pop.

It was fast, but highly manageable. It felt slower than most of the superweek races I "did". For some reason there are a ton of douche-bags in our races that haven't figured 2 things out - 1. You usually don't have to brake in a corner - rather you can actually accelerate in them and 2. That we can use the WHOLE road....even Mayor Daley said it would be OK.

For the most part I have no complaints about how everyone raced. A few guys ran up in that crappy turn lane at the end of the back stretch and it was trying my patience to no end.

We started with 125. Seriously....125 riders in the field. I held on past that point where I have been cracking....just before everyone lets up and I found I was able to race with the group again.

I hung on to the back for most of the race. With 2 to go the elastic snapped and I was OTB. 35 minutes of racing only to be dropped again. SUCK! I rode around and enjoyed the course. I was the tail end of the racers and I place 67th. Crazy when you stop and think, "that was exactly 1/2 way through the starting field."

JF won again. 3 wins in 3 days => cat 3

I said it after I saw him ride for the first time - the only thing that will limit him and how far he goes with cycling is how much time he wants to dedicate to it.

The masters race - well - I wasn't expecting much. I actually tried to stay limber in between races and I think it worked. I started closer to the front and made it a point to keep moving back up to the front. I was feeling WICKED strong and was not running a deficit at all. I saw MJH2 riding well near the front and yelled up, "Matt! Go for a prime!" Turns out he didn't hear me but he had the same idea and slaughtered a $50 prime.

I watched my position, tried to keep drinking, etc. Rode heads up and it paid off. I actually found myself looking for the acceleration I knew would come with 2 to go. I had the juice to follow it and wanted to shred a lot of the guys who were left....so I because the guy I hate. I yelled , from the back mind you, to the front to "light this firecracker!"

It ramped up enough that there was a lot of popcorn getting shelled on the last lap. I took the final corner and knew I could actually get into the sprint. I had more left but the guys were really banging all over and I didn't want a hospital visit. I rolled in 14th.

Not bad out of 75 starters. Something about that was making me think back to reading the race bible for the event...so I checked....yup - I was in the money. $25 but definitely a highlight. That's the first of anything I have ever received while bike racing. It was awesome.

Then to top it off we got to watch Chris Horner and MF in the pro race. I happened to stumble by someone on the way over to talk to MF. He was cool, but that replica kit he was wearing was just SOOOOooooooo cat 5 of him. ;)




Also thought you might enjoy these:


Brad Huff - Jelly Belly - Winner of the Pro/1/2 race.


MF getting a much needed sugar boost


Brad and MF enjoying the fans.

Here's the thing...where else can you step right up to athletes of this caliber and shake their hand and say "nice race" except in a sport like cycling. I been in the living room on more than one occassion screaming like an armchair quarterback at Chris Horner for a few years and today I got to walk right up and get my picture taken with him. That is officially reason #4,297,572,286 why cycling kicks butt.

Something to note about Horner too...he's one of those guys who you can just tell does it because he loves it. How many athletes in the "ball" sports can you say that about?

My Superweek Wrap-up

I suck.

Cat - 4/5

7/11 - Blue Island - 36/41 placing
7/12 - Elgin - 38/63 placing
7/14 - Arlington Heights - 31/37 placing
7/15 - Bensenville - 28/32placing

Cat - Masters 4/5

Didn't finish a single race.

Again...I suck. Granted the fields were much larger than what they show as placing but that is little solace. Every day was the same. Race hard...try to hold on...pop...start up a chase group....pull chase group around....then let the guys in the chase group come around me at the end dropping me futher.

To top it off the scale has been climbing for a little over a month. I believe it's muscles but there is definitely some fat in there as well. Scale read 180 this morning for the first time in a long time. I'm wearing 32" waist pants still with no problem so...maybe it is muscle.

I suck.

Time to step up my game. Cyclocross is coming...

Superweek Sucks

Where're you parked? Hold on I have a txt coming in...

Where's registration? Do I need my license again? Are you warming up on the trainer or riding around? Have you ridden the course? What's it like? Are they running late? How late? Seriously...Yes I just asked that.

Dude, what happened yesterday??! How's Bob? Who else is coming? You got bottles? Yeah you can borrow my pump. Espresso Love...awesome.

This turn will suck. That one will too. Someone will attack here thinking they can get away. Dude....look at this corner! It's all you. So what's the plan? Hey man! You racing both? Yeah, I know...I'm an idiot. Yesterday? I sucked. You? Nice job! They lining up?

Hey, rider A is here. Look - rider B. Hey they're is only ___ riders from xXx here. *start humming the evil empire music from star wars* How many newbs are here? Awesome. I had no idea Discovery, Phonack, Garmin and CSC were sending riders here for the 4/5 race today.

-official- You are racing __ laps. The wheel pit is over there. Make sure you talk to an official while in the wheelpit in order to get a free lap. Free laps end with 5 to go. Are there any juniors here? Raise your hands. You must report to rollout after the race. blahblahahahahahahahahahahhahahablahablbbbbbbbllllllaaaaahhhhhh *snore******

-Wisecrack #1- -laughter from the field- -Wisecrack #2- -not as much laughter-

Ridersready*whistle*

*pain, tightness, suffering*

Anticipating that first corner. Are they going to nail it from the gun? Look for squirrels. We're cool. Pick a line. Should I yell at him? Nah...let's see if he does it again. Ok, I'm saying something this time, "Come on Team A....watch your line. I have to go to work after this."

Accelerate. More. More. Brake. Turn right. Accelerate. Brake. Turn left. Quick right. Where did that wind come from? Move up on the outside guys...come on....

"I could be at home sleeping, or at least at work" *laughter*

Accelerate. More. More. Brake. Turn right. Accelerate. Brake. Turn left. Quick right. Oh look....a 'break'. Don't chase that guys. Come on. Damnit! Accelerate, Accelerate, Accelerate, Accelerate, Accelerate. Brake. Turn.

Haven't drank. I should probably drink.

Screws getting turned. Sonnuva. Hold it.....hold it.....gogogogogogogogogo. UUUUUHhhhhhhhhhhhhh......keep it going. They'll slow up in a bit. Hang on.....

"GO PSIMET! GET BACK ON THAT WHEEL!"
"GO DADDY GO!"

Not again! SUCK. Should I just quit now? Why keep going? Oh that's right, because I love torture. Think of it like cross. Just start picking guys off as they come off the back. Man they look like they're going slow now.

Hey...I can work with them. "Hop on!" Where did they go?

Was that something behind me? When did I pick up 10 guys? Have fun with the sprint guys. Enjoy it. I'll hold things down back here.

Thank god that's over.

Wonder how long they'll give us before they start the next one. Eat a gel. Where's the other bottle? "How'd you do? AWESOME! Nice job? Me? Meh. You racing the next one? You coming out tomorrow? See you then!"

Are they lining up?


....yup....it's superweek. I'm tired. I suck. I'm too fat for this sport....and I'm having a blast.

It's Time

Superweek has begun. It's time to race.

Peak

Haven't blogged a lot lately. Very busy. Business is going well. Selling a ton of wheels.

On top of that we are in the start of the peak of the Chicago road season. This weekend begins the annual tradition known as Superweek. I like to call it Stupidweaks. Mainly because if you race it you're stupid. You will also end up weak, and the event is a series of races over close to 3 weeks.

If you are not familiar with it then consider youself lucky. I don't remember the whole history but basically it they had a week of races in Wisconsin that drew a lot of people from all over. Over the years it has gotten bigger, more dangerous, and expanded into the flatlands of Illinois.

On tap I am racing 8 races in 5 days starting on Saturday. I will be stupid weak at the end. I will follow that up with maybe another weekend race and possibly another day the following week and then maybe soldiers field and then two races at the Chicago crit. Then you get into downers, grays lake, Oakbrook, etc.

It is burnout time at the end of this. It happens to me anyway at the end of July. I am already talking about cross season.

For those who haven't heard there was a big wreck last Sunday in the 4's and a lot of guys I am friends with were taken out. RJB, SP from Verdigris, our own SK who won the 5's that morning and upgraded, and Lenski to name a few. By far the biggest loss was South Chicago Wheelmen's own MK. You might remember him better as last cross season's "Supergirl".

MK broke his frame (Colnago ouch!) and his wrist. He says that among a list of other things his season is over. He has been racing very well and personally I will miss racing alongside of him in the short term. He says he may even miss a bit of the cross season.

I think all the talk of that is what made MJH2 and I start talking ideas a out next cross season. I have decided I think that I might be going in-costrumeo. Thinking cheerleading uniform. What are your ideas? I'll take suggestions in the comments.

Off week

Once again I find myself in the redneck rivieria - Ft Morgan/Gulf Shores area of Alabama. A week of family at the beach. Basically that means little riding, lots of eating and lots of drinking.

Luckily this year it fell on a "rest week" - bwahahahahahaha! I have rideen once. It sucked. It is sooooooooo boring down here. I mean Chicago is flat but this is beyond that....and it's hot....and boring.... yuck.

Anyway....the beach and the hanging out is a blast. Pics from the week:

Little P and his cousin - near aged partner in crime. These two are dangerous together. Smart and beefy. You turn around and they are cracking up as they tackle each other and play chicken. Mrs. P and her sister (Little P's Aunt) in the background.


Learning from an elder cousin.


Bliss. I have identified this moment as one of the moments I truly love in my life. I finally caught it in a picture.


Gulf shrimp, beer, rice, avacado, awesomeness on the side.


We went fishing on a charter again. 6 hours in the gulf and all we really caught was the bait. MMMmmmmm....tasty.