The availability of sunshine in this country is about the same as the availability of snow in Bakersfield. It’s not quite that bad, but I could definitely use a good sunny day. A permanent cloud seems to follow the US riders throughout Europe, but at least it provides shade for us to race in. Mornings in this house are very unique. Since the sun rises so early, all the windows are equipped with "bomb-proof blinds" (probably remnants of WWII) that take a strap, similar to a tow rope from your car, to open. However, light still seems to get into the rooms from the "automated fluorescent lights" that turn on and off at random times. So if the light doesn't wake you up, you are treated to the yells of Ells (the head honcho of the house and Noel's wife). Actually her yells are more comparable to a shrill shriek or war cry that you cannot possible understand. If you are unlucky enough to sleep through this, the blinds are yanked open, and it’s not the light that hits you (remember the cloud) but the ear splitting groan of metal blinds ascending an "un-lubed" rail (picture nails on a chalk board).
The riders stumble out of bed, find their slippers (no walking around the house barefoot or you will hear the wrath of Ells), and proceed to kitchen. This is one of the few times that all of the riders come together. The largest pieces of the freshly baked bread are the first items to go. If you hesitate in your room, you usually wind up with the smaller, end pieces of the loafs. Yogurt, cereal, and milk are gathered on the table (for those that are more aggressive pans are taken out to make scrambled eggs), and the yawning athletes shuffle around the table, trying to find their laptops that were left downstairs from the previous night. The familiar sound of the computers starting up fills the room, and the clatter of typing begins. You can tell by the expression on each rider's face whether they received an email, or a comment on their Facebook, Myspace or blog account. A smile or a laugh indicates they probably received something from their friends our family. This is one of the better times of the day, because receiving mail from back home always makes you smile. Slowly the yogurt cups and the cereal bowls empty and laptops begin to close. Riders go their separate ways at this point, some get ready for a training ride, some get ready for a race, and some go back to bed (usually to woken up by Ells again- I think she thinks it is a game).
Today was another recovery day, used to spin out the legs and attempt to get them back to racing conditions. We waited for a gap in the rain and then proceeded on a long ride following the canal and local villages. By the end of the ride we somehow found ourselves in another coffee shop. We were treated to an English speaking waiter (well, he tried to speak English), and once he figured out that we were American we were lucky enough to hear his stories about Greg Lemond. This guy was apparently at the TT where Lemond beat Fignon to win the Tour. He gave us a full lecture on how strong Lemond was, and how he was the first to use TT equipment. He didn't really mention anything else, but his stories were long enough to take us through two cups of coffee. Once a gap in the rain appeared, we wound our way back to the house.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The Way You Would Imagine It...
Today was one of those great days used for relaxing. The team is still recovering, physically and mentally from the past week of racing, so today's training was limited to two hours of soft pedaling. We rode to the canal and followed it to the town of Kortrijk. Kortrijk is a little bit bigger town than Izegem and it has some more "touristy" attractions. We sat down at a small cafe and sipped down a warm cappuccino while we watched old clips of the Tour de France on a huge outdoor T.V. set in the middle of the town square. We get a lot of glances and points from pedestrians that walk by. Whether these glances are in envy or despise, I don't know, but wearing a jersey that has USA printed on it brings me a lot of pride. We finished our coffee and then headed back to Izegem, wear we showered and prepared for a trip to Roeselare. We stopped at a local bakery and ate a fresh sandwich and croissant. We then trekked to the train station and took a short train trip to Roeselare. Roselare has "city status" and is the location of the closest movie theater and better shopping according to the older riders. We got off the train and walked down the main street. I think women would enjoy the shopping we saw more than we did, but it was still cool to walk around the streets and see the different types of people and hear the different languages. We wound up in a sports store, which was cool because the focus of the store was soccer, and not football or baseball. Later we found ourselves in another cafe, which seems to be a reoccurring theme. We drank more coffee and watched as rain and then sunshine and then rain again passed over head.
I think I am beginning to figure more things out over here. You don't really train over in Europe, you race and then on the days between races you try to recover as much as possible. This makes for interesting rider personalities. Right before riders leave for races they are antsy and excited, nervous and focused. Then when they come back, they are speechless zombies set on spending as much time as possible in bed. Then when the next race approaches they begin to get excited again.
I hear Lance Armstrong is supposed to come to the house next week, so I am pretty excited about that....
I think I am beginning to figure more things out over here. You don't really train over in Europe, you race and then on the days between races you try to recover as much as possible. This makes for interesting rider personalities. Right before riders leave for races they are antsy and excited, nervous and focused. Then when they come back, they are speechless zombies set on spending as much time as possible in bed. Then when the next race approaches they begin to get excited again.
I hear Lance Armstrong is supposed to come to the house next week, so I am pretty excited about that....
Monday, May 14, 2007
Belgian Waffles….
Today was a great rest day. We went on a short spin, and then sat in a coffee shop for a couple hours and ordered cappuccinos and waffles and watched it rain. I did some serious laundry and took it easy. It feels great being back in Izegem, and even better to have a full stomach of good food.
A Sport of Luck....
This past week I have been in the Czech Republic participating in a five day, six stage race known as the Peace Race. This race is considered to be the hardest five day stage race for juniors. Many deem it to be the Tour de France of junior races. The next couple paragraphs are a testament to the truth of that statement.
The Journey to the Czech Republic….
I was unaware that the drive from Izegem to Litomerice would take eleven hours, but it did. We traveled by van, following a Flemish speaking GPS, constantly fighting for the window and front seats. USA Cycling tricked out the van to hold plenty of bikes, wheels, a refrigerator, and washer, but they definitely skimped on the seat cushions. We drove from Belgium through the Netherlands, down through Germany and finally to the Czech Republic. The Netherlands looked just like Belgium, but Germany and the Czech Republic are big enough countries that you are not constantly going through little towns. Both of these countries still have their thick woods and rolling green hills, reminding me a lot of Northern California. Winding through the small streets of the Czech with a big Belgian masseuse (Alex) behind the wheel quickly became an exciting experience with numerous “close calls.” The border crossing into the Czech was also an interesting experience. Once the border police saw our American passports we were immediately pulled over and they began going over our van. We were told to stay in the van, until Alex came to the window and asked me to get out. I walked to the back of the van and I faced four Czech policemen each holding a different bottle of my vitamins. I did my best to explain what each one was, but they still took the pills into their office and “examined” them. I am pretty sure they just wanted to bust us for having illegal drugs so that they could make the evening news (Anyone remember Festina?) An hour later and with a few slight detours and a couple of “missing roads” we finally arrived at our destination of Litomerice.
The Food of the Czech Republic (if that is what you want to call it)…
Don’t view this as me complaining, because I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that has been put in front of me. This is just the view of an American kid who grew up in a house where his parents took very good care of him and rarely, if ever, went without. Call it being spoiled or whatever you like but going from an environment where food is plentiful and actually good to eat, to an environment that is the complete opposite is a rough move…
So, as you can guess, the food was absolutely horrible. The Czech Republic had beautiful women, but the food was pretty much as bad as it gets. But as Arnie Baker says “Smile and act happy.” So that’s what I did. The first night we were at our hotel we got there too late and everything was closed- according to the receptionist. So we ate beef jerky that I had brought from home and some power bars for dinner. This only foreshadowed the rest of the trip. The rest of the trip we ate in a cafeteria of the local elementary school with the rest of the teams of the race. This was the most stereotypical cafeteria I have ever seen. Huge, weird lunch ladies spooned out our food from huge pots and pans. Who needs hair nets or gloves, the Czechs have decided to limit their waste and just use their hands. Drinks came from huge vats that oddly became more and more watered down with each day. Morning consisted of bread, lunch meat, and cereal. Lunch consisted of bread, some type of meat, and powdered potatoes (not mashed potatoes, but the powdered kind that you mix with water or milk, the Czechs chose water). Dinner consisted of bread, leftover meat from lunch, and left over mashed potatoes. Another odd thing was that the bread (definitely the staple food of the meal) became harder and staler with each day (any guesses as to why?). The first meal in the cafeteria was not bad (after eating power bars and beef jerky the night before) and they consistently got worse with each day. Portions were minimal, and even if there was more I am not sure if anyone would have gotten up to get seconds. This was the hardest part of being in the Czech: racing as hard as you possible can and not being able to fill your stomach at each meal- you can’t replenish the energy you have lost- your performance goes out the window- now it becomes even harder to get motivated to race and do your best. By the time Saturday came around, I could take it anymore, digging hairs and flys out of the food was beginning to get to me. Throughout the week I noticed that the Belgians did not eat with everyone else. So I asked one of them where they were eating- they had been eating pasta and pizza at a local restaurant every night, and they were the ones that were killing everyone else in the race. So our last dinner meal in the Czech we ordered ten boxes of pizzas and had a feast- I believe that this was the only thing that got me through the last day of racing.
Racing in the Czech….
The races started on Wednesday and went through Sunday.
Stage One: Mlada Boleslav- a 90k race that consisted of one big loop and finishing with eight 9k loops throughout Mlada Boleslav. There are two cobbled sections within the smaller loops- one section right before the finish and the next section after a twisty decent. The weather is overcast with rain coming off and on, keeping the cobbles ultra slick and the corners dangerous.
The race started with few problems, and it actually didn’t start too fast. The big loop seemed to be used as a warm up. Once we hit the city circuits however, the attacks came and the field (135 riders started, 23 teams) quickly strung out. There was a nice pile up the first time we hit the cobbles and another on a chicane through a roundabout. I had to bridge to the group after the second crash. The next couple laps went pretty smoothly. On the end of the third lap, the rain was coming down pretty hard and we entered the cobbled section way too fast. Turning on wet cobbles is not an option. You basically lean the bike and hope that you don’t drift too far. Using your brakes is also a bad idea, as I would soon find out. A crash happened on the following corner, and a chain reaction occurred. I gabbed too much front brake and instantly hit the deck. I got up quickly, but my rear wheel wouldn’t turn, so I fumbled with the rear brake until I could get it to turn and then hopped on, but didn’t go anywhere because my chain was off. So I got off and put the chain on and then was finally off. I attempted to draft the team cars, but soon realized that team cars were not there to help the competition. Either the cars would fly past me so that I could not draft them, or they would slow way down so that I would have to go around them. By the time I completed a lap the entire caravan had gone by me and I was left to do a TT to the finish. The only thing I could think of was go as fast as I could to minimize the damage and come in within the cut off time. The one cool thing was that the crowds still cheered for the riders off the back and that was motivation enough to push the next gear. I finished the remaining laps and conceded eight minutes to the leaders, which wasn’t bad considering I rode solo for over 40k.
We started the race with six riders, one rider had to pull off on this stage because of a mechanical. Three of us crashed and finished off the back, and the remaining two finished with the peloton.
Stage Two: Litomerice- a 96k road race in the shape of a lollipop. There was a starting and finshing straight and three loops in the hills above Litomerice. The weather was overcast, but it was warm with no threat of rain. One main climb on the loop was 300m long with rollers back to the climb again.
The race started off nice and fast with the Belgians going to the front and causing havoic. Small crashes plagued the group until we reached the climb. I felt pretty good and made my way through the peloton to the lead group. We peaked and made the decent to the rollers, we caught a small breakaway that had gotten away on the climb and the pack instantly slowed down. This enabled most of the American squad to catch back up, which was good because having no team mates in the peloton is no fun. We came back around to the climb again, and this time I was confident enough to try and go for some KOM points. I began to make my way through the group, but I was held up on the outside when the pack suddenly moved to my side of the road. I was balancing on the edge of the pavement and the dirt when I began to hit bars with a big Belgian kid. Obviously there was not enough room for the two of us. We looked at each other and when I looked back the pavement had eroded away around a hole, my front wheel entered the hole and instantly stopped. I pivoted up on my front wheel and then flipped over the bars and landed on my head with the bike landing on top of me. I got up really quick, wanting to catch the Belgian who had been next to me. My bike seemed to be in working order even though the bars were pretty messed up along with my seat, so I sprinted back up to the group just as they crested the climb, I shifted to the bigger gears, and began noticing a problem with the shifting. With each shift the chain would seize in the drive chain and the cranks would not move…. a bent chain. It got to the point where the chain would not move at all, so I signaled to the commissar and told him I needed a new bike. The team manager quickly drove up to me and I pulled over to the side of the road. The switch took a lot longer than it should have because we had to switch pedals. After a never ending minute I was off and once again began a very long TT. Again my main motivation was to finish within the time limit, and minimize the damage. I caught an Estonian rider in the final k’s and we finished just as big group of dropped riders caught us. This day proved to be the most devastating day upon looking back, not because it was the hardest or fastest (because it wasn’t) but because the spare bike I was given had a seat height that was too tall for me. I believe my legs were trashed from this extremely different riding position- something that my body would not be able to recover from. Another thing I discovered from looking back on this day and the first day was that going as hard as I could to the line probably was not the best idea. I should have accepted a horrible GC position and focused on conserving energy for a stage victory or at least a top ten finish in a stage. But when you are chasing you don’t think about the future, only about the present and cutting your losses.
We started the stage with five riders, two of us crashed and were chasing, two other were dropped on the climbs and were chasing, and the final guy stayed lucky and finished in the pack. Overall the US squad was not looking good, it had only one rider left in the main group on the GC and four others filling the lower spots of the GC.
Stage Three A: Trebenice- a 12k TT that looped around the outskirts of Trebenice. There was one solid climb and then rolling hills on the rest of the course. The weather was partly cloudy and the course was smooth with good corners.
Since I was pretty low on the GC I had one of the first start times. We got there a little later than I would like, but I managed to pre-ride the course and get a good solid warm up. I felt pretty good on the beginning of the TT and rode strongly through the first ¾ of the course. And then I hit the false flat that took you back to the finish, and my legs began to crack, and I could feel my shoulders rocking and rolling with my body. I lost a lot of time through this section, but managed to finish around 30th over all. Not too bad considering that was technique my third TT of the race.
The kid that managed to stay out of trouble and with the pack on the first two days (Carter) pulled off a great performance and finished 8th. As a team we were sitting in the 21st position from the road races, but we finished a strong 7th in the TT competition, proving that we have the power and the strength to compete with the Euros, we just need to fine tune our skill of pack riding and get lady luck on our side.
Stage Three B: Roudnice n. Labem- a 97k road race that consisted of five loops through farm land and cities. A small climb and a fast decent separated the flatter sections of the course. The weather was extremely windy (we went through several dust storms trying to find the start of the race) and cloudy, and the course had a cobbled climb to the finish.
A crash 5ks after the start enveloped the main part of the field, I was able to slow down enough that my “crash” was more of a fall onto some other guy that had already crashed. None the less, I was back to chasing the part of the field that had evaded the crash. I teamed up with a Belgian rider and we quickly made our way through the caravan (which was actually kind of nice because the cars provided a lot more protection from the wind than the strung out field did). I attached myself to the back of the field, and managed to have no problem until the third lap. We were on a flatter section of the course with a nasty cross wind causing the field to string out and forcing the riders to balance their bikes in the gutter while barely holding the wheel in front of them. The Belgian national team was charging at the head of the field during this section- I cannot describe to you in words the way your body feels while you are riding at the very edge of the road, mustering all you strength to stay in contact with the wheel in front of you. Few positive thoughts enter you mind during this time, you can only grit your teeth, put your head down and wonder “who is doing this and why?” It was only a matter of time before someone lost contact with the wheel in front of them, and I was on the wrong end of the split. I formed a chase group with a couple of other riders, which grew to a substantial size, but only a couple of us were actually pulling through. So half way through the fourth lap, two guys and I attacked and began a picture perfect three man rotation. We made contact with the caravan, and leaped frog through the cars until we were with the main group again. I held on through the fifth lap and finished with this group. The efforts from that day and the previous days were definitely beginning to settle in, and the hardest days were yet to come.
Two of us finished in the main group, and the other three were in chase groups off the back.
Stage Four: Decin- Pirna- a 115k road race that began with a 20k climb and then a 5k climb after that, rolling hills, and small uncategorized climbs take you into Germany where we finished in Pirna. The 20k climb begins gradually and gets steeper and steeper until you are in your smallest gears. It was pouring rain at the start along with being very windy. Wet descents on small windy roads presented dangerous obstacles.
I have never seen a race start out so fast. From the gun the entire field was strung out and guys were popping off the back in ones and twos. I was unable to warm up so my legs were screaming, and I could not see myself continuing at this point. The road narrowed to one lane at a construction site, and of course there was a crash. And yes, once again I was on the wrong side of it. The impossibility of catching the main group when they were going so fast proved to be a daunting task. I teamed up with a rider from Croatia and we struggled to keep the leaders in sight. I quickly passed dropped riders upon reaching the steeper sections of the climb. I bombed the descent and raced up the second climb. I joined a Belgian rider that I remembered from my first race in Belgium, and we pulled ourselves back through the caravan to the main group. More than half the race was over by the time we reached the leaders. I ate and drank as much as I could and prepared myself for more flat windy sections that the Belgians would eat up. We began climbing a hill on a freeway in Germany when we encountered traffic cones that started to cut off the outside lane. These tall, flat, “cemented down” posts cut into the group and caused another big crash and split the group in two. You guessed it, I didn’t go down, but I had to stop and get some guy off my top tube. I stayed in the second group- and I am not going to lie it was nice going easy and taking a break for a while. The pace increased at the end and I finished with this group.
One more guy from our team had to drop out due to injuries he received from the previous day of racing. Carter finished with the lead group, I in the second, and the other two guys were off the back.
Stage Five: Terezin- a 101k road race that consisted of loops on the outskirts of Litomerci and had a finishing straight into Terezin. Each lap had two 5k+ climbs and tricky descents. The weather was finally nice with a little bit of wind and only a few clouds.
Terezin was a Nazi concentration camp during WWII. I had to warm up through the camp and the finish went straight through it. For me it put a somber feeling to the whole race. Mixed feelings and emotions were not easy to put out of my head….
Pretty much the worst possible thing you can do is make the Belgian riders mad, and that is exactly what the commissar did when he took away the leaders jersey from a Belgian rider and gave him and a few of his team mates 10 minute penalties. Apparently the Belgian (who was on the Belgian national road team) had a mechanical problem on the previous day, and the Belgian national track team dropped back to pace him back to the field. This is illegal because it makes it seem like the Belgians had a twelve man team unlike everyone else who only started with six. So the Belgian leader was stripped of his jersey, which of course made the Belgians very made. This made the last stage of this tough race the hardest race I have ever done. I was only able to hold on to the lead pack for two laps, I was dropped on the climbs, which I have to say I did not believe could happen so hard or so fast. Once I let a gap open I could not recover. The pace that the Belgians were driving was incredible, guys were just dropping out on the side of the road. Once I was dropped I went to survival mode and focused solely on getting up the remaining climbs and reaching the finishing line. I teamed up with two riders from the team Cube and we held a strong pace to the finish. They were the highest placed riders on the road from their team so their team car followed us for the remaining two laps. They attacked me like crazy by the beckoning of their manager on the climbs. But I had to save some of my pride and make sure I didn’t get dropped. I stayed with them and we finished together. Completely exhausted, I rode to the van, put some clothes on, drank a Pepsi and got in the car for the long drive home….
Carter finished in a chase group ahead of me, we were the only two riders from our team to finish the stage.
Reflection…
Well I imagined my first European stage race to go a lot different. I had imagined glory, but I only got a rude awakening, along with bruised knees, hips, shoulders, broken shoes, cracks on my helmet, and torn clothing. I have learned a lot though, and that was really the main purpose of this race- to learn and begin to understand European racing. It is tough and fast, there is little mercy shown by anyone, and you have to race flawless to be there at the end. In America you can make twenty mistakes and still win the race, over here you have to be perfect or you will be off the back.
A Better Appreciation for America (and California)…
The racing in Europe is pure, fast and aggressive, everything you could hope for. But it is different over here, especially in the Czech. The food, the boarding, the people and the weather (I swear there is a permanent cloud that hangs over that country) are all different. The countries are beautiful, but I am now beginning to realize how great California is. I would actually say that California has more natural beauty than the countries that I have seen so far. We take for granted the grandness of our home. The freedoms we have in America are not shared throughout the world and I am finally beginning to realize this. The Czech Republic was a shock to see how people live, and how they eat. I now have a slight understanding as to why people throughout the world are “hostile” or even jealous towards America. It comes down to the narrowness of an American citizen’s vision, few Americans can understand how different their life would be if they did not have the freedoms they hold. I am enjoying my trips throughout Europe to their fullest, and I am very grateful for all that has been given to me, but for those of you that are reading this back home remember that you are very lucky to live where you do.
The Journey to the Czech Republic….
I was unaware that the drive from Izegem to Litomerice would take eleven hours, but it did. We traveled by van, following a Flemish speaking GPS, constantly fighting for the window and front seats. USA Cycling tricked out the van to hold plenty of bikes, wheels, a refrigerator, and washer, but they definitely skimped on the seat cushions. We drove from Belgium through the Netherlands, down through Germany and finally to the Czech Republic. The Netherlands looked just like Belgium, but Germany and the Czech Republic are big enough countries that you are not constantly going through little towns. Both of these countries still have their thick woods and rolling green hills, reminding me a lot of Northern California. Winding through the small streets of the Czech with a big Belgian masseuse (Alex) behind the wheel quickly became an exciting experience with numerous “close calls.” The border crossing into the Czech was also an interesting experience. Once the border police saw our American passports we were immediately pulled over and they began going over our van. We were told to stay in the van, until Alex came to the window and asked me to get out. I walked to the back of the van and I faced four Czech policemen each holding a different bottle of my vitamins. I did my best to explain what each one was, but they still took the pills into their office and “examined” them. I am pretty sure they just wanted to bust us for having illegal drugs so that they could make the evening news (Anyone remember Festina?) An hour later and with a few slight detours and a couple of “missing roads” we finally arrived at our destination of Litomerice.
The Food of the Czech Republic (if that is what you want to call it)…
Don’t view this as me complaining, because I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that has been put in front of me. This is just the view of an American kid who grew up in a house where his parents took very good care of him and rarely, if ever, went without. Call it being spoiled or whatever you like but going from an environment where food is plentiful and actually good to eat, to an environment that is the complete opposite is a rough move…
So, as you can guess, the food was absolutely horrible. The Czech Republic had beautiful women, but the food was pretty much as bad as it gets. But as Arnie Baker says “Smile and act happy.” So that’s what I did. The first night we were at our hotel we got there too late and everything was closed- according to the receptionist. So we ate beef jerky that I had brought from home and some power bars for dinner. This only foreshadowed the rest of the trip. The rest of the trip we ate in a cafeteria of the local elementary school with the rest of the teams of the race. This was the most stereotypical cafeteria I have ever seen. Huge, weird lunch ladies spooned out our food from huge pots and pans. Who needs hair nets or gloves, the Czechs have decided to limit their waste and just use their hands. Drinks came from huge vats that oddly became more and more watered down with each day. Morning consisted of bread, lunch meat, and cereal. Lunch consisted of bread, some type of meat, and powdered potatoes (not mashed potatoes, but the powdered kind that you mix with water or milk, the Czechs chose water). Dinner consisted of bread, leftover meat from lunch, and left over mashed potatoes. Another odd thing was that the bread (definitely the staple food of the meal) became harder and staler with each day (any guesses as to why?). The first meal in the cafeteria was not bad (after eating power bars and beef jerky the night before) and they consistently got worse with each day. Portions were minimal, and even if there was more I am not sure if anyone would have gotten up to get seconds. This was the hardest part of being in the Czech: racing as hard as you possible can and not being able to fill your stomach at each meal- you can’t replenish the energy you have lost- your performance goes out the window- now it becomes even harder to get motivated to race and do your best. By the time Saturday came around, I could take it anymore, digging hairs and flys out of the food was beginning to get to me. Throughout the week I noticed that the Belgians did not eat with everyone else. So I asked one of them where they were eating- they had been eating pasta and pizza at a local restaurant every night, and they were the ones that were killing everyone else in the race. So our last dinner meal in the Czech we ordered ten boxes of pizzas and had a feast- I believe that this was the only thing that got me through the last day of racing.
Racing in the Czech….
The races started on Wednesday and went through Sunday.
Stage One: Mlada Boleslav- a 90k race that consisted of one big loop and finishing with eight 9k loops throughout Mlada Boleslav. There are two cobbled sections within the smaller loops- one section right before the finish and the next section after a twisty decent. The weather is overcast with rain coming off and on, keeping the cobbles ultra slick and the corners dangerous.
The race started with few problems, and it actually didn’t start too fast. The big loop seemed to be used as a warm up. Once we hit the city circuits however, the attacks came and the field (135 riders started, 23 teams) quickly strung out. There was a nice pile up the first time we hit the cobbles and another on a chicane through a roundabout. I had to bridge to the group after the second crash. The next couple laps went pretty smoothly. On the end of the third lap, the rain was coming down pretty hard and we entered the cobbled section way too fast. Turning on wet cobbles is not an option. You basically lean the bike and hope that you don’t drift too far. Using your brakes is also a bad idea, as I would soon find out. A crash happened on the following corner, and a chain reaction occurred. I gabbed too much front brake and instantly hit the deck. I got up quickly, but my rear wheel wouldn’t turn, so I fumbled with the rear brake until I could get it to turn and then hopped on, but didn’t go anywhere because my chain was off. So I got off and put the chain on and then was finally off. I attempted to draft the team cars, but soon realized that team cars were not there to help the competition. Either the cars would fly past me so that I could not draft them, or they would slow way down so that I would have to go around them. By the time I completed a lap the entire caravan had gone by me and I was left to do a TT to the finish. The only thing I could think of was go as fast as I could to minimize the damage and come in within the cut off time. The one cool thing was that the crowds still cheered for the riders off the back and that was motivation enough to push the next gear. I finished the remaining laps and conceded eight minutes to the leaders, which wasn’t bad considering I rode solo for over 40k.
We started the race with six riders, one rider had to pull off on this stage because of a mechanical. Three of us crashed and finished off the back, and the remaining two finished with the peloton.
Stage Two: Litomerice- a 96k road race in the shape of a lollipop. There was a starting and finshing straight and three loops in the hills above Litomerice. The weather was overcast, but it was warm with no threat of rain. One main climb on the loop was 300m long with rollers back to the climb again.
The race started off nice and fast with the Belgians going to the front and causing havoic. Small crashes plagued the group until we reached the climb. I felt pretty good and made my way through the peloton to the lead group. We peaked and made the decent to the rollers, we caught a small breakaway that had gotten away on the climb and the pack instantly slowed down. This enabled most of the American squad to catch back up, which was good because having no team mates in the peloton is no fun. We came back around to the climb again, and this time I was confident enough to try and go for some KOM points. I began to make my way through the group, but I was held up on the outside when the pack suddenly moved to my side of the road. I was balancing on the edge of the pavement and the dirt when I began to hit bars with a big Belgian kid. Obviously there was not enough room for the two of us. We looked at each other and when I looked back the pavement had eroded away around a hole, my front wheel entered the hole and instantly stopped. I pivoted up on my front wheel and then flipped over the bars and landed on my head with the bike landing on top of me. I got up really quick, wanting to catch the Belgian who had been next to me. My bike seemed to be in working order even though the bars were pretty messed up along with my seat, so I sprinted back up to the group just as they crested the climb, I shifted to the bigger gears, and began noticing a problem with the shifting. With each shift the chain would seize in the drive chain and the cranks would not move…. a bent chain. It got to the point where the chain would not move at all, so I signaled to the commissar and told him I needed a new bike. The team manager quickly drove up to me and I pulled over to the side of the road. The switch took a lot longer than it should have because we had to switch pedals. After a never ending minute I was off and once again began a very long TT. Again my main motivation was to finish within the time limit, and minimize the damage. I caught an Estonian rider in the final k’s and we finished just as big group of dropped riders caught us. This day proved to be the most devastating day upon looking back, not because it was the hardest or fastest (because it wasn’t) but because the spare bike I was given had a seat height that was too tall for me. I believe my legs were trashed from this extremely different riding position- something that my body would not be able to recover from. Another thing I discovered from looking back on this day and the first day was that going as hard as I could to the line probably was not the best idea. I should have accepted a horrible GC position and focused on conserving energy for a stage victory or at least a top ten finish in a stage. But when you are chasing you don’t think about the future, only about the present and cutting your losses.
We started the stage with five riders, two of us crashed and were chasing, two other were dropped on the climbs and were chasing, and the final guy stayed lucky and finished in the pack. Overall the US squad was not looking good, it had only one rider left in the main group on the GC and four others filling the lower spots of the GC.
Stage Three A: Trebenice- a 12k TT that looped around the outskirts of Trebenice. There was one solid climb and then rolling hills on the rest of the course. The weather was partly cloudy and the course was smooth with good corners.
Since I was pretty low on the GC I had one of the first start times. We got there a little later than I would like, but I managed to pre-ride the course and get a good solid warm up. I felt pretty good on the beginning of the TT and rode strongly through the first ¾ of the course. And then I hit the false flat that took you back to the finish, and my legs began to crack, and I could feel my shoulders rocking and rolling with my body. I lost a lot of time through this section, but managed to finish around 30th over all. Not too bad considering that was technique my third TT of the race.
The kid that managed to stay out of trouble and with the pack on the first two days (Carter) pulled off a great performance and finished 8th. As a team we were sitting in the 21st position from the road races, but we finished a strong 7th in the TT competition, proving that we have the power and the strength to compete with the Euros, we just need to fine tune our skill of pack riding and get lady luck on our side.
Stage Three B: Roudnice n. Labem- a 97k road race that consisted of five loops through farm land and cities. A small climb and a fast decent separated the flatter sections of the course. The weather was extremely windy (we went through several dust storms trying to find the start of the race) and cloudy, and the course had a cobbled climb to the finish.
A crash 5ks after the start enveloped the main part of the field, I was able to slow down enough that my “crash” was more of a fall onto some other guy that had already crashed. None the less, I was back to chasing the part of the field that had evaded the crash. I teamed up with a Belgian rider and we quickly made our way through the caravan (which was actually kind of nice because the cars provided a lot more protection from the wind than the strung out field did). I attached myself to the back of the field, and managed to have no problem until the third lap. We were on a flatter section of the course with a nasty cross wind causing the field to string out and forcing the riders to balance their bikes in the gutter while barely holding the wheel in front of them. The Belgian national team was charging at the head of the field during this section- I cannot describe to you in words the way your body feels while you are riding at the very edge of the road, mustering all you strength to stay in contact with the wheel in front of you. Few positive thoughts enter you mind during this time, you can only grit your teeth, put your head down and wonder “who is doing this and why?” It was only a matter of time before someone lost contact with the wheel in front of them, and I was on the wrong end of the split. I formed a chase group with a couple of other riders, which grew to a substantial size, but only a couple of us were actually pulling through. So half way through the fourth lap, two guys and I attacked and began a picture perfect three man rotation. We made contact with the caravan, and leaped frog through the cars until we were with the main group again. I held on through the fifth lap and finished with this group. The efforts from that day and the previous days were definitely beginning to settle in, and the hardest days were yet to come.
Two of us finished in the main group, and the other three were in chase groups off the back.
Stage Four: Decin- Pirna- a 115k road race that began with a 20k climb and then a 5k climb after that, rolling hills, and small uncategorized climbs take you into Germany where we finished in Pirna. The 20k climb begins gradually and gets steeper and steeper until you are in your smallest gears. It was pouring rain at the start along with being very windy. Wet descents on small windy roads presented dangerous obstacles.
I have never seen a race start out so fast. From the gun the entire field was strung out and guys were popping off the back in ones and twos. I was unable to warm up so my legs were screaming, and I could not see myself continuing at this point. The road narrowed to one lane at a construction site, and of course there was a crash. And yes, once again I was on the wrong side of it. The impossibility of catching the main group when they were going so fast proved to be a daunting task. I teamed up with a rider from Croatia and we struggled to keep the leaders in sight. I quickly passed dropped riders upon reaching the steeper sections of the climb. I bombed the descent and raced up the second climb. I joined a Belgian rider that I remembered from my first race in Belgium, and we pulled ourselves back through the caravan to the main group. More than half the race was over by the time we reached the leaders. I ate and drank as much as I could and prepared myself for more flat windy sections that the Belgians would eat up. We began climbing a hill on a freeway in Germany when we encountered traffic cones that started to cut off the outside lane. These tall, flat, “cemented down” posts cut into the group and caused another big crash and split the group in two. You guessed it, I didn’t go down, but I had to stop and get some guy off my top tube. I stayed in the second group- and I am not going to lie it was nice going easy and taking a break for a while. The pace increased at the end and I finished with this group.
One more guy from our team had to drop out due to injuries he received from the previous day of racing. Carter finished with the lead group, I in the second, and the other two guys were off the back.
Stage Five: Terezin- a 101k road race that consisted of loops on the outskirts of Litomerci and had a finishing straight into Terezin. Each lap had two 5k+ climbs and tricky descents. The weather was finally nice with a little bit of wind and only a few clouds.
Terezin was a Nazi concentration camp during WWII. I had to warm up through the camp and the finish went straight through it. For me it put a somber feeling to the whole race. Mixed feelings and emotions were not easy to put out of my head….
Pretty much the worst possible thing you can do is make the Belgian riders mad, and that is exactly what the commissar did when he took away the leaders jersey from a Belgian rider and gave him and a few of his team mates 10 minute penalties. Apparently the Belgian (who was on the Belgian national road team) had a mechanical problem on the previous day, and the Belgian national track team dropped back to pace him back to the field. This is illegal because it makes it seem like the Belgians had a twelve man team unlike everyone else who only started with six. So the Belgian leader was stripped of his jersey, which of course made the Belgians very made. This made the last stage of this tough race the hardest race I have ever done. I was only able to hold on to the lead pack for two laps, I was dropped on the climbs, which I have to say I did not believe could happen so hard or so fast. Once I let a gap open I could not recover. The pace that the Belgians were driving was incredible, guys were just dropping out on the side of the road. Once I was dropped I went to survival mode and focused solely on getting up the remaining climbs and reaching the finishing line. I teamed up with two riders from the team Cube and we held a strong pace to the finish. They were the highest placed riders on the road from their team so their team car followed us for the remaining two laps. They attacked me like crazy by the beckoning of their manager on the climbs. But I had to save some of my pride and make sure I didn’t get dropped. I stayed with them and we finished together. Completely exhausted, I rode to the van, put some clothes on, drank a Pepsi and got in the car for the long drive home….
Carter finished in a chase group ahead of me, we were the only two riders from our team to finish the stage.
Reflection…
Well I imagined my first European stage race to go a lot different. I had imagined glory, but I only got a rude awakening, along with bruised knees, hips, shoulders, broken shoes, cracks on my helmet, and torn clothing. I have learned a lot though, and that was really the main purpose of this race- to learn and begin to understand European racing. It is tough and fast, there is little mercy shown by anyone, and you have to race flawless to be there at the end. In America you can make twenty mistakes and still win the race, over here you have to be perfect or you will be off the back.
A Better Appreciation for America (and California)…
The racing in Europe is pure, fast and aggressive, everything you could hope for. But it is different over here, especially in the Czech. The food, the boarding, the people and the weather (I swear there is a permanent cloud that hangs over that country) are all different. The countries are beautiful, but I am now beginning to realize how great California is. I would actually say that California has more natural beauty than the countries that I have seen so far. We take for granted the grandness of our home. The freedoms we have in America are not shared throughout the world and I am finally beginning to realize this. The Czech Republic was a shock to see how people live, and how they eat. I now have a slight understanding as to why people throughout the world are “hostile” or even jealous towards America. It comes down to the narrowness of an American citizen’s vision, few Americans can understand how different their life would be if they did not have the freedoms they hold. I am enjoying my trips throughout Europe to their fullest, and I am very grateful for all that has been given to me, but for those of you that are reading this back home remember that you are very lucky to live where you do.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Found a New Weight Loss Program....
Instead of watching your diet, or buying weight lose pills, just come over to Europe and you are guranteed to lose weight. I have been over here for four days and I have lost five pounds, getting down to the race weight. The food here has been great. I usually make scrambled eggs in the morning, sandwiches at lunch, and then a feast (provided by Ells- like tonight's dinner was: spagetti, ham, tuna, salad, tomatoes, and stir fry) at dinner. There is always something to eat.... keeping me very happy. Today was an easy day, I rode with the team for about an hour and a half, and then I took off and rode by myself for another hour. I went and checked the town and the surounding towns. I would tell you the names, but i can't pronounce the names let alone spell them. The small narrow streets are cool to ride through, and the scenery is pretty sweet, a bit of a relief from the oil fields and smog encompassed mountains (although you can't complain too much about Bako, the Sierras aren't bad). The weather has been great, knock on wood, and I hope it stays that way. Unfortunately, rain is expected in the czech in the first couple days of the race, so that should make things interesting.
So this next week: We drive to the czech tomorrow, which is an all day trip. On Tuesday we spin out our legs and get ready for our first taste of European stage racing. The race starts Wed. and goes through Sun. There is a TT and road race on Thur. so there is six stages total. No big climbs in this race, there are a couple 3k and 5k climbs that should reak havok on the pelaton. We are bringing six members to this race, and I think fewer teams can enter as opposed to the race on Saturday, so perhaps there will be a smaller and more managable field. Noel (the director) srongly suggested that we leave our computers at the house since we are going to an "eastern" country. Apparently theft is a big problem, so I opted to leave my computer in Belgium to be on the safe side. So there probably won't be any news on the race until sunday, unless I can get my hands on a computer.
Thanks for reading, and I will try and get updates to you asap.
So this next week: We drive to the czech tomorrow, which is an all day trip. On Tuesday we spin out our legs and get ready for our first taste of European stage racing. The race starts Wed. and goes through Sun. There is a TT and road race on Thur. so there is six stages total. No big climbs in this race, there are a couple 3k and 5k climbs that should reak havok on the pelaton. We are bringing six members to this race, and I think fewer teams can enter as opposed to the race on Saturday, so perhaps there will be a smaller and more managable field. Noel (the director) srongly suggested that we leave our computers at the house since we are going to an "eastern" country. Apparently theft is a big problem, so I opted to leave my computer in Belgium to be on the safe side. So there probably won't be any news on the race until sunday, unless I can get my hands on a computer.
Thanks for reading, and I will try and get updates to you asap.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
So The Rumors Are True......
Yes, racing in Europe is fast, very fast. Todays race was in a town a couple miles south and consisted of eight loops that totaled 79 miles. Upon arrival to the "pre race area" I was amazed to see all the team cars, it looked like we were at a pro race. The riders even had a special area to change, put their numbers on and do all the other pre race stuff. i have to say it was pretty cool. Once we had all of our gear together, we got our bikes from the mechanics (numbered, tires pumped up, and ready to go) we went and did a short spin to test the wind (there was a really strong wind blowing in from the north) and loosen the legs. We signed in and waited for the start area to open....
We actually got really good starting position, i think the whole team (five of us today) were positioned in the top twenty( there were 185 riders in the race, the biggest race I have ever been in). The motorcycle took out the red "neutral" flag and the race was on. However, the neutral section was anything but that. Riders quickly rushed past us using every means possible: the gutters, the sidewalks,, cutting corners, anything that would gain them a few spots. This is where I made my first "newbe" mistake, I let too many riders past me. Anyway, the motorcycle finally took out the green start flag and the race was officially on. The pace quickened and even more riders past me. By the time we reached the cobbled climb I was pretty much at the back. The climb was cool (even though it was really short) but instead of everyone fighting for he six inch wide gutter (barriers were in the way) everyone just plowed into the cobbles. The noise of all those riders on the cobbles was pretty deafening. Carbon rims were crunching and aluminum wheels were bouncing all around. The first lap finish had no real drama, besides a crash that happened right in front of me and was the main reason I was in the back. The second lap was far less fortunate for me. I noticed that my seat kept getting lower and lower with each rough section of the road. I decided to think nothing of it because to stop and fix it surely meant the end of my day. By the time the third lap came around, my knees were almost hitting my chest and I decided to stop. I dropped back to the follow cars, and found our team car. Our mechanic doesn't speak the best english so the repair took a little longer than was probably necessary, but oh well. He pushed me off and I began drafting the cars, trying to make my way back to the field. I discovered leap frogging cars was incredible difficult. You think drafting cars would be easy, but its not, trust me. The effort quickly became similar to an all out TT. i would pass some cars, and then the pace of the field would quicken and the cars would pass me back, this happened over and over. After about a lap I finally made it through all the cars (there were forty total cars and I have no idea how many I had to pass- too many) and finally attached myself to the back of the pack. The legs were shot though, and of course i got back on right before the climb, which was the icing on the cake, it was everything I had to stay in contact with the rider in front of me. The next two laps I was the last rider in the pack, and i was just trying to recover and take in some food. By the time the sixth lap came around, i thought enough was enough and decided to make my way to the front. It took me about 5 kilometers to get up with the leaders. I did a couple of attacks with some other guys, which didn't work out, and then the pace suddenly slowed so I was swarmed again, and before I knew it I was at the back again, although the pack was quite a bit smaller. The seventh lap was incredible fast and guys were being shed like crazy. The wind forced us into the gutter, which was kind of sketchy in some areas because after the side of the road there was usually a steep irrigation trench. The eighth and final lap came around and everything slowed down. The pack swelled and riders were taking up every inch of space, sidewalks included- making moving up nearly impossible. This was the most frustrating part of the race because your position from 10k's out was the position you finished in because you just couldn't move up. So I ended up finishing somewhere in the peloton.
I ended up being the only guy to finish from our team and probably only half the guys who started finshed. This was a good learning day though. I discovered you have to do everything possible to move up and stay in the front, even if it means risking crashing, or using the sidewalks, or what ever. The Euros race fast, but they are not invincible. Everyone was tired by the end, so I can't wait to see what some real climbs will do to the field. I could have done better today if I had raced a bit smarter and didn't have the mechanical, but at least I learned quite a bit. Our next race is on Tuesday down in the Cezch Rep. and it is supposed to be one of the hardest, if not the hardest junior stage race in Europe. So easy ride tomorrow, and a long drive on Monday.
We actually got really good starting position, i think the whole team (five of us today) were positioned in the top twenty( there were 185 riders in the race, the biggest race I have ever been in). The motorcycle took out the red "neutral" flag and the race was on. However, the neutral section was anything but that. Riders quickly rushed past us using every means possible: the gutters, the sidewalks,, cutting corners, anything that would gain them a few spots. This is where I made my first "newbe" mistake, I let too many riders past me. Anyway, the motorcycle finally took out the green start flag and the race was officially on. The pace quickened and even more riders past me. By the time we reached the cobbled climb I was pretty much at the back. The climb was cool (even though it was really short) but instead of everyone fighting for he six inch wide gutter (barriers were in the way) everyone just plowed into the cobbles. The noise of all those riders on the cobbles was pretty deafening. Carbon rims were crunching and aluminum wheels were bouncing all around. The first lap finish had no real drama, besides a crash that happened right in front of me and was the main reason I was in the back. The second lap was far less fortunate for me. I noticed that my seat kept getting lower and lower with each rough section of the road. I decided to think nothing of it because to stop and fix it surely meant the end of my day. By the time the third lap came around, my knees were almost hitting my chest and I decided to stop. I dropped back to the follow cars, and found our team car. Our mechanic doesn't speak the best english so the repair took a little longer than was probably necessary, but oh well. He pushed me off and I began drafting the cars, trying to make my way back to the field. I discovered leap frogging cars was incredible difficult. You think drafting cars would be easy, but its not, trust me. The effort quickly became similar to an all out TT. i would pass some cars, and then the pace of the field would quicken and the cars would pass me back, this happened over and over. After about a lap I finally made it through all the cars (there were forty total cars and I have no idea how many I had to pass- too many) and finally attached myself to the back of the pack. The legs were shot though, and of course i got back on right before the climb, which was the icing on the cake, it was everything I had to stay in contact with the rider in front of me. The next two laps I was the last rider in the pack, and i was just trying to recover and take in some food. By the time the sixth lap came around, i thought enough was enough and decided to make my way to the front. It took me about 5 kilometers to get up with the leaders. I did a couple of attacks with some other guys, which didn't work out, and then the pace suddenly slowed so I was swarmed again, and before I knew it I was at the back again, although the pack was quite a bit smaller. The seventh lap was incredible fast and guys were being shed like crazy. The wind forced us into the gutter, which was kind of sketchy in some areas because after the side of the road there was usually a steep irrigation trench. The eighth and final lap came around and everything slowed down. The pack swelled and riders were taking up every inch of space, sidewalks included- making moving up nearly impossible. This was the most frustrating part of the race because your position from 10k's out was the position you finished in because you just couldn't move up. So I ended up finishing somewhere in the peloton.
I ended up being the only guy to finish from our team and probably only half the guys who started finshed. This was a good learning day though. I discovered you have to do everything possible to move up and stay in the front, even if it means risking crashing, or using the sidewalks, or what ever. The Euros race fast, but they are not invincible. Everyone was tired by the end, so I can't wait to see what some real climbs will do to the field. I could have done better today if I had raced a bit smarter and didn't have the mechanical, but at least I learned quite a bit. Our next race is on Tuesday down in the Cezch Rep. and it is supposed to be one of the hardest, if not the hardest junior stage race in Europe. So easy ride tomorrow, and a long drive on Monday.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Died and Went to Heaven
I have finally arrived in Belgium! The plane flight was pretty horrid. Just about every plane connection had a problem or was cancelled all together I woke up at 3:45 am on Wed. and got to the house in Izegem at 6:30 pm Thur. night. So that would be the "death" part from the title of this blog. But Belgium is heaven.....
The house is pretty cool. It is pretty much geared to cyclists every demand. The beds are comfortable and there are plenty of showers and bathrooms for all. The riders themselves make breakfast and lunch. And then Noel's wife (Ells i believe- haven't met her yet) makes dinner.
I got my bike all set up last night, and rode easy on a trainer for about an hour. Today I actually hit the roads of Belgium, and they are pretty interesting. The roads are narrow and the bike paths on the sides of the roads are basically the side walks, but the cars here don't seem to go as fast as the cars back home so its not too bad. We pre-rode the race course for tomorrow this morning. The course consists of eight loops and I think it will be about 130 km of racing.There is a "cobbled" climb in the middle of the loop so I got my first taste of riding on the cobbles, and they are definetly pretty rough. Everyone is going to be fighting for a six inch wide gutter on the right side of the road which is the only smooth line up the climb. The corners for tomorrow's race are really slick and oily (one of the riders went down today on one of the corners) so there will be plenty of crashes. Add the constant wind that blows in from the coast and we should have one hell of a day tomorrow. I can't wait though, I am so stoked to get in there and mix it up....
I actually get a rub down from a massager, but its not the bomb shell belgian or swiss girl i was hopeing for, its a guy from US Cycling..... but hey you won't here me complaining
(I am pretty sure there are a couple of errors in spelling but bear with it because the blog website is in German while I am over here, so it is tough navigating this website to update it and put pictures on it)
The house is pretty cool. It is pretty much geared to cyclists every demand. The beds are comfortable and there are plenty of showers and bathrooms for all. The riders themselves make breakfast and lunch. And then Noel's wife (Ells i believe- haven't met her yet) makes dinner.
I got my bike all set up last night, and rode easy on a trainer for about an hour. Today I actually hit the roads of Belgium, and they are pretty interesting. The roads are narrow and the bike paths on the sides of the roads are basically the side walks, but the cars here don't seem to go as fast as the cars back home so its not too bad. We pre-rode the race course for tomorrow this morning. The course consists of eight loops and I think it will be about 130 km of racing.There is a "cobbled" climb in the middle of the loop so I got my first taste of riding on the cobbles, and they are definetly pretty rough. Everyone is going to be fighting for a six inch wide gutter on the right side of the road which is the only smooth line up the climb. The corners for tomorrow's race are really slick and oily (one of the riders went down today on one of the corners) so there will be plenty of crashes. Add the constant wind that blows in from the coast and we should have one hell of a day tomorrow. I can't wait though, I am so stoked to get in there and mix it up....
I actually get a rub down from a massager, but its not the bomb shell belgian or swiss girl i was hopeing for, its a guy from US Cycling..... but hey you won't here me complaining
(I am pretty sure there are a couple of errors in spelling but bear with it because the blog website is in German while I am over here, so it is tough navigating this website to update it and put pictures on it)
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