We just got back from Switzerland, and now I have to pack up all my bags for a flight to London, where I will be staying for the next week. The race started out really well with the team finishing second in the team time trial. It was awesome standing on the podium. The second day went downhill very quickly. I was sick from food poisoning and lost a lot of time on the climbs. I just felt horrible the entire day. The third day was a little better, except instead of being sick, I had horrible luck. My pedal fell off and I had to chase back on. Then our highest placed GC rider crashed, so I had to bring him back up. Then I teamed up with a couple of Spainards to chase a break away down, only to have the course marshals lead us off course. So I finished off the back of the pack again. We had a TT later that day, and it went ok. My legs were pretty smashed after the previous day's effort to just stay in the race. On the final day, I finally had good luck and good health on my side. I was able to help out the "team leader" (since I wasn't in contention for the win, I helped out Taylor Phiney as much as I could). I patrolled the front the entire day: covering breaks, and making sure nothing got away without Taylor in it. Unfortunately, taylor wasn't having a very good day, so it became even more important to keep the field together. After three climbs, the front group was reduced to about 45 riders from the 115 that started the day. It came down to a sprint, and after making sure Taylor got to the front, I crossed the line in 19th. The over all race should have gone a lot better. It is dissapointing to start in such a good spot after the prologue, and then lose it all on the next day.
I will try and write a more detailed summary of our trip in Switzerland if I can find some internet in London, but now i have to get back to packing...
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Monday, June 4, 2007
Dialed...
This weekend we competed in a race called Tour de Condroz. The race was located on the border of Belgium and Luxembourg. Cobbled streets were switched out for rolling hills, a nice change for the Americans. The weather was actually hot, and pretty humid, making the air nice and thick in the wooded sections of the race. The course consisted of one big 92k loop, and then five 5k finishing circuits. This is one of the first races that we went into with a solid plan, the rest of the races were planned out as the race went on. The plan for this race was: I had the job of covering attacks/ going with attacks for the first 60k of the race. It was my job to cover the “major players” and make sure that no brakes with five or more people got away (unless I was in it). After the first 60K, this job fell into the hands of Danny Summerhill. Danny and I were supposed to protect Taylor Phiney and David Talbott. These two riders were determined to have the most suited abilities for this race. Nick Bax had free roam since this was his first European race.
The race started out as planned. I went to the front and began covering moves, making sure that nothing of importance went off the front. This worked out for about 10k, and then the “plan” basically went out the window. It started with a downhill where I lost a couple of positions and was positioned in about fifteenth by the bottom. We then hit a hard left hand turn onto an uphill. The kid in front of me stood up to sprint on the uphill and accidentally unclipped from his pedal. I had to brake, and guys immediately rushed past me. A hard attack went off the front, putting about fifteen guys up the road. I wasn’t in a position to counter this attack or help bring it back. I looked up though, and saw David Talbott in the break. I became relieved that I hadn’t let the “winning” break go without American representation. I made my way up to the front, only to look up at the break and see David popped off the back of it with a couple other riders. I didn’t quit understand why he would drop back to the field, nonetheless I continued up to the front to talk to Danny and to see how he wanted to go about brining this break back. Surprisingly, he told me that Taylor was also in the break. This was good news. The responsibility of bringing the break back was no longer ours. I quickly went from trying to get into a break, to making sure that no breaks got away. I basically had a free ride to the finish line now, all I had to do was follow the wheels, preventing a solid chase effort from forming. About 15k later, David came up to me and told me that he thought he had pulled a muscle. He was going to be needed in the upcoming Switzerland race, so he didn’t want to risk hurting his leg even more. He pulled out soon after talking to me. The next 65k was pretty uneventful. Danny and I patrolled the front, making sure no breaks got away, and tried to control the tempo as much as possible. The terrain was really cool during this section of the course. Thick forests covered both sides of the roads and, occasionally, a wall of trees formed above us. Then, suddenly the trees would end and we would enter a section of patchwork farms or low grass, before plunging back into the forests. Attacks were constant on the hills, but I didn’t mind. The hills were a welcomed change from the narrow cobbled roads. Once the race hit the finishing circuits, all hell broke loose. We were warned that the finishing circuits were going to be hard and fast, but I almost enjoyed them, and I think Danny did too. The circuits were within a small town, with the finish on the crest of a hill. We entered the circuits at the finish line, and then stormed the downhill into a tight left hand turn. We then looped back up and started climbing again traveling to the opposite side of town as the finish line. We took a hard left and followed a false flat to a “combo left-right” turn that took us back to the finish line. I hovered around the 20th position in the field on the first two laps watching Danny, who was attempting to go off the front. He managed to get into a small break and open up a good enough lead so that he was “a corner” in front of the field. On the third lap I easily moved in to the top five by taking the right lines on the corner (something the Euros just can’t seem to do). I took the descent (on the fourth lap) pretty fast and made my move on the climb. I opened up a good size lead with two riders bridging up to me. We rotated through and managed to put the field “out of sight.” I caught the team cars (covering the initial break that went away 10k’s into the race), and quickly caught sight of Danny’s group. The last lap came around and I could see Danny. I pushed up the climb, and hit the corners as hard and as fast as I could. Ask any cyclist that races and they will tell you that the last 20 meters are the hardest meters to close when bridging up to break. You are so close to accomplishing your goal, but the guys in front of you try as hard as they can to prevent you from closing those last few meters. I came up to the last left hand turn, laid the bike over and sprinted out of the corner and finally caught the wheel of the last guy in their break. I looked up and saw two national team jerseys. I quickly realized that this was probably the lead group on the road. At this point I had two options: with one right hand corner and then the finish line I could sit in the group and sprint it out or I could go to the front and lead Danny out. I opted to help the team (since I am not that great of a sprinter), and went straight to the front and lead Danny into the final corner. Somehow this worked out perfectly: I took the corner a little tighter than Danny, swinging him in front of me. I then cut back into outside of the corner, taking the rest of the group into the curb. This gave Danny plenty of time to start sprinting and finish first from our group. Taylor came around me as well, along with a bunch of other guys. My legs were pretty spent, and I just pedaled my away across the finish.
I was later told there were riders that finished in front of us, so Danny ended up finishing 9th, Taylor finished 11th, and I finished 17th. Three riders in the top twenty isn’t bad, good enough for third in the team competition. Plus Taylor won a couple of the KOM sprints while in the break. So overall it wasn’t a bad day.
We leave for Switzerland on Wednesday, for what will be my last race in Europe. The race is a four day stage race with five stages. The opening prologue is on Thursday with a team time trial. Friday we have a road race. Saturday morning there is a road race, and then an individual TT in the afternoon. Sunday finishes up with another road race. If everyone is healthy we should do very well. I am told that we are staying in army barracks and that there will be no internet. I will bring my computer and try to “steal” some internet to keep everyone back home posted, but I can’t make any promises. The internet at the team house has been extremely slow, making it virtual impossible to check email or update the blog.
The race started out as planned. I went to the front and began covering moves, making sure that nothing of importance went off the front. This worked out for about 10k, and then the “plan” basically went out the window. It started with a downhill where I lost a couple of positions and was positioned in about fifteenth by the bottom. We then hit a hard left hand turn onto an uphill. The kid in front of me stood up to sprint on the uphill and accidentally unclipped from his pedal. I had to brake, and guys immediately rushed past me. A hard attack went off the front, putting about fifteen guys up the road. I wasn’t in a position to counter this attack or help bring it back. I looked up though, and saw David Talbott in the break. I became relieved that I hadn’t let the “winning” break go without American representation. I made my way up to the front, only to look up at the break and see David popped off the back of it with a couple other riders. I didn’t quit understand why he would drop back to the field, nonetheless I continued up to the front to talk to Danny and to see how he wanted to go about brining this break back. Surprisingly, he told me that Taylor was also in the break. This was good news. The responsibility of bringing the break back was no longer ours. I quickly went from trying to get into a break, to making sure that no breaks got away. I basically had a free ride to the finish line now, all I had to do was follow the wheels, preventing a solid chase effort from forming. About 15k later, David came up to me and told me that he thought he had pulled a muscle. He was going to be needed in the upcoming Switzerland race, so he didn’t want to risk hurting his leg even more. He pulled out soon after talking to me. The next 65k was pretty uneventful. Danny and I patrolled the front, making sure no breaks got away, and tried to control the tempo as much as possible. The terrain was really cool during this section of the course. Thick forests covered both sides of the roads and, occasionally, a wall of trees formed above us. Then, suddenly the trees would end and we would enter a section of patchwork farms or low grass, before plunging back into the forests. Attacks were constant on the hills, but I didn’t mind. The hills were a welcomed change from the narrow cobbled roads. Once the race hit the finishing circuits, all hell broke loose. We were warned that the finishing circuits were going to be hard and fast, but I almost enjoyed them, and I think Danny did too. The circuits were within a small town, with the finish on the crest of a hill. We entered the circuits at the finish line, and then stormed the downhill into a tight left hand turn. We then looped back up and started climbing again traveling to the opposite side of town as the finish line. We took a hard left and followed a false flat to a “combo left-right” turn that took us back to the finish line. I hovered around the 20th position in the field on the first two laps watching Danny, who was attempting to go off the front. He managed to get into a small break and open up a good enough lead so that he was “a corner” in front of the field. On the third lap I easily moved in to the top five by taking the right lines on the corner (something the Euros just can’t seem to do). I took the descent (on the fourth lap) pretty fast and made my move on the climb. I opened up a good size lead with two riders bridging up to me. We rotated through and managed to put the field “out of sight.” I caught the team cars (covering the initial break that went away 10k’s into the race), and quickly caught sight of Danny’s group. The last lap came around and I could see Danny. I pushed up the climb, and hit the corners as hard and as fast as I could. Ask any cyclist that races and they will tell you that the last 20 meters are the hardest meters to close when bridging up to break. You are so close to accomplishing your goal, but the guys in front of you try as hard as they can to prevent you from closing those last few meters. I came up to the last left hand turn, laid the bike over and sprinted out of the corner and finally caught the wheel of the last guy in their break. I looked up and saw two national team jerseys. I quickly realized that this was probably the lead group on the road. At this point I had two options: with one right hand corner and then the finish line I could sit in the group and sprint it out or I could go to the front and lead Danny out. I opted to help the team (since I am not that great of a sprinter), and went straight to the front and lead Danny into the final corner. Somehow this worked out perfectly: I took the corner a little tighter than Danny, swinging him in front of me. I then cut back into outside of the corner, taking the rest of the group into the curb. This gave Danny plenty of time to start sprinting and finish first from our group. Taylor came around me as well, along with a bunch of other guys. My legs were pretty spent, and I just pedaled my away across the finish.
I was later told there were riders that finished in front of us, so Danny ended up finishing 9th, Taylor finished 11th, and I finished 17th. Three riders in the top twenty isn’t bad, good enough for third in the team competition. Plus Taylor won a couple of the KOM sprints while in the break. So overall it wasn’t a bad day.
We leave for Switzerland on Wednesday, for what will be my last race in Europe. The race is a four day stage race with five stages. The opening prologue is on Thursday with a team time trial. Friday we have a road race. Saturday morning there is a road race, and then an individual TT in the afternoon. Sunday finishes up with another road race. If everyone is healthy we should do very well. I am told that we are staying in army barracks and that there will be no internet. I will bring my computer and try to “steal” some internet to keep everyone back home posted, but I can’t make any promises. The internet at the team house has been extremely slow, making it virtual impossible to check email or update the blog.
Dialed...
This weekend we competed in a race called Tour de Condroz. The race was located on the border of Belgium and Luxembourg. Cobbled streets were switched out for rolling hills, a nice change for the Americans. The weather was actually hot, and pretty humid, making the air nice and thick in the wooded sections of the race. The course consisted of one big 92k loop, and then five 5k finishing circuits. This is one of the first races that we went into with a solid plan, the rest of the races were planned out as the race went on. The plan for this race was: I had the job of covering attacks/ going with attacks for the first 60k of the race. It was my job to cover the “major players” and make sure that no brakes with five or more people got away (unless I was in it). After the first 60K, this job fell into the hands of Danny Summerhill. Danny and I were supposed to protect Taylor Phiney and David Talbott. These two riders were determined to have the most suited abilities for this race. Nick Bax had free roam since this was his first European race.
The race started out as planned. I went to the front and began covering moves, making sure that nothing of importance went off the front. This worked out for about 10k, and then the “plan” basically went out the window. It started with a downhill where I lost a couple of positions and was positioned in about fifteenth by the bottom. We then hit a hard left hand turn onto an uphill. The kid in front of me stood up to sprint on the uphill and accidentally unclipped from his pedal. I had to brake, and guys immediately rushed past me. A hard attack went off the front, putting about fifteen guys up the road. I wasn’t in a position to counter this attack or help bring it back. I looked up though, and saw David Talbott in the break. I became relieved that I hadn’t let the “winning” break go without American representation. I made my way up to the front, only to look up at the break and see David popped off the back of it with a couple other riders. I didn’t quit understand why he would drop back to the field, nonetheless I continued up to the front to talk to Danny and to see how he wanted to go about brining this break back. Surprisingly, he told me that Taylor was also in the break. This was good news. The responsibility of bringing the break back was no longer ours. I quickly went from trying to get into a break, to making sure that no breaks got away. I basically had a free ride to the finish line now, all I had to do was follow the wheels, preventing a solid chase effort from forming. About 15k later, David came up to me and told me that he thought he had pulled a muscle. He was going to be needed in the upcoming Switzerland race, so he didn’t want to risk hurting his leg even more. He pulled out soon after talking to me. The next 65k was pretty uneventful. Danny and I patrolled the front, making sure no breaks got away, and tried to control the tempo as much as possible. The terrain was really cool during this section of the course. Thick forests covered both sides of the roads and, occasionally, a wall of trees formed above us. Then, suddenly the trees would end and we would enter a section of patchwork farms or low grass, before plunging back into the forests. Attacks were constant on the hills, but I didn’t mind. The hills were a welcomed change from the narrow cobbled roads. Once the race hit the finishing circuits, all hell broke loose. We were warned that the finishing circuits were going to be hard and fast, but I almost enjoyed them, and I think Danny did too. The circuits were within a small town, with the finish on the crest of a hill. We entered the circuits at the finish line, and then stormed the downhill into a tight left hand turn. We then looped back up and started climbing again traveling to the opposite side of town as the finish line. We took a hard left and followed a false flat to a “combo left-right” turn that took us back to the finish line. I hovered around the 20th position in the field on the first two laps watching Danny, who was attempting to go off the front. He managed to get into a small break and open up a good enough lead so that he was “a corner” in front of the field. On the third lap I easily moved in to the top five by taking the right lines on the corner (something the Euros just can’t seem to do). I took the descent (on the fourth lap) pretty fast and made my move on the climb. I opened up a good size lead with two riders bridging up to me. We rotated through and managed to put the field “out of sight.” I caught the team cars (covering the initial break that went away 10k’s into the race), and quickly caught sight of Danny’s group. The last lap came around and I could see Danny. I pushed up the climb, and hit the corners as hard and as fast as I could. Ask any cyclist that races and they will tell you that the last 20 meters are the hardest meters to close when bridging up to break. You are so close to accomplishing your goal, but the guys in front of you try as hard as they can to prevent you from closing those last few meters. I came up to the last left hand turn, laid the bike over and sprinted out of the corner and finally caught the wheel of the last guy in their break. I looked up and saw two national team jerseys. I quickly realized that this was probably the lead group on the road. At this point I had two options: with one right hand corner and then the finish line I could sit in the group and sprint it out or I could go to the front and lead Danny out. I opted to help the team (since I am not that great of a sprinter), and went straight to the front and lead Danny into the final corner. Somehow this worked out perfectly: I took the corner a little tighter than Danny, swinging him in front of me. I then cut back into outside of the corner, taking the rest of the group into the curb. This gave Danny plenty of time to start sprinting and finish first from our group. Taylor came around me as well, along with a bunch of other guys. My legs were pretty spent, and I just pedaled my away across the finish.
I was later told there were riders that finished in front of us, so Danny ended up finishing 9th, Taylor finished 11th, and I finished 17th. Three riders in the top twenty isn’t bad, good enough for third in the team competition. Plus Taylor won a couple of the KOM sprints while in the break. So overall it wasn’t a bad day.
We leave for Switzerland on Wednesday, for what will be my last race in Europe. The race is a four day stage race with five stages. The opening prologue is on Thursday with a team time trial. Friday we have a road race. Saturday morning there is a road race, and then an individual TT in the afternoon. Sunday finishes up with another road race. If everyone is healthy we should do very well. I am told that we are staying in army barracks and that there will be no internet. I will bring my computer and try to “steal” some internet to keep everyone back home posted, but I can’t make any promises. The internet at the team house has been extremely slow, making it virtual impossible to check email or update the blog.
The race started out as planned. I went to the front and began covering moves, making sure that nothing of importance went off the front. This worked out for about 10k, and then the “plan” basically went out the window. It started with a downhill where I lost a couple of positions and was positioned in about fifteenth by the bottom. We then hit a hard left hand turn onto an uphill. The kid in front of me stood up to sprint on the uphill and accidentally unclipped from his pedal. I had to brake, and guys immediately rushed past me. A hard attack went off the front, putting about fifteen guys up the road. I wasn’t in a position to counter this attack or help bring it back. I looked up though, and saw David Talbott in the break. I became relieved that I hadn’t let the “winning” break go without American representation. I made my way up to the front, only to look up at the break and see David popped off the back of it with a couple other riders. I didn’t quit understand why he would drop back to the field, nonetheless I continued up to the front to talk to Danny and to see how he wanted to go about brining this break back. Surprisingly, he told me that Taylor was also in the break. This was good news. The responsibility of bringing the break back was no longer ours. I quickly went from trying to get into a break, to making sure that no breaks got away. I basically had a free ride to the finish line now, all I had to do was follow the wheels, preventing a solid chase effort from forming. About 15k later, David came up to me and told me that he thought he had pulled a muscle. He was going to be needed in the upcoming Switzerland race, so he didn’t want to risk hurting his leg even more. He pulled out soon after talking to me. The next 65k was pretty uneventful. Danny and I patrolled the front, making sure no breaks got away, and tried to control the tempo as much as possible. The terrain was really cool during this section of the course. Thick forests covered both sides of the roads and, occasionally, a wall of trees formed above us. Then, suddenly the trees would end and we would enter a section of patchwork farms or low grass, before plunging back into the forests. Attacks were constant on the hills, but I didn’t mind. The hills were a welcomed change from the narrow cobbled roads. Once the race hit the finishing circuits, all hell broke loose. We were warned that the finishing circuits were going to be hard and fast, but I almost enjoyed them, and I think Danny did too. The circuits were within a small town, with the finish on the crest of a hill. We entered the circuits at the finish line, and then stormed the downhill into a tight left hand turn. We then looped back up and started climbing again traveling to the opposite side of town as the finish line. We took a hard left and followed a false flat to a “combo left-right” turn that took us back to the finish line. I hovered around the 20th position in the field on the first two laps watching Danny, who was attempting to go off the front. He managed to get into a small break and open up a good enough lead so that he was “a corner” in front of the field. On the third lap I easily moved in to the top five by taking the right lines on the corner (something the Euros just can’t seem to do). I took the descent (on the fourth lap) pretty fast and made my move on the climb. I opened up a good size lead with two riders bridging up to me. We rotated through and managed to put the field “out of sight.” I caught the team cars (covering the initial break that went away 10k’s into the race), and quickly caught sight of Danny’s group. The last lap came around and I could see Danny. I pushed up the climb, and hit the corners as hard and as fast as I could. Ask any cyclist that races and they will tell you that the last 20 meters are the hardest meters to close when bridging up to break. You are so close to accomplishing your goal, but the guys in front of you try as hard as they can to prevent you from closing those last few meters. I came up to the last left hand turn, laid the bike over and sprinted out of the corner and finally caught the wheel of the last guy in their break. I looked up and saw two national team jerseys. I quickly realized that this was probably the lead group on the road. At this point I had two options: with one right hand corner and then the finish line I could sit in the group and sprint it out or I could go to the front and lead Danny out. I opted to help the team (since I am not that great of a sprinter), and went straight to the front and lead Danny into the final corner. Somehow this worked out perfectly: I took the corner a little tighter than Danny, swinging him in front of me. I then cut back into outside of the corner, taking the rest of the group into the curb. This gave Danny plenty of time to start sprinting and finish first from our group. Taylor came around me as well, along with a bunch of other guys. My legs were pretty spent, and I just pedaled my away across the finish.
I was later told there were riders that finished in front of us, so Danny ended up finishing 9th, Taylor finished 11th, and I finished 17th. Three riders in the top twenty isn’t bad, good enough for third in the team competition. Plus Taylor won a couple of the KOM sprints while in the break. So overall it wasn’t a bad day.
We leave for Switzerland on Wednesday, for what will be my last race in Europe. The race is a four day stage race with five stages. The opening prologue is on Thursday with a team time trial. Friday we have a road race. Saturday morning there is a road race, and then an individual TT in the afternoon. Sunday finishes up with another road race. If everyone is healthy we should do very well. I am told that we are staying in army barracks and that there will be no internet. I will bring my computer and try to “steal” some internet to keep everyone back home posted, but I can’t make any promises. The internet at the team house has been extremely slow, making it virtual impossible to check email or update the blog.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
What Parents Can Do....
This past weekend we competed in a race called Ronde van de Vlaamse Ardennen. This race was a three day stage race in the Ardenn section of Belgium. This race was nice because each start was only an hour away from Izegem, so we were able to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the team house. Plus, my parents, and sister, flew in last Friday, so they were able to watch the race. It was great to have a couple people cheering for team USA. There are a lot of people that cheer for the riders in general, but very few actually yell “Go USA!”
Stage One: Michelbeke -This stage consisted of seven laps on 15k loop with the Berendries climb on the beginning of each loop. The climb was fairly short, about 600 meters, but it was pretty steep. This is the kind of climb that Belgians thrive on: steep enough to hurt people on, but short enough where raw power is the best and endurance and weight play no part. After the climb the course circled through a town with wide streets where the buildings protected the riders from the wind. A cobbled descent and some rolling hills took the riders back to the finish. The weather wasn’t bad, with only a few sprinkles coming on and off throughout the race.
I got a horrible starting position because they kept moving the starting line further and further back. I hung out in the back for the first couple laps to check out the course and find which lines were fastest around the corners. Europeans are horrible “cornerers.” Plain and simple, they just suck going around tight city corners. Instead of flowing and pedaling through corners, the Euros prefer to take horrible lines, slam on the brakes, and then sprint like crazy to regain their speed. So I have found it useful to take the inside line, hit it really hard, either take the curb (making sure not to clip the pedal) or hop on to the sidewalk. This enables you to pass a lot of riders, while getting the usually European yell or grunt. Yelling is a major part of the European peloton. Everything from grunts, cuss words, and screams, yelling is used to defend your position, advance your position, and point out the faults of other riders. When you are the one getting yelled at, you can usually ignore it, or (my favorite) give the “yeller” a smile. This infuriates them. Once you can put the yelling out of your head, it seizes to intimidate you and you can ride much more effectively in the pack. A couple of attacks began going off the front and the pace began to quicken. On the fourth lap, I made a concerted move up through the field, and by the time we peaked on the climb on the fifth lap, I was positioned in the front. The wide roads of the race (which suite American riders) made it easier to move up. I went with a couple of attacks, but nothing was really getting to far away. On the sixth time up the climb I followed some riders and we opened up a nice lead, however this attempt faltered when riders began to refuse to work. The pack regrouped and I began fighting to stay at the front. The seventh lap came around and at the top of the climb, a group of 11 riders managed to slip off the front with some helpful blocking provided by their team mates. The final run into the finish was crazy, filled with riders locking bars and hitting hips. This is a point in the race that I am still not used to. You can find this aggressiveness in America, but it is only between a couple of guys. Here, 70 guys are left fighting and shoving their way to the front of the field. A last minute attack to bridge to the breakaway took a couple more riders off the front, including one of my team mates. I moved to the front of the field and blocked to the best of my ability: braking ever so slightly, taking guys into the curb (which is pretty fun), and following counter attacks. The attack with my team mate failed and I was consumed by the pack. I ended up there, tied for 12th with 90 other riders.
We started the race with five riders. One rider crashed out, and two riders finished off the back, leaving two of us to finish in the field.
Stage Two: Erwetegem- The course consisted of ten laps on a 10.2k loop. This course was rolling, with no climbs, and much more vulnerable to winds. The roads were narrower, and a cobbled road took the racers to the finish. Overcast skies luckily provided no rain.
Another horrible starting position put me at the back of the pack, but I quickly made my way to the front because I knew the small roads would stretch the 140 rider pack, making it difficult, and much longer, to move up. Again, for the first couple laps, I just watched and learned where to ride to get the best lines around corners and around obstacles. The roads we race on are subject to rolling closure, so cars are required to pull to the side. This makes things difficult because on one lap you may find a stretch of road where you can swing to the edge of the road and make your way to the front. On the next lap, you could be coming around and have a truck or car greet you on your “pre planned move up section.” You have to be paying attention to everything: maintaining or advancing your position in the pack, watching for cars, watching for round-a-bouts and other obstacles, and especially crashes. So for the usually two hours and forty-five minutes it takes to complete the race, riders get very little if any time to rest. The only way to get rest, and I am quickly learning this, is to be very efficient and smart in the pack. The laps added up, and at some point a breakaway managed to get away and put a minute between themselves and the pack. Probably because I wasn’t paying enough attention, or because the announcer only speaks Flemish, but I was not aware that there was a break up the road. We were told by our director that the race would blow apart on the third stage, so I was saving myself for the next day. The break managed to stay away with some of the riders putting 45 seconds more on our team. I finished the loops with the pack.
We managed to finish three guys in the pack, with only one rider finishing off the back.
Stage Three: Opbrakel - The course consisted of four laps of a 10k loop and then five laps on a 15k loop. The 10k lap contained half of the major climb of the day, and then a long, fast downhill to the finish. The 15k loop dropped the riders to the bottom of the climb, then pushed them up a “tree tunnel climb” to the top and then down the same downhill as the 10k loop and back to the finish. This climb was about 2ks, but it wasn’t very steep. However, it suited American climbers much more than Belgian climbers. The weather was cool, but luckily the rain stayed away.
The team manager told us to get in the breaks today, so that is exactly what we did. The first four laps came by pretty quick, with a 10 man breakaway going up the road, containing one American rider. The fifth lap came around, and the break had a minute lead on the pack, and I was getting a little worried that I had missed the winning break. So I moved to the front and began going with some attacks. After a couple hard efforts I managed to find another rider to work with. This kid was strong enough to take the lead on the hills, and then I would pull through on the tops and the down hills. We were flying. A couple kids managed to grab our wheels, but I didn’t care, as long as this kid and I worked together we would reach the break in no time at all. It was great seeing the lead car, and then managing to get close enough to the break to have the Shimano car pull to the side so that we could complete our “bridge.” We now had a lead group of about 15 riders, with two Americans…. The race was looking pretty good. The guy who shared the work with me and I went to the front and began to lead the group up the climb. I had no problem leading the climb, and then got into a comfortable tuck for the downhill. We reached the corner of the course where it flattens out and begins to head back to the climb. I pulled through, and then no one was there. I looked back and saw everyone on my wheel. I don’t mind having one or two guys on my wheel, but 14, that was not going to work. I zigzagged on the road, and tried to get the guys to pull through and keep the rotation going. No one was really interested in working except for a couple of guys. Why they wouldn’t work, I don’t know, I truly think that if everyone pulled through, we could have held the lead and finished off the front. Unfortunately, the Shimano car began blaring its horn while trying to pass us, meaning that the peloton wasn’t far behind. We were at the base of the hill and I did a last ditch effort to stay off the front as a couple of riders from the pack came up to join to me. We powered over the climb, and then were joined by several other riders on the downhill. The peloton was basically on our heels as we turned around and headed back toward the climb. Attacks were going up the road and then back as we headed to the climb with three laps to go. I saw another of my team mates, David, go with one of the attacks. I watched to make sure that his group got up the road, and then bridged up to it. We hovered off the front until the base of the climb. David and I took the lead and powered up the climb, trying to cause as much “pain” as possible. I have to say it was pretty cool having two American riders lead the pack up the crowded climb. We brought the group over the top and then were consumed by the pack on the downhill. It was that this point that I realized how helpful the downhill was for the bigger guys. We could drop the larger riders on the climb, and bring the group down to about thirty riders, but those riders that were dropped could use the downhill to bridge back up. With two laps to go, everything was together, and I managed to stay at the front and continued to go with the attacks. Nothing proved successful, and with one lap to go I was back to fighting for a front position in the pack. The final downhill to the finish was absolute chaos. Bars and shoulders were hitting, guys were hopping onto bike paths, and shoving their way through the center and up the sides to the front. I maintained a good position until the final corner, when I was supposed to get up and sprint, but my legs refused. I ended up finishing in the middle of the pack. All I need was one second on the peloton to move up into the top fifteen. Instead I tied with 70 other riders.
Three of us finished race. I think the director was pretty happy with our performance, USA was represented in every attack.
My dad got to ride in the team car on this final day, and he was completely stoked. He had a great time, and apparently talked and asked a lot of questions. Our masseuse said that he was very excited. My mom and little sister were on the side of the road cheering on every lap. It was awesome having my family here to cheer for me. You never want to race badly in front of your parents, so I think I performed better this weekend because of them.
After these races, all the riders’ legs are dead. Everyone just wants to sit around and either watch TV or sleep. Crepes or waffles or chocolate are eaten as rewards for completing another race. The U-23 guys get to go down to the town square and drink some beers for celebrations. Juniors aren’t allowed that privilege, but next year…
Stage One: Michelbeke -This stage consisted of seven laps on 15k loop with the Berendries climb on the beginning of each loop. The climb was fairly short, about 600 meters, but it was pretty steep. This is the kind of climb that Belgians thrive on: steep enough to hurt people on, but short enough where raw power is the best and endurance and weight play no part. After the climb the course circled through a town with wide streets where the buildings protected the riders from the wind. A cobbled descent and some rolling hills took the riders back to the finish. The weather wasn’t bad, with only a few sprinkles coming on and off throughout the race.
I got a horrible starting position because they kept moving the starting line further and further back. I hung out in the back for the first couple laps to check out the course and find which lines were fastest around the corners. Europeans are horrible “cornerers.” Plain and simple, they just suck going around tight city corners. Instead of flowing and pedaling through corners, the Euros prefer to take horrible lines, slam on the brakes, and then sprint like crazy to regain their speed. So I have found it useful to take the inside line, hit it really hard, either take the curb (making sure not to clip the pedal) or hop on to the sidewalk. This enables you to pass a lot of riders, while getting the usually European yell or grunt. Yelling is a major part of the European peloton. Everything from grunts, cuss words, and screams, yelling is used to defend your position, advance your position, and point out the faults of other riders. When you are the one getting yelled at, you can usually ignore it, or (my favorite) give the “yeller” a smile. This infuriates them. Once you can put the yelling out of your head, it seizes to intimidate you and you can ride much more effectively in the pack. A couple of attacks began going off the front and the pace began to quicken. On the fourth lap, I made a concerted move up through the field, and by the time we peaked on the climb on the fifth lap, I was positioned in the front. The wide roads of the race (which suite American riders) made it easier to move up. I went with a couple of attacks, but nothing was really getting to far away. On the sixth time up the climb I followed some riders and we opened up a nice lead, however this attempt faltered when riders began to refuse to work. The pack regrouped and I began fighting to stay at the front. The seventh lap came around and at the top of the climb, a group of 11 riders managed to slip off the front with some helpful blocking provided by their team mates. The final run into the finish was crazy, filled with riders locking bars and hitting hips. This is a point in the race that I am still not used to. You can find this aggressiveness in America, but it is only between a couple of guys. Here, 70 guys are left fighting and shoving their way to the front of the field. A last minute attack to bridge to the breakaway took a couple more riders off the front, including one of my team mates. I moved to the front of the field and blocked to the best of my ability: braking ever so slightly, taking guys into the curb (which is pretty fun), and following counter attacks. The attack with my team mate failed and I was consumed by the pack. I ended up there, tied for 12th with 90 other riders.
We started the race with five riders. One rider crashed out, and two riders finished off the back, leaving two of us to finish in the field.
Stage Two: Erwetegem- The course consisted of ten laps on a 10.2k loop. This course was rolling, with no climbs, and much more vulnerable to winds. The roads were narrower, and a cobbled road took the racers to the finish. Overcast skies luckily provided no rain.
Another horrible starting position put me at the back of the pack, but I quickly made my way to the front because I knew the small roads would stretch the 140 rider pack, making it difficult, and much longer, to move up. Again, for the first couple laps, I just watched and learned where to ride to get the best lines around corners and around obstacles. The roads we race on are subject to rolling closure, so cars are required to pull to the side. This makes things difficult because on one lap you may find a stretch of road where you can swing to the edge of the road and make your way to the front. On the next lap, you could be coming around and have a truck or car greet you on your “pre planned move up section.” You have to be paying attention to everything: maintaining or advancing your position in the pack, watching for cars, watching for round-a-bouts and other obstacles, and especially crashes. So for the usually two hours and forty-five minutes it takes to complete the race, riders get very little if any time to rest. The only way to get rest, and I am quickly learning this, is to be very efficient and smart in the pack. The laps added up, and at some point a breakaway managed to get away and put a minute between themselves and the pack. Probably because I wasn’t paying enough attention, or because the announcer only speaks Flemish, but I was not aware that there was a break up the road. We were told by our director that the race would blow apart on the third stage, so I was saving myself for the next day. The break managed to stay away with some of the riders putting 45 seconds more on our team. I finished the loops with the pack.
We managed to finish three guys in the pack, with only one rider finishing off the back.
Stage Three: Opbrakel - The course consisted of four laps of a 10k loop and then five laps on a 15k loop. The 10k lap contained half of the major climb of the day, and then a long, fast downhill to the finish. The 15k loop dropped the riders to the bottom of the climb, then pushed them up a “tree tunnel climb” to the top and then down the same downhill as the 10k loop and back to the finish. This climb was about 2ks, but it wasn’t very steep. However, it suited American climbers much more than Belgian climbers. The weather was cool, but luckily the rain stayed away.
The team manager told us to get in the breaks today, so that is exactly what we did. The first four laps came by pretty quick, with a 10 man breakaway going up the road, containing one American rider. The fifth lap came around, and the break had a minute lead on the pack, and I was getting a little worried that I had missed the winning break. So I moved to the front and began going with some attacks. After a couple hard efforts I managed to find another rider to work with. This kid was strong enough to take the lead on the hills, and then I would pull through on the tops and the down hills. We were flying. A couple kids managed to grab our wheels, but I didn’t care, as long as this kid and I worked together we would reach the break in no time at all. It was great seeing the lead car, and then managing to get close enough to the break to have the Shimano car pull to the side so that we could complete our “bridge.” We now had a lead group of about 15 riders, with two Americans…. The race was looking pretty good. The guy who shared the work with me and I went to the front and began to lead the group up the climb. I had no problem leading the climb, and then got into a comfortable tuck for the downhill. We reached the corner of the course where it flattens out and begins to head back to the climb. I pulled through, and then no one was there. I looked back and saw everyone on my wheel. I don’t mind having one or two guys on my wheel, but 14, that was not going to work. I zigzagged on the road, and tried to get the guys to pull through and keep the rotation going. No one was really interested in working except for a couple of guys. Why they wouldn’t work, I don’t know, I truly think that if everyone pulled through, we could have held the lead and finished off the front. Unfortunately, the Shimano car began blaring its horn while trying to pass us, meaning that the peloton wasn’t far behind. We were at the base of the hill and I did a last ditch effort to stay off the front as a couple of riders from the pack came up to join to me. We powered over the climb, and then were joined by several other riders on the downhill. The peloton was basically on our heels as we turned around and headed back toward the climb. Attacks were going up the road and then back as we headed to the climb with three laps to go. I saw another of my team mates, David, go with one of the attacks. I watched to make sure that his group got up the road, and then bridged up to it. We hovered off the front until the base of the climb. David and I took the lead and powered up the climb, trying to cause as much “pain” as possible. I have to say it was pretty cool having two American riders lead the pack up the crowded climb. We brought the group over the top and then were consumed by the pack on the downhill. It was that this point that I realized how helpful the downhill was for the bigger guys. We could drop the larger riders on the climb, and bring the group down to about thirty riders, but those riders that were dropped could use the downhill to bridge back up. With two laps to go, everything was together, and I managed to stay at the front and continued to go with the attacks. Nothing proved successful, and with one lap to go I was back to fighting for a front position in the pack. The final downhill to the finish was absolute chaos. Bars and shoulders were hitting, guys were hopping onto bike paths, and shoving their way through the center and up the sides to the front. I maintained a good position until the final corner, when I was supposed to get up and sprint, but my legs refused. I ended up finishing in the middle of the pack. All I need was one second on the peloton to move up into the top fifteen. Instead I tied with 70 other riders.
Three of us finished race. I think the director was pretty happy with our performance, USA was represented in every attack.
My dad got to ride in the team car on this final day, and he was completely stoked. He had a great time, and apparently talked and asked a lot of questions. Our masseuse said that he was very excited. My mom and little sister were on the side of the road cheering on every lap. It was awesome having my family here to cheer for me. You never want to race badly in front of your parents, so I think I performed better this weekend because of them.
After these races, all the riders’ legs are dead. Everyone just wants to sit around and either watch TV or sleep. Crepes or waffles or chocolate are eaten as rewards for completing another race. The U-23 guys get to go down to the town square and drink some beers for celebrations. Juniors aren’t allowed that privilege, but next year…
Monday, May 28, 2007
Not Bad...
Yesterday was spent in the pack, fighting for positions. It was too flat yesterday to suit me. Danny, David and I finished in the pack. Today, there are more climbs, so I will try and get in a break. I think eighty of us are tied for 12th, so I need to get off the front.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Its About Time...
This weekend we are competing in the Tour of Southeast Flanders. The race covers a lot of the roads used by the Tour of Flanders. Yesterday was finally a good day for me where just about everything went right. I am finally getting the hang of the European peloton, and spent most of yesterday in the top 30 riders (where I should be). I was in a couple of attacks, but nothing panned out. By the time the last couple k's came, Danny Summerhill attacked while I blocked for him. Unfortunately the move didn't work and Danny and I are sitting somewhere in the top forty. It just felt good to have a good day, where I could go with attacks and not have to worry about holding on to the back of the peloton.
The race is from Saturday to Monday, and I will keep everybody updated on how it plays out. Next week I will post a more descriptive account.
The race is from Saturday to Monday, and I will keep everybody updated on how it plays out. Next week I will post a more descriptive account.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
One Rider's Loss, Is Another Rider's Gain...
Finally a warm and sunny day has passed through this town. The California weather finally showed up, a couple weeks late, but at least it is here. Hopefully it won’t be too quick to leave. Its great not having to bundle up to go for a ride. Since there was no threat of rain, we road further out of our “comfort zone” of nearby cities and ventured into the Belgian country-side toward France. Passing patchwork farms, hedge groves, and the occasional church steeple in the distance, today’s ride was good reminder as to why I ride bikes. It was one of those perfect rides that you dream about in the States while you are at work or school.
The unwanted sickness is slowly passing out of the house. If one person gets sick here, it usually spreads from one person to the next. The trouble is, everyone wants to keep riding, so the sicknesses take a while to end.
The past couple nights have been great because I am the only one in my room. There is nothing like having your own room- you can go bed earlier, you don’t have to worry about mixing up clothes (since we all wear the same jerseys), and you don’t have to listen to the MTV channel on the TV (which I liked for the first day, until I realized that they played only ten songs over and over). Usually there are four guys to a room. Two of the guys in my room flew back to the States, and the other guy is in the hospital with a broken rib, collar bone, maybe jaw, busted teeth, and maybe a broken wrist. He crashed really hard, and upon seeing him, I prayed that nothing like that would ever happen to me. His season is over, and there is no telling when he will be back riding. We bring him magazines and Coca-Cola, and hang out with him as long as possible. He says the Belgian hospitals are brutally boring, but the nurses are hot, so…. you know….
We are all just trying to get our legs rested up, which takes much longer over here it seems like, and preparing for the next race.
The unwanted sickness is slowly passing out of the house. If one person gets sick here, it usually spreads from one person to the next. The trouble is, everyone wants to keep riding, so the sicknesses take a while to end.
The past couple nights have been great because I am the only one in my room. There is nothing like having your own room- you can go bed earlier, you don’t have to worry about mixing up clothes (since we all wear the same jerseys), and you don’t have to listen to the MTV channel on the TV (which I liked for the first day, until I realized that they played only ten songs over and over). Usually there are four guys to a room. Two of the guys in my room flew back to the States, and the other guy is in the hospital with a broken rib, collar bone, maybe jaw, busted teeth, and maybe a broken wrist. He crashed really hard, and upon seeing him, I prayed that nothing like that would ever happen to me. His season is over, and there is no telling when he will be back riding. We bring him magazines and Coca-Cola, and hang out with him as long as possible. He says the Belgian hospitals are brutally boring, but the nurses are hot, so…. you know….
We are all just trying to get our legs rested up, which takes much longer over here it seems like, and preparing for the next race.
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