home

I am home!!! I have been gone since the beginning of August and it feels really good to be back in North Cackalacky.
Chris Thater was good, I made the winning break but took the last corner way to fast and had to grab way to much brake and lost all my momentum and that was all she wrote. I ended up sixth.
I was on the road this road trip with Frank and Yosvany. We had a ton of fun and even mangaged to take a romantic roadtrip to Niagara Falls. They had never been there and they were really impressed at looking at water.

I am home this week and then going to South Carolina for the USPRO road race on sunday, then to Atlanta for 10k Classic, then I go to MI for the Priority Health Classic.
I love driving...

This is how we roll.

Had to fix the van ourselves before heading out for thater. Didnt even have time to change out of chamios!
USA CRIT race tom in Binghamton NY should be fun. I used to do this race when i went to Ithaca college so it is good to come back and do it. I dont think anyone will recognize me now as i used to have A TON more hair.

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This is what I looked like the last time I did Chris Thater

Bahati is one quick dude.

Here is Frank killing it for me.

Oh yeah, 90 mm rims rock!!

Better than last year.

Better than last year.
This past weekend was the US Professional criterium championships in
Downers Grove IL. I have never done the pro race before and the
amateur race was where I broke my heel last year.
It was a surreal experience doing this race as I have watched it for
years and years and always dreamed of doing it.
The toshiba team consisted of frank, Yosvany, and myself. We were a
little outnumbered as many teams had as many as 9 guys. Frank and Yos
absolutely slayed themselves for me and I managed to get on the podium
for 3rd place!! It was awweeesome!!!
We are now driving back to MI for a few days before heading out to
Binghamton NY for a USA Crit race on Sunday.
I know the posts have been a bit sparce and I will try to be better
but don't count on it.

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Rochester TT

If only I was 4 seconds faster in the TT, I would have moved up like 4 spots. Shouldn't have shown all my sweet moves at the wedding...

catching up

Wow, it has been a while since I posted. I am not quite sure what I have been doing but I feel like I have been really really busy.
After Venezuela I was home for 2 days before departing for Las Vegas. I went to Vegas with UH for her brother, Taylor's, wedding. It was SO much fun there and I enjoyed getting to know her extended family and got some quality clubbing and pool time in as well. I left my bicycle at home, which felt good. I did get some good exercise in by dancing like a white boy from MI and we also went for a hike in red rock canyon.
I was in Vegas for 4 days and was home for only 18 hours before I was racing again. Last week was a week of criterium racing down here called the Crossroads Classic. I raced 5 crits in 6 days and it was a riot. It was a good week and I felt incredibly fresh all week. Must have been all the Red Bull and Vodkas in Vegas. Anyway in 5 races I went 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 4th, and 8th. In that order!!! It was a steady downward progression!! HA! In my defense the races got a touch harder as the week went on.
Now I am in Winston-Salem hanging out with my two cuban teammates. We leave on thursday for Rochester NY for a 3 day race there this weekend. From Rochester we are going to Grand Rapids to hang out until Downers Grove, and then going back to MI until we drive back to NY the following weekend. So Mom and Dad if you are reading this can you put up my whole team for 2 weeks? HA!!! (they know already stop your "tsk tsk" ing).
Here is something I discovered. Life Lesson #1:
If you wait long enough to do something, someone else will do it for you. Case in point. I LOVE coffee and so does my good friend Jim B. I don't have a coffee grinder and Jim comes to visit a lot, he finally got so fed up with me not having one that he got me one just for when he comes to visit. Thanks Jim.

Procrastination Works!!!

Life Lesson #2 Here is what Optygen is good for:


Now that I found out I can still type, maybe I will post more frequently...

Venezuela

Venezuela
almost loves us. Frank missed the win by 2 mm. It was so so close.
We had a great race. Frank was 2nd, Yosvany was 5th, I won the mid
race prime, and we got third in the team comp.
Well worth the trip. Although I am starting my 5th 12+ hour trip in 8
days.

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Venezuela

Venezuela
almost loves us. Frank missed the win by 2 mm. It was so so close.
We had a great race. Frank was 2nd, Yosvany was 5th, I won the mid
race prime, and we got third in the team comp.
Well worth the trip. Although I am starting my 5th 12+ hour trip in 8
days.

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Vancouver is...

Vancouver is...
Awesome and the self proclaimed 'weed' Capitol of the world. At least
that is what a spectator was telling me as he blew smoke in my face
and explained why we kept racing through clouds of it on the course.
The Tour de Gastown is a tough course that has only three corners and
a tough false flat straightaway. The field started with 152 racers and
by the end there were only 35 finishers.
The race was 60k of attacks followed by more attacks followed by svein
tuft going away solo only to be caught on the last lap. The bunch
sprint was a little crazy and we squeezed out 7th and 8th. There was a
little miscommunication towards the end as we all couldn't find each
other to get organized. Anyway symetrics ended up winning. It was a
super fast race and def worth all the travel. The crowd was amazing
and it was so much fun checking out Vancouver. It is probably the
coolest city I have been to yet.

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Traveling

to Vancouver for Tour de Gastown which is a USA CRIT race in Canada...I guess it shouldn't be called USA anymore as we are going to Canada...
The race is on Wed and I get back to Winston Thursday only to drive to Atlanta to fly to Venuzuela for a one day race there on Sunday, and then I am home for a few days and then off to VEGAS for Aliza brothers wedding...
I am sure I will have interesting stories to share during these next few weeks.

Tired

So Iron Hill came and went and it feels like a dream. Maybe it was the 7 super high gravity beers from Iron Hill right after the race and then getting in the car and driving (actually riding until I sobered up) straight to MI. We (uh and I) did sleep in a rest area for a while until someone parked RIGHT next to us, literally. There was a totally empty parking lot and they had to park right next to us, so we left then. We got here yesterday afternoon, just in time for back to back family reunions. We were tired but it feels good to be back up here hanging out with Yankees.

The race was sweet. The course there is my dream course. Super tight corners and half of the course was up hill. You could make up so much time in the corners and that is what I did. I followed people bridgeing up to a move that frank was in and everyone stopped pedaling and I just took off. Since I was alone, at first I was just going to hang out and soak up as many primes as I could. Each lap i would hammer the hill, recover on the downhill and take the corners as fast as I could. Thankfully I had 3 other teamates in the field slowing things down, so I managed to take a lap with 20 to go and stayed upright for the win.
Everyone was a stud today, Frank took off with 15 to go and stayed clear for 3rd and Parra took 6th and Yosvany took 9th. All four of us got in the top ten.

My life is so glamorous, since we were leaving after the race we didn't have a place to hang beforehand. I forgot to shave and had to do it in the parking lot of a Gas Staion.

Brian, who hosted us before Harlem was helping out and enjoyed some beers with us. Here he is now with Yosvany who is now leading the series..

I love races that are sponsored by beer...



Important Note: Frank wore a skinsuit, and a long sleeved one at that...Just had to go on record and say that.

Here is the Velonews article...

Coming home

Coming home
So Vuelta Puebla is finished and we are at the airport eager for some
tap water.
The final stage was anti climatic as a breakaway went but with no gc
people in it. Andrew was a stud as he made the break and got fourth on
the day.
Alex was third overall and 2nd in the kom. Dan was 8th and I was 18th
and 2nd in the sprints and 3rd in the kom. All in all it was a great
week and it was fun to finally 'make it rain' especially with only
four guys.
I am looking forward to going back to nc for a few days before I head
up to the 'Iron Hill' crit in west Chester PA and then I am going to
be in MI for a while. Uh and I will be up there for a week. I am
already dreaming about founders beer...

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Stage 5: gringos win in Puebla!

Stage 5: gringos win in Puebla!
We went 1 2 today!!!!!!!! It was awesome. Dan Vaillancourt attacked
out of our break with 3 k to go and stayed clear to win!!! It was so
cool. I took the sprint for second and a toshiba 1 2!!!
Today race was the longest day yet. It was 150k with 3 sprints and 2
koms. The plan was for me to make the early break and soak up all the
points. I made the break which went from the gun and then dan bridged
with a couple other guys about 10k later. We were able to sit on the
break and take the points all day because we were protecting alexs
lead. I sprinted for all the sprints and the koms. Unfortunately a guy
in the break took the lead in the kom, putting alex in second but my
efforts netted me third and it pays three deep! The kom comp is over
and 2nd and 3rd is way more money than first although it would have
been nice to get alex that jersey.
Anyway the break stuck and after 147k of being up the road, dan put in
an amazing attack and took it all the way home. It was the coolest
thing ever. Go dan!!!
So as it sits now alex is in third and dan moved up to eighth and I am
eighteenth and second in the sprint comp by one point. Tom is a
circuit in downtown Puebla so it should be a battle to the end with
the sprints.

I have to say congrats to my homeys Marco and Tara who are getting
married today!!!! Wish I was there. Congrats!

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stage 3 and 4

I am currently in THE seediest internet cafe in some random city in mexico and it is awesome. This trip is going quite well so far and the cities we are in are all small little villages in the mountains and the weather here is awesome, its not humid and in the 70s all the time. It is great.
Stage 3 was super flat, I got some sprint points in the first sprint, but then a break rolled off and took the remaining points and so now i am in 3rd. Alex is still in 3rd overall and leading the KOMs and that is the priority so everything is good still.
Today was stage 4 and it was short. We raced 35 miles up a mountain and then descended for 35 miles. There were only 32 finishers in the front group today, but Alex, Dan, and Myself were all in there. A break rolled early and we almost caught them in the finishing straight. I ended up sixth on the day. Alex is still leading the KOM and is still in 3rd overall. We just have one more really hard day tomorrow and then sunday in a circuit. Everyones spririts are high and we are having a great time here.
The food and beer are super cheap here, but the gas is crazy expensive. It is 4usd a liter!! Crazy.
I am going to wash my hands now...

Stage 2 Zataclan to some city at the top of a huge mtn. 110k with only 13k in climbing.

Stage 2 Zataclan to some city at the top of a huge mtn. 110k with only
13k in climbing.
Todays stage was one of the more epic rides I have ever done in my
life. The climbing was out of control. I have never come close to
doing climbs that long or as steep. The descents were the scariest
experience too. I can't tell if it was the tiny mexicans getting speed
wobbles at 50 mph or the speed bumps in the apex of hairpin turns or
the wild horses charging at the pack or the landslides or the other
tiny mexicans not cornering right and launching over the edge or the
dude hitting a huge pot hole and snapping his carbon bars at Mach 4 or
the sections of pavement missing or the Moto crashing in the corner.
Either way it was a frightening day and ridiculously hard and I loved
it!!! It is so pretty riding here in the mountains. We climbed above
9000 ft twice today.
As far as the race goes, alex ripped it today big time. He got 3rd on
the day and is now leading the kom. Tecos went 1 2 and is now firmly
in the overall lead.
I faired well for my size and came in around 25th I got shelled
about halfway and just rode my own pace and caught some people near
the finish.
Rumor has it that tomorrow is flat...thank goodness.

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Stage 1 Puebla to Zacatlan 140 k

Stage 1 Puebla to Zacatlan 140 k
Todays stage was sweet. It had 4 hot spot sprints and 1 kom. The route
was pretty rolly with a big climb at about 40 k in. The field
shattered on the climb and there were 20 people left in the front
group. We had 3 of us in there. It was me, dan, and alex and 5 tecos.
I managed to snag 2 be in a couple of the hot spots and alex got 2 nd
on the kom. The finish was a little hairy and I got 4th. I was hoping
for a little better but I will take it. The team worked so great today
and we now have 3 of us in the top 20 and 21st is about 6 minutes down.
Alex and I both got to go on the podium where they gave us these
framed pictures. It was pretty neat. This town we are in is a tiny
village tucked away in the mountains.
Everything is going sweet except poor gus hasn't left the bathroom in
about 3 hours. Ha! I think I might have just jinxed myself by writing
that.
Tomorrow is crazy hard with 2 20k climbs and then a 5k climb to the
finish all at elevation too. This is a bit different than crit racing
in the states but I am having a blast!

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Prologue

I was super excited for today prologue as it was only 3 k and I
assumed it was flat. We rode our bikes to the course and we went down
this huge hill for a long time and in my head I was thinking uh oh,
this might be an uphill tt. Indeed it was. 3 k of climbing at 7000 ft
was def interesting. I totally started out way to fast and blew up and
held on for dear life. It was Miserable!!!
Anyway it was good enough for 3rd place! Ha!!! I was 8 seconds off the
lead. Hopefully this bodes well for our team for the rest of the week.
The gringo toshiba team is having a ton of fun, now if only we spoke
any Spanish...

.

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In Mexico.

In Mexico.
I flew into Mexico City today with gus and andrew. It was a fine
flight and Delta only charges $150 for bikes now. Crazy!
We are now on a five hour bus ride to the city where the race starts
tom. I have no idea where it is but i will let you know when I find
out. (I just follow the heard)
Mexico City is enormous! Like really really big.
So far so good and I am sure I will have some stuff to tell tom. The
race starts tom with a 3 k prologue.

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