Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Monday, May 11, 2009

Saturday, May 2, 2009

SICK Gila crit!

T-minus 11 hours until the start of tomorrow's queen stage, and I'm wired! The Gila Stage 4 Criterium just finished four hours ago, and it was a blast! SUPER windy, awesome course with a good-sized hill and fast descent, and an amazing crowd. The entire town of Silver City came out, and we wanted to give them a show. I was super happy to find my legs once more, and I made sure to spin for an hour this morning to flush them out and get the juices flowing. It's definitely nice to finally race in the afternoon instead of NINE AM.

For a full race report and some sweet pics, as well as my TrainingPeaks file from the race, check out my TwoWheelTales author page! And you'll really like this one.

I'll be writing another post tomorrow afternoon, post-Gila Monster. During the stage, check out the team's Twitter feed--Rob will be holding his phone up high to get some reception and give live updates! I've got my work cut out for me, and let's just say I'll be trying to get some serious face time for Ciclismo Racing while helping our top GC boys Ben and Rolf!

Friday, May 1, 2009

A true tale of suffering: the Gila TT!

WOW, I haven't felt that slow on the TT bike in a long time!! The lungs are so toasted at this point that I can barely pedal the bike. It was a hot and windy ride, and the Gila TT course is infamous for destroying rhythm and forcing riders into submission. I definitely understand now!

Check out my new TwoWheelTales post for a detailed description of the race. Long story short, let's just say that the power file is going to look like a decent tempo ride! At this point I've realized that the altitude is going to make my life worse and worse throughout the race, because the legs feel very strong but the lungs are giving out earlier and earlier. Tomorrow's criterium should be very fun because I can probably go hard for short periods, and our fast-man Phil is riding really strong and is revved up to finally show his stuff in his specialty event. I know the team is going to be showing well tomorrow!

I'll be doing my best to finish the race well and help get Ben into position for the climbs on the final stage, the Gila Monster. Feeding throughout the 105 mile, three-climb stage is crucial, and I'll have my work cut out for me. I'm really excited to have a guy on the team riding so strongly and fighting it out for a top GC spot!

In other news, the Keller Center Dedication has made it's video available on the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education website! Check it out: