So since i have returned from Tour of Arkansas I have been recovering to go back to Tulsa, OK this weekend for the Tulsa Tough crit series. There's a lot of money in each race that pays 25 deep. The pros have been separated from the cat 1/2's so that means I have a chance of placing top 10 or better. Definitely in the money and not to mention points for a cat 1 upgrade. The only problem is my teammate has bailed on me and I am now by myself with no one to travel with and split costs. So Courtney told me that some local guys from Team Legacy were going down so I have contacted the team directors hoping that they can forward the message to the rest of the team but I also stalked one of the team members on facebook and sent him a message. I figured that woudl be the quickest way to get one of their attention and just prey that they want to carpool down. I ran some numbers and the maximum amount of money I have for this trip is about 575 bucks, 650 by re-maxing out my credit card, and 1,050 if I cut into my rent money which is absolutely a last resort. If I go by myself it will cost about 565 which will be really pushing it. I have not been able to work lately since I have been taking off so much for these big races and its really pinching my wallet. I got screwed earlier in the month when my teammate bailed on my for Tour of Gila since I had already asked off I couldn't work. And now the time I haven't been working is catching up to me. While if I have to go by myself I could prolly squeeze my accounts dry and just barely make it. Although I know when I come back I would be super screwed financially. I Would definitely be eating lots of pasta and commuting rain or tornado. There is still a race this weekend that I can do with the team and save money in the end which would be Hugo and I hear that its a lot of fun.
So by this point if I don't have anyone to travel with I'm not going and I'll stay here. If the legacy guys get back to me it might be another story. We'll see....
Monday, May 26, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Heres a post from my old team's list serve. One teammate that I had gone to spain with earlier this year for a training camp was spectating along side the climb of Mt. Nebo at the end of day 2 for the tour of Arkansas.
"While the results are still being reviewed I can tell you that Nat finished
the tour of Arkansas probably somewhere around 50th (57 I think) place in the GC. While
this might not sound like much it is actually quite remarkable under the
circumstances. The race had over 100 starters many of whom abandoned at
some point, or missed the time cut. In addition this was an NRC event so
all of the heavy hitters were there including Health Net, Jelly Belly, Type
1, and Rite Aid. All of these squads had a full compliment of riders with
full support. Nat had one teammate to help him, and no team car, etc.
Also to my knowledge this was Nat's first pro stage race. Why he picked an
NRC race only he can tell us. Nat was in there as a cat 2 against a field
that was mostly pro, and cat 1.
If you throw out Nat's time gap from the first stage he'd easily be top 30
if not higher. Of course that is all part of the learning experience. Now
if we could only keep Nat out of Hooter's between stages....
Seriously though this type of performance will hopefully get Nat some
exposure, and a possible pro contract in the future. While I never did get
a chance to catch up with Nat over the weekend the one time I did see him
on the climb to the top of Mt Nebo (which was insanely steep!) he looked
fairly comfortable given how hard the course was.
Last I heard Nat was planning on coming back to the area this Fall. If
that is still the case, and you think the Tuesday night rides are bad now....!"
"While the results are still being reviewed I can tell you that Nat finished
the tour of Arkansas probably somewhere around 50th (57 I think) place in the GC. While
this might not sound like much it is actually quite remarkable under the
circumstances. The race had over 100 starters many of whom abandoned at
some point, or missed the time cut. In addition this was an NRC event so
all of the heavy hitters were there including Health Net, Jelly Belly, Type
1, and Rite Aid. All of these squads had a full compliment of riders with
full support. Nat had one teammate to help him, and no team car, etc.
Also to my knowledge this was Nat's first pro stage race. Why he picked an
NRC race only he can tell us. Nat was in there as a cat 2 against a field
that was mostly pro, and cat 1.
If you throw out Nat's time gap from the first stage he'd easily be top 30
if not higher. Of course that is all part of the learning experience. Now
if we could only keep Nat out of Hooter's between stages....
Seriously though this type of performance will hopefully get Nat some
exposure, and a possible pro contract in the future. While I never did get
a chance to catch up with Nat over the weekend the one time I did see him
on the climb to the top of Mt Nebo (which was insanely steep!) he looked
fairly comfortable given how hard the course was.
Last I heard Nat was planning on coming back to the area this Fall. If
that is still the case, and you think the Tuesday night rides are bad now....!"
Tour of Arkansas
Travel Day 1
Courtney and I (Nat) left for Arkansas on Tuesday evening for the long haul into Kansas. With two boxes of food, loads power bars and gels, bike tools, and two bikes on top we were ready to rock the pants, er um overalls, off Arkansas. We arrived in Hayes with heavy eyelids for a cheap hotel room with internet after we got a tip from a local on the where abouts for a cheap hotel room. The next morning we had plenty of time so we went for a ride in lovely Hayes. As you can see on the map Hayes is not very big and its surrounded by nothing so we tried out best. Every side road that we turned on eventually turned into loose dirt forcing us to turn around but we eventually got about an hour or so in. This was important since stage 1 was tomorrow and it wasn't good to sit in a car all day before hand. After our breakfast at the local Village Inn we were back on the road and quickly headed south through Wichita and into Oklahoma. My Google directions were serving us well into Russellville until we had to locate the house of our hosts. We stopped by the local race hotel to get our race packets and then onto the host house. We were stationed about ten miles north out of town in a little town called Dover. My directions pointed us the wrong way and we ended up on a dead end gravel road in the middle of the night. After dodging the low lying limbs to prevent damage to our race machines we finally made it back on the right track and got directions after calling our hosts. We stayed with Diane and Marvin Morgan, the family dog Nugget, and Marble the cat. Diane and Marvin graciously accepted us into their home for the next two nights and even fed us.
After 1,000 miles of driving we were ready to ride and get the first stage of the Tour of Arkansas under way. Courtney was having some trouble with his front derailleur so being a bike mechanic I took a look at it and was able to fix it by adjusting its position on the braze on clamp. This really didn't go very far in getting it tip top since the next day his rear hanger somehow got bent before the first stage which was also eventually fixed. After tinkering we went to the local car wash we had spotted during our late night dirt road excursion to wash our bikes. I was a little skeptical at first of taking a high pressure hose to my bike but after some convincing Courtney showed my how. After all our bike shenanigans I tried not to think of how difficult tomorrow was going to be and just concentrate on getting some sleep. We said goodnight to our hosts to catch as much sleep as possible for the day ahead.
Courtney and I (Nat) left for Arkansas on Tuesday evening for the long haul into Kansas. With two boxes of food, loads power bars and gels, bike tools, and two bikes on top we were ready to rock the pants, er um overalls, off Arkansas. We arrived in Hayes with heavy eyelids for a cheap hotel room with internet after we got a tip from a local on the where abouts for a cheap hotel room. The next morning we had plenty of time so we went for a ride in lovely Hayes. As you can see on the map Hayes is not very big and its surrounded by nothing so we tried out best. Every side road that we turned on eventually turned into loose dirt forcing us to turn around but we eventually got about an hour or so in. This was important since stage 1 was tomorrow and it wasn't good to sit in a car all day before hand. After our breakfast at the local Village Inn we were back on the road and quickly headed south through Wichita and into Oklahoma. My Google directions were serving us well into Russellville until we had to locate the house of our hosts. We stopped by the local race hotel to get our race packets and then onto the host house. We were stationed about ten miles north out of town in a little town called Dover. My directions pointed us the wrong way and we ended up on a dead end gravel road in the middle of the night. After dodging the low lying limbs to prevent damage to our race machines we finally made it back on the right track and got directions after calling our hosts. We stayed with Diane and Marvin Morgan, the family dog Nugget, and Marble the cat. Diane and Marvin graciously accepted us into their home for the next two nights and even fed us.
After 1,000 miles of driving we were ready to ride and get the first stage of the Tour of Arkansas under way. Courtney was having some trouble with his front derailleur so being a bike mechanic I took a look at it and was able to fix it by adjusting its position on the braze on clamp. This really didn't go very far in getting it tip top since the next day his rear hanger somehow got bent before the first stage which was also eventually fixed. After tinkering we went to the local car wash we had spotted during our late night dirt road excursion to wash our bikes. I was a little skeptical at first of taking a high pressure hose to my bike but after some convincing Courtney showed my how. After all our bike shenanigans I tried not to think of how difficult tomorrow was going to be and just concentrate on getting some sleep. We said goodnight to our hosts to catch as much sleep as possible for the day ahead.
Ode to the Nice Motorists
Well if I'm gonna rant about the bad motorists have to give credit to the nice ones. Yes, they do exist but are few and far between it seems with all the aggression we cyclists face on a daily basis. You know it will only take maybe 20 seconds out of your day to just wait until you can pass us with a safe distance in between. Just slow down and take a deep breath, its gonna be ok lol. When ever I see that a motorists has gone out of their way to avoid hitting me I give them a wave and say thanks. Like the ones who wait for you to pass before they pull out even though they could have made it by flooring it, or those who wait until you pass through the intersection so they can turn right BEHIND you rather than speeding up in front of you just to cut you off. I have even had people stop their cars to ask if I was ok when fixing a flat. Heres to you nice motorists! May you fill the streets and teach all the others some patience.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Ventilation is Good
That last post was a lot of pent up ventilation from yesterday's ride up Rist Canyon. Like George Carlin said "I don't have pet peaves, I have major psychotic effin hatreds!" When it comes to stupid motorists and bikes that is. I had 4 cars, ahem trucks, buzz my friend and I. I was taking one of the directors from REI's headquarters out for a ride. Each truck was going at least 20 over the speed limit and one waved for us to get over, I waved back. It makes 'em so mad when they make an obscene gesture, displaying their ignorance and stupidity, and you just send a "friendly" wave back. I have never experienced so much aggression from motorists than here in CO, even in boulder, and I came from the cycling scene in eastern MD which is quite unaccepting but at least they will usually leave you in (one) peace* and give you some room when passing.
I was out on a group ride about a month ago when the unbelievable happened. This a bi-weekly lunch group ride out of the Hewlett Packard plant in the east side of town. Its a short, high intensity ride usually with a sprint at the end. So we're gearing up for the sprint when a passing cop flashes his lights, whips it around, and races to the front of the pack to cut us off. I would have never thought in a million years that a cop would pull over a group ride. So while the cop is explaining how he gets a dozen calls a day about motorists complaining about cyclists taking up their precious road an approaching mini van with a soccer mom behind the wheel slows down enough to give the cop a thumbs up and mouthed a thank you. You know,I don't get angry very often, it takes a whole hell of a lot for me to go off but I was almost at that point. Witnessing this just made my blood boil. I guess its a good thing that she sped off and there was a cop standing 2 feet in front of me.
So supposedly theres this law cop was explaining to us that had got to be the most retarded thing I have ever herd, in terms of laws that is. So when a car is approaching from behind a group of cyclists, when it gets to within 300 ft the group it supposed to all form into a single file. If not we can all get citations, which I would love to see hold up in court against assaulting pick up drivers who are drunk half the time. BUT, a cyclists can also get pulled over for being drunk just like a motorist- even though the only person he/she will hurt will be themselves. Back in Maryland the rule was groups of cyclists cannot be wider than two abreast into the lane. Not out here. I was on a group ride with the team last weekend in Boulder and I think we got beeped at and had motorists display single digit IQ's about 5 or 6 times.
So don't forget, they own the road and you have absolutely no right to ride your bike on any road except your driveway because they pay the taxes and of course we don't.
I was out on a group ride about a month ago when the unbelievable happened. This a bi-weekly lunch group ride out of the Hewlett Packard plant in the east side of town. Its a short, high intensity ride usually with a sprint at the end. So we're gearing up for the sprint when a passing cop flashes his lights, whips it around, and races to the front of the pack to cut us off. I would have never thought in a million years that a cop would pull over a group ride. So while the cop is explaining how he gets a dozen calls a day about motorists complaining about cyclists taking up their precious road an approaching mini van with a soccer mom behind the wheel slows down enough to give the cop a thumbs up and mouthed a thank you. You know,I don't get angry very often, it takes a whole hell of a lot for me to go off but I was almost at that point. Witnessing this just made my blood boil. I guess its a good thing that she sped off and there was a cop standing 2 feet in front of me.
So supposedly theres this law cop was explaining to us that had got to be the most retarded thing I have ever herd, in terms of laws that is. So when a car is approaching from behind a group of cyclists, when it gets to within 300 ft the group it supposed to all form into a single file. If not we can all get citations, which I would love to see hold up in court against assaulting pick up drivers who are drunk half the time. BUT, a cyclists can also get pulled over for being drunk just like a motorist- even though the only person he/she will hurt will be themselves. Back in Maryland the rule was groups of cyclists cannot be wider than two abreast into the lane. Not out here. I was on a group ride with the team last weekend in Boulder and I think we got beeped at and had motorists display single digit IQ's about 5 or 6 times.
So don't forget, they own the road and you have absolutely no right to ride your bike on any road except your driveway because they pay the taxes and of course we don't.
Another Race Cancellation...
So yet another race had been canceled in the front range are of CO. This is beginning to become quite frustrating-- especially when the race was in your home town where all of your friends and family could come out for support. The Boulder crit series was totally nixed earlier in the season which was a huge bummer and multiple races have been re-scheduled for later in the season. A teammate forwarded this email around explaining that because of the National Collegiate Championships being just a month before this race that they town has canceled the following crit due to street closures and complaining residents. One of my coworkers at REI got her car towed because of the race. Supposedly there were no signs within the vicinity explaining the potential problems of getting your car towed. Wrong place wrong time but if there were no signs there definitely should have been. Still, this town needs to man up and all the "good 'ole boys" need to pack up they're Dubya bumper stickers on the back of they're gas guzzling dualie pick up trucks and go back to the conservative, narrow minded, racist shanties where they belong. Ft. Collins is neck and neck with Boulder in being a liberal cycling town and it needs to show it. In fact I like Ft. Collins much better since we leave behind all the smug people who think its trendy to shop at Whole Paycheck.
Anyway, I'm sad to see another race canceled and I know its not a perfect world where everyone is a cyclist and gives a thumbs up and an entire lane when passing on the far left shoulder- but I can dream cain't I?
Anyway, I'm sad to see another race canceled and I know its not a perfect world where everyone is a cyclist and gives a thumbs up and an entire lane when passing on the far left shoulder- but I can dream cain't I?
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Am I Cool Now??
So now that I have my very own blog I guess my level of coolness just went up a couple notches, 'brushes dirt off shoulder'. I figured that since no one is around the house to hear my rants and raves that the entire Internet community would be a good audience. So for those who don't know me yet my name is Nat and I am currently living in Ft. Collins, Co. I moved here to train for cycling since this area of Colorado is the mecca for cycling in the States. I have since upgraded to cat 2 after winning the Tokyo Joe Crit about a month ago. I didn't need the points but the director of a local Elite team in Boulder wanted me to get a win before I cat up and I now understand why. The racing out here is so much harder than anywhere I have experienced. Even the cat3 races out here are like the cat 2's back east. Its tough but if you can hang with the pros (and I'm talking the the real deal like Toyota United, Health Net, Jelly Belly, Slipstream, etc...) you get stronger in a very short period of time. I have yet to finish with the front pack in any of the 3 pro races I have done yet this year but that's ok. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I'll get there eventually. If I can just be there for the sprint I think I could do pretty well. At least later in the season.
In two days from now I am leaving for the Tour of Arkansas. A four day stage race in the Ozark mtns. Besides the final crit each stage is about 100 miles with lots of climbing. This is the first really big race for me but I'm hoping that the low altitude will really help. I got to see what the difference was like when i went to Spain for a training camp earlier in the season. It feel like you have a third lung and you can recover so much faster. I'm gonna need all the help I can get but my new teammate is coming with me and I got us free host housing for the entire trip, saweet!
Oh by the way my new team is Rocky Mountain Bikes/STOK
In two days from now I am leaving for the Tour of Arkansas. A four day stage race in the Ozark mtns. Besides the final crit each stage is about 100 miles with lots of climbing. This is the first really big race for me but I'm hoping that the low altitude will really help. I got to see what the difference was like when i went to Spain for a training camp earlier in the season. It feel like you have a third lung and you can recover so much faster. I'm gonna need all the help I can get but my new teammate is coming with me and I got us free host housing for the entire trip, saweet!
Oh by the way my new team is Rocky Mountain Bikes/STOK
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
