Snowboarding

Well I just got back from some nice snowboarding up in the mountains. Conor, Beede, Corey and I went up to Keystone last night to do some night skiing. We got to the resort around four and just went up to people leaving and asked for there ticket. I did not want to pay $50 to go night skiing. So we just went for free. It was my first time night boarding and it was sweet, but VERY cold. Then we spent the night in silverthorne and then went to Copper today. It was a blast and a lot of powder and not that many people. Did a little hiking to get the good stuff but it was worth it. I have not been boarding in a very long time. I use to go a lot before I started biking but I have changed my focus to cycling. It was just fun to go up and screw around and just have a good time.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and happy New year. Wow this year went by fast and a lot has happen. I am so thankful for everything I have. Being healthy and having a roof over my head. It was a great year and a lot of memories. can't wait for next year to start fresh and hopefully have even a better season on the bike.
Today I got a unicycle, it is sweet but I just need to need to know how to ride it lol. I also got a lot of cloths, some Oakley thumps that will be sweet when I am riding. It has been a great day so far and it actually is snowing on Christmas, that is a first in a long time.
I am taking time off the bike for a little and tomorrow night I am going night skiing at Keystone and then the next day at Copper. It should be a good week.
Happy Birthday Jesus!

Time off

Well it has only been a couple days off the bike and I already want to get back on the bike. The weather is so nice I just want to go ride. But I know I need to take these two weeks off so I can recover from this past year. I am already looking forward to the 08' road season.

Break

Well I just got home today from cross nats. It was a lot of fun and I am really happy that I did cross this season. I will be racing cross again next year for the same team and hopefully be going to th Grand Prix next year.
Saturday was the U23 race and I was hoping for a top 20 result. The race started and I had a good start and started passing people. I fell on the first lap and dropped my chain. I put it back on and just kept on driving it. I ended up 18th on the day. I was excited about that especially for being my first year really doing cross and going to nats.
Then on Sunday it was the collegiate race. There was about 145 riders or so. A lot bigger then the day before. Like an hour before the race I pre road the course to see what it was like because it snowed that night. It was so frozen that it was so hard to ride without falling off. I hit this rut and went flying into a tree and I put my hand out to save my face. I went back to warm up and try to warm up my fingers. My pinkie felt frozen and I couldn't warm it up. The race started and I felt ok. After a while I could not stay on my bike. I was a wreck falling left and right off my bike. I finished 30th overall. Not bad for crashing a lot. After the race i figured out why I could not warm my pinkie up. It was because it was actually hurt. It hurt so bad but I didn't notice if it was frozen or hurt. It is about twice the size now and it really hurts. I don't know if I broke it or not but it really hurts.
The pros race was a lot of fun to watch. But the bus drive back sucked. We did about 5 hrs of driving last night and got a hotel and just finished the rest of the drive today. I am finally taking a break off the bike for a little before I start training for road. It has been a loooooonnnnnnngggggg season. There is a cool pic up on cycling news of me at nats.

Getting ready

Well today was the Jrs race and it was muddy again. Robin and Yannick raced in the 15-16. Robin got 4th and Yannick 6th. Then right after that was the 17-18 with Andrew and Ethan racing in that. Andrew had a great start but that was about it. He had the worse luck today, and he couldn't do anything about it. He got a flat on the first lap and it just went downhill from there. But he stuck in there and finished it out He got like 22nd or so and Ethan 30th. I race tomorrow in the U-23 race. I just got done getting a massage and we are going to grab some dinner and get pumped up for tomorrow. It is suppose to snow tonight so I can't imagine what the course is going to be like tomorrow.
The Bus
Frozen trees

Hard day at the office
MUD

MUDDY!

Just got back from riding the course. It is 2 miles of mud. It is crazy, the course is so much fun. It is going to be a crazy race. My feet are frozen from running through all the water and mud. Tomorrow is the Jrs race and I think i am just going to go ride. I am going to try to put some pics up tomorrow of the course to show you how muddy it is. I am going to go take a shower and get warm now.

Made it

Made it to Kansas City late last night. We got to the hotel around 2 Am. It was a very long drive. Our bus max speed was 57 mph going downhill, so you only can imagine. Everythiing is frozen here. Everything outside has ice all over it. I just found out there is suppose to be snow during our race Saturday morning. Today I am going to pre ride the couse and just relax.

Let the fun begin!

Well I just got back from GJ getting ready to go to Nats. It only took 5 hours to get home this time instead of six and a half so that is a plus. I am done with finals and school for over five weeks so that is a great feeling. I have to jump on the trainer now to get my legs open before the long drive tomorrow to Kansas. We are rolling down in the CLIF BAR school bus which is bio diesel. It is going to be a long drive but well worth it when we get there. I race the U-23 race Saturday and the Collegiate one Sunday which has about 150 riders. I will keep this posted frequently throughout the week with pics and how I am doing.

Kevin

Disaster weekend

Well the bad chain of events started for be on Friday afternoon when i went back to Denver. I knew there was a lot of snow in Vail and it was going to suck but I did not think it was going to be that bad. It took us six and a half hours to get home which usually takes 4 hours. There was a lot of dumb little cars and truckers that would get stuck in front of you and cause a traffic jam. Our clutch is going out and our car started smoking on the pass. So our car is out of service.
On Saturday it was snowing so it was the first time I had to ride the trainer. It was not as bad as I thought so I just got the workout done to get ready for the state championships on Sunday. I was feeling good and excited to get the legs open for Nats.
Sunday came and it was freezing out. It was only about 16 degrees out when we were racing and snow on the ground. I fixed my bike and got the course dialed in. I got called up to the front line ready to throw down. the race started and I had an ok start. Robin was off the front and Conor right behind. Then it was Andrew and I a little bit behind them. After a while it was Robin 1st Conor 2nd Andrew 3rd and me 4th. It looked like it was going to be a good race. then about half way through the race my bike started ghost shifting. I could not really get a rhythm going and fell back a lot. The race finished with Robins 1st Andrew 2nd and Conor 3rd, and of course me 16th lol. It was sweet having 1,2,3. Hopefully we can pull something like that off at Nats.



I leave back to Denver tomorrow afternoon and leave Wednesday for Nats. I can't wait. I am not expecting anything fantastic but I hope no more mechanicals . Wish me luck.

Not what I was looking for.

This past weekend was the last weekend of full racing before Nats. I was hoping to go into the races feeling good and see how I am riding for Nats. But both days did not go in my favor.
On Saturday it was another Boulder CX series race. There was some sand, mud, water, barriers, and some tight turns. It had it all and I was pumped to get a good result. I was pre riding the course feeling good but my chain was having some issues but I didn't think anything of it, maybe it was all the sand. So I started the race in top 5 and before I knew it my chain was acting up. I had to drop back a little to fix it. I tried hoping back on and my chain just kept acting up. I tried to ride it out and just get a result. But that was not going to happen my bike would not allow it so i had to drop out. I was hoping for at least a top 5 that day but instead got a DNF.
Saturday night I shortened the chain and it looked like I fixed the problem.
So Sunday I was hoping for better luck. The course was a lot of fun. A fast single track down a steep hill into some more single track that was really muddy. Then a double barrier running up a hill and then two sand pits that you had to run through. I was in the top 3 all day until the last lap, and my chain came back to bite me in the butt. At the bottom of one hill it started acting up and two guys passed me. I thought I got it fixed and started chasing. Right before I went down the fast single track my chain totally fell off. So when I got the the bottom I tried putting it back on. About ten guys passed me then. I got back on with about 1/2 lap left and then my chain feel off again. So I just rolled into the finish. O ya and the finish was a running finish trough the sand pit. So i was 3rd and drooped back to 16th or so. Not very happy with the weekend results, but what can you do it is cross. But I could tell I had good legs both days which is a good sign. 1 lap to go
Mad about my chain

This Sunday is the Colorado State Championship race in Lyons Colorado. I am hoping for a better result and a good warm up for Nats. Then I come back to school for two days of finals and then leave Wednesday for Nats. Wish me luck.

Team??

Well the weather is starting to change for the worse. It is getting cold out and I hate riding in the cold, but I hate riding the trainer even more. So I am going to keep on riding outside as long as possible. Tomorrow is suppose to be a high of 35 and I am going to try to suck it up and ride outside.
It is also getting late to not know what team I will be riding for in 08' road season. Right now I am on black sheep cycling but that is a junior team and I am looking for a U-23 team, so if anyone has any ideas let me know. I could ride in the CLIF BAR jersey all summer and get a salsa bike but I don't know if there will really be a team. I am trying to contact team Einsteins and seeing if I could ride for them but I don't know.
Only 2 more weeks of school left then 5 weeks off of school, I can't wait for the break from school.

1,2,3!

Today was another great cross course. We had 5 guys racing today in the 3's. The course was muddy again, but it also had some wind. There was a good muddy climb and then 2 barriers shortly after that.
Right off the start Robin, Conor and Andrew were off the front and I was not far behind. We had 4 guys in the top five at one point. Then Andrew had a mechanical and had to run to the bike pit and a lot of guys passed him. I tried catching the other two but that was not going to happen. I had to worry about the guy right on my wheel.
On the last lap and the last barrier this guy was right on my wheel. I got over the barrier fine and took off to the finish. I looked back and I noticed I had a gap and took 3rd. The guy behind be had trouble clipping in after the last barrier. Robin took first Conor 2nd and I got 3rd. CLIF BAR 1,2,3. Next weekend is some more races in Boulder then the following weekend is State Championships. I hope I do well at that. Then off to Nats.
I need to get to Homework so that is all for now.

Bumpy N Muddy

Today was my first cross race in about 2 weeks. It was nice to get out there and race.I started towards the back, I thought they were going to do call ups but they didn't. Right off the start the was a crash and i had to swerve around it. I was afraid of dropping my chain, Because in warm up I dropped it going down one of the hills. But luckily I didn't in the race. It was very bumpy and pretty muddy. I had trouble getting into my pedals after a few laps. I had a side AK for the first couple of laps so i had to slow down and a few people passed me. I just glided into the finish and Conor nipped me at the line. We finished 8th and 9th, not bad for not riding the cross bike in a couple weeks.
Tomorrow is a race close to home and on the way back to school so that should be a good one. I am hoping to do a little better tomorrow. Then I head back up to school for about 2 and half weeks then I am off to Cross Nats for U23 and Collegiate.

Turkey Day!

Well yesterday Conor and I drove to Denver from GJ. It was a pain in the neck. The Ice and traffic sucked. It was a slow drive but we made it. We went out for a couple hour ride and it was freezing. My toes were numb. It is a little different then GJ a few days ago when it was 60 degrees out riding. Dinner was fantastic, now we are ready to eat some pies. We are going out again tomorrow to freeze on another ride. Then we are going to race on Saturday and Sunday then back to GJ for 2 more weeks of school, then off to Nats.

Weekend!

This weekend was a great weekend just to stay here in GJ and get away from the racing scene for a little. There was a lot going on this weekend. First off on Friday morning the campus power went out for about 2 and half hours. It was nice but I still had class which sucked and the cafe was closed. Then later on in the day Corey and Jeremy came up from CSU. We went to the SK8 park that night with a lot of people. Two of toms friends came up also. I was practicing my bunny hoping for cross on the BMX bike. I am very good on that but not So much on the cross bike.
Then we tried riding a unicycle. That is a lot harder then it looks. I tried so many times and the best I got was about 50 ft and it was a lot of fun. It gave me a bad rash but o well.
Even though I had the weekend off from racing I had my First week of hard workouts on the road bike. I thought it was going to be somewhat easy, but no it was def hard. It was good getting that in and I hope it will show at Nats in a few Weeks.
I am Heading home to Denver on Wednesday for turkey day. That will be nice getting home and eating food. I have some local races finally in Denver that I will be going to on Saturday and Sunday, then heading back here to GJ after Sundays race.

Mid week

Well this week is flying by. It has been nice I have been off the bike for the last two days. I needed that rest, today I am just going out for an easy ride, and then tomorrow is some hard training for the rest of the week. Like I said before I am not racing this weekend, am looking forward for the break. But I still have hard workouts. It is less then a month before CX Nationals. I can't wait for that. This weekend a couple of my buddies are coming up from CSU. I don't know what we are going to do but it should be fun.

Bad Luck = Bad Races

Well this weekend there was a couple of UCI races down in Gunnison and Durango that Conor and I went down to. I was looking forward to these races and hopefully coming out with some good results. But the total opposite happened.
On Saturday morning we left Grand Junction early in the morning to make it to Gunnison for our 11:30 start. We got there in plenty of time. We were able to warm up and ride the course plenty of times. The race started shortly after. Conor and I and some guy from Durnago were off the front very early in the race. I slipped out in one of the corners but got back up and chased for a couple of laps before i got back on with Conor and the other guy. Then with 2 laps to go Conor crashes in one of the corners and the guy from Durango takes off. I chased him down and then attacked him. Then on the last lap i was leading and about half way through the lap i was powering up this hill section when my chain broke. That easy, day over with. I got a DNF and Conor ended up 2nd. Then we watched Danny and Brady ride a great race and getting some UCI points. After watching the pros race we headed over to Durango for a race on FLC campus.
The drive over to Durango was a long one. It was not fun driving over the pass in the dark and no guard rale. We made it eventually and stayed the night at our fiends place. Then we got to the race course Sunday morning looking for some better luck. Conor and I went to go register when we noticed the guys that we race against already warming up. So we headed back to the car to get changed and ride the course and warm up. But on the way back to the car we found out that we go off at 10 not 11:30 like we thought we did. So we got changed went to the start and started racing. I felt horrible and just could not get in to any rhythm. So Conor finished up 6th and me 7th not to happy that we didn't notice the start time change.
It was really cool watching Todd Wells destroy both days. I finally have a weekend off from racing. I am taking off this weekend hoping to get better and just relax.

Night CX

Last night Conor and I went out to do some night cross racing. There was only 4 other people that showed up but it still was a good workout. We went to the local elementary school and made about a 6 min course. There was sand and some long running sections. It was a lot of fun racing at night with lights and no one out there. They have these rides every Wednesday night at 6, meeting at the bike shop.


This weekend is another UCI race down in Gunnison on Saturday and Durango on the FLC campus on Sunday. Those should be some good races, I hope it is a good turn out.
I am still kind of feeling sick so I hope i am feeling better in the next couple days. Next weekend I have the weekend off from racing so that will be a good break. Corey and Jeremy and his buddies from CSU and Stu are coming up that weekend so we should get some good riding in.

Kevin

Weekend Report

This weekend was a huge weekend of racing for me. It was the Redline and Boulder cup in Boulder. All the big names in cross were here, even Chris Horner himself was there making his best cross finish ever, 5th. It was just really cool watching Trebon, Horner, Johnson, Powers, Wells and Wicks race. Todd Wells jumping all the barriers.
My race on Saturday was good. It was a great course with grass, sand, gravel, stairs and barriers. I was with the lead group the whole race until the last lap or so. 5 guys pulled away from me. I finished up 6th and Conor 9th. Conor crashed on the first lap and hurt his thumb really bad but managed to get ninth. Not bad for such a big race.
Then yesterday was a different story. We all have bad days on the bike, and yesterday it was my day. I felt good the first lap, with about a 5 sec lead or so. But after that i was not feeling it. My bike was not shifting right and i had a huge gear going up those hills and sand pit and i thought i was getting over a cold but i think it just got worse. I can make excuses all day but when it comes down to it i just had a bad day.
On the other hand Conor had a great day. The second lap he went off the front. This course was really windy also but he managed to stay out front the whole race with about a 20 sec lead the whole time. He pulled of the win in the Boulder Cup. It was his biggest win yet, with 100 starters and a big race it was just a great weekend for him.
This weekend is another race in Gunnison and Durango. I will be doing the Gunnison one but not sure yet on the Durango one. We will just have to wait and see, and i hope i get better soon.

Kevin

Under the weather!

First of all, I feel like crap. I am not feeling well at all. When I breath I feel like I am wheezing and there is a lot of mucus in my chest it really sucks, I hope I am ready and in good health for this weekend the Redline Cup and Boulder Cup But my weekend was good.
On Friday night I got to Denver and went to go see Thrice and Brand New. Thrice was fantastic and the put on a really good show but Brand New sucked live I really did not like there show and everyone that I was with thought the same thing.
Saturday I went to Velo Swap. I think I had to high expatiation's going into it. I was thinking maybe more like Interbike even though I have not been there yet. But it was ok I really didn't see and great deals out there. But I got a Dura-ace 55 teeth for my TT bike and then a clear rain jacket.
Then yesterday was a Boulder CX race. I knew this race was going to be a lot bigger then the western slope series so I was kinda nervous of how I would do. There was at least 60 guys at this race not like the other races I was use to with about 15 tops. Luckily I got called up to the front line along with Conor. We started out fast and I was leading the whole first lap. There was a lot of wet sand and a long sand run up. We only got 6 laps in 45 min so it was a long course. But after leading the first lap I started drifting back i could not breath very well, my legs felt great but my throat was killing me. I guesses that is what it feels like when you are sick and race, Conor had a great race, he got 4th but might have got third if he did not crash. I got 7th not bad for not feeling too good and not being able to clip in and only being able to ride twice that week.

This weekend is going to be huge i hope. I just hope i am feeling well both my health and my legs so I can come up with a good result. There is also some good interviews with some of my teammates and coach on Velo News you should check it out!

Bored

I am really bored just sitting at work. I have another hour left before I can go out and ride. I got to make up my Spanish test that I failed today along with the whole class so i hope i didn't fail that one to. This weekend i am off to Denver. Friday i am going to a concert to see Thrice and Brand New, the Saturday is Velo swap, then Sunday is a Boulder cyclocross race which i can't wait for. I hope it is a good turn out.
This is a pic of me before the race on Sunday checking out the course.

Bike N Slide!

Conor and I went down to Eagle this weekend for the last of the western slope series. Saturday was a great course. It was sunny out and warm. There was only about ten of us in the threes. But Conor this other guy and Me blew up the field 2 laps in the race. Then when we were on the road section the other guy attacked and I tried staying with him but he pulled away. Before i Knew it he was about 30 sec ahead of us. I was trying to real him back but it was not working. Then with one lap to go I gave it everything to try to catch him . He beat me but at the finish line he was only about 3 sec ahead of Conor and I. I got Second and Conor third.

Today was a different story. It was about 28 degrees out and 5-8 inches of snow on the ground. My brakes didn't work and my cassette was frozen so i only had one gear the whole race. Conor and I started out Strong on the front but about half way through the first lap we both slid out and crashed and everyone passes us. After a while it was getting really muddy and slick i could hardly stay up. I was surprisingly warm through out the whole race. It was really hard to clip in with about 3 laps to go because my pedals were frozen. I finished 7Th and Conor 6Th.


I finished first overall for the Western slope series so i won an independent cyclocross fork. And Conor finished 2ND. We are going to be on the font range now racing for the rest of the year. Next weekend is the Velo Swap so we are going to check that out and then on Sunday is a cross race in Boulder.
Western Slope Article

Bad Day!

Today is not going so well. I have no clue what is going on in my Spanish class i am Failing it along with half the other students in the class. It is suppose to be a Spanish 1 class but it feels like a Spanish 4 class. I only know a few people that are passing it and that is because they took 3 years of Spanish in high school. Who need Spanish anyways? Then i thought i would go for a ride after Spanish class. I did and when i left it was 30 degrees out and then i got two flats within 2 min apart in the same tire. I hate goat heads. And i have felt bad on my bike all week. Now i have to go to work and just sit there and study Spanish. But this weekend i am off to Eagle for some cross races i hope those go a little better.


Kevin

Gunni-Cross

This weekend i traveled over to Gunnison for some cross races on Saturday and Sunday. When i left GJ the weather report was rain both days all day, I thought it was going to be really muddy. We got there Saturday moring a few hours before start, and the weather was perfect, no rain. We road the course a lot in warm up to get it dialed. We watched two other guys on our team race fours right before us and Yannick won he is only 13 years old, this is his second win of the year in the Fours. After that Conor and I had the pressure to keep the wins going for the team.

Our race started quickly after the fours, I had a bad start and was somewhat in the back of the pack. Then we came up to some switch backs and i tried moving my way up and slid out on one of the corners(90 % GRASS COURSE)and some guy ran over me. So i got back up and chased for many laps until i caught on to the break of 3 with Conor in it. Then we came to another switch back and the leader slid out and took out the guy right behind him and Conor and I took off. One of the guys caught on but we dropped him after a few laps. Then Conor got first and i got second. We both crashed twice during the race because the corners we so slick. Then Brady raced the open and got third.

Today it was raining when i woke up and really cold. We got out to the race course and they really didn't switch up the course besides making it going backwards and moving the barriers into a different spot. I was warming up and sliding out of every corner. It was slipperier then yesterday. Not as many guys showed up for our race today but was still a strong field. We started strong and i was about fourth wheel back, i stayed there for a long time for the race. I was trying to take it slow in the corners so i would not slip out but that didn't help much idk how many times i feel today. But with three laps to go i attacked on the road and got a slight lead and held it the rest of the race. Conor was not to far behind me but he slid out on one of the last corners and a guy passed him, they both sprinted it out for second and it was so close idk who got it. So today i took first and Conor 2nd or third. It was def a good race weekend.

Go Rockies, i just finished watching them kick some butt, they are going to sweep the series again and go to the world series. Next game is tomorrow night at home again, it's going to be a good game.

Frisco

Well lets just say that there was a little more people this weekend. There was about 50 guys in the 3's race. It was a lot of fun. One thing that sucked was that I started near the back each day. The first 2 rows were the top rider in the omnium and since i have not raced all them i started in the back. Both days the whole race i was just trying to get up front. Saturday was good, with a bad start and a crash on the last lap finished up 14Th and Conor 15Th, and our teammate that got called up to the front Cody Cox got 2ND. Then today was also a technical course with a lot of loose gravel. Again starting in the back i moved my way up toward the front over the laps. With 3 laps to go i was in 14Th and at the finish i got 11Th. I really turned on the heat the last three laps. I just wish i could see what i could do if i could start on the front line. O and by the way it was really cold. Next week is Gunnison and i hope that it is a good turnout too.

Aspen

This past weekend was my first cross race in Aspen. The courses were really technical but a lot of fun. I was def nervous going into the weekend not knowing how well i was going to do. I guess it was a good thing the cat sizes were small, a good intro. the race on Saturday had a long run up section and a good climb. After a few laps it was Conor this other guy Max and I off the front, then i took off and road away from the other two. It was a lot of fun, then on the last lap i got a flat about 100ft from the finish line in the round about, but it was ok since i had a pretty good lead. After i finished i was wondering were Conor was because he was no too far behind be going into the lat lap in 3rd place, he flatted and didn't have a spare wheel, so he had to run the whole last lap so he finished up 6Th or so. Then on Sunday another great course, again a few laps in it was Conor Max and I, After a few laps Conor went down in a corner so it was just Max and I then Conor caught up a few laps later. Then about half way through the race i noticed Conor was not behind me again, his skewer feel off his rear wheel so he had to get his wheel changed. So the rest of the race i was leading with Max right on my wheel. Then with one lap to go he tried to attack on the hill but i stayed with him, then about half way through the lap he passed me on a corner and then he barley beat me, it was a very insane lat lap. Conor still finished third with the wheel change {he just didn't have good luck this weekend} It was a great weekend and a lot of fun.

Start Global Cooling

This weekend i went to my team camp in boulder for cyclocross. Our team is CLIF BAR development cyclocross team. It is going to be a great season with this team. This is the first fully sponsered team i have been on and so far it has been a treat. I got to Boulder on Friday night and the team just talked about the year and we put the last min things on our SALSA bikes. They are sick bikes i love it. Then on Saturday we had a CX clinic in the morning then in then later that night we went to some party for a recycling company in boulder. Then Sunday moring we went on a team ride and made a couple courses that we raced on. then after that we went to fort Collins for a enviorment fair which was pretty cool. The team is really cool, a lot of good guys on it. Then we went back to boulder and then to GJ. It took us about 5 and half hours to get home. we had to take an hour detour because and tanker spilled all over I-70. then once we got passed that it was raining really hard and i was only going 30mph on I-70. It sucked we didn't get home until 10. My first race will be Sept 29 in Aspen. While i was gone all weekend having fun, i left tom with my fish to take care of. Well he didn't do such a great job he killed my fish.RIP. He says that it was already dead when he came in but i still want to give him crap for killing my fish. This is a pic of my bike and team kit and my dead fish. I don;t have any wheels on it because we have not got our team wheels yet.

Life

Well on my break i went down to Vail on thursday for Beede's wedding. It was a lot of fun we got to stay in a manshion for thursday and friday night. The whole time i was down there we had a good time. Then on Saturday Mat picked me up to go to idaho springs, we went to his aunt and uncles cabin for one night, then we went to denver the next day. Then on Monday we went to Project Revolution concert. It was an all day event, we were able to see; Saosin, Mindless Self Indulgence, Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical Romance, and Linkin Park. There was a lot of other bands there but that is all we went to go see. Then on Tuesday we went up to pick up Alex in golden and have breakfeast at her sisters resturant. Then today i went to two of my classes and i still have one more to go ugg. I don't know why but i think i am going to go mountain biking today just to screw around. I can't wait till next weekend because i get to meet the team and get all the goods. My bike and all my cloths, it is going to be a mini camp so that will be fun. I can't wait for cross to start up that should be a lot of fun, my first race is in Aspen on the 29th and 30th.

Back In School

Well it sucks to be back in school but almost done with the first week. My schedule is not that bad besides Tuesdays, they suck. I feel really lazy i have not road once since i have been up here, it is kinda nice. My roommates are pretty sweet and we are having a good time. Sunday i am going on some tour in the valley it is like a 100 mile ride, that should be good. Mesa cycling team looks pretty big this year, we have a lot of downhill guys and some road girls. No more Chris, he is off doing better things. I will just have to step up my game this year. Cross will be starting up here soon and i can't wait. On Sept 15 i Will be down in Golden for a team camp and getting the bikes and all the good stuff.

Another year

Well another year has gone by, it is time to go back to school. My last race is on Saturday in Dillon. It is going to be a crit, then right as that is done i am going straight up to GJ for school. No more mountain bike racing foe me, i am going to race cross for TIAA-CREF/CLIF BAR team. That should be a lot of fun and i am looking forward to it,i will actually have a team and not just a lot of little kids. I am not looking forward to all the drives back to Denver for the cross races but o well, sacrifices. Team video.I didn't get my upgrade this year i was 6 points away, but you never know i still have one more race left. It should be nice to go back to GJ and get settled back in but i just don't want to start school on Monday. O well what can you do?

Salida

About time i feel like i have some legs. On Friday was a 7 mile TT in the hail. It hurt so bad to look up and my arms were bright red. I felt horrible on the way out but on the way back i was moving i finished 5th overall on that. Then on Saturday was the RR 75 miles or so with some good climbing in it and fast descents. I felt good for most of the race but got dropped on lap 2 and a half out of 6. I thought i was going to finish way behind the leader but only 9 min or so i took 17th on the day, which put me in 10th overall. Then Sunday was the crit, i felt great the whole race up front the whole time and trying to go with breaks but none stayed away. Then with2 laps to go 3 guys went off and i didn't have that much to go. so we chased and on the last corner we caught them, i took 7th in the sprint and 6th in the GC not bad for the lack of training i am doing. Next race is this weekend a RR on Saturday and a crit on Sunday hopefully i will kill it on both races and get enough points for my upgrade.

Day Off!

Well yesterday was the champion crit and i was planning on doing well. It was a flat fast crit and i was looking forward to it. This was my first race since dead dog so i was excited to throw it down. Well the first half of the crit my stomach hurt so bad idk why but it sucked so i just sat in. There was 2 crashes that i got stuck behind which really sucked. I was waiting for it to slow down a little for me to move to the front but that never happened. So i was just suffering on the back. It was a really bad performance by me, so with 2 laps to go i just sat up and road the last two by myself. I was very disappointed but i guesses i just got to keep on training and hope i do better in Salida in 2 weeks.

DEAD DOG

Well lets just say that i didn't have very good legs this weekend. Saturday was an 85 mile road race. It was a lot of climbing, i suck at climbing and it showed this weekend. I dropped off the main group 22 miles in when someone attacked on the long climb. I finished 30th out of 75 not bad but i know i could of done better. Then today was the crit it had sharp and tight turns. I did ok in that about half way in the pack. The whole race i could not move up at all so i just stayed where i was the whole time, my legs did not feel it. Then right after that was the TT. I was not looking forward to that. My legs started to come around a little in the TT, i felt great on the way out and was struggling on the way back but managed to get 15th not bad but not great. O well this weekend was just an off weekend.

Crash N Burn!

Well tonight was a crit part of the Rocky Mountain Omnium. It was on the state patrol track. It was like a race track but with some thight corners and long straight aways. Well the race started off well i was up front closing some breaks and going with people. The race was actually lame, for primes they were giving out golden dollars. Who is going to bust there ass of for a golden dollar? The most they gave away was $10. And that was donated by the crowd. Then with 2 laps to go there was a HUGE crash. The guy next to me just kept on going straight instead of going right. IDK what happened but only about 20 guys came out of it, there prob was about 60 starters or so. so we just keep on drilling it after the crash. Then when we came by the crash on the next lap guys were still on the ground so they told us to slow down, which we did, then we came out of the corner and there was a big straight away to the finish. Guys started to sprint and i just sat on there wheel about 3 wheels back, Then with about 500 meters to go to the finish the ref came up and told us it was a neutral lap. HUH? In the sprint? so we all slowed down and did a lap and then they stopped us at the start line. They said 2 guys were really hurt, one guy with a head injury and another with a broken collarbone. Dang. So since they didn't have an ambulance they had to wait? Man i would of had a good chance of winning but at least i didn't go down i guesses.

No power!

Well yesterday was a horrible day for me on the bike. It was the fort Collins crit. I had a bowl of cereal before around 10 and my race was not until 315 and that was all i ate all day. There was a very bad move on my part. Then before the race the course was open for us to ride like 15 min before. So i took a lap and when i came back around everyone was already on the line. What the hell, so i was way in the back just sitting there 10 min before the race started asking my self why we all were already lined up. O well, So the race started and i had to move my way up which was not easy at all. My belly hurt so bad prob because i didn't eat anything all day. So for about half the race i was battling with my pain in my belly and trying to move up to the front. And why this is all going on Conor is on a 6 man break. Then a few laps later i noticed my front wheel was getting low so i went to the pit to get a wheel. I was trying to hurry so i could get ready to hop on when the group came back but the official and the pit dude said to relax because they were giving me 2 laps to change my wheel and everything because the pack was going so fast. Then once i got my wheel on the pack came around the corner and they told me to hop in. WHAT?? They said i had 2 laps but whatever i hoped on and drove it to the front. And still Conor was on his break. Then with 3 laps to go i felt like i was in the 4's no one knows how to hold a line in the 3's. Guys were all over the place, then with 1 lap to go guys just didn't care about anyone else they we all over the place, I was scared for my life. then a guys tire blows and everyone freaks out, So then we had to regroup then another guys tire blows and a crash right in front of me. I just gave up there and just road in. If i was not getting top six then why keep on going full throttle. I ended up 38th or something horrible like out of 70 or so, but dang Conor held with the break away and got 4th(BA) That was sweet at least one of us knew how to ride our bike that day. And i Started my new job today=boring and long. I am an emissions inspector making sure cars pass and everything. I have 2 weeks of training and this week is the book work. Man i don't know what else we still have to go over and its only Monday. O well lets see how it goes.

State TT and City park crit.

Well the TT was very windy. The whole race was either a head wind or a cross wind, it sucked. I did ok in it i got 14th overall and my time was 54min and some change not so great but OK. Then today was the city park crit. I was pretty excited to race this one,idk why i just was. the race was fast with 3 round-abouts and plenty of crashes. Conor went on an attack about half way through the race, i just sat on the guy chasing and waited for him to pull him in, and once that happened i counter attacked and stayed away for a lap and a half with Conor's help blocking. The good thing was i got a prime out of it. then with five laps to go i noticed a guy was off the front solo so i moved the the front to try to pull him in. No one came with me so i was chasing by myself so after 2 laps of chasing and me not closing in on him and the pack closing in on me i just sat up. He stayed away for the win and i finished up 3rd. I thought i got 2nd but i guess the cameras don't lie. It was a good day got cash, gift certificates and 2 primes and a loaf of bread.

Can't wait to race!

I can't wait to race this weekend. On Saturday I have the state TT, this will the the first time i get to use my TT bike on an individual TT. Then on Sunday is the City Park crit, i am hopefully going to hurt some legs that day. Today sucked, the weather was horrible it rained all day. I had to ride so once it started to slow down i went out. I was suppose to ride for a few hours then do the Meridian crit but it was pouring. I got to the Meridian crit at 6:20 and no one was there they all wimped out so we just road for 2 and a half hours. i thought i was done with the cold weather but i guess not. And o ya tomorrow i have and interview at 10:00 i am hoping to get the job so i can pay for all this racing.

Weekend racing

Well it didn't go as well as i was hoping. Yesterday was a crit in Boulder, it was a .7 mile course. There was and slight uphill finish which burned every time and then you went down an ally way into an S turn and then back on to the finishing stretch. A lot of guys dropped out so the pack blew up very fast. With 2 laps to go a 5280 guy attacked and i went with him hoping to stay away but we only stayed away for a half of lap, his own teammate brought us back? So it was down to the sprint and i took 8th i was hoping for better but o well. Then today was another crit that was 1.4 miles long with a bigger uphill finish then yesterday and o ya that hurt. Then on the back side of the course it was a slight downhill hitting 40mph. With two laps to go i was up towards the front until the hill i dropped back a little then on the last lap going into the finish i tried sprinting but i didn't fell like i was moving, i was passing a few guys but def not as much as i wanted. I ended up 12th. Well the good news is that i get to rest for a while until the state TT, which is 2 weekends away.

Done with school!

I am done with my first year of college. I leave tomorrow morning for Denver for the summer. I am going to be racing my bike for Black Sheep and kicking some butt. I had a great year this year in the collegiate season thanks to STU for keep on pushing me to get out and train. I am hoping to be even better this summer and come back next year and start up some cyclocross. This weekend I will be racing 2 crits in boulder and hoping to do very well in them.

2007 Collegiate Nationals

We left last Wednesday for Kansas. we just pre road the TT course on Thursday and kept it easy. Then on Friday was the TTT, it was a hard course, we took 11th overall not bad but we were hoping to do better. It was the first time Conor and I actually raced on our TT bikes, I could see a big difference in how i road. Then on Saturday was the RR it was about 85 miles or so, it took a little under 4 hours. There was a 1.5 mile section of dirt a lot of people flatted and crashed. Going into the third lap i was feeling great and up towards the front then a pile up happened up right in front of me and i couldn't get my speed back up again i was so mad. i ended up taking 22nd with 90 or so riders starting. Then on Sunday was the Crit, i felt alright but a little tired i was about half way in the pack, too far back. So i tried to move up. then with 3 laps to go there was a crash right in front of me so then i was chasing i ended up 44th overall. The team took 4th overall and Chris took 1st for the individual ommunium. We were only 6 points away from third so i am mad about that but what can you do. Now i am going to take it easy for a little then start racing down in Denver. And o ya by the way no more euro Mullet! These are some pics from nats, one with Conor, Chris and I, then one of me finishing the road race, and the other one is the crash i got stuck in.