Planning for Tucson Trip

I'm very excited planning my next cycling adventure. On January 7th I'm flying to Tucson Arizona to ride for a week. Another trip in search of warmth and sun and vitamin D. I found a place to stay from craigslist. Last night I placed an ad on craigslist for a 'cyclist looking for a place to stay'. In 24 hours I received over thirty replys from everywhere from $85-$400 a week. What a great thing that craigslist is. Tonight I called Joy Archer in Oro Valley and had a very nice conservation about all the great things to see in the Tucson area. That's where I'll be staying.

Some of my planned rides will take me to Kitt Peak, Sabino Canyon, Mt Lemmon and Biosphere 2. Oh and also the Tour of Cookie! It should be another wonderful trip.

Day 5 Florida Base Miles Trip

The question of the day is should I stay on schedule and ride to Clewiston or make the big push to end a day early. I got an early start after a greasy diner breakfast of a sausage omelet with home fries and a shortstack. I left at 8:00am, going do south out of La Belle into Alligator Alley. The quick way from La Belle to Clewiston is along Rt80 about 30 miles. Going though Alligator Alley made the ride to Clewiston 55 miles. This is a big square instead of a straight line to Clewiston. I wanted to see alligators.

I had to carry extra water because there is nothing in between point A and point B. Of course the extra weight of carrying two more bottles was such a joy. The good thing is it is really flat in southern Florida. And straight. More roads where you can see where you're going to be 20 minutes from now.
When I was entering Alligator Alley I was stopped by two guys in a pickup truck. They were surprised to see me riding though there on a bicycle and not on a motorcycle. I wish I had my motorcycle. Despite all the water along the side of the road, I never saw an alligator. Plenty of buzzards. Very big scary buzzards waiting for me to sit on the side of the road so they can carry me away to feed me to their young.

On my way out of the Alley to Clewiston I got a phone call from Greg Weber. I very welcome phone call because I was able to talk on the phone and waste a half hour while riding. Remember my music comes from my cell phone. So I use the same headphones for both. Verizon is pretty amazing because I had full cell reception on the whole ride. No matter how remote I thought I was I was still able to send pictures, check emails, check Facebook and send texts. It diffidently got me to Clewiston.

I stopped on the far side of Clewiston for water and a much deserved reward. Ice cream! I sat there for a while not looking forward to riding down the highway any longer with all the big trucks passing by my elbow. After a half hour I got back in the saddle and continued to South Bay. South Bay was to be my new end point for the day. But I thought even with a nights sleep the last leg into Fort Lauderdale along Rt 27 was not going to be any fun. 40 miles of straight highway riding.

So I got the idea to stick my thumb out and hitchhike to Fort Lauderdale. I haven't hitchhiked since my days at Crested Butte when I use to hitchhike to work everyday. I went into the last service station in town for a Gatorade and a piece of cardboard to make a sign. All I wrote on the sign was 'Fort Lauderdale'. I went to the end of town, propped up my bike and stood there with my sign. It lasted less then 15 minutes and I was picked up by large pickup truck with a twenty foot trailer. He said there was no room in the cab but I was welcome to sit in the bed of the truck and he would take me to Interstate 75 about 40 miles. Works for me. I sat back there enjoying the speed that we were passing this very straight stretch of road. When they dropped me off, I thought about putting my thumb back out for another truck ride to FLL. But I decided I had sat long enough to think about this as a new ride for the day. I could easily ride 25 miles.

I hopped back on the bike for my last big push. I am now riding in standard city traffic and moving quite quickly. This is when I thought if I can get to FLL airport two hours before the last flight to BWI I will be able to go home today. For this to work, I had to be able to get the bike bag from baggage services, pack up the bike and clean up enough to get on an airplane. It was going to be close.
In the end I decided on not rushing and getting a hotel and a big plate of meatloaf for dinner. Yum!

92 miles today! And 356 miles in 5 days, not bad start for base miles.

Day 4 Florida Base Miles Trip

Sidewalks and saddle sores SUCK! I left the hotel at 10:30am after a good nights sleep and a good breakfast. It may have been a mistake. I should have left before the heat of the day. The route was not the most desirable either. It followed major roads that are under construction where I was suppose to ride on a bike path that is also under construction. The road surface for most of this whole trip have been pretty smooth. At least for someone from PA. Today not so much. I'm glad I've been riding rollers since I've been 14 years old. Riding on the white line was like riding 3" balance beam rollers for 15 miles straight. Very stressful too.

Again the day was saved by my headphones. I used them for the last 10 miles just to make it to the end. My feet hurt , my butt hurt and I was sick of bouncing along all day long. After just a few notes of my music and my speed picked up to my normal pace compared to just throwing one foot in front of the other. My pace has been doing very well this whole trip. Legs are spinning good. I've even put some extra efforts in from time to time. And when my butt has been giving me trouble I've even done a few out of the saddle sprints. Sometimes it even feels like training ride.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to go a little farther than my original plans. Instead of stopping in Clewiston, I hope to make it to South Bay. That will make the last day a little less daunting. To do this I'm going to leave at 8:00am. Getting the bulk of the riding done before the heat of the day. And I'll use the headphones earlier in the ride. I just have to watch out for alligators in the alley.

55 miles

Day 3 Florida Base Miles Trip

After eating a motel continental breakfast, I loaded up and started on my way. Roll out of the parking lot, turn left on Rt 17, turn left on Rt 70. WHOO, WHAT IS THAT! While sliding out a bit. Of course a flat tire. I can still see the comfort of my motel room and I've got to sit in the heat fixing a flat. It took me two tubes to fix it. The first was wasted to extra vigorous pumping. I broke the stem off trying to get to 120 psi. A piece of glass was the culprit. Ok lets start again.

Today was not near as interesting as yesterday. Not near as many creatures. Just snapping turtles to add to the list. Lots of very straight, very long roads with headwinds. Again I feel quite recovered. My legs are good. My butt on the other hand has not recovered as well. In all my years of riding I've never had such a sore butt. I imagine too much time on the couch and too much time off the saddle as the general cause. It doesn't help that I'm spending most of my day in time trial mode. Without the climbs and ever so welcome descents, I'm in the seat for very long periods of time. All the same, this should do wonders for my overall fitness.

Finally, I found a bike shop. AMCE BIKES. Can you believe that. I was looking for the wilily coyote and road runner to come riding in. I was able to get a much needed new helmet. Whew I made it. And a new rear tire. I went with a kevlar 700x25 tire to handle the extra weight of the panniers. The folks at the shop were kind enough to let me use their repair stand and floor pump. It is very rare to have a shop let a costumer use shop tools and shop time. Thank you very much. They told me that they have done this type of trip many times thru Florida. Following the same set of maps that I'm using. They added a very important step. A follow vehicle. What a great idea.

Mid day I start thinking 'ouch' this is boring and killing my butt. Wondering what the heck I'm doing to myself. Should I just throw in the towel and get a rental car to complete the trip. Today I used magic to get me though the day. Headphones to be more actuate. I don't ever use headphones while riding normally. I think you need to be able to hear everything around you. I usually sing out loud to get me over a hill. I wasn't able to do it alone. Today I needed the distraction. I needed to forget about riding and the extra straight boring roads and sing at the top of my lungs to the buzzards overhead waiting for me to topple over in exhaustion. I slugged though, got to the hotel, got a hot shower, some good food and I'm ready to go again tomorrow. No problems. Tomorrow we will see what my butt thinks!

52 miles today.

Day 2 Florida Base Miles Trip

Armadillos, Skunks and Rattle Snakes Oh My! This was one heck of a day. These are the creatures I got a picture of. I also saw wart hogs, buzzards, and an alligator from a distance. This is the first time I've seen an armadillo a live. They are usually squished on the side of the road. He was a cute little guy, just rooting around the grass not even caring about me at all. I saw the skunk as I was coming around a corner. I quickly passed on the far side of the road. He didn't seem to care about me either. So I turned around to take a picture. The passing cars give me a look like I was crazy for getting that close to a skunk for a picture. When I saw the rattle snake I was getting passed by a car at the time. It scared me at first, until I realized his head was smashed. I had to get a picture of him. It was the first time I've seen one, I'm glad he was dead thou. The wart hogs were way to fast for pictures, the buzzards don't like their pictures taken and the alligator was too far away to smile for the camera. I hope to see more alligators when I go through alligator alley.

After a hardy breakfast at Ho Jo's, I started into the morning fog. I felt much better than I thought I would feel after yesterdays long ride. My legs didn't seem to have any tenderness at all. Amazing! I haven't riding at all in about a month and my first ride was 70plus miles. I had major concerns with cramping last night. I just rolled along spinning a nice easy gear all day. I drank many bottles of water, even I couple with Nuun active hydration tablets. Unlike yesterday, today I stopped for lunch. I ate at a deli at a gas station nestled in the middle of orange groves. Of course it had to be good because of all the locals eating there. It was. I had bbq chicken, mac and cheese and blueberry cobbler.

I decided this morning, I had to make up the lost miles from yesterday if I didn't want to spent an extra day on the road. I had 20 miles to make up to get back on track. That makes todays ride in the 80plus mile neighborhood. Heck, I haven't ridden a ride that long all summer long. My hands and arms give me more trouble then my legs. But I must say the last 27 miles were very hard on my feet. I think I may need new insoles. Again after a shower and another good meal (Slims BBQ) I feel just fine. We will see what tomorrow brings. Oh ya, I'm still looking for a bike shop to get a new helmet. I think Florida needs more bike shops.

Today 87 miles

Day 1 Florida Base Miles Trip

To start the day, I got out of the house a little late. I forgot about the extra time needed to check a bag in. I was the last one to board. One would think I would know better. All the same I made it.

In Orlando I built my bike off to the side of the baggage carousel. It must have looked a little strange, having the contents of my bag strewn all over the carpet. A few TSA folks walked by but never said a word. A word of advise, don't pack your helmet with your bike. Carry it on the airplane. Because of this over site, my helmet has a big giant crack in it. I have to find a bike shop soon. I left the bike in the baggage office while I check the empty bike case in for it's second flight of the day. The ticket agent thought I was checking in an empty so I could fill it with Christmas presents. I just smiled. I hope it made it to Fort Lauderdale. Heck, I hope I make it to Fort Lauderdale.

Riding out of the airport is a bit challenging with the buses and taxis zooming by. But once past the interstate entrance ramp the traffic comes down. The day was suppose to take me to Lake Wales after 61 miles. I did ride well over 60 miles but I didn't make it to Lake Wales. I got off course after only 5 miles and it took me 15 extra miles to get back on course. And in Kissimee I spent 5 miles looking for a bike shop that is now out of business and became a pizza shop. I called it a day in Haines City at a Howard Johnson's. Clean room, hot shower, and of course food. It has been years since I've had a good Ho Jo's buffet. $7.45 all you can eat and really good food too. I behaved myself, only ate one helping of everything.

Holy cow, I'm out of shape. I knew this wasn't going to be an easy trip but boy oh boy, my legs hurt. I'm hanging out in my hotel room watching Edward Scirrorshands with my feet high on the wall trying to not cramp up. Tomorrow should be interesting.

Best guess 70 miles today.

Florida Trip Day 6 Clewiston To Fort Lauderdale Map

Day 6 Map

MapMyRide.com View 12/21/2008 Florida Trip Day 6 Clewiston To Fort Lauderdale in Clewiston, Florida

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Florida Trip Day 5 LeBelle To Clewiston Map

Day 5 Map

MapMyRide.com View 12/20/2008 Florida Trip Day 5 LeBelle To Clewiston in Labelle, Florida

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Florida Trip Day 4 Fort Myers To LeBelle Map

Day 4 Map

MapMyRide.com View 12/19/2008 Florida Trip Day 4 Fort Myers To LeBelle in Fort Myers, Florida

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Florida Trip Day 3 Arcadia To Fort Myers Map

Day 3 Map

MapMyRide.com View 12/18/2008 Florida Trip Day 3 Arcadia To Fort Myers in Arcadia, Florida

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Florida Trip Day 2 Lake Wales To Arcadia Map

Day 2 Map

MapMyRide.com View 12/17/2008 Florida Trip Day 2 Lake Wales To Arcadia in Lake Wales, Florida

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Florida Trip Day 1 Orlando To Lake Wales Map

This is my planned Day 1 of my Florida Base Mile Trip

MapMyRide.com View 12/16/2008 Florida Trip Day 1 MCO To Lake Wales in Orlando, Florida

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Using new Dell Mini9 computer.

I just received my new mini laptop computer. I do plan on taking it with me on my Florida trip so I can update post each day along the way.

Planning for Florida Base Miles Trip

I'm in need of getting my butt off the couch and back on the bike. It has been almost a month since my last ride. So to kick start my season I've decided to go to Florida for some much needed base milage.

How does 370 miles in 6 days sound? That should do the trick. I'm planning to ride from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale. Traveling light from hotel to hotel, with just enough clothes to make it work.

Fly into MCO on 12/16. Build bike in airport, send box down to FLL and start riding.

Day 1 Ride from Orlando to Lake Wales 61 miles.
Day 2 Lake Wales to Arcadia 69 miles.
Day 3 Arcadia to Fort Myers 53 miles.
Day 4 Fort Myers to LaBelle 55 miles.
Day 5 LaBelle to Clewiston 53 miles.
Day 6 Clewiston to Fort Lauderdale 79 miles.

And also fly back to BWI on the last day so I can go back to work on X-mas eve.
Wish me luck!

Testing New Blog Writer

I’m trying a new blog service from Microsoft called Windows Live Writer. It should allow me to post pictures and maps and videos easier. Lets see if this works. Here goes 

This is a picture I took a couple years ago while riding my motorcycle at about 90mph. I know, not bright.

Now lets try a video

It’s the Bicycle Repairman from Monty Python. I do plan on putting this on my web site.

 

Now lets try a Map

now that’s cool

I like it, thanks Becky

Who needs a calf muscle anyway!

Running sucks! With the idea of training for cyclocross, I bought new running shoes a couple weeks ago. Start slow, go easy, avoid injury. Right. I got the correct shoes. I started by walking , then light jogging for 30 seconds, back to walking for a minute, and again jogging for 30 seconds. Repeat. Well I didn't make it past the third repeat when I felt a twinge of tightness in my left calf. Great, here we go again.

Last year I pulled my calf muscle running for the employee shuttle to get my cell phone I had left in my car. I thought someone hit me in the back of the leg with their rollerbag. Wow that hurt. I got some Bengay and went to work. That night I planned to race in SEA at the velodrome. Well, I limped to the track, got on my bike to warm up and to test the calf. After a lap, I completely forgot about my injured calf. I guess I just don't use that part of the calf muscle on a bicycle. Yay!

Fast forward to last night. My stressed left calf from last week is beginning to bother me early in the day. By the end of the day, I've got a full on limp going. And boy, does it hurt. So this time I get IcyHot. (always willing to try something different) Of course, I'm back in SEA and racing on the track again. This time when I get on the bike the pain doesn't go away like before. Oh crap. Do I continue to race or do I just call it a night and watch others race? You know I do love to watch bike races. But I also do love to race. Heck with it. My calf isn't going to fall off! Is it?

I raced strong all night. Chasing down breakaways (my favorite). Going with surges. Leading out sprints. And even being in the points for 4 points sprints in a row. I still don't have a good top end speed. Who really does need a calf muscle to ride a bicycle. It is over rated.

Boy, do I love the Olympics!!

Up late every night, up early in the morning and even up again in the middle of the night to watch LIVE races on the computer. The coverage this year is much better because of the internet. Primetime still gives you only the feel good stories. The cycling coverage is mininal. But the internet shows the whole 6 hour race LIVE. And the best part is no commontaters just raw sound.

I've been watching all kinds of different sports like badminton, weight lifting, beach volleyball, archery, field hockey, soccer, handball, equestrian, gymnastics, swimming and of course cycling. And this is only 4 day into it. We've got until the 23rd. Ok , I've got to get back to watching the Olympics.

Time for the long rides

After so much racing, I've decided to start going on some long rides to get ready for cyclocross season. I do things a little backwards. I kind of raced myself into shape and now I've got to get some endurance.

Today, Larry and I went out for just shy of 4 hours. Most of our ride was just at conversation pace. I did crank it up a bit on a nice smooth section of road from Jefferson to Seven Valleys. I couldn't help myself. It really wasn't smart, because we just limped in for the last few miles. ouch! I'm feeling it now sitting watching the Olympics.

Back to T-town

It has been way too long away from the velodrome. It is so much fun. Ed, Spencer and I went for the last race of the track season in Trexlertown. This is Spencer's first track race and his first time riding rollers. All I can say is when Spencer gets more experience on the track he is going to be something. He is so strong.

Ed raced both the cat4 and masters races. That means he raced 3 cat4 races, 3 masters races and the feature race for a total of 7 races. That would have killed me. What a wild man. He did great!

We raced a 12 lap scratch race, a 20 lap points race and a miss and out. Plus a 24 lap feature. of course times two for Ed.

My favorite race is the miss and out. It has been since I was a junior. Thats because I can hang in and positon my way up in the group for protection. I got 5th.

My mom and dad came to watch us race today. I love it when they come to watch. But they missed my 5th place race because they went to go eat and came back. Very funny, they are so funny.

The feature event for us was a 24 lap scratch race. The Colavita team had three riders in the race. They tryed to breakaway twice. I brought them back twice. That is fun for me.

Next year we need to go to the track much more often.

End of My Summer Race Series

Yesterday we raced our last race of the Crossroads Cycling Classic in Winston-Salam. When I woke up in the morning my legs were painful to the touch and as heavy as they have ever been. I said to Matt ' if this wasn't the last day, I would take this day off '. We finished packing up our apartment and made our way to Winston-Salam.

During my warm up ride again I felt really bad. I just kept out of the sun and heat as much as possible. It was very hot with not much shade in the parking area. We have been freezing our water bottles all week long which has really helped me during the race. No more hot water in the face mid race. I rode the course backward during an earlier race to scope out the terrain. It looked OK to me because it had some shade on the back section with a couple little power hills that offered some recovery sections. I thought that I might be OK if my legs weren't so heavy.

About two laps into the race my legs loosened up and I felt great. I was really surprized. I could more up and back in the group at ease. Ted almost got caught in a crash early in the race but some how he got thru it. I really mean thru it because I thought the guy crashed right in front of him. But when I looked back Ted was still there. Amazing.

Matt was up working at the front for a good part of the race. With a little over a lap to go, I started making my way to the front to go get Matt. I was a bit to late as Matt was coming back and I didn't give myself enough time to get all the way up. I sprinted to 14th. Matt got 27th and Ted in 34th.

Again, what a great week. What a great summer. 14 races in 23 days. And if I can blow my own horn, I finished every race in the first group except Hunny Bop. What fun!

Watching the PROs in Charlotte

Tonight we went to the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium in Charlotte NC. What a night. We got to see two great races. Won in two different styles. Both races had every team trying everything they could to be up front for all of the money being offered. $25,000 for the womens race and $50,000 for the mens race. And that is only the prize list, not including primes.

The course was shaped like a big dumbell with lots of weight on it, a four corner crit on each side of a long straightaway which went up hill a bit in the middle where the finish line was located. At the start of the womens race the bell was rung right away for a $200 prime. That started the fireworks and the primes coming lap after lap kept the fireworks going. With 10 laps to go there was a $500 prime that pulled Kat Carroll from Aaron's off the front and she just kept on going. The rest of the teams didn't get organized fast enough to bring Kat back and Aaron's did a great job watching the front. Kat held on for a very impressive solo victory.

The mens race started with 134 riders, we all knew it wasn't going to finish with anything close to that. Again primes, primes, primes and fast. I really don't know how they can handle such a high pace for that long. Supermen indeed. It was a straight line for the better part of two hours. You could just see the pain on the faces of every riders in the field as they struggled to hold on for dear life. And the guy behind him hoping he could get around to close up gaps. Pain. The race came down to 8 guys getting away with around 12 laps to go and holding off the remainer of the field (50 some odd riders left) with the help of their teammates in the field. Wow, it is just inspiring.

Just a parking lot crit.

Finishing late last night and racing again early today sucked. Ok, that is going to be my excuse. It was hot and of course fast but I just kept on losing the wheel on the straights. Just couldn't hold the speed. I got together with 4 other guys and traded off til we were lapped with one lap to go. Matt got 9th in the sprint and I got placed in 20th.

Now we are going to Charlotte to watch the Pros race.

Downtown Criterium - Statesville NC Style

Fast, fast, fast, fun, fun,fun!!! 6 corner, L shaped, .6 mile course with a small power climb. My style. Lots of turns! Again these races start out fast and stay there. I got a good start and just settled in while looking for Ted and Matt. Matt was right beside me a couple laps into the race. I asked ' How do you feel ' Matt said ' I hate it back here ' and off he went to the front. A little while later, I was watching the front from a distance to see if anything was going on and I saw Matt trying to close a gap with no help from anyone else at all. I made my way to up to the front to try to give Matt a hand. When it came down to the sprint Matt got 9th and I came in at the back of the main group in 19th place. To my surprise, Ted was right there at the end. Great work Ted!!

Much Better, Much Fun

Tonights race was in Salisbury, NC. Another nice little hamlet of the south, which allowed a bunch of cyclist to close off its downtown streets to race around at crazy fast speeds. The locals seemed to enjoy it. I think.

Anyway, raced a figure 8 course. Can I say how much fun these races are again. Well, they are. Fast from the start. Gaps opening up with every corner. All of this racing is allowing me to close gaps with ease. The starting group of 60 some odd was down to 20 in no time at all. With a bunch of smaller groups trailing. Ted and Steve were the group just off of the main group. I sat on the front group the rest of the race. After last night, I decided to not mix it up for the sprint. I came in 16th.

Crash Boom Bang Twice!!

That was a first. I crashed twice in one race. Wow.

It was the easiest 4 corner course I've riden all year. Really no need to brake or shift at all. With that said, on lap 3 a guy went wide going around a corner and nailed a lamp pole with 2 hay bales on it. His bike bounched back and I ran it over and went down. No damage. Easy fall.

I took my free lap and got right back into the pack. Again Ted got stuck behind the crash and was chasing. His group got pulled a few laps later.

I just sat in the group waiting for the final sprint. I could move up at will, so I waited til 2 laps to go. I came around the 4th corner in top 15. At the line the front guys got together and crashed. I thought I was going to make it around them when a bike slid in front of me taking out my front wheel. Down I go, sliding on my ass. Yea gotta love it. Just a little skin, no big deal.

I got 13th.

Mocksville Criterium

This is the start of our 6 days of racing in Crossroads Cycling Classic.

4 corners and very fast. There was a blind pothole on the back straight. Of course I hit it almost every lap. But early in the race someone hit it and got squirly and crashed with about 5 guys. This split the field, as the front never slowed down. I was safely in the front and Ted got stuck behind the crash in the chase group. We never saw the chasers again.

It stayed fast with a group of about 40 guys. Every couple laps or so we would lose more guys to crashes and atresion. It's funny how guys crash in the same place lap after lap. You would think they would learn not to go too far outside there.

We finished as a group of 26 riders. I didn't sprint in got 26th. Ted's group got pulled with 15 laps to go.

Off to North Carolina for some more racing!

Ted and I decided to spend a week racing the Crossroads Cycling Classic in North Carolina. 6 races in 6 days AGAIN. I love my life.

Irving Park Criterium

Spencer, Ed and I raced in Allentown. Spencer in his second cat 5 race. Ed and I in our millionth cat 4 race. No need to upgrade, we are just having fun.


Spencer again raced great even on a course with a small hill. Stay on was the first order of business. He quickly found out that the hill was much easier then it looked. You could just carry your speed right up it. At the end Spencer give it alittle bit of a sprint. He finished 15th. Great job. This is only the beinning.


The cat 4 races was delayed by a quick moving thunderstorm. So we started on wet roads. About 5 laps into the race, I picked up a piece of glass and got a front flat. Thank goodness Ed put wheels in the pit. I got my free lap on Ed's front wheel. Getting back in was a challenge for me, being that it was up hill and the pack was going fast. I got in alright. But shortly after Ed decided to test the wet road surface. He slid out going around turn 2. As he was getting his free lap, I went to the front to keep the pace steady. Ed and I now were hanging out in the back of the pack deciding what we wanted to do next. We decided that I would take Ed to the front with a lap to go and lead him out for the finish. I got him up there, but then I was done. Ed made some great moves thru the group to get himself 6th place. I got 16th. Not bad, a flat, a crash and 6th and 16th places. Another fun race.

Hunny Bop not Bunny Hop

Still going! I did my 7th race in 9 days. boy am I tired. But still riding fast. It was a very hot day, about 95 degrees in the shade. I couldn't get the heat out of my mouth at all. Every time I sprayed water in my face I thought it was hot dish water. Not refreshing at all. But I was sitting comfortable toward the back. As the race went on I didn't see anything to gain from frying myself in the heat with no cool water so I pulled out with about 15 laps to go. At was a very good week. It is not about the finish , it's about the FUN. I had fun.



At was a long day watching races. Spencer did his first criterium in the morning. He raced a great race. He kept his nose out of trouble and listened to when to move up. He finished in 23rd place without even turning a pedal around the last turn. A very good move since he is going to race cars in the morning.



Matt the super stud did two races back to back in that heat. Cat 3/4 with me and Masters 30/40. Very very fast. He was amazing. Between races all he could do was refill his bottles and get to the line. As always he does his loin share of the work when he races. Talk about being wrecked at the end of the day. Matt was very close to heat stroke. He had to cool down fast. Great day Matt!!

Super Week Wow What a Fun Vacation

First time in my life I raced 6 races in 6 days. I didn't do to bad if I say so myself. I placed in the money in 5 races in a row and just outside of the money on the only race with a hill. That figures.

Of course all of my races were cat4/5 30+, which is my favorite catagory because they are all old slow guys who have to go to work in the morning. Nobody taking crazy chances.

Here are my results:

9th place at St Francis Hospital Blue Island ($25)

12th place at Olympia Club Criterium ($20)

8th place at Richton Park Criterium ($30)

10th place at Ray Basso Bensenville Criterium Day 1 ($25)

4th place at Ray Basso Bensenville Criterium Day 2 ($50)

15th place at Hulboldt Park Criterium (out of the money)

I paid $203 in entry fees for the week of racing and won $150 for the week. I can't say how happy I am about placing so consistantly.

I will most definitely be going back to Superweek next year. Maybe for the full 17 days. Want to join me?

2 for 2 in the Money

I could get use to this. With races placing down to 12th place, I could really have fun.

Today I rode to the race in Olympia Club. I'm not one to get in a good warm up, but with 7 races in a row, I figured it wouldn't hurt. 10 miles each way. The race course was in a brand new, not even near finished ,development. Instead of being 6 corners and 1k. It was 4 corners and less then half a mile. The road surface was at least one layer of asfault short. The edge of the road had an inch lip, 6 inches before you got to the curb. As the front of the field set up for the third corner, they moved to the outside, skeezing until someone hit the lip and cartwheeled into the construction debries. OUCH! He did get up, then threated to kill the rider who moved over. Very nice. Not. Again field sprint. 12th in the money, but my sprint sucks.

Blue Island Criterium

It is official, I have now raced in SuperWeek! The race was just 2 blocks from where I'm staying in Blue Island. Charlotte, of my host family, was working as a race marshall on the first corner all day long.

We had about 40 riders in the Masters 4/5 race. It was a nice long 4 corner crit, no surprizes, just a little bumpy. A few breaks would get about 10-15 seconds then come back. I stayed up toward the front for most of the race and even put in a couple efforts myself to bring breaks back. It came down to a field sprint on the longest striaght away about 400 meters. Of course the sprint started from the corner. Half way down the road I started to sprint, I passed some riders who were running out of gas. I got 9th place. In the money!

Beverly Hills Cycling Classic

I arrived in Blue Island just after 3pm. Another hot day on the motorcycle. Last night I stopped in Strongsville, OH and stayed in our crew hotel. What a great job I have, not only can I get plenty of days off to go race for a week but also getting a great discount on hotels at the last minute.

After meeting my host family and setting up my new room, I went for a little bike ride to see the Pros race in Beverly Hills. It was very much like the West Chester race. Big crowds and lots of fan fair. A real party in the streets. All of the locals came out with full meals on the front lawn, as well as more wine and beer to keep the party going for the whole 100k race. The riders didn't disapoint either. Attack after attack. The primes were flowing as much as the beers. Over $4200 in primes for the night. Wow!

Leaving for SuperWeek

When I called my company Have Bike Lets Travel I meant it.

This is my packed rig ready to go out to Chicago for Super Week. I'll be staying with a host family in Blue Island Illinois.

Signed up for SuperWeek

I was so inspired by the race last night that I signed up for SuperWeek. I've wanted to race this series since I've been 18 years old. So I signed up to race 7 races in 7 days! I think I may be crazy.

West Chester Twilight Crit

What a great event! I just wish I had a better start and a little bit more power to hang on longer. I raced the cat 3/4 race in downtown West Chester before a very excited crowd. There were about 100 riders to start but it thinned out pretty quickly. Very fast off of the line. Since I started in the third row I had to fight alittle to more up. I just didn't fight hard enough before the third corner. It was the tightest corner on the course, it could be ridden at full speed but in the back of the field they seem to hit there brakes a little to much. So going up the homestraight each lap I was just trying to hold by position up the small rise. Every lap I was losing about 20 positions and then gaining back 10 on the backstraight down hill. That didn't last long. I was hanging off the back of the field riding my own speed thru the corners doing about the same pace is the field. I was praying for the them to sit up some or a small mishap in the field. The field was still in site when I got pulled. They pull riders way to early in races like this. Great course all the same. I spent the rest of the night watching bike races and watching people. Much fun!

West Chester Twilight

What a great event! Last night I raced at the West Chester Twilight Criterium. Although I didn't last long in the race, I was inspired. The crowds were large and loud, even for the cat 3/4 race. It started very fast off the line of course. And I made the mistake of starting to close toward the back of the field. With a little bit of a rise entering the home straight, it didn't take long before I at the back getting gapped on every corner by riders braking hard for the corners. Once I was off the back, I was able to take the corners at full speed and gain some ground toward the field. I was sitting in a group of 4 or 5 riders when the offical stepped out in front of us to end our day. It is always bitter sweet to get pulled from a race. One the field was still in sight. Two it ends the suffering.

All the same it inspired me sign up for SuperWeek. It is a last minute decision but I've decided to go to Chicago to race 7 races in 7 days. I've wanted to go to Super Week since I've been a junior. Always something would come up to stop the trip. Mostly lack of fitness and lack of funds. When I was a junior I never had the means to get there in the first place. But it was always a dream to race multiple days in a row.

I put out a quick email to Matt and Ted to see if they wanted to go with me on such short notice. Matt is working and Ted's vacation doesn't start til later in the month.

I've been in need of an adventune. I'm going. And just for the fun of it, I'm going on my motorcycle.

first Blog

Wow, I am now a Blogger!! It may take me a little time to figure this thing out, but it could be fun.