Entries from October 7, 2007 - October 13, 2007
This is why you need toe spikes...
Jeff, this is why I swap out those crappy screws in my Sidis...so I can ensure on certain courses that I can take'em out and put in my spikes!
Friday, October 12, 2007 at 7:42AMGunni
Lion of Fairfax in Boulder
The race looked super fun man!
DFL Finals. Ah, the memories.
Man I got misty eyed watching this vid. Wear a dress, race for free. Joe and I used to do intervals here in GG Park....before the law started to be laid. Watch the Le Mans start. One year I tried to long jump like 10 bikes at one of the DFL's with a Le Mans start and ended up landing on some dudes wheel. Sorry man.
The Wed Morning Cross World Championships...2007 No. 7
Number SEVEN today. Wow, 7 weeks have already gone by (and I skipped a week due to group travel) and each week the group has grown.
OK, there's good and bad to that. Good to see the growth, bad in that we're seriously going to have to split this up. Cat Johnson did a great job working with the parks and recs to validate and acknowledge our use so for the time being this training ride is still good to go. nice work Cat. We'll need to pay attention carefully to our use in the coming weeks.
So, as you can see, no pics today. Sorry! Home boy needed to travel light today as I had some post-CX-group training to do that involved some, howyousay, v-e-r-t-i-c-a-l. Wanted to be backpack-less today.
At the CX throw down, 83 people went off in a cloud of dust and I rolled with the top guys comfortably for the duration of the session. Frisco made the legs feel good today for sure. Pete L went super hard from the get-go which was good and got a split within the first few minutes. We rolled as a group of 5-8 or so for most of the time. Brandon laid down some law towards the end after his back to back wins this weekend and finished strong. I think he's got some interesting performances locked up in those legs at a USGP coming to a city near you this Fall. Matt P and the WB had a nice bridge effort to me on the last lap and they took me at the end. Bastages. Ha! All, in all, everyone looked good and the speeds are climbing week by week. Sager's looking great as is this guy from Jelly Belly who I don't know. Troy and I traded the good paints, all NASCAR style and such this AM. Awesome. How are the jewels, Troy? Ha! Sorry I missed your B-day man! Forgot to say that in person when I saw you!
I saw a preview of the November UCI courses DBC are putting on here in Boulder. Let's say that Harlow Platts you should be familiar with from last year, but the Rez is looking totally different. It'll be good training for me for Mol given all the sand. Oops, did I say that?
Last note: For Boulder CX geeks: DO NOT TRAIN ON HARLOW PLATTS! We will certifiably lose that gorgeous race course if anyone continues to practice there. We will find you.
Thanks for reading and 'cross on.
Planning
So I started this whole diary as an account of what it's like to plan for a year to get to Belgium. It's amazing how my heart has never wavered from the goal. Crazy focus.
The plan thus far:
January 12th 2008: Schriek Groot-Lo CX Belgium
January 13th 2008: Bakel 'Cross Bakel, The Netherlands
January 14-18 2008: Train/Eat/Sleep/Pinch myself
January 19th 2008: Master's World Championships Mol, Belgium
January 20th 2008: My birthday!...oh and Fort 6 'Cross Wilrijk, Belgium
Howie has been so gracious in allowing me such visibility into their experiences over the years racing in Belgium. Thank you my friend.
Now, back to focusing on some family, training, racing an work. Gotta maintain that three part teeter totter...
The White Sex hath arriveth
Oh God. They've coming. White Sex available in a retailer near you this side of the pond. Or so says the article on CyclingNews.
I am happy and sad at the same time. But, ultimately, I think the White gig is up after this season and every chump is gonna bling out with the white. Yeah, I know I know. You're thinking: "But Greg, you are SO COOL in that white stuff. We love you and want your autograph." I know folks. It'll be OK. Fads were made to end violently.
I'm thinking that AC/DC rules will come back in effect.
An open letter to a friend
You know who you are….
My homie,
You’ve been on my mind since this weekend’s frolics in Frisco. The discouragement in your face was seen….and it will pass. Bike racing is hard. You know that as you’ve been doing this way too long for me to even say those words. People like us who throw a leg over a saddle are not like the rest of society. We’re freaks. It’s not enjoyable for most of humanity to straddle a little seat and pedal up a hill let alone pedal a twitchy carbon fiber machine over rough terrain while piloting it directly at wooden obstacles…
At speed.
For you, it is not about discipline. I see it in most every core aspect of your life. You live the D word. And that level of discipline is astonishing. You don’t fear hard work as I’ve been with you when we train and you hurt me…
At will.
Every race is not won, yet every race has a winner. You need to find comfort in that juxtaposition. Every race has got to be a lesson but to receive the race’s message to you, you have to see it all the way through. You have to keep focused on…
your ride
your race
your focus
Rolling through the finish and hitting stop on your watch is the moment you take that race and use it like a brick in your foundation of strength. Regardless of where you end up you’ll know what you need to do next time.
Cleaner.
Smarter.
Faster.
Your foundation is just being built. I’ve personally seen some of the bricks you’ve laid and not all are from races. They are the episodes of how you felt and what you know you are capable of. Smiles are just around the corner man if you can see this through. One race at a time. It is inexplicably hard to race here and I can tell you first hand having wanted to hurl my bikes in the Boulder Creek and start competitive Beer Funneling as a sport of the future to transition into.
Get complete my friend. Finish strong for you and absolutely nobody else. Take comfort that your friends watch and observe and care. We’re willing you.
Don’t quit, boy.
GKCross Racing Week 4 (Race 2): Chugga chugga, choo choo.
Chugga chugga. The freight train is a comin' around! Good news to report. That in a moment.
Today was Race 2 of the Frisco back to back weekend of cross. The weather on BOTH days was gorgeous. Yes, a bit windy but insanely beautiful up in Summit county. The weather was tracking to be epic, but as I am learning, Colorado weather....especially mountain weather....is absolutely schizophrenic.
After the race yesterday, Brandon Taro, Bobby, Harris, Bliss and a few others rallied for a "recovery" dinner of a couple-a beers and eats. We celebrated B's win, ate up, then went back to T's casa for some feet up style recovery. We woke up this AM to sun and 16 degree weather but we knew it would be excellent. The sleep came fitful. 6 visits to the bathroom last night to pee. At that altitude (9+K), the heart rate climbs and the pee just gets squeeeeezed out of you. We woke up to an unbelievable view with not a cloud to be seen.
To prep for the race day, T made Brandon and I INSANE pancakes and one of the sickest Cafe Americanos I've ever had. It would be this that fueled the day.
Taro. A PhD Master Barista.
Holy crap these were good.
Dubba obsessing over the Sox score.
Dean from the ACA was back again today to announce call ups (I was in 14th after Saturday's 9th and got 2nd row today). We had about 30-35 in the field to start. He got us squared away and shouted out...
15 seconds gentlemen...then silence...then: GO! We're off again up the same exact pave climb to fire road. We are grouped tightly and watching each other closely. I got into 10th on lap 1 and sat in feeling great. This crew of 10 rolled the first lap together in a train. Timmy was on it again after his W yesterday. If he's in the race, any race, it's essentially his to lose. Timmy gradually applied the pressure and splits formed on lap 2. Lap 3, Phenecie amazingly bridged from my group to the chase behind Timmy and then to Timmy's wheel. Impressive Chris. Even with that crap in your lungs man. Kudos.
The race then became a throw down of much smaller groups of like 2 or 3. I dropped some guys and some would drop me. Now, repeat that like 5 times. Again, like a knife fight. It was truly exciting racing and I felt it even as I was in it. You'd could have either end up 4th....or 15th. It all depended on how you played it. very tight.
By the last 2 laps, two strong Green Mountain Sports boys bridged up and double teamed me. One would go, the other sit in on my wheel....and repeat. Truly, it was awesome. They did their tactics with class and I respect that. We were THROWING down! It was fun to be railing with these guys.
By the bell lap Dave Towle was going INSANE on the hi fi for us. I am battling with these Green Mountain guys and Jared and Josh are SCREAMING to bridge to us. I could hear Jared's Ritchey Carbon freewheel through the corners and that motivated me to get up and sprint out of the corners to keep the gap. It was a tight race for top 5. I got the shit stick and the Green Mountain boys worked me nicely and I settled for 6th. I tried to shake them but it was so evenly matched between us, they simply had more matches left than me and took me within 100m of the line.
No complaints! I feel like I am back to where I should have been to begin with and just need to apply the consistency model and keep the training going. My diesel engine hopefully will ramp up and on in the coming months. I am having so much frickin fun it's mad. The group is really nicely balanced this year....save for Timmy who again is beginning his campaign to toy with us!
Lastly, Jared, YOU WILL BE MISSED man. Best of luck on your journey. You are a kindred spirit, man.
