R, R and R

Rest, Relaxation, and Racing. After a much needed and awaited break from the bike I was back in action this weekend. The 4th of July went extremely well and was a blast. Nothing like a day at the pool with beautiful ladies, cool people, and vito (who applies to none of the above) to take your mind off the business and stress that is life. It was quite the evening viewing every fireworks display between Atlanta and greenville from vito's condo balcony. Good times.

This past weekend marked my return to Atlanta (which seems to be turning into my second home) and more importantly my return to racing in preparation for nationals. Friday gave way too a heck of a good time at Red Light Cafe where Erica, the ever talented and lovely roommate of Kelly's showed how amazingly talented she is at the whole music thing. Check her out, she wont disappoint!

Saturday provided quite possibly the closest thing to hell-Esq weather possible. Thank god we had a nice unshaded highway road race to do! Yeah. Cool. TO make things better I ended up making the chase group of just three that spent the entire race dangling just 30 seconds off the winning break. 30 seconds... no big deal right? Hahaha. Yeah, big deal. After cursing myself for even making the split, let alone contributing stupidly to our futile death march to the finish, I crossed a good yet disappointing 6th place. Ill let the picture express how happy I was rolling across the finish.

The feeling I had the following morning for the crit was much much less than enthusiastic. After stumbling through Kelly's scrounging what I needed for whatever concoction of oatmeal I could create for the days meal, the two of us loaded up the pimp wagon saturn and headed for the race. 10 minutes into the sunny sunday morning drive I recieve what would be my most motivating and overjoying message imaginable:
"It's on like donkey kong...It's pouring rain at the course, hope your ready...kisses---Vito" ok, maybe I added the kisses. But it rained none the less.

After an hour and fifteen minute delay racing began. Plan was for me to try and force a move up the road, and if nothing was rolling then just set vito up for the sprint. Attempt after lazy assisted attempt three laps to go hit. I set up shop with vito just off the back of the Latino sprint train. On the final lap we were set perfectly for the win (mistake #1) , vito came along and told me to hop on his wheel, which I did. In turn two Latino pudgy sprinter overshot it and somehow kept it up, but dropped me right into the leadout train of Kanckle legged guys (mistake #2). Coming into the final turn vito came along side me and I knew it was on. I let a small gap open for him and next thing I know I am getting kamikazied by some Latino crackhead and heading for the curb. Rather than playing my normal yelling, elbow throwing self I check up (mistake #3 and biggest of all) from there it was 400 meters to the line. The sprint started, I missed it, and rolled in 7th. Bummer. Vito salvaged fourth on the day and end the end it turned out the way we thought it would. Could haves suck but I feel if I hadn't been dive bombed and if there had been money up on the finish I would have been on the podium or even better. Whatever. Finally I had to post the most imspiring explanation of crashing in bike racing I have ever heard courtesy of Jon Vaughters of slipstream...
"Next time your driving in your car at 50 mph, strip down to your underwear, open the door and jump out, thats what crashing in professional bike racing is like" Thanks John! Well said!






Photos courtesy of Kelly and truespeedphoto.com

Well for now this will have to do. Sorry for the long winded post, I am bored and waiting for my brunch to digest so I can go do my VO2 workout! Wahoo. Check back, more racing, boredom, and less than interesting babbling to come!

NO BRAKES!!

Thats right... John Kelly has twisted my arm long enough. Im hitting the banks and giving track racing a go!
The rig is near ready. All I need is a track rear wheel and crank and I am GOOD to ROLL!

Catching up

As if i were worried that those of you who actually poke in and read the useless ramblings I thought I would preface this with an "I'm Sorry". So I'm sorry.

The past few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind of craziness and business. Two weeks ago I got the opportunity to coach at the Midsouth Regional Development camp with Mark and Kym. It was a great group of guys, hot weather, and just a outright good time. In the end I was drained as the nunery (or whatever the heck you call it) was void of air conditioning. Eventually I gave in, mentally broke down, and resorted to eating desert with every meal including breakfast.... Don't ask. For those of you who have never witnessed the camps I am speaking of, here is a look at the bike room! Yeah, there is more money here than most pro tour teams hold throughout an entire season. Oh yeah, and most all the riders are JUNIORS!! Don't ask me how they have SRM's and full carbon rigs blinging from the butthole with Campy! My first bike wasn't even ten speed!



Post camp I opted to forgo the trip to fitchburg, partake in a bit of relaxation with friends, and start gearing up for nationals in a month. Spending no more than three days at the apartment at a time has been a bit of a commonality, but considering the time is being spent with great people and great times, the lack of time home is well replaced. Evenings with kelly, bike rides with Spencer (aka the superbad race car driver with GT-2 Porche team Pumpelly Racing)

exceptional nightlife, the occasional AMAZING pub, and enough music to make a deaf kid consider suicide have been more than common. Considering the hella hard training and racing I have coming up it's a good thing I have them to keep me sane!

This week marks the last week of no racing. After that is Georgia Games, possibly some superweek races, french broad classic in Asheville, Gwinnet Bike Fest and Crossroads cycling classic, then it's a redeye flight to LA with Butler for Nationals! The end is near. Wait... no it's not I race until january! CRAP!

off for some pedaling! Until later.

D

Life, bikes, and just great people.

That is what my life has been the past week, and nothing could be better. Not only did I wonder north to GA to ride six gap with pimp nasty teammate AJ. I followed it up by heading to NC with Kym, Mike and Mark to ride the tail of the dragon/skyway out of Robbinsville. Let me tell you, 30,000+ ft. of elevation in less than a week will in fact tire you out.

On another note I am back in Ohio until the River Gorge RR/Worlds Qualifier visiting family and getting life back on track. Thanks to everyone for the support lately whether it be in life, riding, or just being great friends. Sometimes life throws you cucumbers and you have to make some pickles out of them. I'm not exactly sure what I meant by that but it sounded insightful.

To finish this entry in proper fashion, I must expose two comical look into the world of cycling. The first in the one and only Marky poo-Hekman hitting Lemon hill. Nothing like seeing the lanky ginger headed beast racing the biggest of big races. Tough day Mark but wow... congrats on making it where so many of us want to be!

The second is an article regarding quite possibly my most respected and highly regarded riders in European racing... Tom Boonen. Just read. Theres not much to say about it: Article
"Belgian super star sprinter, Tom Boonen has allegedly been caught in an out of competition test for cocaine, according to Belgian newspaper HLN.be. The out of competition test allegedly occurred three days before start of the Tour of Belgium, where Boonen won the final stage."

yep! You heard it. cocaine... Sprinter... Suprise... Come on now. They're sprinters. What else is there to do. Hmmm. When you see this picture there is a little bit more to understand...

Hopefully soon I can get some pictures from this past weeks adventures and riding. It was possibly the most beautiful riding I have ever seen so hopefully I can.

Until later,
Dee

Tour of Atlanta weekend

A few pics from Tour of Atlanta. I dont have time to write some comical, entertaining or even somewhat worthwhile explanation of the weekend. I have a fresh fillet of salmon ready to go in the oven, and a well earned glass of vino to toast to myself with. Yeah. Everyone is gone from school, and the life of the lone, single, bike riding guy with compression socks on watching soccer nightly and begging the few people he knows in town to do something has begun. Wahoo. How fun... can you sense the sarcasm seeping from that? If not, you should be able to, pungently.

Simply put the weekend consisted of getting dropped 20 minutes into a 8 corner <1mile "circuit", getting dropped from the TTT because chris had a 55 tooth chainring... and hes chris and vito got hit by a guy who we passed and screwed everything up, crashing in the road race less than a mile in, Chasing four 7 miles, watching vito do the turtle kick dance while flopping around on railroadtracks durring the road race, finding out Rich got off his bike on the same tracks and walked over them, riding tempo for an hour with pros, telling pros to go to hell when they ask you to come back up and work to pull back the lone guy off the front because they couldnt, and lining up against a bunch of NRC pro's for crits that I have already DNF'd this season and still managing to get a teammate in the top 5. Yeah. It was eventful in case that discription didn't clearify the point I was hoping it to.
Aside from riding 5 races in four days, were the boring events of the evening which I will leave unexplained. Instead venturing only to say a few simple ideas I associate with evenings of fun downtown. Aston Martin, good food, good drinks, Randy and his... preferences, butt electrochip implants (long story...), "ass-offs" (pardon), wonderful ladies, Cheesecake factory, patio music and one of the best weekends I have had in a while. I guess I have another reason to look forward to this coming weekend and going back to Atlanta and chilling with vito! Enjoy the pics, and hopefully this was enough to keep the few of you who actually care the slight bit enough to read this entertained for maybe a few seconds. If not. Oh well. Im hungry and the oven just beeped. Yum.

Vito showing what happens when the turtle kick dance is done in an unsupervised manor

Kelly and Leanna came out to support us, and look adorable. For those of you that dont know, put girls in the mix, and you race better. Last time I DNF'd this crit, and this race, I was attacking all day. Coincidence... I think not.

Dont I look happy on the last days crit?

thats because we had to go up this stupid hill every lap!

until later.
-Dee-

With or Without You - Sungha Jung

a stray from talking about my butt, pedaling a bike, and a focus on something far more interesting, impressive and worthwile. Ill let it speak for its self!

This is what happens when school is over...

I get bored...
I look at cycling pictures...
I buy stuff I dont need...
And I buy 20 powerbars from the school market to waste the hundred some dollars I wont get back from the school...
wahoo.. im a rebel

At least this is on it's way!

yep.. Going old school and taking care of my bum with class.

One more thing! Does anyone notice something weird in this picture besides the 6' plus 130 pounder....?

..............................
Nothing? How bout this one???

Still nothing... ok, you suck! In case you didn't have the cat like eye for something strange take a look at the SOON TO BE production carbon DA shifters. Cables under the bars, and carbon baby! Pimp.

Now that I have proved my true level of bike nerd-ness, im off to ride, and probobly buy some more stuff at the markey afterwards again!

Until later!