3 days until the start of stage one
There are currently 115 registered riders for the cat 2 event. We are leaving around 1 pm tomorrow which should give us enough time for a quick ride when we get there. For this race we will be staying in host housing courtesy of our team director's friend. We will be slightly outside of Fitchburg, in a town called Leominister. Without host housing most teams couldn't afford to race around the country, so we want to send a big thank you to everyone that offers their home to cyclists, especially Mr.Hornberger.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Upcoming schedule...
Currently our plan is to leave for Fitchburg,MA on Tuesday, which is about a 5 hour drive from Kutztown. The Fitchburg Longslo Classic Stage Race starts on the 3rd with a 10 K time trial, followed by a 92 mile road race, a 50 mile circuit race, and a 25 mile crit, for a total of four days of racing. We will be racing in the Category 2 field, so expect some news as we take on some of the best cat 2s in the country. After the race is over we are heading back to Kutztown for a few days.
After a brief rest, we will once again pack the car and head to Chicago (12 hour drive) to start Superweek, a 17 day long series with 15 crits and 2 road races. We will hit a few races around the Chicago area, then go to the Milwaukee area to race, then back track to Kutztown. Once we get back, we have to box our bikes and ship them out to California for nationals. If that wasn't enough, we have to clean the house and say good bye to Kutztown, as we have to drive back to Atlanta (12 hours). Once we get back we have a few rest days until we board the plane for California on August 2nd.
On August 6th we have a 35K time trial in Anaheim, CA followed by a 60 K crit on the 7th. Then we get a day to prepare for the 129 K road race on Saturday the 9th. Hopefully we will return to Atlanta in good spirits on August 12th! After nationals we will regroup, rest, and figure out the rest of the season.
After a brief rest, we will once again pack the car and head to Chicago (12 hour drive) to start Superweek, a 17 day long series with 15 crits and 2 road races. We will hit a few races around the Chicago area, then go to the Milwaukee area to race, then back track to Kutztown. Once we get back, we have to box our bikes and ship them out to California for nationals. If that wasn't enough, we have to clean the house and say good bye to Kutztown, as we have to drive back to Atlanta (12 hours). Once we get back we have a few rest days until we board the plane for California on August 2nd.
On August 6th we have a 35K time trial in Anaheim, CA followed by a 60 K crit on the 7th. Then we get a day to prepare for the 129 K road race on Saturday the 9th. Hopefully we will return to Atlanta in good spirits on August 12th! After nationals we will regroup, rest, and figure out the rest of the season.
Change in plans....
So we didn't end up racing this weekend in the New England area, instead we hit a local race yesterday, about 45 mins away in Brownstown, PA. For those of you not familiar with the area, it was basically farmland surrounded by farmland but that didn't deter the fans. The local Amish farmers came out and supported the race near the start/finish, as well as a few other families watching along the course. We even passed a few horse and buggies during the race. The race was 50 miles, which saw us complete 10 laps on a rolling circuit with a couple of hard rollers. As everyone prepared for the start of the race the sky opened up and rained for a few minutes as the wind picked up but then died down with the rain.
As we took the line for the pro/1/2/3 race sometime after 12pm, we realized that the field had not grown since pre-registration had closed Friday afternoon. With an astonishing 17 rider field, we made up nearly one fourth of the peleton. After the race started we initiated a series of attacks that split the pack on the second lap. Joey and Oscar were in the front group with about 6 other riders as Jafer and Thomas blocked the riders behind. After the gap grew to about 25 seconds, Jafer and Thomas began their plan to bridge across to the front group without taking the remaining riders with them. Thomas initiated a series of attacks while Jafer blocked. Finally Thomas gained a big enough gap on a roller that allowed Jafer to jump hard enough, to bridge across with only one other rider. For the next three laps, Thomas and Jafer worked overtime to close the gap down and finally rejoined the front group only to watch the race split again. Moments before they made contact two riders attacked and gained a substantial gap as nobody chased. Thomas and Jafer tried to help but after their chase were not able to offer much support. Now we had four riders in the front group with about four other riders and there was no cooperation to chase. Finally, Jafer told Joey and Oscar that they better do something about the break before it gained too much time. It still took a few minutes before the chase begin in earnest, a lesson to the younger riders on the team. Never let the pace ease if there is a break, especially if you can barely see it!
Shortly after Joey attacked riding up the road solo, trying to reel in the break with 4 laps to go. Now the field had grown even smaller with just Oscar, Mike (he is staying at our house) and one other rider as everyone else succumbed to the pace. Jafer dangled behind Oscar's group, finally catching them after 3 miles, only to see Oscar attack and ride away solo. So now there were two riders way up the road, Joey, Oscar, then Jafer and two other riders. With 3 laps to go it narrowed again as one rider was dropped from Jafer's group, after he and Mike attacked him. Unfortunately, this meant that Jafer was now trailing Mike in sixth place and was not able to bridge back up to him, since he was still trying to keep the other rider at bay.
Just when you think things couldn't get any worse, bam, the rain came in so fast that it looked like a hurricane, as the wind blew from every direction. The road turned into a river as all the dirt from the fields now ran down the street creating a nice brown smelly grime. I think it even started to hail at one point, either that or the rain was blowing so hard that it pelted your skin. Rain, like most things is both good and bad at the same time even though it can suck, the drop in temperature was welcomed as the temperature was around the 90s. It even has a weird therapeutic quality that makes you feel like people must have felt centuries ago in a summer downpour.
Even though we didn't get the results we wanted (Joey 3rd, Oscar 4th, Jafer 6th) we still got a great workout that will hopefully prepare us for the upcoming Fitchburg Longsjo Classic Stage Race.
As we took the line for the pro/1/2/3 race sometime after 12pm, we realized that the field had not grown since pre-registration had closed Friday afternoon. With an astonishing 17 rider field, we made up nearly one fourth of the peleton. After the race started we initiated a series of attacks that split the pack on the second lap. Joey and Oscar were in the front group with about 6 other riders as Jafer and Thomas blocked the riders behind. After the gap grew to about 25 seconds, Jafer and Thomas began their plan to bridge across to the front group without taking the remaining riders with them. Thomas initiated a series of attacks while Jafer blocked. Finally Thomas gained a big enough gap on a roller that allowed Jafer to jump hard enough, to bridge across with only one other rider. For the next three laps, Thomas and Jafer worked overtime to close the gap down and finally rejoined the front group only to watch the race split again. Moments before they made contact two riders attacked and gained a substantial gap as nobody chased. Thomas and Jafer tried to help but after their chase were not able to offer much support. Now we had four riders in the front group with about four other riders and there was no cooperation to chase. Finally, Jafer told Joey and Oscar that they better do something about the break before it gained too much time. It still took a few minutes before the chase begin in earnest, a lesson to the younger riders on the team. Never let the pace ease if there is a break, especially if you can barely see it!
Shortly after Joey attacked riding up the road solo, trying to reel in the break with 4 laps to go. Now the field had grown even smaller with just Oscar, Mike (he is staying at our house) and one other rider as everyone else succumbed to the pace. Jafer dangled behind Oscar's group, finally catching them after 3 miles, only to see Oscar attack and ride away solo. So now there were two riders way up the road, Joey, Oscar, then Jafer and two other riders. With 3 laps to go it narrowed again as one rider was dropped from Jafer's group, after he and Mike attacked him. Unfortunately, this meant that Jafer was now trailing Mike in sixth place and was not able to bridge back up to him, since he was still trying to keep the other rider at bay.
Just when you think things couldn't get any worse, bam, the rain came in so fast that it looked like a hurricane, as the wind blew from every direction. The road turned into a river as all the dirt from the fields now ran down the street creating a nice brown smelly grime. I think it even started to hail at one point, either that or the rain was blowing so hard that it pelted your skin. Rain, like most things is both good and bad at the same time even though it can suck, the drop in temperature was welcomed as the temperature was around the 90s. It even has a weird therapeutic quality that makes you feel like people must have felt centuries ago in a summer downpour.
Even though we didn't get the results we wanted (Joey 3rd, Oscar 4th, Jafer 6th) we still got a great workout that will hopefully prepare us for the upcoming Fitchburg Longsjo Classic Stage Race.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Team picnic
Tonight we enjoyed a great meal courtesy of Thomas, at the Kutztown Gun club's pavilion. Here is what was on the menu: Awesome turkey burgers, potato salad (sweet and golden brown), fruit salad (Joey actually made this, pineapples, bananas, and kiwi) and for dessert homemade chocolate-chip banana bread. For beverages, we had a great selection of Kutztown Soda from the bottling plant next door. After a great dinner, it was hard for everyone to move as we were all stuffed. Sorry there are no pictures, but after a mishap last night at the track my camera (Jafer) is not working right now and is in for repair at the Casio headquarters in Dover, NJ. Hopefully, I will have it back on Friday!
Tuesday Night Track racing in Trexlertown by Joey
That's the sound the tubular on my disc wheel made as it went from 130 psi to 0 in about half a second. I was warming up on rollers 10 minutes before the start of our first of 4 races when my tubular tire pretty much fell apart and flatted. We hadn't brought any extra track wheels from home in Georgia...much less to the track last night; nor had we brought any tools other than the one hex-wrench we used to put our wheels on. No worries though, as soon as it happened, the guy in the stall across from us in the infield offered up a spare wheel of his....and his tools. And then he actually ended up switching the gear and wheel for me because I guess I was doing it too unbearably slow for him to watch.
While I no longer had the advantage of racing with my aero disc wheel, I got back in business pretty quickly and off to a good night of racing. I finished 6th in the Win n' Out after getting in a break; Thomas rode a smart Miss n' Out and finished 6th out of 35 rider field; and Oscar, with the best performance of the night rode to a 5th place in the Points Race to be the best placed cat 2. For being the best placed cat 2 rider, he got a $44 prize that someone in the crowd had offered up, along with $10 for 5th place.
It was a full track of 35 riders again and once again filled with some good talent. The Australian national track team (either juniors or U23) were there along with Rite Aid's Bobby Lea, who just qualified to go to the Olympics with the US track team.
I felt a lot more comfortable on the track last night, even though I didn't place any better than last week. I felt good riding a fast, steady pace but could never really spin up my legs fast enough to contest any sprints. That was to be expected after my 4 hour ride the day before, and after the past weekend's racing. With some rest the next few days I think I'll gain a lot of speed back.....hopefully enough to do well at Fitchburg!
While I no longer had the advantage of racing with my aero disc wheel, I got back in business pretty quickly and off to a good night of racing. I finished 6th in the Win n' Out after getting in a break; Thomas rode a smart Miss n' Out and finished 6th out of 35 rider field; and Oscar, with the best performance of the night rode to a 5th place in the Points Race to be the best placed cat 2. For being the best placed cat 2 rider, he got a $44 prize that someone in the crowd had offered up, along with $10 for 5th place.
It was a full track of 35 riders again and once again filled with some good talent. The Australian national track team (either juniors or U23) were there along with Rite Aid's Bobby Lea, who just qualified to go to the Olympics with the US track team.
I felt a lot more comfortable on the track last night, even though I didn't place any better than last week. I felt good riding a fast, steady pace but could never really spin up my legs fast enough to contest any sprints. That was to be expected after my 4 hour ride the day before, and after the past weekend's racing. With some rest the next few days I think I'll gain a lot of speed back.....hopefully enough to do well at Fitchburg!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Cox Atlanta MS Ride September 13-14,2008
From the Cox website:
What is the Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride?
What is the Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride?
Formerly known as the Cox MS 150 Atlanta Challenge, the Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride is taking place on September 13-14, 2008. Endorsed by ardent cyclists and novices alike, the tour offers a two-day fundraising ride through the beautiful surrounding countryside of Callaway Gardens and Pine Mountain, Georgia, a short distance from Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson Airport, with spectacular views and historic towns along the way. Georgia's Two-Day Cycling Tradition, Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride is a non-profit sporting event celebrating its 22nd year in the fight against multiple sclerosis benefiting the National MS Society–Georgia Chapter.
The ride is reaching new heights in an effort to better the lives of all Georgians living with MS. By joining hundreds of riders, participants will be making a profound difference in the lives of people living with MS who are served by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society-Georgia Chapter. The Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride is one of two rides hosted by the National MS Society-Georgia Chapter and together will raise more than $1.4 million for client programs and research in 2008. The Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride and its sister tour, the Bike MS: Georgia Power Savannah Ride held in the spring, are regarded by cycling enthusiasts as premier rides in Georgia with experienced management, well-coordinated routes, and special attention to riders' safety, comfort and enjoyment.
Proceeds from the tour will help support various programs that aid the 8,500 Georgians with MS and their families in all 159 counties of Georgia. The Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride also joins thousands of cyclists nationwide in raising $77 million in an effort to fund research and local client programs. By joining the movement and riding in the Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride, you have the power to create a world free of MS.
Kudzu.com prepares for the New England Race Week
Stay tuned as we head to the Cox Charities Cycling Classic in Providence, RI next Saturday, follwed by Heartbreak Hill in Newton, MA on Sunday and possibly the Twilight Crit in Thompson, CT. The races are part of the New England Raceweek, a 5 part racing series. Our main objective is the Fitchburg-Longsjo stage race on July 3rd to the 6th in Fitchburg, MA.
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What's fast, growing, and everywhere?
What exactly is Kudzu? Well, if you are from the south you'd probably say that it grows everywhere on everything and is nearly impossible to stop (just like our team). For those of you that haven't had the pleasure of experiencing kudzu, this literally happened overnight.
http://evidencebasedonly.blogspot.com/2008/05/kudzu-root-hangover-remedies-are.htmlThe plant is native to Southern Japan and China but was brought to the Southern United States to help prevent soil erosion and has continued to grow almost exponentially. For a full kudzu history lesson click here .
Now that you know so much about Kudzu and the south, you can appreciate Kudzu.com, an online business directory that incorporates customer reviews. It is part of the Cox Enterprises family and title sponsor of the Atlanta based Kudzu.com U23 team. So the next time you are searching for a local business give Kudzu.com a try!
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