tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79730177541321459762024-03-05T16:57:22.193-06:00Dropped In K.C.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-67809172194173024972013-06-25T15:59:00.000-05:002013-06-25T15:59:26.733-05:00Not Being DroppedNumbers can be deceiving, and one would think that by looking at my results for last Sunday's race I would be disappointed. If you look I placed 49th out of 65 I believe. With this being my fourth season. What that number 49 doesn't convey is that I accomplished my most important set goal ever since I started racing bicycles. I even managed to podium twice and have a top ten finish in all but one race in my last Cyclo-Cross season. But with all those things out of the way, this one no matter how minimal it may seem for some, eluded me since the beginning. You see, I wanted to become a "roadie", my first bike was a road bike, my first race was a road race, that is all I did. CX was something that I started off doing to keep from sitting on the couch all winter long. I enjoy speeding down the smooth pavement with very little sound other than the wind, like I imagine sailing might feel like. But no matter how much I trained it felt like I was always in over my head, like I bit off more than I could chew. I would line up for a road race and I felt like I had put in the work and inevitably the peleton would drop me. Oh of course I would get really close to finishing with the group sometimes like Sunflower state games a couple of years back when I got dropped only a few miles from the finish line. But no doubt about it I would get dropped. That is what makes this last weekends feat such an important milestone. Just so you know what I am talking about I raced this weekend in a Mens cat 4 crit race and I did not get dropped. Granted I finished in 49th place but if you had been there you would have seen me finish with the group. What is really deceiving is that I probably finished only a few seconds behind the winner. So after participating in a sport that seems to do nothing but keep you humble I gained a ton of confidence. Just so you kow I am celebrating quietly and only after reflecting on the importance of my accomplishment. Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-51490858584020758292012-10-29T14:42:00.000-05:002012-10-30T10:02:34.077-05:00Monkey Off My Back<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My mindset has been different since Joules Cross, I looked adversity in the face and laughed that day. I have read and reread my post all through last week and into the weekend trying to analyze what I may have learned of myself from that race. It is like a light has turned on and I now have the confidence to do what I want to do. I showed up to Boss Cross this weekend feeling prepared and hungry for everything that I have been working for these short few years on my bike. Saturday's race could not have gone any better for me. When the whistle blew and for most of the first lap, I was sitting in third place. In the last straight away section of the first lap I had a moment where my butterflies and any nervousness faded and in that split second my brain said "GO FOR FIRST", and so I did. I never looked back either. I lead the rest of the race with a pretty decisive lead. I was all alone out there flying in the wind, setting the pace of the race. When my legs began to hurt and my mind was telling me that it was ok to slow down and or settle for any podium, I would calmly tell it that nothing less then 1st was good enough. Up until this season I have never been anywhere near finishing top ten let alone a podium position. So you have to understand that anywhere up there is uncharted waters for me and a huge improvement from years past. So you can see where I may begin to rationalize and complacency might set in. Sunday was equally a great day for me, I finished 3rd place. You heard it correctly, two podium finishes in one weekend. With those two podiums I have managed to take the points lead in the Boss Cross series. <br />
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The top photo is of my win on saturday and the bottom is of me in 3rd place and I am wearing the leaders jersey. <br />
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Only two more races to go in the series, and those take place in three weeks from now. Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-35997814071739608832012-10-22T11:06:00.001-05:002012-10-23T10:08:56.352-05:00Don't Look BackDropped my chain on the first lap yesterday. As I sat there trying to fix it everyone and their mothers passed me. I was all alone, it was quiet and all I could hear were my thoughts,"why bother now", "I'll just dnf", "I just paid for this race and it is all over". That last thought pissed me off. I got on my bike and started cranking. I eventually caught up to someone and passed him, then another, and another. The single speed guys were out there at the same time as us 4s so I kept looking for derailleurs. I felt great, a lot better than the day before. I kept fighting for positions, and never looking back which is strange for me because I find that all I do is look back and worry about those guys catching me and passing me. I also found myself wishing for extra laps. I never think that way, I usually feel like there are way too many laps left to go. Every time I was about to pass someone that person would surge for a little or they would try and take up most of the lane so I couldn't pass but I would eventually find a spot and pass them, again without looking back. I kept my eyes focused on the next person in front of me, my next target. It was fun being the pursuer, chasing down the next victim. When the race was over I had no idea what position I finished in, but I knew that I had just had one of my best races ever. Why was it one of my best races? Because I actually enjoyed every single second of it, I felt great the entire race, I had plenty of gas in the tank so to speak, and I didn't want it to end. I fought for each and every spot I gained and earned them all. Nothing was given to me and no one took anything away from me either. From the time I got my chain back on not a single rider passed me, so every time I passed someone it stayed that way. Like I often do, they all accepted their destiny. Yesterday I was going to make mine and not just accept it. On the final climb just before the finish I found one more guy that I felt I had enough lap left to catch, and pass. I saw him look back at me when he turned back around I got up and started sprinting for the finish. He took a second look back and saw that I had just gained a ton of ground on him and he began to sprint for the finish as well. I kept my head low and I watched his front wheel compared to mine. He had the inside lane and was closer to the judges. When we both crossed the line I thought it looked like we were even. I figured the judges would give it to him since he was closer to them and from their angle it might have looked like he finished first. Afterwards I walked over to him and thanked him for the fun sprint. I told him that I thought he had beat me and he said that he felt like I had beat him. So now all there is to do is wait for the results to be posted. I went and sat down with the family and recounted my race to whomever would listen. I finished 8th. I was completely surprised. I never would have guessed, I was convinced that I would had finished 12 or 13. I caught and passed 22 riders including that final sprint. I will remember that race for years to come. I just fell deeper in love with cycling.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-35950412126772729182012-07-16T10:23:00.000-05:002012-07-16T10:23:31.086-05:00Gone But Not Forgotten?It has been a few months since my last post, and with that post there was a lot of optimism for my cycling season. I managed to get one of the first races in the season in and I had hoped it had been more of a confidence booster. My first Cat4 race was a complete bust for me. Do be fair I did choose a race with one of the toughest climbs of the season so I had two things going against me. After that I started to put in some miles on the bike, but life(as it often does) had different plans for me. I spent an entire month off the bike. My wife and I moved and before we moved in we did some remodle work on the house. All my spare time went to the house so we could keep our move in date deadline. I got back on the bike a week ago and rode a couple of days. Man did I feel it. Not only had I lost some speed, but while I was off summer had come on full blast and the temps have been well over 100 degrees. I was not use to riding in these temps. My head felt like it was a teapot and I needed to release pressure every time I got on the bike and even attempted to keep with with the group. So not only had I slowed down but now everyone had a month of training advantage. I fear my road season has now become nothing more than training for Cross and onto next year. I did try on a race for size this past weekend. State Line Road race was its name and it was the first annual. The course was 6.5 miles long and the mens Cat4 had to do it 7 laps worth. That is a little over 45 miles. I really liked this race. The route was nothing more than a big rectangle with very slight rolling hills until you got to turn three which had a sharp over a 90 degree turn with a sharp climb. Not a major climb but you had to really slow down for the turn so you couldn't carry any momentum into the climb. It felt like a series of stair steps until you got to turn one. My official placing in the race was 41 out 57 riders. I wasn't completely dissapointed with this cosidering the amount of time I have been out of the saddle. I thought KCOI Boulevard racing team put on a great event. I will absolutely do this race next year, and hopefully place better. Now I think I will try doing one more crit this year maybe 2 out in St.Louis. I see how much I improve between now and labor day. It is a lot of money to spend to go get dropped.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-70903919450682204382012-02-08T11:03:00.001-06:002012-02-10T09:07:12.290-06:00Keep Swimming I Won't MoveThe start of any trip begins with that first step. Eventually with persistance and determination you will find yourself no longer within view from that beginning point but also not within view of your final destination. Yesterday I did something that not only had I dreamt of accomplishing but something that I knew would take a lot of hard work, I put in to upgrade to a Cat4 road. I sent in my request yesterday along with my racing resume and recieved my upgrade conformation a couple of hours later. The idea all started when I was at the team party and a fellow teammate Chris Hudson asked me if I was planning on Cat-ing up this season. I gave him some answer which I am sure he saw right through to my true feeling which was doubt that I could even compete as a Cat4 yet. He was polite and accepted my answer, but what he didn't realize is that he had planted a seed, a seed that grew into questions for me. The next morning I went onto USAcycling's site to check to see if I had completed the manditory 10 road races needed to cat up to a four, I counted 8 road races and 18 Cross races. I thought that posting this to my Facebook status update would satisfy my questions/doubts of cat-ing up, until I get a message a few minutes later from Britton a Cat2 and store owner of Volker Bicycles saying that USAcycling would take into consideration all of my resume not just my road races. I flat out asked him if he thought I should cat-up and he said yes. So here I am again with thoughts of should I or shouldn't I cat up. I knew what I had to do, I texted four more people all on my team, all much faster riders than I am and I asked them their well respected opinion too. All came back saying that I should. So now I have my answer yet I am still hesitant to click on the send button. Why am I so hesitant, what am I afraid of, everyone is telling me to do it but I have some reservations. I remember being 5 years old and living in Puerto Rico. My dad at the time worked for Abbott laboratories. Employment with Abbott included many fringe benefits, one being membership to Dorado Beach country club. It had Chi-Chi Rodriguez's signature golf course, tennis courts, club house, and most importantly a olympic size pool where I would learn to swim.<br />
I only have a few memories of learning to swim and all of them aren't the most positive. The memories are mostly of my trying to stay afloat with the instructor commanding me to swim to her and she promised not to move. If this story sounds familier to you then you will know that she never stood still and she always backed away forcing me to swim further away from the wall and deeper into the pool. I can still remember the panic I would experience when she would back away. With the more lessons I had the less panic I would feel, and eventually I gained confidence, learned to love to it, and even raced on a swim team in middle school. My cycling journey has come to that point where I have to take my hands off that wall and be willing to swim out to the deeper ends of the pool. I can no longer hide in the kiddie pool. I now have to compete with the big kids in the deeper pools.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-47118499108629898692012-02-06T13:31:00.002-06:002012-02-06T13:48:15.325-06:00Knock Knock Who Is It? New SeasonSo a New season is upon us. I know I have neglected my blog for the last couple of months but to be honest nothing much has happened in my cycling world until this passed weekend. Saturday was our team signing party and what a party it was. Free beer, food, and sounds. Colavita/Parisi is growing into one big family, and a happy one at that. We have gained some new faces and some familiar ones and we are going to be an even bigger force to reckon with this year. <br />
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So I remember at last year's signing party when Adam Keck recieved the award of most improved rider, I had secretly told myself that I wanted to win it for next year. Those are big shoes to fill as Adam is a person to respect both on and off the bike. I trained as much as I could all year with my life being turned upside down with the addition of my daughter Lucy. My wife was and has always been supportive of me, I am a lucky man. Well as you have guessed it, I won it. Having all my hard work recognized by my teammates means a great deal to me. Some are and others have been state champs. I remember my first time going out with them for a Saturday morning ride. I kept up with the group for 4 miles and promptly got dropped. They were only pedaling at an easy pace too. My how things have changed for me.<br />
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Sunday was our first team ride with all the new guys. It feels funny calling others new and not considering myself a newbie anymore. We had a pretty nice turnout, I think there was 24 people in all. We got into a 2 by 2 line and worked on our pace line for several miles. We also had a "gentlemans race" and it was a blast. We broke up into 5 groups and we raced to an agreed upon destination. This destination was at the top of the second of two long climbs. I am not a strong climber and it is early in the season, but with the confidence of being called the most improved rider I told myself that I was not going to hinder my team in any way. By the time we reached the base of the first climb I was 5th man back and moved up to 4th at the summit. Since the team I was on was all together we took off on our descent on our way to the next climb. We had a large lead on every one else. It was just the four of us at the finish line. I was pumped and surprised at how well I did. The winning team got pizza and coca cola paid for by everyone else. I had already been gone a few hours and wanted to go home and spend some time with Kate and Lucy. <br />
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I want to take this time to thank everyone who has given me words of encouragement, it makes it a lot easier to stay focused knowing that I am making improvements in my riding. I have found a great bunch of guys that I am proud to call my friends, and teammates.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-31457960471758635382011-10-25T11:51:00.001-05:002011-10-25T13:09:55.293-05:00Eye of the TigerThis past weekend was Shawnee Rescue Rad Cross. The mens 4 was at 10am and the mens 3/4 was at 2pm. With so much time between the two I decided to race both. I picked up my new Jamis Nova race on Friday and unfortunately did not have time to ride it before hand. I was a little nervous about this because when racing you have to make many split second decisions at any given time throughout the race. Any mistake or miscalculation and it can cost you your position, your energy, and even your bones if you wreck. I got out there a little early and pre-rode the course and noticed that there was a lot of pavement. So I pumped my tires up to 45 psi each. At no point in the race did my tires feel loose at all. There wasn't much off camber and my tires were hooking up great in the grass. We had a pretty big group, 35 in all. I didn't expect much from myself since there was two sand pits back to back with maybe 35-40 feet of grass between. Almost enough to ride and just a little too long to run. I decided to run it all but when on grass I would roll the bike instead of shouldering it. This proved to be my most hated section of the race because right after that there was no time to recover, you went right in to a gradual climb. No rest for the weary. I managed to finish 18th. The guy in front of me had a pretty good lead for the last two laps and when coming to the finish line I noticed that he let up his pace, he let up his pace a lot. I was a good 200-250ft behind him and I decided to sprint for it. I know that sprinting for 18th is not glorious but I made the decision to go for it. I beat him to the line and did the dorkiest hand in the air gesture like I had just won the whole thing. I immediately felt stupid for doing the gesture but I was happy that I sprinted. More about that feeling in a minute. After the race I ate, drank, and rested. I even had time to go pick up Kate and Lucy. They dropped me back off and they went on to the mall like I suspect they will be doing for many times to come. I have never done a 3/4 race and didn't expect much from myself for a couple of reasons, 1) I raced earlier in the day and 2) I would be racing against 3s. The race time went from 30 minutes in the 4s to 45 minutes in the 3/4s. At one point in the race I almost pulled myself, I was so tired I was basically just walking it. My energy level dropped after lap number 3 of 8. My last two laps I was using as a cool down I was going so slow. I am glad I did it as it helped to push me out of my comfort zone. The course judges placed me at 25 out of 27 but it was an error on their part. I actually finished 24 out of 27. My fellow team-mate S.C. won the race. He managed to lap me once and I was happy he did. It cut my laps down from 8 to 7 total. He looked great out there, really strong and comfortable. That was his day and he took it. Good for him, he has been working hard for that for a long time.<br />
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With all that being said, on my Monday night ride I had a word pop into my head, that word is "heart". I have not been able to shake that word since I first thought it. I have been thinking about what it means to me, do I have it, if not how do I get it? I remember watching Rocky 2 and Rocky is challenged by Clubber Lang, and Clubber Lang says Rocky isn't a real champion. Apollo Creed is training Rocky and tells him that he needs to get the "Eye of the Tiger". You know that desire to win, that hunger and need to beat any opponent. I know that I haven't been racing with that emotion. My motivation has been to do better than I have ever done before. Tri-atheletes call this a "p.r." or a "personal record". I wonder if I will ever get that real desire to win or if I will just keep going along trying to beat my P.R.? Do I even need that desire to win at all cost? Will it make my training more effecient? Lots of questions in my head right now. I do know that I love cycling and I love all the things I have accomplished including all the psychological things I have over come. One being the fear of competing in front of people knowing that I may be judged. It is funny all the things that we can carry in life not knowing, things that may seem insignificant to others but to some it means avoiding certain situations in life. I only wish I had conquered that one earlier in life. Cycling has given me the medium to over come many of my lifes obstacles. For that I love it even more.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQw2UMlXLxFchebKGbKR_EH2ooAfzm0X0PBqc3-1B9UcwywlMGFkKKVLgYMFUFN5BRTEQ3fa-kUQuH8HG4BQ0BuYOeKf-Gvty5Enq5zr2btlVeVJw9h5MxFXpVUOINgKELc_LDhl5cOD0/s1600/radcrosssand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQw2UMlXLxFchebKGbKR_EH2ooAfzm0X0PBqc3-1B9UcwywlMGFkKKVLgYMFUFN5BRTEQ3fa-kUQuH8HG4BQ0BuYOeKf-Gvty5Enq5zr2btlVeVJw9h5MxFXpVUOINgKELc_LDhl5cOD0/s320/radcrosssand.jpg" width="320px" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These pics are from Jon Peck and they are my faves so far.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-35610909181931975762011-10-17T08:35:00.000-05:002011-10-17T08:35:57.048-05:00I Can Almost Taste ItThe last two weeks of cross racing have been pretty good to me. I have managed to finish in my two best finishes ever, but that has only managed to frustrate me even more. I raced in Cross out Cancer two weekends ago and had my best placing to date, 17 out of 40, that is my first top 50% finish in any race including road. I raced the mens cat4 on my sinlge speed bike and the gearing was perfect for the course. No climbing at all and not many straight sections. My handling and my starting in the front really helped me out. I did this race last year and placed 31 out of 46. At this rate ,next year I should be a real contender. The frustration comes from my wanting to do better. I now want a top 25% finish. <br />
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This last weekend was Joules Cross. I was really pumped from Cross out from Cancer and expected good things from myself. I was once again racing on my single speed bike and the course didn't look too hilly. I didn't have a chance to pre-ride the course and wished I had. Lots of straight aways, a spiral of death, strong head winds, off camber loose dirt and rocky sections, and a couple of little climbs thrown in just before the finish line. My gearing was good for the climbs on this course but a not large enough for all the straight sections. I had a good start, coming out of the first turns I was siting in 8th place out of 32 but it was not to be. I was slowly but surely losing my ground to everyone with gears. I faded to 17th place over all. My teammate Levon was racing with me and once again was gaining on me rather quickly. We were suppose to do 6 laps total but we were pulled after 5, If I had known that we were going to get pulled I would have sprinted to the finish hopefully passing the 16th place guy. At the rate Levon was gaining on me, I know he would have passed me on the last lap had it gone to 6, but please don't tell him that I was worried about it, I don't want him to gain any confidence for next week. <br />
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For spectating I liked the Cross out Cancer course. Kate, the baby, and I found a nice tree to sit under and watched everyone else race. Joules cross' course was on beatiful land but not many trees to sit under and spectate unless you brought your own tent. Other than that It was a nice venue.<br />
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With all that being said, BK has ordered a Jamis Nova race with my name on it. Let's see how I do with my own bike with gears. Several of the guys on the team have this bike and they do pretty well. I will be sure to post pics.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-64552192315491756842011-10-03T14:22:00.000-05:002011-10-03T14:22:17.911-05:00Like a BossBoss Cross 1 & 2 were this past weekend. I was only able to race on Saturday but managed to pass by on Sunday to spectate for a little bit. Saturday's race was tough, lots and lots of running. I had a great start to the race, I think about 7th or 8th until we reached the first set of sand. Running is not my thing, it brings my heartrate way up especially when running thru deep, soft sand. I managed to hold about 11th or 12th place until there was 2 laps to go and I started to fade. The race was 40 minutes long versus the usual 30 minutes. I know I would have placed better by 2 or 3 places had it been 30 minutes. My friend and fellow teammate Levon was in the race with me and he was starting to gain ground on me on the last lap of the race. I really started to worry that he was going to pass me, the amount of time he made up on that last lap made me feel like I didn't have a chance against him. It did force me to push myself even harder near the end and I did manage to hold my place. Levon and I have used each other to gauge how well we are doing in a race. Last year I was only able to beat him in one race. Ironically enough this coming weekend is that race. I hope he is there for a rematch. My legs felt pretty good and I was able to run a higher gear and get up off my saddle from time to time. I do need to work on my heartrate, it really sucks. I get winded much quicker than my legs give out. <br />
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I think I am being converted, I have become a cross person. It is a lot more fun than road racing. I am going to have to figure out how I can get my hands on a carbon cross bike with carbon tubulars.<br />
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One last thing, my buddy/fellow teammate Jon Peck was good to me on Saturday and Allowed me to once again race with his bike. Carrying that thing thru sand was much easier than my steel bike. He also took an awesome photo so credit goes out to him on that too.<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNoCgozc_P99oqYArHiPbkky5p05EAnm_27gkK7TMNijp3IlA4DqODLi_QXmzMT9wfUM_ksoksUNSv7K-twdk7Kd1p5XXf1HN5k82G-5e-XGttL0t-BundKwQ9WyIP2Fw9nQ0eQMwDeYi/s1600/boss+cross+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNoCgozc_P99oqYArHiPbkky5p05EAnm_27gkK7TMNijp3IlA4DqODLi_QXmzMT9wfUM_ksoksUNSv7K-twdk7Kd1p5XXf1HN5k82G-5e-XGttL0t-BundKwQ9WyIP2Fw9nQ0eQMwDeYi/s320/boss+cross+1.jpg" width="221px" /></a></div>Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-91781595040274757482011-09-28T13:09:00.001-05:002011-09-28T13:12:08.363-05:00Manion's CrossThere is no better way to have fun on a bike than cyclocross. I heard somewhere that this sport was invented by pro roadies in Belgium a long time ago to help them stay in shape in the off season, but here in K.C. you will hear people say that they do road racing in the spring and summer to stay in shape for cross in fall and winter. This sport is huge here in Kansas City among many other places in the U.S.. Lots of people say the colder and muddier the better. It also helps that there is usually free beer at most races. This will be my second full season of cross and although I am not all that charged about training I am excited about racing. There are races in this area pretty much every weekend until after the first of the year and the first ones were this past weekend. Manion's Cross is a race put on by my bicycle shop sponsor Volker bicycles of Kansas city. Two days of racing out on the hills of Manion's auction house. Cross is spectator friendly as the courses are usually between 1.5 miles and 2.5 miles long wrapping around the inside of a park, so if you sit in one spot of the course to watch you will have the racers pass by you multiple times in one race. So as you can imagine, it is more of a family atmosphere. This past weeked the wife and baby came out with me on Saturday and sat on a blanket to enjoy the fun and cheer dad on in his poor result do to my rear tire having a leak. I had to stop every lap in the wheel pit and pump up my tire. I knew I wasn't going to do well but I also didn't want to DNF(did not finish). Much to my surprise, I managed to finish 31st out of 34. I thought I was dead last. Sunday was a much better showing for me. I borrowed a teamates awesome "geared" bike with carbon tubulars. In my race I finished 17th out of 30. Middle of the pack is not bad at all for me considering it was a climbing mans course. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_JPBpE-H4dQN1ildrNrjOjOg-KKM1a76pDIRhsuo_0s1BHvJhGjjomNLgjdpXeyXdqaVib5oW545d-xf1WUZi2BYdjJdtX13N5ot0-PBF-1SpZE6JG-qa9Qr9gML0kLp1_onSy1LAtjs/s1600/manions+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_JPBpE-H4dQN1ildrNrjOjOg-KKM1a76pDIRhsuo_0s1BHvJhGjjomNLgjdpXeyXdqaVib5oW545d-xf1WUZi2BYdjJdtX13N5ot0-PBF-1SpZE6JG-qa9Qr9gML0kLp1_onSy1LAtjs/s320/manions+017.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
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</tbody></table>Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-14531436007724048532011-09-02T14:36:00.001-05:002011-09-02T14:47:56.963-05:00Everybody LimboThis weekend is Gateway Cup. 4 days of crit racing in St.Louis. I went to watch one race last year and loved the energy the town had for racing. Before this I didn't have a very positive opinion of St.Louis, but we had a great day off watching friends race and having lunch in the Italian district of town. In the beginning of the season I had put Gateway Cup on my radar but to be honest I lost any interest in doing it weeks ago. It has been a long and hot summer and this past week I did something that I hadn't done in over a year. I took a week off of cycling. I have not been on a bike in 6 days. My right knee has been a little achey and I have not had much desire to ride either. This is the time of year where we are winding down road racing and starting to prepare for cyclo cross. Right now I am not excited about that either. I really don't like winter and I am not looking forward to the below 50 degree weather. Last winter seemed to last for ever. I did try to excite myself for winter by buying a compression long sleeve thermal base layer. I guess I will have to wait until the first cross race to really jump start my excitement. I am making plans to do the Tour de BBQ this year. This is the 3rd year of this ride and from what I hear it is only getting bigger and better. Last year they had Smash Mouth performing at the rap up party. I will be doing the 62 mile route and for those of you who don't know about the ride, the route is designed to go to all the BBQ joints that wished to participate. The first year had 7 stops with food being served at each and every location. All the big names are on the route like Gates, Arthur Bryants, Oklahoma Joe's, Jack Stacks............ this should be a lot of fun and well worth the trip if you are interested. Here is a link for more info. <a href="http://tourdebbq.com/">http://tourdebbq.com/</a>Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-2542909333603415322011-08-23T10:33:00.000-05:002011-08-23T10:33:56.516-05:00For A Good CauseI have a friend and fellow teammate who is riding the MS150 this year. He has chosen to ride on Kate's(my wife) behalf. follow the link to his blogspot and read Kate's story and if you can give, please feel free to do so.<br />
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<a href="http://somethingclassicinkc.blogspot.com/2011/08/bike-ms-im-riding-for-kate.html?showComment=1314113450460#c4672128380867139438">http://somethingclassicinkc.blogspot.com/2011/08/bike-ms-im-riding-for-kate.html?showComment=1314113450460#c4672128380867139438</a>Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-22609087369357331712011-08-01T15:33:00.000-05:002011-08-01T15:33:04.917-05:00How Far?Sunday July 31,2011 was Volker bicycle's 100 mile Grand "Fundo" ride. I woke up at 4:30 in the morning to be at the shop by 5:45am. I decided to ride my bike from home to the shop. I had packed the night before and managed to fit everything I would need into the three pockets of my kit and my saddle bag. light had just started to sneek out into sky when we all set out for Lawrence at 6am which was our out and back point. I have had my bike for over a year now and I have had the same bottle cages for that same amount of time but for some reason this is the day that the front one decides to pop off with bottle in it and all and go rolling down the road just about 2 miles into the ride. I stop and pick it up because I knew I would need 3 bottles of water and not just 2,this would turn out to be a very wise choice. I was able to get the cage to pop back on without having to unscrew or screw in anything. I work like mad to catch back up to everyone. We are going at a pretty good clip and we get maybe another 10 miles down the road when we go over a set of railroad tracks and you guessed it, the cage comes off again. I once again grab cage and bottle and snap back on and I look up and can't seem to see anyone down the road. I didn't really know the route to get out to Lawrence but figured I would wing it. So I continue alone heading west. I reach Bonner Springs within the hour and I just happened to look to my right and I see a group of cyclist that were with the ride just starting back up from taking a bathroom break. I speed up and latch on for the remainder of the ride. There were 7 of us total and we all worked well taking turns pulling. Up until now the ride was super flat but now begins the "rollers". They weren't too bad but I would certainly feel them on our way back.When we were about 10 miles from town some guy in a SUV came to a rolling stop at a stop sign and because of the sun he claims he couldn't see us so he started to speed thru the intersection, he suddenly sees us and slams on his breaks causing a rider to stop short and the guy behind to go down. Luckily no one was hurt.We arrived in Lawrence just after 8am and we rode thru town and stopped at a gas station to refill our bottles, stretch, and eat. At this point I had 48+/- miles on my computer. I felt great and I was ready for the 48 or so miles back. The sun was up higher in the sky but the temps were still tolerable. They were calling for 97degrees plus the heat index for the day. 8:30 am and we start our way back home, about 35 to 40 minutes into the ride one of the riders has a blow out so we stop to repair in the shade. She gets the new tube in and we all roll out again when no more than 5 miutes later she has another blow out. This time she takes her time to really inspect her tire and realizes that her side wall has a slice in it. Aubree suggests to use a clif shot wrapper to patch the hole. She said to put the wrapper between the tube and the tire on the inside of the tire, they do so and put everything together. That darn thing held the whole way home with out any other problems. At mile 83 we stopped under a bridge to check on someones tire and while we sat there I began to feel pourly. We were all low on water so we found the nearest gas station and filled back up. I took some sport beans and a packet of "Emergen-C". I was amazed at how well I felt after that. We made it to the shop at 12:00pm. The sun was blaring although it would get hotter into the day. Pot-Pies restaurant and Volker bicycles had pasta and vegetables, fruit salad, and Cokes waiting for us. Most of the other riders took a longer route and they did closer to 115 miles for the day because of a couple closed roads/bridge. After eating a little and sitting in front of the fan to cool off I decided to ride home. By the time I got home my computer said 97 miles. This was by far the longest ride I have done to date, I have done numerous 65 mile rides but never this many. I am glad I did it and now look back at the first time I tried doing 18 miles and how far I have come from bonking at 18 miles versus bonking at 83 miles. I am still a little impatient with my progress but when I look back and think how I smoked for 18 years and was 30 pounds heavier just 1 and a half years ago, you know I am not doing too bad. <br />
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Thank you Britton for putting this ride on and thank you John from Pot-Pies for cooking the food. Who ever supplied the Coke, I thank you the most!Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-60338866006297823312011-07-21T13:38:00.000-05:002011-07-21T13:38:27.061-05:00It's too hotIt has been triple digits hot here for over a week now and not much cooler than that for a couple of weeks before that. The heat is really starting to wear me down. I managed to get a ride in last night. It was about 120 degrees with the heat index. My car read 103 at 6pm and 98 degrees at 8:15pm. The last time I got on the bike was 6 days before that. That is not a very good thing, but my mind and body was not into it like it usually is. I decided to listen and stay off. I took the opportunity to take the bike in for complete tune up and I also cleaned her up. I hadn't realized just how dirty she had gotten. It is amazing how happy it makes me to clean the bike up, it almost feels like I just got a new one. <br />
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I haven't been writing or riding much lately because I have become a little discouraged. I wasn't very happy with my turn-out in Topeka. I really thought I was going to do much better than I did. So I have decided to take it a little easier until I get all gung-ho again. I have also been spending a lot of time with Lucy. She is almost 3 months now and all smiles.<br />
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Cross season is only a couple of months away. With that means cooler temps. I can't wait to see how well I do this year in cross.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-17505339105074444122011-07-07T11:44:00.002-05:002011-07-07T11:49:47.319-05:00What A WasteThis past weekend was the 4th of July weekend and we had my brother and his girlfriend visiting from Florida. This was a great opportunity for me to show my brother what cycling is all about and why I am so enthralled by it. They were flying home on Sunday the 3rd so that meant that I had to race on Saturday instead. This weekends venue was the Tour of Lawrence. I love this venue simply for the amount of spectators that come out and watch the races. It is two days of racing, Saturday is a campus circuit and Sunday is a downtown crit. Last year I did the crit and managed to finish last. The funny thing is that my results were never posted to my rider profile on USAcycling, not sure if this a good thing or a bad thing. The campus circuit is the toughest race I have ever done, it has several climbs with one long one at the end of the course about 300 feet before the finish. I know that the pros did a total of 9,000 feet of climbing in their race. If you read my blog you know that I am not made for climbing, but since I have been doing my hill intervals I know that I did better than I thought I would. My race started at 10:00am so I knew it was going to be an early start to the day since it wasn't going to be just me driving out. We managed to get there and set up with only about 15 minutes to spare after I checked in and pinned my numbers on. This is not good. I had no time to warm up at all. A friend of mine on another team who had just finished his race offered to show me the course and all the "bad spots" in the pavement. We thought we had enough time to ride the course, well this turned out to be a huge error in judgement as I missed my start time by at least 45 seconds or so. I managed to make up 12 positions out of 47. If I think about it, this is pretty good for me considering that I never had the protection of the peloton and all the climbing that was invloved. I am just dissapointed with myself for missing my start time. No telling how well I would have done if I had just been in the front of the start line. I only have 2 more races in my road schedule this season and then it is cross training for me.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-4012044005667420962011-06-28T09:07:00.003-05:002011-06-29T13:43:20.340-05:00Crit-Schmitt!I have not done an official race since before the baby was born. I decided to take the time and train more and to be sure to be home if needed. I had set my sights on this past weekend of racing since it was as local as it was ever going to get. The 48th annual Tour of K.C. was this past weekend and there was racing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I was only able to make Sunday's race since I spent Friday and Saturday camping with my nephew for Cub-scouts. Sunday was a hot day and by the time it was my turn to race it was even hotter. Most of our team was there, we must of had at least 20 riders in the Colavita corner. I think as a whole everyone did pretty well. Our one womens rider won both of her races. We had a mens cat2 finish 2nd on Sunday and I mens cat4 finish 4th on Sunday as well. I on the other hand didn't do as well as I thought, but it was because I wasn't racing smart either. At the start of the race, I was sitting in the front 3 riders and not pushing myself too hard, really just sitting comfortably. After 3 laps of sitting there I decided to pass everyone on the climb and pull the group, but instead of setting a comfortable pace for myself I was trying to go a little faster. Not really sure why I did this other than I had my whole team watching and I have been improving a lot lately so I didn't want to dissapoint, if that makes sense. Then I start to fade fast and the heat started to affect me and my energy level dropped really quick. Not sure if I remember much after that other than I kept yo-yo-ing with three riders fighting for 19th place. I finished 20th because I thought there was one more lap so I didn't try to pass just before the finish and to be quite honest, it seemed pointless to fight for 19th place. So if I sit back and reflect on what happened I would basically say I blew my wad too soon. I should have just sat back and let everyone else do all the work and wait for the perfect time to go off the front like with one lap left. Oh well, you live and you learn. I am such a rookie. Any ways, This weekend is Tour of Lawrence and I am racing Saturday morning. This race is a circuit race with a tough climb right before the finish. Let's see how I fair with that.<br />
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Here is a link to a video of the mens cat4 race on Sunday. The course is dubbed "Citizens on Patrol" <a href="http://exposureroom.com/members/chuongdoan/648637d47ea84f0ab1c94df86a32c3c6/">http://exposureroom.com/members/chuongdoan/648637d47ea84f0ab1c94df86a32c3c6/</a>Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-23202336201380245292011-06-15T11:50:00.002-05:002011-06-15T11:53:57.880-05:00Are YOU positiveI've had to change my cycling schedule up a little, I now ride early in the mornings on both Mondays and Tuesdays. I get up at 5am on both days. Monday I have been doing Cliff Drive's gooseneck. This past Monday I talked myself into doing it 10 times. My first race ever was on Cliff drive and I had to do the gooseneck 4 times. I didn't think I was going to be able to do it and that was with being able to recover on the remainder of the course. 10 hill repeats one after the other, only being able to rest on the way down was a good gauge for me to see my improvement from last year. Tuesdays I do a short out and back from my house in the morning, about 7 miles. Most of the way back is all incline and I try to keep my intensity high. My weekly training schedule is as follows, Monday and Tuesday mornings, Wednesday and Thrusday evenings, and Saturday mornings. That is about 9 hours of training a week. That is going to have to do for now.<br />
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I have been feeling stronger on the bike since my last post. The positive talking and phsyching myself up has really helped. I have even been known to talk out loud. Some of you left some great comments on your own experiences with this subject and I took them to heart. Last Saturday I rode 60 miles with the a few teammates and felt great for most of it. I even surprised myself at how well I was riding among guys who are a higher "Cat" than me. It can be a lot of fun when you see improvements and even better when your teammates notice too. It has really helped to light a fire in my motivation as well. <br />
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Most of you know that I do both road and CX seasons but I am not much of a mountain biker or a gravel grinder. This year I have decided to do Joe Fox's Farm House Classic. Satruday July 16th, 2011. I am being told that this years route is 90+ miles. I have a single speed cross bike and have some reservations on this. Not because of the 90 miles but because of 90 miles riding single speed and it being on gravel. 7 other team members will be joining and it should be a blast. I will be sure to take plenty of pictures and post them as soon as possible.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-16761993954213711462011-06-03T11:42:00.001-05:002011-06-03T11:43:36.368-05:00Whatever you tell me to do drill sergeant!This is something I have been thinking of writing for a while. I was spectating at one of the Perry Dam races. A few of us were sitting on a guard rail watching the women race. At one point in the race there was a small group of riders maybe 3 or 4 of them pedaling up the long inlcine, I took real notice of the second to last rider in the group because she was crying, that's right she was crying with her mouth wide open and everything. I can only assume she was crying from the pain she was going through on the climb and maybe to stay with the pack. That image has stayed with me and I frequently replay it in my mind. I admire that person. She wasn't about to surrender to the pain just yet. I am also jealous of her, I surrender to my pain way too easily. My pain has control over what I do, it constantly puts limitations to what I can and will do. Don't get me wrong, I have improved from the time I first got on a road bike, I am much faster now than ever before but I feel like I could be faster and I could improve quicker if only I would be willing to quiet the little voices in my head that tell me to "slow down", and "why do you even bother", and "is all this pain really worth it". Without pushing myself too far from my "Comfort Zone" I will improve slowly. Last night at Thursday Night Worlds, There came a point where I was trying to jump back into the group, I was really srtuggling to latch back on when I heard a fellow teammate Joe say something like " dig deep James, push yourself". That gave me the extra little push I needed and I was able to hang-on for a few laps. I only wish I always had someone right there coaxing me a long. Kind of like a drill sergeant breaking me down only to build me back up stronger and faster. That is one of the main reasons why I ride with guys who are all faster than me. This forces me to push myself. I am very lucky to have joined a team that does nothing but encourage its teammates, no one has a bad thing to say and I genuinely like everyone. I am going to try and start working on that little inner voice from now on and see if I can't get it to become an optomist. <br />
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If you see me out there and I am struggling, don't hesitate to yell some words of encouragement.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-27160958570174064482011-06-02T13:33:00.000-05:002011-06-02T13:33:05.573-05:00I had to share<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSeBlbvhtl2tWPuGzNdxE1U4DsA8e_hwgRPhuKGD4pmawjJTyjUTWC5yyXggVvsTbt35LZEjD2rLZEp9rZHV4lycjaqF9r4St2OaEONnwkk-XyoAybUmOKnGA8zaAeYKfuyb2T94lFcb3/s1600/chubby+Lucy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSeBlbvhtl2tWPuGzNdxE1U4DsA8e_hwgRPhuKGD4pmawjJTyjUTWC5yyXggVvsTbt35LZEjD2rLZEp9rZHV4lycjaqF9r4St2OaEONnwkk-XyoAybUmOKnGA8zaAeYKfuyb2T94lFcb3/s320/chubby+Lucy.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></a></div>I just had to share a photo of my little darling. This was taken at nap time yesterday. Yes, that is what I am talking about.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-39057487652156329872011-05-31T14:17:00.004-05:002011-06-01T22:13:41.767-05:00Gravel? What Gravel?The weekend started on Thursday at 5pm. The first thing I did that evening was drive over to the police training course and did some crit racing. I felt stronger this week than last time and could hang on a little while longer with the faster guys. Not sure if everyone was going slower or if I truly was going faster. Ty is a regular fixture at these events and he is a good training partner. I would love to be at his level some day in the future. I have to admit that I do have some days where I get some what discouraged, but never enough to keep me away from riding. Obviously when you ride with guys who are stornger and faster than you, you will only improve. The frustrating part is that while you improve so do they. Needless to say, I feel like I am always chasing that carrot dangling in front of me on a stick, almost with in reach but never close enough to grab. I also notice that because of this effect I find it difficult to gauge my progress. <br />
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Friday my little family and I drove to Lawrence to pick up my nephew to have him over for the weekend. I was really excited about the plans I had for him and I to ride part of the Katy trail. He and I went to my sponsor bike shop Volker and we picked up some necessary supplies for a trip of this nature. Spare tubes, comfortable saddle for his bike and bottle cages for my CX bike. The plans were to drive out to Rocheport's trail head, park there and ride as far east as the kiddo could handle. Keep in mind he is only 9 going on 10, and riding a bmx style bike. For those of you who do not know what the Katy trail is, here is a little background. This was at one point a railroad line called the MKT line. MKT stands for Missouri Kansas Texas. In 1986 the line was discontinued and the state of Missouri decided to at some point after that turn it into a glorious 225 mile gravel trail that stretches from St. Charles, Mo. to Clinton, Mo. There are many trail heads a long the way with many businesses serving the trial travellers. This weekend was Memorial day weekend and Rocheport was hopping with business. Live music, outside patio eating, and so many cyclist that you couldn't help but get excited about riding your bike. All kinds of bikes can be seen on the trail from road bikes to recumbent, with all kinds of trailer attachments. The trailers were filled with anything from children, dogs, coolers, camping equipment, radios, I mean you name it and it was there to be seen. The "gravel" trail, and I use that term loosely was almost as smooth as paved road. I live in Missouri and I have seen bumpier paved roads. I saw no potholes in the 6 mile stretch that we road and it had rain the day before and saw no puddles either. I will ride the entire trail one day. All 225 miles and I will do it over a long weekend(3 days) and camping in a tent along the way. If you are interested in joining me on this adventure please let me know. The more the merrier. Not sure about other states but this is a great asset we have here in Missouri and we should take advantage of it fully.<br />
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Monday morning I rode out to the bike shop and met up with a few teammates for a 2 hour ride. when it was all said and done I had put in about 40 miles. I had been feeling guilty about not doing my usual Saturday morning ride but after the way Lucy kept Kate and I up all night Friday, I was in no condition to even try to keep up with the guys. It is hard enough with a full nights sleep. have to say that I do understand now why Britton is not always chipper in the mornings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEhlGPxDiA9BJ9yHZLXN3JgIfoVW7xTt-S_cDz429T3mHvGkuEMxltHnaR2xuKxzenqdTawLRxgU3WacIFxeli5ChWdCdvjLuYYSwKwCFXUbXhgii4dZ_3zh579h0jHXWhc5SQSnynoEi/s1600/fireworks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEhlGPxDiA9BJ9yHZLXN3JgIfoVW7xTt-S_cDz429T3mHvGkuEMxltHnaR2xuKxzenqdTawLRxgU3WacIFxeli5ChWdCdvjLuYYSwKwCFXUbXhgii4dZ_3zh579h0jHXWhc5SQSnynoEi/s320/fireworks.jpg" t8="true" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Niece and Nephew enjoying the fireworks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Monday night we wrapped the weekend up with a trip out to Community America park to watch the T-Bones play baseball. I don't watch sports on t.v. much, but i will go to a baseball game any day. Great fun, great food, great company, and fireworks.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-21621002870342979802011-05-16T10:11:00.002-05:002011-05-16T13:06:23.452-05:00Tuesday Has Nothing on ThursdayThursday night I drove up to the Pleasant Valley police academy, no I am not changing careers. A fellow cyclist from team "In-A-Tub" is a police officer and was given permission to open up the training course for our use. That's right, we get to race on a closed course where they train the officers to powerslide and other cool stuff. The course is like regular city streets being two lanes wide, many turns, and an actual blinking red traffic signal. If all that wasn't enough to make this the best venue, it is also free. Imagine nice pavement, no traffic to worry about, and no cost to you. We had a good turn out, around 20 riders of all skill levels. We also all start the race off together and try to hang on for as long as you can until eventually you find yourself in a smaller group racing against 2 or 3 other people. We did 3 different races on three different routes for a total of close to 2 hours of racing. The races are open to whomever would like to come and join so please plan to attend and invite a friend or two, but make sure that the people you invite are cool because I would hate to see this go away. Start time is 6:15pm. It is a perfect training tool and gauge on how well you are doing, as I found out. If you do decide to show up, make sure you go to the bathroom before you leave home, nowhere out there for you to go. Once you arrive go around the back of the facility to the left of the building, you will see a parking lot on the side. Park there. The address is 6885 NE <b>Pleasant Valley</b> Road Kansas City, MO 64119. This link shows the front view of the building<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=pleasant+valley+police+academy&ie=UTF8&ll=39.212039,-94.404144&spn=0,0.88028&t=h&z=10&layer=c&cbll=39.216589,-94.49975&panoid=PHIuvB9teflOJXBLXrRwbQ&cbp=12,141.79,,0,16.85">http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=pleasant+valley+police+academy&ie=UTF8&ll=39.212039,-94.404144&spn=0,0.88028&t=h&z=10&layer=c&cbll=39.216589,-94.49975&panoid=PHIuvB9teflOJXBLXrRwbQ&cbp=12,141.79,,0,16.85</a><br />
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Saturday morning most of the guys were in St.louis racing Tour de Grove. A few of us showed for our weekly ride, I think 6. I suggested we try and get 50 miles in and everyone else was willing. We headed north over the Heart of America bridge. Up to Parvin road and west through Briarcliff on to 9 into Parkville and continued west on NW River rd for several miles past Waldron and that is where my sense of direction goes a little screwy. I know when it was all said and done I got about 48 miles in. Lots of rollers out there. Up and down, up and down.Things seen on the side of the road were anything from a dead snake to some highschool cheerleaders begging me to get my bicycle washed. Cool and Windy day but over all lots of fun. I need to put in more milage like that. My legs felt it for the rest of the day.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-44869984179691166642011-05-13T14:05:00.000-05:002011-05-13T14:05:54.615-05:00Where Did It Go!Logged on this afternoon and learned that my last post with Lucy's picture is gone. I did not erase it and the link is still showing up on my Facebook page but when I click on it, it says the post does not exist. I look on my stats and it is not showing up there either. I am very dissappointed with Blogger right now.Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-69936592729163111692011-05-11T14:29:00.000-05:002011-05-13T15:30:19.301-05:00Goo-Goo Ga-GaEaster Sunday my wife and I were in bed when her water broke. My first thought was "I am going to have an Easter baby". By 9:30am we were at the hospital filling out paperwork. No contractions as of yet. The following 30 hours are a bit of a blur. I do know that neither of us had any sleep, and that after waiting for over 28 hours for her to fully dilate and 2 hours of pushing, she had a C-section. My wife is a superhero. I have complete respect for her. She endured an amount of pain that I know I can never imagine. Our baby was born April 25th 2011 at 1:01pm and weighed a whopping 9lbs 9 3/4 oz.. Needless to say I have been a bit busy and have not had the opportunity to update my blog. I have had the chance to sneak away and get some riding in but my mind has always been on my wife and baby. I am in love....... <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfROuu022-kAxBDHiyHs3GXaqTQ_X5989LebmqDmpcqjsIhh505NsihUn4aGfOgpE0lfkByhSO10Hv_o2Lm9iGAuAR5aApQh1DzMjwoFvHpAgC0qGQOMaVGdC8XpeM-t0WmcQvKeKEkJLS/s1600/Lucysmile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfROuu022-kAxBDHiyHs3GXaqTQ_X5989LebmqDmpcqjsIhh505NsihUn4aGfOgpE0lfkByhSO10Hv_o2Lm9iGAuAR5aApQh1DzMjwoFvHpAgC0qGQOMaVGdC8XpeM-t0WmcQvKeKEkJLS/s320/Lucysmile.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div>The above picture is of baby Lucy cracking a smile and I think it also sums up my last couple of weeks well. Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-72697736239838309942011-04-19T15:27:00.002-05:002011-04-20T14:18:26.818-05:00Sharing is Caring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrE9Chb2B6sdtL2igV-vEgTEdDhhEko9Lw6flASeJc5qfVLi0wDM8BZ3BScWPTeGFrAQ74l7dKZm6bgHFmIftyGwLfkrXQTnlrv_wuIt0JyuQUrW2b4cg1YkKEDz7KudEc0yhJHNqErYCi/s1600/road+rules.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrE9Chb2B6sdtL2igV-vEgTEdDhhEko9Lw6flASeJc5qfVLi0wDM8BZ3BScWPTeGFrAQ74l7dKZm6bgHFmIftyGwLfkrXQTnlrv_wuIt0JyuQUrW2b4cg1YkKEDz7KudEc0yhJHNqErYCi/s1600/road+rules.bmp" /></a></div><br />
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I was on my bike last night doing my normal Monday night McCoy's ride, having a good time when from a car going the opposite direction came some angry words. I couldn't quite make out the complete sentence, but I did hear "GET OFF........". I am going to assume that he was saying something to the effect of us riding on the street. This is nothing new, this happens to every cyclist at least once in their life. My first thought is, "you @ss-hole, don't you know I have the right to ride on the street" and "the sideWALK is for WALKING". In this day and age of everything going green and gas prices hovering around $4.00 a gallon you would think there would be less people who react like this, but there is and they simply don't know that the road is to be shared, and they feel compelled to clue us in on traffic laws of which they have concocted in their ideal driving Utopia. These are the people who you need to watch out for when riding your bike. They are the ones who will go out of their way to make sure you understand that riding your bicycle on the street is not acceptable. The ones that see red and react before thinking things through. Of course as a cyclist we have a responsibility to behave and follow the traffic laws like everyone else. We must also share the road with motorists. I have seen plenty of cyclists setting a bad example. Pushing their way into traffic or riding two abreast with too wide a birth. Sharing the road is only becoming more and more common these days and whether you are a motorist or a cyclist, do everyone a favor and read up on the rules of the road.<br />
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Here is a link to some road rules for cyclists <a href="http://www.be-safe.org/css_com/bicycle/rules.html">http://www.be-safe.org/css_com/bicycle/rules.html</a>Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973017754132145976.post-89378204169199097072011-04-08T14:02:00.001-05:002011-04-08T14:40:59.341-05:00Keep It MovingLast weekend was spent moving. I took Friday off from work and my sister-in-law was in town to help. Kate is less than four weeks away from having the baby and her carrying things is not a good idea. We have moved to a part of town called "the historic northeast". The homes around here are older Victorian era homes. The surrounding areas are not the most desirable to live but this small pocket of a neighborhood is really awesome. We are renting a carriage house behind a large home. The main house was built in the 1890s and the carriage house was built in 1908. It is a really neat space and the best part is we have use of the fenced in yard for Sadie our dog. Sadie loves running off leash. We aren't completely finished with moving, we still have some stuff left in the old apartment but we have a couple of more weeks to get it all moved. I have to say that I woke up every day this weekend expecting to be sore from lifting and carrying things and it never came to be. I think cycling has saved my life. The new place is one block from cliff drive and I know that will become my new training ground. It has long flats and snake turn climbs. Plus I have moved further away from my routine training rides so I will be getting more miles in from the extra commute.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>My training this last week has been less than desired but the time that I was able to dedicate to it was well used. Tuesday night Mark and I met another team mate Venasa in her neck of the woods(the west side) and we rode up every incline we could find. She has a routine that she does and wanted to share it with us and boy it was a doozie. It was one of those workouts where you feel like you have accomplished something. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Mark celebrating after finishing the workout</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from up here is well worth the ride up.<br />
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</tbody></table>Thursday night was fun too. I remember doing this ride for the first time August 2009. I had done a 12 mile ride the Monday before it and thought, "12 miles felt easy, heck I can do more". It was 98 degrees that evening and I was riding with the slower group(I didn't think they were all that slow). I was not only dropped hard but managed to get lost. My ride that night had a few extra lonely miles added on. I was telling Mark that story last night and he said that he was surprised that I decided to do the ride again. I told him that I had spent $800.00 on a new bike and was afraid of what my wife would say if I let the bike sit and collect dust. If she only knew how much my bike now costs. It is fun to see how much improvement I have made even in the last few months. It pays to continue to ride your bike in the winter. Getting droppedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707437247067437749noreply@blogger.com0