Last night didn't go so hot.

I felt flat from the gun.

I started toward the back and had trouble moving up. It took at least a few laps to get the the front, and once there I had trouble holding position. I went with a couple moves and then tried to initiate something, but my legs said no. Soon I was back to the rear of the race, and spent quite a while there. Stupid. I managed to move back up a little in the final laps and snuck inside the top 15, but all around it was a less than sub-par performance all around.

I did get to test drive the pool at my new apartment. It's going to be really nice. It was a little chilly last night, which felt great, but I have a feeling that on a hot afternoon it'll be perfect. I need to be careful or I might lose these tan lines.

Thanks for checking in. Here is a picture from City Park a few weeks ago.

ACA rocks.

It's done, I'm a cat 1 with the ACA as well.

I'm just getting to Denver and it's 101 degrees. This could be a hot race, even at 5:30.

Just passed a sign for KS107.5. It said, "Beyonce lives here... So does Snoop Dogg.". I wonder how Jay Z feels about that?
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Curtis Park Crit.

I'm off to Denver to do the Curtis Park Crit, the last stage of the Rocky Mountain Omnium. I didn't do the TT or the Road Race because I went to Steve and Emily Forbes' wedding yesterday afternoon at DU. Steve is one of our fast guys on the DU team. They had a very nice wedding outside on the DU campus and then a reception in some banquet hall afterward. It was fun and a few kids from the team were back in town, so it was good to see them and Jami got to meet a couple of the team members so it was a good day all around.

I haven't done this race before, but it looks to be fast and aggressive, 50 minutes on a 1k lap with 6 corners I think. I'm going to try and hit up the pool at my new apartment in Denver afterwards so that should be fun. It's been HOT lately, so the pool could be just the ticket.

I need to start moving soon, but I'm dreading it more and more with every passing day. I'm super excited to get to Denver, but moving is going to be miserable. I have a lot of junk, and worst of all, I think I'm going to have to throw away most of the stuff from my "fun drawer." If anyone wants two years worth of glasses lenses, old keys, happy meal toys, string, wrestling headgear, darts, and other cool stuff, let me know. It'll be free to a good home.

Alright, I'm gonna get. Thanks for checking in.

P.S. USA Cycling approved my Cat. 1 upgrade this week. I just sent off an email to the ACA, so I'll hopefully have that soon too.

5th at Fort Collins Crit.

Yesterday went pretty well. I was active in the early breaks, winning two primes, one for a case of beer, and one for a dvd player. After a while it became apparent that the break wasn't going early, and I was feeling less than olympic, so I sat back and tried to get my legs back under me. With 15 minutes to go or so, I made the split, which turned into the winning break. With two corners to go I was in perfect position, but got too hesitant when Alan McCormack (Vitamin Cottage) and Allen Krughoff (Rio Grande) both dove hard into the corner, one on the inside and one on the outside. I touched my brakes, just for a split second, but it was all over. I held onto 5th, so I at least made my entry back. Overall it was a great race and a great course. Maybe I'll start putting pictures on here again soon. Thanks for checking in.

I suck.

Apparently at updating this as well as racing my bike. Last weekend went alright, I rode alone on Saturday, one final Estes loop from Greeley before I move. I felt good, and worked hard, and cranked it out a half hour faster than I ever have.

Sunday was the City Park Crit. I decided that since I would try to be aggressive early rather than waiting for the race to happen around me. That planned turned into a few laps alone off the front, then when some people finally joined me, they started attacking each other and I was too gassed to go with. The race winning move of Dirk Friel and Colby Pierce went then, and I went back to the group. The two of them ended up lapping the field, and I ended up 15th in the sprint with a little group of 4 or 5 up up the road, but behind the break, that was leading out the main group. It always gets confusing when you get lapped. Hopefully it doesn't happen again too soon.

I did the Tuesday night training races in Golden, which turned out to be a blast. I went out to get a hard effort in, and I think I got one. I once again tried to be as aggressive as I could, joining a little break after the first of many primes, and then sprinting for a few primes as well as attacking through the prime sprints. In the end it came down to a bunch kick, so I went for it. I felt much better in the sprint than I ever have, and managed to pull of a second place after Jonathon Garcia just rode away from me.

Today was the Rist Canyon Road Race in Ft. Collins. It sucked, I sucked, it's over, I don't really want to talk about it.

What I do want to talk about however is drafting behind a wheel car in an ACA race. To my knowledge it's not allowed, so I stayed off the bumper. A couple guys I was dropped with apparently didn't agree, so they took the ride, trying to pace back onto the field. WE WERE GOING UP RIST CANYON, are you guys idiots? Really, is it worth cheating to get a draft when you're grinding your way up a 12 mile climb almost grannied out? I rode with them for a minute, but once I realized they were blatantly sitting on this bumper I just dropped off and rode alone. I ended up beating at least one of the guys, who apparently never did get back on. Anyway, I suppose it's not a big deal, but it doesn't take much to irritate me on a climb like that. Dang, they hit that climb soooo hard. I heard the lead group crested it in under 40 minutes. That's fast.

On to shorter and better things. New Belgium Crit is tomorrow. I like this course, but had bad luck there with a flat and no wheels last year. I won't make the same mistake again. Wish me luck, it should be a fun race. One more thing, I put a new chain and cassette on my bike last night! Holy crap, it feels like a brand new bike. It's funny how you forget how nice it is to have a bike that shifts when you want it to. Alright, that's all, thanks for checking in.

Oh Yeah.

Iron Horse was good and bad.

I picked my parents up at DIA Friday morning, and we had a very nice drive down to Durango. My dad had the flu, so I suppose the drive wasn't super nice for him, but we made it by late afternoon.

I had time for a little ride, and then headed to registration. Now I hadn't gotten preregistered in time, but I was hoping I could transfer this guy's registration who couldn't make it, but the promoter said absolutely not. I was pretty pissed, but tried everything I could think of, but no one would budge. I was still registered for the crit on Sunday though, just not the actual "Iron Horse Road Race."

Instead of racing Saturday, we drove up to Silverton and hung out for a while. My dad got to meet the one and only Dave Towle, as well as watch Phil Zajicek win the race in a dominating fashion, as well as watch Ned finish his 100th Iron Horse, still a solid 3rd place. I sure hope I'm doing that when I'm 52.

Sunday morning we went out to eat with some of the DU kids, watched some kids races, cruiser races, and the earlier categories before my 5:15 start. It feels weird starting that late, I never know what to do with myself all day.

The race went alright, I felt like I could do some real work the first half, covering a couple moves and trying to initiate some stuff, but NOTHING was getting away from this field. with 20 minutes to go Chris Wherry launched a real attack. Not that I could have covered it if I was completely fresh and rested, but I had just helped pull back a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory rider and had nothing when Wherry hit out. He opened it up to about 20 seconds and we managed to keep it right there the rest of the race.

I tried to help pull him back, but there comes a point when you're riding alone in a race and a USPRO champ is off the front, and you just have to realize it's not coming back, and I'm not trying to get it back for anyone else, so setting tempo is basically pointless. I wish at times like those that I had the option of trying to go across to him, but that form isn't here yet.

I pulled an idiot move and on the last lap I didn't jump on the back stretch when Anthony Colby attacked and I let a little gap open up. With two fast corners and a downhill finish, there was no closing the gap once it opened, but I managed to hold on to 5th ahead of the rest of the field.

I'll get some pictures up soon, that's the best part about having parents at the race. Right now I need to get to work. Thanks for checking in.