1km2go

Good Deeds

2010-08-22T13:16:00.003-04:00

Friday morning I'm riding with Daniel at Hains Point and I noticed this guy on the Marina Side changing a flat tire, NBD (No Big Deal). We continue and finish our first lap, when I see the same guy, still on the Marina side, working on his tire, but it looked like he had walked down a bit further down. Interesting. Daniel and I chat away as our third lap is completed and the guy, who is still working on his wheel, is now about two hundred feet down from where he started. WTF?. I make a mental note of that and when our fourth lap comes to an end, the guy finally decided to cross over to the Golf course side, in the hope that someone would stop. As we ride by I asked him if he needed help and with a smile he replied, "YES!!!, actually I do". For some reason he couldn't get his rear wheel back on and straight. I took care of that while Daniel tigthen the breaks and made sure nothing was rubbing. He borrow my phone to call work to let them know he was going to be late and we were off. Feeling good about helping a fellow cyclist.
On the trail, after coming down the 14th Street bridge, a rider yells at us something that I couldn't understand...all I got was, "turtle!!". Daniel stop to see a small turtle crossing the path, in a tricky spot. He picked it up and put it on the side it was heading. Two good deeds in less than 20 minutes. A good day.
Yesterday on my way home from the 7AM ride, my friend Chance and I were beggining to feel the effects of an early morning wake up call, and 70 miles in the legs. Feeling the inevitable bonk approaching, we throttled back down and were talking about eating bacon, a sign that the bonking was now taking full effect. Before approaching the overpass by the airport, Chance announces to a walker and slower rider infront of us our intentions to pass them on their left. The walker heard us, but the weekend warrior, with his Ipod in full blast didn't hear the two calls Chance made and started to veer into our direction. Chance extends his arm to keep the rider at bay and to avoid a collision and rides off, but as soon as I went by the guy, he just yelled, "don't put your hand on me, you fucking a$$holes". Feeling loopy already from the bonk, and not wanting an escalation of things, I slowed down and told the guy all Chance did was to avoid a crash, no harm done. "F..k Off", he tells me. Classy. The thought of putting a water bottle accross his head briefly entered my mind, but again, the bonk had me thinking about peperonni pizza and cokes and not of an altercation with this guy. I guess for once, bonking had a positive effect.

Smacked

2010-08-11T12:36:00.002-04:00

Even though the race ended almost two weeks ago, I just didn't have much time or energy to write about the last two days. But it went something like this:

Saturday's time trial was another logistical nightmare, with the organizers changing start times at will and without considering any of the riders' needs. Not that I was planning on smoking anyone, but it was a bit frustrating having to change plans every five minutes because nobody seemed to know what the hell was going on. Finally it was announced that the Masters A category would depart as soon as the last Masters B rider had completed the time trial. That gave me an extra hour to sit around and wait.
Time finally came to depart and since I had spotted a few others wearing their Ipods, I chose to do the same. Nothing like a little ZZ Top to get the legs going. Off I went and quickly settled into the uncomfortable time trial position and prepared myself for the next 30+ minutes of pure fun. The "pain" playlist on the Ipod was made specifically for this kinds of efforts and with the top Texas band rocking, followed by some AC/DC, Guns & Roses, Joan Jett, Ministry and a few others selections, it made the time go by quite fast. It also helped when the guy who started one minute behind blew by me. The only exciting thing was going down hill, tucked in on the aero bars and having two 18 wheelers pass me, creating a serious vortex that made for some fun few seconds.

Sunday's last stage had a bit more start time shannanigans from the organizers. I had noticed the team of the guy who had led the race for the first two stages, warming up quite early. That indicated one thing only, that the fight was going to go from the gun. As customary, the heat was oppressive when we started around 9:45am, but at least it mean we were going to be done before noon by all calculations and thus, avoid the serious blast from the sun and humidity.
Lined up and made small talk with a fellow rider, who wanted my contact info. Not soon had I started to give him my digits, the flag dropped and before I could clip in, the pack was single filed. It was an impressive display of firepower with the leader's team taking control of things, or at least, setting the pace so hight that nobody could attack. At only 500 meters from the start, riders were popping and avoiding them was becoming quite hard since they were everywhere. Finally latched myself to the back of the pack and had thoughts of settling in for nice ride.
Those thoughts went quickly out the window when we hit the 180 turn at the bottom of a two step hill and the high pace never ceased. More riders were dropping and when I reached the top of the last step, there was a considerable gap between me and the pack, no man's land stuff. A glance back confirmed that the only two choices were, chase solo or wait for the second group that was forming behind. Decided to give chase, if anything, the chasers would catch me if my attempt failed. It did.
So I spent the next 42 miles in a group of 8, taking longer pulls to at least get a good workout out of the deal. The cool thing was because of the longer pulls, the other 7 asked me what we should do at the end. "we'll cross the line together, spread accross the road" I said...it made for a cool picture.

And that was that, my second participation at the Vuelta Masters a Chiriqui was fun, despite the craziness both on and off the road. The level this year was twice as high as last year's edition and when I got the results early Monday morning, I was happy with my 33er place overall. 65 riders started the Masters A class, with 48finishing. Now I think I will skip next year's edition and wait to move up to the B class. But things can change by July of 2011 and I can find myself pinning a number at this growing event.

7th Vuelta Masters International to Chiriqui

2010-07-30T18:50:00.002-04:00

It started yesterday with a short (5.6km) prologue. Fitting the bike with aero wheels and aero bars didn't help much and I posted 8:14, 1:18 slower than the stage's winner.
Later that afternoon, we were to face 53 miles, from the city of David to the border with Costa Rica and back. Although the race book stated that it was "flat", the race was a series of rollers throughout the entire distance. The A category (the Vuelta is based on age, 30 to 38 years young is the A, 39 to 48 is the B, C category runs from 49 to 58 and the whippersnappers of the D from 59 and up) lined up last and we had to wait under a blazzing sun for a good 30 minutes before the flag was dropped and we were on our way. Right away attacks came but soon the group of 57 riders settled into a blistering pace. Once again this year, water was the main concern and keeping the bottles full was the job of the follow cars and motorcycles. Consumption was at a high due to the hot temperatures, but I was managing good handouts from the car driven by mom.
Nothing exacting happened until the turn around point when the A cat caught the B and things got really crazy with both groups attacking. The chief ref and his group was having a rough time controlling things, and racing on the Panamerican Highway made things a tad more complicated, but soon order returned and the B guys were made to slow down and a second ref car was placed in front until the A group had a reasonable distance. People were dropping and I started to cramp a little, but nursed the right leg all the way to the finish and crossed the line with the lead group.

Today's festivites took us up from 152 feet above sea level to 3200 in 56 miles. Again it was hot and drinking was the order of the day, with mom again making sure I always had two full bottles. As soon as the group hit the gas for the first intermediate sprint, riders were dropping right, left and center. I had done the stage's route several times, but the speed during the race didn't even come close to my speed riding solo. Still, I was feeling pretty good.
Second intermediate sprint and up we went. Again, gaps were happening and the yellow jersey team was impossing a fearless pace at the front. The first serious hill appeared and I managed to get over it without suffering too badly. Rejoined the main group and waited for the second hill. This is were the damage started and I was in a bit of trouble for a few minutes, but kept a cool head and rejoined a second time. But not soon had I latched myself to the back that the leader decided to set things right and even the Costa Rican climbers were struggling. I was off on my own after that, having to face the last and harder, 7kms on a bumpy road. The only good thing was there were plenty of people cheering and the temperature went down. I crossed the line with two guys from the Momi team and one from the Sansom team, a good 6:22 back. Bue checking the results, I moved up from 31st overall to 26spot.

A 13 mile time trial is on the agenda for tomorrow and I'm feeling a little more confident about it. We shall see.

Spoke too soon

2010-07-21T13:42:00.002-04:00

Right when I thought things were falling into place, I had a severe case of allergies. The humidity here is pretty high, and it rains constantly. I remember growing up having all kinds of issues with my sinus. But over the last 24 hours it came back in style. Funny enough the only time of the day it doesn't bother me is when I'm riding.

Speaking of riding, today was a mediocre day. I took the bike out to test the time trial setup and went semi hard and felt pretty good. The position was comfortable enough but I was sensing that something was wrong. My heart rate was jumping up and down and not staying in one particular zone. Maybe it was the big breakfast or maybe the allergies played a roll. Whatever it was, it made the return trip not a fun one.

Tomorrow is my last long training ride. I have to travel on Friday and will not be back until mid day Monday, so tomorrow will be the one and final checkup to see how things are. After that, Monday will be a short stroll (weather permitting) followed by 2 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday and then the start of the Vuelta.

Countdown

2010-07-19T16:02:00.002-04:00

After 20 days in Boquete (in the mountains in western Panama), I can say that the riding and preparations for the upcoming vuelta could not have gone any better. The perfect equation, with hard miles, long climbs, plenty of rest and most importantly, good food.

My dad has this nasty 20 mile loop that has about 200 meters of flat roads. The rest of the time you are either going up or down, but mostly, up. Since the country is in the middle of "winter" or wet season, it rains constantly, sometimes 11 hours straight.

Yesterday I did the route of the third stage and it proved to be an eye opener. Last year's event used the same route, but this year, and thanks to them for doing it, the organizers have taken the last 6kms up to Boquete off the route. Citing dangerous conditions on the roads (drivers tend to get too close for comfort), the stage was shorten. If you ask me, some of the locals suffered badly last year and can do without those dreaded 6kms. But, that doesn't make the stage any easier. It begins in the city of David, which according to Google Earth, sits roughly at about 150 feet from sea level. From there, the route will take the four different master categories east, towards the small town of Gualaca, where the flattish roads will end the proper climb begins. Eventually, the race will climb over the Chiriqui Dam and head north in the direction of Caldera (Furnace). That's where the race will heat up, once over the damn. And then, and hopefully I will still be around, the final 7 kms towards the finish. By then we have gone from the 150 feet above sea level, to an uncomfortable 2204 feet in the spand of about 62 kms. All fun and games.

If I'm not too shattered, I hope to write some and post some pics...this year's race has grown with riders from US, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Argentina and the locals taken part. Radio and TV will have coverage and the newspapers will give it plenty of column space. So 9 more days to go. The next two will be a test of the time trial setup, a final two days of climbing and then off to Panama City to pick up my fiancee and friend who's coming to race from Texas.

Road Race, Panama style

2010-07-04T20:45:00.003-04:00

A brief report on the race today in Santiago...it was 47 miles, up and down...as customary, it started late...plan was to start at 9am but of course, things run in a different time frame here...and with the delay, the temperature and humidity climbed...

The Masters A category (30-38) had about 25 starters...once the flag dropped, attacks started right, left and center...stupid if you ask me, since they were going nowhere...after about 30 minutes of non stop attacking and me avoiding a dog that almost ran in the middle of the pack, a group finally went hard up a hill on a counter attack and I latched onto it...that was the race's main break...10 of us rode away with Recogo Sanson team putting three guys at the front and drilling the pace...once we turned around at the half way point, the temperature read 35Celsius and the humidity had to be about 300...drink, drink, drink...
On the approach to the Santa Rita climb, the attacks went thick and fast...not wanting to burn my matches, I set a pace that I could carry up the 2km hill and settled in, letting 8 guys go...two of them were later dropped and I caught them and worked together with them to catch back to the front group...
Nothing much happened until the Avejones hill, but by then everyone was pretty cooked and the pace was more reasonable, although I used the 39 while the locals were engaged in the 53....those fools...towards the top the pace was increased but I hung in there and then did little work, recover and was hoping for a sprint...
With 15kms to go, there were only 6 of us left, with two Recogo Sanson guys pulling...they were happy to do the work and I was happy to let them do it...we were passing riders from other categories who did a shorter distance...with 2kms to go, I set myself in 5th position and waited for the pace to increase...with about 300m to go, and catching the slight downhill before the last flat 200 meters, I opened the sprint...got a gap really quick...shifted to the 13 and accelerated more...looked under my arm and the gap was there, but the guy who won the Vuelta last year was chasing...went for the 12 and the damn thing hung...sat down, put my head down and saw the guy come by me...even with the 12 I don't think I would have taken it all the way to the line...he was strong...so I got second...really happy with it since last year I didn't even finish the race...

So here's the cool thing about the race...$5 registration...numbers??, who needs them...good thing I wear red shoes...I got $25 for my efforts and then the organizers had a meal for all the riders and their families...rice, chicken, pasta salad, sodas, beers...and all for $5!!!!!!....awesome...

Now the Vuelta Masters is in three weeks...4 days and 5 stages...

Packed and ready

2010-06-29T18:26:00.002-04:00

Time has flown by. It was just 12 months ago that I was flying back home to visit my family and take part in the 6th Vuelta Masters a Chiriqui. Fast forward to today and the bags are packed and ready. Heading home tomorrow morning with the girls for six weeks of fun, and great home cooking. Some bike racing will be thrown in for good measure. Things kick off on Sunday with a road race, which should give me a chance to test my legs against the locals and see if all the wheel sucking I have done here will pay off.

Dead animals on the grill

2010-05-31T22:07:00.002-04:00

Today concluded the 4 day Memorial Day weekend with the ride in Upper Marlboro put on by the "Hains Point Crew". This was my fourth time going out with the crew and as usual, we were up to some fun shanningans. Although the pace on this year's edition was the fastest courtesy of some of Artemis' big engines.

After the ride, V Day's captain and my good friend, Daniel, invited us over to his house for some "dead animals on the grill and some refreshing beverages". I'm not the one to pass on such an invitation and despite the fact that I was feeling tired, we headed over and had the usual good times in company of good friends and great food.

Since I'm on the food theme here, I can't seem to get rid of the 4 extra pounds I want to shed before heading home in a month. Not that I'm helping myself by consuming large amounts of food, but man, it's like I reached a plateau. There's no real diet going on, only smaller portions of all my favourites, but with the odd visit to a friend's house for some grub and refreshments, things are just getting to be silly.

Form is coming along just fine, but I have concluded, after riding with some young NCVC dudes that the youngsters have about 15 accelerations in them, while, and since I'm getting old, I have about four at best. Fun times nonetheless.

Poolsville

2010-05-15T21:33:00.005-04:00

Not much to write about. My third time taking part in the event and IMHO, it was pretty tamed. Two crashes (looked minor) and one order to stop by the refs were the main attractions.

Personally, my usual McD's pancake and sausage, a meal that I have consumed prior to many a race, failed me for the first time in my cycling history. Dumfounded as to why I was feeling so crappy, I could only pin point my diet as the main perpetrator for the lack of power I was experiencing. During the first lap, right out of the dirt and on the short steep hill, I almost lost the plot (and my breakfast). Thinking positive and hoping would turn around as the race went on kept me from looking down at my gears and wondering, why I couldn't turn the pedals with ease.

On the S turn hill/false flat part, during the last lap, the elastic finally broke. My brain made a frantic call to my legs to go for maximum power, but nobody in the leg's department actually answer the phone. Knowing the the line was just a few minutes away, I was trying, in vain, to close gaps. Riders in twos and threes were trying to fight the side wind and just end the suffering. I finally found Nick's wheel and drafted him for a bit before jumping across to a lone Coppi guy. He quickly got on my wheel and drafted me until about 200m before the finish where he jumped away. A sprint was non existend for me since I didn't have one and I was not going to do it for 20 whatever place. Shifted to the 39, crossed the line, Nick came by and I thanked him for the pull, made a right by the school and saw a DC Velo guy collapsed on the grass with what looked like two huge cramps. OUCH!!.

That's it for me, no more racing until July 29th in Panama.

Back At It

2010-05-02T21:32:00.003-04:00

About nine months, after my close encounter with the pavement and subsequent humbling butt kicking I received at the hands of my native friends in Panama, I reached the conclusion that my "racing" days were coming to an end. Not that I ever took the sport serious enough, after all, and as far as I'm concerned, it's a hobby. I never hung by the telephone expecting the bosses of Banesto or Saeco to call me to join their ranks. But my good friend Dani Meaurio FINALLY moved to cat4 and we talked of doing a few races together, just for fun.

So I entered Murad and Poolsville without the approval of the better half, but knowing full well, that racing with Dani is just an experience. It's not only the race itself, but the drive to and from, talking about how bad each other feels while navigating the back end of the pack, cracking jokes (mostly in spanish) and just having a grand time.

We got to Murad and the first order of business was to make sure Dani's upgrade was taking care of. A brief talk with the officials and he was pinning his number. Off we went for a warmup and then lined up with the rest of the pack. Murad is not a very difficult course, but the heat was an obstacle as well as the very few spots were one could move up, especially if you were riding in the caboose, like I was.

Aside from a few attempts of guys trying to break, the race stayed together, although I did see plenty of folks exit through the back door, because either the heat or pace. The crash on the last lap elevated my heart rate to uncomfortable levels after missing it by about an inch, and the subsequent quick, but well performed chase got me back to the tail end of the pack with enough time to recover. As the final approached, Dani moved me up towards the front as best as he could but it was a messy last kilometer and I'm getting up there in years to be mixing it for a $15 payout (it's a hobby, not a job).

I walked away knowing that I still can ride a little fast here and there, but most importantly, we had the usual good time. Now Poolsville is in two weeks, and I'm sure we are going to be jamming to AC/DC as we prepare for another fun day at the races.

80s time

2010-04-07T12:22:00.003-04:00

This is what I like, all things 80s. 80s music and the big hair, bad fashion, and total craziness of the decade. I also like the days when the temperature is in the 80s range. Muscles seem to just come to life after spending 5 months in frigid temperatures, trying, in vain most of the time, to muster some sort of function. After struggling in all of the local rides, I finally broke a good sweat, dished out about 4 layers of clothing and got down to working on a tan. Because of the 80s (temps), things have turned around and I can now say that I'm not the first one getting dropped. Mine you, I still visit the rear of whatever bunch I'm in, but it takes a while now to get there.

No time to panic, just yet.

2010-03-23T12:04:00.005-04:00

Ridicolous, that's right, ridicolous was the amount of food I consumed last week while in the Lone Star state. We hit a place called "Salt Lick" near Austin and I think that was the closest I have gotten to heaven. The All You Can Eat feast was a non stop delivery of beans, potatoe salad, cole slaw, ribs, brisket, sausage and bread. You have to bring your beverages (of the alcoholic type), but that was no problem, since the cooler in the trunk of the car had a healthy supply of Shiner Bocks. That's not to mention the silly plates of lasagna, unknown number of burgers and a good dose of cheescake that my future mother in-law kept providing me with. And who am I to say no to such demonstration of love.

Upon return this past Sunday, I seemed to have also grabbed a sore throat somewhere between Houston's Hobby airport and Reagan National with a layover in Atlanta. I'm trying to not think too much about it, but for the last 48 hours when the alarm clock goes off in the morning and I want to get up to do a ride before work, the sore throat kept me grounded and under the blankets.

As Ryder Hesdejal would say, "no big deal or NBD" (using carbon wheels on training rides), my lack of form and high desire of a good meal hasn't sparked the alarm bells just yet. After all, Mark Cavendish had a rough time over the winter and beginning of the season and it took him until today to score his first win at Catalunya. And speaking of that vuelta, Andy Schleck had to pull out, continuing his streak of whatever it is he has (knee, stomach, lack of form, etc.). The younger of the Schlecks continues to have a positive attitude about it though.

The 7th Vuelta Masters a Chiriqui unveiled the route for this year's affair and it looks harder than last year's edition. Things get started on July 28th with the presentation, followed by a double whammy on the 29th. A 5km prologue in the morning and then a 92km stint to the border with Costa Rica. In 2009, the double presented its challenge in the form of the weather. Extremely hot in the morning prologue, and later in the afternoon, the opening of the sky, with rain showers of biblical proportions. The fun will continue on July 30th, with a mountain stage, although it seems they have taken out the last 7kms and that's fine by me since that's where I got dropped a year ago. Saturday, July 31st I will not be looking forward to, with a 25km ITT. I can't time trial worth a damn, but what the heck. And finally, Sunday, August 1st, a 62kms circuit race.

I still have a few months to get some sort of form and as long as I don't let it get to my head, I'm counting on things going my way. Using Andy's way of thinking, it's not time to panic, at least, not yet.

Forgettable February

2010-02-28T13:34:00.004-05:00

Spring can't arrive any sooner. After spending a normal amount of days on the bike for me as fas as January is concerned, the same can not be said about February. The snow storm (s), cold temps and wind were enough ingredients to keep him indoors for most of the months. Only last weekend was I able to do some riding, and it hurt so much that this past Monday, while at work, the top of my body was heading in one direction, while my legs were going the opposite way.

Inconsistent riding is the trend so far and it seems like it will continue that way until probably late March because a family vacation is fast approaching. This can only means that instead of shutting things down in early August as its customary, maybe this could be a blessing in disguise, that's what I'm telling myself.

The end is near

2010-02-21T22:05:00.002-05:00

January 28th was the last time I touched the bike until this past Friday. All the freaking snow we got halted the slow progress I was making into finding some sort of form and rhythm into my riding routine. But as the sun peaked through the clouds and the calls from Jose to "get on the bike", I finally made it to Hains Point, driving of course, since the trail is not rideable and will remain that way for the forseable future. Short story is that the legs and lungs took a vacation and weren't to happy about getting forced to work extra.

Wanting to continue the trend, I ventured out to the 10AM clock ride on Saturday, which turned out to be fun despite the melting snow, but it hurt towards the end. And today was the 8:30am on the pain menu. Mentally I tend to throw in the towl quicker than I should, but there's no reason to dig deep right now, when the tank is on empty and hurting myself will not do much good (at the moment). So I settled into a comfortable pace after not helping (not that I didn't want to help, the legs were just not responding) Dani close the gap on the group even though there were within reach. After regrouping, I was feeling a little better, but the only thoughts then were about lunch and again, the Meaurio's were kind enough to feed me, which is always great because of the food and the company.

Over on the pro scene, things are finally going with the "desert race" over and done and some of the old hands are at it again (McEwen, Petacchi). And some young whippersnappers are getting into the grove of things. Team SKY had a bit of a "fight" in their hands in Oman and the season gets under way proper this Sunday in Belgium. Wind, snow, and cold-miserable temperatures. The peloton will have to deal it with mother nature's fury for a while, but winter will soon be over.

Hurting, just a little

2010-01-19T17:00:00.003-05:00

Seems like the phrase to throw around is, "I'm in better shape than I was at this time last year." I can honestly say that I'm not, but that's no big surprise. Unlike Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto), who's a bit worried after taking the winter seriously and his form is, you guessed it, better than it was at this time last year ("I am consequently a little afraid that the form could arrive too early. Therefore, I will make sure to rest"), my main concern at the moment is not to hurt too much. So far I haven't spent any quality time in the hurt box, since I tend to pull the plug these days as soon as the speed reaches 25mph.

Today I ventured to the Italian Store ride and found a couple of frisky riders to go out with. Small group of about 10 of us, who kept an interesting pace throughout the duration of the festivities. Nothing big to report other than I wasn't the first one to get dropped and even surprised myself that I hung in there. I find hills to be better (for me) than Hains Point. Once the "inmortals" get cranking at the noon ride, I don't stand a chance, even if I was in shape. But Thursday I will return to Hains to try and hang for four laps (last week's record was three) before having to make an appearance in the hurt box. Like Phillipe, I don't want my form to arrive too early.

Cold fashion

2010-01-10T13:59:00.002-05:00

Since the temperature refuses to climb, it's another day of football, food and fun at home. The supreme leader is visiting a museum with a friend, so I had some time to scan the interent and found a couple of more team kits to review.

BMC's new attire is rather blend for my taste. They went from the predominaly black and white setup, to the red and black. Easy to spot I guess, but not much bang if you ask me.

A further search located the Futton-Servetto team colors. In my humble opinion, there's not much to say to the "artist" (Dario Urzay) other than, "that's art, huh". Those poor souls will have to wear that for an entire season, I can't wait to see the cars and buses.

Looks like Quick Step is going a little old school with the black shorts and that's cool, but they took a page from the Astana book and decided not to match their bike colors with the jersey colors. A no-no if you were to ask me.

A week's review

2010-01-09T10:56:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday I was at work looking at the weather forecast for the week. Since I was off but one day of said week, I was planning on getting a hefty amount of miles in the legs, but the thought quickly started to melt as the aforementioned forecast was looking to be in the "artic zone". One of my co-workers asked me if I was going to ride, and then I made up mind, "f#$% it, I will go out no matter what the weather is". Soon after I fired an email to my friend Dave in Texas, who was also not happy about temperatures the Lone Star State was about to embrace. I said, "if I ride Monday, then I'll ride Tuesday, and if I ride Tuesday, then I'll ride Thur and Fri"...that was it, I was in for the long haul...Monday and Tuesday came and went I was out there, getting dropped at Hains Point after only one lap of the noon ride. Wed I worked so no problem, Thursday I was back at the point, this time going a full three laps with the group. Then the snow came Thursday night and so did the National Championships and a late night watching Texas vs. Alabama and the consumption of several pictures of Shiner Bock and chicken wings, had me thinking otherwise about getting on the bike on Friday morning. No ride, but Dani managed to put the new fork on the spare bike, so some cycling was accomplished.
So far this morning (Saturday), I got up with the best intentions of riding, but soon I started to listen to the voice in my head telling me "it's too cold to ride"...the day is not over yet.

Switching topics for a bit, I tend to follow the pro scene here and there, and considering myself somewhat of a cycling fashionista, I couldn't help but vomit a little bit when I saw this. Come on, the kit color combination is just horrendous, but matching it to a red and black bike, someone in Kazakhstan is missing a sense of humor.
From the "don't drink the Kool-Aid your president is serving" department comes news that diminutive Venezuelan climber, Jose Rujano, is for real this time. I remember the same line when he broke his contract with Selle-Italia to join Quick Step (bad move), then when Caisse d'Espagne picked him up for almost nothing. So three strikes and you are out??...maybe, but he needs to stop visiting Hugo Chavez's Palacio de Miraflores and concentrate on riding and not talking.
Rabobank's Pedro Horrillo called it quits after riding 12 seasons and having survived a crash that put him in a coma during last year's Giro. Now he will dedicate his time to his family and writing.

As the pros are heading to the warmth of Southern Spain, South Africa or Autralia to get the tan lines going, the local bunch is bundling up and facing a pretty cold weekend. Nonetheless, as Jose explained to me this morning, "it's not that cold", that sounds just like when you hear,"we'll go easy". Maybe I'll go to Hains later and do a few laps, then again, I think the supreme leader may make some chili.

Last ride of 09

2009-12-30T17:47:00.002-05:00

Today was probably the last ride of 2009, unless I manage to sneak a ride before the rain that is forecasted for tomorrow, although I'm not feeling too confident at the moment. Ever since the snow storm of two weeks ago, I hadn't manage any physical activity worth mentioning, although the supreme leader and I started to walk in the mornings. Plan is to incorporate some core workouts to the routine once the new year arrives, but I'm not making any promises.

So Hains Point today with a balmy 28 degrees and a group of about 10. I have no dreams of hanging in the noon ride for quite some time, but man, what an eye opener when the speed went violently from a perfect 18mph to 24mph, my body just didn't want part of it. Two laps was all I could do before settling to finish the hour by myself. Good thing the Ipod came along to keep company, otherwise Dani would have ridden home by himself.

As the year ends, looking back, it was a fun one. Got to travel with the bike, despite having a pretty ugly crash, nothing was severly damaged, and overall, I am happy with the miles and form I had throughout the year. No pro contracts arrived at my door, but not like I was waiting for them anyway. Now looking to 2010, the goal is to just have fun. No set training routine, no races (although July is an important month) to worry about, just ride, stop somewhere for a Coke and enjoy the scenery. Anything else is icing on the cake.

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y'ALL!!!!

It's been a while

2009-11-10T13:25:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I wrote or rode my bike for that matter. The last time I swung a leg over the top tube was back on August second and since then I have just taken it easy. Well, not really. I, together with the "Supreme Leader" (the fiance), purchased a small townwhouse in Delray and have done nothing but spent money and done all the fun stuff that moving to a new house brings. But we are finally where we wanted to be, close to friends and more importantly, the bike trail.

Yesterday I finally gave in and even though I had a self impossed date to start riding again (Dec. 1, I couldn't pass the opportunity and so after calling Dani, we decided to head south to Mt. Vernon for an easy spin. It felt great to be back on th bike. The shoulder even though I took three months to rest it hurt half way through the ride and I am convinced now that I will ride with pain for the rest of my life. So be it.

A decision was reached during my hiatus and I will not be racing the local circuit next year. The only event I will probably take part in will be the Vuelta a Chiriqui Masters in July, if the event takes place. Other than that, I will do the usual rides on the weekends I don't work and ride at Hains Point the rest of the time. A trip out of state for some fun events may be added at the last minute, but no USCF sanctioned event are in my distant future. Things at work are not looking too promising for next year, so the hunt for a job has begun. Rumor has it that personnel may be downsized by the end of next, and I don't want to wait until zero hour to start the search.

Review: Travel Boxes

2009-08-18T09:17:00.004-04:00

The first time I traveled with my bike was way back in 1993 when I went home for Christmas. Not knowing what to do (totally clueless), I showed up at the airport, bike in hand and upon entering the terminal, an American Airlines agent spotted me and as soon as I got to the counter, she already had this cardboard box waiting for me. $25 and some tape and I was on my way, oblivious to the fact that my wheels were not going to be round, ever again.

Learning from that mistake, I asked a friend on my second trip for his bike box. This thing was cumbersome at best to handle around the airport, and combine with my bag and carry on, it made for some fun times around ATL's ariport. Another drawback on the box was the fact that because its size, the airlines were like sharks waiting for you to enter the water and bite you with a hefty "bike fee" for flying your precious ride. Sure, you could check in at the curb and attempt to "brive" the agent there but if a supervisor was around, you were paying.

Two trips with the aforementioned box was all I could take and went back to the cardboard box from the local shop, adding some pipe insolation and foam to the frame for some extra cushion. The wheels went on as carry on, but even then, the flight attendants didn't want to share the precious space in the small coat closet with the sharp looking Campy bags and wheels.

That became my M.O. while traveling with the bike until two years ago when my good friend Chance, Sales, Product and Market Manager for Blue Bicycles visited DC. Knowing a little bit about bikes and travels, the crew over at the Norcross, GA based company came up with this handy bag and after watching Chance unpack and put his bike together and later on do the opposite, I was sold. A few days later one them puppies showed up at my front door and I was quick to put it to the test. It has enough padding to protect your bike from a nuclear explosion. Two large side "pockets" for your wheels, saddle, a handy small bag for maybe pedals, tools, a blue cover that according to the picture on the website is for the top tube, but I use to secure the rear deraillieur to the chainstay and a shoulder strap that lets you carry the thing as a doped gym bag. Packing the bike takes about 15 minutes once you figure out the procedure.

Chance advised me to just pack the bike, seat, pedals and the allen wrenches (#4 and #5), but I have never listened to his advise and on my first trip with the bag, I added a second set of wheels inside, which it handled with no problems. I have also thrown in my helmet, shoes, clothing and whatever last minute item was left behind and didn't fit in my carry on. Although airlines allow a bike bag/box with a total of 62in. (W+H+L), this bag is way over that and it's an easy target for the $100 each way charge airlines like to impose for bikes on flights within the US. But I think the charge is just a matter of luck. I have noticed that depending on the airline and agent at the moment you check in, you have a 50/50 chance that the bike may get onboard for free.

I just got back from Panama and again the bag proved to be the right tool for the job. And while there, I had a few adjustments made to it, by visiting a local upholestry shop, the bag was reduced by about 7 inches, still leaving plenty of space for everything but the extra set of wheels, but it looks smaller and the people at the airport didn't even bother to ask what was in it. Again, here Chance advises to gently explain to the airline personnel that you are carrying "aerospace-testing material" and he says it works. Give this "explanation" technique a try at your own risk.

If you are looking for a bag that will protect your bike, be easy to transport and better yet, store afterwards (three of my closest friends ordered theirs), give the guys at Blue a call and if you are traveling soon, get yourself one of them ASAP.

Performance

2009-08-17T22:09:00.001-04:00

And not the kind where you get your equipment. This guy figured it out!!!

PERFORMANCE

Ghostman

2009-08-15T16:14:00.003-04:00

So we flew back from Panama last night after a month of bikes, sun, and very, very good local food. Two weeks without the bike were also had and it was well spent by sitting on the hamac, eating coconut duros (look it up) and pretty much, following Sigberto's advise of not taking things too seriously when it comes to the bike and enjoy all things life.

Seems like I'm sort of a "ghost" back in the homeland because it's the second time while attempting to leave the country, legally, that the good folks at customs can't seem to find me in their records, even though I'm well documented. A call to a supervisor followed by another call to the supervisor's supervisor seemed to take care of things, but I'm starting to wonder what's going on down there.

While catching up with local blogs, there's a transition period going on, with people starting to think off season, cyclocross, mtb, track, etc. After the crash at the Dawgs Days of summer, I also started to think that it would be better to transition into less racing, and by that I mean, maybe two races next year. Don't get me wrong, I will continue to ride, show up at Hains Point and get totally killed, go with the groups on the weekend and pretend to hang on, but the racing will take a back seat. If the seventh edition of the Vuelta Masters a Chiriqui happens as I'm told it will, you can bet your paycheck I'll be making the trip south once again. But on the local circuit, I'm going to become a little bit of a ghostman.

Too much to handle

2009-08-03T14:43:00.002-04:00

I took part on my last race while here in Panama, the Clasica Santiago Apostol Masters, where I got to race for the B-Loces team after having a good showing two weeks ago in the Vuelta a Chiriqui Masters. Seems the guys needed an extra pair of legs and made the call to see if I wanted to join their efforts. Their leader and winner of the Vuelta is leading the season long points competition and they added me to their squad for the event.

Problem is that the training in between the Vuelta and the Clasica didn't go according to plan. The beer drinking was kept to a bare minimum, but the distance and terrain used to train were not adequate, plus I wasn't really all into it mentally, but gave it the good old college try.

We arrived in Santiago on Friday and it was hot, as usual. Saturday morning my dad and I joined the locals for a 30 mile spin, just chatting and breaking a sweat. Afterwards we had coffee and fried tortillas (not the mexican type, but thick, fried tortillas, yummy). Since the entire town was celebrating the patron saint, the streets were jam packed with people from all over the country, so driving or just walking around was a task. My fiancee arrived from the US in the afternoon and the entire crew was now complete.

Sunday morning and in true panamanian style, the race started two hours late. I mean, why bother to keep a schedule, especially when waiting another two hours just means the temperature climbs about 50 degrees, or at least it seemed that way. The B,C and D categories started ahead of the A (30-39 yrs. old) and when we set off, the attacks came thick and fast from the gun. Forget warmup or settling into a race rhythm, the gloves were off before we clipped in and guys were going right, left and center trying to establish a break. About 5kms into the race and people were dropped already. I discovered a nasty saddle sore had creeped in the night before and trying to find the sweet spot on the saddle was becoming a hard thing to do. Add to that the attacks and pace and I wasn't enjoying my time too much. But I did keep working for the team, chasing breaks and pulling at the front to keep the pace high for a while. Finally, 4 guys went of the front and our team leader decided that would be the break of the day. 4 teams had riders in the group and we rode tempo for a little bit, letting a few of the stragglers catch back up.

Two guys sneaked off the front trying to bridge up to the leaders and I found myself with them, with the pack letting us go in no time. As we hit one of the few hills on the course, me pulling, both of my companions explained to me that they were tired and couldn't pull for much longer. We were about half way through the distance and I thought we would just ride and wait for the main pack to catch us. As I was thinking that, the two hooligans decided to attack me. The nerve!!!

They were gone in no time and now I was in no man's land, not knowing if I should continue or just wait. The saddle sore kept getting worse and the pack was no where to be found. As I made the turn around point, the 4 leaders had 3 minutes on me and the two chasers were about 1 minute infront. I gave it a try to catch back up but it was no good as the saddle sore had just gone on the attack too and now sitting down was just pretty much out of the question. The team car, driven by mom, comes up and she suggested that I would jump in the car, but I thought I could go all the way, so she drove ahead. Next thing I know, the main pack or the remains of it, who was 7 minutes behind me, comes from behind and I hop onboard. The guys keep a steady pace and I'm telling myself there's not much more to go, soon the pain will go away.

"mind over body", "mind over body" I kept saying, but my body was tired of hearing that crap and it finally shut down. My legs felt good, my lungs felt good, but I wasn't comfortable at all on the bike. Mom was waiting about 8kms from the finish and asked again what I was going to do. I think she hadn't finished the sentence when I was already off the bike, unclipped my helmet and called it a day. Once we got back in town, the mayor and congressman, both sponsors of the race, had hired a restaurant to feed all the racers and we had a good laugh after the day's event. The boys from B-Loces were happy with the work I did at the beginning of the race and invited me to join them again during next year's Vuelta. I can't wait.

92/100

2009-07-20T11:18:00.003-04:00

It's always good to get to the start of the race early and for the last stage we got there with plenty of time in hand, at least three hours to be exact. That gave me a chance to sign on, check the standings, and find a nice place to park under a tree. At 9AM when the C category left, the temperature was alredy 86 degrees and the humidity was climbing steady. The weather report called for a hot day and it didn't dissapoint.

On yesterday's report I mentioned a rider who attacked through the feed zone while everyone was taking on water. One of his teammates and head honcho of the squad was interviewed on the radio and he said that the rider in question was kicked out of the team for "renegade behaviour" and more than likely he would be suspended by the national federation for the rest of the season. They do take their cycling serious down here and even though it just for fun, that type of actions will not be tolerated.

At 11:30AM what was left of the 47 riders who started the race on Friday took off under hot and humid conditions. Right before I left the safety of the shade where we parked, the radio announced the temps in the mid 90s with the humidity at a comfortable 100%. 8 laps of 9kms awaited us and as soon as the flag dropped, B-Loces went to the front and drilled it. That put several people in trouble right away and we hadn't even covered half of a lap.

The one and only hill on the circuit claimed its first victims and the pack was reduced to about 20 riders, with all the leaders in it. The pace and weather conditions were infernal again, and taking on water was a big priority. One thing though, water was shared between everyone which was a nice gesture since some riders didn't have teams or support.

On lap number three, a small group went off the front and on the approach to the hill, the rider who had won the first two stages and was the leader up until Saturday attacked to bridge the gap. I saw him attack on Saturday and once again I saw the guy stumped on the pedals with authority. He won the race last year and he wasn't going to go down without a fight. The yellow jersey did his best to defend but found himself isolated with only one teammate to help. Both guys did a super-human effort to close the gap, but not having enough riders to help was going to doom their efforts. At the front the group kept rolling through nicely gaining time as the second group became disorganize and we never got into a mindset of working together.

Did I mention the heat? If any of you out there ever decide to come to Panama and race (I highly recommend it) make sure you train hard, and in hot conditions. Better yet, make sure to have someone supplying you with water because otherwise it's going to be a rough ride. With two laps to go there was a crash, with three riders going down but everyone remounted. It was impressive to see the leader and his mate giving it all they had with no help, knowing full well that the lead was lost. When we got the final time check of 2+ minutes, it was just a matter of staying upright all the way to the finish. Of course it's a bike race and nobody just wanted to roll across the line, so the attacks began. Coming through the last 180 degree turn the talk was to let the up until then leader cross the line ahead of our group, but some knuckle head decided to attack the last 500meters. Not wanting to be left behind, I opened it on the right side and quickly found myself head to head with the King of the Mountains. This 120 lbs (soaked and wet) dude was more like Djamolidne Abdoujaparov, putting his head down and going all the way from the left to the right of the road, about a bike lenght infront of me, throwing his bike wildly. He wasn't aware that I had an 11 sprocket for today and when it engaged I went by him with full afterburners on. A nice smile from me as I flew by let him know that he was number one in my book.

13th place for the stage moved me up to 15th overall, finishing the race at 9:55 behind the leader. Shook hands with some new friends, was invited for the 10th time to attend the Vuelta Masters a Costa Rica in October and told the organizers that I would return next year, hopefully with a few friends tagging along. A great experience and a well put event, I'm already looking forward to 2010.

Next stop, a road race on August 2nd in the central part of the country. A lot flatter, but the heat and humidity will of course be out in force.

And the mountain came

2009-07-19T17:38:00.003-04:00

The "queen" stage (#3) was the talk of town when we arrived in the City of David early Saturday morning. Team B-Loces had won both stages on Friday with Kervin Rooper and the squad was algo gunning for the "Metas Volantes" (Intermediate Sprints) competition, pretty big goals if you ask me, but the boys were ready and willing to inflict pain on the rest of the peloton.

The Vuelta has had very good organization and coverage (radio, newspaper and tv), and it feels like an event that will continue to grow. Signing your name every morning is pretty cool and you run into riders who are nice and stop you for a brief chat about the prior two stages and what is to come and if you are lucky, like me, a brief interview by one of the local radio stations covering the race.
Traffic however takes a little bit to get used to but the police keeps things in check. With a prompt start at 9AM we set off to cover the 98kms from David-Bagala-Caldera-Boquete. The organizers quickly got the action started by throwing the first intermediate sprint at kilometer 6, who needs a warmup.

The pack rolled together with B-Loces keeping a stronghold at the front of affairs and I was happy to once again tailgun it, chatting with riders and trying to spot my dad's car, which was #11 in the race caravan. Here's where riding as a "foreign" rider paid off and the organizers let my dad race to the front of the caravan as long as I was at the back to supply me with water and Gatorade. Everything remained status quo until we hit the small town of Gualaca and the start of the killer climb to Boquete. Since I was here back in December and did the route several times, I knew the last 36kms were uphill, gradually at first and the last 9kms were going to be difficult to say the least, but the stretch from Caldera (Oven) to the Boquete highway was my main concern since the road is bumpy and it's extremely hot, so I place myself behind the B-Loces team and waited for the fireworks to begin.

As the peloton approached one of the many feed zones (the heat is just out of this world), and everyone slowed down to take on fluids, a B-Loces rider went off the front and the rider in second place went with him. This cause a reaction from the leader's team and it wasn't a pleasant one, since their own rider set off the front with the rider that they had to keep an eye on. A furious chase took place and finally the renegade rider was caught and he got an earful from each member of the squad. The effort however zapped the energy of the team and left them pretty much outnumbered by the time we reach the Caldera Dam and at that point the attacks came, thick and fast.

Up and over the dam, the peloton was reduced to 15 riders, myself included, and the calls for "agua" were more frequent as the sun and the climb slowly kept eating at us. The Sansom team noticed that they had the numbers and up the pace a little more, finally dropping the last B-Loces domestiques and leaving their leader to fend for himself. On the approach to the Caldera Highway and the section I was fearing the most, the race leader attacked like a wounded lyon. I have witnessed attacks before but this was something else, and watching the race unfold infront of my own eyes was pretty exciting. 12 riders were able to go with the leader and I slowly crawled my way back to the front group, thanks to the encouragment of my daughters and parents who were in the "team car".

More and more "agua" calls from riders and the support cars were doing magic tricks to come up with full bottles of water as the riders struggled (counting included) up this tortous road. The leader sensing danger kicked again and I found myself off the back, but a steady tempo and some greeting of teeth got me back in the lead group a few meters later. As if it wasn't enough, the race leader kicked for a third time and this time I had to let the 10 or so group go up the road, but kept them at around 20 seconds for a few kilometers and then, we made the right turn onto Boquete's road and the last 9kms.

Death march is the best way to describe it as riders from the B and C Categories were littering the road, weaving and zig-zagging their way up. I was passed by a few A category riders, but kept a sustainable pace all the way to the top, and finished in 16th place, 6:33 behind the new leader, Alfredo Morales from team Sanson. That left me 16th overall at 7:11 behind going into the last stage on Sunday.

Bienvenido a Panama

2009-07-17T19:28:00.002-04:00

The day started early, and the rain finally let down after coming down all night. Good thing the race was about 25 miles south of my parents' house. On the drive there however, things took a rather strange turn when the main road to the City of David was blocked by residents of a small town that lost the water supply in the last few days. Welcome to Panama.

After some police intervention, the road was finally opened to the traffic and we made it to the start of the individual time trial with plenty of time. After about an hour of warming up and talking to several riders, who are under the impression that I can climb according to the word on the street, it was time to embark on the 5.9kms time trial. Panama is hot, but the City of David has to be one of the hottest places in the entire country. It was so hot the devil was under a mango tree seeking some refuge from the sun, that's how hot it was. I took off and quickly had the bike at 30mph and thought, "WTF is this!, I'm no TT rider". The local police department had officers covering every intersection and people were out cheering, but I was crossed eye and my lungs were burning by the time I made it to the turn around point and then the wind smacked me on the face. The return trip was probably the most pain I have ever felt on a bike, to the point that it took me a good 20 minutes to finally recover from the brutal effort.

Out of 47 riders in the A category (30-39 years old), I finished somewhere in the middle with a 8:33 time. The fact that several riders in full time trial gear finished only 10 to 20 faster than me gave good feelings for the second stage, a 61 mile trip from the City of David to the border with Costa Rica and back.

We set off for stage two under a nasty looking sky and it didn't take long for it to open with full force. It was raining so hard that it hurt getting pelted with the huge water drops, but according to my dad, it was a good thing that it rained and it "cool" things down. The first 30.5 miles were without much action since the B-Loces team (leader's team) set a nice tempo that dropped a few riders. But when we turned back the rain was not letting off and the attacks began left, right and center. B-Loces, Cubex and Sansom teams were sending riders off the front trying to make a break stick, but nothing looked too dangerous and the only thing that happened was that the pack was reduced to about 25 riders with the three teams aformentioned doing all the damage. The move of the day came from my mom and my daughters who handed me a bottle from the car as we were flying at about 40mph, in the rain.

My dad kept me telling what was coming up the road, but with 3kms to go, nobody was taking charge of the front and I was banking on the three teams that were showing the way to do their leadouts since they had the numbers, but it didn't happen that way, so I latched myself on the wheel of last year's Vuelta winner with 2kms and then all the festivities started with the sprint going in a zig-zag wave instead of a straight line. Getting a draft was difficult, so I launched myself off the right side, with four other guys and there were two groups of 4 each going side by side. When the dust settled the guy who won the tt in the morning picked up the stage, the guy I was trying to follow was second and I came in 10th.

Tomorrow is the "queen stage" and it finishes about 300 meters from my parents' house. It will be a dandy since the last 35kms is straight up. The weather again will play a role, so the plan is to stay near the front and see how the legs feel. I will do my best to post a report tomorrow night, but we have a party to attend, so it might be late.

Into the deep end

2009-07-16T22:09:00.002-04:00

Arrived in Panama yesterday and somehow avoided the $100 charge for taking the bike on Continental Airlines. This time around, a better supervisor took care of me and got me in with no problems.

Today went out to check parts of stage three (Saturday) and ran into the Costa Rican contingent. Friendly bunch but everyone is keeping their cards close to their chests. And tonight was the team presentation. Never before have I gone to a race and had to shake hands with the UCI's ref!!!!. Each team went on the stage, each rider was introduced and one of the local tv stations did some interviews. I flew under the radar, picked my number, got the credentials for my dad's car so he can be my own "team car" in the caravan, way cool.

So, it looks about 60 riders in the category A race (30 to 39 years old), with some strong looking indivudals. Tomorrow morning at 8:30am we will set off on a 3.5 mile time trial, followed by a 60 mile road race and hour after the finish of the tt. Lets see how it goes, I feel good despite the crash on Sunday, so check back later on Friday night and see how the adventure is going.

Recovering

2009-07-13T08:31:00.003-04:00

If you haven't heard by now, I got a close look at the pavement right before the finish line at the Dawgs Days of Summer Circuit Race.

The day began with me getting lost on the way there. No GPS here, just good old memory and that got me a bit turned around, but a few turns and curse words and I was back on track in no time. While warming up with a few teammates, it was suggested that I should attack, but having spent the better part of the night before drinking beers at Dan's wedding, the thought of slugging myself wasn't a pleasant one and it was then that I found out the race was 30 minutes and not 60 as I had anticipated. Better read the instructions more carefully next time.

Off we go and is the usual parade of shaved legs guys going in circles, this time though, everyone was behaving through the turns. 2 laps into the "parade" and the lap counter says "9 to go". Soon after that a prime was offered and I gave it one of those, "why the hell not" type of tries, only to be bitch slapped by the headwind on the homestretch. A mental note was made.

Went into stealth mode tailgunning the pack for a few laps after my not so fruitful effort with the prime and decided that on the back side, with the wind at our backs, it was easier to move to the front on the inside, so with 5 laps to go I gave the theory a try and achieved positive results by easily gliding all the way to about 8th wheel. With 3 laps to go, there were still several riders in the pack with no real attacks taking off, other than the odd acceleration to nowhere that is quite popular in our category.

2 laps left and everyone decides to be at the front of the pack which was fine by me, the last 200m had a stiff headwind and I was confident the door would open for me to go through. Bell lap and as planned, I made my way towards the front of the bunch on the back side, having to ask a Coppi fellow to step to the side as his speed was going backwards as the rest of the pack's was increasing. Last right hander turn, there's some tension to my left but I'm still confident on the right side strategy. The speed is not top end because of the wind, but the front runners are winding it up. I sawa clearing and put the bike through it and then opened the throttle, full gas.

I'm thinking to myself at least a podium if not better as I'm reving the engine to full capacity, when all of the sudden, trouble infront of me. It's hard to recall but I believe two Latitude guys touched wheels, and one of them made an emergency landing in a spot where I would be in about 0.000000004 seconds. His bike skidded to my right and shot the only exit I had. He was rolling now onto my path and the ending wasn't going to be a pretty one.

Slow motion is great when you are watching sports on tv, but when you hit another fellow down racer at about 35mph (the last reading on my onboard computer), the effect is surreal. I grabbed two hands full of break, but the laws of physics have sealed my faith and the my front wheel hits the Latitude rider right around the mid chest area. Blurr is a good way to put it, because I don't remember how the bike and I got detached, what I do remember clearly is hitting the ground with my right shoulder and then the "thump" sound of my helmet made as my head impacted the road with force. I may have rolled, don't know for sure, but I ended up on my side, never blacking out, going dizzy or feeling funny. I scanned the road and spotted my bike about 10 feet away, three or four down bodies were joining me in the festivities and people were coming to offer aid. Jorge from Artemis picks my bike up as I sat on the curve to go over the damage. "Bike's fine" reported Jorge which was a good sign. My hip and shoulder had a burning sensation that I hadn't felt in about 8 years, and although they both were hurting, nothing was broken. A closer inspection of my helmet showed the two cracks and I was thankful I walked away from it with pretty much minor cuts and road rash. At least two of the other guys were taking to the hospital and I hope they are both OK.

This morning I'm stiff as hell, but thankful because it could have gone bad in a hurry. Going to the doctor in a bit to get things checked out and then will go for a spin tomorrow to see how I feel. Wednesday I'm flying to Panama and Friday is the first two stages of the Vuelta a Chiriqui-Masters. Costa Rica, Colombia, Belize, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Honduras and the locals are sending teams. I'm going at it "mercenary" style racing for my home province, but not really having a team to race with. It should be tons of fun especially the stage on Saturday which finishes about 300 meters from my parents' house. With yesterday's crash is going to be hard to tell how I will feel, but I will give it a "why the hell not" type of try.

Meanwhile, over at the tour...

2009-07-09T17:53:00.002-04:00

Who would have thought that only after four stages, a good chunk of the contenders would be over 2 minutes behind on GC, and I got to be honest, having Big Tex sitting in second place, fractions of a second from yellow was not what I had predicted. Of course, is the Tour and predictions are worth nothing.

But talking to my friend Dave the other day, I did share this theory that I have. No matter what Astana is telling you via the media, things behind the scenes are not as good as they paint them to be. If you go back to stage 3 and the heavy crosswinds, two of Lance's henchmen (Zubeldia and Popovich) were at his side, every now and then sharing the workload at the front to increase the front group's lead. In the mayhem behind, Contador was left with Paulinho and Rass to drag him through the mess. Murayev is there because the sponsors wanted some local flavor and he will probably be used regardless who's leading the team. That leaves Levi and Kloden to freelance and hope for the best, since their form in three week tours can be a little iffy, especially Levi who's has gone balls to the wall since February. So a division for sure in a team that shouldn't have one. Tomorrow's stage to Andorra should clear the waters a little more, but both Contador and Armstrong are looking good and it might be a duel between the two of them at the end. Then again, is the tour and predcitions are pretty much worth nothing.

Dejavu

2009-07-04T20:35:00.003-04:00

I took 10 days off at the end of May and headed to Houston minus the bike to spend time with the family. The trip and rest were planned at the beginning of the season, so I was looking forward to it despite the fact that at that moment, I was feeling pretty darn good. Upon return from the Lone Star state, I had a horrible week on the bike, having to push and fight the bike for at least six days, and then all of the sudden, my body flicked a switch and things were back to "normal", feeling good.

Fast forward to two weeks ago and again, I felt strong on the bike, and used the trip to Colorado as a final tuneup for the races this coming weekend and the big Vuelta back home in Panama starting on the 17th of July. Trouble is that the trip back from Denver to DC added to the 510 miles ridden during the six days in the mountains took a toll and I didn't get to ride until this past Thursday, when I by mistake, went to the "Italian Store" ride and got my ass handed to me. Not that getting my ass handed to me hasn't happened before, but the fact that in just four days without touching the bike I would feel like crap had me thinking.
One thing I have noticed this year is that I'm not worried about if I ride or not and so far it has paid dividends. And now, on my third day back on the bike, the sensations are slowly coming back. It's taking a bit longer, but if the rest that I took back in May is anything to go by, I hope that the switch will be flicked this coming Thursday, right before the weekend races.

On a different note, I have finally decided to boycott Versus coverage of the Tour de France, I just can't stand all the Lance coverage. Although it's a big story, and he surprised me with his tt ride today,the amount of time dedicated to him by the network is just out of this world. True, he made them millions once he started his winning streak, but enough is enough. So Eurosport on the interent will be my source for images until I get to Panama in a week's time where ESPN Espanol will then take over.

BTC-Day 6

2009-06-29T12:37:00.005-04:00

Saturday was the last day of the 2009 Bicycle Tour of Colorado and the saved the best for last. That's if you consider 103 miles of headwind and Independence Pass (at just over 12,000 feet) fun.

The departure from Buena Vista was set for our grout at 7:30am, since the distance was going to take a while, but nobody prepared for the wind. Dad was quickly on his own, off the back and even my best attempt to bring him back were not enough, so he made the smart decision to get in the car and drive to the base of the climb. Dave, Teve and I continued on. It was probably toll of a week of hard riding, but my body wasn't feeling up to the task and once my mind began wondering, I knew things could deteriorate in a hurry, so I broke the ride down in parts.

Trying to drag dad back to the group

First part was to make it to the first rest stop, but that took longer than I thought, because of the aforementioned head wind. A quick stop to have some watermelon, PB&J sandwiches and water and off we went again, this time just me and Dave, since Teve had flatted a while back.

Rolling through the valley, Independence Pass looked mighty and the trees gave us a little break from the wind, but the gradient then took over to continue the punishment. As cars, motorcycles and U-Haul trucks passed us, their size became smaller and smaller the higher they went, and looking up to see the road carve the mountain would send chills down my spine.

Independence Pass

About two hours later, and with a heavy dose of Safri Duo and AC/DC blarring from the Ipod, I conquered Independece Pass for the second time. The snow was still at the top, although it was dirty. No time to snap pictures or hang around to see the view, the weather was cold and I still had another 60 miles to go. The descend was what I later described as a "Moto GP", leaning the bike, counterbalancing on the outside pedals and letting the thing rip dowhill. Some sections of the road went from two to one lane and traffic coming up the mountain could give you a scare if not careful.

After a while of those downhill shananigans, the third and last aid station gloomed and I took the chance to have my last few watermelons slices. One of the ladies working at the aid station said, "it's only 46 miles to Glenwood Springs and it's all downhill". I was in no mood for jokes, and despite the fact that the gradient was all downhill as she said, the headwind had made a return and it was going to bitch slap me all the way to Glenwood Springs.

Getting tossed around by a headwind

Six hours and 17 minutes later, I rolled into Glenwood Springs and the elementary school where a week before we had started our tour. I was feeling pretty good despite the time spent on the saddle and knowing that Wendy's was just next door kept a smile on my face.

Long day on the saddle

Now two days off to recover from flight and a week of easy riding. The Vuelta a Chiriqui-Masters is just three weeks away and I hope all the riding in the mountains pays off then.

BTC-Day 5

2009-06-26T20:04:00.006-04:00

Left Gunnison after a day off under a cloudy sky. A storm was brewing high in the mountains and the thought was in the back of our heads for most of the day. I met my friend Dave in Almont, after a nice 10 mile warmup. Dad and Teve got a hour advantage and were already starting the first climb of the day.

Getting the techno music ready on the Ipod for the climb

Dave and I set a nice tempo, but the temperature didn't seem to be warming up, even though the sun was out and we were climbing. We decided to skip the first aid station and went straight to the second one and it was packed. No time to sit around since the sky was getting darker by the minute and we had a 14 mile climb on a dirt road up to Cottonwood Pass, at a nice 12,326 feet. Good thing mom was driving the "team car" and I picked up my knee warmers.

Somewhere up there is Cottonwood Pass, 12,326 feet

Up we went passing people all the way to the top and as the summit was getting closer, the temperatures kept going down and the storm was moving ever so close. I made a quick stop to put on my jacket, made it to the third aid station, got some PB&J sandwiches and some watermelon, put on a hat, long finger gloves, knee warmers and proceeded to head down the hill. Dave decided to call it a day at the top and dad and Teve were still somewhere up the climb.

This was a true TDF descend, switchbacks, not traffic and a smooth road. The wind was creating a bit of a problem at the top, but once I got the lines figured out I just hunched over the bars and let the Tarmac fly. It had to be the most fun so far during the tour, going down fast, 53.7 mph for the top speed. Once I reached Buena Vista, I found an old gas station and waited for the rest of the "team", and waited, and then waited some more.

Max speed

Still waiting for the other three members of our group, the sky finally openend up and the downpour was strong with the temperatures also going south. I could see riders coming down the mountain shaking from the cold and soaked. A guy stopped where I was and he couldn't even talk, heck, he probably didn't even know where he was. After a few minutes he came back to life, but he was still shaking and we figured out which way he had to go to his hotel. Poor guy.

Finally the suburban came down the mountain with Dave at the wheel, dad on the passenger seat and mom and Mrs. Botacio in the back seat, but Teve was missing. The story I got was that Dave had found a place in one of the shuttle vans that was coming down the mountain and just as the van was about to head down, a gentleman brought Teve, who was freezing. Dave saw him and called his name, and Teve was in such bad shape that be broke down and started to cry, hugging Dave at the same time. Dave gave up his seat so he could make it down the mountain first, and as luck would have it, mom and the suburban were not far behind, so he got in and got warmed too. They turned around and picked dad up just before the top, as the hail, fog and high winds were causing havoc.

BTC-Day 4

2009-06-24T19:30:00.008-04:00

66 miles to Gunnison. The actual distance was 93 miles up to Crested Butte, but our hotel was in Gunnison, so why bother suffering another 27miles and then having to turn around and head back down. It turned out to be a smart choice.

We were greeted once again by a strong, and by that I mean, 9mph going downhill headwind for the first part of the ride. It was just brutal in every sense of the word. A line of riders snaked up the road as far as the eye could see, each fighting his/her own battle with the elements and the mind. The thought of getting off the bike crossed my mind once, but then I decided to play a new game, "guess the wind speed". My friend David came up with 25mph gusting up to 30mph and I believed him.

My friend Dave and I enjoying the ride

Once we hit the first proper climb, the wind died down and I settled into a nice rhythm and spent the best part of the next 42 minutes going up, passing people and giving some encouragement to those who needed. Again, the Colorado State Patrol made sure that no 18 wheelers, campers or cars got to close for comfort and it was appreciated.

Today's dowhill sections were more to my liking, and I'm very happy with my new Descente Bobby J jacket, the thing is worth every penny. Retails for $200, but I picked it up at PricePoint for $85, shipping included. It's waterproof, but I don't want to test that part of the jacket. It did keep me warm and if there's something to say negative about it is that taking it off while on the bike is not recommended, at least that would be my advise.

Here are some pics of the week so far.

The Panamanian clan (dad, me and Teve)

Our pack going downhill

Dave and Teve after a good day on the saddle

BTC-Day 3

2009-06-23T21:12:00.002-04:00

Today was the "flatish" day of the tour, climbing only to just under 6,000 feet. And it wasn't an easy day at all, because of a nasty head wind. But, for once, the wind gods smiled upon us and with 20 miles to go (63 for the day), the wind shifted and we had a cross-tail wind all the way into Montrose. The hammer was dropped and my friend Dave and I did a team time trial.

Tomorrow's route is another epic climbing day, going to Crested Butte. We are not planning on making it there since our hotel is in Gunnison, so we will try to ride hard for 66 miles. Spirits are good and the bunch is having a great time.

BTC-Day 2

2009-06-22T20:47:00.002-04:00

Climbed 29 miles straight up to just under 11,000 feet. The descend was something else, the wind was kicking my ass and handling the bike was quite tricky. A girl got hit by a wind gust and she will not be finishing the tour. Felt pretty damn good, but holy shit, the climb took about 2 hours. Still, is good training for the upcoming Vuelta back home. Going for pizza!!!!!.

Bicycle Tour of Colorado-Day#1

2009-06-21T21:05:00.002-04:00

Made it to Denver onboard Continental Airlines, and what a bad experience that was. The lady at the counter made me pay $100 for my bike, even though the bike bag was 27 pounds under the weight limit, but 4 inches over the size. $100 for 4 inches!!!!.

This is my third time at the Bicycle Tour of Colorado and the organizers have done another superb job with every detail. Picking up the registration package was a breeze, the support is second to none, and the route so far, stunning. We (my dad, three friends and myself) climbed up to 8700+ feet, over McClure pass and covered the 79 miles in under 5 hours (we were taking it easy since it's only the first day of six). Tomorrow is 91 miles and a climb just under 11,000 feet. Weather is good and there are a ton of people riding. Feeling good and having fun, lets hope that trend continues.

Inflation and Deflation

2009-05-27T09:32:00.003-04:00

Just a quick note on my "pit stop" repair equipment. A very, very long time ago, I used to carry a Blackburn hand pump to inflate my tires after a flat, but as technology evolved and CO2 became available, I switched and never looked back. Usually stuffed in a handy zip-locked baggy, is a spare tube, one cartridge of CO2 with its adaptor, and two tire levers. Brand is not really important, as with all things cycling, if it's on sale, it's good enough for me.

Changing gears now, I'm beginning a 12 day rest (cycling deflation) period as of right now. I shouldn't be even typing this post since it's all about resting and having nothing to do with the bike, but then again I still have 11 hours ahead of me at work before I can really declare my vacation, which will be spent in of all places, Houston, Texas. Some pool time, good bbq and time with my daughters will be on my schedule.

Upon returning from Houston, five days of riding before Murad and the expectations now that the race date was changed went out the window. The form was great but now the race priority has declined a bit. Following Murad will be a trip to Colorado for the Bicycle Tour of Colorado, a good week of hard riding in the mountains should set me up perfectly for the assault to the Vuelta a Chiriqui-Masters, in mid July.

War of attrition.

2009-05-17T19:58:00.003-04:00

I never looked forward to racing in a field of 100+ riders, and to be honest, I was really hoping that for once the weather forecast was right and the rain would come in buckets, thus giving me a good reason to stay home and not race Bike Jam. It didn't happen.

At 9AM Jose Nunez checks in and gives me an earful for being in bed. Then Dan Dumwright texts to see if I'm going, after all, he wad riding with me. No other choice was left other than to get up and get my arse into gear. Dan met me at the house and off we went.

Upon arriving, we got our packs at the registration tent, checked the surroundings and talked to a few friends, then watched the 2/3. After their effort, a couple of our teammates came by and gave us some words of advice, the usual stuff, "stay at the front", "watch the S turn, go on the grass if possible", this and that. A good warmup followed and then we saw the last few laps of the pros.

The race itself was a war of attrition, and it pretty much turned out to be like the race last year. Fast at the beginning and middle parts, thinning the group considerably. But the advice given earlier wasn't working for me. It's one thing when you are the one inside the barriers doing the navigating. Nonetheless, I felt pretty comfortable and the guys from the team were mixing it at the front, while I was trying to conserve some energy. That was until the dude from HPC, who had gone off road earlier, aimed at my front wheel. Close call, an exchange of selected words and he was out of my way. Positioning continues to be a work in project, but I was happy with 16th, which gives me a good vibe for Murad and then my goal in July.

The funny moment of the day was when Dan attacked, went off the front and the announcer calls my name. I'm at the back thinking, "Dan and I got our numbers switched back at the car."

It's on!!

2009-05-15T18:17:00.002-04:00

Second time I'll get to race on my native land, and this time it will get ugly.
My dad had told me about the Vuelta and it happens to coincide with my trip to Panama to visit them. The next few weeks will be tailored to get the body in the best possible shape. The mind is already racing though!!.

The Dark Place

2009-04-27T13:30:00.003-04:00

Michael Jordan once said he used to go into a "zone" when he was on top of his game. The opposite side of the "zone" is the "pain locker", not exactly a happy place. But over this past weekend, while at the Raw Talent Ranch, I discovered the "dark place", where ghosts take over your mind and your body is just going through the motions.

The team had the annual training camp and about 18 of us made the trip over to West Virginia. Upon arrival on Friday, Jay Moglia had us out on the road, doing a 40miler, leg opener, but towards the last climb, it became a leg breaker, with a good portion of the boys choosing to dismount and push their rigs (myself included).

Saturday's "death march" will stay with me for a long time. I have gone into the pain locker more times that I can remember, and usually come out of it not too damaged, but Saturday I dove straight into the "dark place" and at one point I thought things were just getting out of control. After two climbs, I was feeling OK and thought tackling the last 7 mile ascend back to the Ranch was a possibility, but a mix of a banana and coke put end to any thoughts of finishing and opened the door to the place I will hope, never to visit again.

Combine with the heat, the hills, a stomach that wasn't functioning at all, things quickly went pearshape and I lost contact with my group. I think it was 3 miles into the climb when my mind switched. No longer was the techno music playing on my Ipod doing its usual trick, my legs were not going to turn anymore, so I unclipped, walked a bit and remounted. Another 100 yards farther up the mountain, I put my foot down again, this time sitting on the side of the road. My group had decided that the first one back at the ranch would drive back down to look for "victims", so the thought of just waiting kept me sitting for a little longer. The view was great from my position, but something kept telling me to push, not my legs, they were by now cursing me in both english and spanish. I swung the leg over the top tube once again, felt a cramp, but headed up anyway, and next thing I know I was laughing, for no apparent reason, my situation was no joke, however I was laughing. The following switchback brought me to a complete stop and I got off the bike once and for all. A nice shadowy spot was my last resting place on that infamous climb. After a wait of about 20 minutes, the car showed up, I loaded the bike and was taken back to the barn.

A meal later, I was feeling half human again, and I believe going to the pain locker will be no big deal from now on, even eating a slice or two of humble pie I can handle, but the "dark place", there, I don't want to go again. Rest today and tomorrow will see how things feel. It will be either Hains Point or the Eisenhower ride.

Solar Powered!

2009-04-20T13:15:00.003-04:00

Over the years, I have learned that my body must be solar powered. During the winters months I struggle and suffer, sometimes in silence, sometimes bitching to whoever is riding next or ahead of me, usually Jose or Dani, but once the sun comes out and I shed about 15 lbs. of clothing, things turn for the best.

That was the case on Saturday at Syn-Fit. Like most people who went, the registration process was something to marvel. I think I held the line just because I couldn't believe how quick the process was. Kudos to the organizers. And after a nice warm up with my teammate, we lined up for the cat4 race.

Race is not what I would define the event as, it was more of parade of 22 laps, with the odd interval thrown in there to break a sweat. The boys from Bike Rack reedmed themselves this time and had things lined up which actually looked pretty good. But since I had spent the most part of the race in la-la land, by the time I snapped into action and realized there were two laps to go, I was out of contention.

The pack finish wasn't something I was happy about and there was only one way to fix it. My teammate kept telling me how much he had left in the tank and I thought my tank was pretty much full too, so I spent the time in between races telling myself to at least be active in the Masters 35+ 4/5.

Because of the "issue" with the Masters 50 race before us, we had a late start and my body had gone into shut down mode while standing at the line. Once we were off, the first lap was nothing to be excited about, so I took off through the start/finish and got my heart rate up. Now I was ready.

The race (this was one) was aggressive, and I stayed towards the front, covering breaks and trying to be active. With 8 laps to go, I settled into top 10 and the pace was high enough that I didn't have to fight for position, which was good for everyone. With one to go, I believe it was Whole Wheel Velo singled the file the group and opened a gap, that I tried to close, eventually latching on going into the last corner. I took shelter behind a Colavita rider and tried to come around him at the end, but I was pretty much done. 8th place, just outside the money, what a bastard!.

I left feeling good, I rode the first race like I would have in years past, then change my mind set and went on the offensive on the second one, leaving nothing in the tank, which is one of my goals for the year. The sun was out and the motor was running just fine, a perfect day out.

Take a look at this and you be the judge, was it deliverate?

Reading

2009-04-06T18:51:00.003-04:00

That's what I'm doing at the moment, well actually, I'm typing, but I spent the best part of the day reading about Walkersville and Tyson's. And the reason I'm reading is because I'm sitting half way accross the world, on the banks of the Bospherous straight, Istanbul, Turkey to be exact. And why am I here?. Not to cover the upcoming Presidential Tour of Turkey (the bike race), I'm here because of the Alliance of Civilazations meeting and the stop of Pres. Obama in country.

But by the sounds of it, Walkersville would have kicked me on the butt with the wind and Tyson's, I never got on the starting list, so not much was lost. What's quickly going away is whatever form I had. Things were going just fine on that department until the trip over here. All I have done since arriving last Saturday is drink Efes beer, eat at the local kobobs place (if ever here, check out Durumce, fantastic stuff and cheap), check out the sites and well, some work. I did manage to catch the Tour of Flanders live on Eurosport. No Bob Roll here, just hard racing and good commentating. Should be back stateside by Saturday night and the plan is to join the bunch on the 8:30am ride, jetlag and all.

P.S. Matt, I hope you get recover from the crash at Tyson's very soon.

Gamjams Review-Cleaners and Degreasers

2009-03-19T09:45:00.003-04:00

"I may not be fast, but I do look good and so does my bike". That's my motto and to keep the bike looking good all the time, my routine has worked pretty good. In fact, Jose Nunez has liked it so much, his bike spends quality time during the season at my house getting, "pretty".

It all begins with a bucket of warm water and dish soap, a couple of brushes, garden hose, some rags (old t-shirts), degreaser (Performance brand does it for me.) and three or four paper towls. Wash the bike with low pressure from the hose. Although my dad, an avid bike mechanic advises against it, over the years it has worked well. Degrease the chain and then brush it really good. Rinse. Dry the frame with a clean rag and use a different one for the chain. Pedro's Bike Lust goes next on the frame for that shiny look. Once the chain has dried, use the papertowls to get it as clean as possible. Lube and finally with another clean rag, give the chain a few last wipes.

The above procedure is done once or twice a month, depending on how much rain we get. During the week, a couple of quick runs with a rag keep the bike looking clean. It really doesn't take that much time, and it sure makes the bike feel fast, at least that's what I say. "A clean bike, a fast bike".

Improving My Racing

2009-03-17T09:43:00.004-04:00

As you may have noticed on the poll (to your right), the question this week is "Improving Your Racing". Once again I want to remind you, dear reader, that I'm not into all the techie-telemetry stuff out there when it comes to training. My method is more old school, where my own personal and humble believe is that if I ride, and ride, and ride some more, the form will eventually come. And I try to keep my "hobby" as fun as I can, because after all, that's what it is and I don't get paid to ride.

That said, every season I like to take a few steps up and progress. One area I would like to improve this year is racing a little more aggressive, and having more mental strength when it comes to getting involved in the race. Many times I have found myself just going through a race without much of a plan and finish events with plenty of gas in the tank. Crit racing is probably where I look to improve the most, since I'm apprehensive at times at going all out.

Hopefully the solution is to keep telling myself to just go for it. Also, having joined a bigger team will help, because having more teammates will for sure push me to give more. And last, the new bike is starting to feel like a glove, which makes handling it in a pack a little easier.

So, your turn now, check the poll, see what you think and leave your comments.

ciao!

Race time

2009-03-03T09:48:00.004-05:00

I registered yesterday for Walkersville, Masters 35+ 4/5. Last year I had a good time at this race and I'm looking forward to a repeat this year. As long as the weather warms up a few more degrees, I should be fine. Last week I picked my new bike.

You be the judge. It's a nice ride, and I spent two days tweaking a few adjustments made during my fitting at Arrow Bicycle. Chris M. and Chris D. took care of me and I feel 90% better on the bike compared to last year. Some drastic changes were made, but so far, I like how everything feels and the way the Specialized feels. You will spot a few more of my teammates on their new rigs at your local ride/race.

Hit and miss

2009-02-12T18:55:00.003-05:00

That's what I would call my "winter training" so far, just a series of hits and misses. So far I think I have ridden less miles than in years past, but one thing I'm noticing at the moment is that I seem not to either worry or care too much about it and I'll take that as a positive sign. If you have stopped by the blog every now and then, you have probably noticed that I'm not a fan of the trainer, AT ALL!!. You can pretty much bet your last dollar that I will not touch that thing if I can help it. And just to make sure I stay true to my goal of not "training" on the torture machine, I took it to Dani's house the other day and left it there. And that my friends, felt really good.

So as I said, aside from getting bitch slapped at the 10AM rides on Saturdays and hanging with the B group on the Bike Place ride every now and then on Sundays, this winter has been pretty much missing some action. And speaking of action, my bosses at work have come up with the great idea of changing our work schedule, from 3.5 days a week to something called, fortnight schedule. An idea from the british I'm told and not very well liked by the populous in my department. It means that now we have to work every other weekend, and of course, the first thing I thought of was what impact that would have on my riding pleasure. The funny thing is that my crew will work 77 hours in a two week period, yet the bosses will pay them the extra three hours needed to complete the full 80 hours. Someone didn't run the numbers right, me thinks. But back to the cycling affected part of the schedule, it appears that once time changes, I will be able to sneak the 7AM on Sats and the Bike Place ride on Sunds, before hauling my butt to the office on the weekends I have to render my services. Yesterday I worked a racing schedule and it seems like I could make a total of 12 races already listed on the MABRA calendar.

After I was done complaining about the change, I refocused on making sure to make those races count. I can lend a hand to my new teammates and help lay down the law, ensuring our designated leader gets the support needed. And who knows, maybe I can sneak a result or three out of the whole deal. As they say, we shall see. The new team kit arrived and it looks killer, and the rest of the toys should be here by the end of the month. Just in time for spring.

New Beginning

2009-01-01T15:02:00.002-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! ya'll. I finally finished jetsetting around the world, after an intense travel scheduled the last six weeks. The bike saw a little bit of action during that time but saddly I no longer have my Specialized Tarmac (Lucinda, as I afectionated called it). It made the trip to Panama, got me some good times, and a doctor who saw it liked it so much, he bought it. But not only did the bike stay behind, so did both of my helmets and all but one of my kits. So if you see me now, I'm riding my old trusty aluminum bike or "the tank" for the next two months or so.

For 2009, I will be riding under the colors of Route 1 Velo and hopefully I can be of help to the guys. The firepower in the team's roster is impressive already and I will do my best to lend a hand to the guys this year. Having my buddy Jose in the ranks is important, since we pretty much train together and travel to races all the time. I know most of the guys already and after the first team ride, I felt pretty much at home. Now it's just a matter of piling the miles and getting myself ready.

Today I went over to Hains Point with Dani for the traditional Jan. 1 ride at the park. After a night where some Corona's were consumed and good food was eaten (courtesy of Dani and his wife), my main concern was the cold temperatures. And it was damn cold, but we saw lots of people out riding. We did about an hour and a half and bolted back to Dani's to finish the leftovers. Good times on and off the bike.

Training @ home

2008-12-15T16:13:00.004-05:00

The trip to Panama was awesome, with great weather and 8 days of good riding in rolling to high mountain terrain. My girlfriend also enjoyed the people, scenery and weather.

Upon on arriving in Panama City (with all the bags, bike included), my parents picked us up and we headed for lunch in the city before heading to Santiago, the town where I grew up. Early on Friday was the first scheduled ride with my dad. It was pretty cool getting to ride, just the two of us, on roads where he taught me how to ride a bike. On Saturday was the big ride with all the locals and my welcoming committe included the pro national champ, the U23 champ and the Masters champ, so it was time to step up. And like they say, "when in Rome do as the Romans", I didn't hesitate to get the festivities started. It was better to shoot the first round than to wait for the battery of attacks from the locals. The legs responded well and soon it was the U23 and the pro champ with me sandwiched in between. The younger of the trio turned the screws on the last climb and I had to let him go, with the pro champ smiling from ear to ear, since he was on a "recovery" ride.

After the ride we packed and headed to Boquete, up in the mountains of western Panama. It's about 4,400 feet high, with mild temperatures and some gusty winds, land of coffee, flowers and some really nasty climbs. Dad wasted no time to introduce me to his favorite loop and I was soon in a world of trouble, wondering if the 39/26 ratio was going to be enough.

Monday was a fun ride, with the Firefly Club from David. This is where the heavy climbing was done and I was feeling good going hard on the long, gradual and at times steep climbs until a 26 year old local joined me at the head of the pack. The guy had an older model Diamond Back road frame, with a 7 speed cassette and soak and wet I calculated he weighed about 125 lbs. and at 5'4 inches, it was going to be a struggle trying to draft behind him. After a quick pit stop at a store, the now local climber and I headed for battle on the 14 mile ascend up to Caldera. The first 11 miles can be done on the big ring, but you are climbing all the way up to the Chiriqui Dam and after a few short walls that zap your legs, you still have another 9 miles of nice paved road in front, although the last 4 are not as smooth and they get steeper.

The climbing sensation half way through told me he actually was 110 lbs. and I remember what Kyle says about having to climb with a fat ass. My 151 lbs. carcass was hurting me up the ascend. The heat was also taking a toll and the pace was hard but not brutal, until we exited the smooth paved section and headed still higher up on what I dubbed "Highway to Hell", a bumpy stretch where the sun just cooks you slowly. And with two miles to go, I dropped anchor and the bike refused to move forward, it was just mental strength that got me to the end of the ride where mom was waiting with the car, thank goodness.

The rest of the week included more climbing, great food, good company and overall a really great time with our friends and family. We enjoyed it so much that I'm planning on going back hopefully before June and then in late August when the local racing season will be in full swing. Can't wait.

Picture Perfect

2008-12-03T20:22:00.002-05:00

Let me tell you, jet lag is a biacth!. I arrived from India last Saturday and the plan was to grab a late breakfast por early lunch, take a nap, go for short spin, get a haircut and watch some college football. Well, I got as far as the nap part and after that, it was lights out. With the weather turning on Sunday and having to work early both Monday and Tuesday, the bike wasn't going to get out and my struggle to recover from the trip just continued. Sleeping was good, but I never seemed to get enough of it and on Monday at work, I kinda of zoned out during one of the live newscasts. Not a good thing to do.

Yesterday, one of my supervisors thought that I could be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. Alright, things in Mumbai were quite hairy at best, but I was never in "real" danger, so I found it interesting that she came to that conclusion.

And today my month long vacation began and it couldn't have started in a better way than with a morning ride with Jose. We parked at the bottom of Great Falls and did part of the 10AM loop, all of it in the small ring, riding side by side and just talking and enjoying the cool, sunny day. After 10 days of no riding, I didn't feel too bad, but we never put the hammer down. I'm convinced the hommies in Panama will bring their A game when I show up on Saturday, but I have a good list of excuses prepared. I spent the 15 hour trip back from India working on them.

The bike is packed (broke my pedal wrench and one cassette decided it wasn't going to come off) and everything is ready for us to leave tomorrow morning. First ride is scheduled for Saturday and the weather is in the mid 80s, with the humidity in the mid 90s (love it!). Looking forward to ride the roads where I learned how to ride a bike.

No form, no worries

2008-11-27T08:58:00.006-05:00

Two weeks ago at work, I was told that more than likely, I would be going to India the week of the 21st. Not really knowing what to expect because getting the entry visa was going to be touch and go, I really didn't give the trip much thought. Instead, I was concentrating on riding 3 to 4 days a week, just tempo stuff, nothing fancy, and counting the days for the trip that I really am looking forward to, Panama.

The new wheels and bike bag arrived and the days were ticking by nicely, with the miles getting piled on and the form just where it needs to be for this time of the year. In fact, I hadn't felt this good in November in many, many years. And then, at the last possible minute, and I mean, it was to the second in fact, the visa was approved after some well placed phone calls at the Indian embassy. Threw some clothes in a suitcase, packed the laptop, Ipod, magazines, books and off I went on a 22 hour trip.

Arriving in Mumbai was quite the shock. Traffic is horrendous, the city is a bit trashy, there are people everywhere, a large number of them poor, and the heat is strong. Yet with all of that, the natives are very friendly and make you feel welcomed. But this wasn't a vacation, so it was time to work. Our first pre-recorded show on Monday was a technical nightmare and having a crew from all over the world, whom I had never met before made for quite the challenge. On Tuesday, we sat down, and I explained in details what I wanted from them. The second show was live and it was perfect. We did another pre-record show soon after and it was time for a few Heinekens. Wednesday was an off day and the crew decided to hit the streets for some local shopping. That night we were supposed to attend an awards ceremony, but two of us decided to skip it and stay in the hotel.

I never heard the first gunshots or explosions coming from the Tridant Hotel, about 500 yards from the Intercontinental Hotel where we are staying. But when the phone call came to let me know not to leave my room, I knew something was up. No soon had I put the phone down, that I heard the sirens and then the first of two large explosions I would hear during the night. Needless to say sleeping was out of the question. All night the news came coming in on the tv and friends from all four corners of the world were checking to see how we were doing.

At around 7AM this morning we went out to the Tridant and found a large crowd of people gathered a few hundred yards from the hotel. The police presence was evident and as we got closer, we saw a guy who had been kidnapped and somehow, managed to escape. We soon got him on the phone with our studios in DC so he could tell the world his story. His friend was still at the hospital and nobody knew if he was alive or dead.

We then decided to head to the Taj Mahal Hotel and as we approached the building, the gunshots could be heard inside. Scary to say the least. A second team arrived from Qatar and took over from us, so back to the hotel for a well deserved burguer and fries, some rest and to pack for the trip back home tomorrow.

My form evaporated into thin air, I'm tired as hell and can't sleep at all, but this experience has taught me so many things in a spand of a week, I will never forget it. But now, I'm ready to head to Panama, bike and all, and get my ass handed to me on the long, gradual climbs. And riding with my dad is always fun.

Another good 3 days...

2008-11-09T17:32:00.002-05:00

Things continue to improve and I'm starting to believe that it's all mental. A positive attitude can do wonders and I can't ask for more at the moment. Things are good on the bike, and after spending the last 72 hours going up and down hills, my legs are nice and sore, which is what I wanted.

Still though, I'm doing my best not to get suckered into hammer fests at the local rides, and I'm just doing enough to get a good workout without burning too many matches, after all, it's only November and spring seems too distant right now, even though the temperatures this past weekend were on the warm side.

Two more weeks (hopefully squeezing 3 rides in each) before travel begins and I'll be able to take a week off the bike to let the body and mind have a break, but those of you who know about jet lag may disagree with me.

Waiting for spring to come

2008-11-02T00:31:00.003-04:00

Looks like I did my last afternoon (6PM) ride at Hains Point on Thursday. With time changing in just a few hours, time on the saddle is going to be drastically cut. One thing that I will try again this winter is not to get on the trainer, at all! if possible. The "torture machine" as it's better known has spent the best part of a year hidden somewhere in the closet and the plan is to keep it there for an undetermined period (eternity).

Speaking of Hains Point, I heard that Mondays and Fridays are easy days but according to some reports last Monday things got a little hairy. And the last two Fridays I have had to raise my heart rate higher than I wanted on a recovery ride. I'm all about having fun every now and then, but this pattern will have to be carefully watched. Maybe it was the fact that the temperature was nice and warm and the southern wind was prevelant. On the plus side, I can only make it on Fridays to the noon ride.

Work is going to probably keep me away from the bike towards the end of the month, so everyday that I can get my arse on the saddle counts. Seems like a trip to a far off place is in the books and I will arrive back home only with 5 days to dust the leg muscles to get them ready for the trip down to the motherland. The locals would have finished the Vuelta a Chiriqui just a few days prior to my arrival and their form will be tip top. I'm just hoping that some of the old dudes will hang back and feel sorry for me.

The achilles soreness made a return this week, but at a milder level. The medicine prescribed by the chiro is working, but as he said, this is going to take a while to heal. Patience is the name of the game.

Updating

2008-10-28T00:26:00.004-04:00

Seems to be that time of the year for updates. I added a few things to the page courtesy of Mike and GamJams. Anohter thing getting an update is my winter clothing collection. All I need now is a good pair of winter gloves to keep my hands from freezing during those cold mornings. Wheels are also in the plan for an update since my trusty Ksyriums have served me well and will now be handed over to my dad for some TLC and some less stressfull miles. And finally, a new bike. This is the one I'm really looking forward to, but it's going to be the most difficult. The process is a bit complicated and hopefully by Christmas I'll know if I will be piloting a new rig in 2009.

Speaking of 2009, a trip to Colorado is already in the works for the Bicycle Tour of Colorado. I've ridden it twice already, and the last time my dad came and we had a really good time. He's planning on bringing a contingent of friends from Panama and hopefully some of the old guard from Texas will make the trip. It should be memorable.

But closer in the future is a trip to Skyline this coming Thursday. If anyone out there in cycling land is off this Thursday, I'm headed that way with Jose and maybe Dani for some fun in the sun.

Still hurting, but...

2008-10-18T19:21:00.002-04:00

So the ankle is still acting up. Not as bad as last week, but enough to keep reminding me that there's something going on down there. Nonetheless, I managed to ride since Wednesday and just dealt with the discomfort.

Today's 10AM was a better performance compared to last week. I hung with the main bunch and felt pretty much within myself, which was a drastic difference from last week. So aside from the pain and the cool temperatures, the ride was just perfect.

But there were some extracurricular activities on the way back. As the ride was winding down, one guy (I don't know his name, but his reputation is not a good one within the cycling community because of his temper) started mouthing off to another rider. Things quickly escalated and before I knew it both dudes were off the bikes and ready for action. The soon to be pugilists were kept apart by the small group of riders that were left and the fight turned to only a bike throw.

Everyone remounted, but aforementioned mouthy rider was not done and came back looking for more. This time he cut off the same rider he was having troubles with, got off his bike and proceeded to chase him on foot. I must say that was one of the most hilarious things I have ever seen on a bike, a cyclist running on the street with cycling shoes, a helmet, tights.

Upon remounting his bike once again, the rest of the group gave the dude a mouth full and that somehow cooled him off. For some reason I know this will not be the last incident with said rider, but he better be careful as to who he picks on next time.

Injury Time

2008-10-12T21:25:00.002-04:00

Last week was spent off work and just doing some good time riding, having fun. Despite that, I was trying to recover from a cold that was prolonging its usual 3 to 4 days stays each year. This time the bastard hung tight and didn't want to let go, but despite that, the warm weather was welcomed. And with all the riding, my right ankle started to act up. Never before have I felt this type of discomfort and not wanting to miss on the good weather, I kept pedalling.

Yesterday at the 10AM, which was quite peppy by the way, the ankle finally had enough punishment and the pain was quite considerable. Half way into the ride, I had to pull the plug, not that I was going to last much longer in the main group. From then on, it was a limp back home. Jose encouraged me to call Lindsey for an "emergency pick up", but I was having none of it (dumb, I know). Once home, the pain decreased and watching the Longhorns beat OU and downing a few cold Shiner Bucks had me thinking that all was back in business, but that wasn't to be.

With the prospects of two rides on Sunday, I wanted to make an attempt to ride, but upon waking up, I knew that a ride was not going to be possible. What hurt the most was the fact that it was probably the last Sunday with great weather, but giving the ankle some time to recover was probably a smart move. Plus I did some cleaning around the house, wash the car and bike, cook some steak, watch football, Paris-Tours and just laid low. Tomorrow I'm going to start going to the gym to pump some iron. I'm not the muscle type, but it will be good to work on a few ones that need some improvement.

Sunny October

2008-10-10T18:55:00.002-04:00

I have ridden everyday since Sunday and I can't be happier with the sun and the mid 70s temps, even if early during the week the arm and knee warmers were out for a workout. The riding has been pretty tranquil, with one long day on Tuesday with Jose, doing a few hills just for fun. My left knee and my right ankle are a little sore, and I'm guessing is the change in temperatures that are the cause. That or my age is starting to catch up with me!

And having the week off work has just done wonders to my riding. The plan for the weekend is to do the 10AM and 8:30AM rides and just log miles at a nice pace. Of course tomorrow is the Texas vs. OU game and since I'm a adopted Texan, the Longhorns will get my full support.

The trip to Panama is still on for December, minus my girlfriend. She couldn't get off work which really sucks, but the bike will keep me busy for 10 days. My dad is planning some fun rides with the locals and I want to arrive in good shape so I don't get stumped by the natives.

Check your cable or satellite lineup for Universal Sports. Nothing but sports all day and to add to the fun, some cycling. Old races, but some is better than nothing. Right now they are showing the Worlds. Who needs baseball?

Nice and Smooth

2008-09-21T15:05:00.004-04:00

Alberto Contador won yet another grand tour, good for him, the guy has some real talent. It would be nice to find out if he will be on Lance's "domestique deluxe" list or will he be facing the Texan face to face.

On the home front, did the 10AM ride yesterday and had a blast. Because of the ING Crit, most of the heavy hitters stayed away, thus letting us mere mortals have a good ride and a nice and smooth pace. The arm warmers made their first appearance this season. And today I had to work, but made a quick stop at the crit in town to see the festivities. Dani, Enrique and Jose were there checking the action and I managed to see the finish and then sprint back to work to make it just in time.

The return...

2008-09-19T17:02:00.002-04:00

Well, I took a break from this blogging thing because to be honest with you, I had no time, or interest on writing about my little adventures, but most importantly, cycling had taken a back seat over the last two months. I got to spent six weeks with my daughters and my parents, while traveling to Floria to see my sister. Then after everyone had gone home, I dove right into riding and it cost me, dearly. Physically I wasn't that far off, but mentally I wasn't ready for the kicking I took. I fought through some hard ride with Dani and Daniel and the two were having field days with me (bastards!), until about a month ago when all of the sudden and out of nowhere, the form return. Just in time of me to head off to the national conventions.

While in Denver I tried a little running, just to keep the heart in check and everything was just dandy, except my right knee wasn't having such grand of a time. Again, my head went off the abyss and I didn't want to ride when I got back. But the thought of colder days approaching had me quickly changing my mood and now I have logged a few rides and I'm feeling pretty good. However, like I said, cycling is not ruling my life. I have never worried about wattage, power output, this, that or the other. Now I just want to ride and have fun, so what if I get drop. For next year the plan is to race whenever I feel like it, and just for pure enjoyment, no expectations attached. A trip to Colorado is on the planning stages for June, with my dad and his posse joining a pack of friends from Texas. It should be lots of fun. Speaking of trips, I'm heading south to Panama in December for two weeks of relaxation. The bike is coming along of course, and riding with old friends on roads where I learned to ride my bike will bring back nice memories. Looking forward to that.

So enjoy your rides, I sure as hell will enjoy mine from this point on.

Most Combative..

2008-07-25T16:43:00.003-04:00

After today's stage, I was wondering, to whom would I give the prize of "most combative" rider. The three options I had were: Damiano Cunego, because he got his ass handed to him on his terrain, yet he never gave up. And after yesterday's show of character, he was getting some serious consideration. Alejandro Valverde (not AleSSandro) like Phil Liggett loves to call him, was pick number two. Another one who took a whoopping on a bad day, yet he fought his way back, with some of his famous accelerations thrown in for good measure, he got an honorable mention. Then there was Sylvain Chavanel. At the beginning of the race he was in every break, it seemed. Then he got the polka dot jersey for a day or two, went incognito for some time, just to come back during the last week, trying his hands at the breaks. The pundits were talking of him riding the most kilometers in breakaways on this edition of the tour. He showed that if at first you don't succeed, then try again, and again, and again, and he was rewarded (might not be the correct word since he fought for it) with a stage win. Good for the frenchies!.

Ok, so all the formalities are over and done with, and tomorrow's time trial is going to be a dandy. The top six spots are going to race out of their skins, to either win, keep a podium place or move up. Personally, I think Evans is going to win the overall. He might not win the stage, but he will take time on Sastre. CVV would become a super star if he lands third place, but I think Menchov pretty much will take that home. Kohl is the unknown one, and Schelck will need a miracle to stay in the top three. But then again, anything can happen.

Second sucks!

2008-07-24T15:54:00.002-04:00

Today's stage was kind of dull. I had the tv on, but I wasn't really paying attention, after all, the two guys up front were gone, the three chasers were tooling around and main pack was keeping everyone fresh for tomorrow and Saturday, except Damiano Cunego, who seemed to have had a close inspection of the local french pavement.

With about 15kms to go, I decided it was time to play closer attention to the action and pick a winner. My choice was Carlos Barredo, since Columbia already had a share of the limelight and Barredo was doing a gutsy ride. After both him and Burghardt traded a few punches, with 7km to go, the Quickstep car pulled up to the two fugitives and told something to Barredo. My first suspicion was that they were offering Burghardt money to give up the sprint (something that is not that unusual in pro cycling). But it seemed that what was actually said was something along the lines of "stop working and attack him as much as you can, you pretty much have no chance on the sprint". Barredo gave it a few gos, but the youngster from team Columbia was attentive and covered every moved. The final sprint was more of a track race, but at the end, Columbia grabbed its 4 stage and Quickstep continues the search for victory.

Amazing!

2008-07-23T12:22:00.003-04:00

It was worth staying home and making it to work late today. It was a long wait until the foot of the Alp, but the heads of state didn't dissapoint. Once again the tactics of CSC-Saxo Bank paid off, and the ride that Sastre pulled was nothing but amazing. I have to say I didn't think he had it in him, but today Carlos was one cool customer. And speaking of such characters, his teammates, the Schelck boys, particulary Andy showed once again their class. Frank managed the group, while Andy close most of the attacks, with an ease that was just scary.

What was Berhanrd Kohl doing at the bottom of the climb is anyone's guess. He paid for it towards the end, but he hung in there. Also the "Silent Assassin" fought his way back after getting dropped for a few k's. CVV showed that yesterday was just a hiccup, the guy was riding on a cloud. Evans led from the front, not getting any help while he tried to close the gap to the winning Sastre. Epic stage on Alp d'Huez for sure. Will probably have to watch the last 10k tonight just for kicks.

Now we are down to the showdown on Saturday when the ITT will determine who will wear yellow in Paris come Sunday. Nail biting time.

Mountain shuffle

2008-07-22T12:45:00.002-04:00

Yesterday during the rest day, most of the GC riders were commenting that the real race will start on today's stage. Seems like all of them were saving something special for the last two days in the Alps. And once again, CSC-Saxo Bank came ready to play. It's said that after a day off, your body doesn't react as well to the mountains, but the entire CSC-Saxo Bank squad seemed to have gotten through the day off pretty well. As the break went off the front, the yellow jersey guys decided to slowly increase the tempo to help get rid of some of the threats. Vande Velde's dream ride was shattered when he was dropped off the pace, and although he did a valiant descend, he still lost 2+ minutes on Schelck, Sastre, Evans and Menchov. Speaking of the Russian, he had some sort of difficulty on the last downhill part because he also went into the "I lost some time" club, giving up 33 seconds to Evans, not a good thing with the time trial looming ahead. John Lee Agustine decided to test his legs at the top of the last climb and the excitment was so big that he went dowhill racing on the other side. Did anyone found his bike yet?.

So, what's the prediction for Alp d'Huez? My take is that Menchov and Vande Velde will go for broke. Evans will wait until the last moment to decide if he's going to attack or not. And although CSC-Saxo Bank is riding strong, Schelck the senior better not have a bad day, because if he does, Riis better let Sastre go on his own, instead of keeping the Spaniard back to help tow the yellow jersey. For sure the biggest day of the tour will be tomorrow, so set the alarm for 6:30AM.

Jerseys..

2008-07-20T12:36:00.002-04:00

Oscar Freire seems to have a strong hold on the green jersey competition, finsihing strongly and winning yesterday's stage. Other than that, yesterday's stage was just, a transition one.

Today's however was what everyone was expecting, a free for all. Garmin-Chipotle again put a man in the long break and came so close to winning. Hats off to Danny Pate for a courageous ride. Speaking of guts, Aussie Simon Gerrans lacks none and fought his way to the victory. His team is searching for a sponsor and this surely is going to help. Just like Gerolstiner will probably benefit from Berharnd Kohl's ride, snatching the KOM jersey from his teammate and also climbing on the GC. Menchov and Evans suffered a bit but managed to stay in contention. Sastre surprised me the most because he looked in trouble for a while but took complete advantage of his team's work. Schelck is a happy camper today, but he'll have to get more time on the stronger time trialists. Too bad tomorrow's a day off.

Make it 4!!!

2008-07-18T15:45:00.002-04:00

The British Cycling Federation is begging Mark Cavendish to pull out of the Tour, so he can be rested for the Olympics. But how can the guy stop when he's winning every flat stage in the race. With the Alps looming though his chances will go down and the amount of effort that will take him to get over them will probably prompt him to take the advice of his federation and head back home for some R&R. But man, is this kid fast or what?.

On the doping front, Ricco and Piepoli were let go by the bosses at Saunier Duval-Scott and the main sponsor is considering pulling out of the sport. Not good at all for anyone involved, especially the staff that probably had not much to do with those two guys getting into the bad stuff. To be continued on that one, for sure.

Count them, 1,2 3!!!!

2008-07-17T11:16:00.002-04:00

Yes, 3 stages for young Mark Cavendish of team Columbia. The kid is nasty fast and is surrounded by a dedicated group of mates who will ride their hearts out for their sprinter. But also 3 is the number of riders caught doping, today's turn going to none other than Ricardo Ricco.

A big WTF?.

Seems like some guys just don't understand it. I would like to suggest a solution to help with the fighting cause. Penalize the team. That's right, make them pay. ASO had each team sign a contract in which it stated that if a rider was caught, the team would had to pay $100,000 back to the organizers. Beltran gets caught and ASO states that since Liquigas pulled him right away, they could continue to ride and no penalty was going to be applied. F$ck that my friends. The team has to be hold accountable for its riders. The pressure not to dope has to come within the team, after all it's not the rider who get caught who suffers, it's the rest of the staff and other riders (hopefully they are clean). It's difficult for riders to be policed by testers and their bosses, but in order to sort matters out, that's they way it's going to have to be, like it or not.

Enough of that. Cadel Evans was glued to Frank Schelck's wheel and that's what he needed to do to survive another day and get himself ready for the onslaught that awaits him in the Alps. The Australian is riding with what the italians call grinta, or guts. CSC-Saxo Bank is again preparing for an assault of biblical proportions, but I'm not too confident with Carlos Sastre. He needs to ride his heart out since this is probably his last chance at the helm of the team, and it's time to step up and lead from the front.

Status Quo..

2008-07-16T17:56:00.003-04:00

Silence-Lotto wanted and needed days like today. Break goes off the front with non-threating riders, other teams pull a bit and Cadel gets a good recovery ride. Presto!, they got it.

Another case of the druggies getting caught but it seems to me like some of the media are paying less attention to Beltran and now Duenas' cases, and focusing more in stories like Christian Vande Velde. And the fact that the race is so close, talking about riders doping, and not big names at that, is not worth the effort. It shows that the sport is doing what it can to clean itself and they are catching those who dare. One or two might slip through, but they will not hide for long.

Swing of the pendulum

2008-07-14T12:25:00.003-04:00

I was raving the last few days about how well drilled Caisse de Espargne is, doing everything right, with Valverde in the hunt. But no matter how good the team rides, if the leader is not ready to fight, there's nothing the other eight guys can do. Today we saw the beginning of the end for Valverde, as the Spanish national champ lost massive time, aloing with Damiano Cunego. And they have only one man to thank for that.

For ten days CSC-Sauxo Bank has kept Jens Voigt caged and today was the day the gate was opened and Voigt went on the prowl on the slopes of the Tourmalet. If the climb along didn't put fear in the souls of the riders, the German star set a fierce pace to the top, breaking the heart and will of most of the peloton. Aided by teammates Gustov, Cancellara, Arvesen and the younger Scheleck, the leaders of the Danish squad (Carlos Sastre and Frank Schleck) were getting the protection they needed.

Di Gregorio's escape was brilliant on Bastille Day, but it wasn't meant to last as behind, spearheading the chase, Voigt was towing the leaders for the final showdown on Hautacam. And they didn't dissapoint, although once Cobo, Pieopli and Scheleck the older were gone, it seemed like the Evans, Menchov, Vandevelde, Sastre group were playing cat and mouse games, with Ricco getting a ride with his two mates up front.

Saunier Duval-Scott was the big winner today. One-two on the stage, KOM and White jerseys, not a bad day at the office, with Ricco slowly climbing up the GC. Vandelvede's confidence has to be through the roof, but him and Evans have to be worried that their teams will have to step up to the plate.

Ricco-Suave!

2008-07-13T15:02:00.003-04:00

I had to go with that title. "The Cobra" was suave today, again, utilizing his trusted teammate Leonardo Piepoli and setting off in search of his second stage. This brought back memories of another great italian climber of the 90s. Although Ricco announced early on that he wasn't chasing GC aspiriations, his latest stunt gained him one minute and with the next two stages suited to his capabilities, he might be the unknown quantity this year. Cadel Evans took a nasty spill, did you see the back of his jersey?, but he soldiered on and finish safely in the lead pack. Again, what can be said about Caisse de Espargne other than they are the top team in the race.

Yesterday I had to make a quick trip to Dallas, so there was no report. But I didn't want to spend much time talking about "Triki" Beltran's affairs. His A result is positive and chances are stacking against him that the B will be different. The attitude is positive though, since the tests are catching the cheats and that's what counts.

Team Work!

2008-07-11T11:12:00.002-04:00

I said it once and I'll say it again, Caisse de Espargne is the strongest squad in the tour. They had at least four guys in the lead bunch at the end of the stage, protecting their leader (s) (Valverde and Pereiro) and at the same time, increasing their chances for the stage win.

And Luis Leon Sanchez did a superb ride, by going in the break, keeping an eye on things for the team. Once they were caught, he helped his boys with some of the pace setting and then decided to go for broke on the final descent. The motorcycle camera team had a rough time following the young Spaniard, as he set his sights for the finish line.

Kirchen defended his lead, spreading the effort of his team, and then closing the deal himself. Schumacher continues to show great form, attacking and keeping his name and his team's at the front. Devolder is back in action and the other contenders were present at the top, except Damiano Cunego, who again lost time today. Perhaps is waiting for the big climbs, but the last two days will probably be messing with his head.

Ouch!

2008-07-10T13:07:00.003-04:00

The pundits were right. The first prediction was that Stefan Schumacker could stay in the front group and he even looked good to challenge for the stage if it wasn't for Kim Kirchen's rear wheel obstructing the path of the leader up to that point and sendig him to the ground (that wasn't part of the prediction), and the other thing mentioned by those in the know was that the climbed suited Columbia's leader, Kirchen, well, he didn't dissapoint, although the Schumi crash bumped Kirchen's chances of riding in yellow. Ricco looked good, aided by the always in form, Leonardo Pieppoli. Caisse de Espargne looked impressive, but their leader hesitated a bit and was swamped by the charging climbers.

But what happened to Damiano Cunego? He was in all sorts of trouble when it was go time and the Lampre leader looked to be in a spot of bother, giving some time to his main rivals. Maybe he hasn't recovered from the tt just yet.

Evans in third on the stage and now second overall continues to ride the perfect race. Despite what people say about him not attacking, he is not supposed to attack just yet. Sitting six seconds behind Kirchen is where he wants to be at this stage of the game. Kirchen will have to show his cards this weekend and his team will have to continue to ride the wave of good form they are having in order for him to stay in yellow come Tuesday, but I don't think it will happen.

Getting it right..

2008-07-09T11:59:00.002-04:00

The sprinters teams finally got it together today, but they sure left it late to close the gap to the three breakaways. And again it was the french teams on the attack, on a stage that didn't suit a break reaching the line, but since riders are making the race by taking chances, it took a huge effort to close the gap.

Columbia is riding on a high after signing their new sponsor and their riders have finished on the top spots in every stage so far, with Kirchen riding in green for a few days and Lokvist in the white jersey, no better way to grab publicity for the new boss. Gerosltiner also did itself another favor by staying in yellow on more day, helping its hunt for a sponsor.

Mark Canvendish showed once again that on a straight line, he's the fastest guy on two wheels. Each of the big sprinters was there, getting support from their teams, yet once the youngster from the Isle of Man took off, the rest were racing for second.

And today marked the end of the race for Mauricio Soler of Barloworld, who once again, managed to hit the deck. Poor guy, better luck next year. Tomorrow's stage to Supper Besse should be a dandy, a nice opening to a weekend of fireworks in the Pyrennes.

Surprise...

2008-07-08T11:39:00.002-04:00

For sure Steffan Schumacker was not ranked high on the list of possible winners, with the likes of Cancellara and Millar gunning for stage 4. But the German rider set a devastating pace through the 18 mile course to take home the stage and yellow jersey. And with tomorrow's flat stage, he's assured a day in yellow, at least.

Of the main contenders for overall victory, Evans, Menchov and Sastre all did fantastic job to move up or stay within striking distance of each other. Valverde however catapulted down the general classification and now has a tough job when the race enters the mountains.

Get some!

2008-07-07T12:22:00.003-04:00

Sooner or later it was going to happen and today four brave warriors took the bull by the horns, by staying almost the entire stage in front of the peloton and with that, a new change on GC. Here at the house we were rooting for Will Frishckorn, but to tell you the truth, any of the four deserved the stage, after a truly gutsy ride. Faillou was on a high today and almost pulled the double, by winning the stage and taking the yellow jersey, but the shortest rider in the Tour, Samuel Dumoulin was quickets to the line.

The question for me in the last 25kms was, why was Quickstep pulling?. Presumably they had itentions of pulling the break and setting the sprint for Gert Steegmans, but he himself was helping to drive the pace. Maybe it was because the crash with 22kms that set them off, but again, with no real GC aspiriations, and with the break long gone, Quickstep wasted energy on a fruitless chase.

Denis Menchov and Ricardo Ricco were caught behind the last crash of the day and had to set hot pace to limit the damage at the end. Again, Ricco's team hesitated to help Rabobank to chase back on to the leaders and their deficit went from 15 seconds to 30+ at the end. This could hurt Menchov's hunt for yellow.

The rest of the main contenders were attentive enough to stay near the front and Caisse de Espargne again did another superb job escorting Valverde through the wind and rain. Evans and Sastre are quietly within striking distance, but the real fight for GC will start tomorrow with the ITT. We'll see who is in for real.

Thor-nder..

2008-07-06T11:48:00.002-04:00

Making use of the excellent work that team Credti Agricole did, Thor Hushovd won the second stage of the Tour, giving his managers a boost in the search for a new team sponsor. Adding to that the green jersey for the day, and things are looking good for the boys in green.

Caisse de Espagne did their duty at the front controlling most of the peloton, keeping their leader safe and out of the blistering wind and allowing the french duo of Chavanel and Voeckler to venture ahead for most of the stage. Voeckler increased his lead on the KOM competition and Chavanel conquered the most agressive rider jersey. So far the fact that the race started without a prologue has proved a good choice. The racing, although nervous, has been exciting, especially in the last 20kms.

Cancellara did his usual trick towards the end, but unlike Milan-San Remo, Filipo Pozatto was paying attention, although both of their efforts came to nothing, as Hushvod sprinted for victory. Kim Kerchen had another good finish, but I'm wondering if his efforts will cost them later in the race. And poor Mauricio Soler had another hellish day, finishing another 7 minutes back.

And there are off!!

2008-07-05T11:26:00.003-04:00

The first stage of the Tour is in the books and it went pretty much as expected. The early break established a short lead and it stayed there. Their main concern was riding for the points and KOM jerseys, which were very hotly contested, with good ol' Thomas Voeckler becoming the first wearer of the polka dot tunic.

Crashes were the order of the day, with several minor pileups roughing some feathers. Cofidis lost Luclos-Lasalle to a broken wrist and Barloworld's attempt to the GC took a hit when their Colombian leader, Francisco Soler managed to re-hurt his hand/wrist and in the process lost a chunk of time while chasing back on.

Obviously the big winner today was Alejandro Valverde and his Caisse de Espagne team (that's one sexy looking bike he's riding). Although they will have to decide how to handle the enormous pressure of holding the leader's jersey, he has started on the right foot. On the other hand, today's loser is the aformentioned Mauricio Soler, and even though the race just got underway, he finds himself at a disavantage time wise.

Tomorrow's stage will pretty much be a copycat of today's, with the battle for the KOM's taking center stage. Ricardo Ricco is my pick for Stage 2, and with the win, he will increase his lead on the white jersey competition.

It's time!!!

2008-07-02T19:26:00.002-04:00

No..no...no, not for me to get back on the bike. That will take another 11 or so days since I'm having a great time with my two daughters so far, and to give you a tip, go watch Wall-E, it rules!!!. Not so for Kung Fu Panda, which the girls and I thought was a bit on the boring side, but Wall-E is a pretty good flick. But it's time for the big show, the mother of all bike races, no matter what the critics say, around this time every year, people just go ga-ga for Le Tour.

Since I have a little more time in my hands due to the lack of riding and the fact that both girls are into cycling, I'm going to evaluate each stage and give you my humble opinion on who rode great, average, poor and who just didn't have a clue each day. So come by and check the space now and then, leave your comments and enjoy the race.

Put a fork in it

2008-05-31T21:33:00.002-04:00

The first part of the season came to an end today at Murad. Not much to report from the event, other than the crash looked pretty ugly and I managed to get through it by mere luck. Now it's time to pack the bags and head first to Dallas and then to Miami for some fun in the sun. "Lucinda" will receive some TLC from one of the best mechanics in the world, my dad, who will arrive in DC in a week's time. Oh, and I turn 35 tomorrow, so if you see me at the CSC Invitational, no jokes about getting old.

Improsive...

2008-05-24T23:02:00.004-04:00

The pesky cold that has planted in my chest seems to want to hang on a little longer and really enjoy the ride. After the debacle that the So. Maryland Crit was for me, the week leading to Bike Jam was not perfect preparation. Then again, I don't have a coach, don't own a heart rate monitor, SRM, Power Tap or any other technical gadget that's used to improved someone's form. I followed the prophetic words of Eunsebio Unsue (director sportif of Caisse D'Espargne, formerly known as Banesto)when he referred to one of his most important pupils' training: "What Miguel needs to get in shape are three things: 1) Bike, 2) Bike and 3) More Bike". When I heard those words in the autumn of 1991, my training routine for the next two decades was drawn.

So taking three days off because of work and my body needing some time to fight the aforementioned cold, riding pre Bike Jam was a battle in itself. Good thing Dani called me on Thursday to go to Hains because I would have bailed. 48 miles later, I was coughing all kinds of crap out of my chest and came pretty close to breaking a rib with the intensity of the hacking. Legs and lungs were not fully operational and I was fighting the bike, instead of feeling as one. Friday, Jose joined Dani and I for another stroll to Hains, this time at noon. Some frisky stuff there, but I kept a tight pull on the reins, not wanting to get too carried away. Again, coughing like crazy.

Jose and his parents picked me up at around 1PM and off to Baltimore we went. It took a while to get there because of some traffic issues and a route change, but eventually we arrived with plenty of time to spare. Not feeling up for the task at hand, I let myself slip into thinking that getting dropped was not a bad thing, since I was sick and all. Another half ass warm up around the park and then off to see the big guns finish. On the way there, Jose's dad kept telling me to just let the legs do the talking, but I was not sure the legs were wanting to talk.

Good thing we only stood at the start/finish for a short time and then the cat4 bunch was off. The pace was relentless from the word go, with a long line of single filed riders. Lap one I used to check out the direction of the wind and learn the turns. After a self check it became apparant that I wasn't feeling bad at all and proof to that was the gear ratio selection for each lap, spinning on the 16 or 17, a sign that the engine was firing in all cyclinders and most importantly, I wasn't fighting the bike. Despite the wind, I found it easy to move on the right side of the uphill section, however, I decided to sit at the back and just enjoy the race.

People were getting dropped thick and fast and in more than one occassion I could hear a rider about to lose contact with the pack, panting and grunting, with the fast pace claiming casualties on every lap. With 5 to go, my activities at the back were coming to an end and as the pack was in full flight, on the hunt of some fugitives that had left the comfort of the group. Again, picking the right lane up the hill was working fine for my now stealthy approach to the front, although I did have to hit the afterburner once when a few other fellas found the pace too hot to handle. Two to go and I was about to latch myself onto a good wheel to follow. I had a few choices, but the idea was to make the final assault on the right side of the uphill and my leadout man had to have the same idea. Riding like this is always fun because one has to improvise at the last minute. On the last lap, Jorge from Artemis was the wheel picked for the job and the selection of a gear that could propel me to the front was made. The accordion stretched on the 120 degree turn and I lost contact with Jorge, crap.

A hard jump out of the turn had me back in business, with the ever popular right lane wide opened as I approached the hill, and better yet, Jorge was just in front. And right when I stood to unleash hell, the crash happened to my left. Things turned into slow motion and I could see and hear trouble to my nine o'clock. Bodies hitting the deck and a bicycle without a rider was cause for concern, as it bounced, unsupervised, towards the path I wanted to follow to avoid any mishaps. Once again improvisation was necessary, this time to get me out of a rather dangerous situation. Jorge was still to my twelve o'clock, somehow he got through the mess, but my only option was to drastcially change my flight plan, turning to my right and getting on the grass, since the now riderless bike was an obstacle I was not wanting to deal with in any way. I'm not a fan of cross or mountain biking, but my short foray off road was necessary to keep my team kit and bike intact. Another quick jump and safe back on the tarmac and accross the finish. Jose was 4th, another good result for my Puerto Rican friend and I was delighted with my 16th. Before that race, I would have never thought that Bike Jam was going to be fun, with the way I was feeling before the start, but in the end, a little improvisation made for some good times.

Whoopped!

2008-05-18T23:19:00.003-04:00

I'm not making excuses, not at all, but the First Annual Southern Maryland Crit was not my event. After a recovery week last week, coming back from fighting a pesky cold, things were looking good on Thursday, that was until I saw "The Wagon"take a nasty spill. Friday, my friend Chance arrived from Atlanta for a business trip which included some riding. Chance is a product developer for Blue and I have known him and his better half for years. Since it had rained most of the morning on Friday, the crowd at Hains was minimal.

Saturday Chance met with the company's reps for the area and we did a leg of the MS150 in Loudon County. Very scenic loop, with some great views, and spectacular weather. As per custom, the harrassing was full on through the 60 or so miles covered, which translated into a great time on the bike.

This morning right as we were arriving in LaPlata the rain came, and it was on and off all darn day. I quickly made note of how the packs were breaking under the influence of pace, wind, wet road conditions and the odd crash, but still, I didn't know what to expect. It was without a doubt the smaller pack so far in any of the races I have taken part, and some familiar faces were present. Right off the bat, I had trouble clipping, and like I said, I'm not making excuses. I caught back on, and worked my way towards the middle of the pack, and it took me longer than I wanted. As soon as I got there, another accleration sent me backwards, so again, I worked my way forward. On the downhill/90 degree turn, another rider bumped into me as we were exciting the turn. The impact moved the computer which started to hit the magent on the wheel, making a very annoying "thung-thung" sound every time the wheel went around.

Now a bit pissed off because of the little things above mentioned, I thought I would give it a stick and try to reattach my sorry self back to the group and by God, I did, with the "thung-thung" blasting in my and everyone's ears. The effort took a bit more than I thought, and the Chicken Teriyaki sandwich I had for lunch almost made an appearance, going the reverse way it went in. And that my friends was it for yours truly. I made a half ass effort for one more lap and graciously waved at the chief ref as he signaled me to exit right at the start finish area.

Chance, who was witnessing the events unfold, wasted no time to start his famous bashing, which did nothing but improve my mood and no soon was he in full bashing mode that Jose rolled in, head down, disgusted at his performance, which only added wood to the fire Chance was feeding. Nothing like good friends around after a tough outting. Both Jose and I sat down, exchanged excuses as to why we rode so poorly, heard Chance bash us some more and watched the finish of the cat4s and gave a few of the guys some shouts to continue the fight. Kylelooked in control and had a good ride. The 1,2,3 was insanely fast, guys dropping left and right, due to the intense pace and constant attacking, it sure was fun to watch but even then, it looked really hard.

Caution

2008-05-11T22:23:00.006-04:00

After Poolesville I came down with a cold, perfect timing, right at the start of the busiest racing month of the year. Even though I wasn't completely out for the count, I had this nagging cough, congestion and overall crappy feeling all over, although and thankfully the fever stayed away. Hoping that a few days would take care of things, I didn't think twice about it and last Wednesday the early ride helped things, or so I thought. That night it seemed I took two steps back and the congestion was getting worse. Add to that the fact that the weather went pear shape and racing at Fort Richie was going to be a game time decision.

Saturday morning came and the rain was relentless, which sank all hopes I had to race. I cancelled with Jose since he was picking me up and instead I sat around and watched the Giro's TTT and came across Stefania Andriola, and just like that the rain stopped, things started to dry out and for a brief moment I thought of going to the race, such was the effect of Stefania. The bag was packed and the girlfriend did all she could to offer some support and encouragement to go racing. But knowing that with only one easy day of riding in the last 8 days, I was going to be easy prey, I decided to sit this one out and just get better for the next few events.

With only two stages so far in the Giro, all the main contenders are showing their cards early and that just makes the racing fun. I'm following the race on RAI, and aside from the video fee stopping every 14 minutes or so to reload, the commentating of Davide Cassani and Auro Bulbarelli is outstanding, and although my italian is limited at best, it sure makes for some interesting stuff. And of course, there's Alessandra De Steffano covering the interviews, and did I mention Stefania?.

Confused?...WTF

2008-05-06T12:55:00.002-04:00

This morning I woke up feeling like royal crap. Even though I have managed to contain the virus (cold/flu) in my head, I still have that not so good feeling all over my body. So "Lucinda" (the bike) and I will not go out for some fun and games today. Instead I'm under the influence of Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine putting up a good fight. Because of the free time, I surfed the net and saw this piece of news. The more I read it, the more confusing the story became. He's guilty, yet he doesn't get the full suspension and we are taking some of his victories but he can keep some. WTF?.

Then there's good old Patxi Vila and his just slightly high testosterone level. What gets me is the quote from the Lampre press officer: "He is an exemplary rider and we have faith in him," but if for some unexplained reason the B sample comes back positive, I'm affraid the feeling will not be the same and he'll get the boot. Just the law of the cycling jungle.

And last but not least, Astana is going to the Giro. Whatever the reason given for the last minute invitation, it would be interesting to see Levi and Alberto work for Andreas, who on paper, seems to be their best bet after his recent success in Romandie. Of course, if Alberto decides to make a point as to why they should go to France in July, that third week will be en fuego.

Alright then, time for me to take another dose. By the way, is Alka Seltzer in the UCI banned list of products?

In the trenches

2008-05-04T10:56:00.004-04:00

Last year's Poolesville race was pretty much over for me from the word go. Sitting dead last was not the place to be, and I found myself having to pass people and close gaps in the dirt section, which took a lot out of me. Lesson learned.

This edition was going to be different for me, so I decided to stay towards the front this time. No sooner had we gone through the neutral roll out and a DC Velo kid had the group single file. I wasn't completely warmed up yet and could feel my knees popping, but the effort kept the group in check on the approach to the dirt section. I entered it and took the right lane, which turned out to be, in my humble opinion, the wrong lane. It became littered with flying bottles and the "holes", looked more like trenches, which put an end to several riders' day. The rest of the first lap was without incident for me, other than having to give one of my bottles to Jose who had lost his onboard water supply. NCVC had a lone rider just off the front.

At the start of the second lap, the group picked up speed through the section of rollers at the beginning of the course, when all of the sudden the breakaway NCVC rider was laying on the road and it didn't look like he was getting up any time soon (hopefully you are OK dude). On the start of the third lap, the group picked up steam and we went through the roller section quite fast, and on the approach to where the NCVC had gone down, the motorcycle referee almost came to a complete stop, trying to warn the group that we had to slow down due to the EMT trucks attending the NCVC guy and Rayman who had also tasted pavement in the 40+/50+ race. Because of the sudden breaking, a crash almost happened, and Jose ended up having his front wheel hit someone's rear deraillieur, which caused two spokes to bend and his front wheel was pretty much out of commission. He kept going though, but his luck was about to run out.

Entering the "rider/waterbottle/flats/crash graveyard", two riders went down hard and everyone had to take evasive maneuvers to avoid colliding with the two who had gone down. I got through it just fine, but Jose's momentum carried him in a different direction and he was on a collision course with a girl and a tree. Thankfully, he picked the tree and came away with a bruised lower arm and his day was now officially over. The size of the group coming out of the gravel section was now about 25 riders, and we faced one more crossing before heading to the finish. Teams were playing their cards now, sending riders off the front, which caused the pace to stay a little high, but nothing too uncomfortable. That's until the beginning of the last lap, when a group of about seven riders went off the front and quickly got down to business. All of big teams were represented (Artemis, Capitol Hill, AABC) and it was left to the rest to close the gap. A Haymarket guy, on his way to the front, was pretty much on the yellow line and almost took me and another guy down. He made it there alright and then he went on to tow the rest of the group back to the leaders. I'm sure he paid for that one at the end.

Artemis then went on the offensive and sent a rider off the front, with a NCVC guy in hot pursuit. The two stayed out there through the feedzone when the last two Capitol Hill guys went to the front and ramped the speed up. It was time to find a wheel to follow and I went with a AABC guy on a Cervelo, but next thing I know, Jorge from Artemis came by and I got on his wheel. I knew Jorge was on good form because I saw him sprint on the Sunday ride and he was strong. And it was no different today, because with about 150m to go, he jumped hard and quickly got a gap. I reacted and went after him, but I wasn't going to get him, he was by far the faster sprinter and crossed the line first, just ahead of his teammate and I came in third.

A fantastic result for myself and the team, which is now sporting the new colors (mostly black, with some red and a touch of white), a very nice look if I say so myself. Now, I'm down with a cold, but things should be just fine for next week. Guys are going to be out for revenge for sure, but all I need to do is continue to ride with confidence and be aggressive.

Full schedule

2008-05-01T23:11:00.003-04:00

The next month will be full of racing, with a race happening every weekend. I'm looking forward to it. One thing that I noticed after I moved to Virginia from Texas is that getting into a race here is harder than the actual race itself. If you are not on the computer at 8PM EST on the day the registration opens, you are S.O.L. In Texas, you could decide the night before if you want to race, drive to the venue and spend about 5 minutes in registration, no problems. Here, it's like a mad dash for the line just to get in.

So I have kept myself occupied by doing the 10AM and the 8:30AM rides on the weekends, taking Monday and Tuesday off, Wednesday is usually a struggle to get on the bike, with my body not wanting a piece of the action. Thursdays are spent at Hains Point in the afternoon and the rides have gone quite well. Big groups, fast pace, dangerous moments but overall I feel like it's helping me position myself better. Friday is back to Hains for an easy spin even though the odd guy likes to crank it up every now and then.

Caught a bit of the Versus coverage of Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Phil Liggett is a great guy (I know this because I once met him), but if I hear him call Alejandro Valverde, Alessandro, I may have to place a call to the studio in Stamford and have a talk with the man himself. I mean, for the past 20 years I have enjoyed his commentary along with Paul Sherwen's top class analysis of races, and who can't enjoy a Liggetism every time a doomed breakaway is about to get caught, and it's OK if every now and then he can't determine the identity of the riders at the front, middle or the back of the pack, come on, they are riding really fast and it's hard to catch those damn numbers, but for Pete's sake Phil (hopefully he reads my blog), it's ALEJANDRO when you refer to the Spaniard. Petacchi's name is Alessandro. Thank you.

Dazed

2008-04-25T15:42:00.003-04:00

That's how I'm feeling after having taken the first part of the week off. I like one day off after three days of riding; two days off are OK sometimes, but three is just pushing my luck. I develop a nice rhythm on the bike and then I go on a mini vacation and the whole thing falls apart, then it takes what it seems like ages to find the groove again. And to add insult to injury, a saddle sore showed its ugly face the other day. I thought the three days off would take care of it, but the bastard hung tough and put a semi concious battle. That's until it met its nemesis, Mr. Cortisone 10%. Hah, lets see who's laughing now.

So yesterday was back to Hains in the afternoon for some spinning fun. I got there right before 5pm and hooked up with Dani for some warm up laps. After a while the group was huge and the speed was up. It can be a little scary riding at Hains and I'm amazed that crashes don't happen that often, with all the "slower" riders, joggers, walkers, tourists, cars and of course the odd rider who decides to ride against traffic, WTF with these folks? A certain member of the senate made an apperance for a second time in two weeks and he was hanging in there.

Today I just went off for an easy ride on the trail and then went to Hains to spin. 30 minutes at a peaceful pace before someone ignited the fire and things went up to warp speed. At one point a motorcyclist decided to motorpace the group and that just did it for me. Back home to catch the end of the Tour of Georgia on the net. The weekend looks promising with the 10AM planned for Saturday and the Bicycle Place ride on Sunday, and riding to both rides from the house will add some mileage. Then May looks pack with racing, before the mid year break.

Thunderstruck!

2008-04-20T20:24:00.003-04:00

The week prior to Carl Dolan went according to plan, and with the weather warming up everyday, the training block was a good one. However, mentally, I wasn't feeling it for the race. It wasn't anxiety or lack of confidence, I was just not looking forward to racing. And waking up at 3AM, listening to the rain outside didn't help matters one bit.

Jose showed up at the house to pick me up late, no big surprise there. The rain was still present and it made the drive to the race a quite one, with both of us having second thoughts, but not really wanting to tell each other so. Once at the venue, we saw the finish of the Women 4 race, before the rain decided it was time for us to seek shelter on the food tent on our way to the car. Again, the second thoughts began to wonder and this time we decided to talk about it. That was until Jose started to play AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" and even though it was pouring out, the mood quickly changed. So we just kept playing the song over and over again.

The 3/4 race was going well for me despite the lack of mental motivation, my legs were feeling great and I was comfortably sitting at the tail end of the group. The pace was steady through out the race until the big pile up happened. Nasty stuff, bodies flying, screams, bikes and parts. It was sketchy for a brief moment, with the left, right and center blocked with the victims and their rides. Then the officials stopped the race so the ambulances could take care of the injured riders. Don't know exactly how many people were hurt, but I hope you are all doing OK. I haven't checked the results, but it sure was fun doing a slow motion sprint with Kylefor one of the last places.

"It's Friday man!"

2008-04-11T16:44:00.004-04:00

Finally the legs and arms got to taste the sun. After months of hiding under warmers and jackets, it felt good to get some sun. Yesterday there were all kinds of riders and tourists doing their thing at Hains Point. Luckly, there were not close encounters for either of the two parties taken over the park. I logged about two hours and saw some of the girls from the team doing their intervals. They looked sharp and the results they have gotten so far shows that their hard work is paying off. Hopefully some will rub off to the rest of the squad.

Today I "attempted" the noon ride. Got there right at 12 and there were only six riders. By the end of lap one the group had grown to about 15, but the presence of a few Harley Davidson guys was enough to know that we were in for some fun times in the pain box. I did my mandatory pull at the front during lap two, keeping the throttle at around 21mph. This speed of course was too slow for the faster ones in the group and no soon had I gotten to the back of the pack that the pace was ramped to about 28mph, courtesy of the aforementioned HD boys.

Tongues out, single file and dodging the odd driver trying to parallel park, the group quickly started to shed the weaker mortals. On the airport side, I found myself behind a rider on a Colnago, from a team with a brownish jersey (something BET or VET), anyhow, the guy let a small gap open and two NCVC guys jumped from behind trying to stay in touch with the front guys. Colnago dude is now working hard but we are still not gaining ground, so as I jumped to try to latch onto the now almost gone train, the guy yells at me, "It's Friday man!". Never saw him again.

Gone was the group, I didn't close the gap, and neither did the two NCVC guys. A few more laps around for good measure and then back to the house with a quick stop at the airport to see the planes land. Matt (from Colavitta) came by and we rode part of the way home. Hopefully the rain will stay away until the afternoon tomorrow, so a ride can be accomplished, if not, there's always Sunday, and the warmers and the jackets will get to shine again.

A day of firsts

2008-04-06T21:45:00.005-04:00

After Walkersville yesterday, I went to the team's "meet-n-greet" and had a blast. A few Amstel Lights were consumed and chatted with members of the team. Got home relatively early and then the rain started. At about 4AM I was half asleep and I could hear the rain outside, still though, I was banking on the weather forecast, for the rain to stop right around noon. The morning came and Jose was on the phone as I was packing the car, and he didn't sound to sure about making the drive to Tysons, but it was Tour of Flanders weekend, and so to the race we went.

The minute I clipped my feet, I knew the legs were recovered from yesterday's festivities. The warm up wasn't ideal with the rain and cold, but still, I managed to stay warm and dry as much as possible. The call was made for the riders to lineup and the ref told me my number was too high. That's a first for me since the girlfriend is pretty good a pinning the numbers, except today. I was starting next to Raymanso he kindly unpinned the number and the ref finished the job. Thanks Ray!

The race was the usual stuff, with guys keeping an eye on lines and giving each other enough space to move around. I went without sunglasses and had to fight the rooster tails for a bit, but I was able to move around without too much trouble. Although the legs felt good, the rest of the systems were not firing at optimal level, so for a few laps I stood on the pedals on the hill and slowly brought the heart rate up to where it needed to be. Tysons was my first race in the DC area last year after moving from Texas and my fan base was very limited then, but I'm happy to report that with my girlfriend, Dani who was there for the beginning, Gary, and some of my teammates, I heard my name out there and it sure helped.

Up the hill and I see "7 laps to go", so I started to work my way to the front, again, saving as much energy as possible and gaining ground with each lap. The next check I did to the lap counter was at 3 laps and I was about 10th wheel, but then I got caught up in the action and lost track of how many laps were left, so with two to go, I went inside on the last turn, and found open space, the guys were stringing things out but I'm sprinting hard, thinking to myself this is it!. People are screaming and I'm thinking at least a podium spot. The bike rolls over the line and I made eye contact with my girlfriend, but it seemed wierd to me that she was jumping up and down. Then I heard her say, "you still have one more lap". WTF!!. Another first one.

"Stay cool man, reload and give it another go!" was my thinking, so I went back in the group, took a few deep breath and avoided the NCVC guy who somehow went down on the first turn. His look was pretty funny (sorry dude!), but I didn't have much time to laugh. Down the hill, and I lined up for the sprint about 15th wheel, but when I stood again wanting to stump the pedals, the legs were like two rags in the wind, so I sat down, greeted the teeth and saw Jose take a fine win. So a day of firsts but with another positive sign that the form is good and my confidence in the pack has reached highs that I haven't experienced for a very long time. Now I'm taking it easy this week, and then back into the action.

We sat around to cheer the boys on the 3/4 and it was a good and bad day for the squad. Jeff won the race with an impressive sprint, but Scott went down hard and although preliminary reports indicate that nothing is broken (but he'll need a new handlebar for sure), he will be out of action for a bit. Wayland and Tom did a good job, with Wayland putting in some digs at the front, while smiling all the time.

Tactical Mistake

2008-04-05T22:31:00.002-04:00

The weather gods blessed the later races with sunshine and warm temperatures at Walkersville, but the strong wind was distributed equally amongst all the fields today. As usual, I made the trek to the race with Jose and we were up to our usual tricks. Once on site, he was first off the blocks with the CAT4s. I played photographer for a bit and then settled back in the car waiting for the Masters 35+ 4/5 race. In the process I ran into some of the girls from the team who had performed another hit by winning the road race for the second week in a row. Also I caught up with Rayman and we agreed on helping each other as much as possible.

We started late and that was fine by me, the later it got, the warmer it got and since I'm solar powered, I was feeling pretty good. First lap went without much noise and I stayed close to the front just in case. On the second lap there was someone off the front and the pack was content with having them for a while. But once he was caught, I made a move on the last right turn of the course and a Kelly rider came with me. We quickly opened a gap and the two of us traded nice, smooth pulls until the right hand turn after the finish line.

The wind in that section was the strongest and my companion suggested to change our tactic to shorter pulls, keeping the pace even and I agreed 100%. As we were nearing the end of the "windy section" I glanced back and noticed that the pack was about 50 yards behind, with one lonesome guy in between. It was then that I decided that our time off the front had come to an end and it was back to the comfort of the pack. But unknown to me, my break buddy kept his nose on the stem and the lonesome guy caught up to him, and by the time the pack got to me, the pack's speed went condiserably down, allowing the two guys upfront time to continue the escape. Then it hit me, the two guys at the front had the most teammates each and each team proceeded to slow the chase and disrupt any attempt of bringing them back. So the lead went from almost 10 seconds to 35 seconds and that's all it took. They stayed away for the rest of the race and I was in the now diminished chase group.

Rayman, Lance (from ARBT), a Coppi guy and the dude who was at the front early on did their best to organize a chase, but it was a numbers game. As we headed towards the line, I moved up towards the front but was exposed to the wind from about 500 meters, so my sprint amounted to just pretty much nothing. Nonetheless I was very happy because for once I was out there, making people chase me instead of the other way around and it was fun. True I made a tactical error by not staying at the front, but I'll take it as a lesson. The legs felt great and it was tons of fun.

Of course there were some who complained about getting boxed in. Next time ride aggressively and maybe you'll find the room. And it's always the guy who finishes way back who makes such statements. Congrats to Mark from Kelly Benefits who put on an amazing effort to stay off the front and get the win.

Hopefully tomorrow the legs will be there again, but as I type this, rain is beginning to fall. It's Tour of Flanders time.

Already Thursday

2008-04-03T19:53:00.002-04:00

The blog made its first official link appearance on Gamjams yesterday and it got about 50 hits in just one day. Thanks for reading. Not much going on this week as far as riding goes, since Monday was a scheduled day off, Tuesday was also taken off, yesterday I went to New York for work and today I finally got to ride 25 easy miles. I decided to switch my seatpost back to the Specialized one and this put the saddle 12mm further back than I had it. Riding felt just a little more comfortable, but only if I stayed on the top of the bars, anything else was almost out of the question. So back on is the Thomson one and this time at a much more managable 5mm back from my old position. I'm trying to find the sweet spot where I can ride without the nagging pain on my left shoulder after about one hour.

The "Holy Week" is going on over in Belgium and Tour de Flanders should be a nice this year, with the weather playing a big role this time around. Wind, rain, hail and maybe some snow is expected, and the mercury will probably top 5 degrees centigrade. The locals are in for a great race and hopefully we can catch some of the action on the tele on this side of the pond.

Walkersville and Tyson's Corner are next on the agenda. I'm doing my very first Masters race (I'm getting old!) and I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully it will be a bit harder than Jeff Cup and the racing will be on. It's hard for me to make preditcions about attacking and putting the hurt on the field, but if I see Kyle or Rayman I might just talk to them about distributing some justice to the pack. Look out now!

Jeff Cup

2008-03-31T10:05:00.005-04:00

Probably one of the coolest races I have done in my time (and believe you me. I've done my share of racing). The rolling enclosure feature was great, the course was fun (especially the dowhills) and the other 124 dudes in there, well, what can I say. For the day, I travelled down with Jose and Dan and met my teammate Wayland from Richmond. The plan for the group (even though we race under different colors) was to stay clear of any crashes and race hard. My personal goal was to work on positioning in the bunch, something I was planning on focusing big time.

As I age, I tend to get grumpy before a race, don't really know why, but it just happens. It's even part of my pre race routine along with the usual trip to the "green or blue house" depending on the color at each venue. So pinning my number, I'm complaining about how cold it is, about how the sore throat is getting worse, the economy, you name it. Dan gets me going for our warm up and things start to feel better, the legs are spot on, the lungs are working well and the bike feels good. Mood begins to shift from grumpy to a little less grumpy, which I take as a positive sign.

At the start line Jose is the one complanining about how cold it is. I'm thinking to myself that it's hot and pleasant, anything to keep the head occupied thinking about something else other than the weather. Off we go and I'm at the front of the pack, feeling good but as we rolled through the start finish, the left side of the road gets crowded all of the sudden and we are racing. I stay at or near the front for most of the first lap taking note of the group's movements. The usual kamikaze rider or three is present and as is customary near me. On the second lap my legs decide to take a break going up the long hill and I find myself in a spot of bother for a brief moment. I pulled the throttle back, letting my body catch a break and it did the trick, as I started to feel better right at the top, but found myself in what I thought was the middle of the pack, so I glance back and realized I was the tail. Move up time.

Throughout the race, I kept an eye on the boys and they all seem good. Wayland was looking good, moving around the pack and several times we checked with each other to see how each was feeling. I caught up with Rayman and Kyle and had a brief chat with each of them. On the final lap, I was expecting things to go nuts, at least the three kamikaze riders I had spotted were now gone and that was one (three!) less dangers everyone had to deal with. Up the hill one last time and things are looking good, I'm moving easily and with confidence towards the front, taking my time getting there and doing it as subtle as I could. We are approaching the last turn and I am remembering the advise given, "don't be at the front at the turn, it's way to far out from the finish", and right when I make my turn, a NCVC rider onboard a BH bike suddenly changes his line and it's on a direct collision course with my front wheel. Only a Robbie Mcewen-esque move saved me from tasting pavement. Instead of giving the guy an earful, I went on, now trying to make up for lost ground and to my surprise, the field spread out. Back on, I started to pick my way to the front and was sitting right in the middle, not where I wanted to be, but at least I wasn't at the back.

The elastic started to stretch one last time and I was expecting the road to open up a bit on the left side from the last 300meters on, but too many people just sat up in the middle of the road and even though I managed to zig zag my way through many of them, it wasn't enough to unleash a proper sprint. And there was no point risking a crash for 50th place (officially 28th!). Across the line and Jose was by my side with Dan a few bike lenghts ahead. Overall it was good, the legs felt good and I'll chalk the brief moment of panic on the second lap to the cold weather. Moving around the pack was accomplished and I felt comfortable doing it, not stressed.

Caught up with Wayland on our way back to the school and went over how the race went for each of us. It was actually cool having someone else with the same jersey, and it sure did help to draft behind him a few times. The week is looking gloomy on the weather side of things and but at least nextweekend is full of racing and the team's dinner throwing in there for good measure. Good times!

Resting and Waiting

2008-03-26T16:41:00.002-04:00

So this week is just a "chill" week for me, after some crazy mileage last week. I'm laying low waiting for Jeff Cup, doing the early thing over at Hains Point, but again, nothing big, just spinning and resting. Today I wasn't feeling too hot, but I'm not going to worry one bit. The goal is to work hard on positioning and then continue to improve through out the season.

We are supposedly having friends arriving from the Lone Star State tonight, but thanks to American Airlines two of them are stranded in Dallas. Hopefully they can get things worked out and head over this way so we can celebrate the girlfriend's birthday on Saturday. No worries, I'll keep in mind that Jeff Cup is the very next day, so I'll limit myself to two bottles of wine!

And rumor has it that Dani's secret training is getting him ready for his big ride (or as he loves to call it, the World Champs), but that's according to whom you ask. Word on the street is that he was dropped several times today. I can't confirm nor deny such allegations, but my source can be trusted.

More miles

2008-03-23T12:23:00.003-04:00

Yesterday the plan was almost executed. Riding the 7AM ride had me feeling a little blue, but once we stopped to wait for the 10AM ride to start, my legs were finally ready. But, there's always a but, the weather had something else in mind. The sky had a not so inviting gray look to it, and we were keeping an eye on the road and an eye on the ever changing meteorological conditions. Next thing I know the rider next to me asked "is that hail I feel coming down?". I don't have a problem getting wet (or in this case, pelted by little ice missiles) if the temperature is above, lets say, 80 degrees, anything below that and I will head indoors faster than a Robbie McEwen sprint.

The hail picked up in intensity for a brief period and Jose was wondering what we should do. "Lets push on a little further and then turn around", I said to him and Dan and we continued on, until the first stop sign (the one before the 7 Eleven), where we had determined the turn around point was. The three of us had a close encounter with a 60+ lady and her Chevy Malibu, and when Jose proceeded to "explain" to her that her move was too close for comfort, she started to tell us all about the law and that she knew it all. Her husband seemed to have better common sense and kept quite. But not soon were they moving again that the old fart flipped us the bird. Priceless. The computer showed 80 miles and the legs felt pretty darn good.

Today the Bicycle Place ride got fast almost from the gate and the group broke up earlier than usual. Up Mass. Ave, the pace was good and the A minus or B plus group (depending on how you want to look at it) kept a festive pace even though on Clara Barton things got a bit disorganized. Up Great Falls I found myself on the front with Dani and the rest of the group in tow, so I decided to sit there and set a pace that wasn't going to kill me, but hard enough that everyone stayed behind. Down the park some us went and that was it for the group, as some people decided not to do the park climb and continued on. After a long and hard chase by Dani and his group, I gave them a hand to close the gap to my group and from then on, Dani and I made sure that at least one of us was at the front all of the time.

Legs feel good, even though is taking a long time to get the diesel engine running at a prime level, but I'm hoping that with warmer temperatures in the near future, things will get clicking a lot easier. Jefferson Cup is next week, and then Walkerville and Tyson's Corner. Fun times on the horizon.

I'm ready..

2008-03-21T18:06:00.003-04:00

It's getting to be about damn time for this winter crap to go away and the spring/summer temps to take over. Ohh, and the wind can go to hell too as far as I'm concerned. There, I feel better.

Picked up Jose today and rode from "la casa" over to Hains Point and did the usual stuff with the bunch. Then we headed to Great Falls for some fun and games up and down the hills, doing some pretty good work. We bypassed Clara Barton because of traffic but more because neither of us was in the mood to fight the wind. It actually was a great idea to go the backway, because we took it easy, picked up another rider on the way and chatted a good part of the ride, until the hill of course. After a brief intermition to refuel, we headed back to Alexandria, this time aided most of the way by a tail wind. Again, we kept a nice tempo, but a conversational one. We are both ready for Jeff Cup, the base was laid and now we'll see if the results will show. I want to improve my positioning this year, and hopefully doing all the group rides has helped some, but of course on race day you get the usual wanker(s) that thinks he is going for the World Champs instead of a local race and puts himself and the rest in danger, by acting like a complete moron. But I'll try to stay calm and do my thing.

The weather is calling for 45% to 60% chance of rain tomorrow, depending on who "the guesser" is, so we are closely monitoring the climatic conditions, because tomorrow we are planning a "doble tanda". Hopefully Dan and Dani will join us in the suffering, I mean, the fun.

Almost time

2008-03-17T17:53:00.002-04:00

First, congrats to Jose for 4th at UMD over the weekend. I know for a fact that he has trained hard this winter and the guy is flying. Excpet on the last climb before my house where usually he gets to see the back of my jersey, but even now is getting harder and harder to get by him. From what he told me about the race, it was good fun, even though some of the blogs that I read had a different view on things. Nonetheless, I was prepping up to do Tradezone and bypassed UMD on some last minute intel that I got. Dumb move on my part because it rained on Sunday morning.

Today it was the usual stroll to Hains Point at 9AM, with the wind, cold and the park guys doing some house cleaning. Nothing to report other than it was windy, cold, the park crew picked up the trash and some branches and I was not having a good time at all!. But there's always tomorrow, right?.

Good sensations

2008-03-15T15:00:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I felt really tired, and it took a while to get the good sensations back, but Jose and I rode from my house to Hains Point and thankfully, the Friday noon ride turned into a small ring affair. Which was just what I needed to give the legs a proper recovery ride.

Today I ventured out to the 10AM ride, my first one of the year since usually I'm at work on Saturdays. There was a small group due to perhaps the few races going on today and tomorrow. As soon as we left the park, the pace ramped up courtesy of a few guys who seem to enjoy making life hard for everyone else. I hung in there until the first hill on Glen Rd. when I mentally just switch off and brought my throttle back down. There were a few riders in between the first and second group, so I got together with two other guys (one on a black Colnago and another on a Trek 2300) and we pressed on.

Soon it was just me and Trek guy, so we took turns fighting the wind and keeping a good, consistent tempo. The sun was out and it turned out to be another good ride, a good test to see where I stand right now form wise.

Great day

2008-03-13T21:35:00.002-04:00

What a day today was. Got off work around 3:30PM and headed to Hains Point to do laps with some intervals thrown in for good measure. After a few laps warming up, a group started to form and next thing I know we are flying on the airport side, courtesy of a strong tailwind. The laps kept piling on but I wasn't feeling tired and instead kept a good pace in between hard efforts and at the end of the ride, the computer showed 57 miles. I never knew I could ride 57 miles at Hains Point, but having a group to ride/talk with sure made it easier and even fun.

Haven't made up my mind yet about Tradezone, but it's looking like I'll go to check things out. No UMD for me, from what I was told, the course it pretty tight and I might go to watch Jose do his thing. Again, not sure just yet, it will depend on the weather.

Routine

2008-03-11T15:56:00.002-04:00

Here I go again, rode three days off and then, work throws me a curve ball. The bad part is that tomorrow will be a long day, starting around 6AM and going all the way to 11:15PM, nice!!!. The good part is that I wasn't planning to ride tomorrow anyway and now because of the long day ahead, I will actually leave work early Thursday afternoon to do a ride, so at the end it works in my favour. Friday and Saturday are looking like long days on the saddle. The plan is to do a ride with Jose on Friday and maybe we can recruit Dani for the Saturday double. Sunday is up in the air, don't know if I'll do the last Tradezone or the regular Bicycle Place ride.

Looks like The Pro Bike shop is opening a store in Alexandria, about 1 mile from my house which is great. Two bike shops within riding distance, that's good news. Other than that, today's ride at Hains Point was without incidents, same as yesterday and the wind was light so it didn't feel cold at all. Looking forward to the weekend and maybe, just maybe, a ride without knee warmers.

Wuss-o-logy

2008-03-09T21:30:00.002-04:00

Wussology (from Greek: "Wuss"= ME!!!!, and logy "knowledge"). You can say I'm some what of a "wussologist" because this past week I earned my phD on the matter. After a pretty good ride last Monday, things turned bad. Because of crappy weather and work continues to get in the way of the training. Perfect conditions for me to improve my studies in wussology. When I thought I was breaking the habit of riding 4days and then taking 4 days off (for the reasons already mentioned), the pattern continued and on Friday I graduated with top honors after confirming that I'm indeed a wuss. I woke up early with all the intentions of riding, but a quick look outside and my mind started to wonder why the hell did I want to go and ride. I mean, rain was fast approaching and it was pretty darn cold. So, I wussed out.

Yesterday, well it rained forever and instead I went shopping with the girlfriend. Got that one out of the way before the season starts and the weather imrproves. Late last night Dani called to confirm that I was doing the Bicycle Place ride and I had already committed with Dan, so I was in no matter what the weather channel said about high winds and low wind chills. This morning I got up, but the fire inside wasn't there, and I started to take my time getting ready, sings of a great wussologist. Finally out the door, I didn't feel the wind and the thought that the sun was out started to improved my mood. A stop at the gas station to fill up the car put an end to all hopes of riding, when a nasty gust of wind hit me straight on. The white flag went up and I drove back home, changed and hit the couch. At 8:22AM Dani called to check where I was and I had to tell him that I was wussing out of the ride. I'm sure I will hear that one for a while, the Spanish Mafia is pretty hard on wussys, so I have a few lashings coming my way.

Sinking now into mild depression, because I started to feel like I was coming down with a cold, my thoughts of riding kept getting pushed farther and farther away and it took some soul searching to finally get dressed for a second time for a ride. Checked the weather channel and the wind was WNW at 13 mph, which in reality meant, it was windy as hell. Out the door and I'm thinking how bad this ride is going to be, 5 days off, maybe a cold on the way, the wind and wind chill, good stuff if I want to wuss out. I soldiered on and God bless the Ipod and AC/DC because once the famous Aussie band started to jam in my ears, my legs came to life. Screw the wind, and cold, I was on a mission. At Hains Point I started the first lap and got behind a pick up truck for some motorpacing action. Perfect, the driver kept a steady pace all the way around and let me tucked in behind. "Highway to Hell" comes on and I'm kicking a nice tempo, the laps keep flying by and after about one hour, I decide to push on and do a few more, better ride this wave as long as possible. Everything is working perfectly and despite the wind, I'm enjoying the work. On the way home I pondered on how easy is to be a wuss, and the last five days were confirmation that, with all the right ingridients in place, I can be a good one. However, overcoming wussiness is something that we all most learn, and that is a work in progress for me.

It's back

2008-03-03T19:04:00.002-05:00

The rhythm that is. We (The Spanish Mafia) went out today and did part of the 10AM ride, leaving from my house in Alexandria. Total distance was around 70 miles and the wind made it feel more like I rode 100 miles. But the sun was out and and it was warmer. The last two days I had a terrible time trying to get going, nothing seem to work, so I decided to not worry about it and just give it some time. Last night we went to Dani's house for the monthly feast (and beers!) and today I was feeling good again. Maybe that's what I needed, a couple of Coronas and about 10 lbs. of Argentine style barbecue to get the engine back on track. The rest of the week looks like crap training wise thanks to work. It will be all early, early rides and long days at work, but I will not make the same mistake of taking 4 days off in a row. That was just crazy.

More of the same

2008-03-02T14:29:00.003-05:00

I felt like nothing was working today. Even though the sun was out, I was cold, and my legs seem that were not adjusting to the temperature. Dani and Dan were asking me if we were going to "survive" with the A group or stay behind and ride with the B. I told them that it was going to be decided at the top of Mass. Cresting the hill and the A bunch is about 50 yards infront and in between there are a few more riders, so I'm thinking I will catch them without too much trouble. Of course, that didn't happen as riders were not willing to work and entering McArthur, I decided to let the front group go and wait for the second. But they never came, instead it was me, a DC Velo guy and two Bicycle Place riders trading pulls on Clara Barton. But I just didn't have the right feelings and couldn't get into a rhythm, and the B group was nowhere to be found. Up Great Falls I was setting a nice tempo, just hoping that the legs would open up. DC Velo guy and I went down the park and on the way up I started to feel a little better, but when he decided to sprint to the top, the legs finally decided to work. The rest of the ride I felt better and better, never 100%, but at least things were improving. Now I'm looking forward to tomorrow's warm weather and some long miles with the Spanish Mafia. Should be tons of fun and maybe the weather will help my condition.