tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44562925050527131032024-03-12T19:36:39.085-04:00WVU CyclingAnecdotes of members of the WVU Cycling team.WVU Cyclinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06045031079901645054noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-79979816547651624262011-11-23T14:37:00.002-05:002011-11-23T14:40:08.358-05:00Collegiate Season Recap and Nationals lowdownSo, since its been a while since my last update, I’ll give the condensed version of what has been going on up until Collegiate Nationals this past weekend.<br /><br />After pretty much following in step with the ABRA and WVMBA calendars for the entire season, I took a turn and, rather than racing some super fun cross races within an hour of home, decided to spend my weekends high on coffee and nutella driving up and down the east coast to participate in the collegiate racing series. As a student at WVU, I have the awesome opportunity to continue to race mountain bikes until the end of October therefore extending my already long mountain season by about a month.<br /><br />I posted some serious results during the collegiate season taking multiple wins and never anything less than a 3rd place finish. The season rounded out with the WVU home race at Wisp Resort on October 15-16 serving as the conference championship. Taking an early lead on lap one of the three lap 26 mile XC race, I took the win by around 10 minutes. The course was great and suited me well being fairly climbing with a 2.5 mile long climb leading to the finish. Later that afternoon, I also competed in the short track race on top of the mountain where I tore apart the race by lapping the entire field. The course was, again, great. It was definitely a power course providing huge opportunities to lay down some serious wattage and make some big moves. It also had a nice big rock garden tossed in to keep thing interesting for both racers and spectators alike.<br /><br />So, after all of the conundrums that come with traveling 4-6 hours every weekend and hosting a race it was time to get focused for the National Championship. Seeing as we would be heading to nearly 9000 feet at Angel Fire Resort in New Mexico, I knew I was going to need to take some serious fitness with me in order to try and negate the effects of the altitude as much as possible. Competing against guys from Colorado means that, all else constant, they have a 10% advantage on me just from living and training at elevation consistently. However, Coach Rob knew this all too well and set me up with a serious workout plan for the two weeks to get me in shape for a National level race. With a painful bliss, I hammered out interval after interval until it was time to hop on the plane to Albuquerque.<br />After too many hours of plane, airport, and car we arrived at the resort. Upon arrival I received a visual reminder of the elevation. Snow not only dusted but coated the top of the mountain about 1500 vertical feet above the base of the resort. I saw this as no big deal until I came to realize that the XC race snaked its way up through the woods all the way to the peak. That left some decisions to be made on clothing. Too little and I would be a popsicle at the top but too much and I may end up a cold, sweaty gym sock.<br /><br />I headed out for my initial preride of the course on Wednesday afternoon which my youtube video does a good job of describing and showing. At that point, the course was awesome. Not too muddy and pretty tacky. However, when we woke up Thursday morning it was a different a story. Old man winter paid Angel Fire an early visit and left the town covered in 6ish inches of snow. I headed down to the bike shop to see what was going on in terms of course conditions and was told that they were cleaning the course with shovels and snow blowers. So after waiting a few hours for things to get cleaned up and taking time to throw on a tackier rear tire I headed out for preride number two. This time things proved entirely different. The course was not only covered in snow but also beginning to turn into a quagmire. The climb up wasn’t too bad but the descent was absolutely terrible and left me covered in a sticky, constantly hardening clay. At that point I realized that not only would the race be a physical test of ability but also a mental test of sheer desire.<br /><br />Our condo was nicely placed two hops and a jump away from the start so there was no rush in the morning to get ready for the race. After getting up around 7 AM to eat, I milled around the place, watched some TV, and slowly got my cloths ready. Around 10:45 I headed down to get warmed up and check out the course and it’s a good thing too! On the ride over I noticed some shifting problems, which ended up being caused by a tweaked hanger. Thanks to the handy guys from Shimano though I had a new hanger slapped on and was warming up by 11:15.<br /><br />The start went off with a bang at 12:05 and it wasn’t even 30 seconds before I was off the bike. Starting 3 rows deep and in the middle of the pack, I couldn’t get a line to the outside around the madness of lost traction and was forced to dismount with many others on the first climb. I hustled up, went cross eyed, and ran my butt off to get around and in front of most of the madness. Maybe 3 minutes later I was off the bike again, running with everyone else through ankle deep muck. The course had already had 2 races and nearly 100 riders over it 5 times before we hit it so things were just an absolute crap shoot. I ran hard, rode harder, and crashed even harder until I found myself finishing the first lap of three in 12th place. Riding solid behind two University of Colorado guys for most of lap two, I was able to keep a good pace with them and pass one at the top of the climb. I chased the other one, going back and forth with him, for the last lap until he got a lead on me in the final descent and then sealed the deal when I overshot the last muddy turn and hit the deck. Being my first National level event and first event at altitude, I can’t complain about my 11th place finish although I do wish I could have reeled in that UC rider.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIk-KDqLXfxIUTqLtPsRv06ji2NhRSpbEWCPMrZkHR_8_mgd8gRZBz19cOjK_zIHak_W6ni5eBfnG6FJcc5Girh_H3TSXoIrrW94s-nW-4gDNlAkTuZkKRA-OjX8vtukkpKxao8RoJmYZ/s400/DSC_2220-660x438.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIk-KDqLXfxIUTqLtPsRv06ji2NhRSpbEWCPMrZkHR_8_mgd8gRZBz19cOjK_zIHak_W6ni5eBfnG6FJcc5Girh_H3TSXoIrrW94s-nW-4gDNlAkTuZkKRA-OjX8vtukkpKxao8RoJmYZ/s400/DSC_2220-660x438.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Saturday brought the short track and another chance for me to try myself in a huge field. With 71 starters on the line I was more than nervous given the speed of a short track. When the gun went off I punched the gas and immediately began elbowing my way to the outside. We started into a climb again and there was no way I was getting stuck behind a bunch of guys slower than me again! I found a Fort Lewis wheel and let me lead me towards the front. Whoever the kid was, he was riding super well and I was hoping to hold his wheel for most of the race however he gave it a little more gas than I had at one point and I lost him. Midrace or so I made a move for the top five. I was feeling good so I launched an attack, which was unfortunately thwarted by fatigue and the altitude. I ended up dropping back to 12th where I remained for the rest of the race. Again, I am super happy with this result given the many firsts but was a little disappointed that my A game didn’t show up for the short track.<br /><br />Overall, the mountain bike season was pretty good to me. Being my first “serious” year on the bike and training I have to say I am stoked to look back and see what I accomplished. I don’t think it is quite time to hang up the race shoes for the year yet though…..I mean, there is still cross! Well, back to the airport and homework! <br /><br />(Todd Latocha)WVU Cyclinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06045031079901645054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-21075272035350895202011-10-05T09:14:00.001-04:002011-10-05T09:14:16.980-04:00Thanks to ASCI and WISP!A big thanks to the Adventure Sports Center International and Wisp Resort in McHenry Maryland for making a huge effort to host the ACCC Championships on September 15th and 16th. This is a huge deal for WISP and ASCI as it is the same weekend as Autumn Fest, their busiest weekend of the year.<br><br> <br /><br />Saturday will kick off with a Cross Country race out in ACSI territory on the backside of the mountain. After XC concludes Short Track and Super D will take place on the front side of the mountain utilizing 1/3 of the downhill trails on the mountain. Sunday morning will start off with Dual Slalom and end with a gnarly DH race down High Roller and Resurrection.Sean Hiltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038283828659869784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-31715722822994860342011-09-06T18:55:00.003-04:002011-09-06T19:05:54.200-04:00Campbell Recap<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">We managed to pull out of Morgantown 45 minutes later than expected with a trailer-full of bicycles and three passenger cars, but spirits were still high as we rolled out. Then came the “slam on your breaks in the middle of the interstate” traffic on Interstate 79 due to a little Mazda truck sitting on the roof of its cab in the slow lane. After clearing that traffic, we made it onto 19 smoothly and everything was going well. Interstate 77 was also going smoothly; we stopped at Subway in Bland, VA (very fitting name for the place) and discussed how we all believed that “Speed enforced by aircraft” meant that an Apache helicopter would descend from the sky and blow your car up with a grenade launcher if you drove over the speed limit. Somehow, all three passenger cars came to this conclusion. After passing the Jeep and trailer on 79, we never saw them on the drive again so I’m not sure if they had the same ideas on this.<br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">After satisfactorily filling our bellies, we continued our journey on 77 until we hit the exit where 77 splits from 81 and we came to another abrupt halt. Unlike the traffic on 79, however, this time it continued for about 10 miles. Daniele told me that it was only a few miles of traffic until we reached a bridge where whatever was holding us up occurred. Daniele was wrong. We sat in bumper to bumper traffic, slowly lurching along, cresting one hill just to see the red tail-lights slowly climbing the next hill. This happened for about 3 hills or ~10 miles when we finally hit the bridge where traffic had been diverted to the 12-foot-wide shoulder around the area of sanded liquid. We later found out that a FedEx truck had jackknifed and its fuel tank had spilled all over the bridge (I feel sorry for whoever is waiting for those packages).<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">Finally, we make it onto 421 and find the exit for the park we are </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">staying in. We drive through the sketchy little town that is </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">apparently part and/or all of North Wilksboro and turn onto Reservoir Road. Drive to the end of that and find a gate and no sign of any teams set up for camping. Great… now what do we do? Thanks to the power of 3G, I have access to the race flier that gives perfect directions to the camp location. We crest the hill that leads to the dam we are supposed to drive across and what do you know, another gate! Ok, really? Now what? That’s when we notice the 2 VT guys crawling out of the back of their van in the little parking area by the gate. They inform us that half their team hiked across the dam and are sleeping over there, but they are just staying in the van. The park rangers and the sheriff have been called but there is pretty much nothing to be done. Well, we can adapt, we’ll just throw our tents up on this mostly flat grassy knoll beside the gate. No big deal. Well, apparently it is a big deal. The park rangers drive up and tell us we aren’t allowed to camp there and we’ll just need to sleep in our cars for the night. Yes, all 14 of us will sleep well crammed in our 3 sedans and a Jeep! The sheriff also decides to come back after the park rangers leave and informs the VT guys that he “will not deal with this all night.” Sorry sir, it is our goal to stay awake because we have no place to sleep and wreak havoc on your park. We finally get to the parking lot, waking up the vicious dogs in the Xterra parked there already and the GW guy sleeping in it, set up camp, and finally get to sleep. At some point the Jeep furiously rolls in, unhitches the trailer, and pulls back out to sleep in a hotel because they got lost and couldn’t find the park. Sorry guys, you had the flier too.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">The next day begins at 7am for me and apparently 6:30am for others. We’re all looking a little tired, but our spirits are still pretty high considering. We tear down our hard-won camping area, the jeep shows back up to pull the trailer across the dam, and we head over to registration. It’s at this point that we realize that we had been surrounded on three sides by water that night and the hill we had tried to set up camp on was directly adjacent to a cemetery. Everyone does there pre-race thing. Several of us head out to pre-ride the short track course which features a couple of not fun, steep little climbs at the beginning before looping back around to a flowy smooth downhill section and back to the hills. They sent the Men’s C category off a few minutes late and they do their 20 minutes of short track. The rest of us stood around and cheered on our fellows, especially the 2 freshman who were putting out an astounding effort (big kudos to you guys!) and watching the VT guy who was leading get legitimately clotheslined by a vine. Next came the Men’s B race which went smoothly and without an exciting wreck to report. Mikaela and I then had our chance to pedal for 20 minutes against each other in the Women’s A/B race of which we were the only two Bs. Obviously, we exhausted ourselves in a heroic effort to be the dominant team (sarcasm). After that, our entire team walked our bikes up the hill to the start of the downhill to get in a couple of practice runs before the race. We practiced a couple of times, trying to find the best line through the gnarly rock garden, then had a nice sit-and-wait at the top of the hill for the start of the event. Everyone else eventually showed up and we all sat for a while longer until the event started; then we rode our bikes down the mountain.<br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">After we were all done, we made our way back to the cars to get some foodstuffs in our bellies before the Super D. We ate and some decided to practice the Super D course which really wasn’t too much different from the downhill with the exception of a few extra twists and turns. We all took our time getting back up to the top but we still happened to be the first team there. We found what we assumed was the start area and people practiced running to their bikes for the Le Mans start. We concluded that Jake needed a new pair of shoes after doing a burn out and falling down while taking off, at which we laughed hysterically. Others had some amusing practice running-starts as well. Everyone eventually showed up again and we all hung out for a while, still hoping we were in the right spot for the start. We were. Then after some Le Mans starts and splits between categories, we all eventually pedaled down the hill in the Super D. Sadly, DeCann took a spill on his way down which messed up his shoulder and caused him to have to sit out the cross-country the next day. We have since banned him from participating in any more gravity events.<br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">After many hours in the heat, dust, sweat, and chamois, we were finally done with racing. Though it wasn’t the toughest day, I am confident in saying that we were all done. However, the best part of the day was still to come. We had witnessed some of the VT riders coming back from a dip in the reservoir between the downhill and Super D and so decided that we should have a bathe in said reservoir. That was the most amazing feeling ever and possibly one of the best experiences of my cycling career. The cooling effects of the water must have released a huge amount of endorphins in all of us because we were simply giddy. Laughing, frolicking, and having an all-around joyous time. Judging by the amount of dirt I scrubbed off of myself Sunday night in the shower, I don’t think it really did anything for getting us clean, but it sure lifted the spirits.<br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">After drying off and putting on some dry, non-lycra clothes, we headed out to find some grub. We had been arguing about where to go for at least 3 hours and finally decided we would deal with the gastro-intestinal effects and partake of the Mexican restaurant where the road team always eats. After getting lost once again, we finally find the place and sit down to a yummy meal. We laughed, discussed the races, ate about 12 baskets of tortilla chips, and had enough plates to feed most of an army. Afterwards, Mikaela and I sat complaining about our food-babies, Oprah and Shania respectively and our food induced comas. We were tired. We then made a quick Wal-Mart stop for DeCann to get a heating pad and for some team road sodas.<br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">We quickly made our way back to the camp, which we had luckily set up earlier in the day so we could just enjoy the evening. The sodas were broken into and the stand was set up to work on bikes. I noticed the fire VT had going so I decided to join them for some mountain biking spirit. If the laughter was any indication, the sodas had their intended effect on the team and the WVUers were having a good time as well. Eventually a park ranger pulled in and told us to put the fire out and I suppose turn the music off considering it ended at the same time. The two teams socialized for a while until the clock struck at 11 and everyone quickly disappeared into tents. With some rustling and snoring, we all fell into exhausted sleep.<br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">The next day dawned much the same as the one before. Everyone rolled out of sleeping bags looking a little more tired and I think just ready to get the day over with. We ate, did a bit of last minute bike maintenance, changed, and mentally prepared ourselves for the last race of the weekend. The Men’s C/ Women’s B categories started somewhere close to 9am and did a 6.4 mile lap which included more climbing than I had mentally prepared for but was easily ride-able. I sat behind Marco for a good part of the ride and every now and then heard Mikaela’s breaks speaking behind me (she wasn’t feeling great that morning). I warned her about the switch backs that were coming up and hoped I hadn’t distracted her into wrecking. I had warning to slow down after the first sharp turn and hearing brakes squealing and tires skidding on rocks. That turned out to be Cameron having a minor crash that skinned up his palm. Marco and I caught up to Cameron and Daniele, at which point Marco found a place to pass and disappeared into the twists and turns. I decided the guys were setting a good enough pace for me and just sat in behind them, enjoying the fact that I wasn’t alone for the first time in a race. When the XC trail met up with the Super D course they dropped me and I finished the last little bit alone.<br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">They started the Men’s A race, which we didn’t have anybody racing in, then the Men’s B/ Women’s A. Kyle was our only B rider for that race so while he did his 2 laps, the rest of us packed up the tents and started loading the trailer. After playing an hour long game of bike Tetris, we fit all but 2 of the bikes in the trailer without their wheels and found space for all the wheels as well. It was a tight fit, but we finally managed. After Kyle came in from his laps looking hot and tired, we let him cool down for a bit before throwing his bike on a rack, loading up and heading out. We left the parking lot by 1 which I am pretty sure is some kind of WVU Cycling record.<br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">The drive back was uneventful and we never hit any accidents. Around Summersville or so we started hitting rain and as we got off the interstate at Star City, we heard the obnoxious blasts of the Weather Center issuing a severe thunderstorm warning. Daniele and I pulled into the Bike House a bit before the rest and began to dread having to unpack in the delude issuing from the sky. Little did we know, that was going to be the Morgantown weather for the entire week. Everyone else came in a little behind us and after waiting for the trailer, which did not stop for a game of mini golf, we got the trailer unloaded and everyone headed to their houses to shower and recoup. It was a great weekend of riding and I can’t wait for this weekend. </span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">---Post by Sequoya</span></div>DeCannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08282561161075744651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-10216369729751501082011-05-01T19:25:00.004-04:002011-05-01T20:00:00.486-04:00Spring Spectacular Pt. 2This morning was the "actual" ride for the Spring Spectacular, which is an annual fun ride sponsored by country road cyclists. I met up with Darren around 8:30am and we headed to the Wharf for some pre-ride go fast doughnuts. About ten minutes before the ride was to start Marco shows up, showing no sign of pain from the previous days ride. My plan was to do the full 60 mile ride, while Darren and Marco planned to go for the 25 mile option.<br /><br />In total, about 30-40 or so cyclists started the trek over the Westover bridge and towards 100. The initial route followed the Hammer route up big shannon, and it felt quite odd not riding at hammer pace. At the intersection, we turned right onto Schriver Hill road. Following a break to fix a flat, I was rejoined by both Darren and Marco, both of whom missed the turn-round back in Mt. Morris. Shortly after turning onto Kirby road, we neared the 45 mile / 60 mile route turns, where I took the 60 and waved Darren off as he took the 45. To quote the previous post, I had thought Marco also turned off for 45 miles.<br /><br />The 60 mile group then picked up the pace a little bit, but was forced to stop for a flat after about another 5 miles. As the group was getting ready to go again, to my surprise Marco pulls up next to me claiming Rule #5 and going for the full 60 miles. Impressed with his willingness to go for it, I wished him luck, while not guaranteeing he would get the same support received the day before should he crack.<br /><br />Once we started going again a good paceline formed for most of the trek up 19 to Waynesburg. It was about here that the rain really started coming down, making the next set of miles miserably wet. At about the 40th mile, we stopped at a food point for some much needed nourishment, which consisted mostly of cookies and cream pies. However, during this whole period - Marco was nowhere to be found. With nobody knowing where he was, and knowing that some people were picked up by the sag wagon, we continued onward. Eager to get out of the rain, the group worked at a good tempo pace, with JR occasionally throwing down some attacks, none of which my legs wanted to cover but occasionally responded to.<br /><br />Pulled back into Morgantown just over three and a half hours, finishing with 65 miles on the day. Good long ride with a good group.DeCannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08282561161075744651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-11285908350597495342011-05-01T00:02:00.000-04:002011-05-01T00:03:10.328-04:00Extra Big A.S.S. RideToday Kyle, Marco, Dave and I joined in on the bonus Annual Spring Spectacular Ride. The day started out cold with Gunnar complaining about waking up early and having to wear earmuffs. He decided to take it out on the world by going hard for the first 15 miles, despite having not been “emotionally prepared to crush it” that early Kyle, Dave and I held his wheel and turned in some great pulls. The ride then paused for ~20 minutes for warm clothing removal and tan line perfection while we waited on the rest of the group. After everyone got back together we rode at a much more reasonable pace for through several roads I have never ridden before. We took two stops so people doing the shorter rides could split off to take a shorter route home…we thought Marco turned with the first of these groups.<br />The ride proceeded to a 7-eleven for water and food. We were about to start riding again when Marco rolled by, apparently he had missed the turn off. Marco was in it for the long haul and did well until we approached the 45 mile mark when he got dropped. The next 15 miles consisted of Gunnar, Kyle, Dave and myself taking turns pushing Marco up hills and back into the peloton until we could get to a spot with cell service so we could call for a pick up…Marco wasn’t the last to need a pick up. <br />The rest of the ride consisted of steady climbing and hard intervals on the flat. Most notably was the section from Big Shannon to Masontown where for some reason several of us decided to line up and crush it. The effort ended with Gunnar, Kyle and myself rolling into town alone. All in all, it was a great 103 mile ride on a great day. Good job to everyone, especially that 16 year old kid known as “the kid” (I know, we’re soooo creative.) The best part is, tomorrow’s A.S.S. ride should ‘be even more better’ with doughnuts and a pizza buffet afterwards.WVU Cyclinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06045031079901645054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-83112327007253407542011-04-24T18:02:00.004-04:002011-04-24T19:17:06.274-04:00Teamwork Pays Off<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVHpINcMdi3AhpKoACbC5fQx0l5lXYC3Hr44LPO5EWqlayZLZjozPMCl1sUPtFOmLD8f32PUWhE8xVk7Bsqpx1vL-kwzBk1UovP8QTdiyGhePp57g8CpptJVahq_jS1GEIIFehWPUO4LY/s1600/209539_10150164798463564_544958563_6904432_8271914_o.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 436px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVHpINcMdi3AhpKoACbC5fQx0l5lXYC3Hr44LPO5EWqlayZLZjozPMCl1sUPtFOmLD8f32PUWhE8xVk7Bsqpx1vL-kwzBk1UovP8QTdiyGhePp57g8CpptJVahq_jS1GEIIFehWPUO4LY/s400/209539_10150164798463564_544958563_6904432_8271914_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599274297614845266" border="0" /></a><br />Saturday morning at first looked to be similar to many of our previous race days, as the rain started coming down just as I started loading up the SuperSix for the Greene County Road Race. For the WVU Cycling team, rainy race days have become the rule, not the exception, as many of our previous race weekends have had miserable weather at best. However, after crossing the state line into Pennsylvania, rainy skies turned into clouds, which turned into sun. It might be a good day after all.<br /><br />While the stormy forecast might have scared off a few people, over 40 starters were present for the combined mens 4/5, 5 field. Racing for WVU was Kyle Kukieza and myself. Other familiar faces included the Dynamic guys, including president Todd Latocha. Once the race started, I found myself getting pushed to the back of the field from some eager Cat 5's. Although at this point all I wanted to do was sit in, I did not want to have to navigate through a field once the climb came up. With Kyle behind my wheel, I made a move to move back up to the top third or so and jumped back inside and stayed put until the climb. Once we started going up, I shortly found myself up at front with Todd by my side. Although him and I are relatively strong climbers, we didn't really push the tempo up enough to truly break away.<br /><br />Cresting the peak, our tempo pace had split the leaders to about a group of eight, with one a bit off the front. Not being too overly concerned, our group worked well to slowly bring back the leader. The middle section of the course was mostly flat and rolling, and the group maintained a strong paceline throughout. Soon after passing the 27th mile, I took a GU to prepare for the hill climb carnage that would soon be upon us. The "tentative" plan of attack for the hill was to ramp up the tempo hard with Todd and try and stay away. In addition, Kyle would be blocking any attempt at a chase to bring us back in the end. Kyle graciously accepted the sacrificial role in exchange for a lead-out if the either the break didn't stick or happen.<br /><br />As we hit the hit the noticeable part of the climb, it suddenly got real hot. Not knowing the climb length, I let Todd get a couple bike lengths on me in fear of blowing up. Unfortunately, the climb was much shorter than I anticipated and I hit the crest with a match or two that could have been used. Despite that, I was sitting 4th and riding solo and I knew I was likely the last person who got away. If I wanted to keep my place, I had to give it everything and hope Kyle was doing his job behind me. When I saw the 1 mile to go sign I found some extra energy and cruised to the finish.<br /><br />As it turns out, Kyle was in a group of three behind me, doing his best to slow down the chasing pace. Once he knew I was clear, he was free to move and prepare for his sprint. Despite a mechanical not allowing him to sprint out of the saddle, he still won out and claimed 5th. In summary, it turned out to be a great day for racing and a perfect execution of team tactics (contrast to my last post!) allowed both of us to finish top 5.DeCannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08282561161075744651noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-29056798976558020772011-04-13T22:42:00.012-04:002011-04-14T15:36:40.062-04:00Agony of the Teammate-less RacerLet me preface this post by saying this is only my second season of racing, and the first season being fast-ish enough to really contend for a podium spot. Although that might just be the SuperSix.<br /><br />This past Sunday was the road race leg of our home race weekend, following an awesome downtown crit in Clarksburg, WV. The road race course was about a 12.2 mile loop with some rollers and 2 climbs. The climbs themselves were respectable in terms of grade and length, certainly enough to break a C field. The morning of the race was certainly an adventure, as driving from Morgantown to Lost Creek in a thick fog got my attention up a lot faster than my coffee did. Fortunately, the race got delayed half an hour, which gave me some more time to digest my epic Black Bear dinner from the previous night. Very clutch. However unfortunately, our police lead cars did not show up in time and Todd had to drop out of the race to fill in.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDiHJpQ5M-WqWweBcv7V3_ZJ-xSQUU6mc8MnC_UX9splYf3IP1EAt_rCjvXzHx9MqxPsO-9SF4Mmt2suD_bEjt2Q-yd52UTBS1fkq25P6N3DNrZ_pAD4JVSm4wqQutTf2TDu-Bm7fUqqe/s1600/00003.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDiHJpQ5M-WqWweBcv7V3_ZJ-xSQUU6mc8MnC_UX9splYf3IP1EAt_rCjvXzHx9MqxPsO-9SF4Mmt2suD_bEjt2Q-yd52UTBS1fkq25P6N3DNrZ_pAD4JVSm4wqQutTf2TDu-Bm7fUqqe/s400/00003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595519358630338562" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Once the race started, Kyle and the NC State freshman set the pace up front at about 18 miles an hour for about the first 7 miles. Somehow they also managed to effectively block anyone else from attacking during this time. Once we got to the gravel hill I finally said enough is enough and launched an attack and drove up the pace. After hitting the descent, there was about 8-10 riders who could sustain my pace and I thought this would mean a break group would form.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-3wP65s_a5xPvFbkb0ho2aT3OeoJZtvkRneEX_AaB6xxon97q2XbBekdVdLY2WnN1dWeSF0TAj7mD80J1e15s_O8R9sE2bln9MEutw4y7nAfPMcA0Lzmb1f_BXeqxI34jrtWeD67ceOV/s1600/0001.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-3wP65s_a5xPvFbkb0ho2aT3OeoJZtvkRneEX_AaB6xxon97q2XbBekdVdLY2WnN1dWeSF0TAj7mD80J1e15s_O8R9sE2bln9MEutw4y7nAfPMcA0Lzmb1f_BXeqxI34jrtWeD67ceOV/s400/0001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595519610114537954" border="0" /></a>Nope, huge wrong on that one.<br /><br />I can't begin to explain how many people would not take a pull and just slowed the pace down. Not only did this let dropped racers back in, but relegated me to the back after a hard pull. Not much else happened the rest of the second lap, although the pace was at least above 22mph. Had a short conversation with Kyle just before the climbs, saying if we were going to make a gap, we had to do it this time. As we were getting ready to hit the gravel climb the second time I heard a scream from behind me. I didn't know what happened or how, but Kyle was down and out. Still, I attacked again on the climb trying to shed as much of the group as possible. Crested the peak with VT and App riders close by and this time I surely thought a gap could form.<br /><br />Wrong again. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWdPe1XbgJk1b2IGgeKKBq1GF5-EZ3t-zO32xd3cdZpEq-xOBJJ8u9gd74loSWaPGgXbAV9_bT8fyE9ovr0TbvUBEf4oxJI-eVnyqvuXds_80dfIYqfiyKc6OdRJWdBQ1YD0_oiIA-p84/s1600/00002.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWdPe1XbgJk1b2IGgeKKBq1GF5-EZ3t-zO32xd3cdZpEq-xOBJJ8u9gd74loSWaPGgXbAV9_bT8fyE9ovr0TbvUBEf4oxJI-eVnyqvuXds_80dfIYqfiyKc6OdRJWdBQ1YD0_oiIA-p84/s400/00002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595519941932935922" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Once again, following the descent people would not pull. After some serious yelling and unkind words, people started doing work and an apparent break of 6-7 riders formed. This carried about until the first set of rollers came again and I found myself off the front after nobody followed my pull. I was not about to slow the pace down so I continued to attack. After maybe a minute a Navy rider pulls along side me and says "WVU, its just you and me." I was definitely ok with this and we started doing some serious work. This must have lit a spark up the chasing field as they caught back on after a couple miles and instantly shut the pace back down. Once again, the group increased to about 14 or so and I was getting pretty unhappy. I knew if I didn't get away for good on the climb this final time it would be a lot harder to post a podium finish. As with the previous laps, I put myself up front going into the gravel climb and gave it my all to get away. When cresting the top of the hill, I had maybe 10 seconds on 2nd, who undoubtedly had time on others behind him. Taking any and all chances to stay away, I hit the descent hard and fast giving my all to stay away.<br /><br />Then it happens, caught by VT. But its the final stretch into the finish - He'll push on with me to the end right?<br /><br />Again. No.<br /><br />He sits up. App catches on. App sits up. Now the sprinters are all back in it. At this point I'm frustrated. The final mile is a mess of attacks and responses, and despite my efforts, the end of the race turns into a field sprint and I finish 8th.<br /><br />In road racing, getting help from teammates is essential. Whither blocking, helping to launch an attack, or leading out, having help in the field is undoubtedly a difference maker. I learned this the hard way, watching other teams work together to take away my efforts. Some help blocking, and or sustaining and the race outcome is probably a different story. Hopefully next weekend with the C squad back in action, we can turn the tides and launch an attack that sticks.DeCannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08282561161075744651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-48663981260528384172011-03-25T23:20:00.002-04:002011-03-25T23:21:19.667-04:00A Big Thank You!<div>I would like to a big Thank You to the following businesses for donating gift cards to our on-site</div><div>fundraiser for Relay for Life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pathfinder</div><div><br /></div><div>Tailpipes</div><div><br /></div><div>Buffalo Wild Wings</div><div><br /></div><div>D.P. Dough</div><div><br /></div><div>I expect that I will be hearing back from all the other restaurants soon as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you would be interested in donating to our Relay for Life team, click on the link below and</div><div>search for Morgantown Bike Club. The team is also open to anyone who would like to join so</div><div>feel free to do so. The more the merrier!</div><div><br><br /></div><div><div><a href="http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY11SA?%20px=15014445&pg=personal&fr_id=32785">Donate here!</a></div></div>Sean Hiltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03038283828659869784noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-23578727479892581052011-03-07T20:21:00.007-05:002011-03-07T22:47:38.235-05:00Midseason Road SummaryThe 2011 race season for WVU Cycling is now fully underway with a mix of new and fresh faces and old veterans. Currently the team is 4 weeks into the road season and has seen performances from 11 racers. New racers to the team this spring include Jeff Beyer, Kyle Kukieza, Chad Jones, Dave Schnell and our Italian ringer, Marco Piccirilli. Also returning from Mountain season are first year members Mikaela Jaros and Steve (Sunshine) Kasberger. Returning for more are second year members Duncan Oliver, Jon Zerbe and myself. Longtime veteran Janel Nye has also made an appearance. Someday we may be joined by newly elected president Todd Latocha, but that remains to be seen.<br /><br />Our first year guys have been a presence in the Mens D field, with Kyle and Dave consistently posting top ten finishes and Jeff not too far behind. Kyle also scored a big win this past weekend at the Duke Criterium, breaking away from the field on the second lap and staying away throughout.<br /><br />In the Womens C field, Mikaela has been holding strong, gaining valuable race experience. Thus far, she has posted a huge win during the William and Mary Individual Time Trial, as well as 2nd place finishes for the William and Mary Road Race and Duke Criterium, and 3rd place finishes for the NC State Road Race and Criterium.<br /><br />Representing the team in Mens C has been Chad and myself. Unfortunately Chad was caught up in a crash during the field sprint of the William and Mary Road Race and has been out of action since with a cracked rib. Hopefully he will be able to rejoin the team at some point before the end of the season. Meanwhile, I've been holding my own and finishing with respectable results. The highlight of which being a 5th place finish in the Navy Individual Time Trial.<br /><br />Our lone mens A rider, Duncan has demonstrated that one doesn't need to follow a rigorous training plan to be fast. Driven by a goal of participation in Nationals in what will be his final race season, Duncan has performed admirably; posting consecutive 4th place finishes during the Duke Road Race and Criterium, a 6th place finish at the William and Mary Individual Time Trial, and a pair of 7th place finishes at the Navy Criterium and Individual Time Trial.<br /><br />At the midpoint of the race season, Kyle, Mikaela, and Duncan will be looking to help solidify their position in the individual omnium standings, while everyone else will be aiming to get into the mix and make things interesting. The second half of the season will feature road courses with more climbs, which certainly plays to many of our racers strong points. Hopefully we will also see an increase in racers as the weather gets warmer and drives get shorter.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF42QdmS5M4DxavHX8_FizsLI4o-n5D9wGoPxfvOGmpKTpuZZbHvjk3Fm3OlDzgeOk-5C7s2N5rZgSvGatxZuFH5u7Ss4dZbEHfhwykT0PwQY70cMMStSp-1LzWiOeYAZhb2JMeite9Buz/s1600/zz.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF42QdmS5M4DxavHX8_FizsLI4o-n5D9wGoPxfvOGmpKTpuZZbHvjk3Fm3OlDzgeOk-5C7s2N5rZgSvGatxZuFH5u7Ss4dZbEHfhwykT0PwQY70cMMStSp-1LzWiOeYAZhb2JMeite9Buz/s400/zz.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581534261440029042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT60rUs5xDAn72kyZe5fnjYypAJzNZk7cDHPhwluFhHAGSUcABKfvs0GgcNecjUIjn6SkMYIK8iWpE28S4KgD9bxAmy48MBI1KtwnZg7MToCprqsQ4LOwNDTHf-LTMAMLSkoj62VbxqLHX/s1600/zz.jpg"><br /></a>DeCannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08282561161075744651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-39323367541180841962011-01-20T16:59:00.004-05:002011-01-20T17:06:06.742-05:00Ray's Indoor Awesome Park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZUUQuEr7v5auTA-8U2_SYr77-IGSHY4vudKPk2BWw_JSFxAbGqJIQrY0s1VEBUMLo71cr3bDBi9fby19Sn2tga24002IWn4bkBiv_rY8DC4yhZePMkfxG_siTVwR9fQ28fkxjHKIMmE/s1600/sheetz.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZUUQuEr7v5auTA-8U2_SYr77-IGSHY4vudKPk2BWw_JSFxAbGqJIQrY0s1VEBUMLo71cr3bDBi9fby19Sn2tga24002IWn4bkBiv_rY8DC4yhZePMkfxG_siTVwR9fQ28fkxjHKIMmE/s320/sheetz.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564392153557292802" border="0" /></a>The typecasted “DH guys” (Jared, Tyler, and Sean), me (Zerbe), and Sequoya took a trip up the Cleveland, OH to go to <a href="http://www.raysmtb.com/">Ray's Indoor MTB Park</a> this past weekend. It also turned into the Tour De Sheetz as we continued to visit at least 3 different Sheetzes (is that how you pluralize it?) on our journey up to the great brown north and back to Mo-town.<br /><p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Well thanks to a few navigational errors and emergency bathroom breaks we got up there shortly after high noon to a packed, snow covered, and unorganized parking lot to heaven within a slightly run down industrial park. As I walked in I could hear angels sing as soon as I opened the doors. It eventually was drowned out by my verbal frustration at the line to the cash register, and my computer waiver form not getting accepted. Eventually we passed the guards, got a wrist band, and started shredding. Trying not to go too big too soon, we stuck to the beginners/warmup room and the xc loop at first. Then it was like being in the movie labyrinth - except no David Bowie and the creatures were replaced by little kids wrecking in front of you everywhere - because everywhere around every obscure corner was a new exciting area. They used every single square foot of that place! I felt like a kid trying to describe it to people – “They had jumps and berms and logs and an elevator and teeter-totters and a pump track and a foam pit….” In all seriousness, if you are a mountain biker of any skill level, you need to see this place with your own eyes. You also have to try and not be intimidated. There’s so many good riders there, most humiliating of all is the little kid on a bmx bike, hitting every jump so much smoother than me, or a crazy pool–like park area where everyone is watching as I attempt three failed wall rides. Probably the best part is the foam pit. I’m not much for tricks, but here’s a chance to try stuff you wouldn’t normally – especially since the consequences are minimal (like me landing crotch first onto my top tube). The best part is there’s a tv with a 30 second delay so you can watch yourself superman off the bike during a failed no-hander (Tyler), do a squirmish whip (Zerbe), or nosing it over the ramp (Hilty) – as you climb out of the foam blocks. Speaking of, thanks to my slight weight problem and my bike’s slight weight problem, I would bury myself everytime upon landing. Sequoya commented “Zerbe, you go deeper than anyone else.” Worst part of the foam pit is the kids, either the ones who think this is a wooden themed chucky cheese, or the ones who ride right up, cut you off in line, and flop in taking twice as long to get out or the way. Everyone laughed as I lifted the one kid in the air solely by his one arm, then he refused to take Hilty’s hand next time he was stuck. We did not take a camera, but I paid someone a hefty reward for catching a rare glimpse of Hilty mid-flight.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fDcQLnbpAgzQPnH1S3rfTWOtfZB0rbeVLaB8Wa0ig6ukZcFAwrSTHNGClV_BgV_bQ_88AjGheGNTuPj8I0TSeQAzarycxEHtGNJb4diyYB9Z9Oi0ysPWwDYPzbihca_l7jdlI6PAMxE/s1600/foam+pit.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fDcQLnbpAgzQPnH1S3rfTWOtfZB0rbeVLaB8Wa0ig6ukZcFAwrSTHNGClV_BgV_bQ_88AjGheGNTuPj8I0TSeQAzarycxEHtGNJb4diyYB9Z9Oi0ysPWwDYPzbihca_l7jdlI6PAMxE/s400/foam+pit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564392506350050546" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Next time we go this season (and there will definitely be a next time) we’ll have some crazy sick pictures….</p>Zerbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12873108535546966106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-69703301366882482942010-09-29T23:07:00.003-04:002010-09-29T23:08:30.972-04:00TwitterYou can now follow us on Twitter @WVUCyclingTeam<br /><br /><br />We've been terrible about staying updated with the blog and telling stories about our race weekends, but we are busy students and the season just goes by so fast!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-7027880393696195442010-09-15T10:59:00.003-04:002010-10-04T14:06:55.849-04:00What jerseys can do for you (No, not New Jerseys)<p class="MsoNormal">Last night 3 experienced riders, and 3 new guys went on a WVU Cycling group ride to Sperm Loop, down 50mph, and back on Fort Martin. On Ft Martin road, we decided to teach pace lining, at a nice easy pace. All went well until the State Line, which is a decent little decline, with 2 perfectly placed potholes, which the lead riders did not point out. In any case, 4<sup>th</sup> in line hit the holes, and went down at 25MPH (that’s what my GPS says I was doing at the time).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In any case, 2 teachable moments here. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">1. Moving out the way of a hole is not enough notice to the people behind you. Point, or at least yell it out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2. Sleeved jerseys will save your skin. No seriously. Jerseys are designed to withstand abrasion, as well as all those performance perks, pockets and style factor. Here are pics to prove it.</p> <br /><table><tr><td><a href="http://bit.ly/c1nYR"><img width=200px src="http://bit.ly/c1nYR5"/></a></td><td><a href="http://bit.ly/dwuVK8"><img width=200 px src="http://bit.ly/dwuVK8" /></a></td></tr><br /><tr><td>The shoulder of the jersey.</td><td>The rider's shoulder.</td></tr></table><br /><br />This was a 25MPH crash with a 50’ skid on pavement.</p>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080259359250401054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-89800646227123894752010-09-14T09:19:00.002-04:002010-09-14T09:20:49.398-04:00Waiting on an Update<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nRP2TcpucLc/TI92m-1eyCI/AAAAAAAAAFY/nOF_v54xE6Y/s1600/menvcu.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nRP2TcpucLc/TI92m-1eyCI/AAAAAAAAAFY/nOF_v54xE6Y/s400/menvcu.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516758480626567202" /></a><br />Hey guys, sorry we've been sucking so badly at getting some blog posts up.<br /><br />In the mean time, here is a picture and I'll try to get somebody to write something up.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-76001466609797935162010-08-25T00:06:00.002-04:002010-08-25T00:12:41.224-04:00First Meeting of the Semester reminder.Hello from James Braswell, the West Virginia University Cycling Club Media and Cyclocross Season Coordinator. I just wanted to give the blog a fresh update and remind everyone of the first meeting of the year. The first meeting will be held today, <b>Wednesday the 25th of August in the Laurel Room of the Mountainlair Student Union at 8:00pm</b>. Please see the information desk if you need directions to the the room. The meeting will cover information about the club and race team as well as the upcoming mountain bike racing season. We look forward to seeing plenty of fresh faces as well as returning members of the team. Club team officers will be available after the meeting to answer any questions you may have. So, lets have a great first meeting and a great mountain bike season. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>James</div>James Braswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00986177812578974469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-40215853425431838272010-04-19T12:14:00.002-04:002010-04-19T12:41:42.985-04:00Ending a season, Closing a chapterThe 2010 conference championship weekend hosted by the Virgina Tech Hookies marked the end of the ACCC season, but it also marked the end of my 4 years as collegiate cyclist. This weekend definitely marks as a highlight for my career not only for outcomes but for a great time.<br /><br />Leaving around 5pm on Fri, the wind was tremendous for the entire drive there. With a motorcycle, 3 bikes and also some vitamin water, it was struggle but we arrived at our destination, staying with a graduate hookie, my spot on the couch was rather comfortable.<br /><br />Waking early on saturday we headed to the race, bundled up and hoping to not blow away (this was probally the earliest we have ever made it to a race). Everyone got ready, and mingled with the other riders. Some of our riders also rode around the little girls bike that was brought around.<br /><br />Soon the men's A and Men's B races were off. The men's B rolled out smoothly but unfortunately there was an early crash about 5 miles sending an UMD rider to the hospital. The men's B went over the first climb as a group only dropping a select few. Over the long shallow climbs to follow the pace dropped, and I saw an opportunity to attack and jumped. After getting away from the group I hit a huge head wind and was very happy to see a Duke ride bridge to me, know I head two of my teamates and now his teammates helping to block. We were out of sight of the peleton quickly and never looked back. We negotiate the intermediates giving him the sprint and me and the KOM. On the final lap, unfortunately he rode off from me on the hill, and we both soloed into the finish. After waiting for awhile at the finish line, I was very excited to see teammate Brad taking the 3rd place finish with a small group right behind him.<br /><br />Next, the second wave of races went off, and our Boys in D came around looking strong going to the finish line.<br /><br />The past part of the day involved the Team Time Trial. James B, Duncan O, Brad D., and myself lined up for the men's B send off. James got us out on a great start making sure to keep all of us intact. After James got us started he pulled off and left it up to the other 3 of us. With little talking but plenty of grunts, moans, yelps, and in duncan's case whimpering/crying we sat at and above our thresholds for the next 16.5 miles of rollers, hills, and high wind, clocking a time in the 40 minute mark. Brad was the strong hold, leading us over the hills, and making sure to give us the strength the push forward, I was to give duncan a helping hand over the climbs, and set the pace on the rollers, and duncan gave us the tempo and lead the descents. Duncan, has spent over the long shallow climbs as Brad escorted and I made sure to lend a hand to carry, after my long solo ride earlier in the day, I felt the pain in the last mile and turned myself inside out to not let my team down, and the result was well worth the pain, as we won by a mere 5 seconds.<br /><br />A great dinner and some celebration was at hand after the day followed by another night of sleep on the couch. My sleep was interrupted by James sleep walking in the middle of the night. We got to sleep in a bit and then headed to the crit.<br /><br />Our riders in the morning looked good. And enjoyed the course. Our next riders where in the Men's B, where Brad covered all the attacks and duncan held in the front nicely. I tried a flyer which failed. The final lap was intense as the start finish was on a brutal climb each lap. Duncan and brad sprinted for 5 and 6 respectively and I took 11th. Brad was able to pick up two primes, I took 1 and Duncan took a 4th place prime also.<br /><br />This was a great weekend, and I couldn't have asked for a better closer to my collegiate racing career.<br /><br />James M. SchulteUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-14238512270569781712010-04-15T16:09:00.004-04:002010-04-25T16:52:26.715-04:00Reflections on Putting on a Collegiate Race WeekendGovernment officials say they’re “here to serve the people”, but most are in it for the money. Celebrities say they’re “here for our entertainment”, but they too, are mostly in it for the money. You see, I believe that in the modern era, there are very few of us who do things for the simple reason of giving back, for the sake of even calling philanthropy an art. As a first time Road Race coordinator, I approached my job with the aforementioned idea. I had a blank canvas, with the problem being no paint to fill it with. <br /><br />Thankfully though, I had been assigned help – or perhaps I had been assigned as her help, since Janel Bedard was the brute force behind all of the race preparations. My experience was partly vicarious because of Janel’s determination for putting on a successful event. That’s not to say I wasn’t resolute in my pursuit of achievement; just that my inexperience left me slightly too bewildered to care as much. <br /><br />Determination is a remedy for obstacles, but it doesn’t prevent them from occurring. Janel and I had our fair share. From conflicting ideologies with superiors, to funding, to road conditions, we faced our ration. There is a lot more that goes into a race than one might think. You have to deal with a bureaucracy, and their seemingly endless amounts of paperwork and red tape. You have to be considerate of rider safety, and still have a fun and challenging race. And finally you have to ensure that the local residences are informed and respected. <br /><br />All of these hurdles were effortlessly jumped, thanks to the City of Clarksburg. From my perspective, they came out of left field and gave a homeless team a place to stay. What I mean by this is that in years prior our Road Races were in different locales, and they moved like vagabonds from one place to the next. Clarksburg not only gave us a place to come back to, but they were a tremendous help and were eager to support Cycling as a part of their community. <br /><br />It goes without saying that any early skepticism I had was cured once I witnessed how tenacious a force Janel and Clarksburg were – and they were supplemented by the rest of our team, all of whom wanted to see just as awesome an event. It may have taken a few months, but the colors on the canvas I mentioned began to appear in all their vibrancy; stemming from a common source: the desire to make sure everyone had a fun weekend of racing. <br /><br />There is a unique sense of satisfaction in receiving praise for effort; a sensation I experienced after seeing the last Men’s A rider cross the finish line, and Pfeiffer’s Coach congratulating me on a successful race. I knew in that moment that his pat on the back was felt by more than just me – I was just one of many in a supporting cast of individuals with a similar love: Cycling. And if anything, our labors proved what an accomplishment a Home Race weekend is. Maybe people should take note, and realize that good service comes from common a passion to better your life as well as the lives of those around you. In my eyes, philanthropy is a dying art of kindness, but it is alive and well within our club.<br /><br />-Elliott IannelloUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-27302567803721129312010-03-24T08:54:00.002-04:002010-03-24T09:13:18.637-04:00Great Results @ VCUSunshine in Doswell, VA. helped to further an excellent weekend of bike racing. While riders had some hesitation about the weekend of racing after seeing a flyer for two parking lot crits 7 individuals; Brock Denis, Brad Dodson, Duncan Oliver, Ryan McGovern, Todd Latocha, James Braswell, and (Jimmy) James Schulte let Friday evening around 5pm.<div>The first stop on the trip aside from a quick pitstop off the side of the road, was at The Dodson Family Residence for an AMAZING MEAL. A salad, what seemed like a bottomless bowl of pasta, and of course to finish it off chocolate cake. With our stomachs full we headed to Richmond to find our hotel.</div><div>While standing outside waiting to get our rooms the team felt a little out-of-place and uneasy, but once securely locked into our rooms everyone settled down for some sleep. </div><div>Saturday arrived and we headed out early towards Kings Dominion, and after going past it arrived at the oparking lot crit location. While it was cold enough for us to put on hoodies and arm and leg warmers in the morning, the later events required only the minimum. The course was nice and wide, with three turns on a side road and then the parking lot section was greatly lined with cones and caution tape, that no one had issues with over the weekend. Saturday we rode the course clockwise. Our D riders did way too much work in the front of the peleton and heard the more expeirenced riders screaming at them each lap to sit up and do less work. The later races, Jimmy and Duncan hoped to help Brad in the B field but with a bad hub and a flat tire, neither proved to be of much use. </div><div>The real excitement of Saturday was the Men's A race. Walker Owen of NC State ended up in a solo breakaway in the first few laps of the race. With less than 10 laps to go, Greg Leach from American Univeristy and Brock Denis from WVU attempted to close the gap. With under 5 to go and the gap almost closed Brock yelled to Greg, G-Star I don't have anything left. The two continued to work and caught the solo break. The 3 of them brought it down to the wire just escaping the main field. <b><u>Brock took the sprint and the Win</u></b>, with Owen and Greg just behind.</div><div>Day two (sunday) we rode counter-clockwise and a new configuration was created with the cones. Our D riders learned their lessons from our constant heckling and responded great in the peleton. Todd worked to block as Ryan got into a break, but neither were too tired to sprint at the end as they both rode a smart race. Duncan, Brad, and Jimmy all took some form of PRIME points in the Men's B race, and with 5 to go Duncan put Brad on his rear wheel and Jimmy lined up to help protect to set up the initial lead out. Brad with some inpatients and inexperience, jumped very early and left the other two riders rather confused. Duncan took 9th and Brad 11th, Jimmy was just a few wheels back in the rest of the sprint. For the Men's A's Brock had exhausted himself on the prior day and was very please to take a top 15th and survive the day.</div><div>We all enjoyed showing off our earned tanlines on the way home and were also pleased to make in at a decent hour of about 10pm. A GREAT WEEKEND!!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-26955577739899985862010-03-13T13:51:00.008-05:002010-03-27T23:04:19.733-04:00W&M Race Weekend: Part 1<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">William & Mary Race Weekend</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Commute</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">After discussion at the meeting on Wednesday, the team planned to meet at the Coliseum at 4:00pm on Friday to load up and get underway. 4:30 sharp was to be the departure time. As usual, the team was running a few minutes behind. Blame the traffic--which is terrible on Friday in Morgantown anyway--or the plethora of other excuses presented (mostly from myself and Jimmy for arriving 15 minutes late), none of it made a difference. Past a few jokes, no one complained. Everyone was excited about the prospect of a warm weekend of racing on clean country roads</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">6 hours. That is roughly the amount of time it takes to travel from Morgantown, WV to Williamsburg, VA. (+ or - 30 minutes, depending on the driver) 6 hours is a lot of time. Almost agonizingly so. In Ryan’s truck, Broski and Ryan McGovern reportedly killed time by delving into discussions on all things manly, which undoubtedly prompted some interesting input from Brad Dodson and Brian DeCann. Elliott Ianello and myself were strategically placed together in my SUV so we could talk incessantly without bothering anyone. Sequoya, who was along for the ride this weekend to learn about bicycle racing, played impartial referee and mediated our bickering. That left Ryan and Jimmy together in Jimmy’s truck.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Around 7:30 pm, some wise soul made the decision to stop our group so we could all eat dinner at Boston Market in Frederick, Maryland. The food was amazing. So much so that the rest of the trip to Williamsburg was a forgettable blur. Broski showed off his unique ability to simultaneously contort his fingers and face/mouth into entertaining gestures. Other than that, intercar shenanigans were surprisingly kept to minimum.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Accommodations</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The hotel was a place to sleep. Lets leave it at that. Truth be told, American University and a few of the other teams were jealous at how much money we saved.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Racing</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The WVU student newspaper, the Daily Anthenaeum, published an article about our weekend:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:7.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:25.0pt;"><a href="http://www.thedaonline.com/sports/cycling-races-at-william-mary-heads-to-nyc-friday-1.1261972">Cycling races at William & Mary, heads to NYC Friday</a></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-size:12.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Additional Details</span></span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi- Times New Roman"font-size:12.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi- Times New Roman"font-size:12.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">While the DA pointed out the high points of the weekend, there were several other interesting occurrences. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi- Times New Roman"font-size:12.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Accident-prone Elliott somehow managed to rip his rear derailleur off his bike mid race. This gives him the unique honor of being the only person on our team to have three non-destroyed road bike frames in currently un-raceable condition. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi- Times New Roman"font-size:12.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Brian Decann was robbed of a top 10 finish in men’s D because of an accident at the 1000m mark before the end of the race. He raced really well and just hit a stroke of bad luck. He’s got the battle scars to prove he fought to the finish though.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi- Times New Roman"font-size:12.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Ryan Post, who helped officiate the races, brought his road bike with him for the weekend to ride around with us after our races were over. While loading his bike into the truck in Morgantown, Dr. Brock Von D , our resident bike surgeon, noticed Ryan had a <i><b>greater</b></i><i><b> than positiv</b></i><b><i>e 10%</i></b> rise in his stem, his handlebars dropped low enough to make a track racer giddy, brake cables tight enough to strum, and two shifter hoods at distinctively different heights (by a good 2 inches at least). Yes, a retro Euro cyclist silently died somewhere. Even by relatively relaxed WV standards, his bike looked like the velo-equivalent of a Saturday morning hangover. By the end of the weekend, however, his bike was back to acceptable condition.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi- Times New Roman"font-size:12.0pt;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> More details to come . .. .</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Brandon Crawfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380989695315580696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-14665013179909981752010-02-27T13:51:00.002-05:002010-03-13T19:09:24.164-05:00Wake Forest race weekendQuick summary by Brandon Crawford:<br /><br />Everyone did well this weekend. Everyone finished their races. No one<br />got pulled. Many racers DNFed in each race, but WVU did not have a<br />single one. None of our guys/gal were harmed irreparably. Lessons in<br />humility were learned by everyone. It is going to be one fast, fun<br />year of racing.<br /><br />The 3.75km ITT was brutal. Much gasping for air occurred. Many muscles<br />were made sore. It started with a decent hill climb, which at speed<br />felt like having your legs ripped apart. False flats and a slightly<br />downhill finish followed. Temperature outside: really COLD.<br /><br />The road race was a bit warmer, with a 10 mile loop course that seemed<br />innocent enough during warmup laps but proved to be a substantial<br />challenge at race/near race pace. Broski brought it home during a<br />dramatic, reportedly highly frustrating Men's A race with a solid pack<br />finish. For more details on the frustration of the race, ask broski.The mens C race had the largest field I have ever seen.<br />Easily 60 riders. Brad Dodson proved that he has major rookie of the<br />year potential, pulling a solid top group finish in the mens C race.<br />Emily showed that squats and only squats are an effective way to train<br />for road racing, as she held solid in the Womens A and brought home a<br />4th place finish. Everyone else performed their best and finished<br />strong, while learning a lot.<br /><br />On sunday, the Crit was a fast loop around a WFU parking lot. The<br />front side was slightly (1-2%) up hill, while the backside was<br />slightly (1-2%) downhill. This combination of up and down led to most<br />of the interesting action being on the uphill, more challenging side<br />near the spectators, making the races fun to watch. Mens A's were<br />going so fast it was almost unbelievable. B's and C's were cooking it<br />between 20-25 mph average. Men's D's reportedly held a few mph below<br />20 for most of the race. Exact placings are TBD. The course was dirty,<br />cold in the morning, warm in the afternoon, and great for racing.WVU Cyclinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06045031079901645054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-53629416630756473812010-02-15T19:11:00.002-05:002010-02-15T19:46:53.285-05:00Heading to NCSUThree of us left Motown at 3:30 Friday for the opening race weekend at NCSU, 2 were racing, I was officiating. I was a little apprehensive because my weather info was telling me Saturday AM snow in Raleigh, either way I was committed. Brock forced me to believe that his Weather Underground forecast of 48degrees was correct and we'd be racing. I can't see how anyone can tell the weather from underground.<br/><br />Once we got out of Morgantown, the roads were all plowed, but quite a bit of snow along the roads. This was the case through Virginia as well, but almost as soon as we got into North Carolina the snow disappeared-great omen! Then about 20min later, the bicycle race haters from above began raining on our parade in a solid form. Within 30min there was an inch accumulating on the grass, and starting to stick to the roads.<br/> <br />About 30min from our destination, calls started ringing in with talk about delaying the Saturday start to 10AM. We started seeing evidence of how bad the NC driver's ed program is, with quite a few cars with brand new body work. When we got into Raleigh there was over an inch of snow on the road and 3" everywhere else. No way we're racing tomorrow...<br/><br />While waiting at a light 2miles from where we were staying, 2 girls in an SUV pulled alongside, gave us a look and rolled down the window. I rolled ours down and the ladies told us to follow them. Brock went nuts, and demanded I follow. We followed them into the parking lot of Fosters, past a Jeep Wrangler that was sliding off the road onto the sidewalk. They asked where we were from, which we replied WV, and they replied "Oh, so you don't know what you're getting into". I don't know if the referred to partying, or driving in the snow...it came from a blonde, so I doubt it was very deep either way. We told them we'd be back after we dropped off our gear. The night had begun! <br/><br />We got to Dylan and Whit's place, some NCSU guys who were putting us up. They were amazed at our game, before we'd even stopped driving. I assured them it was either my face or my moto that got their attention.<br/><br />After unpacking, Whit suggested some Bowling at an old skool alley a block away, then maybe hitting up the club. It was already midnight, but we headed to the alley for a round of "throwing rocks" as Whit called it. $6 for game and shoe rental, not bad, though we had to score it ourselves. <br/><br />Brock and Whit put down 2 buckets of beer at the club, and were getting quite antsy to get to the bar, so around 1:30 we headed out. Brock was immediately verbally assaulted outside the bar by some hideous fat chick who was smoking. She may not have been that ugly, but with the cancer stick in hand, we had no interest. Brock ignored her, as she was merely an obstacle between him and his goal, deeper drunkenness.<br/><br />The bar closed about 30min later; a Yeager bomb, pitcher of Pabst, and can of some beer consumed.<br/><br />We left the bar with 3 girls, and Dylan attempted to do doughnuts in his rental truck, but only managed to toss everyone in the backseat like a salad. Brian tried to sneak a kiss on one of the girls while flying around, but instead just headbutted her. Got back, one of girl left to walk home, and the other two stayed.<br/><br />We were all feeling hungry so headed to Jimmy Johns around 2:30. Brock ordered a "Manguantuion" combo, totaled $13. Rest of us were more reasonable, and headed back.<br/><br />Brock downed the meal, while we were all amazed at how it could be so expensive, while the rest of us chatted about random things. The conversation evolved to the "meaning of life" as Whit had a 5min documentary project and that was his topic. 2 hours later, Whit got tired of being insulted by the girls, Brock was asleep, and the girls left.<br/><br />While getting ready to tuck the tattoo in, Whit noticed that Brock was still wearing his shoes. We thought for a minute, and then the electric trimmers came out to help tame his 'stache. Mission accomplished. <br/><br />Finally in bed around 4:30AM. Got a call that the Saturday race was canceled around 6AM.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080259359250401054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-18999293481921035672010-02-15T19:06:00.003-05:002010-02-15T21:32:56.174-05:00Sunday at NCSUWriteup by Brock Denis<br/><br /><h2>Pre-race</h2><br />Sunday was an interesting day for many reasons. It started by me getting up at 515am and Dylan coming in from partying and making moves all night. I absolutely love this dude. In all his drunkness, he makes myself, Ryan, Brian, and himself carrot/orange juice from the juiceman juicer thingy. It was amazing fresh juice, and to have a drunk person make it was even better. While eating breakfast, we all debated on whether or not to come back to Raleigh and shower after the race, and packed up anyway just incase. <br/><br /><br />We start driving and it was getting colder as we got closer to the race course. I knew something was up with me because I wasnt getting good zibes from my body. I wasnt disgesting my food, and the water/coffee from breakfast was sitting in my stomach for way longer then usual. So my pre-race routine went out the window, I didnt end up eating after breakfast to give my system time to digest all the food in time before the race. Go with what is given to you I guess you could say. <br/><br /><br />As we docked in at the parking lot it was an amazingly cold 21 degrees. How the hell do u dress for that??? Seriously couldnt beleive it. Im all bundled up getting out of the truck and there were people walking around in baseball caps with no gloves on. I go register which went really smoothly and started to dress inside the vehicle after which took forever as you could suspect. Fully dressed I get on the bike and headed out for a free lap of the course. It was soo cold out that my brakes took a second to connect with the rims at first!!! I knew the course was sketchy the day before and the cold over night didnt help any. There was still snow and ice on the course during recon. NC State decided to sweep 20 minutes before the start at 8am, better late then never. I got back to the truck and found out they delayed the start by 30 minutes because of the conditions. Im glad they decided to that. <br/><br /><h2>The Race</h2><br />It was warming up a little bit before the start, and I decided last minute to change my attire. I was pushing out BIG WATTS changing out numbers to my jersey from my wind jacket and putting on another base layer, while changing out my shoe covers. It got a little intense there for a minute and Im glad Brian was there to help. I got everything changed out in time and to the start line when I realized I forgot my sleeveless wind breaker...damnit bub so I went back to get it and made it back to the same start spot I had before with 30 seconds to spare...phew. The organizers combined the Men A and P1/2/3 races because of the delay and shortened it by a lap. The first 3 laps were the regular kind of P1/2/3 road race that Im accustomed to, speed up slow down and so on, nothing special. I guess 5 guys got away early and stayed away to the finish. I had no idea because I was chillin mid to back of the pack for the first few laps. Brian was a champ and was standing out in the cold to feed me at the feed zone. I missed the first two feeds because we were ripping thru the feed zone and couldnt connect with the bottle with my lobster gloves on. So on the 5th lap I made it a point to connect with both hands and slow down a bit. I got the bottle perfectly, in time before I ran out of water. Eating was an issue because of my gloves but there really wasnt another choice due to weather conditions. <br/><br /><br />Starting the 5th lap the legs were failing me, I know the feeling when things arent going right and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it. This was most likely due to the fact of me not eating after breakfast and lacking calories during the race itself. I held on as long as I could thinking of everyone that was cheering for me back home and at school and how I thought it would be disappointing to them by me not keeping pace. I dug deep and lasted a little bit longer with this thought in my head before I got shot out the back. I ended up coming into the finish with Ryan Bodge. We talked for a few and this was the first ride he had outside in a month. I didnt feel so bad after hearing that. <br/><br /><h2>Post-Race</h2><br />I got back to the truck and cleaned up El Tarmac for a few not knowing I was bleeding all over myself because I had cut my finger on my chain rings and didnt know because my hands were frozen. After cleaning up the blood on my bike, truck, and cloths I fueled up for another ride. I met up and shot the shit with Dan Swartz for a few minutes, then cowboy'd up and got back on the bike. I headed out and the legs were of stone. I almost turned around, but didnt. I got out to the end of the local road the course was on and turned right on US 501/15 S. It was rather windy and cold out there, but I was still very overdressed. I had to stop and strip down ALOT. I had to stuff cloths inside my pockets and inside my jersey, it looked like I had body armor on I was soo wide, and the fact I wasnt far from Ft. Bragg didnt suit my tastes any. I rode into Sanford from Chapel Hill which was around 25 miles. I stopped at a row of businesses and ate a Clif Shot and drank some water and turned around for the trip back. I thought there would be a tail wind on my return, but of course there wasnt. The winds turned and were at my disadvantage once again. This really wasnt an issue because I was actually riding OUTSIDE and not doing 3 hr roller sessions inside so it really didnt matter to me. The ride had long streches of straight sections with rolling terrain. Good training tho, I had no complaints with anything out there. <br/><br /><br />I got back to the truck after an additional 52 miles, but I wasnt satisfied and was feeling good since I had been doing hours of tempo base. I met up with Brian who survived his first collegiate D race!!! Congrats to him, hes a trooper. He has got alot to learn, but who doesnt? The learning curve for this sport is never ending. We fueled up and headed out on the course for a few more laps. We talked about nutrition and bike tactics for awhile. Women never came up in conversation once during our ride, which is not normal for me by any means, wtf??? By the middle of the second lap, he was hurting and I was chaffing extremely bad at this point, so we went back to the truck after doing two laps. I ended up with 7 hours of saddle time on the day and Brian ended up with 4 hrs. I clocked almost 7000 ft of climbing in the 121.5 miles I rode. NC has hills people!!! Ryan was a stud and officiated the WHOLE DAY, 9 hours of telling people to speed up or stay on the right side of the yellow line. Time is money people as he was getting paid for his services. After I got into my pj's which was the greatest idea I've ever had, I checked results and ended up 15th out of 30ish. I wasnt happy nor upset, just pleased with my efforts. This winter has been horrible for almost everyone and my goals for the early season arent until April so I' ll take whatever I can get at this point. <br/><br /><h2>Heading Home</h2><br />Anyway it was a tough day for all of us, but it wasnt over yet. We packed up the bikes and equipment, and started to head home at 6pm, deciding not to head back to Raleigh to shower. We ended up at the Flying Burrito in Chapel Hill where we ate during MTB season for the NC State wkend back in Sept '09. We ordered chips and spicy salsa and for once in my life we were graced with a HAWWWWTTTTT waitress. Oh dayam people she was packin alll A and no T, and I was allllll about it. She had two lip piercings and a face to die for. Her name was Juliana and I fell in love with her at first site, but I was positive the feeling wasnt mutual for many reasons. For one Ryans big mouth and two I looked like a train wreck. Im sure it wouldve been different if I didnt look like death...well I hope it would. <br/><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3kju69CS9b4/S3oCc_yxu6I/AAAAAAAAACI/xNqU-gRRzbE/s1600-h/02-14-10_1921.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3kju69CS9b4/S3oCc_yxu6I/AAAAAAAAACI/xNqU-gRRzbE/s320/02-14-10_1921.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438662197187296162" /></a><br />While waiting for the food we all were crushing our Cokes and we all started to feel like death because of the marathon day we all had. I ended up ordering the scallop burrito and started to grub up when I got it when all of a sudden....BAM!!! The spicy factor was through the roof. I was in total physical distress at this moment and didnt want to finish my plate but I knew I had to replenish the calories I had burned and get some protein to start the healing process. I soldiered on and cashed in all of it. At this very moment I had run out of soda and Juliana wasnt around, so I rushed up to the bar and could barely get out the word "soda". The bartender found this amusing for some reason. I drank the glass of soda but it didnt help. I had to get a glass of whole milk which Brian and myself had to partake in. Ryan couldnt stop laughing and taking pics of me, what a prick. An older couple came in before we left and I told them not to order anything off the right side of the menu...they took my advice by my demeanor and beat red face of pain. We paid and left after somewhat recovering from this ordeal. <br/><br /><br />Brian started driving, or I guess you could say that. He drove like a Formula 1 racer at a blistering speed of nearly 55 mph in a 65 mph zone. Ryan switched out after two hours and we all had a pee break in the middle of east bum cheese NC. The drive was horrible. I couldnt get comfortable the entire 8 hrs in the truck which was extremely frustrating to say the least. I didnt end up driving because I was a zombie the entire time. Ryan and I chatted about our wkend here and there, very randomly. He would say something and I wouldnt respond because I didnt feel like it...interesting convo to say the least. <br/><br /><br />We got in at 230am this morning. My back entrance was covered in 3 inches of ice and no salt or sand for traction, good job landlords. I almost took a few diggers but kept it together thank goodness. What a wkend we had! THANKS A MILLION TO MATT WHITT AND DYLAN SELINGER FOR PUTTING US UP FOR THE WKEND. THESE GUYS ARE AWESOME PEOPLES AND I CONSIDER THEM MY BROSKIS FOR LIFE, AND CAN THEY PARTY...WOW. <br/><br /><br />I didnt end up going to bed until 4am after showering, checking my mail I had neglected the entire wkend, and finding some warm pj's because my apt was a freezer. My bed felt oh so comfy after all that. I was out in a matter of 2.2 seconds. <br/><br /><br />Hopefully all who took the time to read this enjoyed it. I think I'll do a recap after each wkend of racing this year to keep everyone up-to-date on my quest to become a pro cyclist. CHEERS!!!Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080259359250401054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-81826968850079842622010-01-21T21:35:00.002-05:002010-01-21T22:20:45.837-05:00Spin Class & the time constrained cyclistIt's no secret that you have to ride your bicycle a lot, no matter what your discipline, to be good. In the world of athletics, training can't be cheated (legally) and Hail Mary's/other acts of desperation only work in Football. Time is the number one constraint on collegiate cyclists from achieving glory. Quite a few of us regularly attend spin classes at the Student Rec. Center for this reason.<div><br /></div><div>Spin Class Analyzed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pros:</div><div>Time flexible, as several classes are offered each day at varying times.</div><div>On campus.</div><div>Shower/changing facilities available on site.</div><div>More motivational than sitting on a trainer alone.</div><div>The view. (Lets face it, the girls who regular spin aren't bad to look at)</div><div><br /></div><div>Cons:</div><div>It's only a 50 minute workout.</div><div>It has the potential to teach bad habits in form.</div><div>For guys, It seems very female oriented.</div><div>No subtle bike movements. Hell, no movement at all. You're vertically and horizontally stationary.</div><div>No wind in your face.</div><div>No escape.</div><div><br /></div><div>Compared to riding outdoors, spin class sucks. A mongoloid could figure that out. No one disputes it. For the time constrained, however, Spin helps make competition possible by supplementing the gaps class and homework place in our training.</div><div><br /></div><div>So as much as I have to, I'll swallow my pride and spin w/ the ladies. Come race day, it's much better to be in the peloton--or chasing after it at a reasonable distance--than sitting on the couch. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some won't agree with my strategy. That's fine. For better or worse, let the racing be the judge.</div><div><br /></div>Brandon Crawfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380989695315580696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-71953939705431967492009-12-23T14:50:00.003-05:002009-12-23T15:07:28.319-05:00Commuting Downtown to EvansdaleRecently, I got involved with the Campus Connector project which is a bike/walk path from Grant Ave and 8th up to the Green House/Watertown near Ag Sciences. It's a great idea, and seems to be moving forward, after nearly 10 years of planning. There were a lot of great reasons why, primary because there is no route that is both safe AND legal way to get from downtown to on top of the hill that is all the rest of WVU.<br /> The primary routes one would take are Beechurst, University, Jones, 8th, 6th, Rail-trail/Arboretum, Stewart St.<br /> <ul><br /><li>Beechurst-is the only one of these roads that I am aware of WVU Cyclists being hit by a car. Makes no sense as it has a wide shoulder (with a bit of debris), but traffic speeds are around 50mph</li><br /><li>Universtiy-This is most of the team's method, except we take the sidewalk. Yea sure it's illegal, but I'd rather be in jail than underground. Road is narrow, with a blind turn, bikes would go 8-10mph, while cars go 35.</li><br /><li>Jones-very low traffic, pretty steep hill. Usually glass everywhere. Bottom 1/3 is 1way, the wrong way.</li><br /><li>8th- Probably the safest, legal way to get there. Long steep hill, minor traffic, very wide, very visible. It's not a direct route though, so takes much longer.</li><br /><li>6th - Less traffic than 8th, but has a killer short kicker just before getting to Grand Central (Positive Spin). Then you go through a parking lot with another hill.</li><br /><li>RT/Arboretum-no car traffic until you cross US19. Much longer way around. Safe, and legal.</li><br /><li>Stewart St-A lot of traffic, but slightly wider roads and more visibility. Could ride the sidewalk. there are options to go through some side streets and come out at top of Jones.</li><br /></ul><br />So this new path would be great, you go down Grant, and up this path which won't exceed 8.3% grade, comparable to University Ave. <br /><br/> I post this because today, the University sidewalk was covered in ice and so I tried to take the lane on University coming up. And I just took the Traffic Skills 101 course. Even with low traffic today, I feared for my life and turned into Grand Central. If I could redo, I'd have gone up 8th street today.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080259359250401054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-14676851722321408522009-12-01T00:14:00.004-05:002009-12-01T01:20:59.536-05:00Cross Training ShenanigansA few weeks back, Zerbe had a brilliant idea and went into managerial mode. He recruited a group, primarily made up of WVU cyclists, to play in the Pro Performance coed soccer league. (That's association football for our European readers.) Unfortunately, Zerbe has spent more time in the hospital lately than on his bike, making him unable to participate. (get well soon, broski!) The soccer team, however, lives on in his honor.<br /><br />Game 3 was tonight. With record low teammate turnout, we blew away the competition and secured our first win. In fact, our intimidating roster so thoroughly frightened the opposing team that the referee was forced to pull us aside before the match for a quick chat. With a weak wave toward the opposite, empty end of the pitch, the referee informed us the other team was not coming. Amid sighs of disappointment, Adam Schwarzweller made a few masculine grunts of victory, lightening the mood.<br /><br />Through quick wits and fast talking, our group was able to recruit a few bystanders from a previous game to join us for a short 25 min scrimmage. It was great, informal fun, with rule changes made on the fly to accommodate everyones desires. 25 minutes later, we were all exhausted and happy some of the pre-paid facility time had not gone to waste.<br /><br />2 games left. 2 victories on the horizon. Finals, then Christmas. Great way to end 2009.<br /><br /><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDjb8w37XgoXQnaVtMMG4f_gLN-1ky5tpDRrzGH3UD2Y3jSk43zbBjlmPRQhtZi1PCzSOZoQYXhTgq5MpfFdRnUbJzM4jdBCC1AqTpkgaH9Np4-DvGKk1y5c-4WaejM1OP6pRNcsg-HQ/s1600/IMG_1509.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDjb8w37XgoXQnaVtMMG4f_gLN-1ky5tpDRrzGH3UD2Y3jSk43zbBjlmPRQhtZi1PCzSOZoQYXhTgq5MpfFdRnUbJzM4jdBCC1AqTpkgaH9Np4-DvGKk1y5c-4WaejM1OP6pRNcsg-HQ/s320/IMG_1509.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410140590602417986" /></a>More Shenanigans:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; white-space: pre; "><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/09ZcJUFQ7YE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/09ZcJUFQ7YE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span></div>Brandon Crawfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06380989695315580696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456292505052713103.post-1971539661718289922009-11-28T22:04:00.006-05:002009-11-30T16:33:45.575-05:00Dirty Dozen-WVU represented on the PodiumWhat started out as a whimsical idea by Bob Carey to go to Pittsburgh and do the Dirty Dozen led to a very painfully pleasing day for me. A bunch of the team members were excited about the idea of climbing hills like this <br/><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="never" allowNetworking="internal" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NxWceFTkLRU&hl=en_US&fs=1" height="313" width="384" wmode="transparent" ></embed> <br /><br/><br />But when push came to shove, everyone had excuses and this cheese went alone.<br /><br/><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2793/4142674466_fe3f56a643.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 334px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2793/4142674466_fe3f56a643.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I left early, knowing that I always get lost in Pittsburgh, but I did have my semi-trusty GPS. It got me into Pittsburgh just dandy, but then a parade blocked every route that poor little TomTom could imagine. After 20minutes of trying to figure out how to get around the rather large parade, or foot race or whatever it was, I finally got back on course and arrived 20minutes before the start. Luckily my previous WVU training kicked in and I was able to be ready in under 10minutes, and got registered. Although they had run out of t-shirts, but cut the cost from $15 to $5...shucks...<br /><br /><br />It was chilly, but I had my Cannondale super warm, and comfy bibs. I didn't want to wear half a kit, so I put my team shorts over top. That may have been a mistake, as the first hill 1)killed my lungs because it was cold 2)killed my legs because of too much compression (or not being warmed up) 3)sucked more because I couldn't stand because I had knocked my dearillure out of adjustment while hauling my bike. Got to the top of the hill, and chatted with Betsy (last name not needed) and nearly considered quitting, due to feeling so bad. Luckily I didn't because I warmed up and the air did too, and the rest of the ride was perfect for painful pleasures.<br /><br /><br />The hills were everything people exclaimed them to be. Some really steep, others really really steep. Some had cobbles, some light gravel, some with holes, some very smooth. People found any reason to fall over, boosting my ego and aiding me through the pain.<br /><h3><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=429797">2009 Dirty Dozen on EveryTrail</a></h3><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3kju69CS9b4/SxKtCvj-K5I/AAAAAAAAAB8/a8j7XIkCiGk/s1600/DDProfile.PNG"><img width="100%" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3kju69CS9b4/SxKtCvj-K5I/AAAAAAAAAB8/a8j7XIkCiGk/s400/DDProfile.PNG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409576365064072082" /></a><br /><br />At the top of all the hills we waited until everyone had summited and regained thier wind before lazily rolling on to the next hill. It was usually a 10min wait, but was fine once I knew what to expect.<br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2770/4141957417_0cae9a7ced.jpg" /><br /><br />Gunnar decided to race me, and told me before the 4th climb that was 3 to 1, his favor. Shortly it was 4 to 4, but then my legs ran out of steam and he took it 5 to 7.<br /><h2>Highlights</h2><br />Betsy won the womens class, taking first on every hill except 1. And I beat Betsy on 4 hills, so thats makes me pretty good right?<br /><br />JR Petsko broke the fattest to ever complete the ride, he did every hill. <br /><br />Montana Miller is a badass (first Fixie to do the ride). I've never seen a 160cadence on a bike before...<br /><br />A 13year old did the ride. Apparently had a badass sprint on one of the early hills. <br/><br />Gunnar is old, and I beat him on 5 of the 12 hills. Forget the part about him having broken ribs..I smoked him royally on 2 of them. <br /><br />If you take out the last few miles riding home after the last climb, it was 6100' in 42.1miles. Thats 2.6% average grade!. Total distance was right at 50miles, with 15 climbs.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2761/4142801590_894316f7db.jpg"/><br /><br /><h3>Top (left to right) 3 women and Top 4 men with Danny Chew, the promoter in background.</h3>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01080259359250401054noreply@blogger.com0