George Hincapie Interview

This past weekend George Hincapie and his brother Rich flew up to New York to take part in a fund raising weekend for I Challenge Myself. I Challenge Myself (ICM) challenges and supports youth from under-served communities of New York City to become physically active healthy adults and skilled active citizens and leaders. ICM gets these kids on Bikes and gives them an opportunity to experience a positive and healthy activity which builds confidence and a more promising future for them.
Alex had the great idea of creating a charity ride where people would pay to ride with George, with the proceeds going to ICM. There was also a fantastic reception at Cadence, which attracted an eclectic crew eager to meet George. Both events turned out to be a great success- fun was had all around and money was raised for a great cause!



Well, Someone had to pick up the Hincapie brothers from the Airport on Friday, and Alex couldn't think of anyone better than myself and Cadence manager Jed Kornbluh.



As I'm a bit of a fanboy, I jumped at the chance to spend some time with George and ask him a few questions while driving back from the airport. For anyone who's expecting the standard questions one asks a pro cyclist, go here. Everyone else should know I've got the journalistic integrity of Girls Gone Wild...

CJ: How was your past season? What were some highlights for you and were there any frustrating or disappointing parts?

GH: There was a bit of everything. A highlight was winning the last stage of the Tour of Cali. I crashed pretty bad in the first stage. I had a concussion, so for the first three stages I wasn't feeling great at all. It took me 'till the last stage to feel normal and I won that stage, which was good.

And the Classics were good- I was fifth in the Tour of Flanders, and then obviously Roubaix was a huge disappointment; I flatted right at a crucial time in the race, so that was a bit of a disappointment. The Tour was good- the team was really successful; we won more stages than any other team there, so we were really happy with the way it went. I would have loved to have won that stage were i was in a breakaway, but i really misjudged the descent and lost my chance there.

CJ: How have you liked riding with Team Columbia? Is the culture and dynamic a departure from prior teams and if so, how?

GH: Well I've only been on one (pro) team my whole life- but sure, there are alot of younger riders from Columbia- when i first went on the team i would almost say they weren't very serious just the way their attitude was. But as i got to know them I realized that they're really serious, they just like to have alot of fun. They always joking around and playing so to speak. It's fun to be around them especially before the race and after the race- whether we win or lose there's always someone joking around and everybody's always laughing.

CJ: How has it been racing with someone like Cavendish who's turned out to be quite a star at the finish line in terms of field sprints? How does the team play off of both his strengths and yours?

GH: He's awesome- he's one of the best cyclists I've ever seen. He's a huge, huge engine. He's a great guy and we're really good friends. I think we work together really well and you can always rely on Cavendish. I remember at the Tour of Missouri he lost the last stage; it was almost like it was a bit of a shock to him- he didn't know what happened. He was really apologetic, but you can't win every stage. He really has come through this year for us.

CJ: In terms of One-day Classics- you're known as a strong contender. Those seem to be your favorite races but at the same time, as epic as they are, they seem to be pretty frustrating given how much crap can go on. Is Paris-Roubaix still your top race for the upcoming season and how do you prep for it?

GH: It's definitely still my top race- probably more than ever, since I've only got a couple shots left. It's a huge goal of mine and really training is the same- it starts right about now: I start riding my bike and do alot of mountain biking. Doing alot of long distance rides until december and january roll around. It's hard to training for cobble stones; you can't really do any of that here, or even if you had them i don't know if I would do them since they're so rough on your body. It's just something you either like or you don't like

CJ: I would guess that it's also pretty rough on the equipment...

GH: Yeah, definitely

CJ: So on the days leading up to a big one day race, is the carbo loading insane?

GH: I would say the day before, not really the days before. The day before you just eat tons of pasta or rice, and also the morning of as well.

CJ: Do you eat bacon?

GH: Now I do, yeah. Not during the season, though.

CJ: What was a bigger accomplishment for you: getting the Yellow Jersey in the Tour for those couple of days or placing 2nd at Paris-Roubaix?

GH: I would say getting second at Roubaix just because the Roubaix is the hardest race out there, in my opinion. I probably received alot more exposure from getting the yellow jersey, but personally i would say 2nd at the Roubaix.

CJ: Do they let you keep the Yellow Jersey?

GH: Yeah...

CJ: Do you wear it around the house or ever wear it on rides and then people say "look at the fred, where did he buy that from?"

GH: Ha, no- i've never worn it since. I've got it framed back at my house.

CJ: So you got your start by bike racing in New York City and I think alot of New York City bike racers can identify with that. How was your progression starting out? How did it lead to something on the pro level?

GH: It was pretty simple- i would just race Central Park and Prospect park on the weekends. When I was twelve years old I would only ride with the older guys. New york has a huge cycling community- People who aren't from here don't understand how many cyclists there are and how much cycling experience there is. People from all different countries who grew up racing their bikes and know all about it, and we were always fortunate to have people around us who knew alot about the sport and they were always willing to help you.

CJ: What was your favorite local race growing up here?

GH: I would say Bear Mountain

CJ: Did you win it?

GH: Yeah.

CJ: Definitely NOT one of my favorite races... Ok- here's one of my two lance questions: What do you think about his come back? Is it going to be odd to be racing against him for once?

GH: I was suprised about his comeback- I knew pretty early on as he was talking to me during the Tour de France. I was suprised but then he explained the reasons and I understand it alot more now. It's going to be tough- i mean, I've never raced against him, so It's going to be really awkward racing against him

Jed Kornbluh: You guys have been together since the US National team right?

GH: Yeah, since '91.

CJ: So a few weeks ago he tried cyclocross in Vegas. Have you ever tried 'cross? How many pros do you know that race 'cross?

GH: I don't know that many pros on the road that race 'cross. I've tried cross as a junior. Growing up here there was of course the Kissena Velodrome 'cross race- we used to do that every year. Then I got 4th at Nationals as a Junior in Massachussetts.

CJ: Because We're going to a race on Sunday if you want to come- you can borrow my bike: it's a 49cm, but we could put a longer stem on it no problem.

[George Snickers and shakes his head]

CJ: Do you use embrocation?

GH: Nope

CJ: Did you read that article that Dave Z wrote about Chamois cream? he wrote an article going into graphic detail about what sort of stuff he uses to prevent and take care of saddle sores...

GH: Did he tell you what he wanted to call the Women's Version of DZ Nuts? DZ Lips!

[pre-pubescent laughter erupts from the car]

CJ: Ha! I like it. That would sell... What do you use?

GH: I don't...

CJ: you don't use ANY chamois cream? That's a taint of steel, right there...

GH: I'll use it occasionally like in a long time trial or a race like roubaix or if i feel like i'm getting torn up down there. But normally i don't use anything. I think if you have the proper chamois- Dave probably won't like me saying this- but you probably dont need it that much.

CJ: What was it like racing with him? I'm sure you have some funny stories about him:

GH: He's awesome. We were actually making fun of him at the Olympics because he didn't want to go back to Europe to race - he's racing right now- he didnt' race all year. We were talking about your site (VCN) and it came up how he would end up being a guest writer for you guys, that way he didnt have to race...

CJ: I guess it would pay the bills, except not at all...

CJ: Ok, Lightning round...

CJ: Favorite Band?

GH: Guns N' Roses.

CJ: NICE. Favorite food?

GH: Italian.

CJ: Favorite Pork-based Product?

GH: Bacon.

CJ: Sweeet. Favorite Beer?

GH: Yuengling.

CJ: Ding Ding! Favorite TV Show?

GH: 24

CJ: Obama or McCain?

GH: Obama

CJ: Campy/Shimano/Sram? i guess that just depends on who's paying you to use it...

GH: Shimano.

CJ: Did you like Dave Zabriskie's mustache?

GH: Hated it.

CJ: Would you grow a mustache?

GH: Never!




Another Big Thanks to George and Rich for coming out and spending the weekend with their fans in NYC! We hope you guys can come back next year!

'Cross Dressin

I'm not one to embarass myself publicly, but there's something about cyclocross that just makes you want to don a skinsuit (whether you should or not is another question entirely).

Dressing properly for a 'cross race is important. since racing is in the fall, you're subject to extreme temperatures and elements; ranging from rain, mud, sleet, sand, snow,hail, dead cats, baby vomit, peanut butter, packing peanuts, and broken beer bottles. All the while, you're running through different environs, sometimes with your bike on your shoulder. You don't want to wear anything loose, and you need to stay warm.

So what's the answer, CJ?

I'm glad you asked!

Skin. Suits.



Sure, they may leave little/nothing to the imagination, but it really is the best thing to wear. Most 'cross racers are perfectly content with the standard jersey and bibs/knickers, but that's not very "pro" now is it? you don't see Erwin Vervecken wearing a two-piece, do you?

Once just the fancy of TT geeks and Cher, Skinsuits are ideal because you can't get them caught on anything- branches, your bike, a spectator, etc. A "time trial" skinsuit will work just fine, but some clothing manufacturers (Champsys is coming to mind) make cyclocross-specific skinsuits. they're made of "roubaix" material and are long-sleeved. that's about as pro as you can get in a cross race...


And don't let anyone tell you that wearing a skinsuit in the company of other men is "embarassing" or "makes you a Kylie Minogue fan." They're just upset that they can see your junk, that's all.


and don't worry, they make them for women, too!


Saturday was the Westwood Velo's Annual 'cross race. It's a pretty small local race, but its fun, and the guys at Westwood Velo put on a great event. It was held at Campgaw Park's ski slope in Mahwah, NJ. It's about an hour by car from Manhattan, which in cyclocross terms isn't far at all. I've been known to drive 4 hrs in one each way for a 30 minute race. smart? not really. fun? you betcha!

Tony Slokar, Colin Prensky and I drove over to Mahwah to get our 'cross on. the Westwood race had been my very first race two season ago, and it hold a special place in the cockles of my heart. The course is pretty compact- at under 2km- and is as technical as they could have made it given the terrain. The course is riddled with turns, and there's never really an opportunity to let loose on a long, straight section with too much speed. A course like that would favor people with big engines and poor handling. The course at Westwood made sure that picking a good line was what would set you apart from the field.


all three of us signed up for the C race. As I said before, the "C" field was the Sandbaggiest field I have ever seen at a cross race. a ton of cat 3's on the road, along with a cat 1 or 2. nobody seemed to mind, and everyone was ready to have some fun (you can be sure that that wouldn't fly in a road race- just imagine a cat 1 trying to jump in on a cat 4 race...)

Usually the start of a cross race has a fairly significant flat section leading into the "hole shot". The hole shot is extremely strategic in a 'cross race- it's the section of the course that gets narrow right after the starting sprint. The entire field sprints from the get go to snatch the 1st position into the hole shot. It's a huge advantage to not have to try and pass someone in front of you in a cross race, and grabbing the hole shot is a great way to do just that. The key to getting the hole shot is to have a good starting position, clip in quickly, and sprint as hard as you can.

That's one reason why cross is so hard- You shock your cardiovascular system right from the start, and don't let up for 40 minutes. I remember seeing someone vomit right after a race and though "that's romantic."

Westwood's hole shot was a pretty short distance from the start, so it wasn't a very hard or long sprint. the field funneled into the course, and we were off. i had a decent top 20 position going into the first lap, and concentrated on picking people off one by one. with a course this full of tight turns, i was going to concentrate on finding the best lines and always accelerating hard out of the turns.


The course had two sets of double barriers- one set wast right after a pair of short, sharp 180 degree turns, so it was impossible to hit it with speed. The second set was a more standard set up, and it allowed for you to hit them with a good bit of velocity.


By the way, I'd like to mention that 'cross barriers are harder to hit when you've got short legs. me and my treestumps have to full-on leap over the barriers. I'm going to demand lower barriers for short people. or taller barriers for taller people. whichever is funnier.

The hardest and most painful part of the course had to be the two sections of washboard terrain. the ground was so bumpy and divoted that there was no way to pedal through it- you just had to let your body take a pounding (make your jokes), and it definitely wore people out as the race went on. The run up was a section of tall log steps that ended on a slight incline, which made re-mounting the bike a bit more challenging.


As the race went on, i started picking people off here and there. I ended up in a small three man gruppo with Tony and my friend Sam. They kept screaming at me to catch up to them, and i eventually did.

It's a bit of a departure from road racing to have people on other teams encouraging you to catch up with them and race well. all around me people are cheering for one another and pushing them to keep going. It's a positive atmosphere that's devoid of the insularity, elitism, and negativity that can sometimes afflict the amateur road racing scene. The first few times i raced cross i was caught off guard by it. maybe it's because the 'cross scene is more similar to mountain biking. people are more laid back and more centered around having fun. People don't freak out when they have a mechanical and start screaming about how they were "peaking for this race" and that it's the most important thing they've ever trained for. at the end of the day, we're all paying to play and have some fun. it's so easy for some people to take amateur racing too seriously, and sometimes it kills the fun.

Aside from a quick dropped chain, my race was thankfully devoid of mechanicals. I didn't slide out, didn't make out with gravel, and didn't have to buy a new pair of carbon bars. Any race that doesn't necessitate me buying tegaderm can effectively be labelled as a success!

I ended up finishing 11th out of about 56 starters, and was pretty happy with it. This year I'm actually starting to train for cross- incorporating running, plyometrics, and some light interval work. I think it'll give me a better chance to do well in races without getting burnt out on overtraining in the fall.

Once the race was over i learned that my friend Colin had won the race. Did I mention it was his first 'cross race ever? I know it's cliche to make "sandbagger!" jokes, but it's too easy with this guy. Colin Prensky is such a sandbagger that FEMA should hire him the next time a hurricane rolls into New Orleans. Zing!


kidding aside, he rode a great race and had a ton of fun with it. He was also wearing a skinsuit. coincidence? i think not. He also has a mean victory dance.



Tony and I had signed up to do the "B" race as well, but after having having our bodies battered by the washboard sections in the course, we opted for a less painful alternative:


Drinking!

There's really nothing more satisfying than drinking some kick-ass beer in your skinsuit after having ridden your bike so hard that you can't see straight or do simple math anymore. We spent the rest of the day cheering on the other fields and hanging out with friends we had made from prior 'cross seasons.


One of my favorite parts of 'cross racing is that you're forced to leave the city every weekend if you want to race. it lets you decompress and take in some new scenery. I'm definitely happy to do that given what's been going on at work in the past few weeks. Apparently every NYC bike racer is a "wall street type" so I'm sure you can relate....

Next Weekend is the Erdinger Gran Prix of Gloucester in Massachussetts. It's a two-day cross race, and one of the biggest in the northeast. I've never done it before, but I heard that its a fast, fast course with lots of long, flat sections. This'll be a complete departure from Westwood, and will probably favor guys with big engines. I'm just looking forward to getting up there and eating lobster rolls until i look like I'm pregnant.

Rumor also has it that Lancey Pants is racing Gloucester. I think it's great that he's trying it out, but it also looks like he's going to get housed by Trebon and Wicks. anyone want to place some bets?

GMSR hurts

VT carbo-loading=maple syrup.

I finally found an internet connection!!! VT is beautiful , but if cell phone coverage is any indicator, people around here still use smoke signals and carrier pigeons to communicate. That, or I'm just a spoiled new yorker who's a slave to technology and won't make it 2 days when the zombie apocalypse happens...

So we're here. We just finished the 2nd stage of the race, which was a circuit race. yesterday was the 6 mile (semi)cannibal Time Trial. It started off with a hill, and then was a mix of flat and undulating rollers. the finish was after a huge dip- a steep downhill followed by a steep uphill- momentum could bring you most of the way up it, but then you had to suffer for the rest of it and finish strong. I made sure to pave myself up the hill and just concentrated on my heart-rate and my breathing. In retrospect, i probably sounded like a coke-head taking a LaMas class. Once i got over the top, i tried to keep the speed between 25-30 mph on the flats, and faster on the dowhills. it was a fun course, and the semi-cannibal rules made it a purer show of athletic ability- it wasn't as much about the super-retarded aero tt bike etc- it was about going fast on your bike. Although certain people decided to still try and squeeze aero advantages out by doing silly things like wearing helmet covers and putting bento boxes on their top tubes (ahem... mike beckerman...) I finished in the middle of the cat 4 field, with my teammates mike and matt coming in 9th and 11th, respectively (i guess the bento box worked...)

Today's stage was pretty brutal as far as circuit races go. first of all, it was LONG for a circuit race- about 68 miles. two laps of a 34 mi course. There was a small KOM in the middle and there was one sprint preem. This race was tough in so many ways. the first lap was pretty much a game of accelerate-for-five-seconds-and-then-slow-down. I hate that game... The roads were also pretty terrible- a few people ccracked new carbon rims. i would probably not take that too well....

we organized really well for the sprint preem. not knowing exactly where the finish was, we decided to take control of the front with about 10 miles to go. 5 of us rotated off the front and kept the pace high. as the sprint came into view, we killed it for matt, who's our best GC contender. He took the sprint! I did the obligatory lead-out-man-fist-pump.

somehow, this course manages to fit short uphills and one extremely long downhill. it was great to spend a few minutes in your top gear, catching your breath after the KOM.

as we approached the finish, we tried to organize again. it proved to be alot tougher. the field had been cut in half by now and the people that were there weren't having it. Matt told me he was on my wheel, and I weaved through to take first position, thinking he was on my wheel. all of a sudden, i hear the usual cat 4 scraping of carbon-on-asphalt. we speed up. I'm in first position killing it with 300 meters to go. I keep killing it till about 50-100 meters are left. i'm waiting for matt to come around me, but it never happens- instead, the field comes around me and i finish 17th. Apparently matt got cut off in the sprint and ended up sprinting in the grass... the perfect leadout wasted! either way, it was a really fun and intense race.

damage control- between the fast pace and about 4 crashes, haalf the field, along with half of my team, got taken out. rob got taken to the hospital with what turned out to be a bruised ligament. However, since he had cracked his helmet open, they decided to immobilize him for an hour. he was about as pissed as a nun in a donkey show...



Tomorrow is the 80 mile road race that takes us up the App gap twice. I think I'll win it.

God, I'm hilarious.

One of these things is not like the other...

(photo by Claudette Lajam)

I like to think of last week as the Epic weekend of humiliation! It's not everyday that you get the chance to since up for TWO things that are going to make you look bad.

Saturday was the Silvermine TT up in Tuxedo Park, NY. Being the TT specialist that I'm known to be, I squeezed into my skinsuit and drove up to Silvermine with Chad to show people like Mike Beckerman and Patrick Littlefield who's the boss. I was obviously pretty successful in showing them who's the cock of the walk in these here parts... is the sarcasm oozing through your monitor yet?

I've been getting more and more comfortable on my TT bike lately- the new bar extensions i got made a big difference. Next up I need to buy a saddle that doesn't ravage my Dingleberry wonderland (thanks schmalz). The fizik arione is a great saddle for regular road riding, but sitting on the pointy, unpadded Tip like one is prone to doing is a bit painful... I guess i should buy one of those tri-geek saddles...

Self depreciation aside, The Silvermine TT was put together really well by the Westwood guys. The course was varied and challenging, with rollers all over the place. obviously a rolling time trial (or any tt for that matter) isn't my strong suit, but I guess that's why i do it. You're bound to get better if you keep trying... OR if you keep buying more expensive aero equipment...

As a tangent- the promoters of the Green Mountain Stage Race have decided to make this year's 1st Stage a Cannibal TT. you can only use equipment that's legal for road race use; no aerobars, Snazzy helmets, or nutjob TT bikes allowed. a pair of deep dish carbon wheels is as far as you're allowed to go. They cite the reasons for doing this as "leveling the playing field" and "encouraging carpooling."

To be honest, I think its great. my opinion might be skewed, but to me TT's are all about removing variables, and riding as fast as you possibly can. TT equipment can be financially prohibitive for some people, and it also gives a certain advantage to those who can afford it- but that's not my point (and I'm not being a class warrior here). I think the competition is much more satisfying when a person's body is what determines the winner- not the stuff he buys. I think Kierin Track racing in Japan has that sort of idea- they all have to use the same kind of bikes, equipment etc- the real winner is not determined by the bike, but the man.

I also think a cannibal TT is going to result in different people winning it. Some people are great time trialists not because they put out insane numbers, but because they're aero as shit and modulate their efforts well. It'll be interesting to see who's at the top of the GC after stage one of GMSR. Then again, I don't think it'll do me that much good going cannibal, considering i got passed by a Westwood guy racing Cannibal @ Silvermine while i was as aero as I'll ever be...

Sunday's CRCA Race was more fun and more pain. The B field had the option of Racing with the C's (sandbagging) or Racing with the A's (sucking). Even though racing with the C's would have increased the chances of Shoving Bacon in my mouth, I decided to race with the A's and see what it was all about. It was a ton of fun Racing with Bandits and Empire guys in the field. At one point in the race I was reminded of the old Sesame Street book cover:


except it was more like this:

(photo by claudette Lajam)

or maybe this...


It was also fun to race with hooligans like Kyle Peepo (who ended up winning the race). My legs were a bit tired from the day before, but I sat in, had some fun, did a little work, and didn't get dropped. Kyle and a bunch of Guys broke away early on in the race and it stuck. JK and Wiswell ended up bridging up to the break and stayed away as well. Our team missed getting people in the breaks, so we exercised futility and tried to reel the break back in wayyy to late in the game. It also didn't help that the break had, y'know, Cat 1's and 2's in it... Congrats to Peppo on the win by the way.


Green Mountain is around the corner... I'm super pumped for it. I'm going to devote the next three weeks to both training for it and wondering why in the hell I'm signed up for it. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a one-man shit show on my part, but I can guarantee it's going to be fun anyway (or maybe because of that fact.)

Rollin on DUBS

I wouldn't call myself a "fanboy" of too many things (George Hincapie, Bacon, and Jeff King notwithstanding...), but when a rare opportunity comes to ride with the big boys, you sure as hell take it. Plus, I needed an excuse to take off of work today and make it a three day weekend.

If you don't already know, Sunday is the Harlem Crit. If you're in the city and you race, you should sure as hell be racing it. If you don't race but like to check out cool sporting events, you should sure as hell be watching. This year the race is being promoted by John Eustice and sponsored by Michael Ball and Rock Racing. With people Like Ball involved, it 's sure to be an awesome event that's full of action. and hot podium girls.


Somehow our coach Alex got in touch with John Eustice and got us an opportunity to go for a ride with Fast Freddie, Michael Ball, and the rest of the Rock Racing crew. What better excuse to take a day off???


we all got together at tavern and eventually few of the Rock racing guys rolled up. about 30 teammates and bike racing peers skipped work to go for a ride with these guys, and off we went. The Rock racing guys were really approachable and everyone got a chance to shoot the shit with them. I think the average cat 4 racer dreams of a chance to casually ride with someone like Freddie Rodriguez and nonchalantly engage in generic bike-banter. you want to talk and act like its totally normal and no big deal, but then the minute they ride off, you squeal like a girl and almost pee your pants. you know who you are.



Actually, my teammate and local Tech-dork Michael Beckerman proceeded to query all of the Rock racing teammates on their max wattages. he'll be publishing his findings shortly. I was more concerned about how much bacon each of them manages to get in their diet. (not enough)




After one or two laps a few more characters rolled up. All of a sudden Michael Ball is riding with us, along with a few more rock racers, Ivan Dominguez, and Garcia from Toyota-United. It was a super-ultra-mega-meta-hyper pantheon of awesomeness. the ride started getting a little faster at points, with some of the overzealous CRCA guys (cough, cough, Colin P) wanting to sprint up Harlem hill with Freddy. That was pretty funny to watch, as it was probably the most patronizing sprint I've ever seen anyone perform...



All of the Rock racing guys are super-pumped for this weekend, and rightfully so. As fun as Harlem was last year, this year is going to donkey punch it right out of the park. Crits like the Harlem race are Perfect venues to bring spectators back to cycling, which is what it needs. The average Joe six-pack on the street doesn't know how exciting a bike race can be to watch, and this is the perfect opportunity to show the general public why we do what we do. the Harlem Crit is going to be the Epitome of fast, furious (and probably crash-filled) bike racing. people are going to want face-time on the Jumbo-tron, and the attacks are going to be nonstop. It's going to be one of the hardest 30-minute races of the season. I'm so pumped for it i could pee myself (but i won't).



After four laps, we stopped by tavern and the Photo/autograph/butt kissing session began. The guys were really cool with being swarmed by men in tights, and once we got it out of our system, we said our thank yous and goodbyes. And then like magic, the Rock Racing Escalades Rolled in on 'dubs and whisked them away. too cool.



Love him or hate him, Michael Ball is doing great things for our sport. He's bringing it back into the public spotlight in a way that no one has the balls to. He's also also a master at bringing back the "rock" hand symbol. I miss using the "Rock" symbol, and frankly, the hand symbol i've been using as a substitute has been pissing some of my friends off and messing up family photos...



Sure he's a bit controversial, and challenging the status quo is bound to attract some haters. I think those people should wait until Sunday to cast judgment. It's going to be awesome.



After a fantastic day of riding with pros and not going to work, I was so overcome with joy that I whipped out the hula hoop that i keep with me at all times and put it to good use. It's a good thing I'm prepared for such situations.




See you on Sunday.

I can almost taste it...

Do you remember when you started training this season? For me it started back in mid January- and i had a solid month and a half of spewing buckets of sweat indoors as i begrudgingly did workouts and dieted to get ready for the season. by the time late February came around, I couldn't even look at my trainer without wanting to put a steak knife in my eye. I was also a little too willing to endure frostbitten appendages just to ride my bike outside in Feb.

Fast forward a few months, and the good weather's finally here! that means two things: not racing in crappy weather, and Barbecues. There's really nothing better than killing yourself for a few hours on a bike and then heading to someone's roof to pig out for a few hours. Maybe that's the main reason i train and race like i do- so i can compensate for the delicious, delicious food that i shovel down my gullet on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. it's pretty glorious...

Saturday was a CRCA scratch race in Central park. I'm just glad we didn't have to do a Super-duper-extreme-ultra-power-points race like the A-field. I heard it was pretty brutal, and I'd like to take this moment to rub in that it's so much more fun to race when all you have to do is roll out of bed and ride 6 blocks to the start line.

photo courtesy of bob cowin

The race was 6 laps, and started out pretty fast. the game plan for this race was pretty loose. a bunch of my teammates were eager to attack, and so were a few other teams. I decided to re-adopt the ever-so intelligent (lazy), and opportunistic strategy of DNWTTFS (do no work till the field sprint) I like that strategy. The only problem with doing that is it's harder for Andy Shen to get a good photo of you, and really, that's half the reason why i race. And' don't you go and get all indignant about my admitted (unfounded) narcissism- i know that all of you rush home after the race and hit refresh on NYVC.com until the photos are up...

photo courtesy of bob cowin

Anyway, there were a bunch of attacks during the race, and the field was definitely not as complacent as past races. I was happy about that, 'cause i was in the mood for a good field sprint. There were a few crashes in the race, a couple of OA guys touched wheels and went down right after cats paw (hope they're ok)- i was lucky enough to not actually be behind the guys that crash (as i normally am), and kept going- two of our teammates got caught up in it and killed themselves trying to catch back on. i had to do that at the last park race after the massive crash took out the entire B field. not fun.

photo courtesy of Andy Shen @ velocitynation.com

Mattattack and Alvin both attempted some solo breaks, but nothin stuck. either way, those two are strong as hell, and its only going to get better as the season goes by. As we got into the last lap, i kept a lookout for my teammate greg. he's been racing smart all season and offered to escort me to the finish line. as we zoomed down the west side just past the reservoir, i noticed i had a pretty crappy position, so i weaved my way to the front and waited for greg to find me. i was alot better about not sucking wind in the last mile and a half of this race, and i think it made a big difference. as the pack sped up cat's paw for the field sprint, I stuck to greg's wheel like a frat boy doing an elephant walk (not really). we came up pretty fast along the left side of the road, and went for it with about 500 feet to go.

photo courtesy of Andy Shen @ velocitynation.com

photo courtesy of Andy Shen @ velocitynation.com

Kimani was about a bike length ahead of me and easily took first (nice one!), but the podium was pretty close otherwise- i threw my bike (so pro) and just barely got third. it was a great finish to the race and i don't think there were any crashes in the finish ( i could be wrong)

photo courtesy of Andy Shen @ velocitynation.com

third! third. third.... bacon?

no.

well, it's my best result of the season so far, and i'm pretty happy with it, so i celebrated by shooting cupcakes, drinking some awesome beer, eating some insanely alcoholic rummed-up Watermelon, and laughing with friends at a rooftop BBQ.



I'm getting close. The bacon will be mine. should i start bringing some strips of bacon with me to races or is that a bit presumptuous? It's gotten to the point where all my wonderful teammates feel the need to rub it in and tell me when they smell, see, or eat bacon. Thanks, a-hole, I'm already drooling...

Big 'uns

I've been accused of being a bit of a delinquent in updating this blog, So i guess I should get back to posting more regularly...

The last month of racing has been a blast, and some big races came and went. Quick recap:

Battenkill

epic race. held on on the first climb. bonked. drank from dropped bottles i found on the way. no bacon.

Jiminy

Wet, fast, fun- 55 mph downhills? yes please! finished with the pack. felt good, but still no bacon. I really like this course. our team raced well and we were all pretty active in the race. I tried to go for it on the second lap, which was hilariously ineffective. the last section of the course involves going through a chicane, and its essential to have a good position going through it. i was well positioned, but the climb to the finish didn't suite me that well- it was a longer finishing effort than i'm used to. The race was really well run, and to my surprise, there weren't any crashes in the main cat 4 pack! I'm going to target this race next year, because like Schmalz, I too want one of those goddamn mugs!

Bear.

As my padded ass is still intimidated by actually racing bear, i decided to do what I did last year and signed up to marshal. However, last year i got a little over-zealous with the liquid carbo-loading, threw up, and woke up at 2 PM on race day. so pro.


This year, i one-upped myself and actually made it to the race! I ended up being in the passenger seat of the men's 40+ race. It was fun to be in a pace car and see the action unfold, but we had to deal with the joy of passing other fields, being passed by said field, and then passing the same field again. tons of fun. The weather was really nice this year at bear, and it made for a beautiful race day. after the pacing duty was done, i headed over to the feed zone to help keep my teammates who were in the race from bonking. It looked like a pretty brutal race. I think bear is a great example of how circumstance end external events play into racing. you can train all you want, you can follow your coach's training plan to the T, but come race day, you can flat, you can bonk, you can get caught up in a crash, or a wealth of other circumstances beyond your control can get in your way. those variables are what bring variety and drama to what we do. it makes road racing more interesting than something like a track event, because there's so many other forces at play. sure, its not as pure as two trackies racing it out- but those external events and circumstances are what make races like Paris-Roubaix and Battenkill so interesting. Hell, maybe this fall I'll actually sign up to race @ bear...

Now that bear has passed, there's a bit of a lull. I've decided that 2008 is the year of decisions that I'll immediately regret, which is why i signed up for Fitchburg and will also be doing GMSR. wahoo!

This weekend i didn't race. I had to head up to new Paltz for a teammate's wedding. As part of the bachelor party festivities, we met up with my buddy Jason to go mountain biking through the local trails. (trust me, you do NOT want to go to the strip clubs in New Paltz, unless you've got a stretch mark fetish). He helps out at an awesome local shop there, and we rented some sweet bikes and headed for some trails.



Mountain biking was insanely fun. almost pooped myself out of sheer excitement. the weather was perfect, and Jason took us through some great trails. extra bonus- Chad didn't get impaled on any tree stumps, and showed up to the wedding relatively unharmed. i was really hoping i wouldn't like mountain biking, because i am NOT going to get into yet another form of cycling- i need another bike like i need a hole in the head. five is enough, goddammit! I'll definitely be making another trip up to new Paltz for more riding though. plus, the brewery we checked out after has awesome beer. bonus.

This weekend also marks the unofficial start of the BBQ season- there's nothing better than riding a ton in great weather and then undoing all the riding by engorging yourself on various meat products (aka croatian recovery) afterwards. there were two this weekend, and they both were fantastic- I'm really getting used to going to BBQ's after every ride- this could be a bad thing...



even with all this BBQing, i must be losing a buttload of weight. why, just this week i was able to fit into this women's XS jersey- swear to god. well there you go, i'm a cross dresser now.

CRCA race next weekend. bacon forecast- definitely possible.