True Lies

They call the time trial the race of truth, but we all know things aren't always black and white. Despite the results from yesterdays Elite National Championship I still believe that Phil Mooney is the best elite time trialist in the country. You can't win 'em all though. At this level, against such good competition, you need everything to go right in order to win. Phil rode a rippin' fast race, but it just didn't quite come together and he finished 4th, just a fraction of a second out of third. Here are the full results. Mike Olheiser destroyed it for the second year in a row and bested his time from last year by over a minute. Well done, sir. As luck would have it I found a small licorice cap at a candy store, so boasting-induced indigestion won't sideline me for the rest of the weekend.

Personally I had a great time trial and I'm really pleased. I was looking at the race more as an opener for the rest of the week, and I think taking the pressure off really helped. I figured I'd ease into the race, ride the climb reasonably and then if not too many people had passed me I'd give 'er on the rest of the course. I felt like I was just crawling all the way out and up the hill, but only one guy passed me so I figured I'd give it a go. After paying taxes on my flab all the way up I got to use that ballast to my advantage on the way down, re-passing the guy who'd gotten me on the climb, and then collecting people on the lollipop who'd spent too much up front. I think rolling slowly into a longer TT is really beneficial to me, and I ended up 9th. Whats more, I took almost 4 minutes off of my time from last year. Given that I haven't been TTing that well this year this result has put me in a really good frame of mind and given me some confidence in my Nats prep. (Photo: Vince Owens tuning the engine)

We spent the evening attending the awards ceremony and though sitting in the hot sun maybe wasn't the best for the body it was good for the soul.They have championship races for kids as young as 11, as well as two paralympic divisions. The inimitable Dave Towle was announcing and busting out some real gems, including Phil's favorite: "This girl is a true alchemist and we look forward to watching her turn stars and stripes into rainbows." Classic. They did the awards outdoors right next to the river and it could not have been nicer. USAC did a solid writeup of all the TT results.

At this point I have to bow down and give Andrew Talansky credit for an incredible ride. He won the extremely competitive U23 race (its open to professionals) and set the fastest time of the day. This kid is incredibly talented and he's going places. I'd bet dollars to donuts that one of those places is a ProTour squad. As I was editing this post Switters informed me that my prognostications were correct and Andrew has signed with Garmin. Good on ya, Talansky.

Phil's parents Kevin and Faith (That's Faith in the teal shirt behind Phil) happened to be in town for an Oregon vacation which coincidentally lined up with Nats, so they got to see their boy take the podium as one of the best amateur riders in the nation. Too cool. Even cooler, though, was the delicious meal they treated us to after the awards. I'm still full of delicious pasta and Italian sausage and ready to have a crack at this crit tonight.


Finally, look at Phil getting in some secret training while we were out to dinner. No wonder that guy is so fast.

I'm just glad this guy ain't no Amuhrican!

I'd be remiss if I didn't give some big congratulations to my friend Chris Winn for his incredible ride at Nature Valley. I met Aussie Chris a little more than a year ago in Colorado as we were both heading to Nature Valley '09 to ride on the Pro Ride composite team. He's a swell guy and a damn fine bike racer and its always fun to run into him at races around the country.

Anyway, Chris must be riding out of his mind right now because he STOMPED the the Stillwater Criterium. Stillwater is the dreaded final stage of Nature Valley, and it is without a doubt the hardest single race I've ever done. The course is brutal. You just smash yourself into an 18% climb, push over false flat for a short eternity and then rip down a nerve wracking descent and do it all over again. The race is only 20 laps long, but if you can survive 5 they'll consider you a finisher and give you a pro-rated time. Yup, its that hard.

Chris has been eyeing this stage since we raced it over a year ago, and I guess all that planning, training, and visualizing paid off because he whipped himself to a 4th place on the stage, just a few seconds back from the human juggernaut Rory Sutherland. That incredible ride was good enough to move him into 12th overall and snag him the best amateur jersey in the race. Take it from a guy who's done that race, that's one hell of a result. You can read more about it on his blog.

So hats off to you, Chris. Like I said, I'm glad you're not a citizen so I don't have to slash your tires out here at Nationals.

Racing kicks of tomorrow with the TT, and if Philip Mooney isn't a national champion by 2pm Pacific time I'll eat my hat.

Tour de Nez: Best Race Ever

That's right. You heard it here first, folks. Tour de Nez is officially the best race ever. Forget the fact that its 3 day omnium of over-the-top technical circuits built for crit monkeys. Take away the incredible Sierra scenery, the ridiculousness of Reno and the HUGE prizelist. Tour de Nez is the best race ever because they give the riders free food after every stage. BOOOOM!

(Sorry about the dearth of photos. I'm waiting for Ronnie to flood the web with her awesome work)

Anyone who knows me knows that my talents in life are few, but that I am passionate about them. The list of the top 5 goes something like this:
1. Eating
2. Lifting
3. Digging
4. Chopping
5. Cycling

Notice how eating is at the top of the list. Yeah. That's not an accident. Now I'm not saying I'm particularly gifted at any of these things, you'll never see me in the Lumberjack Olympics or going dog for dog with Joey Chestnut, but I like to think I can hold my own with fork, axe or shovel (and occasionally bike). Tour de Nez is the first race that has challenged me in more than one of my top five skills.

Stage one: Prologue and Golden Nugget Buffet.

I wrote earlier about how the cycling portion of stage one went. The food side of stage one turned out to be probably the most difficult stage of the race. The golden Nugget buffet is every decent American's food fantasy come true, with all you can eat quantities of just about every food under the sun. I actually saw some form of Mexican pork stuffed with chorizo. I think that's the south of the border equivalent of the Turducken. I had a slow start, kicking things off with a carnivore plate thereby ensuring necessary protein intake. I'm a sprinter at heart, though, so while others were going strong in the middle of the meal I waited for the right time and then kicked hard for the dessert line. Mooney gave a good leadout, but I had him by about 3 pie lengths at the finish.

Stage two: Reno Twilight Crit and Pizza at the Imperial Pub.

I had a bad start to this race. First I pinned my number on the wrong side and then I had the displeasure of watching a tremendous crash in the finish of the women's pro race. However my luck changed when I heard some weirdo yelling "YAAAHOOOOOOO" and looked up to see none other than my very own father. That guy had managed to sneak all the way to Reno without me catching wind of his plans. AWESOME surprise! I decided to put the earlier setbacks out of my mind and focus on impressing the old man.

The race was a strange pairing of tight corners and looooooong windy straightaways. The course would open up to 4 lanes and then quickly shrink back down to a single lane before you knew it. You can see video of the course and hear Dave Towle giving Phil a shoutout. Phil was riding like an elk in rut, just charging all over the place and asserting his dominance. Alas, with the wind and long straights nothing was going to snap off so he led out with one to go, got chased down by some numbskull who thought it was the bell lap and still kept it strung out until the last turn. At that point I hitched my wagon to the Sterling Express as he ramped it up over the next 300 meters. Right as I was about to come off his wheel Cody Stevenson dodged a bit, Sterling almost crashed and I hit the brakes. I got around Sterling for 4th, but couldn't touch the top three.

Later at the Imperial I was again trying to overcome early setbacks. The first waitress I asked hadn't heard anything about food for cyclists, which sounds like an aid program I'd like to be a part of. She pointed me towards the owner who told us that there wasn't any food to be had, but there was a sweet "dollar off Coors Light" deal for racers. Thanks a ton. We were about to weigh anchor when a small buick moved and began to speak. It turns out this small mountain was actually just a helpful bouncer. He informed us that there would in fact be pizza, as much pizza as we could eat, very soon. At that point we noticed two raised tables set up buffet style with reserved signs on them. I'm typically rather shy, but when it comes to pizza I can be decidedly bold. We figured the best way to handle this situation was to sit down right at the buffet table, which did. For our patience and persistence we were rewarded with as much pizza as we could eat, and as you know that's quite a staggering amount. Sorry the crust was so thin, Phil.

Stage 2.5: VIP ride from Northstar to Wild Cherries Cafe to Donner Pass Lake.

We got up (too) early on Saturday to go do the "VIP" ride from Northstar, although it turns out we didn't get up early enough. Well, I didn't. I made us all about 5 minutes late and as Phil was taking us the back way into Northstar, reminiscing about MTB Nats while the ride was rolling down the road without us. Luckily we caught up with the group at Wild Cherries and enjoyed some delicious baked goods and coffee with some awfully nice cycling enthusiasts. YCT Superfans Becky and Alan were in attendance and it was cool to spin around with people who really love the sport of cycling. This was sort of a rest stage, so I didn't really pound the pedals or devour the pastries. I was strategically planning for stage 3.

Stage 3: Northstar ciruit and Northstar BBQ Buffet and Beer.

This is one of the coolest courses I've ever ridden. Sure its punishing, totally unforgiving and almost killed me, but despite its total disregard for my well-being, both mental and emotional, I have no choice but to admire it for its raw beauty. Its like the Himalayas of cycling courses: its awesome to behold and you'd really like to go there and check it out, there's just a good chance you'll die there if you do. Okay, maybe it wasn't quite that extreme, but for a fatty like myself it was pushing the limits. The course starts and finishes in Northstar village on winding, cobbled pedestrian walkways. In the two mile laps you get spit out of the village, down then up a chicaney whoop-de-doo, up a deceptively hard climb, across a windy false flat and then down through a couple of tight corners before sprinting uphill through a parking lot to a steep hairpin kicker back to the village. Sound crazy? It was. I was in 4th place overall going into the day and just 7 points shy of the lead. My goal was to mark the other omnium riders and try to make my move at the finish. Graham Howard and Burke Swindlehurst ended up getting away during the race at some point when my eyes were popping out of my head and it felt like I was vomiting fire. The air is thin at 6500 ft. Mooney was having a no chain day up at the front. At one point I actually cried out in pain and frustration when he was grinning ear to ear and leading a strung out pack up the climb while I was pedaling in absolute desperation to maintain contact. He didn't hear me, or pretended not to, and kept right on crushing. I outlasted Sterling and Sergio, but I couldn't get around John Baker in the end. He was on fire, winning the field sprint for 3rd and sewing up the omnium while I limped in for 6th, but managed to move into 2nd overall. VeloNews writeup.

The Buffet was top notch. Phil managed to fit a beef, chicken, and veggie patty on the same burger, and I was a half step away from trumping him with a beef patty between two choclate chip cookies. Reason won out. Barely. We ended the evening with a great group of cyclists and cycling groupies (and my DAD!) sitting around a fire in a beautiful ski resort, sucking back brews and burgers and talking shit with two dudes cranking out the hits of the 90s in the background. It really does not get much better than that.

I was not kidding when I said Tour de Nez is the best race I've ever done. At every turn they went out of their way to make it the best event possible, both for riders and for spectators. The courses were all in great locations and made for wonderful spectating, they had the great Dave Towle calling the races (and admonishing Paul Mach for lining up early). They had videographers recording the races and they offered rides on the motorbikes during the races. They also took the time to set up VIP rides so that fans had a chance to spin around with the racers and I'm sorry I didn't see more riders participating in this. Its an easy way to give back to the promoters and to help get people stoked about bike racing. I, personally, was blown away by how well the riders were treated at Tour de Nez, including all those delicious meals and VIP rides. I'm certainly not an important person, let alone a Very Important Person, but its cool to feel like one every now and then. Its like getting a free upgrade on a long flight. Sitting in first class doesn't make you a classy guy, but its nice to live the lifestyle, even if only for a weekend.

Huge thanks to all the people who toiled to put this race on. As long as I'm able to race a bike I'll always come back to the Tour de Nez.

Racing Against the Clock

I’d write about the District Championships TT, but it went about as well as I predicted in my last post. Well, if felt like I predicted it would. Actually, if you’re into predictions check this one out. But hats off to Jesse Moore who rode like a man possessed and smashed the previous course record. That’s right, Jesse rode a 48:50.8 and averaged a blistering 30.4 MPH over the 40K course. Like I always say, if you want to appreciate this go try to ride 30MPH for one minute and then imagine doing that for almost an hour. Ha! Jesse took a little trip to the wind tunnel and now looks like bullet with a goatee when he’s on the TT bike. Phil Mooney was hot on his heels though, just 15 seconds off the pace, and now that he’s tweaked his position a bit Jesse better watch his back at Nationals. I’d bet dollars to donuts that one of these guys will be wearing stars and stripes in every TT from July onwards. I noodled in 2:24 back for 4th. I wonder if holding my hands in a different position could save me like 3 minutes. Yeaahhh…

I’ve had some good rides and good rest this week and now I’m up here living large in the Biggest Little City in the World. This Thursday thru Saturday is the Tour de Nez and I’m up here with Filip, Phil, and Tyler to have a stab at snagging some glory and a slice of the $15,000 in prize money. Yesterday was the 3-ring circus they called a prologue. The course was only 1.5 miles long, but it had 12 turns plus a slip ‘n’ slide concrete chicane. We tried to pre-ride the course, but not even the 400 course marshals could keep the herds of local flavor off the roads. Nothing comes between a Nevadan and their casino. (Photo by Ronnie)

I stopped off to chat with some Metromint folk who were posted up at a particularly nasty left-hander. We saw three or four guys take it right to the edge and then Ian Boswell (Bissell) came barreling into this corner full speed, went up the sidewalk, hopped the curb and then did a top-ropes bodyslam onto the median. I was pretty sure they were going to need to airlift him outta there, but he hopped right up and finished the race, tough kid that he is. Seeing that, well, horrific crash gave me a case of the willies. I was all fired up to smash another prologue, but I didn’t have the balls to rail the corners like I could have and came up a bit short. I was 2 seconds off the pace and ended up 5th place. Mooney was likewise overcoming some prologue jitters, but still had a good run for 9th. This is Filip’s first race after a little break, but he came out guns blazing and ran a solid 21st (?). After watching guy after guy bite the dust Tyler made the smart play and kept all his skin for the coming races. Big ups to Rickets McNasty for laying it all out there and rolling a strong 6th. Full Results. Also, TdN has facebook. How hip!

Next up are a 60 minute crit and a 90 minute circuit race. Both the courses look like technical sufferfests, and I’m jacked for some good racing.

Rest Week

Aaaaaahhhhh yes! The coveted "rest week" is here at last! Unfortunately for my body, but fortunately for my sanity, a cyclist can't be on top form all the time. Its not possible to just keep training and racing without a break. Well, you can try, but you'll probably end up like me post-Redlands: mentally and physically broken, looking for a hole to crawl into. A good plan will include some scheduled breaks after big races or particularly hard blocks of training. I'm in the midst of one of those breaks now, and it is fantastic.

A normal week of training entails dozens of hours of focused, brutal workouts that see you riding through wind and rain and leave you completely wrecked on the couch drinking protein shakes and watching old Flying Circus episodes. A rest week is "filled" with short easy spins to the coffee shop or through campus to see how the summer heat has affected women's fashion. I've been taking the time to cook extravagant meals, grab cherries and spit pits on the back porch and sleep as much as my body will allow me.

Oh you heard right! My body is now in charge of my sleep schedule. Huzzah! You see, I finally anted up and moved into some deluxe accommodations across the street. I'm the proud leaser of my very own room, complete with a bed, a door and all the other fantastic accouterments you'd expect of your modern domicile. Now, I will certainly miss my old roomies, but I will not miss waking up to banging pots and pans at 6:30 everyday. Plus, I'm right across the street so I can visit them anytime I want. I'm sleeping better now than I have at any point in the last 5 months and I'm pretty sure this will do more for my racing than any number of VO2 intervals.

I don't think I gave Adam enough credit for his Hood performance in my last post. He was in the top ten on numerous stages, including a 7th in the challenging Scenic Gorge ITT (before bullshit penalty), and a 5th in the crit (vicious attack photo by Pat Malach). He fought tough all week and finished 10th in the GC. For his efforts he was rewarded with the responsibility for the teams Mt. Hood race report. He did a pretty good job writing the thing and you can read it here.

The District ITT championships is this Sunday. Call me crazy, but I'm actually looking forward to this race. A 40k ITT is kind of like balancing on your nuts while someone whips you in the legs. Everyone is suffering the same agony though, and if you can pull out a good result its supposed to mean you're stronger, or tougher or more stubborn or something. I think that's probably cool on some level. I'll tell you for sure after the race.

Cracked

I actually feel pretty good considering the week of racing I just did, but man oh man that 11 hours in the car today really messed me up. I think next year I'm going to make my teammates drive back and I'll just credit card tour home over the next week, sampling local treats and rolling through the countryside to recover.

I saved enough for the crit, which I'm happy about. I initiated the winning move and I'm happy about that too. I suffered a catastrophic mental failure in the last lap, picked a horrible line from the wrong position and missed out on what would have been one of the best wins of my life. That's bike racing. (CNews, VNews) I've kicked myself about that finish for about 24 hours now, and I think I'm done. Instead I'm going to focus on Mt Hood as a whole, and looking at it in the broad view I'm pretty pleased. I finished in the top 5 on 3 stages, TTed well, climbed waaaaay better than I thought possible on the Mt. Adams stage, and I've still got my crit legs. I'm riding about as well as I ever have in my life, and I feel like I'm getting fitter and smarter with every race. Photo by Pat Malach of Oregon Cycling Action

I saw a lot of positive things from my teammates, the YCT management, and myself this week and I'm damn excited to see where this momentum takes us. Elite Nationals are right around the corner and nothing would make me happier than having one of us pull on the stars and stripes. The way people are riding and the team is gelling it would not surprise me in the least if that came to pass.

Hopefully I'll find the inspiration to jot down memories of some of the finer moments from the week, but until then I'll have to just say a huge thank you to our incredible hosts Beth, Geoff and Megan. Its no small task to take in a whole herd of smelly bike racers, but to make them feel right at home, regale them with fresh eggs and tasty BBQ and manage to look interested as they ramble endlessly about esoteric cycling crap is above and beyond. The quality of the hosts at these races can make or break the whole trip, and I can safely say you all made my week. Thanks a ton! I hope we all see you again next year.

So Watcha Been Doin'?

I mailed in the TT on Friday. After missing the front group on the Mt. Adams stage there was no chance I'd be anywhere near the GC lead so there wasn't really much point. The course had a lot of climbing, but there was also a lot of wide open descending and a crushing headwind, which favors a power rider such as myself. I hope I come back next year and come into that TT with a shot on GC because I'd love to see how I could roll it. I rode most of the course below tempo and got caught by 3 riders on the climb and passed two of them back on the descent. Hilarious.

Yesterday was the queen stage: the Wy'East RR. It was brutal. The race started and finished at the MT. Hood Meadows Ski Resort, which meant about 9,000 feet of climbing in 92 miles. The race starts with a 10 mile screaming descent where it hits a hard climb (where I nearly got popped) and then continues descending at breakneck speeds into a valley. You struggle (if you're me) over a couple more climbs and then begin a soul-crushing 30 mile trek back to the ski resort which is almost completely uphill. I did get dropped on an intermediate climb due to some poor riding. I expected another descent over the top where I could catch back on, but it turned out the climb was followed by a false flat crosswind section. That sucked. The Mooney express slayed himself to get me and Vinny back on. What an animal. We eventually caught right at the next feedzone where I promptly went to the front to ask Adam and the boys if they needed anything before dropping anchor and noodling in. Well, we noodled for the better part of two hours to get back to the ski resort. Phil gave me a turkey sando handup, which pretty much saved my life.

Up the road the boys were riding strong. Adam managed to hang with the big boys and finished 11th, which was good enough to keep his top 10 in GC. Our friend and YCT guest rider Patrick McCarty crushed souls and took the stage win, vaulting him into 6th overall, and local maniac Nate English, who had been attacking from the first climb, eventually got away with Patrick to finish 3rd and also move into 3rd on GC. Rad!

The weather was sunny and beautiful yesterday, and as soon as I could move again we rolled back to our awesome host housing and enjoyed one of the best BBQs I've had in forever. The guys from the Total Restoration Cycling Team joined us, and they're good people. We don't often get the chance to kick it with other teams, so it was a rare treat. Also they're Canadian so we got to laugh at their accents and they got to laugh at our healthcare. I think they have the good end of that deal. One of their riders, Marcel, crushed it yesterday and took 2nd on the stage behind Patrick.

Now its pissing rain again and I'm meditating on how to get my tires to grip the wet roads so I can have a shot at this crazy crit today. Last chance for a podium before we head back to sunny California, hopefully via the Full Sail Brewery.

You Can't Teach a Penguin to Fly

I think "sprinter's stage" wasn't exactly accurate. We did roughly 10,000 ft of climbing on roads that needed to be plowed of snow to be rideable. There were two KOMs per 52mi lap. They were freeway grade climbs so they never got that steep, but man oh man were they relentless. I rode well, but when things finally got hectic on the last climb I couldn't match the pace and a group of ~25 riders rolled away. Switters and Evan made the grade (pun, anyone?) and crushed it into the front group where Adam launched in the final 300 meters and nabbed a 5th or 6th place. Rock solid.

I'm pretty crushed I didn't make that group. To be fair I flatted right after a rolling nature break on the 40+mph descent into the last climb. Some joker rode me right into a crater of a pothole while I pretty much still had my dick in my hand. Scary, to say the least. Luckily Phil was right behind me and he selflessly gave me his wheel. I chased like a bat out of hell eventually caught back on after a narrowly escaping with my life after a run in with the caravan during a gravel section. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention there were gnarly gravel sections to go with the snowbanks, potholes and never-ending climbs.

I was already hurting when Baldwin and Demaar lit it up from the bottom of the last climb and I never really had a chance. I can grind it out pretty well, but those hard accelerations on a climb hit me hard, especially after 90 miles of racing. I dug pretty deep and managed to make the second group of roughly 25 riders, and they really made me earn it. We could still see the front group over the KOM, but guys were pretty wrecked and not motivated to chase and we let them slip away.

Notable events from the race:
-Jesse Moore (Cal Giant) smashing it up the climbs and taking the KOM jersey.
-Phil continuing his streak of bad luck: flatting on the first climb and doing a 40k ITT to get back into the race. He finished again, defying all odds and exploring the limits of human suffering.
-Tyler surviving a a mid-turn blowout during a high speed descent.
-Random racer saying he'd never use Google again after getting a lift on the Mooney Express.

The team has some photos up from the Mt. Tabor Crit, and cooler still, Phil Mooney and his Ruby Slippers are featured on the front page of Velonews. Here's the story: Pain and Glory at Portland's Mt. Tabor Crit. They've got a full write up here, including a video of the sprint where I can't quite find the speed for last 100 meters. I miss out on the podium in a bike throw. Rats! There's also some coverage on cyclingnews. Its always nice to get a shoutout, even if they mention me "dying" with 150m to go. Oh well.

I'm pretty hurt up after today's stage. I'm quite positive the hilly TT tomorrow is going to be excruciating, and if it weren't the most beautiful course ever I might not be so stoked. As it is I'm pumped.

Toughguy

This poor bastard has hit the deck 3 times in 2 days. He's got wounds on both legs, a smashed up elbow and a separated rib. Most guys would be suiting up in an ass-less hospital gown. Phil is pulling on the chamois. True Champion.

The Streak is Dead. Long Live the Streak!

No podium today for the 1108 boys. Hey, it was good while it lasted. The Mt Tabor Crit was a very cool course, and it would have been one of my favorites if not for the slick wet roads with patches of oil-slick algae. The S/F is halfway up the winding 6% climb and had a tight, slippery hairpin at the top where riders fell on the first lap and continued to fall regularly thereafter. Here's a little tip:when everyone standing is washing out, stay seated.

I tried riding the front with the GC guys for the first part of the race, but, surprise surprise, Paul Mach climbs better than I do. I shot a lot of bullets staying up there before I figured out I could lag climb the second pitch and then coast to the front on the downhill... that is if no one was washing out int he moss-covered downhill sweeper. I lost my rear wheel about a dozen times at various points on the course, which is not confidence inspiring, but hey, no one's got a gun to our heads; we chose to do this.

In the middle of the race was hurting pretty badly and wondering if I'd make it at all, but I just hunkered down, spun out my gear and kept on cranking until I saw 10 laps to go and then started thinking about how to win a prestigious, and very sketchy, crit. Well, most of my blood was pumping through legs so I couldn't come up with a very good plan. I pushed myself to stay towards the front and found Adam up there willing and able to do everything in his power to help me. On the last lap he took me over the top of the climb and we sailed down the descent and up even with the UHC leadout train across the flats. We weren't really strung out, and I was afraid if I tried to push into the UHC train we'd get swarmed, so I told Adam to hit, or started yelling like a deranged recluse on a wine binge. He gave it everything he had, but I had to hit it from almost the bottom of the hill and I just couldn't hold on for the win. Schmitt, that wily dog, came flying around with only 50 meters with De Maar in tow and then I almost held on for third, getting pipped at the line by Tyler Trace of Red Truck.

Now don't get me wrong, 4th in this company is nothing to shake a stick at, but if I'd had one more guy to help with the leadout, or if I were more of a man, I know I could have won that race. Its tough to be so close to an amazing result and let it slip away, but that's the breaks sometimes. Poor Phil crashed again, twice, and even though he was bleeding everywhere and trying to breathe through a broken rib he still murdered himself to get up there to help and almost made it.

Oh well, what can you do. That was a hard race and I'm happy that I have the legs to be competitive. Maybe next time we'll line it up and take a stage. I think I was able to ride extra hard today for two reasons. First, when the team, and your teammates/friends are going to work for you you simply cannot let yourself get dropped. When they're counting on you, you have to deliver. The second thing that had me going was a cameo appearance by THE Art Walker. The legend of Art has propagated throughout the land by word of mouth and lo, though it has grown, the man is still greater than the myth. Art was the coach of the Stanford Cycling Team when I was just learning how to race a bike. Art single-handedly managed the team, coached riders, took care of all logistics and proffered up nuggets of philosophical wisdom that some alums are still pondering. I could definitely hear him during the race and it was a rare treat. I wish I could have won it for him. I'm always happy to see a true legend. That man shaped the cycling experience for generations of Stanford riders and played a huge part in nurturing and building the club the taught me to be a real bike racer. He also snuck me onto the Nationals TTT team my Freshman year, and I think that taste of the "Big Show" was what got me totally hooked. Big thanks to you, Art, for so many years of hard work and for coming out today to cheer me on. If I'd had one of your whiteboard race breakdowns I probably would have won.

Time for bed. We actually have a real start time tomorrow and a real race. Up at 7am for a 103mi RR. Yeeeeeeeehhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwww! But for now, sleep.

Keepin' The Streak Alive

It turns out I like short fast prologues. Who'd have guessed? It was pretty much dark by 8:52 when I started the 4 mile course, and the constant rain on the oil-slicked PIR motor speedway made some of the corners pretty harrowing. Earlier riders finished with two seemingly contradictory things to say, "A couple of times I felt my wheels slipping out," and, "I wish I'd gone faster in the corners." Tyler gave me a last minute pep-talk while Haldane swapped wheels for me. He said, "The first gnarly left-hander has a pit lane on the inside, making it look a lot tighter than it really is. Its an optical illusion. You can rail it. No guts, no glory." So with that advice in mind I lit out.

I almost crashed on the first turn of the course. It was just a gentle bend, but the conditions were so dicey that I had to stop pedaling and come out of the sticks. After that I decided to play it cool. It was pretty much just 7 minutes of suffering punctuated by a few moments of terror where I felt the wheels start to slip. I felt that I was riding like a total sissy. On the last turn I thought I had flatted my disc and actually stopped pedaling and hopped the back wheel to see if it was flat before getting back in the sticks and hammering to the line.

Whatever I did, it worked. I ended up running a 7:16, just 5 seconds slower than Paul Mach's (Bissell Pro Cycling) winning time and good enough for 3rd place behind Morgan Schmitt (UnitedHealthcare). I'm damn proud of myself.

I'm also incredibly proud of my YCT! teammates. We ended up with 4 riders in the top 21, and if not for a bit of bad luck it would have been 5, with 2 in the top 4. Philip Mooney is not like the rest of us. He has no fear. He was absolutely FLYING around the course and was on track for a winning time until he pushed it a bit too far on the trickiest corner and turned the racetrack into a slip'n'slide. What do I mean by on track for a win? He crashed, slid over 100ft until he hit the grass, ran backwards to get his bike, clipped in, unclipped and got off to fix his chain and only then got back on and finished. He still ended up 72nd out of 153, and only 35 seconds off of Paul's winning time. That, ladies and gentlemen, is insane. Luckily his wounds are minor and his will is strong. I foresee serious crushing in his near future.

But again, huge props to the team. Those are solid rides by all the guys, especially Adam, who's been spending most of his time taking tests or hanging with his Virginia based GF, and Tyler, who just two days ago wasn't sure he was fit enough to race at all.

This evening is the Mt. Taber Criterium, a hilly, technical slugfest to be contested in the standard Oregonian downpour. Its gonna be a doozy.

Here Comes Hood

After a delightful jaunt in a motorized carriage, or ten hours of mind-numbing driving, we've all arrived in Hood River, OR for the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic. Its a week long stage race and its going to be amazing. We pre-rode the stage 3 individual time trial today and it is one of, if not the, most beautiful courses I've ever seen. It rolls along the Columbia River Gorge and includes a snaking switchback climb, a no-brakes descent and a stretch of bike path converted from highway that goes through a tunnel carved through the cliffside. Amazing!

The race kicks off tonight with a flat 4 mile prologue on the motor speedway at the Portland International Raceway. Bomb! Its going to be a wicked fast run and you can bet your britches the winners will be averaging well over 30mph. Go hop on your bike and try to hit 30 mph on flat ground and you'll have at least a tiny bit more respect for bike racers. Not much, but a little maybe. Just be sure to ask a physician if its safe first.

Its a twilight race (my start time is 8:52:30) so Phil's already whining about how his start is after his bedtime. It is a late race, and we have to transfer all the way back to host housing in Hood River an hour away after we're all finished. Report says its already raining so this should be one hell of a ride, or in all likelihood the most painful 8 minutes of my life.