I decided to get my road season started and headed to the Tour de Grove this weekend. I skipped out on the Friday night race and stuck around KC and worked. So Saturday morning I packed up the van and headed out with Garrik and Ben from the Velotech team for St.Louis. After a pretty easy 4 hr drive we arrived at the venue and got ready to race. This year the course changed due to construction and what was a pretty fun 7 turn course turned into a 3 turn triangle. Not nearly as much fun and made for some pretty negative racing. I decided to do the 2-3 race instead of the Masters race in hope of getting a little bit harder workout. I not sure how that worked out as the race was pretty sketchy and at one point there were 3 crashes on one lap. Overall I rode pretty much like I thought I would. In the hour long race I stayed at the front for about 45 minutes before I started to get tired. Then it got progressively harder to accelerate out of the turns and hold position. In the end I have no idea where I finished out of the 135 starters but that's ok, I still have an issue with my leg  from cross that I need to figure out.

So today is day 2, The Dutchtown Grand Prix. Today's course is much more interesting with a few more turns and a short, steep climb to the finish. Last year I struggled here so today should be interesting.

Zach watching his girlfriend Whitney race.
 Congratulations to Whitney for getting signed  on to the Colivita  Pro Team

A few of the Think!Finance guys on the line for the Pro-1 race

In the Pro-1 race the guys rode well and were setting Zach up for the sprint when he flatted and ended his hope for a good finish.

Photo's: Kevin McRee, Cyclingdirt

I'm Back......

Where have I been? Kind of in the land of the lost. After my last post I thought I was ready to get back to training and racing my bike. Little did I know that events would come and go to conspire to keep me off my bike. Now as we approach April 1 I have hope that its time to get going. Of course,monday it looks like a rain/snow mix so who knows. I guess racing for 12 months took more of a toll on me than I thought so I'm in no rush to to train/ race.

Since I'm doing the solo dad thing this weekend I'll probably watch the Tour of Flanders tomorrow morning before church.

Colton is having a killer spring for the Think!Finance Trek Stores team with a couple of wins.

Did a family ski trip to Steamboat for Spring Break. Fresh snow everyday was awesome

In early March we went to the Supercross race in St.Louis. First time for the family and they loved it 

Of course the big story for March was the weather, cold, snow, and rain all month long. I guess if I was in a different frame of mind I would of gotten out on the bike but that's not where I am. Maybe April will be different. At least the Tue Crit is starting up and that's a good place to start.

Post Worlds-Pre Season

Not too much to write about since Cross Worlds. I have a planned rest going on that's supposed to last until March. It may take a few more days to get started due to the Supercross race in St.Louis but I'll be getting back in the training mode soon enough. With all of the snow the past week riding outside has been pretty much impossible anyway. At least the boys and I have been busy playing in the snow. Of course it seems like everybody else is pre season training mode and for some the road season has begun.

Lynn from Podum Insight is back working again with the Cal Giant boys.

Joe and the Elbowz guys won 2 races last weekend.

Zach got 2nd on day one for the new Think Finance Pb Trek Stores team

The boys and I built 2 igloos connected by a 30 ft tunnel. No shortage of snow in KC

Shadd and I managed to get out on the road between snow storms

Carly helped out with the fort building

 

Hopefully the snow will slow down and we can get out on the road more in the near future.

OK......cross isn't quite over

5 to go, 5 to go, 5 to goooooooooo, 5 races that is. Yes it seem crazy but there is still 2 weeks of cyclocross in europe. Last weekend there were 2 races and both of them were fun to watch. I know Mathgeek is more than ready for the cross season to end but these last few races are exciting to me. At least the racing /training side of cross is over for me. My rest week officially ended today and with it my off season. I had planned to take a week completely off the bike and then I got the flu. It looks like it may be a few more days before I get back to training but it will be soon enough.

It is kind of weird to race so long that cross actually extended in to the road season. The road team raced last weekend, just 1 week after Worlds. I have not even had time to plan for the road/MTB season yet and everybody is done with their training camps all ready. Oh well, I'll get there. But in the mean time I'll be checking out the cross races until the end of the month.

This looks like a great course from last weekend. Bpost Bank Trophee Lile

Cyclocross Worlds, time to move on.....

I'm slowly recovering from my post Worlds depression, in reality I guess it's not just Worlds but the whole cyclocross season. The season produced some incredible highs and lows and every emotion in between. We traveled all over representing TREK at local races, USGP's, Nationals, and Worlds. Along the way we were the support staff for most of the TREK CXC crew and more importantly Katie Compton. As a team we grew and learned more and more as the season went on. As we neared the end of the season we were ready to make the push through Nationals and Masters Worlds.

For me Nationals was a disaster. I went into the race riding the high of a win at the last USGP in Bend and increasing fitness. The course conditions were good for me and I was ready to go. On race day I decided to take one last lap on the course before the race. Dismounting to run up the stairs I heard a pop from my calf and my race was over. A tear in my calf muscle ended my quest for a National Championship before the race even started. Mark had a great race and ran a close 2nd to Pete Weber, learning a little more about how Pete races. Jay and Matt had great races as well and Katie won for the 9th time.

Between Nationals and Worlds I spent most of my time trying to rehab my leg in hopes of racing at Worlds. By the time we were heading to Worlds my calf was about 75% healed and my doctor gave me the ok to race. Actually, he would of preferred another 2-3 weeks to get it totally healed but knew telling me not to race wouldn't stop me from trying.

So off we went to Louisville and Masters Cyclocross Worlds. I'm not going into details on how USA Cycling dropped the ball on this event. I'll just say that from the day we got the the Masters venue to the day the event was over there were issues. In fact, it quickly became something of a joke between Mark and I. No matter what happened we were determined to roll with whatever the issue was and deal with it.

The weather was all across the board from 60 and sunny to 12 and snowing. That meant mud, frozen ruts, and more mud. Qualifying races went well for both Mark and I, Mark won and I got 3rd putting us both on the front row of our races. I wasn't overly confident going into my race with so much time off the bike due to the injury but I was going to do my best. I got a good start but after the first turn it was a struggle. The consistency of the mud was either peanut butter or wet cement and nobody was going anywhere fast. In fact Steve Tilford won our 40 minute race while riding only 3 laps. My race was a battle with myself, after the start I had dropped back to 8th and was slowly working my way to the front of the field. At Worlds only the top 3 are on the podium and it was clear I wasn't going to make it up that far so mentally I was done half way through the race. I did nearly get by the guy in 4th but ended up 5th.

Friday was Mark's race, the reason we were at Worlds. Last year Mark was 3rd at Worlds and this year he had a real chance to win. When we arrived at the venue we walked the course and found it crunchy and frozen on top with soft mud underneath. There were a number of places where the mud had frozen into ruts that were solid as well. While we were walking we discovered the frozen power washers and knew it was going to be a bucket day. At this point we didn't think that Mark needed to ride the course but after checking out later in the day we decided he had to get out on the course. This was about an hour before his race so it was a scramble for Rafal and I to get the back up bike clean  by race time. Prior to the race Mark and I discussed when we would pit, tire selection, ect... and then it was time for me to head for the pit. To say the pit was chaos during the race would be an understatement. But we were prepared, buckets, brushes, anti freeze, rags, everything we needed to clean the bikes. Overall I would have to say that taking a bike every lap instead every half lap was a factor. At a half lap we had a functioning bike but by time he came by to take a bike we had a clean bike. Rafal and I busted our butts during the race but to watch him cross the line as World Champion was awesome.

Rafal and I after the race with the winning bikes. I have never been this dirty after a race.

Mark getting interviewed after the win.

I can't even describe how fun the Elite races were on Saturday. So many people, so much noise, and the riders put on a show.

 

The 360 boys were hanging out

Good to see former KC rider Brad Cole

 

Good times, time to take a little break and then get ready for the road/mtb season.

Masters Cross Worlds

Today was the Masters Cyclocross World Championships race for me. Overall it went pretty well and I ended up 5th. At this point I'm really not sure how I feel about that result. On one had it's pretty good considering 3 weeks ago I could barely walk. On the other hand I really wanted that podium. But was not to be and I have to live with that. Conditions were the toughest Ive ever had to race in. So tough that we only did 3 laps during the 40 minute race. Oh well, on to tomorrow and Marks race. A bu nch more KC folks race tomorrow in totally different conditions as the mud changes to frozen ruts and snow.Have to give a shout out to Steve Tilford for winning my race and Dean Parker and Doug Long for podium spots in their race.

The start of my race, I'm sucking air all ready

More running than I needed to do.

What a mess

Steve Tilford, Jeff Appletans, and I pre-race

 

Off to bed, another early start tommorrow.

 

Thanks for the pics and the cheers, JP, Travis, and the rest of the KC gang. Cant forget to say thanks to Mark for his help in the pit.

One week to go until Cyclocross Worlds and it appears that I might just get to ride next week. I was pretty worried that my calf wouldn't heal quick enough but I saw the doc today and got the clearance to ride. I guess that's not quite true, he said in a weeks time I should be healed enough that I shouldn't make it any worse by racing. So for the next week its ibuprofen, ice, and ems (electronic muscle stimulation). I really think the ems unit has made all the difference in getting my leg healed. I've been using it every day from the time Ive been injured and my calf felt better after just one treatment. It's going to be interesting to see how I feel in a weeks time.

Love the doctors at KCOI. I know quite a few guys riders who have been here for various reasons.

I saw this picture of Andy Hampsten the other day and it reminded me of the pre -epo era of cycling. I still remember watching Hampsten climb on the front one year and he was off the back the next year.  Bummer, glad to see the sport heading back the cleaner side.

More as the we get closer to go time.