Photos from ToC
Are here and in the sidebar.
Monday
Spending time with Chase
It was so nice to have Goldi and Chase around for the first few stages. I
got to hang out a little and only felt like I was on the road for a few
days. I even got to sleep at home Tuesday night, a real treat when you're
stage racing.
The end of the Imperial Death March
No, it wasn't really a death march, but I am glad it is over. The first ToC
is over and I'm now back at home after a mission drive from LA. And I raced
this afternoon. And the whole week before too.
So the Monterey to SLO stage turned into 150 miles: 5 from the hotel to the
start, 8.5 neutral rollout, 130 of timed racing, then another 5 to the
finish hotel. Long day, but pretty reasonable, considering.
San Marcos Pass into SB was a lot less difficult then I was lead to believe.
And the whole stage wasn't too hard, I think they skewed the topo map to
make it look all knarly. Or maybe it is super hard to ride by yourself, but
when you're getting towed around by protour teams the time passes quickly.
And I'm probably in reasonable shape too. I have to be happy with how I
climbed considering the people who didn't make the group.
Oh, and we stayed at the 4 seasons in SB, one word PLUSH. Look for pictures
very soon.
Sat and sun were the start of the LA smog, and my lungs could not handle it.
I felt flat sat and luckily scotty made the break today and it was a short
circuit race. Great crowds both days, but I think LA cyclists are taking
years off their lives by riding down there. Talk about tar lung.
More tomorrow.
Thursday
"The rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated"
so for all of you who read the live report on the Amgen ToC site, i did not go to the hospital today.
Time: 11:16:55
Ben Jacques-Maynes has been taken to the hospital because of the earlier crash
what really happened today:
i rode around in the group, avoided a crash, made the front split over the first KOM, then motorpaced on the euro train for 4 hours into SLO, where i finished 13th. it really was a trasition stage, and it felt a lot like georgia, just rolling along. except for the spectacular view of the ocean to the right all day. that was nothing like georgia, there's no views in georgia.
Time: 11:16:55
Ben Jacques-Maynes has been taken to the hospital because of the earlier crash
what really happened today:
i rode around in the group, avoided a crash, made the front split over the first KOM, then motorpaced on the euro train for 4 hours into SLO, where i finished 13th. it really was a trasition stage, and it felt a lot like georgia, just rolling along. except for the spectacular view of the ocean to the right all day. that was nothing like georgia, there's no views in georgia.
Wednesday
articles
Scott Ostler from the SF Chronicle rode in the team car for stage 2, read his findings here. There's also something in the mercury news and in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Tuesday
a grand day out
well you never know until you try and today was my day to try. i've been looking forward to this day for two months and my only worry is that it wouldn't work out for me, no legs or get in the wrong break, but no it went gloriously right.
a few attacks hit out on bear valley road (Berkeley hills RR course) i went HARD up momma bear, like 53X17 to close a gap on a CSC guy and i thought it was going to be a group of 8 but we got ridden back. over happy valley it was pretty easy but for the last 100 meters or so, a few hits went for the KOM at the top and it slowed way down, so i squirmed out and hit the top with a gap, then absolutely flew down that decent, all rough and sketchy but when you have both lanes it's super quick if you know where you're going. bridged immediately, and we had 45 seconds by the bottom, 1:45 on St. Marys, and 4:00 on pinehurst.
i was with Creed of TIAA-CREF and a Credit Agricole guy named Mads Kaggestad, and we were cooperating quite well all the way through. when we hit the bottom of Palomares with almost 6 minutes, i started thinking we had a chance. the wind was kinda cross/head though so i don't think we could really roll as well as the group, and it was taking up energy, especially from Mike C. he said later he felt way underpowered on the level ground, but we were all faking it pretty good cuz i was starting to get twinges of cramps but i guess i was rolling him.
Disco did someone else's work though calaveras and stretched the group long and thin, so we came out down into SJ with about 3:30, not enough i could already tell. i have to say i've been thinking about riding into san jose in the lead for a long time, every day for months, so to actually do it was pretty special. all there was to do at that point was get over to the climb and just suffer through it. you know you're getting caught, you know you're hurting, and you just have to soldier on and carry though. and hope it'll be over soon.
well, the climb did suck and i went slow all the way up. anyone there could see how much i suffered. but i hooked up with a few guys right over the top, we caught a few more around the back ridge, and then we had a group and we just rallied all the way down that decent. i don't think i touched my brakes once, no joke. my bike computer said 87 kph max, freeking fast with those corners in the mix. caught a big group towards ther bottom of calaveras, which turned out to be the second group on the road. we just rolled in to the finish from there, i pulled though if i had to my my legs were pretty pissed at me by that point and really were rebeling. funny thing, my two break away companions were in the group too, i guess they crept up the climb too.
the funny thing is, i really don't think my result would have been any different if i played it safe. if i sat in all day and got to the bottom of sierra with those guys i still don't think i could have gone with them. i would have ended up in the front of the group i ended up catching, instead of the back, and i would have been pissed i didn't try. i gave it a go and a good one at that.
a few attacks hit out on bear valley road (Berkeley hills RR course) i went HARD up momma bear, like 53X17 to close a gap on a CSC guy and i thought it was going to be a group of 8 but we got ridden back. over happy valley it was pretty easy but for the last 100 meters or so, a few hits went for the KOM at the top and it slowed way down, so i squirmed out and hit the top with a gap, then absolutely flew down that decent, all rough and sketchy but when you have both lanes it's super quick if you know where you're going. bridged immediately, and we had 45 seconds by the bottom, 1:45 on St. Marys, and 4:00 on pinehurst.
i was with Creed of TIAA-CREF and a Credit Agricole guy named Mads Kaggestad, and we were cooperating quite well all the way through. when we hit the bottom of Palomares with almost 6 minutes, i started thinking we had a chance. the wind was kinda cross/head though so i don't think we could really roll as well as the group, and it was taking up energy, especially from Mike C. he said later he felt way underpowered on the level ground, but we were all faking it pretty good cuz i was starting to get twinges of cramps but i guess i was rolling him.
Disco did someone else's work though calaveras and stretched the group long and thin, so we came out down into SJ with about 3:30, not enough i could already tell. i have to say i've been thinking about riding into san jose in the lead for a long time, every day for months, so to actually do it was pretty special. all there was to do at that point was get over to the climb and just suffer through it. you know you're getting caught, you know you're hurting, and you just have to soldier on and carry though. and hope it'll be over soon.
well, the climb did suck and i went slow all the way up. anyone there could see how much i suffered. but i hooked up with a few guys right over the top, we caught a few more around the back ridge, and then we had a group and we just rallied all the way down that decent. i don't think i touched my brakes once, no joke. my bike computer said 87 kph max, freeking fast with those corners in the mix. caught a big group towards ther bottom of calaveras, which turned out to be the second group on the road. we just rolled in to the finish from there, i pulled though if i had to my my legs were pretty pissed at me by that point and really were rebeling. funny thing, my two break away companions were in the group too, i guess they crept up the climb too.
the funny thing is, i really don't think my result would have been any different if i played it safe. if i sat in all day and got to the bottom of sierra with those guys i still don't think i could have gone with them. i would have ended up in the front of the group i ended up catching, instead of the back, and i would have been pissed i didn't try. i gave it a go and a good one at that.
Pro-log
Just a reach back for a second, back to last Sunday and a cold morning in the city where we did the prologue on the ToC. I rolled it pretty good, hit out 50 kph all the way down embarcadero, then swung onto the hill and big ringed stockton. Dropped the smallest gear up the one steep block of lombard, twiddled up, then "re-big-ringed" it and gave 'er all the way to the line, 5:08 of pain and 16th place. Top US domestic rider, a small claim but if it was an NRC it¹d be a podium or win for sure.
Anyway peep this pic that the Cap't sent in.
Wednesday
Coming Clean
so adam bergman came clean about using EPO. he used it, got caught using it, and now has gotten the monkey off his back.
So what? it doesn't change the fact that he cheated so many good riders out of respectable results. it doesn't make the six week period where i had the best form of my life any easier, cuz i was racing him the whole time and never won a race. I'm not saying i was going to, but somehow that part of my career seems tarnished, that good form seems wasted and honestly i wish i'd never had to race the dude. it's also made some people question me and my ethics, i mean, i beat him at Nature Valley, so what the hell was i on? everything is called into question when someone tests positive, and it has added to the stigma of cyclists as drug users in this case. Unfortunately, you never know for sure who's doping until after they test positive or come clean, you can only trust yourself 100 percent, even the nicest people can cheat.
I'm not sure i ever want to race adam bergman again, and his coming clean does not change the fact that he cheated me, personally.
But thank you, Adam, for puting a voice out there as someone who did wrong and can affect those who are faced with the same quandries. "Never do it" is the message and i support it.
So what? it doesn't change the fact that he cheated so many good riders out of respectable results. it doesn't make the six week period where i had the best form of my life any easier, cuz i was racing him the whole time and never won a race. I'm not saying i was going to, but somehow that part of my career seems tarnished, that good form seems wasted and honestly i wish i'd never had to race the dude. it's also made some people question me and my ethics, i mean, i beat him at Nature Valley, so what the hell was i on? everything is called into question when someone tests positive, and it has added to the stigma of cyclists as drug users in this case. Unfortunately, you never know for sure who's doping until after they test positive or come clean, you can only trust yourself 100 percent, even the nicest people can cheat.
I'm not sure i ever want to race adam bergman again, and his coming clean does not change the fact that he cheated me, personally.
But thank you, Adam, for puting a voice out there as someone who did wrong and can affect those who are faced with the same quandries. "Never do it" is the message and i support it.
Tuesday
Article from training camp
Go here to see what our training camp was like according to the Marin Independent Journal.
Monday
Riding with the Team
Training camp went better then expected, I think we really gelled as a team and are going to have a great year. We rode almost 1000 Kilometers, did two races, several photo shoots including on the Infineon racetrack, and talked with Jonas about the ToC a ton. The waether was perfect, I hope it can last a few more days.
There was a camera crew at the house for several days, shooting "reality-style" for an upcoming movie. Lots of following us around and trying to shoot the gritty parts, you could see their eyes light up when we'd come home from 200 K just smashed to bits, they thought they were going to get some dirt. But basically we all just fell asleep.
See the Kodak Gallery here or on the Team website here.
Friday
back up
i forgot to renew my domain license this week, so the site's been down and i've been unable to update from training camp in Sonoma. it's been beautiful weather, new bikes, new kits, lots of photo shoots and cameras, ToC courses have been ridden and plans have been made. i'll say more later.
Thursday
Wednesday
Never lose anything while at the Post Office
i was at the post office on monday dropping off some ebay items, and chase starts whining and then crying and so i'm frazzled. and i forget my wallet as i dash out. the thing is, i distinctly remember putting it in the car on the passenger seat so i think it's at home and i've been spending the last two days tearing the house apart looking for it. and the temperature rises.
So i go back today and ask about it and they go get the supervisor and he says yes i left it here which was a big relief cuz now at least i know where it is right? but no, he can only hold it at the branch for 24 hours so it's been sent to the big processing plant across town and i have to inquire there for it. i am not liking this as i know the bigger the building the bigger the beaurocracy and the more places for them to lose it. getting warmer, starting to sweat.
and i go to the plant which takes up a city block and wait in the same line to talk to the same USPS employee who gets her supervisor, who tells me to wait here and she'll be back in a few minutes with it. but it's not there either. she says they've probably mailed it to the address on my driver's license, which is of course my old address in mountain view or santa cruz i don't remember which.
so now i'm going to call both the Mt. View and SC mains and hope they have an undeliverable postage due package with my name on it and then i can go get it from them. and owe them five bucks for being too beaurocratic and efficient and constantly forwarding my wallet to the place i am not just ahead of my arrival. i'll probably get there to find out they don't keep undeliverable packages more then 24 hours and they've burned it.
So i go back today and ask about it and they go get the supervisor and he says yes i left it here which was a big relief cuz now at least i know where it is right? but no, he can only hold it at the branch for 24 hours so it's been sent to the big processing plant across town and i have to inquire there for it. i am not liking this as i know the bigger the building the bigger the beaurocracy and the more places for them to lose it. getting warmer, starting to sweat.
and i go to the plant which takes up a city block and wait in the same line to talk to the same USPS employee who gets her supervisor, who tells me to wait here and she'll be back in a few minutes with it. but it's not there either. she says they've probably mailed it to the address on my driver's license, which is of course my old address in mountain view or santa cruz i don't remember which.
so now i'm going to call both the Mt. View and SC mains and hope they have an undeliverable postage due package with my name on it and then i can go get it from them. and owe them five bucks for being too beaurocratic and efficient and constantly forwarding my wallet to the place i am not just ahead of my arrival. i'll probably get there to find out they don't keep undeliverable packages more then 24 hours and they've burned it.
The other JacquesMayniacs:
- Andy
- Goldi
- Chase
-
Current Kodak Galleries
- adventures in OZ
- family and other pics
-
Upcoming Races
- Fresno
-
Links
- Abbiorca photography
- Wee Pete
- Zirbel
- OV
- WhatWhat
- Anti-Bummer
- World Bicycle Relief
- Dan says "your bike sucks!"
- there's the Right Way and then there's...
- Bellas
- JoJo
- I support Doperssuck.com
Press and Misc.
- cyclingnews.com give the bike a once over
- the SF Chronicle rode the team car stage 2
- ToC interview on Velonews.com
- Jacquesmayniacs on cyclingnews.com
- Interview with ASJ
- 2001 SFGP Race Report
- Santa Cruz Cyclocross Article
Previous Posts
- Motor
- Chase Lounge
- Stage 7: Done
- someone's been busy...
- Stage 6: Crazy!
- Stage 5: TT
- evidence of fans...
- Stage 4: Soggy Motorpace
- Stage 3: suffering
- And one more thing...
Archives
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