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View the first round of track tryout Pics.



this is basically what we've been doing.

i've been in CO Springs this week doing a track camp at the OTC. they're trying to expand the talent pool for world cups with possible olympic repercussions, and so they've invited some serious road talent to cross-pollenate the sports. basically it means being on the track with a bunch of riders who don't have much experience, myself especially.

the OTC is a college of sport, we stay in dorms and eat at the dining hall, which has the cleanest and most simple cafeteria food i've experienced. there's people milling around who you'd recognize from the last few olympics, plus tons of "campers" and other residents. everyone's pretty serious, there's no distractions or diversions available so if you live here, your ability to make the olympic team is entirely up to you.

we've done a few workouts on the track, a few road rides and i also branched out and did a bit of 'cross practice, running and drills and the like. all of this is accentuated by the altitude, i'm definately getting winded with easy efforts and kilometer efforts on the track bring about a new level of throbing in my head. i hope it's good for me, i have had luck with working hard at altitude and then coming down and ripping things up, this may be a good way to start the 'cross season.

i'll give a few more updates soon, and if i can get my computer connected i have a few fun pics as well. it's raining thins morning so the track is closed, and we may have a bit of free time on our hands.

So I guess Andy and Josie have been moving along nicely, in between
international trips for work Andy's popped the question and Josie said YES!!
J-M count is at four and a "almost", soon to be five. Congrats you two, and
Josie welcome to the club.

I did the last road race of the year, the San Rafael Crit. It's been a big
race historically, but has disappeared for a few years and is only
reintroduced this year. I have always liked this event, a fun course and
great atmosphere. I hope this marks it's reintegration into the season.

As for the race, I didn't race very well and messed up the finish, and so
was 4th. I was strong and had some sprinting power in me, but got a bit of
the "self-preservations" as every j-boff going for 7th place thought it
would be great to chop my wheel, so I came into the sprint well back and
could not make up the ground. S'okay, I was pretty low key about it and I
know the form's good for track tryouts and CX, the important stuff coming
up.

There were some umbrella girls at the race, all the bike racer dorks didn't
really know what to do with it and were trying to hide their chub behind
their chammys. The girls have all been toyota girls, so I recognized a few
of them and said hello. Here's my girl:

Then the fun ended and the race started.

The USPRO Road Race Championships down in Greenville this weekend was a
drag-out, knock-down brawl where everyone was hurt well before the finish.
I think this had something to do with it being a new course; every time a
new race surfaces no one knows how to make it happen so it becomes a lot
less tactical and more attrition. I mean, it was damn hard, but not
6-guys-finishing-the-whole-distance hard. Maybe next year teams will know
what to expect and will be better prepared.

The whole race came down to five times up Paris Mountain, the local hill in
Greenville. It was a bit shorter and shallower then I expected, and so I
chose the heavier but much more aero wheels as I felt that if I could get
them up the hill they'd help for the other 17 miles around the course, which
was mainly little rollers (not flat, as reported elsewhere). I think I made
the right choice, but it still hurt going up that hill with the aero wheels.

Every time we hit the hill, one or more Pro-Tour riders (McCartney, D Zab,
Levi and Hindcapie) would go to the front and lay it down, halving the group
while looking way too comfortable. You could see they were not really
giving it, there was a whole other level in there, but they didn't even need
to pull that out as the US peleton was basically unprepared or CBF about the
whole race entirely. The third time up was probably the easiest and it still
dropped big riders, such as Baldwin, and Obee, who was the last man standing
from team Healthnet. The fourth time brought it down to 8, and the last
time every rider was solo, looking to regroup with someone in order to have
some company for the last 30 miles.

Contrary to how the quotes may sound on the cycling websites, Levi and
George were in complete collusion and they never DIDN'T ride like teammates.
George is going to owe Levi big time next year, perhaps at the tour? I was
surprised how wholeheartedly Levi sold out for George, he did a ton of work,
sat on Andy Baj when George attacked, and then rode straight up to him in
the last 10 K and went straight to the front to do more work.

And I know how they SAID they were tired at the line and all, but they waxed
100 guys so badly that only nine of us were less then 10 minutes back and I
was cramping for the last 50 miles. Sorry guys, you're probably not going
to get much sympathy after such a trouncing.

Great job, though.

Ouch.