Tour of St. Louis, Forrest Park

I did the crit at Forrest Park this Sunday. It was a awesome course that was fast and had a couple smalls hills in it to make it interesting. This was the biggest crit of the year for me so far. The race went well i stayed toward the back at the beginning, and toward the front at the end. On the last lap i was in great position probably around 8th or 9th wheel. We came into a corner and got swallowed up from riders on both sides. I went from 8th or 9th to about 30th with less than half a lap to go. On the second to last section, which is up hill, i gave it everything i had trying to get some positions back. I rounded the last corner with Jason in front of me and we were digging deep. I gave it everything me legs had left to give and came a way with 9th. Not too bad i guess. Jason was right behind me in 11th. The guys from our team in the Cat5 race finished 6th, 7th, and 8th which is great for them. Until next time.....





Holla atcha boy.........

Tour Of Hermann

Tour of Hermann was a first time event. Ive came to this area last year for the Missouri state CX race. After hearing there would be a RR here the following year i was stoked. Just driving the roads is exciting let alone racing on them. It was a two day race with a TT on Saturday and a RR on Sunday. I preregistered for the RR not knowing if it would fill up or not and left the TT open because i have never done one before. Andy Hamilton from our team was signed up for both and had a room already so I decided i would go for both. Let me just say this.. TIME TRIALS SUCK. Its about as much fun as riding your trainer in a room with the lights off. I rode my ass off and even passed a guy or two, but also got passed. It was 10 miles and my average was 22.7. I didn't think that was that bad considering the wind. My time was a little over 26 minuets. The winner of Cat5 was a little over 22 minuets. Huummm. I finished 16th in Cat4.. oh well fuck it. That night Ian Sasik arrived for Sundays RR and we all went out for dinner. We found this nice little place in Hermann that looked like a good place for a bite to eat. We ordered our pasta and was promptly told that it might be a while... they were backed up. Cool, what ever, il take a beer. Two beers and 45 minuets later we were told that the computers were down and that it might be a little while longer. Cool, il take a beer. So by the time we got our food it had been 1 1/2 hours and 4 beers. I was semi drunk and hungry like a truck. I destroyed that bowl of pasta. Went back to the room, watched SNL and passed out. When we got up I could tell my mouth was a little more dry than one would desire the morning of a RR. I enjoyed that Continental breakfast like anyone would, drank a shit load of water and Gatorade. By the time the race started i was feeling normal again. I wasn't too worried because i drink every night. Anything less would have interrupted my training. The course was very hard. Lots of hills and very still ones at that. Some near the 20% mark. The Cat4 race was 40 miles. It was two laps, 20 each, duh. There was a long neutral start through town and out into the country. As soon as we hit the country and the first hill my mouth and throat felt like a desert. Very dry! It was hard to stay on with the group. Every hill was taking its tole on me and the rest of the field. It was hard. About 10 miles in I had started to feel a little better. Able to stay closer to the peleton at the top of each climb. I could see Jason from the team up near the front riding obviously well. I wasn't about to get dropped and leave a team mate all alone. I was able to finish the first lap in the peleton and begin our climb up the Guttenberg. The Guttenberg is a hill with a reported 20 to 24% grade depending on who you ask. It was a bitch. We got to the top and i could hear Jason talking shit to the other riders, " Why aren't you talking anymore". I sat quietly in the back laughing on the inside. Still struggling a little i took it one hill, one pedal stroke at a time. I was taking in a lot of fluids and gels trying to get my legs to " Officially " come around. With about 10 miles to go i heard the craziest noise ever. It sounded like some kind of Muskit, meets the Combine high pressure blow off. It was actually Jason's new tubular tire self destructing. I felt so bad for him. By the last KOM hill i was doing everything i could to stay with the peleton. I knew all i had to do was make it to the top in one piece and i might have a chance at a sprint finish(because of the long coast back down). I made it, I even passed about 10 guys on the way up. The biggest group was about 25 yard in front of me and i was one of three in a small chase group. Lucky for me I was third wheel and was able to coast all the way back to the peleton. At this point we had about a mile or less to the finish and the pace was high. We were rolling along about 28 or 29 which for Cat4.... ain't bad. Coming through town i could feel my adrenaline start to build. I forgot my legs hurt, or anything along those lines. We rounded the last corner and i was probably around 7th spot. We were moving. It turned into a bunch sprint quickly and all i needed was an opening, and it happened. I saw the opening and i went for it, but not before bumping into some Big Shark riders along the way. Once i was clear I was able to open it up and pour on the power. I gave it everything I had. Approaching 40mph I could tell there were only 2 or 3 guys on front of me and i was gaining fast. I was red lined and about to throw a rod when i saw the leader throw his hands up like he had it in the bag. The finish line was still about 15 yards away. I dug deep. I gave it absolutely 100% effort trying to make that guy look like a idiot. Unfortunately it never happened. He won. I finished second but i blew passed him no more than one second after the finish and probably going 10 MPH(seemed like it) faster than he was. I was still happy. I suffered all day and still hung on for the sprint finish. Made some money and my friends were there. It was a great weekend and cant wait for the next.
Hope to have some pics soon.


Holla atcha boy.....

Tilles park crit

It was very cold the day of the race. Probably about 40 or so and fairly windy. The course was dangerous i thought. Or maybe it was the Cat 4/5 that was dangerous. It was narrow with curbs on both sides and it was very twisty. I found my self at the back of the field right off the start but wasn't too worried about it. About 7 laps in i tried to pass a few people to get to the front but quickly realized that it was indeed hard to get through. It took a couple laps but i made it up there. After i got to the front i did a small attack to see what kinda legs the other guys had. Not much apparently because i rode the next 3 laps by myself. I slowed to get back in the group because i was sure i could go all the way with 20 plus 6 to go. I tried to stay toward the front to avoid crashes and having to fight for position later. On the last lap i was in around 20th or so and put in a hard charge to get near the front for the finish. The final lap was about 1/3 over and i was the 3rd wheel. Travis Thrower was on the front and i was hoping he would hammer and give us a good pull so no one could come up along side us, he did. The finish was a slight down hill with a light tail wind. It was a full on sprint coming out of the last corner. I came across the line 1st but i didn't know it at the time. I didn't find out that i won until after a cool down lap and i asked the scorers. Both people scoring had me as 1st. I won the first real crit of the year and made some money finally. I am hoping to carry this momentum to Tour of Hermann next weekend.

Holla atcha boy...

Hillsboro \ Rim Wrecker

The morning of the Hillsboro Roubaix i drove to meet some friends to car pool with to the race. We all crowded in the Wild Trak Bikes racing van and immediate starting talking shit to one another. The day couldn't have started better in my opinion. After we got to the race we all got registered, numbered, and warmed up the best we could. I was really nervous about how i might do because the year before i turned myself inside out only to finish in 37th spot and in the same class, 4/5. The start of the race is neutral for about 100 yards then make a 90 degree right turn. The peleton started off slow heading for that right turn. As soon as we get there and make the turn, i see a black jersey stand up in a full BMX style sprint and just roll the fuck out. Everyone took notice to this and just kinda shrugged there shoulders. Let him go... he's a dumb ass. The peleton was rolling along at about 30 with the help of a slight tail wind. About 3 miles into the race i had pretty much forgotten about that " Dumb ass " off the front. I was just happy to be in the lead group and feeling like i was on a group ride. Jason Watkins was also in the lead group and seemed to be riding well also. I was very excited to be in the peleton of a road race and actually have a team mate. The race was starting get some miles in and everything seemed to going great, then chank chank chank chank CRASH, at about 25 mph. Jason and myself both went to the ditch on the right side of the road to avoid the chaos. We made it through but not before mud bogging on the side of the road and getting left behind by a now much smaller peleton. We got back on the road and i was frantically trying to get back to the peleton. Jason was also right with me and actually calmed me down. It was obvious that they were not attacking and we just road a steady... hard, but steady pace back up to the group. Close one! We regrouped a little trying to get out legs back and continued to put miles in. Riding through town the first time was really relaxed actually. No one tried nothing tricky or anything. Still just a fast group ride. Starting our second lap the peleton was still about 40 strong. I was feeling really good still and we came to a section that was down hill and had a tail wind. We came out of the corner and i turned on the horse power thinking that people who were strong would come with me... WRONG! After about a 30 second hard effort i looked over my shoulder to see who came.... no one. I was in no mans land hanging out and probably being made fun of back in the group. At that point a couple guys actually made a break up to me trying to get something going. I reluctantly dropped back to the peleoton thinking that it was too far to go to try to make it on our own. As we started to approach the end of the race it was obvious that a large portion of our group did not want to work. So, Jason and myself tried to organize a chase the best we could. After we were semi organized there were about 5 of us pulling the remaining 20 guys left. We could see the two guys that went out on there own when i attacked about 1:30 up the road. They had to be getting tired. You could tell that some of the other guys in the group were starting to get anxious because there was a lot more talking going on about how a peleton is supposed to work! Still, no one wanted to pull. It seemed the people in the back of the group knew how it worked but the guys in the front were the only ones that would do the work. Whatever. As we approached town it stayed relatively calm. I was really expecting some attacks coming into town but there were none. I had figured that all those guys that stayed at the back were fresh. On the last climb i hit it hard. When I crested the top and started back down the cobble stone side i glanced over my shoulder, there was Jason. Behind him..... a field that had just fallen apart. Jason stayed behind me down the hill and pulled ahead of me up the last section of cobbles. There was only two guys ahead of us but we made quick work of them before the final turn. Jason pulled me about 50 yard down the last road and signaled me by. I made my move. I put in 100% effort for about 15 seconds then took a look over my shoulder. There was one guy, and Jason. I turned it back on never leaving the saddle and won the field sprint for 6th place. Jason held on for 9th even with his hard pull before the finish. Oh, that dumb ass that rode off the front 10 seconds into the race... he won. Who was he? A mountain biker. I should have known.

Rim Wrecker..
The day after Hillsboro, i decided to go try this Rim Wrecker MTB race to see what i had left in my legs. I rained all night the night before. It was also very chilly outside. Not expecting to do well i put no pressure on myself and was very calm before the race. Just kinda hanging out. At the start of the race i knew i wanted to be toward the front because its single track for 12 miles. If i could be at the front by the time we got to the single track i might be able to do well. I got to the single track in 3rd position and quickly moved into 1st. It was very wet and very technical which is more than ideal conditions for me. I never really pushed to hard being afraid that i might bonk from the previous days race on my legs. I rode for about 10 minuets before i ever looked back. No one in sight. " Oh shit", the pressure then hit me. I just put the pressure on myself to win this dam race, and only 3 miles in. Just 21 to go right! I kept plugging along just riding like i know how to ride. I went through the score area with a 1:14 first lap. I had noticed my breaks started to soften up, then, vanish. No breaks what so ever. Its like they weren't even on the bike. I was literally dragging my foot on down hills trying to avoid going off the trail. I soon developed a severe chain suck issue in my middle chain ring and was forced to stay in the big ring. At about the half way point of my second and final lap it hit. I could feel my legs going away. I started riding sloppy and careless. Going off the trail very 25 yards it seemed. I was bonking. My water bottles were covered in mud. The first area that was fairly flat and smooth i cleaned my bottles off the best i could and got as much fluid in me as i could. I was also able to get a goo, some electrolytes, and sports drink. I could tell with in 5 minuets that the stuff was kicking it. I still wasn't 100%, I wasn't even 75%. But i was able to keep it moving. I ended up finishing the race in 1st place. 1st in my age, and over all for sport. I don't know how i did it, but i did it. My total time was 2 hours and 42 minuets. 2nd was 2 hours and 55minuets. 3rd was 3 hours and 5 minuets. This was probably one of the best weekends i have had on the bike as far as racing goes. It was great. I had some great moments, scary moments, stupid ones too.

Great times,

Holla atcha boy....