tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79571740434122635752024-02-06T19:30:29.995-08:00Signal 13DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-3100464707975169922010-09-22T09:35:00.000-07:002010-09-22T10:20:39.060-07:00Sick of CyclingOr should I say all the doping talk in cycling. At first I wasn't too bothered by it, but now there's just too much dilly-dallying going on that's it's getting so ridiculous to the point where I don't even feel like defending the sport anymore.<br /><br />If you're tested and you get caught, then you go bye-bye. No probation, no nothing, you're gone from the sport for however many years and those years are the same for whatever you test positive for. Positive for weed, 2 years. Positive for EPO, two years. Positive for cocaine, dos anos. Positive for tainted chinese herbal supplement, 2 FREAKIN' YEARS. If you get tested and you pass then keep on racing. None of this, just in case we're gonna save this sample so we can come back to it 10 years later and see what we can come up with. <br /><br />Just like in police work, if you're a criminal, then you might get away with illegal activity for some period of time and you might evade detection, but eventually you will be caught, either by the police, or by some other jealous criminal who doesn't want you stepping in on their turf and the higher you're elevated the harder that fall will be. <br /><br />I think what really blows my mind is how incredibly scientific everything is becoming as it relates to cycling. When you read these articles to find out if someone it guilty or not, it's never that simple. It's always how much is this value or that value and do those values match the values from the last samples we took where the values were suspicious. Then when you look at stuff from a scientific standpoint, if these number don't match, then it must not be true or you must be guilty. I hate hearing about lab values because racing doesn't take place in the lab. I mean why doesn't Cavendish ever test positive. He's been tested in the lab and it's been found that he shouldn't be as fast as he is, but he is, and he's never tested positive, and he wins. Contador is a rail, which is good for getting up mountains but how is he able to motor along the flats? I mean science would have me believe it's impossible for Contador to win a flat time trial because he's so small, but he has, and he hasn't tested positive for anything. I think until scientist get good enough to catch everyone no matter what they are taking, in any given format of cheating, don't come at me with science number telling me someone is cheating or has cheated when they aren't testing positive. <br /><br />I think what really blows my mind is that I was watching football this weekend and very casually, as the starting line ups were being reviewed the commentator just states, "He won't be starting today because he's serving a 4 game suspension for taking a performance enhancing substance." No big presentation, no picture of the guys mug on the t.v., no attacking his character or manhood or calling him an a**hole or jerk on all the blogs, no interviewing all his teammates or snooping through his locker to find out what was going on. He'll miss a quarter of the season, and then he'll be right back on the field earning his paycheck just like everyone else. Why is that? <br /><br />I have no tolerance for doping. In the end I feel like unless they get the DEA involved or some other international agency and start setting up big sting operations and start using undercover agents and wiretaps and night vision and confidential informants to catch all these people then it will continue. Until then I'll keep racing because I love it, and if some doper comes along and they happen to beat me because they are on the sauce and they don't get caught then I hope karma will take care of them.DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-374703075521660212010-04-27T04:25:00.000-07:002010-04-27T07:27:34.875-07:00Farmersville RRI was fully prepared to head up to Lancaster, PA for a road race in the rain. But, when I arrived in the area I was pleasantly surprised that I wouldn't be needing any rain gear. The weather was wonderful. Unfortunately, I didn't pack a gas mask because the smell was horrible, unless you like the stench of cow dung.<br /><br />I was also happy to see that the race was pretty full. When I pre-registered for it, there where only 35 people on the list, by the time it closed there was 60+.<br /><br />The course was 8 laps on a 7 mile loop, which was not very selective. I was still afraid that a break would establish itself so I tried to stay at the front as much as possible. After about 4 laps it was clear that nothing was going to stay away. Both Tim's from Harley were doing a crap load of work in the race. I will honestly say that they pretty much made Farmersville a "race". I dunno what it is about the other PA teams, but with as many bodies as they had in the race I couldn't understand why their teams weren't more active.<br /><br />During the race I made the mistake of not taking a feed and on the last lap I really started to cramp so I entered survival mode. I underestimated how hot it really was, and overestimated how much fuel I was really taking in. I made sure I did the last lap without getting out of the saddle because I figured if my legs were going to lock up I would rather it be in the sprint when I could hold a position than early in the lap when I could lose position. An NCVC guy took a solo flyer earlier in the lap and it looked like it was going to stick so basically we were all racing for second place since no one was really willing to chase him down. Coming up to the last km, I was buried on the inside and I figured if I could sneak up the inside I would be golden coming out of the final turn, which was some weird uphill, banked kind of turn. As I was moving up on the inside I saw two Kelly guys lined up on the outside going pretty fast into the last turn. I matched my speed to theirs so that as I came out of the turn I would line up perfectly behind their leadout, and it worked. As we hit the final straight there was one Kelly guy leading out the other Kelly guy leading out me. Wonderful! The second Kelly guy came off his teammates wheel and took off himself. I just hung his wheel because I knew I could out sprint him. About 250 to 300 meters out I took off. As soon as I came out of the saddle my legs did not want to cooperate. I just kept pedaling as best I could, fighting the urge to sit back down. It almost felt like I was literally riding a bucking horse. I just threw my weight from pedal to pedal as best I could. I got a pretty good jump but because it was so hard for me to accelerate, a guy from team Pelotoni? jumped to my wheel and was able to come around me in the last couple meters so I ended up in 3rd.<br /><br />I was pretty happy with my placing. It just sucked because I know I could've gone faster had I not cramped and it was completely my fault for not fueling myself properly. So that's my lesson learned.DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-22390715271317652612010-04-20T08:08:00.000-07:002010-04-20T08:10:05.943-07:00Calling All Mont. Co. Riders!As Montgomery County residents know, Montgomery Co. is facing a record $779 million gap for fiscal year 2011, which begins July 1, 2010. County Executive Ike Leggett has had to make difficult choices in his proposed operating budget, including a recommended 13.5% or $14.5 million reduction to the budget for Montgomery Parks. Such a drastic cut is a real threat to the quality of services you have come to know and expect at parks and park property within the county limits. With these cuts, it will be harder to keep service at its current level, and within Montgomery Parks, other affects may include closing parks and facilities, postponing new parks and upgrades to current ones, shortened hours, higher use fees, and staff reductions in most categories and by staff reductions you are safe in assuming that that means the Park Police and the maintenance staff. <br /><br />Beautiful, safe, accessible parks, and an outstanding school system are the two most popular reasons people and businesses give for locating in Montgomery County. We have enjoyed strong support from our political leaders in the past, and appreciate that they are faced with difficult decisions to balance the needs of our community. <br />Now what does this mean for us as a cycling community? Imagine trying to commute on the Capital Crescent Trail or on Beach Drive or Sligo Creek Parkway, and now imagine that because of budget cuts police officers have been laid off and now there aren’t enough units to adequately patrol these trail ways. Not only that, but because of cuts, they’ve laid off maintenance staff and now the trails and roads aren’t being properly maintained. How would this affect your feeling of safety? I know lots of people who park their vehicle in our parks to go for bike rides. Would they still feel safe doing that knowing that the parks aren’t able to be as frequently patrolled as before? The Capital Crescent Trail is already a handful for the patrol units that we have, so how would customer service improve by taking away those patrol units. This also affects groups like MORE who frequently host trail rides on park property. This affects rides like the Goon Ride that meets at Veirs Mill Park and stays on park property the entire ride. The 7am and 10am ride meets at East West Hwy. and Beach Dr., where several people park their vehicle on park property.<br /><br />If you are a resident of this county, I respectfully ask that you write a letter to the County Council, thanking them for their past support of Montgomery Parks and encouraging them to continue their financial support at the highest possible level. <br />Petitions or other written material may be mailed or delivered to the Council's Office of Legislative Information Services, 5th Floor, Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20850. All written material becomes a part of the public hearing record.<br /><br />If you would prefer to call or send an email message to your Councilmember, following are phone numbers and email addresses:<br /><br />• Phil Andrews, 240/777-7906, councilmember.andrews@montgomerycountymd.gov<br />• Roger Berliner, 240/777-7828, councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov<br />• Marc Elrich, 240/777-7966, councilmember.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov<br />• Valerie Ervin, 240/777-7960, councilmember.ervin@montgomerycountymd.gov<br />• Nancy Floreen, 240/777-7959, councilmember.floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov<br />• Mike Knapp, 240/777-7955, councilmember.knapp@montgomerycountymd.gov<br />• George Leventhal, 240/777-7811, councilmember.leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov<br />• Nancy Navarro, 240/777-7968, councilmember.navarro@montgomerycountymc.gov<br />• Duchy Trachtenberg, 240/777-7964, councilmember.trachtenberg@montgomerycountymd.gov<br /><br />Now that that’s done, time to get back to racing!DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-64967854430233518152010-04-19T04:54:00.000-07:002010-04-19T05:04:48.844-07:00Chantilly and Carl DolanWhat a windy weekend of racing!<br /><br />The short of it is, I pretty much struggled through Chantilly. Which I couldn't figure out why because my legs felt pretty good. On paper Chantilly should have been easy but the wind made it quite difficult. Early on in the race I tried to go in a break with Joe D. and that was a big mistake. I burned a few more matches than I wanted and of course that break didn't stick. I spent the rest of the race trying to recover for the inevitable field sprint. On the last lap I was too far back and didn't really have the energy left to try and sprint. Oh well.<br /><br />Sunday was Dolan. I wasn't looking forward to doing this race after Chantilly because I figured if that was hard for me, then Carl Dolan would be killer. Actually Carl Dolan felt easier than Chantilly. But, I as well as my whole team, missed the break. Game over. Finished in the group on the field sprint.<br /><br />I sit here now and play through all the shoulda, coulda, woulda's in my head and it sucks. Still waiting for that good result, that will come, I'm sure, when I least expect it. Until then I'll just keep working hard and hope lady luck doesn't take too long to come knocking on my door.DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-41820227004214936692010-04-03T17:56:00.000-07:002010-04-03T18:15:33.229-07:00Grabbing the Bull by the horns!First off, a big thank you goes out to Jared and the Haymarket crew for letting everyone in on this ride. Also thanks to the lady driving the sag wagon, I don't know her name.<br />This was an awesome ride and a welcomed change from doing the 7am and 10am ride. This ride was also more difficult than the 7 and 10am combined. No wonder those Haymarket guys are riding so strong if this is the course they've been training on.<br />I was actually pre-registered to head down to Smithfield for the HAMmerfest, but I really couldn't stomach the 3.5 hour commute plus I really didn't want to miss this ride again. I went into this Bull Run ride fully expecting to have my butt handed too me, but I actually hung in there pretty strong, that is until we got to the gravel.<br />Once we hit that very loose gravel section, I almost crapped my bibs. I've never ridden on anything like that before. I figured I'd just try and stay as smooth as possible but then I dropped my chain. I dunno if you've ever tried to re-clip into your pedals, going uphill, on extremely loose gravel, but it ain't fun. After watching about 5 to 6 people roll past me, I finally got clipped in to find out that my chain was stuck in 18 tooth cog. On regular pavement, this wouldn't have been a big deal, but on loose gravel there was too much torque to my back wheel, which just kept slipping and slipping as I pedaled uphill. <br />Eventually I was able to get going. As I rode along the gravel, I passed Fuentes who had flatted, which sucks because I know he was up in the front, then Nieters, who had flatted, then Sean Barrie, who I think flatted as well. After that I was riding alone...for what seemed like forever. The difficulty of every gravely climb was only magnified by the fact that I thought I was lost. I kept stopping just to make sure that I was really seeing tire marks on the gravel trail. <br />Eventually I made it off of the gravel but ended up at a "T" intersection. Fortunately there was a lady standing there who had to told me she'd seen cyclist go to the left. So off to the left I went where I was eventually joined by another Haymarket rider, Chris and we ended up riding in to the finish together.<br />All in all, this was a super exciting, tough ride that I definitely look forward to doing again, and again.DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-90852059058196902472009-12-17T18:46:00.000-08:002009-12-17T18:57:43.782-08:00Go to music to get FAST!I admit, I listen to a little bit of everything. I was a music major in college and I love music. But there are times on the the bike where the Bach cello suites and Josh Turner don't cut it. When I'm looking to go fast and fueling the chocolate rocket I turn to go-go music. The more instrumental the better. I love it when the hype man shuts up and the percussionist just take it away.<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AHbAmpycpGc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AHbAmpycpGc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />How can you not go fast with energy like this!?!DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-14765117295710461512009-08-30T19:34:00.000-07:002009-08-30T19:39:08.677-07:00Thank you Tracy Rankin!Dear donald brew,<br />The following request to change your USCF category has been approved and processed by USA Cycling:<br />djbrew21 - 2009-08-20 10:57<br />Member: donald brew<br />License: Road RacerRequest to change category from Cat 3 to Cat 2<br /><br />Goal number one of the 2009 season has been accomplished!DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-36303872496088793502009-08-25T05:50:00.001-07:002009-08-25T06:26:38.098-07:00Thank You Marion, Indiana!<div><div>I went to Indianapolis this weekend to visit some relatives. Before I left I checked the area to see if there were going to be any races and there were. About an hour away they were having the Marion Classic, which is an NRC race, so I figured I could get in some racing this weekend as well.<br /></div><br /><div>I signed up for the 3/4 and the 2/3. I figured going out to the Midwest would be a welcomed change since no one knew me out there and I didn't know anyone out there, I could just do my own thing. I've also wondered what it would be like racing in a whole different area. The course was a 10 corner crit that crossed to bridges, with two slight rises between turn 4 and 5, and 8 and 9. I was really looking forward to this course because I like going through turns. My first race was the 3/4. Since people weren't really going to assume I was a threat my strategy was just to stay at the front and not make any moves until the last lap. There were a couple crashes in the race but since I stayed at the front none of them affected me. To make a long story short, on the last lap coming into turn 8, I started my sprint up the little rise around turn 9 and held it all the way to the finish for first place. I made it onto the podium and got to get interview by Robbie Ventura, which was pretty kewl.</div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373888060553685842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLuS_HkFrW-gpBmQVOt6PLh6ves4AZkuB1qTwHKPP766HxsQMVR18Lx63G0bZH0UWXkF8KdbLCbIlsGgLGY1F_oPUOJNu1_AZFcLvIk0C0bgwhhsojYP4aaJRRnH9Mp2eEJh9nmRE95Re/s320/IMG_0921.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373888330320249890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 345px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLArxiF7fSPuw0O2bUswjdY3SX1zF2Bvp1aOEEaECm8GI6wEiqQAfTonTHF6Ny3qkKAymKaWbfnyiHsBQx5gf3wsgSjtlB6sMA7OLz3cwvZDJgyk-eMUxHYDxbjOtqbXiYfoY4rLVJqGMw/s320/IMG_0924.JPG" border="0" /><br />Next up was the 2/3. I figured after winning the 3/4 and the interview I would be a marked man, but my strategy was going to be the same no matter what. I ended up finishing in 2nd though. Coming into turn 8 on the last lap, a guy came past me so I jumped on his wheel. In turn 10 we both took different lines and that gave him just enough of a gap to hold me off. I was a little disappointed because I wanted to win both races. I never like getting 2nd, but I guess I can't feel to bad about it and to make me feel better we all got a nice big bag of sweet corn for getting on the podium. </div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373891385029849890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYqc0JnLca1k4ZMNtTfH5e6FrGH3IDEBRmQyP7b8tS-VbzNz5rT8PandlV698hmU8CKrFD5NuCDmQ4uYANToBSk6zF9LmeXUSLwtLgBvvYPnLqzWADRZoY2znLW67x7-24Qq9QGQlR5Xt/s320/IMG_0939.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />So it was a good weekend going to Indy, having a nice time with the family, taking their money and their corn.<br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div>DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-36679876160357639172009-08-17T11:56:00.000-07:002009-08-17T13:01:55.622-07:00Thank you Millersburg!<div align="left">First I will echo the sentiments felt by not only myself but other races who've attended the Tour of Millersburg by saying that it was an awesome race, held by an awesome community. You definitely felt welcomed and it was like they really wanted you there and not like they were doing us a favor. You could also tell that the citizens there would been over backwards to make sure that us racers were comfortable and have everything we needed. This was my first time there and already I have a place to stay, for free, next year when I go back, which I definitely will do. On to the racing...</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">The time trial was first, which I was not excited about since the only time I've ever time trialed was at Tour of Washington Co., and that was the first time. I thought I was rolling along pretty good. I was the second person to go off after Lance Anderson. Before I took off I could see Lance disappear off into the fog and I wouldn't see him again until we crossed paths at the turn around. I knew I wouldn't catch him and I could only hope that I wouldn't get caught but I did. The TT wasn't hard, I just have no skills and very little motivation when it comes to something like that. By the posting of the results I finished in 40th place. There goes my GC hopes. The sad thing was I was actually kind of trying on the TT because I thought I could do well in the crit and road race so I wanted to at least be mid-pack after the time trial.<br /></div><div align="left">Later on was the criterium. After getting my result for the TT, I wanted to win the crit. I started gearing up and trying to get motivated for the race. I had never done this course before and I heard that it was different from last year so I wanted to warm up by taking a few laps. After my first lap of the course, I thought there was no way I could win because of that stupid hill. I took another lap thinking my legs just needed to wake up or something but that didn't help. I remember telling my wife after those couple laps that I was unsure that I could do well because of the hill and that this race would be about survival. I continued to warm up until the start completely avoiding going up that hill anymore extra times. The race started and Whole Wheel, with 2 guys in the top 3 overall, got on the front and just started drilling it. I tried to stay up front because I figured as long as I could keep contact with the wheel in front of me I wouldn't get dropped. In the first third of the race I felt like I was on the ropes, just playing defense. At about half way through the race I didn't really feel any better but I also noticed that I didn't feel any worse. I was starting to read the race and I noticed that if you were close to the front up the hill then there was some valuable recovery seconds waiting for you at the top while everyone kinda caught their breath. My strategy would be to hang on until the top of the hill and spend the whole front side of the course recovering and pedaling as little as possible. I can corner well and that made all the difference in allowing me to recover. I also noticed that if you attacked on the hill you would die by the time we got to the top. It was that same rhythm the whole race. Coming in to the last lap was no different. There was a guy who attacked early and was off the front. I was sitting about top ten coming up the hill and about 20 meters from the top I just gunned it out of the saddle, up and around the corner and got a gap at the spot where we had been taking it easy. Another guy jumped to my wheel and let me know we had a gap, and right behind him was my teammate Jorge. We bridge across to the early attacker and I was sitting in second coming out of the final turn and knew I had the win. I was extremely happy. Knowing that my GC hopes were dashed, I was happy that I would come out of the weekend with at least one win. What I hadn't noticed during the race was that this course and the pace was shredding the field. The guy who held the yellow jersey after the TT was even pulled. With and lot of the guys who were in the top spots after the TT not finishing or not earning any points, I shot up on the GC from 40th to 4th. It was at that point that I figured I would have a shot at the podium. </div><div align="center"><br /></div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371024477599763442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFa1hCkBtlcZl0Vv2HombTYkOLbOc_HZO79ZHHW5Mnf6fwZ0aknFjeeCjXn3BYx8SpA68cn1OGoEXpsBHMNWvlbhlGQ7vOx86LokLancJqC2lyUfYacl9olvUSIMN_unKPHrrOMTrag1Wc/s320/IMG_5254.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">(Thanks Jim Wilson)</span><br /><br /></p>I was hearing that the road race would be a sprinters delight and my inner Mark Cavendish was over joyed. Going into the road race I wasn't really paying too much attention to where the other riders that were close to me on GC were. I wanted to win the road race. I figured that if I could win then the GC would take care of itself. The first couple laps were really uneventful. People tried to break away but nothing stayed. My job was just staying vigilant and hoping for a field sprint, which is what the race came down to. The run in to the finish was extremely fast. We would be blasting down the hill that tortured us the day before in the crit. At the bottom of the hill was a sharp right hander, and after doing this turn twice on the two previous laps, I knew it was crucial to get to through that corner on a good wheel. I unfortunately lost my nerve coming through that turn on the last lap and was on the brakes too much and lost a couple positions. I was in the front but got swarmed coming down the hill and I just knew that someone would go down so I got on the brakes, but everyone made it through clean. After we exited out the turn to a long straight the speed was so high it was difficult getting on a wheel and I had to burn a match trying to catch back on. We hit the last right hander and I already knew I was too far back to take the win but fortunately I had enough to pass a couple people and hold on to 7th.<br /><br />I was nervous after the finish because I didn't know if finishing in 7th would give me enough point over the other top people to finish on the podium. After trying to do calculations in my head, the results were finally posted and my 7th in the road race gave me enough points to put me in 3rd overall. I was pumped. My first podium in a stage race. My teammate finished in 4th on GC right off the podium. If either one of us had of known what was going on we probably would've got both of us up there.<br /><br /><br />It was a good weekend, in a great town, holding an excellent race, run by wonderful people, capped off by a visit to Chocolate World with my wife.DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-46246310746648931162009-08-06T04:47:00.000-07:002009-08-06T04:55:03.515-07:00Socks of Choice<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKQXx7PkO63QCWXO6Y9KoOzGM1n8Wg1baKu7qlpNlFw40YasmRCJH9ikLqD2YiyupUjH2mfrjKsXrmZHNaE82UzLO261QcXMJ_Z7CELT7BQRSxJ_5zuVSZ7hYnhJL8pJ_GrxS52nXBYv_/s1600-h/merino+socks.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366817521885274834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 133px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 163px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKQXx7PkO63QCWXO6Y9KoOzGM1n8Wg1baKu7qlpNlFw40YasmRCJH9ikLqD2YiyupUjH2mfrjKsXrmZHNaE82UzLO261QcXMJ_Z7CELT7BQRSxJ_5zuVSZ7hYnhJL8pJ_GrxS52nXBYv_/s320/merino+socks.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Hincapie Sportswear Merino Wool socks. Super high cuff! I wear these socks year-round and the fact that they are wool does not bother me one bit. Since they are wool, I find they don't really get funky either so I can get a couple or more wears out of them before they need to go in the wash. They are extremely comfortable and I wear them everywhere, from church to the club and all stops inbetween.</div>DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-82807424380322234462009-07-30T08:12:00.001-07:002009-07-30T08:34:00.218-07:00Don't Recover Like MeFor me, and don't try to be like me, after a hard workout or race, or anytime in between, in order to recover, I find the nearest Starbucks and order me up a venti, solo javachip frappuccino.<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364276255634917042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 272px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImrFnehNEq7HUD7wKRa5xgv0IjWNvkw5DqVkJwTCQMymaa8ytY2dDZUwW6ai8mrjYSaYQniVE60Xv3rM_FdTzCG8FhBkkKbZsB7laQDLnlN7GpxyF_972NNMpg1ETsiytj_q42IgpS1Pb/s320/starbucks-banana-java-chip.jpg" border="0" /></p><p> </p><p>HITS THE SPOT!!!!!! Please don't be like me.<br /></p>DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-48808870993198839772009-07-28T06:01:00.000-07:002009-07-28T06:48:26.187-07:00Missing in Action...KindaAccording to the automated banner ad, DJ Brew, on July 25th, in Mathis, W.V., was supposed to be getting his epic on at Lost River. But, after July 18th, in Barnesville, M.D., after Giro di Coppi, DJ changed his mind. <br /><br />I really wanted to support the Lost River Classic, which is why I initially registered. I expected my support to extend beyond my money to actually racing in the race but after my performance at Coppi, I realized I am just not in the kind of shape I want to be in to spend most of a race climbing. Now had it not been so close to the end of the season and I felt like I had a lot to gain from a training aspect, I would've gone to Lost River. Instead I figured I would go to Lancaster and test the legs out in a good ol' fashion criterium, the Grandview Grand Prix. I did this race last year and I really liked the course and the atmosphere. I went back this year seeking a better result than last years race. I actually figured I could win it, which also aided my decision to do Grandview over Lost River. Unfortunately for me Lance "Freakin' Stud" Lacy was there and decided he could win it as well.<br /><br />I'll start by saying there is something about the racing in PA that's different. I can't quite put my finger on it but it didn't seem the same as racing in the MABRA area. The race was pretty easy. Obviously since I was seeking a result, I did no work and waited for the sprint. Lance Lacy, seeking a result, and more importantly not wanting to sprint against me, took off and never looked back. He had some company initially, but the sound wave his S80's were creating as he pedaled was too much for his breakaway companions to handle and they got dropped. There were several bigger teams there with 8 or more riders who I figured would do some work to bring Lance back but no such thing happened. It seems that they were all sprinters sitting in waiting for the sprint with me. Which brings me to the final lap.<br /><br />I was feeling good at the bell. After not having done any work and taking good lines through the turns I was coming into the last turn in about 10th. Some might think this was too far back but the final stretch was sort of a long false flat into a downhill and there was a bit of headwind. I was feeling good so I knew I could blow past people as we got past the false flat. Unfortunately, I picked the wheel of Kyle Jones to follow. In hindsight, I definitely can't blame him because as soon as we came to the last turn I should have just nailed it like Steve Wahl did at Ride Sally Ride, because I felt good enough to hold it all the way to the line but instead of being aggressive and going on how I was feeling, I started thinking too much. I picked Kyle's wheel because he said he had been sprinting good and he's bigger than me so I knew he would be a good draft. But during the race he did too much work and didn't have enough for a final kick. I came off his wheel back to the inside of him where there was a group of guys about 4 wide in front of me. I panicked a little because I knew I was boxed in and running out of real estate. With the curb on my left, Kyle on my right and 4 dudes in front of me I was able to accelerate into a small gap in front of me and nudge my wheel in for 5th. <br /><br />I'm kind of pissed with that result, because I know I lost that sprint from lack of confidence. I should have never went into it relying on someone else to give me what I need to get to the line first. There was nothing I could do about Lance, he was super strong that day, but I should not have lost that field sprint. I should've made my own way to that line. Instead 3 other pansies who I know I could've beat got there before me and that really gets under my skin. <br /><br />Congrats to Lance on the win though. There's something about when a person has a plan and executes that plan to perfection that's just amazing to watch. Before the race Lance told me he was gonna go into time trial mode, and he did, and he won. I need to start applying that to the sprint and just speaking it into existence.DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-72554733866321435542009-07-13T10:55:00.000-07:002009-07-13T11:33:55.914-07:00Dawg Days of HagerstownToo much work and not enough sprinting is how I would classify this past weekend of racing for me. I was really excited about Hagerstown because it's a crit of course and I felt like I had a good chance of winning being a sprinter and all. And some point in the race though, my focus changed from "sitting in and waiting for the field sprint" to "do work to make sure the break gets a big enough gap". I used up too much energy for things in the race that shouldn't have been my concern anyway and ended up not having enough at the finish. I didn't care what place I got I just knew that it wasn't first and I was pissed. If I don't get first, I don't care. You can keep your bar points, upgrade points, prize money, jerseys, medals and primes I just want first place. After looking at the results online when I got home I realized I finished in 6th, and at the time I didn't realize it but after checking last years results I got 6th as well. Talk about a marked improvement. To add insult to injury, I'm almost positive that at some point while packing up my truck to leave I misplaced, and by misplaced I mean "placed" on the roof of my truck and not at the bottom of my bag, my Garmin 705. This would be Garmin number 3 that's been donated to charity. If anyone found it and wants to give it back just let me know.<br /><br />I couldn't stay too disappointed about Hagerstown because Dawg Days was just around the corner and if there is anything to cheer me up after a bad race, it's more racing! I would be racing twice at Dawg Days in the 3 and 123. In the 3 race, the story was pretty much the same as Hagerstown. After Lance and Tim got away, there was an initial chase group that formed and then there was the peleton. At some point I was able to bridge up to the chase group and shortly after we were all back together with 2 still up the road. I was still doing more work at the front than I wanted because I figured more people would be helping out. I didn't think they would stay away seeing as how only two teams were represented and neither one of the guys up the rode was a sprinter. I thought more people would put in work to bring those two back but that didn't happen. I guess people like sprinting for 3rd but I don't. Bike Rack did a great job of blocking as well. Seeing as how they co-hosted the race with Artemis, my team, I guess they were my co-teammates, so I should've been co-happy that they were doing a good job blocking, but I co-hated it because it was too good. I didn't have enough left in the sprint (for 3rd). Whether is was lack of energy or motivation, I guess a little bit of both. Congrats to Lance and Tim for seriously digging deep and sticking that break all the way to the end. After this race concluded I started thinking about how I was going to survive the 123 race. Fortunately, I did survive, in the field, with two cramped legs, but survival nonetheless. <br /><br />Now that another weekend of racing is behind me, I would like to say I'm no longer thinking about the piss-poor performance at Hagerstown but it still sits in the back of my mind. But, by the time Coppi rolls around this weekend it'll be all gone.DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-10307055030118786362009-06-30T17:11:00.000-07:002009-06-30T17:24:39.573-07:00Thoroughly Thrashed.......by Bike Rack. Those boys can climb! I decided, against better judgement, to take Rugg up on his offer to ride hills with them today instead of doing the Goon ride. I will say without a doubt that this ride did not disappoint. While the thrashing was taking place I must say I was really enjoying myself. It would've been so much harder to make myself hurt like that if I had of ridden by myself. <br />Seeing those guys do their thing was a serious reality check for me. I thought maybe if I threw in a little bit of hills the next couple weeks I could be competitive at Coppi and Lost River, but after seeing that gang attack those hills I might just be doing these hills so I can survive Coppi and Lost River. Anyway, I know where I'll be every Tuesday @ 6:15 pm when the weather is cooperating. I've just found my new favorite form of self-flagellation.DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-34536026859036005752009-06-29T09:54:00.000-07:002009-06-29T10:26:17.036-07:00Reston!I'll start by saying I got 3rd in the 3/4 race. I HATE freakin' 3rd place. I know I should be happy I got third or finished "in the money" or that I didn't get caught behind that crash, and all things considered I am, but I'm really not because I really HATE 3rd place. I would probably have a different reaction if I lost because 2 guys broke away and I was left to win the field sprint, but I hate to lose when I'm right there up front at the end of the race and don't do what I have to do to get 1st place. HATE IT! And technically, if 2nd place is the first loser, then 3rd place is the 2nd loser, then that means I couldn't even win at losing!<br /><br />On a more positive note, I loved doing Reston. The 3/4's got lucky because we didn't have to deal with a lick of rain. The last time I did this course was in 2007 as a Cat 5 and I came in 18th, so it was nice to come back to it. I didn't have a particular strategy going into this race either. I guess if you can call sitting in until the field sprint a strategy then I <em>did</em> have one. But I'm a better sprinter than anything else, so isn't this an appropriate strategy for me? Anyway's, having a strategy like that never makes for an interesting race report so I'll just skip to the end to say Win had a freakin' sweet leadout from his teammate and I should've went earlier than when I did. I didn't go as hard as I wanted through the last two turns because I had way too much air in the rear tire and those turns were giving me a little bit of trouble when I tried to power through them during the race. That gave Win and Greg all the meters they needed to stay ahead and come in 1st and 2nd respectively.<br /><br />Later on, I attempted to do the 1/2/3 race. Attempted is the correct term because after about 14 laps, I was graciously pulled from the race. It was fast and it was furious. I just did not have enough left in the legs to hang on to the back of the train.<br /><br />For the next couple weeks, the focus of my training will shift towards the hills. I refuse to be embarrassed at Coppi and Lost River by all the climbers out there like I was at the Tour of Washington Co.DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-90884062428467189132009-06-23T17:13:00.000-07:002009-06-23T17:36:19.336-07:00I (heart) Washington County!I can sum up this past weekend of racing with one word, "Painfest". At least for me it was. I picked a whooper of a first stage race. Feeling grossly under prepared, I showed up for the road race ready to have my butt handed to me on a silver platter by some of MABRA's finest climbers...and they did not hesitate to put me in my place. After the first lap around that course, I didn't think I would make it until the end. Fortunately I did, but losing so much time to the leader and knowing I can't time trial my GC hopes were quickly put to rest so I knew the rest of the weekend would be pure fun.<br /><br />The time trial was my first. I don't really know what to say about it since I have nothing to compare it to. I know there was a super headwind at the turn around. I didn't catch anyone, but I didn't get caught either. Then came the crit. Finally an event I knew I had a chance in, at least for some stage glory. This crit was fun as well. I was pretty close to quitting within the first 5 or 6 laps, but finally the legs started to come around and I was able to get into my own zone. I knew if the race came down to it, I was feeling confident enough that I could win it in a field sprint. With 1 to go, there were two guys kind of off the front that I thought we would catch. We were doing pretty good at making up ground but coming into the last corner a bike rack guy clipped his pedal and everyone behind him had to slow down and scatter for different lines. Fortunately for me I was about 4 wheels back and was still able to maintain a good line through the turn. I started the sprint from pretty far out because I knew I could hold it but it wasn't enough to catch the guys up the rode so I ended up in 3rd. <br /><br />Big congratulations to Mr. Rugg. I know he isn't my teammate and all but I was really rooting for him to take the overall win this weekend. As hard as he's been working, he deserved the result he got. Also, watching his teammate, Tim Brown, dominate in the crit was awesome. I must confess that at the beginning of the season I though the Bike Rack guys were just a bunch of squirrely dudes, but my view of their team and tactics has done a complete 180 as the seasons progressed. Keep up the hard work fellas!DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-1438788808951584582009-06-18T08:04:00.000-07:002009-06-18T08:09:56.731-07:00Cops can be funny too!<div>I came across this while reading the article at Velonews.com</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.velonews.com/article/93545/giove-charged-in-marijuana-conspiracy">http://www.velonews.com/article/93545/giove-charged-in-marijuana-conspiracy</a></div><br /><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em><strong>Giove, also known as "The Missile," earned a total of 14 NORBA national downhill titles, 11 UCI World Cup victories, two overall World Cup titles and the world championship in 1994.<br />Apparently aware of Giove’s competitive background, DEA agent John Gilbride felt compelled to offer the observation that “drug trafficking can lead you downhill fast." </strong></em></div><br /><div><strong><em></em></strong></div><br /><div>See people, even we have a sense of humor. </div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348684938401700098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQy_YiqIDX0bUjQiDSchh7DQiDAGOsVa2Vjae8Wku9sFaCN1sAtOIuue9CsSmj4RoRiYWcKOHeSwRBNpSD6CLRwtGjA_9YzrNlgqW51An1CrTMcVmOJIyqAhY0sDpieW2kkGzYGKHP27d6/s320/LtDangle.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div>DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-61610294649143375732009-06-17T04:42:00.000-07:002009-06-17T05:04:06.942-07:00Back in the saddleAfter taking a week off for vacation visiting the in-laws in the Bahamas, I am now back home and "back in the saddle". During that week away, my legs turned to mush and now I'm in panic mode because as of a minute ago I decided to sign up for the Tour of Washington Co. I guess no matter what my fitness level is, I have a strong desire to feed my hunger for competition. <br /><br />This will be my first stage race. I cannot time trial. I never really cared much for the race of truth. I much rather prefer a race of lies if it keeps me from embarrassing myself. But I will say that I'm excited to see the guys who are really good at time trialing throw down. I admire the amount of mental toughness and focus and high threshold for pain it actually takes to succeed in something like a time trial.<br /><br />See all you guys this weekend.DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-10217262502659029442009-06-07T21:33:00.001-07:002009-06-07T22:08:20.530-07:00Ride SallyI figured I would write this before I head off for a week long vacation to the Bahamas.<br /><div></div><br /><div>This weekend was Ride Sally Ride and it would be my second time in this race. Although you would never know it (which I will get to later). I raced in the 3 and 1/2/3 races. I was a little disappointed with the way the 3 race played out. I mean I felt great the whole time, but in the end I wasn't in the right place at the right time and for it I did not get a good result. Talking to Chuck afterwards made me feel a little worse but also motivated me a little bit more for the future. I practically live for the sprint. I race every race hoping it will come down to a sprint. When I imagine winning races in my head, it's never in a solo breakaway, it's always in a sprint. And not just a sprint with anyone but I want to be sprinting against the best and win. To see Stephen <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Wahl</span> take the race, in seriously excellent fashion, and know I wasn't where I needed to be to give him a run for his money pretty much blew my whole race. I ended up somewhere in the top 10, although the officials or results won't reflect that because on the last lap of our race the finish line camera went out. The officials only scored the first 6 riders. It really wasn't a big deal to me because quite honestly, if I'm not in first then why put up a fuss. Also, last year when I did this race, in the opposite direction, they didn't even score me coming across the line. I would've been in 12<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span>. </div><div></div><br /><div>At the end of the day I had the 1/2/3 race. All I can really tell you about this one is that I had a really good time in this race. Even though this race was faster than the 3 race it felt a lot easier. I think the overall smoothness of the race made the pace easy to maintain. I also felt like I had an easier time moving around in the 1/2/3 than I did in the 3. I also enjoyed racing with the Artemis Elite guys. (GET ME IN BLUE!!!) DC <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Velo</span> ended up lining up their train of guys for the final lap and it looked well oiled and solid. I was watching on Bryan Vaughn's video and its amazing how easy they seem to be able to find each other and get on their teammate's wheel. They ended up winning, but I really didn't care because I was happy I finished and that I felt pretty good during the race. The photo below is courtesy of Jim Wilson. SWEET!</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344816772072816466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKz8aTRhL4C1yspuumWrQoQgyilPCCeh8WrtIB7m068ULq5rGXCBZ3XlztkbLeil892qdqOekClEblKaxb-BprWxNY-SO3zlOipdIleOXLXJkekw5zITKLkzRaePXfv2ZaqkyzIknGH4HU/s320/IMG_7483.jpg" border="0" /></div>DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-29501160413043580752009-05-28T05:09:00.000-07:002009-05-28T06:26:17.707-07:00Greenbelt, Flats and Inflation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bw4JAWIMMce70uDRcIgzFv7heC8StdpQFxu_2PQZck4s8YJJRQFBKvBlCrgL-R45aylGE-Hdi-AEYri9ny7Me-86gVUHmjTO8RV6ViiNupQXcYOp_xidnednywAnSQSTW7oWw0-neRYk/s1600-h/1194890.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340864253798808738" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bw4JAWIMMce70uDRcIgzFv7heC8StdpQFxu_2PQZck4s8YJJRQFBKvBlCrgL-R45aylGE-Hdi-AEYri9ny7Me-86gVUHmjTO8RV6ViiNupQXcYOp_xidnednywAnSQSTW7oWw0-neRYk/s200/1194890.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVPJ_DL9q6NxxPVLyt4RyB0sCmNPC_ak6waixnTNd_j-B6lK9m0bsl46ukU4ehyqQMJvXBxyDR6syEj0kgFDrvY-qDGXZoSb6LBA-pmN5DIWrlehopwyq2cK9jj3F_AR6d_B6c4zEwx4Q/s1600-h/1194890.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDRyGPhTjmlyIULJUc6y-LusX6bA-ef7bs-WvdMOLoMlCsfvRMWsGptLdvkcp1-0LjKOQT2ynSdwju7v5x-98bKFNIdOII_IR51Z2ttoJJXWLchpEHDgdLHNBkv4BT4Mcws2ZU_AfL-Ju/s1600-h/1194890.jpg"></a><br /><div><br /><div><div><div>I've only ever flatted 3 times while riding. The first was on the very first time I've ever decided to ride to work. While on Rock Creek Parkway, heading to Beach Dr. at about 4:30 in the morning I hit one of those grates and flatted my rear tire. I had recently just ditched my frame pump and started carrying CO2. Unfortunately, I had never used or knew how to use the CO2. I wasted half the cartridge trying to figure out how to use it. Eventually I was able to get about 45 psi in the tire, which was enough to get me to work and to a bike shop later in the day.</div><div></div><br /><div>The second time I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">flatted</span> was my first double flat. I was on the way home after the Goon ride on Tuesday. Heading down <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Connecticut</span> Ave. I hit a pothole right at Chevy Chase Circle. Of course I was only carrying one tube, but at least two CO2 cartridges. I fixed the front tire because I figured that would give me the most control and then patched the back with duct tape. I filled the back tire with the second cartridge and kept heading down Conn. Ave. I made it to about Nebraska Ave. before the air shot out of the back tire again. I rode the rim from <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Connecticut</span> and Nebraska all the way to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Hains</span> Point where my truck was parked. That 7 miles probably took me a good hour and a half to ride.</div><br /><div></div><div>The 3rd time I've ever flatted was at Greenbelt yesterday. DOUBLE FLAT on lap 3, over and out. I watched the race from the sidelines and got to see Tim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Rugg</span> get yelled at by the ref. Pure entertainment!</div><div></div><div> </div></div></div></div>DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-62950296871357397662009-05-25T12:45:00.000-07:002009-05-25T13:23:26.363-07:00Validation at RFKI didn't want to be one of those people that upgraded from a 4 to a 3 without having ever felt what a win feels like and once I became a 3 I didn't just want to sit around in the Cat 3 races content at just having upgraded. I felt and still feel like I can be competitive in the 3's. I think I've said before most of the guys that are 3's I've ridden with before anyways, so it's not like they're a whole new group of people who I've never been around.<br /><br />Yesterday, I won the 3/4 race at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">RFK</span>. I definitely had to work for this win which makes it that much more sweet. Most of the guys that are leading in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">MABRA</span> bar for the 3's were there and I knew I wanted to have a good showing because I wanted to prove to myself that I could compete in the Cat 3's. I knew this course favored the sprinters and I was excited because it's one of the few races where the final 200M are nice and flat and wide to really just let the legs go. My focus was to just stay out of the wind and to fight for good position in the last 2 laps leading to the finish. Everything went according to plan and since I wasn't really too concerned about people breaking away, I was able to relax and little more and let the race just happen. Coming into the bell lap I had good position and the other bigger teams that were at the front were starting to ramp up the pace. First Steve Anderson from DC <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Velo</span> came shooting up to the front to drive the pace then I think <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ABRT</span> came to the front to up the pace, then Bike Rack came up to keep the tempo, but making that turn into the headwind kind of jeopardized my positioning because we were starting to get swarmed at the front as people were moving up the outside. As we approached the final turn, I could see Stephen <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Wahl</span> was in front of me. I've seen and heard about this guy. He's good and he wins and that's all I needed to know to know that I wanted to be on his wheel coming out of the final turn. I got boxed in a little and was worried that when we came out of the finally turn people were going to be in front of me and I wasn't fully going to be able to open up the sprint. Fortunately as we were turning a wonderful little piece of real estate opened up right in front of me and I took it. Just as I was exiting the turn I could see and hear Stephen shifting gears and I knew I had to get on with the sprint. We were starting it early and I wasn't sure if either one of us would hold it all the way to the line. Then I wasn't sure if I was even going to be able to pass him. I just kept digging and digging and I think I just nudged past a foot from the line. Sprints like that are always so much fun. <br /><br />Anyway, now I feel like my upgrade has been validated. There a lot more races to go and a few more that I really want to win. During the off season I sat down with the upcoming race schedule and picked out all my "A" races and "B" races, like training books tell you to do. I was gonna be a good boy and follow all these strict plans to be really competitive so I could win all my "A" races. But when it really comes down to it, I'm way too competitive to even have that attitude and categorize every race as A or B. When I register for the race, I want to win it and it automatically becomes an A race. That's the bottom line for me. The only thing that changes for me from winning at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Tradezone</span> to winning at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">RFK</span> is how happy I am afterwards. But in both races I'm going to ride just as hard. Fortunately, I don't have the most organized team right now and since we never really talk about who we're racing for and what we want to do as a team, I know when I take the line I can just try to win.DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-43627313506186890302009-05-21T04:58:00.000-07:002009-05-21T05:31:10.541-07:00Glasses and Greenbelt<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDVQET5OwX-AcoT6mW_0o3H5Ku95akIieaaYFlwFc6W78eqOU0g-vcEpEOdbGiXlKdJ9v-gOQ2vgurxyTvvLvPDtl5QgmDk8T32Tuuz2sooRWNfR5A_p5sF3fBy09BAPa-OhAKeK2XKAJ/s1600-h/goggles.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338252830926889522" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 237px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 190px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDVQET5OwX-AcoT6mW_0o3H5Ku95akIieaaYFlwFc6W78eqOU0g-vcEpEOdbGiXlKdJ9v-gOQ2vgurxyTvvLvPDtl5QgmDk8T32Tuuz2sooRWNfR5A_p5sF3fBy09BAPa-OhAKeK2XKAJ/s320/goggles.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxTyaZ73RB1knjYllIVpumuOOjG-WWTDWon731uYf11eP3krP37AC0coddR0shUIYukAkiSaSRw3_WICcK1c7tlRJ4YsWcE8PxybtDTqoEo5C5P8_pQWcta3fYcbCvraluXjKelp6F3BM/s1600-h/1055745.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338252682240119506" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 234px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 219px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxTyaZ73RB1knjYllIVpumuOOjG-WWTDWon731uYf11eP3krP37AC0coddR0shUIYukAkiSaSRw3_WICcK1c7tlRJ4YsWcE8PxybtDTqoEo5C5P8_pQWcta3fYcbCvraluXjKelp6F3BM/s320/1055745.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /> </div><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Being blind and all I normally wear glasses or contacts. Being poor and all I'm not going to spring for prescription sunglasses either so my regular glasses service as my eyeball protectors when I ride. But, when I'm wearing my contacts I wear some Tifosi Dolomites that I picked up from Bicycle Place. They are pretty stylish to me and they come with interchangeable lenses. You still get some wind in the eyes but normally that's not a big deal to me...unless it's allergy season. Every year when the seasons are transitioning from spring to summer, I typically get pretty bad allergies. It doesn't effect my breathing or anything like that, only my eyeballs. They get all red and itchy and I end up looking like I've taken up recreational ganja usage. There have been some bike rides where I was seriously thinking about wearing swimming goggles or some kind of snorkel mask to keep my eyes protected. One day, during the 10 o'clock ride this winter, there was a guy wearing skiing goggles. But those would be too heavy to wear during the spring and summer. Until I find the perfect solution I'll continue to deal with the redness and just take a Zyrtec so they don't itch. On to Greenbelt....</div><div></div><div>So much fun! I'm really enjoying myself in the "A" race. This time I tried to relax a lot more than last week and it helped. Just for me, it's amazing to actually get an up close and personal view of how some of our region's top riders ride. Seeing how guys effortlessly move through the pack, or fly uphill, or attack, or cover breaks is one thing watching from the sidelines but it's a whole different animal when you're right there to see it. At the end of it all, I was out of position to contest the sprint, which sucked because I felt good coming up the hill the last time. Being out of position though, when those front 5 guys took off and others started to drop off the pace, a nice little (read HUGE) gap opened. All the sprint in the world couldn't close that gap. Next time I know that if I'm feeling that good, I definitely have to make more of a conscious and aggressive effort to put myself up front with the guys that are actually going to sprint. All in all I finished in the top 10 at 8th. </div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div>DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-67425478903412263142009-05-18T07:10:00.000-07:002009-05-18T07:54:49.615-07:00"The Finger" and Bike JamI consider myself to be a nice guy. I'm not one of those people that yells or curses in the peleton when people hit the brakes or cut me off or touch my wheel, or any other reason you would find to yell or curse at someone in that kind of situation. I figure, such is racing, and if I get bent out of shape every time that happened, then I would never enjoy myself when I raced. But, yesterday at Bike Jam, in the 2/3 race I, D.J., in a moment of indiscretion, did indeed give someone "the finger". <br /><br />To whoever that person was, I offer my apology, not because I feel like you didn't deserve it, but because it was completely out of character for me. I think in the heat of the moment, you (John Doe who was the recipient of the finger) where just running your mouth and yelling so much that I got a little, or a lot, tired of it. I never understand how people like you could claim to be racing, and putting out the kind of effort that it takes to win, but still muster up enough energy to scream and yell throughout the race. Do you really think people respond to that approach? Because I certainly do not. It's just mind boggling. I also do not understand how you could continue to ride behind me? It's like in traffic when a slow car is driving in the fast lane and you tailgate them, then flash your high beams and they still don't move, you eventually get frustrated enough to just go around them. Apparently you had been behind me long enough to analyze my riding style, diagnose my problems, figure out I had no business being in that race, and then offer a solution, "moving to the back of the (expletive deleted) group!" If my riding style bothered you so, why would you not just come around me. You are obviously a person far more skilled than I am who would've had no problem moving up to the front of that group. After a while I didn't hear your voice anymore so either my finger worked or you did decide to just move on up to the front where it was much safer.<br /><br />Anyways, I offer my apology again to "that guy". I had to get that off my chest in order to say how much I enjoyed myself at Bike Jam. That was my second race as a Cat 3, or first if you don't really count Greenbelt. I didn't get in a warm-up at all because I was too distracted on actually getting into the race. I pre-registered as a Cat 4, but got my upgrade. I had to wait until check-in for the 2/3 race was closed before the organizers would let me in, which was only 20 minutes before the start. Fortunately, I at least was already hydrating in hopes that I would get in, but 20 minutes only left me with enough time to get the rest of my kit on, number pinned and head to the course entrance for good positioning at the start line. I felt like the race started off pretty fast and I could tell that I was nowhere near warmed up. I was surprised how fast the race stayed, but that wasn't a problem at all. What killed me was not being able to move up in that race, and it seemed like as soon as I moved up, somehow, some way I would end up slowly moving backwards. It seemed like I was yo-yo-ing somewhere between 20th and 40th, if that makes sense. But I learned, at least for next year, that positioning is everything in that race.DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-20590075994541885772009-05-14T11:40:00.000-07:002009-05-14T12:02:08.340-07:00Inaugural GreenbeltAfter the recent excitement of upgrading to a Cat 3, reality started to set in. I slowly realized that now I had to race as a Cat 3...and Greenbelt was the very next day. That meant I would have to do the "A" race, which meant I would have to race 1's and 2's and people who have been 3's much longer than I have, which meant this race would be much faster and longer than the "B" race, which meant I could possibly get dropped, which meant shame and embarrassment, which would lead to hanging up the bike...you see what I'm getting at. Actually, I would never hang up the bike.<br />But anyway, I was still excited that the Greenbelt series was now getting underway. It now gave me something to look forward to on Hump Day that didn't involve scantily clad women on <a href="http://pedalnaround.blogspot.com/">Kyle's blog</a>. This really won't be a race report because I think I was so on edge the whole time that I was only paying attention to what was going on in my personal bubble and just trying to be as safe as possible. Ace from ABRT actually realized this and spoke to me afterwards because he could see my arms were all locked out while I was riding and I didn't quite looked relaxed. I could also feel it in my upper body after the race was over that I was more tense than usual. My hands were actually starting to cramp towards the end of the race. <br />In the end I was excited that I finished and I finished in 7th. I'll take that any day. I was also excited that I got to ride with some Artemis Elite guys as well. I definitely look forward more to the experience that comes with riding with 1's and 2's and the different things that I'll learn along the way.DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957174043412263575.post-62745544661849123152009-05-12T21:08:00.000-07:002009-05-12T21:10:24.300-07:00Wha...Wha..What!?I'm a Cat 3 suckaz! Oh boy!DJ Bike Policehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14095401792753669920noreply@blogger.com8