Been a while

Soo yeah..its been a while since the last post. I have recovered and the training has resumed..I figure I might get some results still to come for 2010...I am pondering cross...painfull stuff and still far off on the calendar. Umm I guess im just glad to be back on the bike and looking ahead a lil. More road races available and such. Missed coppis.

`Walterboro criterium

The course for this one is narrow along the star stop but this isn't a big deal bc the last turn narrows into the last stretch so it isn't really noticed. The other sections of this race are wide and very open soo the course is maneuverable...different from much of the rest of thr series. The notable fear for this one is the dark section where the backside stretch which gets fast and precarious at some points. The turn is not hard to do but just some bunching and darkness...soo a different angle . The finish is not far from the last turn . The midway prime came and I happened to be near the front close enuff to be able to go with any jump. The jump came from R Bahati himself and I did not hesitate...and it paid off. The power of Rashaan was not to be pulled in but I did stay away for second in the midway prime race...the recovery was not too bad to obtain. The 17 th place for finish was excellent and I was stoked..

Beaufort Course of speed week series..

The Beaufort Course is tuff because the start/ stop is short enuff to have to quickly slow down after jamming it up to around 30 mph... It Has, as the first turn a really narrow funnel into a tight one lane alley like road entrance, where one better have his ducks in order to get thru here with speed. To bomb it one had better mind the reflective plastic item laid in the asphalt yellow line center or apex of the turn,... that is raised, in order to add dimension to the already hard to navigate course. I was off the front with another rider and the gap was like ten seconds to the two up the road. About seven guys bridged up and came thru fast, just before the tuff first turn was to be negotiated. I picked up the speed and grabbed the flying by express, but i did also slide out bc of said reflective pop,into that darn infamous turn which later in the race caused about 30 riders to go to the pit bc of a crash and having to stop, ( hard turn ).. ....well the rest of the race sucked bc i was all dinged up and my skewer was loose which meant another dismount .i was bout to jump back in to the race after pit stop # 2 bc of big pile up....when i realized my skewer was loose and i had to tighten it and i was chasing the race for twelve laps after the poor pit stop ,...I was a dumb ass and I should have stayed in the pit longer to get the bike right. live n learn,...Beaufort has been hard for me to get a good result at. One day I will do well there. I finished like 60 th and DFL. Again. ..last year there I was also in a crash in that turn where I hit a downed rider and I was subsequently lapped and ,....damn beaufort,...

Roswell

The day after Athens is a criterium in Roswell. It is more like a circuit with a long start/stop stretch and on the backside there is a slight rise with a bottle necking at the crest,.. soo this narrowing after the crest goes into a left turn ,,the narrowing always leads to riders bunching up big time and into the turn it is a lil hairy with over decelleratioin and squeeling carbon fiber rims. positioning here is key,..ie stay at the front ,...not easy bc the start line stretch each lap reads speeds at like 33 all day soo the sprint out of the final turn onto long strip is full on and the speed whips around into first turn wo hesitation bc turn one and two are basicly combined and fast leading into the small climb which does sap speed easily but one can move up here and i was using the hill for that ...Roswell is hard bc it is fast and bc it is after Athens. I was not feeling well and i placed like 51 st .

Speed Week

Well Athens was wet and pouring but not cold...though afterwards i was cold . The event was hard. The first half spent trying to move up and avoiding crashes and closing small gaps. The second half was spent tring to move up mstaying upright avoiding crashes and closing gaps. SEven or eight went away. Whatever . The race ended with me getting 24 th, the last lap i avoided hitting a down rider in the last turn...but i idid hit his drops which made me receiver a nice bruise with the wrist being braced by the bars and impacting the arm ,,...blah blah i stayed up and crossed the line ...upright thankj god and truly spent....whew,...oh there was a computrainer even i got second in my heat with maybe a average watts of 400 give or take for 8 mins,.,..boring sorta but a graph was there and a wattage indicator soo that was my first time to see me on a device like that,...i will post later on the rest of the fun down there but cant type too much...i am on pain killers bc i broke my scapula at sandy springs on the lkast lap . u can see crash on cycling news.comspeedweek....fun fun

Haymarket/Homevisit opens doors for 2010

I am happy to report that I have landed on a large squad that will be of great inspiration and motivation to me for 2010. The new setup will be getting on the road and to big events. I am gonna be challenged and this will be a great chance to get involved in something which has large aspirations. Good times.
The bunch went with most in tow ( maybe 8 guys )to the Wolfpack RR weekend of which Steven Gordon won. He is rolling as well as quite a few of the others right now. sorta scary ,..The team is very motivated and to lock in a win is a good tension relief in some ways. Of course they was unawares of the strength being brought to the table.
I am psyched and the charity cause is a solid effort to put ones self behind. The range and diversification alone which comprises the team is interesting. I wont get into all the details of the roster but it is impressive in its array. Trade zone should be a good regional exposure for the team.

The Long Road

We all know the transition from one season to the next can be rough. The cold hampers ones motivation. The time off from racing can extend more then was intended and become an issue. There is the shorter daylight hours which demand one look at the wind trainer longer then a passing "you suck" thought and consider mounting the iron maiden. Soo lets see ....too long resting, too cold, and shorter days coupled with multi family events where the contest is to overfeed the most. One can easily understand why it is possible for someone to lose focus.
The upside of this, break in the cycle, is possibly better relations with loved ones and a more well deserved paycheck. Hypotheticals. I also believe this is a good time to decide on how your goals as a cyclist compare with the goals of the bunch you have linked up with over the past year or season (or whatever length of time really) .
If something feels forced it probably is. For example. I was interested in a new team to ride for in 2009 and The Bike Rack ( the shop not the team) seemed to be an appropriate business to try to strike up an arrangement with. I sent a letter stating goals and results and my desire to captain an elite team basicly...or try to begin one. I was unaware ,at the time, that the shop did not run the team and that they would be a seperate entity to deal with. (the team) Soo even though the shop was down,.. there was still the club which came off with a less then stoked perspective. I was circumnavigating usual routes and toes were stepped on I guess. Or whatever. My perspective ? Just trying to piece together something. theirs ? who is this clown.
Lets leave behind 2008 nostalgia and onto 2009 before thats in the past too. (as most readers realize I did race on the Bike Racks team last year so a treaty was drawn for a minute) Its December 2009 and almost over.( I did garner some NRC results..or procritseries points .. ) The DVR team is undecided. They have entangling red tape which is hard to see over. The shop is being patient but the idea is for me to push them. (the club to decide on something) At this point I am frustrated because the feeling of a forced relationship has not dissippated but rather grown. The two promising newly upgraded cat twos on the team/club went onto another squad and more help.
The bottom line here is help. We all need help. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Unless you circumnavigate the powers that be.
( I will dig around for a good pic for this post..no promises but taking suggestions) Haymarket is booked. I have no idea where the restructuring of harley has led but it seems to still exist. (not an option 4 me) Jared suggested Richmond Pro but that is far away and seems like much volunteer time if possible. Kelly..? umm not sure but Baltimore aint close for training rides neither. Rick Norton is a hammer and he would be good to ride with again. ( Pedro, Nima, Rick, and me raced together on Evolution) Maybe Bear Dog llc will have to be a club and get sponsors who are positive 100 percent where their interests lie. I cant understand any reason why a team/club would want to isolate themselves to a certain category realm unless they are simply clandestine or reclusive. Spitefull could never be the case.