Cramps, crashes, and crosswinds....

Yeah, that pretty much sums up the day. Don't come to Gila if you don't want to sit in the gutter in a 30mph crosswind for 70+ miles. Not the best way to spend the day. It started off nervous and stressful, the anxiety level was high. There were no less than 10 crashes throughout the day. The day had its ups and downs, we lost one rider. Patrick DNF'd on the day, it just wasn't there for him. He got caught behind an early crash and had to chase on then got caught out coming through first feed zone and had to chase back on again. It was a rough day and he became familiar with many of the teams car bumpers. Phil and Paul were both caught out behind another crash 2/3 of the way into the race and Paul was able to make it back to the group but Phil's day was done. It was great though, he did everything he needed to and put us in position before he turned it in for the day. At that point in time it was just getting started for Paul, Jarred, Ian, (our adopted orphan) and myself. We hit the base of the climb in the top fifteen and were in perfect shape. Then the big let down for the day, Ian, Paul, and myself were all caught behind a crash and were slowed up. At that point in time all we could do was watch the race ride, scramble and salvage what we could. In the end we finished with 3 of the top 5 amateurs and were the top amateur team on team GC. All in all it was a good hard day and we were fortunate to miss out on all the accidents. Anyway, that is all for now... check back tomorrow for the story.

Brad

Spring Racing

So Dan Workman and I set off early Saturday morning to go race Conference Championships in Laramie, WY.

We are driving along Hwy 287 in Colorado...


Here we are 15 miles later and into Wyoming...

Needless to say the race was canceled. Onto warmer weather and faster racing though--Tour of the Gila in New Mexico starts this Wednesday for us.

Hordes of school work to accomplish before leaving. More later.

Patrick

Crashes

Crashes are magnificent. Crashes are stupifying. When you're in them, crashes are terrifying. I must admit though when I am a spectator at a bike race, I can't help but enjoy watching crashes not because I like people to get hurt but because they usually end up being spectacular displays of aerials and gymnastics and gravitationally defiant maneuvers. As a bike racer, I deplore the thought of crashes. I have been fortunate to have only been in one that I consider major wherein I shattered my collarbone. I bet that as a spectator that there might be a little part of you that revels in the chaos and carnage of bike crashes when you witness them. Admit it. I bet you would be less likely to revel had you actually been in one though.




This past weekend there was a bad crash that took out roughly 15 guys at the Air Force Academy road race. I was behind it and rounded the corner just as it was happening. Fortunately no debris from the crash ended up impeding my forward progress but I did have the rear wheel of some dude's bike bounce off my leg as I careened through. As I went by I could hear a couple of riders moaning in pain on the ground. The next lap around the ambulance was there to clean up the carnage. Crashes, although remarkable sights, can cause serious injury and even death. Those are my deep thoughts for the day; I am glad I could impart a smidgen of my infinite wisdom upon you (sarcasm).

For those of you curious, we are all feeling much better after having been benevolently poisoned this past weekend by tainted water. Stay tuned next week as we will be traveling to New Mexico for the 5-day Tour of the Gila Stage Race and road trips always bring about great stories.

Patrick

The bug...

...has hit. This past weekend was spent in Colorado Springs racing the Air Force Academy races. While it's always great go on the road and share laughs, stories, and races with one's teammates; it generally isn't considered quite as cordial to share viruses and ailments. Of the six of us that quartered together this weekend, four have come down with this sickness marked by vomiting and diarrhea. No fun, but it was amazing how much better I felt today immediately following my vomit session. Back to bed.

Patrick

World Champion?

It happens to the best of us...but thanks for the previous post anyways, Patrick.

-Phil

Well I feel stupid...

ok so the blood draw didn't hurt at all. Now I get to go ride Masonville, Stove Prairie, Rist and then Wednesday Night Worlds. I'm fairly sure that is going to hurt. :-)

I'm so afraid right now...

Not of the 6 hour ride I'm gonna do later but of the needle that's gonna get stuck in my arm. The monthly anti-doping testing is today and Robby's gonna be drawing blood.

I haven't had a hypodermic in me since my last MMR when I was 6 (yeah that means I'm out of date on vaccines for mumps, measles, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus... and pretty much everything else).

And to make matters worse, I fainted after testing last month (just a finger prick). I'm pretty sure I passed out from dehydration and standing with my knees locked but it doesn't make me feel any better about the whole thing.

Seriously the weather...

So what happened to 300+ days of sun? If I wanted to ride my bike in wind, rain, snow, sleet, hail, or other forms of precipitation that can fall from the sky, I would move to northern Europe. It seems like the motivation has been lacking a bit lately, and I'm blaming it on the weather, as well as my diminishing tan. If nothing else it would be nice if the weather would at least make up its' mind, 70 one day 3 inches of snow the next. I deal with ADHD students on a regular basis, it would be nice if I didn't have to deal with it when I ride my bike as well...

So on the flip side, Phil and I were actually able to get out and enjoy one of the few days that has been nice lately. We managed to get in 6 hrs in the mountains, but I won't bore you with the ride deals so there are some pictures below to remind everyone what spring in the mountains is supposed to be like...

Brad

That's Right, Keep Staring

Now this is a topic I have unabashedly raised to my fellow teammates and they all find it pretty funny. Some are reluctant to recognize what I am talking about because of the taboo subject matter—guys looking at other guys’ asses—and the negative social stigma that such behavior tends to carry in today’s society. You heard right, I have stared at many a man’s ass in my day. Chances are that if you’re a cyclist you have too. Chances are that if you race that you do it as well. The logic behind this assertion is that when one sits on the bike in an echelon all day, one becomes quite familiar with the backside of the individual ahead. When riding in an echelon, one must stay focused on the wheel and the person immediately in front since the margin of error is merely inches and any distracted person riding in the echelon can inadvertently cause a crash by overlapping a wheel or hitting a piece of debris in the road.

Why yes, that is Jarred, Brad, and Phil during a Team Time Trial... and yes, they did wear that!

So, rather unashamedly, here I go: I have seen bubble butts; I have seen men with hips so large that I thought they were possibly fully dilated and ready to birth a child; I have seen cottage-cheesed, flabby asses; I have seen people with no ass…it goes straight from lower back to leg; I have seen so many that I cannot even begin to articulate the nuances of each. So the next time you are riding in an echelon looking at the ass of the man in front you and think of this blog post and get self-conscious of the fact that you are staring at a man’s ass… just keep staring, because if you cause that massive crash people will know… “YOU are the guy that doesn’t stare at dudes’ asses” and that makes you dangerous. If I’m ever crashed from behind, I will likely spike my bike down on top of the non-starer as he lay on the ground writhing in pain and I will instruct him that if he knew what was good for him he'd look at my ass a little more closely next time.

Patrick

For Sale

I'm selling a pair of Shimano compatible Bontrager OCLV Carbon wheels seldom used and in good shape. I believe Bontrager says that they weigh in at just under 1300g for the pair. Includes two Continental Giro tubular tires already glued. Cassette not included. This is the model released prior to the Aeolus. I must admit that I did not do the best job gluing the front tubular. Interested? Contact me @: pkmcglynn@yahoo.com

IT'S ALL IN THE BALANCE

Many people say the life of a professional athlete is the simplest form of life...wake, eat, train, nap, eat, sleep, repeat. It is our goal that one day we will be able to achieve this simplicity and conform to a life of basic tenants to be successful in our physical endeavors. There is something mystical about surviving using one's physical strength and mental fortitude, but we have yet to achieve this simplicity. Unlike most jobs, a cyclist cannot go to work from 9-5 and remove oneself from the inherent daily pressures in any career, because a cyclist is constantly thinking about not only the daily training task at hand but the crucial recovery that catapults one's physical abilities to the next level. Combine this permanent mental state of productive thought with family, school, employment to survive financially, relationships, and the journey to find one's purpose in this world, and we soon become overwhelmed. Ultimately, it is the need to find balance.

Being a person chronically searching for intellectual endeavors, I have always been attracted to academia. This direction has led me to many incredible presentations by others and to many life-changing conversations. This past Tuesday I was fortunate enough to be able to hear a speech by professor Toni Zimmerman of CSU. She was charged with the task to present to a group of graduate students the role of finding balance in professorship. As the speech progressed it transitioned into an open conversation between all students and Dr. Zimmerman about finding balance in all aspects of life. I soon found myself secretly calculating my own balance and came to two conclusions that have become very important. One, nobody can achieve without a proper PLAN. Most people including myself can soon find themselves swallowed by the mental muck associated with all commitments in life, and simply be incapable of overcoming this hazy mental confusion to get tasks accomplished and move on. It is amazing how all of this can be avoided with a basic PLAN. I like to separate a daily PLAN into aliquots of time separated by progressive time points (i.e. train from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, eat, shower, relax from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, study from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm, bed by 11:00 pm). This brings me to my second point; work to "time" not to "task". By separating one's daily schedule into aliquots of variable-size time, one is able to accomplish more in the day. The challenge becomes overcoming the anxiety associated with not completing a task and being able to move on to the next task, but by working within a constrained proportion of time one is able to lie in bed, reflect on the day, and say "I achieved all I could have given the allowed time for each task. Anything I have not achieved can be incorporated into my PLAN for tomorrow."

It is now 10:45 pm. I have 15 minutes to get ready for bed and fall asleep. Although I have not written all my thoughts on this topic, I must move on because I am at the end of this aliquot of "time". Ultimately, remember life is all about the journey. It is important to set goals, but if you can't reflect on the journey, then how are we finding meaning in our existence? Make your PLAN, stick to the allowed "time", and look back saying I've done all I could.

With love,

Phil