Ciclismo Racing

Ciclismo in Utah!

2009-08-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

After a couple days spent driving and collecting team members from the airport, the Ciclismo Racing team is all together in Utah. My travels were a breeze. On Sunday, I had the privilege of driving down from Fort Collins with Nick and Ian. Much of my ride was spent listening to Ian and Nick discuss business plans and strategies (wow, those guys are smart!)...I just sat in the car with my jaw slack and tried to soak up some intelligence. Besides Nick spilling hot oatmeal ALL OVER ME, and me getting REALLY angry at Nick, the drive was easy.

We've settled into some wonderful host housing. Paul and Rose have opened their beautiful home to us, and we are all super comfy. We are also very well fed thank to chef Jim Whalen who has been cooking amazing meals for us non stop... this guy is good!

Today the team went out for a ride, the weather was awesome and the roads and climbs we got to see were great. Ben saw some wildlife including, he claims, a unicorn...he also claims this is a good sign.

Everyone is excited to start racing, and it kicks off tomorrow with the prologue. It's gonna be fast and fun. Check the blog and the twitter for results...

-Dan

This Weeks FoCo CIC Successes

2009-06-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

Last night was round two of the Tuesday night criterium series, sponsored by New Belgium Brewery, Ciclismo Racing, the City of Fort Collins, yourgroupride.com, and the cycling-faithful Dr. Tim Anderson. (I'm sure I'm missing some sponsors so I apologize if I neglect to acknowledge you.) I wasn't present so I'm speaking through multiple story tellers, but apparently the star of the show was Mr. Aggressive, Brad Cole of Ciclismo Racing. Attacking multiple times lead to Brad and the ever-tenacious Dan Porter, owner and Godfather of yourgroupride.com, establishing a two-man breakaway that sustained until the finish. Dan said, "Brad pinched me into the dumpsters before the finish", but in the end Brad wound up his ferocious sprint and beat Dan to the line. Visit yourgroupride.com and check out the video produced by Dan--what a fun way to watch the action as it unfolded.

Day two of the weekly training race schedule included Wednesday Night Worlds, starting at the Budweiser plant off of I-25, heading north along the frontage road to Buckeye Road where the race headed west. The final leg includes heading south on north Shields, jogging a couple miles along Owl Canyon Road to the west, heading south on north Taft Hill Road, and finishing west to the Cement Plant where the finish line lies at the top of the leg-breaking climb.

Tonight was unique in that very little wind forced selections among the riders even though numerous attacks began after the town of Wellington and persisted until the finish. In the end Dan Porter of Team Rio Grande and Jonathon Garcia of BMC held a sizable lead up until the final climb to the sprint. I was lucky to have a couple faithful strongmen, including Brett Kirby of Team Rio Grande, Rich Davis of Spike, and teammate Alex Hagman, take some strong pulls to reduce the gap before the finish. After the guardrails, Alex started to fade so I started sprint #1 to bridge to Dan and Jonathon. Sprint #2 took place as soon as I made contact with the pair, allowing me to open a gap on the competition. New talents Aaron of Rio Grande (sorry can't remember last name) and Troy (don't know last name either) held my wheel and I caught a glimpse of Aaron under my left arm which initiated sprint #3...there would be no easy victory tonight. Sprint #3 was the nail in the coffin and Ciclismo Racing took win number two of the week.

I'd be remiss to not acknowledge how grateful I am to be a part of such an incredible Fort Collins cycling community. The old school persistence to see the weekly training race scene prevail and the cultural components of the tough-man attitude and ruthless competition allow us 'newby's' to establish a solid foundation that we can take to the national race scene. From all us 'newby's', THANK YOU!

Dead Dog is this weekend...more exciting things to come!!!

-Phil

State TT

2009-06-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

This is a little late, but better late then never. Anyway, last time I blogged I was beating up on some masters riders nothing too great. However, this time is a little more exciting I actually beat some good riders. We had the state TT a week ago and I have to be honest I didn't know what to expect. The last time I did a TT with any significance was in Irvine, Ca and that ended with a flat tire. I felt like my form was good and was expecting to win, but then again you never know. There was a good turn out lots of people sporting very expensive bikes and gear that I sure that they only ride five times a year. Things started out well we got there early and drove the course. I had never raced this particular course before and wanted to see it. It was a 23.25 mile out and back course with rolling hills at the beginning and end. We headed north first and then turned and went back south. This being Nebraska wind was going to be a factor. However, the wind was blowing north to south so we had a tail wind first. I started fast catching my minute man pretty quick and then I started pulling back people the rest of the way. I wanted to have something left in the tank toward the end so I tried to be steady in the middle and hammer the last half. Everything was going good until the end when I started to get tired the last 1.5 miles. My time was good but I still need some work before nationals. All in all it was a good race.

Jarred

Nature Valley Grand Prix pictures from Stages 1-3

2009-06-12T13:52:00.001-07:00

Credit goes to Cyclingnews and VeloNews for these!

This is probably 100m before the TT finish, on a very long and painful small-ring climb. OUCH!!

It was definitely worth it, though! Snagged both the top amateur and the top under 23 jerseys with a time of 13:09, good enough for 14th place overall.

Getting called up to the front for these NVGP criteriums is crucial--they're only 60 minutes and all-out from the gun, so staying up front is both safer and easier. It's also awesome to be up there with guys who fight for stage wins at Tour of California!

Standing next to my good friend and former teammate Tom Soladay in the orange Wheaties sprint jersey (AND the red Most Aggressive jersey, to boot!).

Here is our super-fast climber Rolf Eisinger putting in a monster effort to set up our other climber, Ian Grey, for the first King of the Hill--they went 1-3! Awesome team effort and way to stick with our plan: attack from the gun on the tough initial climb out of town.

This part was a blast--the entrance to the hectic, technical finishing circuits was a deep gravel road followed by a FAST minefield of a downhill. WOW. I knew it well from last year and followed a nice little breakaway about 1 mile before the entrance, then dropped the guys in the break to just barely stay in first going into the gravel. The entire OUCH train basically absorbed me and, like in Tour of the Battenkill, I simply followed master 'cross racer Tim Johnson--always a safe bet in conditions such as these.

I think Rory Sutherland (in the black/green King of the Hill jersey) found the only guy he can actually draft that isn't already a teammate!

Awesome company on the podium after Stage 3!

Tonight is going to be a FAST, technical run through uptown Minneapolis. I've heard that it's the trendy, hipster part of town and the Friday night crowd should be going insane! The race doesn't start until 7:45 PM, and Dad is driving up to watch! My plan is to stay at the front and be safe while conserving as many matches as I can for tomorrow's queen stage in Mankato.

Thanks for reading, and follow our team's awesome Twitter account for live during-race updates!!

Good, clean midwestern fun...

2009-06-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

Beginning where IG, inc. (aka Ian) left off, the past two weekends have been some of the most fun racing all season. Gotta' love midwest criterium racing...90 min maximum of work per day!

So the past two weekends, I was able to do 7 races in 10 days...the perfect preparation for Nature Valley Grand Prix. The final day of Quad Cities weekend was a dead flat figure eight, which doesn't exactly bode well for us smaller guys. It's better to have a more physically demanding course to sap the energy from the competition, and finish by hitting them hard in the sprint. Unfortunately, the last day wasn't such, and too many guys had fresh legs leading to a crash infested finale.

Tulsa is one of the most fun places in America...an amazing underground bike community is the driving force behind great rides and an even better weekend of racing known as Tulsa Tough. Three days of criterium racing, each day with its own unique vibe. The first day, a twilight criterium, was its usually fast pace but was unusually safe...probably because the city of Tulsa did an amazing job of repaving the roads 3 days before the race. The second day had a small climb, which passes right by the Soundpony, a bar which attracts only the best, most outlandish beer-drinking cycling fans (aka the American Hooligan). (Stop in and see Josh Gifford, the owner of the Soundpony. Tell him he's a hero.) And the final day had a very steep climb (aka cry baby hill) which covered half the course, and the fans (manly the same Soundpony hooligans from the night before) were actually asked by the race promoter to party their asses off and pinch the road giving the racers only about 5 feet from side-to-side to pass. My body was telling me I had a 1% survival rate to finish the race, but that 1% prevailed, because who quits when you are being cheered on by the best fans, EVER?!

They don't call it Tulsa Tough for nothing, because it's almost impossible to bring home the bacon when you're riding solo. Each race I was super aggressive following and bridging to very powerful breakaways, but too many full-sized teams were active and unsettled without the formation of large leadout trains and bunch finishes. (At least it wasn't the Toyota-United show this year.) In the end, although I only finished in the money (15th place) the final day, the Ciclismo jersey did what it does best...race aggressive and make some other people suffer.

Coming up the team has Nature Valley Grand Prix. Stay tuned for more rider incite on the blog...

Thanks for reading,

Danger (aka Phil Mann)

Ciclismo wins again in KY

2009-05-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

May 15 and 16
Ciclismo wins again in KY.
It was the final weekend of the Kentuckiana spring series. Both races were flat, windy crits with local fields. First race started with small breaks rolling off the front until about 20 minutes in, when a break of 5 of us were let go. We dropped one guy and it ended up bringing myself and 3 other guys all from the same team. In the process of dropping the 5th guy, one of the 3 guys made it up the road. His teammate was able to bridge after I had made the move that caused the 5th guy to be dropped. I pulled their other teammate around for the last 25 minutes and ended up 4th. That night Elizabeth and I joined 6 of our friends and went camping and hiking at the Red River Gorge. Very cool place, despite the rain. We were able to make a fire and roast marshmallows.
The next morning we went hiking for a couple of miles before we had to drive back to Louisville two or so hours for the final race of the spring series. We had just enough time to take a shower and grab a sandwich before we had to leave for the race.
The race started out fast with attacks from the gun. After several attacks, 12 guys ended up creating the break. It was myself and 5 Roadhouse guys, and 3 Panther/RGF pb Felt Bicycles teammates along with some other teams who all had a couple riders. It was attack after attack as I had to cover if a roadhouse guy went with a Panther/RGF pb Felt Bicycles guys or vice versa. The break stayed together as we headed into the last lap. I attacked right before the last corner, which was a sharp horse shoe shape and I got a gap. The rest of the guys tried to catch my wheel but couldn’t before the corner and one of the guys towards the back of the break went down in the corner. I increased my lead through the corner and put my head down and peddled. The finish came down to mere inches as a couple guys almost caught me after a 300 meter downhill in the wind finish. It was too close to call but the finish line camera showed me just inches ahead. I won! I ended up wining the weekend omnium and placed 3rd in the overall spring series, despite racing only four of the ten races.

At Quad Cities, everyone has a story...

2009-05-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

... it's true, you travel to the Mississippi Delta, Memorial weekend to collect four separate stories, each with their own seemingly epic plot...

...A windy road race, with cross winds and a break that almost always comes back...

...The Snake, with it's storied cobbles, large fields and critical starting position...

...Melon City, which takes place in Muscatine, which we're still trying to figure out; with its big circle, mile laps (we do 40) and incredibly important positioning for the finish...

...Quad Cities Crit, with it's super tight turns, fast pace and chain link fence that keeps the riders in and the hundreds of fans out...

Three of the stories have been written and for Ciclismo racing, our stories reflect those of decades past...

Sparing the reader my prophetic (or long-winded) prose, here's the recap...

Day 1 - 80 mile Road Race - this day was all Phil, as Jarred and I stayed behind in Lincoln with babysitting trouble... yes, the proud daddy Berger had to watch the little-one. The break was caught with 500 meters to go and as Phil knows best, he went for the win out of the swarm. This story, however, ended with a near collision with one of the most classic figures of these races (no names... sorry) and Phil settling for sitting up to reach 12th.

Day 2 - Snake Alley - as Jarred and I arrived in the afternoon, it was hot and humid, with storms looming on the Mississippi horizon. I start with a weather report because that was our story... it rained and rained hard. With the cobbles wet and slick, we were to set up for the storm positioned at the back of the 100+ man field. Let's just say the first time up the Snake we were shrugging our shoulders with crashes all around us and unable to navigate through... the leaders already had 60 seconds on us, 2 minutes into the race... I chased to 24th, Phil was 31st and Berger was pulled even though he was only 10 seconds back of my small chase group... did we mention the rain, the entire race?

Day 3 - Melon City - 135 starters and a whose who of current and former pro's, national champs and typical corn-fead, yet crit starved midwesterners, we were ready to race... our story began with a script that read... "attack, but attack smart, for when we go, we are to go so hard we are eyes go crossed." Attack we did and on no fewer than 3 occasions the pin stripes of Ciclismo were out in front in some incredible breaks. This story, however, was about positioning and a field sprint and no-one better than our midwestern sprinter (yes, we feed him corn even in Colorado) to get into position and take 7th...

Day 4 is tomorrow... Berger and I are ready to write a script for Phil, taking him to the finish... he will tell the story tomorrow...

- I

Iceman to Mellow Johnny: SEE YA!

2009-05-02T17:32:00.001-07:00

Tour of the Gila Stage 4: Silver City Criterium

I'll leave the Stage 2 blogging for somebody else

2009-05-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

Wow, you just can't beat the quality of people (community members, race organizers, racers) here in Silver City. The race is yet to end, and I don't want to jinx my expectations, but the Tour of the Gila is, simply put,...outstanding.

Today, stage 3, was the individual time trial, an out-and-back, in Tyrone, New Mexico, just a stones throw from downtown Silver City. The course commenced with a gradual 5 mile uphill followed by a steep downhill, which led into a few rollers before the turn-around. Returning to the finish included a steep 2 mile climb and a ripping-fast 5 mile descent. Today's weather was comfortably warm and the wind was at our backs on the way to the turn-around and directly at our heads on the way home...better than a crosswind, but still not easy.

The fastest on the day for Ciclismo Racing was our daily dose of "Sunshine" and GC leader, Mr. Benjamin Kneller, covering the course in 35:22, which equated to a 12th place finish. In a field of over 140, and with 3 riders preparing for the Giro d'italia, one of which was slower than Ben, trust me 12th place is a truly special and spectacular result. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, and this result came after a malfunction of his front derailleur, which Ben overcame by ramping his speed up to 45 miles per hour, putting his hand down to grab his chain, and returning his chain to the big chainring to finish the race...talk about staying cool-headed in a could-be disastrous situation. As a teammate, when another teammate rides so hard that they can barely finish the short spin back to the house, a performance like Ben's encourages us to ride even that much harder for our GC leader and glues us that much tighter as a team.

Thanks for reading,
Phil Mann

On a side note, and to give all you readers some perspective, I rode 20 seconds faster today than last year on the same course, but I was 52 places higher, 39th last year versus 91st this year (don't judge my placings, I wasn't hired as a time trial specialist :)). Hopefully this incite sheds light on the depth of talent in the field of racers.

A Trip up the Mogollon

2009-04-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

Today we went bike racing in Silver City up to the Mogollon. This was the first day that I have raced with the team, it was awesome. We rode really well as a team and everything went good.

To elaborate on this we had Spotti and Workman make numerous perfect feeds from the car all day long. They kept us fueled and ready to get the job done. Nick, Phill, and Shaggy kept us out of the wind and up in the front of the field. The stage is set up to where it is mostly flat until the last five miles of the race where you take a right hand turn and go up to the finish. This is where the race really started. When we hit the wind going up the hill Nick kept me in the front group and kept my legs fresh for the final climb. From the help of others I was able to have ony of my best days climbing and finshed 18th out of the field. Rolf was not far behind in 28th.

It was a great day of racing and am looking forward for more to come.

Ben

Lance at the Gila...

2009-04-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

So as with all of us, this is the first time I have ridden with lance, and as expected it was quite the experience. The start line was buzzing with Lance mania and it was clear that the field had great respect for the man and his achievements, and rightfully so. You would see the peloton giving him the extra space that a man of his stature commands. Needless to say I had my own little moment with Lance, though not so sedate. Coming into the finish with 8 miles to go I found myself at the front of the race. I was riding just outside of the echelon and next thing I know I caught an elbow in the ribs. I was a little shocked and wasn't sure what had just happened. In the next moments Lance rolls up next to me and not so kindly informs me that, I shouldn't be in the line. I suppose if your going to hear that I guess it is better to hear from a seven time Tour winner than anyone else. I guess I'll see what tomorrow brings in the Lance Armstrong show...
Brad

Ciclismo wins again!- Brown County Road Race, Nashville, IN 4-26-2009

2009-04-28T17:04:00.001-07:00

Brown County Road Race, Nashville, IN
Ciclismo wins again
5 miles loop x 12 with 2 bigger climbs.
First lap started out fast and we dropped ½ the field as we crested the second climb. By the 3rd lap we were down to 4 riders and then the next lap we had only 3. we lapped everyone by the last lap and it came down to a sprint finish. I was able to out sprint the other two for the 3rd win of the season! I would like to thank Elizabeth for providing feeds during the race. If it wasn’t for her I would not have had a chance. After to race we went shopping for a few before we made it home around 8pm. I put the bike in the box and slept until bring dropped off at the airport at 7:30am for my trip to Gila. I flew from SDF to Midway then to St. Louis and finally to ABQ where the guys picked me up and we drove another 4 hrs to Silver City. It is awesome to be with the team again!

Ciclismo comes out on top in Cincinnati OH

2009-04-21T19:43:00.001-07:00

4-19-09
Road race 64 miles (8min laps)
Night before the race was Thunder of Louisville. Big deal for the region with over 800,000 people showed up to watch the biggest fireworks display in the country and air show. Once the fireworks were over Elizabeth and I managed to make it to our car which was the first goal. The next was to get home. Within 10 mins of not moving in the car the gas light came on. We watch the gas mileage go from 50 down to 19 when we finally make it 2 miles which took 1 and ½ hours.
The race started with a break which lasted about a lap. There was another move as we went up a slight climb. I made an effort to join the 3 other riders. We rolled away from the rest of the field and never saw them again. It was the slight climb on the last lap where I made a slight effort to see how the other 3 were feeling. One guy fell off and the rest of us kept going making sure he did not catch back on. Four miles to the finish I made another move dropping another guy but he was able to crawl his way back on. Once he did he attacked and I went with him and we dropped the other guy. It was only me and another rider who kept trying to attack but did not have any luck dropping me. I attacked 400 meters to the finish and dropped him and Ciclismo won!
Rolf Eisinger

The Good the Bad and the Ugly

2009-04-20T18:33:00.000-07:00

So I race a TTT and a crit this weekend. Since none of my teammates live here I had to ride the TTT with a couple of former teammates from Team KAOS. It was a pretty good race about 8.5 miles technical course. I think we won by over a minute but it was nothing really special. All we won was our entry fee to the crit later that day. The Good: I won the crit lapped the field I'm not too sure that anyone else even pulled during the entire race. I went off the front on the lap and tried to make it fast. Someone told me that there were guys off the back after the first couple of laps, which brings me to the Bad: the field. It was by no means a star-studded field but some local racers showed up and road hard. Being the first race of the year many people around here are just getting into it, Im sure races are just going to get faster. Next is the Ugly: A crash that happened at the end of the race as I was finishing with the lapped group, a tight corner 75 meters from the finish claimed a victim. Some guys were sprinting for 5th or 6th for no money, no prizes, nothing really. I have never seen a bike fly so high up in the air. They took him away in an ambulance I think that he is going to be ok though. It just goes to show how competitive cyclists are at any level or any commitment. These guys with nothing to gain or win threw caution to the wind and were sprinting like mad for a nothing more that pride. All in all it was a great day of racing and hopefully there are many more to come.

Jarred

Race Reports from KY

2009-04-13T18:13:00.000-07:00

KY race report
Sunday, April 5, 2009

It was a beautiful day for a bike race here in Kentucky. We drove 45 minutes outside of Louisville to the nondescript Waddy, Kentucky for today’s 50 mile circuit race. Though storms were promised for early in the afternoon, they held off and we had 75 degree weather with sunshine and a strong south/southwest wind.
The race started out quick; in the first thirty seconds attacks were firing like the fireworks at Kentucky’s Thunder Over Louisville (look that one up!). I did my best to cover and found myself in a break with five guys. About halfway into the first lap, I attacked and stayed off the front with one other guy, who just sat on my wheel. I made it all the way to the end of the third lap with the same guy still on my wheel, though he was starting to get fatigued when I continued to attack him on the climbs. We were caught by two others towards the end of the third lap and I attacked starting the fourth lap. This time I was by myself, so at least my work was a little more productive.
Three-fourths of the way through the fourth lap, I was caught just before the big climb. I rested for a few and a few people caught up to me. As I crested the hill, I attacked again and soloed the rest of the fourth lap and half of the last lap when a few guys caught me. I rested for a couple minutes before I countered a move. Another guy just sat on my wheel and I asked him if he wanted me to counter my own attack or are you willing to rotate with me. After a couple pedal strokes of silences I countered my attack. When I looked back I saw his legs locked up and he was done. I rode the rest of the way in and finished well over a minute ahead of the chase group of three.
Eisinger's 2nd Race
Ciclismo

70 mile flat windy road race with a stronger field:

I arrived at the race about 40 minutes before it started. The drive took around 3 hours. It was sunny but the wind was intense. The race started with a break out of the gate. I hung in trying to hind from the wind. The break was pulled back after about 12 miles and then people started to attack. I caught on a couple but then saved my energy since all of these efforts were being brought back. It wasn’t until the small incline in the course that a break started to roll off the front. I caught a wheel and worked to bridge to the break. We had 8 guys. Two teams had two guys each and we all worked well together just rotating until the last 4 miles. I know the finish was on a downhill and with a cross / tail wind. Most of the guys in the break were sprinters and I knew it would be tough to beat any of them in a sprint finish especially with there teammates. So I attacked mid way up the hill and got away with one other guy. He was kind of soft pedaling looking back and we were caught by 2 other guys (one was just sitting on) about 2 k out. We dropped the rest of the guys. Once we were caught there was a little hesitation and I attacked again. The guy who was doing all the work to catch us blew up and the guy who I was working with tried to reel me back in with the other guy on this wheel. He managed to catch me about 200 meters out and blew up but the guy who got the free ride went around both of us. I managed to place 2nd and felt good about the effort. The other guys in the break were impressed with the move and congratulated me instead of the guy who own.

Upen races, DONATE!

2009-03-31T07:22:00.001-07:00

I'll keep it short and sweet . . .

First off, I'm BEGGING you all, my wonderful readers and devoted friends/family/fans and the people who keep me motivated and going 110%, to PLEASE DONATE ANY SMALL AMOUNT TO MY TEAM, CICLISMO RACING!! It means a ton to us and we'll get you hooked up with the bi-weekly team newsletter, and with your help we'll even be able to afford chamois cream.

Here is a link to sign up for our NEWSLETTER, and here is the flyer for our soon-to-be-famous launch party:

On Saturday I had planned to ride from Princeton down to the Philly circuit race, do the race, and ride home. Well, I got started a touch late and ended up doing a decently hard TT with a full backpack on for two hours, only to get hopelessly lost in a great part of North Philly (wink wink). I ended up watching the race and heckling some guys, then rode home. But again, the ride home was a bear because I had a headwind the whole way and took an even longer, more circuitous route! ARGH. Got home after 6+ hours of riding and 5000kJ.

Notice the large spike in HR and elevation at around mile 50? That's the Manayunk Wall! Brought back many fond memories . . . it's crazy to just ride it after only racing on it, and it definitely hurts at the top!!

The team got up before dawn on Sunday (I didn't even get off my bike on Saturday until 8PM!) to drive down and race the TTT and criterium. We rode the TTT on our fast bikes, but did about 85% to just get things smooth and figure out our communication and rotation. We pushed it a little near the end, but were really happy with how controlled and smooth the effort was. We won by over 20 seconds!

The criterium was a very fast but easy race on a wide-open flat course with only three huge, smooth turns. A sprint finish if I've ever guessed a race correctly! With 6 laps to go, a break had been off the front with a consistent ~10 second gap for much of the race, and Austin and I finally decided enough is enough so we got to the front and ripped it. We had a lot of help from Chris Ruhl which lead us to bring the break back in just under 3 laps! Argh . . . to early. After some amazing late-race moves by UVM and the ever-powerful Josh Lipka, Austin and I did our best to get Big Bennette a leadout. I was tapped out just about 50 meters too early, and Nick had to do the whole final drag against UVM's endless stream of guys--he got third to a fast Colin J and a coordinated UVM team effort. Kudos.

Now I've been locked in my room for over a day writing my nuclear physics paper--AHHHHHHH!!! Then tonight/tomorrow I have to do my automatic control systems take-home midterm--DOUBLE AHHHHHHHHH!!!

"Just four weeks left, Nick . . . "

I'm gonna need a 58t . . .

2009-03-27T06:54:00.001-07:00

I just clocked ~6 hours putting this baby together! I've you'll look closely, there is no rear brake cable . . . ran out! Oh well, brakes are only for slowing down.

I rode her on the trainer for about 1 minute . . . WOW!!! I can't wait for the UPenn TTT this Sunday! I'll try to get some pics and/or video.

P.S. DONATE TO MY TEAM, CICLISMO RACING!!! Any amount, even if it's just $20, is super helpful. We're going to some big races this year and I want to keep everyone updated, so sign up for our excellent email newsletter (probably bi-weekly updates on the team) and help us out with some spare coin for tubes, bar tape, and beer---er, Gatoraide.

Ian, what a stud. We got punished up the climbs by the local Silver City group on the last day of camp.

I am actually in serious pain with a horrible sunburn at this point! ;-)

I don't know about living here, but I'll definitely be down here for a lot of training in the coming years!!!

Hopefully they let me come back!

The requisite team headshot . . . mine wasn't as hilarious as some of the other guys' pics, but I'm actually pretty happy with it.

Princeton Criterium, a B-day, and Silver City!

2009-03-17T20:15:00.001-07:00

A great 22nd birthday present!

TEAMWORK AT RUTGERS!

The skinsuits are key.

My good friend Doug came to the race with his parents!

That was worth it!

Wind is not your friend.

Those BMC SLC01 Pro Machines are sweet.

I'm going to miss my time at Princeton.

"REALLY?!"

I almost killed Chris Wynnyk here . . .

Corner three was pretty sweet, especially since I had to rail it each time to keep my gap!

Well, the weekend of March 7-8, just before my 22nd birthday on March 9th, was a BLAST! Dad drove across the country from the land of corn and hogs, sat in on some classes, had dinner with the Princeton team, and watched us tear it up at our home race and the Rutgers circuit race.

It has been a hectic, stressful couple of weeks leading up to Spring Break, as it always is with our midterms and problem sets due just before we leave. I made it through without cracking, and did a respectable job with [most of] my work. I went into our first races of the season knowing I had good form, but also not feeling quite right on my brand-new BMC . . . I decided to just enjoy things and let it rip! Sure enough, I felt good in the Princeton criterium and went off the front just three laps in to solo to a win--but not actually. I had missed the start after warming up for a little too long and just jumped in midway through the second lap! Argh . . . a sophomoric mistake, but oh well, we put on a good show and I confirmed to myself that I'm riding well at this point in the year.

It was a blast seeing all of my old collegiate racing buddies! I love the vibe of collegiate races, very fun and not too serious, but the guys don't pull punches--the races are 100%. It's a great way to have fun, get in some seriously intense training, and hopefully get some wins and bring up new riders through the categories by passing down the incredible knowledge we've accumulated by touching a hot frying pan many times!

Dad and I had a great time at Princeton, and I know he really soaked it in since I'll be moving on in just another couple of months. I had some intense problem solving sessions post-Princeton-race in order to get my final loose ends tied before flying to New Mexico, but sure enough I had my things packed and ready to go come Thursday night . . .

Woke up late--8:20 for a 9:30AM flight IN PHILLY, a 1.5hr train/cab away. No worries, changed my flight on Southwest--love them! Well, got my things together, made a frou-frou soy capuccino and headed down the stairs to grab my bike bag and go. Uh . . . NO BIKE BAG!!! Maybe it's in the bike room? Maybe I just had some dream about leaving it there to pick up in the morning . . . nope, it's gone. Wow. Well, better get the old Ibis fixed up and ready to train on so I have a reason to even go to training camp!

Long story short, I made it to Silver City, New Mexico with the Ciclismo boys, ready to ride my bike up many thousands of feet of amazing Tour of the Gila courses while burning a nice farmer's tan into my arms and legs! While I am very jealous of the other guys' sweet BMC SLC01 road bikes, I've got some good legs and I'm SO excited to be racing with the new team. We've gelled amazingly in a very short time, and we've got the advantage of being under the radar while having a great card to play on the climbs, in the sprints, and in the time trials. I can't wait to graduate and get out to Colorado to pursue racing as well as selling the best bamboo bikes in the country. Big things to come . . .

Silver City Team Training Camp 2009

2009-03-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

Hello faithful followers,

We are incredibly excited for a second year of racing under the incredible management of Ciclismo, LLC. I'll leave more in depth posting to others, but I just wanted to update you all and let you know although the Ciclismo Racing website continues to evolve, we are now able to once again begin blogging. We are currently down in Silver City, NM for training camp staying with our wonderful hosts who continue to open their doors, although I'm certain we over-due our welcome. Here are some pictures to entertain your curiosities (yes, we are actually training).

All the best,

Phil (Pocket Rocket) Mann

Bringing Home Two More Jerseys

2008-09-09T05:19:00.000-07:00

Race report, KY State Championship Road and Crit:

Saturday was an 80 mile road race. The field was small but it had some strong riders. It started out slow, very slow. A couple of us tried to get it moving and no one would pull through, so I got in the front with another rider and we each did a couple rotations before I sat up and the other rider started to roll off the front. No one responded and that rider stared to pull away. This was mile number two and that guy was off the front! There was an attack that broke up the field and as it came back together we ended up catching the solo rider. Then another rider attacked but the field felt threatened and stayed on his wheel. The guy who rode off the front at the start took off again and this time he was out of sight and mind for the field. I stayed in the back chatting with people. I noticed another rider keeping a close eye on the guys at the front, making sure they didn’t get away. I waited to make my move on the course’s biggest hill. Once we reached the hill I attacked and was able to bridge up to solo rider just after the crest of the hill. A couple guys were chasing, but I, along with the solo rider, kept pulling away. The two chasers were caught by the field and the two of us continued our break with 60+ miles to go on a windy course. We were riding fast to try and stay away from the field. When I looked down at our speed we were doing between 25 and 33, depending on the course. Mainly 27-28. Since the other guy had been out since mile two he was already in the hurt locker when I caught him and I think it only got worse. I am not sure if he remembers much other than me asking him if he needed anything. He hung in and kept going. We came in first and Second with the field about 5+ minutes back.

Sunday was the crit.
On lap two a guy went and looked to be threat. The field started to chase him down. That’s when a couple guys tried to mess up the pace line but one rider pushed one of them out of the way and he tried to get in my way and I said “If you are not working in the chase then I would advise you to get towards the back!” He moved to the back. The field brought the guy back and another guy attacked. I followed his wheel and just as the field was going to catch us I counted. This was lap 4 and I was able to stay away. Once I had 25 seconds, a couple guys broke away from the field in hopes of catching me. They maintained the gap on the windy straight-aways but I put a second on them in each of the downhill corners. Once I had a minute on them I started to put 10-15 seconds on them a lap. I ended up lapping everyone twice, except for two guys whom I ended up lapped once.

Rolf

Bringing Home a Jersey

2008-09-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

Green Mountain Stage Race 2008

The trip started Thursday morning when Elizabeth dropped me off at the airport. While checking in the lady behind the counter asked if I was flying with a bike, to which I replied, “Exercise equipment.” Since it was under the 50lb weight limit, she decided to measure the linear inches to see if it was considered oversized, and it was. So $100 later, I was on my way.
I flew into Hartford, CT since it was significantly cheaper, even with the rental car and gas. Once I arrived I waited for my friend, who was flying in from CO. As I waited I put my bike together in the parking garage. Since his flight was later than expected, I went to find a grocery store to pick up a few items and a bottle of wine as a host gift. I then went for an easy ride since I wasn’t sure if we were going to get up north to preview the course before it got dark. We left Hartford around 5pm and made it to the prolog around dark. We saw a few riders just finishing their ride as we started. It was black out as we started up a long and steep climb and from there it leveled out to the finish. Luckily Tim had a light, but nonetheless it was an adventure. We reached our host house around 11pm, made some eggs and went to sleep.
The next day we raced the prolog and all went pretty well. I ended up 17th, only 33 seconds behind the winning time. I passed my 30 second and minute man before I reached the top of the climb.

After the race we ate our ham sandwiches and headed back home for a nap and lunch. After lunch we previewed the circuit race course. It took us a while to figure out how to navigate the roads in VT. After checking out the course we headed home for some dinner of pasta and homemade bread and sauce.

Day 2
The race started out pretty well with people fighting for position during the neutral roll out. Pretty standard East Coast style. Then we hit the first climb and the attack started. As we hit the 5k to go for the KOM, I saw a couple guys start to line up the lead out train. I hopped on their wheel and thought that I may as well try for the KOM. I ended up riding past the leadout trains and passing the guy who was sprinting for the KOM. I really couldn’t believe I won. As we started out second lap of two on the course, a couple guys attacked. I was 3rd wheel and decided to drift to the left and when no one followed I started to put a little more power into the pedals and found myself in the break. A couple more guys bridged up and we had a great group. We continued all the way to the KOM, where I was able to pick up full points again. The group came back together and we were about 5k from the finish when 3 guys got off the front. The lead out trains brought it back to 3 seconds before the group up the road crossed the line. Everyone was all over the road and I later found out I was one of 13 guys who was relegated for crossing the yellow line. It was a 30 second penalty. After the race, my friend and I went to pre drive the next day’s course. We ended up getting lost and by the time we drove the course and made it back it was 10pm before we had dinner. Not the best recovery.

The next day I was in the King of the Mountains jersey and got a call up. The race started as soon as the gun went off. I managed to make it in the break. The break made it past the sprint line and even to the top of the KOM line where I picked up the rest of the KOM points. We rode to the bottom of the last climb where the field finally caught us. I was in about 25th place when we hit the climb and worked my way to 12th before I crossed the line. The last climb was very steep and I was glad the SRAM guys lent me an 11-26 cassette.

The final day, Monday was the crit. It started at 4:10pm and it was a warm windy day. I was called up again for the KOM, which helped out a lot for placement. The race was just over an hour long and since the GC was so close, the contenders were not making it easy. For most of the race it was full gas and the field was strung out covering about ½ the 1 K course. I managed to avoid crashes and finished in the top 1/3. My friend and I hung out in Burlington for dinner and made it back to our host house around 9pm. We packed up our bikes and put everything in the car since we had to leave around 4am to get down to Hartford in time for my 10am flight. Again, the person behind the counter asked if it was a bike and I told her it was exercise equipment, but then she asked what kind of exercise equipment it was. I was kind of stuck but said told her it was the kind that can be used to test Vo2 max and lactate threshold. She didn’t ask anymore questions but did charge me another $100. I wasn’t as lucky this trip ,compared to CA where I didn’t have to pay for my bike.

- Rolf

Elite Men's Crit Nationals

2008-09-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry all that we've not posted in awhile... I am new to this posting thing and didn't know how to get it on here. Anyway, here are some of my thoughts from a few weeks back (post Elite Crit Natinoals)...

Another crazy weekend of bike racing and telling stories.
It all started Friday night when Andy and Paul landed in Chicago. Once they picked up the rental car, they started to drive to my uncle and aunt's place but noticed they were on a tollway and didn't have any cash. After looking at the budget map, they were able to take the last exit off the toll road, probably crossing all 5 lanes of traffic to do so and ended up at the house a few hours later. Once Elizabeth and I arrived, Paul and I went for a short spin around some nature preserve. Dinner consisted of homemade pasta sauce, pasta, bread and New Belgium beer that Andy bought. He went to get some band aids, got lost, and showed up a little later than we expected with a case of beer. Dinner lasted about 3 hours and was a great time of drinking, eating and telling stories.

Saturday we chilled until the 7pm Pro Am race. We had a great breakfast of eggs, fruit, bagels and coffee. We had a little leftover pasta before we raced. All went pretty well as Paul and I raced well and stayed up and in the race. It finished in a bunch sprint and Paul was the first amateur to cross the line. After the race we spent about 30 minutes trying to find a Chipotle and had to resort to a local Mexican place, which was very good but no 5lb burrito. We made it back around 11 and crashed.

Sunday we woke up and ate some more eggs, bagels and fruit. It was a hot day with some wind coming from the west. Enough to made a difference. All went well as I started out coving a lot of moves and finding my self in some great breaks. The plan was to watch Roadhouse and Berries and if they were in a break we were in a break. I went off a 4-5 lap solo effort hoping someone would bridge up and no one did. Ended up in a break going for a $100 when Roadhouse and Berries kept it going after the line and I couldn't catch on. I waited for a couple of other guys and we still couldn't catch them and that looked like the race, but they were caught with about 8 laps to go. I was out of energy at this point and Paul started to mix it up in the front. He had great placement and finished in the top 10! He finished 8th, which was our goal for the race.

We stayed to watch the pro race and then headed home. It was cool to watch the race and how it worked itself out. Elizabeth and I drove past the Chipotle on our way out of town. We made it home around 1:30am and Paul and Andy stayed one more night before they left in the morning.

All and all it was a great weekend of racing, eating, and chillin out in Chicago.

Rolf

I love us...

2008-08-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

...it's a saying that stands the test of time... well, at least in my book.

Most can't stand it because it begets a feeling of arrogance or maybe just general silliness. I love it because well, I love us...

...I love the guys I've gotten to ride with this season - from the beginning of the season with Lando (Matt Landen) and Spence (Chris Spence) in teammates from Team Kaos, until the today, here in Cali.

I also love us because of the brilliant one-liners - i.e. "snake-snake" said multiple times for multiple good reasons; or "attack... attack NOW!" which we will hear from Andy over and over and over again on Sunday; or try on "this is overwhelming..." said at continental breakfast with hundreds of 8-year-olds running rampant around the unorganized food area wheeling donuts and spilling sugary drinks to the tune of Mickey and Minnie on the giant flatscreens surrounding what might as well be described as a food-court in looney-land; and of course our old-time favorite "I love us..."

Yes, I love us because of irony... from LAX to e-brakes to the fact that some twenty years ago I was likely that kid at a Hampton Inn at 8:00 am, overly excited to be heading to the greatest theme park in the world... twenty years after that date, I'm not thankful for Mickey, but for condoms...

So, after what healthy food we could get from the breakfast buffet of sugar and sweets (yes, Andy took director privileges and ate like an 8-year-old) we donned our helmets and glasses, got on our bikes and headed for the beach. The morning was incredible and the pictures throughout this blog tell the story of why we were feeling good, are ready and excited for tomorrow, and that... we love us...

- Ian

Riding the brakes...

2008-08-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

... and by brakes I do mean those mechanistic, metal gripping contraptions that allow for stopping. While we will be riding in the break on Sunday, this brake riding refers to the likes of the descent at Gila after seeing the massive crash that took out the likes of Zirbel and our very own Mr. Cole (yes, I crept down the Gila-monster)...

So yesterday we are heading back to LAX to pick up our teammate Rolf - sidenote: LAX is an hour each way from our hotel, whereas John Wayne Orange County is five minutes... I didn't book the tickets. Back to the story, on our way to the airport I see that the brake light is on and that for the entire day I had been burning fuel and brake pads by not deactivating the e-brake.

Now, one might laugh at the fact that I am travel savy and can discern which airport makes the most economical sense, yet drives for 2 + hours with the e-brake engaged... yeah, it's called irony.

So, it's day 2 of our Cali trip and we just found out that we don't have to race on Saturday - i.e. no prelims.

Our field for Sunday will be 150+ and it will be fast and furious.

Because we are not doing prelims we are motor pacing with Andy - once he arrives at LAX (the airport that from our hotel is half way to Oregon).

This brings us to the topic of the day... what should we do between now (well, post motor pacing) and Sunday at 2:30 pm when the whistle is blown? You see, our guess is that Andy wants us to sit down and do nothing; but we, the cyclists who get little time away from work and riding, want to have some fun while in the land of Angels.

So, if the reader will indulge, please provide some ideas that will keep our legs fresh, but allow us, at the same time, to have some fun - as well as allow us to write something about our adventures in Cali-land before the race...

- Ian

p.s. at top is a pic that Phil took while we were riding along the Santa Ana river bed. He got a new camera for his birthday, but is bitter about not having a memory stick as of yet. On the other hand he was quite proud to capture a perfect portrayal of my incredible form on the bike... oh yeah and more importantly those hot unis...

The things we love...

2008-08-07T06:12:00.001-07:00

... starting with free internet at the Denver airport when you've missed your flight because of incompetent gate coordinators...

Another thing we love the week of a race... getting up at 4 am to fly out of Denver airport and THEN missing your flight...

...did I mention our love affair with TSA? Wait... yes, it's truly passionate...

Okay, now that I've shown my sense of dry, sophomoric humor it's time to get real... we promised to blog often and blog we will!

It's early on Thursday morning, Phil and I are at the airport hanging at gate A39 (if you are reading this in the airport come give us a shout). Late last night we heard that Jarred had a rough go of it. Well, that's not entirely true...

Jarred was dominating the race, catching four riders before the turn (including his minute man who would eventually place in the top 20). Clicking along with 6 miles to go he hit a rock and instantly went flat... he was stuck without a wheel (as they don't allow follow cars at Nationals) and wisely called it a day... I'm sure he'll update you/us later.

I think that's enough for now... it's time to get back to my real job and the client emails that are just begging reply... Ah yes, to the things we love...

- Ian

It's good to race for the money

2008-08-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

For many of us who race on the front range it is a challenge to find big money races, and we often find ourselves racing for $150, 3 places deep, or more or less pride. I would like to give props to the promoters of the Bannock St. Criterium who pooled together a large cash purse, which brings out the best racers from the region and catalyzes more quality racing. I hope more promoters learn from Bannock's success, which will only help to improve the quality of races on the front range in the future.

As for TLE, Paul and I showed up to Bannock ready to throw down. The field grew exponentially from the previous days race at the Federal Center in Lakeview, and like I previously noted the race was of a much higher caliber and quality. With only two riders, we started off being very aggressive trying to make the breakaway, because we knew that many of the Pro teams wanted a breakaway to succeed so we could settle into a hard tempo for the remainder of the race. Unfortunately we did not make the breakaway, so Paul and I remained calm and collected and prepared ourselves for a fast, dicey finish. In the final laps the race was very stressful and dangerous; just the way Paul and I like it. Moving up the side in the final lap, Paul did an amazing job working his way to the front with me following behind. In the final corner as the field swung inside Paul took the outside line and was able to pass several riders for a solid 10th place finish. I was able to fight out the remaining final meters to finish in 17th, and was very pleased to simply finish in one piece with the injured back holding up and in better health.

From now, Jarred, Ian, Rolf and myself head off to Elite Road National Championships in Anaheim, CA. All are riding with good form and we are looking forward to showing the country how strong we are in tough, long road races. Jarred is already in CA preparing for the TT. We wish him the best.

-Phil

A rough go of it

2008-07-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

As I previously wrote, last Thursday did not go so well. I went to the chiropractor for treatment and thought my injuries were improving. I started at Tour of Holy Hill yesterday (Monday) because I felt my pain was subsiding and, as AC would say, I went to roll the dice. I started off pretty aggressive because I knew I could control any pain if I was able to ride my own tempo in a breakaway. No breakaway was successful and the repeated efforts along with a really rough stretch of road took its toll. Unfortunately, I was forced to abandon. Now it's time to reevaluate and make decision because all TLE riders want to be healthy and flying in August.

Hope all of you readers are well!

-Phil

Race 1: Shorewood Criterium

2008-07-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

Good news or bad I promised to report to you all the activities here at Superweek. I regretfully report today did not go as planned and I was forced to exit the race early. Apparently my injuries sustained from the crash at the Cascade Classic criterium have lingered and the pain was unbearable during today's race. I'm looking forward to getting some treatments tomorrow and hope to be back in full form as Superweek continues. Thanks for your support! -Phil

Stay tuned for Superweek MADNESS!

2008-07-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow fans of TLE! Please stay tuned to the blog during the next couple weeks as I charge forward looking for TLE's next win at the International Cycling Classic, also known as Superweek! Racing has already begun here in the beautiful region between Chicago and Milwaukee, but I have yet to test my meddle against the strong competitors making up the field. I will begin my midwest stint at the Shorewood criterium tomorrow. My goal is to keep you all informed, sharing my experiences and hopefully my successes. Stay tuned! -Phil

Stage 6

2008-07-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

Today was the circuit race at the Cascade Classic stage race. Fast, hot and hard pretty much sums it up. The first of five laps was very fast and nerve racking with riders attacking left and right. The course was thoroughly tough, up and down with a few climbs. At the beginning of the second lap a few guys started to move up the right side and I jumped on their wheels. Then they attacked and I followed and Rolf came with me. The counter attack went and Rolf made the break and proceeded to ride out of his mind and get all the KOM points. He ended up 3rd in the competition overall. The break came back on the last lap and made for very fast last final 10k. Rolf, Paul, Ian and I ended up just off the front group at the finish. We are all glad the race is over, and looking forward to the next one. -Jarred

Stage 5

2008-07-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

There have been many firsts from this weekend….

It’s the first time we’ve all ridden with Rich Davis (personal accounts will come with personal requests)…

It’s the first time Workman has ridden in a Pro 1 field – congrats Dan!

It’s the first time I’ve (Ian) felt humbled in cycling by team members who have done everything to set me up for success…

And of course it was Andy’s first fine in the caravan… Thanks for the pacing Clark!

Following from the humbling feeling riding with these guys and as the most important first – on the eve of the last stage – has been the complete evolution of a team dynamic catalyzed by veterans Cole (Brad) and Spoti (Paul), as they lead five Legacy riders to the base of the final climb today, ready to take on what was left of the peloton by storm.

Now, as you’ve likely read from the rest of this weekend, this fifth stage did not play out exactly the way we had hoped; this was not a first…

The race was aggressive from the gun and having planned for this we too prepared on being aggressive. As the initial climb kicked up we were present at the front, feverishly attacking. Phil took a flier, Brad took two more and then Rolf, Jarred and I each took one, if not two. This takes us most of the way up the first climb, redlined and realizing that only about 70 of the starting 135 were left. So we hit the KOM and began descending, five Legacy boys left.

Just after the descent more attacks emanated from the pack and a group of eight got away. With no Legacy riders in it and Andy on the radio clamoring about the need to be aggressive and to “bridge that gap,” Jarred took a flier and quickly put 60 seconds on the peloton. For miles he worked with a USA national team member to bridge and then, just 30 seconds from the break, he fell back when his co-chaser took off up a rise… with too many matches previously burnt he came back to the bunch.

As the day evolved so did the team play, as Cole and Spoti took multiple trips back to the car for bottles and then, as the climb drew near, aggressively got Jarred, Rolf and I to the front. The climb kicked up and so did the pace. Now here’s a personal account of what followed…

Sitting in the top ten, I road the first 1k of the climb with the front riders and then just didn’t have it. Falling back I was quickly met by a push and Rolf urging me to get on. Again, another dig and then, popped again, sent to the third group on the climb. After working all day, Spoti was in the next group back and Berger, matches spent, was just behind him. Finishing in that order, Cole came across, hopefully knowing that all his hard work did, in the end, pay off.

We’re excited about tomorrow, so please check back soon… oh and as far as firsts go, this is my first ever blog, I hope it conveyed our experience…

The 30 mph bike change

2008-07-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

Today's stage was yet another brutally fast day that finished with a long 10 mile climb to the finish. The elements and mishaps of the day made the race, but TLE prevailed and one of our strong climbers, Ian, rode into the top 20 in the finale.

One thing we are mastering is patience. No matter how well you are prepared, mishaps and unlucky moments will happen, and it is how you deal with these moments that determines if you are still competing in the end. You can choose to get freaked out and lose your head, or you can choose to be patient, do all you can to improve your situation in the moment, and weather the storm successfully. One of these moments, which showed how well we are gelling as a team and how cool-headed we are becoming under stressful conditions, is when Ian's bike broke down, again. Brad and Ian promptly motored to the front of the peloton. Andy shot up the left side on the shoulder of the road, and all came together to switch bikes. Props to Brad for giving up his bike and riding Andy's "backwards" bike. (The brakes are backwards, right brakes the front, and left brakes the rear...and it is Campy) Other than the bike change, Paul visited neutral support twice. Rich made laps to the car retrieving water during brutally hard moments of the race. And Dan learned how to go back and get teammates in distress. In the end, we were able to get all of our heavy hitters to the front and establish position for the finishing climb. Ian, Rolf, and Jarred finished the stage as super stars; all were somewhere in the top 40. At this time, we are still waiting for results, but please visit http://www.mbsef.org/CascadeCyclingClassic/Results/2008/index.cfm.

Thank you for tuning in!

-Phil

Cascade: Stage 1

2008-07-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

Wow! The eyes were opened today and we got to experience our first day of big racing. The temperature hovered around 90 as we barreled through the desert terrain, we covered the 83 mile stage in around 2:50.00, which come to an average speed of just over 29 mph. The first attack of the day went from the gun and we were scraping pedals out of the parking lot. Phil and myself were on early breakaway duty and went right to work, trying to get into any move that we could . Nothing would stick and after 30 miles of trying we resigned ourselves to riding in the field. Eventually a high powered group of 15 got up the road and the winner of the day came from this group. We took care of each throughout the stage and gave our climbers the opportunity to light up the final climb. We still haven't shaken the bad luck bug, as Ian broke a derailleur cable and Jarred hit the deck. Both of the guys held their composure well and rode back to the field with a little help (thanks Rich) to have solid finishes. The results are posted so check them out. Thanks to all those who are following us this week, keep checking back for daily updates.

Sacrifice

2008-07-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

At the young age-range of 21-35 years many distractions and temptations present themselves on a daily basis. For a cyclist of this age-range trying to make it at the next level, succumbing to these deleterious, devilish, and misguided...also know as FUN...activities may mean the difference between surviving the crucial moments of struggle during a bike race or faltering and being defeated.

Today is the 4th of July (HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!) and I unfortunately have opted out of the fun partying and debauchery for a phenomenal evening with the parents and grandparents. I am up in the mountains without any cell service and a complete disconnect exists between the rest of the world and myself, aside from an internet connection allowing me to write this blog post. My words may seem a bit cynical but I ensure you I have chosen this route for a reason. You see, in about 4 days we dance toe-to-toe with some of the best professional cyclists in the country and in the world. Notable names such as Mann, Leipheimer, Horner, Jacques-Maynes, Garcia (FoCo rep!), and Baldwin will be challenged by the force known as Team Legacy Energy. At this point, nervousness, anxiousness, insomnia, and preparing the physical body are enough to deal with to make any jollification unmanageable. This means the word fun has to come from a new, different medium. My grandmother has suggested the Boston Pops (don't worry if you are unaware of its existence), and we can watch a beautiful fireworks display without even leaving the couch. God bless technology and America! For my sacrifice, I think I'll have some of that!

-Phil Mann

I love you, Will...no hard feelings!

2008-06-05T20:16:00.001-07:00

We live in America...not Britain...

2008-06-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

I had a very interesting commute returning to Fort Collins from Tulsa this past weekend. Will, Dan and myself departed Tulsa late on Sunday evening, and decided to rest our heads at the fabulous Super 8 in Salina, Kansas. Unfortunately, we woke too late to enjoy Patrick's favored continental breakfast, and were forced to venture to the closest breakfast establishment for some nutrition and coffee. Around the corner was IHOP...wonderful! The breakfast commenced with one of the more interesting experiences in my race travels. First off, I've never had such an inanimate waitress in all my dining experiences. Even my flirtatious tactics (a product of my genetic material passed down from my father) that I often like to employ at random restaurants along our travel routes were no match for this Mona Lisa. It wasn't until a mother/daughter pair sat at a booth, drank their soda, and left without paying, was I able to establish a common ground based on our mutual observation of the situation that allowed the waitress to crack a smile. Mission accomplished.

I digress a bit from the aim of my post and would like to return to my purpose. Between meeting our cold waitress and the incident where the mother/daughter pair left without paying was the most interesting part of the whole adventure. Our food arrived at the table, hot and ready to be consumed, but there was a problem. Will had no cutlery! Yes, that's right I said CUTLERY, and so did Will when he was asking this poor, midwestern, innocent, corn-fed waitress for some SILVERWARE. Since when was SILVERWARE called CUTLERY? Either I grew up a little too blue collar or the midwest is too isolated from international/British sophistication. After a couple failed attempts at asking for cutlery, Will finally asked for silverware. The lightbulb went off in the poor waitresses eye and Will finally got his cutlery.

That's all...I was simply perplexed at Will's intelligent, British vocabulary. Oh yeah, he also wears knickers; defined as women's panties in the dictionary.

-Phil

Back to Back

2008-05-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

Team Legacy Energy's Phil Mann, won the Collegiate National Criterium today, successfully defending his title from last year with a phenomenal display of force by his team. In the final 3 laps, a Virginia Tech rider jumped clear and was holding a sizable gap over the field until with 2 to go Dan Workman came to the front and pulled the rider back, setting the stage for Phil's 250m sprint out of the final turn.

Comments...

2008-05-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

So to all our readers out there, there is this really neat little function at the bottom of each post, that says comments. Until lately I wasn't sure if anyone read our page, but we have started to get a few comments back from readers. So if you are out there and reading our page please leave us some comments it is good to hear from you all.

Brad

Not a pro team but close

2008-05-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

I am not much of a blogger nor do I ever read blogs, but in an attempt to fulfill my team duties I though I would post one without even being asked. This post isn't to rant about a bad race or to whine about not getting the result that I wanted. This post is to recognize the men behind the scenes that took care of us down in Silver City, NM. Dan, AC, and our host housing. Dan cooked up great meals and fed us in the feed zones. Let me tell you how nice it is having a meal ready to eat everyday when you get up in the morning and right after a race. It very nice. AC took care of us all and was as a pro as it gets in his director debut. Amidst all the bad luck and trouble we encountered though out the race, he was always cool, calm and collected and never did a negative word leave his mouth. If that doesn't make you want to turn your self inside out for the team I don't what would. To top it all off we had great host housing which always makes things go smooth during a long stage race. We are not a pro team, but last week I got a glimpse of what it would be like to be on one. With daily massages, food prepared for us, and our bikes washed and tuned everyday it made our jobs easy. A big thanks to all of you that worked hard and tool care of us for the week you are greatly appreciated by everyone. Next time we will have our day.

My two Cents.

I too would like to throw out my thanks to everyone who helped make our trip to Gila a success. I would like to put a special thanks out to Daniel for coming to the hospital and spending the afternoon with me in the ER and helping take care of me. He was great all week without him, and the support of Andy and our hosts the trip would not have been a success. For us, we are only as successful as those around us, and everyone that helped us through the week and made it easy for us to do our jobs. You were all incredible and really helped push us to a higher level. Thanks for all of your hard work, and I wish we could have put together at least one day for those working behind the scenes... next time.

Brad

another photo link from Gila

2008-05-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

Phil in the break

And another

Thoughts of the day...

2008-05-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

So I spit on Joe Sapperstein today, literally... it is funny be a bike racer you get oddly comfortable, or at least understanding when you get spit on.

We finally figured Jarred out... 2+2=4 but for Jarred you think it equals 3 and somehow he steps it up and turns it into 5. He never ceases to amaze.

Surfing is possible even when water isn't present, just ask out cat 1 guys after yesterday.

...and some people still don't know what they are doing on their bikes, even at this level.

Brad

Oh so close

2008-05-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

Crits my least favorite of all the races at stage races, but I will rant about that some other time. Today was the crit. The course was not bad at all only 75 minutes with one little steep hill and nice long sweeping turns. Since we have a couple of pretty good crit racers on our team we wanted to try and get them into a break and maybe the big teams would let it go and we could get a result. Well all of that came true except the result. Paul jumped across to an early break that contained some big names but then it was quickly shut down. Not too much later Phil got into a great move that contained riders from Colivita, Successful Living, Tecos, Arenas. Phil being a great sprinter and the reigning coliget national champ we had high hopes for him. With Bissel on front riding tempo it became clear that they were not going to pull the break back. Then with about two and a half laps to go a Vitamin Cottage guy try to jump across and didn't even come close to making it, but in doing so drug the rest of the field with him and shut the break down. Our hopes for a win gone. While Phil was grinding in the break Paul, Ian, Brad and I were safely surfing the the waves at the back of the main group saving our legs for the mountainous stage that tomorrow will bring us. 110 miles with 2 cat 2 climbs, 1 cat 1 climb, and finishes with a cat 4 just for good measure. Tomorrow will definitely separate the men form the boys. Oh yeah not to mention that the GC lead is less that 2 seconds. It time to kick the tires and light the fires!!! Wish us luck.

photo of Phil in the break sitting third wheel...

Jarred

Almost

2008-05-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

I'm not much of a climber or time trialer so I was pinning my hopes for Gila on Saturday's downtown criterium. The cat2 field was obviously fatigued so after winning the first prime my confidence went up quite a bit and I started seriously thinking about the win. Several breaks got away but no one was able to get out of sight and the field chased everyone down. Dan Workman and I spent most of the last 10 laps sitting in the first 5 guys. Dan raced perfectly for me, keeping things together and neutralizing accelerations.

With one corner and a few hundred meters to go Dan hit the front and executed a text book leadout. Unfortunately I dropped the ball, lost his wheel, and then started my sprint in too large a gear. I finished 8th and Dan was 10th. It was frustrating for me to botch the sprint and miss an opportunity to win but both of us finishing in the top 10 is definitely a sign of better things to come.

-Will

Smiles and frowns

2008-05-02T18:10:00.000-07:00

Good day faithful followers,

Today was the simplest form of bike racing; one man against one clock, the individual time trial. We commenced with the third stage of the Tour of the Gila on a beautiful, sunny morning in southwest New Mexico to test our legs on the 16.5 mile rolling course. Fortunately, we were able to avoid the gale-force winds that challenged us on previous days, but the course proved to be no less demanding. The course was out-and-back beginning with a long 4 mile grind to the first summit followed by a steep, fast decent. Three rollers had to be overcome to the turn-around and back before we ascended the climb one last time and came barreling toward the finish topped off in our highest gearing. For some of us, we rode beyond our limits and surprised not only others but ourselves (Phil), and for some of us, we were on our way to a standout performance but were crossed by misfortune and rode 5 miles on a flat wheel due to nonexistent race support and organization (Jarred). Nonetheless, we are proving to be a significant standout among all amateur teams and you can be sure to see the ears perk up among the professionals when Team Legacy Energy's name rings throughout the peloton.

The category 2 race was challenged by more powerful swirling winds in the afternoon, but, although slightly aggravated, Dan swiftly controlled the terrain and finished in 5th place. He now sits in 6th place in the general classification. Will, on his normal road rig with clip-on aero bars rounded out the team's hard daily efforts in 51st place.

Pro,1 Results:

Brad-29th (37:43)

Phil-39th (38:48)

Paul-41st (39:13)

Ian-45th (39:27)

Jarred-50th (39:45)

Stage Winner: Tom Zirbel (34:26)

General Classification after Stage 3:

Brad-26th (Best Amateur Rider)

Jarred-32nd

Ian-36th

Paul-40th

Phil-60th

Leader: Tom Zirbel

Ciao,

TLE (Team Legacy Energy)

Close but not there yet...

2008-05-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

Someday we will get things right and finish off a race. So it was another windy day but the field was fortunate and mother nature was kind with the direction of the wind. We only really had to battle the crosswinds in the gutter for for the last 3-4 miles. The day was much safer and the field more relaxed. The Tecos team, and team leader went to the front and road a steady tempo all day. It was tough at time but significantly easier than the day before. As we approached the finish the whole team gathered towards the front and we began moving to the front, with a kilometer to go we were sitting in the top 15, and five guys. Perfect... or not. As we made a ride hand turn at the km sign the field collapsed on us, and we were swarmed on the outside. We put in a huge effort to move Phil and Paul back to the front and left them to do what they do. By that time it was to late though. The group was at full speed and the guys never found the front. It was a tailwind finish and we lacked the horsepower, but it is a learning experience, and we are getting there.

Today we have the time trial and are hoping to go fast, but I guess that is the point of every race. We have some time this afternoon to kick back and relax, so hopefully the next update should be up by dinner.

Last piece, check out the cyclingnews.com link below there are some great photos from the race

Results Update:

Team GC 7th (top amateur)

Brad 25th (2nd amateur on GC)

Jarred 31st (4th amateur on GC)

Ian 33rd (5th amateur on GC)

Paul 42nd

Phil 62nd

Brad

Cramps, crashes, and crosswinds....

2008-04-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-27T12:12:00.001-07:00

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

2008-04-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-04-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

...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?

2008-04-16T14:54:00.001-07:00

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

-Phil

Well I feel stupid...

2008-04-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-04-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-04-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

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

Throw Your Hands in the Air If You Just Don't Care - Notorious B.I.G.

2008-03-31T16:22:00.001-07:00

Although I usually like to refrain from blogging race recapitulations, this past weekend was just too extraordinary—extraordinarily comical—not to.

The weekend of collegiate racing in Grand Junction, CO kicked off for Brad, Dan Workman, Phil and I on Saturday with a road race. Brad and I had been developing grandiose schemes of how, when, and where we were going to blow up the field in the road race. Well, our first plan was on the climb 2 miles after the start, so Brad went to the front and upped the tempo and strung out the field then we hit a left hand switchback as we rode upwards and I got out of the saddle and threw down an attack to string the field out more. We essentially kept the field strung out over the top wherein Dan, Brad, and I took turns covering and initiating breakaways. I followed the acceleration of a Fort Lewis rider and the two of us rode away. We spent the remainder of the roughly 70 miles off the front. Coming into the finish it was just the two of us; our gap over the eventual third place rider was over 4 minutes. We played cat and mouse trying to out-strategize one another for the win, we played the brake check game briefly (we were going so slow because neither one of us wanted to be in the front that we were slamming on our brakes), then I guttered it in the crosswind and just decided that rolling in he would have to come around me windy side in order to sprint and I would be able to sit non-windy side, get the draft and MAYBE get a sprint win. Well, I shall never again gamble on myself in a sprint because I lost the two-up sprint. Next time, I will time trial to the finish and shell the rider I’m with.

Saturday afternoon was a team time trial, which went well. Dan, Brad, a dude named Fuzzy, and myself won convincingly. We put 2 minutes into the second place team over the course of the approximately 10 miles.

Sunday was a criterium in downtown Fruita. Unfortunately, I did not have time to talk to Tater, the mentally impaired, colorful downtown Fruita fixture that is out at the race every year, but as entertaining a fellow as he is, I, unknowingly, was holding onto a ticket to a Sunday matinee of a “dark comedy”. Orders for the criterium were to keep the field together and get the green CSU train rolling to lead out Phil for the sprint victory. With two and a half laps to go I came to the front to start the lead out and took just about a full lap on the front stringing the field out. Apparently our train was a sight to behold as with only two and a half laps left we shredded the field down to half the size it had been. Dan Workman took over with one and a half to go followed by Brad Cole, then Fuzzy, then Dan Lionberg… then Phil. After my job was done, I pulled to the side of the road and waited for Lionberg to barrel out of the final corner with Phil in tow. Sure enough, there they were with a Mesa State rider right behind Lionberg and Phil and a huge gap after them. As Phil sprinted to the line he glanced over his shoulder and only saw Lionberg and started celebrating with 30 meters to go, unfortunately he did not see the Mesa State rider who ended up passing him for the win. Here’s the moment of realization…

Here’s the moment of agony…

But at least it was not as bad as this…

After the race my thoughts immediately shifted to myself and how horrible it was going to be being Phil’s roommate since his dour disposition was something with which I would have to contend. I will now most likely be seeking a new residence after Phil reads this… someone, anyone, please take me in…

Patrick

I Don't Even like Basketball

2008-03-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of the year when all of us masquerade as huge basketball aficionados, fill out our brackets and subsequently expose ourselves (no, not like that) as posers. I didn’t make my selections so well—who knew Belmont wouldn’t win the tournament? I surely didn’t (just kidding, I didn’t select them). I did however have Pittsburgh and Kansas in the final; Bob Knight really led me astray on how mentally gritty Pittsburgh was and how they were just going to cakewalk right into the Final Four. Thanks Bob, now MY blood pressure is dangerously elevated. By the way, I could see Michael Ball as the Bob Knight of cycling... he could kick his riders when they displease him, he could throw a chair into the middle of a peloton during a race, let’s face it, the dude is unpredictable.

Anyway, I was in the homemaker mood today—went out and bought a muffin pan and made whole wheat cinnamon banana nut muffins. I have been very disenchanted with the dearth of good muffins here in Fort Collins and figured that I would have to start making them for myself. Nothing holds a flame to the muffins I can get in Boise at Big City Coffee (http://www.bigcitycoffeeld.com/)... Let me know if you know of good muffins in Fort Collins. I hope you’ve had your fill of minutia because I’ve reached my bullshit quota for the day. Cheerio.

Patrick

Life in the Travelling Locker Room

2008-03-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a little taster of what life is like on the road and what happens when people spend too much time together in a van on the way to races...

Andy, our director, and Evan Ruzanski, an old bike geezer, got into a little tussle last year at Collegiate Nationals. We had to pull over the van so that they could "sort out" their differences on the lawn alongside a busy thoroughfare. Luckily it concluded with some ass slapping and bronco riding which really invigorated us onlookers.

In like a Lion, Out like a Lamb

2008-03-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

We finished our third day of riding on Thursday in the Valley of the Sun by riding Northwest of Phoenix up in the hills around Lake Pleasant. Our Spring Break Smashfest (No, Phil and I didn’t go to Havasu) ended today; I wound up with a 3h 45min ride while Phil ended it with a 3h ride and some Lactate Threshold intervals. We were feeling a little soft, so neither of us wanted to do the full 4 hours, but that’s what great champions do—when the going gets tough, they pull the plug early. We also "inadvertently" road through a road closure wherein we were subsequently threatened with a $500 fine. Fortunately, Phil diffused the situation after explaining that we were from out of town. I guess the Maricopa County official that admonished us agreed with the implication that as out-of-towners we do not know how to read signs and therefore shouldn't be punished. As for me, I just don't believe everything I read... proof that it is beneficial for Phil to handle these situations. Thursday night we attended a spring match between the Royals of Kansas City and the Brewers of Milwaukee—‘twas a great contest. Phil and I went out in Phoenix with Phil’s DePauw friends later that night, got buzzed, got 4 hours of sub-par sleep, bid Papa Edminister (see prior post) adieu, and we got in the car for Friday's 13 hour slog back to Phil’s grandparents' place in Evergreen, CO.

Today we raced the University of Northern Colorado criterium in Greeley. The collegiate race went decently; our new crit racer Dan Workman got a second place after joining an early break. We raced the pro/1/2/3 in the afternoon and Dan Workman stepped up again joining an early break and finishing the day in fourth while Brad Cole was right on his wheel for fifth. It was a very respectable day for Team Legacy Energy. Needless to say, my legs are feeling the week’s efforts. The end is almost in site… I cap off the week tomorrow with a 5 hour tempo ride in the mountains.

Disclaimer: Even though Phil and I are the only people blogging on here, I swear the rest of the members of Team Legacy do exist.

Patrick

We are having fun...you are stuck in Fort Collins

2008-03-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I HATE riding tempo. For non-cyclists this is a level of intensity where the body is far from destroying itself but hard enough where conversation on the bike is a challenge. My genes were not engineered to settle into a pseudo hard pace for hours on end. I instead prefer to go really really fast or snail-like slow. So what does my coach do? That's right, he fabricates my ride schedule to include hours and hours of tempo riding.

I am incredibly gracious and forever indebted to my friends/teammates/lobster-colored chamois-clad partners (Patrick) for their patience with my "tempo" frustration. Because any relationship is all about balance, they understand my need for guidance in this arena and they happily extend their legs to help me get the most from my training.

Please see the next post for Patrick's description of today's objectives and accomplishments. Please keep the aforementioned in mind and recognize that Patrick basically towed me around all day.

I Hate the Desert

So I decided to brave today's ride with SPF 50 sunscreen despite the fact that my legs are a nice cherry red hue from yesterday's massive brain fart (maybe even a shart). I thought maybe I could turn them into a nice crimson color-- I like crimson better anyway. The crimson being from the blood that started seeping out of the 3rd degree burns on my legs... Just kidding, I exaggerated greatly. My legs aren't bleeding, but they are pretty red. Because of my sunburn, I now rescind all the complimentary things I had to say about the desert and would advise people not to move here or visit. Anyway, I digress... Phil (Pocket Rocket, as I have endearingly nicknamed him) and I set off today with the goal of doing 160 km (100mi). We rode 77.5 km out Carefree Hwy onto Cave Creek Rd and climbed out of the valley and into desert abyss. We rode so far into nothingness that there was nothing-- not even paved road. We did 15 km of washboard dirt which truly tested my girlish upper body physique. We then decided we had had enough dirt and we turned around and headed back. I motored across Carefree Hwy and down Lake Pleasant intermittently letting Pocket Rocket out of my pocket for his sprint intervals. We ended the day doing loops in the circular community of Sun City West (which has more golf cart driving elderly folk than I can shake a cane at) just so that we could get to 160 km. I ended up just shy of 4,000 kJ, but thank God I could enhance my sunburn. I must go bathe in aloe vera now. I look happy, but it's a facade...

From the Desert with Reddened Rage,

Patrick

Life in the Desert

2008-03-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary,

It has been long since I last posted in you. A lot has been going on... We had our team launch at New Belgium on Thursday, March 13th-- great success! I would estimate there were roughly 75 to 100 supporters that showed up, drank beer, and reveled 'til the wee hour of 10pm.

This past weekend (15th-16th) Brad, Phil, myself, and Dan had a collegiate race to attend in Durango, CO. The Squawker Classic seemed to go alright-- Phil got 2nd/3rd in the crit, Brad got 2nd in the road race, and we got 2nd in the TTT, I won't regurgitate race details but there seemed to be some questionable placings by the officials.

Phil and I were on to better things though as we departed Durango and headed for the warmth of Phoenix to stay with Phil's great grandfather, Time (Just kidding, his name is Kenny Edminster and he's the man! ...but not a Mann). We got a nice 90 mile; 3,400 kJ ride in yesterday, all the while discovering the sweet oasis of Cave Creek, AZ. Today, we are headed back the same direction and into the mountains where I can boost my confidence by pounding Phillip Mann Jr, my roommate, teammate, and sprinter extraordinaire, into the ground. I rather foolishly decided to not wear sunscreen on my legs yesterday and now I look like a lobster. The rest of yesterday we toiled around the pool and laughed at those in Fort Collins suffering through cold rain... (Dan Workman should've come to Phoenix)

From Phoenix with Love,

Patrick

Paaartttyyy!

2008-03-08T21:12:00.001-08:00

I will be there putting the P-A-T into the "party". That's right, it has come time for the Team Legacy Energy launch. The event is this Thursday evening, March 13th, at New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins. The event begins at 6pm and if you find yourself interested contact us and we can arrange to get you onto the list.