Hey baby, where ya been?

OK-  Since last time.  I made it to the great state a sota.  We raced Nature Valley Grand Prix.  It was what it was.  Some good days, some bad.  I drove from Sota to CA and then flew home.  I will now provide you with some pics and in depth commentary now that I have had a few days to screw my head on straight.

Katheryn is back!  At the NVGP she pulled a suicide move on the 91 mile road stage and stayed away for 40 miles +  crazy….  and deservedly awarded the most aggresive’s jersey.

Mooch pulled an awesome tt off and was awarded the best young rider jersey on the double day.  I thought this would be a good time to build up her 2009 Orca .  I had a few hours to kill between the tt and Crit soooo… voila  new bike to race in the crit while wearing a new jersey.  The 09′ bikes are sick!!!

Mooch and NVGP Webcor GC leader Amy Dombro warming up before the stillwater crit to a little Clinton Sparks.  The crit was insane!  for Kristen Armstrong it was Fuego:on and the rest of the field was strung out worse than a runway model.  For the mere mortals it was a race of attrition and almost half the field was plucked and fried like a Kentucky lunch special.

Oh say can you see Rachel Loyd singing the National Anthem prior to the race start.

Minneapolis is a bike town and the crowds at the crit proved it!  nicely done Minneapolis!

5 minutes….  3 cans

Pee stop in North Dakota…..  roaming free near the Badlands.

Ummmmm yeah.  Montana

Custer Montana.  Most of the town was closed down and boarded up.  This is what was on the wall next to the exit off 90.  Nice.

What to do when you don’t see anything or anyone for 400 miles.

After working Philly , driving 1200 miles, working a stage race and driving 2200 miles only to fly across the US-  what do I do the day after I get home?  Help the reborn Berkshire chapter of NEMBA build new single track by swinging a Polaski and Macleoud for 4 hrs-  In times of need one must sacrifice themselves for the greater good.  40 of us in all…. damn it’s going to be a good trail.

For now.  D. out.

The drive to Minnesota

The hit list

• Miles traveled-  1214 (drove around in circles in Minneapolis for a little bit)
• Highest temp- 103
• Dead Deer on the road-  26
• Live Deer on the side of road-  10
• Ohio-  Not equipped for credit card or ez pass at the toll booth.  Toll of $7.00.  Double D.  spent last $5 at previous gas station on snacky treats.  Double D. in trouble with the man……
• Ohio-  Gas $4 fuckin’ 49 a gallon for regular!!!!!!
• Indianna, nothing happened in Indianna
• Illinois 93 degess upon entering  63 upon leaving-  one hell of a rainstorm in the middle.
• Wisconsin-  gas station quote “what are ya?  some kinda bike rassin team or sumpin?”
• Wisconsin- poor bastards need a break from the flooding- even the 20 cows stuck on a tiny mound in a flooded field.
• Worst billboard for a cement form company “ Thank your Mother!  She was pro life”
• Fastest speed-  un printable
• Slowest- 2mph for at least a half hour in th emiddle of nowhere, for no reason, Wisconsin.
• Near death experiences-  0
• Perfect word for word in tune renderings of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues by yours truely-  2
• Ass cramps-  3
• Old Friends within 10 block radius of host housing- 1

Philly to Nature Valley

So.  I made it to Philly on Saturday.  It was hot!!!!!!  Several hours in the parking lot of the Best Western- downtown- and my whole left side was sun fried. Philly is by far one of the coolest road races in the country-  it resembles a cyclocross race in many respects…..  Seriously,  tons of rowdy drunken fans line the wall, Richard Fries give n’ the blow by blow on on Lemon Hill… it was pretty sweet.  The only exception to the sweetness was the fact that our day went to shit.  It seems that the cycling gods are upset with the green machine.  Why else would Gina’s foot pull out of a fully buckled shoe that fits?  with 2km to go? when she was in perfect position to launch?  maybe it was for the good, cuz’ Janel had her front tire explode at the line in the sprint finish.  Maybe if the Erinne, Christine hadn’t dropped back to bring Gina back to the front something more awfull would have occurred……..  who knows.  

  Some pics for you.

Must be Philly

Lemon Hill

The Manayunk wall-  this is where all the race winning moves are made.  The steepest part of this climb is around 26%  It was a keg party from bootm to top……AWESOME!!!!!

Ummm POP.  Janel’s tire that exploded at the sprint finish.  The pavement temperature was 120 F at the hottest part of the day with an air temp of 96F.  Janel walked away with a concussion and some road rash-  Her bike.. May it rest in Pieces  Top tube and down tube sheared.  Fork Broken.  Handlebar broken.  Wheels….  less than true.

The bike broke in half.  The two pieces being held together only by the cables when I tried to put it on the roofrack.   It got “folded” and tossed in the back seat.

After a full day of racing at Philly-  I loaded the car and headed west to Minnesota.  1214 miles later and ready for more bike racing action.  Stay tuned for more…..

Double D….. Famous

Cycling News

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2008/jun08/montrealtour08/index.php?id=/photos/2008/jun08/montrealtour08/montrealtour085/WC2_1179

C

Fear and Loathing at Montreal World Cup….Tales from the jumpseat

Yes…. I did escape from France, but not after shelling out an additional $450 euro for bags and 26hrs of travel that sent me through Ohio.  Another story for another time…. Enter: Montreal.  After being home for just over 24hrs it was off to the WC in Montreal.  I loaded up the team car and headed East to pick up Karen in Noho.  After a nice cup o coffee at Northampton Coffee we were off to Canadadia where we were stopped at the border and forced to exit our trusty team car.  After a little chat and a quick inventory list we are off and then through the border crossing?   again?    it seems there is the US border crossing and then the Canadian border crossing-  so….. what’s in the 1-2 km between them?????????

Anyway on to race action.  For the Canucks this was the big dance-  home WC, Qualifier for automatic selection for the Olympics, and Alex’s B-day.  It was sure to be a knock down drag race to see who would be the first Canuck to cross the line.  In this respect the race did not disappoint.  The 1st group contained Anne Samplonious, Leaigh Hobson and Erinne Willock.  Lets just say Leigh had the race of her life and we leave it at that………. 

For Webcor everything went pearshaped.  Here is the hit list from a very wet and miserable Montreal WC

• We start the day with me getting my leg and shoe pee’d on by a Mexican national team member as I try to get to Alex in the start grid 1 minute before the start to try and get her computer to read.  I did not know that this was even possible-  and, like Nurnbergers Suzanne De Goede, I was extremely shocked and repulsed-  Getting pee’d on is not how any one should start their day- unless yer into that kinda thing, and if so, I don’t want to know what the rest  of your day is like. Sicko!
• Christine-  Flats on the first lap in a not so great location-  I am Johnny on the spot, but we are on the wrong side of the road-  upon jumping out of the car I step on my right  shoe  with my left.  The car is not stopped as I exit, and my shoe gets ripped from my foot and spirals across the road-  oh, well service with one shoe-  no prob-  I sprint across the road through caravan traffic- Janel had stopped to help Christine-  no point really, since we were car 4  in the caravan and already there (in other circumstances it would have been good)-  now 2 riders with no front wheels-  this just causes confusion for all-  Christine is back underway quickly and I get Janel going again as fast as I can-  I think this was her first supported wheel change so she was a little unsure of the deal-  anyway.  She gets underway, does not catch Christine’s wheel and never makes contact with the group.  I have to dodge riders and cars while trying to retreive my shoe before jumping back in the car
• Janel Abandons after Karen tells her to pull the plug-  She flats agian trying to abandon.  We scoop and run.
• While racking Janel’s bike on the side of the road the door on the car closes as I am racking the bike and Karen thinks I am in- IAM NOT- and I am putting a bike on the rack.  Luckily she realizes this 1 second after hitting the gas.  She does not kill me with the car… this time
• Christine-  Chases like hell to catch back on and does… gets dropped again… chases back on… dropped again……  Rear flat.  She has been working her ass off with a slow leaking puncture from glass she must have picked up with the first.  We do a rear change-  it is not flawless…  pressure is pressure and when shit goes pearshaped a 20 second change can become 30.  She is off… only to stop 20 meters up the road-  Chain is stuck.  She is off again. 
• Christine does not catch back on and abandons-  The look says it all http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2008/may08/montreal08/index.php?id=/photos/2008/may08/montreal08/WC1_1467
• Erinne has a great ride and is in good position going into the last lap but is starting to cramp.  Amazingly she is still the front and given’r.  She is 2 seconds off podium on a day that if you are Canadian you really, really, really wanted to be on the Podium.
• Alex-  Happy B-day.
• While cleaning bikes, post race, a local asks me why we are staying in the hotel we are in… I say I don’t know-  cuz I don’t- and ask why… turns out we are in shady town.. sleep with one eye open and lock up yer shit….. niiiiccceeee
• A reminder for those not down with yer Canadadian… Montreal is a French speaking city.  Just when you think you are done with un puh blah,blah,blah…  Voila!  I am not familiar with “The Philadelphia”  do they drop the French there too?  I don’t think I can handle it if they do.  Oh yeah, in Montreal Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC for those down) is PFC, Poule Fried Kentucky-  no shit…  I am sitting in a cafe typing this across the street from one… it still smells as bad though.

 

Montreal tour starts tomorrow.  God save the queen.