Its Picture Time Kids!!!

The 4 Amigos, oh u did not hear they added uno amigo!!!! After the national championship race!!!
Me at Rockford doing about 30-35 MPH, this is in the last 10 minutes or so and I look to be at ease!!! HAHA, little do you know it was a scorcher!

Here are a few pics from Downers Grove Illinois and the Rockford Criterium!!! Thanks to Mr. Boboltz for the Rockford pic and thanks to Mark Caswell and his wife for the Doners Grove pic. Thanks to Jeremy for looking so damn awesome, oh wait is it wrong to thank myself, NOPE didn't think so!!!!

THE ROCK!!!

OK, so Rockford was awesome!!! Priority brought almost there whole pro team, minus Brent. Kirk O'Bee from Health Net made an appearance, and the best Michigan racers were there as well. The field was about 70 strong for 10 minutes or so. The first 15 minutes are so fast in Criteriums and this was no different. So plan A was to survive the first part, which i did rather easily. Last year the climb was excrutiatingly hard, this year I was big ringing it every time up. A group of the Priority pros got away and everyone was content with letting them show there pro team off, or actually not dumb enough to go with them haha. Halfway through I was feeling good, but it was HUMID OUT!!! So I put in a little attack up the climb and as I went by Jeff he asked who was left from our team and all i could say was, "you and me baby". The attack didnt go anywhere as I am not all that powerful. So I decided to sit in and wait till the end. The pace heated up real fast with about 10 minutes to go. I got popped off the group with 5 minutes to go or soand just cruised from there. I guess there were only about 25 finishers and I was somewhere around 20th. Not too bad for a kid with no talent in his second year of racing. Then i got to drive straight back to Kalamazoo and work from 6pm to 2 am and then get up and do it again from 9 am to 4 pm. I was not satisfied with my ride yesterday so i ent out for a nice 4 hour ride and did some hill work. Sad thing is it was more like a 4 hr tempo ride as I got in 83 miles. I also got to visit the ambulance after the race as I had heat stroke again. I have found something that a lot of athletes can't find.... The way to completely annihilate myself and go back and keep trying to find that zone that is just too uncomfortable for pleasure. I guess that has to be my best assett, so if I can get down to 135 lbs. and train consistantly the sky is the limit. I mean I have been racing for 2 years and have beat many guys who have been doing this for 10 + years, so should I be dissappointed in myself??? I guess thats what makes me an athlete, always looking for something more and never resting on what I have done or talking about what i think I can do. Let the legs do the talking, and hopefully they will speak loud enough for people to hear it. Over and out good buddy!!!

Its upon us

ROCKFORD CRIT..... PAIN is all I remember from this race last year.. I believe I took 12th, but this year will be totally different as I am in the service of my teammates. Everything for them and if I finish then thats a plus. I felt really good today on the bike, maybe because I finally put my comp on after I saw how Graham did his up. It didn't fit on my K-wing bars so I had to mount it on my stem. I also redid my bar tape and I have to say white looks amazing. OK, I better get some sleep and get back to work. I hate working till 2 AM!!! BOOOOOOOO!!!! Over and out good buddy! Thanks for lending me ur car for the race Adam, as my car is not trustworthy!!!

Vuelta a Espana is a delicious third dish!!!

I believe those are wings, cuz the man can FLY!!! Hopefully we see this A LOT!!!!
Can someone please give me a shot of Jack, or rub some ointment on my stomach?? PLEASE!!!
I wonder if Saiz or Fuentes can inject me on the fly??? Too little time to find out!!

So the Vuelta starts this Saturday and there will be guys slugging it out for the third Grand Tour of the season. Menchov, Sastre, and Valverde are my top 3, that is if Valverde can make it to Madrid in one piece. I would love to see Sastre win a Grand Tour finally, he deserves it!!! Anyways these guys up top will not be there, other than Petacchi, and I hope Ale-Jet turns on the turbo boosters, because watching him sprint is a ture work of art!!! I am OUT!!!

Quickie

Thats me at the National Championships, but I don't look too happy to be racing!!!

Here is a quickie, because I think I got that pic from Downers Grove!!! Still waiting on a few from Jeff and John! Where the hell are the other pics fellas, hehe!!! Over and OUT!!!

Rockford is coming up!!

Meet Karl Menzies, though he may not look like it this guy is a bad ass on a bike. More results than I can think of! He will be at Rockford and he will most likely be giving these to the field as he rides away!!! Photo courtesy of Garrett Peltonen! Hope you don't mind G!!!

So the Rockford Crit is this Saturday and I hear Karl "ten" Menzies will be there. This race is really one of the harder crits I have ever done in my breif cycling career, but it has a nice kicker in the middle of it to sort things out. At this level though everyone can pretty much grind up it and stay in the group as the second half is all downhill. Last year Ben Renkema blew the race to pieces in the first 4 laps. Hopefully this year I can play a hand, or maybe I will be working for the team. Who knows, but whatever it is I will have to be ready.
School is also about to start back up and Jacob and I have been talking about being co-presidents for WMU's cycling team this year. I just hope everything runs smooth like it did last year and we can raise some decent money for vans and hotels while on the road. OK, now I have some sponsorship proposals to work on for myself and the WMU team for next year so I am out!!! Me being a teacher is going to be scary for ur kids, don't ya think?

PHEW!!!!

Ah so another day and an extraordinarily hard ride for a Tuesday! I met up with Jeff Hamilton ( cat 2 runner-up at Downers Grove this past weekend) and we did some good work on the bike. We did some hill repeats with accelerations after the crest of the hills. Hit 6th street up twice and he lost me 3/4 of the way up the last time. He can not only sprint but he can climb too. SCARY!!! Seriously though he put the hurt on me in a big way, but it is always good to ride with someone as accomplished as him. We had a good talk about what he expects of me next year and how much I can improve. I also let him in on the notion that it is easy to race aggressively like I do when I know my teammates can back me up if needed. I really enjoyed todays ride other than the smackdown I was given. It was just nice to get out and get efforts in with a true hard worker like Jeff. I just hope some day I can aspire to his level in the sport, but we will see. I am a little pissed about some things, but I got myself into it so I have to dig my way out! Other than that I am looking forward to Rockford and getting the hurt layed upon us by Manzies and O'Bee. Should be a bloodbath, but I am ready to suffer like a stuffed pig! OK, I have a lot to do and the day off tomorrow so I will be saying so long. Hopefully this pic from Downers shows up on here, if not I apologize for the inconvenience!!! OUT!!!

Downers was kind of a downer!!!

Bensenville Criterium @ Superweek 2005
Bensenville again, cornering!
Same corner same place!!!
Downers Grove National Championships 2005!!!

So I have returned from Downers Grove in one piece, but the race was good, kinda!!! We got to the line early but I missed my clip not once, but 4 times. I never unclip my left shoe at the start and that may have been the problem. Regardless I had really good legs, but it was just hard to move up on the course. I spent 40 minutes coming from the back of the pack to almost the front, but not close enough. We averaged 27.5 MPH for the race, which isn't too fast, but I am just pissed I couldn't help Jeff out. Finishing races of this caliber are hard enough, but I have worked to hard to just be pack fill. Michigan boys went 1-2 in our race. Ben Renkema won and Jeff (my teammate) was 2nd, so it was good to have our jersey get onto the podium. I looked at the results after a cooldown and realized I was not in them, so I protested and received a fine for having my number "placed incorrectly" . Fucking beauraucratic dipshits. I got 21st, but the finishing camera did not show my number so who knows where they placed me. I sat up cuz I heard a Michigan rider won it and I thought it was Jeff, but got pissed cuz it wasn't. Congrats to Ben and Jeff, you guys make Michigan look really good in the sport. We got some sweet pics from a professional photographer and I hope he emails me them. Until then here are a few from Superweek and the National Championships last year. I was about 15 pounds heavier last season and you can tell. Oh yeah, I was so pissed at how I rode at Downers Grove I put in a 2 hour ride when I got home. So yeah I am not content. OUT!!!

Lots going on

So I have had so much good news lately I have no reason to be depressed.... and I am super busy to boot! First off I want to say thank you to everyone who has believed in me and looked out for me in cycling, not just Josh, Louie, Dave, Jeff, Jay and my really close cycling friends, but also people like John Rigdon, Joe Lekovish, and I have to mention Doug Gatto for his seriously sweet pictures that he provides for all Michigan racers. Without all of you the world would be a much dimmer place. OK, I have found out some news about next year, but can't divuldge anything. All I will say is I love the team I am on and the guys I race with. We have confidence in eachother and thats all I can ask for. I also was asked to go do an interview for the Tour of Leelanau race with the promoter Steve Brown and John Rigdon in Lansing on Wednesday. I don't know if I can make it to the meeting though.
I also found out the 4 man 50 Kilometer TTT is a go!!! WOO HOO. Finally down to the big one.....DOWNERS GROVE. This is the National Championships of Criterium cycling in the U.S. I am heading out tomorrow with Josh Tarrant and doing the Elite 2 Race on Sunday. I have had great legs all year really and can not let this chance pass me by to have great legs again. I will admit that I have a problem accepting the fact on how much I have improved. I know there are still guys who are stronger then me, but it doesn't scare me or deter me from making the steps necessary to get to that level. Honestly with how everything has been going lately the only concern I really have is how much time I will put in to better myself when October 1st hits. I am not taking any time off after the season. Maybe a day here or there, but I WANT to get better and prove I can do some exciting things on a bike. There is just so much to look forward to, and beliving in something is the hardest thing to do. If you believe in something, I mean truly believe, then it is a miracle. AND I believe in myself!!! OUT!!!

P.S. Danielle I hope everything goes to plan for you and I have my fingers crossed, and bring ur bike with you for a little spin before you start running again!

A breath of fresh air!!!!

So I feel a lot better these past two days. Got in some solid time on the bike Tuesday, and tonight Taylor and I battled out the first sprint of the Wednesday night ride with me claiming the victory. Honestly I do not think he ever came out of my draft. Regardless, I did not want to over-do it with just getting out of the hospital, so I cut off after the sprint and headed in and did a little tempo. Its weird how I have went from feeling like death to feeling normal in a few days. I guess I just take feeling normal or even good forgranted. I will not soon forget though how good it feels to ride my bike and be free. I realized how much I missed it when I couldn't move for 4 days. Anyway, the big show is this weekend. The National Championships in Downers Grove, Illinois. We are going to have a decent set of guys there for Sunrise and I have high ambitions, not because I am cocky, but because I am confident in myself and my teammates. Finally, teammates that I have complete confidence in, and I have to tell you it feels phenomenal. OK, I gotta roll to work at 7 AM. I may do a long post tomorrow. By the way, Happy Birthday Adam, and the dinner at the Bee's was awesome. Too bad my big mouth always gets us into trouble. Skeet Skeet!!! HAHA, later!

Doping and Diarreha

So things are OK I guess with me. I have been to the hospital to sort the affair with my stomach out and have only ridden once since Friday. It makes me so mad because i want to finish the season well, but things happen for a reason and I have had a great season thus far..... better than I could have asked for I guess. We will see what happens.
Second, I will finally come out on my stance on the professional cycling doping scene. I am so depressed that the sport I love is scrutinized by everyone and they think we are all on something. While I was in the hospital the nurse gave me something into one of my IV's and it was second nature to ask her exactly what it was and what purpose it served. I guess it is very true that anyone can put something into an IV and you assume they are doing it to help, but people are shady these days and you really can only trust those you know very well. I just can not wait to feel better and try to get back to racing and competing. Its all up in the air right now. Later! Congrats to my good friend Josh who placed 3rd in the ITT at Hines Park and then him and Rob D. set a new course record in the TTT, nice job Josh. Sorry if I seem a bit down, its just really hard to not feel normal. Oeace!

Heres the low down

UGH!!! Thats all I can really say about yesterday and today. I was fine while I was at work and then got home and showered and WHAMMY, I was incapable of moving. So why is this so??? Well I was working with insulation all day and got poisoned from it. I guess taking a warm shower after working with insulation is not good as the warm water opens up the pores. So needless to say I did not ride yesterday, but I did manage an amazing 45 minute death march today on my TT bike. I just feel completely annihilated and hope to feel better for the races this weekend. We will see where the lord takes me? Off to work Commies!!!

Wednesday night thrills and chills

Blazing down the home stretch in an attack!!!
One of my favorites, check the backround (that tells you I am going FASTTTTT!)
Another one of my favorites, with the pack strung out!

So another Wednesday night rider in Kalamazoo has come and gone. I really did not intend on going to do it as I left work early today because I was sick. But I made some promises and I kept them. So I rolled out of bed after a long nap and still felt like shit, but gave it a whirl anyways. We did a 54 mile loop and it went by really fast until the last 7 miles when I started to cramp up and didnt feel to great. But I sucked it up and got on with it. What does a rider do when he is in pain and miserable..... never say die. So I got home and still felt like shit, probably because I can not eat regularly because of the intestinal virus I have. I will not use that as an excuse for my performances though. It does not affect my mind and thats more powerful than anything I have. Onto more Important things, I drank some champagne last night and may have made out and messed around with a girl who has a boyfriend. OOPS, but to make it perfectly clear she was the one who initiated things. I constantly wonder how I get myself into these situations (there is so much more to the story that cant be told due to its content and rating), but I cant regret it if the guy gets pissed at me. SHIT happens. On a final note I received my student financial aid award letter and I will not have to pay for school this year, as I received enough to cover my tuition and a little extra. OK overall summary is I am really happy, I just wish I didnt have that waterlike diarreha 4 times after the ride tonight. Now that I have made you vomit I bid you adieu!!!

Dont ask me

Hanging near the back after an attack off the front!!!
Moving back up to the front!!!
Chill inspector!!
Moving fast down the home straight!
Honestly Graham and myself look rather bored at this moment!!!

Do not ask me what I think of Floyd Landis and the testosterone situation. All i care about is my image and that I am clean, but cycling may take it in the ass for this one!!! Here are some pics to lighten the mood!!! OUT!!!

This is not a test!!!!

So Matt and myself are sitting around watching some MTV. More like reality TV that plays music here and there now, but thats a whole other story in itself. I hear a knock and I immediately think its Adam who has come over to leech our internet for free, so I begin hamming it up for him. I look through the view finder and it is Matt's lady friend. She comes in crying and all she has to say is, "Matt our kitchen burnt down today." Matt has to claw himself away from his CPU due to the fact that he is in the midst of a vicious game of World of Warcraft (NERD ALERT). Needless to say I began laughing and the culprit was Kearstons roommate who was making some fried chicken and decided to walk away for a minute. Note to all, when frying food do not walk away, also if you are a complete moron DO NOT walk away. BOO YA!!!

Strengths

Early on and I am up front as usual!
MMMM Sweat is tasty!
Still up front!!!
Hanging out on the front!!!
Same as the last one!

So I have been away for a while because I have had no internet as I moved, but I am back online now. Updates will be more regular now I promise. So what have I been up to? Work and racing and thats about it other than helping lou and lindz move lately. I have some pics of Ada crit to post so they are here too. Thanks to Doug Gatto as he took about 12 pics of me during the race. I raced like a champ at Fenton and kept Jeff reasonably fresh for the finish. I covered 7 attacks that I could count and I rode tremendously well for the team. So Ada was coming up and I took a lot of advice from people and kept it cool at the beginning. Needless to say the race was hard, as we averaged around 29 MPH for and hour and a half. I tried to keep Jeff and Jay fresh by covering what I could, but I an was the big man of the day. I got caught behind a crash with 2 and a half laps to go and was the only one behind it to regain the field. I guess West Michigan coast had about 9 guys leading out Ben, so they truely deserved the win. I am just dissappointed I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I could not help Jeff and Jay more at the finish. I will give more news later. Sorry if the pics are a little blurry as we were really cruising in this race. Out to ride now!!!

Heres a few more

Corner #3 and chest hair team!!!
Survivors!
Fenton Road Race, riding next to my friend and teammate Jay!
Thats a good lean to get ready for the corner, look at the far left of the pic!!
The roar of the little beast!

More pics!!! I am OUT!!!

I am back

Eat some chest hair, this race was a scorcher!!! This is whats left of the 68 starters!
Open jersey for extra comfort.
From up top please!
Very early in the race!
Corner #3

Havent had a lot of time lately, actually no fre time to be exact. No updates though, cuz I have to get to work, but there are some pics. I have done a few races since my last update and they were Lansing Common Crit and Fenton Tour des Lacs Road Race. Both ent well and I will give a full update later!

Bien Bien

So I am all moved into the new apartment!!! Giddy up! I am also recovering from a big race this past weekend. It was a crit around the capitol building in Lansing and it was awesome!!! Brutal though, at about 96 degrees there were 68 starters. I ended up in the winning move of about 17 of us as I am told. I guess the rest of the field got pulled from the race because we were about to lap them nearing the finish. It was a good day, but I started to shiver with 7 laps to go, which means I had some heat stroke. BOO!!! I did well and keep improving which is the point of it all. Here is a sweet pic that Kevin Vichinsky took of me on Jays camera, thanks to both of you for this finding it onto my blog. One last note is Matt's wisdom ( roommate and best friend from HS) "Don't make me bite you......... (stern look) cuz thats what I do is bite. I also recently took some pics os my awesome tan lines and bikes for everyone to see. See ya bitches!!! OUT!

New Beginning

So this is my last post from the blast furnace, the hellhole, aka 738 Academy street!!! Matt and I signed our new lease and moved some shit into the new place today. I was going to leave my bikes until the last thing was out of here, but then decided I never want to ride from here again. So all I have left to move out is my bed (which I will finally sleep in), my TV, my dresser and a few other random pieces of stuff that would not fit in my car. So Matt, Adam and myself rented a Uhaul for the excursion tomorrow. So it should be sweltering, but it has to be done. I will not miss this place once I am out, because of the heat and no AC, no TV for one year, and no one to talk to. I guess I really learned a lot about myself over this past year and I realized that people come and go through everyones lifetime, but family and true friends are the ones we should all be happy for. I can not wait to live with Matt and be a stones throw away from Adam. Hell we were like the three amigos through high school and grew apart a bit due to me always having athletic aspirations and them wanting to drink. It all comes full circle and they understand now why I do what I do..... because I love it. So here is to my two boys, sorry we can't have some cold brews tomorrow as I have a race in Lansing on Sunday. Soon enough though fellas. I wonder what the hell Louie has been up to??? I could really use a morale boost from him. The Great Ludwig Charlemagne Kuznia..... Where the hell are you dawg??? Ring it up!!! Sorry i dont have pics of the old place or the new place, I dont want to remeber the old place, but the new place is AWESOME!!! By the way Matt thanks for the help!!

Cant look back

Never look back!!! Memo for the day!! So here is my story.... a bit late as I must apologize for having things to do!!! I am working at the Mart and its 1:30 AM on Thursday morning! Sam and I are outside and he is enjoying his Marlboro Medium TM ( there now I can't get sued for not trademarking the shit). A car of assholes aka "marines" pulls in driving erratically! I realize these are not guys to joke with as they are drunk and being dicks! So I walk in without saying a word. They make their purchases, while still being intollerable. As they are finishing up I realize a group of fellas who are regulars walk in. Well the regulars left their car running in the parking lot and one of the "marines" aka jerk-offs decides to heist it. The regulars walk out 5 minutes later to realize their car is GONE. So the cops are called and they show up to see what the situation is. Sam and I close the store up and we go outside and give the cops our info to see if there is anything they need from us. Suddenly one officer walks away listening to his radio. He then asks, would you guys like to press charges if we find the car?" One responds, "hell yes...... give em the electric chair." Then the cop is waiting for posterity, and lays it down, "well we found your car." "GREAT" is the response. Officer says, "problem is it is wrapped around a tree." "Did the guy just leave it and take off?" asks one of the regulars. The cop waits for suspense factor and says, "Um no...... He is still inside and we have to pry him out." So needless to say the jaws of life were used and as I hear the gentleman who stole the car is in a coma. So live everyday as it may be your last, because you never know when you may get too drunk and heist a car and go joyriding, haha. OOPS not to funny!!! But alas life is Great and I move out of the shit apartment today. I said good day!!!

Anger

Waiting for a move to go!!!
Dave acting like I usually do, hey someone had to pick up the slack!!!
Ada Break!!!
Dave again, which is nice!!!
Driving it on the front, look at the gap forming!!!

So Lindsay sasy my blog gets angrier every week, HAHAHA!!! I am not angry, just mad at the world. I have a good post later but here these are. OUT!!!

I dont wanna

I'll never fall in line, become another victim of your conformity. So I haven't been on this thing in a a few days due to work and trying to fit in rides when I can. I just haven't been very pumped about life lately. Fuck it. Have been too busy to care about shit. But I decided to wipe everything from the past...... clean slate. I am not gonna wonder why or how shit happened, it is a complete waste of time. So this week I am working my ass off, building a new cooler at work and such. Riding as much as I possibly can, and finally moving into a new place with Matt. Got the OK today to move in on Friday and I am jazzed about that. One thing that pisses me off though, I try to be a nice guy when I am riding and wave to recreational cyclists, cuz lets face it we both are riding bikes, but I look cooler with my team gear and sweet bike. So I wave at this old man today and the faggot doesn't acknowledge me, so I turn around and ask him whats the deal with the no wave. And he says "I hate you young punks and your team gear." So I ask him wow am I going to suck as much as you when I am old and decreped? He got furious so I turned around and continued on my merry way. If you see me out riding don't even acknowledge me, because I am done being nice. So yeah this Lansing crit should be fun. I was also just informed that we are going to have a "sweet living room". Cant wait for Saturday night to have some beers and hang out with my best friends, hell we are living in the same building so all is gonna be great!!! PEACE.

Coffee

As I sit here with my delicious white chocolate mocha, I am pondering life and why I am enjoying so much of it lately. Here is the playback dawg!!! Wednesday night ride was a semi-go, I really did not want to do it because this is my "off" week, but I went out and after the second sprint, in which Jeff led me out perfectly, I slipped back and headed home. Got some hours in though. On my way home I decided to ride up "the Beast" or 6th street hill. Which has become much harder with the damn chip and seal everywhere in the area now. That would have been an interesting race had it not been cancelled. Then I wanted to watch the Tour but got bored and left Sacks place at about 10 PM. So today we started the new cooler at the Munch and it is coming along. I was told by a regular that my "chops" aka sideburns look pretty bad ass. HAHA, I was gonna shave them off but hell might as well keep them now. Got home from work via my bicycle and went out for a cruise with Dave, and it was nice and easy, a perfect ride actually. On our way home we met up with an old pal, EMIL IS BACK IN TOWN BABY!!!! He returned from Norway earlier this week and it was awesome to see him. He said he drank way too much beer while he was there, right on Emil. On the ride Steel called and invited me to a party at his place this weekend. I hadn't heard from him in a long time, since I lived with him, Stine, Cuttitta and Sacks. But it was good to hear from him nonetheless. Now here is where it gets interesting, I called kelly back and somehow we started talking about what you would do for money. Swim in a pool with diarreha or vomit??? Enough said there, I was off my rocker laughing so hard. What an awesome girl, hahahaha. Thanks for making me puke Kel. So how much would it take for you to swim in poo or vomit??? So yeah I have a big day of building a cooler tomorrow. I am working extra hours so I can purchase those guns and needles for the mass suicide I plan with the Al-Qeada later this summer, so wish me some luck. And if you would like to donate to my cause send me a check or call me. Thanks for becoming less intelligent by reading this, and you all thought I had something to say!!!! Fooled!!!

Wednesday- 5 Hours
Thursday- 1 Hour 30 Minutes. Road to and from work today. Saved some $$$$!!!

A few more for the kids!!!

Shit Dawg, nice ass!! I mean Nice Bike. Big gear there Jer!
I have no idea, what the hell is that????
My mind was saying boo for the wind!!!! Still a hardass though!
Ok, this was when Doug was in the bushes...... literally

Its all about the kids, our future!!!
Thanks for the pics Doug!!!!

I always come through....well eventually

Pulling hard into the wind, I eventually dropped Tim Saari a lap or two after this pic!!!
I told you I saw you lurking with the camera ready, spot on Doug!
Look at that magnificent bastard go!!! Those legs can deal out some punishment from time to time!!!!

Mike Rabe Stage Race pics. These are from day 3, and if you are lucky you may even see the toothpaste that was on my hand from the bee sting during the race. Idunno though I haven't really looked.

Clear the head!!!

So I still have been on my bike, big surprise huh??? I rode a bit in the delicious sunshine today and it was nice. I actually cleared my head of all the shit I have been thinking about and I came to a conclusion. Don't worry about what anyone else thinks of you, as long as you are happy with yourself then life is great. I found myself enjoying every pedal stroke these past few days and I have to say its remarkable. I also can not wait to move in 10 days, but Matt and Adam are already packing. I think I will go with what served me well last year, pack and get everything together on the day I moved, it took 11 hours last year. I mean I almost passed out because I was so busy moving I forgot to eat, but hey you gotta do what is necessary. Other than that I did nothing for my 4th of July. Went to Roadhouse with Adam and Andy and ate the wet burrito meal and a side of freedom fries. Other than that I did not get to see le Tour today but I read the live updates and Matty Kessler did what he could not do yesterday, a late attack and hold on for dear life. That takes some balls, but it worked. Anywho, no pics yet from the races this past weekend, Doug must be slipping at his old age. Finally I hate lil punks from Kalamazoo, I kicked some black kids out of the Munch yesterday and I saw them walking in today as I was riding. I called Erin and told her to tell them to get out and one said, "I am gonna punch that guy in the mouth." Needless to say they waited by the road for me and confronted me, but I turned the tables on them by pre-empting the situation and being the aggressor. "So you want to punch me in the mouth I say." And they just looked at me scared, ah it feels good to make people feel stupid. Oh well, damn kids. Here is to living for me and why are you such a comfortable liar???? Some questions are best left unanswered. P.S. watch out for rabid squirrels, I hear they are on the prowl feasting on cyclists as they ride. HAHA. And look out for that huge saddle sore that oozes green puss. EWWWWW!!! Its ok now, but it looked freakishly nasty at first inspection. OUT!!!

Monday- 2 Hours
Tuesday- 4 Hours, no chain..... you cyclists will understand this one!!!

Waterford Hills without the thrills

Ah so I am finally coming off the peak form I had obtained, and it sucks. This weekend I did the Mike Rabe Stage race, which was a 3.4 mile prologue and a crit on Saturday and a "circuit" race on Sunday, and I rode like a woman. The best part of the weekend was hanging out with the new teammates. I have to send a huge thanks to John Rigdon for letting me stay with him Saturday night. I owe him a big one. I felt very welcomed and the guys are pretty funny chaps. Here is how the races went:

Prologue: As this did not count for too many points I went into it thinking if I could not put a good first lap in I would relax and cruise the second lap. The first lap went OK, but I just did not have it. I ended up 11th out of 13, so lets just say this cements the fact that very short explosive efforts are not my thing.

Short Course: Felt good at the start and attacked on lap 2 to try to put our name out front. Big mistake, because soon after I was fighting to stay on. I realized I have a lot more fight in me than last year. I should have dropped, but I can not find it in me to drop if I am feeling at least OK. Finished 12th out of 17. BAD DAY!!!!

Cricuit race: This one exploded from the gun. The ole clip in and attack took all of us by surprise. I got with a few guys (Danny Klein and Tim Saari) and we rode together for a bit until I accelerated on the climb and Danny got dropped. Then all of a sudden rounding a left hander I feel a zap on my hand. Stung by a bee. I rode by where the team was and still had my wits about me to ask for some toothpaste to put on it. I am very allergic and I have to thank Caswell and Rob's wife for being so quick with the help. I took my free lap and got back in with the guys I was with and then proceeded to feel good. I eventually dropped Tim Saari the same way I dropped Danny, vicious drive up the climb and I was solo. The main group caught me with 5 laps to go and I sat on until the end. Rob actually put a very impressive attack in on the last climb and almost shattered the field. I ended up 7th on the day out of 13. Needless to say not many guys raced this weekend. Overall in the stage results I got 7th out of the 13 guys who did all 3 stages, so not that bad, um yes that is bad.

So now I am resting this week and I am going to enjoy not even looking at my bike. At least 4 days in a row off and then I will build back up slowly for the remainder of the season. Again thanks to the guys for an awesome weekend, even though I did not show how I can really ride. There will be other races and I will be there in full force. Later!!! Oh yeah, I will have pics soon too from Sunday because I saw Gatto hanging out in the bushes taking a few shots. OUT!!!