All things relevant

So it has been a long time since I last posted on here. So I must give a quick update on school, riding and life in general. First off, school is nearing the new semester again. Last semester I took one history elective to finish my history minor. All my other classes were for my mathematics major. I took Math 3300, 3400, and 3500. Math 3300 is Modern Algebra (Abstract Algebra) and whne most people think of Algebra they think of it as very simple.... This class was brutal. The entire class was based on Ring Theory and Group Theory and used Mathematical Proofs to attain one's ultimate goal of gaining some knowledge of Abstract Algebra. Long story short, I was happy to get through the class rather unscathed. I have an old friend who took the class 3 times to get a D and we can just say I did better than that the first time through. The other two class were Math 3400, which was fundamental concepts of geometry was basically proving Euclidean Geometric axioms and Theorems and looking deeper into Desargues Theorems..... There is one other Mathematical genius that we studied but I am at a loss for his name currently. Math 3500 is teaching of middle school mathematics, and while I did not learn a lot about my own techniques used in mathematics, I did learn how others may approach their mathematical thinking. I ended the semester with my worst GPA since starting this second degree..... 3.25. This coming semester I am taking Introduction to Graph and Mathematical Models and Computing Technology in Secondary Education. After that I have 2 classes remaining for this degree. The end is in sight.

Now onto the riding. I took a month away from cycling (well mostly) to just clear my head and relax while the holidays were in full swing and I was studying for finals. I did maybe 5-8 hours a week during this month when I needed an escape from life. In the past few weeks I have either been on the trainer or outside for at least 2 hours on a bad day and up to 4 hours on a good day. Note to all cyclists who want to ride outside in the winter *make sure your breaks dont freeze up while descending and wear plastic bags over your feet (under your socks) and also I have been putting surgical gloves under my winter riding gloves. These things help greatly in keeping the wind and wetness off your feet and fingers. This is key to staying out on the roads and not getting the dreaded frostbite.

Life is good other than that. I mean I don't really do much else then ride and school (that I care about). So to everyone who reads this I wish you a happy and safe 2010.

Getting back to being me

So I know it has been quite a bit, but here I am. I am alive and kicking. I was in a rut for a bit, but it is weird what a little time away from everything can do for you. First of all I want to comment on how I felt about the Superior Bike fest..... Day one was a crit and I was ready and I had tappered properly to compete at full capacity. Problem is when you do not check your tires before racing, you may feel like complete shit. I was involved in two crashes which I did not get hurt, but I was questioning WTF was wrong. All I will say is racng on 65 PSI will never happen again. I cant blame anyone but me for overlooking that fact. Day 2 I got within 4 seconds of the break and my body wouldnt let me go further, even when the eventual state champion comes by and says "Get on my wheel". Thanks Greg, but I couldnt do any more at that moment..... Messed up the sprint by thinking it was further down the road and the rest is history.... my fault again. Day 3 I tried bridging to the 2 guys up the road and again..... blocked... I gave up on myself this day. I just did not have it and the best racers showed who they were for that weekend. Kudos to those who did well. This past weekend though was a different story. BTR was a home race of sorts for me, a few miles from where I reside. As Bill Gallagher put it, " I fired off bullets like a true cowboy." I did everything I could to get away and FINALLY it worked. Wona $40 prime and ended the day in 6th place. I started the second breakaway and ended up paying for my efforts, but alas it was worth every second of effort. The WMU newspaper even had a picture of me in it when I read it this morning. So all is good, and there may be more good news ahead. Cheers!!!

Kensington Recap

So another race is in the books. What a difference two weeks makes. At Cone I felt unstoppable to some extent. Kensington is a different story. I did not mind the wet and little bit of chill. At the start line I realized I still had my cycling cap under my helmet and did not want to race with it on, so I took a few extra seconds to take the cap off and departed shortly after the rest of the racers left. Once I got up to the group I realized that a break was already up the road. Well I didnt even see it go and they were gone all day. Once things got going and I got a little warmed up I decided to start making some moves to see if anyone would go with me. Well I got clear with en elite mtb'er for half a lap, then 3 guiys bridged up. I was constantly being told to chill and pull through less aggressive. I had a feeling that this move would not last, so as soon as the field was on our back I took off again and spent a lap solo. Needless to say I got brought back and the race from there was negative. Everytime I went I got marked, but when other guys went it was an instant gap for them. Oh well, that is bike racing. Not satisfied at all with the race, but will move on and try my best at the next one.
On another note, why is it so hard for people to admit they made a mistake or did something wrong. I always admit my flaws and errors in what I do. I guess it speaks to the kind of person you are dealing with when they do not want to even acknowledge that they did something to hurt you. All I can say is those people will get what they have coming to them. Karma works in mysterious ways.

Cone Azalia and life

So I guess I have been away for a little bit from this thing. Well I finished up school with a 3.89 again and started the summer training rather shortly there after. I did do the Wednesday night ride and felt better on the bike than I have really ever. I went a little hard, but I was hoping I would be alright for Cone today. So I woke up today and did not do anything specific this time for Cone. Its always a crapshoot anyway. I knew I just wanted to make it as hard as I could for everyone else. I literally tried to get away 10 times and got some freedom for a while, but no one really wanted to put in some hard miles. After a crash and losing a bottle, which was all the water I had left, I decided it would probably come down to a field sprint....which I suck at! I stayed attentive, but not enough to watch fellow Kalamazoo buddy Mike Jones sneak away in the last 5 miles. His efforts paid off as he won. I was left getting brought back with 2K to go and then weaving in and out of traffic for the field sprint. I ended up handling myself rather well in the sprint and got 4th, less than .3 seconds from 2nd place. Not too shabby for a little fella like myself. Kensington is up next and I can not wait for that race. Kudos to all!

realizing things

Looking back on this past weekend, I realize I did not really give a full race report. Here is how it went from a first person perspective. Warmed up and never really got "warm", yea it was cold out. Decided to go skinsuit with armwarmers only, which in hindsight was a bad decision. Got to the start line with 3 minutes to spare. As I was being held to start I realized I was in a HUGE gear, but thought I could turn it over...... nope. I actually had to unclip and the clip back in after starting, which was embarassing. Anyhow, I got underway and the first 5-6 miles was downhill and tailwindish. This is the only place I did not feel like I was in a rythym on the rolling hills. At the first turn I decided to take it rather easy, as the roads were wet and I did not want to take a chance of dropping it in a corner. As I started the middle third of the course I got into a rythym, the kind where you arent really hurting, but also not comfortable.... On the back section of the course I picked off 4-5 people who started 3-4 minutes ahead of me at least and could not see anyone else up the road. I knew coming home it would be hard, but my manhood was starting to freeze and I decided protecting that for about 2 minutes was better than having frostbite. I probably lost 15-20 seconds in that time, but it was worth it. Turning for the final stretch I was greeted by a nasty headwind and an uphill battering to the finish. I was still in the rythym and I felt good. I cruised over the rollers rather easily trying to save something for the finish. I arrived at the final corner to an even nastier headwind and just soldiered on. I got to the climb to the finish and gutted my way up it....it is really hard to shift when you are out of the saddle on a TT rig. I got done and a teammate told me I looked like hell. Not because of the effort, but because of my frozen manhood, can you say sick to your stomach??? I decided I wasnt gonna wait for the prizes I may have won and chose to go home and warm up in the truck. I spent 30 minutes of the drive home with gloves, and 4 layers on top with the heat on full blast. You learn something from every race no matter how long you do it for. Lesson learned this time is dress warmer than you think you will need, it may come back to bite you. Luckily everything in my nether regions is ok :)!!! I bid you all adieu!

Fisk Knob

Race Report #1 for 2009. I did Fisk Knob earlier today and it went rather well. Despite the 33 degree weather and wind and snow while racing it was pretty decent. I decided to go skinsuit and armwarmers, which turned out to be my biggest mistake. All I will say is in that weather with that much wind, one should protect their manhood at all costs. It got so cold in my lower regions that I felt sick to my stomach. I got done and Dave Baar asked me if I was feeling alright. The answer was all over my face. Anyhow, I cruised through the first half and knew I had to save something for the harder second half. I did not really feel pain or over extended at any point. It was a good rythym ride and I felt rather at ease for the first effort of the year. We will say that the times were much slower this year, but yet I was faster than last year. It was a good day and hopefully I will have some pics to post soon. Remember keep your manhood warm and you will do a much better Individual Time Trial :)!!!!

Spring Break ......ending

So my Spring break is all but over for another year. Really did not do much that warrants a posting. I took from Thursday to Tuesday away from the bike and just had zero motivation to go out and freeze my ass off. Also got a bit of a cold that jumped up and bit me for a few days, so I really just slept 13 hours a day and then worked 5-6 hours at night. Then Wednesday I said the hell with it and went out for a ride. The past two days have been amazing for this time of year. I actually was riding in just bibs and a jersey on both days (for an extended period of time that I can not disclose) and it was phenomenal. New tan line is already in progress for the new season. Not to mention the tan line I still have from last year. Other than that I am just looking forward to starting the racing season and finishing up this batch of classes. I am not worried about the classes to be honest. Afterall, if you put in the work the rewards will come. On the racing side, I am opening up with Fisk Knob on March 29th and then some STS races just to get back in the flow of racing. Then I am headed down to Florida and Arizona to visit my sister and some friends and do some good racing and training. All I have to do now is get the TT bike put back together and things will be all systems go..... Good day!!!

Spring Break

I am officially on my Spring Break...... After 3 midterms in 6 hours my break has begun. Today I had a proofs midterm, a statistics midterm and a geosciences midterm. All went rather well and I am expecting 85% or better on all of them. In between the statistics exam and the geosciences exam, I had what I would rate the best ride in about 6 months. The kind of ride where I was hammering the entire time and felt no pain. Hincapie calls it "no chain". I literally felt like I was sitting in an easy chair. After all my midterms, I then went to the library to help the misses study for her discrete structures exam tomorrow. I wasn't much of a help though, because I was just BEAT. I didn't tell her though, because I hate bringing her down. So for the nest 10-12 days I am riding, working, and going away with Emily to a secluded place for 2 days just to get away from everything and everyone. Keep it rubber side down.

Relaxation

So I had my first proofs test today and I am thinking it went rather well. It dealt with set variance and mathematical logic. I just hope my grade comes out nicely. Other than that I have been plugging away on the trainer and have even gotten out a few days in the past week. It sucks though when you get home and can not move your fingers for an hour afterwards. Anyhow, things are definitely looking up and I can not wait to have the semester be over with already. 4 weeks down and only 10 to go, not including spring break.

What do you get??/

What do you get when you trust someone?
What do you get when you give a person second chances?
What do you get when you believe someone?

LIES, all you will ever get is FUCKING LIES!!!!

To those of you who speak the truth like myself, kudos. I may be a little fucked in the head at times, but at least I do not lie.....EVER!!! To those of you who lie, I hope you burn and rot in hell!!!

Riding is going real well. PEACE MOTHER FUCKERS!

New Happening

So today I was out riding and experienced a first in my riding career. Now I have ridden in some cold and miserable conditions and have seen a lot. Today it was 18 degrees with the wind chill and was not too bad for the first 45 minutes. I was heading back in to finish up on the trainer so I didnt completely freeze and I am just cruising and listening to some tunes. A few miles from home a car came up behind me (45 mph zone) and proceeded to not slow and keep going right past. Usually not a big deal, but it was today. All I saw for the next 10 seconds was slush everywhere. In my face, all over my body and all over my bike. I have no idea how I kept the bike upright goin 22 mph without being able to see at all. After the "smoke" and slush had been dispatched onto me, I had enough left in me to give the guy the finger for a solid 30 seconds. About a mile down the road I see his car stopped at a light and knock on his window and verbally assault him while brushing my clothes off into his open window. One good turn deserves another I thought. Hope all is well with everyone!!!

Back to school

I have been back in school for 2 weeks and all I have to say is it may not be nearly as stressful as last semester. I have Mathematical Proofs, Statistical Analysis for Engineering and Science, Special Education for my education classes and U.S. National Parks and Monuments. Needless to say it is a full load, but I am not worried. Cycling is going good. Other than the weather I am still highly motivated and we will just say very lean. Been getting in some good rides, albeit indoors. Other than that I have no huge complaints on life. Im just looking forward to racing in the summer and making the most of what I have done this offseason. Oh yea, almost forgot. I got accepted into the Honors College here so now I will be taking honors classes so that may make them a little harder. Until next time keep it rubber side down. Peace!

Christmas is over....YAY!!!

Another christmas has come and gone, which is great. I hate holidays because I am a very routined individual. I went home on the 23rd and after 5 hours of driving arrived at my parents house with Emily in tow. She met my parents and my dad was his normal deranged self. Then I took her to her parents house on Christmas Eve and met her mom. On the way to her parents place we almost died on I-94 near the Little Mack exit. All I will say is hydroplaning and semi's do not mix. Somehow I managed to keep my truck in one lane and not get us killed. Then I spent Christmas day at home until 3 pm and took off to avoid the weather and traffic the next day. Good thing I did because it rained all day the next day. Now I have been back in Kalamazoo for a few days and riding has been progressing. I did my first workout today just to hurt a little bit. It wasn't extravagant but it was something to get the legs burning again. That is my update for now, I hope to keep this up at least once a week for the remainder of the year and cycling season. Peace!

Grades and Life

So I got my grades on Tuesday for the fall semester and I was sure I was not going to get a 4.0. I did however end up with a 3.87 with three A's and one BA, which is like a B+/A-. That is WMU's ridiculous way of giving grades. Considering all the bullshit I had to deal with during the semester things turned out rather well. It is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you are immersed in school work, but many people helped me through the semester in different ways. Emily helped me take my mind away from everything by just being her and I find myself thinking what if this one could be "the one".....Yeah big revelation. My friend from my education classes Justin helped me stay ignorant through classes and never take anything too seriously. Next semester I am taking Mathematical Proofs, Statistics and Probability, US Monuments and Landmarks, and Special Education diversity. After this spring I will have completed my history minor and my education classes and will only have 7 math classes left to take. It is going by much fater than I thought. Finally, I am back on the bike, albeit not too seriously yet. I am just going to enjoy non-structured riding for the next 6-7 weeks and then do a little before the spring training series races. I talked with a pro cycling friend last night and realized that while cycling may be a big part of some of our lives, it is not what life should be about. That is unless you are a pro that only has that to look forward too in life. Be well and enjoy the holidays!

Done and Very Little Fun

So the semester is over and I am happy that it is done, but my one final was kinda a bitch to say the least. There were 10 problems total involving nullspaces and column spaces and eigenvalues and eigenvectors and all that good shit that no one really likes, unless you are a math dork like me. I was gonna put some of the questions on here and may below, so if u can solve them then feel free. So Tuesday I decided to hop back on the bike for the first time in 9 days and I felt like shit for an hour and then felt good the last hour. Problem is the reason I felt bad was I have an upper respiratory infection and maybe strep. My girlfriend has been sick and I have been around her a lot, but it is by no means her fault. Maybe I will just swing my way through it. Anyhow I think I ended the semester with three A's and one B. That final in math really fuct me in that department. Thats why I go to school though now, this degree I am there to actually learn and not just sit and hope for the best. Anyhow here are a few math questions to sink ur teeth into.

1. For what values of Y1 and Y2 would this system be consistent?
a)
{1 2 3} = Y1
{-2 -4 -5} = Y2

b) Find all the solutions to the set that make Y1 and Y2 consistent

2. Find the determinant of the following matrix

o o o 2
5 4 2 0
0 3 0 0
8 7 6 0

3. calculate the dimension of span (X1, X2, X3, X4)

2 6 4 8
6 -1 1 -1
4 4 3 11
-8 2 -1 3

4. Consider the following matrix and determine the following.
1 2 1 0 2 7
1 2 2 -1 3 12
1 2 2 -1 4 15

a) Row reduced echelon form

b) The basis for the row space and its dimension

c) The basis for the nullspace and its dimension

d) The basis for the column space and its dimension

5. Can the following be linearly independent in R4?
3 2 1
-1 1 1
4 3 1
2 -1 1

6. L: v->w is a linear transformation
Prove that the Kernel of (L) is in the subspace of V

7. L is on R2 which rotates 45 degrees counterclockwise and reflects the result about the x-axis. Give a matrix for the resulting solution based upon the standard basis e1 and e2.

8. If L is a linear operator that maps R2->R2 then solve for B if
A= 2 -8 and V= 4 2
1 -4 1 1

my hint to you is use V-1 A V. (This hint was not on the test though)

9. Find the eigen values and eigen vectors for the associated matrix.

-2 2 2
0 1 -3
0 1 5

10. Let @ be an eigenvalue of A and let x be an eigenvector belonging to @. Show that @^3 is an eigenvalue of A^3 and x is an eigenvector of A^3 belonging to @^3.

I used @ in #10 because I have no lamda on my computer here. If u have answers post them up, if not then have fun trying to solve.

Less Than a Week

Here I sit, sick as a dog with less than a week to go in school. Things have been super hectic the past 14 weeks, but its nearly over. I never thought it would be this hard being full time at school, doing a preinternship 10-15 hours a week, riding 10-15 hours a week, and working 15-20 hours. Not to mention doing all of this while holding a 3.87 GPA going into finals. I actually only have one final that I am concerned about. In my Native American culture class I need a 20% to lock an A up, and in my education classes, I have 100% thus far for both. Math is a different story when you get to this level. I have experienced my first semester where I will not get a solid A in a math class, but with all that is going on I am rather at ease with that fact. In riding terms, I have decided a week to ten days off is needed and I got sick at the right time. This is my first break since March really and it feels weird to not be out riding everyday. The weather has not been cooperating so I am pleased with my decision. One final note to those who still read this thing. I met a wonderful woman and am very pleased with her. I do not know how she can stand a crazy asshole like me, but she is a great girl and I hope things progress accordingly. Who knows what will happen over the next few months with school and the like, but right now other than the vomiting today I am feeling pretty well. I am off to finish off my education classes for the semester today so I bid u adieu.

When???

Sometimes I think to myself when did I become smart? The facts are that I act like a moron and act like I don't give a shit, but I may afterall. Today I went online to check how much my classes would be costing me. I look at my school email and see an "award letter" and I open it. To my disbelief I received a grant from WMU for my mathematics success and all the other moneys was from scholarships. So right at the moment I am pretty happy.
On top of all this Le Tour was very exciting today. Carlos Sastre has been in the GC picture for the past 5-6 years since leaving ONCE. When I saw him attack on Alpe D'Huez I was thinking he went to early. Once he got brought back by the GC contenders he went again and never looked back. It is really great to see someone who deserves to wear yellow finally achieve it. The CSC-Saxo bank team did what T-Mobile never could, they played their cards to perfection. Now this is where I get a bit brash and cocky. I did say previously that Evans, Menchov and Sastre would be on the podium in Paris. Sastre has the lead and Evans and Menchov are better time trialists, but Vandevelde may be a bit to far back to get a top 3 in Paris. So I guess I should be a DS or psychic. I also did mention Freire for the green jersey, although I was thinking Hushovd had a better chance, but with the lack of pure sprint stages, which Cavendish owned, Freire is looking even better.
Finally, I did a race this past weekend and that is all I will say. I have never ridden a TT so slow in my life, honestly. I have only ever been caught by one person and that was Josh Tarrant, but that changed on Sunday. I got caught by my 3 minute man, enough said. Smart guy is off!

Superweek was good

Ah so the first two races of Superweek are in the books. I am back in Kalamazoo after a good weekend in the "hood" aka Blue Island, Illinois. I couldn't tell you what the second city was because I just felt like racing. I will say that I have officially ridden a race in the hood, which is nice. The first race was in Blue Island, and Baar warmed up and said that it wasn't a good area to warmup in. So I did not listen to his halfhearted warning and warmed up while he was racing. Lets just say Detroit is a dream compared to this area, and I saw what the projects look like. Anyhow, I chose to head back and warm up around a parking lot for a bit then hop on Boer's trainer for 5 minutes. This being my second trip to Superweek I knew it would be fast. The first race was HUMID and hard. Standard 4 corner crit which was one mile in length. We were hammering around the course and the first time I looked up an hour had passed. A group of 5 got away and the field was content to let them go, as was I. I didnt feel particularly great but still managed a top 25-30. Baar got 9th in the 30+ and Boer was behind me in the 3's. Day 2 was good except for the fact that the hotel did not have Versus, so no Tour watching. I slept like a small child and we headed to the race around noon. The race was held in an almost finished suburb, in which none of the houses were yet owned. At half a million dollars it was no wonder why. The course was shitty to say the least. A Half mile crit, with the slight uphill being into a headwind and a sharp corner with some dirt in it to make it interesting. I felt blocked from the day before but still good enough to move up easily most times. Nothing got away till about 12 laps to go and chaos ensued. I saw Boer shoot past me and head right to the front. He had a gap, but the guys with him would not pull. With 3 to go there was a big crash and the field split, so for the last 2 laps I was chasing to get to the back of the group. I almost made it and came in 5-10 seconds down on the winner. After the finish I did 2 cooldown laps and see Boer bloody and dirty. I had no clue he was caught in the crash. But with 3 crashes in the last 3 laps it was hectic to say the least. All in all a good weekend as the races were well above any you will see in Michigan. I would venture to say that not many guys would finish these races at all. Twice as long as most crits around here and much faster. Anyhow, it was a good weekend hanging and racing with Baar and Boer. And if you have never traveled with kids I would highly recommend it. Chris' sons made me realize racing is so unimportant in the big picture. Just to see his kids get enjoyment running through puddles kept me relaxed and made the time pass. I would say this was the best racing weekend I have had all year long. PEACE!

Tour de France

So I have been spending the last 4 days doing nothing more than work, riding, and watching the Tour. Yeah exciting life huh! So I decided for the first time to make a fantasy team of Tour de France riders. Here is my team for Stage 4 that I chose.

David Millar
Fabian Cancellara
Cadel Evans
Stijn Devolder
George Hincapie
Jens Voigt-
Christian Vandevelde
Thomas Lokvist
Carlos Sastre
Marzio Bruseghin

Not to bad of a day with my team getting 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th.

Might as well name a street after me....

If they did it would be called 15th street. I raced rockford this past weekend and felt good heading into the race. The first few laps were rather hard and all of a sudden I feel like everything is extremely hard and nearly getting dropped. I came over the Maple Street climb and took the left and headed into the dicey right hander I almost lose it. Luckily the curb stopped my bike from going to the ground and I look down and realize I had flatted. I did not panic and knew I could get a free lap. I went to the wheel pit and got my teammates spare. I have been riding a Ksyrium Equipe rear wheel due to the hubs on all others being shot, and who would have thought a wheel with a powertap on it would be lighter than the wheel I was racing on. I get my wheel on and wait to get back in the group and right after I am in the group the break of the race goes. I think to myself oh shit because I missed the break, but had a teammate there so I was cool with that. We did get really close to catching them but no one wanted to close the last 10 meters down, so I figured hell I am not going to be the guy to ruin Boer's chances. After a few laps their lead grew to 25 seconds and I was just trying to sit pretty and wait until the closing laps. A crash in the last 15 minutes nearly derailed all my plans, but I snuck around that safely. Moving on I was feeling good coming into the last few laps, sitting up front and out of trouble. With a little over a lap to go Taylor Birrman gave it a dig and literally was 5 meters in front of us the whole last lap, and everyone jammed up the hill. I eased back waiting for Taylor to get caught and put myself out of contention for a good placing, so egg on my face. I was eager to race the TT the next day, but a respiratory infection dashed those hopes and I have not touched a bike since the race on Saturday. I really need to grow some balls and just stop thinking so much while racing. Fuck it, it is just a bike race though.