One Race Down.

This weekend was a good one. I finally put a bib on and got back to racing... And like most races, it was a lot of fun.

The race wasn't exactly a world cup but my teammate, Andrew Johnson, and I lined up and threw down for 10km at Soldier Hollow, the 2002 Olympic venue. The race series is called the Wasatch Citizen Series. It's always fun to come back and do a WCS race because its where I learned to race. My first ski race of all time was a WCS race. The local crowds are great and its always fun to ski with the people who I grew up idolizing.

The race itself was a lot of fun. I love mass start races of any kind and this was no different. From the start, AJ and I put the hammer down and were out on our own in a big hurry. We battled it out, though he led for the majority of the race. I skied behind him and like a rookie, skied all over the back of his skis. It was the first time I've classic skied with anyone this year and my timing and spacing were a bit off, but that's what early races are for. Towards the end of the race I started to think about how to try beat him. I figured he was looking for a late move so I decided to try to go a little before he would expect it. I dropped the hammer and got a little separation but it didn't last for too long before he was back on my heels. He nabbed me around the last corner and beat me to the line. It was a blast.

After the race we hung around for awards and talked it up with the local ski community. I spent some time talking with some of the young guns from the area about their plans and how things are going. I would love to see some more kids come out of this area and make it to the top.

After the awards I drove home and grabbed a couple hours of rest before getting on my bike in the garage for a 2x25 min interval workout at a tempo pace. Right now I am doing double duty as a cyclist and ski racer. And while the two sports are very different, the basic principles of training are similar. And the tools needed for success are exactly the same: namely, an extreme level of fitness.

I know that I need to get in two intensity sessions (intervals, races, etc) on skis and two on my bike per week in order to continue to improve in both sports. I also know that four days of intervals is too many. So I'm doing back-to-back interval days- that is two interval sessions in one day for two different sports. That way I have good periodization within weeks, hard days and easy days, as well as within 4 week blocks. Its not exactly a text book training plan but I'm not sure one even exists for a dual-sport athlete. I'm making it up as I go and that's exciting.

I will be around Park City for the holidays, training a ton in preparation for next month's races. The season hits hard come mid-January.

Below are some pictures from yesterday's race, taken by Ian Harvey of Toko. I am #331.

First time on snow. High Volume. and Readjusting.

I have arrived in West Yellowstone and so has winter. I have been out skiing one time so far and the conditions were excellent for how little snow there is here. It is always so nice to get on snow again after the summer. Rollerskiing just can't compare to the real thing.

Today I was out for 3.5 hours of skating. I felt pretty good though my skis felt a bit long as always. I am still dealing with a pretty jacked up foot, after twisting my ankle last week while running. I feel as though time is starting to catch up with me as well, and by time I mean age, as my elbows got a bit sore from the different impulse of snow as opposed to asphalt. These minor ailments seem to be happening with greater frequency lately and I can't help but think it has something to do with the fact that I'm not 20 anymore. But I'm not 30 either, so I am confident that neither issue will hold me back from having a good week.

With recent news of our Olympic quotas being cut back from 10 men in the past, to just 4 this year and tighter than usual budget constraints thanks to the general state of the economy, I have had to readjust my goals for this season in order to give myself the greatest chance to come away with some measurable success. I entered this training year with the goal of making the Olympic team, everything else was secondary. Though given my luck last year with Giardia, I enter this year slightly behind points-wise and have had to come to grips with the fact that it is mathematically impossible for me to climb into the top 4 by the time the olympic selection happens. In the past I've been afforded the opportunity to travel to whereever i've seen fit. This season, funds have been clamped down and I have to pick and chose my way through the season in order to make it the whole year. After talking the situation over with teammates and sponsors, I have made the decision to aim for the races that I am best at - marathons. So while my peers here in Yellowstone are putting the final touches on their training before the first races, I am hitting the peak of my volume in order to come out of the New Year swinging in the long races.

Such is life. Especially life as an athlete. Goals are set and some of those goals are achieved. We never really know which ones and that is the beauty of competition. Some times goals are not reached and its importat to readjust in accordance. And while I am a bit jealous of my friends here who are still within grasp of Vancouver 2010, I am confident that the route I am taking is the one that give me the best chance of walking away from this season as a success.

Good luck to everyone here in Yellowstone this week. See you out of the trails.

Here is a look at what this week will look like for me training -wise:

Sun: 3.5hr skate
Mon: 4 hr skate, 1 hr no poles
Tues: 3x20min L3 int, 2.5 total. pm: 1.5 hr
Wed: 4 hr classic
Thur: 2.5 skate/ 1.5 classic
Fri: 3.5 skate
Sat: 6x10 min L3, 2.5 hrs total. 1 hr classic
Sun: 3 hr skate, 1 hr ride on trainer

Winter In The Air

Its an exciting time of year. Transition is imminent as snow looms on the horizon, both figuratively and literally. The mountain tops are white here in Park City and it seems that, week after week, a new weather forecast promises snow. October snow in the mountains is a certainty, but there is a hardly a chance that it will stay for long. In November, all bets are off. The first day of winter can be any day.

I have been extremely busy lately between training, continuing to develop my new team, spending lots of time in the school before heading off to the West Yellowstone later this month, a few short trips to California to catch up with Crystal and the list goes on... But I am enjoying having plenty to do and I feel productive, which is huge for my general being.

Last week I got sidetracked a bit by a heavy dose of John Paul Sartre and Pink Floyd. I don't recommend the two together. The Dark Side of the Moon is dark and unless you feel the need for extreme introspection, steer clear. This week I'm pushing forward into a bit of Nietzsche and Kierkegaard but combating the effects with the ultra pop sounds of Julian Casablancas's new album.

Yesterday I had one of the best road rides of the entire summer. I was out for almost 6 hours and managed an extremely high level of energy the entire time. It was awesome, I was jamming. I really didn't want to stop but there wasn't any need to ride more. But I did lift some weights later in the evening just to keep the mojo rising. I'm not sure where this energy is coming from though I haven't been on my bike for almost a month now and it feels good to be back on two wheels. I might need to ride more.

School has been fun lately. Some classes are playing volleyball, some are ballroom dancing, some are learning about fitness training. I've been lending my expertise in the fitness training realm whenever possible. Trying to fit 30 kids with heart rate monitors is quite a task, I have enough trouble just trying to keep my own in working condition. On Friday I spent a good deal of time trying to relate the importance of staying within certain 'zones' while training and how each zone has a different effect. Later in the class we went out and ran 1.5 miles trying to stay within our aerobic zones. Some of the kids did great, others didn't get the memo and ran as fast as they could. Either way we were running, so it was a success. And pretty cool to see 12 year olds learning about heart rate based training.

I think Badminton is next for some classes, for others its swimming. I'm not sure what I have to offer to those sports but the message is usually the same - just try hard and have fun. That's what its all about anyways. And exactly what I'll be doing in the next few weeks.

Busy Week - 350.org Day of Action, Oct. 24

The last two weeks have been extremely busy but also very rewarding and overall could not have been more positive.

Last weekend I went out to Berkeley, CA, for a somewhat dual-purposed trip. The obvious purpose was to visit my girlfriend, Crystal, and catch up on time spent together. The less obvious purpose for the trip was to attend a Graduate Portfolio Day at San Francisco Institute of Art.

I was a little nervous for the Portfolio Review, as I had never attended a formal one of that nature. A Graduate Portfolio Day is a place where hundreds of potential grad students are able to meet with representatives from nearly all of the top art schools from all over the country, in order to have their work reviewed and find out whether or not they may be accepted to a program.

I approached it like I would a ski race, taking control over all aspects of the situation that I could. I dove right in. I had a list of schools that I wanted to talk to, all highly respected and thus very competitive. The first two reviews were extremely positive. My work was well received and a very thoughtful dialogue was had. The third review was also positive, though I was expected to be able to talk much more thoroughly than I did about where my work fell within a historical context. Lacking a formal art education, I fell a bit short, but was praised for my conceptual risk taking and ability to convey the thought process behind the work. It was actually very nice to hear some critical feedback at that point.

I left feeling very good about what I've created and trusting my own voice and aesthetic much more than I did before. All in all, it could not have been much better of an experience.

After returning from California, it was hammer time in preparation for a Rollerski Race that my team, Steinbock Racing, was holding in conjunction with the 350.org day of action, on October 24. There were a million things that needed to be prepared and in addition, we also had some deadlines in regard to our team, including a race suit design that managed to eat up close to 48 hours of my life.

The event was held yesterday and was very successful. We managed to get close to 50 people out to compete and another 30 or so out just to be in the 350.org group photo. It was great and all those involved felt like they were part of something much bigger than a simple rollerski race. It felt good to be proactive on a larger level.

In school, the kids have been up to all sorts of things. This past week the 7th graders did a project to build cooperative learning skills in which they ducttaped one of their classmates to the wall. The idea was for the kids to break into groups, make a strategy on how to go about the task, then share their ideas with other groups and learn from each other before actually trying to do it. (see the two posts below this one for photos). Some of the groups were very successful in planning and thus were able to get one of their classmates to stick to the wall. It was pretty cool.

When not duct taping each other to the wall, we have been rollerblading. I've been showing the kids how to skate effectively and also perfecting my own slapshot in roller hockey. We've been having a blast.

group photo from our rollerski race, 350.org day of action.

Step two

step two, the chair was pulled away and the truth was told... most groups didn't get anyone to stay up on the wall, but these guys did a great job of planning and executing.

Step one

Step one: the kids would plan, share, plan more and then one student would stand on a chair while the others would tape him/her to the wall...

First snow day= first day of swimming

I don't think we'll be on the ropes course today!

High Ropes

You want to follow me on Twitter? twitter.com/zsimeoni . I generally try to keep it civil, though i can't promise anything.

You can also follow my team, Steinbock Racing: twitter.com/steinbockracing - this account has a lot more training updates and will have race results this winter.

Fall is here and that means the kids at school are on the high ropes course... Snow in the forecast on Wednesday, not looking forward to rollerskiing in that!

Transition.

Its been a busy couple of weeks since the Tour of Utah ended. Immediately after the race I flew up to Vancouver, BC for a couple days of fishing with my buddy Tony. It was a cool trip. I had never been to Vancouver Island before and it was gorgeous. We spent most of our time pulling salmon out of the pacific, which was pretty exciting aside from getting a bit sea sick at one point.

Upon my return from BC I had to catch up with a few weeks of work that had been neglected, some of which were a bit time sensitive which lead to several long nights. Once the business had been taken care of, I jet-setted off to Berkeley, CA to visit my special ladyfriend, Crystal, at her new home. Crystal was super busy with school work for the first few days that I was there so I borrowed a bike and tried to get lost in the East Bay. I cruised around most of Berkeley and into Oakland, getting a feel for what was going on. On the weekend we had a chance to go to a late-night art gallery stroll in Rockridge and visit the SFMOMA. We were fortunate enough to catch a Richard Avedon exhibit as well as a Georgia O'Keefe/Ansel Adams dual exhibit, all of which were awesome, especially the Avedon show.

While in California I also started running, in order to get my legs used to the impact again. I have to start with short runs around 30 minutes and build up. At first my legs were pretty sore but it only took a few days before I was up to over an hour. It was fun to explore foreign trails in the Berkeley Hills. I like not knowing where I am or where I am going, but just going.

I traveled home after six days away and it was time to start with the rollerskiing as well. Its a similar process to running for me. My elbows don't take the impact well right off the bat. I went out yesterday for my first skating workout with my teammate Andrew Johnson, he was doing intervals and I figured 'why not'. I was able to hang on, it wasn't the most comfortable thing I've ever experienced but far from the worst. I was a little off balance and my technique wasn't super tight but nothing was bad. Everything was close. And it won't be long until its there.

Sometimes doing things differently than they have been done before is the right choice, regardless of the outcome. I can't say that I will ski faster because of the bike racing I have done this season. But, I can't say I will be any slower either. What I can say is that I had a great time doing it and that I can't wait to race my bike again. Had I rollerskied all summer, I'm not sure my level of enthusiasm would be quite the same.

School has started again here in Park City. The kids have been learning how to play Ultimate Frisbee and Speedball right now and are anxious to get on the High Ropes course this coming week. For me, the next few weeks will be a very gradual build up of running and rollerskiing hours. I will start lifting weights this week as well. I have not stopped riding and I don't think I will. I am planning to ride a bit throughout the winter for easy recovery workouts and to keep my legs used to pedaling circles...

Onward. Until next time.

Post Tour of Utah Recap

Well, they don't call it 'America's Toughest Stage Race' for nothing! The Tour of Utah is the real deal and so was this year's field. It was pretty awesome to be able to race against guys like Oscar Sevilla and Dave Zabriskie, considering that just this spring I was banging elbows with the local Cat 4's. I went into the race as prepared as I could be, given that I had never competed in an NRC race before and not totally knowing what I was in for.

The first race was a prologue, 2.8 miles long. It was a steady uphill drag to turnaround and a superfast return. I started hard, hoping to make some time on the way out and just hang on the way back. I felt like I had a decent race but finished mid-pack. I was about 25 seconds behind Zabriskie... Not terrible for a guy who doesn't own a TT bike but I was looking for more.

Day two was a tough one. I was looking for something big on the several long, steep climbs. From the start, my teammate Dave Clinger and I rode the front. It was no problem to hold position into the first climb. I felt awesome... and then I blew a tire. I got a new wheel quickly from the neutral support but the mechanic tweaked my brake pad when he pulled my flat off and it took an extra minute or so to readjust and get rolling again. Knowing the course, I realized that if I didn't get back on the pack by the top of the first climb my race was over. I'd have to ride 60 miles solo... So I killed myself to rejoin, which meant riding a 35 minute climb roughly 90 seconds faster than an NRC pack.... Not an ideal situation... But I did make it back to the group and settled in for the next hour of rolling terrain. I was pretty blown but still hoping my legs would come back around. They didn't. When we hit the final climb I was cooked, it was all I could do to just pedal up the hill. I lost 20 minutes on the peloton. Rough start but I knew I was riding well.

Day two was a 50 mile flat drag around Utah Lake and a 20 mile climb to the top of the Wasatch Range, 5300 feet later! Same story as day two. I rode near the front, held my position fairly well until we got close to the climb. The OUCH train came through and drilled it at the front before I could get the position I wanted and I struggled to get into the top 20. As we hit the base of the climb, the pack strung out immediately. I was too far back and didn't have a chance. I settled into a pace that I could hold for the next hour and a half of uphill and started picking people off. I rode my way up into the 60's (of 160 riders) by the finish. It wasn't bad but it could have been a lot better if I had moved up earlier... Lesson learned. No messing around in an NRC pack.

Day three was a flat 12 mile Time Trial. It was a blast. It was held on a race car track. The pavement was like marble flooring and the corners were smoother than anything I've ever ridden. I rode hard but generally felt flat. My legs didn't have it to get up to 30mph without really hurting and as I neared the finish, I couldn't speed up. I ended in 90th. Not a good TT for me but still one of the most fun I've ever ridden (I've only done 5 of them).

Day four was the queen stage. It was really hot, 100+ degrees and the course was brutal. 99 miles and over 10,000 ft of climbing. The first bit was pretty aggressive as there were a lot of attacks at the front. Eventually the pack sat up and a break went. I moved up early to get a shot at the lead pack over the first major climb (~1hr long @ 10% grade). I got there right where I wanted to be. I hammered but faded at a critical spot and lost about 20 feet to the lead group. When we got to where the road flattens out a bit, I was solo and the leaders left me in the dust. I crested the climb within a minute of the front and was eaten up by the second group. Over the next couple of minor climbs I just sat in and on the last major climb of the day (40 minutes @ 12% grade) I drilled it. I rode great and was putting out some good power for the tail end of a 4.5 hour race. I reeled in a lot of blown riders and dropped everyone in the second group. I finished up in 44th place and was fairly pleased with the day.

The last day was the crit. I underestimated it. I thought I would just ride it like I've ridden every other crit this summer. Not so. Not in an NRC race. The pace is so fast and the pack is so tight that positioning is everything... It was a long and brutal day and I found myself near the back of the pack more often than I would have liked. I ended in 101st. It wasn't a good race but I survived and learned more in that 90 minutes than I've learned in any race this year. I can't wait to get another crack at an NRC crit.

So I finished up dead center of the pack on GC, 80th place of 160 starters. I was looking for better and had I not flatted on the first stage, things would have been a bit different. Overall, it was an awesome experience. As August comes to an end, all I want to do is figure out how to ride my bike faster... but as a professional nordic skier, it is time to figure out where my upper body has gone. The snow will fall three months from now and I intend on being ready...

Tour of Utah

Well the last couple weeks have been fairly straight forward, lots of riding. LOTS of riding. There is only one way to prepare for the 'hardest stage race in America' and that's by riding the hardest stages of the hardest stage race in America.

The Tour of Utah is a 6 day race. The first is a very short and fast prologue time trial. Day two is a road race with two major climbs and two minor climbs. Day three is a fairly flat start and a 20 mile uphill finish at the high point of the Wasatch Range on Mt Nebo. Day four is a flat time trial at the Miller Motorpark. Day 5 is an epic climb with 4 major climbs and two climbs that are beyond major, they are huge and very very steep. The last day is a 90 minute crit in downtown Salt Lake City.

When I returned from my last trip I decided to take a real rest week. I took 3 of the 7 days off and the rest of the week did no more than 2 hr long rides. It felt great and it was much needed after the last two months.

Recovered, it was time to get back to work. I threw down back to back 28 hour weeks with intensity every other day. I did nearly all of my hard work uphill. I think I've hit every major climb within 100 miles at least a couple of times now. Things have really been coming together and I feel like I am in the best riding shape I've been in all year, good timing.

Recovery has been extremely important these last couple weeks as I need to come back from this block very quickly. I've done my best to get my legs into some cold water after every workout. Its not my favorite thing in the world but it seems to be helping a lot. I've also been practically living in a pair of compression socks. I can't decide it they do anything or not, but hey, I'll give them a go.

These last couple of days have been a bit easier. I was pretty low on energy on Tuesday and Wednesday and I started to wonder if I had gone too deep but on Thursday it all started to come back together. I've been feeling better and better every day now. By Tuesday I should be ready to rock and that is the day of the prologue.

Following the Tour of Utah I'm planning on taking a bit of a break from training. I will have done nearly 40 races this summer and I don't want to fade midway through the winter. My special ladyfriend, Crystal is headed to California next Thursday to begin a Masters program at UC-Berkeley and I may head out there for a few days to help her get set up and explore the East Bay a bit more.

After that its time to get on the rollerskis and relearn how to use my arms. Should be interesting given that my triceps have migrated south for the summer.

More after the ToU. You can follow results on tourofutah.com.

Many more crits, one more cat and another crash.

I just returned from a good road trip and many successful races. I headed out mid-last month to Boise for a big NRC race called Boise Twilight Criterium. Its a downtown, late night kind of thing that thousands of people come to watch. Its a lot of fun to race in front of that many people... It was a hot weekend in Boise and when I hit the pavement for the start of my race, it was a balmy 108 degrees.

As with any crit, we went in circles a bunch of times. A lot of attacks went off but there was a strong team from Salt Lake in the mix that pulled everything back. I was keying off them, hoping to get in a move with one of their guys but they wanted to bring it down to a field sprint... and so we did... I lined it up as well as I could, fighting my way up to 4th wheel into the second to last corner. Into the last corner the guy right in front of my slowed up and I missed the jump ahead of him and lost the chance to win. I went fast down the finish and held on for 4th, which wasn't stellar but it was a deep field and it did get me a few more upgrade points.

The next day was the ID State Criterium Championship. It was in a far off neighborhood that looked like the set from The Truman Show, about 20 miles from Boise. It was another super flat course but this one didn't have squared off corners like the downtown crit. It was back and forth the whole way and somehow it made a circle. It was a nice change. There were a few pros in the field left over from the day before and when we started I was trying to time attacks to get into a move with a couple of them. Bingo. It worked. We split the field down to 7 off the front and lapped the rest of the field. From there it was a bit of a drag race. No one could get away until a crash near the end of the race and one rider split off the front to eventually win. I had another good sprint but ran out of real estate before I could pass 2nd place, I finished 3rd... More upgrade points, mission semi accomplished.

From Boise I headed back to Bellevue, ID, to hang with my special ladyfriend's parents for a few days. I did some training in the Sun Valley area and caught up with my coach who lives there as well. It was a nice couple of days. Crystal joined me mid-week and we drove out to Bend, Oregon for the Cascade Classic Stage Race.

It was nice to go back to Bend in the summer. I used to go to a ski camp there every June but have not for several years. Its a fun town.

The first race was a road race with a tough uphill finish. I liked my odds and wanted to get to the bottom of the climb at the front. Mid way through the race there were a lot of attacks going off and I was doing my best to cover everything I could. Unfortunately, one move I didn't make it into went away. That was that. The pack was lethargic and no one wanted to chase hard. I made a few efforts to bridge up to them solo but couldn't get away. I sat in near the front, out of the wind until the bottom of the hill and hit it hard. I got away from all but one guy right away and he and I pushed it up and over the top and I out sprinted him for 8th. First guy out of the pack, but 2:45 down to 1st place. Not an ideal start to a stage race.

The next day was a Time Trial. Not having my own bike I am always having to get used to different positions on different peoples bikes. The one I borrowed for Cascade was not my favorite. I didn't feel like I was pulling up with my legs very well and I'm not sure why. But that's why one should have his one TT bike. I rode pretty well on the way up but coming down I didn't feel like I was moving the way I should. It was really fast coming back down and I could have pushed a bigger front chainring. I chose a 55x11 but a 56x11 would have been ideal. I landed in 6th, 20 seconds out of 1st. That marked my first ever defeat in a TT. I wanted to keep that streak going.

That evening was a crit, another downtown one, lots of people, 4 corners and one really weird sketchy corner. I rode at the front of the 120 man field, staying out of trouble and monitoring what was going on. I didn't want to miss another break. Right away there were some attacks that were slow to be brought back and when a group of 7 went up the road, I sensed that it was a good move to be part of. I hit the field hard and bridged up with one rider on my wheel. When we got to the break, the guy who I brought up with me slipped in in front of me and proceeded to take the next two corners as hard as possible for no apparent reason. I couldn't believe he made it out of the first corner and then he went down on the second. I was 2 inches off of his wheel at 35 mph, bad place to be. I locked up my rear wheel and skidded out. I landed hard on my hip and hand, same side I crashed on a month ago. OUCH. But my bike was fine and I was mostly fine, just bleeding, and hardly clothed as my skin suit had a huge hole in the side.

I took my free lap in the pit and jumped back into the break. We held on to a 26 second lead an I just got nipped at the line for the win, 2nd was ok - all things considered.

The last day was a circuit race. 4 laps of the Elite Nationals Road Course. It was really tough and lots of up and down but nothing very sustained. I just rode at the front, staying out of trouble and making the split anytime the field fell apart. The finish was very fast and I just kept myself around 8th. Out of the wind and close enough to attack. As we rounded the last corner i moved a few places up and launched my sprint, passing another handful of riders and made it on the last step of the podium in 3rd. Two days in a row on the podium in a 120 man field, I was pretty happy about that. I picked up another spot on GC to finish 7th - the race was more or less over after the breakaway succeeded that first day.

I did some math on my upgrade points and I had my 30 upgrade points, +/-2. It was up to how they decided to score the circuit race (long story). So I submitted and a few hours later I got word that I was a CAT 1! 4 months and 4 upgrades. And now I am clear to race the Tour of Utah later this month.

So now I am back in Utah, via a few more days in Bellevue, ID on our return from Oregon. I took the majority of the last week off and today is the first day of my last cycling training block. Lots of uphills to be ridden in the next 10 days and not a lot of eating. I need to cut back a couple more lbs and get ready to fly. The Tour of Utah is a Pro/1 only NRC race, and the first of its kind for me. I'm not planning on being unprepared.

More to come soon.

Ups and Downs of Crit Racing.

It didn't take too long to recover from the cold that held me up at the High Uintas Classic. I was able to get a fair amount of super easy distance training in while I was recovering in the days after getting sick and surprisingly came out of it quickly enough to race the following weekend in Pocatello, ID.

The race in Pocatello was a circuit race with 4 miles of gradual climbing and about 1 mile of fairly steep climbing, then back down. We did it 9 times. I felt a little off the first couple laps but the pace was quite high. I settled in and the field settled down a bit. As the laps went on I got stronger and stronger. Late in the race I felt like there weren't many people climbing faster then me, though I didn't really feel like I was firing on all cylinders after such an easy training week. A small break got off the front with 3 or so laps to go. Knowing that I had to remain in the top 7 to get any upgrade points, I pushed it hard at the front to chase down any further attacks and had to burn up my legs a bit towards the end of the race. On the final climb I came out 3rd of the field sprint which was a little disappointing. 7th place was not exactly what I was looking for, but i did get a couple points.

This past week I trained quite hard to get back some of the fitness I lost being sick. I did a couple 5-6 hour rides with some steady tempo (sub threshold) riding uphill and this last Tuesday I went down to our Tuesday night world championships in Salt Lake, a 55 minute criterium in Salt Lake City.

My goal at the Tues Night Worlds was to bury my legs early and hang on, then bury them some more. I rode from my house in Park City, three hours down to the race to begin with. Then in the race I attacked often and early. My legs were hurting pretty bad after 20 minutes, so I sat in until they recovered just enough to attack again and I did. Over and over. It was a good effort until two laps to go. I went into a fast chicane at 30+ mph and flatted my front tire. The tire rolled and before I had any indication of what was going on, I was sliding across the pavement on my right leg. OUCH. Luckily I was fine, save for some major road rash on my hip and shin... However, my rear derailleur was not shifting anymore.

I still felt ok and had planned on riding another 1.5 hours up the hill towards Park City after the race, so I stayed with the plan after cleaning my leg out a bit. With my derailleur not shifting, I had to grind it out in my smallest chain ring. Probably not the worst thing for my power but I would have rather my bike still worked.

The next day I took my bike into Colesport, a local shop who sponsors my cycling team. As I took my bike off my rack, I noticed a crack in the top tube of my bike. After a little more investigation I realized that my frame was toast, totally broken. Bummer. As of today I still don't know what the status of that frame is or what I'll be riding in a week. Not exactly ideal but I know it will get sorted out.

Luckily one of my teammates was headed out of town for the July 4th weekend and I borrowed his bike under the premise that I keep it off the pavement. My girlfriend, Crystal, and I made the trip to her hometown of Hailey, ID (near Sun Valley) for a criterium. Another teammate joined me.

The start of the race was really aggressive and I noticed right away that the field was lethargic in pulling back one of the stronger riders in the field. After maybe 5 minutes we finally pulled him back (him: Reid Pletcher from California Giant) as soon as he was back in the field I attacked hard off the front. I was out on my own pushing 30 mph to stay out front for almost 2 laps until another known strongman (Kai Applequist from Bob's Cycling) bridged up to me. He and I worked very well together, alternating laps for the next 15-20 minutes until we lapped the field. Once we caught back to the field we sat back in. My teammate Tanner did an awesome job of helping chase down attacks and keep the pace high at the front towards the end. With a few laps to go Kai attacked me and spent a lap alone off the front. I didn't panic and Tanner managed to keep him within just a few seconds. At 1 lap to go, a few people surged and I countered off of their move right as we caught up to Kai. I held on for 3/4 of a lap to take the win by 3 bike lengths over second. Tanner rode great to finish 3rd after helping me out.

It was a good day. My first Pro/1/2 win only a few months after upgrading from a Cat 5. I'm still on the hunt for more points to get my Cat 1 upgrade and ride in the Tour of Utah. The next weekend is likely going to be an off weekend from racing, so I'm planning to put in some serious miles. I'd like to take another jump in fitness before tackling the next block of races.

Upgrade.

Its been a few weeks since my last update. A lot has happened since then...

So I did go up to Oregon for the Mt Hood Classic. It was pretty cool, I have never been there before. I was fired up to race and grab some points to upgrade to a Cat 2 ASAP. The first race was a 60 mile circuit race. 2.5 laps, a steady but progressively steeper climb for 9 miles or so, and a 6 mile decent. The race did two complete laps and then finished at the top of the climb...

I sat in for the first two laps, watching other racers. I didn't know anyone in the field so I was paying attention and trying to figure out who was strong. Somewhere one guy got off the front, no one seemed to see him go away. The race official told us he had 3:45 on us with 10 miles to go. At 5k to go he had 1:35. With 3k left I attacked hard off the front and went alone trying to catch that guy. I almost did but wound up 3 seconds short, but did finish in 2nd place. I didn't make a lot of time on any of the 'fast' guys but it certainly didn't hurt my confidence.

Next day was the TT. I pushed hard on my pedals and went harder and harder through the race. Pretty simple plan really. It worked and I won by a large margin. I went into the 3rd day with a 50 second time bonus... Not bad for a guy racing on borrowed TT equipment and almost no practice.

The 3rd day was the road race with a hard uphill finish, 90 miles long. Wearing yellow with no teammates, in an Oregon race. I'm from Utah. I knew it was going to be hard... I covered attacks alone for the first 50 miles or so. It seemed like no problem to control but I was looking forward to the hills at the end. Many attacks tried but none got away but one, and that one happened to have the 4th place guy in it. They were 4 minutes up the road when we found out... I had to decide to try to catch him or not, no one would help and my legs were too tired to put out a good attack of my own. I put my head down and drove the main field of 60 down to a crew of 8 for 10 miles uphill. When we caught the break, the race started. I hung for 2 miles but with 3mi to go, I died in the worst way. I lost a ton of time to the winners (4 min) but was proud of what I did. Sometimes you have to go for it. It generally feels really good when you do, regardless of the outcome.

Going into day 4 I was burning. I wanted to make sure to leave my mark on the race. But I was not about to go do a bunch of work for all the guys who didn't do anything for me the day before. So I sat in the whole way, right around 5th wheel. With one lap to go, there was a solo break off the front 20 seconds up. I waited for a lull and when it came I jumped. I crushed it for half a lap and put a good 5 seconds on the field and brought back all but a few seconds on the eventual winner. It felt good to succeed tactically after the day before.

So I got PLENTY of points to upgrade and finally (it has only been 2 months i guess) race with my team in the Pro/1/2 field.

So back to Utah and the State Road Championships. 88 miles. My job was to cover every move possible and do zero work when in a break. So thats what I did all day. All day. It sucks to be the guy in a good move who doesn't want to work, but that was the name of the game that day. With a lap to go, 16 miles, the whole race was together. We wanted to keep our guy, Dave Clinger, at the front when we got to the one steep climb on the course. My teammate and I drilled it at the front for a few miles to try to keep any attacks from happening. When we approached the hill I thought I was toast but that wasnt the case at all. I managed to make the first group over the hill without any problem. I pulled my guys back up to the front and led Dave out in the sprint, which means I was winning the race with 200 meters to go... I ended up finishing 11th, Dave got 2nd... Not a bad showing for my first go with that field.

This weekend was the High Uintas Classic. A good one for me, since it has a huge climb that peaks at 10,500 ft. On Friday I felt a little rough but thought it might be allergies, so I brushed it off. I started on Saturday hoping that I'd feel ready to go but not long into the race, I got myself into a good break and immediately felt my body was off. I knew I was getting sick right away. I pulled the plug and sailed back to the main field for a few minutes before rolling off the back and just spinning it out until I found a ride home.

Today, Sunday, I woke up a sick kid. Just an upper respiratory thing but that is a problem considering that respiration is a big part of how I make a living. Its a bummer but thats how it goes. Just a little bad luck. So I'll be taking a few days off and hoping it comes back around later this week. I want to race again soon. I'm having way to much fun to sit on the sideline.

two weekends. two races each.

So last weekend was the Bear Lake Classic in Northern Utah. It was a race I've never done before, in fact I had never even been to Bear Lake. I traveled up on Friday in my dad's Eurovan, which happens to be the best road trip car ever. It is also as comfortable to sleep in as most hotel rooms which makes it pretty convenient. On Friday I did a fairly typical pre-race routine, which is 3x3 min of very controlled intensity and another 3-5 accelerations. I felt good all around and was really starting to feel comfortable sprinting on a bike.

The road race was a pretty long one, 104 miles, which equated to two laps around the lake. It was fairly flat, save for some punchy, rolling hills on the backside. The first lap was more or less a parade. A break went off the front early all of the bigger teams in our field were represented. Somewhere near the end of the lap one of the riders from one of the teams shot out the back of the break. Once we caught him, the race was on. With three guys up the road still myself and a handful of the stronger riders in the field organized up front and drove the pace at close to 30 mph for 45 minutes. It didn't take long to reel the break in. Immediately the attacks started flying. I was feeling super aggressive that day and had attacked a number of times while the pace was high but never was able to get much of a separation. I settled in for another half an hour while we rode through the rolling section of the course. People seemed to ready for attacks there, but as soon as it was over, i was ready. i pounced another bunch of times with limited success before finally another rider got away and i bridged up to him. he was on one of the big teams so his crew did a good job of squandering any big pushes to catch us. The next 15 miles were super tough, into the wind and just a couple of guys hammering it out to stay away from the masses. It was close but we did stay away. I drove the break a little too much and got outsprinted by the passengers for 3rd. In hindsight I should have attacked them at the end but it didn't occur to me at the time. i've only been doing this a few months but the learning curve is steep.

the second day i was asked to be part of our pro/1/2 team time trial. my other teammates included a former pro who raced for US postal and festina not long ago, another National caliber time trialist and two other super talented young guns. and me racing on a borrowed time trial bike. I didn't know what to expect of a TTT but it didn't take long to figure out that pure agony was the name of the game. everyone took short turns at the front killing themselves and tucked back in to almost recover and do it again.... for 50 miles. i think it was the hardest race i've ever done, skis or bike, whatever. it was HARD. i was going so hard that i couldn't take a drink from my waterbottle or eat any of the gels that i brought. in the end it was worth it because we won, only by 9 seconds after an hour and forty minutes of crushing ourselves. i think it worked out to be a 31.25 mph average. HARD. REALLY HARD.

This weekend was a classic SLC criterium called the Sugarhouse Crit. Its super fast and easy to sit in, which is not good for me. I like to hammer at the front and drop everyone i can. that is just not possible at sugarhouse without a team, and i am without team for atleast a couple more weeks until i get another upgrade. So it was a 50 minute race. i spent the first 25 minutes chasing down attacks on my own. it wasn't long before i was getting tired, the average pace was 28 mph, so chasing off the front of that took its toll. I tried a few moves on my own but couldn't get anyone to pull through to keep it rolling. for the last 10 minutes i sat in and tried to set myself up for a sprint. on the last lap i found myself on the front, which was bad. I soft pedaled for half of the lap hoping someone would pass me but it didn't happen until the last mile. I tried to stay in around 5th wheel but got swarmed and had to sprint from close to 20th (~60 person field) i found an open lane and was coming up hot but the door closed before i could ride through it, finishing somewhere between 5-10. i was a little disappointed to let an opportunity like that slip by but thats how it goes on a fast flat course with no teammates. i did what i could. next time i will sit in until the last possible second.

Yesterday was the a different kind of crit. one with hills and a fast technical downhill. the field was a bit smaller, being memorial day weekend and a sunday in utah, but many of the top riders did show up. another 50 minute race, i attacked early and often. it wasn't long before it was a 4 man group. i felt comfortable attacking on the climb as everyone had to work to stay on. I didn't want anyone getting a jump on me at the end with fresh legs. Earlier in the week I dialed the downhill in and found a way down that i didn't have to brake. I didn't ride that line until the last lap. I attacked going up the hill and got a few feet of separation but sent it on the downhill and pulled out a good sized gap that no one could follow. that was that and i won. i was psyched. our team managed a win in the men's 4s, mens 3s, men 1/2 and men masters 45+. it was a good one for us.

i'm not sure whether or not i'll race next weekend. i'm going to go up to a big national level race in Oregon called the Mt Hood Classic. It will be a 4 day stage race: 90 mile road race, 40k time trial, 90 mile road race, criterium. If things go well it will be my last race before joining my team in the pro/1/2 field. i'm pretty excited about that.

More Racing and Some Not Racing.

Well not too much has been going on the past two weeks. Lots of riding and one race in pouring rain, but other than that not much happening.

Two weekends ago was the Antelope Island Classic Road Race. Antelope Island is an island on the Great Salt Lake. We started on the causeway and rode out across the long landbridge to the island and completed 6 or 7 laps on a 6 mile circuit and finished on a 9 mile out and back (18 total). The weather was not ideal. It was raining as hard as I've ever seen it rain in Salt Lake and the wind never stops on Antelope Island.

The first race in a new category for me, I didn't really know who the strong guys were. I just rode at the front and watched for moves. I chased down a lot of breaks that were a little unnecessary but thats how it is when you don't know anyone. The course was very punchy and so the pace was also. I had no problem pushing the pace on the uphills but with an 18 mile, ultra flat finish stretch there was no incentive to try to leave the group. I sat tight and kept my nose out of the wind. As we approached the finish 5 of us broke of the front by a small margin. The last 500m was a steep uphill and I sat back hoping to pounce right before the line. I wound up on the back of what I thought was a good wheel to follow but he faded just as another rider jumped. I missed the move by a second or two and ended up 5th several inches out of 1st. Sprints on a bike are still a little hit and miss for me, but it gets better every week.

That day and also the week before I felt a little flat. I wasn't recovering as well as usual and I didn't have my normal edge during the race, especially at the end. Looking back on what I had done for the four weeks prior, there had been no rest. Four weekends of racing, 7 individual events and weekly hours hovering around 20. I just needed a rest.

On that note I decided to skip this weekends Salt Lake Downtown Criterium. I just wanted a low pressure recovery week to unwind a bit. I took a few days off last week and a couple more days easy. This past weekend I put some big rides in, 4.5 hrs on Saturday and 5.5 hrs yesterday, in preparation for next weekend's Bear Lake Classic, a 102 Mile Road Race on Saturday. Sunday is a team time trial, 5 man team, 50 miles long. It should be a hard weekend and I want to be ready. The week after next, Memorial Day weekend, is a criterium at a popular park in Salt Lake City on Saturday and a very tough circuit race in Park City on Sunday.

Lots of riding to come and so much more racing as well.

My community service has been delayed a bit in PC right now by a Swine Flu outbreak. The schools closed down for a week but are supposed to open anyday. The sooner the better, I've got some kids to hang out with before school ends in June.

the wheel in the sky keeps on turning.

The weather has been pretty up and down here in PC. We are on about a 5 day cycle, alternating between February and July. Today snow is falling, three days ago it was 75 degrees. Regardless of the weather, motivation has been high to get out and turn the pedals. Bike racing is a lot of fun. The days and races are anything but routine, it is all so new and exciting. Competing with fresh eyes and mind is really refreshing.

Last weekend was an off weekend, no races on the calendar. Myself and four other teammates made the trek to Moab for some warmer weather and a change of scenery. The first day we road through Canyonlands out to Dead Horse Point. The ride out was mellow and enjoyable. After a short break to check out DHP we headed home, straight into the wind. Wind means paceline and paceline seems to, more often than not, mean the hammer is about to fall. and it did. We crushed the ride back for probably 40 minutes. I don't think any of us could have ridden any faster. fortunately i flatted, one of the few times in my life i will be 'fortunate' to flat. we had to stop to change tubes quickly and that meant an end to hammering. we sailed in the last 5 miles to the car, total time around 3 hours. it was awesome to ride with friends in such a sweet place.

the next day we road the famed la sal loop, an epic climb that takes close to an hour and a half to the top. again, the hammer fell when we hit the uphill. it was brutal but at the top, the sights were worth it. the snow on the mountain tops constrasting with the red sandstone of canyonlands below is really something. from the top of the loop there is a long fast decent to castle valley. the ride out from castle valley is long and rolling, and into the wind. wind=paceline=hammer down. another 45 minutes of crushing it and we were all toast but the day was still young. we rode a few short spurs out of moab and headed home for a near 5 hour ride.

the last day we started out with a few spurs and some light spinning, we met the rest of our group at the entry to Arches National Park and road in. more wind, more paceline, more hammer falling. and on a climb out of the park, the joy ride turned into a full on race. i wasn't too psyched about it but it was a good push to get the group back together and spin back home. another 5 hour day in the books.

I was super tired after the weekend so i took a couple days easy. tuesday was two rides totalling 4 hours but easy the whole time with a few accelerations. wednesday i did some uphill intervals at threshold to get my legs ready for the weekends race. i took thursday off and friday a few intervals with world wide superstar, nordic combined world champion and now cat 1 road racer, bill demong. we hammered for about 12 minutes in total to open all systems up.

Saturday, yesterday was the East Canyon Road Race. a 60 mile race for everyone. its basically 45 miles of riding to get to the where the race really happens. then a 15 minute uphill grind, a 10 minute flat in the wind and brutal 300m steep uphill sprint finish.

i felt really comfortable in the pack this time. i just chilled the whole time. i had to bring back a few breaks but it didn't require much effort, but it was neccessary to make sure we hit the big hill together. when we got there, i moved up the side quickly. got to the front and started the click down one and spin, cycle. by that, i mean i shift down one gear (harder) and work up to the point where i can spin it, spin for 10 seconds and drop one more. its a good way to build speed up a hill and not over amp it. the changing cadence is also nice on the legs. after about 30 seconds of work, i had the field down to 7 and after another 30 it was 3 of us. i had it in me to go away from the last two but with a 10 minute, wide open flat afterwards, there wasn't much incentive. at that point i just dragged us up the hill, building time over the pack and keeping the other two on my wheel. when we hit the flats we started a good paceline and kept the speed high past the lake. by the time we got to the uphill, i could tell the other two were done. i slapped it into the big ring and let it all out. i crushed myself. i haven't hurt like that in a while but it was worth the win.

this week: more riding. next weekend: more racing. rinse and repeat as neccessary.

below are some pics from moab that i took with an old school 35mm film camera and a couple from the race that my buddy Jeremy took.

note the grin on my brother. I was not grinning.
leading the charge uphill.




la sal loop road, top of the climb.
canyonlands.

team.

Tour of the Depot (Stage Race in Tooele, UT)

This past weekend I did my first ever stage race on a road bike. It was pretty exciting to give it a try and I was really looking forward to the time trial. Until this weekend I had never even ridden a time trial bike but I was anxious to give it a try.

I was lucky enough to borrow a bike from a friend that fit me pretty well. I approached the race like a ski race, pacing and all. It only took a few minutes (like two) before I caught the guy 30 seconds ahead of me, another minute or two and I passed the guy who started 1 minute ahead of me and that trend continued. I passed 5 people over the 9 mile course and finished with plenty of power left. I really had no idea how i would stack up but I felt good about the effort. It turned out to be a decent one, I won the cat 4 race by a healthy 30 second margin and would have finished mid-pack in the 1/2's. I was satisfied and now I can't wait to go train a bit on a TT bike and try to do even better.

The second stage was a circuit race, 5 laps of a 5 mile course. The finish was a very fast (45+mph) gradual downhill, not exactly my strong point but I was ready to go. My first goal was to not concede any time in the overall, second goal was to win. I road conservatively for a few laps and figured out who the faster guys in the field were. Towards the end I put myself into good position to launch a sprint. As we came near my instinct told me to go and i went, i took off from the front with about 200m to go, only to realize that I had timed it wrong again and was passed by a few racers in the last 100m. Timing a sprint on a bike is much different than a ski race, it really takes patients, and after two botched sprints in 7 days (one earlier at the RMR Criterium on Tuesday) I vowed to not do that again... I maintained a 25 second lead in the GC going into Sunday.

Sunday was a 54 mile road race. It was pretty uneventful aside from the few racers close to me in the GC, who all happened to have teammates, trying to pin me in the corner and attack off the front. Not of them worked out so it came down to a field sprint. I sat patiently at the front and waited until 100m this time. When I when for it I was gone but there was one guy who came from the far side of the field with a lot of speed and about 40 lbs on me, good for another downhill finish. He nipped me at the line but I tied down second and grabbed the overall.

It was a great weekend and I am psyched to be able to race with the Cole Sport team. Another few months of racing and I should be a Cat 2, at which point I will actually be able to race WITH the team in the same races. I'm really looking forward to that.

Lost in the Vortex.

I'm not sure what happened last weekend but in terms of this blog, nothing happened. I totally forgot to create a post. I suppose it could have had something to do with the fact that I was probably lost somewhere in San Francisco while I should have been posting something here. Regardless, sorry to those of you who follow this blog about my tardiness.

So its been a few weeks since I last raced. I've been hanging in Park City, catching up one some design projects and just generally relaxing. We had a few weeks of awesome weather with temperatures near 70 degrees. I got out on my new bike a handful of times and also did some great spring skiing at Park City Mtn Resort. This past week has been epic in regards to snowfall. Something like 140 inches have fallen in Big Cottonwood Canyon in 7 days. Wild for this time of year.

Last weekend my ladyfriend, Crystal, and I traveled to San Francisco to check out the bay area. Crystal was accepted to a graduate program at UC Berkeley and having never visited we wanted to see what it was all about. It was an awesome place. Each neighborhood seemed to have a completely different feel and charm from the next. On Monday Crystal attended an open house at UCB and I took the day to visit a few art schools that I am interested in attending at somepoint in the future. Similar to the area as a whole, each school was much different from one and other and all have their various strengths.

After returning on Tuesday I took a few days to do some more work and get ready to start training again. I got out on my bike twice during the week and was hoping for a few more but its tough to hit the road when there is six inches of snow on the ground. The writing was on the wall and if i wanted to ride it would have to be on the rollers. The first day on rollers in some time was definitely not a relaxing experience. Its tough to feel comfortable when you are constantly worried about falling over or riding off the machine. Today was day two and it was much more relaxing.

I'm planning on riding everyday this next week. I'll probably throw a few short runs in there and as well as a day in the gym. Tuesday will be a training race called the RMR Criterium in Salt Lake, also known as the Tuesday night world championship because of how serious the riders are. Next weekend may be my first real race of the season if my legs are feeling ready. Its a short stage race in Tooele, just outside of Salt Lake. It should be interesting and I am looking forward to it. So far the weather looks like it is going to cooperate. It would be nice to train outdoors again.

Congratulations to David and Amory and welcome Thea to the ITA roster. Exciting news indeed.

Below are a few photos I took of a local stadium in the snow, spring is near.

Engadin and Back.

I'm back in Park City after a fantastic trip to Switzerland.

After leaving Whistler, my buddy Tony and I flew to Zurich and drove up to Samedan. The jet lag was minimal at first and I felt great for the initial days abroad. We got a couple great skis in on the Marathon course and revisited the famed Roseg Valley, a 10k double pole up to an unbelievably cool glacier. Unfortunately this year it was snowy almost the entire time we were there so the glacier wasn't much more than a mass of white snow instead of the blue ice that makes it so spectacular.

On the third day over there I crashed a bit, the lag caught up with me. I took a day and a half off and focused on recovery. I skipped a planned interval workout and did some intervals to open up the day before the race. I had no idea how i would feel on race day but i went into it preparing to fight for the win. I showed up early in the morning and tested skis with the Rossignol international wax team. They gave me unbelievably good boards to race on and warmed up a bit longer than usual given that i had rested so much the days leading into the race.

When the race started i was super cool. i was totally comfortable in the pack and moved my way right up to the front without any effort. i think it was probably a bit too easy because around the 6k mark i got tangled with one of the italians (thank you bruno) and hit the deck. my poles and ski got run over them and one of each broke in the mess. My ski wasn't totally hosed but i was with only one pole. i got up and decided that the best thing to do was to get back in the lead pack and hope for a pole soon. I skied back to the front with one pole and to my surprise it wasn't too bad to hang in there until we went down hill. for some reason i couldnt hold my spot on the gradual downs and lost a few spots right before i got a pole, which came from a neutral pole station run by morons. it took way longer than it needed to get the pole and by the time i was back at it i was 200 people behind the front group. knowing that i had to be back at the front by the 25k point, i put my head down and skied as hard as i could. i made good time on the group but by the time we got out into the wind (25k) i was not quite in contact and i faded hard. i pushed the chase pack as long as i could and did make a dent but we just couldn't close, as no one else had the legs to help out. from there i died into the depthts of the result list. thats how it goes but i wasn't there to fight for 30th, i was there to fight to win. and thats what i tried to do.

The trip overall was great. we were joined by a few friends from xc oregon and got to spend some time hanging out with them. this trip was also made more special by the my girlfriend crystal coming over to experience st moritz and the engadin ski race. we had a fantastic time and could not have asked for anything more or anything better.

after making it home, i am ready for the season to be over. it has been a dismal one in my eyes with very few successes. i am ready to end this one and begin preparing for the next. i finally feel healthy and i want to get back to the top.

i may yet ski one more race, the gold rush, next weekend. i am waiting to hear if my team will provide support. if not, i'll likely begin a short rest period now before getting back at it.

this spring my plans include racing with a local road cycling team. i have my work cut out to get a few upgrades early on and am looking forward to racing in a sport where i can be at least somewhat anonymous. it should be interesting and i like the idea of racing more through the off season to stay sharp.

all for now. Z

birkie to engadin, via callaghan valley olympic venue

Greetings from Whistler, BC. Canada.

I'm up here training for a few days, having a look at the Callaghan Valley Ski Trails, cross country ski venue for the 2010 Olympics. I have not had the chance to ski on these after missing out on this year's world cup races due to the lovely protozoa, giardia, and also skipping the various training camps that happened up here in the past few years. I've wanted to have a look at the courses but haven't had the chance until just now.

Today we skied the majority of the trails that are here and man was it fun. It was a gorgeous day for skiing, plenty of new snow, fantastic grooming, and temperatures around 25 degrees with a hot western sun beating down on top of us. It was really cool. The courses are very fun and a bit of a departure from the latest trends in course design. Over the past decade the courses, especially at major championship venues, have increased in difficulty to the point where its less about skiing and more fitness, a point that is infinitely debatable, i know. The courses here are much more gradual allowing for greater speed and requiring a much broader set of skills than the ability to climb an incredibly steep hill for 4 minutes at a time over and over again. The downhills are also a bit different in that they are quite turny. While there is a lot of debate about these points that i'm making, i am of the opinion that this is a good change.

so i will ski the trails one more day, tomorrow, before heading out of vancouver to switzerland for another assault on the engadin marathon. last year i had a great race there, finishing only a few seconds behind the leaders. this year i will do my best to repeat that and if possible, try to put together an even better last kilometer. last year i dropped the ball a bit in the stadium area and would really like a chance to show my finishing speed in a big field like this. if i have the chance, i'll take it.

last weekend was the birkie. i didnt have a great day there. i went into the week before feeling fantastic but wound up fighting off sickness all week long. i skied the birkie sprint and though i finished ok, i didn't feel very good, i was really flat. i hoped for the best in the race and went out to try to win again but i just didnt have it. i found myself falling off the lead pack somewhere around halfway and wound up in no mans land, skiing all alone, just waddling my way to the finish. i ended up in 20th place. not what i was looking for, not even close.

after a few days home i still felt pretty beat and went to the doctor. it turns out ive been fighting a bit of a sinus infection and have been taking some drugs to rectify that for the last couple days. by the time i get to switzerland on sunday, i'll be done with the drugs and ready to sharpen up for the following sunday's event.

thats all for now. i'll try to post something from st moritz if i have the chance. thanks for reading.

Back on the Top Shelf.

a few weeks have gone by now. I went out to Minneapolis for the City of Lakes Loppet, which happens to be the second biggest event in the US in terms of participation. I flew out on a Wednesday and got a ski in on the first 10k of the 38km race course on thursday. When i arrived it was very cold and the forecast pointed to more of the same through the weekend, which I had counted on before I left. Friday came and we had a short sprint in Uptown. It was fun to ski a sprint again, a race I used to focus all of my efforts towards but as of lately have not seen much of. I skied better than I expected and was going quite fast all around. I didn't quite have what I need to beat Rossignol teammate Kevin Hochtl, who was very much in his element on the short course, but I was happy to be able to push him a bit and move as quickly as I did.

Saturday came and I was very anxious to race. It seemed to be my race to win and I was ready to make it happen. Soon after the start I felt my skis start to drag a bit but I didn't think it was enough to derail my mission. Over the next k's they really started to slow down and I had to work harder and harder to stay at the front of the pack, which became really frustrating. The flats and uphills were good as I was in control but the downhills were disastrous, with nothing to be done but watch the competition gain an easy gap and try to reel them in as soon after as possible. I made it happen for 30k. I really dug to do it and thought I still had a shot if I could keep the pack together. But a few long downhills around 6k to the finish put a stamp on it. I watched three guys ski away to fight for the W. I didn't give up, it was still training. I pushed myself as hard as I could across the lake to the finish and made the best of it. Thats how these things go. It was purely a stonegrind issue. I didn't bring some of my warmer skis and Friday, forecast for a high of 20, was 50 degrees F. The minimal structure on my skis filled with dirt and left me with more suction that I could power my way out of. the good news was that I felt really good. really good. it just took a little time for the fourth place to wear off to know it.

I flew home and arrived in salt lake city with a sore throat. great. just what i want this season is a cold... right after i have finally come into race shape, right before my biggest races... Tuesday I felt sick still so i didn't train. Wednesday, still not healthy but slightly better. Thursday we drove to Sun Valley for the Boulder Mountain Tour. Friday I felt good and did some intervals with my homeboy, world wide superstar, and now famous because of his alka selser ads, Bill Demong. I felt good and was skiing surprisingly well after not training all week. I was ready to go.

The race came and I had great skis, super important in the Boulder since its mostly downhill... I decided to sit in the pack as much as possible to conserve for the finish. I stuck my nose out in the wind at a few stratigic spots along the way to soften the other skiers a bit and resumed my position out of the wind. Near the finish the attacks started flying, including one by Bill, which I knew would be coming. Bill strung the pack out and I stayed tucked in until it seemed like everyone was starting to fade and I pounced. At the time I had no idea but I had Marshall Greene in my draft. I pulled us up to the top two positions and let the lions roar when we hit the 150 meter mark. It seemed like i had plenty of space and backed off a touch but felt some pressure coming near the line and I hit it again. At the line I threw down a great lunge and according to reports from the Jury, won by a centimeter... We actually had no idea who won until they announced it.

It felt great. I needed a win. The last few races have been really solid but winning is different. It was great to get up on the top step again, especially after all I've been through this fall. I had a feeling I could do it if I was patient and kept at it. Slow and steady wins the race.

This week I am headed back to Wisconsin for the Birkie. A race I love. A race I have won before. A race I want to win again. I've been back on the rollerski treadmill to put the final touches on my fitness. Last Friday I was going faster than I've ever gone before. This is a good sign. Monday will be another hard one and that last real interval workout before I travel. Thursday will be a short city sprint in Hayward and Friday is the Birkie. I'm looking forward to it. I leave several days after the Birkie for the Engadin Marathon in Switzerland.

Next post from St Moritz.

Answers to Matt's Questions

THE BASICS
1. What is the athletic background of your parents and family?
My Dad was a baseball player throughout most of his life. He played high school and college baseball. Later he played on in a 'professional' fast pitch softball team and was inducted in to the World Fast Pitch Softball Hall of Fame. He has been active in the outdoors his whole life but never involved in cross country ski racing until I got started in it.

My mother was active in the outdoors throughout her childhood. She ran track in high school and has completed a number of marathons and ultra-marathon events in the last decade. She was never involved in cross country ski racing.

My brother is a cross country skier and several time junior olympic champion. He skied at the university of utah and as of late, has switched to the sport of biathlon and is a member of the USBA Development Team.


2. When did you begin participating in your sport?
I began ski racing very young, probably around six years old. I recall being in the bathtub and my dad walking in and asking if I wanted to do a ski race. I was up for it. And that was that. I got involved with the local ski team and have competed ever since.

THE EXTRAS (if you have time)
1. What was your early experiences with sport like?
I liked winning early on. That was the initial draw. When it came to training and practicing, I loved being on my skis and going off jumps, playing games. Later I learned to love to train.

2. How instrumental were parents and coaches in the early part of your development as an athlete?
Very. My dad especially was very involved in helping me wax my skis and taught me the basics of skiing early on. He help a lot with finding coaches and instruction that were a huge benefit later down the road. He definitely instilled a work ethic in me that still exists today. Hard work pays off. If you don't work hard, it won't happen. I've known that from the beginning.

3. How were you introduced to your sport and how many other sports did you seriously participate in?
My dad asked if i wanted to race and I did... that was how i started racing. I started skiing earlier than six in my backyard. I was always on my skis, mostly building jumps to go off. I also participated in baseball until high school. My dad being a baseball player, it was always a huge part of my summers. I'm pretty sure that is where i developed the speed that i have now in ski racing.

4. Is your success a product of nature or nurture?
Both. The mindset that it takes to succeed is something that comes from early influences. There is always some level of natural ability that is present (or absent, whatever the case may be). A lot of 'natural' talent comes from the activities that are done early on. The best ski racers that I have been exposed to, in terms of 'natural ability', are people who participated in a wide array of sports and activities when they were young, whether is was swimming or biking or running or soccer. The more the better at a young age, as far as I am concerned.

5. Are you an expert in your field? (by your own definition)
I would say absolutely. Especially in regards to those areas in which I have direct control, tactics, training, etc. The areas in which I am not an expert are the technical sides involving waxing and more ski related areas, though I would consider myself quite proficient, there are plenty of people who know much much more- they are the experts.

A little place called.... Aspen

I just returned from Aspen, Colorado.... Just.

It was a long journey home, thanks in part to a flat tire on our trailer in a rural area... on a Sunday evening... Not a good combination. We combed Glenwood Springs for an open garage to fix our broken valve stem but found nothing. We jumped on I-70 and hobbled down the road to Rifle where we were lucky enough to find a SprawlMart that had a repair shop... Unfortunately there were a handful of cars in line in front of our tire. It took a few hours but we finally got back on the road as the sun was setting on the Western Slope of the Rocky Mountains.

As I may have related in my last post, my first real test after this last period of training was to be the Owl Creek Chase. Before the OCC was a 10k Classic Supertour race, attended by many of the top racers not in Vancouver for the World Cup and the Western Colleges. Classic skiing can be a bit up and down for me and as such, tends to be a good test of my fitness. The race went well dispite feeling a bit flat in warm up. I skied strong on the second lap which was crucial at 8000+ ft. I ended up in 4th place, less than a second from the podium and within 30 of the leader. Not a bad start considering where those skiers placed at US Nationals.

That result gave me a lot of confidence going into the Owl Chase, a race that I have won in the past and never been off the podium in. As the race started, I took a shot at going off the front which was followed by an attack from Tad Elliot. I gave chase thinking it was our chance to ski away with the race but I couldn't hang on and fell back to a chase pack of three other skiers. I tucked in to recover as a few of the others skied away. From there I just never quite came back. I made a serious tactical error in the late km's of the race and combined with some questionable maneuvering from another racer, I was never really able to challenge for third until the last few meters at which point it was too late. Rossi teammate Josh Smullin was third and I was fourth. Matt Gelso and Tad Elliot, both on the U23 World Championship team, were just ahead of us in 1st and 2nd respectively.

Looking back on the race I can't help but be a bit frustrated. My fitness is back and I felt strong but just didn't ski the race I needed to in order to win. I have a few more weeks now before the Boulder Mountain Tour. I may travel to the midwest to ski a few more races in the meantime but that has yet to be decided. Some logistical issues need to be sorted out.

The past month has been an excellent one in terms of training. I am still not able to accomplish the volume that I have in the past, however I have found that I can handle more intensity than usual. That intensity is what I have to thank for my current fitness. I plan to continue on a similar plan for the next weeks/months with addition of some more highspeed training to prepare for sprint finishes. I felt like a donkey in the finish lanes of Saturday's race and it didn't get any better when I got knocked out in the early rounds of the nighttime drag races in downtown Aspen... Not acceptable but a good lesson to learn right now.

So from here on out my schedule will roughly entail the Boulder Mountain Tour, The Moose Chase, the American Birkebeiner, the Engadin Ski Marathon, the Gold Rush and Long Distance Nationals in Fairbanks, AK. I may also find my way to the City of Lakes Loppet less than two weeks from now.

See you out there.