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.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, April 13, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
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
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
Friday, February 27, 2009
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.
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.
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