Apparently, she will be doing the Tour de France!
The other women thought her legs were too sexy and have told her to race the men's race.
No that's not true. Apparently she finished in the pack today as 2 riders got away with 10km to go and she was in the bunch, so no worries.
http://courses.femininesassociees.over-blog.com/categorie-1228597.htm
You can read about it. Haven't talked to her as she is without Internet...I hope she is ok, without Internet that is, hahah. But seriously I'm sure she is fine...last I heard she was working on her French!
I went to Shawarma Palace and the dude gave me double chicken and garlic sauce for her...
but holly shit, I tried to ride my bike after that as I am commuting from Pincrest and wow...it took almost one hour to get home and I almost threw up garlic and pickled turnups...but it was just a burp...it almost smelled as bad as the vomit smell I encountered as I tried to take a short cut through the Byward market...but that wasn't me.
Anyways, bike riding is not to be done post Shawarma. I rode with flip flops and got passed by 3 people on the bike path!
Other than that, I write her emails and she does not get them, I just want to ride my bike for hours ans I even did a couple shifts at the CHC as a man nurse.
They said I looked like I belong on a beach as I am super laid back...they should see my face when I'm throwing down with 20 km to go, they wouldn't think I was laid back Luke then eh? Either that or I'm so endorphinated from the k's before work I'm just happy to be there.
DSJ
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
the happenings
I haven't been posting that much lately as the gypsy life has it's way of making time fly away. You would think that I would have all this spare time to just talk about what's going but it's not the case. Well maybe now, but lately it's been busy.
It's really nice to hear the positivity from the people in Ottawa in relation to the success RWR is having this year. It really goes to show what can happen when you put a good group of guys together and everyone has a role to play. I think would have to describe my role as some sort of wild animal with rabbies. Funny though how it has somehow given me an extra bit of confidence this year and I think it is pretty apparent. People have been asking what is different this year, and I'm not really sure, but I know that something is different. Not to be too philosophical, but my desire is different. It has taken a little while, but slowly after making the decision to ride full time, it is coming together bit by bit and things are astronomically different inside my heart. I find myself almost ripping the bar tape off sometimes when I ride. Like I watched David Miller try to go solo the other day and it inspired me to do the same thing in the crit, ok it was the tour of QC and not France, but an effort is an effort.
Even since Preston things have changed, funny enough. When I was off the front I just concentrated on thinking a few things, but this week I almost didn't think, I just shut something off, it's hard to explain, but I just did what I knew I had to do. Shit and Sunday the sprint was pretty close, I've never been at that level before....or maybe I have but just never really believed it. I don't really know what I'm trying to say. Today I wanted to do a ride before the the crit and I ended up riding 220km's today and still drilling it in the crit...it's crazy.
Funny how we always talk about athletes developing over the course of years, but the last 6 months for me have been huge and I'm no spring chicken. I guess alot of my philosophies of training have changed this year, not as scientific, no testing with lactate or numbers, I mean I look at the data but not more than five minutes, it just doesn't mean what I thought it meant.
The just go by feel approach a little more. But that being said, it is important to actually know what you are trying to feel and understand the demands of the particular racing you want to excel at. Aaron and I have had some good chats about training and that guy knows alot, he has an approach to training that may seem a little medieval, but it obviously works. I guess as athletes and coaches always looking for this magical bullet, but really I think we just make things alot more complicated than they really need to be. Seriously.
With Natasha in France I'm staying at Chateau Norm and Jane and au contraire to home, they are the ones cooking so it's pretty amazing...ok I sleep on an air mattress, but hey it's actually pretty comfy. Apparently Tasha is staying with a family in France and she always has their
dog slobbering on her, and also some air line Stewart was hitting on her on the way to France.
So far so good, at least they appreciate beautiful women in France.
DSJ
It's really nice to hear the positivity from the people in Ottawa in relation to the success RWR is having this year. It really goes to show what can happen when you put a good group of guys together and everyone has a role to play. I think would have to describe my role as some sort of wild animal with rabbies. Funny though how it has somehow given me an extra bit of confidence this year and I think it is pretty apparent. People have been asking what is different this year, and I'm not really sure, but I know that something is different. Not to be too philosophical, but my desire is different. It has taken a little while, but slowly after making the decision to ride full time, it is coming together bit by bit and things are astronomically different inside my heart. I find myself almost ripping the bar tape off sometimes when I ride. Like I watched David Miller try to go solo the other day and it inspired me to do the same thing in the crit, ok it was the tour of QC and not France, but an effort is an effort.
Even since Preston things have changed, funny enough. When I was off the front I just concentrated on thinking a few things, but this week I almost didn't think, I just shut something off, it's hard to explain, but I just did what I knew I had to do. Shit and Sunday the sprint was pretty close, I've never been at that level before....or maybe I have but just never really believed it. I don't really know what I'm trying to say. Today I wanted to do a ride before the the crit and I ended up riding 220km's today and still drilling it in the crit...it's crazy.
Funny how we always talk about athletes developing over the course of years, but the last 6 months for me have been huge and I'm no spring chicken. I guess alot of my philosophies of training have changed this year, not as scientific, no testing with lactate or numbers, I mean I look at the data but not more than five minutes, it just doesn't mean what I thought it meant.
The just go by feel approach a little more. But that being said, it is important to actually know what you are trying to feel and understand the demands of the particular racing you want to excel at. Aaron and I have had some good chats about training and that guy knows alot, he has an approach to training that may seem a little medieval, but it obviously works. I guess as athletes and coaches always looking for this magical bullet, but really I think we just make things alot more complicated than they really need to be. Seriously.
With Natasha in France I'm staying at Chateau Norm and Jane and au contraire to home, they are the ones cooking so it's pretty amazing...ok I sleep on an air mattress, but hey it's actually pretty comfy. Apparently Tasha is staying with a family in France and she always has their
dog slobbering on her, and also some air line Stewart was hitting on her on the way to France.
So far so good, at least they appreciate beautiful women in France.
DSJ
Monday, July 13, 2009
Tour of Quebec
So the Tour of Qc went well. Aaron got in the move the first day, came 3rd.
Then he won the TT in the Am, I won crit in the PM.
It was pretty cool as my dad was there to watch and we woke up the next day to see a full page artcle and picture in the Journal de Quebec.
Maybe I was a little too fired up for stage 4 as I attacked from the gun over and over and over and was pretty knackered in the last 3 km's and had the square root of nothing for the finale.
Sunday's course was pretty tough, a 21% gradient climb, short circuit x 17 laps.
We weren't able to capitalize on moving Aron into the green jersey, I went for sprint points and ended up 2nd in the black jersey competition, most combative rider.
We made a slight tactical error I think when I chased a bike reg dude down but it actually made the pace ballistic up the climb and Aaron barely lost contact and no one was interested in helping him re join the front group.
SO I just waited and played my cards in the sprint, I covered a jump then initiated the finale and lost by a bike length to Dionne and Otavio nipped me by a tub for 2nd.
RWR finished up 3rd in the tem GC, I was 5th in GC, 2 3rd's and 2 stages, pretty happy with that.
Thanks to the team for the support and the good efforts.
Tasha is in France...she even learned how to ask for hot water in french and she told me she will get her picture in the local paper as well...the challenge is out!
DSJ
Then he won the TT in the Am, I won crit in the PM.
It was pretty cool as my dad was there to watch and we woke up the next day to see a full page artcle and picture in the Journal de Quebec.
Maybe I was a little too fired up for stage 4 as I attacked from the gun over and over and over and was pretty knackered in the last 3 km's and had the square root of nothing for the finale.
Sunday's course was pretty tough, a 21% gradient climb, short circuit x 17 laps.
We weren't able to capitalize on moving Aron into the green jersey, I went for sprint points and ended up 2nd in the black jersey competition, most combative rider.
We made a slight tactical error I think when I chased a bike reg dude down but it actually made the pace ballistic up the climb and Aaron barely lost contact and no one was interested in helping him re join the front group.
SO I just waited and played my cards in the sprint, I covered a jump then initiated the finale and lost by a bike length to Dionne and Otavio nipped me by a tub for 2nd.
RWR finished up 3rd in the tem GC, I was 5th in GC, 2 3rd's and 2 stages, pretty happy with that.
Thanks to the team for the support and the good efforts.
Tasha is in France...she even learned how to ask for hot water in french and she told me she will get her picture in the local paper as well...the challenge is out!
DSJ
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
Tuesday blog post of last weeks race...yah it was pretty hard as I had Internet but just really didn't have the desire to write after doing each stage.
This race was named after Art Longsjo(pronounced Long'show) an American cyclist/speed skater who was the first person or perhaps American to compete at both the Winter and Summer Olympics in 1954. Two years after this he died in a car accident. He was from Fitchburg, MA and they created this race in his memory. This year was the 50thy anniversary of the race.
The hotel we stayed at was called the Crocksette Inn, it was not the nicest hotel, but the dinning room had all these pictures from years past, as everyone who is anyone in North American cycling has been to this race. It had pictures of a young young Lance, Greg LeMonde and others along the dinning room wall.
Anyways enough about that, this was a fast race for sure. Tour de Beauce it was not, the PRO men had a field of 180 guys. And it was all pro guys as they even had another cat 2 race for the Elites who were not pro...even the women's field started with 130.
This race was fast from the gun. The thing about American racing is it is usually fast, short courses, crit like in nature, but put 180 guys on small circuits that wind and go up and down...
We started the show' with a 15 km TT, it was a pretty cool course, with lots of fog. It went ok for both Tash and I, but proved that "ok" in a NRC race is worth about 40th place...ouch. Funny thing is I was going pretty fast...just goes to show you that tt's must be practiced.
Fridays road course was a zinger. 5km circuit with a steep 200 meter climb that was proceeded by a 100 degree corner in which you had to jam on your brakes, the was pinned at 60km/hr single file on the back side of the course. I attacked once when it started raining and shortly after my glasses fogged up, I took them off then got a piece of debris in my eye while the roads litterally flooded in front of us and I went backwards and was jsut a little too far behind to make the break that stuck. Tash made the front group, but just lacked some positioning in the uphill finale.
Saturday was the queen stage, 180 km for the boys and 120 for the girls. Man it was hard for sure. I covered some moves, got in a little mini break that came back, positioned myself well, but just was a little too far back on the last lap and had to close a bit of a gap at the top of the climb and it cost me in the end, I finished in the main group, but had used that top end needed for the end one lap too early.
It was a nice 200km of riding though as with the warm up and a little ride after I was at 200km for the day. Also, we hit 96.9 km/hr on the downhill...yah I told you it was fast. I was actually looking down a few times and saw 93km and tucked a little lower to try and hit 100...but just couldn't hit it.
Tasha was going for sprint points and apparently dusted the first few uphill sprints so convincingly the Collivita team gave up the chase uphill and waited for the pack to help.
Sunday Natasha wanted to try to get into top 3 for points as there was some sweet $$, but without a lead out her efforts were good, but not quite enough to get it. Good on her for mixing it up in the sprints with theses teams as I think she learned some good lessons about positionning and timing in these types of efforts.
I wanted to do a good warm up before the crit as this race was supposed to be preparation for next week and beyond but it was super hot and muggy so I barely rode 20 minutes before the race. An early break went and I just waited and gambled that it would come back as this was going to be a two hour crit. Natasha gave me some good feedback about the circuit and she was spot on...there were several places to move up without effort, but it had to be done slowly and I basically went from the back to the front and figured out how long it took me to do this. I had to do something to keep my mind focused as two hours is a long time to go round and round. So I drifted back, but not as far and did this again, then i stayed near the front as I could tell the race was actually starting, the break had been out all day, was loosing time. THe team of the leader of the race, those guys were going backwards, it was getting aggressive. This this guy from BMC team did the craziest move in front of the corner trying to prove that he was a big shot. Man this got me so mad as he basically tried to take me out...I wanted to punch him...but I just sprinted by him in the next straight away, I sprinted up to him and I was so mad I just kept on accelerating and found myself in a great position near the front...shortly after it was go time.
I went from the front to the break and rode through them and a couple guys joined, we were off.
We had a bout ten guys then Charles Dionne came across with two others I believe so we had 13 guys and we were in it for the win! I knew Charles was the guy to watch, obviously.
But with 3 laps to go they called out the Gamblers prime. It clicked, this is my shot, I got myself into place, I had to fight a little then on the last straightaway I waited and times it perfect to come around three guys from Team Type 1 to just get it at the line. Very close. I came around the outside just squeezing through a small hole that only Glen Rendall or I could fit through. People were shocked to see me come through as it looked like they had it and the announcer called out the wrong name as I went across the line. Ok this this cost me going for the win, as I finished 9th out of this group, which 9th actually is a good result at an NRC race, but lets just say it was worth it. Maybe you won't hear about it on Cycling news, and maybe I had the legs to win today but I took a gamble and it payed off. Sometimes you have to roll the dice. Really, it would have been nice to win, but the opportunity was in front of me so I did what came naturally without over thinking things.
A little respite today and I'm off to Tour of Quebec tommorow. Rest is for the wicked.
PS I knew it was going to be a good weekend as my number was 88...double infinity when it was sideways. Am I superstious? Maybe a just a little stitous.....but not super.
This race was named after Art Longsjo(pronounced Long'show) an American cyclist/speed skater who was the first person or perhaps American to compete at both the Winter and Summer Olympics in 1954. Two years after this he died in a car accident. He was from Fitchburg, MA and they created this race in his memory. This year was the 50thy anniversary of the race.
The hotel we stayed at was called the Crocksette Inn, it was not the nicest hotel, but the dinning room had all these pictures from years past, as everyone who is anyone in North American cycling has been to this race. It had pictures of a young young Lance, Greg LeMonde and others along the dinning room wall.
Anyways enough about that, this was a fast race for sure. Tour de Beauce it was not, the PRO men had a field of 180 guys. And it was all pro guys as they even had another cat 2 race for the Elites who were not pro...even the women's field started with 130.
This race was fast from the gun. The thing about American racing is it is usually fast, short courses, crit like in nature, but put 180 guys on small circuits that wind and go up and down...
We started the show' with a 15 km TT, it was a pretty cool course, with lots of fog. It went ok for both Tash and I, but proved that "ok" in a NRC race is worth about 40th place...ouch. Funny thing is I was going pretty fast...just goes to show you that tt's must be practiced.
Fridays road course was a zinger. 5km circuit with a steep 200 meter climb that was proceeded by a 100 degree corner in which you had to jam on your brakes, the was pinned at 60km/hr single file on the back side of the course. I attacked once when it started raining and shortly after my glasses fogged up, I took them off then got a piece of debris in my eye while the roads litterally flooded in front of us and I went backwards and was jsut a little too far behind to make the break that stuck. Tash made the front group, but just lacked some positioning in the uphill finale.
Saturday was the queen stage, 180 km for the boys and 120 for the girls. Man it was hard for sure. I covered some moves, got in a little mini break that came back, positioned myself well, but just was a little too far back on the last lap and had to close a bit of a gap at the top of the climb and it cost me in the end, I finished in the main group, but had used that top end needed for the end one lap too early.
It was a nice 200km of riding though as with the warm up and a little ride after I was at 200km for the day. Also, we hit 96.9 km/hr on the downhill...yah I told you it was fast. I was actually looking down a few times and saw 93km and tucked a little lower to try and hit 100...but just couldn't hit it.
Tasha was going for sprint points and apparently dusted the first few uphill sprints so convincingly the Collivita team gave up the chase uphill and waited for the pack to help.
Sunday Natasha wanted to try to get into top 3 for points as there was some sweet $$, but without a lead out her efforts were good, but not quite enough to get it. Good on her for mixing it up in the sprints with theses teams as I think she learned some good lessons about positionning and timing in these types of efforts.
I wanted to do a good warm up before the crit as this race was supposed to be preparation for next week and beyond but it was super hot and muggy so I barely rode 20 minutes before the race. An early break went and I just waited and gambled that it would come back as this was going to be a two hour crit. Natasha gave me some good feedback about the circuit and she was spot on...there were several places to move up without effort, but it had to be done slowly and I basically went from the back to the front and figured out how long it took me to do this. I had to do something to keep my mind focused as two hours is a long time to go round and round. So I drifted back, but not as far and did this again, then i stayed near the front as I could tell the race was actually starting, the break had been out all day, was loosing time. THe team of the leader of the race, those guys were going backwards, it was getting aggressive. This this guy from BMC team did the craziest move in front of the corner trying to prove that he was a big shot. Man this got me so mad as he basically tried to take me out...I wanted to punch him...but I just sprinted by him in the next straight away, I sprinted up to him and I was so mad I just kept on accelerating and found myself in a great position near the front...shortly after it was go time.
I went from the front to the break and rode through them and a couple guys joined, we were off.
We had a bout ten guys then Charles Dionne came across with two others I believe so we had 13 guys and we were in it for the win! I knew Charles was the guy to watch, obviously.
But with 3 laps to go they called out the Gamblers prime. It clicked, this is my shot, I got myself into place, I had to fight a little then on the last straightaway I waited and times it perfect to come around three guys from Team Type 1 to just get it at the line. Very close. I came around the outside just squeezing through a small hole that only Glen Rendall or I could fit through. People were shocked to see me come through as it looked like they had it and the announcer called out the wrong name as I went across the line. Ok this this cost me going for the win, as I finished 9th out of this group, which 9th actually is a good result at an NRC race, but lets just say it was worth it. Maybe you won't hear about it on Cycling news, and maybe I had the legs to win today but I took a gamble and it payed off. Sometimes you have to roll the dice. Really, it would have been nice to win, but the opportunity was in front of me so I did what came naturally without over thinking things.
A little respite today and I'm off to Tour of Quebec tommorow. Rest is for the wicked.
PS I knew it was going to be a good weekend as my number was 88...double infinity when it was sideways. Am I superstious? Maybe a just a little stitous.....but not super.
Monday, June 29, 2009
ahhhh I get it.....
Ok, so I thought I was being watched yesterday...I guess I should have read PEDAL mag....see the last two paragraphs...now I get it...I didn't check the WWW the week of the race to not get too hyped about things...
http://pedalmag.com/index.php?module=Section&action=viewdetail&item_id=16085
who knew? everyone except me...oh well.
DSJ
http://pedalmag.com/index.php?module=Section&action=viewdetail&item_id=16085
who knew? everyone except me...oh well.
DSJ
Road Nationals..Aaron and RWR take Elite Title!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Since my Dad tells me that my blog posts are way too long I'll get right to the point.
Tasha did the
TT on my bike, she went pretty well but had a slight mechanical at 4km to go as the shifter slipped out of the bar end as she hit a speed bu,p at 50km/hr it kind of freaked her and she tried to put it back in while coasting on the downhill but still salvaged 12th position after not pedalling for a bit. Not a bad way to spend her birthday...we had to keep
TT on my bike, she went pretty well but had a slight mechanical at 4km to go as the shifter slipped out of the bar end as she hit a speed bu,p at 50km/hr it kind of freaked her and she tried to put it back in while coasting on the downhill but still salvaged 12th position after not pedalling for a bit. Not a bad way to spend her birthday...we had to keep
Aaron in the middle, RWR Elite National Champ!
celebrations to a minimum as the weekend was pretty busy, but we'll eat some cake soon.
Her road race started off the gun, I rode up part of the course to watch the women's field that shattered in the first 10km. It came to a bunch sprint at the end and Tasha got boxed in and finished up 11th. She said she had to start her sprint late as she knew where she wanted to be but just couldn't get there. Good thing is she realizes that the tittle was there and a few little changes here and there and she would have been in it for the win, even in a group kick.
Mens race. Well...I'm still shocked. All week, I've been preparing myself for the possibility of winning the title. I knew it was possible, I believed in myself and I was not scared to risk loosing it in order to win it. Aaron and I drove to the course together in the morning and went over some scenarios and we discussed what the best case would be. He basically asked me how he could contribute to help me win. So we set up our game plan and let it roll. It played out perfect the tempo oin the first climb was super easy, the main thing we were worried about is the race going off too fast and Aaron not being there in the first little bit as too many people would be in the way. I was right at the front on the first climb, as in first wheel I wanted to attack, but as I didn't see Aaron, I just waited and let others play it out. SO I started covering and some moves went, Aaron covered a few and then it just went. I tried to go across but guys were on my wheel and there was no way in hell I was just going to roll away. I tried a few more times to go across, but the numbers just didn't work and I just let it go. I was a perfect scenario, have a guy in the break, sit on, counter if it gets caught. Although you would think that rolling in the pack is easy, it's still pretty hard, especially when the surges in speed are just so taxing.
Anyways, gap goes up to 8 minutes, I smile, I know that there is a bout a 60% that they will stay away, the gap goes to ten minutes, I was about 90% sure that it was going to stick. So I covered moves and just let Aaron do his thing. Boy did he ever, although he didn't win the sprint, he came 4th, but he ends up being the Elite National Champion. So RWR colors fly the National Jersey for 364 more days and Aaron has to figure out if he is going to go to Worlds, get carded by sprot Canada, good thing it's not an Olympic year or else he'd have to go to London!
Man, who knew? Well turns out I did. Oz Bakker was also in the break and I knew those guys would roll it so hard. Obviously the guys from the other teams underestimated a bunch of guys they have never heard of.
In a perfect scenario, I should have came 3rd in this race as I would have had a ticket to sit on the guys chasing, but a lot of attacks can happen during 180 km's and I did alot. You may not hear about it on Canadian Cyclist or Pedal, you may not see any pictures, but I know I did a good job and although I wanted to win, Aaron is great guy he has been at this forever and I'm glad that I have contributed to help him win the biggest race of his career and truely the crowning moment in his Cycling career.
I'll tell you why it happened though. It's because we were both willing to let the other win and we both had the ability to do it in different ways. Neither of us were selfish, we just stuck to the plan and did what we had to do. Good on Osmand for coming 2nd as well. I know there has been some friction between the clubs and personalities and stuff, but all that BS aside, he's super strong and as far as racing hard goes, man the guy races hard...so good on him.
Not bad for a bunch of 30 so0mething guys with full time jobs and families. Aslo notes that Warrnen Mac cracked the top group in the TT and rolled in 5-6th I was told, I hadn't looked at the results yet.
So yah, that's how I see it. It was kind of wiered though casue after the break went I just had a feeling that it wasn't really the DSJ day...I felt it during the week, but I wanted to win under sunny skies, like I always do...crazy, I know but I would rather win the sun.
Last thing...as an aside, I did manage finishing 7th in the Elite race, so actually that's somehow a really great result as well. But funny enough I cracked pretty bad and cramped up during the last lap and I was dead last in the second group and a few guys opened up gaps that were just a little too big and I got caught. But I just waited and drove it at the right time and somehow made it back to the first group then rode right through them. So moral of that story, even when you feel like shit just hold on, don't panic cause maybe you just need a few minutes and everything will work out.
DSJ
Monday, June 22, 2009
RWR take Preston St Crit!
The RWR SQUAD put in a good day and showed the colors yesterday on Preston st.
i casually rolled down to Preston st to see local junior Matteo win the junior race in style, off the front, so maybe I had a little inspiration. The second race of the day had Robbie O rolling in the break and just missing out on the win, even after almost everyone from the break crashed at one point during the rainstorm that was almost choreographed to the start and finish of the second race. I was little worried about the 140 lbs of pressure in the 21 mm tires I was rolling , so had to hit the eject valve and rode a modest 110 as there was a 4 foot cobble stretch across the last corner that did not agree with 3mm of tire contact at 50km/hr...especially if it rained.
The funny thing is, the bigger the race, the less nervous I become, World Cup, Nationals, Tour de Beauce, NO PROBLEM...BUT LOCAL RACE, I GET A LITTLE NERVOUS. Maybe it's because over the last couple years I've had to train through a lot of the races, or i just have trouble bringing the intensity that fires me up at bigger events. So I guess the pressure that I was feeling was cause there was really no excuse. Really, it's June, I'm fresh off Beauce, Nationals next week...this is my time, there was 1000$ for an hours work, you 'd have to be a little silly not to want to go well. That being said, it's never easy to win and obviously they are not just going to let me ride away.
I will have to say that who ever thought of getting Aaron to ride with us is brilliant as it really changes the dynamic of the racing. Not only is it one less guy to chase down, but it's one of the strongest guys working with you and not against you. Coupled with Glen having some good form from 6:1 ration RWR plan(for every 6 hours racing do approx 1 hour training) and G Reain throwing down some Blue Steel attacks, it makes for a wicked strong team.
We had a rough plan of what we wanted to do for the race, basically what we did on Tuesday night's dress rehearsal Bill Patterson Memorial. I thought maybe we let the cat of the bag but I guess no one was paying attention, cause it was a pretty familiar move. Anyways that's not to say I didn't attack about 87 times trying to stir the pot, but it would not have been possible without Glen, Greg and Aaron.
I'm not sure if you could see the little nuances from the sidelines, but the little things like Glen going to the front at the start to single file it, Aaron just lighting it up making hard to just hold the wheel, let alone attack, Greg's perfectly times attacks and tactful positioning in the the rotations, these are the things that make bike racing fun! To have a loose plan (like a wizards sleeve) then to actually execute it, man it like a good trance song, like Tiesto live at the Gellderdome, it just doesn't get much better than that. Sure it's one thing to win a sprint, but anyone that knows me, knows that that is the way that I like to win with "no else in the photo". Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but when it does it's sweet.
I don't really remember what lap I went off on but it was after Aaron was driving it and I do remember a few key thoughts going through my head. One was "why did you put yourself in this situation, again, you know this is going to hurt", the other was "you like to hurt, this is why you do this, this is why you can win, cause no one else wants to hurt like this right now,"...luckily that latter voice triumphed and and I just rode at 90-95% until i heard JS was closing the gap then I rode outside of myself for a bit, so much that as I had been pedaling through all the corners I clipped a pedal on the first corner. Funny enough it was just like a little fart at your in laws and I just pretended it didn't happen. "What? That wasn't me". It got really hard for a few laps but the damage was done and there was no way they could close, with 2 laps to go go i knew for sure it was mine. I must have looked back 16 times though on one lap as I was a little panicked about only having 10 seconds, but the RWR guys did the job and kept it from rolling down to low.
I did a couple double fist pumps with jersey zipped up tight and one final shoulder check a la cyclo cross to finish first in front of a very empathetic home town crowd in front of my friends, Natasha and my dad on Fathers day, so it was a big one for me. Especially since a few years ago I finished second just shy of the win, it's nice to come back and seal the deal. So i was pretty ecstatic with victory celebration across the line, I was pumped and just couldn't help the celebration.
DSJ
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