Belgians work really hard.

Our mechanic for the race yesterday was a Belgian named Peter. He works for USA Cycling as a mechanic for the National Team over in Belgium. He was at the house early in the morning and then at the race all day with us, including waiting over an hour after the race ended to collect prize money. He had to rush home though because he had work to do at the bike shop, which he owns. Although, he also wanted to get to bed as soon as possible, because he had to get up early to go to work at the steel plant. What a relaxing Sunday.

Belgium

Lots of stuff to catch up on since I last wrote. I was in California for a little team camp. It was pretty good, got some good riding in on the new bike with the new guys. Everyone is super awesome and it was a good time. We did Merco stage race, which was a lot of fun and a good opener to the season. I felt decent not super awesome, but the team did well with John Bennett taking the best young rider jersey. I had a kind of rough day the last day, crashing and breaking my fork. I raced a bit longer on the spare bike but ended up getting in the car. Now I'm in Belgium for a two month long block with the US U23 team. I'm looking forward to it. Right now Belgium is pretty warm and sunny, but windy. Luckily we won't have to deal with it for too long, because in another day we're flying to Lucca, Italy to do a little training camp down there before the racing starts. I'll be having plenty of free time while I'm here so I'll do my best to keep the blog updated, in an effort to convince myself that people read this. Right now I've got a little cold but I think I'm on the upswing, so I'm pretty convinced for this camp in Italy. I've always wanted to go there and I've heard that just about everything in Lucca is awesome.

Ya gotta move up, it's getting hectic.

It's been a bit of a long month and a half, but this time next week I should be back in Boulder and have my broken jaw mostly behind me. Last Wednesday I had surgery to get some plates and screws that were in my jaw removed. Then tomorrow I get the final screws taken out. I am looking forward to being done with it. However, from that point onward things aren't really settling down, really just speeding up.

Unfortunately I'm only going to be in Boulder for about 10 days. I love it in Boulder, I love my apartment, I get motivated to train harder in Boulder seeing all the fast people. But yeah, I'll be in Boulder for 10 days with nothing to do but train. It's not as much time as I would've liked, but hopefully I can finally get one good block and get some fitness going. After that I'm going to California for 9 days for a camp with Cal-Giant. It should be really good, and I'm excited to meet everybody. All the interactions have been so professional so far. I don't want to come off like a jerk, though it could be far too late, but it's really awesome just not having to worry about things. Not having to worry about having a bike to ride, and not having to worry about booking flights. I should mention though that I would not have even been able to train for the past month and a half if it hadn't been for November Bicycles. They gave me a bike to ride and while I'm looking forward to getting my Specialized it has truly been a joy riding the November. There is something special about those grass roots companies that I think sometimes do a lot more for the sport than the big corporate engines. Check them out at www.novemberbicycles.com

After California I've got a lot of travel. I'm flying from California to Denver, then from Denver to DC. Then I'm at home at DC for one day to see a doctor. The next day, March 10, I fly from DC to Brussels, Belgium. I'll be in Belgium from March 11-May 9 racing with the National Team. My feelings about it are interesting I would say. For the past couple of years I wanted it so bad, and imagined how great it would feel once it happened. However, now that I am going in just a month I'm not sure how I feel about it. I wish I hadn't crashed and broken my jaw before going, most of all I am just unsure. I am excited, but at the same time I am nervous. But I have my schedule and it looks like a lot of good races, some hilly races so hopefully I can go fast in those. For anyone interested the schedule of races over there is:

March 20- GP Wilfried Pieters

March 27- Aalst-St. Truiden

April 8-10- Circuit des Ardennes

April 13- Cote Picarde

April 16- ZLM Tour

April 18- Zellik

April 24- Affligem

May 1- Hoboken

May 8- Circuit Wallonie

It should be good, and hopefully I'll return with some form rather than shattered to pieces.

new best song ever

I discovered a new sweet song. It helps me get pumped to slam it. I heard the grapevine that Andrew Talansky listens to it. So I figure that listening to this song is pretty much guaranteed to make me fast.

We are all a bunch of wimps.

I was driving last night down Military Rd. in Arlington, on my way to pick up my mom at the metro. It was dark and really cold out. I was complaining to myself how cold it was even just inside the car, when I saw coming the other way in the dark someone on their bike. Not someone out training just commuting home. When I thought about it I realized I see this stuff all the time, but just at that moment it really stuck with me. Maybe it was because the day before I had been out in the cold for three and half hours and seen a dozen recreational riders, that racers usually rip on, but not a single bike racer out training.

At this moment that I saw the rider coming towards coasting down a hill in the twenty degrees and dark I realized that most of us bike riders really are a bunch of wimps. Any time we do a cold ride we chalk it up as epic and talk for weeks about how funny it is that there were no "freds" out when we were doing our epic two hour ride in a partly overcast 35 degrees, with some super high wattage spin ups. All I can say is that these commuters are way more legit. They ride through rain and shine in the truest sense. Also, I am guessing that when they get home they do not brag to their girlfriend how hard core their commute was and how if they can just get 1 more watt per kilogram they really have a chance at winning tradezone next weekend.

Maybe it is time that us bike racers toughened up.

trainer trainer trainer

That is pretty much all that has been going on with me. It's not the most fun, but it actually has been surprisingly bearable. Most people that know me, in cycling, know I severely struggle with trainer riding. However, somehow the trainer has not been bothering me too much lately. It probably helps that it is 30 degrees and grey outside and the mountains are not calling my name.

It has been a rough couple of weeks. It is difficult going from living full time on my own to back at home with nothing to do and get out of the house. I think the recovery is going well though and I should be back to the normal routine soon enough. On January 21st I am headed out to Watsonville, California for the first little Cal Giant camp. I am looking forward to it, for anything just for a change of scenery. It should be fun though. I'm not sure I'm going to be riding with the team as the jaw will still be wired. I might just keep sticking to the trainer. There is not really any reason I can not ride outside. I guess I am just nervous that if I fall and hurt it I'll be stuck with these wires till mid-March, whereas by just riding the trainer for a few more weeks I can guarantee being back to normal by early February.

The team is having a second camp in February, which I will be back in normal condition for, so I am looking forward to that. Otherwise it has been great to be home with my family, and a pretty good couple of weeks so far. It's good to see Avery getting so fit! Except for that by the time my jaw is healed, he'll probably be shelling me.

It is weird to be at home doing not much, when everyone I know back in Boulder is starting up the spring semester. I was supposed to be in Tucson right now still training, but that changed. For the time being though, it is nice to not worry about school and focus on racing a little. I'm looking forward to getting the jaw behind me and getting back to making watts full time!

2010 in review

Some picture highlights from 2010.

In the spring I started racing collegiate, and it only seemed fitting that all the way out in Colorado, in my first collegiate race, I would get up the road with a friend from years past...and of course get dominated in the sprint by that friend. Like I said, only fitting.

CU at collegiate national championships in Madison, WI.

Making the news at Tour of Gila for stopping for a nature break on the side of the road. I certainly wasn't making headlines for my results, so might as well have had an impact somehow.

Making the winning break with Ben King at U23 nationals and riding like an idiot.

Sitting on logs can be fun when done with the right people.

I moved into my own apartment in Boulder, CO. It is pretty sweet except for that if I don't take out the trash no one does...except for Sam.

I thought my season was going to be over at Univest and that it was time to party! I guess I was wrong.

Camping in Crested Butte, CO.

Racing in Guatemala at the end of October, I've never suffered so much so late in the year.

Back on the bike, one week after getting hit by a truck in Tucson, AZ and breaking my jaw.

All in all 2010 was a pretty good year. It was a tough close of the year for me with getting hit by a truck and whatnot, but I'm doing ok now. Also, I'm thinking to try and improve the grammar on this site for 2011. Meaning I will be using things such as capitalization and maybe even some moderate punctuation, we'll see.