If every wednesday ride is EPIC-then when do epic rides stop being epic

Wednesday mornings we have been doing small group rides out of the East Bay. But today we expanded our horizons, to the peninsula. We started in San Bruno and headed south, doing Old La Honda, Haskins, Stage and Tunitas climbs, totaling 95 miles...but thats not really what made it epic...exploring roads and jumping fences(Andy ripping his shorts wide open) railing descents(like skyline) beautiful coastal views, and even an enormous chicken sandwich (from the Pescadero Market).  We always are having fun exploring, and our EPIC rides will never loose their luster.

Andy with his ass hanging out during a flat fix.

Greg and I waiting for Andy to fix his flat at Crystal Springs Reservoir

New site!

Heya!
I've now got my own site at www.ridetheinsideline.com
make sure you change your bookmark...I know EVERYONE has me bookmarked:)

Palomares ride

Went out today for an EPIC ride...one that even the Bike Snob would be impressed by. Headed out with Andy from La Farine (pastry stop#1) to meet up with the infamous White brothers in Lafayette. As we cruised along Slyline, Andy and I were astounded to come across another cyclist taking a poop on the side of the road...while his friend, holding his bike watched....gross!!(incident #1)

We met up with Russ(who is just coming back from a shattered collor bone) and Greg(comming off a broken FORK yesterday! riding his TT bike today) and set off for Sonol. Andy had found a road on google maps to explore just off Calaveras, and talked us into checking it out. Welch Creek was a nicely paved single lane that was the STEEPEST road I have ever ridden, with sections at 20%, I was begging for a Cripple Crank...It ended at a group of houses on a ridge, but had a nice view.


Lungs burning!

We then backtracked to Sonol, had lunch, and then continued west on 84. Its a highway, but has a nice shoulder on it...for about 500 feet...the rest of the time your riding the white line with 60mph traffic to the left. We got buzzed by Prius, and later a dumptruck that came within centimeters of cleaning us off the road...(incident #2+3)

Palomares was a good climb and turned us out in Castro Valley where we parted ways with the White Bros, and continued our death march through the hood. A stop in Montclair for an double espresso, and we somehow made it back to Albany...
Great ride-106mi-6.5hrs-8k ft climbing

Radio Shack

I have had a great "off-season" and been filling my free time recently with some creative projects, doing some drawing, making messenger bags, and some graphic design...in fact, I just printed my 2010 Thug Shack t-shirt featuring the old Astana crew(minus Contador of course) Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Chris Horner, Gert Steegmans, and Johan Bruyneel.

monday morning in the rain

Last week I took some photos with Michael Mejia as a sequence, and then I laced them together...looks really cool, but unfortunately it was wet, and I couldn't really rail the corner...but that is the plan for the next sequence...

“I don’t deserve this. I do everything right in the fucking sport and I don’t deserve this shit,” Evans told VeloNews at the Sierra Nevada summit.

So its been a while since I last posted...many things have changed in fact...Cadel Evens is now World Champion, but not after whining like a baby that he deserves more. Robert Gesink crashed in the Vuelta(also in the TdF)and was unable to improve on last years placing. Obama called Kanye West a Jackass. Chris King introduced a new road hub. And I took a 3 week break from my bike...yep 3 weeks, and now I feel ready to train through the winter...and then hit the early season races hard.
Me at Interbike in Las Vegas with Damon last month.

Just riding along...

I was just riding along, 58 minutes into the SF Giro, hanging out in the middle...then BANG!!! the buildings ricochet the deafening sound of a pinch flat. I rolled to a stop while everyone whizzed by on both sides and I walked off the course. I flatted on a coffin sized pothole right in the middle of the start/finish straightaway...end of the race and of the season. My front tire got a normal "snake bite" pinch flat, but my rear tire exploded off the rim. The tube shot out, and somehow wrapped around the cassette- into the freehub body, and around the derailleur...the bike wouldn't even move!

That race concluded my 2009 Season. In perspective, the season went well. I got a lot of racing experience, especially stage races like Mt. Hood where we raced with NRC level pros and I even launched my own attack. I learned so much this year, especially how to ride as an effective team, and about playing the right cards. Like when I dropped out of the break at Madera. I learned the most from my teammate Dan Martin who would break races down and would explain all the tactics.

I will always remember this year for all the flat tires....from back to back flats at Valley of the Sun, to Copperopolis, Winters, and now the SF Giro. Next year I'm trying different tires.

When I look at my goals from the beginning of the season, Im disappointed that I didnt do better at Cascade or San Dimas, or Pescadero, and I also didnt get my Cat 1 upgrade. But if it had been a perfect season, then why would I race again next year?!?! This way I have something to think about on those long, cold, winter training rides! I will train hard and come back stronger next year, and win some races! Im aiming to ride the TT bike a lot, and also do more climbing to get ready for next year.


I have enjoyed a safe and healthy season, and really look forward to next year...but only after a few weeks off the bike...

so whats been happening?

Winters Road Race
2 flat tires and no water...plus 100 deg heat pretty much sums it up.

Vacaville Crit
Another hot race, but a breeze kept it manageable. I had horrible starting position, but managed to move up using the hill and the technical corners, but then while shifting, my chain slipped off and I smacked my knee on the bars. I kept it upright, but ended up all the way at the back. Finished the race(unlike more than half the field) and rolled in 30th with a swollen knee.

Challenge Challenge(only 2 laps-but still 6500' of climbing)
3:30 "Wake up"
4am Leave Albany
Drive in random directions
6am Realize we are lost
6:30 Wake up Yuri and try to explain where we are
7am back on track to the race
7:30 pay $3 race entry for District Champion(SWEET!)
8:20 Ride really fast
11am Drop Anchor(cramping 10 miles from finish line on 11% grade)
11:30 Finish 9th
Drive Home

The SF Giro tomorrow may be my last race, feeling burned out. I really want to destroy this race, get in the late break, take the win with a last lap solo attack. We'll see how that works out...

Riding under the influence of espresso

I remember being a bit burned out and frustrated after a not so brilliant San Dimas stage race, but now, at the tail end of the season I'm in a different mood. It now takes the incentive of coffee or pastries just to get me out of bed, and more extreme measures to get me on my bike. New Oakley Jawbones, State Champ socks, Swiss stop brake pads, and even a new headset-top-cap just to get me on my bike. The season is almost over and just a handful of races left on the calendar. Many suit me well, like Challenge Road Race and the SF Giro, but they will require my top form and concentration.
I am at the lightest weight of the season at 154lbs and my power is not far off from where it was at Cascade, so all I need to do is ride out this "wave of burnout" and race some good races.


On another note, My friend Chris Lyman from Napa has finished up a phenomenal season, winning the Masters National TT, and multiple other TTs in the area. This week he competed in Masters World Championships in Austria, and placed 2nd in his age group! He averaged over 30mph! He has been really focusing on time trialing and even had a wind tunnel fitting earlier this year, and it has really paid off! Congrats Chris!

"Smoke expected to linger"

The Lockheed fire is burning only a couple miles from the University Road Race course in Santa Cruz, and is still only 80% contained. With the race this Sunday, and smoke in the air, it could get canceled? It is a very unique race, and I really hope to do well there, so it would suck if its smokey.
However, I am racing a pancake flat road race tomorrow in San Ardo...time for some gutter riding!

SAFEWAY State Champ Jersey

Pactimo has put together a really cool State Champ jersey for me(even has my name on the collar!)....sounds like 5 weeks till delivery, so I wont be able to wear it this year, but definitely looking forward to it.

Just 10 races left!

Still in search of some points towards my Cat 1 upgrade. This is also the time of year that Pro teams are building their team for 2010. So, good results are crucial at this point.

After a disappointing ride at Patterson pass I was a little burned out...a feeling I can vividly remember happening to me previously at the end of the season. But lately have been feeling pretty good, and had a good training ride today. I did a 3 hour road ride with some tough climbing intervals, followed by 1 hour on the TT bike with 2x10' intervals(Greg Lemond style). After already a hard ride, it was tough keeping the focus and the power where it needed to be, but I got through it!

Hope to finish of the season strong-

Nationals and Districts

After Cascade we stayed up in Bend at Carl Dekker's "House of Fun", complete with rally car and garage full of bikes. It was nice to hang around in Bend, we got to float the Duchutes river, watch some movies, explore the downtown and do a lot of eating....then some more racing.


U23 National Road Race (Bend, OR)

This was a BIG unknown. How will I race without teammates? How can my body operate in 100+ deg. heat? Will Garmin and Livestrong race like a team, or as individuals? Will it break up early? Stay together until mid race? Field sprint? How are 150 twitchy twenty-something year olds going to race for 120 miles?
The previous week I had nightmares of an early break going, and nobody wanting to ruin their chance by working to bring it back. "Everyone thinks they can win, but only 5 have the fitness" said Mike, my slightly older "twin brother". He was so right, it was such negative racing, people would all try and do zero work.
Unfortunately the race didnt go my way. On the first lap, there was a flurry of attacks, and I missed the one that actually stuck, but hey, there are still some strong guys in the group. So we roll around, following the break, leaving a trail of dehydrated riders in the extreme heat. I was having flashbacks of my dream as the break inched away, it felt like the race was over. Not even 30 miles in and I was out of it. I am still kicking myself for this. I missed the second selection.
I was now in the 3rd group, and slogged towards the finish in a discouraged paceline. I ended up 34th.
Next years Nationals will also be in Bend, and I will strive to learn from my mistakes, and get on that podium.

District Road Race(Monterey, CA)

I decided to head back to California in order to race the District Championships Road Race, and I knew that I had a chance at winning the U23 jersey. After a 12 hour drive, a 50 degree temperature/90% humidity swing, and minimal sleep, my body was quite unhappy. But, I held it together and progressively felt better as the race wore on. My teammate Johnathan Eropkin helped me out a lot by single-handedly driving the pace on the flat/rolling bits and we weeded out a lot of the field on the climbs...Including the last U23 rider with 3 laps to go.
I ended up 9th, second in the "field sprint" with 7 guys up the road including the winner Paul Mach. But even better I won the U23 catagory, entitling me to the State Champion jersey, a blingin' USA Cycling GOLD medal, and of course, a bright orange Velo Promo shirt.

So its not the jersey I wanted to end up with, but next year, I will be prepared for the "Nationals Mentality". Until then, Ill be rockin the California Bear
(I heard that I might get an uber custom Safeway/state champion jersey!)

Cascade Circuit

I found myself off the front with 5km to go at the top of the Archie Briggs Climb with 2 others and a few seconds gap to the strung out field. Then the guys just sat up. Story of the race. Everyone wanted to be in a break, but nobody would work.

I felt strong the entire race and positioned myself well into all the climbs. But on the last laps climb I knew that people would be tired and that would be the only time to make a selection that had a chance at going to the line. I just put my head down and DRILLED it up the steep/alternating climb. At the top I looked back to see 2 others with me, but they had no intention of working...we got caught easily on the rolling windy section towards the finish. Everyone battled to get through the roundabout in good position and I got stuffed to the back, but then pushed my way up the gutter. I still felt good. As we passed the 1km sign, the pace faltered and saw my chance, I hit it at 110% up the gutter on a 3% grade. NO LOOKING BACK! I made it to the next narrow roundabout and hoped there would be mayhem behind me because I was fading fast. I looked between my legs at 200m and could see wheels fast approaching. It was over.

Quick Update

tired after the TT

So, I have figured out how this cat 2 field is working....nobody can keep their bike upright, teams don't work as a "Team", and breaks will stick because nobody will get organized. A break stuck in the road race and the crit! So now I will put all my energy into getting into the right break tomorrow (70mi circuit race) and go for the stage win and some time if we can get the gap.

BREAKING NEWS:I didnt fail the TT! something I have been working on a bit over the last couple months, and I only lost about a minute today! Im getting better!
I borrowed some ZIPP wheels for some extra confidence, they look pretty sick!