George Hincapie - Paris Roubaix
Hoping I don't pull one of these
Rouge Roubaix
The view from my recent ride at the Hampton Inn. So Glamorous
Monday, December 19, 2011
It's On!
Hunting season is officially over for me and it's time to start generating some power. The first race of the season is merely two months away on February 25th and luckily enough, in Little Rock. Woohoo! Two weeks after the Little Rock event, Rouge Roubaix will be next on my hit list. For those of you not familiar, it's our Southern version of Paris Roubaix, the famous road race across northern France that occurs over some of the worst cobbled roads Europe has to offer. It's an epic event that tests legs, machine and spirit. Since we don't have cobbled roads here in the south, our friends in Baton Rouge substitute with gravel roads combined with steep sandy hills. This will be my first Rouge Roubaix but I have a lot of friends who have raced it many times and the stories are all the same... "Best race I've ever done! It Sucked!!!!" How those two statements can make it out of the same mouth at the same time confound me, so I have to see it for myself. 106 miles with at least 20 miles of hilly gravel roads and a top Masters field. Bring it!
So the training begins in earnest and I'm feeling good compared to what I normally feel like this time of year. I haven't been riding much but my thrice weekly strength and conditioning workouts with Alan, the meanest man in Little Rock, Thompson, have given me some fitness I haven't seen since my early 20s. It's also that time of the year when the lights are placed on my road bike and the trainer rides begin, which completely suck btw. I love riding outside but some nights, it's just too nasty to ride and the thought of riding indoors is more appealing that enduring the elements.... I know, hard to believe but I'm getting soft in my middle age.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Amanda's first hunting trip
For those of you who have children, and especially teenage girls, you know exactly how challenging it can be to stay close to them and feel as though they are hearing us as parents. I have two beautiful daughters, one who has recently started college and an aspiring interior designer. The other a 14 year old who just started high school. I've been a lucky as a father and only had to endure a little of the teenage angst years. My girls were so cute and sweet prior to puberty kicking in and to be honest, when my oldest daughter started testing her boundaries, I really wasn't sure how to handle it. With my youngest, and I think many parents can relate to this, she received the benefit of my mistakes with her older sister. I still have high expectations and requirements for my youngest, Amanda, but I've learned to be more calm and understanding in the process of teaching her. The benefit has been I have an absolutely wonderful relationship with both my girls but now my youngest is entering what is arguably the most important time of her life, I have an opportunity to relate and teach her things that will help her cope with life with a little grace and strength.
Amanda has grown up in the rare air of Colorado and what can be described as a somewhat odd culture made up of people from around the country. The local culture in Colorado is a strange mix that ultimately centers around outdoor sports... which is great, but not very warm and inviting as a culture that has evolved from a long history, namely that of Southern Culture.
Amanda has developed an increasing fondness for the south, and in particular, my home town Little Rock, Arkansas. Amanda, like many "babies" of the family, has no trouble making friends and being the center of attention. Ever since she was a toddler, she has displayed the ability to laugh and make others laugh.... not always at the most appropriate of times, but by golly, she knows how to live with a smile on her face. So it should come as no surprise she has made many friends during her frequent visits to Little Rock over the years.
This past summer, Amanda started cycling with me and some of the friends she has made over the years. It took a few weeks, but she adapted to the oppressive heat and started to enjoy the thought of going out with good friends and basking in the after fatigue of a hard ride. Ever since her return to Colorado, she has been begging for a road bike and has somehow talked Triathlete legend and 348 time winner of Ironman Hawaii, Dave Scott, into coaching her, for free! This girl has skills... she will one day be a great "something" based solely on her ability to talk people into doing what she wants.
Now, for those who know me, I have two seasons in my life... Cycling and archery hunting. I'm smack dab in the middle of archery deer season right now, which, oddly enough, happens to be at the end of the season too. It won't be long and I'll be throwing my leg over the bike and logging the miles once again. But for now, its me, a tree stand and by trusty bow, trying to bring home some venison.
Amanda flew to Little Rock for the Thanksgiving Holiday this past Thursday night. No sooner had I rousted her out of bed Friday morning and we were off to hunting camp. My goal was to spend some quality time and teach her a little about the hunting heritage and how it benefits not only ourselves, but wildlife in general. I was a little surprised when she said she wanted to actually hunt and not just go to hang out and ride 4 wheelers.
Who knew Camo could look so beautiful
So, our first night in the blind and the deer were not liking the windy conditions and waited until the last possible moment to come out to feed. We had three does come within 150 yards and I prepared Amanda to take her first shot on a deer. Once she had a clear and safe shot, she hesitated and the deer moved into a bad position. She said, "Dad, I'm scared." I reassured her that we all had those feelings when the moment of truth came and that it was normal to feel that way. I also let her know that she didn't have to do this if she really didn't want to. Her comment was, "Dad, I'm scared of the noise the gun makes, not of shooting the deer!" Well, long story short, the three deer wandered out of sight but no sooner had they left our area when two more came in. The biggest of the two does presented a perfect shot for my little girl, who I affectionately refer to as "Peanut." With a little coaching and encouragement, she overcame her fear of the noise and recoil, and squeezed the trigger for what was an absolutely perfect shot. We watched the deer fall after only two seconds and I now prepared myself to console my daughter for what was inevitably going to be some remorse, which is totally natural. I looked at her and I have never seen someone so happy and proud. No doubt I was equally, if not more proud of her. What I haven't mentioned to this point is, Amanda has never fired a weapon of any sort before tonight. All it took was a little coaching prior to getting into the blind that night and she displayed cool, calm and a true hunter instinct. More importantly though, we were able to share this moment together, which for me, will go down as one of the greatest days of my life.
Before our first hunt together
After the hunt and just before Amanda excused herself from the not so glamorous part of hunting.
We cooked up some of the Tenders last night for what was an incredibly delicious meal. My brother and sister in law browned some Tenderloin medalions and served in a white wine reduction cream sauce along with wild rice. "Great" doesn't begin to describe how good this was. Also, for those of you who have never liked wild game because of the gamey flavor, I'm here to tell you that gameness is a function of how the animal is processed. Treat it like a butcher would and you'll get the same result. Treat it poorly and you'll get the same poor taste. We know how to handle our deer and we treat them with the respect they deserve. We're rewarded with a low fat lean meat that has eaten only natural browse and have never had an injection of anything to keep them healthy and artificially increase their weight. What more can you ask?
Dinner never tasted so good. Subscribe to my blog and I'll be happy to send you the recipe.
We spent another night in the blind together to end a fantastic weekend and were fortunate to see a lot of deer. Amanda learned more about wildlife and how we can successfully interact with our environment. Now it's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving with family and count the many blessings we are so fortunate to have.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Please drive safely and remember what is truly important in life, health, family and truly good friends.
Cheers,
JD
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Oklahoma State Road Race Championships
I've been riding fairly well lately and given I have a new team and a bolus injection of motivation, I decided to do one last race this season. The team I recently joined is based mostly out of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma in general and they had their State Road Race Championships the other weekend. Not living in Oklahoma and having no aspirations to do well in the race, I thought it would be fun to drive up and race with the guys one last time before off season had us going in different directions and the the gun goes off again in early March. Considering myself to be a team player and teammate extraordinaire, this race was the perfect event to selflessly lay my efforts on the line for the local guys in hopes we can win a state champion jersey or two. No pressure at all, just race for the guys and have fun.
Masters racing is generally raced in age group categories with a variety of talent and skill levels mixed in to each. State Championships follow this age defined format and all age categories are mixed in together, at least for this event. It can be nice having all masters together especially when it provides us with a large field, but the racing can be very confusing when breaks are being established and teams are trying to figure out if they are properly represented. So paying attention to what's going on is critical to being successful.
The race began with a 4 mile neutral roll-out through the town of Shawnee which was a little odd riding slow for so long at the beginning of a race. But, given the congestion on this side of town, it was the smart thing to do and provided a nice relaxing start to the day. It was a cool morning with temps in the 60's so I was feeling great and ready to rumble from the moment we left the start venue. Once we hit the official start line on the northern edge of town just beyond I-40, our team leader and freakishly strong Peter Erdoes attacks, no doubt feeling good in the cool temps and wanting to get the show started. I don't think Peter was looking at soloing for 50 miles to the finish but the effort payed off and now the race was on and the attacks were coming. The harder the race the easier it is to get a selection of riders off the front. I wasn't warmed up yet but with a light tailwind, the fast tempo was pretty easy to handle. I spent the next 17 miles marking and chasing breaks until we finally had a good breakaway established with the guys we knew had a high chance of winning the State jerseys for the 40 and 50 age group categories. Myself and a few of the other OKC Velo Pirates patrolled the front of the main field and insured that if anyone wanted to chase the break down, they were going to have to tow us up the road without any help. The tactic worked to perfection and the break finally got a large enough gap that any would-be chasers were demoralized and mostly stopped their attacking.
The course eventually turned us back to the south heading in towards Shawnee and into a nice headwind with about 17 miles to go. Now that we had an established break, I thought I would reward myself with either a field sprint or a short breakaway towards the end. One of my teammates started attacking into the headwind and I joined him at about mile 35 but it was short lived and it was groupo compacto yet again. It wasn't for long though as attacks from other teams started going up the road with everyone now hoping to redeem their race by gaining some margin over the peloton in the finale. I followed every attack into the headwind and rolling hills and my legs were starting to feel the days efforts. If I was going to attack this group with 3 miles to go, as I had been planning, I was going to need to recover and drink a lot. I finished off my last bottle of Infinite with about 4 miles to go and then more attacks started going up the road. I chased them down in hopes of getting a gap and only having to sprint a few guys at the finish rather than the entire field. Nothing was getting away this late in the race and so it was apparent we were headed for a field sprint.
The course turned right (north) for the final two miles and we had a nice tailwind to aid us along and help keep the pace high. I had figured out which guy I was going to mark in the sprint... it was a small hispanic guy that hadn't seen the front of the group all morning so I figured he was fresh and, well, he just looked fast (you can see him in the background of the final sprint photo with the neon yellow helmet.) One of our guys went to the front with a mile to go and put some serious pressure on the pedals which kept the speed high enough no one was going to be able to get away. One guy did manage to get off the front of our group but we reeled him in quickly... at least I knew this guy was now toast and out of contention for the sprint so one less person to worry about with 200 meters to go. Now, for those of you who know me, I'm not much of a sprinter... it's just not what I do. However, when the finish of the race is long and fairly straight and I have a fast lead-up to the final 200 meters, I can occasionally throw down a decent effort. This course was perfect for me and I knew I had a good chance of winning from this group. Two miles of straight wide road with a tailwind and slight uphill finish, yep, I'm gonna give this one a go. So now that I've decided I'm going to win the sprint, it was just a matter of following the right wheels until 100 meters to go and pour on the gas for my final surge. However, with 250 meters left to race, I was in about 5th or 6th position when everyone started looking at each other to make final move. When this happens, the group starts slowing down and I was close to losing my advantage of having a fast lead-up. At 200 meters I decided I was going to have to lead this sprint out, which wasn't the smartest tactical move but if I could get a good gap then everyone would have to chase me down and then still have to get around me at the end. Which is almost exactly what happened when I jumped. I was in the perfect gear for the uphill grade and got a nice lead on almost everyone. What I didn't know was there was a guy from Tulsa that jumped at the same time but on the other side of the road. I thought I had a huge lead on everyone and didn't realize this guy was hot on my wheel until the final 50 meters and then it was a bike throw for the win. I managed to beat him by a few inches. Now that was fun!
The race could not have gone much better. OKC Velo won every category in the Masters event with John LaSorsa taking the 40+, Peter Erdoes 50+ and Gary Ziegler winning the 60+. We also filled many of the other podium spots so all in all, it was a very successful race and a great way to officially end the season. Now it's time to begin the off season training program in preparation for my first event in early March, Rouge Roubaix... 106 mile road race with about 30 miles of dirt/gravel roads and steep hills in Louisiana. No more pecan pie for me.
The race began with a 4 mile neutral roll-out through the town of Shawnee which was a little odd riding slow for so long at the beginning of a race. But, given the congestion on this side of town, it was the smart thing to do and provided a nice relaxing start to the day. It was a cool morning with temps in the 60's so I was feeling great and ready to rumble from the moment we left the start venue. Once we hit the official start line on the northern edge of town just beyond I-40, our team leader and freakishly strong Peter Erdoes attacks, no doubt feeling good in the cool temps and wanting to get the show started. I don't think Peter was looking at soloing for 50 miles to the finish but the effort payed off and now the race was on and the attacks were coming. The harder the race the easier it is to get a selection of riders off the front. I wasn't warmed up yet but with a light tailwind, the fast tempo was pretty easy to handle. I spent the next 17 miles marking and chasing breaks until we finally had a good breakaway established with the guys we knew had a high chance of winning the State jerseys for the 40 and 50 age group categories. Myself and a few of the other OKC Velo Pirates patrolled the front of the main field and insured that if anyone wanted to chase the break down, they were going to have to tow us up the road without any help. The tactic worked to perfection and the break finally got a large enough gap that any would-be chasers were demoralized and mostly stopped their attacking.
The course eventually turned us back to the south heading in towards Shawnee and into a nice headwind with about 17 miles to go. Now that we had an established break, I thought I would reward myself with either a field sprint or a short breakaway towards the end. One of my teammates started attacking into the headwind and I joined him at about mile 35 but it was short lived and it was groupo compacto yet again. It wasn't for long though as attacks from other teams started going up the road with everyone now hoping to redeem their race by gaining some margin over the peloton in the finale. I followed every attack into the headwind and rolling hills and my legs were starting to feel the days efforts. If I was going to attack this group with 3 miles to go, as I had been planning, I was going to need to recover and drink a lot. I finished off my last bottle of Infinite with about 4 miles to go and then more attacks started going up the road. I chased them down in hopes of getting a gap and only having to sprint a few guys at the finish rather than the entire field. Nothing was getting away this late in the race and so it was apparent we were headed for a field sprint.
The course turned right (north) for the final two miles and we had a nice tailwind to aid us along and help keep the pace high. I had figured out which guy I was going to mark in the sprint... it was a small hispanic guy that hadn't seen the front of the group all morning so I figured he was fresh and, well, he just looked fast (you can see him in the background of the final sprint photo with the neon yellow helmet.) One of our guys went to the front with a mile to go and put some serious pressure on the pedals which kept the speed high enough no one was going to be able to get away. One guy did manage to get off the front of our group but we reeled him in quickly... at least I knew this guy was now toast and out of contention for the sprint so one less person to worry about with 200 meters to go. Now, for those of you who know me, I'm not much of a sprinter... it's just not what I do. However, when the finish of the race is long and fairly straight and I have a fast lead-up to the final 200 meters, I can occasionally throw down a decent effort. This course was perfect for me and I knew I had a good chance of winning from this group. Two miles of straight wide road with a tailwind and slight uphill finish, yep, I'm gonna give this one a go. So now that I've decided I'm going to win the sprint, it was just a matter of following the right wheels until 100 meters to go and pour on the gas for my final surge. However, with 250 meters left to race, I was in about 5th or 6th position when everyone started looking at each other to make final move. When this happens, the group starts slowing down and I was close to losing my advantage of having a fast lead-up. At 200 meters I decided I was going to have to lead this sprint out, which wasn't the smartest tactical move but if I could get a good gap then everyone would have to chase me down and then still have to get around me at the end. Which is almost exactly what happened when I jumped. I was in the perfect gear for the uphill grade and got a nice lead on almost everyone. What I didn't know was there was a guy from Tulsa that jumped at the same time but on the other side of the road. I thought I had a huge lead on everyone and didn't realize this guy was hot on my wheel until the final 50 meters and then it was a bike throw for the win. I managed to beat him by a few inches. Now that was fun!
Final 50 meters... the guy from Tulsa on picture left.
Almost there
Just a few more strokes
Bike Throw!
That was close
Monday, September 19, 2011
Playing in the dirt
Spent the weekend trimming tree stands and getting the final touches completed at hunting camp before Arkansas' archery season opens in a couple of weeks. There's something about hunting, but even more so about the process of getting ready to hunt, that is very therapeutic... and therapy is something I needed this past week. Hard work in the outdoors and in preparation for something as time honored and part of human existence as hunting, has a way of clearing the cobwebs and cleansing the soul. Who would have thought that getting dirty and playing outside could do so much personal liberating? But then again, isn't that what we did as kids growing up? My friends and I were the kings of fort building and crawdad fishing when we were young (are your ears burningTony Pahls?). We built our forts in trees, on the ground, and even under ground once, until the land owner caught us and kicked us off his property. I guess it's no big stretch to figure out that hunting as an adult is just an extension of what we valued in childhood.
Camp/Fort is pretty much ready for the season now. All we need is cool weather and the sun to sink a little lower in the southern sky. Now it's time to shoot the bow and get the gear ready for the season. That won't be fun at all :)
I've had these Justin's for a while now but haven't been able to bring myself to wear them because they looked so new. They're finally coming around and almost worthy of wearing out in public.
Camp/Fort is pretty much ready for the season now. All we need is cool weather and the sun to sink a little lower in the southern sky. Now it's time to shoot the bow and get the gear ready for the season. That won't be fun at all :)
Thursday, September 15, 2011
I'm # 1
I studied interpersonal and organizational communication in college and one of the first things they taught us was every person, report, story or statistic is biased. I don't mean to burst any bubbles out there, but we all have accents, (yes, even you guys that live in the mid-west and California) and we're all biased to one degree or another.
For once though, I'd like to believe something without having to bring into question potential problems with the information at hand. In particular, I'd like to accept my most recent ranking as a #1 Cat 3 and Masters road racer without really having to put any thought or rationality into it and especially without delving into the details. I just want to celebrate this honor with a couple of cold ones and a great party thrown by all my family and friends. Its time to revel in the lime light of being the best, numero uno, the Dali Lama, #1! Yes, #1. Ok, so it's not that simple and you'll have to dig a little deeper into this blog to see what I'm talking about. However, my #1 ranking for Cat 3 road, criterium, time trial and stage racing within my zip code are dead on the money and you'll be hard pressed to create a valid argument otherwise. My zip code, 72207, a true bastion of cycling. I know this is absolutely true because Mike Mattox (aka Michele Zampone), Chuck Emmons, Brendan Quirk and Roger Mangham, among others, all live in other zip codes here in Little Rock. Hunter is a Cat 1 so he doesn't count (until you see the Masters rankings and you'll notice I've been demoted to #2 within the US Postal Service's area detail.) But that's ok, we can't always be the best and I'll take my pill when I have to. Just as long as I get credit for being the #1 Cat 3 in all road disciplines within zip code 72207.
So hell yes, I'll take my gold medal now Mr USA Cycling representative of zip code 72207. And a Stars and Stripes jersey would be nice too. I promise to only wear the jersey when I'm racing within the zip code, really, I promise.
Here are my actual complete rankings for all you Stats guys and gals out there. Oh, and if there was any doubt as to the depth of the Masters racing in this country, see below for just how competitive it really is.
2011 Ranking Report for J McCay
For once though, I'd like to believe something without having to bring into question potential problems with the information at hand. In particular, I'd like to accept my most recent ranking as a #1 Cat 3 and Masters road racer without really having to put any thought or rationality into it and especially without delving into the details. I just want to celebrate this honor with a couple of cold ones and a great party thrown by all my family and friends. Its time to revel in the lime light of being the best, numero uno, the Dali Lama, #1! Yes, #1. Ok, so it's not that simple and you'll have to dig a little deeper into this blog to see what I'm talking about. However, my #1 ranking for Cat 3 road, criterium, time trial and stage racing within my zip code are dead on the money and you'll be hard pressed to create a valid argument otherwise. My zip code, 72207, a true bastion of cycling. I know this is absolutely true because Mike Mattox (aka Michele Zampone), Chuck Emmons, Brendan Quirk and Roger Mangham, among others, all live in other zip codes here in Little Rock. Hunter is a Cat 1 so he doesn't count (until you see the Masters rankings and you'll notice I've been demoted to #2 within the US Postal Service's area detail.) But that's ok, we can't always be the best and I'll take my pill when I have to. Just as long as I get credit for being the #1 Cat 3 in all road disciplines within zip code 72207.
So hell yes, I'll take my gold medal now Mr USA Cycling representative of zip code 72207. And a Stars and Stripes jersey would be nice too. I promise to only wear the jersey when I'm racing within the zip code, really, I promise.
Here are my actual complete rankings for all you Stats guys and gals out there. Oh, and if there was any doubt as to the depth of the Masters racing in this country, see below for just how competitive it really is.
| YOUR CROSS COUNTRY MASTER STANDINGS | |
|---|---|
| 3 | Rank in your zip code (72207) |
| 24 | Rank in your state (AR) |
| 3 | Rank in your riding age (48) |
| 16 | Rank in 5 year age range (45-49) |
| 50 | Rank in 10 year age range (40-49) |
| 123 | Overall Rank |
| YOUR CRITERIUM CAT 3 STANDINGS | |
| 1 | Rank in your zip code (72207) |
| 2 | Rank in your state (AR) |
| 16 | Rank in your riding age (48) |
| 122 | Rank in 5 year age range (45-49) |
| 204 | Rank in 10 year age range (40-49) |
| 514 | Overall Rank |
| YOUR CRITERIUM MASTER STANDINGS | |
| 2 | Rank in your zip code (72207) |
| 24 | Rank in your state (AR) |
| 111 | Rank in your riding age (48) |
| 614 | Rank in 5 year age range (45-49) |
| 1219 | Rank in 10 year age range (40-49) |
| 2734 | Overall Rank |
| YOUR INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL CAT 3 STANDINGS | |
| 1 | Rank in your zip code (72207) |
| 4 | Rank in your state (AR) |
| 7 | Rank in your riding age (48) |
| 48 | Rank in 5 year age range (45-49) |
| 76 | Rank in 10 year age range (40-49) |
| 239 | Overall Rank |
| YOUR INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL MASTER STANDINGS | |
| 2 | Rank in your zip code (72207) |
| 17 | Rank in your state (AR) |
| 75 | Rank in your riding age (48) |
| 381 | Rank in 5 year age range (45-49) |
| 702 | Rank in 10 year age range (40-49) |
| 1822 | Overall Rank |
| YOUR ROAD RACE CAT 3 STANDINGS | |
| 1 | Rank in your zip code (72207) |
| 16 | Rank in your state (AR) |
| 15 | Rank in your riding age (48) |
| 107 | Rank in 5 year age range (45-49) |
| 306 | Rank in 10 year age range (40-49) |
| 1301 | Overall Rank |
| YOUR ROAD RACE MASTER STANDINGS | |
| 2 | Rank in your zip code (72207) |
| 18 | Rank in your state (AR) |
| 46 | Rank in your riding age (48) |
| 249 | Rank in 5 year age range (45-49) |
| 453 | Rank in 10 year age range (40-49) |
| 1113 | Overall Rank |
| YOUR STAGE RACE CAT 3 STANDINGS | |
| 1 | Rank in your zip code (72207) |
| 1 | Rank in your state (AR) |
| 6 | Rank in your riding age (48) |
| 24 | Rank in 5 year age range (45-49) |
| 38 | Rank in 10 year age range (40-49) |
| 85 | Overall Rank |
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
A New Team
This Saturday marked the beginning of a new team and the ending of this season... or so I'm thinking at this point. There was a time in the not so distant past when I refused to see myself racing as a Master level cyclist. Although my passport keeps telling me I'm in my late 40's, my easily persuaded ego keeps convincing me that I'm a 28 year old Cat 3 (actually I am a Cat 3, just no where near 28) and poised to "cat up" to a 2 and race alongside our country's most promising amateur racers. This past spring, I decided to do my first Masters race thinking it would be an easier introduction to the racing season given my late start to training, which began in earnest towards the end of February. What I found was Masters racers are fast as hell! Most of these guys are Cat 1 and 2 USA Cycling road racers as well as a bunch of strong Cat 3s. They almost all have a ton of experience, which means they know how to make you hurt and when to do it so you suffer the most. This season I've raced against an ex world track champion and an ex Olympic gold medalist and a bunch of other guys that are just plain strong, for any age. So after experiencing Masters level racing and just how much fun and difficult it was, I decided to make an effort to establish myself with the regional masters ranks and start knocking out some strong results. I knew it was going to take a lot of work and it's been since 1994 since I raced with any consistency. Oh yeah, it was going to take a LOT of work.
So now we're at the end of the 2011 season and I've switched teams and joined forces with the OKC Velo Masters Team on the coat tails of my good friend Hunter East. If you know Hunter, you'll understand what I'm talking about. If you don't know Hunter, google him and you'll see his name at the top of a lot of race results (He was the top ranked Masters road racer in the country a few years ago.) Hunter is a talented and very hard working friend who happens to share my love of cycling and bow hunting. Yes, you heard me, bow hunting. It may sound odd to some of you but the two have a lot in common and while I'd love to s'plain myself in more detail, it would require a lot more words than I have time to put down in this blog today. Having this unique blend of sporting passions as well as some similar outlooks on life and living, Hunter and I have forged a close friendship and one we wanted to share as teammates. So, Hunter and I are now on the same team with a great group of guys that are loosely based out of Oklahoma City. OKC Velo races primarily in the south central and KC areas and every year fields a potential national champion or two. They're good.
Everything was in place with OKC Velo and now it was time to communicate my change of teams to some of my teammates and friends at CARVE, which proved more difficult to do than originally thought. Not that they were being difficult about my turncoating, it's just that I'm a very loyal guy and making any split like this one can be challenging for me. However, after all of the formalities were completed, it was time for Hunter and I to drive up to the Har Ber Meadows Criterium in Springdale, AR for what should be our last race of the season. I was eager to prove myself as a selfless teammate with our new brothers in arms and after some brief pow wowing, we had a race plan in place and I knew what I had to do to get our team the Win.
As we lined up for the start of the short 40 minute race, I noticed some very strong riders in our bunch and a large field to boot. I love larger fields as it keeps the race fast and interesting and also a good place to hide when you need a rest. We had 7 OKC guys at the start line and it was time to have some fun racing with a plan. The race started out quick and I was well positioned to chase down the first lone attacker and did so easily as he was right next to me when he went off the front. All I had to do was stand up out of the saddle and accelerate to his wheel and off we went. The guy made a great effort and we got a decent gap quickly of about 10 or 20 seconds. After about a lap, he looked around and motioned me to pull through and do my share of the work. He wasn't very happy when I shook my head and told him it wasn't in the plan for OKC Velo today and I wouldn't be helping him out. We had a certain race winner in Hunter and I had every intention of making sure we chalked up the big W in my first event with the new squad. Besides, I hadn't raced in a while and this guy was sure to beat me in a sprint in the event we managed to stayed away until the end. Getting second was not what we wanted so I did the right thing and made this guy to do all of the work. It was only a few laps before we got caught but in the mean time he and I won a 1,2 Prime and I netted $25 for the effort. Bonus!
The race marched on and I chased breaks and generally kept up at the front for the first third of the race and was happy to be an active participant in our team plan. However, the legs were getting a little tired after not racing for a month and they needed a lap or two recover. So I went back in the pack to settle in for a short rest when the decisive attack went up the road. I missed it! If only I had raced in the past month, I wouldn't have needed the recovery time and could have made the break. But not today, I didn't have the legs at exactly the wrong time and I suffered the consequences. As the break gained a few seconds on us, I looked behind me and we still had over half the field in our group and 4 teammates up in the break, including Hunter. Our plan was still viable and I knew the other OKC guys would be marking attacks and making sure Hunter was positioned to win. So it was time to make some decisions, chase back up to the break to help the other guys, and potentially drag a strong sprinter up that might possibly beat Hunter, or control our group and insure the break succeeded. We chose the latter and, while it was no fun not being a part of the pointy end of the race, it was the right thing to do at the time. The race ultimately ran its course and Hunter, having one of the best days he can ever remember, had chased down a lone attacker and ended up winning the sprint from his breakaway companion... sorry, I don't remember his name, but he was a huge bald guy that looked like an NFL linebacker complete with menacing tatoos... he was also strong as hell...just not as strong as Hunter on this beautiful day.
So the end of the season and the beginning of a new team venture turned out fantastic. It was also very rewarding to see my old teammates at CARVE win the Cat 4/5 and 3/4 races as well as my junior prodigy, Zack Lavergne, establish solo breakaways in both the 4/5 and 3/4 races for a total of about 40 minutes off the front! Those were some huge efforts by Zack and he almost pulled off the win in the 4/5 race but got caught with half a lap to go. I felt so bad for him but knowing he has many wins in his future helps ease the pain a little.
Now it's time to start prepping for archery deer season and try and maintain enough motivation to stay fit so I start next season with good legs and a fresh team.
So now we're at the end of the 2011 season and I've switched teams and joined forces with the OKC Velo Masters Team on the coat tails of my good friend Hunter East. If you know Hunter, you'll understand what I'm talking about. If you don't know Hunter, google him and you'll see his name at the top of a lot of race results (He was the top ranked Masters road racer in the country a few years ago.) Hunter is a talented and very hard working friend who happens to share my love of cycling and bow hunting. Yes, you heard me, bow hunting. It may sound odd to some of you but the two have a lot in common and while I'd love to s'plain myself in more detail, it would require a lot more words than I have time to put down in this blog today. Having this unique blend of sporting passions as well as some similar outlooks on life and living, Hunter and I have forged a close friendship and one we wanted to share as teammates. So, Hunter and I are now on the same team with a great group of guys that are loosely based out of Oklahoma City. OKC Velo races primarily in the south central and KC areas and every year fields a potential national champion or two. They're good.
Everything was in place with OKC Velo and now it was time to communicate my change of teams to some of my teammates and friends at CARVE, which proved more difficult to do than originally thought. Not that they were being difficult about my turncoating, it's just that I'm a very loyal guy and making any split like this one can be challenging for me. However, after all of the formalities were completed, it was time for Hunter and I to drive up to the Har Ber Meadows Criterium in Springdale, AR for what should be our last race of the season. I was eager to prove myself as a selfless teammate with our new brothers in arms and after some brief pow wowing, we had a race plan in place and I knew what I had to do to get our team the Win.
As we lined up for the start of the short 40 minute race, I noticed some very strong riders in our bunch and a large field to boot. I love larger fields as it keeps the race fast and interesting and also a good place to hide when you need a rest. We had 7 OKC guys at the start line and it was time to have some fun racing with a plan. The race started out quick and I was well positioned to chase down the first lone attacker and did so easily as he was right next to me when he went off the front. All I had to do was stand up out of the saddle and accelerate to his wheel and off we went. The guy made a great effort and we got a decent gap quickly of about 10 or 20 seconds. After about a lap, he looked around and motioned me to pull through and do my share of the work. He wasn't very happy when I shook my head and told him it wasn't in the plan for OKC Velo today and I wouldn't be helping him out. We had a certain race winner in Hunter and I had every intention of making sure we chalked up the big W in my first event with the new squad. Besides, I hadn't raced in a while and this guy was sure to beat me in a sprint in the event we managed to stayed away until the end. Getting second was not what we wanted so I did the right thing and made this guy to do all of the work. It was only a few laps before we got caught but in the mean time he and I won a 1,2 Prime and I netted $25 for the effort. Bonus!
The race marched on and I chased breaks and generally kept up at the front for the first third of the race and was happy to be an active participant in our team plan. However, the legs were getting a little tired after not racing for a month and they needed a lap or two recover. So I went back in the pack to settle in for a short rest when the decisive attack went up the road. I missed it! If only I had raced in the past month, I wouldn't have needed the recovery time and could have made the break. But not today, I didn't have the legs at exactly the wrong time and I suffered the consequences. As the break gained a few seconds on us, I looked behind me and we still had over half the field in our group and 4 teammates up in the break, including Hunter. Our plan was still viable and I knew the other OKC guys would be marking attacks and making sure Hunter was positioned to win. So it was time to make some decisions, chase back up to the break to help the other guys, and potentially drag a strong sprinter up that might possibly beat Hunter, or control our group and insure the break succeeded. We chose the latter and, while it was no fun not being a part of the pointy end of the race, it was the right thing to do at the time. The race ultimately ran its course and Hunter, having one of the best days he can ever remember, had chased down a lone attacker and ended up winning the sprint from his breakaway companion... sorry, I don't remember his name, but he was a huge bald guy that looked like an NFL linebacker complete with menacing tatoos... he was also strong as hell...just not as strong as Hunter on this beautiful day.
So the end of the season and the beginning of a new team venture turned out fantastic. It was also very rewarding to see my old teammates at CARVE win the Cat 4/5 and 3/4 races as well as my junior prodigy, Zack Lavergne, establish solo breakaways in both the 4/5 and 3/4 races for a total of about 40 minutes off the front! Those were some huge efforts by Zack and he almost pulled off the win in the 4/5 race but got caught with half a lap to go. I felt so bad for him but knowing he has many wins in his future helps ease the pain a little.
Now it's time to start prepping for archery deer season and try and maintain enough motivation to stay fit so I start next season with good legs and a fresh team.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Trip to Colorado and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge
Within a week of the announcement that the USA Pro Cycling Challenge was set and scheduled, I was making plans to come out to Colorado, my old stomping grounds, to see my girls and enjoy some Pro Tour level bicycle racing. I've been racing and riding bikes since 1984 but have had little exposure to the European professional cycling scene. The USA Pro Cycling Challenge was promising to bring big time Euro racing to Colorado and there was no way I was going to miss this.
As it turned out, my oldest daughter Julia had flown out to spend time in Little Rock with me about a week prior and was I able to convince her to join me for the drive to Colorado. One of the advantages of having an 18 year old daughter is she gets to do her fair share of driving!
Once in Colorado, I was able to get a good nights sleep and wake up before the girls so I could squeeze in a short ride. I rode over to a local coffee shop for what turned out to be an fantastic Latte before a relaxing spin on my Orbea road bike.
Finished my coffee and was looking forward to a ride with temps in the 60's and no humidity (not something we get to enjoy in Arkansas in August.) I hadn't been on my bike for more than five minutes when this yellow jacket (pictured above) flew into my jersey and started stinging me on the chest. Yes, it hurt like a Mofo. I got the little bugger out before he could sting me for the 8th time. This is the shot of him just before his ultimate demise at the sole of my Giro shoe.
After licking my wounds and kissing my girls goodbye, I drove up to my dad and stepmother's house in Crested Butte for a few days of riding and playing at high altitude. I was lucky enough to have a few friends from Little Rock staying very close to my Dad's house which would end up making this trip even better than originally expected.
Monday, I rode from Crested Butte to Gunnison, and back, with my dad and a friend of his, Tim. Beautiful day and the legs were responding well in spite of the previous two days of driving and 9k+ foot elevation change. Tuesday morning arrived clear and as perfect as summer in Colorado can be. David, Dave, Hunter (my friends from Little Rock) and I did a short mtn bike ride up Strand Mtn before packing up and getting ready for the first stage of the USAPCC which was finishing at the ski area on Crested Butte Mtn.
After a lunch of pizza and lots of water, we rode from downtown CB up the final climb to the stage finish, spent some time at the Expo (which you can see in the background of this photo) and found a great place to plop our butts down and watch the incredible finale. You can see Levi winning this stage in grand fashion... alone and in front of a world class field.
After another night above 9,000 feet and very little sleep at Hunters new home in Snowmass, we woke up to a beautiful morning and stuffed ourselves with breakfast in Aspen in anticipation of our ride up Independence Pass. The plan was to ride up, watch the race come over the pass, and ride back down after the race caravan had passed through. We had less than a mile into the oxygen-less 17 mile climb from Aspen to IP, when skies opened up and the rain started coming down in big, fat, cold drops. Apparently rain wasn't enough of an insult to our ride so mother nature decided to throw in some hail just to make the already difficult climb a little more challenging. If you have never experience rain in Colorado, there is no such thing as a warm summer rain... this is especially the case at 10,000 feet! It was a good thing we were riding uphill or we would have been in dangerous proximity to hypothermia. No matter, we were going to make it to the top if it killed us... which was a good possibility given how the weather was panning out.
We were only a few miles into the climb when our group started to split. Hunter was feeling good and wanted to get a decent workout in so he started riding a strong tempo which quickly left Dave and David looking at each other and, smartly so, deciding to ride their own pace. I was feeling strong and decided to ride with Hunter. However, after a couple of miles I started thinking about the race I had coming up on Saturday morning in Texas and made the executive decision to slow it down a bit and ride an easy rhythm the rest of the way to the top. Recovering after a hard ride at high altitude is a big challenge so giving the legs a rest seemed like the smart thing to do at the time... well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
I was feeling so good and having so much fun I was literally smiling all the way up the pass. I was trying to pass along my good cheer to all of the other hardy souls as I rode by them up to IP but most had little to say and did not appear all that happy about how their rides were going. Oh well, a little suffering never hurt anyone and I just couldn't contain my joy on this great day. Besides, I've had more days of intense suffering for hours on end while training and racing and I wasn't going to let everyone else's leg pain ruin my day. So the smiles and cheerful greetings continued all the way to the top. I ended up riding the 17 miles to the pass in two hours and arrived at a huge outdoor party. By the way, it obviously doesn't take much alcohol to get completely snockered at over 12k feet. People were partying in the middle of the road dressed in crazy costumes and feeling no pain. The crowd was huge and everyone was having a great time.
I never found Hunter in the huge crowd but did manage to find Dave and David not long after I reached the top. We scrounged a place to sit on the exposed rock and sand and proceeded to watch the storm clouds developing overhead, which made me nervous as hell. I've learned the hard way that 12k feet and storms don't mix well with exposed humans. I decided to ride back down the pass while the rest of the gang chose to take their chances with the impending storm so they could experience the race and crazy fans as the peloton passed over the top. I started my descent and was the only cyclist on the road when the pre-caravan team cars start passing me. I was both elated and scared to death with the way they were coming around me on this not so straight road. The road was rough, it was cold and I was going as fast as I could down that mountain. I felt like I was in the Tour de France with the BMC, Garmin and other team cars whizzing past me. I was hoping, nay, praying, they were all skilled drivers and picking their moments carefully to come around me on the sharp bends. Most of the left side of the road dropped off the side of the mountain so steeply that a fall over the edge would have required a mountain rescue crew to find and recover my body. Now was not the time for me or one of these team cars to screw up.I made it to the bottom of the mountain in time to change into dry clothes and watch the finish.
The next day (Thursday) started with another road ride with Hunter, but this time in pure uninterrupted sunshine. Dave and David opted for a big effort on their mtn bikes instead. After our ride, I dropped Hunter off at the airport and drove back to the front range to see my girls before the long haul to Arkansas the following day. Friday morning I found myself driving back to Little Rock having decided I was too wiped out from 9 hours of riding at altitude (all above 9k feet) and 2k miles of driving, so far. With yet another 12 hours of windshield time to get to my race... which was scheduled to start at 6:30 a.m the next morning (Saturday) there was no way I was going to be at my best for the race so I cut my losses and soldiered home. 14.5 hours later I was in my bed and most likely snoring like a big man.
It was a fantastic week and one I hope to replicate next year. I don't often get a chance to take vacations and spend them without a lot of personal obligations. It was a perfect week off work which left me pleasantly pooped from all of the action. I guess its a good thing when we need a vacation just to recover from our vacation. -jd
Once in Colorado, I was able to get a good nights sleep and wake up before the girls so I could squeeze in a short ride. I rode over to a local coffee shop for what turned out to be an fantastic Latte before a relaxing spin on my Orbea road bike.
After licking my wounds and kissing my girls goodbye, I drove up to my dad and stepmother's house in Crested Butte for a few days of riding and playing at high altitude. I was lucky enough to have a few friends from Little Rock staying very close to my Dad's house which would end up making this trip even better than originally expected.
Monday, I rode from Crested Butte to Gunnison, and back, with my dad and a friend of his, Tim. Beautiful day and the legs were responding well in spite of the previous two days of driving and 9k+ foot elevation change. Tuesday morning arrived clear and as perfect as summer in Colorado can be. David, Dave, Hunter (my friends from Little Rock) and I did a short mtn bike ride up Strand Mtn before packing up and getting ready for the first stage of the USAPCC which was finishing at the ski area on Crested Butte Mtn.
Hunter East, Me, Dave Grundfest and David Snowden posing at the expo in CB. I know, corny as hell, but had to be done. Right after this shot we were on our way to Aspen for the next day's stage.
Hunter watching the BMC mechanics work their magic after the race.
We were only a few miles into the climb when our group started to split. Hunter was feeling good and wanted to get a decent workout in so he started riding a strong tempo which quickly left Dave and David looking at each other and, smartly so, deciding to ride their own pace. I was feeling strong and decided to ride with Hunter. However, after a couple of miles I started thinking about the race I had coming up on Saturday morning in Texas and made the executive decision to slow it down a bit and ride an easy rhythm the rest of the way to the top. Recovering after a hard ride at high altitude is a big challenge so giving the legs a rest seemed like the smart thing to do at the time... well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
I was feeling so good and having so much fun I was literally smiling all the way up the pass. I was trying to pass along my good cheer to all of the other hardy souls as I rode by them up to IP but most had little to say and did not appear all that happy about how their rides were going. Oh well, a little suffering never hurt anyone and I just couldn't contain my joy on this great day. Besides, I've had more days of intense suffering for hours on end while training and racing and I wasn't going to let everyone else's leg pain ruin my day. So the smiles and cheerful greetings continued all the way to the top. I ended up riding the 17 miles to the pass in two hours and arrived at a huge outdoor party. By the way, it obviously doesn't take much alcohol to get completely snockered at over 12k feet. People were partying in the middle of the road dressed in crazy costumes and feeling no pain. The crowd was huge and everyone was having a great time.
David Snowden enjoying the only 5 minutes of sunshine on Independence Pass this day.
I never found Hunter in the huge crowd but did manage to find Dave and David not long after I reached the top. We scrounged a place to sit on the exposed rock and sand and proceeded to watch the storm clouds developing overhead, which made me nervous as hell. I've learned the hard way that 12k feet and storms don't mix well with exposed humans. I decided to ride back down the pass while the rest of the gang chose to take their chances with the impending storm so they could experience the race and crazy fans as the peloton passed over the top. I started my descent and was the only cyclist on the road when the pre-caravan team cars start passing me. I was both elated and scared to death with the way they were coming around me on this not so straight road. The road was rough, it was cold and I was going as fast as I could down that mountain. I felt like I was in the Tour de France with the BMC, Garmin and other team cars whizzing past me. I was hoping, nay, praying, they were all skilled drivers and picking their moments carefully to come around me on the sharp bends. Most of the left side of the road dropped off the side of the mountain so steeply that a fall over the edge would have required a mountain rescue crew to find and recover my body. Now was not the time for me or one of these team cars to screw up.I made it to the bottom of the mountain in time to change into dry clothes and watch the finish.
The next day (Thursday) started with another road ride with Hunter, but this time in pure uninterrupted sunshine. Dave and David opted for a big effort on their mtn bikes instead. After our ride, I dropped Hunter off at the airport and drove back to the front range to see my girls before the long haul to Arkansas the following day. Friday morning I found myself driving back to Little Rock having decided I was too wiped out from 9 hours of riding at altitude (all above 9k feet) and 2k miles of driving, so far. With yet another 12 hours of windshield time to get to my race... which was scheduled to start at 6:30 a.m the next morning (Saturday) there was no way I was going to be at my best for the race so I cut my losses and soldiered home. 14.5 hours later I was in my bed and most likely snoring like a big man.
It was a fantastic week and one I hope to replicate next year. I don't often get a chance to take vacations and spend them without a lot of personal obligations. It was a perfect week off work which left me pleasantly pooped from all of the action. I guess its a good thing when we need a vacation just to recover from our vacation. -jd
My first blog entry... edge of your seat entertainment!
Wow, my first blog entry and I'm still not sure why I've decided to do this. I've never been the self promotional type and you would be hard pressed to find a single photo of me on the walls of my house. However, you will find signs of two beautiful young daughters, Julia (18) and Amanda (14) gracing every part of my life. So maybe I've embarked on this outwardly focused blog so I can both honor my children and the lucky life I get to live.
One thing I do know is who inspired me to begin this process. My coach and friend, Shaun Taylor. Shaun, let's hope I make you proud with some interesting reading.
One thing I do know is who inspired me to begin this process. My coach and friend, Shaun Taylor. Shaun, let's hope I make you proud with some interesting reading.
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