Sunday Apr 23
Todays race at Carondelet went well. This course is one that suits my riding style well and I usually put in a good performance. I spent my usual first few laps getting comfortable in the race and then rode a solid race. I would drift back occasionally but stayed in the front half most of the time. When I was in good position I covered any attacks and at one point there was an attack, followed shortly by another rider and then followed by me. There was a small gap between the three of us and then the pack further back. My power was good as I caught the second rider and rolled by him. I kept the a good pace and reeled in the first rider before the last turn of that lap and he could not follow me either. I spent another lap and a half in a solo effort. I knew there was little chance of staying away but it was a confidence builder.

The race got squirrely with two laps to go and I found myself in bad position on the final lap again. I snaked through the field as best I could before the sprint and then passed several more on the gradual uphill sweep to the finish. I was strong and got sixteenth place at the end. A respectable finish but I could have been in the money.

In a month we race the same course and I will be looking for a better placing.

Saturday Apr 22
Spent the last couple days down in Georgia watch the appropriately named Tour of Georgia. Thursday morning we left the hotel room and road to the TT course to pre-ride what the pros would be doing later that day. The course was a very nice, picturesque 30k course. Along the way we hooked up with a couple others riding the course. One fellow was from Louisiana and worked with Lance a few years back in setting up his TT bike at the Texas A&M windtunnel. The other was a recent testicular cancer patient from Wisconsin I believe. The guy had guts as he had a couple instances of slight bleeding from his nose in the short time we rode together. I'd freak out in a similar situation. He struggled to keep up but he hung tough and we waited when necessary. Two-thirds through the stage is a surprisingly tough hill called Mt. Alto. I expected a good hill but was surprised by the steepness. It also was longer than expected. That was before we realized there was still more climbing after a short flat section. I imagine that would be a very tough section after TT'ing up to that point. The road into town was great fun with rolling downhills and a few S-curves near the bottom.

After cleaning up and checking out of the hotel we drove down to see the finish of Stage 3. The giant TV screen showed the action on the course as they approached Rome. The peloton would come into town and make 3 small circuits before crossing the line for the final time. The race stayed and came down to a downhill sprint finish. Amazingly Lance came from 4th wheel and outsprinted everyone to take the stage by maybe a half wheel. The spectators went nuts.

We went to get a bit to eat and then drove down to the TT start. TT's as a rule are not great excitement to watch. We stood right at the barricade just feet from where every rider had to get their bike weighed and measured. It was great for picture taking since they were only about 5 ft away and you could say a few words to the riders. Some would acknowledge you but higher up in GC that you got the more serious they became. Most of the bikes weighed in at 19-21lbs but there was a Cannondale 613 with a full disk wheel at a little over 17lbs. Thats sick.

Afterward we drove the couple hours to our cabin near the top of Neel's Gap, north of Dahlonega. It was a simple cabin with full kitchen and nestled in the woods. The best part however was the location. We left the cabin and sailed down the mountain for 7 gently twisting miles. Its these long climbs and descents that we lack in our area are such great fun to tackle.

Down below we stopped at a general store to grab a bite to eat since we brought along nothing but PowerBar type food. A perfectly good kitchen gone to waste. After fueling up our bodies it was time to ascend the road we had just came down. The road very smooth and made for great riding. I settled into good rhythm at the base and prayed that I could keep it up for 7 miles. This road seemed daunting the night before as we drove up but seemed less so on the bike. I'm not sure why. maybe it was the difference between going up in daylight versus night. The pedals kept turning over smoothly and with each mile my confidence grew that I would finish well. With a couple miles to go I began to close in steadily on a group of four other riders. Soon I was upon them and we exchanged greetings and my mind focused back on reaching the summit. Near the top the road serpentined more and with each turn I wondered if the cabins were just around the bend. The legs kept going and finally I saw a cabin hiding in the woods. One more turn to the cabins and two to the summit. Confidence overcame hope as there was no doubt of a successful ascent of the mountain. Around one right turn, then a slight left bend, then a second right turn and another sweeping left and I rolled over the top. A look down at the watch showed an elapsed time of about 36:30 for 7 miles. Allan rolled in about 30 seconds later and David about 5 minutes later.

We chatted for a while at the top before Allan and I decided to go down the other side and up the next mountain, Wolfpen Gap. Wolfpen is a 3 mile climb. Its a smaller 2-lane road and a little rougher pavement and much more twisting than Neel's. The road up Wolfpen is supposed to be steeper but it was less than I expected visually. It must have been tougher though because I spent the second half in my 39x25.

We didn't waste much time at the top of Wolfpen. We needed to checkout of the cabin by 11 and we were behind schedule. Down Wolfpen we rolled and then up the 3 miles up Neel's and back to the cabin.

We got back to the cabin in time and checked out. Then we walked back up to the summit and the store at the top. They were having a barbeque and making the most of all the people there to watch the race. After eating I staked out a spot on the last bend before the summit. From this spot you could see the riders come around the final down S-turn down the road and follow them past our location almost to the summit. A group of six came by in the lead. That group contained eventual stage winner Jason McCartney who broke away from the rest on Wolfpen Gap. The main chase group came by about 3 minutes later and contained all the GC contenders and were led by USPS with Lance riding about 4th wheel.

Cipo hung in there and was with a large pack, his jersey fully unzipped and not doubt driving the ladies crazy. We didnt wait for the final few stragglers to ride by and we headed back down to the car. By the time we got back the roads were back open and we began the long ride back home. Just before midnight I pulled into the driveway. A long day and a fun trip had come to an end.

Today is the Apple Pie race. The weather is cool and very rainy and I am tired. I slept to 8:30. That just does not happen unless I really need sleep. They could not pay me to race today in these conditions. It's best to relax today and hope to recover in time for tomorrows race at Carondelet

Saturday Apr 22
Spent the last couple days down in Georgia watch the appropriately named Tour of Georgia. Thursday morning we left the hotel room and road to the TT course to pre-ride what the pros would be doing later that day. The course was a very nice, picturesque 30k course. Along the way we hooked up with a couple others riding the course. One fellow was from Louisiana and worked with Lance a few years back in setting up his TT bike at the Texas A&M windtunnel. The other was a recent testicular cancer patient from Wisconsin I believe. The guy had guts as he had a couple instances of slight bleeding from his nose in the short time we rode together. I'd freak out in a similar situation. He struggled to keep up but he hung tough and we waited when necessary. Two-thirds through the stage is a surprisingly tough hill called Mt. Alto. I expected a good hill but was surprised by the steepness. It also was longer than expected. That was before we realized there was still more climbing after a short flat section. I imagine that would be a very tough section after TT'ing up to that point. The road into town was great fun with rolling downhills and a few S-curves near the bottom.

After cleaning up and checking out of the hotel we drove down to see the finish of Stage 3. The giant TV screen showed the action on the course as they approached Rome. The peloton would come into town and make 3 small circuits before crossing the line for the final time. The race stayed and came down to a downhill sprint finish. Amazingly Lance came from 4th wheel and outsprinted everyone to take the stage by maybe a half wheel. The spectators went nuts.

We went to get a bit to eat and then drove down to the TT start. TT's as a rule are not great excitement to watch. We stood right at the barricade just feet from where every rider had to get their bike weighed and measured. It was great for picture taking since they were only about 5 ft away and you could say a few words to the riders. Some would acknowledge you but higher up in GC that you got the more serious they became. Most of the bikes weighed in at 19-21lbs but there was a Cannondale 613 with a full disk wheel at a little over 17lbs. Thats sick.

Afterward we drove the couple hours to our cabin near the top of Neel's Gap, north of Dahlonega. It was a simple cabin with full kitchen and nestled in the woods. The best part however was the location. We left the cabin and sailed down the mountain for 7 gently twisting miles. Its these long climbs and descents that we lack in our area are such great fun to tackle.

Down below we stopped at a general store to grab a bite to eat since we brought along nothing but PowerBar type food. A perfectly good kitchen gone to waste. After fueling up our bodies it was time to ascend the road we had just came down. The road very smooth and made for great riding. I settled into good rhythm at the base and prayed that I could keep it up for 7 miles. This road seemed daunting the night before as we drove up but seemed less so on the bike. I'm not sure why. maybe it was the difference between going up in daylight versus night. The pedals kept turning over smoothly and with each mile my confidence grew that I would finish well. With a couple miles to go I began to close in steadily on a group of four other riders. Soon I was upon them and we exchanged greetings and my mind focused back on reaching the summit. Near the top the road serpentined more and with each turn I wondered if the cabins were just around the bend. The legs kept going and finally I saw a cabin hiding in the woods. One more turn to the cabins and two to the summit. Confidence overcame hope as there was no doubt of a successful ascent of the mountain. Around one right turn, then a slight left bend, then a second right turn and another sweeping left and I rolled over the top. A look down at the watch showed an elapsed time of about 36:30 for 7 miles. Allan rolled in about 30 seconds later and David about 5 minutes later.

We chatted for a while at the top before Allan and I decided to go down the other side and up the next mountain, Wolfpen Gap. Wolfpen is a 3 mile climb. Its a smaller 2-lane road and a little rougher pavement and much more twisting than Neel's. The road up Wolfpen is supposed to be steeper but it was less than I expected visually. It must have been tougher though because I spent the second half in my 39x25.

We didn't waste much time at the top of Wolfpen. We needed to checkout of the cabin by 11 and we were behind schedule. Down Wolfpen we rolled and then up the 3 miles up Neel's and back to the cabin.

We got back to the cabin in time and checked out. Then we walked back up to the summit and the store at the top. They were having a barbeque and making the most of all the people there to watch the race. After eating I staked out a spot on the last bend before the summit. From this spot you could see the riders come around the final down S-turn down the road and follow them past our location almost to the summit. A group of six came by in the lead. That group contained eventual stage winner Jason McCartney who broke away from the rest on Wolfpen Gap. The main chase group came by about 3 minutes later and contained all the GC contenders and were led by USPS with Lance riding about 4th wheel.

Cipo hung in there and was with a large pack, his jersey fully unzipped and not doubt driving the ladies crazy. We didnt wait for the final few stragglers to ride by and we headed back down to the car. By the time we got back the roads were back open and we began the long ride back home. Just before midnight I pulled into the driveway. A long day and a fun trip had come to an end.

Today is the Apple Pie race. The weather is cool and very rainy and I am tired. I slept to 8:30. That just does not happen unless I really need sleep. They could not pay me to race today in these conditions. It's best to relax today and hope to recover in time for tomorrows race at Carondelet

I have been saving myself most of the week in preparation for tomorrows racing. After Tuesdays crit I took Wednesday and Thursday off. Friday I threw the rake bars on in anticipation of using them for the TT tomorrow. The goal was to get used to how the bike handled when in the aero position. My imagination may be getting the best of me but I always feel very sluggish when climbing with my regular bars. With the rakes I hope to get some aero benefits but save a little weight when going up the hills. After a couple miles the twitchiness of the new position was mostly gone and I went to Suson and climbed out of the park a couple times to get at little hill work.

Today I skipped the Hillsboro-Roubaix race. My results have not been very good the past two years. Last year I wiped out in a turn and that was pretty much the end of the race despite a long chase. I pulled out after one lap for medical attention to the road rash. My lack of miles in recent weeks did not lend itself to doing a minimum of 66 miles if I did Masters or 88 for the 1/2/3's. I figured its best to take it easy. I drove to Eureka and did some recon on the TT course. I rode these roads once before but in the opposite direction. The distance listed on the race flyer is 6 miles so I assume its accurate.

Almost right from the start you go uphill. After a few hundred feet it levels off for a little bit and then kicks up again. This is a pretty long climb from the other direction its a mile long so I assume it is similar in this direction too. Halfway up I was harassed by two dogs. This climb hurt and I found myself in the 39x21 pretty quick and stayed there all the way up. Then it down the other side. This is fast and some care is needed in the gentle but blind turns. Once the road levels out you turn west and it was right into a strong wind today. After a good stretch of flat it was up again. Not as long but you are bit more tired after the first climb. Then down a little and up another little climb and down a fairly steep hill and a right hand turn at the bottom. Some care is needed and speed needs to be scubbed to make the turn safely. A nice "flat" section followed and I pushed the 53x12. Then near the end was a deceptively tough rise in the road. It looked small on approach but went longer than expected as the road bent around some trees. It had me keep shifting downward. I stayed in the big ring but worked up to the 21 in the rear. After the crest its a slight downhill to the finish.

This course HURT. TT's always do hurt but the hills just added more pain. I looked at my watch and had slightly over 22 minutes. That's a disheartening time for 6 miles but shows the difficulty of the course. Setting the proper temp up the climbs will be key. Cook it too hard early and you may not have anything to give in the end. Anyone who has not pre-ridden this course will have a rude awakening and risks having a poor time.

Til tomorrow....

Tuesday Night Worlds last night went well. It was a chilly 50 degrees and windy. Not the most comfortable of evenings but better than winter. I got in one small break about 15 minutes in that lasted a couple laps but after that I just sat in for the finish. In typical fashion I was in bad position for last lap heroics but people were not very strong and I felt I had much to give. I got boxed in several times. Once before the hill, then again going up and around the turn and then again there was a little interference in the sprint. Despite the problems I moved past many others and probably finished in the high teens. Sometime I will learn to be aggressive leading up to the last lap.

Sunday was chilly to start and I began the day with no real idea whether i would ride or not since it was Easter. The early morning was spent following Paris-Roubaix on the net until the last 30k. I wanted to watch the rest of the race on OLN later in the day. The race was a little strange having close to 40 riders still together until the last few sections of cobble. Hincapie was isolated again this with several teams that had at least 4 riders. Nonetheless he made a nice move in the closing stages to get in a break with Boonen and Flecha. I thought Quck-Step might control things in the peloton with Boonen up front but it came back together and Museeuw made the decisive move in the end with only 4 others able to follow. None were big pre-race favorites however. Luck wasn't with Johan though as he flatted on the pentultimate pave sector. The remaining four stayed together and decided the race in a sprint. Magnus Backstedt of Alessio prevailed in the end. PVP and Museeuw came across together with arms around each other. It was a nice scene as PVP let Museeuw pass just ahead in 5th place. Museeuw said he cried for 30 minutes afterward.

Just like the race heated up, so did the temperatures outside. It was near 50 and sunny and that was good enough for me. I slathered my legs with some warming balm, threw on some shoe covers and hit the road. Out of habit, I headed to Meramec Bottom, but soon turned around when it seemed fitting that on Paris-Roubaix day that I ride the cobbled climb up to the Fabick Property in Fenton. The road lets your mind drift off to Belgian fantasies as you climb it and is truly one of my favorites in St Louis.

I goofed around a bit but put in a couple decent efforts on the way back home, Specifically, a nice effort was made going up Old Gravois. The mile long climb seemed like a good test for this weekends hilly TT which has a climb of about a mile.

Today I rest. Not that I have been training hard. Tomorrow I do the Tuesday crits.

The last few weeks have seen the onset of spring and nice weather, yet I'm left with not much ambition to ride. Two, maybe three times a week I ride. I am frustrated that I feel this way because I have good form. But if I continue this my fitness will almost certainly go down the drain. Now that daylight savings time has started maybe the willingness to ride will grow. In the winter its hard for me to motivate right after work.

The Tuesday night training series started this week. Having the races back on the weekly schedule is good. It helps with that lack of training desire thing. The "A" race started badly. There was the usual high pace to start and I had another rider start drifting the pack a few mph's slower than the rest of us. Sure enough I found myself boxed behind them as they let a gap open up. Not wanting to panic, I tried tried to gradually bring back the pack with a couple others. After a lap, we were not closing in so I got out of the saddle to shut things down and recover. Just as we caught on to the back, another attack came and I was gapped again. I was pretty gassed and saw the race slipping away as the peloton eased away. I chased for two laps luckily they slowed up for a moment and I caught back on. The rest of the race was no problem until the last lap when some others sat up and let everyone get away again. No big deal, just bad positioning. I still felt good.

The "B" race started quickly as well. I use this race as extra miles at a pretty quick pace and just sit in. As we neared the end I moved up to mid-pack. Half a lap to go I started my move toward the front and moved nicely through the pack up the hill. On the final stretch I felt very strong and passed a couple more. If I hadn't had to stop pedaling for a second to avoid a spent rider, sixth or seventh may have been possible instead of eighth.

I woke up Sunday at my usual 5am. Or so I thought. I turned on the computer to follow the live coverage of Flanders when the computer clock catches my eye. Six o'clock? What? Friggin' daylight savings time. No big deal as there was still a good 3 hrs of racing to go. The usual early breakaway was established (a large group of 26) with the occasional rider dropping off as the leaders began crossing the Belgian bergs. It wasn't until the early meters of the Muur that breakaways and the remaining peloton with all the favorites finally came together. Halfway up, Hincapie was storming at the head of the peloton. He bogged down slightly but kept a good tempo. By the top, Wesemann, Bruylandts and Hoste emerged with a smallish gap with Hincapie going over in about 5th or 6th. The aggression Hincapie showed is a welcome sight and bodes well for Roubaix this Sunday. However, when Wesemann crested the Muur he kept the pace high. Hoste sat on Bruylandts and Wesemann's wheel for the final km's with Wesemann looking very strong. In the final K Bruylandts went on the attack knowing he lacks the sprint. Wesemann waited and waited, forcing Hoste to finally do some work and close the gap. The tactical nerve of some guys is amazing. Hoste brought back the break with Wesemann in the catbird seat. The three slowed for a short bit and Wesemann went from the rear and won with relative ease.

Wesemann was my pick for Roubaix this week. He has the form but the Flanders/Roubaix double is uncommon and PVP just did it last year. All the favorites looked strong enough to contend for Roubaix but just missed out by a slight bit. No one looks dominant. My other favorites other than Wesemann: Museeuw - will be able to use his power more on the flatter Roubaix parcours, Hincapie - I liked his aggression in trying to stir up the chase, Van Petegem - solid and strong but didn't show himself much, VDB - was saving himself for the Muur but flatted on the berg before and had to chase, Boonen - the talent to win but likely lieutenant for Museeuw. I'll put Dierckxsens just a notch below. He is strong enough to ride away but will he work too hard and he lacks a strong team

I was really tired Sunday but was determined to spin for an hour or more. I did a version of the Linda loop that included Hagemann and Bauer. I probably should have found a flatter route but its a good rolling route with some flats and a couple places where you need to push the gears a bit. You need to work a little. The legs were droopy but they got a needed ride. Today they felt decent

Yesterday was the Tilles Park Crit. This is a race I have done pretty well at with a couple top 10's in the last two races. The general agreement beforehand is that we would work for Jeff C by repeatedly sending off a couple riders.

The weather was nice, near 60 but the winds were pretty strong and slapped you right in the face as you rounded the first bend. The pace constantly slowed at that point until we turned again.

We did not seem to attack as much as I expected. But there were some attacks. I went at least 3 times with no great success. For the most part we controlled the race and it came down to a sprint as it usually does on this course. Sam M finished 1st, Jeff C got 4th so it all worked out in the end.

I was really tired for the 1/2/3 race and only lasted 20 minutes. I just had no strength. I should have drank and ate more between races. Still, I am frustrated that I didn't last when others from the earlier race lasted until the end. Oh well.

Today is the Tour of Flanders. I would like to see VDB breakthrough with a win after the last few years of difficulty. Museeuw would be a sentimental pick but I am doubting his fitness. Van Petegem is a favorite. Hincapie should do well. Boonen perhaps as well.

Tomorrow is the Tillis Park Crit. The team seems to have a good strategy for victory but everything changes on race day. The week's training went okay. Last weekend though I had to work Saturday and because of the threat of rain I only did about 1.5 hrs Sunday. Tuesday was an improvised Spinning class because the instructor didn't show up and one of the students took the initiative to lead the class. It actually turned to be a tough class. Thursday I did 10 standing sprints. My gearing was 53x15. I made it through all ten without being exhausted but my legs didn't feel particularly spritely. There was real jump but that could be a matter of gearing. Tomorrow will be the test of how my legs really are. Plans are to do the 3/4 race and 1/2/3's.

Tour watch: Armstrong looked pretty good at Criterium International last weekend. He got 3rd in GC. He didn't look explosive on the final climb of the RR but he is probably still building. He had a solid TT (4th) about 6 seconds back. His aero bars seemed a little more level than a few weeks ago at Algarve. Beloki crashed on stage 1, got up and finished 16 minutes back but did not race Sunday. This was his first race of the year so he has a lot of work to do. He looked a little heavy. Ullrich is still not doing much in his races and consistently finishes behind the lead groups.