End of Arkansas/ Snake Alley

So It's been a bit since I threw down a blog post, so I'll update my readers on what has been going on in my bike racing life. I haven't posted since the end of the Tour of Arkansas. Stage 3 of Arkansas was a doozie. It finished on top of Mt. Magazine, the highest point in Arkansas. The climb was something like 11 miles long and came after 87 miles of racing. I tried to hang on to the leaders, and did so for a while. We had been climbing for a bit and I saw a sign coming up that was going to tell us how far we had to the finish. So far the race organizers had used 1K to go and 5K to go signs. I was hoping for the 1K sign, and saying that if it was 5K I was going to be pissed... It was 10K!!!! Talk about deflated... I hung on to the back of the group for another few miles, but I was trashed. I limped it in for a finish around 40th, a couple minutes down. Seriously hard stage though. The last day was a crit.. I was riding ok, near the front actually, but I was fighting hard to keep my spot up there. After a few hard jumps and going across a few gaps, the lights just went out completely. I was cracked. The hard 2 weeks had gotten to me and I could hardly turn a pedal. Mike and I loaded up and came home, tail between our legs. I think I'll be better off for my suffering though.

Mike Hurting


Now I'm out here in the lovely state of Iowa. Today was The Snake. 20 trips to the top of The Snake. I got a mediocre start, probably somewhere in the 40's, out of about 90 guys. The front derailleur wasn't workin' so well, so I got stuck in the big ring for the first 3 laps, while I played mechanic on the descents. I finally got it out of the big ring, but then it would hardly go back into the big boy. I finially got it sorted out and got with a nice group and proceeded to pick off some groups. With a few laps to go we caught a few more guys and they stuck with us making it a group of 7, making up places 10-17. I really wanted to get away to avoid the sprint, but that didn't happen. I figured my best chance was to try to go early, but that didn't work either. I hit the wind out of the last corner and almost fell over sideways. The whole damn group came around me... not what I was looking for. The race was awesome none the less, hopefully I can have a couple decent rides this weekend.

Me Deep in the Hurt Locker


Isaac Hurting


Mike Pulling Me Around- Pre-Vomit


The vibe on The Snake was awesome. I've got to give a few shout outs to those of you who were helping me make it over the top every lap. The whole Bloomington Crew, The Team Revolution Girls, Neal Forbes and Family, and this last guy was right at the top in the hardest spot of The Snake, getting in my face every lap. Big thanks to Wes Luzadder for the motivation to keep the pedals turning over the top. That race would be twice as hard without all of the fans screaming in your face every lap!

Tomorrow is the Mellon City Crit, one my personal favorites. It's supposed to be 90 degrees and might rain, crittin' in the rain is always aweosme.

My Bike W/ Mike's Boss' Cosmic Carbone Ultimates