Still Alive!

So it has been over a month since my last post but I am still alive and kicking! Well since my last post I have won two races, the Duke Criterium (in the pouring rain) and the Wake Forest Criterium just yesterday and also turned 20 (years young). I won the Duke Crit in a breakaway in which I was solo for the last ten laps and yesterday won the crit when I was in a five man breakaway and won the sprint to the finish line. Yesterday I played the crit just right trying not to work to much in the break and hopefully allow the others to work a little more so I would have the most in the tank at the end. On the final lap everyone was sitting up just waiting for someone to attack and try to hold it till the line but my goal was to hop on the wheel of whoever attacked and hold that spot right till the end. Luckily I was paying full attention and noticed the attack from Stephen Smith from NC State and was able to be the first one to grab his wheel. I knew if I wanted to win the crit I would need to be on his wheel (in 2nd place) going into the last turn because it was a very technical turn heading into the final sprint and all day it has been hard to pass after the turn. He hit it full speed from when he attacked to the finish line but since I had been sucking his wheel for the entire last half lap, he had spent a lot of energy and I was able to sneak past him for the win.....barely! I beat him by the length of a tire but it was enough. It felt great to sneak by him for the win not just because my teammates had blocked so I could get up the road in the break and allow me to stay away but also because my parents nor brother have ever had the chance to watch me win a road race. I had told my roommate Derek and good friend Andrew that I wanted to win the crit on Sunday because my family would be there and knowing that gave me the ability to do something special. It also helped add to the teams tremendous lead in the ACC Division 1 standings which has been a success all season because of team work that all of us have put together. We have two more race weekends, one being at West Virginia University then the conference championships at Virginia Tech in three weeks. It looks like we should end the season on a solid note and wrap up the season as the Conference CHAMPIONS! Next we will be sending a squad to race at collegiate road nationals in Madison, Wisconsin the first weekend in May. On to other things (the few other things I think about besides bike if such things exist). I turned 20 a few weeks ago like I previously said which was really fun and relaxing. I got to spend the week back home in Rutherfordton hanging out since I was on Spring Break and went to the Water Oak with friends and family on the night of my birthday. I of course, since it was my birthday, got the most expensive thing on the menu was is superbly delicious filet minion that almost melts in your mouth! As boring as Rutherfordton can be at times, it really was relaxing and enjoyable to get to spend some time at home and just be able to do nothing for a few days with no worries. College is going well and fast for sure! Seems like just yesterday I started this semester and now I have only four weeks remaining! This summer I will take a class or two and ride my bike a ton! I will be putting a lot of time and focus into training and racing and hopefully getting some good results so I can hopefully get on a good team for next year. I will be racing across the southwest and possibly a few trips to races in Philly and Wisconsin. Other summer ideas could possibly lead me to a cross country trip to ride mountain bikes out west or moving to Belgium for a month to race road bikes against the worlds best (the best idea yet most expensive). My summer decision will be made soon but I have some studying and exams to finish first before my spontaneous summer can begin. Another interesting thing I did recently was participate in a study that was put on by the Exercise Science Department here at ASU. I worked with Dr. Dave Morris (who previously worked at the United States Olympic Center with the top American athletes and coached a handful of world champion cyclist including Danny Pate and Allison Dunlap) on testing the effects of different supplements at 14,000 ft altitude. The first week I went and just did a VO2 max at normal conditions and then took a garlic supplement one week and a non-nutritive sweetener the next to see how they effected my ability at altitude through the hypoxic air. It was fun finding out my VO2 max (Which ended up being very high and comparable to many elite-world class athletes. My roommate Derek also had an extremely high max too!) and do the testing especially since I got paid. Your VO2 max is pretty much your natural ability and tells what your potential could be given you put in the work (pretty much like your athletic ceiling for endurance sports). Well that is all for now folks but I promise to keep you more updated on my crazy, always fulfilling, fast paced life!

Quote of the Day: "Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes" - Buddha

"Rock" on Parkway

Race Photos from W&M Criterium

William and Mary Race Weekend

Leading up to this weekend I was finally able to ride consistently for a few days for the first time since having the flu. Our teams results were strong but not quite as dominant as the last weekend at NC State but none the less we won the weekend and kept our place atop the ACC Conference. I didn't get the results I was looking for but still finished around 15th both days. On the other hand many of my teammates had great results which made me feel good since I had helped them gain their positions to go for the sprint win. Your not necessarily supposed to win every road race you enter and that confuses the hell out of so many people that only see cycling from a distance. Each team has good climbers (my role), good sprinters, good domestics (The ones who bust their ass so hopefully their teammate can sprint for the win at the end of the race. They are also in charge of chasing down breaks and controlling the peloton) and break away artist. Each role is important depending on the course and type of race (either road race or criterium). Depending on the course and how everyone feels, the team will decide who they are going to work for that day and hopefully get that person in position to win. Winning races is an amazing feeling but I honestly enjoy busting my ass for 60 miles or more to watch one of my teammates sprint to victory after a long day on the bike. It is a total team sport and it takes each person doing their roll to the fullest to really see the results come on a consistent basis. Though our men didn't dominate as much as we had the previous weekend, we still got some decent results but the biggest help came when our women totally dominated and crushed every other school. Ashley James and Nina Laughlin took 1 and 2 respectfully in the road race, time trial and criterium (of which Rachel VandenEnde also finished 3rd winning the field sprint). Altogether it was another awesome weekend of road tripping in a big, slam packed van with tons of laughter, suffering during races but most importantly a fun time. This weekend some of the team will be going Annapolis, Maryland to race the Navy weekend while many including myself will be taking a weekend off of collegiate cycling and going to Greenville, South Carolina to race in the Hincapie Spring Racing Series. Photos and results of that will be coming soon.

On another note besides my huge obsession with bikes and bike racing I have been enjoying this super warm February we have been having in Boone (though I say super warm I mean mid-40's with an occasional day reaching 60 but this is incredibly warm compared to last year when the highest temperature I saw in February was 27 degrees and the fact that I never saw the ground from January to mid March because snow kept falling and stacking up. It never freaking melted!). I got to spend a few hours on the parkway today since I couldn't ride because I am doing a study through the exercise science department at App State tomorrow and have to get my VO2 Max tested. I finally found the "rock" that I have been searching for since I moved to Boone. Its a super cool rock with a sharp edge that you can sit on and look as if you are hanging off a huge cliff with an amazing view at your back (picture coming soon). Last night I went skiing for probably the last time this season due to the fact that it is getting to warm for the ski slopes to stay running. I got to ski in a thin jacket thanks to the fact that it was 52 degrees while Clayton and I skied. We both used my free ski passes to Sugar Mountain that I won through the college radio station (WASU 90.5- Check it out if you are around Boone or online.....they do a great job). Well since the weather was nice today I guess I need to get to my homework that I avoided earlier so I can go to my intramural soccer game at 11 tonight (we are called the Chain Gang since our team consists of the cycling team). After while crocodiles......

Quote of the Day: "You miss 100% of the shots you dont take" -Wayne Gretzky
"I am just trying to be me, whoever that is" -Bob Dylan

Solid Weekend for the Team!

The weekend went better than we could have imagined! The team took a demanding lead in the conference with domination in all fields in both the road race on Saturday and criterium on Sunday. The team controlled each and every race we were involved in by constantly attacking the field and always having someone in each breakaway just in case it stayed away to the finish. We have atleast five riders in each field which is a huge advantage because it gives us many ways and options to control and win the races. The only negative part of the weekend was realizing that I had not fully recovered from the flu which caused me to sit out the weekend to make sure I fully get it out of my system so it doesn't linger around. I got back on the bike today and finally felt fully healthy again. I will be making my road season debut this weekend (as will my roommate Derek who missed this past weekend as well once I passed the flu on to him) at William and Mary where they will host the races in the historic city of Williamsburg, VA. We will be doing a TT (time trial) and road race on Saturday and a criterium on Sunday. I am hoping to feel strong enough to be able to throw lots of attacks in hopes of getting up the road or get another teammate up the road for the race win. If we can put together another dominating weekend of racing it will make it very difficult for the other teams in the conference to challenge us for the ACC conference champions crown. Well its back to the books, a new Tosh.0 episode then off to bed so I can get a three hour ride in the morning before my one class. More updates of training, racing and life to come.......

Quote of the Day: "Only from the heart can you touch the sky" -Rumi

Exciting Weekend Ahead!

It looks as though I will conquer the flu just in time to be ready for the first collegiate road race weekend of the year. The App State Cycling Team and I will be racing in Raleigh this weekend with the races being hosted by NC State University. We will be doing a road race on Saturday and a criterium on Sunday. This year looks very promising for a conference championship as we bring together many new faces to the team both of young riders and experienced as well. We had our team meeting tonight in last preparations for this weekend then followed up the meeting with a turducken feast at my house. Well time for some rest. I will let you know how the races go this weekend.......

Quote of the Day: Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
-Confucius

Trying Something New

Testing....1....2.....3