-Zeb
Going up the climb
Digging up the climb
Monday, September 5, 2011
ACC Conference Mtn Bike Race #1
Not only has summer ended and classes begun but the 2011 collegiate mountain bike season is now also under way. Our first race of the season was this past weekend in Wilkesboro at the Dark Mtn course. The weekend was hosted by Campbell University. It was nice that they decided to have their races in Wilkes since it is basically in our back yard. The first race of the season was the short track race which is a 30 minute race plus one lap. The course usually varies from a half-mile to a mile in length and riders do as many laps as they can within the 30 minutes. I didn't know how my top end speed would be since I had not raced since the first week of July at the Tour de Toona' in Pennsylvania. Since July I had taken a few weeks off the bike then put in a good bit of hours in August. I knew my base miles would give me some fitness but I had no hard efforts in my legs yet. With a few of the Lees McRae riders coming over to race in our conference, I knew the race was going to be anything from easy. From the gun Lees McRae rider Brad Perely (who outside of collegiate cycling races for the Cannondale/Champion-System Pro Mtn Bike Team) took the lead and never looked back. I was able to pass everyone on the first climb and go into the single track in 2nd and right behind Brad. After 3 laps of following him I blew up! I couldnt handle his pace with my early season form. I eased off the pace and started to drift backwards. The second half the race was extremely hard for me since I had gone above my ability on the first half. I suffered through the remaining 15-20 minutes but was still able to hold on to take a 5th place finish overall. Racing a little smarter I could have most likely finished a few places higher (or maybe not) but I was just trying to give it everything I had to test where my current fitness is at this time. Overall it was a solid race for ASU with Clayton, James and I all finishing in the top 5. Later that afternoon was the Super-D race which is a leman start race (meaning everyone starts away from their bike then runs to it to start the race) with a slight uphill start then a downhill to the finish with lots of jumps and rocky technical areas. With many of us having running backgrounds we managed to get to our bikes before most everyone else and the rest is history. We made an ASU train on the front of the race as we took spots 1 through 6! Saturday evening after we all got back to Boone we went out to eat with my parents at the new Mellow Mushroom which is SO good! We all destroyed the pizza after working up a hunger from riding bikes all day. Sunday was the cross country race which was a 3 lap race for us (21 miles). We were all sore from the previous day which we knew was going to make the 21 mile race seem like double that. We all had a great start and were at the front of the race as we went into the first section of single track. After the first two mile climb it was all ASU and Jake from Virginia Tech at the front of the race. Unfortunately for Jake he flatted near the end of the first lap which left only ASU riders at the front of the race. Each lap we continued to widen the gap of the racers chasing us and ended up over ten minutes ahead of the next closest rider to us that was not ASU. Derek (my roommate) took first on the day while Clayton and I took 2nd and 3rd respectively. Overall I was pleased with how I felt this weekend. Our lap times yesterday were a lot faster than they were on the same course in May and most of us are not even close to our "race shape" yet. With a few more weeks of racing and hard training rides we should be back into top form. This next weekend we will be racing at Virginia Tech which always has some very tough trails. If we keep riding like we are capable then our goal of finishing top 5 at mountain bike nationals is not to far out of reach. We have a little under two months till we fly out to Angel Fire, New Mexico at the end of October for nationals and these next few weeks will be good indicators of how we will do out west.
-Zeb
Quote of the Day: "God always gives the best to those who leave the choice with him" -Jim Elliot
-Zeb
Monday, August 22, 2011
Still A Kid......
So tomorrow morning I will start my third year.....not of elementary, middle or high school but of college. It seems just yesterday that I was starting kindergarden crying to my teacher about being away from my parents. That will be fifteen years ago tomorrow morning. So where did all that time go? What have I learned? But most importantly I ask who have I become and what difference have I made? Fifteen years ago cell phones were the size of cars and now they can tell you more than you could ever possibly want to know within a second. Fifteen years ago the price of gas was a $1.25, which is a third of what it is today, at best. Fifteen years ago Bill Clinton was winning his second Presidency term. A lot has changed in these fifteen years but I am still Zeb King. I am so different yet still the same. I still enjoy each moment of life for everything it is worth and I still believe in my biggest dreams. I once heard Michael Reno Harrill sing that, "The Journey Is Where Your Going But Also Where You Have Been" and this could not be any truer. I am just a small town kid with the ability to set goals higher than any sky scraper man can build. Everything I have done in my past, both good and bad, have made me the person I am today. I still go at each day with as much enthusiasm as I did from day one. I have been taught to love and love unconditionally and this I try to show each day. I realize how blessed I am to have the best family and friends I could ask for. Life is hard at times and it will knock you on your ass time and time again. It will push and shove you until you fill as if you cant take it anymore. You just can't stop fighting regardless of how hard it gets. We all learn throughout our lives but many forget important lessons (including myself at times) that could really help us out. We try to loose sight of our childhood at times which is the key to the future. Kids in my opinion are the smartest group of individuals we have. Kids are full of questions, ideas and most importantly the possibility that ANYTHING is possible! They can teach us that no goal is to high and no problem is unsolvable. They are full of belief which makes all things possible. Belief in God and yourself are two ingredients that start all great things. God is all around and always accessible. He is love and bleeds love for each of us. He believes in us!
So here in a few more hours I will be walking to class but at the age of 20 and not 5. I will take what I know and use it to ask many questions tomorrow. I still have no idea what my future my hold but I do know where I have been and who I am. I will try to show my passion and love for life to hopefully inspire others that feel they have lost theirs. But most importantly tomorrow morning I will still be a kid without a fear because I know that I still have the ability to dream and accomplish anything that I set my mind to. Our possibilities are endless as long as we give it a shot of everything we have! So I encourage everyone to wake up tomorrow morning and say why not and go after the dreams they have been holding back from because if you do not go after them, then no one will!
Quote of the Day: "Can't Never Could" -Anonymous
So here in a few more hours I will be walking to class but at the age of 20 and not 5. I will take what I know and use it to ask many questions tomorrow. I still have no idea what my future my hold but I do know where I have been and who I am. I will try to show my passion and love for life to hopefully inspire others that feel they have lost theirs. But most importantly tomorrow morning I will still be a kid without a fear because I know that I still have the ability to dream and accomplish anything that I set my mind to. Our possibilities are endless as long as we give it a shot of everything we have! So I encourage everyone to wake up tomorrow morning and say why not and go after the dreams they have been holding back from because if you do not go after them, then no one will!
Quote of the Day: "Can't Never Could" -Anonymous
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Summer of Bicycles!
So where to begin.....Well the title tells everything for the most part. Thanks to the support of my parents (my #1 sponsor and fans) I have been able to pursue my passion and travel all over the place to race bikes this summer. Just like most things in life, experience is key to success and this is no truer in cycling. Unlike running where the strongest guy always wins, cycling is very strategic and it is usually the smartest guy who wins. With their support I have been able to travel to Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to name a few places this summer. Many of these races are NRC (National Racing Calender: Calender for Pro Teams) races which brings out huge fields up to 100 or more and some of the biggest competition in the United States.
Tulsa Tough:
My first 100 person field came in June when I flew to Tulsa, Oklahoma to compete in the three day race event called Tulsa Tough. My first race was Friday evening and I was probably just as nervous as excited! The city takes huge pride in this annual event and it seemed the entire city was out to watch. There must have been over 5,000 people out to enjoy the racing (and the wrecks) and the local vendors selling food and brews. After few warm up laps it was time to line up and give it a go! ASU cycling Coach Sean Weddell was there with me and also his wife Melissa and many of my friends and family were watching the live stream online so I knew I needed to try and put on a show. The bell rang and we were off. Heart beating out off control as we flew into the first turn, wheels rubbing wheels and shoulders leaning on shoulders. Every chance I could I was trying to move up and find a new wheel to follow. Every lap it got faster and people started fighting more and more at the front of the race. The faster it got and the closer to the end it got, the more people were willing to take chances and lay it all on the line for a win. This always increases the chance for wrecks as the emotions overtake the idea of safety. For most of the race it seemed I was hanging on the very back but I was actually mid pack unable to see the front of the race nor the end of the race. Sean kept yelling for me to move up and I was giving it everything I had to try. It was painfully fast and hot as hell (97 degrees) and the idea of dropping out definetely crossed my mind a few times but I have never been able to accept quitting as an option. I had no idea how I could move up when I was in 50th and needed to be riding top 10 going into the last few laps especially when the front of the race was an entire turn ahead of me and out of sight. I thought about how privileged I was to be here and about my future aspirations and somehow found some hidden strength and dug real deep to kick it up another gear. During the last 5 laps I consistently moved up a spot every chance I saw an opening. It got super hectic and I continuously heard the sound of wrecks behind and beside me as carbon and metal slid across the road with people attached. The bell finally rang for the last lap and there I was sitting top 10 ready to give it a go for the win! Unfortunately one of the guys leading the race wrecked in the next to last turn and I lost a few spots but still managed a 12th place finish which I was very ecstatic about! It was a true experience in and of itself. It gave me confidence going into the next two days of racing. On Saturday I tried a few times for a breakaway but never managed to get to far away from the field and had nothing left in my legs at the end finishing 50th. Sunday had the famous "Cry Baby Hill" and I knew that it would be an extremely tough race from the start. Every lap the field would lose a person or two and by the end half the field would be gone. I stayed top 5 for the majority of the race and tried everything I could but just didnt have enough on the final lap to take the win finishing 15th. Reflecting back if I had raced a little smarter I could have more than likely won the race and collected a pretty huge paycheck but hindsight is always 20/20 right? None the less I was proud of my accomplishments having finished top 15 in two out of the three races in my first test on the national level without any teammates!
Going up "Cry Baby Hill" with the lead pack at Tulsa Tough.
Tour of America's Dairyland:
Mom and I took off on a two week vacation (maybe you can call it that?) to America's Dairyland aka Wisconsin. I was taking part in ToAD which was a 10 day stage race featuring 8 criteriums, 1 road race and 1 time trial. This would be an entirely new experience racing for 10 straight days with no breaks. I went to the Tour hoping to get three top 10's. The first few days, the racing was hectic and guys seemed to be wrecking and doing silly things for no reason. This was frustrating along with the fact I was not getting the results yet that I was hoping for. Finally on the third day I broke through and grabbed a 7th place finish and gained some confidence and reassurance that I am capable of racing in these huge fields in which every rider is as strong or stronger than me. I would also go on the grab two more top 10 finishes in the next three days with a 6th place in the Shlitz Criterium and a 6th place in the Ripon TT. During the Downer Classic in Milwaukee, I was riding with sky high confidence with my recent results and the fact that my collegiate teammate Clayton Omer was racing with me. Either one of us or both of us were in every breakaway of the day and both of us were riding extremely well with a high finish quickly approaching. Unfortunately a wreck took out at least a third of the field with three laps remaining including myself. Clayton was able to avoid the wreck and go on to finish 9th. The 10th stage and final race was the Madison Capital Criterium which was laps around the state capital building. I was set to get a break to stick on the final day and attacked with 2 others on a preme lap in which they sat up after the preme but I decided to test my legs and go solo. I spent quite a few laps off the front giving it everything my legs had left in them after 10 days of racing but it was not enough to stay away and I eventually got reeled in by the field with 5 laps to go. All together it was a great 10 days of racing and spending time with my "cheesehead" family that lives in Green Bay. My goal of three top 10's had been accomplished and my experience seemed to grow each day.
Following collegiate teammate Clayton Omer (Papa Johns) wheel in criterium.
Leading the pack!
Prior to huge wreck at Downer Classic in Milwaukee.
Aunt Katherine, Mom, Me and Uncle Mike after a race.
People's Community Bank Omnium:
A few friends and I went to Tennessee at the end of May to race the People's Community Bank Omnium that included a road race that finished with an 8 mile climb up Roan Mtn, a individual time trial and a downtown Johnson City criterium. I was going into the race with pretty good fitness following the collegiate season and thought I had a legit shot at winning the omnium overall. Saturday morning was the road race and we camped on top of Roan Mtn on Friday evening to be real close to the start of the race. The field stayed together to the base of the climb beside a break away of three (that would all die on the climb as we went flying past them) but unfortunately my legs sucked and a few guys rode away from me a few miles into the climb. I then got in a rhythm and went my own pace but they were long gone. I finally made it to the top of the climb at 6,000 ft in 9th place and was glad to see a buffet of food and drinks waiting my arrival (my roommate Derek had a great day finishing the road race in 4th). Not doing as good as I was capable of in the road race meant I had my work cut out for me in the remaining TT and crit. If it wasn't already hard enough for me to have a chance to win the omnium after the road race then missing my start for the time trial by 25 seconds didn't help either. Luckily I am pretty decent at TT's and my legs were feeling good unlike the road race and I was able to finish 7th even though I started 25 seconds down compared to everyone else. After the first two events I was sitting 7th overall in the omnium and knew from calculating the points that there was only one way to win the omnium was to win the criterium the final day. It was a big task but coming into the race winning 3 out of my last 4 criteriums (Duke Crit, Wake Forest Crit and Matt Witting Memorial Crit in Wisconsin) I was confident that it was still an achievable goal. After riding a few warmup laps I could tell that it was perfect for a breakaway if the right people got together because there were some tight and turny sections that a breakaway could go through much faster than the main field. During the first few laps of the race I sat on the front and tried to make it fast but no one else seemed to want to help. I then decided to sit in for a lap and recover then put in a strong move and try to ride off the front. So on the 5th lap I attacked the field and got a gap of 30 seconds or so. When I came back around on the next lap I saw that the lap counter had been put up and we had 22 laps remaining. SHIT! Here I am needing to win this race yet I am in a breakaway by myself with a lot of laps remaining. I was stuck in a tough spot trying to decide if I should go back to the field or if should try to go solo for the remainder of the race. I decided to go for it! I put my head down and just started pushing my pedals over as fast as I possibly could. Every lap hurt more and more but each lap was one closer to the finish line and one in which I was still in the the drivers seat headed for the win. Suffering is one of the hardest things to describe but to me it is like the name of John Mellencamp's song "Hurt So Good". It was hurting to be in a solo break but I was damn sure that winning would feel so, so good. I just kept finding things every lap to motivate me just that little bit more and it worked! I came across the finish line 40 seconds ahead of the field for the solo win! Not only did I win the criterium but I also won the omnium! My first omnium victory!
Solo win in the crit with no field in sight!
Tour de Toona:
Just this past weekend Reid, Derek and I went up to Altoona, PA for the International Tour de Toona which is the largest Pro-Am bike race in the United States. We were doing a 75 mile road race on Saturday with two huge climbs and a total of 6,000 ft of climbing throughout the race. Doing a lot of hour long criteriums all summer made the length of the road race become a real shock to my legs. It was extremely hot and lack of food during the race caused me to have to fight cramps off in the late stages of the race. A breakaway of two had escaped early in the race but I was in the first chase group of 10 riders. We were unable to catch the two but came real close. I was unable to contest the others in my group for the sprint because of cramps so I coasted in for 12th place which I was pleased with considering my conditions. Derek would finish 26th and Reid would finish 6th in his race. The following day in the crit I had no cramps and was active at the front the entire day. I ran over a nail half way through which flatted my tubular so I had to grab a Zipp wheel from SRAM's neutral support and was able to hop back into the field with no penalty. I then tried a breakaway with Jacob Aber, a Virginia Tech rider but after a few laps we were reeled back in. The field ended up staying together setting up a field sprint for the win. I was sitting perfectly in 4th place in the final turn ready to sprint for the win when all of a sudden the guy I was following slid out causing me to wreck at 32 mph but luckily when I flipped over him I was able to embrace my fall by landing on a wall of hay. So what could have possibly been a victory and a shot at the omnium ended real quickly in the final turn. But that is how it goes sometimes, you win some and you lose some.
So I am taking a little break from cycling right now which is needed after months of racing without a break. Now with spare time I am doing some summer school and currently doing this instead of studying for upcoming test. More stories to come soon that involve things besides bicycles, though there are not many things in my life now that don't involve bicycles and racing in some form or another.
Follow me on twitter @Zeb_King for more up to minute stuff.
Quote of the Day: "Dream Big and Make it Happen!" -Carla Swart
Tulsa Tough:
My first 100 person field came in June when I flew to Tulsa, Oklahoma to compete in the three day race event called Tulsa Tough. My first race was Friday evening and I was probably just as nervous as excited! The city takes huge pride in this annual event and it seemed the entire city was out to watch. There must have been over 5,000 people out to enjoy the racing (and the wrecks) and the local vendors selling food and brews. After few warm up laps it was time to line up and give it a go! ASU cycling Coach Sean Weddell was there with me and also his wife Melissa and many of my friends and family were watching the live stream online so I knew I needed to try and put on a show. The bell rang and we were off. Heart beating out off control as we flew into the first turn, wheels rubbing wheels and shoulders leaning on shoulders. Every chance I could I was trying to move up and find a new wheel to follow. Every lap it got faster and people started fighting more and more at the front of the race. The faster it got and the closer to the end it got, the more people were willing to take chances and lay it all on the line for a win. This always increases the chance for wrecks as the emotions overtake the idea of safety. For most of the race it seemed I was hanging on the very back but I was actually mid pack unable to see the front of the race nor the end of the race. Sean kept yelling for me to move up and I was giving it everything I had to try. It was painfully fast and hot as hell (97 degrees) and the idea of dropping out definetely crossed my mind a few times but I have never been able to accept quitting as an option. I had no idea how I could move up when I was in 50th and needed to be riding top 10 going into the last few laps especially when the front of the race was an entire turn ahead of me and out of sight. I thought about how privileged I was to be here and about my future aspirations and somehow found some hidden strength and dug real deep to kick it up another gear. During the last 5 laps I consistently moved up a spot every chance I saw an opening. It got super hectic and I continuously heard the sound of wrecks behind and beside me as carbon and metal slid across the road with people attached. The bell finally rang for the last lap and there I was sitting top 10 ready to give it a go for the win! Unfortunately one of the guys leading the race wrecked in the next to last turn and I lost a few spots but still managed a 12th place finish which I was very ecstatic about! It was a true experience in and of itself. It gave me confidence going into the next two days of racing. On Saturday I tried a few times for a breakaway but never managed to get to far away from the field and had nothing left in my legs at the end finishing 50th. Sunday had the famous "Cry Baby Hill" and I knew that it would be an extremely tough race from the start. Every lap the field would lose a person or two and by the end half the field would be gone. I stayed top 5 for the majority of the race and tried everything I could but just didnt have enough on the final lap to take the win finishing 15th. Reflecting back if I had raced a little smarter I could have more than likely won the race and collected a pretty huge paycheck but hindsight is always 20/20 right? None the less I was proud of my accomplishments having finished top 15 in two out of the three races in my first test on the national level without any teammates!
Tour of America's Dairyland:
Mom and I took off on a two week vacation (maybe you can call it that?) to America's Dairyland aka Wisconsin. I was taking part in ToAD which was a 10 day stage race featuring 8 criteriums, 1 road race and 1 time trial. This would be an entirely new experience racing for 10 straight days with no breaks. I went to the Tour hoping to get three top 10's. The first few days, the racing was hectic and guys seemed to be wrecking and doing silly things for no reason. This was frustrating along with the fact I was not getting the results yet that I was hoping for. Finally on the third day I broke through and grabbed a 7th place finish and gained some confidence and reassurance that I am capable of racing in these huge fields in which every rider is as strong or stronger than me. I would also go on the grab two more top 10 finishes in the next three days with a 6th place in the Shlitz Criterium and a 6th place in the Ripon TT. During the Downer Classic in Milwaukee, I was riding with sky high confidence with my recent results and the fact that my collegiate teammate Clayton Omer was racing with me. Either one of us or both of us were in every breakaway of the day and both of us were riding extremely well with a high finish quickly approaching. Unfortunately a wreck took out at least a third of the field with three laps remaining including myself. Clayton was able to avoid the wreck and go on to finish 9th. The 10th stage and final race was the Madison Capital Criterium which was laps around the state capital building. I was set to get a break to stick on the final day and attacked with 2 others on a preme lap in which they sat up after the preme but I decided to test my legs and go solo. I spent quite a few laps off the front giving it everything my legs had left in them after 10 days of racing but it was not enough to stay away and I eventually got reeled in by the field with 5 laps to go. All together it was a great 10 days of racing and spending time with my "cheesehead" family that lives in Green Bay. My goal of three top 10's had been accomplished and my experience seemed to grow each day.
Zooming through a turn!
People's Community Bank Omnium:
A few friends and I went to Tennessee at the end of May to race the People's Community Bank Omnium that included a road race that finished with an 8 mile climb up Roan Mtn, a individual time trial and a downtown Johnson City criterium. I was going into the race with pretty good fitness following the collegiate season and thought I had a legit shot at winning the omnium overall. Saturday morning was the road race and we camped on top of Roan Mtn on Friday evening to be real close to the start of the race. The field stayed together to the base of the climb beside a break away of three (that would all die on the climb as we went flying past them) but unfortunately my legs sucked and a few guys rode away from me a few miles into the climb. I then got in a rhythm and went my own pace but they were long gone. I finally made it to the top of the climb at 6,000 ft in 9th place and was glad to see a buffet of food and drinks waiting my arrival (my roommate Derek had a great day finishing the road race in 4th). Not doing as good as I was capable of in the road race meant I had my work cut out for me in the remaining TT and crit. If it wasn't already hard enough for me to have a chance to win the omnium after the road race then missing my start for the time trial by 25 seconds didn't help either. Luckily I am pretty decent at TT's and my legs were feeling good unlike the road race and I was able to finish 7th even though I started 25 seconds down compared to everyone else. After the first two events I was sitting 7th overall in the omnium and knew from calculating the points that there was only one way to win the omnium was to win the criterium the final day. It was a big task but coming into the race winning 3 out of my last 4 criteriums (Duke Crit, Wake Forest Crit and Matt Witting Memorial Crit in Wisconsin) I was confident that it was still an achievable goal. After riding a few warmup laps I could tell that it was perfect for a breakaway if the right people got together because there were some tight and turny sections that a breakaway could go through much faster than the main field. During the first few laps of the race I sat on the front and tried to make it fast but no one else seemed to want to help. I then decided to sit in for a lap and recover then put in a strong move and try to ride off the front. So on the 5th lap I attacked the field and got a gap of 30 seconds or so. When I came back around on the next lap I saw that the lap counter had been put up and we had 22 laps remaining. SHIT! Here I am needing to win this race yet I am in a breakaway by myself with a lot of laps remaining. I was stuck in a tough spot trying to decide if I should go back to the field or if should try to go solo for the remainder of the race. I decided to go for it! I put my head down and just started pushing my pedals over as fast as I possibly could. Every lap hurt more and more but each lap was one closer to the finish line and one in which I was still in the the drivers seat headed for the win. Suffering is one of the hardest things to describe but to me it is like the name of John Mellencamp's song "Hurt So Good". It was hurting to be in a solo break but I was damn sure that winning would feel so, so good. I just kept finding things every lap to motivate me just that little bit more and it worked! I came across the finish line 40 seconds ahead of the field for the solo win! Not only did I win the criterium but I also won the omnium! My first omnium victory!
Tour de Toona:
Just this past weekend Reid, Derek and I went up to Altoona, PA for the International Tour de Toona which is the largest Pro-Am bike race in the United States. We were doing a 75 mile road race on Saturday with two huge climbs and a total of 6,000 ft of climbing throughout the race. Doing a lot of hour long criteriums all summer made the length of the road race become a real shock to my legs. It was extremely hot and lack of food during the race caused me to have to fight cramps off in the late stages of the race. A breakaway of two had escaped early in the race but I was in the first chase group of 10 riders. We were unable to catch the two but came real close. I was unable to contest the others in my group for the sprint because of cramps so I coasted in for 12th place which I was pleased with considering my conditions. Derek would finish 26th and Reid would finish 6th in his race. The following day in the crit I had no cramps and was active at the front the entire day. I ran over a nail half way through which flatted my tubular so I had to grab a Zipp wheel from SRAM's neutral support and was able to hop back into the field with no penalty. I then tried a breakaway with Jacob Aber, a Virginia Tech rider but after a few laps we were reeled back in. The field ended up staying together setting up a field sprint for the win. I was sitting perfectly in 4th place in the final turn ready to sprint for the win when all of a sudden the guy I was following slid out causing me to wreck at 32 mph but luckily when I flipped over him I was able to embrace my fall by landing on a wall of hay. So what could have possibly been a victory and a shot at the omnium ended real quickly in the final turn. But that is how it goes sometimes, you win some and you lose some.
Follow me on twitter @Zeb_King for more up to minute stuff.
Quote of the Day: "Dream Big and Make it Happen!" -Carla Swart
Monday, April 18, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Broken But Still Racing!
So I broke my wrist a week ago riding mountain bikes with my roommate Derek. I am now wrapped up in a hot pink cast! Though the cast restricts some movement on the bike I am continuing the ripping on the bike. I decided to race this past weekend at West Virginia University with the cast on. I didn't know how much the cast would effect me in racing so I was not expecting for great results. Somehow I managed to grab 4th place in both the road race and the criterium which help my boost my standing in the conference. My roommate Derek, Justin Evans and I are all three in the top five individual standings for the ACC conference heading into the last weekend. The conference championships are this weekend at Virginia Tech and the races count for double points because it is conference. I am really hoping I can finish the collegiate season on a good note and hopefully win one of the races. The road race will be on Saturday with over 6,000 feet of climbing which suits Derek and I to the max. All the climbing will turn the race into a suffer fest fast and will cause natural selection on each lap. I suspect the field will be cut in half each lap until there are only four or five guys that reach the base of the final climb together. The last climb of the day is a three mile climb to the top of a lake which will prove once and for all who is the conferences strongest rider. Though I am biased, I believe Derek and I will be the first two to crest the top of the climb and take first and second. We have seemed the strongest two so far this season in hilly road courses and this one will be the hilliest yet. We will have the team time trial competition on Saturday afternoon which we hope to repeat in from last season and the criterium will be on Sunday. It shall be one exciting weekend with lots of suffering but hopefully so conference championships too! On the school side of things it is starting to get really tough. April means crunch time since there are only like two weeks of school remaining before the sweet summer begins! I have lots of papers and group projects to finish before the summer freedom arrives. Well its back to studying for now but results for this weekend will be posted soon!
Quote of the Day: "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." -Muhammad Ali
Quote of the Day: "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." -Muhammad Ali
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