the man himself

I love riding bicycles. I can count the things I like better on one hand’s fingers. Sometimes I don’t want to ride, sure, but when I do and can’t, shit hits the fan. This has been the case since the middle of January, as knee troubles have resulted in nonexistent or short and inconsistent riding. Being the dork of human anatomy and physiology that I am, my inability to diagnose and remedy this situation frustrated me to a further extent. Bike fits, countless foam roller sessions, massage, self-massage, ice, heat, ice, heat, biofreeze, voltaren, ice, heat. Feel better. Try to ride. Feel worse. It seemed I was no good at the things I enjoy. (Euro english:) “Oyyyyuggghhh Amateur.”

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Snelling Road Race
In the 3s, 98 people at the start line for this race, my plan was to stay in the top 20. Reason being that with the forecast saying wind, there was bound to be a “selection” where the strong guys at the front get separated from the strong guys at the back by the weaker guys in the middle.

My bottles were a combination of one with plain water, and one with Clif Shot Electrolyte drink mix. In my pockets I had a Clif Bar (Black Cherry Almond), a Clif Shot TURBO (espresso flavor) and a Clif Shot Gel (vanilla).

The first few laps were pretty normal. I was doing my best to get a feel for where the best places in the peloton to be were to avoid wind and to maintain decent positioning at the same time. About 2/3rds through lap four of five, on the tailwind section of the course, a 9-man group rolled off the front of the peloton (*the “selection”). Read more

Team Mike’s Bikes went into the Merced Crit with fancy shoes and an entourage of females from an ice cream shop that Rainier Schaefer picked up for us the night before. The previous day (Snelling Road Race) we had Matt Adams and Taylor Cody both win their races and Tyler Brandt rock out with third in the PRO 1, 2. He would have won if I had swept the sprint for him, but I messed up big time and wasn’t there for him at that crucial moment.

I try not to get too upset, because, to be frank: our team is awesome. I have never been on a team with more talent and synergy than Team Mike’s Bike. Our rider’s are always working hard and sacrificing themselves for teammates – which in this sport is rarer than a Velo Promo race starting on time. Read more