My birthday and Todd graduates house party

We had house party...and beer pong...

Brasstown Bald...

I went up and did 6 gap in dahlonega GA on Monday and decided to take some photos of the mountains. These are pics from the top of Brasstown. Yeah, I did brasstown in the midst of a 6hr ride. I figured it would be a good way to break my legs in for the year. Great views though

Oh and by the way my "choice" to live in GA is paying off a bit right now. It was 75 degrees and sunny all day in the mountains. Riding in just shorts and jersey in December...

Asheville

The boys(Crane, Rory and myself) just finishing the Mt. Pisgah climb at the Blue Ridge Parkway. We pretty much smashed it. Lauren is obvious not wanting any part of this photo.
Another shot from the parkway.Smile for the camera Teddy(the guy in the "other" green health kit)

Back to it

It's been a while since I've put anything up here, but honestly it seems like only yesterday my season just ended. I guess that means it's been a pretty good time since. I started riding again with a huge wake up call doing the "Fall Tour". This is a 4 day mountain biking event that's only for the lovers of pain. 4 days of 5+ hrs of riding in the north ga mountains was amazing. But now I'm back on the road bike for a while and even incorporating a bit of gym work this year. I've never been a fan of the gym but I figured I could probably use the strength to try and prevent injury or something. Anyhow, it's been good getting in there and finding out how weak I actually am. Oh yeah I'm talking about the gym...This is the second highest point in Ga, we raced to the top...

Oh yeah and I also spent a week in Bermuda with a bit of "offseason racing." Russell Downing won the final stage and the overall with Menzies winning all the other stages.

100k, NRC and that's a wrap

Yep, it's official. Health Net Presented by Maxxis officially won the Overall Team NRC Title this monday in Atlanta. Menzies took 2nd with Rory close behind in 8th in the 50mph sprint. Rory also stepped over BJM for the Inidividual NRC title also. Good work boys, good work.

Portland and stuff

It's been a bit since I've done a blog update. Anyhow I just got back from Portland for a Health Net Twilight Crit. If the name doesn't give a clue the team needed to win this one. I attacked off the front with around 15 laps to go and stuck it for a solo vic. Doug jumped off the front on the last lap and took second. Hartley was third after chopping Kirk and almost crashing him. Chopping the just recent national crit champ isn't really a great idea but maybe he didn't know it was him. Kirk was still 4th and Roman rolled in with 10th. Anyhow, for flying across country Thursday, race Friday, and flying back Saturday it was a pretty cool weekend. I have to say that Portland is one of the coolest towns I've been too in a long time. We spent some time downtown Friday night and it was going off. Really cool town.

Nature Valley TT and Crit

Another flat tt 8k out and back. I took 5th, about 14 seconds behind teammate and winner Nathan O'neill. My power was good and I held almost the exact same split on the way out as on the way back in. The team had an impressive showing stacking 7 of us in the top 15.

Kirk took his second win this evening in the crit to put Health Net at 3 wins in a row. He is in second overall with Stevic of Toyota in the leaders jersey. Tomorrow's gonna be a blast...

Yeah Nature Valley

So the first stage was a 1 hour crit. I didn't get to ride yesterday so I was just hoping I could open up during the first part of the race. I felt like crap for the first 30 minutes, but then came around. I screwed the finish up and was too far back when it got wound up. Kirk went 2nd with Rory 5th and Pipp maybe 10th. I'm hoping to get up there and at least do some better work tomorrow.

Philly

(Manayunk Wall)

CSC and Lancaster

CSC- The race was on from the gun with Victor Rapinski(Navigators) almost lapping the field 40 laps. He eventually lost steam though and was brought back. Lots of other attacks but nothing stuck. It was so hot I was taking as many water bottles as I could and pouring them on my head and back. In the end Milne was our best finisher at 5th, and Rory at 10th. I went like 23rd I think.

The next day was Lancaster which I was pretty excited to race for the first time. The conditions were wet from rain all afternoon. I had some bad luck about 25km in with a front flat right before the main climb. I got a change and started to chase back in the cars. Half a lap later I got back in the main peloton. Tim Johnson(TJ) was up the road with 10 riders and a 2 minute gap. After that though my stomach was really bad, and my legs even worse. I threw up a bunch and had no power. I found myself unable to hold the wheel in front of me on the climbs and out of most the corners until I was eventually dropped. Tim winded up flatting out of the break and that pretty much ended his day as well. The break was eventually caught and the race reshuffled to put Pipp in the next break. Pipp winded up 3rd when Eisel(T Mobile) and Lagutin(Navigators) got off the front in the closing kilometers.

Edgar Soto Stage 4

The final Stage of this glorious stage race ended with a 109 mile route that finishes on a 5km summit finish. That would make for an exciting race cause my yellow jersey was just a 19 ahead of 2nd place Neil Shirley(Jittery Joes). The Jittery boys and Menzies kept the race in check and let a safe break get up the road. The roads were really nice, always going up and down and twisting. I ran into a bit of trouble about 25 miles to the finish when my rear derailer cable snapped. Luckily SRAM Neutral support was there and I went back for a neutral bike. The mechanic was super helpful and got me set up right away. 57cm, ok. Speedplays, ok. Seatheight, ok. And just like that I was off. I got a draft from the car and within minutes back in the race. It was a bit of different setup, but that's expected. Anyhow, after about 12 bottles of water(thumbs up for neutral feeding and about 7 feed zones), we got to the bottom of the final climb with the break caught. Cesar(Jittery) attacked almost right away to soften the group. Shirley, Pipp and I were glued to his wheel. He attacked again and this time he rolled off the front of us. It was Shirley's job to drop me, so he then started throwing in the attacks. He would attack, Pipp and I would cover. He attacked, we covered. This happened maybe 10 times. I stayed on the wheel until there was only 6 of us left(Shirley, Pipp, Me, Henriksen, S. Stewart-vmg, and herbalife). Cesar still up the road. With 1km to go it would seem Shirley had given up on getting rid of me. But then Herbalife rider attacked and it was the acceleration I just couldn't follow. Shirley saw I was behind and just drilled it to the finish. Pipp stayed glued to him. They caught Cesar with about 200 meters to the line and Pipp took the stage win. I winded up 7th, losing 49 seconds and subsequently the race overall. Pipp slid into 2nd and I fell to 3rd on GC. Menzies took the Green(Sprint) Jersey with me in 3rd and Pipp in 5th in that comp. A solid weekend for the boys getting ready for Philly week. Just one place in the GC higher would have been nice for us, but we gave it all we had. Next week is the real deal and we are rolling. Can't wait.

Edgar Soto Stage 3 Crit

The stage 3 crit was downtown Nashville on a nice 6 turn course. We started the 75 min crit quickly by Menzies and Cesar Grajales(Jittery Joes) lapping the field in the first 30 minutes. Once they got back in the peloton everything was pretty much shut down. Menzies took the sprint and also the green jersey just ahead of Cesar. I'm still leading the GC with Pipp in 4th and Menzies moved to 6th. Tomorrow's 109 mile day with a mountain top finish might shake things up a bit.

Edgar Soto Stage 2

Stage 2 was a 107k Circuit race. The 6 laps of the 18k course was rolling, always up and down. A break of 11 got away by the second lap, with Frank Pipp and myself in there. We stayed away and put almost 4 minutes into the peloton. Frank set me up perfectly getting off the front over the last few kilometers with Edy Hilger(Juris). Neil Shirley(Jittery Joes) and Nick Reistad(Jelly Belly) were forced to chase. Hilger and Pipp were caught with about 500 meters to go and Pipp immediately jumped again to lead me out. I took the win ahead of Dirk Pohlman(Krystal) and Shirley. Hilger and Pipp rounded the top 5. I also took the GC lead as well as the points. The crit is next with a 109 mile RR on Monday.

Edgar Soto Stage 1 TT

The first stage of the Edgar Soto Memorial was a 10.5k TT. I was the first of the pro 1/2 to start because of a late entry, so I had no one to chase. It wasn't a problem though and I was only beat by Trent Wilson by 4 seconds. I got 2nd with Menzies 5th and Frank I think 12th. It should be an exciting weekend ahead.

Tri-Peaks

So after an extremely successful Joe Martin Stage race, the Health Net crew headed to Russellville, AR. We got the race started off on the first stage with Menzies and Pipp in the winning breakaway. The stage ended on Mt. Magazine which is a 12k climb or so. Menzies took second and Pipp followed a close 4th. Pretty damn solid for a mountain top finish huh!

Stage 2 was a 100 mile journey with a 7k climb halfway through and lots of rollers all day. We took control on the climb and kept any breakaway attempts in check. We rode the front for the rest of the day and brought the race to a group sprint with Menzies taking another close 2nd.

(On the front in the Crit)

Stage 3 and 4 was the double day on Saturday with a 75 minute crit in the morning followed by a 9k TT in the late afternoon. We got through the crit with Pipp and Menzies both finishing inside the top 10.

(Concentration)
The TT in the afternoon was flat and simple. My TT bike finally saw some action for the first time this year and I guess the bike was excited cause it propelled me to my first NRC WIN EVER! I had a solid effort with a 10:26, riding an exact 50kph average. I took the win just in front of teammates Rory and Menzies. Menzies got enough time on the rest to step into the overall lead going into the final day.(Milne and me on Mt. Nebo)

Stage 5 was a 115k's finishing on the tough Mt. Nebo climb. We knew we had to put pressure on Toyota to try and wear out there climber guys who were a threat to Menzies for the overall. In the end, Pipp(Superclimber) took 3rd on the stage, and came 4th overall GC. Menzies hang close to the leaders but fell to 6th overall for the GC.

Arkansas

So we just finished Joe Martin Stage Race here in Fayetteville, AR. We took 3 stages and 1st and 5th in the overall, so it went pretty well. I'm feeling better and better coming back from the hip injury. We are here in Arkansas for the rest of the week starting Tri-Peaks stage race on Thursday. More climbing in this one I've heard.

So we're off to ride to the next hotel and settle in there. I'll get some pictures up here eventually but the business of stage racing has taken over from my blog updating.

Back to Racing

After 6 weeks of everything except riding my bike from my disastrous crash in Merced, CA, I began riding my bike again. I guess now I've been riding for almost 3 weeks, most of which has been just easy pedaling. After being sidelines for Twilight and Roswell, I took the frustration out on the pedals and it was actually pain free. I was able to get out those two days and really put in some good training. On Monday, I had my final check with the doc. The x-rays actually showed a second fracture on my pelvis that hadn't been seen before(Ah, that explains some pain!). Both fractures were ready to go and the doc gave me the greenlight to start racing. I decided to join my boys Frank Pipp and Kyle Gritters for the USA SE crit series.The first race in Beaufort, SC didn't go so hot. I was a bit freaked out about the sketchy course in the dark, so I decided to go from the gun. I covered attacks and attacked as much as possible in the first 15 minutes to try and get away and break the race up. Well that didn't work and I found myself gasping for air and going through the back of the field. I winded up getting lapped. They didn't pull me so once I got back with the group, I found my rythm and helped the boys out by covering moves. I tried to help Frank and Kyle move up the last couple laps and they finished 5th and 6th respectively.
The next night in Walterboro I took a more relaxed approach. I started in the very back and work my way to the front after about 20 minutes. The race was in the dark again and the back stretch didn't have a bit of light. It was sketchy to say the least. My goal was to take a couple primes and then try and lead out to the last two corners. I succeeded and got a couple primes but I started the leadout early and faded before I got to the last corner. The finish is not what we hoped for but we got some primes so it wasn't a complete waste.
In Greenwood I took an even more relaxed approach, only going for the midrace prime successfully. I stayed at the front at the end and between us we got 11th, 13th, and 14th. I seem to be getting stronger as the series goes on.
I took today(Friday) off for the weekend in Alabama. Frank and Kyle went home so I'll be flying solo. I can only hope I continue to improve and can't wait to try again.

An interesting trip...

So I just returned back home in Athens yesterday after a very unfortunate series of events leading to me being sidelined for a while. I'll get to that...

So my travel to Merced started with a 6am drive to the Atlanta airport. At 6:15 am I was in the car with my sister and we were at a complete stop on I-75 South. When I saw the sign saying "Accident- All Lanes Blocked." I knew I was not gonna make my 8:30 flight. It was a devastating crash to say the least. Let's just say me missing my flight didn't seem to matter once I heard about the horrific accident that had occured.

Once I finally got to the airport, I arranged to get on the next flight at 11:30am. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until we began our take-off. Right as we were up to speed and about to lift off, the pilot aborted the take-off and slammed on the brakes. After coming to a stop, the pilot finally got on the intercom and told us that a plane had crossed the runway about 1/4 mile in front of us and he had to abort lift off. So now we had to wait over an hour and a half to allow the brakes to cool off.

5 hours later I arrived in LAX. I had a short layover thanks to the delays back there to get to Fresno, my final destination. Once in Fresno, I was picked up by Rob our soigneur and drove the team van to the Hotel in Merced. About halfway there we hit more gridlock traffic making the 1hr drive take 2hrs.

Finally I arrived to the Hotel and got some rest.

The next morning the team went out for a spin before the 3pm start for the crit. After an hour or so of easy riding I got pummeled by what felt like paintballs from a passing truck. I had welts on my shoulder and back. I'm not sure exactly what hit me but it left some marks alright. I jokingly told my teammates to avoid my wheel in the race cause things just weren't going my way so far.

Luckily my teammates took my advice because 1hr into the crit, I got tangled with another rider and hit the deck. I tried to stand and knew immediately something was wrong. I couldn't apply any pressure to my left leg, so standing was out of the question. I got assistance from some people and got to the side of the road. After the meds checked me out, I got a ride from our team chiropractor to the Merced Medical center for some X-Rays. 3 hours later, my hip was deemed fracture free and I was on my way back. A few days rest and we would re-evaluate. Obviously the next days 200k road race was out of the question.

The next morning I got a call from the medical center; I had a feeling what they were going to say. The radiologist had taken a look at my X-Rays and found a crack in my Pubis Rami section of the pelvis. My hip was fractured and I was gonna be out for at least a few weeks. I made a few phone calls and 3 hours later, I had it worked out to fly out that night with the rest of the team.

Once I arrived at the airport, I was greeted with the inconvenience of not having my name on the flight list.
I called Delta right away and I found out the guy at Delta who changed my ticket actually put me on a flight for the next day. So after an hour and a half of horrifying hold music, I got on the next flight. 5 hours of red eye flying I arrived at the Atlanta airport amazingly in one peice. I think Merced is just bad luck for me. Or something.

More Video from Training

Training Camp 07 vid 2
Video sent by johnteamfisher

Vid from Team Training

Training Camp 07 Vid 1
Video sent by johnteamfisher

Greenville Training Series- Donaldson Center

So I ventured to Greenville, SC for my first official race of the year. I lined up the lone Health Net Rider, with Jittery Joes rolling in 6 deep. So I knew I had my work cut out for me today, but decided I was just going to work myself over and see how it goes. I got into a break on the second of 8 laps. The lap was about 11k with a couple of rolling hills and some strong winds to make it tough. The break finally got established with four riders in total. Tim Henry, Scottie Weiss and I were laying it down with another strong rider that I'm not sure of his name. We got the break off to a great start having over 2 minutes halfway through the race. With just over an hour left of racing we were rolling strong. With two laps to go, the chase from behind started closing in. The gap was down to 30 seconds starting the final lap. At that point it was just Tim and I doing the work, the other two sitting on. We took turns just smashing it into the wind, hoping we could hold off the charging field. With 1.5k to the finish, a group of 8 or so came on us. I was displeased to see Jittery Joes had 2 guys in this group, giving me pretty low odds to cross the finish line first. I was instantly under attack by Cesar Grajales. I chased. Then Tim, and I tried to bridged after moments hesitation. Closing in on Tim, Cesar knew he had to bring us back to salvage the race, so he drove it to bring me back. As soon as I was caught, Thad Dulin launched a massive attack up the left side of the road, all the while looking back to see if I could react. Well I couldn't. He caught up with Tim and they just held the gap. With just Cesar, myself and one other rider left, I had to do all the work to try and bring it back. That was just not to be and Tim took the win in the first race of the year. I took the sprint for 3rd. It was definitely a great day of training and also to give the Joes a run for their money.

Camp coming to a close, Season just beginning

Well, our camp is coming to a close, and I must say it was not without lots of long arduous k's. Winding the camp down with a 4 hour ride today to just make sure the legs are nice and toasty to travel home with. The pic below is one of our rides where Jeff Louder, Roman Kilun and myself get some motorpacing in behind the team car.
Here's the team on just one of the many climbs we did throughout everyday of training. Lots of up and down and sometimes 20k climbs in there too.


So Southern Cali is pretty nice this time of the year for training. Too bad it was only this nice for our last day of training.I'm flying back to home to Athens tomorrow. It will be good to get back and do the world famous WBL once again. I'm looking forward to it.

Health Net Maxxis Camp

Health Net Presented by Maxxis Training Camp 07'

Rory, Russel, Roman, and Crane.

Hesjedal with Sponsor Suzette with Fizik saddles.

More pictures to come...

getting outside in LA, and the velodrome

Here's a shot by the beach...More beach...And the track...

Carmichael Training Systems TV- Check it out!

Give the link a try and see if you find anything interesting.
www.trainright.com

LA Track Camp

So I've been out here in LA for 5 days now, and it has been going less than great. Just after stepping off the plane in LAX, I started coming down with something. It has developed into a full blown cold and I am have been hung up in my hotel room the past couple days. I did one day on the track so far, being thrown into a madison for the first time and almost killing myself on the first exchange. I started to get the hang of it, but wow the madison is sketchy stuff. It is the most focus oriented track cycling event by far. Especially when your partner and 4 of the other riders are wearing the same jerseys! Ok, hopefully my follow up to this will have me healthy.

More Pics of CO

Testing...

Wow, now I remember why testing is not fun...