I had a pretty good run of bikin there last week, but I caught the tired on Sunday and it didn’t get much better on Monday, so I took two days easy and then hit it hard yesterday. It is very funny to me how every single trip to Colorado is the same – awful pain the first day, better and better for the next few days, intense fatigue for a couple days, and then ok from then on out. It’s always the same.

I went to Boulder on Sunday with my family. We walked around and hung out and I took lots of pictures. It was good fun. Check out the pictures HERE. They pretty much tell the story of Hannelore’s attempt at street performing. She didn’t do so bad: she made 15 bucks juggling. I’m trying to learn to juggle. I’m slowly getting better.

Oma and Opa came over for dinner the other night and that was good fun, we had pork loin and a fresh pie for dessert. I was a happy boy. I like being around my family. They’re not so bad. Ha.

I want to race this weekend, but I’m really having a hard time shying away from the investment. 38 dollars to race on Saturday, plus 40 for my ACA license, plus 30 the next day – over 100 bucks right there. I’m trying desperately to save up money right now and that’s not good – especially considering that I want to race on Tuesday and then next Saturday and Sunday as well. And if you put ALL the purses together for these races it might crack 2000 dollars…MIGHT. Tough call. I hate that I’m complaining about entry fees – I usually want to hit people that do that, but for once I can almost understand…almost…of course I’m going to race though.

Alright, back to PEZ, I just finished the Stage 17 race report, now it’s on to pictures and then an edit of an interview for tomorrow from Steven Cummings and Phillip Deignan.

So I’m getting down to a pretty normal routine here…PEZ work on the Giro in the mornings, bikin in the afternoon… The bikin is getting better everyday – my times on all of the climbs come down daily and when I don’t want to go too hard, my heart rate at a given effort is coming down, so that’s good. It’s funny, I could train just fine here without a powermeter. It’s awesome having times for everything that I can possibly ride…even though that can be frustrating because instinctively I want to try and go a little harder every time I ride em, which leads to hilarious consequences when I do a six climb ride and come apart after four climbs. Woops.

I went to Hannelore’s juggling performance the other day at her school, Marshdale Elementary. 67 fifth graders juggled and used their diablos. It was a pretty cool performance. I want to learn how to juggle now. It looks cool. Hannelore got me some juggling balls. Thanks Hannelore.

Oma cut my hair right before that performance. I thought I might be able to get rid of the remains of my red dye booboo from February, but that didn’t happen. I’ve still got at least another hair cut to go before I get back to my normal hair color. I must really take note this time not to ever do that again. Ha.

Last night we went into town to see Prince Caspian. I liked it. I’m not very picky about movies though. I like movies and I like going to the movies, especially when gummy treats are involved…and Mexican food. I like Mexican food. I think I’ll miss Mexican food a lot next year when I’m in Innsbruck. I love chips and salsa. It’s my favorite food group.

I’m just wasting time right now delaying getting my ride started. I should probably get on with it. I’m going up a hard dirt road climb today…but I promise I won’t do more than 50 miles, because I get plenty enough work in during that time. I haven’t ridden longer than 3.5 hours yet, and I’m hard pressed just to make it home everyday. I love it.

It feels nice to be settled down and to have my computer at a permanent desk for a little while, even if it’s only three weeks. I don’t have to go somewhere looking for internet, no frustrations with my phone connection for slow, but functional internet, just plain, easy internet, and no packing of cords and such. All plusses.

Oh, and I’m home, and that’s always nice. It has been a great respite already, and I’m just getting started.

Yesterday was my first ride. I didn’t get to ride on Monday, because my bike bag didn’t make the trip to Denver with me, so I got er a little late. It’s all good though. I’m notorious for my recovery rides, or lack of, even moreso here in the mountains…it’s too damn hard to go bikin on an easy day here.

Anyhow, I got in my requisite introduction to life at 8300 feet and as always it was miserable. I’ve already been humbled plenty over the past week or so in terms of my fitness, and this was just another good thwack. At the same heart rate and wattage on my favorite climb, I’m a minute off the pace at the moment. 21 minutes to 22 minutes. Nothing to cry about and something that should be rectified very quickly with just some simple training, which will take care of the two factors: sucking and a little too much, er, me, er fat.

I’m going to go back today and have another go…I don’t ever go really hard up the climb of Little Cub Creek, but always in that sub-threshold realm…otherwise I don’t think I’d be able to get up those OTHER climbs, and yesterday, that OTHER climb was 40 minutes long on High Grade. Ouch, ouch, ouch.

I do have to admit that I’ll take this little lack of fitness at the moment for it being a full EIGHTY degrees warmer than it was over the winter. I’m in jersey and shorts…the last time I rode here I was in pretty much everything I could find sans a parka and snow boots.

I forgot that I was on duty for the stage report for the Giro today. I kept looking back and checking to see if someone had done the report so that I could add pictures…and then I realized that I was supposed to do it. It hurts being this dumb.

Ok, I’m about done with computer work for the day, it’s just about bikin time. I’ve got a full five climbs on the docket, which should be more than enough for me to crack in Evergreen with still a full climb to go and then have to endure the absolute misery of another 40 minutes with nada. Don’t call me negative, there’s nothing to be done about it. I know. I’ve tried. I eat, I ride slower, I sing to myself, I imagine happy places and heaping scoops of ice cream topped with donuts, but inevitably I experience the, wait for it here it comes, come apart heading into Climb #5. I could take a climb out, that would make perfect sense, but what’s the fun in that?

Jacob recently interviewed me on my thoughts on my season so far…he had some interesting questions that made me think and look closer at some aspects that I otherwise wouldn’t have so much. I feel like I responded honestly though, and gave a fair assessment of the year up to this point.

It was funny being filmed…I’m not used to that, I was slightly uncomfortable at first, but got rolling as we went along, and as everyone knows, once I start talking, I just can’t stop.

Check it out at FS Concepts dot com.

Or check it out directly: Part I and Part II.

So after that last update, I spent the weekend in North Georgia at the amazing Hiker Hostel for the FS Concepts Mountain Training Clinic, and immediately after that, Jacob drove me to the airport and here I am now in Colorado…

The training clinic was fantastic. We all had a great time, and the weather was absolutely perfect. It’s funny doing these clinics…I’ve done a fair few at this point, but I always seem to learn something as well, or at least hear something that makes me think and look back at what I do and then try it a little different. I had that happen to me with descending and countersteering. I started thinking about it more and experimenting more with it and I started going downhill fast.

Now I’m in Colorado so I should get to practice a wee bit of descending. I came out here on somewhat late notice for training and to be with my family for a little while before I head out to Austria for a year at the end of this season. It’s a great time…I’m in no condition to race right now, so I can sit down, get back to basics and just ride…as well as spend some good time with my family. I’d say that’s an ok setup.

What’s not an ok setup though is the lack of bike…my bike hasn’t quite made it to the house yet. It got left behind somehow and came in on a different flight. So if I was planning on riding my bike today…not anymore. I called them and they have it though, so that’s ok. I had never had a late or lost bag before today.

The one girl whose bag also got left behind or whatever, left both her car keys and her medication in the bag and was in a bad spot. I felt bad for the people working that counter. I have to think that that has to be one of the most thankless jobs on the planet.

I’ve got to get back to some PEZ work…I’ll try and upload some pictures from camp later. Worst case scenario, I’ll put em in some kind of photo album and link to it.

The weather is typically Colorado – sunny sunny and more sunny. I’m a pretty happy boy for the moment.

I got back to Athens in time to take a deep breath, unpack, wash my clothes, and then pack everything up for the next trip. This one was a little less planned, but in that respect, that much more important. I’m headed to Colorado for a little while to be with my family. I’m looking forward to helping out a bit and getting some good training in.

Speaking of good training…I’m back on track. This week was an awful shock to the system – I did a 2.5 hour ride on Tuesday and I was wrecked afterwards. I went straight into my room and passed out spread-eagle, face down on my bed. Wednesday wasn’t much better, but I did 3.5…again, completely ruined, but already better off than Tuesday.

I took yesterday easy and then came up to the mountains today with Jacob. He’s doing a clinic up here this weekend, which starts in the morning. We did an almost three hour ride today and rode some climbs…again, I was tired as hell by the end, but again, I felt some more improvement. Most of all, it was just some good fun. You know those days when you ride and you don’t feel like you’re working and you pretty much can’t imagine anything else you’d rather be doing? Just like that.

It’s funny at this point – everyday I’m making some significant improvement, not just physically, but mentally as well. I can feel it, and see it on my damn powermeter too. I might have lost some serious fitness, but it’s not that terribly far away. I can’t imagine that I won’t be rollin smoothly again when I get done with this visit to Colorado.

Looking forward to an awesome ride tomorrow and some good fun…

I’ve had a great trip in Louisiana with Ashley. I’ve seen what feels like most of the state at this point, had a blast in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and finally Monroe. We head back to Atlanta later this evening and then it’s 8 hours of fun to the airport…

I’m going to hang out in Atlanta on Tuesday and then hopefully do the Tuesday Night Crit with Jacob and then hang around some more for the Wednesday Night Ride out of Reality Bikes. Those will be my first two real forays back into the world of being a serious bike rider. It’s time, and I’m ready.

Over the weekend, I plan on attending the FS Concepts Mountain Training Camp. I’ve always had a ton of fun with Jacob in the mountains and he knows some great routes, I’m looking forward to being a part of the camp. Hopefully we have a good turn-out. It’s always good fun in the mountains. Next to West Virginia, riding in the mountains is the best there is in my book.

Much more to come!

Last time I checked in I was just a little bit away from my first ever one-day UCI race…I was pretty psyched and hopeful for the race, but it went about as poorly as I could ever imagine. The race was 12 laps and 150km with a pretty small field of definitely not over 100…I will even admit to harboring some thoughts at something special for maybe me and for sure the team, but from the gun it was pretty obvious that I was essentially a non-factor. I was in trouble from the very beginning and after I tried to make a bridge to a breakaway and failed, my head was on the chopping block and when the pace didn’t let up for a while longer and people started coming off in front of me, my day was over…just like that. 56 minutes into the race and I was done. I made it 25 miles.

That’s kind of difficult to wrap my head around even now…almost a week later. I’ve always prided myself on being able to hold on. Sometimes I might not be the best racer, but I can suffer and hold on longer than most, but I could not do it on Sunday. When it got hard, I got soft, and I was ready to be done. Well, not READY to be done, but I just wasn’t willing to go deep and really hurt for awhile, because that’s what had to happen.

I admittedly didn’t do the smartest thing right after that, when I got into the car and drove 18 hours to New Orleans to see Ashley, but I’ve been planning this trip for a long while, and this is my last chance to hang out and be with her for at least four months, so that’s just the way it is. Louisiana has been a fantastic experience so far – I really loved New Orleans – I’d never been before. We went to some great restaurants, saw some cool sights, and met some good people. Sounds like a good trip in my book. Three more stops on the trip: Baton Rouge, Monroe, and then back to Atlanta.

Come Tuesday, it’s back to training for real, and it’s back to being a bike racer. I’m looking forward to refocusing my efforts and becoming a viable member of the team again. I know I’ve got a lot of good races in me this year and I haven’t come anywhere near what I’m capable of yet. So it’s bad now, but I’m not worried. Not one bit.

I’m sitting here in our ballin hotel room at the Sheraton in Arlington and Ian Marcuse is asking me how I have internet on my computer right now (cuz it costs 10 bucks for internet), and the simple answer is my phone of course. The most lasting impression Erik Saunders will have on me is the introduction of the 8125 phone into my life…I can hook the phone into my computer with the PDANet program and have internet anywhere. It’s pretty cool…and effective for getting work done on the road…or just posting to my website, because that’s important…ish.

So this US Air Force GP is pretty cool, it’ll be my first ever UCI race – it’s a 1.2. The course is basically an urban circuit around the Pentagon, I’m pretty ok with that.

Yesterday we did a fun ride all through DC, saw the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, etc etc, being a bike tourist is a ton of fun.

I’m slowly getting excited about today’s race.

After this, I’ve got some driving to do – from DC to Winston – we should be there by 11 hopefully, and then from there, straight on 12 hours to New Orleans. I deserve a little break, right? Right.