A Find

Being a warrior isn’t needed, letting self be soft as the sand or its piercing sting when hitting the skin.  The hairs of the dunes are soft with the cunning wind blowing, moving without any footsteps needed.  Hesitation dissipates because the stance you hold is that of a column.  You bother not to walk but allow your eyes to make all the foot steps in the sand.  You’ll find the humps and contours of the dune grass that build a new landscape by the hour.  The Brown bold color of the sand echo the implied nature of the season and its discharge of color palate, a find that only compliments itself within the landscape of the Lake Michigan.

Hush-hush.

And the gushing noise of howling air cutting through one another, the wind clashes as much as the waves break upon one another. 

Rolling-rolling.

The green washed hue of the lake that mimics the sea like abyss charm by it’s clamor by breaking of one wave- on another- repeating itself again- and again.

A find is going on all in this moment of time, you feel as if you are following something specific but once you feel you’re clinging to something specific; its gone, follow that wind, sound, touch, and smell of this seen.

Swimming in a moment of time.

The Glowing Stare

The whites of the eyes; the fans of the iris glowing back as the sun sits on your left. 

The sun is running from the thought of rising and sets its sights on setting within the next few hours. Air is fare on my lungs for the closing month before a new year.  Little tactful of ride with salt staining the any sort of surface, gray and a hint of malice salt can become.  Fresh water on a roads like today only bludgeoned that thought because its only snow or black-ice that is beginning to swelter due to the tempter of the sun. 

It's all up to you!

Its weird seeing light at the straight away- at the end of a street, maybe three or four blocks away.  The light calls to you as if its urgent with demand of putting the gas on the pedals.  The lamplight is soft in warmth as if you where seeing a star in the sky but not as cold and calculatedly sharp.  This light is almost radiates as the iris in ones eye but disappears as you begin to approach the lights fix position.  The light becomes more of an object and the theatrical transient nature that enthralled you want to be apart of it dissipates.  It’s not sad or disappointing, the mind begins to settle you down from your fleeting hart.  New moments arise – time to make a right or left to go home…

OF

The relationship between a part and a whole, of.

November, a weekday, no one else criss-crosses to shutter

the chatter of her past that came to make claim of her.

As the ending of summers boiled for the trade wind of fall attempts with the aspirations of filtered skies that lie in soft, luscious dust, that are filled with neo-grey pockets of blue sky. The frill of iridescent colors that make there way through, green, red, orange, yellow, and brown. A mild press between the mimic of the sun shines fortune. 

Service Course: SRAM Double Tap Overhaul

Some things I have been thinking about since I have made a big leap in a gear bike for CX this season. I'm a bit more worried because its more time in having to clean stuff more then I feel I have to keep up

on a road bike... I remember David Neidinger posting photos of his big cleaning of his Sram Shifters so I thought I make a detailed Service Course: SRAM Double Tap Overhaul.

So with that thought in mind, here's what you can do to refurbish, clean, whatever you want to call it, to keep your SRAM Double Tap shifters working smooth after muddy, wet weather.

Still a lot of grime under that hood, even after a good bike wash

Before you start, you'll need the following tools.

• Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle

• Small phillips head screwdriver

• Toothbrush

• Air gun or use your mouth if you don't mind a little dirt / alcohol mix on your lips

• lint free rags

• Lubrication (Ed suggested a Phil Wood tenacious oil, but I used DuMonde Tech Lite)

First, spray a little alcohol under the rubber brake hood. This will make it easier to slid off. After the hood is removed, turn it inside out and clean with a rag and rubbing alcohol.
It should look something like this after it's all cleaned up.

After

No matter how well you wash your bike post race, there will be all kinds of nastiness going on underneath the clean exterior of those rubber hoods. Next, take your phillips screwdriver and remove the three small screws that attach the cover plate to the lever body.

Doesn't look too bad at this point

Once the cover is removed and cleaned you can see the full extent as to why your shifter isn't working quite as well as it use to. Now, take your spray bottle of rubbing alcohol and do a mini alcohol power wash on your shifter. DO NOT USE ANY KIND OF DEGREASER OR SOLVENT!!! Most of the bigger chunks of grit will be washed away but you may need to use a toothbrush to really clean the silt out of all the corners. Continue to
rinse and blow out the shifter until all the grit is removed.

The Big reveal, chunks of Muck

Don't forget to shift the Double Tap paddle out of the way as there will be more grit lodged behind it as well.

Grass and Mud, can't image why it's harder to shift?

Once all the grit and grim is removed you can go about re-lubing the mechanism. You'll want to put a drop or two of lube on all pivots and pawls. I also put a drop on each ratchet tooth to smooth the release. I really like the DuMonde Tech lube for this as it adheres to the pores of the metal creating a smooth frictionless surface finish. Test shift your shifter before re-installing everything. It should shift and release much smoother. If not further cleaning may be needing. Install the cover, and spray the inside of the rubber lever hood so it slides back onto the lever easily, and your done. Just like new.

All clean, ready for another trip to the podium.

Barreling At The Edge

Everyone shows up with goals and intentions.  These so called things we say, (goals-intentions), are what makes us push a little further and father significantly on and off the bike to just get back on again...  You cant wait for the perfect days because, you’ll just be wasting your time to come to grips with how you need to handle your self when it comes to race days in the worst scenario of weather.  It shouldn’t be about waiting for the perfect race day nor training because you’ll need a crystal ball plus; you’ll have everyone else wanting to win just as much as anyone else. 

You’ll always be barreling at the edge – even when all feels ‘just right’ we should be perfecting our craft in riding.  Pros are always working on their craft so you should also.  Just because you think you have something down doesn’t mean you cant work on it or anything else more.  Once you have something perfected start working on the craft.

Insider notes: (something ill try and post weekly about preparing for a race, ride, food, recovery, and anything else I can find I can share)...

• ·      Deflate your tires and you’ll be amazed at what the casing and rubber of a tire can conceal from the eye when you have your tires pressure at 88-110.  Pick out the glass-rock-metal. 
• ·      Clean the pads by lightly sanding – inspect them, clean the rim/wheel with water-soap and inspect the nipples and spokes for cracks-dimpling-dents.
• ·      For aluminum rims you can make them good spanking new if you take a green skritchy (brillo) pad and scrub that stuff off the breaking surface; making your wheels good as new. 
• ·      Wipe the chain down, get inside the rear derailleur pulleys, (make sure the bike is in the small chainring if you don’t have a bike stand),– things are caked in there, lube-chain, wipe, and use a cleaner part of the rag and wipe for the last time.  After your next ride of doing the last process of lubing, wiping your chain wipe the chain down – get in the habit of cleaning your chain, hint keep a rag by the door or where you hang the bike when it’s in doors.
• ·      If you know your going on a ride à check your tires NOW – don’t wait till your stepping out the door.  These are just a hand full of things we all need to work on.  

Suffer : I am Ready to Begin

Thinking about how much it takes in order to push to another level; something more uncomfortable, out of place moment as if you’re not in nor out but just in between the two.   It’s a shifty sounded feeling that works its way into the soul.  Suffer – it’s a kindle to a fire and air for the fire to breath.  Suffer when all should feel great, -burning in the lungs, the screaming of the legs, and when the chips are down.  No one gives a shit if your legs are hurting, even now and later.  Suffer like the rest and dig with ever fiber of your being, because everyone knows who made it across the line first that day.  Suffer with the fact that you had the intent of ever thinking of cycling again for competition because you didn’t like the fact you suffered.  The suffer feeling is your best friend – get to know the thought because it will be that thought you feel always.  Get physically closer with suffer because you’ll need to shut it out when the time comes to dig deeper and push to finish.  Make those excuses ahead of time because you'll still suffer.  

Ballets in the rain

Few steps outside the door with a snapping tater of my shoes bring me to grips with the seconds-minutes-hours that are going to be spent in the saddle.  Feeling a few drops of crisp water shutter against my face, I don’t think twice about being a tough guy and put the rain shell jacket on.  Shortly after those same drops of mist turn into ballets of rain that could be found on a sheet of music paper, everything is coated in sleek clear coat saliva.  The submission of water starts to fill my shorts and leg warmers revealing my brown skin underneath.  The cold weather didn’t bother at first but when you feel like the cold is about to seep into the mind, the pedal rotations begins to be pick up.

Warm feeling is supplied by the circulatory system, the rythme and beats of the heart begin to make your mood that much sharper to the sensations all around you. 

Grunts that never echo back are the constant reminder to you as to why we do this to our selves.  Many thoughts and reasons but mainly today was adding that card to the deck.

Always checking over your shoulder for cars is a known fact when riding in this weather we call rain.  Even with lights you can’t begin to trust a soul only thou. 

Sniffs of new sensations hitting the pits in the  nostril appear to be fresh and wondering if there is more fresh soil and grit of earth around.  Different moments occur when seeing soybeans and crops turning colors from green-yellow-brown.

 Is fall coming? 

The rows engraved into the farmed landscape -stands best viewed when wet by this rain.  The road is mostly red and brown with the hints of black-n-grey amongst it all.  Riding that white line and just inside of it is comical in such away that avoiding pedals and rocks isn’t the slightest of worries.  Riding that white line brought me to Lawrence and back home.

The Sensations are Different

The Sensations Are Different.

One day-to-the next, rest day, hard tempo, rest again, slow pedal; soft pedal, recovery ride, spirited ride, fast ride, the pedal can be spun different ever time but that sensation.  The sensations could be tension an wrenched on as the spokes on a wheel, laced, rounded, bladed, cx-&-rayed.  This phenomenon of sensation in the legs is happening as you read this, its apart of the cyclist criteria; a fun star crazy sensation -if you want to call the sensation that.  Each day is a new battle when getting on the steed you ride, but it’s also the fascinating factor that keeps rhythm of why you ride and live in a symbiotic relationship of cycling.

It’s almost as if you’re always in the moment of what if… 

I’ll let you make your own conclusion and excesses.  Everything still comes back to that sensation that you feel, its different all the time, more then others, and when you feel the same sensation muscle memory comes into play.  Finding the same sensations is the golden ratio, you might be able to have that extra kick tied along on that Rapha string of gutrench -fleeted feelings and what if you light that a match in your match book. Was it worth following that sensation by making an early jump or should you have waited a bit later on in your final meters to the line? Time to find out more about these sensations what to trust and what to follow. Now it’s a new day, so your sensations are different. It’s hard say.

Keeping 'it' All Together & Finding Balance.

It’s funny, what ever you may call that nostalgic feeling, the overwhelming flow of emotions that compos it’s self of a lushes void into training, eating healthy, resting, also just taking the time to revitalize the soul, and of course racing hard.  It’s rewarding when you can look back and put it all into prospective also look forward, taking the time off the bike to check in with yourself.  What I’m trying to pin down here is that when you find that balance of being off the bike and on it’s a great synergy. 

“It’s not just about riding hard though, there’s a mental aspect.  You need to balance between not caring at all and being totally obsessed, otherwise you’ll go crazy.” –manual for speed Everything is Fast.

What I’m getting on about is that if you want to move up and excel at anything we do in life we have to take it day by day.  Setting goals and working at achieving them is a great thing and getting to write them down on paper and cross them off with in some time is good enough for me, some are faster and slower then others but that’s life.  Nothing is instant; everything takes time and all that gibber gabber.  Just keep pedaling and keep you’re head up!

Check out some good reads on Manual For Speed, (Everything is Fast) and Red Kite Prayer, (D2R2 2012).

KBAR Champ CAT III

KS State Road Race - in Arma KS

Last road race for KBAR and I am 19 points off from 1^st place.  Justin Leopold didn’t show up for the crit neither the road race so that’s allows be to place top 5 at minimum to take first in KBAR.

The race has some faces and kits I do know and have raced against in previous races, the race last year and years past people just gun it from the start because there isn’t a neutral start so that’s how groups from years past have won the race out right.  The race started like this but one would let Kent or a few of the Walmark/Baught Financial get away.  Strong teams like Athlete Forward, Walmark, Kent, & Spencer I had to look out for.  I had a few teammates there Joe Anderson, Blake Romine, Kenny Englart, and Spencer if he still counts us at TC/PC.  There were a few attacks back to back and nothing really took away and a lap back through the start finish attacks came again with Levi Baker, Benjamin Silk, and Ryan Heydenryth where up the road, a walkmark and Athlete Forward where up the road so those these teams didn’t work at all at the front with a lot of blocking by both, Joe finally took me up to the front and I launched myself off his speed with a good dig of an attack.  I bridge up just after the 4^th turn and Levi is the only one that is strong in this group out of all of them, later on Kent join our group and we have a 5 man break away with a 3 or 4 min lead, out final lap out on the 3^rd lap we get caught by a train and there is an official with a timer that me water and shade as I wait on the other side of the tracks,  we get a 3-4 min lead because the field stops at the train tracks also and so coming back in for the finish was easier without the headwind.  Levi ups the speed on the final climb and rides in the gutter but there wasn’t enough wind to do something like that tactically and he is definitely hurting but doesn’t show it Kent, Levi and I are all abreast at the crest of the hill and Kent punches it, I don’t really have any gas because I feel my cramp about to grab the muscles in my inner thigh and they do before the finally turn for the sprint, Levi has a good gap but Kent rides away with no one on his wheel for the win, Levi 2^nd, I try and do my best to shake the walkmart guy-Ryan and I can’t and cramp at the turn and slow down, Ryan at this time has already pulled in front of me because I put in so much of an effort ride him off my wheel that he also sits up with a cramp some where I am sure because he has to take his foot out of his pedal to roll in to the finish same for me.  I end up 4^th wishing that I got 3^rd because it was mine because Ryan never really worked in the breakaway.  I win KBAR meaning that I get free entrée to any of the KBAR races next year. 

I will most likely cat up after Perry Dam/Spring Fling Crit because I don’t have enough points but I am sure I could still get upgraded but it doesn’t make sense + Kent is my coach and we talked about it makes better sense just doing it than.  I am not worried about Cat 2’s about wining or anything just can end on a good note now and making a solid transition through next season with a few Cat 3 races into Cat 2.  I am really excited for the Cat 2, has been a big goal of mine since this season and I am ready but makes no sense getting your mind blown out the back of your head on your last 2-3 races of the year and start from there next year might really hurt a racer mind.  Plus I can help out some teammates for these last few races in Cat 3!!!



http://kscycling.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2012-KBAR.pdf



Finding Other ways of Motivation to train.

I find it hard to ride in this 100 degree of an oven that we call summer.  Some times its bearable and other times is just gets to you in a way you find your self getting angry that is freaking HOT! I also find that its hard to be motivated about riding for more than 2 hours because you want to beat the heat and you would rather not let it eat away your fitness.  It’s a good thing to relish in the fact that I built up a lot of fitness earlier in the season so short rides are more then enough to keep it and just riding in the heat will regulate you for a race day in this hot bubble of heat.  I am also glad I have a cycling coach as well as that person being a great racer him self Kent Woerman.  It’s nice to get feed back from the data and how you are feeling to if you have a troubling pain.  It helps to have a coach to push you and also tell you that you need to chill out.  Having a few good teammates that are really great friends is also a plus, I more then likely would have never gotten into cycling if it was for Team Colavita/Parisi Coffee - I went on a few rides seeing that I could ride with them and even hang on with the faster guys,  I started off from a single speed / fixed bike.  Those feel like so long ago.  Britton even let me ride a few road bikes for longer 80-100 mile rides also let me race is full carbon CX bike for my first season into competitive cycling.... dont know where that last part of my rant was going but seeing how much I have grown from then to now is impressive.

I recently purchased The Feed Zone a cookbook that has some really interesting ways that have turned my work of traditional way of cooking into a whole new array of looking at preparing food.  My family a specially my mother is a great chef her self and she prides her self on making healthy foods from anything you can think of she has a small library of cook books and ultimately I have learned from her.  The Feed Zone takes things pancakes and you replace it with rice flower with rice by just cooking and blending the rice as your base by adding sugar, eggs, other variety of options and you can always add your own kick to things.  The more i've cooked from this book I have thrown in my own spin and that’s what the books wants!  It always breaks down sugar, eggs, hydration, fat, protein, carbohydrates, rice, salt, and other stuff like ‘to carb or not to carb, going to bed hungry, just a lot of neat stuff after that you read and just simply make.  Most of the items in the book are only 5-7 things to make a filling, delicious, energy feed, just simply healthy nutrient food.  I am not saying this book is the end to the way my mother and father taught me how to cook but it has widen my scope of preparing and cooking my food for future events racing and training.  A great quote in the book by Nietzsche, “ you have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, does not exist.” Also the a quote by one of the authors that I find true when I cook food is that, “we believe that by showing you recipes we use and love, instead of arguing over this versus that we can better help you reach goals.” In the end I think this book will help you reach GOALS if you have them then you know what I mean and if you don’t have goals when it comes to cycling you should think about sitting down and jotting down some goals so you have something to work towards… 

Plenty of Sun at the Flower State Games

Sunflower State Games ROAD RACE

Only 7 people races today.  I thought a bit more people would show up or maybe the 3s and 4s would be merged didn’t happen.  We get to rolling and the only person I think today would be Kuris Albrecht who races for SKC racing.  Brett Copper was also there.  Joe Anderson showed up who drove up from PA from spending time with the family.  It was nice to have him there for his first race because last year it was my first race against Camron Rex, Spencer Martin, and I ended up getting 2^nd that year. 

So we get rolling with a solid rotating paceline going and everyone taking turns in the at the front.  Joe and I notice that Kuris isn’t taking a few pulls and everyone else is and we are not pedaling hard at all with a nice breeze to keep us cool as we ride for 47 miles as if it was a easy Sunday group ride.  After we hit some hills Joe set high tempo and people followed specially Kenny, we both hop on Joe’s wheel and he gets a solid gap and as teammates does we pull through for him and we just make sure he is on and he is with everyone else.  Kenny follows with a good temp up the hill and kind of hangs out in no mans land as I try this also a few times an Kenny does it and he gets a good gap and he is gone and some talking goes around Kuris and Bett make a few attacks but I just cover them so Kenny can stay away as long as possible.  About 5 miles later same attacks again with me covering, and I get a good gap with Armando from GP VeloTek and I tell him if he wants to work with Kenny he better go now and he does and I think when Armando go up to Kenny he didn’t see the sign to turn and we where told in the beginning of the race if you don’t see a corner marshal but see a sign to turn keep going straight but this wasn’t the case and they had to turn around… SUCKS so that was the end of Kenny.  Brett and I have a good gap but I notice only Joe and Kurtis but I was thinking that the entire group was back there but that wasn’t the case.  So it’s a 4-man break of 3.  We work together and it comes down to a sprint finish.  Joe checks in with me that when it comes to the sprint I must crush it.  So we see the markers for finish we make our turn around the bend and it says 200 meters…. Joe starts to set the tempo before but its to late because Kurtis has begun winding down the gears for a sprint and I am third wheel behind him so I begin also,  I pull around start winding down the gears more and more and grank it up to get first.  I got a pretty bad cramp for the lung my bike over the line but maybe it was worth it but then again I didn’t want to take the risk since I started my sprint late and couldn’t tell where the line was but also kept my head up so I could make it around for the sprint. 

Sunflower state games don’t really pay out unless you do all three days of racing,  I just really like the road race and hopefully I can do it one more year if not I would recommend this for anyone!

Sunday - Tour of KILLER CITY (Kansas City)

Sunday - Down Town Lee Summit

You can find photos for both days by Amy: amykatherinephotography.smugmug.com & 
Tim http://www.facebook.com/timfleenorphoto

Joe and I show up again watching a bit of 5s and the following races.  I pre-ride the course specially 4^th turn I practice my lines because it’s a sketchy turn with no marking for the corner you could dive bomb it but it you turn it to hard you’ll hit gravel, plus it was HOT and the tare was sticky-melting so your rear wheel would feel like it was sliding out or your skewer was loose.

Joe and Charley come in 2^nd and 3^rd for the Cat 4’s really awesome to see!  Joe crushed it for the sprint.  I head over to the car and David pulls up we chat and joke around like we usually do and I mention that I came to race today.  Even told Kent Woermann that I was going to make a risky move today on gChat.

The Break with Justin & I

 The race begins, normal fast 3-4 laps Brady goes off the front, but I also know he raced that day but no one goes or ups the speed so I do ride away with out burning a match I wanted to see how people would respond to me trying to get away, I work with Brady a few laps I don’t remember how many but we stay away for 3-5 at least and are joined with Justin and Brady wants to pull the plug so Brady does. Justin and I talk and go stay away for a 8 laps or less I notice that I have to do more pulling and that Justin is slowing down when he has to pull through, I ask him if he is alright, he says he’s okay but I had a feeling that he wasn’t 'ok', so i figure if I pulled a bit more maybe he would feel better just pedaled at my own speed and didn’t pedal hard that if we got caught I would have nothing.  We soon get caught by a big attack from Richard from Momentum and David who has been blocking for us with John but I think John stays with the Peloton.  We work with them for a few laps and get caught, David reminds me to save it!  8-10 guys catch us, no one attacks…. That’s fine by me.  I also see that Brian isn’t in the group and I am a bit pissed about that.  We ride really slow 18mph and we have 20 guys at least chasing, and I tell the group why are we not working together there are 10 of us come on.  David rides at the front slowly waiting for someone to come around no one does and David slows down on corners so people have to ride by him.  I pull in front of David so he can rest out of the wind and pedal slow, so when ever David and I aren’t in the front maybe one guy comes through or 3-4 abreast and they look at each other as if someone needs to ride hard at the front… So at turn 1 & 4, no one wants to ride at the front and we are usually to wide going into these corners with no speed what so ever, so at turn 4 I am second wheel into the turn we come out I pull over slightly to get a gap behind me and the guy fills it slowly and I pull over to the outside to gutter anyone wants to come with me and keep looking at the group we have to see if anyone responds, nothing happens, I keep up my tempo a bit more, no response, I see a guy swing to where I am and I swing the other way do this two times before he gives up and I’ve already punching it through the start finish with 16 laps to go for a solo get away… That’s how it starts with that move. 

The move

David was with the peloton and he just sucked the wheels that attacked and never pulled through for them, thank you David! I had a 40 second cap for a few laps and it came down 15 at one point that was when the heat was getting to me and I started get water thrown on me and I got 2 hands ups from the family at Dairy Cream that I asked when I ran out of water they are beautiful people as I told them, they loved that!  I tell myself I am in this now there is no going back and getting caught isn’t an option, you have to go all in now and I get my gap of 40-50 seconds, I do my best to TT through the start finish since I can get 30-34mph through there and recover on the backside.  I was so happy at the end that I could only smile and role through the start finish.

Was very happy!

I keep telling people I forgot I didn’t want to get yelled at for taking my hands off the bars but I rather keep it humble also.   There is always next time.

Saturday - Tour of Kansas City

TOUR OF KILLER CITY (KC)

CAT III CREW Brian, I, Grayson, & David

Saturday at Tour of Kansas City its 49^th Year!  That’s pretty awesome being apart of something that has been around for this long and it’s only my second road season.  Please come out and Join for the 50^th year also some rumor is going around and will most likely happen because The Museum over on Cliff Drive wants the bike race back for a Crit! Should be awesome supposedly Killer City (KC) is known for this course and I’ve done some training rides out there its would be killer course.

Saturday’s race: Joe and I rolled up in his dynamo truck and watched some of the3/4’s race and shortly after Joe had to get ready to put his game face on.  I did my best to find shade and just drink water and eat light before the 3’s race.  I know it’s a local race but it’s demanding on your body to do TWO races in one day.  With a 3-hour waiting period between ¾’s, woman 1-2-3, 3’s but that’s pretty demanding on your body.  Before you know it heat will be getting to you and heat will eat away at all that muscle you built up!

You can’t tell me that you are doing this for fitness or training.  These local races should be your top race even though they are at home its also almost the end of road season out in the Midwest so performing well should be a must and not killing your self in the heat is a better idea.  

Its Hot!

So our race starts and I start 2/3 row that’s pretty much the tail end of us racing because we get a 3 lane start that narrows down to 1 lane and you have to single file the first turn because they where some nasty crashes in other categories and I don’t think anyone wanted to go down.  So we kept it fast and safe for this corner always telling people to get in now or get to the back.  I stuck behind some people that couldn’t clip in so I made up ground with Brian since he likes to start in the back and work his way up, we made our way up to middle and top 15 around lap 3 or 4 because turn 4 you could get some nice speed going up the hill on the outside if you had a nice turn before hand with no one on there brakes or you could hug that corner really hard and make it out with out hitting that nasty crack-bump in the road.  David and Kenney where sitting at the front easy and tearing it up and I saw that John Leopold made a move up the road he was brought back and dropped a little later, another attack goes and brought back and Justin Leopold makes a move through the start finish and maybe one guy goes with him and get dropped and Leopold stays away for a lap and a half so I make my move on 4^th turn 4 to get at the front sit and attack at the start finish find Justin but he is already dying so I pass him and wait because I brought a guy with me that was already not doing well.  I look back and Justin doesn’t want to come along so I solo for 3 laps and David comes to save me around turn 4 and I suck his wheel because no one was behind him and we just soft pedal and David reminds me to save the energy.  I love having a teammate specially when they remind you to save it! Final lap Justin makes his move on turn 7 where its sketchy and it works he gets a nice gap we kind of pull him back people start there sprint once we hit the flat Justin gets 3^rd David 5^th and I 6^th.  We did okay just didn’t have the proper gears or something going into the corner after Justin made that move we had to slow down all good though. Risky – gusty moves can win you a race and Justin isn’t on TC/PC but he is a nice guy we have been racing all year and he comes out with his brother John on training rides and Justin does have a few more season then me I don’t know about David. 

The Sprint with a lot of guys that are dead for the top 5

Tulsa Tough - FUN FUN

T U L S A  T O U G H 

O K L A H O M A 

Driving out to Tulsa, Oklahoma was really great had to drive with Adam Keck and Brian for the first time this season in a car.  We talked a lot and Adam had some really great music playing the entire time.  We got to Tulsa pretty early in the day so we all checked into our hotels and picked up our registration stuff.  Reminds me where is my Tulsa Tough t-shirt!? 

Pro's racing hard

Friday – Blue Dome District

We got really and also had a few times to ride the course we all did, Brian, Spencer, David, and myself where there for Cat III.  We all just wanted to stay away from the crashes and I think this was the first time for all of us but Spencer Martin.  Racing when the sun is setting its pretty cool.   It was very hard to move up in this race and people where doing some dumb shit when it came to corners.  Turning on the inside corner and you tell a rider hey I am here on the inside don’t turn it to hard…. And another rider come in like the inside corner like a bat out of hell and you are saying we have another guy on the inside – meaning we might have to take this slower or we are going to crash…  Other than this the race never left me depleted same words came out of the rest of the crew. 

Saturday – Brady District

This is the course I came into hot into the 2^nd last corner just after passing sound pony and took myself out and Brian came with me and we where called the Blood Brothers because we shared blood on the pavement that day.   I did OK in this race I pulled way to hard for a lap and a half, I always made up gowned coming though the start finish on the inside could make up 20-50 spots.  I failed to realize and something I learned from this after Tulsa but especially this day is that even if you’re the one stuck in the wind you don’t have to pour you energy into the pedals by hammering hard that will leave with nothing left.  Ride at your own speed and when someone behind you doesn’t want to pull through ride even slower. Spencer won also! 

Harden The Fuck Up

Sunday – Cry Baby Hill

I really looked forward to Sundays race, I finished 20^th and my results got all fu’ked up even the guy took my winnings of 20 bucks!

Any who back to race, I always had the proper gears going up the hill or switched it to the small ring a few times even gave Kenny a small push up the hill a few times.  Spencer road off the front a few laps and I couldn’t figure if that was him and I looked at David to confirm it, so it was so I attacked through the start finish and dint bring anyone along told Spencer they are coming so recover!  Made It up Cry Baby hill it’s a great place to get wet with water and watch people yell at you as you ride, lots of fun a big riot on top of that hill with awesome music!  If you dont have Tulsa as a part of your race scene then you are missing out on a awesome venue  that is well done all around with food to fill your belly, the ladys are beautiful, the to and from your hotels are easy for riding your bike to races and just around the town for anything.  Will be going to Tulsa till the day I die. Dont forget Spencer won this race!