New(s) - Too much to read.

I am shifting my entire season focus over to the Capital Bike Share Pseudo-Circuit Race: 2011 . I look at this opportunity as a way to not only promote a great bike share program, but myself as a mega-threat in the Mid-Atlantic racing community. I also think my attendance could capture the interest of the UCI. This could lead to possible random drug testing at the event keeping out recently suspended riders local to our region.

Pete was fast - Pete is banned. Popped for drostanolone, common medical use being the treatment of breast cancer in post-menopausal women. Does it even matter that he is serving a 2-year suspension, seeing that he had hung up his competition bike? I wonder why he admitted to drug use even before the date they were going to sanction him. I hope their is more to the story than we know now. I hope the guys who got second and third to him at Nationals were not clean... because I would go nuts if I found out I got beat by a doper.

BIKE FIT

I had a bike fit Thursday morning with Josh Frick at CycleLife in Georgetown. I can say without hesitation that this was the best investment I have ever made in regards to my cycling development, mostly because if I hadn't my cycling tenure could have been cut short due to my previous position. I had a lot of things wrong and to spare you the details, he drastically changed my position. I should be able to put out more seated power once the newly recruited supporting muscles are strengthened and physiologically, I shouldn't be at risk of injury. His insight and attention to detail was beyond expectations and his concern with putting me in the most efficient position even more satisfying. I had a Retul fit done with both my road bike and TT bike and it took over 5 hours. He won't miss anything, and Retul doesn't miss anything. The accuracy of the equipment and what the numbers indicate lead me to believe that any fit not done with Retul, is going to miss something. And that something could lead to long-term injury or possibly potential limiter. Contact me if you want more details - but I'm convinced that Josh is the best.

NYC

Friday, I made my way up to NYC for a couple days. I have had some recent developments that I'll share when the time is right. I figured I'd stay the night in NYC because of Battenkill on Sunday. The trip started out chaotic and didn't stop until I got home at 4:00 AM Monday morning. I couldn't find my wallet and missed my 7:00AM bus Friday morning. I gave up looking and grabbed my passport and checkbook and was lucky to catch an 8:00AM bus. (UPDATE: My black wallet was right where I left it in a black chair at home)

After some business around the city taking up most of my afternoon I ended up at Stumptown Coffee Roasters downtown and decompressed while waiting for a new friend to show me the city and provide me a place to sleep. It was a wonderful night filled with mango margharittas, catfish tacos, dive bars, big slice pizza, swanky bars, dancing, too many cabs, and a terrible movie that I can only remember had to do with a stalker. It was the way to see NYC. The best part is, I hardly saw a fraction of what that city has to offer. Underneath that cold, dirty, pretentious place their is a city that never sleeps - and I think it's because no one wants to miss out on what it has to offer.

On Saturday, I spent way too much on brunch and then way too much at the farmer's market in Union Square. I still can't believe I spent 17 bucks on a loaf of bread and jam... granted it was fresh pecan/raisin bread and homemade peach jam. I really wanted to get something nice for the host family waiting for me up near the Battenkill race and usually my go to is wine, but how was I supposed to guess they were Catholic? Not going with the gut instinct cost me more than a good gift, but I'm not really going to talk much about Battenkill.

Union Square was the meetup point for an Anti-War rally/march along Broadway that day. I captured a couple pictures of this very moving and democratic event. I learned a lot of cool chants too that I can't get out of my head... but overall this event was a very pleasant surprise that just added to my growing affection with the city.

Stop War, Stop Terrorism, Stop Islamaphobia:

Me in 50 Years:

I caught a chinatown bus to Albany following the rally and met up with Keck Baker and Adam Switters, my host-house-house-mates. They played a joke on me telling me they forgot one of my wheels, we ate Chinese food, went (host)home, watched the Sunny King Criterium online and went to bed.

In the morning Keck cooked an awesome breakfast including steak, eggs, and oatmeal - and we watched Paris-Roubaix before heading to Cambridge for Battenkill.

Battenkill

I had a chance, and I missed it. It's another long-story that will replay through my head over and over until I can redeem myself. The short-story is I was bridging with 2 riders, 70 miles into the 100 mile race, that went on to place 1st and 3rd. I hesitated when they attacked the group of 7 that my move had evolved into after I had finished taking a hard pull. The field was on our heels and I was eventually swallowed up.

With 10 miles to go on the quicksand decent before the infamous Meetinghouse climb I was forced to chase after a Jelly Belly rider unclipped and drifted us both towards the ditch. I chased back on to the remaining group of about 50 riders right before the climb and came up finding myself and about 10 riders with a gap to the charging peloton. I went on a desperate two-man chase after the field with a cyclecity rider, but our effort fell short and eventually I settled into the grupetto until the finish.

The grupetto was a depressing place to be on Sunday for me. I have big aspirations, maybe bigger than realistic sometimes... but the grupetto is a place for riders who have done their job for the day and are usually unconcerned with their finishing positions. I was concerned with my result, I didn't finish the job.

I did see that person in the grupetto that did do his job - Tim Mitchell of CCB. He worked hard to bring back moves to help secure a good result for his teammate Dylan McNicholas who finished second in the field sprint. I have always noticed Tim, an exceptional time-trialist, working hard for his teammates. I saw it at Battenkill as he was part of the effort chasing me down and at Killington and GMSR last year helping Cameron Cogburn get results that definitely contributed to his eventual pro contract with Jelly Belly. To see a rider that strong in the grupetto made it clear that he had turned himself inside out for his team.

Congrats to our girls team going 1,2 in their race and to the other MABRA riders who had a great ride. Rob Sheffield comes to mind for the Cat 2 race, placing 4th - but I bet he's kicking himself too, because he and I both know he had the ability to win. And like me, I suspect he wouldn't be entirely satisfied with anything but the top step.

Finally - A picture of our strongman Russ once again getting the attention of the cameras with a first mile attack that stayed away for almost fifty miles. Be afraid of the lookback: