2010 Primal Elite Cycling Team

This is your Primal team for 2010:
Patrick Hill
Ewam de Freitas
Mark Agcaoili
Marty Guess
Drew Christopher
Brad Winn
Aaron Whalen
Chris Cummings
Evan Gatseos
Jesse Allen Goodrich
Garrett Davis
John A. Matthews

THE Incline

I've only done the Incline a handful of times and each time I do it I love it yet hate it. There are no surprises for this simple short 1 mile straight up hike yet just before tackling it the mind games begin. Can I beat my previous time? Is Dan fast? Is John fast? Do I go harder at the bottom and will I have anything left at the top? Don't forget about that false flat. What should I listen to help ease the pain? Is my gear selection right? The reality is none of it matters and it just comes down to you vs. THE Incline.

Last Sunday I did the Incline with my bro-in-law John and his buddy Dan who is a former Olympic wrestler. John always turns in a respectable time up the Incline pacing himself to the tunes of his iPod. I on the otherhand always enjoy a little competitive aspect to any sport so it was exciting to do the Incline with Dan who keeps in great shape and is often referred to as the strongest man by anyone who knows him. Dan is very familiar with the Incline as it was a part of the training program for the wrestlers at the Olympic Training Center. Now he often talks about hiking up it with his bike strapped to his back so that he can ride down the BART trail. Crazy I know. So of course I wanted to be the first to finish but I knew it was going to be a serious effort and possibly a huge mistake to even try to keep pace with Dan. I was scared. Dan and I kept equal pace for the first third of the climb until I opened a short 30m gap. Keep in mind a 30m gap is maybe 2-3 story difference with how steep the Incline is at times. Dan tried to bridge the gap and paid dearly for the effort and I was able to slowly extend my lead which in the end became a 10 minute difference at the finish. At the top I nearly fell over in complete exhaustion and I could feel my heart pounding through my chest. You don't really feel the damage to the legs until the next day when you're walking all goofy because every muscle hurts. I'm looking forward to doing it 2 more times this month and each time I'll go into it scared and nervous like I've never done it before. That's THE Incline.


John tearing it up.



Dan rolling in just behind me.


No hiding.



The best 1 mile workout.



Straightforward, steep, short

Here, There, Everywhere

This has been a great weekend of doing everything everywhere and it's only Sat. It's great that my cousin Joseph could join us for the holiday. Spent Thanksgiving at my sister's place in Golden. I busted out what turned out to be an awesome sweet potato carrot soup. After the ginormous dinner we hit up the Broncos game with the fam. Yesterday instead of shopping we did some serious Dim Sum thanks to Joanna and my dad. Just finished up an amazing breakfast by my bro and sister-n-law up in Breck. Now it's time to hit the slopes with my sis and cousin. Awe yeah!
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*277

Put this in your cell phone! It's the number to the Colorado State Patrol(CSP) so that you can report aggressive drivers. I've had this in my phone but never really used it even though I've been buzzed many times. Well the other day while I was riding in a bike lane on 32nd street I was buzzed by a honking car and it was enough to trigger me to actually stop and take the time to remember the license plate and report the car to the CSP. As cyclist we need to do this and not just keep on riding and bitching to ourselves about aggressive drivers. From what I know the license plate goes into an aggressive driver database and if there are 3 complaints the owner of the car gets a warning letter from the CSP. If more complaints trickle in a State Trooper actually makes a personal visit so do this and do this every time you encounter an aggressive driver. We need to look out for each other. Be safe.

'Hiking' in Iran

Who decides to hike in or near a war zone between Iraq and Iran as an American citizen? Not a very smart move. I really hope these three individuals make it back home safe and hopefully soon but it's all up to Iran. Let's seriously hope these three individuals don't decide the take a nature walk in Afghanistan once they are set free.
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Wind

It has been a really long time since I've ridden in wind like we had yesterday. A constant wind that almost always seemed to be a head wind and then throw in the unexpected hurricane force gust and we had one hell of a fight. Rode with some good friends/pro riders so it was nice to seek shelter at times. I was wrecked after 3 hours but it was good to know those guys felt the wind just as badly. Looking forward to suffering more with these guys as I gear up for 2010. Time to head out to Golden and meet the newbies on our team. I hope the legs have something left today. Ciao. -Mark
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Dr. Thompson is found guilty of all counts in LA road rage trial. - VeloNews

Dr. Thompson is found guilty of all counts in LA road rage trial. - VeloNews

Ze mountains are white

Up in Breckenridge for the weekend hanging out with my little niece. Fall has come and gone quickly with the mountains covered in snow already. Snow making is in full force and I canNOT wait to get some turns in this winter or fall.
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First Objective of the 2010 Season

SRAM Tour of the Gila (April 28 - May 2)

I have a lot of work to do for this race. I have a ton of work to do for this race. I'm going to have to climb like I've never climbed before and I'm going to have to focus on my diet. The goal is get my weight down to 155lbs. which is no easy task considering I tipped the scale at 180.2 lbs. the other day. 155lbs. is uncharted territory but definitely a weight I think I can support and race well at but I guess we'll see. I've always wanted to do this race and this is my year and we'll have a team that can win the overall. My goal is to be the best workhorse for our team leader and stay with the main group for as long as possible. GAME ON!

New Addition

My step-brother Ryan and step-sister Hilary just had a wonderful baby girl this morning. Our family is getting bigger one baby at a time. In the past year we've had 3 little ones join our family and I love it. Now two nieces, pretty cool. Looking forward to getting back to Chicago to see Avery Sophia.

Broncos beat Patriots, 5-0

One of the better Broncos games I've been to lately.

Halloween 2009: CU vs. Missouri

Organizing what I think will be the largest group of Oompa Loompas to party in Boulder this coming Halloween.

It was a good day

So today was a long day in the office. In at 8am and out just now at midnight. Oh and it's a Friday night. I'm extremely tired yet excited for the long weekend with Monday off as a vacation day. I'm even more excited to wake up and see Makenna and Evan. A big breakfast with the little ones before I gear up and do a big ride.
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Seattle in 48

Fall

Almost done with my 3 week break of rest and relaxation from cycling before I get back at it and start training. After the Steamboat Stage race I decided it was necessary in order to refocus and plan for a bigger and better 2010 season. On a personal level the 2009 season wasn't a very good season for me even with a win. I just could not find my racing rhythm and confidence after my collarbone injury. It's also extremely hard to play catch up with pro guys who have been fit and healthy all season. I'm fully healed and ready to get back at it for next season and stoked to be racing for Primal/HART again. We have a great group of guys who know how to have fun and race hard. With the addition of some other guys I think next year we'll be a team turning heads for sure. Between now and the 2010 season I have a lot of hiking, cyclocross and skiing.

Steamboat Lanterne Rouge is mine

Ended the season with what I thought was going to be a fun and fairly chill stage race in Steamboat Springs. It turned out to be even more fun and way harder than I had expected. The Lanterne Rouge is an award given to the last place finisher in the men's and women's pro race. This was my objective and I'm glad I had such a great team behind me or actually in front of me to help me win this prestigious award.







http://303cycling.com/steamboat-springs-stage-race-results

Lance Armstrong powered by RadioShack (extension cords & batteries)

I joke about the partnership but I'm actually really excited to see the make-up of this team next year. Who comes over from Astana? Pro Tour status? The level of commitment from RadioShack? 1 year? 2 Years? 3 years? I can say right now I hope Popo, Jani, Rubiera, Horner and Levi move over to RadioShack.

Although Lance is NOT going to win the Tour he doesn't seem to be slowing down much at all. I can only hope that maybe next year with a years worth of racing back in his legs he can find the legs that won him 7 Tours. One thing is for sure. I'll be in France next year.

I love this quote from The Onion article.
"Even the name 'RadioShack'—can you imagine two less appealing words placed next to one another?" Day said. "What is that, some kind of World War II terminology? Are ham radio operators still around, even? Aren't we in the digital age?"

I Love Lamp. I Love Massages.

After a busy day in the office and a quick happy hour with my good friend Neely I made my way towards Symmetry Therapeutic Massage Spa. Symmetry is a big and very important sponsor of the Primal/HART Cycling Team helping us recover, train and race faster. Celeste, co-owner of Symmetry, worked hard around my collarbone and helped get the blood flow going in the legs. Best part about Symmetry is they travel with us and not many elite amateur teams have that luxury. It will be great to have them with us at Salida in a few weeks time. Some fast crits in Denver this weekend and I can only hope my now fresher legs can help get my teammate Nick his dream win. GAME ON! So if you're in town check them out. www.symmetrymassagedenver.com
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Could it be a Nike Pro Tour 2010 Lance Armstrong Team?

I guess we'll find out soon enough and hopefully they take Contador with them.
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The mountain views never get old

Enjoyed a long ride up to Estes Park with some good friends and fellow teammates. Weather was perfect in the mountains but a bit hot around Boulder. My first long training ride since my surgery and the collarbone held up just fine. Some rice and eggs and I'm off to do the same today. The mountain views never get old.

It feels good to be back

I decided to race the Golden training crit. this evening and it went very well considering it was my second ride outdoors since my broken collarbone. After two months of 'training' on a trainer indoors I just had no clue were my fitness was so it was important I find out asap. It turns out not too bad but still lots of work to do before I can maybe throw down in a Pro 1/2 sprint. I stayed in the far far back of the pack today so I had an out just in case there was a crash. The race was fast with guys from Garmin and BMC throwing down and although I was suffering I expected to hurt way more and even get dropped. Below is the race. Pretty cool.

Tour de Lance

Just a few more days until one of the biggest sporting events in world starts and more importantly the day I can actually start riding my bike outdoors. The last week on the trainer has been a little bit easier with all the Tour de France Lance Armstrong hype but I'm ready to head out. Shoulder feels good and a lot stronger so with more rehab and some longer hours on the bike I hope to be competitive August. I'm taking July as a chance to simply enjoy riding and I plan to tackle a lot of big CO mountain passes.
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Slowly gettin' there

The collarbone is feeling better each day and I'm starting to train longer and with more intensity. This past weekend I spent a lot of time being the team cheerleader and supporting my teammates. Pretty soon I'll be joining them for what I hope to be a great second part of the season.

After my training ride tomorrow I'm going to grab the Dempsey nephews and take them all up to Boulder so Cole can get a new bike. After that I think we'll all enjoy a slice of some good old Nick-n-Willy's pizza. Good times.

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Need your fix of Starbucks?

No you don't. What you need is fresh coffee from my buddy Ian MacGregor's Just Go Harder Foundation. They just got a fresh batch of coffee. It doesn't get any better so checkout www.justgoharder.com and realize what you've been missing all along.
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X-rays looking good!

Went back for my two week check-up at Colorado Center for Orthopaedic Excellence and all is looking good so far. Don't have the green light to start training just yet with my arm but soon. They reminded me just how bad the break was so I'm just glad it's healing well. The trainer will have to do for now.
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mEmORiaL DAy WeeKEND PiC BLOg

This weekend is not even over yet but man has our family been busy. Parents flew in Friday and after a quick trip to Breckenridge we started the weekend off with Makenna's 2nd birthday party at a great little park in Colorado Springs. Next up, Quinn's Baptism followed by some killer BBQ and pansit action by my Tito Carlos. Always great to have family in town so I can eat my weight in Filipino food for the year. To top things off my sis Claudine decided to have her baby on Sunday so we now have a baby Jr. Shank in the family. Pretty cool. I tell ya what having as many little ones as I do as a Tito (uncle) is tiring but man is it fun. Alright back to the weekend. Enjoy the pics! More to come I'm sure.