I Love Racing My Bike

First official race of the season and man was it HOT and windy. Temperature was a pleasant 95 degrees at 7pm and the wind was howling from the west. I was surprised to see so many guys show up and want to suffer. The race splintered into smaller groups with I'd say half the guys dropping out completely. I managed to find myself with a solid group of 6 guys just rolling through hard each lap. I definitely did my fair share of work in the group and really tried to go as hard as I could. I was struggling a little bit with the racing rhythm you only get when you race a lot; I could tell the guys in my group had raced a bunch already this season. Given the amount of riding I've been doing and more so running I feel pretty good about the second half of the season once my ultramarathon is completed. I'm looking forward to being more competitive come July! Time for one last long run tomorrow morning before I shut it down for the North Fork 50 and taper. Below is what racing looks like with a pegged heart rate! Man it felt good to suffer.

Cyclocross Video of SM Open at Valmont Park, Boulder, CO

Boulder Valmont Park #4 from MarkSimon on Vimeo.

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

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.

My wIn cApturEd On viDeO

Pre-game routine is back!

Awww yeah! After a good chunk of shut eye last night I'm feeling pretty darn good this morning. Race day mornings are always filled with excitement, eagerness, nervousness and unanswered questions. These questions are often about things I have no control over. Which real pros will show up? What dominating teams will stack the field? Is it gonna rain or be too hot or too cold or too windy? I usually brush the questions off to the side with another cup of joe and more trance music. I've learned to stop questioning myself and to just believe in myself and know that I'll try my best. The mornings of "did I train properly?" don't fly anymore. It is what it is and well I'm just thankful I'm healthy enough to throw down with the fastest in CO and I would even argue in the U.S. So today is going to be fun and a great learning experience with my new team. Although the entire squad won't be there we're coming with some serious horsepower and I fully expect us to be in the mix of things from start to finish. I've raced dozens and dozens of crits but the first one of the season is always the most interesting because the sensations you get in racing can never be duplicated in your hardest training ride. I guess that's why I love to race. So on that note, I'm gonna make me another espresso, eat some breakfast, turn up the volume with a little State of Trance, read my race day quote and live life. GAME ON!

"It is not the critic that counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles. Or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement. And at worst, If he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

— President Theodore Roosevelt, "The Man in the Arena", Paris, 1910

Sent from my Atari 64

CSU Oval Criterium...1st race of the 2009 season

See what I get to do for many laps with guys who are probably way faster than me in the Pro 1/2 category. It doesn't matter because I'll be playing a support role for Drew and Carlos who both are flying right now. GAME ON!

An intense response by Lance Amrstrong who was called the 'cancer' of cycling.

WOW....I'm pretty that reporter will never get an interview. I think Lance's response was well said and if the prologue was shortly after that interview I would bet my entire 401k retirement savings on Lance winning it. He looked pissed! You hear about how Lance is one of the most intense guys in the peloton so I can only imagine what is fueling his fire right now. There will always be critics of him saying he doped but the guy is the most tested athlete in the world in any sport. Since his press conference annoucing his comeback he has been tested 18 times. I'm pretty sure that is 3x as much as any other pro cyclist or athlete in the world. Some would argue that he's cleaner than other Pro Tour teams like Garmin/Chipotle or Columbia who don't test as often. I'm a fan of Lance and always will be. Now lets see him f%$#ing tear up this year starting with the Tour of California.

NeW TEam riDe

Meeting up with my new team this morning for an easy 3.5 hour ride. It will be a great chance to see everyone and chat about the 2009 season which is just around the corner. Right now we are looking at 7-8 guys on the 1/2 team which is perfect to be competitive in the Pro 1/2 field of Colorado racing. I'm excited to see what I can do with a team leadout in a crit. and I'm looking forward to pulling off some surprising wins. Of course I'll also have my hands full with riding support for our climbers and GC guys. It's going to be a fun season. GAME ON.

WeEkENd PHOtoS: Boulder Cup UCI Cyclocross Race

The New Year, well kind of sort of but not really.

You see today is the beginning of my 'official' training for the 2009 race season. What does that mean? Well right now just riding more consistently and watching my weight so the lbs. don't creep up on me too much over the holidays. I'm looking forward to some long and cold epic training rides with my new team. GAME ON!

Why I race cross and why you should come watch.

So you're sayin' I have a chance...

I'm currently on the waitlist for this race which takes place in Vegas on the 25th. It's the final race for many pros (I'm NOT a pro) with a lot money on the line and a chance to show they are worthy of a 2009 contract. I submitted my resume and everything is good to go but I just need to wait and pray spots open up for me. If I do get in you'll be able to watch me race live on the internet and even place bets...gotta love Vegas! Wish me luck.

Coffee Break

I've decided to end my 2008 road season and take a 'coffee' break before I have fun with the whole cyclocross season this fall. I'll mix up my training with some trail running and hiking. It has been a long long season with my first race back in March. This has been by far the most successful season ever for me with 4 wins and half a dozen top 10s in both the Cat. 3 and Pro 1/2 Category. I'm looking forward to building on this success with even a better 2009. So if you live in CO and you like coffee, give me a ring.

DNF (Did Not Finish) Form

That's right folks, I have great DNF form that I'm trying to hold onto for these last couple of races. Today was another spectacular show of my DNF form getting shelled in the Prospect criterium pro 1/2 race about 30 minutes into the 90 minute race. The last two races I have developed severe cramps just underneath my rib cage causing horrible pain, not good when you are going full throttle. It has taken me out of both races unable to match the speed with the knife stabbing cramps. A good buddy of mine Ben Raby mentioned I might be drinking too much water and I think he's right. It has been hot in Denver the last month so I think my efforts to stay hydrated may have backfired by drinking too much water. So this coming Sunday I will drink a little less going into the race and more during the race if that makes sense. I think a little potassium will help with the cramps so I'll have a banana split about an hour before my race. If this doesn't work just call me Devin from now on.

DoWN bUt NoT OuT

Yesterday was painful and demoralizing after having a good result Tuesday. The pro field was stacked which wasn't surprising given the prize money was at $5K and man did the race start off super fast. The first 20 minutes the entire field was single file cruising at 30+ mph and I was holding on for dear life. I made a rookie fatal judgement error by not warming up enough and because I didn't the initial hard efforts I just could not recover from and ended up dropping off pace. NOT fun! It was hot and I thought I could warm up into the race but from the start it was all out war. It was great to see my family out watching and some friends cheering me because I needed it but unfortunately the show ended early for them. 3 more races until the road season is over and I'm not counting myself out just yet. I still think I can pull one of these off with a little luck, okay lots of luck.

ItChing TO rAcE

It has been 8 days since my last race and 4 days since I've done any type of riding efforts and man I'm eager to get back to training hard. Just looking to close out the road season on a high note and given my last two high placings in the Pro 1/2 field I have the confidence in me. I might comeback from Hawaii with a couple more lbs. but they will be 'happy' lbs. which I believe makes you faster. I have 4 weeks of some tough racing and with lots of training, rest and luck just maybe I can pull off another 'W'. Then it's off to train for cyclocross which is another discipline of cycling I'm looking to improve on this year. For now I'll enjoy the rest of my time in Maui and I'll toss in a few hard workouts in the gym to keep the engine running. Vroom, vroom..!

Making Progress

Last Sunday I raced the Longmont Criterium which also happened to be the designated state championship criterium and it went very well. I took an aggressive approach for the first 20 minutes getting in breaks and chasing breaks until I realized we raced 90 minutes and not the Cat. 3 60 minutes. I decided it was best to conserve energy since I felt comfortable moving up in the pack. With 5 laps to go I made the decision to move to the front of the pack and be aggressive again. With 2 laps to go I found myself in a 3 man break but we got caught with half a lap to go and another attack went which I was able to bridge but then couldn't hold the pace. I found myself back in the group coming out of the last turn in maybe 7th place. I had no sprint because my legs were done and ended up 15th out of 75+ guys. I know 15th isn't really that great but I think so because this is actually my first result as a Cat. 2 racer.

Tonight I took part in the CSP Criterium series held every Tuesday night in Golden. I ended up taking 3rd in this Pro 1/2/3 race with the help of my good buddy Ian MacGregor who races professionally for the Team Type 1. Ian guided me through the pack the last 5 laps and dropped me off on Colby Pearce's wheel, U.S. Olympian, because he was the guy to beat. Ian told me not to lose his wheel and I was able to match his attack yet I was too focused just on him that two guys got by us in the closing meters. This result has given me a huge confidence booster as I look forward to August. But before I get that far I'm really looking forward to some down time in Hawaii.

We have the pros...

and then we have me. I raced the Niwot Crit. yesterday and found myself at the start line with pro guys from BMC, Healthnet, Successful Living, Team Type 1 and Garmin-Chipotle. It was pretty cool to be in the mix with pro guys like Tom Danielson who could be racing the Tour de France. The race was super fast and technical causing most of the 90 man field to drop out of the race. A 10 man all 'pro' group was established with about 25 of us left chasing and that was it; everyone else ka-boom, gone, later, maybe another time. I'm still a bit tweaked about my crashes so when I thought I had a slow leak I stopped at the wheel pit but it turned out I didn't have a flat so I had to jump back in the race and chase. Trying to catch 24 guys chasing 10 pro guys is not going to happened. I raced as hard as I could before I got lapped by the lead group with 5 laps to go and although a little disappointed with my error in judgement it was a small victory to know I can hang with these guys. Not bad for a 9-5er and I'll be sure to go strong in August, fo' shizzle.

Floyd Landis Loses Doping Appeal....FINALLY!

It's official, he's guilty and it's nice that the sport of cycling can close another chapter in the who's who of cheating cyclist. I kinda feel bad for this guy considering all the time and $$$ he spent trying to clean-up his name. Only Floyd will truly know if he doped or not. Dopers Suck!