The Office at Le Tour

Did you guys know that Steve Carell actually won stage 9, not Sandy Casar, (FDJ).... He apparently isn't leaving the office to pursue movies...

pic: velonation.com/sirotti

Making Statements: Three Cheers to Versus

Fun Tour... Even the last stage was not without controversy when Lance decided to show some fashion sense which turned into JerseyGate. But I will say, Versus had some really good coverage, its sad that its over. I really enjoy coming home from work and watching the stage of the day-it was a good 3 weeks. This commercial was one of my favorites, the full version only seemed to air during the morning showings of the stage in between breaks from Paul and Phil.




Based on my recent twitter readings, it seems that Christian VdV will be headed to the Vuelta. Maybe a Chicagoan on a podium? Plenty of climbing to come...until then.

For the love of the suffer,
bryanW

Making Statements: Stage 16 Jens

Jens being Jens. If you look up hardman in the dictionary you get this picture.

So then the broom wagon pulled up and was like, “Do you want to just get in?” And I said, “Oh no, I don’t need YOU!” But there I am with blood spurting out my left elbow and no bike. Finally, the race organizers got me a bike, but it was this little yellow junior bike. It was way too small for me and even had old-fashioned toe-clip pedals. But that is the only way I could get down the mountain, so I had to ride it for like 15-20 kilometers until I finally got to a team car with my bike.

pic:bicycling.com

vid: Saxobank

Making Q & A Statements: Lantern Rouge (sp?)

Fun Tour so far, no?

Q: How do you spell Lantern Rouge?
A: Lanterne Rouge

Q: What does Wikipedia know about the Lanterne Rouge?
A: The Lanterne Rouge is the competitor in last place in a cycling race such as the Tour de France. The phrase comes from the French "Red Lantern" and refers to the red lantern hung on the caboose of a railway train, which conductors would look for in order to make sure none of the couplings had become disconnected. (Couldn't have said it better myself.)

Q: Who is currently in last place in the Tour?
A: 181. Adriano Malori (Lampre) at 2:02:29, respectable.

Q: Does Adriano have a large enough gap this early in the Tour to hold off 180. Anthony Roux, FDJ, at 2:00:46?
A: I have no idea...

Q: Does it make you proud that an American has never come in last?
A: Hell yea!!

Q: Are you going to get a loan @rouleurderby to bet on it?










A: Hell yea!!

Special not appropriate @work question...
Q: Did @NeilRoad tweet something special tonight?
A: No comment

Keep the rubber side down,

Making Statements Stage 8: Say it ain't so...

Today was a tough stage to watch... Our American hopeful for this year’s tour seemed to have all of the good luck from 7 previous tours reverse in a treacherous Karmic pattern. As the stage went up, the Lance of old was no where to be found. It begs the question: When should heroes call it quits….????

Lance pic: pez

Jordan pic: a popular search engine

Stage 4: Taking me Home

As the peleton rolls away from famous cobbles of the classics, Stage 4 starts the journey away from North France in a flat sprinters stage from Cambria to Reims. It just so happens that a certain suburb near the finishing stretch is where my ancestors call home. Witry-les-Reims is a commune in the Champagne region of France (insert typical joke about ancestors being booze hounds which makes me a booze hound....blah blah blah). However, I feel I'm allowed to play my horn here: toot toot.

Oh yea, the mayor's name is Detrainge Yves...what a stud!!

Making Statements Stage 2: Quick Step

Quick Step pulled on some non-blue and white jerseys today as Sylvain Chavanel took the wet and wild Stage 2 out of an original 8 man break including teammate Jerome Pineau. Pineau fired rockets with Matthew Lloyd (Omega Pharma-Lotto) and Rein Taaramae (Cofidis) towards the polka-dot banners and claimed the KOM jersey. Something tells me they will have some champagne flowing tonight at team dinner. Chapeau!!

Safe to say Quick Step showed up to make some week 1 statements.

ToInfinityandBeyond will have further 'Making Statements' throughout Le Tour.

Waterloo Cat 4/5: Tour of America's Dairyland

With a crash forcing me to abandon ToAD a little earlier than planned, I had some free time on my hands during the races...The video is a psuedo-one-lap recap of the Mens Cat4/5 ToAD stage in Waterloo today 6/23/10.




bryanW.

Grafton Gone Wild

Friday's bike race wasn't very much fun in retrospect. I had a rough encounter involving a turn, a pedal, and some guys yard on turn 2. I only managed 2 points for the overall so hopefully today was going to be different.

Before the race I remembered why I had taken vacation time to race my bike: it’s a shit ton of fun. We listened to loud music on the way to the race, warmed up like we didn’t have a care in the world, and lined up determined to have fun. Turns out, the front is more fun than the back. Not because it’s easier, but because I get a more relaxed vibe when I can see the front of the field. So immediately, I went to the front.

With fifty minutes the going rate in ToAD, the first 20 minutes are about staying hydrated and relaxed. All the juniors can take the $20 coffee house primes and I’ll keep my matches for the sprint. After all, the overall is something I would enjoy…

The race went on and we all scurried around the course. I saw a few Chicago-mates in the group and was sure to hold their wheels. I never really let myself get below 20^th during the race and settled in nicely with 8 laps to go.

4 lone wolves created a classic wolfpack and the group let them dangle until about 2 to go. The pace got hot and I stayed top 10 and let everyone else bring the break back, I stay tucked in knowing the wolves would be caught. I realized we had sucked up the last wolf with about a half lap remaining and I was sitting right behind yesterday’s 3^rd place rider.

I took the final turn in about 7^th wheel and kept my head high through the turn to mark the riders ahead. 2 guys jumped way too early and a few of us let them lead us down the road. I saw my lane on the far left and went. I had a lot of ground to catch up and eventually threw my bike for 3^rd…

Thanks to the cheering section, always awesome hearing your name from the side.

















bryanW

10 days

You can do alot in ten days. You can watch the entire series’ of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm at least twice each, although you could end up finding yourself in constant three pronged hilarious situations. You could drive across the country two and half times. OR you could save all of your vacation time and race your bike in Wisconsin.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of an attempt. An attempt to conquer an inner deamon, almost inner burden of truth, the evil question of...could my body survive a stage race?

ToAD isn’t a stage race with the Big Boys like the Tour. But ToAD is still 10 races at my caliber for 10 straight days. I don’t have a full support squad, I don’t have a massage every day, but I like a good challenge.

Did those training blocks work? Did I get enough miles in? Did I forget my shoes? Who knows, who cares, and please God no…. Boogity Boogity Boogity, Lets Go Racin’!!

bryanW

Hillsboro 2010

The outlook calender was set for an 8am appointment back in February to register for this race and last Saturday the race finally happened, and then the pain happened. This race was all that I expected, hilly, rough roads, tough turns and the bricks, oh the bricks is where it all went wrong for me.

We traveled to Hillsboro on Friday afternoon. I rode down with my teammates Dan and Bryan. Its always fun to go on a racing road trip, except of course for the hotel stays (avoiding the Super 8 next year). When we arrived in Hillsboro Dan, Bryan and I went for a pre-ride of the last hill and the bricks section that lead to the finishing straight. The bricks didn't seem that bad, I had been making a point of riding a brick section on my training route to ready for this race. The last hill was bigger than I expected, but all and all I wasn't too concerned about the finishing loop, mistake! This loop would turn out to be the end of my race on the first lap.

Race day arrived and the excitement my was high, we had our morning coffee and breakfast and heading out to the course to meet up with the rest of the team (Ben, Trent, Drew, Brandon, and Chase). We had a six man Cat 4's team for this race, my game plan was to hang on for the first lap and then see what I had left. I had packed myself with food that morning and had three bottles (2 gatorade 1 water), 4 gu's and 3 shot blocks with me for the race. At 58 miles eating and drinking on the bike would be critical to success. 

Dan making a nutella and banana sandwich and the rest of our prerace supplies. 





We all started staging for the race about 25 minutes before the start, everyone wanted good position to start the race as the roads were narrow and moving up during the race was going to near to impossible. Standing in the staging area for that long was torture, I tried to stay loose before the race and luckily I was staged next to a bunch of the cuttin' crew guys those guys bring the fun, I mean come on they come on a bus!

The race started and we set out for a 58 mile race, the longest distance I have ever raced. We weaved our way out of town and when the neutral start was over we hit the gas, well kind of. The field seemed to slow regularly and taking the turns in the middle of the pack was unnerving, around one corner I lost my back wheel a little and felt the bike start to go sideways, I un-clipped the the inside pedal to stabilize and steadied the bike saved the turn and sprinted back into the pack. I found my teammate Dan and he helped me find a safe postion about mid pack where stayed for much of the first lap.

The turns didint get any easier as pace picked up, I looked down and realized we were coming into the last 1/3 of the first lap. The race was stressful, I buzzed a wheel, the roads were tough and life midpack was not easy. I remember looking up at Bryan and Chase who sat top 20 nearly all day and thought, those guys are riding great races, I need to get up there. However moving up at Hillsboro is no easy task (unless you are too cool to obey the center line rule, there were a bunch of you out there). As we came into the final hill I made a move to try to gain position, I shifted into my small ring. This may have been a mistake, but I had to keep a high cadence and dodge all the riders who couldn't keep the pace up the hill. I thought I had climbed up the hill well, but a small gap had developed between my front wheel and the group that would decide the race.

As we turned towards the down hill leading into the bricks the gap had grown, I wasn't paying close enough attention to the race ahead of me, and then I realized the race was riding away from me. It was all about to be over, it was crushing. As we flew towards the bricks I remember thinking "I should be freaked out, I flying down this hill on a piece of really expensive plastic toward a road made fully of bricks" but that thought went away quick. As I hit the bricks I made a last ditch effort to try to get back to the group, I hammered across the bricks, losing a bottle full of gatorade to the bricks, damn!
As I made the final turn off the bricks into the finishing straight I was done, I had gone so far into the red trying catch back on I could barely turn the pedals. As the pack continued to ride away from me I thought how cruel of a sport cycling is, its so demoralizing to watch a group ride away, they look so close but they just keep getting smaller, and then it hurts more.

Off the back a gruppetto formed, we attempted to start a rotating pace line, it wasn't until this day that I realized not every team practices rotating pace lines, thanks for Bryan Merrill for teaching me how to do this it saved my life that day. Our gruppetto grew in size and but the number of people wanted to actually pull threw did not. I put a lot of effort into pulling the gruppetto, as the pack rode away I promised myself that I would finish this race and I would not stop racing my bike. A big thanks to Paul Miner from Spin Doctors for monster pulls that saved me during the last 5 miles. As the gruppetto came to the final hill I gave it everything I had, made it into the final turn with four others and as we raced our way across the bricks I looked under my arm and saw that the spin doctors rider was spent, I felt bad that guy worked his heart out. I finished 44th out of about 110 or so riders, I had finished the race, worked as hard as I could. I crossed the line in terrible pain, and felt empty, if it wasnt for the 20oz coke I had in the cooler and the cliff power protein bar Nate threw at me i am not sure i would have made it. The coke was so good that when I saw my buddy Jared from xxx (whom I had just spent the last 1 1/2 hrs riding next to off the back with) I told him "you got to try this, its the best thing I have ever had.

This race was epic, it really felt like i was riding a classic, with the narrow roads, dodgy turns and brick roads not mention the daunting distance. Thanks to everyone who was involved with putting this race on. I can't wait to go back next year!

The most impressive feats of the day came after the race, on the way home all the Burnham boys and spidermonkeys stopped at the steak and shake for a feast, it was a great meal and a very impressive displaying of eating. I am not sure that I tasted my food, quite frankly i think i inhaled everything they put in front of me. In the picture notice the veteran move on Dan Pollards part, he ordered a chicago style hot dog as a side cart to his burger, we were all envious of his brilliance.

We flew what Eric tagged Air Iden on the way home, we sat coach, but it was still a smooth ride.

Later that night I ventured out for a night on the town, that's right my roommate and I completed a 58 mile road race, drove 4 hrs home, and then went out to party for his birthday, the picture below was taken about 230 am, a mere 18 hrs after the day started.

Well next up another Tuesday in Matteson!

Keep the Rubber Side Down
Zens

Hillsboro 2010

Opening the Matteson Season

Last night I made the trip down south the Matteson Il, the South Chicago Wheelman put on training crits around the Ace Hardware Paint Factory. There are three races of various length around a 1km oval with sweeping wide turns, points are accumulated for the night, but results aren't why I race there. Matteson is where you learn to race. When I stated racing last year I was terrible, I would get dropped. My excess weight and lack of fitness were my main racing limiters. By late May /early June I had taken care of the excess weight and managed to improve my fitness, but I still wasn't racing very well. I quickly realized that I was simply scared to turn in the pack. I would lose position and burn myself out chasing back to the group. So I went to Matteson and somehow a night of racing there fixed the problem. The pressure free atmosphere really clammed me down, and I was able to work on my turning, after that night at Matteson my fear of turning in the pack was gone and I was able to hold the pack in races, I learned how to race that night.

Last night's training crits kicked off the SCW Tuesday Night Series for the season. The weather was great, 80 degrees at the start, however the winds were strong. Here is a summary of the three B (4/5) races from last night.

Race 1: 8 laps - Riders attempt to strech the field's legs with an attacks (self included), nothing succeeds, field calms down, a few riders pull threw, pace is nice, ken from Bellum Racing rides away from group to the win.

Race 2: 18 laps - Pace starts quick, I attack early just to have some fun, others attack, all is brought together, others attack, with 2 to go Ken attacks, I almost cook the second turn of the last lap trying to chase down Ken, have to touch the brakes to readjust, i save it. Ken rides away to another win.

Race 3 -8 laps - I attack from the start (after saying at the start "I refuse to chase Ken this time"), open a nice gap, scw guy comes to work with me, wind sooo strong it dies after one lap, for the next 3 or 4 laps I continue with attacks that go no where. Ken rides off the front to another win. I finish 3rd in the sprint.

All and all it was a great workout, threw down a bunch of attacks which was a goal for the night, worked the legs and got a out of work riding in the wind, that will be good prep for the race this week.

Hope to be down on the southside again next week.

Tonight the Wednesday Night Ride begins, see you at JJ Peppers.  

Why you should race Matteson by Luke

Burnham Super Crit Cat 4/5's - The Circus Race

According to race director Jason Knauff "this was the 4b's race (think the circus race during cross season)" well it sure didnt feel like it! My teammate Drew started the race off like a cross by attacking from the start, i attempted to go with him, but we were quickly caught by the pack.

The pace is intense, i get shuffled on and off the front, everyone is trying to rip the legs off each other, everyone wanted this race to be fast, it was going to make it safer and i wanted to do my part to push the pace. So did the rest of my teammates, drew, dan, trent, keith, bryan, and todd all took hard pulls and attacked ensuring that the pace remained high.

The pace remained high as bryan pulled some of his typical moves by hunting for the last prime of the day, a new sram chain. (he pipped chris jensen of half acre at the line) Chris and i seemed to spend a lot of time durning the two races of the day next to each other, chris said that was because liked the smell of the embrocation sean of burnham gave me earlier in the day, great product. 

With a lap and a half to go i throw down an attack or what was suppose to be an attack, i got about ten meters off the front and ended up pulling the pack into the final turn, except the next thing i know i am in the grass and i hear bryan yell "what are you doing in the grass" i think "how'd i get here?"

None the less i got dropped after my adventure in the grass, i spent the last lap trying to chase down the pack who were soooo close, but really they were really far away, the bridge back never happened and i crossed the line 38th off the back, it happens, i raced hard and two days later i would be diagnosed with phenomena, so i guess finishing two races was an accomplishment enough.



It was a great day of racing, thanks to everyone who came out, especially all the spidermonkey fans inculding my Dad and Greg Witry (who sported a rakish derby).

Next race is Hillsboro, cant wait!

Burnham Super Crit Cat 4's - "the crash-fest"

What a way to start the usa cycling racing season! The race was great even though what seemed like half the field forgot how to race over the winter which turned into quite an issue on the last lap where crashes seemed to happen around every turn, but by the grace of god and a trip into the grass i crossed the line 18 spots behind my teammate Mike Shea who won the race and had the best post up of the day.

FUN FACT - Mike has been thinking about this race since January.

Okay here is what happened during the race from my view:

First couple laps, speed up with wind at our backs, slow into the wind, the pack struggles to get through the s-turns without taking each other out, speed up again with the wind, repeat.

I think the fourth lap; Guy crashes, it was going to happen again.

1 to go, move up to find some teammates and start to try and get the lead out train ready for shea

CRASH, Shea has to go into to the grass, i realize he might not be able to make it back for the sprint, i get out of the saddle to try ot connect to the back of bryan's wheel, who has dan in front of him.

Dan and Bryan and I are lined up on the for the sprint, CRASH - I dodge left into the grass, come back on the road look to the right and see shea sprinting to the front, he takes off, i power as hard as i can to the back of bryan's wheel, and we cross the line arms raised as shea celebrates his first 4's win

What a way to start the season!

Congrats to Mike "get off my lawn" Shea for the first spidermonkey win of the season!

Burnham Super Crit Cat 4's

thanks to Geoff Scott for manning the camera

Burhnam Super Crit Cat 4/5's

thanks to Geoff Scott for manning the camera.

Burnham Super Crit 3-27-10

video by Geoff Scott and Andrew Zens

And the Victory Goes to Mike Shea!!!! (Burnham Super Crit Cat 4's)

A BIG thanks to Geoff Scott for taking great video!

Photo by Little V

JENS!!!!!!!

Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank) wins the Volta Catalunya's fourth stage.

Photo: © Roberto Bettini

How do you not love this guy???