Why I'm Here

The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster of bad luck during some races, lack of will at others and then the usual assortment of ups and downs that keep us cyclists/masochists coming back for more. I've taken some time recently to reflect on where I've been and where I'm going...

So here we are, just a couple of weeks to go before the start of the race and I just want to affirm several things, both for my benefit and the benefit of any poor sap who might be reading this. Here are some random thoughts on what brings me to the 2007 RAAM and Team Strong Heart...

Why I'm Here:
-For the kids and counselors and anyone who might be remotely impacted by Camp Odayin
-For my own psychological benefit, knowing that I can compete and achieve success on and off the bike
-For my parents, who raised me to believe that the hardest fought victory is sometimes the sweetest and most satisfying
-For my cycling teammates, present and past, who have taught me the meaning of friendship, selflessness and courage, on and off the bike
-For my friends off the bike who have shown me hospitality and generosity through the entire RAAM training and development process
-For my co-workers at Boulder Fire Rescue who understand why I need to eat that organic pasta and push away from the chow table when "Trainwreck" is being served up
-For my roommates in Boulder who put up with my incessant mess of bikes and gear at our home
-For the one friend in Boulder who is always up for a coffee and a ride, even if he whines through the entire ride about how tired he is
-For the people I've met, ridden with, trained with and bounced ideas off of along the way
-For the selfless crew who will help us get across the nation in one piece
-For my teammates on Team Strong Heart who will be sharing this arduous, epic race with, from beginning to end with no questions asked

I am forever changed by all of you and I am ready to lay it on the line on June 12.

Frozen Dinner

Well it had to happen at least once racing out here. Today I was dropped and dropped out of my first Colorado race. So far this season has been looking great...I've had decent early season form, have battled a few colds but nothing too bad and have been looking forward to the RAAM and a great season of racing. So I suppose today was a foregone conclusion and was just a matter of when, as opposed to if.

I was blasted right off the line and I believe that I wasn't mentally prepared to race in mid-40's rain/slush/heavy wind. I spent most of the day trying to recover from overnight at work where we were shelled with 4 calls resulting in about 3 hours of interrupted sleep. In between naps before the race I kept checking the weather which of course looked fine until about 20 minutes before the race when the rain and wind picked up, resulting in a terribly cold field. Right off the gun the pace was ridiculous and it appeared that 2 riders got off to an early break. I had 4 other teammates with but wasn't able to make any sort of attempt at even sitting in. Today's event reminded me that it's: A. early season, B. Colorado racing isn't what I'm used to quite yet, C. good to eat some humble pie in a new race environment with a new team.

Back to work tomorrow, with a couple of heavy training days sandwiched before the RAAM simulation next weekend. I'm headed to the allergist on Thursday to see if I have any recurring or treatable allergies. My breathing has been hard/heavy, especially in the morning, which may be a diagnosable problem. Time will tell.

The next big race weekend comes on the 19th and 20th of this month, just a couple of short weeks away. Have two big criteriums to battle through and should ante up for at least one of them, especially since my team (GS CIAO/Wild Oats Presented by Al's Barber Shop) is co-hosting the race on Sunday. It would be special to race the North Boulder Criterium to a top 5 finish or ride in support of a teammate who may finish strong. Time will tell?

I'll check in post RAAM simulation, early next week...until then...

Keep the rubber side down.

Tim

Critacular

Hi,

Just came off racing a crit in Golden, CO that was packed with riders eager for some recognition and a bit of cash money. I didn't make it into the running for greenbacks today but had a great race and accomplished exactly what I set out to do, namely, survive, move around in the field, try some aggressive moves in the field and at the front, but mostly survive. We had a field that was approximately 70 strong for our afternoon race. I had a couple of teammates along for the race and it was great to see some familiar jerseys in the pack (speaking of which we are styling in our new Wild Oats Presented By Al's Barbershop team kits). The course was a 1k rollercoaster ride with some nasty road conditions, especially across the last sweeping high speed corner headed into the uphill sprint to the start finish (for the Minnesota readers think a cranked up version of the Opus Crit course). I was scared to take a look at the speedometer which was working OT to keep up with my wheel magnet.

Anyway, the race went well and I'll be back at it on May 6 for another crit, this one out in Broomfield, sponsored by Rocky Mounts (also one of my CO team sponsors). Have a hard week of training planned upcoming...big miles, big days out on the road. I'm also starting to think about mountain bike racing and getting back on the trails. I've got a new team bike coming out to me sometime next week (Bianchi San Lorenzo w/full DA and Ritchey accessories, Rolf Prima wheels, etc.). Although my wallet doesn't think it's great, I'm definitely psyched for some new gear to beat up on. All in all, not too shabby...

Keep the rubber side down...

TC

Back in the Swing, 24-7

I got back from England a couple of weeks ago and have been trying to get in the swing of training, back at work, etc. I was welcomed back to the States with yet another cold that is still holding onto me after two weeks. I'm finally catching my breath these days, but not without a bit of a struggle to do so...

Sitting in Minnesota right now waiting for my flight back to Denver to leave this afternoon. Spent the past couple of days hanging out in the Twin Cities and working with Team Strong Heart in our preparations for the 2007 RAAM. We got together this past weekend and rode for 24 hours with our team and with Bill our main crewman and tech guru. The riding was fun and I came out the other end with minimal damage and fatigue despite my condition going in and riding with the team. Although the rides out in Boulder are absolutely amazing and fruitful (usually) it was great to get out here and ride in my old stomping ground near Stillwater, Scandia, etc. Colorado is an amazing state but part of my heart (and sweat) stays in Minnesota.

Next up is a crit back in Golden, CO this upcoming weekend and more training...looking forward to the next phase of training, including ramping up to the serious miles and races this spring and some new gear (bike, clothing, etc.) from the team I race for back in CO...www.gsciao.com.

Stay tuned and keep the rubber side down...

Tim

Yeah Baby!

So I'm leaving for England tomorrow. This has been a tough week for training. I got a good 4 hour ride in on Wednesday and actually got some sun on my face/legs. I don't recall having a tan this early in the season and the "awkward" tan lines are coming in nicely. Besides the mid-week ride, I've had a tough schedule at work and only time to spin on the indoor bike a few times this week. Tomorrow morning I'm going to try and squeeze in a very quick ride before I take off for 12 days. Maybe the break from the bike will do me some good? I'm going to make a hard effort not to gain too much weight and really watch what I'm eating while overseas. Plus, the hotels I'll be staying at all have fitness centers, so really I'm hoping to just cut my losses, maintain a semblance of fitness and go from there...

I'll try and send a post while in England, but we'll see...

Keep the rubber side down...

Tim

Round 2

Just got done racing the Stazio Criterium in Boulder... The race was well populated (I would guess there were about 40 riders) and the corners were a bit congested. My goal for this race was to sit in, not do anything too stupid and see what kind of gas I had at the end. My legs felt a bit chunky today after a couple of hard rides last week, including a brief ride with some pro guys (CSC, Slipstream/Chipotle, BMC, etc.) that caught up with my team north of town. There's this "crazy" group ride that leaves Boulder on Saturdays called the "cycle - logic race" and has everything from pro riders to beginners. We were cooking along at a pretty good tempo, but I was racing today and didn't want to push my luck.

Back to the race...the pace was comfortable for most of the race and I was able to sit in without too much difficulty. The Stazio course has a decent sized hill just after the start/finish corridor so you really need to conserve and get up over the hill in a good spot. The best part about racing up the hill is racing down on the back side of the course, which really gives you an opportunity to "recover," for the next lap.

The finish was a bunch sprint (again) and my version of contesting the sprint consisted of sitting on a Vitamin Cottage rider's wheel, dropping some gears down and pedaling my legs out while remaining seated. I'm going to leave those crazy bar-bending sprints for later in the season.

Next up is a crazy week at work where I'll have to stay focused on training while not actually being able to get too much quality time on the bike. This is followed by a 12 day sojourn to Britain with my two younger brothers. If I can get through the next couple of weeks and not lose too much form I'll be damned happy. Next race is an early season TT in Denver, early April.

Coming back to racing and having the epic RAAM journey to look forward too is really all a guy like me could ask for. I'm on a great team, both for road/mtn racing and for the RAAM adventure. It's a priviledge and an honor to be living/working in Boulder and returning to the greatest sport on earth.

Keep the rubber side down...

Crits and crits and crits, oh my!

Fish eye! Thanks to Dr. Dan and company for the testing last week in Minnesota. I was in the great white north for four days and spent more time shoveling and snow blowing than time working out.

Met up with the team on Friday and barely made it to the airport for my flight back to sunny, warm (relatively), Colorado.

I've been training with long rides mixed up with shorter "rides" on the trainer at work. Last Sunday (yesterday, actually) I raced for the first time in about a year. Hit the Stazio crit in Boulder and snuck in as a Cat IV in the morning. I felt good throughout the race and found it relatively "easy" to move around the field with a few elbows and some imaginative lines around the corners (i.e., gutter riding). Job well done, I must say. Next Sunday is another race day and hopefully I'll find more form.

The upcoming weeks are going to be extremely challenging for me professionally and personally. I've got a bunch of extra training to do at work, including time spent on my usual days off and then on Saturday, March 17 I'm leaving for a 12 day trip to England with my two younger brothers....

Keep the rubber side down.