WE WORK TOO HARD TO BALL ON A BUDGET!

I ride my bike everyday. I don’t ride it because I have to, or because I need to, or even because I want to. I ride my bike everyday because I was freakin’ born to. Just sayin!

Yeah, I ride

STR8 DOMINATION IN NEWTON COUNTY

The team showed up big this weekend with several podium finishes and even more top tens.

Ryan Wolfe lapped the field in his first Cat 4 crit finishing second out of his two man breakaway. An impressive performance for sure that involved a tactical counter attack and a solid 25 minute all-out effort. His teammates Ben Green and John Newton worked hard to shut down the field behind him, dropping anchor on any and all attempts to bridge. Ben Green slid across the line for a top ten finish as well.

Dalford England took an impressive second place out of a four man breakaway in the cat 3 race. A fast race on the hilly course almost guaranteed a breakaway and Dalford was able to make the move, only being beaten by a former cat 1 doper from South Bumblefuck. Michael York took an impressive fifth place with a solo effort away from the main field. Matt Karzen also finished well after a monster effort to keep the lead breakaway from lapping the field.

I had the privilege of racing my first Pro1/2 race and I am happy to report that I didn’t get left behind. The race only lasted 20 minutes before a deer ran through the peleton and sent several riders to the hospital. The race was neutralized and cancelled due to lack of daylight. I felt great and am anxious to see what I can do at the next one.

The road race was more of the same. Ryan Wolfe finished fifth in the cat 4 field making him second overall in the omnium. Ben Green was not far behind him. The cat 3 boys missed the breakaway and spent most of the day chasing to no avail. Still a strong performance on long hot day. I was able to hang with the cat 2 field for most of the race. I got caught out with a few other guys after a distasteful feed-zone attack on the last lap. The effort to catch and a lack of water left me all alone for the last 15 miles. However, my survival during many previous hard efforts left me still finishing top 20. Time to get some more miles in for sure.

Yeah, I Ride

MDub

You Look A Lot Like My Next Girlfriend

Twilight week is here and I’m “freakin’ ready dough!”

I am happy to say that I have not felt this good ever in my life, and I’m not just talking about fitness. I wake up every morning with a full-lob and an empty conscience. My mind is already on the podium and my body is not far behind.

I can confidently say that I have given everything to this race over the past few years; it made me quit my job, dump my girlfriend, and pour all of my time into bicycle racing. Everything that I do on a daily basis, whether it is a training ride, tennis match, or 9Ds Bar cakin session, it is only to prepare me for The Athens Twilight. I can promise you that I will not let it go to waste. Whether I make it 30 minutes or 3, I will make sure that they are the fastest, most committed moments of my bike-racing career.

So who is with me?

Yeah, I Ride…

MDub

Rub One Out

So with the calm before the storm that is the few weeks between Sunny King and begining of a firestorm of all out, full throttle, full fitness series of races, I have found myself riding alone.

My teamates are regrouping after their valiant efforts leading into early April, and tending to things such as school, work, marriage arrangements, and female companionship. Plus, I gotta work sometime, and I have been hording my “hall passes” to race my brains out in April, May, etc. – so lots of solo efforts for me, and, I am just sayin here, its making me damn fast.

The thing about riding solo is, like the traditional rub out, its all about me – my effort, my fantasies swirling around in my head, my pain, my failure or success. Lots of tempo rides, some long easy rides, and the coup d’grace, the intervals. Spent time hammering out a 35 mile time trial effort – killer. Did a brutal circuit session in my hilly neighborhood that left me totally drained in that way all men love – “Captain, the dilethium crystals are drained – we just dont have the power!” (for those of you unable to buy beer yet, that is a star trek reference). Hit a hard 30 minute crit effort at Lantern Walk to get my cornering levels up, faster than ever before by a good bit, then went right over to the greenway course and laid it on thick for some 90 second ready-dough, “1 to go 1 to go 1 to go” efforts.

Now, all that translates to being ready baby, so ready, for the summer races to kick in full swing, but I am missing my teamates and looking forward to their company in training and races once again. Rubin one out has a time a place, and can be the key to success (in so many ways), but in the end, it gets sorta boring. Lets ride boys.

She Told Me It Was Razor-burn…

The Cycle Sport Concepts team has been laying low the last couple of weeks in an attempt to prepare for one of our biggest races of the year, The Athens Twilight Criterium (“Twilight”). Twilight is not only one of the biggest cycling events in the United States, it is the only cycling event that takes place in our home town of Athens, GA.

The past couple of weeks have offered a much needed break from racing that will allow us to recharge our bodies and minds in an attempt to be “on point” for the approaching events. At this point in the season the racing kicks up a notch in speed an difficulty; the next few races will separate the men from the boys and it will be an important time for the team to show it ability.

I look forward to the challenge!

Yeah, I Ride

MDub

INSPIRATIONIZATION

It’s time to create a CSC cyclone of fear that keeps the competition wishing it was 100 watts wealthier. No more under-attended, over-appreciated GA Cup chaos. Time to tear into some sunny-king, speed-week, shred sessions and provide performances that will burn the competition like sorority girls in tanning beds. Time to dish out pain plates that even the well-trained teams can’t stomach; a buffet of suffering with smorgasbord of unrelenting power that will satisfy anybody’s hunger for hurting. Just sayin…

MDub

GA Cup Can Suck My Transponder

-No wheel trucks for a road race that has multiple miles of unpaved roads.
-No payout for women, little payout for anyone else.
-Transponder rental or purchase required.

Not feelin it…just sayin

Yeah, I ride

Boom-shak-laka

Since I’m on the company dime right now…Uncle Sam’s dime at that, I’m going to provide the abridged version of events from the epic dirt road Roubaix down there in Perry.

1. We arose well rested from our 6 star lodging (yeah I created a new level in the star classification because it was that good) at Chateau Crisp. The hospitality was unparallel and the breakfast would lead a foodie to die of starvation because why bother after eating eggs and biscuits that good.

2. Sunny skies, minor wind, dry dirt and 35 riders. Perfect.

3. Whatley, Cal, Karzen, York, and I… beyond perfect.

4. Lap 1…The first attack up the road…no problem.

5. Laps 2-4…labyrinth of misery (take that pain cave).

6. Lap 4…I was accused of clogging up the race…if you mean I made sure our sprinter could podium…then yes I clogged up the race… deal with it.

7. Lap 5…I once saw Cal through down a furious sprint at the end of the Albany road race that I believed would be an unmatched spectacle. York knows what I’m talking about. I was wrong because I again saw Cal in his long-legged, high cadenced splendor attack like a crazed man up the first climb on the last lap. Impressive Cal. I can’t wait ‘til Rome. Man, you almost stuck it too!

8. With my vision tunneled, and my legs wobbly, I got on the front to keep the pace high leading into a field sprint. With 800 to go I dumped everyone off for the sprint knowing the Yorkley train had a chance. 3rd place ain’t bad for a first go. Alls I know is that it’s gonna be a good year!

Thanks for a great ride fellas.

Timbo Slice

Pody-mmmm

The epic Perry-Roubaix race weekend was a successful one for the Cycle Sport Concepts Racing Team. It was the first “team race” of the year and we showed up strong.

The cat 3 squad was rolling deep on Sunday with a full roster: Michael York, Tim Cornett, Cal Hooten, Matt Karzen and myself. I was anxious to see how well we would work together in our first race together as a team, and I must say that I am extremely impressed.

The race started out fast with an attack from the gun that formed a two-man breakaway. The initial break gained a minute on the group, and we were forced to pull our weight at the front to keep the time gap in check. Tim, Cal, Michael and Myself took turns on the front, along with riders from other teams, to slowly bring back the break. On lap 3 of 5 the break had been caught and Karzen took a turn at the front to cover any counter moves. When the break was caught, the pace died a bit; teams were planning their next move. During the lull, CSC caught their first bit of bad luck with Karzen flatting. Bummer dude. Great ride.

At the start of the fourth lap, the team was feeling strong. Tim saw that the hard pace was taking a toll of several riders and decided to ride fast, to say the least, up the two big climbs. He eliminated any riders who were even close to the edge of disconnection. Fearing another acceleration, the group rode a moderate tempo on lap 4 and no real attacks were launched. Michael and I decided that it was time for us to rest up for the final sprint. We had nothing else to worry about with Tim on the front covering every move. Awesome work Tim. Unbelievable.

At the start of final lap, Cal Hooten launched an attacked on the climbs that was only answered by two riders who immediately lost his wheel. With an amazing display of sheer power he was able to gain almost a minute on a frenzied group; a gap that would hold all the way to the final three kilometers of the race. His attack eliminated any responsibility that we had to ride at the front, and we were able to save everything for the finale. Hats off the Cal for an amazing ride.

Coming into the final few kilometers, Michael and I riding tandem, the team had done its job. Tim did a final turn on the front to keep the pace high and dropped us off to battle the chaos. I did everything I could to keep Mike in position to unleash his speed. He came around with 300 meters to go and held on for 3rd place. Great effort Mike! When we get our lead-out dialed in, there will not be anybody who can beat us.

Mdub

Pop It Like It’s Hot

I can tell you this – I am not in Kansas anymore Toto. At Whatley’s encouragment, I put in for my Cat 3 upgrade last week, and USA Cycling gave it the green light. I was, and am, super pumped – didnt even wait 72 hours to line up for my first 3′s race – the epic Perry-Roubaix. I will leave all the really cool-dirty-painful details for one of the boys who didnt flat (yes, I did), but here’s my take.

Cat 3 racing is racing. Cat 4 and 5 racing was also, but this feels different. Its sort of like everyone is fast (although clearly, we are faster), which makes for a racey-er pace and experience overall. I noticed immediately that the atmosphere in the pack was more serious, but not in an uptight, stick in the ass sort of a way – more like you could tell these were experienced racers. The riding is smooth, stable and steady; nobody was jostling for position for no reason or risking a crash out of some blind panic – people move with purpose. Very nice.

So – the race. Like I said, I will leave the details to others, but I spent the first couple laps sort of coming to grips with the pace on a tough course. Each of the 3 trips through the dirt and over the climbs brought some fo-real efforts to hang in, and one time in particular, I nearly got gapped in the dirt, but I hung on and recovered. As I had spent 2.5 laps watching, from mid pack or the back, my teamates work things and contribute at the front, once I sort of settled into a hard-working comfort zone, when we came off the dirt, I went to the front where a couple of Aarons Racing boys were staked out with evil intentions. I came around them to pull, and we rotated a for a few, with another Aarons boy joining us.

The pack was right there, and I was really enjoying a stable paceline on the front at high speed, keeping an eye on Aarons, and ready to cover any moves, when I heard a wicked THUMP THUMP THUMP from my front wheel – I looked down, saw it wobbling like John Newton leaving 90′s Bar at 2:00 a.m., and said…. fuck. I moved right, raised my hand and slid back – as Watts passed I was just asking if he thought it was safe to keep going (no need to ask that question Matt – the answer, at 30 mph in a race, over dirt, is no), when PFFFFFFFFTTTTTT. Flat. Done. Fuck.

Oh yea – here is the best part. When we went to drop wheels in the wheel truck before the start, the ever-on-the-ball GA Cup peeps said “no wheel truck”. I get it – I mean, who needs a wheel truck at Perry-Roubaix? Then, about 5 miles into the race, the moto-official rolls up along us to tell us they “now have a wheel truck”….. Awesome. If I flat, I can pull out my invisible wheels that I didnt put into the non-existent wheel truck before the race. So – no truck, no wheel, I was walking.

Turned out I blew the tire off the rim – probably pinched the tube in there when I mounted the tire the day before. My fault. Sort of a drag, but it was big fun all the same, and I was feeling solid when it happened, despite my earlier ventures into the red zone, so I know my recovery rate is in a good place:

More to come, and oh baby, is it gonna rock. PS – major shouts to my boys in the race: York with a fat podium, Cal with a monster solo attack on the last lap that damn near stuck, Tim for being the most dominant rider for most of the race, and Watts for workin the lead out for York bigger than shit. Love ya brothers.