Scott & ML

Fish on the Grill

2009-09-14T10:18:00.001-04:00

We made a super easy fish recipe last night. I started with a 24 inch length of foil, placed 1/3 cup of orzo (a type of pasta), then poured 1/3 cup of chicken broth over it. Be sure to fold up the edges of the foil to prevent runoff. Place a piece of white fish (cod, haddock, etc) on the orzo, then add salt and pepper and Italian dressing on top of the fish. Bring the edges of the foil together to seal it up, leaving some room for steam to be created. It was cooked on the grill for 12 minutes or until done, then I sprinkled parmesan cheese on the fish, added a handful of spinach, then closed it back up for three minutes to allow the cheese to melt and the spinach to wilt. It was served with a side of roasted butternut squash, cooked with olive oil, brown sugar, pepper and a diced apple.

Nice fall dinner, that was reasonably healthy.,

Pizza

2009-08-27T20:41:00.003-04:00

Friday nights are typically pizza night in the Brooks house. But when the temps reach 85+ with near 100% humidity, turning the oven on at 450 isn't an option. Earlier this year we tried cooking pizza on the grill and had good results. Thanks to Jaime, we tried the dough directly on the grill surface. Starting with a good spray down of Pam, then cooking the dough on one side for five minutes before flipping it and ading the ingredients produced a crispy crust. For toppings we used standard pizza sauce from a jar, some artichoke hearts and cheese. But the special topping was corn relish. The relish provided a spice that is not standard in our pizza's. This could have been about the best pizza ever. Aside from the grill, leaving the dough in the fridge for several days (like I said, pizza night is Friday, and last Friday we had plans to have pizza, thus starting the defrosting process) made the dough very easy to stretch out and cook.

Great pizza night!!! Pairing with Pacifico Sol cabernet is an excellent dinner.

Red Bones and NEMBA

2009-06-09T07:17:00.002-04:00

Every May the Boston Bike Week activities are kicked off with a biker block party at Red Bones. You know it's time for the party when the skies start to get dark and rain is pending. In an effort to get better weather, the Red Bones party was moved back to June. ML and I decided to park the truck in Lexington and take the ever convenient bike path right to the party. This wasn't going to be a race, or even a training ride, so I geared down, put mountain bike pedals on the singlespeed, dressed in baggy shorts and a casual t-shirt and even donned my helmet with a light in case we stayed longer then expected. As I'm throwing my leg over the top tube, I pray that none of my biking friends see me dressed like this. I also realize that the thought of being ashamed to not be wearing spandex is very unique.

I've done the bike path a couple of times. Typically the middle of the day when I'm looking to do a super easy spin at lunch time. For a roadie who is accustomed to the dangers of the road, getting onto the bike path at 5:30 in the evening was like a hill billy jumping on 128 during the evening rush. A yellow line painted on the ground separated those coming one way from the other, but this was mearly a recommendation. Riders on every sort of wheeled contraption are making their way to and fro, swaying from one side of the path to the other. Rollerbladers taking up the whole lane with their full pushoffs, walkers three abreast, riders with cobbled together bikes just make up this interesting. I still remember the first time I took the red line from Quincy to Boston. I went to work the next day marveling at the wonders of this public transportation. It picked me up right next to work, dropped me off right next to school and was super cheap. Hopefully the shine of the bike path doesn't wear off, because years later, I would rather drive to Boston to ride the t.

Winsted Woods

2009-05-20T15:30:00.001-04:00

I arrived at the race, with enough time to register and change, but not enough time to pre-ride the course. The temps were in the lower 50s which was pretty darn cold. Standing at the start line, I was pleased to see that the numbers swelled from 2 pre-reg names to 11. Glancing around, I realized that I didn't know anyone. I'm still very new to this sport. The course started in a lower parking lot, then up a hill to the fields with a quick right then left and into the woods where it narrowed to singletrack. Knowing the importance of positioning, as soon as the whistle blew, I attacked. Going up the rise I had a small lead and was able to make it to the singletrack first. With a previous days rain creating lots of mud and puddles, and coming from years of road racing, I immediately started to slow. First one, then another and a third guy passed me. I settled into fourth place and comfortably rode with this group for a couple of minutes. As we made it to the first fast downhill section on a fire road, I realized my rear tire had gone flat. No neutral support in mountain bike racing, so I pulled to the side of the course and set to fix my tire. The entire field I started in passed me, as did the entire field that started two minutes behind, and I'm pretty certain a third field passed me. The effects of starting cold, red-lining for 10 minutes, then stopping and changing a tire were very overwhelming. Staying calm, I completed the repair, got on my bike and tried to start racing again. The next two laps were almost absolute solo events. The hardest thing in cycling is being off the back of the group and still trying to go as hard as you can to reconnect. Just when I was about to give up mentally, I passed a friend who supported my effort by telling me that everyone else was tiring, that I still had the strength to go. This was enough to snap me out of my funk and get going again. The next lap and a half saw me passing loads of riders. Although, in mountain biking, it's almost impossible to know who you are racing against, as many fields are on course at one time. All I could do was just go..go..go. Two hours and ten minutes after I started, I crossed the line in seventh place. There's always the would have, could have, should have thoughts, such as if I hadn't lost three minutes with a flat, my time would have been good enough for...but those thoughts won't change the standings. I'm pleased with just mentally hanging in there. Reviewing the series points, my seventh place was good enough to move me up into third place overall in the series, that is enough of a reward in itself!!!

Survey says...?

2009-03-27T20:02:00.000-04:00

Yes, she said yes! After years of waiting, and duping everyone two weeks ago, I'm extremely stoked to announce that Marylou said yes when I asked her to marry me. More details to come later, but we are moving forward!!!

And the answer is...

2009-03-18T08:06:00.003-04:00

After lots of talking, and lots of deep soul searching, I finally decided to ask ML. She wasn't overly surprised, I'm betting that she knew it was inevitable, and agreed pretty much immediately. I'm very pleased with the decision to add another bike to my collection. The question was do I really need another bike, especially a mountain bike. No, the bike isn't broke, it's meant to have one gear. Yes, I can ride it just about everywhere that a geared bike can go. And no, it's not the same as my other bikes, it's unique and special and I like it. Here's my photo of it.

I appreciate everyone's interest in my decision. I'm sure I will be very happy with it. I do apologize that I didn't post last night as promised, but Betty (that's her new name) and I were just wrapped up spending time together.

YES or NO???

2009-03-14T13:51:00.001-04:00

Yes or No?

Yes or No?
Yes or No?

Yes or No?
Yes or No?
Yes or No?

Yes or No?

Check back on Tuesday for further details.

Yes or No?

TOC Recap

2009-03-01T20:52:00.004-05:00

My time in Cali was very well spent. From a vacation perspective, there wasn't a need to do a whole lot, so even though we spent hours over hours riding, there was plenty of time to chill out and do nothing except watch the view from the porch.

It felt so great to have shorts on and not freeze. Even the cold days were exceptionally warmer then the temps back home. In fact, when I landed there was snow on the ground (not the same novelty as the top of mountains in Cali) and a chill in the air. Within a week of being home, a blizzard is bearing down on us threatening 15 inches of snow. Seems like the skiing isn't over yet, nor the massive trainer time. Only home a week, and I'm already counting down the time until next year.

I want to close my trip to Cali with some observations. There were over a dozen cars that started to pull out into the street, then when they would see cyclists, would back up and let us pass through, amazing. Dedicated cycling lanes through many of the city streets. Very strange when the cycling lane is in the middle of the road, with straight traffic on your left and right turning traffic on your right. Temperature is relative, cold for some isn't nearly the same as cold for others. While the climing was epic and never-ending, I still think it's harder to climb in the east. My reasoning is out west you can really get into a tempo and ride at your threshold. In the east the hills roll so constantly, that you are spiking over your threshold for a minute, recovering, then doing it over again. And even though the majority of cars are driven by conscious minded individuals, they still have assholes, as evident by honking horns and the one lady who passed a very large group by overtaking us into the lane for oncoming traffic and almost pasting the front several cyclists who were taking a left. Of course, as wrong as she was, the front several cyclists never looked to see if there were cars. Amazing. Amazing good and amazing bad, but I will be back for next year.

Final tally; nearly 500 miles, over 31 hours of riding, 40,000 feet of climbing and awesome memories.

TOC Day 7

2009-02-22T13:14:00.005-05:00

With the shenanigans of Friday night still ringing in everyone's head Saturday morning, Gary alone took off to start his epic day. Once he left the house, things quieted down for a bit, until Steve had had enough and roused everyone up. The sun was out, the day was underway, time for a ride. I'm not sure if it was the drinks or lack of sleep or excessive climbing this week or all of the above, but the ride down to Santa Barbara was the most relaxed chill ride. Chances are that it was the fact that we were Gary-less up until then. Because once we hooked up with him, the ride got much harder. We hadn't been up Gilbraltor, so he thought it would be a good thing to do. I was told that it went through the burnzone from last year, something I had seen earlier in the week without my camera and wanted to take photos of. What it is though is a never ending climb from sea level to God. The climb was literally 10 miles long, and went through burn sections, cool temp changes and even snow at the very top. Once over the top, we dropped down a bit then continued to climb more. I joked that even the decents around here have climbing. With the ocean on the left side and snow capped mountains on the right, the ride along the ridgeline was one of the most beautiful quiet rides we've done. It didn't matter that we had to climb over 5,000 feet to get there.

TOC Real Deal

2009-02-21T23:17:00.003-05:00

Friday started like every other day in California so far. We woke up and went for a ride. Instead today, we headed over to Solvang to watch the amateur and pro TT. The ride started with seven minutes of warm-up, then an hour climb. Not a pansy east coast ride, just a straight hill with nothing but five miles of climbing. Once over the hill, Tom and I bombed down 154 and towards Solvang. As we arrived in town, coming towards me was a familiar looking jersey, and as we passed opposite directions, I realized that Lexi from the club back home was out here. It's always great to see a familiar face. Walking around the town looking for free schwag, I noticed one of the USCF officials from back home was walking towards me. Again, a familiar face. We chatted for a couple of minutes, compared differences between home and here, then parted ways.

Having been to the Tour in France, walking around Solvang was so much better. Being the Tour de France, it attracts such a large number of people. Getting near the riders was impossible in France, but in Cali it was great. We saw Tyler Hamilton, Levi, Lance and a number of other athletes. While the pro's were great, we didnt' get nearly the same access to them as we did to the amateurs. Maybe it was the fact that they weren't pro's (yet) or perhaps it was that they were friends, but we got to hang out in all the inner areas early on.

Gary went off 24th, out of 30 riders. The amateurs got the same pro deal, from weighing the bikes, to checking position, to getting the name call out while staging in the start ramp. As the TT is a large loop, once Gary took off, we really didn't know how he was doing. With riders started to cross the line, we could guesstimate what a decent time was but couldn't be sure. Well faster then any previously posted time, Gary's teammate Cooke came flying around the final turn. Cooke started a minute ahead of Gary, so we anticipated him at any moment. No sooner then you could think this then Gary came tearing around. He nearly caught his minute guy by the line. His final time was 33:45, good enough for the WIN! Cooke came in second about a minute down. Being teammates, this was a fantastic result for them.

Following the amateur race, the pros took to the course. Everyone knows that Levi, DZ and the other top names, but Gary's time on the same course would have put him ahead of 1/3 of the pro field. Awesome job good buddy.

Once the races were over, the podiums done, Tom and I hit the road and headed home. By the end of the day, we had logged nearly 70 miles, 6700 feet of climbing, Gary took a win, and we saw one of the best pro races of the year.

Oh, then we went drinking and dinner. Those stories are for another blog. Good times were had by all, and the stories rolled the entire next day.

TOC Day 5

2009-02-19T23:33:00.003-05:00

Today was the infamous Thursday morning group ride. Tom, Gary and I headed out at what was crazy early for vacation (7:25) (but more reasonable for work or a race) and rolled down to Santa Barbara. For reasons I've been unable to figure out, about 30 guys were gathered together on a typical workday, but they were going out for a ride at 8am. What, no work guys? We noodled around for the first ten miles before the pace picked up and we hit the first climb. After four days of hard riding, I felt every mile of climbing I had done this week. No worries, we did this ride two days ago. Over the top and down the backside and I picked up two other riders. 400 yards after catching these guys, the road forked and each went one way. DAMN, who to follow? I beared right and headed up the hill, same route we did previously. This rider and myself continued on for about a quarter mile, before he looked at me and asked where that group usually rode out of. DAMN, I picked the wrong guy to follow. I motored around the area looking for signs of the group and couldn't find anything. Knowing Gary was focused on riding, I was screwed. This realization was actually a blessing in disguise because I was able to look at parts of the area that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to see. From downtown Montecito (no, I didn't see Oprah or her house) to the burn areas from last Octobers fires to the highroads in the hills. Some of the climbs were crazy going up, and even crazier coming down. After four hours in the hills, and over 6,000 feet of climbing I moseied home.

Once back in the house, I share my story of my ride with Steve and John, and Steve knows exactly where I took the wrong turn and told me that I should have gone left. That the ride we went on the other day doesn't follow the same path as the Thursday ride. DAMN, that little nugget of information would have been handy to have four hours ago.

Literally five minutes after sitting down, Gary and Tom came in. Apparently at some point they realized I wasn't there and got coffee. They won't admit when they lost me, but it was at least before they had coffee at the local shop, and well after the first climb. No worries, the ride was better not worrying about following wheels or groups.

No pictures today, as I was expecting a group ride and encountered a wonderful spin through the countryside.

TOC Day 4

2009-02-19T01:38:00.003-05:00

OMG, Solvang, California was about the most Disney looking town outside of the Magic Kingdom. Some people feel that it was intended to look like a Danish town, but it really feels just like Disney. The small group of us rode out of Goleta, up OSM for a "little warm-up", 1,400 feet of climbing in 30 minutes. This was the same route we rode the night I arrived, except two-thirds of the way up, we took a left and headed towards Solvang. I had been led to believe that this turn would have been the end of the climbing for a bit, except the road went up another 1,000 feet. Nothing like 2,400 feet of climbing in the first hour of a ride to warm you up. From there, we descended into the valley and rolled along some amazingly scenic roadways. I've heard for years that in California you can drive an hour one way and get to the ocean or an hour the other way and get to the mountains, but until you really see if for yourself, it's tough to comprehend what it would look like either way. Snowcapped mountains, rolling fields and ocean views were fantastic.

Arriving in Solvang, our group was set upon having some lunch while we waited for Gary to take a couple of laps on the TOC TT course. The same course that the pro's will ride on Friday, and that Gary will be participating in the amateur race earlier that day. The intention was that while Gary was riding, we would check out Solvang, something that was missing from last years trip. I'm proud to say that after two and a half hours, we checked out a single outdoor cafe. Two of the triplets, Tom and myself plopped outselves outside a nice ladies cafe, had lunch, a beer and a whole lot of sun action. Fair-skinned Scott has some nice red legs from the rest.

Once we collected Gary, we did tool around a very short bit before heading home. Gary in the car, and us on our bikes. Again, as soon as we left the town, the horse farms, national park and other open fields were amazing. Great, quiet roads to ride on, and about another 1,000 feet of climbing. It pretty much felt like we just started the day over. This was about the height of the climbing for the day, a quick cut across four lanes of highway traffic, and a monster descent (four miles and 1,000 feet, the climbs giveth, and the descents taketh) and we were on our way home.

Thoroughly exhausted, beat red, full belly and new brakepads, and I've completed the "rest day". Tomorrow is a hammerfest with the local pros for about 80 miles or so. All in time to be home to have lunch and watch the TOC on television!

Tour of California Day 3

2009-02-18T00:24:00.002-05:00

When we checked the weather for the final time last night, we were convinced that today was going to be a total washout. Sure enough, the hell that rained down in the middle of the night seemed to confirm that Tuesday was going to be spent inside taking it easy.

Waking up early though, the clouds had parted, the sky was blue and it looked like the roads were drying up nicely. An updated forcast showed that it was going to be clear for several hours, just enough time for a good solid ride.

The triplets and I headed down to the coast, through Santa Barbara and Monticeto before cruising into the countryside. The views of the hills and valleys were fantastic. Unlike the first couple of days, today didn't include any crazy long hills, just rolling big ups and downs. About 2 and a half hours of riding, it was time to point the wheels home and roll back. Within moments, the skies started to rain and picked up from there. The rain was coming down so hard and cold, that it hurt when it hit your face. My back and neck were hurting from holding them in the same position for so long, but when I tried to move them, parts of my body were exposed to the cold and it sent a shiver through me. Back to the same position of warmth and another ten minutes or so holding still before trying again. The roads were amazingly twisty and turning, and if the conditions had been dry, we could have railed them hard to carve down the roads.

Rolling back to Camp Douville, we ended my first long day of riding. Well, almost ended it. We chilled out for several hours, then after watching extended coverage of the true Tour of California on television (short rant, if you want to be taken seriously as a network, you can't cut away from the end of a sporting event and tell the audience to catch the conclusion on the Internet. ) the fifth member of our groupetto arrived, Tom, and we took off for another ride. Only an hour and six minutes of riding, but it put the days total climbing at 5,550 ft. Sadly, there wasn't any monster climb in there. I'm not sure if I think long steady climbs are better, or a lot of short punchy ones are. I'm pretty sure that crits are the best though.

Tour of Califonia Day 1 and 2

2009-02-17T00:40:00.004-05:00

My personal tour of California started yesterday when I arrived in Santa Barbara for a little week of training camp with the Triplets of Douville. Pretty much from the landing, we headed out for a little ride to the top of Painted Cave. There's two ways to describe this ride, up and down. You go straight up for about six miles before turning around and going back down the same six miles. Nothing that I have ever ridden on the East Coast matches this. This climb started at 75 feet above sea level and rose 2600 feet. Unknowingly, the temps dropped by twenty degrees over this time. I was sweating profusley, only aware of the temperature by the feel of the cold water in my bottle. It was fantastic. One day in California, and an hour and 45 minutes of riding. Less impressive was the sub 12 mph average over that distance. It was that slow of a slog uphill, because coming down we were moving.

Day 2 started a bit ugly. By 2am it was raining pretty hard, by 4am the winds were picking up, and by 6am it was like being in the middle of a hurricane. If not for the window of clearing around 10am, the day might have been a wash out. John, Gary and I took to the streets looking to get about an hour into our two hour ride before. It's tough to head out for a ride in the rain, but if you are out and it starts, there's no reason to head home early because you are already wet. Five minutes into the ride, the skies returned to hurricane forces and we were instantly soaked. OK, time to continue on. 45 minutes or so later, the rains subsided, but so didn't John's enthusiasm for riding. With the second smartest decision of the day (Steve staying home took the top honor) John turned for home. Gary looked at me and asked if I wanted to do something epic. Always up for something cool, we took off on rt 101. This isn't some sissy New England highway, this is the real deal. The sort of road that on the entrance ramps has signs back home that say "no pedestrians, no bikers, no horses, etc" and you wonder what knucklehead would ride on this sort of road. On ramps and off ramps, coupled with tractor trailers spraying the remnants of the storm, were mixed in with some nice rolling roads. After about 9 miles of screaming TT pace, we came to our exit and headed for Refugio Rd. The pretty lemon and avacado groves gave way to Columbian countryside. Having never been to Columbia, and referring to Hollywoods version of it, we started to climb. And continued to climb. After quite a long time, I told Gary that I felt like we had been climbing for an hour. Nope, closer to an hour and fifteen minutes. Another 20 minutes later and we came to the end of the main road. "What's that way?" I asked, "Oh, it continues for another 3 miles to the tower" was the response. Off I went. At this point we were well into the climbs, and while it wasn't raining any longer, it was 100 percent humidity, so we effectively rode through rain that was getting ready to fall to the ground. After 35 minutes, and Gary saying it was only another 500 meters until the tower, we pulled the plug and called the calvery. Steve thankfully pulled himself from live coverage of the Amgen Tour of California and met us back at the bottom.

After two days of riding, my mileage is super low, but every mile has been straight uphill. Day 2 has been awesome, day 3 calls for riding of the Solvang TT and epic climbing on the way home.

New Year - New Outlook

2009-02-08T22:34:00.003-05:00

You never know when your life might change. It truly can happen at the strangest of times. Several years ago while in grad school, a fellow student had made a comment about how he was going to quit whatever job he had after Y2K and travel the world. The next week while at work, the same student came out of my bosses office from an interview, when we passed each other going opposite ways. We didn't really know each other, just recognized faces and continued our ways. When my boss came back from walking him out of our offices, he asked what I thought of the candidate. I told him that I didn't know him too well, we just had class together, but when Jan 1 came around, he was quitting whatever job he had and travel the world. Needless to say, he didn't get the job.

More recently, I was on a conference call for work when several of us were talking socially and a coworker from Alabama was talking about how cold it was there. That he couldn't function in the cold and would take heat any day. It was in the 20s there, and at the same time, the Boston area was going through a bitter cold spell with highs in the single digits. He asked me what people do around here when it was that cold. We continue on with life. We go skiing, snowshoeing, even biking or running. You can't let the weather keep you down. Even as I was saying this, I realized that I had let the weather get to me. There was a time when ML and I would go camping in upstate New York in January, or snowshoe in the White Mountains. Heck, last year I bragged about spending almost four hours on the trainer in my living room. None of these things are about continuing on with life despite the cold. With January bringing a new year, I'm returning to being divirse. Already I've spent a half dozen hours cross country skiing, and twice that snowshoeing. Unfortuantely, I've also spent about 20 hours shoveling snow or chipping ice. I've not hit the road on my bike, but I've headed back outside. Also with the new year, I'm going to blog more and enjoy things more. Here's to a new year and an old me.

2008-12-19T16:53:00.000-05:00

Things that go bump in the night

2008-11-06T08:30:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I resigned myself to riding indoors. After all, the days were getting shorter and it is pretty difficult to do quality interval workouts outside. I mentioned this to my friends and Johnny B was quick to respond that it was too early for indoor riding and there would be no mention of trainer time until December. Johnny is an laid back 24 year old, for him to get this fired up about something, forced me to reevaluate my indoor riding. I gave it some thought and really decided that he was right. I've spent a bunch of money on lights, both to see and be seen, as well as clothing, fenders and more. Why couldn't I ride outside? With a new found energy, I bundled up and went outside. There are some great, quiet rodes near my house, REALLY quiet roads.

On my first ride out, I was off in la-la land thinking about other things, when I literally heard a voice talk to me. Picture this, middle of no-where, no street lights, just me and some distant houses, yet a voice. Holding my breath while I coasted (although ready to sprint away, not sure where, but away), I tried to hear it again. I know this was outside my head. Sure enough, it was there again, except now that I'm listening I notice that it's a recorded message. Riding by the end of someones driveway, I triggered their Halloween motion detector and started some cackling. Phew, that's now funny. With my elevated heart rate, it was like doing an interval yet coasting.

Another week, another opportunity to ride outside. I've found a good route by this point and am just spinning along, getting ready to start my workout when I hit a pothole pretty good. THUMP. I continued along, tires all set, but realizing that I need to pay extra attention to potholes, because they are tough to see and can reek havoc on THUMP (another pothole) a night ride. I'm not as fortunate through the second pothole and start losing air in my front tire. No worries. After a couple mid-summer flats where I was totally unprepared (who goes on a 70 something mile mountain bike ride without a pump or tire? ME!) I had stocked up all my bikes with tools and supplies. Being my singlespeed rig, I had even brought along a box wrench to remove the front wheel for a quick change (seriously, why don't these bikes also have quick release?). I pull the tire off, take out the tube, slap a new tube in, put the tire back on, all the time using my new tools and light. Even as I am doing this, I'm thinking that MKR would be pleased to know that I was fully prepared. I apply the CO2 to the valve stem and immediately freeze my hand off. All the CO2 is doing is spouting onto my hand and not into the tube. The cartridge is exhausted and my tube still has no air. No worries, the newly prepared Scott has a second cartridge. I again apply the CO2 to the valve and again freeze my hand off. No air again. STUPID SINGLESPEED, STUPID TOOLS, STUPID CO2, WHERE IS A QUALITY PUMP. With desperation I use my final tool, my cell phone, and call home for a ride.

CO2 is only nice and quick if the applicator fits on the valve. Otherwise, have a pump. In 30 seconds at home, I pump up the tire and get ready for the next night's ride. Hopefully I'm prepared then too.

Weekend Happenings

2008-10-27T21:57:00.003-04:00

What happens in Vegas, really doesn't stay in Vegas. All that really happens is as soon as you do something, your best friends are going to rat you out at home. Well, what happens in NYC, certainly is going to stay there, because the alcohol is going to insure that. Saturday morning, a crew of seven from Boston headed to the big apple to bid farewell to our bachelor friend J-Ho. After years of procrastinating, J-Ho finally decided to propose to his girlfriend, as he put it "just when she had given up all hope" who says romance is dead?

The plan for the night was simple, meet up with two other guys from his past, grab some dinner and hit some bars. What happened started with a case of beer in the hotel room, Brazilian BBQ (awesome) then four hours at Libation. Once we left the bar, rumor has it that we went to another bar, then another before making it home. The booze flowed, and good friend O did his best to drink as much as he could. Now O is a very funny drunk. Funny in the sense that you just sit back and watch what happens. Seems he needed to speak to every lady he met Saturday night, only to have every lady be annoyed by him.

In the interest of not ratting out anyone that was there, we went, we drank, we were conquered, and we went home. Sunday was a long drive home. Thank god that no one else is getting married any time soon.

Canton Cup

2008-10-19T19:55:00.002-04:00

Well, the back felt fine today, but boy the legs were shot. Between taking two weeks off the bike and racing yesterday, I just didn't have anything there. With a great start, C.Bailey passed me like a bullet. To this point, I'm still unsure whether he was going that fast, or I was racing with a parachute, because I kept going backwards through the field. I finished up 24th, just behind Johnny B and new cat 3 racer J.Gibby.

No racing next weekend, rather lots of drinking in NYC, with some biking before and after as we mourn the end of our bachelor friend Justin. He's taking the leap and getting married in early Nov.

I'm Back

2008-10-18T21:56:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been several weeks since I posted. In that time I raced Suckerbrook in NH, and was having a good race until I crashed slowly in the sand with just over a lap to go. Then I was in VT for the Catamount race weekend, the first in the Verge series. Saturday was perfect for me, fast enough to keep the mtb'ers behind me and technical enough to make the roadies hesitate. After a strong road and mtb season, I put it together and finished up 8th. Great result for me. Going into Sunday, I was on cloud nine. I was pumped for another great finish. With a guaranteed front row spot due to call-ups, I headed out on the course for one last warm-up lap. Racing a little too hard and a little too fast, I came around a corner, hit a ditch and went flying over my handlebars, landing on the small of my back. This would have hurt enough, but killed when I actually landed on my waterbottle that was in the center pocket of my vest. Something I do when warming up. Limping back to the start, I was in so much pain. Even racing, whenever I tried to get out of the saddle, my back hurt. Whenever I tried to put some power down, my back hurt. Bumps, my back hurt. The entire race was spent going backwards. I barely cracked the top 30, and sulked on my way home. For the next week or so, I tried to ride the indoor trainer, but that too hurt. Finally I started vacation a day early and stayed off the bike. The next day I went to New Mexico with my mother to visit my grandmother for a week. The time off the bike was good.

Returning to racing today, I headed to Mansfield Hollow in CT. For some reason this isn't a wildly popular race. The course is old school New England, lots of mounts/dismounts, run-ups, sand, fast sections and a huge off camber section. I started great, settling into fifth place after two laps, then ran out of steam as the race wore on. I ended up finishing 8th, just out of 7th, by about a half wheel length. Because this race is so awesome, they give prizes ten deep. I took home a t-shirt, bag and a video. Looking through my goodie bag, I have to wonder why cyclist clothing companies make size extra large clothes. I'm a pretty decent sized cyclist and I swim in size XL. If they are going to give away prizes, they should err on the size of small. Oh well, swag is awesome, so that's not a complaint.

Tomorrow is Canton, another great race.

Cross Season! New England Velo-Cross Challenge

2008-09-23T12:39:00.004-04:00

The skies Saturday morning were clear, the conditions perfect. It was then that I decided to start the second season, or cyclocross. I arrived at the track, and took a couple of warm-up laps. Over the summer, I reaquainted myself with mountain biking to hopefully improve my cross technique. Immediately the course left the velodrome and had two quick up hill sections that were relatively loamy. Even on the warm-up laps I knew that my mountain biking was paying off, as I was more aggressive in corners and the somewhat technical sections.

The second area that I targeted this year to improve upon was my starts. Typically I will go super hard, take the hole shot, then spend the rest of the race drifting backwards. On the line, there were several big guns and I decided to try to get fourth wheel into the woods. That shouldn't be too deep in the red, but won't make me regret starting slower. Through the first two laps, I stayed fourth wheel, with Mike and the other two guys moving around a bit. Then on the third lap, I caught a pedal and had a difficult remount in about ten seconds and a good size gapped formed with the leading three. I spent the rest of the race sitting in fourth place, often having to fight the mental aspect of racing, because I couldn't see the guys in front any more, nor could I really see the guys behind. True definition to no-man's land. Final result was 4th place. A good start to the second season.

This race also marks my entry into Master's racing. Thanks to cross' "racing up" I can race the big fast guys, while not celebrating my birthday yet. Actually, due to the way that cross works, I don't technically celebrate my 35th birthday for over a year, but the plus one to cyclings end of year racing age and I'm in!

GMSR Day 3

2008-08-31T22:01:00.002-04:00

Yikes, today was the mother of all stages. 77 miles, 5600 feet of climbing in just about 3 hours, 3o minutes. I am totally stoked with my ride! From the start of racing I attacked. Having learned from my previous mistakes, I upped the speed at a reasonable pace and hoped that a couple of people would follow, four did. After a couple of minutes we established a decent gap, which turned into 30 seconds, then we disappeared around a corner and it was game on. 18 miles from the start of the break we had swept up the sprint points and stayed away for nearly an hour before the pack caught back up. The bane of most climbs was removed from the race this year due to major storms, replaced with a climb of 8 miles and 1500 feet. Over the top of the climb I was still with the pack and feeling good. We cruised through some of the most scenic parts of Vermont that I have ever ridden through. I bet without a state police escort the motorists aren't so kind though.

I've raced App Gap five times now, recon'd the climb another dozen times, and this was the first time that I had a problem keeping track of things. The final 20k clicked by so fast, that I found myself thinking multiple times "We're here already?" With 2.5k to go, I finally had enough and was popped from the pack, but stayed close. My loss was limited to just about three minutes. The largest accomplishment of the day though was to watch the podium ceremony. I've never seen the podium ceremony for the cat 3's on App Gap. It wasn't that cool, but I'm pretty stoked to be able to have seen it and make that call.

Crit and final stage tomorrow!

Oh, final place on the day, 42nd. 34th GC!

GMSR Day 2

2008-08-30T21:58:00.002-04:00

Today's stage was another new course, this one required when a major rain storm in August sent a bridge on rt 2 to the bottom of the river. Reports are that it will take up to two years before the bridge is replaced. I'm glad that it didn't take them two years to replace the circuit race. When I heard that the new course was going to race DOWN Baby Gap, I was very concerned. It wasn't the high speed decent that raised my alarm, it was the fact that you could only scream down the course if you made it up.

I've been pretty conservative this year, sitting in the pack, waiting for my chance. For some reason though, just out of neutral today, I took off. Part of my plan was to initiate a break, part of it was to warm-up. Immediately I had a 20 second gap, but I was all alone. About a half mile into the breakaway, the first hill of the day came and by the top of it, I was back in the fold. Warm-up complete. The race turned left and entered what would be two 29 mile circuits. This road was very broken up and in a pack of 80 guys, picking the proper line would be critical. As this thought was running through my mind, the right side of the pack hit the deck. 15-20 racers in all went down, two of them bumping my right side as I maneuvered around the carnage. We flew through the feedzone, a glance at my speedometer showed 27mph. Not exactly a proper speed to grab a stationary bottle for refreshment. Perhaps next lap I need to take it slower.

The pack stayed together as we started the 15 mile climb to the top of Baby Gap. I figured that sitting 20 riders back would be a good position, allowing me to drift back and remain in contact when it came to the steeper pitches. Next thing I know, the sign on the side of the road said 2k to go. "Hey, I'm holding well." I look over to Theeman and ask if he was feeling good and wanted to go for the KOM. He does, so I maneuver us to the front, and 700 meters attack the field. 600 meters from the line, I hear something over my shoulder so I turn back, Mark has been gapped. I sit up and let him get my wheel and try again. This time 400 meters from the line I hear the noise again and Mark has lost my wheel. Not where I want to be. 400 meters from the line, 200 meters from the front two riders and only 100 meters in front of the pack. Before I know it, the pack is swarming me and I am struggling to stay in touch. I do, then over the top my legs come back. When you are feeling good, the only thing to do is go to the front. I pull the group down Baby Gap, speeds topping 50mph. While the speeds are high, being in front allows me a clear view of the turns and not a knucklehead to worry about. Down the hill, and to the line, the pace yo-yoed from fast to a crawl. Seems no one wanted to do any work, nor did they really want to race. The intermediate sprint came and went without much attention. My only thought was that I hoped the climb on the second lap felt as good as the first. Through the feedzone I prepared to grab a bottle from ML, lined her up and just as I was going to reach for it, two guys in front of my hit their brakes and scrubbed all their speed. Like the scene from Top Gun where Maverick hits the brakes and Jester passes him, I went past these two guys and missed my feed. Good thing it wasn't hot, because I had half a bottle for the next 20 miles.

The climb felt good, I again went to the front on the downhill, but when we made it to the right onto rt 17, I realized that my legs were tired. In the final 3k to the line, the pace hadn't picked up, but I managed to move to a perfect position on the yellow line. 2k I was still holding my place, 1k people were getting nervous, but no one was picking up the pace. I'm second wheel from the front, just on the line, but the front is shoulder to shoulder with racers. 500 meters from the line the yellow line rule is removed, providing us the entire road, but no one is moving. 300 meters the road starts to rise, the right side of the pack accelerates, but the left side is just not moving. 200 meters I jump for the line, but it's way to late. I cross the line 20th in the pack finish, which is 5 seconds behind the winner. Overall this moves my GC to 20th.

Tomorrow is the critical road race stage.

GMSR Day 1 Results

2008-08-29T21:38:00.002-04:00

Results are posted, I finished 42 seconds off the win, and only 12 seconds outside of the top 10. 11 guys in 12 seconds, certainly a well balanced field. Lots of rest tonight and time to make up tomorrow.

GMSR Day 1

2008-08-29T13:58:00.003-04:00

Another summer gone, and another trip to Vermont to do my favorite stage race, Green Mountain Stage Race. This is a four race across some of the most scenic areas of Vermont. This years race featured many changes, some seemed good, others would need to be raced before judgement was passed. Gone was the mass start prolouge up App Gap. I've never fared well in this stage, where the first rider gets 50 points, and each subsequent rider gets one less point. Rider 51 gets nothing. Having done the race four consecutive years, my total points for stage 1 was zero. Replacing App Gap was a 9.5k TT starting in Warren and ending in Waitsfield. The course had 514 feet of climbing in the first 2k, then it settled down for the next 5k before a fast dip down and up into the finish. With racers starting at 30 second intervals, I saw my 30 second man in the first k. I kept him in sight, then was surprised to see my minute man at 2.5k. I continued to pace off my 30 second guy until the final 2k, where I passed him and used him as a driving force into the finish. Overall I was at 15:30 which I am hoping puts me in the top 10 for the day. While it was a TT style race, there was no TT bikes, which seemed to be a leveling factor. Results to be posted later.

BADA$$ Weekend

2008-08-25T20:19:00.007-04:00

The word epic seems to get thrown around a lot lately. Every couple of months it seems, a word works its way into the daily vocabulary then starts appearing everywhere. You can't describe a bike race without using it. "Wow, that climb was epic" Or "Whoa, that third corner in the crit was epic". The overuse of the word waters it down to the point where it just becomes part of the background.

In a race season that is ripe with crits, TT's, road races and stage races, it's pretty funny that the one weekend I look forward to every year is the final weekend in August. The local town brings in a handful of blues artists, and 40 local breweries as it hosts the Blues n Brews festival. ML and I have gone the past two years, leaving the house for a casual bike ride over, sample the music, brews, food and festival, then pedal home. This year we brought along a couple of friends who joined in the events. Good times with good friends is really where it's at.

It wasn't easy, but Goody worked hard to find a helmet that would distract folks from the shirt

With people already congregating at the house, we invited a couple of more friends over and had a nice cookout. It wasn't to be a late night though, because the definition of epic was going to be rewritten the next day.

The Bakers Dirty Dozen - photo courtesy of PK

13 souls showed up at Palaza Bike Sunday morning. There were guys who regularly podium at mountain bike races standing next to guys who just broke out the mountain bike for the first time. The intent was to ride 60 something miles through local trails on single speed mountain bikes. Six of the 13 riders had their appropriate steeds, while the rest choice gears. It might have been coincience, but only two geared riders pedaled back 7 hours, 70 miles later, while five of the six singlespeed riders made it back. Perhaps it was the speed, the technical terrain, the distance, the heat, the breaking of handlebars or something else all together, but by the end of the day those that collapsed in the yard had truly an epic tale to tell.

The epic good - Save the Landlock in Burlington!

The epic bad - speedy recovery to the Mayor!

Bow Road Race

2008-08-05T14:09:00.001-04:00

Ah Bow. We were on the back side of the course, just before that last left hand turn where it climbs a short bit before descending, and the official screamed at us to get to safety. 50 or so riders took an immediate left into some guys driveway and into his garage that he left open. As stragglers caught up to us, we called them inside and just stayed out of the weather. It was the lightning more then anything that they were concerned with, because as soon as they could, they called game on. Or was it rain on? At that point, the skies totally opened up and it was raining so hard. When we made it to the bottom of the hill, through the four way intersection, they came up and said "Last Lap". Assuming this meant one more to go, I notified my teammates and made sure they knew what was going on. Through the start/finish line they said "That's it". Huh? The race was over at that point. They only placed the first seven guys in the field (four were off the front) to pay out. It pretty much sucked, but was the right thing to do.

We are so proud

2008-07-21T21:49:00.006-04:00

So my weekend started out by watching the Mountain Bike Nationals in Vermont and ended by biking to Devens to watch my niece compete in the Bay State Games for Archery. This is her first year and she did AWESOME. She came in second place after competing in 2 days of very hot weather.

Mt Snow MTB Nationals

2008-07-20T18:35:00.003-04:00

Day 1

Day 2 (look who came to the east coast)

After a LOT of going back and forth, I finally decided to compete in the Sport category at MTB nationals at Mt Snow, Vermont. This is only my first year of racing mountain bikes, or even riding them for ten years, but after doing three races this year, I wanted to go to the big show. Heck, I've traveled to Kansas to race nationals, why not travel all the way to Vermont?

As we took the line we were notified that the race would be shortened to two laps, consisting of a total of 10 miles, not the advertised three laps or 15 miles. At high noon, the temps were in the low 90s so I wasn't disappointed to hear this change. At the gun I settled into third place and wanted to just hold the top couple of positions for the first lap, then see what I can do on the second lap. About two minutes into the race, I had moved up to second, then 30 seconds later took the lead. As the course wound its want around the lower mountain I was feeling pretty good. All it took was one turn to notice that the course went up the mountain. Up the ski mountain. I ground out at the front for a little bit before looking up the course and noticed that the earlier fields were going sooo slow. At this piont I decided to dismount and walk the bike up. My thinking was that this wouldn't be much slower then riding, but would allow me to conserve energy (boy, those guys were working a ton grinding away not going anywhere) and also give my back a rest before the next section. A couple of riders passed me, but everyone pretty much held their position. There were a couple of traversing sections, then we pointed the wheels downhill and let the bikes rip. Although the course had been rerouted since the last race held there a month ago, it was still very technical, more so for a novice rider.

The second lap was pretty uneventful. I had passed a number of racers, but had been passed by many too. The race organizers had written riders waves on the calf of each starter, so theoretically you could identify who you were racing against, but in the heat of a race, it's pretty tough to remember if four, five, three, or some other number of racers had passed me. I did take notice when a Salem, MA rider in my category passed me and I would have none of that. On the next climb I pushed myself and retook my place. While not a climber on the road, I've really come to embrace the climbs in mountain bike races. Near the top of the climbing, I could see a rider that I had been talking to before the race and knew that he was in my category. I tried to bring him back, but as soon as we entered the woods, I decided to go as hard as I could. If that wouldn't bring him back, then I couldn't worry about. Tossing concern of myself aside, I screamed down the hill, passing several riders, including one I literally rode over when he crashed on a slightly technical section. As unfortunate as this was for this rider, it was more fortunate for me that he crashed right next to two course marshalls, because hearing him yell "Oh my leg" anywhere else would have brought me to a stop to help. With volunteers on site, I decided to continue with my mad descending. At almost the bottom of the climb, I was snapped back to reality by the rider behind me yelling at me to get off the brakes and get going. Um, I'm flying here, can't you understand that? Oh, I'm not going that crazy fast? I'm sorry, it certainly feels like that. As I finished this conversation in my mind, we popped out of the woods and jammed to the finish line.

As soon as I was done, I immediately went to the picnic tables and took ten minutes to regain my senses. My first nationals done, in one piece with no scratches (perhaps I didn't go hard enough?) and pleased with myself. Being pleased gave way to elation when the results were posted and I finished 4th! In biking, that's a podium place, a medal and a great story to tell everyone at work!!!

Back to the road for a little bit, but certainly a new bike has found it's way into my life again.

Fitchburg Wrap-up

2008-07-20T18:30:00.002-04:00

The first two days of Fitchburg were a hoot. By the end of the road race though, I was a walking zombie. I went through the motions the last two days, figured that my overall GC wasn't going to change and wanted to try to make something happen. Well, what happened though was that the pack stayed together both days and we finished in a group. After four days of racing, I headed into my rest/off the bike week and really enjoyed not doing anything.

Statistically my race was a great improvement over years past. Comparing my time gaps to the winner of the TT and road race were significally less. Even my position in the standings was a significant improvement. The most shocking tale though is that if I took my time gaps from this year and put those against the results from 2006 (my last time doing the race) I would have been inside the top 20. That's really why I don't like comparing one year to the next. Too many variables that change. I'm glad the race is over, onto GMSR training races now.

Balloon Festival VT

2008-07-13T20:50:00.000-04:00

Fitchburg RR

2008-07-04T20:59:00.002-04:00

This single stage is arguably one of the toughest races of the year. In 68 miles of racing, we climb about 4500 feet, which averaged out evenly wouldn't be that bad. The kicker is the hills through Princton come one after another with no place to recover, then the KOM shortly after that so the speed stays high before decending like a madman for a couple of minutes, just to do it all over again. Six laps is a bear. A very long angry bear that just woke up after a winter of hibernation with a hangover. The topping on this ice cream sundae is we are allowed to ride to the top of Wachusett Ski Mountain. Thank goodness they let us ride to the top using the "down" road that cars go down, because not going up the steepest road there would be sad.

My plan for the day was to sit in and do as little work as possible. Hopefully I would be at the base of the ski mountain with "fresh" legs and do pretty well on the climb. Well, it's impossible to arrive fresh. That said, I rode very smartly. I was consistently about 20 riders from the front, staying out of trouble and taking on plenty of water, intentionally. The day started out by pouring buckets and it wasn't until three hours later that I noticed it had stopped raining. No clue when it stopped, because if it wasn't falling from the skies, it was being kicked up from the road.

I gave the race everything I had, and when I was 500 meters from the top, I heard the announcer talking about how close the riders were to the leader. Wow, I've never heard that before. Typically on a big climb race like this, the stage winners have received their accolades and started down the hill. This was a good day for me, to cross the line while the leaders were still recovering.

Lots of rest tonight and back to the grind tomorrow for the circuit race.

Fitchburg TT

2008-07-03T16:12:00.002-04:00

After missing last years Fitchburg race, I was looking forward to getting back into local stage racing. Also, the past two weeks I've been flying on the bike and am hoping that my form would hold just a little bit longer. On Wednesday, I drove out to the registration hotel to get my numbers and pre-ride the course. Halfway there, the skies opened up and torrential rains started. This has become a regular occurance, each afternoon, a thunder and lightning storm of epic proportions rolls in, then 30 minutes later the sun comes back out and everything is good. Well, following registration, the skies had cleared and the roads rideable.

For the past year, everyone had been talking about steep the TT course was. It is just over 6 miles long and an average grade of 3%. During the preview, I found that the course did go up, but it wasn't nearly as steep as I thought. There were a couple of sections where you could recover, but not many. The last mile or so was downhill and another chance to make up speed.

After a proper warm-up, I headed over to the starting area. Seems every year the officials roll out the starting ramp, and every year some knuckleheads crash rolling off of it and the ramp removed. For the first time for me, the ramp was still there at my start. Awesome! From the gun, I hammered it. The first climb felt pretty good. I was trying to hold onto some power for later, but I just keep going harder. Cresting the first climb, my 30 second guy was in view and the chase was on. By the second hill, the 30 second guy wasn't getting any closer, but I noticed that my minute man appeared right next to him. Another rabbit to chase. By the third pain section, my legs were starting to quit on me. I felt like my speed was so much slower then it should be. Instead of recovering on the flats, I pushed harder. When the next hill came, I was spent and kept pushing. This pattern repeated many times. About 15 times more then last night's preview ride. Finally, on the left side of the road was the yellow gate that I noticed before that indicated the climbing was almost over. At this point my two minute (or greater) rider was in view and all that was left was to open up the legs, throw it into the 53x11 and hammer.

After what felt like an eternity, I passed a sign that said 1k to go. Really? Still another 1k? Yikes. I passed that sign and a rider at blazing speeds. Oh that felt so good to try to bring some respect to my pretty bike. We were flying when we crossed the line. Maybe I spent too many matches early in the race, maybe I didn't pace properly, maybe something else, but I know that I left everything I had on the course. The final time was 18:33 which likely will put me just inside the top 1o and one very happy rider.

Boloco Heartbreak Hill Gran Prix

2008-07-01T21:43:00.000-04:00

For the past several years I've raced Cox Classic the week before Fitchburg. It's always been a very high profile race that was in downtown Providence. The course was directly across from the uber-mall and the State House. For several reasons, the course was moved and categories changed from a straight 3 to a 2/3 and included a pretty nasty hill. This year a new race was introduced in Newton and offered a chance to replace my beloved Cox Classic.

When I showed up to register, I was notified that the earlier running race had started late, which pushed the bike races back an hour and 15 minutes. Not a great start to a new race. Regardless, I registered and dressed, then took my bike to the course to preview it. It featured four 90 degree turns before entering the famed Heartbreak Hill of the Boston marathon for three quarters of a mile before snaking around the hospital and descending back to the start. The finishing straight was over a half mile run in with major speed.

At the start line, I weaseled my way to the front line and with Richard Fries calling the race, heard what I thought was a weird comment from Richard "The finishing line has no banner, so racers will be struggling to know exactly where the line is" Um, Richard, there's a big blue tent and a mess of people at the finish, how's that difficult to miss?

With instructions from the officials completed, the racers were off. I quickly found a place about five riders back and held my position through the first lap. As the laps wore on, I focused on holding to my position on the downhill, climbing controlled on Heartbreak Hill and moving to the front through the snaking section before descending again. This strategy worked very well, in fact late in the race I commented to Dave to drink, and realized that I was speaking in a regular voice, not one that was strained from racing.

With three laps to go, Paul Curley moved up towards the front and I decided to hold his wheel to the finish. Regardless of what happened, Paul would find the line at the finish. The pace jumped on the final lap and everyone got strung out. Turning right onto the descent, Paul was in the front five and I was sitting a couple back, just where I wanted to be. As expected, a surge of riders moved forward, and I rode them to the front. With 500 meters to go to the line the pace was in the high 30's, I was just behind Paul and to the right. Paul went left to sprint for the finish. Boxed out from Paul, I went right and to the line. Very quickly I realized that I was spinning out my 53x12 at 122rpm's and unable to stand to sprint. I remained seated and looked for the line. All I could notice was the amazing number of cross walks and stop lines. WHERE THE HECK IS THE FINISH LINE??? I continued to hammer for the line and crossed sixth. Regardless of where the line was or who I followed, I couldn't have pedaled any faster. A great finish to a great day!!!

Giro di Jersey - Stage 3

2008-06-24T21:48:00.002-04:00

When we arrived at the race an hour before the start, we were the fourth car in the lot. Guess these folks don't arrive as early as they do in New England for a race. Or perhaps they weren't going to warm up if it means losing 15 minutes of sleep in the middle of the night. I quickly dressed and put together my bike as I waited for registration to open. After 20 painful minutes of waiting, the GC standings were posted. Sure enough, my fears were averted and I was in the pink jersey!!! I had accumulated 16 more points then the rider in second place and 20 more then the rider in third. I signed in and asked where the promoter was so that I could pick up my jersey. They assured me that he was around and would be back at 6:30 for an officials meeting. I started to walk away, when the other lady said "Well, it is 6:35, so that might not be exact." That's how I ended up racing my only day in the leaders jersey in the team kit.

The third stage could be described as a small circuit race or a large crit. We were to do 8 laps of a 2.2 mile course that again included a couple of rolling sections, two flat areas and another wide straight finish with a slight false flat uphill. Peter and I both had the race numbers of the top riders within 20 points of me taped to our frames. My intention was to finish in the top 10, limiting whomever won to only 20 more points then me and securing the overall title.

From the gun the race was fast. Very quickly the pack fell into a routine. A routine that was so predictable, everyone would sprint out of the corners like a mad dog, then at the base of the rise sit up. The group always came back together and there wasn't a need to spend excess energy chasing. On the second lap, a single rider rolled off the front and after two days of racing, the pack seemed to not care about him. The rider quickly got about a 20 second gap on the pack and yo-yoed for the next six laps. As we followed this single rider, another racer shouted to me (could have been at me) "Hey NEBC, you have teammates here, why aren't you going to get him?" I was confused at first, because it certainly sounded like he implied that I had multiple teammates available at my disposal to chase things down. I instead told him that if he can explain to me why I wanted to bring that rider back, I would. That I was in the overall lead and that rider wasn't a GC threat. He simply replied "Oh". and the race continued. On the seventh lap the guys decided to turn up the pace. A small group of 15 riders created a gap and we were off to the races. For the last two laps, the group remained strung out. Coming into the last turn I was positioned fourth and felt good about my chances. A rider in front of me decided that he wanted to move from the inside of the group to the outside and nearly took me out. As I accelerated and started to overtake him, he changed his mind and went back to the inside, this time bumping off my side. I remained seated, trying to remain secure through the finish and took fourth.

Final result, 2nd in stage 1, 4th in stage 2, 4th in stage 3, overall victory!!!

Giro di Jersey - Stage 2

2008-06-24T21:08:00.002-04:00

Stage 2 of the race was a 53 mile road race that consisted of 5 10 mile laps. The course was rolling hills for the first eight miles, turned left and went up a 8% hill for a quarter mile, leveled out for a couple of hundred yards before going up at about 5% for another quarter mile. A short recovery before a screaming downhill descent into the finishing straight. The finish was spectacular, wide open straight-away that you could carry a lot of speed into, but it had a slight uphill that kept it very safe.

Unsure of just how far from my friends house I was staying at, ML and I packed up the car early and headed out. With no traffic on a Saturday morning, we arrived about two hours before the start. Early enough that we parked in a lot that ended up being closed to cars an hour later.

With plenty of time to get ready, I double-checked my equipment and prepared for the 9:05 start. At 8:50, they announced that the races would be delayed by 15 minutes. Great, more time to wait.

Finally, the race went off. Unlike local races, the first five miles were neutral, and the pace car kept it neutral, cruising along at no more then 20 mph. With the pace car gone, the pack upped the speed a bit and I started to look for any rider in the top 5 GC trying to make a move. Seems that regardless of what rider moved off the front, the pink jersey (worn by the race leader, just like that race in Italy by a similar name) chased. The pack turned left onto the hill, and I found myself very easily moving from 20th to first on the hill. This was a typical big ring power hill for me. As we transitioned to the middle section, I eased up and drifted back, trying to preserve all my matches. I took note of one rather large rider who was climbing very well. I continued to watch him on the descent, figuring that if he could climb like that and descend like a rock, he would be an ideal rider to draft behind into the finish.

As the next couple of laps wore on, I continued to watch either the pink jersey chase everything in sight, or his teammate Andy track things down. This kept the pace comfortable and I never had to work to keep things together. On the final lap, the pace quickened and everyone got strung out in the field. As we climbed the last time, I worked to stay five riders back. No sense putting effort in where I didn't have too, but I couldn't afford to go too far back and not have time to make it up on the finish. Just at the top of the hill, when the pace typically slows and everyone comes back together, I yelled to Peter C to keep the pace up and he kindly obliged. Going into the downhill, my pre-picked big boy came to the front and dove down the hill. What seemed like a perfect plan started to fall apart when by draft sat up and wanted me to pull through. I obliged momentarily, then started to coast. Four or five riders came by me and I again jumped into their draft. At the bottom of the hill, 400 meters from the line, I was sitting sixth and towards the middle of the road when I saw the pink jersey sprint on the right hand of the pack. Two guys went for the line in front of me and I followed their wheel. 200 meters from the line, their pace slowed a bit and I momentarily tried to figure what to do. I distinctly remember hearing an interview from the Tour a couple of years ago where someone commented that their finish was slightly uphill and they needed to wait until it was almost too late before launching their sprint. This memory had absolutely no impact on my decision and I figured it was time to go for it. I gave it everything I had, I broke clear of the field and opened a gap. 30 meters from the line I ran out of steam and three guys snuck past me. As I coasted after the line, I realized that my mind was telling me to wait. Too late for that realization. Instead I reveled in the moment, I took fourth with some impressive teamwork from Peter.

We cooled down a bit and as we headed back to the start/finish area, we saw the pink jersey riding away and both realized that someone else would be in the lead tomorrow. I felt confident about my chances, but then three guys scored more points then me in the second stage, I didn't think that they were top 5 the previous day, but I would have liked some confirmation.

ML, Peter and I hung around for the next three hours. We watched the rest of the races, we listened to the announcer talk to the winner of the Pro field, listened to them talk to the winner of the junior field (that race started 10 minutes after ours finished) and even watched them reopen all the roads. While unintentional, we realized that our car was now free to leave the lot that we parked in to start the day so long before. We ended up leaving the race unsure of who would start the next day in pink.

Quick note: Stage 3 started at 7am on Sunday and was an hour away. When I crashed at 10pm Saturday night the results were still not posted. When my Blackberry chirped at 2am and woke me up, I checked my email. The results were posted on-line, but my Blackberry couldn't display the page. Great, just what I need to think about at 2am as I tried to go back to sleep. Leaving the house at 4:45 Sunday morning, I was fully amped up and didn't require the large coffee I started to drink on the drive.

Giro di Jersey - Stage 1

2008-06-22T19:51:00.004-04:00

Years ago I ended up in grad school because a group of guys I was friends with all had this idea that we should go together to make it bearable. Great plan. Immediately after I passed my GMAT and was accepted, I found out that these four guys have this discussion every year and perhaps believe they will try to get in, but never even try. About two months ago I had a similar conversation with some different friends about trying to find a stage race outside of New England. Next thing I know, I'm off to New Jersey to race. This time I have a teammate, Peter.

Day 1, very simple TT. The course is a simple out and back 15km course. The first section is a slight downhill where you can gather your momentum before hitting a quarter mile 8% decent, real speed. Or should have been real speed, up until a local driving a mini-van went around me, then continued at 30 mph. At the bottom of the hill is an immediate left hand bend. In the course preview I was concerned about this turn, as turning at 35+ on a TT bike isn't the easiest thing. Trying to brake at 30mph, trailing a minivan on a TT bike isn't any better. Shortly after the turn, the road rose up just a bit, enough to slow me down, but the minivan pulled away at 30, fortunately not to be seen again. Two miles into the race, I passed my 30 second guy. This course was FAST. Keeping in mind that the first half was downhill and I would need power on the way back, I tried to stay within myself. The speed just kept coming out. My computer afterwards showed my speeds frequently over 35. Just coming out of the turnaround, I caught my minute man. It wasn't long before my minute 3o man was in sight and being passed. Next in sight was my 2 minute man!!! I was very amped by this and started cranking harder. At the base of the last big climb, I caught my target, and took note of his number. Between oxygen debt, adreneline and total lack of math skills, it took me half way up the hill to realize that I just passed my 3 minute man. Pedal, pedal, pedal, over the hill and the line is now in sight. Crossing the line I stopped my computer 21:31, average of 25.9 mph. The second half of the course took two minutes longer then the first half, but I was done. Now to sit and wait.

When the results were posted, I was in second!!! Awesome run and 27 out of 3o points. The Giro is an omnium, meaning that it didn't matter that it took me 11 seconds longer then the winner, I was just three points behind him. Time to rest up and get ready for stage 2.

Who knew Jersey had farms and pretty views?

Harpoon B2B

2008-06-15T12:20:00.007-04:00

Today I rode from Boston to Winsor, VT. Not sure where that is? Is is 146 mile from Boston. Along the way I found my love for biking again? There's really more to biking then racing. It's about good times, good friends and being one with the bike. Here's just a few of the things that I saw.

TT things

2008-06-13T21:09:00.002-04:00

Three weeks ago I picked up my TT bike. I almost immediately took it over to the local weekly time trial race. The bike worked well, but it wasn't adjusted fully. Even as it was, I did the course in 22:54, four seconds off my personal best. The conditions were decent, not excellent and the wheels were stock. I've fiddled with the bars, got the position better and took it back. On a warm day in temps in the upper 80's, I went back. Riding what felt like a pretty conservative race I flew. The final result was a very strong 22:06. Taking nearly 48 seconds off my former PR, I was stoked!!! I still rocked the crappy slow wheels and know that I've got a little bit more left in my legs, another PR is to be netter soon.

Next week will probably be a conservative race, as I am heading to the Giro. Not in Italy, Jersey. It's kind of like the Italy of the south. Not really though. The Giro of Jersey looks to be a good three day stage race as prep for Fitchburg.

As if the PR wasn't enough good news for the week, the race director of GMSR announced that they will no longer be doing the mass start uphill App Gap stage on day 1. Instead they will be incorporating an out and back ITT. This was met with a very happy face. Unfortunately I continued reading and found out that the race will be based on time, not points this year. App Gap is going to continue to be where the race is decided, but now it will be evident how fast the climbers are. Oh well, that's a concern for August, not June.

Yankees Game

2008-06-07T15:00:00.001-04:00

Funny chant of the day:
Hip hip Jorge!!!
Hip hip Jorge!!!

All this while the fans are cheering for Jorge Posada.
Some Photos

Summer

2008-06-07T12:59:00.002-04:00

Nothing says summer has arrived like hot dogs, beer and baseball.
First trip to Yankee Stadium. Being a Sox fan, this is like a
Catholic going to temple. Loyalties need to be put aside for the day
and the recognition of a higher being understood. To be in the home
of so many defeats, but also one of the greatest modern Sox memories
(lest we forget Wake on the mound in 2004!) Is pretty cool. Long live
baseball!!!

Singlespeed Love

2008-06-06T08:40:00.001-04:00

SS was good. The maiden ride on my converted bike. Right away I realized just how much I loved my old mountain bike. It's a 12 year old Fisher with small 26 inch wheels and some real old throwback equipment. The rig was stripped of the gears, but the brake levers were integrated into the shift levers leaving me with possible ghost shifting. The first hour was a blast, only threw my chain twice!!! The second hour was a bit more of a drag, as my body wanted a bigger gear and to grind, but that's not an option on a singlespeed. Everything said, I'm very happy with how it went. Even happier today that my legs and knees aren't screaming in pain. Operation "Bike for enjoyment" continues...

Pats Peak MTB Race

2008-06-03T09:44:00.001-04:00

I had two goals for the race. First goal was to qualify for nationals(needed a top 15 finish) and to take it easy on the first lap to pace myself. In the starting queue, I took a quick count of heads and found that my field was one of the larger of the day and had 21starters. The advice I had heard from most people was you just had to finish and you would qualify. With 6 more heads then spots, I knew I needed to do better then just finish. Being new to mountain bike racing, no one was familiar to me and assumed that they were all better. I stood there waiting for my field to be called to the line pondering the race, and when we were called I wasn't paying attention and went from the front to the back of the pack. Hmm, not a good first move. When the whistle went off, something inside my head wen toff too and I attacked the group, going around a large group of riders and to the front. Within the first 100 yards I was at the front of the field and climbing hard, opening a gap behind me. At this point I actually realized goal number two was over and focused on the race.For most of the first lap I tried to push my pace without blowing up.The three distinct long climbs were just that, long. Neither overly steep or technical in nature, they just sapped the strength. Over the third climb and I started the long technical descent. (Racer note: on Thursday I broke my full suspension frame and with the assistance of Anthony at the Loft was able to secure a hard tail rig to race. Note to all, the first time a new bike is ridden by you is probably best not to be at a race. Afterwards someone asked what I thought about the bike and I said we had a rockstar relationship; we went hard, had violent fits with each other and when it was all over best that we part amicably before someone dies. Still, major accolades to the Loft and Anthony for their help!!!) With heavy hands on the brakes, I just about crawled down the mountain. Weaving around large rocks is tough, doing so downhill while trying to pass riders from earlier fields is just about downright impossible, so I continued my crawl. This impossible action was not conveyed to five riders who had caught me and magically jumped from behind to in front on the same tough downhill. Having been there and watched, I'm still not sure how they did it. As we broke the woods and the downhill, I could see the five riders just in front of me and pushed to catch them. On the uphills I would pass two or three, then on the downhills they would pass me. At one point one of the guys asked if I would pull him up the hill if he helped pull me down. On the final lap, I knew that same rider was just behind me so I pushed really hard on the uphill and let the brakes loose on the downhill, riding at the edge of comfort and control. When I broke through the woods I was confident that I would hold my position and qualify for nationals. Mission accomplished, final result 5th!
Note 2: It was pretty surreal to be riding along a fire road in the woods, pass a house with with people in the front watching the race and hear "Hey, that's Scott Brooks".

Weekend of Fun

2008-05-30T14:09:00.007-04:00

Happy B-Day Peter
Happy B-day to us too

Sunapee

2008-05-30T13:56:00.002-04:00

May 18th

2008-05-19T22:17:00.004-04:00

Graduation Day

EFTA - Glocester Grinder

2008-05-19T09:44:00.004-04:00

Having done one small mountain bike race this year, I was really looking forward to a larger more organized race. As we queued up at the start, there were over 100 riders across a multitude of fields.What was most surprising was the number of faces from cross. If the temps weren't so warm and the bikes so heavy, I might have thought this was a beautiful fall day in New England. On the line I noticed my field consisted of nine starters. Check off first goal of the day,top ten finish! As we took off, I wrestled my way into third wheel going into the woods. I followed the guy in second for about five minutes before making a move around him where I saw that the leader was gone. Our group felt still together so I just pushed the limit of speed and ability. There were numerous rock gardens that with more oxygen to my brain I would have ridden more carefully, but in the heat of the race there was no time for caution. About half way through the first lap, the course folded back onto itself and I was able to notice that I had a gap on the riders behind me. Pushing harder I started to pass riders who started ahead of me. I kept looking for the leader of my field, but it seems that he was gone for good. On the second lap I had settled into a good groove and was motoring along before a friendof mine from the field behind me caught me. Sean and I played leapfrog for about a lap before he pulled away for good. At that point I caught local legend Mo Bruno. We played off each other and kept the pace high enough to fend off anyone who may have been behind. After nearly 90 minutes of racing, I doubt that there was anyone getting stronger as the race wore on.

After crossing the line I immediately dropped off my bike from exhaustion. Mountain bike racing is ridiculously hard and I told Goody that it would be Wednesday before I thought that that was fun. The course was incredibly technical (more so for a roadie) and wet in some places. Especially the place where I stepped into a mud puddle and sunk up to my calf. A day later and I already am very happy that I raced. It's such a different experience then road or even cross. As of Monday I'm already thinking that it might have been fun. Final result was second place and 180 points towards the series title!

Sterling Road Race

2008-05-12T16:31:00.002-04:00

This was a good race for the NEBC team. The plan was to be conservative for the first half of the race, then start launching as many attacks as possible, preventing the race from coming down to a sprint finish. We wanted to win this race on a breakaway. Almost immediately three riders attacked the field and pulled away. After a mile or so, I launched an attack on the field hoping to bring a rider or two with me to chase down the leaders. I was brought back and saw Clark immediately go. When Clark came back, I saw Peter in a good position and a rider or two start to move and shouted at him to go.With three riders away, and three more clear of the pack (with an NEBC rider) the rest of the team took turns at the front blocking. There were some fruitless attacks by Quad that were fast, but then he came right back to the pack, perhaps he was doing interval training? Under two laps to go, the lead crept up to over 2 minutes and I was pretty confident that the front group was going to stay away and hoped Peter was in that group. A smaller group of riders started to come together, at which point we shouted to John and Mark to get into that group. With another chase group off the pack, the team again assumed the role of blocking. It was amazing to have the pack following at17mph and have no interest in pulling through. Even on the fast sections of rt 12, I brought the pace down several times to nearly20mph. As the race winded up for the final climb to the finish line,my legs were toast and I tried to hold on for a decent finishing place. It was very sweet to hear that the team took three spots out of the top ten.

Rebecca winning her race.

Wompi Race Report

2008-05-09T11:01:00.002-04:00

Wompi in Norwell holds a great training race twice a week. On Tuesday it's the fast big boys, while Wednesday is the lower level training race. Being one of the few cat 3's in a 3/4/5 race, I went in with the plan of getting a good workout in. Every time the pack would lull, I would launch an attack and try to stay away as long as I could. The pack would come get me, I would recover, then go again. My teammates J. Gibbons, Oscar and Justin were there with me and we all took turns attacking. With five laps to go, I looked at J. and asked him how his legs were. He said he felt good and we agreed that I would try to lead him out. The only condition was that he would have to yell at me like a sled dog. With half a lap to go, we were sitting five or six riders back, just perfect. Approaching the final left hand turn we had moved up to third wheel and were in perfect position. As the course straightened out, John yells at me to go and I attack. Never looking back I hammered in and out of the saddle as hard as I could. With ten meters left, John perfectly came around me and took the win while I cross over for second. Justin and Oscar had a similar plan but were just a bit too far back. Oscar took fourth and Justin fifth. Overall, the NEBC took first, second, fourth and fifth and J. got his first win!!!

UMass Race Report

2008-05-06T13:28:00.001-04:00

The UMass mountain bike race for me started in November. On the way to a cross race, I realized that I wasn't very excited about the start. Gone were the pre-race jitters and the excitement. Racing had become something that I did. The "specialness" of it was gone. Arriving at my first mountain bike race, I certainly was excited. The normalcy was gone and the specialness was back. I took my spot on the second row of about 30 competitors. I was signed up for the men's 30-39 category. With no designation of categories and no organization of numbers, I had no clue who I was racing against. From the gun, the race was tough. Starting uphill I was able to move up a couple of riders before hitting the singletrack. For a roadie, the twisting and winding of the course was made more difficult by the wet roots. Being cautious but exercising speed where I could, I moved up to third place on the second lap. That didn't last too long as I started to fade. By the third lap I was down on the guy in front of my by a minute and up on the guy behind by the same. I sat comfortably in fifth place and pushed myself. Final placing for the day was fifth in the sport class. Upon review of the results which were posted today though, I found out that I won my category!!! Not sure who I beat or by how much, but a win is a win.

Palmer RR

2008-04-27T21:32:00.005-04:00

Good race overall. I wasn't expecting much from myself as there are a number of climbs in this race. For possibly the first time, I stayed in the pack and just waited for the end. I took a couple of flyers, did some bridging, but those that have raced with me for awhile wouldn't recognize my actions. What resulted was a good placing in the final 1k, and enough kick to get inside the top twenty. My only regret was being in my 39 for the final climb. The pace picked up and I still was there, so I upshifted, ended up in my 39-11, needed another gear and only found my 53-11. That was equivilent to dropping an anchor. Live and learn. Now onto the pictures...

Myles Standish Photos 4-20

2008-04-25T10:40:00.006-04:00

Next race I will try and get more photos.

The 3's

The Ladies

The 4's finish

Geoff, Chuck and Oscar after the race

Cleaning up the yard

2008-04-23T17:38:00.004-04:00

found in the garden

Hopefully they will stay that way, if I can get the cats to stop using it as their litter box

Payback?

2008-04-18T22:51:00.002-04:00

Last weekend I raced Turtle Pond. It was cold, it was hard, the race wasn't very much fun. When it was over, I tried to pump up my teammate CR before her race and encourage her. The result was that I made it into her blog. The downside was that I read it. The payback was thinking of this over and over as I went mountain biking Thursday. What was I thinking over and over???

"You suck, but just keep going anyway"

"It's a nice day for a long LT ride - NOT"

"I don't belong racing in this category"

The result is that I will reenter the mountain bike scene as a beginner. Thank you MRK!

Amazon

2008-04-18T14:53:00.003-04:00

Just proof that you can buy anything in the world on Amazon.

New season, let the races roll

2008-04-16T20:46:00.003-04:00

Turtle Pond, Loudon, NH and the start of a new road racing season. Having skipped Marblehead two weeks ago, I decided to get the season going. The race was five laps, with an "extra" climb up the big hill. Not being a hill climber, my plan was to work for my teammates John and Peter. Within the first 20 miles, there were a couple of small attacks, which the NEBC team did a great job of covering. Somewhere around mile 22 though, two riders went off the front and everyone watched. Kudos to Chris B of BRC, who sat on the front of the race for the next 2o miles or so blocking. Seems that while the weather was cool, and we were all at a race, everyone just wanted to ride and talk about the winter. My teammates and I tried several times to bring the two leaders back, but every time that we rotated through the paceline, Chris B showed up at the front and slowed everyone down.

With two riders gone, we changed plans and went for third place. Setting up a good pace going into the final turn, I burnt my final half smoking match and got the hell out of the way. The good, Peter took sixth. The bad, Scott was far enough from the pack to be time gapped! The ugly, Mike R not showing up early enough to get some pics of us racing and gets me just trying to hold the pack on the final climb unsuccessfully.

Home Deprovement

2008-04-07T21:31:00.003-04:00

Weekend at Casa de Swartz

To be referred to as the "Before Image" at a later time in my life

From the front, this looked like a beautiful cedar closet worth saving

But from behind, it was filled with cedar shavings...homemade insulation???

Fishing with the boys

2008-04-07T21:22:00.007-04:00

Life can't be all about biking or winter, can it?

Winter break in Punta Gorda

Which way South???

This guy was on the line --- Heavy JT --- Where Tom spent his day

Drinking till 2 and fishing at 5 --- Brooksie and the blowfish --- Captain Jack

Fear the Reaper and the Red Bull!!!

The Big Dog has been chained up again...

2008-03-19T13:18:00.004-04:00

Well, after a very refreshing ride outside, the weather seems to have turned and things haven't been so good. A team ride scheduled for last Saturday was canceled at the last minute because the forecasts didn't look promising. When I woke up on Saturday, there was a good snow falling and a light accumulation on the ground. Sunday saw another group ride go out, but with family committments, I had to cancel. Not to be one to skip a workout, I jumped on the trainer and completed my ride indoors. While the workout itself was uneventful, the numbers at the end were. Perhaps a picture can do more justice then a description.

In case you can't make it out, that's 3 hours and 40 minutes of riding a stationary trainer. It took me almost a day to regain my sanity.

The Big Dog is BACK!!!

2008-03-11T21:56:00.002-04:00

After nearly three months being locked in the basement staring at the walls (literally, a month ago I gave away my TV, not recognizing its power of distraction while on the trainer) I broke the chain and rode outside last night. The lure of a feast at abode Mosher was too much to handle and I broke the bike out. Sure, the 60 miles was long and painful, but boy what a revelation. Cold air in your lungs is just so much better then the the fan through your hair. The bad news was I returned to the basement on Monday, but hear me now, come Saturday I will be back outside!!! Daylight savings time is here too and evening riding outside is nearly here!!! Ain't no stopping the big dog now.

Cross Riders

2008-02-27T13:14:00.002-05:00

Cross racers will show up in the darnedest of places. How about in a large article in the Boston Globe magazine just before Valentines Day! Searching on boston.com found that the original article appeared in December. Congratulations to local category A racer Alex Whitmore.

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2007/12/23/rain_forest_matters_to_small_chocolate_maker/

Who needs a man??

2008-02-25T19:26:00.005-05:00

the old and the new

While draining the pasta Sunday I(ML) noticed the water was going into the sink and then straight on to the floor. Not a good thing. After two trips to the local Ace Hardware to get the right parts I (no help from Scott) have fixed the problem. Isn't it pretty?

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T10:55:00.000-05:00

The crew rang in the new year with a special dinner at Temple Bar in Cambridge. The restaurant offered a fixed menu meal and outdid itself. With five courses, great food, drinks and the best of friends, we rocked the old year out and the new year in. Special thanks to Canuck Ian for joining us.

http://picasaweb.google.com/scott.d.brooks/NewYears2007

Merry Christmas to all

2007-12-25T22:02:00.000-05:00

Enjoy the season with your family and friends. Merry Christmas to all.

Celebrations and congratulations

2007-12-22T14:31:00.000-05:00

Oscar on stage receiving his diploma

Time to celebrate with family and friends

The pit b-yatch getting ready for 08 Yummy

After 12 weeks of intense training, class 178 graduated from the Massachusetts Fire Academy. Among the graduates was our own Oscar. This was a fantastic culmination of months and years of patience. First there was the waiting to be selected to join the Lowell Fire Department, then the three months of training. Congratulations my friend on a job well done. Then if that wasn't enough, we headed out onto the town for a birthday party for the same dude. All the gifts in the world couldn't match the new ability to race Masters at next years national cyclocross championships.

Yard House

2007-12-21T08:47:00.000-05:00

The racing season is long, and hard. Many cyclists remove any temptations from their lives, skip out on chores and cut back on time with family in friends. This is all done in hopes of maybe moving up one or two spots in a race or climbing just a little bit faster. Once it is done though, it's time to relax and enjoy life. It's these times that I really question why I ride. Heck, I don't look like the typical middle aged guy. Do these guys know something that I don't know? Well, the off-season isn't just a couple of weeks without racing, but a chance to indulge in the rest of lives pleasures.

The end of my weekend - ML

2007-12-20T21:36:00.000-05:00

We love to be funny

Cute family photo

OK so we (my nieces & nephew) had fun Friday night. Dinner at the house S cooked and then we watched the Grinch that stole Christmas and then Saturday morning we played Sorry which I have not playe in ages. I have to say I won although A thought she would win. HAHA

Hi Pooh Bear

I love reading

Santa why are you at my house so early????

Saturday took the kids home and then went to my brothers house and stayed over due to the storm. had fun hang out with the family since I don't have much quiet time with my nieces J & C. Sunday the plow didn't come by until 10AM and then we had to shovel the heavy snow until their snow angel came over and plowed the drive way. Thank goodness. Scott didn't come in until 11:20pm to drive home and shovel our drive way at 12:30 AM but our plow angel did a pass by so tired but HAPPY.

Kansas City Day 2

2007-12-19T12:16:00.000-05:00

Nice and early, the four amigos left the hotel and headed over to the race course. G and I hung out in the van, staying warm, while we watched Johnny and Chiu pin on their numbers. After about an hour we suited up and headed over to warm up. The conditions were cold and cloudy, but the sun was breaking out. As we rolled to the line, we noticed that the field was much smaller then the pre-reg. What turned out to be the theme of the weekend, record numbers of riders stayed away. Epic rides come from epic conditions, not warm sunny days in the sun though. Starting about four or five rows back, Gary and I were in decent position. At the gun, we were off. Immediately I sensed that the field was gravitating right, opening up a large gap on the left. Taking this route, I moved from 40th up to top five or so into the first right hand course, Gary right on my wheel. Going onto the course, Gary was able to move up to first where he stayed for a lap before settling into second. Great run by the G-man, as he took second place flying his Cali colors, but riding under the NEBC team name!!! The sun stayed out and kept the course warm. The previous days ice melted, giving way to mud. As the race wore on, that mud grew and grew. Lines disappeared and bikes got weighted down by the mess. My goal going into the race was to finish top 20. Props to Johnny B who stayed on the sidelines having just finished his race to cheer us on. Slipping spots late in the race, I gave it everything I had to hold onto my position. Entering the final straight, I threw it in the big ring (note to all those single ring guys, everything has a price. the price of my second ring was another finishing spot. money well spent) and went after the two guys in front of me. Passing the first, he refused to give up, then I heard "Ugh, you've got it" and coasted into the finish line. I never got the second guy in front, as he was still a couple of bike lengths ahead by the finish. Final result, 20th. Maybe I should have hoped for more? Congrats to Gary who held onto 2nd.

Bigger yelps to the ladies of NEBC who took home to national champion jerseys, and two other podium spots!!!

Day 3 in photos

2007-12-15T16:51:00.001-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/scott.d.brooks/Day3KansasCity

Day 2 in photos

2007-12-15T16:42:00.000-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/scott.d.brooks/KCCXDay2

Snow and more snow

2007-12-13T20:19:00.000-05:00

The snow begins

This was after the first shovel

OK I love having my car parked in the garage because I don't have to clean the snow off and I hate having my car parked in the garage because that means there is more snow to shovel in the driveway. 7:20pm out for the second time today to shovel (first time took 30 minute to do driveway and walkway) when 8pm rolled around and there was still over half the driveway to finish and my arms where heavy and tired I didn't think I could finished. That is when it happened I saw bright lights and heard the sound of metal scrapping on the road it was the plow. Which could only mean more heavy snow at the end of the driveway but no this was a Plow Angel. He plowed the end of the driveway which saved me time and my arms & back.

Hopefully there wont be much more snow because I am not sure the old back can handle shoveling again.

Day 1 in photos

2007-12-13T18:03:00.000-05:00

No time for a complete race report, but wow, this was a tough day. Seems that the ice from yesterday thawed and turned into sticky mud. Very slow tough day. Only got to do four laps, on an average length course.

Check the day out in photos.

http://picasaweb.google.com/scott.d.brooks/KCCX

Its go time!

2007-12-13T10:41:00.001-05:00

The B women, Libby, Julie and others are on the course. Johnny and Chiu are staging. Douville and I are off to warm up.

Details after lunch!

While the Cat is away.........

2007-12-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

DAY 1
Dropping Scott and Chui at the airport and heading to my parents to help with Christmas lights and Hang out with the Twins.

I didn't know that i would become photographer for the day. My brother want the kids pictures taken for their cards. I will show only two but let me give you the background 2 13 month old Kids; 5 adults; 2 clothing changes and 4 cameras = about 30 pictures and I am sure a funny video John took.

A few stops on my way home and class ended day one.

DAY 2

Nice day to stay in clean; wrap gift and watch the ESPN with Mitchell Report coming out (for those baseball fans) as the snow falls.

Well Dorothy, we're in Kansas

2007-12-12T22:51:00.000-05:00

Operation Frozen Tundra departed Logan at about 10am Wednesday bound for Kansas City, KS through Cinnci. The plan was for Chui and I to meet up with Johnny B and Douville from Cali. As the plane broke the clouds as we landed, it was apparent that the conditions were cold. Every tree, every grassy section and every surface appeared to be covered in ice. Walking from the plane to the terminal, the temps were reported at 28 degrees. Meeting up with Douville and Johnny B, who spent a comfortable 4 hours in DC as his flight was rerouted, we decided to rush to the course and ride for about an hour before it closed. Cool note of the day was observing a lynx or similar feline spotted creature walking in the woods while driving. This was verified by Chiu who saw it too.

As soon as we took to the course, everything was supper muddy, slow and what wasn't bogged in mud was covered in a sheet of ice. Riding conditions were just gross. Three laps on the course were painfully cautious. Turns were wide and deliberate, even the running sections were sloppy. Bringing the bikes back to the car, they were caked in mud. What seemed like a good idea to get some riding in, might have turned into a bad idea as we left our rides dirty, frozen and not in the best conditions. Oh well, we're here to have fun.

Racing starts at 10am for the young B's, while those of us fighting middle age roll off at 11. More to talk about tommorrow.

Ever been to a Capellas? An entire blog could be reserved for this mecca of outdoor life. Picture a Super Wal-Mart, coupled with an LL Bean, toss in Disney World and you start to get the idea. Very cool place. Where else can you buy a $26,000 gun? <-- Not a typo. Or have your childs birthday party at an indoor shooting gallery? Or see dozen of stuffed/mounted animals? Truly an epic place.

Happy Holidays

2007-12-11T21:44:00.000-05:00

Not much to say as I prepare to head to the frozen tundra. No, not Green Bay, but rather Kansas City. New reports to come. Happy early holidays to all.

Race Reports

2007-12-03T21:10:00.000-05:00

Actually, this was the first weekend in months that I had no races scheduled. Sure, there were some relatively local races that I could have done, but having raced every weekend for so long, it was time for a break. What's someone to do while on break? I headed into the woods for some quality fat tire time. On Saturday a small group of us headed up to Lynn Woods. The temps were about 30 which sounds nice, but with a strong wind, it felt about 20. Two hours of relatively casual riding and all is good. The last hour though was a clinic by huckster MKR. Jumping off rocks, over logs and back onto rocks, it was truly a spectacle to watch.

Sunday took the fat wheels out to Leominster State Park. Philip, Anthony, Mike and I took to the trails even with the temps making Saturday look pleasant. Sunday was low 20's and biting cold. Philip knows the trails like the back of his hands, having been involved in the building of many of them. From the get go, the pace was high and they front never looked back. 45 minutes into the torment, I found myself not once, not twice, but three times looking at the sky as I sprawled on the ground. Goody had the best show, not only watching it, but providing commentary as it happened. "Too much front brake, whoops..." Thanks Goody. Having cleared the technical sections, we headed over to Jane Fonda and the big O trails. Just swoopy, fast, smooth and loaded with fun. Next time we skip the technical sections and take the fire road to the fun parts.

Pics

2007-11-29T10:41:00.000-05:00

OK, I've been very tardy in posting pics from cross races, after all, that's one of the reasons I started up the blog. Hopefully this weekend I can reorganize them and put them with races, but in the mean time, enjoy.

http://picasaweb.google.com/scott.d.brooks/MercerCup

http://picasaweb.google.com/scott.d.brooks/PutneyCross

Sterling

2007-11-26T09:25:00.000-05:00

Tom Stevens does a fantastic job with course designs. Over the past several years, the Sterling race course has always had interesting tweaks in its design that most course builders don't include. Gone this year was the horrible snow storm of '05 (sure you might argue that he can't control the snow, but two epic storms in the same year on his courses and you wonder) or the triangular barriers on the run-up in '06. The 2007 edition saw some off-camber climbing and descending, frozen patches of ground and two laps of cinder track to open the race.

Again, poor staging position had me lined up well behind the big guns. As we left the track, I had worked my way up to the top 20 and was in a group of 10 or so riders as we went up the "bookcase" and into the horsejump. The group was still together until on the second lap, Zanc took the inside line too tight and went down with another rider. I was able to go around the mess and pick up the pace as we got onto the pavement. The course came back on the grass, up the off-camber hill, then down. Riding with a moderate pace, it was easy to carry enough speed up the hill, make the turn and pick up your pace again. If a rider tired though, it was very easy to be forced to dismount (which I did in two subsequent laps) and cause mahem behind. Once back on the main level, the course dropped down to the barriers, back up to the track level and around to the pits. Going into this race I had decided to stay within myself the first lap and let the front group go. Too many races I tried to stay with that front group only to blow up and drift backwards. Three laps into the race on Saturday and I felt good. I was in a sizeable chase group, but well inside the top 15. On the fourth lap though, having to dismount on the off-camber uphill, then the barriers, my legs just lost all energy. I slipped from the group I was in and chased for the next lap. With less then two to go, my legs felt better and I started to hammer again, alone. As the race neared completion, Gary bridged up to me and passed me just before the pit area. I tried to hop on his wheel, but he was motoring hard. He took the final left hand bend onto the finishing straight with me in tow. Having pushed himself hard to catch me on the final lap, he had nothing left for a final sprint. I went around him as he sat up and we finished 21 and 22 overall.

This was probably the best I have ridden all year. 20 seconds seperated me from the top 15. If I hadn't dabbled in the middle of the race, or lost power in the legs...still, this was a great course, a great race and a respectable finish.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

Happy holidays to all. A good day of food, family and football!!!

Mercer Cup

2007-11-18T17:57:00.000-05:00

For the past two years, the biggest names in cyclocross have come to New England to show off their trade. We have been able to witness these champions race at Nationals in Providence or the Crank Bros national series in Gloucester. This year though, the calendar was empty. The closest that the Crank Bros series would come would be New Jersey. On whim, I decided that this would be a great opportunity to race and watch the reigning national champion Trebon in action...not in the same race though...

Friday afternoon, ML, Dave C and I headed to my buddy Tom's house in Jersey. The plan was to stay there for two nights and travel to the races. Saturday morning we gathered our stuff and headed out bright and dark. For someone used to racing at noon, leaving the house at 7 seemed wrong. The hour 20 minute trip took us through Trenton and an extra 40 minutes. Arriving at the course 35 minutes before my start, I had to argue with the promoter to get my number since registration closed 60 minutes before the start, rather then the typical 30. With number in hand, I quickly ran back to the car, changed and returned to the starting grid. Screw the warm-up, we jut didn't have that kind of time. By random assignment, I started six or seven rows back, it was tough to tell from that far from the front. On cue, the front racers took off, and us in the back rows waited patiently for the accordian to get moving.

This was a great course. There were long sections of straightaways, some twisty technical sections, oligatory barricades, a monster sand section and new to most riders, a fly-over (more on this later). After the course narrowed off the start/finishing straight, the pace quickly slowed down as riders muscled their way forward. On Thursday, I replaced my 50tooth front chainring with a 46tooth. With this more manageable gear, I was able to continually move forward on the straight sections. Dropping into the small ring, I ground around the technical corners. Of caution, many of the corners were extremely greasy. By relaxing though, I found myself able to keep the bike upright. Again, the course opened itself to long straight aways and I move up. The course bend back and forth over itself so many times that it as easy to see where other riders were, but not ascertain if they were chasing you or you chasing them. While my small group hammered along, we took the right hand turn into the sand section. This part of the course was about 150 feet long, six to ten inches deep and perfect for a volleyball game. Not so perfect for a bike race. The best thing about competitive cycling is the amount of testosterone raging. Too embarrassed to dismount and run with their bike, about half a dozen guys tried to ride through it. Nearly all found themselves launched over their handlebars when their bikes slowed. Not to be outdone by the cat 2/3 racers, the elite men and U23 had three times as many people ride through it, only to succomb to the same fate. Check out the resulting photo here.

Out of the sand, the course smoothed out before the flyover. The course creators built a ten foot tall staircase that riders ran up, remounted and rode over and down the other side. This looked cool and was cool. The earlier races actually had reports of riders sliding on their butts, dragging their bikes with them rather then riding down.

The race started out poorly for me. The random staging process had me about seven rows back, in a field of eight rows. When the gun went off, I found myself casually clipping in and getting up to speed, as there were tens of riders in front of me. Starting at the back of the race had a number of advantages I wasn't used to. For almost the entire race I was moving forward, passing riders, and leaping from group to group. Starting at the front typically has me going hard, blowing up and drifting back. While the Saturday course had a number of long open sections where you could ramp the speed up, Sunday's course was more technical in nature. Add in a constant drizzle or rain on Sunday and the course was very tough. I felt I rode strong on Saturday, yet only posted a 30th place finish. If I had started at the front, what could have been! Well, Sunday I started at the front, second row!, and went backwards the whole day. I finsihed 30th again. With such a national presence at the race, this was a good result.

Civic Duty Upheld

2007-11-09T12:47:00.000-05:00

I've received my summons for Jury Duty in the mail several times in the past. Fortunately for me, I was moving out of state once and got excused, another time I had non-refundable plane tickets and a vacation planned and got excused, and yet another my entire jury pool was dismissed the day before so no one had to show. This year I received my summons and really didn't give it two thoughts, something would come through to delay this. Sunday night as I rechecked the automated phone system, all it did was confirm that I needed to arrive Monday morning.

I live and work in the suburbs. The thought of going into the city is reserved for ball games and dinners out. To have to commute into the city Monday morning for a suburbanite like myself was nearly enough to give me hives. The extra 30 minutes of traffic and multiple wrong turns, with the impending deadline of 8:30 almost was enough to change me from a juror to a defendant.

Once parked and in the courthouse, I actually started to look forward to jury duty. The obligation to determine someones fate like in a drama movie was almost too must excitement. In the juror pool room, a large courtroom that held the 300+ jurors that reported as required, we received instructions on how to be a juror. Some of us would be on civil trials, others criminal, some local courts, some upper level courts. As I absorbed the 17 minute video, I wondered if this was the same place that David Kelley was inspired for his slew of shows. It sure didn't look like Boston Legal or Ally McBeal, heck, it didn't even look like Night Court. What it did remind me of was old state colleges and universities. Do all public institutions use the same plans for buildings to save money???? After the video, a call was made for the first group of jurors. Assembled they received their marching orders and off they went. Ten minutes later, the next group was called. I must be coming up. Flipping through my book, I continued to wonder. 30 minutes pass. 60 minutes pass. 90 minutes pass. Then my group is called. We leave the fifth floor and head to the 11th. Finally, inside a real court room, I looked around. Seated at one table was the prosecutor and the other was the defendant. Peaking around the edges were various players in this show. That's when I realized it felt more like opening night of a high school musical rather then life and death court. When the judge arrived, she introduced everyone to "cast". Finally serving my civic duty and I was in line to hear a case about an employer and a former dentist from his office. Seems they broke contract and were suing for money. For money!!! And the case was to last at least a week. No life and death here, just to highly compensated people, arguing for more money for a week. Surely not what our founding fathers envisioned.

I never was selected for that jury. They filled the panel with others, before ever calling my name. I returned to the jury pool room, only to find out that the remaining cases were settled that day and we were free to go. For me I never got to play the part in the big show, and next time I certainly won't be so blase about jury summons. I already and thinking about how to stay out of it.

Stage 3 PG

2007-11-06T13:05:00.001-05:00

What a view

After two stages of fun, unusual racing, the third day came down to a traditional cross race. We started with a slight bump up of a hill, a tight turn into barriers before crossing UNDER the main road in a pedestrian tunnel and out onto the second half of the course. The two unusual traits to this course was the amount of dirt roads that were used and the two directional aforementioned pedestrian tunnel. Having received a stern warning before starting the race that passing was not to be tolerated in the tunnel, I decided to keep this piece of information for later.

With two great days of strong starts and several hole shots in recent races, I might have been too cocky on the line. At the whistle I had trouble clipping in and found myself quickly about ten deep. Once in, I quickly moved up in the pack and came out of the tunnel top four. As I found out in the crit, these elite riders can hammer. Sure, if there were more technical sections it might have caused them to go slower (myself included), but without them the race was on. After three laps, the lap cards showed six to go. What felt like long laps, began to feel even longer knowing that I was only a third of the way through. With four to go, I was trading pulls with a Legal Seafood rider. He would pull me through the flat sections, opening gaps on my, only to have me close them and over take him on the uphills or technical sections. At one point I was able to use a lapped rider as a pick and roll, preventing the LS rider from following my pace through the tunnel. Then with just over a lap to go, I stumbled remounting my bike, landing on my saddle with my sternum (Ughhh) and the LS rider again opened a gap on me. As the bell was ringing to signify the final lap, I steered too sharp through a right hand turn, clipping my inside pedal on the ground and nearly launching me into my stem. Try as I might over the final lap, I couldn't close the gap and finished up in 7th place.

The funny thing is I finished each stage in 7th place, but took 8th for the overall race. Having debated last week about whether to race the Elite or the Intermediate, my results would have won me the Intermediate title of best all around cyclist, but it would have been a run away. The Elite category was where I belong, sadly eight riders down on the list.

Other notes from the race weekend: Passing on-coming riders in a tunnel that is four feet wide is a wild time. With courses that cross back and forth on themselves so much, it gives you a great chance to measure where you are progressing on each lap. This was consistent with both the crit and cross race. Riders who enjoy crits or cross should definately do this race every year. Those riders that take themselves too seriously though should probably stay away. The spirit of this race was fun and I hope that they can keep it that way.

Oh, and being one of a handful of riders to ride up AND down Mt Washington this year carries its own special reward!!! Plus, I didn't drop $300+ to do so.

Stage 2 PG

2007-11-03T15:49:00.001-04:00

Note to all, a cheese and tomato calzone is not an appropriate pre-race lunch. The afternoon stage featured New Hampshire's version of Disney; Story Land Park. This is a 35 acre amusement park full of kids rides and play areas. On a race bike, this is a super fast, tight turning, race along walkways. Prior to the beginner race, the course is open for pre-riding. Instead of checking out the course this is a great time to see where Old Mother Hubbard and Cinderella lived, to see an igloo, and check out mini train tracks. After 30 minutes of gawking, I retreated to the warmth of the car. With 10 minutes to race time, I rolled over and took a place on the front of the starting line. Some quick instructions and we take off to the bang of a canon. With a great start I took the hole shot and opened a small gap over the field. Sprinting hard towards the park, I was surprised when a Legal Seafood rider blazed by like I was standing still. Very quickly a group of seven riders (including Mike) formed up and we rotated around. After four laps it was obvious that some of these guys were cat 1 and 2 racers. The way they cornered through hairpins or accelerated in straight aways was amazing. I spent a third of the race with the front group, a third by myself in no mans land and a third with a chase group. In the final couple of laps I took measure of the guys in my group, increased the speed to drop one, then attacked on the sole hill to drop the other rider to take 7th in my field.

Final result this morning; 7th. Final result this afternoon; 7th. All in all a good result but an even better day to just have fun and ride!!!

Stage One PG

2007-11-03T10:54:00.001-04:00

1.75 miles, 14 minutes and 1000 feet of climbing, equals nearly 12% grade. The race was a blast. Having been intrigued by the race by the description, then convinced to do it by Mike and Cathy, we registered then proceeded to warm up. The riders started at 30 second intervals and I was the first Elite rider to go off, following the Elite women and the Intermediate riders. Focused on pacing, I kept it in a moderate gear and tried to spin up. About five minutes into the race, I started to pass riders and my spirits lifted. While the grade was steady and unrelenting, it wasn't as steep as Pac Mac or App Gap. 14 minutes after I started, the finish came into view and I was able to sprint by one more rider for a satisfactory finish. Stage results and placings to follow.

Porky Gulch Race

2007-11-03T06:49:00.001-04:00

It's dark, early and cold in Maine, and the Porky Gulch Stage Race awaits! This race consists of three stages over two days. The first is a 1.5 mile race up the base of Mt Washington, home of the worlds worst weather. Stage two this afternoon is a crit through Story Land, with a cross race wrapping up the festivities tomorrow. I've decided to race the Elites, so there is a whole lot of uncertainty in my future today. Details and results to follow.

The Red Sox Celebration-ML's post

2007-10-30T19:26:00.000-04:00

Big Papi holding the trophy what a great way to end the parade. It was fun and the crowd was wild. This is the one time I can say i like working in Downtown Boston. Scott didn't want to leave work to join me.

Crisis in Canton

2007-10-28T21:42:00.001-04:00

In my first season of cross racing two seasons ago, I circled Canton on the calendar before I even signed up for my first race. Reason is, Canton is located 6 miles from my old apartment in Randolph. Just being able to go back to the area I called home for seven years was special. The race was uneventful, and I can't recall where I finished, but with about 400 yards to go, my left foot came unattached to my bike. Thinking that I just unclipped, I looked down to clip back in. Astonished I noticed that the entire left crank arm of my bike was attached to my shoe, but not my bike. This event always comes up when someone mentions Canton, including several times today as we warmed up.

In an earlier race, Mike Rowell spent most of it trying to climb back into a good position after a horrible start. With his advice in my ear, I sprinted for my life on the whistle. Over the crest of the hill I was second wheel when we entered the field. This is a long course with several sections of open field, some tight turns, and even a section on a 400 meter running track. Through laps 3 and 4, I found myself forming up with a small group of riders that worked together. With each passing lap I felt strong and stronger. Racing at a comfortable pace in a group is just so much more comfortable then being between groups riding red-lined. As the fifth lap wound down my group was down to three and I lost my concentration for a split second, wondering where to attack the group on the final lap. This split second was long enough to twist my handlebars and catepault myself over my handlebars. The rider behind me slammed into my bike bringing him to a stop. Gone is Colin Murphy, one of the riders in our trio. Gathering my bike, I notice that everything seems in order, except my chain has fallen off. Stopping to put it back on, rider two in the trio rides off. As I remount my bike, I bang my shoe into my crank-arm and hear the tearing of somthing from my shoe. My nerves are shot as cornering is slow and awkward now, and another rider passes me. My sole focus now for the final lap is to limit my losses. Every dozen or so pedal strokes and my foot keeps popping off the pedal. After the race I notice that my right buckle is broke. Worth noting is that this is a brand new pair of shoes with 43 minutes of racing in them. ML drove to the race while I connected my cleats to the shoes new. Back to the Loft on Monday. Oh, and the race, I finished up 10th.

Lifes growing events

2007-10-28T21:24:00.000-04:00

In 1985 my ten year younger sister was born. I've always been old enough to recognize events that she has gone through. First it was going to kindergarten, then high school, driving her first car, graduation, college and even college graduation. Through all of these events I never felt old. I had done my thing and she had done her thing, along the way we both supported each other and are as close as siblings can be. On Saturday ML and I drove out to her new apartment in the rain with a truck load of her things. We also drove a second load including a mattress and box spring to her new apartment. No amount of tarps or tie-downs will keep things dry when it pours cats and dogs like it was. Every time it started to rain harder, we seemed to be outside loading or unloading the truck. Lots of pour timing (yuke intended). After several hours everthing in her new place was in somewhat in order and we prepared to leave. Only at this time did I ever feel old with her. She's done a lot and there's a lot more planned in her life, best of luck little sister.

I wear my sunglasses at night!!!

2007-10-26T01:11:00.000-04:00

But the reason is to keep junk out of my eyes while mountain biking. After years of riding on the road, I was bitten by the mountain bike bug this summer while on a bachelor party for Delrossi. A month ago I invited a new mountain bike into my bike family. The inaugural ride was meant to be last Sunday, but when those in the house came down with a bug, my riding was canceled. The first ride was now to be a night ride with Barry G and Norm C. These guys know the trails like the back of their hands, in fact, one of the trails they named after themselves. Riding at night is a blast. It was the night before a full moon, dry trails and just a star filled sky. Everyone made it out and back in one piece and I promise myself not to take so long to get back out there. Maybe next time it will be in the day, but if it isn't, it doesn't matter.

Mansfield Hollow Double-Up

2007-10-21T20:56:00.000-04:00

The Mansfield Hollow cyclocross race in Mansfield, CT kicks off my favorite part of the season. Maybe it is the low presence of racers that show up, maybe it is the mixture of straight open racing sections, or the two dirt pop-ups, one rideable, one not or the great off-camber section, but whatever it is, this is just a great race. On the line I notice that Oscar is there with me on the front row and about 25 guys behind us. In the blink of an eye, Roy rides up and asks if anyone has a spare tube, as he has a flat. Oscar jumps off the line and the two of them ride to his truck. At this point the race official is scratching her head wondering where they are going. Perhaps I am distracted by my teammates, but when she blows the whistle I fall into 15th place as we snake along the field, over the barriers and across the off-camber roadside. Over the first lap everything stretches out and it is difficult to identify what position anyone is in. I just keep my head down and push along. With three laps to go, I am riding with Mike from Bike Barn. It is very obious that Mike has superior handling skills. As we break through the woods and onto the grass stretches I turn up the speed trying to drop Mike. During the bell lap my lead over Mike stretches more and more on the flats and shrinks during the twisty technical sections. Dropping out of the off-camber section, I hold my six second lead over Mike and cross the line where I find out that I finished 7th. Mansfield is the very rare race that has prizes ten deep!!! My winnings include a LG hat, half a dozen gels packs, some drinks mixes and one very happy racer. This is a great race. For a measly $5 more, I jump into the Elite race 75 minutes later.

The elite race had some strong riders in the field, so positioning was going to be key for whatever I could muster. On the whistle I put my head down and hammer as hard as I can, taking Danny Estevez's wheel. Danny is a super strong young rider for Hot Tubes that has been a force for several years as he rises through the ranks. Danny leads me and the rest of the pack through the first barrier where I am starting to feel really good. Over the barrier, half of the field has a lot more pop then me and fly past me like I have a flat. The first six laps felt really good, but the final two were just like pushing a car without gas which is what I felt like. The downer of the day was passing passing John Mosher who was walking his bike. I asked John if everything was OK, which he responded that if it wasn't broke, it was close. Ten seconds later I wonder if he was talking about himself or his bike. After the race, I find out that John was talking about his legs. It seems that he wipe out in a twisty wooded section and took the full blow of a tree straight across his thighs. The only good part of this accident is purely selfish. Because John can't lift either of his legs six inches, I valiently volunteer to drive John and his nifty BMW back to his home. Again, good conversation makes the time fly, but the purring of the engine keeps me focused...

Unhappy in Lowell

2007-10-19T20:44:00.000-04:00

ML, Justin, Lauren, O, Ann and I got together to head over to my favorite local brewery Friday night. Just getting out of Oscar's apartment complex seemed to cause major confusion. Oscar wanted to shower after working at the academy all day, Ann wasn't there, ML and I parked our car and were pacing to get into the apartment building when Justin and Lauren showed up. Instead of going into the apartment, we jumped in the car where Oscar joined us shortly after. Once at the brewery, we were informed by our waitress that the brewery was changing owners and they were currently out of most beers...Hmmm...when questioned if they had New Castle, she asked if that was a type of beer...no...how about a Bud instead? Dinner was fair, but the company was really good. With an early cross race the next day, we headed back to Oscar's around 11:30 to get home a little early. Imagine our surprise when we arrived and ML's car was not where we left it. A call to the management company directed us to the towing company who informed us that yes they had our car, that they had towed it because we were in unmarked residence parking and we could have it back in 20 minutes for $110!!! At 1:30am, we finally were greeted by the tow truck driver who gladly exchanged our car for our money. Certainly not a fair deal in my book. I officially am ending what started as a good week, but ended poorly.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

2007-10-19T16:09:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday I traveled to Philadelphia for a two-day business meeting. What was meant to be a quick 45 minute flight back home (Philly to Boston) turned into a nightmare trip. First, I've never gotten out of Philly on US Air on-time, so when our flight pulled away from the gate 15 minutes late, I wasn't surprised. I closed my eyes for a quick nap, assuming to wake up in time to get through Boston traffic. I woke up 45 minutes later just as the plane was taking off. The flight steward has the audacity to say that the pilot will increase the speed and we should be landing about the same time. Um, how is this possible since we are taking off 10 minutes before we leave??? The brilliant trip continued when turbulance caused cancellation of the beverage cart, then two aborted approaches to landing and we were rerouted to Providence. Again my favorite flight steward claims that weather in Boston has caused problems. Um, isn't everything weather? Sunny skies are weather, rain is weather, as is snow, sleet and fog, can you be more elaborate on what type is preventing us from landing???

While Providence is a nice place to visit, it wasn't where I parked my car the day before. According to the pilot, we were going to refuel, collect our fuel voucher (whatever this is for) and wait for the weather. After 30 minutes of waiting on the plane with no good direction about when the weather was going to clear, Mark (my coworker traveling with me) and I decide to jump off the plan and rent a car. Seems crazy to wait much longer as the drive isn't that far. As it turns out, even with traffic in Providence and Braintree, I was able to make it home before my flight landed in Boston. Crazy day of travel.

A Special Birthday

2007-10-15T19:45:00.000-04:00

ML's nieces celebrated their 1st birthday this weekend. J & C had fun eating cake and opening gifts.

Patriots in Dallas

2007-10-15T00:01:00.000-04:00

After several years of talking about it, I finally decided to travel to Dallas to watch a football game. My beloved Patriots were going to be there and the Cowboys are nearing the end of their time in Texas Stadium, so I went. In attendance with me at the game was friend and client Tom and Anthony, as well as Anthonys son Tony. When the guys picked me up at my hotel, there were nods of disapproval, since Anthony is a die-hard Cowboys fan and I was decked out in my Patriots gear. The walk from the car to the stadium was very long, especially wearing the other teams colors. Not as bad as wearing red in the wrong LA neighborhood, but certainly no sense of southern hospitality.

The game was a back and forth, if you are interested in those details, check out www.nfl.com. The Duel in Dallas lived up to almost everything it was supposed to, including a win for the 6-0 Pats. With the Patriots piling the points on before the end of the game, when we finally wandered back to the car, it was much quieter, with nary a boo for the red, white and blue of New England.

Gloucester Cross 10/13

2007-10-13T21:48:00.000-04:00

Well, every race can't be a tape to tape run. Today's "New England Worlds" was as hard, fast and tough as ever. I took the hole shot up the hill, felt pretty good in the first half of the first lap, but then spent a lot of time just drifting back. By the third lap I was in good position and starting to move back up. The course was similar to most years, but the most notable difference was only one section (the barriers) that forced riders off their bikes. On three different sections, we would hammer for over 400 yards, perfect time for the 50!!! Gary returned from the West coast and rode a good race, finishing 15th, I finsihed up 33rd, while Roy, Eric, and Keith were a bit further back. With over 100 racers taking to the line, just finishing this day is a feat. Kudos to Sally and Cris in the Women's elite, and all the other racers who came out today.

Little G's Wedding 10/5

2007-10-13T21:29:00.000-04:00

What started as a simple trip to Michigan 11 years ago ended in a very beautiful marriage. On October 4th Marylou and I left home and drove 12 hours to Michigan. We spent the weekend meeting and socializing with many friends new and old. Congratulations G and Rebecca.

Stony Creek Cyclocross Race Report

2007-10-10T08:37:00.001-04:00

Don't recognize the name of the race? Be sure to read on then.A good friend of mine was getting married in Michigan last Friday.The thought of partying Friday night, then driving all the way home Saturday, plus two hours more to get to New Gloucester, Maine was too much. A quick search of the Internet showed that within 45 minutes of my friends was a cross race in Michigan. Perfect, I would just toss the bike into the trunk, race, then head home.As we pulled into the parking lot of the venue, I had mixed emotions of excitement and nervousness. I've head plenty of times before that nothing matches the intensity of New England cross (mainly from the mouths of New England racers), but this was the same promoter that hosted Jonathan Page in a UCI race a couple of weeks back. Thoughts of what the course will look like, what the competition will look like, what the conditions will be like and more flowed through my head. I changed up and took a warm-up lap. This course was a very traditional New England course. Plenty of sections of grass, sweeping turns, barriers, places where the course just folded back and forth on itself, three sand sections (one was had a 180 turn which caused riders to dismount, run and remount, one across a volleyball court that was rideable by a few and runnable by most, then a 75 yard running section along the beach, total leg sapper) and even some pavement,ideal for my style. This course reminded me a lot of Gloucester.With two laps of practice into my legs, I headed over to registration,then warm-up, then to the line. Registration is where I noticed my first real difference in races. First, the promoters site had had a link to Bikereg.com, but Bikereg.com had no reference to the race, so I was forced to do day of. Second, there was no fee for day off. I also noticed that there were a lot of prereg'd folks, so they obviously knew something I didn't. Finally, at registration, they gave me a number to pin on and a timing chip to wear on my ankle.This provided timely, accurate results, and lap splits. Very cool.Unsure of a lot, I stayed within sight of the starting line for the 30minutes before the start. With about 10 minutes to go, people started to line up and I rolled over to take a front row spot. So far,everything just like at home. The official came over and gave the typical prerace instructions, then the promoter gave his countdown. I glanced left and right and noticed no one else holding their brakes and weighting their pedal. When the whistle blew, I released the brakes and started to sprint the 400 yards of pavement for the holeshot. The course was about as wide as a car through the entire course, so the hole shot wasn't as important as other races.Regardless, I wanted it and stormed to take it. First race reality,the hole shot isn't contested. By the time I made the grass, I had opened up a 20-25 bike length lead on the pack. Afterwards, other racers were commenting on the pack just looking at each other with"What the hell is that about" looks on their faces. A quarter of the way through the first lap, my lead had shrunk down and I decided to wait for the front group to catch me. No sense blowing up by myself,only to get passed by everyone. By the end of the first lap, a front group of six had established itself. Two laps later the group had dwindled to four and I was wondering how much longer I could hold the pace. This was definitely hurting. With no resting sections, it was game on the whole time. Being around others in a cross race is a new experience for me. Usually I am dangling between groups in no mans land. This was much better.Three out of four of the guys in the front group were working together well, and I was staying out of that last yo-yo position. At one point the guy on the back bolted by everyone and drove the pace, then whenhe was done he went out the back. Three riders left and one lap togo. As we heard the bell, one rider (Bryan) attacked the group and I jumped on his wheel. By the time we hit the grass we had a small gap on the third rider and Bryan called for me to work with him. I pulled through and wondered if this was a smart decision. It took everything that I had not to increase the intensity and blow up, there was still a lap to go. I pulled along the grass, down to the pit, around the sweeping turns and into the barriers. Each previous lap Bryan had passed me on the barriers so I had to push a little more here. As the lap wore on, I knew being in front was more and more important. We went through the 180 sand turn around still together, then when we traversed the volleyball court, I rode through it cleanly, while Bryan stumbled a tiny bit. That's all I needed as I sprinted through the beach section and remounted for the final 500 yards of grass and pavement.Final result had me in first by two seconds.This was my first race outside of New England, either road or cross.I am now a firm believer that racing in this area is about as hard a sit gets, but a good racer in Michigan is a good racer. The courses are as good, the competition as good and the experience as good (if not better). This was also my first race where I have ridden smart,ridden within myself and not had any bike issues. These things, plus a course that suited my strengths turned into a memorable experience.