Rode moto 1 today. This moto stays with the main peloton. It's a little more nerve racking since you are always on call (moto 2 you can ease a bit when the peloton is all together). Plus you have to watch out for riders and cars while they are feeding. It's pretty much a mad house at the back of the peloton.
I did make a couple of dismounts. Thor dropped a chain but had it back on and was under way by the time we got to him. Another rider had a flat that I was about to change, but his team car was there and took over. Pretty slow change and they had to fish the dead wheel out of the weeds down a pretty steep slope. I'm assuming they got it. If not someone ended up with a Dura-Ace carbon rear wheel as a souvenir.
Had a quick chat with Jens. He came up and asked if I would be holding the spare wheels all day. Told him I would and he made reference to me being the strongest man in the world. He was rolling along saying hay to the teams cars as he made his way back up to the peloton. A class act if there ever was one.
9/08/2009
Tour of Missouri - Stage 1
Rode moto 2 today. This (and Mavic 2) are the moto and car that cover breaks that go. Followed the 3 man break for most of the day. No services. The only real excitement was when we decided to trade some paint with Mavic 2. I thought I was about to get a matching set of bruised hips. But thanks to the mad skills of Rob Love (the moto driver), he kept it upright and me off the ground.
The break eventually got caught, which meant we moved ahead of the field and were deviated at the finish. The only downside to working Mavic is you don't get to see too many of the finishes. Since we were ahead of the peloton we didn't see any of the closing k's carnage.
Hip felt good, although, I didn't have to do any quick dismounts...
The break eventually got caught, which meant we moved ahead of the field and were deviated at the finish. The only downside to working Mavic is you don't get to see too many of the finishes. Since we were ahead of the peloton we didn't see any of the closing k's carnage.
Hip felt good, although, I didn't have to do any quick dismounts...
9/06/2009
Tour of Missouri
Tour of Missouri...Working with Mavic again this year. Got into St. Louis on Saturday and went straight to work. First order of business was cleaning the old stickers off the Cosmic Ultimates so we could put the new stickers on.
Sunday was a casual breakfast at Union Station. Some of us decided to jump in and race the Giro della Montagna (Tour of the Hill - the Hill is an Italian neighborhood in St. Louis). This race has been going on for 20+ years and I raced it a few times in college. The course, however, was slightly different than when I raced it. The uphill finish was now down hill.
I decided to liven things up and took a flier about 18 minutes into the race. I managed to get a pretty good gap and got a shout out from the announcer. Unfortunately, I didn't take into account the bike/tire combination I wasn't familiar with and the ripples in the pavement in turn 1. Bam. Hit the deck. Took my free lap and jumped back in. Finished the lap with the pack.
Tomorrow will be the real test. Getting on and off the motto with a strawberry on the hip may make life interesting. More to come...
Sunday was a casual breakfast at Union Station. Some of us decided to jump in and race the Giro della Montagna (Tour of the Hill - the Hill is an Italian neighborhood in St. Louis). This race has been going on for 20+ years and I raced it a few times in college. The course, however, was slightly different than when I raced it. The uphill finish was now down hill.
I decided to liven things up and took a flier about 18 minutes into the race. I managed to get a pretty good gap and got a shout out from the announcer. Unfortunately, I didn't take into account the bike/tire combination I wasn't familiar with and the ripples in the pavement in turn 1. Bam. Hit the deck. Took my free lap and jumped back in. Finished the lap with the pack.
Tomorrow will be the real test. Getting on and off the motto with a strawberry on the hip may make life interesting. More to come...
9/01/2009
2009 Vuelta a Espana on your computer!
We are four stages into this years edition of the Tour of Spain and looks like another exciting race. If you have not found a website on the internet to watch the race yet, here are our two favorites.1. Universal Sports.com: the coverage is excellent and there are NO ads. You can actually watch the race develop and not have to endure all of the silly VS. video montages. Plus if you want to pay ($9.95) there are all manner of stats that you can watch relating to your favorite rider or teams.
2. Steephill.tv: this site provides you with more info than you can believe and links to live feeds from all over the world. You can watch the coverage in Flemish if you want to. Check it out!
8/06/2009
RIDE FOR WISHES KICK OFF PARTY!!!
Ride For Wishes is a two-day cycling event in Orange Beach, Alabama the weekend of October 2-4, 2009. The event will feature riding distances for all levels of cyclist- from a 17 mile fun loop to a true Century ride. Plenty of rest stops, great fellowship, nightly activities at the Wharf and the white, sandy beaches of the Gulf Coast are all reasons to make this year's Ride For Wishes a trip for the entire family. All of the money raised through your fundraising efforts will support the wish-granting efforts in the state of Alabama.
KICK-OFF PARTY!!!
• Learn about our 2 day Bike Ride this fall in Orange Beach!
• Sign up and Register to Ride for Make-A-Wish!
• Meet fellow Riders and enjoy a night of food and fun at Blackwell’s Pub!
• $2 Pints
• DOOR PRIZES!!!!!!
Not a Rider??
Come learn about Great Volunteer Opportunities as well!
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13th
5:30pm – 8:00pm (Come and Go)
BLACKWELL’S PUB
3151 Green Valley Road, Birmingham, AL 35243
www.blackwellspub.com
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