The Racing Adventures of Nick Reistad |
The Diet Coke Vuelta- one calorie, not enoughJune 26, 2005 My latest adventure took me to a seven day/eight stage race in the Cantabrian city of Santander. Basically, this race was the mini version of the Vuelta Espana, and it was nearly as hard. I gotta say, this was probably the most demoralizing racing I have ever done. With 22 categorized climbs though the duration of the race, I knew I was in for a hard seven days… but I had no idea it would be as tough as it was. We knew this race was a big deal because UCI doping control came the morning of the first race to check our hematocrits. I passed and was able to start. Check out the course profiles and photos: http://canales.eldiariomontanes.es/circuito_montanes/. First, let me explain the phenomenon of the “grupetto.” In the simplest terms, the grupetto is the group of guys that gets dropped on the climbs and cruises in to the finish at a leisurely pace, saving energy for the next day. The grupetto is mixed up of guys that completely suck (#22, Team Froiz, like 35years old and 5ft nothing) and sprinters that are saving their legs for the flat days. Since this race had NO flat days, there weren’t really any sprinters to speak of.
Ok, now on to what it’s like to spend 6 out of 7 days in the grupetto. It SUCKS! What actually happens is one of the tiny little Spaniards will yell “GRUPETTO” out at the start of the climb, and people will sit up to join the group. A lot of times, I would get stuck behind guys sitting up and couldn’t close the gaps they had opened. Some days I could, others I couldn’t. It was on the days that I COULD close the gaps that I got pissed when guys opened gaps or simply gave up. I’m a fighter and it pisses me off when other people aren’t. Besides, the joke of screaming “GRUPETTO” got really old! Stage 4 was the only day where I was content to drop into the grupetto. Stage 5a was a “flat” stage (read: hillier than shit, two Cat. 3 climbs, and mega-rollers) that “suited” me (read: if I’m gonna do well on any day, stage 5a is gonna be the day). The penultimate climb on Stage 4 was el Escudo, a cat 1 climb with an average of 15% for 7kms or something ridiculous like that, and as soon as we reached the climb, I chilled. Redemption for getting dropped: Stage 5a. The night before, I told myself I was NOT going to miss the break. So what does that mean? Working my ass off to get in the break, working my ass off to make the break work, and yet managing to work as little as possible. In the beginning of the day, I must have covered 15 attacks, and finally one looked promising, so I jumped the gap. Our gap shot up to 3 minutes and came down to 1 minute by the last 10km. Once the break was established, Noel came up with the team car to give me some directions. “NO, you’re working too much. Stop that. No, what are you doing? That is too much work. No more work. See how Rabobank doesn’t work at all, ever?” (editors note: Rabobank was on the front when he was saying that…). But I skipped pulls wherever possible, which saved me for the twice up “2x Stillwater” climb on the local lap (like the crit in Nature Valley, only 2x as long). Out of 14 in the break, I made it over in the front group. Unfortunately, everything came back together, and I started attacking. Everyone else had the same idea, though.
Finally, something happened and there was a split of 5. I sat on. Waited for the climb. The break came back together under the red banner for 1km to go, but we were on the climb already. I attacked. Me attacking on a climb? YEAH BABY! Didn’t work. Tiny little Spaniards came bouncing past me, and a huge Russian guy… hmmm. I held on for 7th. I was really happy with 7th out of a 100km breakaway. Now for the funny story. I crossed the line in 7th and bent down to talk into my radio and let the guys know how I did. The big Russian guy that finished in front of me flipped a U-turn right in front of me, and I didn’t see him because I was talking on the radio. BAM. I’m on the ground, not quite sure how I got there. I put 2 and 2 together, jumped up and started swearing at this guy. I honestly was so pissed (and amped up on adrenaline) that I don’t remember what I said. I must have threatened his life or something, because there were 3 guys holding me back: the team soigneur, a race official, and a Spanish cop.
European crash count: 4 List of American things to do when I
get home: (in other words, things I can’t do here) Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Spanish podium
girls are HOT. I didn’t meet any of them, though. I’m
not fast enough. Yet!
Euro Trip 2005June 14, 2005 Okay, so I’ve been in Belgium for six days so far. I’ve been in Europe for 20 days. Of those 20 days, I’ve done 15 races. Needless to say, I’m a little bit tired. This article is going to be dedicated to talking about the unique experiences I’ve had here, both as a racer and a tourist. The racing over here is different, to be sure. I can’t really put a finger on what is different. There is more yelling, more pushing, a lot of F-bombs dropped in the field, attacks, attacks, and more attacks. The races are fast, and the climbs are faster. I would say that the biggest difference is the voracity that people climb with. Also, racers here don’t hesitate to ride hard. In fact, they’ll ride harder than they can and blow all over the place. It’s cool because I’m not outgunned over here. I definitely have areas that I can improve, but I’m competitive to say the least. I’m not willing to get intimidated, either. I like to think of it as “politics on the bike.” Lets see… I’ve dropped so many F-bombs on the Euro kids they think I’m from an American gangster movie. I rolled up my sleeve and showed one Euro my muscle and then pointed in his face. He backed down. Sometimes I don’t even acknowledge them, I just move where I want to, and in races like the Ronde de L’Isard where its all small climbers, I’m one of the biggest guys in the field. HA! So far, I’ve done a nine-day stage race in the Thuringen region. My best result was a 10th place on the second stage. This was an incredibly hard stage with wind and hills… oh, the “flat” stages here are what would be called very hilly in the US, I can’t figure that one out… but I finally chased up from the second group to the first group and was able to sprint it out. I crashed on Stage 3 because I took a downhill corner through a town like you would take a crit corner in the US. Gotta remember not to do that again! Fortunately, I didn’t take anyone else down. I would have felt bad.
My next race, the Ronde de L’Isard, was a race not well suited for my… how can I put this… large body size. I’m big and tall, and a race that has Cat. 1 climbs in the Pyrenees does not bode well for any top-10 finishes! But anyways, I was able to help out in the flat stages leading Tyler Farrar out. Noel Dejonkheere (Dee-yonk-eer), our coach, let me skip the last stage because of a lingering injury from my crash in stage 3 of Thuringen. For the UW Spring-breakers, some of the descents we do are like going down Wayah in a field of over 100 dudes. Even sketchier are the descents that are like the BACKSIDE of Wayah with 100 dudes. Cool: The Dutch (Rabobank), Danish, and German guys: that we chat with during the races Losers: Italians: sneaky, dirty little
creeps that hold onto cars in the ITT EuroCool- Chatting with the Rabobank
D3 team EuroCool- Eating pastries before, during
and after the races EuroCool- Dropping F-bombs on Euros EuroCool- Smart Cars, turbo diesel,
and manual transmissions
EuroCool- Roundabouts in races EuroCool- Echelons in crosswind sections EuroCool- Getting a top-10 result in
my first stage race EuroCool- shutting the door on a Euro
in a crosswind section EuroCool- Twisty mountain descents in
a field of 200. EuroCool- Washing my kits in the sink
of the hotel-the ultimate Euro experience EuroCool- Tom Boonen’s Euro-Mohawk EuroCool- getting daily massages from
our team soignuers EuroCool- Talking in a faux-French accent
at the start line EuroCool- Yelling “AUTO”
instead of “Car UP!” (pronounced oww-toh)
The Heck of the NorthJune 1, 2005
Yesterday, I competed in the 32nd edition of the U23 Paris-Roubaix, the little brother of the Hell of the North spring classic. At 190km, just over 60kms were sections of pavé, or famous cobbled sections that are mostly closed to normal traffic because they are so bumpy. I gotta be honest. I don’t get nervous for many races out of the year, but this one I got a few jitters in the days leading up to it. To take my mind off of the race, I thought about the sight seeing trip I had lined up for the day after the race. However, as I was getting ready for the start, and at the start line, the nerves were completely gone. Just another race!
Although weather forecasts had painted a terrible picture in the days leading up to the Heck of the North (only Heck, ‘cuz it’s the little brother of Hell of the North, the REAL race), but fortunately, it didn’t rain all week. The cobbles were dry as a bone and dusty.
My goal: to finish the race, and if luck was with me, give it a go at the end. At the start, Noel brought us into the van for a “top secret” meeting. He told us where we would need to be careful, where we would need to race to get to the cobbles first, what to do if we made it to the end, and most importantly, to be careful. Stats from the race: So anyways, back to the race. The 20th section of cobbles (count down) was 50km in. We knew that we would need to be in the front to avoid crashes and people getting flats or dropped. I was about 10th wheel going in, and there was a crash RIGHT in front of me. DAMN! I kinda went down… so we’ll count that as one crash. After that, I was one of the winners of the fights for the cobbled sections, going through them in at least 10th wheel. It makes it easier, I could see the bumps, and the dust wasn’t as bad. Also, I didn’t have to slow down for people flatting or falling over. I was doing really well, and so were Wes Hartman and John Murphy, until 60km to go. On one of the cobbled sections, I was riding in the gutter where there was about a 5cm rut of dirt/dried cow poo that was devoid of any cobbles. It was the fastest line. Unfortunately, a Dutch national team rider thought it was a good idea, too, and chopped my wheel HARD. I figured I would ride up on the grass, I would scrub some speed, but it was better than hitting the cobbles and getting run over. Well… there was only long long grass… and a deep ditch. So next thing I know, my front wheel is going down, I’m going ass-over-tea-kettle over my bars, I saw my leg still clipped in, and finally I landed butt down and my bike clonked me on the head (thank God for helmets!). It was a nice, soft landing on grass and stinging nettles- ouch! John saw me bail. He said it looked pretty comical. Wes said all he saw was my head and shoulders pop up from nowhere behind the long grass like a gopher or something. It was a pretty hard chase to get back on. Nothing was hurt.
Once we were all back together, with about 25km left, Noel (in the first car in the caravan, so he could see everything), was saying “Now is the time to try to attack the group.” And I was thinking, “Well, this might be the last time I’m ever going to do this race, I might as well go out in flames! But I’m freaking tired.” And then I hear Noel, “And everyone is tired, so you might be able to get free.” I guess that was all I needed, so I took a flyer, followed by a Rabobank guy named Lars Boom. A nice guy, you should watch for his name in the Tour in the coming years. Well, I got clear of the front of the group, but people weren’t as tired as I hoped, and I hit the proverbial wall pretty hard. With 20km to go, I bonked hard and when through the back of the field on the 6th section of cobbles like I was tied to a post. I rode the rest of the way in on my own, happy to finish, disappointed I had made it so close and had gotten dropped. It was awesome seeing the big names painted on the road from the real race, and afterwards showering down in the showers named after past winners. Knowing I am riding along the same roads that Meuseuw, Boonen, Tafi, Merckx, and all of the others had ridden before. Wes was collapsed in the infield as I entered the Roubaix Velodrome by myself and yelled, “Sprint it out, Reistad!” I just looked back, smiled, and flipped him the bird! To describe the race, it was the most bone-jarring, joint-wrenching, ball-busting, teeth-chattering, arm-tearing, palm-blistering, knee-knocking, muscle-rattling race I have ever done. I hated this race like I have never hated a race before. All I can say is: I WANNA COME BACK!
Remembering MattMay 17, 2005 My updates are usually light hearted and tell tall tales of my adventures in the pro peloton. I’m in Europe racing now with the National Team, but all I can seem to think about is what happened to Matt. Everyone has heard of Matt, whether it was this year or last, and I just want to share with you a little bit about him, tell some stories, so everyone gets the chance to get to know Matt a little bit. I remember the first time meeting Matt. Gary Achterberg, Matt’s and my former coach, introduced us after the Wheel’s on Willy crit the summer before his freshman year. We invited Matt to the Memorial Terrace where the UW Cycling club was replaying the action of the day and drinking a few beers. Matt, not old enough to drink yet, sat on the sidelines and munched on Gary’s popcorn and watched us goofy college kids. Only a few months later, Matt was helping me recruit his fellow freshman at the southeast dorms during move-in days. Matt only knew us from racing and hanging out afterwards, but he knew what he wanted: a kick ass cycling club and a lot of fun! Fast forward a few months to road season. At our first race of the season, in Kentucky, Matt won the men’s Bs race the same day I won the A’s. He easily sprinted to a win. Not only was he fit and fast, but he was starting to get a good head in the races, figuring them out and understanding how to kick everyone’s butt. Somewhere out there, there is a red framed picture of him crossing the line first. Not only did we ride together, but we partied together. Matt was always present for the good times (and the tough times… like organizing nationals). Matt would always show up for Freezing for Safety, our annual fundraiser/festival of funness; he would be the first in line in the Homecoming Parade; Matt would be the first to show up at the cycling club parties. We would always get Matt to giggle. Once you got him started, he was done for the rest of the night. He would start slowly and softly, and then it would progress rapidly to laughing uncontrollably on the floor, and everyone would catch the fever. We would laugh at him, then we would laugh with him, and pretty soon, we were all laughing together. At the club grill out at Mike the Tanks house after the Homecoming Parade, a couple of neighbor girls came over to see what the raucous was about. Well, leave it to a bunch of cyclists, but we naturally had to talk to them. Matt hit it off with one of them and made sure to show her his feeding tube scar. It was his battle scar, his mark of truth… when anyone questioned the authenticity of his first crash, out came the scar! Later that night, when we were all back around the grill, telling outlandish stories, we got Matt laughing. I can’t even remember the joke, or who told it, but the timing was perfect. He was just about to take a drink when the punch line hit. BOOM! Matt was laughing, his drink was squirting through his nose, and everyone was rolling with laughter. We still make fun of him for that one! The other thing that really stood out about Matt was his fearlessness and tenacity. When others (including myself) would back down from a challenge, or say something was too hard, Matt was the first person to give us a hard time for it. “Oh, it’s too tough,” he would say. “Suck it up old man.” And that was all the motivation any of us would need to get the job done. Whether it was suiting up to race in the rain, or going to study for a test we didn’t want to, Matt knew how to peer pressure us into doing what needed to be done. His dedication to riding was like none that I have ever seen before. If I were involved in a crash like his first one, I can’t say that I would have been able to do what he did and get back on the bike. Matt didn’t just want to get back on the bike, but he wanted to get back to where he was before the crash. He asked me for my opinions on training, diet, how could he get back on form? My response was: Matt, And the line that sticks out of his
reply the most was: If Matt’s passing can teach us one thing, it is not to be afraid of a challenge. The next time that you reach an obstacle that seems unsurpassable; think of what Matt would say to you: “Oooh, it’s too tough!” But the craziest thing is, he would be right next to you getting it done. To all of you that know Matt, you know what I’m talking about. But I want to add that he would want all of us to continue riding our bikes, loving every minute of it and experiencing life to the fullest. No challenge is too tough. No obstacle is too big. Keep riding your bike. Every time I have gotten on my bike since his second accident, I have been riding with the strength of two. I know Matt is out there watching us race. Let’s make him proud. In the papers, Matt was labeled a “hero.” That word can’t even begin to describe his character and determination. To Matt, We love you and are going to
miss you an awful lot. Keep racing by our sides the whole way. You’re
my boy, Blue! You’re my boy!
Appalachian AtmosphereMay 1, 2005 My current location is at the top of Lookout Mountain, Georgia, just south of Chattanooga, TN. The Advantage Benefits Endeavour Cycling Team is living at the house of our team mate, Eddy, his wonderful wife Carlee, and their two beautiful children, Jackson (3) and Kenzie (7 mo.). They are doing a fantastic job of keeping us well fed (maybe TOO well fed—naw!). Since we were not invited to the Tour de Georgia, we are down here with a large chunk of time where we can get in some solid training. And even though we are in Georgia, we aren’t going to watch the TdG. It’s kinda like going to a party that you’re not invited to, you know? We have done a lot of long/hard rides, ranging from 5-6 hours on the bike. One day, we had a simulation “USPro” day, where we would drill it into a short, steep climb (the “Manyunk wall”), and then our climbers raced up the climb. Other training rides consist of racing 80-mile races, followed by another 40 miles of riding. My typical day: In-ride notes: 5:00 Get back from ride
It is awesome that the TdG receives so much press down here. I guess throngs of people go to watch the start and finish every day to watch Lance race. Unfortunately, cycling is going to lose its biggest star at the end of July. I hope that cycling in the US will be able to find a new star to inspire “normal” people to ride and race. Fortunately, it looks like the Tour this year will be more interesting to watch. Personally, it doesn’t affect me that much that Armstrong is retiring. I don’t race against him. I still would like to thank Lance personally for the contribution that he has made—dating Cheryl Crow. By dating a pop celebrity, Lance has made is acceptable for pop sensations to date younger cyclists. I hope that this trend continues, for my sake of course! I have made a goal to get a taste of
the local flavor of every place that I stay in. And what better
way to get a “taste” than to eat the local food. We
went to Zarzours in Chattanooga, a southern restaurant that’s
been around since 1918. I had fried oysters, fried green tomatoes,
butter beans, and corn bread. It was awesome! We also had free reign
after-hours in Clumpies Ice Cream, a local creamery in Chattanooga.
It was every kids dream-come-true. We all felt sick after we left,
each having eaten at least a pint of ice cream. Karl ate the most,
having nearly 4 pints (2 liters in Aussie-speak)!
I recently got word that I’m going to Belgium with the National Team. I’ll be leaving on May 2nd. I purchased tickets, and right about now, I’m getting pretty excited. Ok, really excited. Sweetness!
To the southerners that are still rockin’ the Confederate Flag: You LOST the war 140 years ago. Get over it! If you have any questions, or you are
a female pop sensation (single, of course) email Nick at ngreistad@yahoo.com. California Dreamin'April 15, 2005 After a month long trip in California, I am finally on vacation. It’s ironic, I think, that my vacation takes me back to the same coffee shop in Madison where I study during the school year… when I actually do study!
The Redlands Bicycle Classic was our last race in California before returning to our homes for a little bit of relaxation and some quality training. Redlands is by far one of the most challenging stage races in the US, probably second only to the Tour of Georgia. Even though the Classic was shortened from 6 days to 4, it was by no means an easier race. In fact, it put more emphasis on doing well EVERY day. Basically, there are no days to recover. Another dimension that makes this race difficult is that all the American pro teams and top amateur teams send their A-squads, and everyone is on top form. My best performance (and I say this not only because I finished in 32, but that I was happy about how I performed) was at the uphill time trial. On a bike path, this TT is twisty and technical, not particularly my forte (flash-backs of me crashing on an MTB—more than once!), but I wasn’t going to let that set me back.
I have to say thank you to the wonderful people that have hosted us throughout the second half of our stay on the left coast. Host housing is what helps P-R-O’s like us save our budgets. It also gives us a great opportunity to see different walks of life. Leading up to Redlands, we stayed with Lucas Euser, a Webcor P-R-O and college student. San Louis Obispo is a very cool town and the riding is great… hills to the east, and the Pacific Coast Highway to the west. Down in Redlands (a suburb of the massive LA), we stayed with Terre and Maria Wellington, a Regional VP of Kohls and a Store manager of Target, respectively. Time for a quick, shameless plug for housing riders: It gives us the opportunity to live in a comfortable setting (good for performance ‘cuz we’re relaxed), meet wonderful people, and you get to experience the “inside scoop” from the professional or top-level amateurs. For Wisconsinites, you can house riders for Superweek. Notes from the road:
After getting served on the basketball court by my 10- and 13-yr old sisters, I realized that I need to give up my dreams of being a P-R-O NBA star and stick to my day job— which happens to be a P-R-O cyclist! Its not that I’m bad at basketball—because I have moves that would make MJ look like a hobo—its just that they play a fast-paced street ball I’m not used to. So on Wednesday this week it’s back to work and we head down to Georgia for Not-The-Tour-de-Georgia. As a new team, we were not selected for the race. Instead, we will be participating in other races like the Athens Twilight Criterium. Other news! I have recently been notified that I have been selected for part of the USA National Team’s U23 program in Belgium. The most notable race on my calendar is the U23 Paris-Roubaix. I leave on May 2nd for Belgium, where we will be stationed. Unfortunately, I am not able to afford the entire cost of a plane ticket to Belgium, so if you would like to contribute to my racing exploits, please email me! Got Questions? Want to know what is
sticking out of his nose? Yes you do! Email Nick at ngreistad@yahoo.com
to find out.
Life as a Vagrant…March 24, 2005 Right now, the Advantage Benefits/Endeavour Cycling Team has no home. Most of us are without a permanent address and the life of a P-R-O cyclist is anything but dull. We have been in the state of California since the beginning of March, racing and training, getting ready for our team camp and the start of the NRC schedule. While the rest of the team stayed in California for races in Fresno, Brian Sheedy and I flew into Austin for a weekend of local races. Sheeds (as our Aussie Karl calls him) won both 80 mile races last year. We wanted to dominate to the extreme, just for old times sake. The course is really really hilly and wide open for vicious crosswinds. Before the start Brian said we should be conservative at the beginning of the race. However, that is far from what happened and to make a long story short Brian and I attacked the 100-man field with 72 miles left to go. And that was that! OUCH! Brian won, and I took second. On Sunday, we did the same thing, except I won and Sheeds took second. Just a hard day in the office! Back in Fresno, we had our team camp. As a neo-pro, this was an awesome experience. We had a photo shoot, we got daily massages from Bob the soigneur, bottles were on our bikes daily (bikes were cleaned and dialed every night by our two mechanics, Mike and Petar). We had an interview with the beautiful cyclingnews.com writer, Ella Lawrance. We also did some team-building exercises that helped us build some of the trust and respect that we used this weekend in the San Dimas Stage Race. Speaking of the San Dimas Stage Race, we really turned some heads this weekend. HealthNet is definitely the top team in the US this year, but we aren’t going to go down without a fight. It was the Advantage Benefits/Endeavour leadout train that took over at the end of Saturday’s road race. It was our train that brought the break back in the criterium (I was in the break sitting on while my teammates were slaying themselves!), and it was us that cracked HealthNet’s dominant hold on GC. Watch for us on the front at the Redlands Bicycle Classic at the end of this month, because we’ve got the horsepower and we’ve got the anger, the passion and emotion! Until Redlands, the Advantage Benefits/Endeavour team will be bouncing back and forth from hotel to host housing. We had a training ride in the OC (Orange County for those not down with the lingo) today… not as glamorous as the TV show… we got sidetracked and discovered the dump. Currently, we’re watching some shady folk that are jumping in and out of the bushes behind a UHaul trunk the the hotel parking lot. They’ve been there all day looking like they’re up to no good. Maybe they have Garrett’s stolen Padre’s hat. Speaking of which, if anyone sees a cleaning lady walking around wearing a Padres hat in a Best Western in Southern California, she stole it from Garrett’s hotel room this weekend… or so he thinks. Frank and I think he’s delusional, but we keep him around because he’s our team male model. Any questions? Just shoot ‘em
to me at ngreistad@yahoo.com
and I’ll get back as soon as I’m in one spot for a night!
Until then, I’m gonna live the homeless life! Racing in MexicoMarch 10, 2005 I got back late Sunday night from the Vuelta Sonora Arizona. Man, did we have a good time. Everything was SO disorganized, from driving Mexican-style (a random free-for-all where traffic laws are merely a suggestion) to not knowing anything about where the stages started, went or finished. It was the most organized chaos I have ever seen. We had a running joke with our sportif Beth "Beth, do you know where the start of the stage is?" "Nope" "Ok, we'll ride there" "Sounds good, I'll see you there." And we made it every day. Despite the chaos, we had a blast. Day 1: A psycho parking lot crit. There were three- and I'm not exagerating- three 180 switchback hairpin turns. Crazy. And the Mexican racers can't corner, so we're bumping off of Mexicans, and before the start, I was chatting it up with a Mexican dude. I asked him if he wanted some rain, and he said NO WAY JOSE! And then it started to rain. So I got into a break with 15 people, only 3 or 4 Mexicans, and took 11th. I'm in the U23 jersey, an ugly brown jersey for the classification of young riders. Day 2: craazy out and back course. By out and back, I mean on ONE road, no yellow-line rule. At the top of the climb, there was a cone that we whipped a 180 at and went down the same-damn-climb. When the field split up, we'd be decending and almost hitting the second peloton. I can just hear one of my lawyer/cyclist friends going crazy. Oh yeah, we did this 8 times! Day 3: Can't possibly be sketchier than Day 2, right? HA. After a 120km road stage we had 8 local 3km laps... that only 1/2 the field knew about, which made the finish a little bit "loco". I figured sitting 20th wheel going into the local laps would be good, but when I saw the dust getting kicked up by the lead cars and some of the man-sized potholes, I jammed up to the front. Then we raced through a street no wider than State St. with cars parked on both sides, people sticking out, potholes, and then construction taking up all but a 4ft section of road in one area. Then a chicane on cobbles, and not the nice ones either. Slippery as ice and bumpy. After the finish line, there was another 180 and back on to the shitty road. (Again, lawyer/cyclist friend freaking out with lots of law-school terminology!) With 1km to go, one of the Mexican sprinters was trying to push me into the parked cars... and not nicely either...so I turned around and punched the guy as hard as I could. He punched me back, and a fistfight ensued while going 55kms/hr heading into the cobbled section with parked cars. We both finished upright (good for me, but I wish something bad would have happened to him) and in the main group. For anyone that wants to know, his name is Jose Sanchez (i'm not lying) and if I told you evertying I saw that guy do, you wouldn't believe me. Seriously. We called him "Dirty." (for more reason than one) Day 4: Lined up for the sprint 20kms out, not sure where it is, we have our whole team on the front at the 1km banner, with 500m to go, they have us make a wrong turn, so we're flying at 65kms/hr making wrong turns. We finished in the group and were kinda pissed, but glad no one went down. Day 5: Again not knowing where the finish is, all we know is that there is a 1km climb. So again we are lined up for the sprint with 20kms to go, fighting and jostling for position. The climb ended up being 5kms long, but we were roaring up it in our big rings. I cracked right at the top, but thanks to my teammates I only lost 6 seconds in the GC.
I have to give a shout out to my teammates Garrett Peltonen, Wes Hartman, Brian Sheedy and Dave Sachs for taking care of me all week. They rocked. This trip was so much fun, we had a blast. The food was incredible, the people were amazing and nice, and the podium girls were "muy bonitas"! Check out my hat in the picture- a little shout out to my homies in Mad-town! This was the most mentally demanding racing I have ever done. The roads had moon-crater size potholes, I had to watch the top-10 in the GC plus the U23 guys. There was a lot of "friendly" bumping going on, and we were never sure about anything with the racing. It is really a different style of racing, and I'm sure that it will make me a better racer. Right now I'm in a coffee shop in California for the start of the NRC races. Nick |
Day
6: Nervous energy all over the place, breakaways going off left
and right, I'm getting attacked by the other 2 U23 guys, so I have
to go with all of their attacks, and I'm marked by the leaders team
(Tecos), so anytime I go up the road, the field chases full bore.
It finished in a bunch sprint with 3 guys up the road. I won the
U23 competition and took 8th in the GC.
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