9/8 - Muskoka 70.3

How did I end up in the north woods of Canada you ask for a 70.3 race? Well Muskoka has a very long triathlon history and looking at the schedule it was a great race since I had hoped that everyone else would be in Las Vegas racing the world championship. That may not be entirely true, but either way what a truly great destination race.  The Muskoka race is in the town or Huntsville Ontario at a large resort that a few years ago hosted the global G8 summit. About 4 hours north of Buffalo, where I flew into. I took this race opportunity to travel north into Canada and enjoy a great location.  Flying into Buffalo on Friday morning and driving around the west shore of Lake Ontario gave me time to enjoy the scenery and head even further north to Huntsville. My home stay was right in town, Rob his wife and two children both similar in age to my own. The town so much reminded me of the north woods of WI, interconnected lakes all over, with cabins up and down the shores. It is a popular destination for folks living in Toronto. Rob and his family were super nice and more than welcoming to me, he was involved in the race as well coordinating the bike course volunteers, his wife and children were also at the first aid station on they run. 

The race course is set in a beautiful lake at a large resort, and was a larger race than I was really expecting. I spent my Saturday taking my time getting checked in, driving the bike course, and getting familiar with the area. I took especially long around the bike course which went around a large lake call Lake of the Bays which has a rich history.

This steam powered boat used to take visitors to a island resort which still has a private golf course among other things. I toured the history museum there and a lot of the pictures reminded me of my fathers boats in the past. Apparently the boat sank to the bottom of the lake and stayed there for quite some time, but has since been rescued and restored. The course around the lake was just as I expected beautiful, hilly, and smooth, it was going to be a great race. One thing that I realized was that this was the first time I had ever driven a bike course prior to the race in all my years racing, I see why it's a good idea now. After that was the pro meeting, bike checkin, fixing a flat tire already, and a great dinner at Rob's home with his family. I made it an early night, even though race start was not until 8 am, it was still east coast time. 

Race morning I headed over to the venue, caught the shuttle bus, and got my gear set up. The only two pros that I knew were Richie and Mirinda, but there were more than I expected for the men's field.

We warmed up in the cool clear waters and lined up for the start, the women were starting with us as well today. I headed out to an early lead but there were 2 or 3 other guys keeping pace no problem. I just swam my race nice and smooth, about two thirds through the swim one other guy decided it was time for him to lead, and I was fine with that. The water was so clear I could follow him and conserve some energy. But the last 500 meters my 'got to win attitude' got the best of me and I went around him to get 1st out of the water. There is a 300 meter run up to transition, which felt quite long. I was onto the bike in 3rd place now, not sure how that happened, maybe I need to work on my transitions. In the first 10 miles or so I got back into 2nd place, but 1st was not insight. The 3rd place guy was behind me for the entire bike and we were passed in the last miles by Lionel the eventual winner of the race. Bike course was great, just as I expected, but I averaged 318 watts which is a little high for me on a half. This may explain the last 10k of my run too. So I exited the bike in 4th place along with the 3rd place guy. 

I felt pretty good on the first 10k of the run it was hilly, I was keeping pace and 3rd was not gaining to much of a gap.  Raliert passed all of us and ran himself into 2nd place. My 2nd 10k was another story, I did not totally fall apart or anything, just gradually slowed and was passed at like 19k to sit in 6th place, where I would finish for the day. I would of liked to been top 5 for sure but my run was not having it after biking a little too hard.  I got tons of food in afterwards, got back to Robs house and took a nice walk downtown, had dinner and drinks. Overall such a great race I would love to do it once again for sure, or even make a vacation up in the area with the family. Turns out I had been up to Algonquin park when I was 4 for a canoe trip with my family.  I love the paddling atmosphere up there, I just need to figure out how to get my kayaks up.

All picture from Muskoka - 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13519781@N02/sets/72157635504319072/

SSSR 8/31-9/2

Labor Day weekend was spent this year up in Steamboat Springs, Shanon and the girls came to this race not necessarily to watch but rather to spend the weekend in a great mountain town. This was the second year I have completed this 3 day stage race, consisting of a time trial the first day, a road race the second, and a crit the third. We had a great CAT3 showing for our team with 9 guys of a 45 man field, so we knew we had to put our plans this weekend to work. Ryan Taylor and Rob Thayer were our GC guys for the weekend. We arrived Saturday morning and had a nice studio to stay in right on the ski / mt bike trails. The girls headed out for a bike ride and I went to the TT.  It was a little over 10 miles, but much flatter than last year. At the end we had 3 riders in the top 10, with Ryan 1st, Andy 6th, and myself 10th. 

The 2nd day was the road race, over 82 miles and 7k' of climbing.  Our plan was the shelter Ryan and Rob the whole day and get them both fresh to the last few climbs, cover attacks, and keep the pace of the group in check.  The was an attack with 2 guys early and I covered this one and one more bridged up. I was not doing any work oping to slow the pace of the other three riders in the attack, they were not happy with me, but it worked after about 25 miles the group caught us again. I stayed toward the front of the group still to cover any other attacks, as did a few of our other guys. The first big pass went well and the group stayed together nicely. But the second was where the race is generally determined. The group started to fragment right from the base of the climb. Ryan and Rob stuck on the lead pack, Andy and myself were just behind. As we neared the summit there was a feed zone to exchange bottles, after this I realized that the lead group was together just up the road. A quick decent and a little climb brought me right back with them. Though Rob and two others had managed to break away. Ryan was still with the group though. There was a longer very quick decent, the back towards town for the last 20 miles or so. All we had to do was make sure Rob was not caught. Little did I know he was working very hard and pulling a huge 5 minute gap. Once I realized how far ahead they were, I decided that I was going to make this group of 15 or 20 work to make this finish. Ryan said he was feeling well again so I started throwing attacks, on each climb, and during the flats. 

This managed to loose about 1/3 of those guys, but I was getting tired of leading and the legs were starting to fade, I could not shake them all by myself.  For some reason I get into that mode where I think I can do all the work and still manage to get away, well it did not work this day. It ended up being a sprint for the last 1km and needless to say I lost the sprint due to all the work up in, but Rob won his sprint to the line and took the win on the RR, so mission accomplished. The girls spent the day in the hot springs pool, enjoying Steamboat.

The last day of our stay was the Crit race, which was not until 2PM. We decided to hike to one of the best waterfalls in CO in the morning.  It was a short hike the girls and I climbed the rocks all the want to the base of the falls.

The Crit race was only 45 mins long, a standard rectangular 1k course, with a small hill thrown in. We still had a large team presence to make something happen here and Rob was in control of the GC so it was basically keep him safe and get him to the line in the main group.  The last 3 laps I was leading and really thought I was going to make it happen, Andy and Ryan were even blocking for me.  But in the end I lost it in the last 1/2 lap and to the sprint, but Rob was a few wheels back and took 2nd on the sprint.  Seems I took this Crit race very similar to the road race, by leading way too many laps and loosing in the sprint.  But I got a $50 prime lap in there and got Rob where he needed to be. The girls actually came to watch the 2nd half of this race, it was nice to see them on the line cheering for me.

Overall Rob took the GC win, and Ryan got the BRAC season win with this race topping it off, and I got 6th on the GC. Not too bad of results, it was great to see our plans work out in the end and get our team on top. The girls even had a good weekend vacation in Steamboat Springs. Great racing this weekend boys, I am proud to be part of the Sonic Boom team.

8/25 - Xterra Buffalo Creek

I have been thinking about trying out an Xterra race for quite some time now, but wanted to have a decent mountain bike to do it on, mine was over 18 years old. I got the new 29er hardtail a few weeks ago and signed up for the Buffalo Creek race.  The race would be the 4th time on the bike, either way it was a smaller Xterra race with a small pro fields, I thought I would do great.  The venue was near Conifer about 1/2 south west of Denver in the foothills.  It was private land connected to some great single track mountain bike trails.

The lake could have used some water in it, apparently the lake is private and they sell the water to farmers.  Anyway the swim course was to be two short shallow loops making up the 1 mile swim.  Waves were started according to swim times, pros did not have their own wave.  So we started in one large wave and I took off in the lead right from the beginning.  The 2nd loop was a little congested and I ran into a few other swimmers crossing the out and back in the wrong direction.   Either way I exited the water with a 3 minute lead and headed onto the bike.  I was not sure when the leaders would catch me, but I knew they would on the bike.  The bike started with a fast dirt road 3 mile decent to the single track trails.  I think I was at about mile 6 or so when I heard them behind me, since it was single track you have to find an area to let them pass.  That was not an issue as they were heading up and down the path faster than I was.  It seemed like the fast singletrack they would take much more risk that I was and that is where I was loosing ground fast.  I also thought I was lost a few times on the bike course, but was not all that worried since it was so beautiful and fun to ride.  The last 3 miles of the 20 mile course were back up that dirt road we had descended.  I was in 6th place now.  Onto the run was again single track, through great trails, up hill and down, through streams, over bridges, etc.  It was a pretty fun trail run, I passed one other guy to move into 6th and held 6 min per mile pace on the 5 mile trail.  When I was passing the one guy I thought it would be a good idea to pass quickly and picked up the pace, but right after the pass I turned my left ankle on a root pretty good and had to slow down a little.
Crossing the line in 5th place (the results said 4th at the race, until I checked writing this) I think was pretty good for my first Xterra race, I need to work on my MTB skills, but the new 29er Fuji hardtail was flawless the entire race.  I think next season I will throw some of these Xterra races into the mix for fun, as they are always in a great area.

Swim - 21:12

T1 - 1:01

Bike - 1:35:02

T2 - 0:42

Run - 30.00

Total - 2:27:54.9

8/14-8/17 Conundrum Springs

The classic family backpacking trip, except we were missing one member, well really two.  I have been planing a backpacking trip for a little while now for this summer right before the girls started school.  It was supposed to be Glacier NP but we did not have the amount of time I had hoped for so a CO trip would have to do.  It did not disappoint.  The plan was to head to Aspen which I had not ben yet and hit some of the Maroon Bells wilderness.  Shanon's Grandfather had passed away the weekend before the trip so she ended up not having all the vacation time that she wanted to be able to go and opted to stay home and work.  Charlie was supposed to go and help carry weight, but the trail I picked ended up not allowing dogs the last two miles.  So we were down to my two favorite girls and myself.
Heading over independence pass, we got to Aspen on Wednesday the 14th and spent some time around town, and it is exactly as dumb and dumber portrayed it to be if not more.

Anyway we camped up by Maroon Creek and hiked around Maroon Lake, which is the classic CO picture you see.

Early the next morning was the big first day, we drove to the Conundrum trailhead which was the next valley to the northeast and started our 9 mile hike up to the spring.

Since we were without Shanon and the dog, Dad was left to carry pretty much everything for the 3 day trip.  Th girls had their clothes and sleeping bags.  It was a long trip up the valley to almost 12k' where we would spent the next few days, but very rewarding and beautiful the whole way up.  There was not even that much complaining on the way up, but there were two very tired girls for sure.  We were pleasantly surprised that one of the best sites overlooking the entire valley was still available.

We set up the hammock and enjoyed the view.

Made dinner

And of course hit up the hot springs

The nights were cold and the days bight and sunny without any rain the whole trip.  We spent the next day doing a few day hikes, soaking in the hot springs, and just spending time up in the mts.

Saturday I watched the sun rise from the hot springs by myself since I could not get the kids out of the tent in the cold.  We packed up soon after and started our 9 mike hike back down.  It was sure a lot easier to hike back down than it was heading up.  We got back to the trailhead around 2PM,

The only thing left to do was go back into Aspen and have a huge lunch, we found a good Bar-b-q place and ordered 2 racks of ribs.

We were going to camp one more night in Aspen, but were were down so early we just decided to head home for a much needed shower and change of clothes.  Overall such a great trip, I think we will need to do at least one back backing trip every year, maybe Shanon can come with next time.  I got to go backpacking when I was a child about their ages, and I hope that they pass this onto their children as well.

All of the pictures can be found here - 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13519781@N02/sets/72157635112910923/

8/10 - Grays and Torrys Peaks

Two days after summiting Longs I decided it was a good idea to hit up two more 14ers with a few friends.  Shanon was supposed to come as well as a few others but due to a death in her family she was back in IL for the weekend.  While the kids were in IL we were going to climb these 14ers, we decided to go anyway.  Mary, Sam, Merideth, and myself, we headed up early in the AM and drove to the trailhead, we ended up starting at about 6 AM.  This was a popular hike especially on a Saturday, there were already a bunch of cars.  We headed out and took the first left intersection I thought was heading to Torrys, well it was but it was a class 3 route.  It was not going to happen for all those in our party, so we headed back to the normal route up to Torrys, by cutting through a rock field.  Once on the main trail again it was easy hiking up to Torrys, just crowded since we took a wrong turn.  We ate lunch on the summit if Torrys with great weather.

After lunch was a short hike down a bit to the ridge to the trail up to Grays.  We made it up to the top of Grays quickly and enjoyed some time on top.

The total hike was just over 8 miles, not too bad for bagging 2 14ers in one day and the weather was gorgeous the entire day.  After the hike we headed down to Boulder to enjoy a few beers for Merideth's birthday hike to 2 14ers.  A great day was had by all.

All pictures can be found here -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13519781@N02/sets/72157635030165444/

8/7 - Longs Peak

Last week I made a little list and put it in a frame, it is of all the 14ers in Colorado, with each member of the family and a checkbox for the date in which the peak was climbed.  I will cover them all in my lifetime.  I have only done a few so far, but Longs is on that is staring at me every day from here in Louisville, I can see it from the mesa where I run, I can see it each time I get in the car, it is begging to be bagged.  Shanon was not interested in Longs since it is a class 3 and has some exposure.  So I signed up Owen and Mark to hit it on a weekday to avoid the crowds.  We choose Wednesday the 7th a few weeks prior and just hoped for good weather.  Heading up the night before and camping in Meeker campground at the base.  We started out hike just before 5 AM, watching the sun rise over the peaks was incredible, but the weather forecast had us worried we would not summit at all.

Sunrise

We figured we were not going to chance it and it we did not summit that was okay, a nice hike in RMNP is much better then working any day.  The approach is long starting at 9k' and 7 miles each way, it took us a while to get to the harder stuff, but looking at the peak and the diamond was worth it all.

Diamond

The boulder field before the keyhole was a little tough, this is where many camp before their final approach.  Heading through the keyhole the weather was looking bad to the north of us, but it did look like it was staying to the north.  We saw a few other parties turning around, but we make our own decisions here and just kept a vigilant eye on the clouds during the hike.

Keyhole

After the keyhole is where it really started to get tough and up through the trough accent.  At the top of the trough before the narrows we waited for Mark, we did not think he was going to make it as he was feeling ill due to the altitude.  He said he was done so Owen and I were going to summit without him.  The Narrows were fast and we made it to the top as the sun started to shine and the weather looked much better.  The summit of Longs is huge, maybe two football fields.  And since the weather looked iffy, there was only 2 other people on the summit today, usually there are a bunch.

Summit

We took some time and then were prepared to head back down, when we saw Mark almost up as well.  We waited for him, I was happy he made it as well.  Since the weather was nice we brewed some celebration coffee at 14,255k', and headed down.  The hike down is long but much faster and easier, than the way up.  We got a few drops of rain about .25 miles from the car but that was it.  We finished at about 3pm a long day, but we made it and the weather turned out to hold and be actually pretty nice.  Very proud to have done the peak with Owen and Mark, well done boys.

All pictures on Flickr -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13519781@N02/sets/72157635030165444/

8/4 - Boulder 70.3

Living here in Boulder I feel obligated to race the Boulder races, but knowing that they are going to be super fast.  This was the third time I have raced this one, if you count 2012 which I did not do the run due to a stress fracture.  This year I thought I was in great shape and ready to hit the top 10 for sure.  My day did not exactly go that way at all.  The swim was good I ended up 4th out of the water and headed onto the bike.  This is when I knew I was it trouble, about 5 miles into the bike my quads were just screaming already forcing me to back off.  Thinking back on it I am pretty sure it is from riding the road bike way more than the tri bike.  Backing off helped me recover, but some of the super fast bikers went by me and I had nothing in return.  I started to feel better about 30 miles in, but by then it was way too late.  I rode the rest of the bike with Michael Lovado trading off, but he ran away from me on the run, which was too me expected.  I took the bike dismount pretty easy this time, and the first lap of the run felt okay, the second lap the heat and race got the best of me.  I ended up backing off quite a bit on the second lap considering I was outside the top 15 now, there was not point in killing it the rest of the race.  I was 18th on the day, not great but I learned a few things that I need to continue to work on in training....like running more.


Swim - 24:37
T1 - 1:27
Bike - 2:12:46
T2 - 0:49
Run - 1:25:57
Overall - 4:05:36

6/29 - SonicBoom Crit

The SonicBoom crit is our home town race and I was more than proud to host this one.  I was not really set on racing at all as I had to be up super early to setup for my daughters swim meet that morning for a few hours, get he to the meet, then volunteer all day at the crit race. I raced at the end of the day.  The race was held right downtown in Louisville, while we had a large swim meet a few blocks away, a farmers market a few blocks from that, and the crit all day.  It was a great atmosphere, folks having breakfast and coffee overlooking the racers as they go by each lap, some of them wondering what bike racing was all about, but they soon found out.  The mens CAT 3 race was later in the day and I did not expect much out of myself except to support the team.  I rode with the field the whole race and tried to break away with Ryan with 4 to go.  I stayed away until the last lap, when I was caught on the slight uphill of each lap.  I gave it a valiant effort, but it was just not enough, anyway ended up 17th on the day, not too bad considering the long day.  Travis had a great race here as well, I was very proud of him on the day.

6/22-6/23 Dead Dog Stage Race - Laramie WY

Dead Dog is a long standing stave race in Laramie WY, which consists of a long road race, crit, and time trial all at altitude.  This was my first year but I am so proud of out Sonic Boom Racing team for truly working and finally seeing our plans come together and produce the results we have been working for.


The road race was one of the toughest I have done with almost 9k feet of climbing up and over 12k feet with brutal winds too boot. This year was cooler temp wise but still did not make it any easier with the wind. The group held together for the most part on the way out, but split up on the second half. Ryan was kept up front the whole time and he stayed there on the way home. Walter dragged me up the climb on the way back and lost me on the decent only to be found again in the last headwind section. Bart and Travis were riding with other guys as well and pulling out some personal bests for the course. At the end of the road race Ryan took third, myself 11th and Walter right behind in 13th. It was a tough day, but we had a very nice pasta dinner at the house complete with massage complements of Matt G and his wife Pam.
Sunday we had a late start for the crit so we watched the 4s race and hung out at the hose until race time. Matt's advice for the Crit was to go right from the gun and work together, Ryan was the man but though to make up any time here. He had to be ready to TT well to keep his 3rd place in the GC. Travis hit it hard for the first 2 laps, then Bart and myself took over out front. Bart pulled through the wind, and got me off the front. Once out there Walter, and Ryan stayed in the front of the pack blocking for a few laps. This helped me secure the break away all the way through the finish for the win. I can't thank the guys enough for making this happen for me, it was tough, fun, but most of all a team effort.

Right after the Crit was the TT, less than one hour. We booked it up to the start 15 minutes away and got gear ready. The typical 10 mile out and back is usually a downhill out and uphill back, but today the wind changed that up a bit. It ended up being a hard effort out and easier with the wind pushing on the way back. Still tough after a weekend of hard racing, but all solid results for everyone. Ryan came away 2nd and myself 4th.

Overall Ryan held his 3rd place in the GC, I was 10th, and Walter 13th. What a fun weekend of racing and just goes to show what we can do when the team works together. The other categories did very well too. Jim of course won the GC, RR, and TT for the 1/2 field, and I will copy Matt's note from last night for the complete laundry list of results for the team. Great work all weekend guys.

Pro-1-2
1st Place General Classification
1st Place Stage 1
1st Place Stage 3
4th Place Stage 2
6th Place Stage 2
SM 3
3rd Place General Classification
10th Place General Classification
13th Place General Classification
1st Place Stage 2
2nd Place Stage 3
3rd Place Stage 1
4th Place Stage 3

SM 4
8th Place General Classification
9th Place General Classification
9th Place Stage 1
SM 45+
15th Place Stage 1
15th Place General Classification

7/9 - Kansas 70.3

This was the 4^th time I have completed this race in as many years, it is within driving distance and a great race for spectators.  The whole family decided to make the trip this year and camp for two nights right on the run course as it goes through the camp ground.  We arrived later on Friday night, the kids played around all day Saturday, went to the beach, dinner, and got set up for the race.  It was stormy Saturday night before the race which does not yield much sleep in a tent with two kids worrying about the rain.  Either way we woke up to a wet course Sunday morning, but the forecast was nice for the day, particularly cool for Kansas standards.  There was not a huge pro field in the men’s race, but I knew exactly who was going to be up front, Craig, James, Dan, Paul, Joe and hopefully myself.  The swim was wetsuit legal and I made my way out front taking the long way outside the swim buoys.  By the end of the swim I had a 30-40 sec lead on the field, this was nice but I knew it would not be long on the bike before Craig was going to catch me.  Turns out that was mile 5, so I got to lead the race for the first 5 miles into the bike.  I stayed with him for a few miles, but his pace was a little too fast for me to run off of and I backed off.  A few other guys steadily caught me on the bike, but after Joe I stayed close behind.  Bike was hilly as usual, but I maintained a 311 watt average, which is about where I want to be so I am glad to see my training finally catching up this season, just took a little while.   The end of the bike is where the fun started this year, heading into T2 I had quite a spectacular crash in front of everyone.  I was ready to get off the bike with the bike on my side standing on top of my shoe, when the shoe came detached from the pedal sending my foot into the ground and my body into a roll on the pavement, bike flying over as well.  I am quite comfortable coming in hot to T2 and running fast right off the bike, but I did not expect to shoe to come loose, I guess I must have twisted it a little.  Either way my left hip and elbow was bruised, bloody toes, knee, etc.  I got up quick and headed out on the run, I was still in 5^th place for the money.  Though Paul was only a few seconds behind.  The whole event has been captured on video thanks to Dave Ericson.  Apparently Shanon and Corrie were right at T2 and witnessed the whole event, Corrie started crying.

T2 crash - http://youtu.be/_tC6NOlzqXE

My run felt strong and I relaxed a bit after that embarrassing crash.  Craig and Dan were a few minutes ahead, but James and Joe were only a few seconds up the road, and Paul was right behind me at this point.  The first lap I held a steady pace and I thought I was on track to catch James and was pulling away from Paul behind me.  Even the 2^nd and last lap I was in good shape and had folks cheering for me throughout, including my whole family at the camp site.  At the end I was in 5^th place and it seemed I was not catching James or Joe.  I crossed the line in 5^th for my first payday in pro triathlon, not much but hey this is a hobby not a career.  All in all a fun day in Kansas, I have some time off to lick my wounds and a few bike races before my next 70.3 in mid July.

Swim:	22:33
Bike:	2:16:16
Run:	1:20:15
Overall:	4:01:29

Race summary video - http://youtu.be/te9Cvn_6PZ8

Thanks to Dave Erickson for the race videos 

5/27 - Bolder Boulder

This is the 3^rd time for me racing the largest 10k in the world (55k this year), every year we have lived in CO.  I was just hoping to beat my time from the year prior, but I had set the bar high with a high 36 last year.  I was in the first wave with all the sub 38 folks.  They start fast, very fast, there were a lot of 4 minute low for the first mile this year, racing to the camera truck.  But many of them fell back fast after that initial sprint.  Every year I race this 10k I feel like I am that ‘old dude’ racing with all these young people, this year was no different.  Either way it’s a hard 10k, at over 5k’ altitude and a net uphill by the end.  I kept the pace around 5’ 40’’ most of the race and finished hard to beat my time last year by almost a minute and break 36 minutes just barley by one sec.  This year after the finish I had to jog back to the start a few miles away and meet the girls and Shanon to do it again with them.  This ended up working very well, though it was tough to find them at the start as they were a little late and got there just in time.  I found them right after their wave started and ran / walked with Riley, Corrie, and Shanon.  There was something exciting for the girls to do every ½ km or more through the race.  We found belly dancers, do a cartwheel make the spectators drink, hulla hooping, slip-and-slide, many bands, free hugs and lots of other crazy Boulder type costume watching.  Christine and Owen were one of them dressing up as a butterfly and net respectively, very clever I thought.  It took some coaching to get the girls through the 10km but less than I expected and it was a hot day out as well.  The best part of the race was the last 1/2 km running it with my girls racing each other and entering the stadium to see 55k people cheering for them and giving high fives.  They were both in such amazement it was great to see.  They sprinted to the line and ended up 1 second apart.  We spent a while in the stadium for the memorial day festivities, which included watching the pros finish, 8 paratroopers landing on the field, a fly over and general remembering our brave men and women who sacrificed all to give us what we take for granted day to day.

2012 – 36:57

2013 – 35:59.14

mile 1-5:34.68 

mile 2-5:43.82 

mile 3-5:59.48 

mile 4-5:56.99 

mile 5-5:43.15 

mile 6-5:48.20 

pace-05:47  

 

 

5/17-5/19/2013 - Superior Morgal

The Friday time trial was after work right in the town of superior near our home.  I was short a little gear for this race as I discovered a crack in my rear race wheel and had left my helmet at the last triathlon I completed.  So training wheels and no aero helmet for me on this TT.  The TT here is pretty tough 6-7 miles mostly uphill.  I thought I had a decent time as no one passed me and I passed the 2 guys in front of me, but Eric from my team finished right after me and he started a few back.  I was 7^th on the day leading into the crit Saturday and RR on Sunday.

TT Pic

dailycamera.smugmug.com/Sports/05-17-1…

Saturday was the crit, the CAT 3 was later in the day around 5PM.  I was busy around the house and with kids all day, I rode over to the race that afternoon.  The race started faster than I thought it would and I found myself just hanging on each lap.  Towards the midpoint of the race I got caught up in a crash, the crash happened and I rolled into it, not really much of a crash for me.  This caused me to fall off the pack and never really catch back up, I ended up trying to catch on the rest of the race, which was much tougher then racing in the pack.  In hindsight I should have taken a lap during the crash and stayed with the pack.

Sunday the road race we were greeted with a course change due to the traffic barrier company going out of business.  This affected a few other large races in CO that weekend as well.  The new course was 4 times out and back, up and down the ‘wall’, still about 50 miles total.  The first lap I was happy to lead and keep the pace high, but towards the end of the first lap I was once again caught up in a good crash this time.  Two guys went down hard in the middle of the pack, Gage H in 2^nd place was one of them.  I was right behind them and could not go left or right due to other guys riding there.  So I had no choice to try and stop.  I still hit them both hard enough to leave my bike on the ground and head out over the bars onto my shoulder and left side.  I did the whole crash and roll thing, the guys on the ground were in bad shape but medical was already on the way.  I checked myself out and found all I had was a bloody hand and a bruised shoulder/ left side, I could ride for sure.  I went back and picked up my bike and water bottles, got my chain on, and headed back on the course.  By this time I was a few minutes back off our CAT 3 group.  Travis and Glenn were waiting for me to help catch back on.  They helped where they could, but it was windy and I soon realized that this was going to be tough.  The CAT 1 / 2 35+ came along and I rode with them until the race official made me pass them up and work alone.  I got within sight of my group a few times but never could close the gap for the next 3 laps, so I ended up out of it.  I rode with another group of about 15 guys that had broke off from the CAT 1 / 2 35+ group for much of the race, I know you are not supposed to but there was no way we were making ground on the CAT 3 group and riding alone in the wind that day was rough.  I still tried to keep the power up and make a good day out of it, but was pretty far back in placement.  The good aspect of this race if there was one is the fact that I think my power on the bike is slowly coming around for this season.  I was 366 average on the TT, 356 on the Crit, and 314 on the RR.  My FTP last year was 320, so I think I am already above that.  Looks like I just need to put it all together and have a good race, a lot easier said than done I know.   The next days I had a sore shoulder and a few wounds to lick, but nothing major.  Overall Eric from our team in his last CAT 3 race made it to 6^th place, so it was a good day for the team.

5/4/2013 - Wildflower

Wildflower is one of the longest running and most organized races on the triathlon circuit, I did the race for the first time 2 years ago and was sure I would be back.  Last year injury kept me away, but this year I was ready….or so I thought.    I used this race as a chance to go and see my brother in San Jose, he was also going to be racing the Olympic race on Sunday.  We made our way to the course and got settled in the house with about 8 other pros racing.  Race morning I was happy to learn of a no wetsuit swim, this is rare at this race and definitely an advantage for me.  The swim went well I ended up swimming in 4^th place for most of the race with one other guy.  1^st and 2^nd were 30 seconds ahead and we were 20 seconds ahead of the main pack.  I exiting the water and made my way to transition, when I was taking off my Zoot speed suit I could feel something slimy on my chest when I was getting my helmet and glasses on.  I was covered in a nice green algae bloom, it got all over my glasses, hands and chest.  Sunglasses went in my pocket and I headed out on the bike, not much I could do about the mess now.  The beginning of the bike winds around by the lake before heading uphill away from the park and around the lake.  The bike is tough here and hilly but very pretty as it heads through vineyards  of central CA.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/Features/2013_Wildflower_Long_Course_3583.html

During the course of the bike I was passed by many of the male pros, I knew that my bike form was not here for this race.  I rode the end of the bike with Thomas and we spoke about how crappy the race was going for both of us.  Either way I was going to have a nice run and enjoy my time in CA.  Off the bike I headed onto the run which is mostly trails and many steep hills through the park.  The heat was getting to me today a lot more than usual and I could tell that the cough and cold I had the days prior was the issue here.  I ended up walking and taking a nature break on the run, neither of which I have ever done in a race before.  I finished the race about 10 minutes slower than my previous time here, it was hotter this time and my form is really not there yet.  I could come up with a list of excuses none of which are really that relevant now, but the bottom line is I had fun racing at Wildflower and my form will come later this season.  Brian raced the next day in the Olympic race dominating the swim and most of the race in the age group.  It was nice to hang out with him this weekend and spend some time in CA again this year.

4/20/2013 - Weld Co RR

The Weld Co road race was the first road races of the season for me this year, the course is fairly flat but has a nice dirt section thrown in each lap.  It was great to see such a huge CAT 3 field from our team representing at this race.  We were confident we could put together a break at this race for sure.  The race started out fast from the beginning and each time we headed through the dirt section of the lap I found it hard to hold the group, I made sure to catch on and stay there though.  I think it was the fact that everyone felt like they had to put in some hard efforts on the dirt, either that or I suck in the dirt.  In the 4 lap race of 50 miles we managed a few small breaks, Andy and I had one going for a little while and Andy made a solo for a long time.  But in the end nothing was able to get away and no one else in the field really even tried, there was one crash that happened mid pack and took out Walter, he was alright though.  In the end I put in some hard efforts to keep the pace high through the last 6 km and strung out the group which I feel helped get Ryan get into 6^th place.  I fell off hard at the end, but that was my role here in this race.   Overall a great road race and just need to get some organization throughout the CAT 3 squad, but this is early season and we will learn to work together.

4/13/2012 - Haystack ITT and TTT

This is the third year in a row for these early season time trials just north of Boulder, this year was a shortened course of just over 12 miles due to some road construction.  This is a great race to test early season fitness, and I knew that mine on the bike is…well not quite there yet.  There are a mired of excuses, but bottom line I need to start this season on the bike slowly, there will be bike racing through Jan 14 this year.

ITT –

The individual time trial went off just after noon for the CAT 3 guys, it was just a fast 12 miles, cross winds kept the speeds high.  I ended up getting passed, but stayed with the guy the entire race, and even managed to put some time into him at the end.  But we were 20 sec apart so not nearly enough.   The race went about as expected for me 6th place with an average speed of just over 29 MPH at 351 watts.

Time – 25:08 6th place

TTT –

The team time trial is always fast and really fun to race in.  Last year we won with 5 guys on our team, and everyone was excited.  The team this year needed to defend the title for sure, but we were down to only 3 guys come race day with only one day last Thursday to practice together.  Either way Brandon Mitchell, Ryan Taylor, and Gavin Anderson were ready to go, at the start line it sure seemed like the other 5 teams all had 5 guys each.  But we were not all that worried as the plan was to race ‘our’ race and have fun doing it.  We started 2nd a little after 3:00 PM, Ryan and Gavin had both come off the ITT a few hours prior, but were feeling ready to go again for sure.  The team mentality takes over pretty quick as you have to rely on the other guys to help pull you through.  It is just that this time we did not have the luxury of leaving 2 guys behind and using them up early, all 3 have to cross the line at the same time.  We took out the first north section steady as was planned and rotated counter clockwise.  The first right hand turn was a bit hairy as a car was turning with us, yes we stayed inside the cones, but at the apex Brandon got really close to giving the cars passenger a high five.  The east bound section was cross winds but at times was much more tail wind and downhill, we topped off at 50 MPH, which is always tricky on the TT bikes.  We were worried that we were going to get passed by the Primal team which started 1 minute behind us, but so far they were nowhere to be seen.  We continued to race our own race, on one of the uphill east section Brandon was feeling extra powerful and pulled away from Ryan and Gavin a bit.  With the wind going he could not hear us, but once he got tired and looked for us to take the lead it worked itself out real quick.  The second right hand turn heading south on 75th Gavin came in way too hot and took out one of the cones, the corner judge was quick to note our race numbers.  The rules are you get one cone or turn to miss, the second time you are disqualified.  This meant that we needed to be extra careful on the last turn.  Down 75th was the hardest part of the race and we all traded pulls equally, made the last turn down Niwot road very carefully and took the finish shortly after, all 3 of us within 1 ½ bike lengths.  We knew at that point that we put down a decent time for only having 3 guys, and rode back to the finish slowly.  Gavin went to pick up a bottle from the start and checked the results on the way back to the car.  Two guys said congrats on the way there, hmm did we really take the win?  We managed to post a time 9 seconds ahead of the Racer X Cycling team.  When Gavin went to notify Brandon and Ryan, they were beyond ecstatic to hear the news, seeing these guys and the rest of the team so excited for us is exactly what Sonic Boom Racing is all about.  Cycling is a team sport, but a TTT is truly a team effort.  Great job guys, next year is going to be challenge as no one likes to see a team go three years in a row.

Time – 23.08 1st place

Avg speed - 32 MPH

3/30/2013 - Oceanside 70.3

The first race of the season for me, while I should be saying I was in shape and ready to race, I was not. But I am confident in the fact that this is where I want to be early in the season this year. Two reasons for this mainly starting training very slowly to avoid injury and simply because I am going to be racing through mid January 2014 this season. So the best part of the trip to Oceanside each year is the annual Zoot team camp, which did not disappoint this year yet again. I figure even if I am not 100% ready to race, if I am going to be in Oceanside I might as well race even if it is going to be a training race. I arrived less than 24 hrs prior to the race, but got in a shakedown run and bike, pro meeting, and met up with the Zoot crew, everything fell into place quite nicely. Race morning I parked well away from T2 and rode there dropped off my new Zoot Kiawe prototypes and headed to the start. Even though this race had such a stacked pro field I did not feel much pressure since I knew it was just a training race. The water temp was about perfect 62 F, the start was normal male pro aggressiveness. But I like to swim to the outside even if that means swimming a little bit further, you waste a lot of energy playing around in the water with other athletes. I was a bit suprised at the pace that was set by the guys, Andy did not even get a chance to pull away, I led the 2nd group into T1 just outside the top 10. The bike is where I knew I was not in shape to ride with these guys, I have simply not put in the time yet this season. I lost a lot of time on the bike and was passed by many, no big deal I thought just want to see how the run feels. The run surprisingly went very well I ran a 1:26, while that is nothing to write home about all my previous seasons injures seem to be non issues which is great. I even ran in racing flats for the first time in a 70.3 and loved it. So I guess you can sum up this race as getting my ass kicked, but for me it was a a training race and it went very well.  The rest of the weekend was filled with Zoot team camp, dinners, photo shoots, kayaking, and lots of beach walking.  For now it is still snowy here in Boulder so the season continues its slow progression, but I am not worried one bit, after all this is all for fun, right?