Pack of sheep

Lately I have been riding with a different mindset. Instead of being aggressive I have been just sitting in and going with the flow. All this has gotten me was road rash and broken bike parts. I am not going to sit in and take the ride. Get ready for the way it was. I will dictate the pace. Get ready for the pain stick.

Feeling the strain...

Now I have been training, building and losing weight for the last four years. With the season’s mishaps, physically I am not feeling 100%. For the past month or so it seems all my training has been with consistent pain. Fortunately mentally I will not let the pain set me back. Last night I did my time trial workout in Bear Creek Lake Park. The crash this weekend left me with a bruised tail bone, shoulder and a sore neck. I could barely keep my head up because of the pain. I will work through this and continue down the path. There are goals to be met and I WILL MEET THEM. Now lately I guess some would say I have been a complainer. I get annoyed at the way people act at our age. Look at people during a race. There are men in their late 30’s stopping in the middle of the road and riding down the center in the warm up area oblivious to things around them. When the volunteer tells them the road is open and to get out of the road, they complain. I could hear them say I ride in the street all the time. And we are not children. Lets look at it this way; what would you do if you saw your child doing that. Do the right thing and don’t yell at the volunteer. When I ask people to volunteer for a race, their number one question is, “will a rider yell at me”. This is wrong. Why would a racer yell at someone that is volunteering out of kindness for free? You need to realize that these volunteers are more than likely some other racers, wife kid or other family member. I know that if I were in a public place and some guy yelled at my wife for her trying to help him out, it wouldn’t get a very good reception from me. My post on ACA turned out to be an eye opener. People are ready to accept cheating as long as it is not for a certain monetary value. So it is $10 and I got a different prime. It is the principle of the matter. I see this in high school kids of this generation. If it is a benefit to them it is ok but if it isn’t it isn’t fair. I guess my ethics and moral code may differ than some but I will not cheat or I will not steal. This was fundamental in my upbringing. I have got the incorrect change from a cashier. What did I do, I say, “you gave me too much change, it should be xxx”. Some may say, “They are stupid enough to give me too much change, it’s their problem.” I bet they would sing a different tune if the error would not be to their benefit. I hope if I ever lose my wallet, someone with my moral code finds it. It is really apparent that most of the people that responded to the ACA post would take the cash out of the wallet and throw it back on the ground. I used to not worry about my wheels in the pit, now I will. Why do I keep harping on this? Simple! We are grown men and a lot of us are acting like children. As I raced in a road races for the last couple years I could see people with different number lots riding together. I have seen riders in my cat pass me with different cat riders. This is cheating and against the rules. But nothing is done. I have seen a rider cut the course in a TT and win the race. Later it was discovered and the results were changed. Still the rider went home with the award and I didn’t get a different prize for my now higher finish. Is this petty? I don’t think so. I feel for the guy that finished 4th that really finished 3rd. He got no prize, only the result on paper. Did he care, probably not but it is the principle! I am telling you all right now. I will never take a prize that is not mine. If I didn’t earn it legally I don’t deserve it. I have been in crits where lapped riders refuse to move out of the way and end up going down the center of the peloton. I have seen lapped riders try to sprint with the leader field. And I have seen lead outs where the lead out riders intentionally cut off the other sprinters to give their team an unfair advantage. All this stuff is cheating not to mention dangerous. Another response to my ACA post says that people don’t know if they won a prime or not even in not closely contested sprints. Hmmm! I find this to be concerning. I guess that is why I was taken out twice this year. How can you be in a race and not know your position? How do people like that expect to excel in this sport? What are they thinking? Let’s put it like this. You are driving down the road and get pulled over for speeding. Tell the officer, “Gosh, Officer, I wasn’t thinking and didn’t realize I was speeding.” I bet you will still get the ticket. Hopefully if you are driving in a very congested area these people are thinking and paying attention. It is the same thing in a race. We are riding shoulder to shoulder and some of us don’t realize where we are. Scary! I know I am not going to change the moral value of anyone here or across the world of ACA and cycling. All I am doing is letting everyone know what my moral code of ethics is. We differ so be it, those are your ethics. Pedal Hard!

Honor, Integrity and Moral Character

I posted this the the ACA web site but altered it a bit so I didn't seem confrontational or threatening. On my blog I will paste it un edited! Definitions first: Honor - the quality of being honorable and having a good name. Integrity - Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code. Moral character - The inherent complex of attributes that determines a person’s moral and ethical actions and reactions. Sunday during the Leanin’ Tree Criterium two things happened that I would like to share. First of all on the very first lap a rider slammed on his brakes in the middle of a corner. This caused me to crash. Expensive for me but all in all not a big deal honestly. I look at it this way. I was in the back of the group and wanted to practice moving through. That is the risk I took to practice in a race and most of all sitting on the back. Again, crashing in the race is not a big deal to me. The problem I have is the guy that caused the wreck looked at me and watched me crash. I saw him as he stood up to sprint back to the group. Not even once after the race did he even attempt to ask me if I was ok, instead he left right away. If I would have caused this accident I would have talked to the rider after at the least to see if he was physically ok. This was the second time this year I was taken down. Once by a lapped rider and then this guy that decided locking up his brakes in the middle of a corner was a good thing. In both cases the riders that caused the accident never even asked if I was ok! The second thing was this; I won the second sprint prime undoubtedly. The closest wheel to me was about 10 – 15 meters and completely uncontestable. I waited for the results to be posted. I saw on the list they had the wrong rider winning the second prime. I protested and to the credit of the officials got it straightened out quickly. Partially this is my fault because I had my number to high and toward the middle of my kit. I apologized to the judge and told him I would move it more outside in the next race. I went to get my prime and the guy they mistakenly listed already picked it up. I was shocked. All I could say to the lady was, “you’re kidding me!” She said that the rider was there when she announced it over the PA, took the prime and was long gone. The promoter was awesome and gave me another prime but still this baffles me! Didn’t the guy realize I know I won that prime and I was going to protest it? How can a person cheat and steal an award that they clearly didn’t win and then leave so it can not be straightened out? I asked several of my friends what would they have done in this situation. Everyone I asked said they would have said, “I didn’t win that prime”. Integrity and moral character is worth more a prime award. To the guy that stole the prime. I think it was a $10 Le Peep gift certificate. You sold your honor, integrity and moral character for $10 gift certificate. I know your name and I for one will never trust you or any of your results. I correlate you to a doper and everything that is wrong in cycling. People like you need to get out of this sport because you are killing it. You race quite a bit so I will not buy the “I didn’t know” bull crap! You know it is a sprint prime and you didn’t win it. You and dopers are a like. You can’t do it naturally. You have to cheat and steal. What are you going to say to your kids? “Hey look daddy can’t win things on his own so he has to steal them”? Anyone who asks me I will tell them your name and the team you ride for. I know if I did this and my team found out they would never trust me again. Just so you know I got the better prime and I earned it!

I am tired of riding with idiots!

Today I decided to go out and use the leanin tree crit as a trainer. Originally my plan was to take it easy, practice moving from the rear to the front and win the primes. This race to me was about strategy, when I should attack and really watching everything that was happening. Most of all was to practice lead out, positioning and sprinting. I talked to Jay and Henrik before the race to pick their brains a bit. I then saw David Niss and Gayle at the start and talked to them for a minute. Purposely I lined up at the rear of the group and was ready to start making my way through the peloton. We started out slow and I was just hanging at the back. I will add here. This crit was not technical at all. I could take every corner at speed with no brakes prior to the corner. Notice I said PRIOR!!! As we made it down the back stretch we got this turn just before the hill. That is where at 17 mph some idiot in commuter gear got 8 inches from the curb which scared him I guess so he yells, "oh shit" and locks up his brakes. I locked up my brakes too. I slide right into his back tire. All I remember was the look on his face as he looked back at me and rode off. This time I landed on my butt, hit the back of my head on the pavement. After I hit the pavement with my head, my helmet came off. I saw this white flash then black and the next thing I remember is the volunteer picking up my bike. My 404 was FUBAR and my brake was a little messed up. Honestly I think it knocked me out for a second. I was angry. Even now as I write this I see that scared look on that guys face and to be honest it makes me even more angry. I started walking back to the pit and saw Hoob. (Hoob sorry for the rash of obscenities, I was just mad). I got to the pit and the official asked me if I rolled a tubular and I said no, "some idiot that cant take a corner at 17MPH decided he had to lock up the brake in the corner". The official said, "great so we will probably see more." They pulled off my 404 and put on a new wheel. I tried the brakes and it shifted so I was back in. We did about 4 laps and I heard the prime bell. I took off on the back side and had 2 guys on my wheel. This was my positioning phase that I practice all the time. We hit the hill and I did a hard effort up the hill. At that point I put about a 10 meter gap on the other 2. At the 300 mark I started my sprint. I looked back and there wasn't anyone close so I sat up and took the prime easy. So far I was back in and moving around the peloton on the back side of the course and setting towards the back of the peloton on the finish side. With 5 laps to go I see the idiot who took me out. I stayed clear of him and sure enough he panicked on the turn to the last straight away and took out 5 riders that time, including himself. One guy caused all the carnage and about $1500 to just my bike. With one lap to go I did another attack on the top side of the course. I got out front and made it to the last corner pretty much with 2 guys on my wheel again. I didn't give the effort like I did for the prime and settled in for 10th place. If I am going to get upgrade points it is going to be in a BAR race. Needless to say I am tired of the cat 4 and am looking forward to riding with people who know not to brake in a corner. One guy that will probably not race again this year took out 6 people. That to me that is ridicules. To top it off at the end of the race they confused my number with someone else for the prime. I protested the prime and had 4 people there to back it up. They looked at it for a minute and wrote me a note to give to the promoter for my prime. The guy already claimed the prize. Now what kind of loser who knows for a fact that he didn't win a prime take the prize. Where is the integrity in this world. The promoter ended up giving me a better prime then the $10 le peep cert. I got a month free to a athletic club and $25 to Boulder Beer. This year the quality of riders for the cat 4 group is in the toilet. There are only 5 or 6 TOTAL riders that I trust to ride with in a crit. Mostly to me it is like riding with the USCF 4's. No brain, no skill and no moral integrity! As always; pedal hard,

Boulder TT and a crit report

My Quick update.Rob, Colm, David Niss, Jerry, Steve NormanI am riding the Boulder TT series to prepare for the State TT Championship that is coming up. I would have to say that last Wednesday was probably one of the better days to ride it. It was a leisure ride out with Colm with a couple efforts to get the lactic in the system and my body ready to deal with it. When I lined up I noticed that Horacio from Blue Sky Velo chose to use me as a rabbit. The ride out was typical; hammer, hill, rest, hill, rest, hill ummm hill hammer time... I ride the whole thing in my 55 fluctuating from the 17 to the 11 depending where I am on the course. This week I am going to spin more on the hills (use the 42 17 combo) and save the power for the nelson to boulder section. The ride felt good but I felt like I left something on the course. I hate when I do that... Over all results: 35+4Rob - 1st Colm - 4th 55+ David Niss - 1st 45+ Jerry - 4th Steve - 5th Sunday Coal Miners.35+4 Steve M, Dr. Dave, Rob, and Steve N. all rode the crit Sunday. Nice weather out on a really cool course. I felt there was nothing technical about this course at all. The only part that would cause an issue was a narrow section on the back side. I really felt this was a fast smooth course. Blue Sky velo Guaranteed a win and had the man power there to do it. Colorado Bike Law, here to for called CBL Mafia had its typical huge presence as well. At the whistle as many of you know I like to start out with some speed and early pain. This is not a good tactic but it is fun. I fell in behind a CBL mafia rider and let him work for a bit. The ride was fast and I noticed speeds of 30+ at some points. After a few laps, I decided to fall into the peloton and take a breather. I watched Dr Dave and one of the Steve's in the front half of the peloton ride as I rested. All of a sudden I heard the sound that, for me strikes a cold chill in my spine. The sound of wheels rubbing then the clack-it-ing of bikes and pavement. I had a clear path to the outside and avoided the pile-up. This allowed 5 guys to break and they held it for about 3 laps. The Blue Sky Velo and the LVC tried to soft pedal and hold up the peloton but were not very organized. I watched the 5 man break and thought to myself this one may work and I was not about to give it to them. I conserved on the back section. I stayed in the soft-pedaling peloton until the top of the hill. I then gave it all I had. When I got to the bottom corner I had closed the gap. The 5 man group totally died out then and we all faded into the peloton again. I wanted to stay up front and not work. I looked around for lead-outs, nothing happening. from the right side I see the Tokyo Joe's rider break but was caught with my pants down. I chose to stay and sprint it out. The last stretch was long so I ramped up, dropped a gear and sprinted to a 4th place finish. Dr. Dave 32, Steve M 33 and Steve Norman Dropped a chain and still hung on for 44th. In that race 19 people didn't finish which I thought was rather high. GET OUT AND RACE!!!

Deer Trail 2008

We arrived at Deer Trail at about 6:30 on Saturday morning. I have a habit of being late and not getting a proper warm up. The temperature was a balmy 28 degrees but I was more concerned about getting out on the bike for a warm up. I rode out past the finish line to see what it was like outside the city in the wide open spaces. It was nice out there, not much wind and my hands and feet actually warmed up to the point where I could feel them again. I rode back to town and did a few laps around there. It was getting close to the starting time so I went back to the car to get my race bike ready and put the trainer away. Weeks leading up to the race, I started planning a break with two other really strong riders, Korey Kreitman from Rio and Brian Milnick from Green Mountain. These two guys were perfect to break with - great TT guys with a ton of strength. As we talked, I had it in my mind that the break should happen early. We decided that we would break at the eight mile turn. All morning I avoided talking to Brian and Korey because, as you know, I like to talk and it would be my luck that I would spill the beans. I did see Anthony, Korey's teammate, and told him that it was a go. I didn't see Brian until we were lined up at the start. I said, "Hey Brian" and nodded my head. I am sure he knew the plan was a go. I looked to see where my teammates were. Steve Muller had a nice spot in the front. Michael and Steve Ferry were set up pretty good as well. I knew that I needed to work my way towards them so they could break with us. When the peloton headed for the start, Korey and I bartered for a better position but Brian still was not set up so well. He was surrounded by his teammates and I knew he would use his wits to move his way to the break. Muller was still in the front and Michael and Steve F were still set up pretty good. We were off. Korey and I were stuck on the inside. I really don't know how it happened but Korey was on my left and I said to go to the outside. I followed Korey to the outside and there we set. I kept looking at the mileage and honestly getting a little frustrated. I had to tell myself to be patient and we will be able to work up the inside. There was a guy in front of Korey that was not holding the wheel to the guy in front of him. Also, for no reason, he kept slamming on his brakes. Twice, Korey and I had to lock up our brakes and move close the yellow line. Finally, Korey had enough and made his move and took the gap in front of him. The guy that was passed said something to Korey, not sure what. I said, "Close the gap." The guy decided to move inside and give me Korey's wheel. It was like that all the way to the corner. At the corner I got a good line and headed for the front. Some guy did a fake attack. He said, "Come on!" to a guy in front and headed out. It was obvious it was a half-hearted attempt so I yelled out, "Let him go, we will catch him in 5 minutes." Everyone one seemed to ease up so I hit it hard. I broke out of the peloton and think I caught everyone by surprise. I looked back and there were Korey and Brian but no one else. I had a rush of adrenaline and we were off to the races. We worked our butts off all the way back. Brian said, "We need to make it back to Deer Trail." I kept trying to let everyone know how far we had to go to get to the turnaround in Deer Trail, but I was not sure if I was saying it out loud or not. Finally we could see Deer Trail and the turnaround. We hit the turn and headed back with the wind at our back toward Agate. It was nice and felt great doing upper 30's for 12 miles. I kept up my fluids, rotating HEED with water and water with my Clif bloks. I knew the road back was going to be a lot of work. The ride back included long pulls for each of us. We were really working together like we had rode a thousand miles together. The tough haul back! At the turn we went right into the wind. Our 30+ MPH was now just a memory as we struggled to maintain 17. We pace lined all the way back to town passing 4's that were dropped. As we passed the 4's, I thought to myself that the peloton now will think no one is out there or confuse us for the stragglers and let up. When we got to town I could not see anyone behind us. In fact, I never again saw the complete peloton. Now it was part of the plan to work as teammates until we hit the last out and back. Actually that was probably a flaw in the plan. In that wind we needed to work more. The original plan was to have at least five in the break. That didn't happen so we had to play the cards we were dealt. Brian Milnick unselfishly worked himself into such a deficit that he had really no gas left. One of the hardest things to do is leave behind a person that worked as hard as he did. If you ever have a chance to meet Brian, I highly recommend it. This guy is the epitome of sportsmanship! I fought with that in my mind. My heart was telling me to pull him back up but my brain was saying that I would be caught if I did. I chose to fight the wind with Korey. Korey is an awesome strong competitor and he too worked himself into a big deficit. When we got to the rollers I thought it would be all over but the crying. As we went out I tried to hook his wheel and watched as he was getting whipped around by the wind. We traded front positions a few times but I really didn't work that hard down the back stretch. I really worked just hard enough to keep up or to pull a bit. I really wanted it to come down to a sprint uphill in a cross wind. I know what a great sprinter Korey is but I was hoping that wind and energy would be on my side. The last time I pulled up to Korey, he told me he was cramping and not doing too well. I went ahead of him there and thought I would pull him a bit. I looked back and I had put a gap on him. I didn't want to let up because I saw guys coming up. At this point Danny passed honking and yelling, "You're going to win!" I got a rush of adrenaline and felt some more strength from deep inside. I pedaled hard but was caught by a three-man break, two Pikes Peak Velo guys and a Bicycle Pedal'r rider. The pedal'r guy was a big guy so I went left to the outside line so I could get the good wind break. The two Pikes Peak guys stayed inside in the wind. At the 1k mark one Pikes Peak Velo guy attempted a lead out. The wind forced him in my line so I held up and crossed inside. I got the two Velo guys in the sprint but the pedel'r guy beat me to the line. Everyone I had talked to said a break at eight miles would never work. I knew how tough Korey and Brain were and figured if we could get away, one or all of us would have top finishes. I tried to do the crit on Sunday but the snap in the legs just wasn't there. I know that I gave it my all for the entire race. I can't remember a time I have been this sore.

Last years GC win Written by Geoff Cooper.

The competition was astonished that yet again BPN, even without big guns Hoobler and Dissley, dominated the 35+4 Santa Fe Stage Race. Rob Kelly blistered the Saturday 20 mile time-trial to open a 41 second gap on Mix1's Gene Palumbo and a 59 second gap on BPN team-mate Geoff Cooper. Larry McLaughlin came in at 11th and David Niss in the top twenty. The course was pretty sweet starting in a town called Granada passing thru Bristol and turning at the ten mile mark. The problem was riding back into a very strong wind. Rob used his strength to lay down a time that would have been competitive in any of the categories. This finish set the scene for some very interesting tactical races to follow. Our BPN team had originally anticipated supporting Hoobs in a final showdown with Palumbo for the BAR championship. Hoobs untimely but well deserved promotion gave the BPN team members freedom to pursue their own finishes. What became apparent was that Palumbo and Doug Robison were still battling for the Rocky Mountain Cup. The BPN team became critical factors in determining this outcome. The Sunday road race was 72.5 miles of fairly flat terrain. No need to lay down a play by play, but it was a fairly fast race. Average speed of 23.87mph. The 4s and 35+4s rode together. The BPN plan was to keep Rob in the lead, haul back any breaks, have Rob make a break or at the very least stay with the lead group after a short tough climb at a dam just after half way, and keep a good hard pace for the last twenty miles to take the sting out of any late breaks or sprints. The finish was very exciting. Pretty much the whole field hammering on a slight downhill for about half a mile. The speed for the last ten miles had been pretty intense so there wasn't a lot of oomph in the legs. One rider came out of his cleats and there was a little bit of chaos. The first fifteen which included Rob took the same time. Gene Palumbo took first and a 30 second time bonus. Geoff Cooper took t hird and a ten second bonus. Larry finished 11th (same time) and David only fifteen miles from home called it a day with some others still behind him. So with Rob still ahead in the GC by 11 seconds it was mission accomplished by the BPN squad. Geoff now trailed by 49 seconds. Talk about drama for the crit. The crowd were at a fever pitch (and his dog seemed pretty excited as well). Again there were time bonus's for first, second, third (30, 20, 10). Rob needed to either beat Gene, stop him from finishing in the top 3, or if Gene finished in the top three, finish one place behind him with the same time (or a few more permutations - the bottom line was that is was going to be exciting). Again it was a rollicking fast course. Rob threw down the gauntlet with some shockingly powerful first circuits. He left no doubt that he had come to win the GC. Larry, ever the field general, took to the front when he thought Rob was maybe extending himself too far. This kicked Geoff to take a similar strategy. So for 40 laps this scenario continued. Rob on the front or near the front. Larry or Geoff coming from mid-pack or the back to pull for a lap or two, some other players taking a pull that would often result in a slower pace, apart from a $40 prem that Rob took on the line from Doug Robison. As we came thru lap 4 with Rob on the front, Larry shouted at Geoff to ride through the field and take the lead. Geoff responded and led lap 3, 2 and into the final lap. This pretty much handed the sprint finish to the Rio Grande team who had been sitting in Rob's slipstream for most of the race. Two of the m sprinted to the front with Gene following. Rob had the strength to hang onto Gene and finish 4th. Geoff and Larry finished 9th and 10th. The first 11 were given the same time. Gene got a 10 second time bonus. Rob wins the GC by 1 second! It was a superb effort. Geoff Cooper took third place in the GC. With Larry McLaughlin in 9th. The Rocky Mountain Cup drama between Gene Palumbo and Doug Robison (Amicas, Salida) was settled in the road race when Gene finished first and Doug fourth. They tied for points but Gene won on the number of wins he had garnered. This was a really fun stage race. The town was very enthusiastic about the event. The countryside was much more pastoral than one would imagine. The Arkansas runs right through town so most of the race was set in pleasant countryside on quiet roads of good quality. This was the Limar promoters first race, so there was some learning done, but hopefully it will be judged a success, and will be on the calendar next year. The BPN riders that were there would heartily recommend the event. Again, congratulations to Rob, it was a great effort!

How did I get here from where I was?

As many of you may or may not know, about 4 years ago I was 325 lbs. I would eat at the typical fast food places 2 or 3 times a day. My favorite drink was Dr. Pepper. I would drink on average about a 12 pack a day. Two years prior I smoked 3 packs a day. What spurred the change was a simple promise I made my mom as she was dying of cancer. I promised my mom that I would stop smoking. So unlike her, I would be around to see my grandchildren grow and achieve life accomplishments. I saw first hand what smoking leads to. On October 30, 2002 I stopped smoking cold turkey and have never even thought of going back. In the summer of 2004 I had enough of the way I was. This may sound stupid but, in my old house, when you walked in you would have to climb a flight of stairs to get to the living room. I would think to my self on the way home, "I have to climb those stairs again". This little flight of stairs would tire me out. I thought about my mom and what she said. I thought about my pre-mature son that was 14 ounces and how hard he fought to survive. I made a goal. I wanted to lose 30 pounds and not let those stairs tire me out. 30 pounds is a very little sacrifice compared to my mom and my baby boy. Now in my 325 pound mind set the 30 pounds would be a hard goal to reach. Realistically, 30 pounds is easy to lose at that weight. I made a very difficult move. No more "regular pop", only diet. I also stopped all fast food with the exception of Subway or Quizno's. I started walking at lunch and swimming at night. In about 2 weeks I had lost that 30 pounds. In my head it was too easy. Not nearly the suffering my 2 mentors had gone through. My next goal was triathlon. The walking and swimming was not enough. I bought a Royce union dual suspension bike off of eBay for $50 shipped to the house. I rode this bike for about 30 minutes every other day. The walking was not doing it for me so I would jog for 2 minutes and walk for 5. I did this for a few months. Soon I dragged in some of my co-workers to work out with me at lunch. There was a 5k route I had mapped out from the jobsite. I just wanted to be able to run that non stop. My swimming increased to 1k non stop and I bought a wet suit and would swim in boulder reservoir and Chatfield when I could. The Mountain bike could not provide the speed I liked so I bought a Fuji road bike. Pain and suffering. This is when I really learned what it is like to suffer. I started riding with Geoff Cooper and a few other roadies at work. I swear these guys kicked my ass every ride. I felt like they were "punishing the fat guy". In my head I thought they wanted me to quit. Throw in the towel on the ride. I never quit. I remember walking back in work to shower and my legs were quivering. I would sit at my desk and my legs would shake and ache. In reality, these guys built my mental power. I would say to myself, "one day these guys will fight to hold my wheel". As time progressed I got a little faster. Notice I haven't said anything about weight loss as a goal here. Remember I am focused on one thing, triathlon. I didn't care about weight anymore. The only changes I made now were this. No more fast food at all. No crap food since it effected my training. I also stopped all carbonated beverages. I would only drink water and tea now with no sugar. The weight dropped off quick as a by product of all my training. OCD is a good thing. Now I am training about 40 hours a week. I am working full time and every spare moment I was training. I stopped watching TV all together. I would pull my kids behind me in a cart as I rode. I would get up at 5am and run, go to work ride at lunch and the swim at night. I was addicted to this. My friends told me I was training to hard and would burn out. But I had a goal and I would achieve it. I started doing these duathlons in the winter called chilly cheeks. It is really fun but can be cold. One race I will never forget was in February. Geoff Cooper and another friend of mine Tony Pardoe signed up to race that day. I woke up and it was 13 degrees and windy. The temperature with wind chill was 2 below 0. I looked at my cell phone looking for an email saying, "I can't make it." Nothing! Tony shows up and we carpool to the event. The whole time I am looking for someone to back out. Not happening! Geoff shows up and we are really bundled up and apparently going to race. Sure enough we race. The bike section is first. -2 and riding… Not smart. I had ice in places that were not meant for ice. I saw Geoff in transition rolling in pain. I started the run out and couldn't feel my feet for 2 miles. Geoff passed me like I was standing still and asked if I was ok. At the end of the race I found out all of us were waiting for someone to back out of the race. All of us were too stubborn to be the first to back out of the race. Classic! In 2005 I started racing in duathlons and running events. My cycling was getting better and it was now my favorite training. I would just ride and ride. Sometimes I would go out for 5 to 6 hours and not even realize how long I had been out. 2006 I did my first Tri. It was a sprint and I remember kicking but in the swim and passing 5 guys in the lane. (Swimming pool) I ran out and got on the old Fuji. I hammered past 2 guys in full TT bikes with disks. The course was more like a short circuit with lots of corners. Then the run is where everyone passed me. But I did it. I got my tri. To celebrate I went to Burger King and had my old favorite, double meat with cheese and bacon. I ate that burger and in about 15 minutes it was right back up. I guess I wasn't used to that. What's the point! Yesterday I was talking to Jerry at the BBQ. He made me realize what makes people successful. Goals! Goals are the secret. When you achieve a goal, go to the next and make it harder. In the beginning of the season I told my wife I want BAR. I was rather embarrassed to express that to anyone else. Last year I had a great season. I won a GC in a stage race. I beat Gene Palumbo in a TT by 40+ seconds. For some reason I didn't have the confidence to tell my team my goal. This year I want BAR. I want to be #1. State Time Trial Championship! Yesterday I did something I didn't think was possible. Everything was right. I had a great nights sleep, excellent breakfast, good pre-race warm-up. My wife as always helped me get ready so I could focus on the race. With out my families support I would have nothing. I was placed the last to leave since I have had a good season so far. I was put behind Horacio. I talked to Ho before the race and he suffered a 2nd degree tear in his shoulder from the Hugo crash. He told me not to settle for passing him but to go for it hard. Here is my mental game I actually played. Ho is now Jan Ullrich and I am Lance in the 2005 TT. I start out cranking hard and put the image of Lance and Jan in my mind. I can see Jan in front of me and I am closing the gap already before the first corner. I still hit it hard and we come to a down section. I maintain pressure and see him closer and closer. We make the turn around and I am within 20 meters. I hear Jerry in my head tell me don't make up time on the corners but get up to speed fast after. I make the corner and am back up to speed quick. Jan is now 10 meters, I pass him commandingly. Now I see 3 others climbing the hill. In my head the Lance/Jan game is over but I picture Lance now trying to pass me. When ever I feel tired I tell myself if you can beat Lance, you will have the world championships. I pass 15 more before the end. I cross the line and see 53:48 on my Garmin. I see Colm at the finish and tell him my time. Next I see Brian Milnick. I stop and talk to him. He asked how I did and I told him my time. He said I had beaten him by 4 minutes. One of the guys said I passed him on the hill heading back like he was standing still. This made me feel good but I didn't think I won. I couldn't go look so I had my wife go check. She said she didn't see my name and I needed to go look for myself. She wanted to see my reaction. I walked up and Brian Milnick said, "You did it, you are the State Champion". I could not believe it so I looked for myself. It didn't really set in until I had the Champion Jersey and the Medal. All the credit to my success goes to my mom, my son and Geoff Cooper for giving me the power to reach my goals and introducing me to Road racing and BPN. Most importantly my wife Lisa for standing by me and letting me spend so much time on my bikes. You all rule! Pedal Hard, Rob