tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278613452024-03-07T15:51:16.761-07:00Chris Winn: Ramblings From The Roadpedal.write.pedal.write.pedal.Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.comBlogger591125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-57291269415697207232013-05-13T07:28:00.004-06:002013-05-13T07:29:58.386-06:00NEW SITE IS UP AND RUNNING!Hey Everyone,<br />
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After more years than I can count, I'm leaving the old Blogger format behind and have started a fresh page that will make my writing and formatting life a little easier. You can check it all out here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.chris-winn.com/">www.chris-winn.com</a></div>
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Thanks for following! Cheers, cw.</div>
Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-18601170454560388312013-04-01T12:24:00.002-06:002013-04-20T08:52:04.879-06:00THIS ONE GOES TO ELEVEN<div style="text-align: center;">
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Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-61639728995768941502013-04-01T12:15:00.000-06:002013-04-01T12:35:59.150-06:00SOMETIMES IT'S JUST ABOUT HAVING A MINDLESS GOOD TIME. AND MAKING LOTS OF NOISE<div style="text-align: center;">
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Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-85813144728335080142013-02-13T23:08:00.003-07:002013-02-14T15:06:03.817-07:00THE MAGICAL LAND OF OZ.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have to say leaving Denver and heading to the middle of the Aussie summer was an exciting prospect to say the least. I look at my bag beside me now to see the handful of cold weather items that I threw in 'just in case'. A neck gater, leg warmers, warm gloves. Chances are these things were going to stay put, but it's funny how you get used to the enviroment around you that it almost seems never ending. Landing in Melbourne things couldn't have been more the polar opposite. I left Denver on a 3C day and landed in Melbourne on a 35F day.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>As far as travel goes there are always a few hiccups along the way, especially when the distance travelled becomes longer, the more chance that a few challenges present themselves. Leaving Denver to LA was very smooth, in fact the check in lady was rather helpful in sorting my seats and generally was productive in her duties. Getting to LA I had 6hrs to kill before flying onto Sydney, and then a short flight to Melbourne. That's the section that bugs me the most, getting a connecting flight through Sydney. It's like you've sat on an aeroplane for ~14hrs or so, and then you have to get off, mess around in an airport and then get back on a plane again for a short 1hr hop. Luckily I'm direct on the way home. So landing in Sydney I had to clear customs and that's where the first hiccup occured. Firstly time was at a premium, only having 2hrs to collect bags, clear customs, change terminals (via bus), clear secutiry again and then strap in to another seat. Effciency was needed. Clearing immigration was a breeze (obivously for a citizen), although I did use the electronic chip in the passport system which I'd never used before so that took a little bit to figure out. It was the collecting luggage where things went a little pear shaped. Rockin' my new SciCon hardshell bike case, things weren't a problem there, it was my luggage that was another story. I'm lucky enough to own some pretty sweet Thule luggage and I guess somewhere along the line someone else thought it was pretty cool too. The front section of my bag is a detachable piece, say if you needed a backpack whilst you were travelling, otherwise it's well secured and zipped onto the bag. Watching the bags go around the belt at first I didn't recognize mine, thanks to the fact that the whole front section was missing. Amazing. To me it was pretty clear that someone liked the look of it and decieded they'd take it for themselves somehwhere along the lines between Denver and Sydney. To their credit Qantas have been more than helpful in sorting a replacement (the whole bag is being replaced as the detachable piece isn't available seperatley), but needless to say it's a pain in the bum to deal with.<br />
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My more 'aero' bag. </div>
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On the bicycle front it's been super awesome so far. Blue skies and dodging sunburn you'll have no complaints from this guy. The last few days I've hit up a few of the local races to open the account for this year. As expected there is little to no top end but it's been a fun start to get amongst it again. A man can only train for so long. Heading back to the local races also has meant catching up with a few of the familar faces which has been neat. There is still a ton of people I haven't seen yet but hopefully soon.</div>
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Just before I left my new whip came in. Not too many changes this year equipment wise. Stoked to be still on a Scott Foil with SRAM. Amazing combination!</div>
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Saw this in Golden before I left. So where do you....??</div>
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Australia's answer to Chipotle. Mad Mex. Finally something that is close! Fantastic....just wish there was a closer store.</div>
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Hold on here. So this is what happens when you do extensive drug testing on other mainstream sports and not just cycling? Weird.</div>
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Love this city.</div>
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Brad's stand. Global. #genius </div>
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Happy Birthday to the original bushranger.</div>
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Festivities were a little too much for Pop. He'll keep.</div>
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Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-68583312638701609872013-02-04T21:37:00.001-07:002013-02-04T21:37:40.282-07:00UP AND AWAYNext stop Oz.<br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=13/02/04/2587.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/13/02/04/s_2587.jpg' border='0' width='400' height='400' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-63543335052639234792013-01-25T10:47:00.000-07:002013-01-25T10:47:09.358-07:00BACK UP TO SPEED AND GATHERING MOMENTUM.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's taken a little while amongst the hustle and bustle of life but I'm finally back in the chair and the fingers are pressing the keys. Always on my 'to do' list, getting a fresh update over the last month or so has been a little tricky. With the mad end of the year rush that is Christmas/New Years, and mixed in the middle of those two was Kathryn's birthday in which we had a pretty sweet murder mystery party. I was a bee-keeper. Add on top of that organizing a Green Card application, travel and racing plans for the upcoming season, starting a new business and of course putting in the kms all of a sudden I hope you can see how writing a post has been shuffled down to the bottom of my list!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Although things have been busy, I classify them as 'good' busy rather than 'stressed out' busy. There's a big difference in that, I suppose in a similar vein to the whole glass half empty or half full scenario. So after getting married in August there as been a ton of paperwork filing and changes in terms of my current living status here in the US. It's been a lengthy process in applying for a Green Card, but as of right now I've already jumped the two biggest hurdles in the fact I'm now legally allowed to work here and also travel outside the county and return without having my current application reset. For quite sometime I have been sitting on the idea of starting my own coaching business but for visa reasons I haven't been able to do anything about it. At the core, my passion lies in sports science, improving performance and helping people get the best out of themselves. After all I do have my Physical Eductaion degree still in the back pocket, and before I rode with V Australia had spent two years working for a Denver based coaching company. With my work restictions lifted on Christmas Eve (I know, what timing!) I've been able to move forward with my plans, and have started Winning Edge Cycling. Yes, a play on the name but I couldn't resist! Eveything is still in baby steps right now, but things have started out positively with clients on the books already. My goals are to create a small and managable business that maintains quality of service for the client. I want to keep things simple and start things off on the right foot, rather than getting in way over my head and losing my way which can be an easy thing to do for new small businesses it seems. So as I said, it's baby steps right now but I am currently working on a website which I hope to launch in the near future. If anyone reading this is interested they can<a href="mailto:winningedgecycling@gmail.com"> email me here</a>. Stay tuned.<br />
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Onto the racing front and this year is shaping up to be a very exciting one! Once again I will be suiting up in the Horizon Organic/Panache colours. In my last post I put up a picture of our new kit which I think they've done a bang up design job. For 2013 the team has focused in towards supporting an elite NRC travel squad of Colorado based guys. This means pretty much the same schedule as 2012 for me which is great, except I will be racing with Horizon at every race and not looking for guest rides like I did for a few events last year. I have to say a massive shout out of thanks to all of our sponsors who have remained on board. With plenty of teams folding at the end of last year (80 domestic pros without a job in 2013 I had heard), plus the weight of the past still hanging over our heads (thanks Lance), for our sponsors to keep on supporting cycling is awesome. I feel very humbled and greateful to be out there doing what I love and always aim to represent products and companies in a positive way. On podiums that is! Once again we will be saddling up on the wicked fast Scott Foil, in which my new steed should be arriving within the next week so I am hanging for that one. To follow up with my on going saga with Southwest, yes they did payout some money, not eveything and the term drawing blood from a stone comes to mind. Oh and I was told that signing the baggage waiver doesn't mean anything so feel free not to give your autograph next time you check your bike in. <br />
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So my the bulk of the year looks similar to years previous, but I've bookended it a little differently. Although it's been a relatively mild winter so far here in Colorado, I'll be heading back to Melbourne for the month of February for some warm weather training. I've gotten pretty used to layering up and numb hands and toes for the last couple of months so it's time for a change and I can't wait. So for those back home in Oz reading this I'm looking foward to catching up for a ride, coffee or at a race somewhere! From what I have heard it has been bloody hot the last few weeks but hopefully in February it will have settled down somewhat - although I'm sure there will be a few brain melters in there! So the front of my season will be Australia, and the back half of my season will be Europe. I've locked in to race the end of my season with a Belgian based team from the end of July onwards which I am very much looking foward to a different racing environment. The plan post season will be for Kat to come over and we can enjoy a honeymoon that we still have on raincheck.<br />
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So the year overview is layed out, all that's left now is to fill the blanks with the stories, adventures and mayhem that always occurs. Thanks to those who still read, have just started to read or used to read and realized that their boss is going to kill them and had to get back to work! Cheers! cw.<br />
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Winter with my best friend.</div>
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Just a few days ago my new Sidi Wire shoes arrived! Bling bling!</div>
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Reason #1 for an Australian training camp.</div>
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Somewhere along the line I negelected to mentioned I visted NYC. Madness. Sweet museums though. The dinosaur collection was mega impressive.</div>
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Playing Where's Wally in NYC. Next time I'm bringing a fluro yellow safety vest.</div>
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Wilson enjoyed Christmas. Beware you may see this image again on your 2013 Christmas card.</div>
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Big bones. </div>
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Checking out the Garden. Birthplace of the Madison event, hence the name.</div>
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I couldn't resist. I like clever. </div>
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Speaking of clever, how about pure Australian genius?!</div>
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The best thing to come out of the recent LA saga. Phone home. </div>
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Reason #2 for heading back to Oz. Impressive weather systems out here. Sure the photo is a little filtered but trust me it was dark!</div>
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Did I mention the dinosaur bones were cool? </div>
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This is what I do when there is snow on the roads.</div>
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Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-35217511792640779882012-12-23T22:22:00.001-07:002012-12-23T22:22:13.532-07:00NEW THREADS: HORIZON/PANACHE 2013.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A sneak peak at our 2013 kit. Once again<a href="http://www.panachecyclewear.com/"> the lads</a> have outdone themselves. Bravo gentlemen!</div>
Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-10760849065695774842012-12-23T21:47:00.000-07:002012-12-23T21:47:09.601-07:0019.8.2012<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/54724298" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-69692483907901671742012-11-19T11:30:00.000-07:002012-11-19T11:33:38.700-07:00WINDING DOWN AND UP AGAIN.<div align="center">
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Yikes it's high time for an update! I've already finished a very relaxing off season and am now three weeks back into training for 2013. Where to begin? Maybe where we left off would be a good place.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>So after Southwest broke my bike I spent the last two weeks of the season rolling around on my TT'er and my mtb. That was okay as I'm still giddy about my Speed Concept so for those seasoned TT'ers out there I'm sure that sounds horrible but I had a blast. And yes, I'm calling out Southwest as it's <em>still</em> an on going pissing match (after two months now) and they still haven't come to a solution. Either way I have strong grounds to take the case to small claims court and will do if it comes to that. Sometimes big companies make mistakes too, it's just a lot harder for them to swallow thier pride and admit them it seems. Anyway. <br />
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So rather than shut it down after the Bucks County Classic (I was tempted to!) I wanted to keep the legs going until the end of September. Call me a perfectionist but rounding off at the end of the month just seemed like the right thing to do, especially when trying to schedule time for a break after that. Luckily I had a few local time trials left to race and also the Tour of Vail time trial to keep me somewhat motivated. I had planned to race the Vail Criterium too but those plans got scrapped thanks to sloppy baggage handling. Those races went okay, I improved my power each week at the Bear Creek TT series but for the Vail TT I was flat as a tack from doing one of those said PB wattages at Bear Creek just the night prior. Back to back TT's aren't too much fun people, especially at the very end of a long race season. <br />
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The offy started in October and over the whole month I rode maybe three times if that. In fact I spent more hours hitting balls on the local tennis court with Kathryn than turning the pedals. Perfect I say! We also spent a nice weekend down in Pagosa Springs, soaking in the natural hot springs combined with a few hikes and consuming plenty of good foods. What else I did during that time escapes my mind at the moment, which is probably a good indication of the proper meaningless activites (or lack there of) that should be integral to any good off season.<br />
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I saw my first bald eagle during September. He was just as stunned as I was.</div>
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Hiking in Golden Gate Canyon State Park.</div>
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In honor of the best bicycle components out there, I painted the shed SRAM Red.</div>
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Pagosa Springs is one pretty place in Autumn.</div>
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On the way home from Pagosa we dropped by the Great Sand Dunes.</div>
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Kat is small. Dunes are big. </div>
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Another classic off season activity of mine. Sinking a cold one and catching up on the V8's.</div>
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Giant outdoor chess is a great way to burn mind calories. Here Kat distracts me from my next move by riding the Knight Horse. Clever. My stratgey of 'crowd the King with as many pieces as possible' did prevail however.</div>
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I can't remember what is was exactly, but it tasted bloody good!</div>
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The drive to Pagosa Springs was picture perfect stuff.</div>
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Thanks for checking back in, I plan to resume normal transmission from here on out. Adios.</div>
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Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-12982121056570207082012-09-26T16:21:00.001-06:002012-09-26T16:23:29.603-06:00LONDON OLYMPICS ATHLETE SCREENING.<div align="center">
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Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-39537965675176079442012-09-24T10:28:00.000-06:002012-09-24T10:28:58.110-06:00BEST ALL AROUND TEAM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Congratulations to my Horizon Organic/Panache Team as we took out the 2012 Best All Around Team award in Colorado. It's been awesome to race with guys who have been equally as motivated in March and in August! This award is a great reflection of that.<br />
Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-79044924530811327752012-09-19T14:28:00.001-06:002012-09-19T15:13:23.694-06:00BUCKS COUNTY CLASSIC.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What can I say, sometimes lady luck just isn't on your side and looking back on last weekend I almost would have been better of to stay at home!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>So the trip began with an uneventful flight until I'd made it to the host bike shop <a href="http://pureenergycycling.com/site/" target="_blank">Pure Energy Cycles</a> to build up my rig. I've packed and flown with bikes hundreds of times and have had nothing too terrible go wrong. Perhaps a few scratches but nothing a little more foam tubing can't fix the next time. Pulling my <a href="http://www.scott-sports.com/global/en/" target="_blank">Foil</a> out of the bag everything was going fine until it was time to slot in the rear wheel. Something just didn't look quite right! In what I can only guess from a large hit from behind, the rear hanger had been ripped from the frame. Both being carbon there was no room for forgiveness and the hanger bolt holes in the frame had been ripped through. Major bugger. Next we learned that in order to make a claim with the airline it has to be done in person within 4hrs of landing. Luckily we were still inside of this window but had to throw everything in the back of the team car and pin another hour drive back to Philly airport. To be honest I was pretty calm about the whole thing, I mean there isn't much you can do other than move on and create a solutions with the most obvious finding a new bike for the weekend and secondly playing by the rules to get compensated. In short the lady behind the baggage counter was utterly useless but in the end my claim was noted and I now have three weeks to pull together photos and a report and send it off to airline HQ. Perhaps if it had been mid season I would have been a little more crazy about it but considering I have less than two weeks left before hanging it up it's not a huge deal. The second part of the problem was needing a replacement bike for the weekends racing. A few phone calls by the team manager and it was the local Scott rep that came to my rescue with a replacement Foil that virtually identical to mine. A huge thanks to those who came to my rescue and got me back on the road!<br />
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My buddy Nick Frey of <a href="http://www.scott-sports.com/global/en/" target="_blank">Boo Bicycles</a> fame was also guest riding with the Pure Energy Team and we both spent some time checking out the course. In short it was a brutal but beautiful loop for a bike race. There is something just radically different yet awesome about the roads and terrain on the east coast. Tight and narrow meandering roads through some very green and pretty country side it's a massive contrast to the long steady canyon climbs of Colorado. Not to mention the sea level air. The Bucks County race left the town of New Hope for 10miles or so before hitting six 14mile loops and then exiting to finish in Doylestown another 10miles down the road. The loops were super demanding and featured three major climbs that weren't very long but were steep enough to cause damage. Add little time for recovery it was going to be a pure war of attrition and my guess was a small group would make it to the finish. Hopefully I would be in that group.<br />
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Thanks Scott from Scott Bikes for setting me up on a replacement ASAP.</div>
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From the gun it was full gas. With the technical nature of the narrow roads it seemed a constant battle for position espeically leading in the the main KOM climb. Sure enough a small group managed to leave the main peloton and we were lucky enough to have London Olympian Bobby Lea in the group. The following laps there were more splits on the climbs and I just didn't seem to have the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsepower" target="_blank">HP</a> to follow the groups that were surely going to be the race. Time boards had the gaps growing constantly and by lap 4 of the loops it was game over with now 20 odd up the road. By lap 6 were were only 15miles to finish and although disappointed how things turned out I was already thinking about the criterium the following day and hopefully having better legs there. And then on the straightest, most boring stretch of road a rider passed me, took a drink and hit a bump, losing control of his bike and hitting the deck right in front of me. We were rolling at 33kph at that point (my SRM told me so) and with nowhere to go I plowed into his bike and was soon tasting the tarmac. Microseconds later someone smacked into me and at that point I remembered to roll into a ball incase more were coming. Thankfully not, but right away I was so damn pissed by the fact our race was already over at that point and a stupid crash did not need to happen. Normally after crashes I like to stand up and move, as if I can do that then in my mind I'm not so badly hurt. This time however I was the complete opposite. Dizzy and a little blurry eyed I was happy to stay seated for a few minutes until it was time to asses the damage and have the medics clean me up. Sure I had skin off all down my right side but thankfully no bones were broken. I smacked my head hard enough to busy my Lazer helmet and was mighty thankful it did it's job. I've been bike racing long enough now to know that shit happens, but surely it was the universe telling me my season should be done! With my slight concussion and road rash I pulled the pin on the following days criterium. Instead I spent the day in the Pure Energy Cycling tent talking to passers by. Despite being a terrible weekend for racing, and perhaps the worst this whole season, I had a great time making new friends and hanging out with great people. Not to mention eating some very fine meals thanks to some handy local knowledge by team manager Arounkone. <br />
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So I got back on the (time trial) bike this morning and it looks like I'll have three more TT's left before closing the season 2012 account. The Vail crierium was on the cards but with no road bike anymore I'll substitute for Friday's TT stage instead.</div>
Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-69697218314479696872012-09-11T18:23:00.000-06:002012-09-11T18:23:46.243-06:00DRAWING CLOSER.Like a fish that has been hauled to shore my cycling season, although near it's end, still has a few solid kicks of life left. This Thursday I fly out to Philly to compete in the Bucks County Classic, or otherwise previously known as the Univest GP. It's a UCI ranked affair so I will be on my best behaviour and I'm really looking foward to heading across as from experience there are some really neat roads out that way. Although this is a different course, I've done the Univest GP twice before and the first time I'll never forget the TTT in the rain trying to match wheels with the rest of the Rio guys and a few guest riders. One of those was Sean Sullivan who a few years later would be my team mate and most recently groomsman! Funny how small the cycling world becomes. Following this weekend I'll have a couple more of the local Bear Creek TT series to do and then finish the season with the Tour of Vail at the very end of September. Essentially the 'tour' will be just the one day criterium but either way it will signal the end of season 2012. <br />
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Amongst the madness of August was my TT at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Yes, the start ramp was bloody huge! The whole experience was a hoot. Well a painful hoot! Being the final stage and very accessible in down town, the crowds were just huge. Kat being the superstar wife she is went all out and had orgaized supporting banners and T-shirts for my ride and dragged a whole bunch of people along. In all honesty I didn't have a stellar ride and was still over 2min back on Phinney over the 12km course. I had some pretty exciting moments in corners and thankfully didn't make a meal of any although that first one turning onto Speer from Colfax I came pretty close. Thanks for those who came out and shouted and to my buddy Josh for letting me run his uber fast HED wheels. I'll keep working at it.</div>
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With the days getting shorter summer is starting to wind down and today on my ride I passed a lake in which I know I'll pass again in a few months time and it will be frozen. Maybe I'll get an early head start on a winter beard.</div>
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Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-21445297066495838572012-08-25T18:54:00.000-06:002012-09-11T18:26:07.300-06:00MR AND MRS WINN.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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August 19th. Three weeks ago now but still very much reminiscing on a wonderful day. Thanks to all those who came from near and far. We hope you had as much fun as we did! Enjoy the awesome shots from our photographer <a href="http://www.allisoneasterlingphotography.com/index2.php#/home/" target="_blank">Allison Easterling</a>. Amazing!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptd4wupJ-sQLETqe_lMXgFIe9oPst_U_ll9K-u_KDNWaalIQUafizqBMyOf-KT_Mox1ExJhvEArWvdsuHZpnwHZR7rKP2ip1eM0XWOoqxSegZXWc2JjUWKHdpcZkUAWF6ytx3Ug/s1600/Denver-Colorado-Wedding-Photographer-Winn70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptd4wupJ-sQLETqe_lMXgFIe9oPst_U_ll9K-u_KDNWaalIQUafizqBMyOf-KT_Mox1ExJhvEArWvdsuHZpnwHZR7rKP2ip1eM0XWOoqxSegZXWc2JjUWKHdpcZkUAWF6ytx3Ug/s640/Denver-Colorado-Wedding-Photographer-Winn70.jpg" width="640" /></a>Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-46182539157139959962012-08-15T09:01:00.002-06:002012-08-15T09:16:26.323-06:00AUGUST RUSHBack in February, the 29th or 'leap day' as its known, Kathryn and I became engaged. All of a sudden we are now less than a week to our wedding day and hence the title of this post things are crazy busy! We are both looking forward to the day, but perhaps also to the time when all the planning and preparation will be behind us as at the moment it seems never ending. Balancing all this with the tail end of the racing season there has been little time for a blog updates, but seeing as though right now I am stuck at DIA with my parents flight delayed there is a small window of opportunity to get some words on the page.<br />
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Over the last few weekends I've had a blast at the remaining local races. Most guys on the Horizon squad are equally as motivated and we still seem show up with anywhere from five to eight guys much to the dismay of other competitors. A couple of weeks ago I was able to snare my third win for the season at the Lookout Mountain Hill Climb, an ascent I know well so I was able to use a little local knowledge in the punch to the finish line. It was also super nice to be able to ride over, race and ride home all before 9.30am. The team has stepped up for the last few big criteriums of the season too, with Jorge taking out Bannock St and second at North Boulder Park on the back of Josh winning Racing For Hope the previous day. As I said we have some end of season motivation going on!<br />
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So my next time pinning on a number will be for a race against the clock locally here in Denver where I will line up for a guest spot at the USA Pro Challenge Stage 6 Time Trial . It was a part of the prize package of winning the Superior Morgul Classic back in May and needless to say I am mega excited to represent my team and sponsors out there on what will be huge day. Even more cool my family will still be in town after the wedding so it's all worked out great. The new time trial bike has gotten plenty of rides the last month or so and will continue to do so over the last couple of weeks. Looking forward to it!Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-29742993094826282502012-07-31T12:48:00.000-06:002012-08-03T13:01:03.740-06:00SALIDA CLASSIC.After a few days chilling out it was time to pack the suitcase again for a 3 day local race up in the mountains of Colorado. The best thing was being able to take one extra item that hasn't been with me on trips this season so far...Kat! Despite a regular fixutre on the local calendar I'd never done the Salida Classic before which features an 8mile TT, downtown criterium and a road race that also doubles as the Colorado State Championships. After missing out on the State Time Trial and Criterium Championships earlier in the year from being at other races I sure as hell wasn't going to miss this one!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Sometimes I forget just how vast the mountains are here. The drive to Salida was a quick reminder that there is so much of this state that I haven't explored and very much feel the need to! It's unreal to drive up to 9000ft or so and then have the road flatten out to a massive plateau with further peaks on the horizon. Simply stunning. With little time to unpack soon enough I was on the trainer getting my sweat on in preparation for the afternoon TT. It was clear from my powermeter that we were indeed at 7100ft with the HR high in search of precious oxygen and the wattage much lower than normal. After a mild panic trying to find the start line I arrived with just 3 minutes to spare and ready to go. Going into a TT course blind is not one of my favourite actvities but thankfully it wasn't too technical, rather my own pacing issues being the toughest thing to overcome. With super windy conditions I stuggled to keep the bike upright let alone settle into any great rhythm and soon enough the finish line came quicker than I expected and perhaps had a little too much left in the tank. 5th place but with a more managed effort I wonder if I would have been a little higher. Practice makes perfect I suppose and I look forward to the next TT.<br />
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The following days criterium was perhaps one of the roughest courses all year. The figure eight circuit feautred small rain gullies in almost every corner that gave way to mismatched pavements and sqaure edges. Pre riding the course I honestly stuggled to find clean lines and it felt that way throughout the race also. So sure enough midway through the 75 minutes I felt the dull steering take over which could only mean a front flat. With a quick wheel change (thanks again Daryl!) the second half of the race things were going much better and I could actually hold speed in the turns! In the last 3 laps Kit and Alex took the bull by the horns and lined it out on the front to bring back the break of two up the road. Alex put in a super strong effort hauling them back with 1.5 laps to go and then Kit took over with myself on his wheel. With two corners to go the swamp from behind began and I found myself 4th wheel coming into the finishing straight behind Mercy sprinter Zach Allison. Sensing his kick I began to come on his left before realizing the barriers might come a little too close on that side and therefore switched to the right before opening things up. It was always going to be tight but Zach and I both threw for the line each hoping it was enough. Before we knew the result the scary thing was trying to slow down before turn one in which I almost aced myself straight into the barriers! So from the photo finish Zach got it but either way I was happy to have a decent sprint in what is not normally my forte.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8brk_caFoAqkuuSUe_hwn_bmaG7iFh3nIBPxyJ8edlBO-rQw-jmEXeebhTv1QCrEMalew9q7KOo1_bragpUOBEeT-MqcGwUxcwY9E8bYI4dlbCks4rlnCoSkEA6UUlFjkSPF71g/s1600/IMG_2159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8brk_caFoAqkuuSUe_hwn_bmaG7iFh3nIBPxyJ8edlBO-rQw-jmEXeebhTv1QCrEMalew9q7KOo1_bragpUOBEeT-MqcGwUxcwY9E8bYI4dlbCks4rlnCoSkEA6UUlFjkSPF71g/s640/IMG_2159.JPG" width="640" /></a>Post criterium dip in the river. Still sporting some scars from Cascade.</div>
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With some warm tempurates forecasted for Sunday's road race I was well pleased with the 9:00am start for our catagory. The course was 12 laps of a 5.7mile circuit which had some short steep climbs but nothing crazy that would cause a massive separation. From the gun this was clear with many small attacks that would gain 20 seconds or so but then would never eventute into a major gap. The high altitude was evident too with guys drilling it on the 40 second climb but then not being able to go on with the effort. To be honest I didn't have super great legs in the first half of the race but just tried to follow any potential threats and conserve towards the finish. From yesterdays criterium I was confident in my sprint and had no problem if it came down to another one. In fact I was a little bitter to lose by such a small margin so I wanted another crack and try to go one better! In the end it was Yannick Eckmann who slipped away with 4 laps to go and stuck solo it for the win leaving the rest of us to fight it out the podium. I had a pretty good run in the final few tricky corners and then opened it up to take another 2nd place. Not sure where this sprinting form had come from but I was sure having fun with it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvxdsOthSCuWoiJ6gusGGsP82wFOj9cDCouT5jOxrxjn_RpFyZZ6Rigco020FWeF_Z63-9UCNUvxOuO6JS7MZygIHcCf_Ha3oLApXI5MVF4yWCWeY0NKEGoAg4B2j5E7-3jCWBw/s1600/IMG_2165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvxdsOthSCuWoiJ6gusGGsP82wFOj9cDCouT5jOxrxjn_RpFyZZ6Rigco020FWeF_Z63-9UCNUvxOuO6JS7MZygIHcCf_Ha3oLApXI5MVF4yWCWeY0NKEGoAg4B2j5E7-3jCWBw/s640/IMG_2165.JPG" width="640" /></a>Podium time.</div>
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The weekend ended with a nice float down the river. It looks relaxing but in around a minute after this was taken we hit a rapid, flipped and I hit my head on a rock and lost my glasses! Needless to say I waded in the shallow end for the rest of the afternoon!</div>Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-48466965891269036182012-07-21T16:55:00.002-06:002012-08-03T13:27:27.907-06:00CASCADE CLASSIC: MIXED FORTUNES IN BEND<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />As the title of this post suggests this years Cascade Classic was a roller coaster from the get go. After missing out in 2011 I couldn't wait to get back to one of the nicest stops on the NRC Calendar. Racing bikes in Bend...aweomse! Things kicked off with a fast and furious 5km prologue a around a rather pleasent golf club which was also the chance for me to roll out my new TT rig for it's first race. I'm well excited to be a new proud owner of a Trek Speed Concept with a huge thanks to those involved in getting this slippery rig on the road. Needless to say I'm far from a prologue TT specialist and was more using the stage to open up the legs and lungs after taking a slightly fresher approach to this race. It hurt as it should but I was most looking forward to having a crack at the mountainous road stages in the days ahead.<br />
<br />The Cascade Classic I believe had the biggest rider start list I've raced all year, with a 192 lycra bandits on the start line. Combine this with stage one that had the first 25 miles essentially all downhill at high speed and there were bound to be some mishaps. In fact the last three or four years there have been nasty wrecks that have put riders out of the race before it all really begins. This year unfortunatley it was no different with a pile up caused (I believe) by one of the many squeezes of the peloton avoiding parked cars. Thankfully I was not invloved and soon enough was flying along the small valley before starting the long climb up to MacKenzie Pass and into the lava fields. The climb was just awesome, and with Competitive setting pace I was able to settle in nicely and not go too deep into the reserves before the final ascent to the finish shortly after. From a screaming fast and fun descent we sped through the town of Sisters and that's where in a blink of an eye things took a turn for the worse. From what I gather it was a sudden movement from a rider infront to miss a parked car that swept my front wheel but all I remember was hitting the ground chin and chest first and landing inches from said parked car. In fact I recall standing straight up and looking into the rear passenger window! Sore, stunned and a little dazed fotunatley my bike was still in reasonable shape and with a new front wheel and a big push from SRAM neutral I was back on my way. At this point there was just 15miles left in the race and there was no way I was returning to the peloton. I was caught by a small group in which I rolled home with them just aiming to make time cut knowing at this point any hopes for a GC position were shot. After being cleaned up my the medical staff my injuries weren't too terrible, losing skin off my chin, chest, arms and legs and tweaking my wrist. Considering the speed we were going (my computer said 43km/h) and close vicinity to cars I was very lucky.<br />
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Pretty no...? Looks even meaner with race wheels in.</div>
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<br />After being banged up I had pretty low expectiation for the following days time trial. Sure enough the body had tightened up and I felt blocked, unable to decent power to the pedals. I was bummed especially with the new rig! Things however picked up in the second road stage, finding my climbing legs to take a promising 20th place after a mountain top finish up Mt Bachelor. A good sign that the body was starting to recover and also nice to get some confidence back in the legs.</div>
<br />So the Saturday night criterium went exactly as I'd planned. With no GC position to
worry about the top of the priority list was not to crash and to expend as
little energy as possible before the circuit race. Having a closer to the back
of the pack starting position I pretty much floated around the top 100 for the
whole 75min, amazed that even at being so far back from the front guys would
still try and come underneath and chop wheels! Seriously! Unfortunatley there
were a few wrecks but being in cruise control I was able to avoid them. Onto
the circuit race.<br />
<br />With the tempuratures in the upper 80's and not much
shade on the course the final stage was going to be a war of attrition,
especially with the steep Archie Briggs climb every lap. Sure enough guys got
shelled every lap and Compeitive did an awesome job in keeping the race under
control for race leader Paco. It was hat's off to those guys who I would see
come back through the peloton spent after drilling on the front, recover a
little and then go straight back up there to keep pace once more. By the final
lap I was really trying hard to stay in the front group and survive the
selection up the last climb. Things were going to plan and coming into the last
couple of km it was a real fight to hold position against the bigger teams who
had team mates keeping them out of the wind and of course not giving me any
room. Pretty much this left me spent as we got to the final roundabout with the
line 300m after. 11th place was all I had left which was a little too far back
in my hopes for the day but still happy the body was coming around after the
crash earlier in the week. I just wished there were more stages! <br />
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All in all it was a great week in Bend. Our hosts Cheyrl and Joe were fantastic and kept us well fed and in great spirits. Not to mention Joe through some connections was able to get a lunch time playlist for me on the local radio station.Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-89816473670178749032012-07-15T21:10:00.001-06:002012-07-21T16:28:35.077-06:00AROUND THE BEND.<br />
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Rather than lament on how long it's been since the last post (!), lets all move forward as things are bout to get exciting on the race front again. So I'm writing this sitting on a peaceful front porch in a quiet neighbourhood of Bend, Oregon. For anyone planning to visit the States and have some outdoorsy tendencies I would put Colorado at the top of the list but followed a hair behind by Bend. This place is awesome! It was two years ago that I was first here and had an awesome time so I can't wait for it all to begin. The last few days have been pretty solid with travel (12hr drive then 5hr drive) so the brain is a little fuzzy but nothing a couple of good 10+hr sleep nights can fix. Looking forward to getting the last NRC race for the year underway!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh70y5ctddySh1s6Re50FKZlWqaeni8Dcc5RLEYI5DWeBMkiO-4tLHLjYgShDQY01_jHqkBqqFB8rogvgljr9bquIbTHrUadL6kKTJhwbgibBYvI5uQbTAE94JV9tQe3R4EwJ2RQ/s1600/IMG_2119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh70y5ctddySh1s6Re50FKZlWqaeni8Dcc5RLEYI5DWeBMkiO-4tLHLjYgShDQY01_jHqkBqqFB8rogvgljr9bquIbTHrUadL6kKTJhwbgibBYvI5uQbTAE94JV9tQe3R4EwJ2RQ/s640/IMG_2119.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-87349018878471931242012-06-22T10:08:00.001-06:002012-06-22T15:20:49.342-06:00NATURE VALLEY GRAND PRIX<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">For whatever reason June seems to be
a pretty good 'go fast' month for me. Maybe it's the upcoming summer ahead or
maybe the mornings spent watching Wiggins crush the Dauphine gives me that
extra kick in training and racing. Coincidentally the Nature Valley GP falls
mid June and ever year it becomes a strong focus on the NRC calendar. Looking
back to last year with one day of racing for the whole of May, I didn't quite
have the sea legs to steer the ship for victory. This year has been a whole new
ball game with close to 40 days racing in the legs already thanks to San Dimas,
Redlands, Joe Martin, Gila and a bunch of local hit outs. I've learned over the
years that I perform better with more racing in the legs than not, so with that
in mind I was confident going in that with a little luck and opportunity the
form was there to try and snag a result.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As I do most years my trip to
Minnesota began a little early, especially with a new time trial course to
recon. To be honest when I first read about the changes (thanks to road
construction) I was a little worried. I've gotten to know the old TT course
well over the last three years and I really like it mainly because it finishes
with a bastard steep kicker that makes you work for your dinner. This year was
a slightly longer 'out and back' style course and despite the lumpy profile
picture was ultimately flat. For a skinnier guy this translates to working super
hard against the stronger guys as the old power to weight ratio doesn't come
into effect too much. Either way it's 'stay low and pedal fast' for around 16
minutes and try not to hurl afterwards on anything significant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Before I knew it was time to suit and
pin the numbers of for the first day of racing. With some potential weather
rolling in I chose to go off early and although some rain did fall it wasn't
too crazy for those going a little later in the day. I felt like I had a decent
crack at the TT to finish 35th and 49sec back from Zirbel who I would have
emptied my bank account and put all my coin on him for the win. So a good start
knowing that the road stages and the Stillwater Criterium for that matter are
very selective and anything could happen. Later that night the weather cleared
and the fans were in full flock for the St Paul criterium. In my opinion this
course is a little more tricky than the Uptown Minnesota crit so I'm always
anxious to get a good start grid spot and stay up the front. So when I found
myself sitting third last row on the line I knew I had some work to do! Luckily
the legs were good and I had a clean run to find the pointy end. No time was
lost and the sprinters did there thing with Carlos Alzate from Exergy taking
the W.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Day two we awoke to some crazy
weather. Water was sheeting from the sky and to be honest I wasn't too worried
considering the stage at Cannon Falls started at 4:30pm. It could blow through
right? Wrong! The rain never let up and driving down to the stage start things
just seemed to get worse. We we ready to deal with whatever was thrown at us
but soon enough the commissaries called a meeting and decided to reduce the
stage to just 15 laps of the town circuits. However the new rules also called
for no free laps in which many of the teams weren't happy about with the GC so
close together. Either way it was almost go time and for a moment the rain did
cease but a second commissaries huddle was called the stage was then cancelled
completely. And just as if right on cue rolling back to the car it hosed down
with crazy thunder and lightning. Brad and I did the only thing we knew best in
such a situation and that was find the nearest Chipotle and smash a burrito
while contemplating life. It didn't stop storming for the rest of the night and
the reports were that Cannon Falls had flash flooding. A wise call and a short
spin on the turbo kept the legs in check for the next day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwYr-vTLivDdZIk95eMi-HaiD5zHcK_KUBsRGev1ynihTSUD92RvbQWUsoOBVs5koTWue1LmjNewQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">With everyone essentially having a
recovery day mid race the Uptown Minneapolis Criterium was going to be full gas
with the GC overall still so tight. As aggressive as it was, especially in
those first 15 laps, Kenda handled the pressure well and kept Murphy in the
yellow by the end of the night. Once again the mission was accomplished for me
with no time lost and all skin kept intact. Onwards to the road stage! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As expected the final road stage at
Menomonie was super aggressive. It was just one acceleration after another as
Optum, Bissell, Competitive etc. all tried to wrestle the lead from Kenda and
break the race wide open. A team like Optum had 4 guys all within striking
distance so it was tough for me to follow everything and jump into every move.
Sure enough a group of seven rolled away but to be honest it felt like the tens
of other short lived moves that would be back in a heartbeat. By the time Kenda
reassembled with the riders they had left, the break was well up the road and
with every other team represented they were solely left to the task of pulling
it back. The conditions of the day also made things a little interesting with
torrential rain times creating a few heart in mouth moments braking into
corners. In the wash up the break stuck it by a minute and I rolled in the main
bunch of 40 odd. Looking back at my training file it was one heck of a stage,
with 3330kj burned, TSS of 355 and 31 surges over 10w.kg!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Every time I line up for the Stillwater stage it's hard to forget the 4th place
a couple of years back. The bad thing now is that everything else now equal or
below result that is a devastatingly poor ride. Although the legs were pretty
toasted from the day before I tired to focus on the process of how to best ride
the stage rather than what my legs were telling me. After a good start and
keeping clean wheels up the front all of a sudden there was one new factor I
hadn't experienced on this stage before. Rain. The skies slowly opened up and
boy did the course become slick. With a crazy steep run into the bottom corner
the overall pace of the bunch had slowed significantly which played into
Optum's favor who were well in control. With 8 laps to go a break of 6 had
split off and were looking threatening. Whether it was missing the move the day
before I decided to drive across in what I hoped would be a critical race decision.
I was able to do just that but only a lap later we had been brought back and
the reset button was hit again. With 3 to go the race was splintering I simply
didn't have the legs left for the final punches up the climb. In the wash up a disappointed
16th was all I could manage but i guess the positive is there is always next
year! However I did move up in the overall GC to 17th place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I must give a huge shout out to the Horizon/Panache team for
all their help over the week. The guys rode super and I can't thank them enough
for helping stay up the front, fed and out of trouble. It truly takes a team
effort at bike races and especially even more so at the higher NRC level. So it
was awesome to see that we finished as the highest amateur squad on the overall
teams classification at the end of the week. Well done lads.</span></div>Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-6312037840689745732012-06-20T22:05:00.001-06:002012-06-20T22:09:12.021-06:00MORGUL BISMARCK VIDEO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-53623204470066313772012-05-22T11:14:00.000-06:002012-05-22T12:37:04.345-06:00SUPERIOR MORGUL CLASSIC.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Boom!</div>
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<a name='more'></a>Quite simply there was little to write about in the week following the
Tour of the Gila. I was well toasted after three weeks on the road and it was a perfect time to take a
mini break. I rode just twice and to give you an
indication of how tired I was I averaged 90bpm heart
rate and maxed at 115bpm! Smashed! But if you understand the basic
principles of training I had done some super overcompensation and with
the right rest the form should have been on the up swing soon after. Locally the Superior Morgul Classic is one of the bigger events on the calendar being held over three days with a time trial, criterium and road race. Last year I had to sit things out on account of my UCI status so I was super excited to race it this year over some terrain that would suit me pretty well. The race is scored as an omnium, meaning that instead of accumulated time each finishing place is worth points. For a rider this translates into some hectic racing where 'just finishing in the bunch' doesn't cut it!<br />
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The whole race weekend is centralized around the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgul-Bismarck" target="_blank">Mogul Bismarck</a> road race loop that was used in the Coors Classic Stage Race back in the 80's but also famously featured in the classic 1985 cycling film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Flyers" target="_blank">'American Flyers'</a>. Staring a dapper Kevin Costner (sporting a fine soup strainer above his top lip I might add) it's a must watch for any cycling fan. The Morgul Bismarck loop features a short 1 mile climb dubbed 'The Wall' that starts out at 5% and then kicks up nastily to 12% by the top before turning right onto some big rollers out on Highway 128. <br />
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I managed to dig this recap of American Flyers for those not yet educated on such a fine film. </div>
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<b>TIME TRIAL.</b><br />
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Held on a Friday afternoon there was no time to clock off and relax over a tough 10km course. Essentially half of the Morgul Bismarck road race loop it's smack bang up the 'Wall' climb and then onto the undulating Highway 128 and finishing right as it intersects with Highway 93. A block headwind coming straight out of the mountains makes it tough to pace your effort correctly and maintain good speed. The race officials had organized the start list in alphabetical order, so much like the roll call in my school life I was off near to last. Having only my road bike with clip on aero bars I was sure it wasn't too much of a disadvantage against full blown TT rigs with the amount of climbing required. I kept to my pacing schedule pretty well and didn't really die until the last 150 meters before the line where I was well and truly seeing Elvis. Finishing time trials is one of those funny things as other than my own perceptions I had no idea how things went on the results sheet! It wasn't until I got to my driveway an hour or so later a friend congratulated me on finishing 6th. Not too bad of a start.<br />
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<b>CRITERIUM</b><br />
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<b> </b> First and second in the criterium!</div>
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With Juwi-Solar and Horizon/Panache having the largest teams in the race it was clear that despite both of our intentions to send riders up the road nothing would stay away. This made for a hard and fast race and with Josh and I both sitting top 10 overall after the time trial the team did an awesome job of keeping us at the front. With 3 laps to go Jorge put in a massive effort to bring back the lone leader Ian Holt and soon enough we were jostling for position in the final corners. Special mention goes to Kit for holding his own against some bigger bodied riders and keeping the pace high. Josh had an awesome run into the bottom corner and led it out all the way to the line for a repeat win from last year while a few wheels back I got a little blocked before opening up my sprint and was able to work my way through to grab second place. It was perfect with both of us gaining valuable omnium points but also the top podium places. Josh took the overall leaders jersey and I slotted into 3rd place. A great day for the team and there was a real buzz amongst the boys to finish things off strongly for the final stage.<br />
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<b>ROAD RACE</b><br />
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<b> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4HTA9q4KdXJXmnRWjy7sIuvJuG53LMt5gw1BRxCG2bhpBlM38GIvjvLqVY-2Ihhaum0yA9B7SMMYpaAKvn8LGuox2O-VA8R2gUJFeES9zEYFrXMc_pGbjQPSQzLT9k5113-5YQ/s1600/morg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4HTA9q4KdXJXmnRWjy7sIuvJuG53LMt5gw1BRxCG2bhpBlM38GIvjvLqVY-2Ihhaum0yA9B7SMMYpaAKvn8LGuox2O-VA8R2gUJFeES9zEYFrXMc_pGbjQPSQzLT9k5113-5YQ/s640/morg.jpg" width="640" /></a> After leading out the sprint the line couldn't have come any sooner!</div>
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The majority of the overall omnium points were offered up in 80 mile road stage so despite our team leading it was still anyone's game. Featuring 6 laps of the 13mile classic Morgul Bismarck loop it was going to be a killer day in some fine Colorado sunshine. The team plan was to use some of our guys to set early tempo and allow Josh and myself the opportunity to save the legs and not follow every move. Juwi-Solar had other plans and soon enough a break of 10 or so ended up the road with a couple of wildcard riders on overall GC. We had Jorge in there thankfully to keep things in check and also prove useful later on in the stage if one of us bridged up.<b> </b><br />
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To keep the gap tight we put three on the front for the next couple of laps in which Connor, Tyler and Kit did a bang up job of keeping things steady. But with the tough terrain taking it's toll it was soon down to only myself, Josh, Austin and Nick representing the Cow Team. With three laps to go Nick and Austin pulled some mighty fine team work moves and drilled it up the 'Wall", hoping to form a split and a chase group for Josh or myself to get to the front break. Sure enough the peloton went kaboom and I went super deep but was able to hang in with a small group with a couple from Juwi-Solar and Cal-Giant alongside fellow Aussie Lachlan Morton. With Josh in the GC lead I had the free ride on the group, but with Morton stomping it on the climbs it was no arm chair! In the end our group reached the break and the reset button had been pressed. Jorge was willing to do whatever he could but after almost 80% of the race off the front he knew that his legs were limited. At this point the odds were not stacked in my favor up against 4 Juwi-Solar riders and two Cal-Giants. The group remained largely intact until the final time up the 'Wall' to the finish line which of course was at the top! Knowing this climb well from training it was always a matter of timing it just right but I was confident in the legs I had left that I could give it a strong go. Midway up with about 200m to the line everyone was still a little hesitant not wanting to blow to early and sensing this I hit out as hard as I could. I had no idea what was going on behind but the finishing arch was coming fast but I still wasn't home free yet! With 10 meters to go the legs were starting to pedal sqaures and a flash of red clothing came in my peripheral vision but I was able to hang on for the win! I had about a micro seconds worth of energy for a half hearted one armed salute before it was collapse time. But a happy collapse! The win also meant I had taken the overall GC omnium which was great that it stayed within the team.<br />
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Drinks anyone?</div>
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The whole three days were a tough fought battle but I was super proud of how the team rode. Winning two stages out of three and the overall GC is a mighty fine weekend. It's clear in this sport that team work wins races and there were a lot of our guys on the DNF sheet at the end of the road race but their role was critical in making the win happen. I'm super looking forward to lining up with the boys at the next race as I think the past weekend has really brought the team even closer and we are only scratching the surface in what we can achieve for the rest of the season. So a massive thanks to the Horizon/Panache lads alongside Charlie and the GS Ciao club members who were out there handing us bottles.<br />
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On a side note I have read that the winner from the weekend's race will gain an invite to the US Pro Cycling Challenge TT Stage in August so stay tuned for more on that one.<br />
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I had high hopes for this giant check to live in my garage. Sadly it got wiped clean and used for the next category podium. Learning the insider Hollywood tricks!</div>
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Team work wins races! Great effort by everyone involved well done guys. And we managed to avoid that nasty storm in the background!<br />
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The Daily Camera did a nice little feature linked below: <br />
<a href="http://www.dailycamera.com/cycling/ci_20670164/australian-claims-morgul-bismarck-road-race-omnium" target="_blank">http://www.dailycamera.com/cycling/ci_20670164/australian-claims-morgul-bismarck-road-race-omnium </a></div>Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-2027245785449955202012-05-11T17:11:00.000-06:002012-05-22T11:42:58.549-06:00TOUR OF THE GILA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Photo credit © Jonathan Devich</span></div>
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As I was pinning on my numbers for this race, I realized I've been a participant every year since I switched from the dirt to the road. I still remember that first year being the biggest stage race I had done to date and consequently getting my doors blown off just trying to survive. Or the year Lance showed up and the crowds were just insane and people drove from miles away just to get a glimpse of the 7 time Tour winner. This year the race had stepped up to UCI status giving the opportunity for a few more larger teams to enter, namely TT1, UHC and Champion Systems from Asia. Either way the common thing theme from every edition was that I always left Silver City completely toasted at the end of the week. Yep, sure enough this year was no different.....read on folks!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The Tour of the Gila was the second race this year where I would trade in my cow print jersey for the black and pink striped jersey of the <a href="http://solarcycling.org/" target="_blank">Juwi-Solar</a> team. With a few roster changes and hiccups we would be down to just 6 of us by the time the gun went off but were all eager to mix things up. Quite honestly the travel across from Arkansas had the potential to be nasty but looking back now it was pretty smooth. After the final stage of Joe Martin, Austin and I drove back to St Louis where the next afternoon I hopped a flight to Albuquerque for a nights stay. From there I arrived in Silver City by midday on Tuesday and had enough time for a quick spin before the Wednesday race start. However I will add that 'quick spin' I just mentioned felt horrible! I was a right royal mess with the legs like lead and lungs that struggled to breath now I was back at 6000ft or so. Needless to say though, who cares what you feel like the day before the race, it's the day of the race that matters!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit © Jonathan Devich</span></div>
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I'll admit it. Stage one of the Tour of the Gila and I aren't best buddies. Usually I've blown before the final climb and lose a bunch of time. This year quite honestly I had no expectations and just wanted to see how the day played out and to stay out of trouble before that final bastard climb up the Mogollon. With some solid teams on the roster the stage was easily the most calm and controlled I have ever experienced. To some extent it seemed bizarre and I was waiting for the fireworks to happen at any moment! In years previous it has been super fast and out of control especially through the two feed zone loops. This year however it was far from it. Despite not a set GC, Competitive Cyclist who were fresh from their Joe Martin win assumed control and the other teams were happy to let them. By the time we hit the last 15kms of the day things did get much faster as everyone jostled for top position before the finish climb. In reality there are two parts to the finish of the stage. Taking a right turn off the highway you hit some steep pitches before it flattens out and you hit an exposed plateau. From the plateau you then hit the final 5km climb with gradients of 19% at times. Every year guys either get dropped on the steep pitches before the plateau or on the plateau itself as the strong teams will take advantage of the cross winds and blow the field to pieces. Sure enough it played out this way and I survived the pitches, but with the road only so wide and my threshold only so much I was in the splintering second group across the plateau. Once we hit the last 5km climb however the legs turned back on and I started feeling great, settling into my own rhythm towards the finish line. I picked off as many guys as I could and crossing the line with nothing left in the tank. I had no idea where I placed at that point so I was surprised to see a 19th place beside my name when the results were posted later that day. So far my best start to this race ever!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit © Jonathan Devich</span></div>
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Each year I have contested it Stage Two has always ended as a bunch sprint. It's not a flat stage my any means but nonetheless a large contingent of the peloton does make it home together. This year was no different and is perhaps my favorite stage of the week thanks to some awesome terrain. It features a hair raising descent that has claimed many victims in the past but thankfully none this year aside from a good amount of brake pad dust left on the road! Once you reach the bottom the ride through the valley is spectacular with the road meandering through some nice forested areas and up over the continental divide. Once last chance for attacks over a longer highway climb and it's back to Fort Bayard where things kicked off.<br />
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Still maintaining a decent GC position going into the time trial I was a little worried. Not because of the course but due to the fact I don't have a time trial bike! However Mike of Juwi Solar came to my rescue and was nice enough to lend me his super nice Cervelo P3. It was an awesome rig and was more than up to the task. After some adjustments to make it UCI legal we made it work just fine even though it was a size bigger compared to what I would normally run. The Gila time trial is always tough, being one of the longer ones on the calendar at around 35 minutes and features some huge highway rollers. Going off a little later than normal was nice but although I was 1.20min faster than last years time I still slipped back valuable places on the GC. To be honest with myself I hadn't ridden a time trial bike since Redlands 2011 with Fly V so I couldn't have expected too much!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit © Jonathan Devich</span></div>
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Saturday's criterium is always a bunch of fun and normally in years past has drawn decent local crowds. This year seemed much quieter and it was a little sad to see the grandstands placed on the corners a little empty. As it is every year the criterium falls the day before the biggest stage of the race being the 170km 'Gila Monster'. Combine this with the fact that most teams present are made up of non sprinter types this years criterium was one of the less chaotic I have raced. A Colombian National Team rider spent most of the race solo off the front until Bissell took control for their on form sprinter Eric Young. When the dust settled it was Jamis who came home with the biscuits going first and second. I felt super throughout the whole race which left me in two minds what to do, but in the end conserving the legs for the last stage I decided would be the best option. We had the luxury of staying close to the criterium course so it was a quick roll home and into bed early.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit © Jonathan Devich</span></div>
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The final 'Gila Monster' Stage is a real brute. It features 9,131 feet of climbing spread out over 5 burgs and has some steep and winding descents. The course hasn't changed over the years and it never gets any easier. With UHC still in control of GC I was surprised they let a large break of 20 roll early. In hindsight I should have been in there but I wasn't. Any advantage to get up the road earlier and start the climbs before the peloton would have been of assistance and I'm still kicking my butt about it. So things played out as they do most years, and although I had terrible legs in the first hour (perhaps why I wasn't chomping at the bit looking for breaks) my legs came around for the first climb of the day and was in good position down the mad descent to the cliff dwellings. The second climb back out of the cliff dwellings is where it always shatters thanks to a super steep pitch that throws everyone into the red. This year for once I survived the nasty incline with the group although I was deep in the hurt box. Still with at least 4km of climbing left the writing was on the wall and I slipped off and suffered to the top. It was not pretty but by the summit I was in a small group for the descent to the bottom of the final Sapillo Creek climb which at this stage is approximately 30km left in the stage. Hitting the start of the climb after the long descent it was as if the light bulb had switched back on again. I felt great and fueled by the frustration of losing contact with the front of the race I decided to go as hard as I could to the finish. I shed the group I was in and began to pick as many guys off as I could. It wasn't pretty, and the stage was essentially over at that point for me but I just wanted to end it with nothing left in the tank. Soon I had a couple of guys along for the ride and we made it to the finish line well behind the leaders. Boo. I was hoping to be a better final day but it wasn't to be, and I had slipped to a nothing result of 37th on GC. One day I'll get this race right!<br />
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Our host Jeff owned this super sweet 1970 Chevy Nova. It still has the original 8 track player that works! Sounds mint too...</div>
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Every morning began in this fashion. Yes that clock reads right.</div>
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So I'm now back in Colorado and taking a well deserved break this week. Quite simply I'm knackered and the one ride I did this week so far I averaged 90bpm heart rate! But I know that with some good rest the form will be back going again for the next few races. Right now it's back to the couch......Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-28644260651282304252012-05-10T12:33:00.002-06:002012-05-10T13:01:06.446-06:00JOE MARTIN STAGE RACE.It was a welcome return to the Joe Martin Stage Race after 3 years of racing events elsewhere. It's funny how the memories come flooding back as soon as you roll back into places, but one critical detail I had forgotten was that the town of Fayetteville Arkansas did indeed have a Chipotle Mexican Restaurant. My burrito addiction was to be cured for the week so things were already off to a ripper start! So the Joe Martin Stage Race is a four day, four stage bicycle race with one uphill TT, two long road stages and one tough cookie of a criterium held down town. The form was still good coming of the the previous weekend and I was keen as mustard to snag a podium place on one of the stages. Okay, maybe I should be more ambitious...all of the stages! <br />
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<a name='more'></a>Getting to Arkansas a few days early allowed time to settle
into our host housing (thanks again Matt and Val!) and also a chance to spend some
time checking out the TT course. Located deep in
the magnificent Devils Den State Park, it’s pretty much a 4km upwards slog so it was all about having
light equipment and a good pacing strategy. Aside from hosting a bicycle race it really is a pretty area although I will warn you now of the bugs!
I got tagged on the back on my leg by a wasp or hornet of some description that made my leg blow up like a balloon! I looked like a lopsided track sprinter for a while there but thankfully the swelling went down by race morning. Come to think of it, if had I got bitten on the other leg also I could have really scared some of the competition....<br />
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Devils Den State Park. Pretty no?</div>
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Waking up on race day I was excited to get things started. It was warm and
humid, breakfast went down a treat and everything was going smoothy. A small hiccup of a flat tire while warming up did provide a chaotic wheels change within minutes of my start time but soon enough I was on the line ready to go. I blasted out of the gates strongly but blissful unaware I was committing the cardinal sin of time trialling. Don't go out to hard! It's a fine line between 'hey I'm crushing this' and 'whoah there fella you still have to make it to the finish'! With a violent 8min effort, breaking this rule had severe consequences and sure enough by the last 1.5kms I was well into the red. It's such a terrible feeling that despite the hurt you know it's not translating into any real speed on the road. The results sheet confirmed it being 50secs down on race leader Paco Mancebo.<br />
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The first road stage was a solid 180km affair and made navigation life
easy being just one big loop. Mostly
undulating although there was one 17km climb that wasn’t too crazy of a gradient but had potential to break up the peloton. The wind also was out to play and rolling out of
town we had a very solid head wind making that early break tough to establish itself. I spent some time looking for it but after a
while had decided to save the legs for future efforts. So things were going just dandy in the bunch
in that first hour but sometimes a bike race can throw up random events that
you just can’t prepare for. Taking a
drink in the middle of the bunch all of a sudden the call of rock was shouted
and before I could even blink I was down on the road. Falling heavily on my right side I quickly curled into a ball to avoid
further carnage of being hit by other riders. Of
course I was stunned but upon further inspection I was seemingly okay. I was fearful of the collarbone but with minimal road rash I was plenty lucky to come out of it intact. With the speediness of SRAM neutral support making my bike roadworthy again before I knew it I was on my way. And so began a nasty 40min chase back
to the peloton into a block head wind. Not pretty To make matters worse I had lost my full bottle of water so I
was dry as a chip and well on my way to dehydration town. After taking some drafts from a few following vehicles soon enough the bunch was in sight, and it was the local state policeman who I owe a huge thanks too, giving me a sticky bottle sling back into the peloton. Actually I was a little worried as it was not a normal cycling bidon but a gas station plastic bottle of water and as we accelerated I was sure that thing was going to explode! The rest of the day was a matter of staying safe in the bunch and seeing if I had anything left for the finish. I came good for the 17km climb but by the run into the finish I was toast, losing contact on the last uphill launch to the line. Still, things could have been much worse and I would be back in the hunt the next day.</div>
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The second road stage was slightly longer at 190km and featured a ride out to 4 laps of an undulating loop and then returning the same way. In other words a lollipop loop! Each loop had a decent climb to it which would serve as a perfect launch pad for anyone willing to have a go. Normally however things stay together and it's a mad bunch sprint back in town to the line. Things were no different this year, and despite having crashed the day previous I was feeling super good. In fact as the day wore on I just kept feeling stronger and stronger, and as we headed back into town I tried to follow the many attacks of riders trying to get away. It was soon clear however with Competitive Cyclist controlling GC and Bissell having the current National Criterium Champion in their arsenal it was going to be a bunch sprint. Normally as a smaller, lighter guy I don't fair too well in mass kicks, but I was feeling so good I was keen to give it a crack anyway! As expected, with a large bunch and a fast and open downhill finish things were hectic. Lots of bumping and barging and soon enough the inevitable happened. Guys were sprawling across the road sliding on their backs and I was lucky not to go down with them but had lost all hope in having a crack at the sprint.</div>
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For whatever reason I have had good success in the past on hilly criterium courses. The Joe Martin criterium course is one nasty little bugger with technical corners and plenty of elevation gain. And an uphill finish which I really like! My plan was to stay up front at all times and follow the moves of the bigger teams that would have a chance of staying away. Once again Competitive Cyclist did a super job of controlling the race and anything that did slip away wasn't given much leash before being absorbed again. Despite going through a pretty bad patch at one point during the race, I was still hanging in there and all of a sudden the adrenaline hit with 3 laps to go. Holding good position in the top 10 it was going to be a matter of timing the sprint to the line and not dying early. I was there, but in reality just not close enough before the last turn and took 8th place. A decent result but it's always tough when you can see the guy who won throw his arms in the air! Good motivation however!</div>
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So overall Joe Martin was a ton of fun. Crashes, wasp bites and whatever else bike racing throws up is just part and parcel of the game and despite not quite reaching my goals for the week I wasn't too far away and it sparked the motivation tank towards the Tour of The Gila in just two days time. Yep, I had two days to rest up, and travel from Fayetteville AR to Silver City NM and get after it again. No worries mate.</div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=27861345" name="_GoBack"></a></div>Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-77848694348233261572012-04-23T15:04:00.003-06:002012-04-23T18:35:38.244-06:00TOUR OF THE HERMANN<div style="text-align: center;">
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Well what can I say....I'm on the road again! So I'm typing this from the kitchen of my team mate's home in St Louis, Missouri and I've just ticked off race week number one of three. There are two more left with the now fast approaching Joe Martin Stage Race and then the<a href="http://www.sram.com/" target="_blank"> SRAM</a> Tour of the Gila following that. I kicked things off over the past weekend with the two day-three stage Tour of the Hermann here in Missouri so click the link below to get the full scoop!</div>
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<a name='more'></a>With a quieter weekend of racing in Colorado it was my team mate Austin who suggested heading across to St Louis for what is one of the bigger weekend stage races there. Sadly though, and I only learned this midway through the weekend, this was to be the final edition of the Tour of the Hermann and after completing it I'm disappointed! All three stages are held in and around the quaint German-esque town of Hermann, with a 14mile TT and super hilly criterium on Saturday and a 90mile hilly road race on the Sunday. With the weather looking cool but no rain on the radar we were in for a good weekend and a nice tune up before back to back NRC events the following weeks.<br />
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<strong>TIME TRIAL</strong><br />
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Obtaining a time trial bike this season is unfortunately just not in the budget so it was a matter of attaching clip on bars to the Foil and going for it as best I could. I figured the Scott Foil is a pretty rad aero shaped road bike frame anyway! The course was super undulating with a few steeper hills that you could really gain speed with on their down sides. It was an out and back affair and with multiple categories going at one there were always rabbits to chase and keep the motivation to suffer going. It hurt as time trials always do, and after going full gas for 30 minutes I was 10th @ 1.52 behind the winner. I was pretty happy with this going against guys with full blown TT rigs and disc wheels etc. I would have loved something bigger than a 53T front chain ring as spinning at 120rpm with little wattage does not create great speed! My team mate Austin had a top ride for 3rd place and put himself well in the hunt for overall GC.<br />
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Yikes. I don't recall ever frothing at the mouth in a time trial before! Bike racing ain't pretty sometimes folks! Please no rabies jokes or ones about drinking dish soap....maybe I cleaned my bottle a little too much?</div>
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<strong>CRITERIUM</strong><br />
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It was a mad idea by the race promoter to put King Of the Mountain points at the top of the start/finish hill for the first three laps of the race. So mad in fact that I decided to have a crack at it as the finish line climb was bastardly steep and coming down to sea from living at altitude I was feeling super good! I knew this tactic would hurt my chances towards the end of the 19 lap race but nonetheless I was keen to give it a go. As expected the first three laps were chaotic but I managed to snare enough points to put me in the KOM jersey. Of course once the first three lap madness was over the break took off up the road while those of us that were in the hunt for KOM tired to catch our breath. Luckily Austin followed the move which I knew from the make up of riders in it would have no trouble in staying away. This took the pressure off me to just cover and follow moves for the rest of the race but also try to conserve some energy. After all we had a 150km road stage the follow day and I wanted to try and hold onto this newly acquired spotted jersey! With three laps to go a fat $110 crowd prime was announced for our group and feeling confident I kicked hard on the hill and went after it. I snagged it without too much competition and at this point there were only two laps to go so I kept the pace on and forced a gap. It was a painful solo effort but I was able to hold off the chasing bunch to take 7th, while Austin finished 3rd place out of the break. Overall it was a successful start to the race and I was excited to have a jersey to try and keep in the final stage!<br />
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Last lap dash.</div>
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Spotty top!</div>
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<strong>ROAD RACE.</strong><br />
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With yesterdays KOM points being a three lap in a row drag race the final stage would be much more tactical in the search for points. The weekend event format was a stage race omnium where the overall GC is determined by points and not by overall time. So the top 15 places on a stage score points each and those with the highest amount overall leads the race. However, the race promoter had decided to include all <em>KOM points</em> to count towards the overall omnium GC also! So this meant it was going to be a mega bun-fight between the higher ranked GC riders looking to move up overall <em>and</em> the guys in the hunt for just the KOM jersey. Ouch! <br />
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The road race was three 30mile laps of a very undulating course. Roller after roller there was very little flat road at all. There were two chances per lap for KOM points, the hardest being a crazy steep (~20%) short hill immediatley after crossing the start/finish line and the other around 10miles into the circuit on a much nicer grade. The starting lap featured a neutral roll out that bypassed the first KOM so in total there were 5 chances to gain points. As expected there was plenty of aggression from the gun and I desperately hoped to slip quietly up the road in a breakaway but it was not to be! The first KOM came quickly and not knowing exactly the top I kicked way too hard too early and just managed to get 2nd. It was clear though that higher up GC guys were wanting points too with overall race leader Joe Schmalz having a go also. The rest of the first lap was tough as having a leaders jersey on the back I wasn't being let go easily. In the end just one rider slipped away and the bunch seemed to be content with that. I was too somewhat, especially with over 70miles left to ride the odds of him returning sooner rather than later were high. <br />
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Starting the second lap up the steep climb it was stupidly fast but by the top a select group had formed which I was mega excited about as I'd hoped catch the lone leader and then continue the points chase from in this smaller group. The bunch had other ideas and began to chase us down ever so slowly however. Desperate to keep the group away until the second KOM (sprinting against 5 is much nicer than 50 odd) we were caught with a mile to go before the line! Bugger! Nonetheless I mopped up some more points but a crash behind took the sting out of our forward momentum with the lone race leader still taking maximum points up the road. Shortly after a group of 4 riders slipped away which was no threat other than for the stage win, but did however neutralize any KOM points going into the last lap. At this time all the bigger teams were represented in the break and Austin and I were a little helpless to defend on our own. Race leader Joe and I had a little chat and decided that regardless if this break was gone or not we'd ride hard up the final lap climb for good training and try and split the field. Well we did just that! This time it was just Joe, myself and Austin over the top but we were sooned joined by one other. We gathered momentum and rotated hard and all of a sudden were catching the leaders. We were back in the hunt! We motored on and caught a few remnants of the break so all of a sudden KOM points were available again. Thankfully my breakaway companions let me take those without a fuss and we began to close down of the leaders. All of a sudden there they were, and with a quick reshuffle it was 6 of us now with 15miles left and Austin and I were both in the hunt. Coming in with around 5 miles to go a gap opened up in which Austin, Joe and one other began to ride away. A moments hesitation occured as I wasn't going to pull the other two riders with me back up to Austin and soon enough the front three were slipping away. It's funny how split second moments in cycling can totally change the race. With a few attacks by my fellow break away companions to try and bridge, I sensed some fatigue so I countered hoping to only come across to Austin solo if I could. By that stage I was well toasted and with 4 miles left it was an uphill battle. It was another super painful time trial to the finish but I held on solo for fourth and Austin took second in the sprint. Tired legs!<br />
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In the wash up I had tied the KOM competition with the rider who spent 58miles solo taking points. Good on him! Being a team of two it was tough to cover all the moves and he gambled hard and it payed off. They gave him the jersey based on a count back of how many KOM wins. However, the stage result and taking more KOM points on the day moved me up into 3rd overall which I was happy about considering not having a time trial bike to be a real factor on that opening stage. Austin secured second place so we had two Horizon Organic/Panache jersey's on the box . Good times! So it's a few days rest then we head south to Fayetteville for the Joe Martin Stage Race starting Thursday. A shout out of thanks to the Allison family for hosting me and to Austin's sister Flannery for the great photos!</div>
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Finish of the RR. Well cooked and ready to lie down.</div>
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Sneaky bottle of plonk stashed away there....</div>
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Rockin' the new <a href="http://www.smithoptics.com/">Smith</a> Pivlock V2.....</div>Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27861345.post-16643320745362480072012-04-12T08:15:00.001-06:002012-04-12T08:15:10.410-06:00WILSON TURNS ONE.<br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=12/04/12/1112.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/12/04/12/s_1112.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Chris Winnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587575385793108380noreply@blogger.com1