3/23/2003

I am writing to give you all a little update from the last couple of weeks and to fill you in on the first collegiate race of the season on saturday.

The past week for spring break the UW cycling team went to the Nantahala Outdoor Center in the smokies, roughly 100 miles southwest of Asheville. The Trip this year was about 60 people strong and included riders of all ability levels. the "NOC" is a big time kayaking hot spot and they also many thru-hikers going north on the appalacian trail. the cabins that we stay in for the week are fantastic and the riding is even better. If you ever have the chance, visit this area and ride, its is awesome. Every mile we rode was basically up or downhill, and the views are usually great. Only problem this year was that it rained and was cloudy for the first six days. We still managed to get about a 30 hour week in and I had around 800 kilometers on the road. Unfortunately now I have school to deal with...today is not going to be fun!

The new bike is fantastic. I have not been so comfortable on a frame before, it is very stiff and on descents it was really fun, point and shoot steady, very predictable, and exremely different from my trek oclv frame. I also arrived home this morning to find some beautiful new race and training wheels that Nigel has built up. the wheels now just need tires and the bike will be ready to fly. I must thank all of you guys again for helping me put this bike into order.

Race day. On friday evening about half of the bike racers on the trip decided to get up early on saturday morning, skip out planned century on the blue ridge parkway and drive to Columbia, KY for the Lindsey Wilson RR. It was a last minute decision, but I am now home and will get a true rest day which allows me to continue as planned with training tomorrow. We got up at 5am on saturday and got to the race at 10:30 for the 12 noon start. the race was a 75 mile race consisting of 3 laps, rolling hills, flats, and two steep (14%) climbs right before the finish on top of the final hill. this was my kind of course and the distance (longer the better) also made me a happy camper. Collegiate racing is a bit odd, or different than USCF racing, but once you figure it out it is a blast.

We rolled out for the race with a feild of around 30-40 guys, pretty good turn out. UW had seven men in the "A" race. We got in about 15 minutes of "warm up" and also planned out our race strategy. This planning ended up being crutial to the outcome of the race. basically we had one guy, russell who felt horrible cover all of the early first lap breaks. My job was to watch for breaks that looked good, and if the race was together on the second lap, I would try to get something going. For the finish we planned on having Nick be our man (if the bunch was together) as he was climbing really strong all week in NC, and he has the best sprint finish on the team. the other guys, Joel, ted, and scott were also covering attacks later in the race. Of course as we were planning this we were warming up and probably due to the past week of training, we all felt like acid was in our legs...never the less, a plan was needed as we came to race and not just pedal in circles.

The race rolled out nuetral for the first two miles until a right turn into "belgium", yeah it was like what you are picturing, and the pack strung out and it was on, with a bunch of early garbage attacks. the entire time, our man Russell was getting to the front and getting into the splits, eventually leaving him with 7 others up the road. We did not like this, as there were two from Indiana, Miami, one Lindsey Wilson, and Marion college, maybe another, and Russ. needless to say this was not good...one in 8 or 9. so I waited until the next gradual climb, got ready to bridge and as I did a lindsey rider went, I took his wheel, and proceed to ahve him sit on while I bridged the gap....this was not ideal, but once the break was established the pack sat up and there were two from all of the teams in the feild who would have any ability to bring the race back. we worked hard for the next lap and a half, probably at about 41-43 k's an hour, not really fast, and I was comfortable. the break eventually got at least a ten minute gap and at the end of the second lap we new we were gone, but also knew that last year at the same race, the break got caught on the last lap...(because UW, Jordan and myself pulled it back). we kept up the work and I began to feel better. On the last lap we were left with six guys, one from each team, and two from UW. Russell, my teammate rode his heary out and stuck it out despite telling me the whole day that he was almost done! I try to maintain a high level of modesty while I race and train, but for the entire last lap I could tell each rider was getting tired, our paced slowed and I was able to follow the strongest man who was a threat for the uphill finish (Marion rider) as we pulled through. this let me leave him on the front for a few extra seconds and try to get him a bit ragged. Once we turned onto the final road, I had managed to communicate with Russell that he would have the first attack. On the first rolling section of the road, Russell attacked, attacked again, and a
gain, yes three times. each time I was sitting on the back and the marion rider was chasing the wheel followed by the next strongest man from lindsey wilson. with two hills to go I put in an attack...not a full on attack, but a good one, and we dropped russ and the Indiana rider. the four left played games and basically freewheeled allowing the IU rider to get back. I knew that the IU guy was done and one man was a huge MTB'er, strong but not on a hill before the finish. this left Lindsey and Marion, and I didnt feel like I could drop them on the hill, but rather I elected to sit on their wheels on the climb and put in a final attack over the top with about 500meters to go. I didnt want to sprint with the lindsey guy because I knew he ahd a good finish. Over the top, or just before, the two others lindsey and marion, managed to not here me put it into the big ring, and I went. I didnt think I had them, but once I looked back under my arm, they were 100 meters back, and I had won. I was very happy with the result and I knew it the entire final lap, the race was mine.

This was a surprise after a hard week, and especially after a hard 4 hour ride friday and five hour car drive saturady morning. I had never actually won a collegiate A's race so this was very nice. Russell finished in 6th place and My teammate Scott finished 8th, the first man in the chasing group. Overall the day was a huge success for our team, and we were missing two strong riders who stayed in NC, jordan and bret. Of course I would not have won the race had it not been for the work of Russell, he softened the legs of the break at the end and took as few turns as he could get away with all day. Russell defines the term "cagey racer" as he really hasnt been training alot, but is really smart and knows what to do to suffer through a long 60 mile breakaway.

The exiting thing is that My race wheels are now ready and the result was after a really hard week. Next week we go to Purdue, and if we are smart we will come away with good results.

bryan