The Pedal Log

Today, after 10 consecutive races, I am officially tired... very tired. This has been an awesome experience. I'm exceedingly grateful for my time here in Wisconsin. At the same time, I am more than a little ready to be going home tonight. I have one more race to do this evening, then I'm on the road back to my family; it feels good. My goal coming into this series was to make top 15 at two of the pro races. That didn't happen. However, what I gained in experience these past two weeks is worth far more than achieving an arbitrary goal. I learned what it will take to make those objectives happen next year. I'll be back, and with podiums in mind. Thank you to Shannon for making this whole thing possible by letting me stay your lovely home. Thank you to the Levine Law Group presented by Huseby.com Cycling team for letting me try my legs in an elite field. Shout outs to my Team Clark Logic family for their continued support. Also, mega kuddos to the cows of W...

A cyclist's relationship with their coach is an almost sacred thing. Through the process of building fitness, they are your compass in uncharted waters. They help you to find new lands of undeveloped potential, and map the weaknesses that may cause you harm along the way. That is to say, a good coaches is absolutely indispensable. Meet Derek Dalzell, my coach.  For the past three years, Derek has worked to guide me through the journey of my cycling career. I don't remember when we first met. But, it's a small world in Kalamazoo. So, between bike shops, group rides, and our converging interests of riding bikes and going fast, it was almost inevitable that we would become friends. We did.  Fast forward to coffee.  We met on a weekday morning and talked about what my next steps in cycling should be. Derek bought me my favorite morning coffee, an americano, and talked me through how I could make my cycling aspirations a reality. It was decided. He would be my ...

Tour of America's Dairyland - Day Eight  Sending a quick dab skyward for good luck. Frank in the background straight cheese'n Today I took some time to rest. Well, not really. I raced a category down, and found myself back inside the Amateur race chaos.  There was no strategy in play, there was no organization. Just total unfettered random pandemonium.     It was fun to shut off my brain and ride simply to survive the insanity. My legs felt great, and my mind is rested for the focused effort tomorrow evening holds.   My buddy Frank bought me dinner, I bought us some beer. We enjoyed relaxing the night away and watching the evening's races go by.  The weather is perfect. The clouds are spectacular. This is the good life.  A list of things I'm thankful for: I'm in a great community.  I have some awesome friends.  I’m doing what I love.  I have an great host and host house (Shoutouts to Shannon!)....

Tour of America's Dairyland - Day Seven Well, that was exciting. Today's stage brought racers into Shorewood, a small suburb just north of Milwaukee. The venue promised high speeds in the form of long straightaways and wide turns. But then it started to rain, like, really REALLY rain. Oh, and did I mention there were brick crosswalks in the penultimate turns? Yeah, those were slicker than ice once they got wet.  Here are some rules for bike racing in the rain.   1.) Do not avert your eyes from the task at hand to watch the crashes happening all around you. If you turn your head, you will steer that direction, and you don't want to be part of those crashes. 2.) Do not use your brakes. Don't use them at all if you can help it. But, be especially weary of using them in corners. If you touch your brakes in a corner you will find your face touching the ground. This is considered bad form. 3.) Watch out for nervous riders. These fellas mean well, but th...

Tour of America's Dairyland - Day Six Progress is a funny thing. For all of us, the idea of progress is applicable in some capacity. For most of us, progress is defined by comparison. We look to the great things other's have achieved and feel the need to do more ourselves. We feel an ominous pressure of inadequacy in the wake of talents not our own. We forget the long roads we have already traveled in a desperate and constant comparison of our current locations with those on completely different journeys. It is quite silly us of, but yet we persist. It is easy to become discouraged in an unrelenting cycle of self depreciation when we define our progress outwardly. In today's globally networked culture, it is natural to feel as if you are competing against the world. But, this paradigm is largely untrue. We are not rivals with each other. Among seven billion people there is only one individual you. Your progress is your own, you abilities are your own, and your story ...

Tour of America's Dairyland - Day Five The most important part of having a bad day on the bike is using that experience to strategize ways  of correcting negative controllable factors. Today was bad. Tomorrow will be better, here is how.  I will spend more time on the course preparing lines that are both fast and safe I will do a more vigorous warm-up routine to prepare my legs for the climb that defines tomorrow's stage.  I will stop being so darn polite and go to the front of the race when I want because I want to win  I will roll up to the line when I feel it is time assert myself to get a good starting position I will not mark a rider to beat. I will race my hardest and not compare myself to the performance of others  Yep, I feel like that's a pretty solid plan! I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Tour Of America's Dairyland - Day Four Rain is always a risky proposition for riders like me. I am tall, and as such have a higher center of gravity on the bike than most. This in combination with the tarmac's reduced grip in wet conditions can often lead to disaster. To mitigate this risk of falling as much as possible, I made a concerted effort to get the best possible starting position. This so that during the opening laps of the race (often some of the "sketchiest") I would be able to choose my own lines as the pavement dried out after the day's earlier downpour. This turned out to be a fantastic decision.  As expected, the start of the race was extremely fast. Because everyone was being cautious in the turns, the field quickly became a 300 foot long line of riders. No one was moving up, and I was doing to work to make sure I wouldn't slip back. I held my place during the entirety of race. Went in a breakaway or two, tried to solo across a gap, ...

Tour of America's Dairyland - Day Three  "Maybe you need a rest day" This is not the kind of thought you want jumping into your head 30 minutes into your 90 minute race, especially if you have a full week of daily racing ahead of you. But, there I was. Sitting at the back of the pack, re-tasting my dinner for the umpteenth time, and wishing to be anywhere but in this race and on my bike. It's funny how much can change in just a few minutes.  Within the span of two laps I went from the back of the field feeling like a dead man behind bars, to a an animated athlete trying to bridge up to a breakaway solo.  The lesson learned today? It's always too early to give up and never to late to keep trying.  Though today was my poorest numerical result from this series so far, it was probably my best race. I fought through my muddled head-space and overcame the voices of doubt that were telling me to stop trying. More than that, I recognized an opportunity...

Tour of America's Dairyland - Day Two  First things first, today was a lot of fun. The venue for tonight's criterium was downtown Grafton, Wisconsin. Smooth roads, large crowds, and warm rainfall characterized the evening. Plus, two enormous Jumbotrons added a "big-league" feel to the event as they showed live race footage to the spectators all around the 0.8 mile course. Highs and Lows of the day:  I raced much more assertively this evening. I didn't let myself get pushed around. Hard efforts and consistent placement choices kept me near the front of the race al night; that was awesome. Bringing on heavy loads of carbs a few hours before the race, and taking in simple sugars immediately before the race start kept me well fueled for the full 90 minutes.  My bike handling skills are continually improving, and I found myself needing brakes in only one of the six corners  I kept a level head when it started to rain. As my tires started to slip...

Tour of America's Dairyland - Day One  I am not a confident cyclist. I often have too little faith in my abilities. Today, I both could and should have raced a lot harder, and more confidently. I can't let others get in my head. I started today's race at the back of the field. There I felt trapped as the single file line of riders continued in their waving line of serpentine maneuvers through the course’s six corners. As the columnar pack of 70+ riders worked their way into a rhythm, I worked up my courage to make a bold pass and break the chain of riders in an attempt to move closer to the front. This move was cut short. A cycling stereo type the often holds true is that of the category 1 cyclist - they are often elitist. As I came around an unnamed rider (Hint: he rides for a team that is named after a state, then a form of public transportation infrastructure, and a common type of dwelling) I was reminded of this reality. Coming into the first corner on the c...