So as the next weekend of racing begins I better catch you up on the last weekend. It's been a busy week since flying back from Texas last Sunday night. I had to work a couple days and ended up doing re-hab on my shoulder, prep work on the track and getting some things done with Nate for everyone staying at the compound this weekend. Yah, were going local this weekend so I get to sleep in my own bed for the weekend!
Last weekend was Desoto, Texas and the ABA Supernationals, and the USA Cycling National Champs. If you didn't catch the news on the eyewitness channel then your late breaking info left you out of knowing that I am the USAC Champion. I pulled it off on a short sprint arena track. Got the gate, first straight and led the lap. It was pretty sweet on top of the podium in the red,white & blue champion jersey. That was a good win after a pretty good national on Friday placing 2nd. It was all short lived as I took 4th on Sunday. My shoulder deteriorated to the point of failure and I am now working and getting more the 3lbs of strength at therapy and living it up long enough to bust it at the track each night as I refuse to give it a break. All my own fault but it's busy season and I know doc says 6 weeks, but I am going off dog years, so I am back on the bike.
Tonight was the pre-race for the regional national this weekend. I won it, only cause a rooster came up in turn 2. Either way it was a sloppy win. On to the weekend and I am pretty sure i will be in pain for most of it as my shoulder is going to be the deciding factor my performance. It's a home track advantage so I might be able to slip on through. Still a few more weeks until a break but at least I will be ready for a pretty big training block in May to prepare for Australia in July. I better get off to bed or else I will just be chasing that element along with the other 30 to worry about as the weekend goes on!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Jackpot National Review
So they tell me I gotta do the good old reviews again. With only 2 empty weekends between now & August I'm going to have to rebel and stay simple with just the juicy stuff. You would be bored anyway after following twitter all weekend.
Thursday was a drive up to Las Vegas. We made it quick once we left, but we didn't leave when we wanted thanks to UPS being later than they usually are. Cant leave with the goods! We got there and decided since the rest of the vegas team boys were over at the track doing a little quite session we figured stopping by and checking out the track would be good for the bucket list. I stood on the track for a few minutes and gave up on looking and grabbed my wheels and soon felt what everyone was talking about on the track. Some lippy walls to be jumping out there. 28 footers. We left there, stayed at the bowling balls house.
Friday- Nate, Rob, and myself went over to the new City Of Bicycles shop in vegas. Nate's getting sick wheels done up for 2 weeks from now. I scored 130 dollar brakes and we had some lunch, checked into the hotel and hit the track for the practice session. 10 minutes before pre race closed I decided to get in on the action. I got 2nd that night. Turns out I ended up getting 2nd all weekend. Just got out ponied by 1 person all weekend. Not by much so that was a good outlook for myself considering the distance tuttle can put on some people.
Saturday at the track was the same old, nothing to new going on around the rumor mill. There was nearly 80 motos and it ran at an OK pace. i think we were outta there and back in the hotel not to far after 3. That gave us plenty of time to spectate at the party pit inside Excalibur while waiting for a seat at the Dicks Last Resort. The whole team had some dinner there and it's quickly becoming a regular dinner place. There is one in Dallas so we might just have to represent again! After dinner Patrick, Nate and I went out to Robs house for his daughters birthday party. We dragged into the hotel pretty late for the 2nd night in a row! The ice machine decided to be outside the window of my room in our suite. I wanted to open the window at 3AM and ask why the heck they need ice during those hours of the night.
Sunday was an early morning and to the trainers dislike I filled my fuel tank with a coffee frap! It did the track as I nipped 1st place during round 1. I took 2nd every lap the rest of Sunday but what the heck, at lest both days I did come around with a win now and then. We would have been done Sunday a whole lot sooner but in the pro main there was a video finish decision to be made and since the new "talent" NBL put in to replace the perfectly qualified world ranked official couldn't come up with a decision to how to solve the tie. A tie because the scoring crew missed it and he didn't keep the video loop pointing at the finish line, he chose to point it at the ground. So without a clear view of what the finish was his talented executive decision was to have a race off. What the hell is a race off in BMX? Is that even in the rule book? Its been more than a day since I learned of his resolution to the problem and I still cant stop laughing. I only wish the people involved would have thought long enough to actually agree to it and see what he came up with. This aint time trials!
We got out after mains and took a long drive home. Got stuck in traffic, had lunch cause we were tired of the traffic and then got stuck in more traffic cause of construction, then got stuck in more traffic cause of an accident and then finally got home with enough time to get to bed! I got a pretty late start this morning but the day went on and I am back on schedule. 2 days & I am out for Texas. More next week kids!
Thursday was a drive up to Las Vegas. We made it quick once we left, but we didn't leave when we wanted thanks to UPS being later than they usually are. Cant leave with the goods! We got there and decided since the rest of the vegas team boys were over at the track doing a little quite session we figured stopping by and checking out the track would be good for the bucket list. I stood on the track for a few minutes and gave up on looking and grabbed my wheels and soon felt what everyone was talking about on the track. Some lippy walls to be jumping out there. 28 footers. We left there, stayed at the bowling balls house.
Friday- Nate, Rob, and myself went over to the new City Of Bicycles shop in vegas. Nate's getting sick wheels done up for 2 weeks from now. I scored 130 dollar brakes and we had some lunch, checked into the hotel and hit the track for the practice session. 10 minutes before pre race closed I decided to get in on the action. I got 2nd that night. Turns out I ended up getting 2nd all weekend. Just got out ponied by 1 person all weekend. Not by much so that was a good outlook for myself considering the distance tuttle can put on some people.
Saturday at the track was the same old, nothing to new going on around the rumor mill. There was nearly 80 motos and it ran at an OK pace. i think we were outta there and back in the hotel not to far after 3. That gave us plenty of time to spectate at the party pit inside Excalibur while waiting for a seat at the Dicks Last Resort. The whole team had some dinner there and it's quickly becoming a regular dinner place. There is one in Dallas so we might just have to represent again! After dinner Patrick, Nate and I went out to Robs house for his daughters birthday party. We dragged into the hotel pretty late for the 2nd night in a row! The ice machine decided to be outside the window of my room in our suite. I wanted to open the window at 3AM and ask why the heck they need ice during those hours of the night.
Sunday was an early morning and to the trainers dislike I filled my fuel tank with a coffee frap! It did the track as I nipped 1st place during round 1. I took 2nd every lap the rest of Sunday but what the heck, at lest both days I did come around with a win now and then. We would have been done Sunday a whole lot sooner but in the pro main there was a video finish decision to be made and since the new "talent" NBL put in to replace the perfectly qualified world ranked official couldn't come up with a decision to how to solve the tie. A tie because the scoring crew missed it and he didn't keep the video loop pointing at the finish line, he chose to point it at the ground. So without a clear view of what the finish was his talented executive decision was to have a race off. What the hell is a race off in BMX? Is that even in the rule book? Its been more than a day since I learned of his resolution to the problem and I still cant stop laughing. I only wish the people involved would have thought long enough to actually agree to it and see what he came up with. This aint time trials!
We got out after mains and took a long drive home. Got stuck in traffic, had lunch cause we were tired of the traffic and then got stuck in more traffic cause of construction, then got stuck in more traffic cause of an accident and then finally got home with enough time to get to bed! I got a pretty late start this morning but the day went on and I am back on schedule. 2 days & I am out for Texas. More next week kids!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Im Back! (Nate's News)
What it do nephew?? It's been a while since I got up on this whole shindig. Right now I am waiting for clothes to dry so I can pack up and head to Las Vegas. I'm gunna go get wasted... On BMX that is! Heard there is a HHUUUGGEE triple in the 1st turn as they call it. The dot net and I have been throwin' sick whips and turnbars over the triple at the track down the street so we're not sweating the hype. Lots of stuff has been happening over the past month, but the new race season is here. Well it's been here. I was stinking up the place in Goodyear just like the year prior. I have been carpooling to the track with Cody everywhere so hopefully it pays off. BMX scene is way better up in the desert. People actually ride their bikes rather than being yuppies in the infield checking to see which tooth sprocket Timmy Turnbar is running, and if they get free grips from their sponsor. Speaking of which I'm rolling a profile sprocket and ODI grips. My hubs are supposed to show up today too! I'm stoked. Getting a new bike together for the new season. I'm going to wait till after Desoto to get it going though. I have to go to Cody's house in a minute to pick up my new jersey. Its hard riding .4 miles to get to his house. Well I'm out...
Hollar
3DigitNate
Hollar
3DigitNate
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
March Madness
Here it goes... Before ya know it, it will be November and I will be sitting around doing nothing! It's going to take off real quick with not an open weekend in sight. Tomorrow I am off to Las Vegas for the NBL National, followed by Texas for USAC the following weekend and close to home for the end of the month with a new round of traveling for April. The past few weeks I have just been trying to add the performance in with the volume and last Saturday at the track I felt some power that I had not gotten to feel in a while since my volume of training has been so high it's been hard to put any intensity. I am pretty energized to start the long months of racing coming up. I kind of have a new image on having fun and it seems to be paying off in the way of speed. Lots of friend time lately and maybe most recently with some changes has made for a refreshed feel without a huge gear bag dragging along, if ya know what I mean!
Nate & I are driving up tomorrow for a little early trip "sightseeing" in the sin city. By Friday it will be all business as we put some practice time in on the track that has been built to "ball" up the regulars speeders. From the sounds of it there have been some pretty lippy tall & long jumps added just to make or break you. It doesn't seem so exciting to start off a long trail of racing with a make it or break it deal, but looking ahead there will be many more weekends if NBL decides to be the No Body League by doing some fouled up things like the rumors I have heard about the track. Of course it's all rumor so until I get there and ride it for myself I wont know how I really feel. I will be throwing down with the Twitter updates as the weekend goes on, so if you can make some understanding of the randomness on the old twitter rolodex then you can keep up on the happenings this weekend.
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