GliderBison Giveaway! GO CARLOS!

In celebration of Carlos' victory at the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix, I'm going to give away one of these sweet Team Exergy tee-shirts. To win, you MUST submit your entry in haiku form (or other form of poem)! Also, I'd prefer that your poem relate to Carlos' recent victory, but any poem will qualify.



To enter, just post a comment (IN HAIKU FORM)  on this post (facebook entries don't count). One post per person please. I'll draw a winner using a random number generator at the end of the month (6/30/11), and contact you regarding what size of shirt you want, and where to send it. GOOD LUCK!!!

NOSE, MEET GRINDSTONE!

Here's pretty much everything you need to know: I'm back in Boise, I'm training hard, and I love it. The first thing I did after returning from my East Coast adventure was take a nice long rest. That, in itself was great -- tons of sleep every night, lots of healthy food, and the occasional spin on my mountain bike. After nearly a week of that, I was primed and ready to get back on the bike!

Here's me all week:



Next big event for me: the mighty mighty Cascade Classic, which starts the 19th of July.

However, I have teammates who are racing currently: Ben Chaddock, our plucky ambassador to the hockey-riot-loving nation directly to the North, just finished racing Canadian Nationals. He placed an astonishing 3rd place in today's criterium, and apparently won the field sprint to do so. I fully expect a detailed report on his blog when he's got the time. Congrats on getting on that podium Ben!

And TALKING ABOUT PODIUMS, CARLOS ALZATE JUST WON THE MANHATTAN BEACH GRAND PRIX! That marks Team Exergy's first appearance on the top step of an NRC Podium. Congratulations Carlos! I'm sure there will be plenty of photos and race reports available available through the usual channels, so stay tuned. Oh, and here's a hint -- if you want to say "badass" in Colombian Spanish, you say "vacano," as in: "Carlos, usted es vacano."

KROGG DESTROY BICYCLE TEST AT EXPO!

So if you watch race you know: Krogg not on Nature Valley roster. Why you ask? Well several reason. One reason is Team Exergy hire new racer -- little someone named FAST FREDDY, EVER HEAR OF HIM? So him take up one spot on NVGP roster. Also, as long time reader might know Krogg not exactly best friend with Nature Valley Grand Prix. In fact, Krogg history at that race tepid at best. Bunch of crazy crits and many hard circuits at end of road race make Krogg go ouch ouch ouch. After Krogg have bad finish at Air Force crits, director and Krogg decide it best Krogg sit out instead. But Krogg still in Minnesota (at least for first day of NVGP), and this give Krogg opportunity to wander around expo. While at expo, Krogg encounter Optum Health Sprint Challenge -- bikes on trainers set up under tent with man in orange jacket who say: 
"Hi there, do you want to take the Optum Health Sprint Challenge?" Krogg slightly peeved about not race bike, so Krogg curious. 
"WHAT SPRINT CHALLENGE?" 
"Well, you get on this bike here, and ride a mile as fast as you can. When you're done you can go online and see things like your power and your speed." 
Krogg eye tiny bike in trainer, and accept challenge. Krogg remember back to 2008 when Krogg SMASH similar bike-based competition, and win nice little heart rate monitor. 
"KROGG READY! RAISE SADDLE HIGH AS IT GO -- KROGG ABOUT TO SMASH!!!!" 

Man give thumbs up (meaning start race0, but Krogg no see!

So, man with orange jacket raise saddle as high as it go, and Krogg straddle little bike. Before Krogg even strap feet into silly pedals, man say
"Ok you're going." 
Krogg not hear good, and say "YOU GIVE KROGG COUNTDOWN OR WHAT?"
"No you've already started."
WHAT?? KROGG HAVE LATE START? KROGG NO LIKE ORANGE JACKET MAN! KROGG NEED TO SMASH EXTRA GOOD! 

KROGG SMAAAAAAASH!!!!

SMAAAAAASH!!!

Krogg finish with mighty mighty kick. Good pain face. Loud grunt. Man in foodcart next to Krogg stop serve food to customers and watch Krogg sprint challenge. "Jesus dude" he say. Then Krogg get card.
Congratulations! You completed the KBS-Optum Health Sprint Challenge!

Krogg finish race, get off tiny little bike, and go watch Carlos absolutely murder Nature Valley Grand Prix stage 1. Krogg forget all about Sprint Challenge. 




Well few days later, Krogg get e-mail: 

Hi Sam,

Congratulations on finishing first in the OptumHealth Sprint Challenge on June 15th at 2:20!  If you would please send me your address I will mail your prize to you.  If you haven't already, take a moment and check out the link below to find your scores.

http://www.optumhealthsprintchallenge.com/index.php

Kind Regards,

Tara 

Well now Krogg torn. Part of Krogg want to thump chest and strut around! YOU SEE HOW FAST KROGG SPRINT ON THAT TINY LITTLE BIKE? Krogg SMASH! Other part of Krogg feel slightly guilty. Krogg professional cyclist -- Krogg should be able to win Sprint Challenge. Krogg compete in one-mile trainer race against general public, with no regard for thing like weight of rider, age, or gender. Person who try sprint challenge after Krogg probably one-legged woman in late 50's. Krogg asshole caveman for even enter Sprint Challenge!


Krogg nevertheless send this e-mail in response: 

Thank you for your well-deserved congratulation Tara. KROGG KNEW HE COULD SMASH PUNY WEAKLINGS IN SPRINT CHALLENGE! Krogg professional cyclist after all -- and nothing say professional like winning! If you don't mind Krogg ask, what is prizes? If possible, Krogg request 4,000 pounds mastodon meat as prize, or new spear. Krogg wish to feed village. Please send prizes to address below, and thanks again,

Krogg 

      

A Tale of Two Gingers

Alllllright -- now it's time for the first installment in what I'm sure will be a multi-part series:

A TALE OF TWO GINGERS

WELCOME TO THE TEAM CONOR AND KEVIN! Everyone is excited you're on board. The Ginger twins now have their profiles up and running over at teamexergy.com. Check it out:

Read all about Kevin Mullervy, master of disguise, avid birdwatcher, and recipient of the Griswold Prize for Redheaded Existential Poets HERE*.

And read about Conor Mullervy, trumpet player, circus acrobat, and three-time winner in the handlebar division of the Beard and Mustache World Championships HERE*.

*Note: not actual information about the Mullervy twins.

Bike Racers Who Rock

First and foremost, my teammates Matt Cooke, Andres Diaz and Freddy Rodriguez. They stacked the breakaway, and blew the race apart today! I don't know exactly how, but after four days of total invincibility, United Healthcare folded like a house of cards, leaving Rory Sutherland isolated and minutes behind the front group. Andres moved into third overall, and with a hellish final stage coming up tomorrow, something tells me the GC is far from finalized.

Andres Friggin' Diaz!

Freddy leads Carlos into the finishing circuits on stage 3. Thanks Lyne for the photo.

Next up in my list of Racers Who Rock are rookies who win:

Colin Gibson, a good friend and fellow Whitman alum, just won his first 1/2 race last week at the inaugural Capitol Stage Race. What made this victory even sweeter? That he was flanked on either side of the podium by his teammates Steve Fisher and Logan Owen. Colin tweets here: http://twitter.com/gibsoncn

Next is the aforementioned Steve Fisher. Steve has become a racer to be reckoned with in the Northwest, but one of his sweetest victories is also his most recent: Steve took the mighty mighty Ballard Crit by a bike throw this year, pipping former winner Grant Boresaw by inches. Thanks to WheelsInFocus.com for the pics. Steve blogs here.

The bike throw...

...and the post-up. So pro.

And, saving the best for last, my client Davis Friggin' Shepherd (I am a coach remember), who just won stage 1 of the Elkhorn Cycling Classic! When I first started coaching Davis, just over a year ago, he was a cat 3. He upgraded at the end of the season last year, and look where he is now! Davis attacked late in the race, and drove it hard to the line with my former team mate Lang Reynolds. Everybody knows Davis can climb (he holds the records at several local hill-climbs), but one thing many people don't know is that Davis can also sprint! Lang (and the rest of the field) just found this out the hard way. I can't take any real credit for this victory; Davis is talented, and he works hard. It was only a matter of time. Regardless, CONGRATS DAVIS!!! Tune into OregonCyclingAction's excellent Elkhorn coverage here.

Davis, sporting the NWCCC overall season champion's prizes. 

Top Three Animal Legends

Anyone who knows me knows that I love animals. I grew up with hundreds of pets, and veterinarians for parents. That being the case, it should be no surprise that I am a huge fan of stories that feature animals, especially intelligent animals. Here are my top three favorite animated stories that feature intelligent animals: 

Watership Down: 

This is a story about a small band of brave rabbits who, due to a horrible premonition by the runty yet psychic Fiver, decide to leave their warren and start a new life elsewhere. I hate quoting Wikipedia, but they summed it up well: Although the animals in the story live in their natural environment, they are anthropomorphised, possessing their own culture, language(Lapine), proverbs, poetry, and mythology. It feels more like an epic fantasy tale, where the hobbits and elves and orcs are transposed into rabbits and birds and dogs. While the subjects may be soft and cuddly, the actions of these bunnies are not. This is a story of life and death, of greed and cruelty, and of brotherhood and honor. This is not a cartoon for little kids; these rabbits are fighting for their survival, often literally. If you'll forgive the out of date animation, you'll certainly enjoy the story. 

The Secret of NIMH 

Magic, wizards, sword fights, betrayal, mutant rats! What more does a story need? The Secret of NIMH is the story of Mrs. Brisby, a widowed field mouse, and the rats of NIMH, a group of escaped lab rats with increased intelligence. The rats have mastered both technology and magic, but there is strife within their numbers. The secret to their survival just might lie in the tiny paws of Mrs. Brisby. While it's little more cartoony than Watership Down (the graphic rodent violence is kept to a minimum), it's every bit as enjoyable. 

Legend of the Guardians

Legends of the Guardians takes things into a whole new level. While the first two movies on my list take place in our own world where animals live alongside people, Legends of the Guardians is set in some owl-based alternate universe. The plot isn't as satisfying as the other two, but the animation is nothing short of stunning. If you love looking at owls, then you'll love looking at jaw-droppingly rendered owls as they soar through a gorgeous fantasy land. Rich with their own culture and legends, these owls are badass warriors if need be -- they put on owl armor, and attach fearsome spurs to their talons so they can slice each other to ribbons in the air. Owls. Sword fighting. In the air. 

Apparently, We Were in DC

So I raced two races I've never done before, the DC Air Force Cycling Classic. Personally, the races were quite poorly. I'd rather not re-live the bad, so I'll just leave you with some snapshots of the good: views of our nation's capitol. 

Holy Lord, The Robots Have HANDS!!!

Ok. It's official. The robots with hands are on their way. Now I don't mean just a clumsy inarticulate piece of pink rubber in the shape of a hand -- no, I mean crazy fast, crazy powerful, crazy lethal metal hands. Watch this video:

Now the part of the video they didn't show you is where the robotic hand picks up a butterfly knife and slices  the roboticists to ribbons. The only thing scarier than knife wielding robots, is spider robots. Giant spider robots.

Ways To Waste Time on the Internet

The internet is vast, like the ocean. Most of that vastness is composed of total garbage, a sprawling matrix of blithering, worthless nonsense. Most tweets suck. Most blog posts are boring. Most youtube videos are pointless. Yet there exist tiny, succulent pockets of quality. The problem is, like fish scattered across the Atlantic, these gems can be hard to spot. Honestly, who has time to sift through the endless gobs of drivel in search of that one gleaming, glittering piece of internet perfection? The answer is that I do. Like a deep sea trawler, I've tracked the best parts of the internet using the latest technology, and corralled them into one spot with the nets of my blog. Without further ado, I present the BEST OF THE INTERNET:

Disclaimer: not actually the best of the internet -- basically just stuff you might like.  

Blogs from Racers who do FUNNY THINGS:

Check out this one from Brian, who nearly lost his nipples in a crash.

Lookie here from Ian, who wrote a funny note to his mom about how he finally decided to shave his arms. 

Thomas Tabernacle Peterson is Kennett's dog. Kennett's dog is a very good dog, except when it comes to murdering small animals, in which case, he's a very bad dog. Read about Thomas, and his bloodthirsty exploits here, and here, and become Thomas' facebook friend here.

Cool Team Exergy stuff:

The Manual for Speed is a collection of photos, writing, and video that document the pursuit of speed -- by following Team Exergy through our first year as a pro team. It's got tons of cool pics.

The (Continuing) Adventures of Chris Hong and Krogg: JIM THORPE

And now it's time for another installment from your favorite duo, Chris Hong and Krogg.

The Adventures of Chris Hong and Krogg

Episode IV: Jim Thorpe

Krogg and Hong spend time in Jim Thorpe in between races. This place good for bikes. Not only is there awesome panny farthing, but there good good bike path. Bike path called Lehigh Gorge Rail Trail. This trail total paradise for hybrid bike -- over 20 miles of smooth flat gravel road with few bumps. For uninformed caveman, hybrid bike have reputation as extremely silly machine -- not capable mountain bike (bad suspension, upright position, 700c wheels), but not capable road bike either (fat tires, flat handlebars, ~95 lbs.). For years, Krogg look down upon hybrid bike like Krogg look down at duckbill platypus.(JUST PICK ONE WILL YOU PLATYPUS? YOU DUCK? OR BEAVER?) 

Then finally, Krogg understand: hybrid bike PERFECT for Lehigh Gorge bike path! LOOK: 

Actual photo from Lehigh Gorge Rail Trail

See? Everybody ride hybrid. Everybody happy. Well Krogg and Hong no have hybrid, but we try luck anyway. Krogg and Hong ride bikes down trail, and pass many cyclist, all on hybrid bike. Krogg begin to doubt earlier assumption that it not about bike; maybe those people right....maybe hybrid bike IS better! HOLY SNARLING SABERTOOTH -- KROGG WANT HYBRID BIKE! Krogg and Hong ANGRY!!!

Then stop for snack and suddenly, Krogg get idea: hybrid bike fit poorly, handle poorly, and make no sense -- if KROGG RIDE HONG BIKE, IT ALSO FIT POORLY, HANDLE POORLY, AND MAKE NO SENSE!!! 

Before long, Krogg and Hong breeze down trail on wrong bike, happy as clam, waving hi to all the other caveman on hybrid bike. 

Krogg even try sprint on Hong bike -- maybe go faster? 

Turns out, no, Krogg no go faster on Hong bike, but Krogg pretty sure Hong save ride data on SRM power meter. Krogg hope Hong coach like giant caveman watts! Then Hong sprint on Krogg bike: 

Hong not exactly about to tear bottom-bracket out of frame there, but Krogg impressed nonetheless; pedals FAR for Hong. 

Anyway, Krogg and Hong ride remainder of Lehigh Gorge Rail Trail on wrong bike, happy as clam. Then get back to paved roads and snap out of crazy hybrid obsession. Krogg and Hong trade back bike, and never speak of hybrid bike again! Thank goodness for paved road, and road bike. 

Philly, Let's Talk

Well now I can say I've raced Philly (more accurately the TD Bank International Championship). It lived up to its reputation quite well. Personally, I attacked early in the race, dragged quite a few bottles of water, Perpeteum, and Coke up to our team leaders, and survived seven trips (out of ten) up the famed "Manayunk Wall." The approach to the Wall was every bit as hard and cutthroat as I'd heard. Every goddam lap, for the three miles preceding the actual climb, the whole field would jockey and fight for position and take all kinds of risks to move up. The field would spread from curb to curb, twenty-wide across the road approaching the final three turns before the Wall. One moment of inattention meant losing fifty spots. I managed to get up there in good position twice. The rest of the time I found myself slamming on my brakes going into the turns, and giving up 30-45 seconds over the top of the Wall, which made the chase back into the field absolutely awful. Enough talk. More photos. Meet Philly: 

Now here's a taste of the madness on Lemon Hill.

In case you didn't follow along, we had a pretty stellar race. Quinn was in the early move, and came within a point of winning the climber's jersey. Andres attacked with Mabcebo late, and took third in the climber's competition. Carlos and Freddy worked together inside the final few kilometers, and placed 10th and 12th respectively. Here's what the guys looked like after finishing 156 miles of racing:

YAHOO!!!!