aguynamedlogan

give the sprinters some

3.23.05 So what's wrong with Milan-San Remo? Why can't sprinters have a race? I mean have you ever heard 'The climbers need to be kept at bay to let other, normal riders have a chance at the win. Let's take a few climbs out. ' The rest of the classics are climb filled! And didn't a non-sprinter in the form of Paolo Bettini win in a highly dramatic fashion two years ago? I think that if non-sprinter types want to win, or even a shot at winning M-SR they just need to step up their game. Please leave the race alone! I like having the sprinters throw down to kick off the rest of the year.
I ran into Andy at JP Licks and he told me that there was going to be more snow out the sky today, tomorrow and the next day. WTF? I went for a ride and got my fill of dry riding while it can still be had.
I go to LA to watch Track Worlds on Friday. I am going to see Tournant and a whole bunch of players mix it up. I couldn't be more excited. Anyone have favorites for some WCs on the boards?

foot in mouth

3.20.05 For real! The one favorite that I bust on for not having it in the end wins convincingly. Tons of action in the last 50k. That's some racing. I think Petacchi's victory was ill. I might just be a fan of his now. I love the Italian Renaissance in La Primavera. Cipo, Bettini and now Petacchi have been the top Italian Pros for the last five years and have all won M-SR.
Check out Brad McGee with stars in his eyes. Sounds like every training ride I've ever gone on. And just like the one I'm about to go on. SouthSIDE!

Talking some race

3.18.05 The 4/5 race at Marblehead, that is the Michael Schott Memorial Circuit Race, is full! I guess it always fills up. Two kinds of people enter the Northeast's season opener; those who think they have figured out how to win it, and those who hope to finish without real incident. That makes for quite a race. It will be Jon and my first race as team mates. That's us making breakfast in FL. There was a packie near by our hotel called 895 Beers. You drove your car right in to a kind of garage with two walls of coolers and a beer station attendant asking you what you would like. Mostly imports made up the actual 895 different kinds of beer and we did our best to drink as many different kinds as we could in a week. That's why there is Star****s and Pellegrino to go with eggs and kashi berofe a 100 mile ride. 
But Marblehead! The first year I raced it I was crashed out hard with two or three laps left. Last year I raced the 3/4 and 1/2/3 back to back and finished just as it started raining. This year Adam has decided that he has a score to settle with the race and all those who race. The words vengeance and pain were used. That's what I like to hear. To all those choking on smoke come race day, just remember that this man is putting the hurt on.
Good page on M-SR, the big PRO throw off. My favorite? Let's just say that the UCI had to create a rule to get Freire to wear the ProTour leaders jersey instead of his third World Champion jersey this weekend. That's the kind of problems that pimp has. Finding the line on La Via Roma first shouldn't be an issue.

BBS, MSR and D

3.14.o5 So, the Boston Bike Show happened. I went with the intention of taking video of the action at the Cyclorama and hanging out with IF, but as I was fiddling with my Sister's camera (looking for the 'on' switch actually) a beer was thrust into my hand and all sense of time and responsibility, never mind expression, was lost. I did catch Adam's team being presented. I'm so proud of you boys that I teared up. And even though Skul was running interference between the beer area and the booth area I managed to make it to IF's tents and meet the people. We produced empty beer bottles, passed around the free beer bracelet, planned our victory at the Single Speed MTB World Championships and then migrated to JJ Foley's. If you have ever been to JJ Foley's then you know how the rest of the night unfolded, which couldn't have gone any better as far as sponsor introduction goes.
Here's a gem from FL. The day before this picture was taken Adam and I, after everyone else packed it in following five hours, rode an additional hour of 'lite', shoulder to shoulder, back to the hotel. Dean, fellow CS camp attendee and former USSR National Team member, wanted badly to join us. So he joined us the following day. I took this picture just as we stopped the effort. After forty five minutes or so of three up rotation,  Adam and Dean started to kind of go head to head and succeeded in weeding me right out. I guess if I was in the same situation on race day the same thing would have happened. Dean and I were constant combatants for town lines, and the first to attack when Adam would take the leash off. "So, this is a good spot to pick up the pace if you want..." and before he could finish I would be either chasing Dean or flying away to try and surprise him.
MSR this weekend! Who has a chance? Come on, you even have a doubt? All the sprinters, as usual, are flying right now. But seriously, no one is going like Freire, last years winner, and he kind of has that win-a-bunch-of-races-in-a-row vibe right now. What better time for some repeat action? I know you might be thinking of Petacchi as looking good for it, but I think MSR's distance is Alle-jet's undoing, just like last year and just like what happens when he races in the TDF. The race gets longer than 200k (MSR is 294k) and he just doesn't have it. Anyone else got a favorite?

It's March!?

3.10.05 I know, I can't believe it either. There's a fucking foot of fresh snow on the ground and more on the way. I'm sure there's been enough bitching about the weather, but do we ever really get tired of it? Hell, when I was a messenger it's all anyone would talk to me about, including other messengers.
Boston Bike Show this weekend. What else is going on? Since Florida I've been working like mad to get all the gear for the year. Hanging out at City Feed and Supply on Thursday nights so I can feel like I have a social life. And on Friday I call people on behalf of the Ride and get them to subscribe.
So I've also been a regular at this yoga studio in the Back Bay. It's been the best way to keep fit as blizzards blizz all over us. I'm actually pretty psyched about practice, and even looking into teacher training. Lately I've been taking Karen's advice and getting a good nights sleep after class instead of obsessing over my online presence all night. I'm still skeptical about the benefits of sleep, but I wake up when my alarm goes off.

It's March

3.1.05  It occurs to me that Adam offered to bring my bike back from Florida to keep me from riding it for a couple days. It has come to light that a big weakness of mine is recovery. I don't mean 'active recovery' either. I mean on ass time. It's true, I have trouble sitting still. But I didn't have much trouble sitting still after riding hundreds of miles in Florida suburbs.That's the short version of my trip really: ride miles and miles, eat, watch tv. I've got stories and I'm waiting on photos to go with, so keep your pants on. Boy, I don't get to say that very often.
Here's Justin and some guy training in Virginia. Man, he goes south to escape the snow and gets snow and dogma. I ran into a little of that myself in the warm Florida sun. 'Muddin' for Christ' coming your way.
All kinds of local amateur bike racers have been winning all kinds of amateur bike racing awards. In the family Eric Pearson and Joe Moody took away honers at the BRC banquet for being killer 3's.  For the Ladies Mackenzie Dickey and Rebecca Wellons kind of cleaned up the women's 2 and 3 awards at the NEBRA banquet, which is deserving no doubt. But on the men's long list of various names receiving honors I seemed to notice an over site, or maybe a snub? Men's Cat 3 Criterium and no mention of  Dave Connery? Um, Mass State Crit Champion? Who voted for these? Everybody give a big clap for Dave's new baby! Boy or girl SMQ?
So training races are supposed to start this weekend, but I anticipate a cancellation due to weather and my bike being in transit. I had to skip the race in Florida on Saturday in leau of the drive back, but I called Adam and got my fix. Night time Crit, wicked sketch, Adam got fifth by winning the field sprint. And he did so after riding a hundred miles earlier that day. Word.
Speaking of racing, my favorite pro to make fun of George Hincapie won the 58th Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne this past weekend. You know, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, that big race that they have, in Belgium, about this time? Big win for Georgie, I'm sure he's wicked psyched. I hope you enjoyed getting to see him on the podium, a rare site indeed, just don't get used to it.