+++SFP. "Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it."
+++DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE. It's like that with cycling. You can't expect things to fall into place with this silly sport... they just need to naturally develop. It's taken 5 solid months of pedaling to feel like a fast guy again. Thank god I didn't expect it sooner.
+++MAKING STUFF PLAYLIST.
Earl Scruggs // Mercury Sessions
Elliot Smith // Roman Candle
Leo Kottke // 6 & 12 String
+++EFM. "Don't buy upgrades, ride up grades."
+++RAIN DANCE.
+++Gaps. Filling em' in this week. Getting back on the dirt wagon and going nose to tire with the mental.
+++RACE PACE. Some days you're the hammer... and somedays you're the nail. Yesterday I was the nail.
+++DIRTBIKE PLAYLIST.
Mastadon // The Hunter
Misfits // Static Age
Avenged Sevenfold // City Of Evil
+++EPIC MISFORTUNE. Ugggh, is all I could muster as I sat in a pub watching Flanders live. All the preparation in the world cannot account for a loose waterbottle in the feed zone the same way you cannot avoid the wrath of the unexpected double flat. Like FABIAN, I too was struck by misfortune.
Enter the Paris-Roubaix challenge. As the temps struggled to make it into the mid thirties I zig zagged my way to the front wave for staging. What a motley group of characters. From downtube shifters to the Rapha boys to 200 lb Belgians with thighs the size of my waist we all had our game faces on. Before the pre race nerves could fully elevate we were off. Being my first road race I was a bit apprehensive but quickly realized that this wasn't any different from other events I've raced. I sat comfortably in the group as the first sector of cobbles was still 38km's from the start. As we pedaled our way across the Belgian country side the occasional rider would surge out but eventually absorb back into the field. The small rollers were painfully slow as I struggled to resist the urge to ride off the front. At 35K I began to anticipate the first cobble sector and positioned myself on the front....pssssssst. On a small descent the sound of air quickly escaping a tyre plagued the group. I quickly realized it was mine and pulled over to assess. My hopes of hanging with the lead deflated as quickly as that tubular. Seconds after the group dissapeared around the corner a Mavic neutral support moto rolled up. In his broken English French accent says, "tubular?" As quickly as I could knod yes he was nodding no. Ugggh, there was still a chance to chase on but not with the help of this schmoe. He moto's off leaving me to pry the tyre off with my skewer. Mechanical time is hard to estimate as the endorphin driven emotions change color quicker than a chameleon. Maybe 10 to 15 minutes went by along with what appeared to be every other wave in the race. A small local lady offered help as she watched me wrestle the rubber off. I smiled and offered her my blown tyre after spotting the quarter inch slash before departing on my mission. With the eye of the tiger I hit the first of eight consecutive cobble sectors at max speed. It was absolute chaos. Riders every 25 meters with some sort of mechanical. Flats, broken wheels, bottles flying, riders ejecting, you name it. I made quick work of the first sectors and was getting faster as I pedaled on. I spent no time catching my breath as the mind aligned with body as did my bike with the terrain. Groups were forming due to the wind which only added to my motivation of riding through them. I completely destroyed myself for the next hour and a 1/2 never loosing hope of catching the lead wave. Going into ARENBERG double digit #'s began to fabricate. My wave! Or at least the stragglers. I knocked the legend of Arenberg down and rallied through a couple more groups before psssssst. Game over. Flat #2 left me no choice but to walk away with feelings of dissapointment and redemption. In retrospect I wouldn't trade this magical experience in for anything. There's always next year...
+++TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM. A week and a half ago during the E3 Harelbeke Fabian flatted. Team Liason Jordan was quick to change the wheel but in the process suffered a severly broken nose when another rider slammed into the back of the bike. Huge props to him for bouncing back and managing the the pits at Flanders.
