On Sunday afternoon in Bend, OR I put on my favorite kit... the one I wear when it's time to rip legs off...
It was a beautiful day, sunny. The snow and ice had melted off of the course and it was muddy. I was incredibly nervous before I got on my bike but as soon as I started warming up on the course every worry I had melted away: it was nice out, I was dirty, and just down-right having fun riding my bike.
They started the D1 women a minute before us and a primal drum beat could be heard in the distance. The gun went off and I sprinted. Everyone was left behind except for me and Dartmouth girl...Arielle...my sprinting nemesis. I edged her out in the Collegiate National RR but she bumped me off the podium at the U23 National Crit by the width of a small insect that is so small it actually lives inside of another insect. Anyway, I knew what was going on because I knew Arielle. I stayed with her for a half of a lap but it was inevitable... she could just put time into me on each corner. No matter, I was having the best race of my season riding in second and I didn't let her get more than 40 seconds ahead of me in the 40 minutes of racing that we had that day. (I'll be ready for Madison...I hope Arielle will be ready for me, too)
So for some freak reason I just felt like a total beast. I kept thinking I was getting tired but then, a couple seconds later, I would feel good again and stand up and put in some good stomps after the corners. The energy from the crowd was unreal. Imagine 5,000 people yelling plus a marching band, plus flags waving in your face, plus horns, plus costumes, plus one guy dressed as a pirate playing a saxophone. I was happy a lot of people recognized my kit and cheered for the Montana Griz. I had so much motivation it was incredible. I just kept going and going...picking off D1's and eventually into sixth or seventh place in their race.
Then the race was over. It felt good to be on the podium. A good way to end a really good year! Also, I got to meet Andrea Smith: a UM alum who got sixth in the elite women's race. Really, as far as I can tell, anything is possible, you know?
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
2010 Calendar Revealed
The tentative road schedule is as follows:
Date Location Events Host
------------------ ------------- -------------------- -----------------------------------------------
March 13-14 Boise, ID RR, CR, TTT Boise State University
March 20 Eugene, OR RR., TTT University of Oregon
March 21 Corvallis, OR CR Oregon State University
March 27 Salem, OR CR, TTT Willamette University
March 28 Portland, OR RR Portland State University
April 3 Bellingham, WA TTT, RR Western Washington University
April 4 Seattle, WA CR University of Washington
April 10-11 Walla Walla, WA RR, TTT, CR Whitman College
April 17 Bozeman, MT RR, TTT Montana State University
April 18 Missoula, MT CR University of Montana
April 24 Palouse, WA RR Washington State University
April 24 Moscow, ID TTT University of Idaho
April 25 Moscow, ID CR University of Idaho
2010 Collegiate Road National Championship: May 7-9, Madison, WI
Tentative MTB events:
Black Rock, hosted by Southern Oregon University
Ashland, hosted by Southern Oregon University
Bozeman, hosted by Montana State University
Bogus Basin, hosted by Boise State University.
2010 Collegiate MTB National Championship, Oct. 14-17, Truckee, CA
Date Location Events Host
------------------ ------------- -------------------- -----------------------------------------------
March 13-14 Boise, ID RR, CR, TTT Boise State University
March 20 Eugene, OR RR., TTT University of Oregon
March 21 Corvallis, OR CR Oregon State University
March 27 Salem, OR CR, TTT Willamette University
March 28 Portland, OR RR Portland State University
April 3 Bellingham, WA TTT, RR Western Washington University
April 4 Seattle, WA CR University of Washington
April 10-11 Walla Walla, WA RR, TTT, CR Whitman College
April 17 Bozeman, MT RR, TTT Montana State University
April 18 Missoula, MT CR University of Montana
April 24 Palouse, WA RR Washington State University
April 24 Moscow, ID TTT University of Idaho
April 25 Moscow, ID CR University of Idaho
2010 Collegiate Road National Championship: May 7-9, Madison, WI
Tentative MTB events:
Black Rock, hosted by Southern Oregon University
Ashland, hosted by Southern Oregon University
Bozeman, hosted by Montana State University
Bogus Basin, hosted by Boise State University.
2010 Collegiate MTB National Championship, Oct. 14-17, Truckee, CA
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
UM Cycling Fuels Rolling Thunder
For those who have been living under a rock or don't know what VeloNews is, this past Saturday was Rolling Thunder, a day of cyclocross racing ending with a race under the lights. All of this mostly powered by UM Cycling's patriarch Shaun Radley. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to be a part of this event by feeding the Thunder 
hamburgers, beer, and home-made cookies. It was a good fundraiser for UM cycling with the grills going non-stop from the kids' race to the podium at the end of the elite men's race. We had a great location right in the action, with a superior view of the finish and the barriers where we could cheer our UM comrades on. In the first-timers race, future UM cyclist Luke Juras looked strong coming in first followed by another recruit. Bryce's lil' sister Meredith came in second for the ladies. We were excited to see the newbies out racing and looking at home on the bike. There were many Griz kits in the men's 4 race and I almost lost my voice because I had to cheer so
much. Josh Goldberg, Jens McAller, Agner and Wes represented us well giving a wink and a nod as they passed the BBQ pit. However, the UM result of the day came from Johnny Montana who led the race almost from start to finish but was passed at the very end (ironically by someone from John's "team": Fitzgerald's bicycles). John ended up in second by a hair: a great result from a completely stacked men's field. Johnny brought home some W's for UM Cycling last year and we hope to see much more of him this coming spring.
hamburgers, beer, and home-made cookies. It was a good fundraiser for UM cycling with the grills going non-stop from the kids' race to the podium at the end of the elite men's race. We had a great location right in the action, with a superior view of the finish and the barriers where we could cheer our UM comrades on. In the first-timers race, future UM cyclist Luke Juras looked strong coming in first followed by another recruit. Bryce's lil' sister Meredith came in second for the ladies. We were excited to see the newbies out racing and looking at home on the bike. There were many Griz kits in the men's 4 race and I almost lost my voice because I had to cheer so
much. Josh Goldberg, Jens McAller, Agner and Wes represented us well giving a wink and a nod as they passed the BBQ pit. However, the UM result of the day came from Johnny Montana who led the race almost from start to finish but was passed at the very end (ironically by someone from John's "team": Fitzgerald's bicycles). John ended up in second by a hair: a great result from a completely stacked men's field. Johnny brought home some W's for UM Cycling last year and we hope to see much more of him this coming spring. 
Here's Chez wondering if he'll be able to hit the high "C"
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Race Report: Collegiate Nationals (Fo Co Fo Sho)
Sorry this race report is incredibly late but between finals and my sister’s graduation I just didn’t get around to it...but for those of you who are still on the edge of your seat wondering what went down at collegiate nationals this year read on...
Wednesday 5/6
Bad Bryce and I left town early afternoon after I took the anatomy practical. It was raining and hard to see but I had taken Shaun’s advice and brought enough snacks to keep everyone happy. We stopped in Bozeman to pick up the rest of our posse: Montana’s very own conference champ, Corey Meyer, who would be racing, Kyle from MSU cycling along for support and Kyle’s dog Ronald. Needless to say it was a cozy 11 hour drive in the van and the five of us were the best of friends by the time we rolled up to Kyle’s sister’s house in Fort Collins at 2:30 in the morning.
Thursday 5/7
The next morning we woke to blue skies, no wind, 75 degrees and it was sunny...weather none of us had seen in a while. Everyone was really anxious to get on a bike but we ate a leisurely breakfast of waffles and turkey bacon in the lawn first. Next we rode the course. It started low and quickly climbed up in the foothills where there were beautiful views of Fort Collins and the reservoir. My one impression was: these hills don’t mess around! They were both long and steep and I knew I’d have to pace myself. I could just imagine the field exploding into a million pieces on them. Later on we went to the Hilton to pick up numbers and all that other junk. We saw the Women’ Cycling Magazine trailer and there were actually people getting interviewed. That was when it hit me that collegiate nationals was a legit event and I was there!
Friday 5/8
Friday I woke up and it was really windy. And I mean really windy. It didn’t matter though women’s D2 started at 8:10 and at least it was sunny. When we lined up I was really nervous. I waved at Bryce. I kept telling myself it didn’t really matter how I did because I made it there and that was more than I was expecting. I just didn’t want to get completely dropped. Once we got out of neutral the race got fast quick. Everyone knew that the first big hill was going decide a lot. If anyone couldn’t keep up it would be really hard to chase because the wind was so bad. When I saw the hill it looked like a giant wall and my stomach dropped as I got ready to hurt. A bunch of girls just took off but I knew they would die and I tried to find a good hard pace that I could keep. I’m not going to lie: I felt like crap. I kept thinking “Oh, if only everybody could see ‘the climber’ now...suffering like a common flatlander.” By pacing myself I was able to overtake a bunch of the over ambitious ones but at the top I saw there was still work to be done with about ten girls up ahead. I heard my friend Daisy from Western behind me so luckily I was not alone because Daisy can do serious work and we were able to catch them with minimal difficulty. There was still much climbing to be done and the pace stayed pretty rough. Finally, things began to flatten out and a group of 20 or so coalesced. All of sudden I felt like I was going to bonk and I realized I had just climbed all over the foothills without taking one sip of water or eating anything at all. The problem was that I was breathing so hard water couldn’t really make it down my throat. I kind of panicked but then after searching my pockets I realized I had my trusty bag of M & M’s! I stuffed a giant handful in my mouth and breathed with my mouth open until they melted and the candy coated chocolate dripped down my throat in between panting. Then I would pour water in there too and let it trickle down, trying not to choke. After doing this several more times and also stuffing goo into me too I was able to recover. The pace relaxed and I was able to just hang in the draft with all my friends from the NWCC. We realized that as a conference we were looking pretty strong especially Lydia Tanner from Bozeman who was just eating up the hills while breathing through her nose. We were also the most friendly conference, we were like one giant team almost. The camaraderie was awesome. The race continued, a few crappy attacks happened mainly coming from MIT, but things didn’t get serious until the final stretch. Of course there were hills so as the pace picked up things got strung out but then there was the final wall and this time there was a head wind going up it. This is where it really mattered. Everyone was in their lowest gear and just suffering...we must have been going so slow. I was reminded of that scene from Fantasia where all the dinosaurs are walking across the desert and they just keep falling over dying. I mean seriously, one girl from Whitman literally just fell over and Daisy said she saw people walking up it! I don’t even remember the last part, I just kept telling myself not to faint. Then there was the descent and the finish. There were about ten of us...we were coming into the last stretch...I was in the back of the group sucking wheel waiting for the sprint but still working really hard...then there was this huge gust...Emily R. from Whitman got blown over and some of us lost the wheels in front of us...I was out of winning contention but was still able to sprint past a couple people into seventh. I was so happy I was smiling before I even crossed the finish line. I had finished with the top group and I couldn’t have been more elated.
Saturday 5/9
The crit started at 8:00 for us the next day. Warming up on the course I wondered what the race would be like. Every other crit I’d done had at least one hill or a hard turn that people could take aggressively to break things but this was all flat and really wide corners. The race started fast but we remained one be group. On the first prim lap Lydia and I were trying to move up but then some MIT girl swerved and crashed Lydia. It slowed a bunch of us down but we were all alright and Lydia was back after her free lap with all kinds fury. By the second prim I was kind of bored. I didn’t think I would be competitive in the crit at all so I just decided to put myself out there and see what would happen. I was up front and I ended up sprinting past all kinds of people to get third. I was so surprised, I just looked at my legs in awe because I had no idea they could do that! The next prim I was second and I heard the announcer say something like “And that was Lindsy Campbell from the University of Montana..?” as if he was really surprised or something. By then I was just like “Damn strait it’s me, I didn’t ride a steel bike through a Montana winter to come here and screw around.” The fourth prim I was in a bad spot with Kendi Thomas and some others on my wheel chasing down Daisy. I thought for sure they would all sprint past me but I just went for it and rode them off my wheel and got second again. I think that was the best part of the whole trip. I got third on another one but by the finish I was pretty tired and everybody was getting aggressive. I couldn’t get a good spot but I gave it all I could when I had room and ended up in twelfth. Later I found out I was tenth overall. I was ecstatic. Still am.
Thanks for listening. I can’t put into words how awesome it actually was. Also, thanks to everyone in Missoula. It was so cool to check my email, f-book, and my phone every day and see that everyone was cheering me on and excited for me. I hope to have more UM cyclists there next year!
Wednesday 5/6
Bad Bryce and I left town early afternoon after I took the anatomy practical. It was raining and hard to see but I had taken Shaun’s advice and brought enough snacks to keep everyone happy. We stopped in Bozeman to pick up the rest of our posse: Montana’s very own conference champ, Corey Meyer, who would be racing, Kyle from MSU cycling along for support and Kyle’s dog Ronald. Needless to say it was a cozy 11 hour drive in the van and the five of us were the best of friends by the time we rolled up to Kyle’s sister’s house in Fort Collins at 2:30 in the morning.
Thursday 5/7
The next morning we woke to blue skies, no wind, 75 degrees and it was sunny...weather none of us had seen in a while. Everyone was really anxious to get on a bike but we ate a leisurely breakfast of waffles and turkey bacon in the lawn first. Next we rode the course. It started low and quickly climbed up in the foothills where there were beautiful views of Fort Collins and the reservoir. My one impression was: these hills don’t mess around! They were both long and steep and I knew I’d have to pace myself. I could just imagine the field exploding into a million pieces on them. Later on we went to the Hilton to pick up numbers and all that other junk. We saw the Women’ Cycling Magazine trailer and there were actually people getting interviewed. That was when it hit me that collegiate nationals was a legit event and I was there!
Friday 5/8
Friday I woke up and it was really windy. And I mean really windy. It didn’t matter though women’s D2 started at 8:10 and at least it was sunny. When we lined up I was really nervous. I waved at Bryce. I kept telling myself it didn’t really matter how I did because I made it there and that was more than I was expecting. I just didn’t want to get completely dropped. Once we got out of neutral the race got fast quick. Everyone knew that the first big hill was going decide a lot. If anyone couldn’t keep up it would be really hard to chase because the wind was so bad. When I saw the hill it looked like a giant wall and my stomach dropped as I got ready to hurt. A bunch of girls just took off but I knew they would die and I tried to find a good hard pace that I could keep. I’m not going to lie: I felt like crap. I kept thinking “Oh, if only everybody could see ‘the climber’ now...suffering like a common flatlander.” By pacing myself I was able to overtake a bunch of the over ambitious ones but at the top I saw there was still work to be done with about ten girls up ahead. I heard my friend Daisy from Western behind me so luckily I was not alone because Daisy can do serious work and we were able to catch them with minimal difficulty. There was still much climbing to be done and the pace stayed pretty rough. Finally, things began to flatten out and a group of 20 or so coalesced. All of sudden I felt like I was going to bonk and I realized I had just climbed all over the foothills without taking one sip of water or eating anything at all. The problem was that I was breathing so hard water couldn’t really make it down my throat. I kind of panicked but then after searching my pockets I realized I had my trusty bag of M & M’s! I stuffed a giant handful in my mouth and breathed with my mouth open until they melted and the candy coated chocolate dripped down my throat in between panting. Then I would pour water in there too and let it trickle down, trying not to choke. After doing this several more times and also stuffing goo into me too I was able to recover. The pace relaxed and I was able to just hang in the draft with all my friends from the NWCC. We realized that as a conference we were looking pretty strong especially Lydia Tanner from Bozeman who was just eating up the hills while breathing through her nose. We were also the most friendly conference, we were like one giant team almost. The camaraderie was awesome. The race continued, a few crappy attacks happened mainly coming from MIT, but things didn’t get serious until the final stretch. Of course there were hills so as the pace picked up things got strung out but then there was the final wall and this time there was a head wind going up it. This is where it really mattered. Everyone was in their lowest gear and just suffering...we must have been going so slow. I was reminded of that scene from Fantasia where all the dinosaurs are walking across the desert and they just keep falling over dying. I mean seriously, one girl from Whitman literally just fell over and Daisy said she saw people walking up it! I don’t even remember the last part, I just kept telling myself not to faint. Then there was the descent and the finish. There were about ten of us...we were coming into the last stretch...I was in the back of the group sucking wheel waiting for the sprint but still working really hard...then there was this huge gust...Emily R. from Whitman got blown over and some of us lost the wheels in front of us...I was out of winning contention but was still able to sprint past a couple people into seventh. I was so happy I was smiling before I even crossed the finish line. I had finished with the top group and I couldn’t have been more elated.
Saturday 5/9
The crit started at 8:00 for us the next day. Warming up on the course I wondered what the race would be like. Every other crit I’d done had at least one hill or a hard turn that people could take aggressively to break things but this was all flat and really wide corners. The race started fast but we remained one be group. On the first prim lap Lydia and I were trying to move up but then some MIT girl swerved and crashed Lydia. It slowed a bunch of us down but we were all alright and Lydia was back after her free lap with all kinds fury. By the second prim I was kind of bored. I didn’t think I would be competitive in the crit at all so I just decided to put myself out there and see what would happen. I was up front and I ended up sprinting past all kinds of people to get third. I was so surprised, I just looked at my legs in awe because I had no idea they could do that! The next prim I was second and I heard the announcer say something like “And that was Lindsy Campbell from the University of Montana..?” as if he was really surprised or something. By then I was just like “Damn strait it’s me, I didn’t ride a steel bike through a Montana winter to come here and screw around.” The fourth prim I was in a bad spot with Kendi Thomas and some others on my wheel chasing down Daisy. I thought for sure they would all sprint past me but I just went for it and rode them off my wheel and got second again. I think that was the best part of the whole trip. I got third on another one but by the finish I was pretty tired and everybody was getting aggressive. I couldn’t get a good spot but I gave it all I could when I had room and ended up in twelfth. Later I found out I was tenth overall. I was ecstatic. Still am.
Thanks for listening. I can’t put into words how awesome it actually was. Also, thanks to everyone in Missoula. It was so cool to check my email, f-book, and my phone every day and see that everyone was cheering me on and excited for me. I hope to have more UM cyclists there next year!
Monday, March 23, 2009
UM Cycling - Race One - Corvallis/Eugene
This past weekend an incredibly mangy crew from Missoula headed out to Oregon to race some bikes, and soak up the balmy (relatively speaking) temps. I am going to try to give an accurate glimpse of the weekend, and then work in a little Radley blog end style...enjoy.
We had some wins! That's right, we had two Ws this weekend, as well as top tens and serious workers aplenty. In her race debut Lindsy Cambell (aka Squiggles), after realizing she didn't have to be, "so nervous she was going to puke," killed the women's C field by going solo with her mean face on up the final climb to close the gap on the leader and steal the victory. If you didn't already know, LC can climb.
Also, John (aka -ney on the spot) took a 15 mile solo flyer, climbing and then descending like the devil to take the men's D field. He said he hurt really bad afterwards, but got the upgrade over night.
Ivy had a super consistent weekend with a 5th place Crit finish and a 6th place RR finish in the C field. Ivy and Charlie (who just got off the snow and onto her bike two weeks ago), did work early allowing LC to get set in the front group. The NWCCC ladies I fear are going to get sick of the steady hurt Ivy can dish out on any course by the time May rolls around.
Agner finished 8th in the D RR after helping John get away, and then lit up the D crit with a 3rd place finish helped along by the diesel Daviess brings out to play with. Bryce mechanical-ed in the RR but was ready to go on Sunday. With a big grin on his face Bryce pulled the field around slowly shattering it for about 20 of the 30 minutes they were racing, all the while waving, (I think with his A game downtown wave), at the fans. Roltastic put on a sweet show in the crit groupetto after mechanical-ing out of the
RR, and Levon had a good showing as well.
I ate all of my food during the RR and so was a little hungry during what turned out to be a surprisingly long race. A group of four got off the front that never got caught, but thanks to Dusty's voice yelling at me somewhere in my head I was able to get second out of the group at the top of the final climb. The crit was fun - I forgot how scary they can be.
All in all we had a great weekend. People put on shows, grabbed Ws, learned how to race, and even caught some romance in a dusty Oregon rest-stop. Let's hope for more of the same next week in Bellingham/Seattle.
I wonder if Rollo brushed his teeth...
We had some wins! That's right, we had two Ws this weekend, as well as top tens and serious workers aplenty. In her race debut Lindsy Cambell (aka Squiggles), after realizing she didn't have to be, "so nervous she was going to puke," killed the women's C field by going solo with her mean face on up the final climb to close the gap on the leader and steal the victory. If you didn't already know, LC can climb.
Also, John (aka -ney on the spot) took a 15 mile solo flyer, climbing and then descending like the devil to take the men's D field. He said he hurt really bad afterwards, but got the upgrade over night.
Ivy had a super consistent weekend with a 5th place Crit finish and a 6th place RR finish in the C field. Ivy and Charlie (who just got off the snow and onto her bike two weeks ago), did work early allowing LC to get set in the front group. The NWCCC ladies I fear are going to get sick of the steady hurt Ivy can dish out on any course by the time May rolls around.
Agner finished 8th in the D RR after helping John get away, and then lit up the D crit with a 3rd place finish helped along by the diesel Daviess brings out to play with. Bryce mechanical-ed in the RR but was ready to go on Sunday. With a big grin on his face Bryce pulled the field around slowly shattering it for about 20 of the 30 minutes they were racing, all the while waving, (I think with his A game downtown wave), at the fans. Roltastic put on a sweet show in the crit groupetto after mechanical-ing out of the
RR, and Levon had a good showing as well.I ate all of my food during the RR and so was a little hungry during what turned out to be a surprisingly long race. A group of four got off the front that never got caught, but thanks to Dusty's voice yelling at me somewhere in my head I was able to get second out of the group at the top of the final climb. The crit was fun - I forgot how scary they can be.
All in all we had a great weekend. People put on shows, grabbed Ws, learned how to race, and even caught some romance in a dusty Oregon rest-stop. Let's hope for more of the same next week in Bellingham/Seattle.
I wonder if Rollo brushed his teeth...
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Start to Our Season
My merry Peddle Pushers,
All of the the riding/trash talking/planning we have been doing this winter is really neither here nor there. The here and the there boil down exclusively to the reintroduction, by UM cycling alumnus Shaun Radley, of the Taco Wednesday Time Trial series. Come and show everyone what you are made of!
I want to see some of you out there, including Wes in his skin suit with aero wheels on. Let's get some...Also, TWTT will never be canceled due to weather, unless the powers that be explicitly say. This means if you don't hear anything there is no need to ask, even if there is a foot of snow, because TWTT is still on.
Below is an intro note from Shaun.
Always and forever,
JDunph
Dear UM Cyclists & Triathletes,
My name is Shaun Radley. I think I've met most of you. I was a 3 year member of UM Cycling and captain in 2007. I'm writing today to inform you of a UM Cycling tradition.
This coming Wednesday is the first Taco Wednesday Time Trial of the year. The Taco Wednesday Time Trial has been ridden by the best UM cyclists and triathletes. It's a great way to test your fitness and hang out with other team members. You can ride as a team or individuals (or both). Sense it's a short course I encourage riders to race individually and as a team. After the time trial we will be eating tacos at Elliot Bessette's house in the Rattlesnake.
Now for the juicy stuff:
- Wednesday official start time is 5:30 (you can start earlier if you'd like just email me)
- Meeting place is the Luther Church parking lot in the Rattlesnake (just after the 90 degree right hand turn)
- Prizes for top female and top male and anyone who beats their best time
- 5 week series, with overall winners, dates: 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/1
- Points go 10 deep
- 4 mile out and back course
- Course records - Phil Grove 12:54, Jen Nerrison 13:33
Message from the record holder:
"Can anyone touch my SMOKIN TTTT RECORD? All i keep hearing is how UM is stronger than ever, lets see what you guys got (lil matty, bryce d, J. Dunph)! I remain" -Pipo
Hope to see you out!
Love,
Shaun
All of the the riding/trash talking/planning we have been doing this winter is really neither here nor there. The here and the there boil down exclusively to the reintroduction, by UM cycling alumnus Shaun Radley, of the Taco Wednesday Time Trial series. Come and show everyone what you are made of!
I want to see some of you out there, including Wes in his skin suit with aero wheels on. Let's get some...Also, TWTT will never be canceled due to weather, unless the powers that be explicitly say. This means if you don't hear anything there is no need to ask, even if there is a foot of snow, because TWTT is still on.
Below is an intro note from Shaun.
Always and forever,
JDunph
Dear UM Cyclists & Triathletes,
My name is Shaun Radley. I think I've met most of you. I was a 3 year member of UM Cycling and captain in 2007. I'm writing today to inform you of a UM Cycling tradition.
This coming Wednesday is the first Taco Wednesday Time Trial of the year. The Taco Wednesday Time Trial has been ridden by the best UM cyclists and triathletes. It's a great way to test your fitness and hang out with other team members. You can ride as a team or individuals (or both). Sense it's a short course I encourage riders to race individually and as a team. After the time trial we will be eating tacos at Elliot Bessette's house in the Rattlesnake.
Now for the juicy stuff:
- Wednesday official start time is 5:30 (you can start earlier if you'd like just email me)
- Meeting place is the Luther Church parking lot in the Rattlesnake (just after the 90 degree right hand turn)
- Prizes for top female and top male and anyone who beats their best time
- 5 week series, with overall winners, dates: 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/1
- Points go 10 deep
- 4 mile out and back course
- Course records - Phil Grove 12:54, Jen Nerrison 13:33
Message from the record holder:
"Can anyone touch my SMOKIN TTTT RECORD? All i keep hearing is how UM is stronger than ever, lets see what you guys got (lil matty, bryce d, J. Dunph)! I remain" -Pipo
Hope to see you out!
Love,
Shaun
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Snow and Such
So basically, yesterday was my twenty-first birthday. I did it right and went DT with a mangy crew of some of Missoula's finest and it was great. And by that I mean it was really fun. However, there is one detail that I had been planning that I was not able to see through. You see, today I was planning on riding my Madone to hang-over freedom OUTSIDE. This was to be the best birthday activity of all but was deemed not an option by me with the snow storm and such. Instead I was forced to eat scrambled eggs and groan about my kidneys while I watched the snow blow in and cover my birthday wishes in a damp blanket of disappointment. Oh well such is life. I guess this means I'll be showing my twenty-one year old face at the Lab tonight for more pain cave spelunking. I hope the music is good. And by that I mean I hope its cheesy rap music.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
UM's own mixes it up in AZ
This weekend UM's Ivy clashes with some early season gladiators down in AZ. In her road cycling debut Ivy is in Phoenix stomping it out at the Valley of the Sun Stage Race. I have very limited info on how things are going for her, and the other MT riders who made the trip, but stay tuned. What I do have I got from a text received yesterday telling me she finished the TT somewhere in the middle of her 30 or so women field. I did some stalking and found out Ivy threw down a respectable 40:58 in the TT, only 2 mins. and change behind the leader!
By the looks of things, and knowing how Ivy likes and is capable to riding, if a break goes today and she gets in it without the big stomping TTers she could kill that 2 min. gap in no time...
My vote puts Ivy in the top five by tonight!
Oh, and happy V-Day...
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Sloppy Snow, Slippery Skis and Severely Sleepy Cyclists
This past weekend a fleet of local cyclists turned skiers headed north(ish) to Seeley Lake, for the annual OSCR 50k. Naturally, the crew was mangy, with the likes of Radley, Brian, Joel, Jeffro, Ms. Carim, KG, Laurel and myself in attendance. Having not ski raced in over six years, I apprehensively committed to racing the night before after a few beers and a healthy dose of peer pressure.We woke up early Saturday morning, packed up the cars and chugged up to Seeley Lake. After registration, a few trips to the ol' port-a-loo, a gel or two and some last minute hyperventilation fits, I was ready to race.
We all lined up, partook in a bit of nervous chatter, and after a shot gun blast, we were off!
After navigating through raging rapids of poles, skies, and tightly spandexed bodies, I found myself in 4th behind Zack Strong.
I knew from past experience that his namesake describes him well and felt if I stayed with him I could be in the running. The course was brutal, with soft snow underfoot, we climbed for 25k to the top of a ridge far from anything. By this time, I had dropped Zack while he shed some clothes and was skiing more or less alone.
Over the next hour or so, I would bonk then unbonk, get lost, rebonk, get passed, get passed a few more times, experience complete bio-mechanic shutdown, and eventually, drag myself to the finish in 7th. Zack played it smart and flew by me with a kilometer or so to go.
Whilst I was in a complete state of delirium at the finish, the race of the year was unfolding behind me. Jeffy, Brian, Laurel and Shaun were in a heated battle. In the end, Jeff came out the victor, barely holding off a late charging Laurel at the finish line, Brian followed and Shaun, who veered way off course, pulled in a few minutes later.
I'm sure Jeff would like to thank the infamous Joel Brown for his one and only "Hot Bacon Aid-Station" at the 40k mark. That crispy, cured pork undoubtedly gave him the fuel needed to hold off Laurel in that final kilometer.
After a hot bowl of chili and cornbread, we headed home with sore legs and droopy eyes.
Nice work everyone,
Matty Ice
Thursday, January 29, 2009
4 x 8 Minutes of Pain Cave Spelunking
This is my first year riding the trainer and it has revealed itself to be a whole new breed of physical punishment. You’re not concerned with balance, people around you, hills, or any kind of obstacle so all you have to think about is working hard. This has fostered an ever growing familiarity with pain and has allowed me to explore my pain cave deeper and more thoroughly than ever before. Oh, the discoveries that await me! I have hardly scratched the surface! Tonight I had a particularly insightful visit...and here it is...
First, the warm-up. I’m out in a field. It’s nice and sunny there but there are dark clouds looming in the distance around a cave. For some horribly stupid reason (curiosity, probably) 10-15 minutes later I leave the nice sunny field and enter “MY PAIN CAVE”.
Minutes 1-2: This place sucks! It’s like pedaling through gravel as all the junk gets flushed out of my legs and my blood starts pumping. I keep running into bats and cobwebs, it’s really narrow, and I hate the music in here. But I keep going.
Minutes 2-4: Why is this cave going uphill? My legs are already burning and I’m breathing fire but it doesn’t feel that bad. That jerk in the diesel truck who always flips me off tries to pass me, but he can’t match my power. Next up, it’s my high school soccer coach also in a diesel truck. I annihilate him! So long to those losers as well as all the dogs that have ever chased me and that one defender from Stevensville.
Minutes 4-6: The cave starts to open up. This part’s still really hard but I feel like pain isn’t such a bad thing. I kind of like it, almost. Then, in the distance, I see my power animal! It’s a red fox. It says something really inspirational and moving but I’m too hypoxic to understand so I just smile and nod.
Minutes 6-8: My arteries are pumping battery acid but it’s too late to turn back. I have no idea how much further I have so I decide to just push through to the end and hope I make it. Finally, there’s a light and I hear Dusty Slivka yelling something. I don’t care what it is but I just want it to be over with so I take it up another notch that I didn’t know existed. Muscle fibers are literally exploding and then all of sudden it’s time to relax.
Cool down: yadeyahe, yadeyaha, yadeyahaha my life (hey,ey,ey,ey,ey,ey) my life (hey,ey,ey,ey,ey) My life (woo) my life...
First, the warm-up. I’m out in a field. It’s nice and sunny there but there are dark clouds looming in the distance around a cave. For some horribly stupid reason (curiosity, probably) 10-15 minutes later I leave the nice sunny field and enter “MY PAIN CAVE”.
Minutes 1-2: This place sucks! It’s like pedaling through gravel as all the junk gets flushed out of my legs and my blood starts pumping. I keep running into bats and cobwebs, it’s really narrow, and I hate the music in here. But I keep going.
Minutes 2-4: Why is this cave going uphill? My legs are already burning and I’m breathing fire but it doesn’t feel that bad. That jerk in the diesel truck who always flips me off tries to pass me, but he can’t match my power. Next up, it’s my high school soccer coach also in a diesel truck. I annihilate him! So long to those losers as well as all the dogs that have ever chased me and that one defender from Stevensville.
Minutes 4-6: The cave starts to open up. This part’s still really hard but I feel like pain isn’t such a bad thing. I kind of like it, almost. Then, in the distance, I see my power animal! It’s a red fox. It says something really inspirational and moving but I’m too hypoxic to understand so I just smile and nod.
Minutes 6-8: My arteries are pumping battery acid but it’s too late to turn back. I have no idea how much further I have so I decide to just push through to the end and hope I make it. Finally, there’s a light and I hear Dusty Slivka yelling something. I don’t care what it is but I just want it to be over with so I take it up another notch that I didn’t know existed. Muscle fibers are literally exploding and then all of sudden it’s time to relax.
Cool down: yadeyahe, yadeyaha, yadeyahaha my life (hey,ey,ey,ey,ey,ey) my life (hey,ey,ey,ey,ey) My life (woo) my life...
Monday, January 26, 2009
And So it Begins...
Happy First Day Back UM Cycling Folks!
Today marks the beginning of our of our climb to the top! Take good notes, dazzle a teacher or two, before you know it we'll be skipping class to head west and put our hard work to the test.
Thank you to everyone who made it out on Thursday...Yes all 16! of you!!! These Tuesday Thursday "Pain Cave Visits" will continue all the way up until we start racing. If you are thinking about racing with the Grizzlies this year, getting on the bike now is key! Again, 7:00 in the WPEM LAb every Tuesday and Thursday.
spread the word, rumor has it he have 24 interested riders, lets get 'em out!
Something to look forward to: Celebrity Riders have been scheduled to join these rides to give both insight and advice to the collegiate scene and road racing in general.
Welcome to UM Ivy!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Sludge
Another week of 20 degree weather, overcast skies, and old crusty snow. So, what to do? This is the time of year that if you want life to be exciting you have to make fun for yourself or get really excited about events that or only slightly less mundane. Anyway this week's highlights besides Dusty's superbly designed trianer rides were the giant batch of chocolate milk that I made and Friday's lunch at the MT Club. I wanted to make something delicious to drink for post-trainer rides so I mixed an entire gallon of milk with a whole container of Ovaltine. The fact that I even care to write about this is a testament to my week.
So the other highlight was Friday's lunch at the MT Club. Matty, Bryce, JDunph and I went there to surprise Ivy and lunched with her after she punched out. Really no special reason at all besides we're excited that she is officially signed up for classes and ready to race for UM. Also, I'm especially glad the guys made it out even after a filling Man's Breakfast Club
Me: Bryce, we're going to surprise Ivy at work tommorrow.
Bryce: Why, is it her birthday?
Me: No.
That about sums up my week...absolutely riveting I know.
Untill next time,
Lindsy B Campbell
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Getting Golden
This past weekend, Elliot and I headed down south, originally, to the race the Rock 'n Roll Marathon. It was not to be however, over the past 5 weeks I had narrowly survived a fit of anti-biotic resistant TB and Elliot couldn't run more than a mile on a pesky stress fracture. In the end, we found ourselves on the sidelines.
Not all was lost. We decided to take advantage of our 48 hours of sunshine by renting road bikes and logging as many sun-drenched miles as our legs could handle.
We went to Tempe Bicycles that afternoon to pick up a matching pair of Masi road frames. What they lacked in performance (each weighing close to 400 lbs, decked out with Shimano 105 or lower) they made up for in....well, nothing at all. They were grade A pieces of shit. With the knowledge that the shifty piece of American engineering between my legs could rattle apart at any moment, I kicked off and headed north.
Never having any idea where I'm going, I let Elliot do the navigating. We charged for two hours into a head wind. Looking down out my shapeless, rubbery, atrophying legs; I felt like a slightly fuzzier, much whiter version of Gumby. Being out of shape sucks. Eventually, our route took us far from town into the red rocks and scrub brush of southern Arizona. Luckily, after about 40 miles we turned back towards town and the wind pushed us home. The first ride of the season was a killer.
The next morning we rose early and did the same ride before the plane ride home. We both felt stronger and the desert sunrise was unforgettable. We made it to Missoula that evening, with slight tan lines and enough vitamine D to get us through 'till spring.
Everyone, start getting juiced for a spring break training trip. There is nothing better than putting in day after day, of long, hard (that's what she said) sun-soaked miles with your best friends.
Signing off,
Matty
1st Night in the Lab: Huge Success!
Thank you to all those who showed up to the Lab last night, and a HUGE thank you to Dusty!
For those of you who just couldn't quite make it, WOW you missed out!, The likes of Lindsy, Ivy, Dan, Elliott, Jeff, Myself, Matt, JB, Jeremy, Rollo, And the Slivka's were all trying to outdo their neighbor under the wrath of Dusty. Its got me more jazzed then ever before! Lets get the word around today and make thursday an even bigger event!
I really couldn't be happier with how this team is coming together. Pat yourselves on the back Grizzlies!
Attendance goal for thursday: 15
Sunday, January 18, 2009
First Group Ride of 2009!
After getting home today, I felt the need to share thoughts on my first group ride of 2009. Don't worry, a post from LC will be in the top position again before you know it.
It was cold when I woke up. The frozen fog hanging just above the treetops made me shiver just looking out the window. I was feeling hesitant about layering on the spandex and getting back on the saddle after an unusually warm holiday season. Anyway, we rolled out a little after 1pm towards east Missoula. We only had to brave the freezing fog for about 10 minutes before we broke out and were greeted with bluebird skies and warmer temps that lasted the rest of the ride, (until we got back within 10 minutes of town).
Other than the crazy change of weather, the ride went off without much fanfare. Nice slow base miles to start the season. I know the weather is going to get nasty again, but starting the season off with lots of riders, who are as stoked as me for whats to come, will make these next few weeks of training go much more smoothly than they would otherwise. I can't wait for spring!
Jeremy
It was cold when I woke up. The frozen fog hanging just above the treetops made me shiver just looking out the window. I was feeling hesitant about layering on the spandex and getting back on the saddle after an unusually warm holiday season. Anyway, we rolled out a little after 1pm towards east Missoula. We only had to brave the freezing fog for about 10 minutes before we broke out and were greeted with bluebird skies and warmer temps that lasted the rest of the ride, (until we got back within 10 minutes of town).
Other than the crazy change of weather, the ride went off without much fanfare. Nice slow base miles to start the season. I know the weather is going to get nasty again, but starting the season off with lots of riders, who are as stoked as me for whats to come, will make these next few weeks of training go much more smoothly than they would otherwise. I can't wait for spring!
Jeremy
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Why I Love Training
The first collegiate race is about two months away and I know everyone on the team is super stoked for racing, traveling, our kits, and hanging out together. But there is a lot of work to do before we're ready in March. The time for getting after training is (almost) upon us. Sometimes getting excited to spin till you puke can be difficult especially if it means you have to get on a trainer. So for those that are looking for some inspiration here are some reasons why I love training and am looking forward to it just as much as racing.
The Food: This one's a given. Food tastes better after you just burned off more calories than you could possibly consume in the next meal. I've eaten rice, beans, and cabbage more than a few times in the past week and long before the precious stuff emerges from the microwave I am salivating every time.
The Sleep: There's nothing better than being able to conk out at 8:30 and wake up twelve hours later refreshed and ready to do it all over again. Although this can be a problem if you literally black out the moment you hit the pillow leaving the light on and other important appliances (such as the stove top on high for boiling tea). Apparently the other night my sister came in to talk to me because she thought I was still awake because the light was on and I kicked her and yelled at her. I don’t remember any of it. Now she just comes in and turns the light off. Thanks Sam, I really appreciate that.
The Dreams: While dreams of flying or biking in exotic locations are generally more awesome I have had (believe it or not) some pretty fun trainer dreams as well. Last night Pink Floyd, Ayn Rand, Steve Prefontaine and I rode in my basement for about an hour. The conversations were incredible.
My Alcohol Tolerance: I have hardly started training and my alcohol handling abilities are at an all time low. On Monday night I got loopy after drinking one beer and it was a pale ale (Harp, imported lager beer, Ireland; 4.55% alcohol). Really, I’m the most affordable date around but before you start lining up fellas see “the sleep” above.
I’m Training Not Working Out: All of that may be fine and dandy but there is no greater motivation than your mindset. You see, from now until the end of April every time I break a sweat I’ll be training, not working out. Working out is what many girls do when they go to the gym or wear cute little outfits on the Kim Williams Trail. They want to do enough cardio (WTF?) and crunches to ensure that they've burned a sufficient amount of calories to allow themselves an extra rice wafer for dinner without guilt. What I do is different. It's called training. When working out one concentrates on how their butt is going to look in their jeans. However, when training I’m concerned with becoming so scary fast that no one will have the faintest clue what my butt looks like because I passed them a fifteen minutes ago. This is the kind of motivation that gets the pedals up and over time after time after time. I don't want to be hot or fit so much as I want to turn into a finely tuned cycling machine that resembles a supernatural creature more than a human.
I hope this helps but if you’re still not feeling “it” let me know and I’m sure I can come up with some more
Lindsy B Campbell
The Food: This one's a given. Food tastes better after you just burned off more calories than you could possibly consume in the next meal. I've eaten rice, beans, and cabbage more than a few times in the past week and long before the precious stuff emerges from the microwave I am salivating every time.
The Sleep: There's nothing better than being able to conk out at 8:30 and wake up twelve hours later refreshed and ready to do it all over again. Although this can be a problem if you literally black out the moment you hit the pillow leaving the light on and other important appliances (such as the stove top on high for boiling tea). Apparently the other night my sister came in to talk to me because she thought I was still awake because the light was on and I kicked her and yelled at her. I don’t remember any of it. Now she just comes in and turns the light off. Thanks Sam, I really appreciate that.
The Dreams: While dreams of flying or biking in exotic locations are generally more awesome I have had (believe it or not) some pretty fun trainer dreams as well. Last night Pink Floyd, Ayn Rand, Steve Prefontaine and I rode in my basement for about an hour. The conversations were incredible.
My Alcohol Tolerance: I have hardly started training and my alcohol handling abilities are at an all time low. On Monday night I got loopy after drinking one beer and it was a pale ale (Harp, imported lager beer, Ireland; 4.55% alcohol). Really, I’m the most affordable date around but before you start lining up fellas see “the sleep” above.
I’m Training Not Working Out: All of that may be fine and dandy but there is no greater motivation than your mindset. You see, from now until the end of April every time I break a sweat I’ll be training, not working out. Working out is what many girls do when they go to the gym or wear cute little outfits on the Kim Williams Trail. They want to do enough cardio (WTF?) and crunches to ensure that they've burned a sufficient amount of calories to allow themselves an extra rice wafer for dinner without guilt. What I do is different. It's called training. When working out one concentrates on how their butt is going to look in their jeans. However, when training I’m concerned with becoming so scary fast that no one will have the faintest clue what my butt looks like because I passed them a fifteen minutes ago. This is the kind of motivation that gets the pedals up and over time after time after time. I don't want to be hot or fit so much as I want to turn into a finely tuned cycling machine that resembles a supernatural creature more than a human.
I hope this helps but if you’re still not feeling “it” let me know and I’m sure I can come up with some more
Lindsy B Campbell
Friday, January 2, 2009
Stirrin' it Up
Bryce's post got all the cycling juices in me flowing again. I had put away much my excitement for the holidays as to have enough energy to take on everything else this season throws at me. Now, thanks to big B the excitement is back.
I can't wait to get back to town and UM cycling. Our jackets probably on a doorstep somewhere, the proof for the kits is in the process of being made, and other than a busted up hand, thanks to a mild sidewalk tumble on New Years eve, I am feeling healthy, healed, and wholesome...
Trainer rides as Bryce noted are going to start in Jan. so stay tuned for an e-mail...
Everything else unsaid,
JDunph
I can't wait to get back to town and UM cycling. Our jackets probably on a doorstep somewhere, the proof for the kits is in the process of being made, and other than a busted up hand, thanks to a mild sidewalk tumble on New Years eve, I am feeling healthy, healed, and wholesome...
Trainer rides as Bryce noted are going to start in Jan. so stay tuned for an e-mail...
Everything else unsaid,
JDunph
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