Rock Bottom: Bernstein goes down

My favorite pic from the '06 Longsjo
I'm at the front at 60 MPH --
evidence that I can descend, at least when pushed!

The post on sailing with the family that I planned for tonight has been delayed due to more pressing topics, namely this weekend's Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic.

I'll be heading to the four-day stage race on Thursday morning, bringing two bikes and a car load of other assorted crap. This will be my first stage race as a cat II, and probably the most-legit race that I've ever done.

The '06 Stage 1 TT
Ironically, I'll be using the same bike in this year's TT
albeit, with a more legit TT set up this time around (thanks Mark!)

I last raced Fitchburg in 2006 with BVF team mates Scott, Adam, and Chris. It was my last race as a 4, although I didn't have anything to show for it.

The '06 team's efforts placed Scott Demel on the points podium
I believe he was third, but it might be second,
hard to say

My fitness is most definitely well off-peak, and I'm starting to feel a bit of a mid-season burnout coming on. Truth be told, I nearly didn't register, especially when all but one of my team mates (Jesse, and he'll be doing the pro/1 event) decided not to race, but I opted in at the last minute. I'm racing, I guess, for the sake of gaining experience in a longer, harder race, and for truly earning that mid-season break, which will now come one week later, beginning with the end of Fitchburg, on Sunday afternoon. Also, this will probably be my only opportunity to do a cat II- only race this year.

I'm hoping that a short break will have me rested and excited to start training for some of my favorite events, which come later in the season.

As for Fitchburg, I was leafing through the tech manual yesterday, realizing that this will be the first race I've ever done where teams are expected to bring caravan vehicles. Needless to say, I will not have a vehicle in the caravan, and will be relying of SRAM Racing Services for spare wheels, in the event that I suffer a flat. But, that level of support is indicative of the level of racing at this event, and I'd be lying if I didn't say that I'm feeling a little intimidated.

So, here I am without the best form, grasping at straws for motivation, and stressing about everything that I have to do to get ready to go. To make matters worse, we had a torrential thunderstorm blow through here this afternoon, which washed out the Tuesday night world championship ride, so I was at home riding my rollers, stewing about how tough the race was going to be, and how slim my chances for any kind of a result are.

I somehow managed to make it nearly to the end of a two hour roller session (the longest I've ridden inside since the weather got marginally nicer), when the movie I was watching finally started to get interesting. I'm not going to tell you what the film was, because it's embarrassing.

Suddenly, I heard a thud. It was my front wheel hitting the floor. I looked to down and to my right, realizing that I was about to become very intimate with the kitchen floor. Although I seemed to teeter there for ever, I somehow wasn't able to clip out from my pedal, and before I knew it, I landed on the ground with a second, louder, thud, my rear wheel still spinning furiously in the air. I've been riding rollers since I was 16, and this was a first for me.

I blinked, relieved to find that I was OK, and also relieved that no one had been around to see this disgraceful transgression -- I could just picture my room mate coming out of her room gasping "Oh my God, are you OK?" -- I got myself out from under the bike and stood up.
Best of all, I had wisely kept my hands on the handlebar, sparing myself a wrist injury.

"Well, that's it," I thought, "rock bottom." Surely, it couldn't possibly get any worse. Suddenly, I started to feel a little better about Fitchburg. After all, no matter what happens -- even if I get dropped in every single stage -- I know that I won't fall off my rollers.

How do I know? In the name of insurance, I'm leaving them at home.

P.S. This post was written from my sofa. After six long months, I finally have internet at home!

I love Prospect Park

The scene at 6 a.m. Sunday
Can you spot me looking confused in the middle of it all?
Some people complain about the park -- but races fill every week!

In case anyone didn't already know, I really love Brooklyn. I don't think I ever fully appreciated it while living there in high school or college, which makes going back to visit all the better now.

In addition to the cultural diversity (before anyone disagrees with this comment, please remember that I live in white bread upstate New York), the wonderful restaurants, myriad of cultural activities and varied night life, there's also Prospect Park.

Any Brooklyn-based cyclist who doesn't appreciate Prospect Park should come up here and ride for a week -- that'll give you some perspective. While our roads are more varied and have more interesting terrain, climbs, descents and that sort of thing, Prospect Park has three wonderful things:

Registration
Here's Brett, wearing a helmet and no shirt
I'm wondering what he payed for...

1) People. You can always go to the park and find someone else riding at your pace who will be happy to have company for a few laps. Sometimes you have to be tolerant of mis-aligned aero bars, but that's a small price to pay for the guarantee of company on training rides. Of course, company is probably more important when you only ever ride on the same 3.3 mile loop.

2) Attractive women exercising, tanning, and just generally being attractive. This, also, makes rides go by faster, even if you are occasionally inclined to slow down.

3) Races. There is a race in Prospect Park almost every weekend in the summer. Although they start at 6:30 a.m., you are rewarded by finishing the race and still having the whole day in front of you.

Getting brought back in after Rapha and I made a move
If you only saw my legs,
you would think I was a much bigger person

While in Brooklyn over the weekend, I availed myself of all three of Prospect's benefits, meeting some of my BVF friends for a few laps and clandestine ogling session on Saturday. On Sunday, Brett (an aspiring triathlete who wants to learn to ride his bike properly), joined me for a Cadence Cup race in Prospect Park.

The last time I raced in Prospect Park, earlier this season, I finished 2nd out of a breakaway, so I had high hopes for Sunday's race. The Cadence Cup is a summer-long series, with competitions (and leaders' Jerseys) for overall points leader, sprints, and the optimistically-named "King of the Mountain."

Although my first race of the year was a Cadence Cup, way-the-fuck back in February, I do not have any points in the series. With the series ranks now pretty well established, I thought that maybe, if I could get a move going with the right mix of people, I'd have a chance to grab a result out of a break.

Unfortunately, the race did not play out that way. The pace was high from the gun. I tried to attack a few times, and was able to stay off the front for a whole lap early in the race. Never to say die, I made a few other attempts, spending lesser amounts of time off the front.

My general strategy was to wait for a sprint lap, move close to the front going into the sprint, then attack right after the sprint. While I was able to pop off the front in this fashion, I never got the right people to go with me. With an average pace of over 27 miles an hour, I wasn't going to be able to make a solo break work.

Finally, with two or three laps to go, we came to the last sprint lap. I hadn't managed to move as close to the front as I should have, and a move did sneak off the front, without me, of course. At that point, I was resolved to sit in and enjoy the high-speed training.

In the last lap, I found myself near the front of the 110-rider peloton, and for a fleeting moment I was actually thinking about trying to sprint, but then the aggressive United We Stand train moved me off my line on their way to the front, looking to set up their man. I lost my nerve, gave up a lot of spaces, and wound up finishing somewhere in the middle of the field.

All in all, it was a fun race. I would have loved to have scored a result and earned some cash ahead of Fitchburg, but so it goes. It was great to race alongside my BVF buddies, and to enjoy a successful return to Prospect Park.

Brett wishes for sunglasses
while concentrating in the cat 5 race
Note the road rash from a collision on the Queensboro Bridge

In the cat 5 race, Brett is continuing to learn about bike racing. After patiently sitting in for four of five laps, he tried to launch a solo effort, and was caught and dropped shortly before the finish line. But, as that old saw goes; nothing ventured, nothing gained.

*Thanks to Organic Athlete for the awesome photos!

After work century

Colin rides in the dark on Thursday
Chris provides illumination
My cell phone takes crap photos

So, a lot of things to catch up with here on the blog. First of all, my apologies for skipping last Thursday’s customary top and bottom list – the reason for this omission will be clear very soon.

I’ve had a very busy four days. Here is a preview of the next few days’ blog posts:

-The first-annual after work Summer Solstice Century (the subject of tonight’s post).
-My triumphant(ish) return to racing in Prospect Park, and Brett’s initiation to same.
-Sailing on the Long Island Sound.

Also on the horizon is the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic, to which I will be traveling later in the week. I don’t know if I’ll be able to address the race in a blog post prior to my departure for the event, but I do plan on posting race reports following each of the four stages.

I think it also bear's mentioning that this is my 502nd post on this blog. I missed the 500th, which was my post about a discussion on NYVelocity, but it's a momentous milestone nonetheless!

Anyhow, on to tonight’s business:

With the longest days of the year now upon us, Chris Y., a Tuesday night stalwart, riding buddy and co-spectator at the Lake Placid half-marathon of a few weeks ago, had the idea that a few of us should mark the occasion by doing what we would ordinarily reserve for a weekend – namely, a 100 mile ride, after work.

The game plan called for us to depart from Jamie’s house at 4 p.m., ride to Ft. Edward, ride south through Washington County to Stillwater, then complete some loops in the Stillwater/Saratoga area until we’d ridden 100 miles. Optimistically, we thought we’d finish up in the day’s last ray of sunlight, around 9:30, although I personally suspected that with Stewart’s stops and other delays, we would be finishing a little later than that.

Either way, seven of us departed as planned under a blazing summer sun, having left work early, or otherwise secured a free afternoon. Steve was the first to flat, puncturing just a few miles outside town. After a quick change, we were on our way again, and made great time to Ft. Edward, pushed along by a stiff tailwind.

After inspecting the dredging, refueling at Stewart’s, and checking out some of locals rides’ we headed south, visiting the zoo, and eventually winding up in Middle Falls. We kept pushing south until we reached “Thunderdrome,” AKA, River Road, along the Hudson. Taking that to Stillwater, we refueled a second time, and set off for the Battlefield, where we’d complete two laps.

I suffered the day’s second (and last) flat a few minutes later, after a piece of glass got sucked up into my Vittorias.

Day dimmed to dusk as we completed our first lap in the Battlefields, and rolled out for the second.

We exited the park with more than 80 miles, and continued to ride under cover of night, switching on our blinky tail lights and headlights. Riding at night is a surreal experience. Without the sun, there’s no good way to see the pavement in front of you, so you wind up hoping that you don’t find a pot hole with your front wheel, or some such similar calamity.

Confused drivers gave us wide berth and bemused expressions. Eventually, we wound up at Saratoga Lake, with only a handful of miles remaining on our quest. A loop through Regatta View and Meadowbrook did the trick, and we rolled back into town with damn-near exactly 100 miles on the clock. It was dark, and later than anticipated when I ascended the stairs to my apartment, but it was well worth it; my favorite ride of my year, thus far.

So, that's why there was no Thursday post -- I was a little tired.

New equipment

The internet is being very fickle this evening, so this is going to be very brief.

You know you're putting in the miles when a set of tires only gets you part-way through the year. Remember those tires I mentioned last night? Here's what they look like:

290 threads per inch
extra compliant
Sticks to corners like gum on a shoe

Yup, took the tires out for an inaugural spin last night when my much-loved Schwalbes were relegated to the trash. You see, the tires were full of holes and tears, and the rear rubber had a centimeter-long slit in the sidewall that seemed likely to burst at any moment. It seemed a prudent time to change tires, before I had one explode underneath me.

Also, I recently bought a new work stand:

Tacx Tripod
Recieved a five-star rating from Blue Sky Mechanics Dave, Bill, and Keith
Finally, I won't have to stoop down to work!

My old bike stand hadn't been itself for quite some time. A couple years ago, the rotator clamp broke, which ment it would hold the bike a neautral point of balance, but would not allow to rotate the bike to get to the underside.

Then, a pin that held the clamp arm onto the stand started to break, allowing the bike to sag ever-closer to the ground.

The new stand obviates the need to clamp the bike -- an advantage when dealing with carbon -- by securing the bike by eithe rthe front or rear drop outs. Also, it's a lot taller. I still maintina that I'm a terrrible mechanic, and likely won't be doing any major overhauls with this stand, but I do think it will make my weekly cleaning session much easier.

NY Velocity, behind the back conversations

So, I was going to write about some new tires I just bought, but then I stumbled over the Velocity Nation, where I surprised to see a semi-heated -- if brief -- discussion of... me.

Now, I'll admit that from time to time I've posted a link to my blog on Velocity Nation's discussion forum. After all, anyone who races a bike in the New York City-metro area, and beyond, reads the site. Since I'm always trying to drum up more traffic on this blog, posting links on popular websites seems like an obvious tactic.

BUT, it was not me who posted a link to yesterday's discussion of the things I learned at Sunday's Housatonic Hills Road Race. (Yesterday's post, has, by the way, generated a large volume of comments and I can't wait to see the traffic report tomorrow!)

This was the first reference. While I'm not sure exactly what it means, it seems like little more than a benign call see some interesting discussion over at my blog. Fine:

"Check the comments here for this week's edition of Pro eye for the new Cat 2 guy:" -- posted on the forum this morning at 11:40, but I'll take it as flattering that someone decided my post was interesting enough to warrant transmittal to a larger audience.

As for the other comments, all I can say is that amateur bike racers (ones who do well, anyway), seem to talk a fine line. Ride poorly and you're branded as "sketchy," "dangerous," or worse, no matter how good your results. Ride well, on the other hand, get results, and you get the opposite treatment -- you're a sandbagger and should upgrade immediately, go pick on someone your own size.

At least one of the comments about me over on NYVelocity, on the other hand, are of a brand I have not previously experienced; questioning my right to ride in the elite peloton, on the grounds that I've never won a race. (And before I go on, there were other poster who duly protested this point, backing me up, and I am very appreciative of that!)

Well, first of all, I have won a race. In fact, I've won two sanctioned races and one unsanctioned. Granted, two of those were back in 2006, but still, a win is a win. But that's neither here nor there. More to the point, I had reached the point in my career, and I'm quite proud of this, at which I was finishing in the top ten in nearly every road race I entered.

I started racing bikes because I liked the challenge, and although getting top results as a cat 3 was certainly still a challenge, I was qualified to pursue more difficult challenges, so it seemed right to elevate my game.

While I am certainly still adjusting to the greater speeds and longer distances of the elite races, I hope to be a quick study.

Another poster, who said he enjoyed my blog, also commented that I'm "a bit out of touch with the real world." I guess I'd like to know what this means. I tend to think that working two regular jobs, in addition to various freelance gigs, while maintaining a rigorous training/racing program has given me an up-close-and-personal view of the "real world," but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this persons just means that I'm out of touch with New York City, which, sadly, is true.

I have been accused of seeing things with an optimism for the future. Perhaps that's what the poster meant -- I can only hope. In any event, I would truly like to know. If you're out there, please chime in -- and feel free to post your name.

So, the coffee shop is closing, and I'm going to go home, even though I do have more to say on this topic.

Even if reading the comments on NYVelocity felt a like walking into a room right in the middle of someone's behind-your-back conversation, I am heartened to be reminded that there ARE people out there who read this blog, and appear to enjoy it. As always, thanks for reading!

P.S. The aforementioned tires are Vittoria Open Corsa CXs. They're tires. The ride like tires.

With upgrade comes more learning

I haven’t seen any photos from this weekend’s race at Housatonic Hills, so this well be yet another art-less post.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’m still learning about how to be a bike racer, the Housatonic Hills Road Race presented a good opportunity to learn a thing or two. As a newly-minted Cat 2, I’ve come to realize that while I’ve earned my right to ride in the elite peloton, I’m still about as green as a new cat 4 racing his first 3/4 event – it’s just a whole order of magnitude above that level. It’s almost like learning to race all over again.

Some lessons from Sunday’s aren’t lessons so much as things on which I could maybe have used a reminder. For instance, I know that you never want to start a climb at the back of the peloton. But, on Sunday, I was so concerned about not wasting my efforts on unnecessary accelerations and frivolous attacks, that I resigned to stay well-hidden in the peloton’s fat belly.

As a result, I got gapped on both the first and second laps. On lap one, I was able to claw my way back in. On lap two, there was no getting back in.

So, lesson learned: conserving energy is good, but riding too conservatively can lead to unnecessary expenditures of energy later on.

Another lesson from Sunday’s race was barked at my rather rudely by Team Mountain Khaki’s Adam Myerson. An accomplished pro, Myerson certainly has some wisdom to impart. Specifically, on the start of the second lap, I was in a group that had got gapped on the moderate, but long climb that kicks the course off. We were getting back into the field, and were no more than 10 second behind, when we got to a short-but-steep little ramp.

Already in my big ring, I stood up to get up the ramp, apparently opening a small gap to Myerson, who was on my wheel. This was not to his liking. Yelling ensued, and when I flicked my elbow for him to pull through, I was flatly told to ‘finish it yourself.’ So I did.

Lessons: There were two: ride steady, AND there is little tolerance for racing poorly.

Finally, there was the fellow in the Northeast Hardware kit riding deep-section carbon wheels (Zipp 808s, maybe?). Whatever the model was, they were significantly deeper than my 404s.

Sunday was a still day, with nary a breath of breeze, and yet I could hear this guy talking to everyone around him if they were getting “shutter” from their wheels. “I’ve never felt this before, it must be the wheels,” he would say. When someone else told him that their wheels didn’t seem to be effected, his response was thus: “Yeah, but those are 303s, mine are twice as deep.”

I gave only monosylabic responses when he approached me with the same complaint.

Lesson: There is still a little cat 4 in all of us, and sometimes it has to come out – sometimes you just want to show off your cool new wheels.

Housatonic Hills report

I wasn't going to go to the Housatonic Hills Road Race, but then I received the following email from the promoter:

"Hey Andrew:

My daughter, Rebecca, graduated from Skidmore last May and has been in Costa Rica gaining her masters in international conflict resolution at the UN mandated University for Peace, while you’ve been riding and writing. Not the point, though, I’ve been racing / riding for +25 years and along with others, promoting the HHRR for the past 13 or so. I hope you’re racing and writing this June 21."

The jury is still out on whether or not this email was meant to make my "riding and writing" seem a trifling undertaking, or if he was just updating me on my erstwhile school mate (I knew of Rebecca, but we were not acquainted). Either way, the email succeeded in planting a seed of interest in my otherwise race-addled brain.

That was on June 10. Today is, of course, June 21. I did indeed go race Housatonic, and I am now duly writing about it. So there you go.

Although this race has been on my radar since 2006ish, this was my first attempt -- mostly owing to its distance from Saratoga. This year, I was able to race thanks to the generous support of James's parents -- who, on Saturday night, hosted me and team mate Erik, along with James, his girlfriend Jessica, and two of his team mates. There was a very comfortable couch with my name on -- I have seldom slept so well before a race. Thanks!

Of the three races I've done since upgrading, this was, by far, the best. Although I didn't have a top result (I actually don't yet know where I finished, but I suspect that it was somewhere mid-rear pack, a while down on the leaders), I was feeling better on the climbs, and contributed to the team's efforts to get Jesse into a break away. He later finished 6th.

It all went down on the second of three laps. After a chill first lap, which saw me sitting in and doing as little as possible, I had sort of accidentally drifted to the front alongside Nathaniel Ward. We were cruising along at a stately pace, when Anthem's own David Costa jumped away on a moderate roller. Nathaniel already had two team mates up the road in a break, so neither of us reacted. Moments later, Jamie Driscoll (Rock Racing) jumped away with a small group clinging to his wheel, including Jesse Dekrey.

I did a quick finger count, which showed that I now had two team mates up the road in a promising move, so I switched into defensive mode, and spent some time doing my best to chase down other accelerations and sitting on wheels.

This was, however, short-lived. Not long after, a group I was riding with got gapped on one of the course's many climbs, and I wound up finishing the second lap with a group of about 12. Several dropped off at the end of the lap, and I rode the whole third lap with a group of six, including Addler's Kyle Peppo -- who said he was going to race Harlem later in the day. How'd that go, Kyle?

Although we were well off the back, I put in one acceleration for shits and giggles on a steep roller, springing myself for a bit -- after all, it was still a race. I rode along for maybe 10 minutes, until four of the five caught back up. Two countered immediately, but I was well-done, and rode the lap out with a CCB rider, who then outkicked me on the uphill finish. Way ahead, Jesse finished sixth.

Afterwards, the promoters enticed everyone to stay and watch the awards ceremony with some vittles, which was very much appreciated.

All in all, it was a very fun event, and I'm certainly glad I went. It's been raining constantly for about two years, so I very gratified that the rain stopped during out race -- even if it began almost immediately after we finished.

As a cat 2, I'm continuing to learn a lot about racing. A few people gave me a few pointers today, an I'm planning on sharing them in tomorrow's post.

Finally, a huge congrats to Danny, winner of the cat 4 race!

While I was away, the Summer Lake D Hill Climb happened. Jamie won with a blazing time of 17'30". Damn dude, congrats! Congrats also to John O., second place -- this is the first day this summer where I've truly wished I could be in two places at once.

Using my powers

I’ve been reflecting recently on my new status as a cat 2. As Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker in Spiderman: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

What I mean by that, is that even if I’m still in the process of adjusting to life as a cat 2, and anticipate continuing the adjustment for the foreseeable future, I still feel compelled to get out and race – to use my “powers,” as it were, even if my powers are only good enough for DFL, or other lackluster results.

To that end, I’ll be heading to Connecticut this weekend to race the Housatonic Hills Road Race. I’d rate my chances – despite a fairly elaborate daydream enjoyed the other day – as poor to very poor. In addition to the usual suspects, standouts like Rock Racing’s Jamey Driscoll will be in the field.

As I said, my chances suck.

But it will be fun – or what we bike racers accept as “fun,” which is to say, it will be 3-3.5ish hours of gasping for air, fighting the urge to puke, fighting for position, wincing through lactic acid, and other trivials associated with bike racing. Sounds like fun to you?

When I was a camp counselor dragging kids up high peaks in the Adirondacks, we used to tell them that they’d be grateful for the memories, that the hike would be fun when viewed through the lens of a hot shower and dinner. Maybe being a cat 2 is a little like that…

Tops from the week:
1) Wednesday night dinner – thanks Jamie and Rachel!
2) These intervals Coach Scott has me doing – getting less painful by the day.
3) Maybe having internet at home soon?
4) The Adirondack – Northcountry Race Weekend, even if my results don’t reflect the good time.
5) Bill Bryson – always a favorite writer.

Bottoms from the week:
1) Rain, rain, rain.
2) The drinking age. Really, if it were lowered, that would solve a lot of my problems.
3) When bikes collide with cars. I’m just glad the neighbor is OK, even if his bike has certain deformities.
4) When bikes collide with the pavement – I’m hoping you’re back on the road soon, Mark.
5) Looks like Tomeke is out of the Tour, and it’s everybody’s loss.

Holly Weed, Batman!

Although I always found her punk styling and dead piranha a little edgy for my tastes, I still held a healthy respect for Missy Giove's talents on the bike.

The retired downhiller, apparently, is somewhat less gifted in other, more nefarious, activities -- namely the transportation of large quantities of weed and cash. As you can read in the linked article, Giove was just busted with nearly 400 pounds of weed in a trailer, along with enough cash to pay my annual net income 50 times over -- and all in our neighbor to the north, Wilton.

After my diatribe yesterday on how I'm sick of reading about doping, I actually spent one day not clicking on Velo News every fifteen minutes. It wasn't intentional, it just sort of happened. The net results was that I nearly forgot about all the senseless crap in the world -- and I conjured up a burning desire to know what was going on in the Tour de Suisse.

Then, just a few minutes ago, I clicked on The Saratogian, and discovered the Giove story. I think it goes without saying that The Saratogian is the last place I would expect to see a cycling-related doping story. Even if weed isn't exactly a performance enhancer, and even if Giove has been retired for six years, I still say seeing news of her bust on my newspaper's website is something of a mind-fuck.

Anyhow, all that is good and fine, but what I really wanted to mention tonight is that Sunday is the annual Summer Lake Desolation Hill Climb, sponsored by Tinney's Tavern. The bridge-to-bridge challenge will roll off from Tinney's at 9:30 Sunday morning.

As you doubtless recall, I set the fastest time at this event last fall, posting 18:03. A couple weeks ago, Jamie put up 18:10, bringing my mark well within reach.

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to make the race on Sunday, although a slew of local riders and racers are already planning their gearing choices, drilling holes in their crank arms, and trading in their 32-spoke box sections for some lighter wheels.

It's a really fun event, even for those who don't think they can be competitive. If i weren't planning on being out of town, you know I'd be there. Jamie tells me that I don't have to worry about loosing the crown Sunday, as I'm the champion of the fall event, which is separate from the summer one. Isn't it nice that we can have two champions? Good luck to everyone who races!

Please, no more doping & Whiteface pics

Taking a corner at Wilmington-Whiteface roadrace
This was lap 1
Find more photos at the bottom of this post.

Yesterday, I talked a little about how I don't like having a stigma attached to me for riding an expensive bike. I would say that this is the second-most prevalent topic of cycling-related conversation a cyclist is likely to experience when talking to non-cyclists -- how expensive the sport is.

The most-common topic is the topic of tonight's post: doping.


Here's the thing: I'm really sick of reading about, talking about, and otherwise thinking about doping in the sport. Today, as I type, three of the nine top stories on Velo News are about doping and related matters.

At the same time, the Tour de Suisse is underway and Tour de France contenders are demonstrating their form ahead of July's race. The Dauphine Libere just ended with similar implications on July's Tour, and a host of Domestic races just wrapped up, including the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

I would much rather be reading in depth reports of those important races, but here I am scanning more pages of doping-related crap.

In search of something different, I changed the station and surfed over the masters of local cycling journalism, Velocity Nation. Mercifully, there was nothing new on doping there, and I was able to catch up on Toto, and read a little about the winners of local races. But, reading just a little deeper into the site, I found a lengthy interview with Lance-hater and anti-doping crusader David Walsh.

I read a bit of the interview. This guy is so hung up on the notion that cyclists are cheats that he has written not one, not two, but three books on the topic, focused mostly around that A-hole Lance Armstrong, and his affiliates, Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis.

Now, I'm no Lance fan, and I agree that it is hard to believe that all of Lance's rivals could have been doped, even as he somehow wasn't -- BUT, as he has pointed out, he never tested positive. Walsh wants to throw out all of the results from the past ten-fifteen years, because he suspects everybody.

Here's my beef: there are lots of races happening right now, and they're really exciting, more so now than ever. To watch Cavendish blast away the competition at the Dauphine was amazing. To watch my pick for this year's Tour, Andy Schleck, sprint for time bonuses on the road in Switzerland makes my palms sweat. I want these guys to race.

Do I want to eradicate doping in the sport? Of course. Do I want to believe those performances? Of course. Do I think all of those results should be thrown out? Absolutely not.

There were races, there were winners. Some have been popped for doping, other were not. Do we need to deal with doping? Yes, but pretending that the past 15 years didn't happen is not the way to get there. Let's let ourselves enjoy the sport and deal with dopers as they come up -- but let's not assume that everyone is guilty. After all, they do test for a reason.

OK, enough of that.

In other news, a gallery of excellent shots from this past weekend's Northcountry Race Weekend has turned up here.

New recruit Jesse finishes 8th in the elite road race
Jesse is going to be a very good addition to our team
Happy to have him on board!

Erik and Austin climb in the 3/4 race
These guys are coming into form
Look for strong results in the season's second half

The elite field climbs the feedzone hill
Can you spot me?
I'm about half-way back

Hail storm, expensive bikes

I was off from the paper today, so I spent part of the morning and most of the afternoon working at the bike shop. Mid afternoon, right as I was starting to think about leaving to go for a ride, it started raining, hard. There was thunder, lightning and hail.

Then it cleared up. I went home, sat on the couch for a bit, and started calling friends. We were going to ride easy. Then it started all over again. We called the ride, I jumped on my trainer. let me tell you: there is nothing quite as difficult as riding a training in the middle of June.

I was dripping sweat -- like, more than normal -- within second of the first pedal stroke, and it wasn't like spinning in the winter, when you can open a window and let cold air into the room. I had to get off, drag the fan out of my room, and resume. Originally, I was going to spin for two hours. About 30 minutes in, the sun came out and the roads started to dry out. A few minutes later, my dinner plans changed and I gave myself the OK to end the session early.

So, hail and mid-summer spinning session are one thing. What I really wanted to write about are fancy bikes; owning them and riding them.

There's no doubt that I've got a sweet bike. There are sweeter bikes out there, but mine's pretty nice. It got pretty dirty yesterday at the Saranac Lake crit, so I brought it into the shop to make use of the hose, brushes, and air compressor for cleaning purposes. I had it set up in fully-decked out racing mode, with Zipp wheels and no saddle bag.

After I'd spent a little while brushing and spraying road grime off the frame and drivetrain, I brought the bike in to oil the chain. It just so happened that a customer I know through work at the paper, and who is very involved in bicycle-based fundraising, was in the shop.

He and his daughter (who also rides a lot) were ogling the bike, and talking about how Outside had picked Scott as a choice ride, etc... The conversation turned a little uncomfortable for me when then started talking about the costs of such rigs.

It's true that a Scott Addict R4 retails for about $3,100, and it is also true that such a figure constitutes well over 10-percent of my annual salary -- and that's before you throw $2,000 Zipp wheels into the mix, plus the cost of keeping the machine rolling after 15,000 miles. Knowing what bikes cost, and knowing what I make doesn't always compute for some people, and I sometimes feel that I'm being judged for having a young professional with "that kind of money to blow."

Well, in fact, I don't have that kind of money to blow.

So, for the record, I would point out that when I bought my bike I was riding for a Brooklyn Velo Force, which was (and still is, I believe) sponsored by Scott, allowing me a significant discount of the bike. The Zipp wheels I got used from a friend in the bicycle parts business for a song.

So, even if the bike accounts for 5%-8% of my annual salary, it could have been worse. More to the point, I ride that bike damn near every day, and I race it at a high-enough level where equipment can sometimes make the difference between winning and loosing.

What it really all comes down to, though, is that I love riding my bike, and having high-end equipment cane serve both to make the sport more fun, and to make me more competitive. Fortunately, I've found a way to make it work -- through a combination of working two regular jobs and other contract work, and being a strong enough rider to have secured generous sponsorship, for which I am grateful. Plus, access to an employee discount doesn't hurt. Also, I don't enjoy certain luxuries that others would prioritize above having a nice bike -- like eating out on a regular basis, or drinks with co-workers.

A customer like the one in Blue Sky today may not understand this kind of mentality -- even if he or she is well-able to blow thousand on a bicycle, but nothing makes me happier than riding my bike, so why not ride a nice one?

The aftermath: Adirondack race weekend

Well folks, another one is in the books. All in all, this was another solid showing for me at the Adirondack North Country Race Weekend, and I'm happy to say that I'm home with all my skin intact, and my bicycle in one piece.

It's a bit late for me to write a full race report (and I'm still in the process of sorting it all out), but here's a synopsis:

I raced the 1/2/3/. Last year, this was a one-day affair, and attracted a tough, but not impossible field of racers. Racing as a 3, I finished 12th in the elite race. This year, the race was the only event this weekend in both the NYS and Canadian calendars, which resulted in a much deeper (and larger) field than last year. Also, the money was good for an event of this size -- or so I heard.

Day 1:
This was a 68-mile (+/-) road race on a 13-mile loop, with a mile+ finishing climb up the flank of Whiteface mountain. The loop only has one climb to speak of, and although it starts steep, it levels off into a long false flat at the top. Seemingly not much of an obstacle.

Unfortunately, I seemed to be having trouble with positioning in my race. One the first trip up the climb (at the end of lap one), I started at the back, and suddenly realized that the racers I was were getting gapped. I jumped out of the saddle and was able to get back into the fold without much sweat. Now I was feeling good -- I had that old snap and could cross gaps on a climb! I was feeling good enough to throw in an attack later in the lap, which got a response from Spooky's Matt Purdy. We didn't stay off for long, but my favorite place to be in a road race is at or off the front, so I felt pretty good about that.

Of course, it was probably a mistake for me to be making any efforts at all. I was again gapped on the second trip up the climb, and this time couldn't get across. Fortunately, a largeish group behind me caught up, and we were able to chase back on. This time, I was smart enough to keep my nose out of the wind.

On the third lap, I against started the climb in the wrong place, and this time was done for. I wound up in a group of about 15, and although we chased, we never say the front again. In the end, I finished 21st out of about 50 -- two minutes behind the bulk of the lead group. All in all, not a terrible showing.

Team mate Jesse, who is freakishly strong and accelerates like roadrunner zipping away from Wiley Coyote, finished eighth.

The race's most frustrating moment came on that fourth lap, after we'd been dropped and had stopped chasing. All of a sudden, there was a pack ahead of us. The group suddenly had new energy and we were riding to get back in. It was the women's field.

Day 2:
This was a brand-new crit in Saranac Lake, where I'd never been. It had two climbs, three turns, and one curvy section. The pace was really fast almost immediately, and it was all I could do to sit in. At Dieter's urging I was able to come to the front once or twice, ostensibly to help Jesse, who we wanted to spring off the front, but I'm not sure how much -- if anything I was really going to be able to do.

I, along with Kevin Putnam, who we had deputized to Anthem Sports for the day, wound up getting gapped, and when it was clear that we weren't going to get back on, we sat up, got lapped, and jumped in again, at which point I continued my struggles to hang on the back of the field. Meanwhile, four riders were in the process of lapping the rest of us. The finally succeeded around 10-to-go.

Fifth place was left to the field sprint, and someone won, but don't ask me who.

All in all, the weekend was very well organized, and a pleasure to participate. Meanwhile, I continue to struggle to find form, but Coach Scott tells me that with the work I did last week, this was supposed to be a tough weekend, and it was.

Thanks to Rachel for finding me a place to stay in Lake Placid -- and congrats to you and Rachel on the half!

Finally, a couple Saratoga-County residents crashed this weekend -- Mark and Ricky. I hope you guys are on the mend quickly -- see you on the road!

Off to race in the 'dacks

As we speak, I am mentally preparing myself for this weekend's two-day Adirondack North Country Race Weekend. This is a two-day version of last year's Wilmington-Whiteface Road Race. There will be a smallish field for Saturday's road race, which finishes high up on the flank of Whiteface Mountain.

Sunday will see a criterium in Saranac Lake, which currently has a smaller field registered. The hilly terrain for Saturday's road race suits me, and I'll be hoping to improve on last year's 12 place -- although the field is looking a little tougher this time around.

On the flip side, I'm riding better than I was a year ago.

So far, it looks like competition is split from some of the usual upstate-NY/VT faces, and some Canadian racers. That type of a peloton always creates the possibility of uninteligibile chatter, which can sometimes make it easier for racers to plot their strategy, unbenownst to us single-language speakers.

So, it should be fun, and I'm looking forward to it. For the weekend, Team Anthem Sports will be looking for results in two men's fields, splitting riders between the elite field (me and Jesse), and the 3/4 field (Austin and Erik). Our better-looking halves will also be representing in the women's race.

So that should be fun.

Tops from the week:
1) Dante and Narva coming to visit... who knew that going out on a Sunday could be so much fun.
2) My first race as a cat 2. It could have been worse!
3) Monday's ride up Plank Road. I'm always a fan of a newish climb.
4) Tuesday's ride to Drukeetown. No one does rolling hills like Washington County.
5) Coach Scott. You're the best!

Bottoms from the week:
1) Rain. Rain. Rain.
2) I wish Dante and Narva could have stayed longer.
3) Biking around with my laundry. There's just no way to make that look graceful.
4) This jerk.
5) UPS.

UPS: Substandard, expensive

Here's a story, you tell me if it makes sense to you:

My brother, who goes to the University of Colorado at Boulder, wanted his bike to assist him in training for a triathlon. At the time, I made a little fun of him, but, being the bike-oriented brother that I am, I offered to get the bike from our parents' house, clean it up, perform any necessary repairs, and ship the bike out to him.

Now, two months after first shipping the bike, we've got a bill for $150, a bike broken in transit, and, possibly worst of all, a bike that never made it to its destination.

Here's the back story:

Even though Eric lives in a single-family home in Boulder, the building as an apartment number, as the parcel had been subdivided at some earlier point -- this was unbeknownst to me when I shipped the box, as he didn't mention it when giving me his address.

Several weeks later, I found the bike carelessly deposited in my stairwell, where it was creating a fire hazard by laying on its side, blocking both of my downstairs neighbors doors. I brought the box upstairs, and, upon calling UPS, learned that they had been unable to deliver the box because of the apartment number issue.

OK, well I understand that they need address information to deliver the package. BUT, a phone number for my brother and one for me were clearly written on the box's address label. UPS never bothered to take the easy, and seemingly obvious step, of calling the number on the box. A UPS employee named Bonnie, and then a supervisor named Gary (both in a Boulder office), later claimed that a phone call had been made. Gary went so far as to say that it was my "opinion" that no call had been made. No Gary, an opinion is if you and I go out to dinner, you like the restaurant and I don't. Our respective feelings about the restaurant are opinions. On the other hand, a phone call constitutes an event. Similarly, tonight's Pittsburgh-Mets game was an event. It happened, you can't tell me that it's your opinion that it didn't happen. It was on TV, people were at the stadium, reports are online, it happened.

Just as the UPS-Bernstein phone call did not happen. Call records have supported this.

Anyhow, instead of making a phone call, UPS returned the bike to me, adding $75 in return postage to the initial $125 shipping charge.

At some point along the way, the box was dropped, or crushed, or crunched, or damaged in some other way, resulting in bizarre damage to the free hub, and cuts to the brand-new bar tape.

So, needless to say, I called UPS to complain.

The response I got was this: "We have procedures, which we followed." Of course, I contend that UPS did not follow its procedures by failing to place a phone call. Still, they did give me a $50 refund, reducing the total bill to $150.

There was still the matter of the damage. I sent the box back to UPS, and just heard today that the request for about $70 to repair the damage had been denied -- because the packaging was not up to UPS standard. Well, UPS must have high standards, as I used identical packaging to the brand-new bikes we have shipped to us on a regular basis at Blue Sky. None of those bikes ever came out of the box damaged, which clearly points to mis-handling of the box.

So, once again: a bike that didn't get where it was going, that came back damaged, and a $150 bill for the privilege. Thanks a lot, UPS.

Regardless, I'm about sick of the whole thing. I don't have the resources or the time to continue pestering UPS, but you can be sure that I will think long and hard about using their services again. As a prominent member of the cycling community here in New York's capital region, I am often asked about shipping bikes. You can be sure that I will be recommending cyclists use another carrier for transporting their bikes (or anything else).

Cutting down on condiments

New and old
I don't use much ketchup any more
How about you?

I've always had a funny relationship with ketchup. Like a bubbly hot tub and a cold beer after a long day of skiing, ketchup has a magical ability to seemingly touch all of your taste buds at once: sweet, sour, salty, delicious.

Growing up, ketchup was served with almost every meal, in part, I think, because my brother viewed ketchup as a member of the vegetable portion of the food pyramid, and wanted to be sure he got his 5-6 servings per day.

Ketchup continued to be a stable when I went to college, where its use seemed to fit with most of the crap slopped out at the dining hall. I noticed a change after college, when I first started to live on my own.

As evidence, I submit the photo above. I bought the now-empty bottle on the right when I first moved to Saratoga to work at The Saratogian in November 2007. I finally finished the bottle just last week, squeezing the last drops onto a veggie burger.

So, when I went grocery shopping this week, I figured I should replace my ketchup. After all, last year, my ketchup consumption exploded when the grill came out for the summer months, bringing with it the occasional hamburger and hot dog.

Figuring that it will be warm here someday, I decided I wanted to be prepared for ketchup use, whenever it came to be time. But, the ketchup section of the grocery store yielded an interesting, if unexpected, conundrum. Apparently, grocery stores no longer carry the 14-ounce bottle of ketchup. I know this because I visited now fewer than four grocery stores in my attempt to find the right size bottle.

If it took me 19 months to use 14 ounces of ketchup, I didn't see any point in buying more than that this time around. But alas, there seemed to be few options. I bought a 20-ounce bottle, and fully expect this one to last a full two years.

By the way, I relayed this story, about my inability to find a small-enough bottle of ketchup to my brother, who is still an aficionado. He now claims that he has no brother -- that's how badly my ketchuplessness has embarrassed him!

After the upgrade: Balloon Festival

So, now I'm a Cat 2. As such, I raced the elite field at Saturday's Balloon Festival Classic in Cambridge. Last year, racing as a 3 in the 3/4 field, I finished third in a breakaway, behind James Morrison and Colin Prensky.

Needless to say, this year's race was not quite as successful, but it was a pretty good effort.

I've done countless 1/2/3 races in Prospect Park, Johnny Cake Lane, Floyd Bennett, and a few others, but this was the first time I'd done a road race in an elite field of this caliber.

Lining up with four of my team mates and I was a full squad from Spooky/Kenda, several BikeReg riders, along with a full contingent of CCB riders, and a few other standouts, including Jake Hollenbach (CRCA/Empire), Roger Asphlom (Westwood Velo), a crew from CRCA/Adler, and of course, James and Pete Bradshaw from Embrocation.

Of all of these, I'm giving a shout out to Chris Chaput, of Adler. He's a regular GBBM reader, one of a small-but-growing contingent. Chris: nice racing with you, thanks for reading, I'll see you on the road soon!

Anyhow, onto the race. This year, because of some ill-timed road work on a portion of the course, the race was reduced from a 21-mile loop to a 13-mile loop. While the signature climb up O'Donnell Hill Road remained, many of the smaller and punishing climbs were eliminated as a result. We wound up riding six laps of the course, rather than four, but I think the race was easier as a result. The total mileage was 84 -- the longest race I have yet to do.

The biggest difference I noticed between the elite field and the 3s was the speed. For instance, at Syracuse, I finished second in the road race with an average speed of 22 miles per hour, just 30 second behind the winner. Saturday, I finished 19th, 9 minutes down on the winner (Will Dugan of CCB), and my average pace was 25 miles per hour.

So... I'm going faster, but not fast enough.

Going into the race, I was pretty confident that I wasn't going to have the legs for a top result, but I still wanted to be a factor in the race to the extent that I could. On the first lap, I was able to hang on the climb, and made it down to Route 22 in the group. There were a few little moves, and then finally a largeish move went off the front. Previously, two Spooky guys had gone off ahead. Still in the field, we rolled through Cambridge.

Things stayed pretty much status quo for a while. I got dropped on the climb on the second lap, but managed to chase my way back into the group on the decent. In fact, I got dropped on the climb on every lap after the first, and was always able to make my way back in.

Although my team mates were dropping like flies in the early laps, Anthem Sports had one moment of glory. I'm pretty sure that it was on the fourth lap and start of the fifth -- although I was pretty toasted and the details, and could be off by a lap. The break away was still off the front, but had been within site when we were on the climb.

I got dropped on the climb, but, once again got back on. Feeling that it was my time to make an impression on the race (before it was too late...) I went to the front with new Anthem recruit Jesse Dekrey. Together with a few others who had missed the move, we got a solid rotation going, and pulled the break back just after the start of the fifth lap.

That was about it for me. I held on for the rest of the fifth lap. Steve Godlewski was racing the cat 5 event, and we wound up passing him and a group he was riding with. Steve got some choice words from me, reflecting how I was feeling at that moment.

On the sixth lap there were some harsh accelerations, and I was popped just as we started the final climb. I coasted in a little later. After driving home, I spent the remainder of the day laying on the floor and moaning softly into a pillow, earning me a very strange look from my room mate when she returned from the High Peaks later in the day.

Anyway, it was a fun race. It was no surprise that I wasn't ready to be competitive at the elite level, but I was somewhat gratified that I didn't get totally blown away. On the whole, I have to say that my first foray into a stacked field has left me feeling encourage. Now, with a little help from Coach Scott, I'm ready to take my training and racing to a higher level, one which will hopefully see me competitive at this level sooner rather than later.

Delayed Balloon Festival report

Dear readers,
Due to the presence of a couple of VIPs in the Saratoga Springs region, my report on Saturday's Balloon Festival Road Race has been delayed. Please check back this evening or tomorrow morning for a full account of the race. For results, click here.

The weekend is in sight...

I just noticed that the pregnant lady on Family Guy was drinking a glass of wine. Now, THAT'S a poor example.

Anyhow, this has been quite a week. After a week of big miles last week, I took it a little easier this week, with an unintentional rest day on Sunday, followed mostly by two-hour rides. On Tuesday, in an anticipation of Saturday's Balloon Festival, I went over to Cambridge to preview the course with Austin.

The course? Still hard. It's mostly uphill-to-rolling for the first 2/3 of the 20-mile lap, then it gets really steep for a bit, then it's downhill and flat on the run-in to the technical finish in Cambridge.

Given the field slated to race this year, I'm expecting a tough race. But, I haven't raced Syracuse, so, although I'm likely to get dropped, I'm looking forward to it.

Here's the week in review:

Tops from the week:
1) A (mostly) successful bike race in Saratoga Springs.
2) My Cat 2 upgrade! Welcome to the big leagues.
3) Dante and Narva coming to visit!
4) New room mate!
5) Looking forward to some dry-cleaned clothes on Monday.

Bottoms from the week:
1) A (mostly) successful bike race in Saratoga Springs
2) My chances at the Balloon Fest, although, it's mostly guys I've raced against before.
3) Otis's squeaky ball.
4) Tired.
5) That's all.

Goals, the best is yet to come.

The second part of what Coach Scott asked me to provide is a discussion of my goals, both in the immediate sense, in the longer-term sense, and in the future sense.

Here it is:

Most immediately goal is to go fast at Fitchburg. That's about one month away, so it's a tall order, but I hope not an impossible one. After Fitchburg, I'll probably take a little rest. Between now and Fitchburg, my goal is to use The Northcountry Race Weekend, this weekend's Balloon Festival Classic, and possibly the Housatonic Hills Road Race and/or a race in Brooklyn to get a little more speed in my legs.

I've only raced Fitchburg once before, as a cat 4 in first non-collegiate stage race, but from what I recall, it suits me pretty well. With a little work on my top end speed and acceleration, I have the reasonable expectation that I'll be able to hang in the circuit race, and then do the best I can to stay with the fast guys up the climb to Mt. Wachusett. If all goes well, I think I can hope for a result in the top-third of the field.

Why am I targeting a top-third result and why am I going to race a stage race where a top-third result is the best I can reasonably hope for? Because Fitchburg is one of few races that has a cat-2 only field. Although most of my competitors will have been racing in pro/1/2 events all year, at least I won't have to worry about getting beat up on by the faster guys for this one race.

After Fitchburg I'll probably take a little rest, and then begin to tool up for a slew of important races later in the season (Capital Region Road Race, GMSR, Tour of the Catskills, Fall Bear). I'll use the Union Vale Road Race, Tokeneke, and a few others that I'm forgetting about as training along the way, but it appears that the middle of July, until the beginning of August will be relatively light on racing for me. Some where in there, I'm hoping to get down to DC to visit Eryn, and possible do a race down there. Of course, I'm probably also forgetting lots of races that Dieter has on our schedule, and which I will be racing as well.

The longer-term goals, of course, are those bigger fall races. A 30-second penalty and typical TT notwithstanding, I had a great ride at GMSR last year, and I'll be looking to do well again this year. The Tour of the Catskills saw me miss a chance to podium -- or possibly win -- when my wheel broke down, and I'm coming for revenge this year.

Even farther down the line, in the seasons to come, I'm hoping to build upon 2009 -- which has already been my most-successful ever as a bicycle racer. Things are about to get a lot harder for me, but I'm ready to accept the challenge, and have an ambitious slate of races ahead of me in which to test my mettle. Next year, I hope to riding even faster, and looking for results at the higher level.

You ready, Scott?

Here's the plan: get faster

Now that I'm officially a Cat 2 (James Morrison officially welcomed me to "the suck" earlier today), I'll be racing with some very fast guys. I've had some stellar results since last season, and right up until the first part of this season. However, I'm fully expecting to get my ass kicked for the remainder of the season, at least in bigger races.

But, of course, I still want to try to be competitive. To that end, I've taken a step that would most certainly not be approved by my blogging idol (but not my bicycle-racing idol) Bike Snob NYC; I've started -- or, I'm about to start -- working with a coach.

Specifically, my friend and one-time collegiate cycling team mate Scott Cole, who recently graduated from Weselyan University, has become a USA Cycling certified coach, and asked me to become one of his first clients.

Although I hadn't previously thought of getting myself a coach, when Scott assured me that he would make me faster, I would have been hard-pressed to say no. Plus, I couldn't beat the price. Also, Scott doesn't know it, but if I suck as a cat 2, I'm blaming him! (Just kidding.)

To get started, Scott has asked me to provide a whole boatload of information, and in the week since he first sent me an email outlining what he needed, I haven't done anything in terms of getting back to him.

Since some people seem to be interested in what us illustrious elite racers do for training, and since I don't have time to blog and get back to Scott, I figured I'd take some time here to has out some of the information Scott requested of me. Like I said, Scott asked for a raft of information. In the interests of time, I'm going to break this out into a couple of posts. Consider this is first installment.

For starters, Scott asked me to outline my training plan to-day:

Mostly, I just eat Cheetos and drink Coke, then do a 15-minute warm up before races.

Again, just kidding.

Monday is usually a recovery day for me. 2-3 hours.

Because of my work schedule, every week, I have to work late on either Tuesday or Wednesday evening. If I'm working late, I also start late. So, if I'm working late on Tuesday, I get up early and do 3-4 hours of hills. On Wednesday, I'll do a 2-2.5 hour hard ride. If I'm working late on Wednesday, I do a Tuesday night world championship ride, and climbing on Wednesday.

I always take Thursdays off, both because I like to rest the day-before the day-before a race, and because I have to work both of my jobs and don't have time to ride.

Fridays is usually a pre-race day: two hours of tempo with a few hard efforts thrown in.

Saturday I either race, or do another two-hour temp ride if I'm racing Sunday. If I'm not racing at all, I do a 5-7 hour temp ride. Sometimes I have to work on Saturdays, in which case I'd do about 3 hours of tempo. Sunday would be another long temp ride, or a race if I'm racing.

So, that's what I've been doing to-date. Simple, right?

Here's something exciting:

Looks like my season is about to get a lot more painful!

Dear Andrew Bernstein,

The following request to change your USCF category has been approved and processed by USA Cycling:
anbern - 2009-05-27 15:32
Member: Andrew Bernstein
License: Road Racer
Request to change category from Cat 3 to Cat 2

Saratoga crit re-cap

The first annual Saratoga crit went off yesterday, and in lieu of a full account here on the blog, I've decided to share some emails. The first one was sent by me to our race volunteers and supporters, the second letter is from Dieter Drake to our racers.

Greetings everyone!

Thanks to everyone for your tireless help today. Through the rain and the wind, and, eventually, the sun, we did have a tremendously successful race. It could not have happened without you, so I wanted to send a quick note to express my gratitude that so many of you came out for nothing more than a heart-felt "Thank you," cold pizza and perhaps a bagel.

From the dozens of you who stood on intersections helping old ladies get to church, to Tony and his boys bucking hay, Connie and Graber for their top-notch work on course design, and Mike & Company putting up with us trampling through the flower beds, we had, without a doubt, a crack team for this year's race. Thanks again for all that you did!

Unfortunately, I am not sending this email under the best of circumstances.

As most of you already know, we had a terrible tragedy during the women's race, and a beloved local cyclist (and fellow volunteer), Natalia Hogan, has died.

I don't know the exact cause of Natalia's death, and I think it would be most appropriate to let her family decide what information to release, but several witnesses said that she was riding alone, and appeared to crash her bike without an apparent cause. Police are conducting an investigation, and hopefully we will know the outcome at some point.

As a result of this incident, we decided to cancel the last race of the day, the men's Pro/1/2/3, and will donate the purse ($1,000) to an appropriate cause to-be-determined, most likely one that will benefit her son.

I've asked Natalia's friends to let me know if there will be any kind of memorial service, or other ways to express our sympathy to her family, and I will pass anything I hear on to you all.

Although I only just met Natalia this morning (seems like a long time ago), it was immediately clear that she was a wonderful person -- her death is truly a loss to the community.

Thank you again for coming out and volunteering, be well and ride safe! AB

P.S. I'm very concerned that I might have missed someone on this email. If you know anyone who should have recieved this, but did not, please pass it along. Thanks.

Hello Racers,

On behalf of the race organizers, thanks for racing the 2009 Marshall and Sterling Grand Prix in Saratoga Springs. It was our first year for this event and we were glad to see so many regions represented as it was also the 2009 NYS Criterium Championship. Thank you to our title sponsor - Marshall & Sterling Insurance - for enabling the race this year. Also, thanks to our major sponsors the Local Pub & Teahouse, Bonacio Construction, the Saratogian, the Residence Inn by Marriot, Sigma Sports, the Breadbasket Bakery, and Blue Sky Bicycles. Finally, thanks to the City of Saratoga Springs and the West Side Community for their very generous support for the event and our beneficiary - www.teambilly.org .

You may now know that we had a very tragic conclusion to the day during the Women's race. Natalia Hogan - who had volunteered earlier in the day - collapsed during the last lap of her race. Despite the efforts of emergency personnel she later died at Saratoga Hospital. I first met Natalia on Sunday morning and she was a very enthusiastic volunteer and happy to have a race in her hometown. This is very sad for the City of Saratoga Springs, the Saratoga Springs City School District where she was a teacher, and for the West Side Community where the race was held and where she was also a resident. This is, of course, tragic for her family and friends and our thoughts and prayers go to them during this very difficult time. The race will be making a donation to her family.

Out of respect for Natalia and her family, we cancelled the Men's Pro/1/2/3 Race at the end of the day. Those riders who paid an entry fee for this race will be refunded their money unless they indicate to me otherwise via e-mail - in which case we will be adding this to the donation.

In addition, there is news coverage here.