The Boz Blog

A Man Among Boys.

2012-01-28T15:39:00.000-08:00

During the month of April 2010, I was at the U23 house in Izegem, Belgium, passing the days like most cyclists. Hanging out with the boys in Europe is always full of good times and lots of joking, but that year, one of those jokes turned into a serious life changing experience. Connor O'Leary was experiencing some pain where the sun don't shine, but pain in this area is common for cyclists, especially during wet Belgian races. At one point during the ongoing joke about Connors jewels, I remember someone setting out a banana with a grape as one testicle and an apple as the other- at the time it was hilarious. Two months later while back in the US, we all received the information that the joke involving fruit on the table had become a reality. Connor was diagnosed with testicular cancer at age 19, and I was shocked that such a thing could happen to such a young, healthy and positive kid. However, those attributes are what got Connor through his battle with the disease. Now cancer free, Connor will be joining his friends and teammates on Trek-LIVESTRONG for 2012. Connors experience is just one more lesson that shows us cancer knows no boundaries and can affect anyone at anytime. I am honored to have Connor joining the team for this season, as he is one of our countries promising up-and-coming climbers and is the most genuine, kind man I have come across in cycling.

1.) The BozBlog: When did you first start racing bikes, how did you get into this sport?
Connor O'Leary:I got into road cycling when I was nine years old. My Dad wanted to do a ride called RAGBRAI (Registers Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa), a 7 day 550 mile ride across the state. I really wanted to go with him, so I trained on an old mountain bike, and right before the ride I got my first road bike, a little steel framed Bianchi. Once I swung my leg over the top tube I was hooked. I completed the 550 miles that year, and rode RAGBRAI for the next 4 consecutive years. After a few years of just riding, I was ready for something different, and wanted to train for more than just a ride. When I was 13 I decided I wanted to race, and Nationals happened to be in Utah. I showed up having no clue what I was doing, getting dropped hard in the crit that first year. I trained the next year, still really not knowing what I was doing, showed up for Nationals again and remember standing on the podium with none other than “The Boz” himself in the Juniors 13-14 TT.
2.) BB: What was your first reaction when you heard you had testicular cancer?
CO:Shocked. I remember going into the doctor, he felt me up, and within about 2 seconds he said we need to get you in to have an ultrasound. He said “I’m 90% sure that’s cancer”. I immediately got the ultrasound, and sure enough it was Cancer. My dad just started bawling, I felt distant. It was a lot to take in. I went from being in great form, and planning to leave for Nationals the next day, to scheduling surgery and seeing more doctors. I was beginning what would become the most important race of my life.
3.) BB: Do you remember the fruit diagram on the table in Izegem? What did you think then, and post diagnosis?
CO: Ha-ha I sure do remember that diagram! I’m pretty sure we were all on the floor crying we were laughing so hard. Ah that brings back some good memories. At the time, I honestly didn’t think it could be anything as serious as Cancer, it did cross my mind a few times, but I thought nah, I’m healthy, young, racing my bike on the National team, there is no way! It was just a good joke! Post diagnosis hindsight is 20/20 right? It definitely was something more serious than we all thought; nonetheless the fruit diagram still cracks me up.
4.) BB: I know that most of the Americans on LIVESTRONG rode in honor of you in 2011. How does it feel to now be part of this team?
CO: I can’t tell you how much having you guys ride in my honor meant to me and my family. I was Skyping with Nate and a few others, and I just remember them saying “We are riding for you at Nationals”. Not being able to participate really crushed my morale, but knowing that you guys genuinely cared, and were riding for me gave me strength to do what needed to be done. Having Ben King win the Road Race, and then dedicate the win to me, brought tears to my eyes. Being part of the team for 2012 is surreal. I’m looking forward to riding with a great group of guys, on behalf of other cancer patients, and hope to help raise cancer awareness. It is a cause that is very personal to me.
5.) BB: LIVESTRONG is a cancer foundation that provides resources for people with cancer around the world, what support/help did you receive from LIVESTRONG?
CO: The LIVESTRONG foundation was the first resource my family turned to for answers. Our first experience with cancer was when my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007. My sister ordered a book from LIVESTRONG that helped to answer many of our questions, and helped comfort our family. Then, when I was diagnosed, we again turned to LIVESTRONG for answers. Lance Armstrong learned of my diagnosis and took the time to send me an email. I ended up flying back to Indiana to meet with his doctor Lawrence Einhorn who worked with Huntsman Cancer Institute to direct my care.
6.) BB: Did you continue to ride during your cancer treatment? Did your desire to race help keep your head up through such a life changing event?
CO: I tried riding for the first few cycles of my treatment, but it beat me down pretty bad. I remember wanting to be active even though I felt poorly, so I went to the community pool with all the senior citizens. I was doing some light walking in the water, and remember getting lapped by an 80 year old man (mind you, he was a fit 80 year old man), but nonetheless, I was distraught. I had gone from competitive cyclist to getting lapped in a pool by someone 4 times my age. I can honestly say cycling saved my life, a few months before finishing my chemo I was diagnosed with Pulmonary Embolisms (Blood Clots) in both lungs and in my heart. The doctor looked at me and said this would kill the majority of people; you’re alive because your heart is so strong. As you know, cycling is just as tough mentally as it is physically, so that mental toughness I used on the bike really helped me to get through my string of health problems.
7.) BB: What are your goals for the 2012 season?
CO: I’m really looking forward to the 2012 season; I’m healthy, and ready to race. I couldn’t ask to ride for a better bunch of guys to ride with, and hope to help the team in whatever way, shape or form I can. Riding for a team that promotes cancer awareness is huge! A major goal for me is to help my fellow cancer patients and survivors to LIVESTRONG!

Thank you so much Connor for your time, you have and will remain an inspiration for all of us on LIVESTRONG.
The photos is courtesy of Connor, from way back in the day. Nationals podium from 13-14 nationals in Park City UT. (Connor is the second from the left)

Ian

The Road Ahead.

2012-01-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

2012 is well under way for myself and most of my cycling friends and teammates. Many of us are living in warmer climates, helping us log long miles in preparation for another season of traveling and racing. Training is becoming more specific as the excitement of racing looms. My season will start with a team camp in Austin, Texas the first week of February. Camp will mark my second season on the Trek-LIVESTRONG U23 team and my third season in the professional ranks.

Trek will be the first team that I have done back to back seasons with since I was fifteen, racing for a local Bend bike shop. Returning for a second year provides added comfort, knowing how the team is run and where I fit in on the roster. As the oldest rider on LIVESTRONG and a "vet" of many European races, I hope to take on more of a leadership roll this year. Coming into the season with a high level of fitness I am ready to lead, whether it be by riding for personal results or by riding in support of the team.

Here are my goals for 2012- they are not specific races. However, if I can accomplish these I will satisfy myself and results are sure to come:

-Climb with Joe Dombrowski
-Time Trial as fast as Nate Brown and Lawson Craddock
-Lead a team as well as Alex Howes
-Be as positive and up beat as Rob Bush
-Try and suffer half as much as Ben King
-Do all this while looking as good as Taylor Phinney

Bon Voyage
Ian

Ask a Teammate....Or Three.

2012-01-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

I sent out a short list of five questions to three of my LIVESTRONG teammates. Each of these riders are phenomenal and specialize in different areas of cycling. The three riders are; Joe Dombrowski-Super climber, Lawson Craddock- Fastest man on the aero bike, and Gavin Mannion-The crazy one for the fast sprints.

The Boz Blog1.) How many years have you been racing (total, and with Trek-Livestrong)?
JD: This will be my second full season racing with Trek-Livestrong, though I did ride with the team as a stagiaire at the Tour of Utah in 2010.
LC: I've been on Trek-Livestrong since 2011, so this will be my second year racing with the team.
GM: This will be my third season with Trek-Livestrong(now Bontrager-Livestrong)
BB2.) Where are you living, how is the training there?
JD: I live in Virginia. The training is great. I can turn one way out my door and hit big climbs, and go the other way and ride pancake flat roads. Most importantly, I have some great people to train with, too!
LC: I live in Austin, TX. The training is amazing here with great weather during the winter. My coach, David Wenger, also lives here as well as TLS teammates Gavin Mannion and Nathan Brown.
GM:I'm living in Austin, Texas right now and the training is great. The weather is consistent and warm. With two other Livestronger's here, as well as a selection of other strong riders there is always a good group to roll with.
BB3.) What are your goals for 2012?
JD: I'd like to round myself out as a rider. Last year I had some strong results in climbing-heavy races. This year I'd like to improve my time trial, and to become more of a factor in races that are flatter or rolling terrain. In addition, I want to continue learning, and help my teammates achieve their goals along the way.
LC: My goals for 2012 are to survive the death rides that my coach is currently putting me through. If I can do that then I hope to perform well at the Spring classics in Europe as well as Nationals.
GM:I'd like to continue to improve all round and step my results up to the next level. Last year I was consistent and had numerous top 10 placings, and would like to turn those into podiums and victories.
BB4.) What is the best piece of advise Axel Merckx (team director) has given you?
JD: Don't over think it, and ride at the front!
LC: "You sure you want to eat that?"
GM: The biggest thing I've learned from Axel is that everyone develops at their own pace and, not to rush into things before your body is ready for it.
BB5.) Joe you can climb better than me, Lawson you can time trial better than me and Gavin you can sprint better than me. So why am I on the team, and how can I won day (play on words) challenge you in your respected area of talent?
JD: Ian, you are better than me at leading myself into a climb, or leading out Gavin into a congested sprint. You seem to be very (re)focused for 2012 - I am expecting big things from you, and maybe a role reversal on this.
LC: You're on the team because you're Ian Boswell. When you put you're mind to it you're one of the best riders in the peleton. Can't wait to see what you have for the world in 2012!
GM: I was wondering the same thing... Just kidding, I'd say it's because of your ability to help the team and those altitude climbs. Ahh... stop riding and hit the gym or sprint me to the top of a mountain.

Back in California!

2012-01-03T10:36:00.001-08:00

After a wonderful week at home for the holiday, I am back in Chico and back to training! The weather forecast here in Chico is 65 and sunny all week, a great start to 2012. Stay tuned for more, and in the mean time here is a link to Annika's blog which has some great photos of our Christmas tree hunt!

Ian

Speaking to a Crowd

2011-12-17T12:54:00.000-08:00

Last night I had a wonderful opportunity to speak at the Chico Velo Annual Holiday Party, this was my first event of this type, and boy did I learn a lot. Some people would say I am a talker, and I usually never have a problem speaking with people, but public speaking is an entirely different beast. I had time to prepare my speech and think about what I was going to say, and most of my rides leading up to the evening were spent pondering stories and adventure I could share. I managed to make it through the talk with wondering stories, and transitioned to the Q&A, which was a much easier and enjoyable process. As the speech went on I became more comfortable and got into a flow. If I were speak again at an event, I would prepare a powerpoint to help keep me on track and bring a better rhythm to the presentation. I would like to thank Chico Velo and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company for having me and giving me this valuable experience.

Only a few more days in sunny Chico before heading home for the holidays and a little break from the bike. Looking back at the past two months of training I see that I am leagues ahead of where I was last year at this time, for that I would like to thank: my coach (Hunter Allen and peakscoachinggroup.com) my gym (In Motion Fitness), my Chico training buddies, and of course my wonderful girlfriend (check the link for some awesome photos!), who has been so supportive, making my training and living so much easier.

Thank you and I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season,
Ian

Boswell Refocused For 2012 Trek-Livestrong Season | Cyclingnews.com

2011-12-09T19:04:00.000-08:00

Boswell Refocused For 2012 Trek-Livestrong Season | Cyclingnews.com

Pro Training Day with Paul Mach

2011-11-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

Following a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner in Paradise, Ca at the home of Jeff Galland, Paul Mach drove up from Sactown to ride with me for a real "Pro training day" as Paul would say. With an awesome route planned, we hit the road like the old days on Bissell and tapped out a big day in the mountains.

Paul and Ian's PRO Training Tips:
- Ride by 10am.
-Ride in a small group or alone.
-Always train in leg warmers when its below 70 degrees.
-Make short and quick stops, no hanging around- this is a job.
-Don't coast on downhills.
-Get behind, get left behind.
-Don't bonk, but eating is cheating.
-Train hard, rest hard.
-Don't race down wet descents during training.
-Pro rides always need a TwitPic!

Now go train!
Le Boz

The Artsy Side!

2011-11-23T10:05:00.000-08:00

Check out Annika's new blog. Damn I wish I had the photo eye that she does!

http://annikacat.blogspot.com

Ain't Nobody!

2011-11-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

Last spring, I was riding with my friend and fellow Oregon racer Quinn Keogh, and being the funny man that he is he shared some entertaining youtube videos with me. Typically if someone wants to show me a video online I refuse, for I feel it is a waste of time. Quinn however, got me to check out a video about a body builder named Ronnie Coleman, and in awe of the shear size of this man I continued to watch the video. As he prepared to squat an unfathomable amount of weight he said something that has stuck with me ever since, "Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, ain't no body want to lift this heavy ass weight!". What he said was true- we all want to look like this or live like that, but many people don't want to do the work required to achieve these desires. During these past three weeks in Chico, I have been pleasured by good weather and great rides, but with winter and rain looming in the coming months I will keep Ronnie in mind, with my own added twist.

Everybody wants to be a pro bike racer, ain't nobody want to do this hard ass training!

Happy Thanksgiving
Ian
Here is a link to a short video of his:

What do the Ladies Have to Say?

2011-11-15T09:37:00.000-08:00

Recently inspired to begin blogging again, I have been thinking up new ideas for fun and entertaining posts. One of these ideas was to create a series of interviews with various people both about cycling and about life. While riding today, I thought it would be interesting to do a little Q&A with the ladies behind the scene, who often play a very important role supporting the pro cycling careers of their partners . These women endure a great deal with partners who are often on the road and away from home, and I wanted to hear straight from the source what they think of the whole spectacle. The three wonderful women participating in this interview are; Sara Mach, Kate Fox and Annika Johannesen.

Sara Mach: Sarah is the wife of my long time blog rival and Paskenta buddy, Paul Mach. I have known Sara and Paul since 2010, when Paul and I shared a year racing together on BISSELL Pro Cycling. A school teacher in California, she loves her dog Jens and enjoys spray-painting the streets of Nevada City. Next year Paul will be racing for Kenda-5Hour Energy, with Sara cheering and supporting him all the way.

Kate Fox: The smiling and lively girlfriend of America's next superstar Andrew Talansky, she enjoys spending her time competing in adventure races and half marathons. Kate is now living in historic Lucca, Italy where she and Andrew have embraced the cappuccino sipping, pizza eating, gelato licking Italian lifestyle. 2012 will be Andrews second ProTour year and he will be racing for Garmin-Cervelo.

Annika Johannesen: What should I say about Annika . . . ? Annika is my beautiful Swedish-American girlfriend of over half a year now. Often pushing my endurance on hikes, runs and in the gym, she loves to exercise. Annika enlightens me in so many ways and always brings a smile to my face when she rocks out on her Ibanez electric guitar. We are now both living in Chico, Ca for the winter while I prepare for the upcoming season with Trek-LIVESTRONG.

BozBlog 1.) How long have you and your partner been together? Where did you meet and did cycling have anything to do with your first encounter?
Sara Mach: Paul and I have been officially been together since Valentine's Day of 2004. He made me a breakfast burrito and asked me if I'd be his girlfriend. At the time, he was a runner, not a cyclist at all.
Kate Fox: Andrew and I have been together for 2.5 years. We met in Lake Tahoe at a local bike race called "Tour De Nez", I was living in Truckee at the time and had a friend who was racing in the same race. Andrew first caught my eye while receiving the 'Best Young Riders' jersey up on the podium. We were later introduced by mutual friends
Annika Johannesen: The author of this here blog and I have been together for about 6 months. And yes to the second question- we met on a small group ride last fall.

BB 2.) I know you partner is often away traveling and racing, how do you stay in touch with each other during the time apart?
SM: Paul and I use Google chat a lot. He makes sure to contact me after every race so that I know he's OK and alive. We talk on the phone too but he's usually pretty tired so texting and chatting is convenient.
KF: While Andrew is racing we usually use BBM or Skype to stay in touch. Skype (for obvious reasons) is the way to go, especially when he's gone for longer than a week!!!
AJ: We stay in touch primarily through e-mail and the occasional phone call when time-zones and circumstance allow.

BB 3.) Cycling is a hard sport to be successful at, what do you do to try and keep your traveling solider grounded and calm?
SM: Paul is pretty good at staying grounded and calm on his own, but I try to always look on the positive side if he's bothered by something. I also try to come up with jokes for his blog which makes him happy.
KF: I've learned that cycling is a very demanding sport...so to help keep Andrew grounded and calm during the year, I usually try to make sure everything at home is taken care of (ie: cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc.) so that all he needs to worry about is training/racing.
AJ: Encourage him when he needs it and point out how great of a lifestyle cycling allows for. I try to be supportive and positive in as many ways as I can.

BB 4.) Assuming your man is a true cyclist, he shaves his legs. Do you like shaved legs, and have you ever helped him do it?
SM: I like Paul's legs no matter what their hairy situation is. In the spring and summer they are shaved and in the fall and winter they aren't, so I get to experience both. No complaints here.
KF: I never thought in a million years that I would date a man who not only wore spandex, but who also shaved his legs... That was until I met Andrew Now I cringe at the sight of hairy legs! Do I help him? Haha, no he can handle that business on his own! It only gets weird when his legs happen to be softer than mine...that's not ok
AJ: I definitely don’t mind them; they feel nice I guess. I’ve never helped, but maybe he’s trying to give me some kind of hint with this question . . .

BB5.) Nutrition and a wholesome diet are very critical for an endurance athlete. Who does the cooking or do you spend all that big salary on eating out?
SM: We both cook about the same, although we aren't chefs. Spaghetti is a popular meal, along with scrambled eggs, and our own version of the burrito bowl. We're pretty good about going out to eat only once or twice a week.
KF: Nutrition is really important to Andrew and I, especially during the race season. Luckily, we both love cooking and enjoy spending most of our nights in making awesome meals together. I must say, we totally enjoy going out a couple nights a week to our favorite restaurants (this is also a great way to avoid doing dishes)
AJ: We spend a good amount of time preparing meals, cooking together, cooking for each other, eating together . . . its something we connect about and enjoy a lot. Eating out usually only happens on special occasions.

BB 6.) Traveling is a large part of a cyclists life, so when your partner returns home do ever do your own adventures or do you like to spend that cherished time at home?
SM: We're homebodies. We're all about staycations.
KF: I cherish every moment I get to spend with Andrew and generally spend most of my time with him when he is home, however I never hesitate to go on my own adventures when the opportunity presents itself...even if Andrew is home. Being a runner, I have many of my own races (during his off season) and am so grateful when Andrew can be there to support me.
AJ: A little bit of both. Its nice to be mellow and spend some time being a homebody, but little trips and adventures are great and usually lots of fun.

BB7.) What are some of the perks of being with a professional athlete?
SM: One perk of being with a professional cyclist is that his schedule is fairly flexible so we get to spend a lot of time together doing little things, like grocery shopping or walking the dog. He also keeps a pretty bangin' body so he's always looking good.
KF: One of the perks of being with a professional athlete for me is always having someone by your side who inspires you on a daily basis. Additionally, I get the opportunity to travel places I could have never dreamed of I should also mention, it's Great to have a man who's always in amazing physical shape haha.
AJ: I get to ride his motorscooter around town when he doesn’t need it for motorpacing, and he doesn’t need it for motorpacing very often . . .

BB 8.) Do you yourself ever ride with your partner, or is that mixing work with personal life?
SM: I ride with Paul during the off season when he just needs to do an easy coffee ride. Those are the only ones I'll go on with him, otherwise I'm too slow.
KF: N/A. (I know however, that she would sure beat him in a run).
AJ: We ride together frequently, and if Ian has some kind of workout to do or wants to ride faster than me I am fine with getting left behind- I just do my training like I would anyway.

BB 9.) Most cyclist get regular massage, do you ever rub legs? The real question is do they ever return the favor?
SM: I would massage Paul more if he wasn't so ticklish. And Paul sucks at giving massages.
KF: Andrew is a lucky man considering he met a woman who is a massage therapist so yes, I do massage his legs...as far as the favor being returned, let's just say he may not 'rub my legs', but he makes up for it in other ways!
AJ: I do, he does.

BB 10.) I was humiliated and beat by my girlfriend in an arm wrestling match. If there was a showdown who would win?
SM: Paul would win. His T-rex arms are surprisingly strong.
KF: There's no question when it comes to arm wrestling...of course I will take Andrew down!!! Haha, sorry babe.
AJ: There was no contest.

Thank you again ladies for your time and I wish both you and your partner a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous season ahead.
Hope you enjoyed,
Le Boz

New Blog Coming Soon!

2011-11-13T09:37:00.000-08:00

This past week in Chico has been one of the best weeks of my year! Sun, riding, food, coffee and time with my girlfriend have made the first ten days here in California rewarding and splendid. I have a fun blog coming in the next few days, so stay tuned!

A little poem I wrote:

You and Me

You and me, how can this be?
Our love so deep it breaks us free.
The way I feel you can not see,
but now, honey, its just you and me.

Le Boz

A Season in Review

2011-11-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

I did not keep my blog up to date last season, and for that I am sorry. The Boz Blog, like many things in 2011, were a bit scattered. My winter training started much later than in years past for a multitude of reasons. After a quick two winter months in Chico, Ca, I headed to Europe for my first block of racing with the US National Team. Due to the fact that I was a year older, I was naturally stronger, but my fitness level was not where it could of been. This was something I struggled with for the rest of the season.

European racing provided some much needed experience and development, but while traveling I found out that my mother had been re-diagnosed with breast cancer, adding extra weight to an already fatigued mind and body. By the end of two months I was ready to come home and spend some valuable time with my mother. With a clear head and refreshed body I began to build up for the second half of the season, targeting races such as Nevada City, the Cascade Cycling Classic, and the Tour of Utah. I worked hard to build up my fitness, but without consistent mileage and hours over the winter, I felt like I was always trying to make up for lost time.

Nevada City was my first targeted race following Mt. Hood, which was used as a training race. The hours leading up to my start were rather eventful- I ripped the right mirror off my car by backing into a fence post. Additionally, my girlfriend's race number was the mark of the devil- 666. She then proceeded to crash on a fast 180 degree downhill lefthand sweeper, returning to me bleeding and crying. Despite the chaos, I had a beautiful day of racing and won my second consecutive Nevada City Classic, which I was happy to share with my dad (it was fathers day), uncle Craig, and my wounded yet smiling Annika. Next on the list was US Nationals, in sunny, southern, hotter than hell Augusta Georgia. Although I did not produce any spectacular results, my few of my longtime friends and Trek-LIVESTRONG teammates Nate Brown and Lawson Craddock landed spots on the podium, finishing first and second, respectively.

On my flight back to Oregon I began to focus on my hometown race, the Cascade Cycling Classic,. This Classic is a race I know well, taking place on all my favorite roads, giving me a distinct advantage. I rode well, taking 4th and 5th in two stages and 6th in the general classification. Finishing in the top ten was rewarding, but I had yet to reach the level of fitness I knew I could achieve. During this week I was surprised to find out that the team would not be racing the Tour of Utah or the Tour of Colorado due our affiliation with Team RadioShack. I was let down by this information- I had hoped to recreate my success of the 2010 Utah race. However, I accepted it as part of bike racing and turned my focus towards heading back to Europe with the national team.

First up was the Olympic Test Race in London, taking place on the planned course of the 2012 Olympic Games and containing a field full of top level ProTour riders. The test event was a riot (those crazy Brits), and the 250,000 supporters out on the streets were rewarded when their countryman, Mark Cavendish, won the race. Riding at the front in support of Tyler Farrar, I got a taste of what its like to race in the ProTour. This was when I realized that the high level of riding on display was within reach for me if I continued to work hard. Following London I went to Lucca, Italy for a mini training camp with the US team under the guidance of our new Swiss director, Marcello Albasini. The training camp was a prep for the Giro de Valley Aosta, an enormously mountainous race in the Italian Alps, as well as being prep for Le Tour de L'Avenir, the Tour de France for riders under 23.

Aosta is a very prestigious race in Italy, but our team approached it as a training race. We were there to ride and take opportunities presented to us, but we would not dig too deep to create opportunities for ourselves- we were to save ourselves for L'Avenir. Fortunately and unfortunately we did very well at Aosta- on stage one I came within 300 meters of winning the stage after a long solo breakaway (below I posted a report and video from that stage). My Trek teammate Joe Dombrowski showed that he is one of the worlds top young climbers by winning a stage and finishing 2nd on GC. With positive vibes following Aosta we were all excited and confident for Avenir, but none of us could guess the extent to which our hard and rewarding ride in Italy would doom us in France the following week.

In last years Avenir I had the pleasure of riding in support of Andrew Talansky, who took 2nd overall with an outstanding ride resulting from the work of a stellar, dedicated professional team. This year the US team was expecting a similar ride, but we left empty handed. Not once did we get a rider in the top 10 and the only podium we saw was at the team presentation as well as myself wearing the Green Number for most environmentally friendly rider (It was more of a joke- they just felt bad for me because I crashed). We left France greatly disappointed, but learned a valuable lesson about racing and preparation for key events- when you are targeting a race, you need to save all your energy for said race, even if it means letting other opportunities pass.

With the emptiness of Avenir fresh in our minds, we went back to Belgium for a one day race to keep our legs fast for Worlds in Copenhagen. Our team again experienced misfortune and produced poor results at the one day race, with four out of five crashing on the wet cobblestones, including all of our sprinters. Worlds was no more of a success- wounded and tired, we employed the tactics we needed to, but just didn't have the zest and energy to walk away with the win.

Writing this blog I realize that my season was a bit of a roller coaster. Like any other season, I had some great days and some bad days, but overall I feel that I never reached my full potential. I wouldn't say that I am disappointed by this, but I would say I am unsatisfied. I went to all the big races, but I was riding in support of others instead of contesting the races at the front like I know I can. This season I learned that in the world of cycling, if you let up for a second you are out of it for a year. I have big goals for 2012 and with the knowledge I have acquired this year I plan on once again racing to win. Unlike last year I have already started my winter base training, and with the help of my coach Hunter Allen (peakscoachinggroup.com) I plan to hit the 2012 racing season fit and ready to win.

Thanks for reading and see you out on the road!
Ian

Valle d"Aosta Stage 1 Report and Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlDQPyzaDLw)

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat"-Theodore Roosevelt. This is what my roommate Rob Squire read to me before the stage today. So with this in mind Rob and I went out to race our bikes with passion and panache. Soon after the start Rob and I both made a large break of 20+ riders, we gained time over the pack quickly and had five minutes before the first climb 25km into the race.
Motivated from Teddy's quote, Rob told me he wanted to win the stage and I told him I wanted to win the KOM jersey(King of the Mountains). As we neared the top of the first climb I went for the KOM sprint and took 3rd. After some amazing and scenic roads through the French Alps we hit the second climb, 90km from the finish. The break stopped working together, so I decided to mix things up. I went to the front and rode a harder pace and soon found myself off the front. I first told myself I would ride to the top of the climb, get the KOM points and see what kind of gap I had. By the top I had over 1'30" on the break so I decided to ride and see if I could pick up the next KOM 20km from the summit of the 2nd climb. Not killing myself I rode steady and hit the next climb with the same gap. I summited the 3rd climb and now had 2' over the break. At this point out team director came up to me and told me to continue but not burn all my fuel, so continued on and rode within self.
By the time I reached the last climb 30km from the finish my gap was still at 2', and Marcello told me to ride for the win. Riding off the front also hoped Rob who was in the group behind, as he did not have to work with the others who were chasing. I summited the final climb 25km from the finish with 1'30" over the chasing group which was now down to just 10 riders. After a technical decent I put my head down and rode for the win. The last 25km was a mostly flat route with a hard 1km finishing climb that we had scouted out this morning. I gave it all I had and still had a 40" gap over the chase group with 5km togo. At this point I thought I could win, all I had to do was make it up the final climb which was over 15%.
With 2km togo I still had 20" over the chase. As the climb approaching I got goosebumps just thinking of the win, and kept the power driving on. I hit the 15% pitch and had pain in my legs like I have never experienced before, but with the finish line just 600 meters away I gave it all I had. The fans on the road where cheering, but all I could hear were my legs telling me to stop. With 500 meters to go I looked back and still didn't see anyone, however my speed was starting to slow. By the time I hit 300 meter from the finish I was probably going under 5km/h, it was at this point I was passed by the chasers. Too knackered to feel emotion, I looked up to see Rob and the others come by at a much higher speed. The last 200 meters were the longest of my life, and I then realized I did what I could and came up just 300 meters short. I have seen riders come up short a hundred times on TV, being caught in the final, but never has it happened to me. After crossing the line I had no regrets, I gave 100% and thats all I can do.
Rob finished 3rd on the stage, which is a great result. I won the KOM jersey and most aggressive rider for the day, however there is still a lot of climbing to be done before this race is over. Following the stage I gave a few interviews in my broken French trying to win the hearts of the French fans. Tomorrow is a huge day with three cat 1 climbs, so I will recover to my best and give the race what I have tomorrow.

Back on the blog

2011-10-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

My off season is almost over and I am getting geared up for 2012. For next season I will be moving back to Chico in November with my girl friend and racing again with Trek-LIVESTRONG. Check back soon for more!!

Le Boz

Georgia Camping

2011-03-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

11 states and over 20 hours in the van with 1,000 miles traveled I made it to team camp. The week started with a flight across the country to Boston where I reunited with the boss (Toby). My first day out east was like the third Christmas of the year, picking up a new sparkling white Cervelo S2, and seeing the new boxes packed with bars that we got from our cereal and bar sponsor. I rode the bike for the first time that day in what was the best day in New England for the last few months, a mild 70 degrees, and a brisk wind made all just about perfect. All was great, even though I got lost trying to find my way back to the house it was alright because the proper white houses with groomed yards, and the old brick buildings is like nothing we have in Oregon so it kept things interesting. On top of that the different types of mouth watering granola bars that we got from our new sponsor were like chocolate peanut butter rocket fuel. As this day came to an end the reality of two straight days of driving appeared. Thank god for a big van which I could spread out and sleep, regardless it was long, but long does not mean bad. I thought it was gong to be worse luckily I was in good company. We picked up my new teammate, and great guy Paul Lynch two hours into the drive and from there it was smooth rolling… for about an hour until we hit heavy New York traffic, however here the highlight of the drive occurred. Gabriella had her eyes fixed out the windows looking at all the trash and debris that lay on the side of the dirty worn road in hopes of seeing something valuable. For a moment she looked away, and when she did there it was staring right back at me, an ancient well used and weathered five dollar bill. After double checking it was alright to hop out of the van in bumper to bumper traffic I was on it faster then a cat on a mouse. America is just like they said money is just lying on the ground. After another day of driving we arrived atop beautiful Charlie Mountain in Northern Georgia. The first ride of camp was spectacular with the whole team rolling on new bikes through the stunning rolling hills and back woods of the Georgia Mountains. As we approached the end of the ride all there was to do was ride up the drive way, more like race up. A little over a mile long and steeper than anybody wants it stung; actually more than stung it made my legs throbbed; they felt like there were on the verge of exploding. For the rest of the week we will enjoy all the great roads, rides and weather that Georgia has to offer. It’s good to be back in the Dirty South.

The New Year

2011-02-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

For the first post of 2011 and for the first time I (Ian’s little brother), will write some updates for the blog. Being a newcomer to the sport last year I knew little of what to expect, even getting into the sport was a chance of luck so I gave it a try. But this year should be something different, I know what to expect and understand what it is like to be racing at this level. So far the 2011 season has been all and more of what I could want. On January tenth I flew down to L.A. for a team pursuit camp with the national team. Riding the track for the first time was nothing short of crazy. Trying to describe this to non cyclist it is hard to explain, but it is a 250 meter wooden track with similar shape to a running track except the bends are between 40-43% gradient so the first day I as terrified coming into every corner, and the G forces would pull you down to the bars. Soon enough though I got the hang of it and was having a great time. The whole camp was a blast, from watching a couple ghetto girls get into a fight outside Wal-Mart, to go-carting it was great. Also riding in the 70 degree weather was pretty nice. The track was something completely new but I’m glad I got to go and give it a try, always good to try new things.
From the heat of L.A I got to go to not only a warmer place, but a prettier one too. Lucky me, this year Team Hottubes did the Tour of Bahamas, the hot sun, crystal clear water, and white sandy beaches made this a great first team trip of the year, but a hard one to top. Never once did anything but a smile fill the faces of our team, and how could it when you knew it was going to be another day with beautiful sights, warm sun, and spectacular foods. We stayed on the 11th floor of a beachfront resort and were treated every night to a phenomenal sunset before heading out to some of the best restaurants of my life. Oh yea and the main reason we were there the bike race, almost forgot. The race as a two day, three stage races with the first day have a short 3 mile time trial, followed by a 46 mile circuit race. The First day went about as planned with our whole team finishing around mid pack in both races, but what was not planned was the nice red burn that I got on every art of me that touched the sun. The following morning we had a 76 mile road race. Although we did not get the results we hoped for it was a good race, and I got into several good breaks with my new teammate Paul Lynch. Once again we ended the race all around mid pack; however the day did not end then. After the race we rode about three miles from the finish to a private resort owned by Tiger Woods, and Ernie Els. The week was awesome but this was the perfect end to it all. Delicious food, water slides and lounging in the sun, my last day before I had to return to reality and the below freezing temperatures of Bend, and home cooked meals.
It did not take long to realize that Bend was not going to be the ideal place to train for the winter. So off to Chico, California it was. My brother rents a one bedroom back house which fits the two of us nicely. Chico has a long history with our family, my dad, uncle, and two aunts all went to school at Chico State. Now my brother, and I are both following along the same path, and I know why everyone loved it here. Chico is home to beautiful Bidwell Park, and some of the best road riding I have experienced, combine that with the mild to warm temperatures and it is a great place to be for the time. So for now my brother and I will try to log miles on the bike in preparation for the year ahead. We both have some big goals, and expectations to meet for the 2011 season which I hope turns out to be a good one.
-Austin

Remembering why

2010-06-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

Six weeks ago I returned from Europe with the best fitness of my life. I had just finished an intense block of European racing and had planned to carry that speed and motivation I had back to the states. However, my return to US racing would be anything but speedy. I began to develop a knee pain which continued to bother me and kept me from riding for the next four weeks. This four week span was an up and down roller coaster, but it was a lesson I needed to learn.

Icing my knee and sitting on the couch with the best form of my life was mentally taxing, it wasn’t until my younger brother Austin returned from Europe that I first got a desire to think about cycling again. Riding and racing has been such a part of my daily routine for the last year, and not being able to ride I didn’t know what to do. When Austin was rested and ready to ride again after his own European trip, I wanted to help him out as much as possible to prepare him for the rest of the season. I wasn’t able to ride with him, but I was able to motor pace him behind my car and drive him into the mountains to get in some good riding.
Last week I was able to ride again pain free thanks to Rebound and a lot to ice and rest. I could tell I had lost a lot of my fitness but I’ve learned that these injuries can and will happen and its how you deal with them that makes the difference in the long run. Riding again reminded me of why I love cycling, it is such a beautiful sport and the views from the road are stunning. I had my down days while I was injured but now that I’m riding again I appreciate it even more. For the next few weeks I’ll be in Bend training and preparing for the second half of the season with my brother Austin, on the roads we know and love.

Ian

Pictures from Europe

2010-05-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

Two bikes and a backpack

2010-04-21T01:46:00.000-07:00

At Ten AM yesterday Ben King and I decided we were going to ride across Belgium to Huy, the finishing town of Fleche Wallonne (one of the biggest bike races in the spring classics). Since we are stuck in Europe do to the volcanic activities in Iceland we are trying to make the best out of the time here. So with no planning we stuffed a backpack with a change of clothes and heading east to Huy. Less than an hour after we sparked the idea we were on the road. With no maps we relied on my previous travels in Belgium and the knowledge that Brussels was the half way point.
I could not have set out on this trip with a better bud than Ben, a good southern boy riding for the Trek-Livestrong team. He and I have become great friends over the past month, and this adventure would only bring us closer. Taking turns carrying the backpack we rode east and into the center of Brussels. For me this was nothing new as I lived there for nine months a few years back and rode my bike everywhere. For Ben however, it was an adrenaline packed hour. Winding our way through gridlocked streets we eventually made our way out of the city.
The east side of Brussels is very different than the west; with rolling hills, thick forests, and the French language it is an area of Belgium that I enjoy much more than the flat windswept farmland of Flanders. Making our way towards our final destination I realized that this whole trek was possible, we were more than halfway there and still had plenty of daylight. With time to spare we stopped in Wavre and ate a very French lunch, we split a baguette and dipped it in chicken pate. With the seldom seen Belgian sun shining down, the gratification of embarking on this great adventure was absorbed.
With French bread in our bellies the final forty kilometers passed quickly. The final descent brought us into Namur (a large town next to Huy where we planned to stay at the youth hostel) and the hardest part of the voyage was finished. Two hundred kilometers and over six hours of riding had landed us on the opposite side of Belgium only to find that the hostel was booked. Ben and I weighed our options, however with our shallow bank accounts a hotel was not one of them. We contemplated sleeping in a barn or some abandoned building but when we finally came to a conclusion we were on the next train back to Izegem.
While we didn’t get to see the race live, we did ride across an entire country of Belgium. Once we returned the other riders were shocked to see us back. Many had expected to see us earlier thinking we would not have the courage make the journey on such little planning. Some of the riders saw our adventure as a failure because we didn’t do what we planned, but we never planned anything at all. It was a spontaneous thought that we carried out, Ben and I had one of our best days in Belgium yet and I wouldn’t’ have changed it for a thing.

Video update.

2010-04-07T11:25:00.000-07:00

Belgium racing through the eyes of my roommate and all around good guy Ben King

2010-04-03T04:22:00.000-07:00

Triptyque des Monts et Chateaux: 3 days, 4 stages

Stage 1: 170 km
Fresh of a world championship win, Taylor Phinney joins our team along with fellow Trek-Livestrong riders Gavin Mannion and Nate Brown. Also, in the USA lineup are Bissell Pro riders Boswell and Holloway along with BMC rider Cole House. The wind is strong today and it's cold. Riders know they must be near the front before the crosswinds. Our team is aggressive. I find myself mid-pack trying like everyone else to stay toward the front. It is nervous and there is no space on either side of the pack to shoot forward. All of the sudden, bars lock and around ten riders go down in a tangle of bikes. From behind I plow into them, on top of them. I yank my bike from the jumble, riders beneath me are moaning, and I begin to chase the pack. A small group of riders shoot by me, and when I accelerate for their draft my knee throbs. I see that it's cut and know its deep because it bleeds jelly. I chase on my own and catch the bunch on a short climb. Crosswinds. I'm off the back in a small group. We chase and rejoin. I hang back to access the damage. More crosswinds. Another group off the back. With 130 km left to race, we settle into a hard tempo and make it to the finish 14 minutes back on the lead group.

Four USA riders have made the front group. With 10 km to go Taylor wrecks, but blasts through the caravan and back to the front. Gavin Mannion reels in a breakaway with 5 km to go. Holloway and House ride for Taylor, and Taylor despite a crash with 7 km to go, sprints for 4th.
The race medics scrub my chainring laceration, and recommend the hospital. 9 stitches.
Many of you have twittered and emailed support, and it means a lot. After battling to make the time cut, it is an extreme disappointment to miss the start tomorrow. Tomorrow's time trial should put our team in a solid GC position, and it kills me to bail on my teammates. However, my knee, the hinge of the pedal stroke, is quite sore and swollen. The season is young.

I'll continue to cover the race via our team's website: http://www.treklivestrongu23.com/ but spare the rest of you. Assuming a swift recovery, I'll be getting back amongst it next Friday for Circuit des Ardennes.

BK

The Flemish super bowl

2010-03-31T01:33:00.000-07:00

All this week in Flanders racers and fans are preparing for the Tour of Flanders. For many Belgians this race is bigger than the world championships. Being here in the heart of Flanders it is amazing to see how fanatical this country is with cycling. People are renting out garages on the course and selling parking spots close to all the major climbs. And like the super bowl beer is a vital part to the day, only here in Belgium people will line the course starting at 9am to ensure they can see the race. The drinking will surly start soon thereafter and if a Belgian wins stores could stay closed Monday as many employees will still be recovering from the celebration. Here at the house we have placed our bets and built up in anticipation of a great race, the only down side is we will be doing a race of our own Sunday.

Ian

http://www.paulmach.com/100323/172203/Bissells-bike-guy-Ben-Oliver

2010-03-24T01:06:00.000-07:00

http://www.paulmach.com/100323/172203/Bissells-bike-guy-Ben-Oliver

Video 2

2010-03-23T07:30:00.001-07:00

Euro video blog #1

2010-03-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

Going to race

2010-03-21T02:04:00.000-07:00

In the sport of cycling it’s easy to get distracted and forget what the sport is all about. Starting last October I started training with a power meter, in many ways it has helped my training but at the same time it has been a distraction. As a first timer with a power meter I got so sucked into the numbers that I became like a robot and rode only off the numbers I was seeing on the power screen and on my computer. I became so ingrained in the power program that I sometimes wouldn’t listen to my body and was solely riding to please the computer program which I download my power files to.
As I step back and realize how I have become what I once pitied, I find myself at a transitional point in the cycling season. The majority of training is over and the racing is here, so from this point forward I will be taking a new approach to an old school method. I am continuing to ride with a power meter, but am taking a vouch to ride with courage and guts rather than numbers and graphs. The next two months in Europe are bound to be some of the hardest races I have ever done, but I’m planning on being the aggressive one. Nothing comes from being a follower and racing with pride is an attitude that creates success. Weather I have the fitness or not I will give everything I can to be in the front of the race, because you have to risk losing to win.

Ian singing off from the San Francisco Airport on my way to Europe

My interview with PaulMach.com

2010-03-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

http://paulmach.com/

2010-03-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

Team Inerview before the Madera Crit

2010-03-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

New to the Boz Blog

2010-03-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

I've decided to start a video blog here at the Boz Blog to keep things fun and new. Let me know what you think.

Follow this link to my interview with Paul Mach

Merco Weekend

2010-03-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was the Merco Classic, it is the unofficial start to the real California race season. I joined five of my BISSELL teammates and took part in a very successful and fun weekend of racing. I will try and get around to a blog this week, but in the mean time here is a link to my weekend room buddy and star cyclist Paul Mach's weekend recap.

http://www.paulmach.com/

The road ahead

2010-02-26T09:22:00.000-08:00

The one thing I have learned already this season as my first year as a professional bike racer is that nothing is ever 100%. In this wild world of bike racing things change faster than the gears on a bike. Just two weeks ago I had had my entire spring planed out; I was to stay living in Chico for the spring and race with my team BISSELL Pro Cycling in a lot of the bigger races on the west coast. However, this all changed with the click of a mouse, an invitation from the national team to race in Europe for a two month block threw some curves in my road.
It took me a while do decide what I wanted to do, on one hand I want to race here in the US with my new team and on the other I love racing in Europe and the experience I get is unmatched. I finally came to the conclusion that racing in the US will always be an option, so I will be going to my second home in Belgium yet again. On the 19th of March I be leaving to us and flying to Belgium for a short week before flying down to Portugal for a u23 nations cup. The racing is bound to me hard and now that I am no longer racing at the junior level I’m back at the bottom of the chopping block. Before I head to Europe I will have the chance to race some in the US with my team. I will be racing the Snelling road race tomorrow with the company of my younger brother. He and my mother came down earlier this week to see me before I head off to Europe and also bring a few of my things back to Bend. My mother drove back to Bend early this morning, and left Austin behind to enjoy some California life style. I can’t wait to see how Austin does in the race this weekend and hope we get some good bonding before both of our seasons start and we hit the road.
My dad will be coming down mid next week for a little Boswell Chico training camp and to take Austin home. Even thought my plans are always changing my family is always there to support me and adjust with the changing tide. I’ll enjoy my final few weeks in the US with two more California races then pack the bags and go to my second home across the Atlantic.

With the season ahead the blog will be back alive,
Ian

Team camp photo gallery

2010-02-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

Team camp

2010-02-21T13:52:00.001-08:00

This past week I've been in Santa Rosa, Ca for my team camp. I will get a post up soon but till then here is a link to my teammate Paul Mach's blog.

http://paulmach.com/

A little thread from Belgium

2010-02-09T12:26:00.000-08:00

This is just a quick post, but yesterday as I was taking a shower I noticed the bracelet that my host bother Julien (from my Belgian exchange) made me three years ago. I have worn it every day since I tied it on and now three years later it remains in the same place. The white thread has aged from a pearl white to a faded gray, but I’d like to think that a little dirt from the 13 different countries I have traveled to in the past three years is engrained somewhere in the bracelet. The opportunities I have had will never be forgotten and thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way.

Ian

Where do I want to be?

2010-01-17T16:34:00.000-08:00

I’m writing this from the comfort of my warm room in my dry house. The rain outside continues to fall and the wind persists to howl, and as I think about what I’ve been doing for the last four and a half hours my room is all the more appreciated. This morning I dressed for the elements and with my iPod on play, I hit the road in what was a wet and windy ride. Several times during the ride I noticed the classic and quiet country farm homes which are cumbersome in most of my rides outside of Chico, Ca. Not only did the houses look welcoming with the smoke coming from the chimneys or the lights on inside, but I was imagining that the mother of the house was cooking some hot cookies and the family was around the TV watching the NFL playoffs. So bad I wanted to get off my bike and be home with my family, dry and warm; however I was doing what I love to do. It’s interesting how many ups and downs one will go through on a four hour ride, but when all is down I’m almost always glad I was out on the road. Today was one of those rides that you just try and get done because there is not much desirable about it; the ironic thing is, this week’s weather is going to remain the same, but I’m guaranteed to be out there wishing I was in the comfort of my home with my family.

A family affair

2010-01-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

During the holiday vacation I left sunny Chico, California to visit my family in Bend, Oregon. I quickly remembered why I moved to California. Bend was cold but warm, I always love seeing family and getting together. As we get older I’ve noticed how we are all now doing our own thing and see one another a lot less, which is sad, but makes it that much better once we do get together.
When I am away from Bend the person I miss the most is my brother Austin. We fight, tussle and do almost everything else together, but most recently he has started getting into cycling and is amazingly strong already. My last day in Bend we did a 75 mile ride and he had no problem hanging with the group and was even at the front taking pulls. Next season he plans on racing a lot and I can’t wait to watch him and support him like he has done for me for so long.
My highlights while I was in Bend were, riding with my dad and brother, Christmas dinner, and cutting down our huge Christmas tree that Austin hauled out of the woods by himself and decorating it with my family.

Hope all had a great holiday season and great new years. More posts on the way as the racing is coming up quick.
Ian

2010

2009-12-14T12:07:00.001-08:00

Bissell completes 2010 roster with Britton, Boswell and Kline
By: Cycling NewsPublished: December 14, 17:21, Updated: December 14, 17:42
Bissell formed Belgian-style echelons in training

view thumbnail gallery
US continental team settles on 13 riders

The Bissell Pro Cycling Team completed its 2010 roster today with the signings of Canadian Rob Britton and under-23 Americans Ian Boswell and Shane Kline. The three bring the team up to 13 riders for the coming season.

Britton, a native of Victoria, British Columbia caught the attention of team general manager, Glen Mitchell, at this year’s Mt. Hood Classic with a stage win and a fifth place finish overall. Director, Eric Wohlberg, who has been tracking Rob’s progression said, “Rob is a selfless, team-oriented rider who has the ability to win when the situation presents itself. Rob’s particular ability to TT and climb will add to our race day arsenal.”

Boswell had success in the junior ranks while riding for the US National Team and the Hot Tubes Development Team. He finished second overall at the Liège - La Gleize junior stage race in Belgium, but caught the eye of the team at the Nevada City Classic junior race.

Ben Jacques-Maynes recalled watching Boswell win. “I was impressed with how he rode away from a strong field and won. I was sitting on the side wondering who this guy was”, says Jacques-Maynes. “Then after such a display he jumped in the pro race and hung on the back of the express train which I thought was really impressive.”

Kline has a strong track background and finished third in the Madison at this year’s USA Cycling Elite Track Nationals. He also finished 10th at the 2009 Meijer Grand Cycling Classic.

2010 Bissell Pro Cycling Team: Ben Jacques-Maynes, Frank Pipp, Andy Jacques-Maynes, Cody O’Reilly, Daniel Holloway, David Williams, Ian Boswell, Jeremy Vennell, Kyle Wamsley, Paul Mach, Peter Latham, Rob Britton, and Shane Kline.

Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed

2010

2009-10-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

http://www.oregoncyclingaction.com/

Looking back at 2009

2009-09-28T09:54:00.001-07:00

As I write this from the Boston/Logan airport on my way to Bermuda, my final race of the season, I have had time to think about all the great memories of places and people I have been fortunate to experience this year. My season began early with a trip in January to Chico with two of my Oregon buddies. Then I had no idea what the season would become or where it would take me.

In total I’ve spent less than a month at home since February, but have made friends and family elsewhere. My first two families showed me true southern hospitality. Both the Browns and Gabardi’s opened their homes and let me become part of their family, which made me feel at home in the south, a far different place than out west. After over a month with my confederate friends I crossed the Mason Dixon Line, as our team drove north to Boston. Now some people say stereotypes don’t exist however, the stereotypes are generally true and in New England people are just like I had heard. I was coming from the south where everyone was so friendly and relaxed to a place up north where the stress levels run high and people are more closed off. Everything around New England seemed so sophisticated and proper; everywhere I went was a promenade Ivey league school, far different from the south.

I didn’t spend much time in Boston because it was then time to fly across the ocean to my second country of Belgium to do what I love, and race my bike. After a week in Belgium at eh U23 National Team house five other national team members and I drove (we actually slept and chatted while the mechanic and director did the driving) across Europe to the Czech Republic for the famous Course de la Paix. It was the longest and most demanding race I had done to that point, but it helped me to build a foundation for the rest of my season. After a week in the beautiful Czech country side we made our way back to Belgium, followed by a trip to Germany the following weekend. This race in Germany proved to be my first strong race of the year, I took 9th in the opening time trial and then 4th on the final road stage. After a strong showing in Germany we went back to Belgium for our final race of the trip in the Flemish Ardennes. After what was a semi successful trip I returned to Boston for a week before heading to Nashville for the Junior Worlds Qualifiers. This would turn out to be my first true race with team Hot Tubes and since then I have never wised to be on any other team. Not only did we win in both the time trial and the road race, we had a great time doing it.

After almost five months away from home I returned at the beginning of June. Returning home was good mental refreshment and came at the perfect time. While I was home I took a little rest period and enjoyed fishing with my brother in his new boat. In mid June my father brother and I traveled to Nevada City for one of my favorite races ever. Little did I know that Lance Armstrong and his Astana teammates would be with him. After a good junior race in the morning I re-pinned my number and raced with the pros. Lance and his companions lapped me early on but I was able to attach onto the back once they caught me. For the next thirty-five I used the roar of the fans to keep me in contact with Armstrong. It didn’t mean much to me at the time but looking back it was one of my most memorable races of the year, and will probably be one for the grandkids.

With a refreshed head on my shoulders I flew back to Boston for the Fitchburg classic, a race that Hot Tubes has won for the past ten years. Being the teams home state race the expectations were high, but with the strength and cohesiveness of our team it didn’t cause any trouble. We won every stage as well as the overall, and with each stage win our team grew closer and closer. We began to know each other so well that in a pro crit the following weekend four of us lapped the field and then lead out Nathan for 5th in the field sprint. With the confidence and team work we had found it was time for our hardest domestic race of the season, the Tour of the Red River Gorge.

Arriving ready to race and with everyone healthy we went to battle. We all placed within the top twenty in the opening prologue which was so short that the most anyone lost was seven seconds. Stage one would be our first true test, however we aced it going 1,2,3 on the stage and wondering what happened to all the other contenders. The next few days proved no different as we move into 1-4 on the final classification and won every category except the K.O.M.

After my and the team’s performance at the Gorge, 5 out of our 6 man team was selected to the worlds team (4 for the US and 1 (Stuee) from Canada). Back to Boston it was and week with Gavin and his family before I would fly out to Moscow for the worlds. Because worlds were in Moscow I needed a Russian visa, which turned out to be a pain in the ass. I rushed to get all the papers sent away to Huston where the Russian consulate is located. I missed the initial flight with the team and stayed at Gavin’s house for another two days, while he and the other riders were preparing in Belgium. Gavin’s family allowed me place to call home, where I relaxed and trained in my final prep for worlds. Three hours before I left for my flight to Europe my passport containing my Russian visa finally came.

I was finally on a plane heading to Belgium and then the world championships, my year long goal. But before worlds we would be doing a stage race in the Belgian Ardennes, Liege la Gleize. I arrived in Belgium on Thursday afternoon and the race began Friday afternoon, so I didn’t have much time to adapt to the six hour time change. Despite the late arrival this race turned out to be one of my best results of the year. After our strong showing in the team time trial are entire team was looking good. The race being so close to worlds, a lot of riders were using it as a final prep, the teams included were the French national team, Swiss national team and riders from both the Belgian and Dutch world championship teams. After a cold, wet and hard final stage I found myself finishing 2nd on the general classification.

With a strong showing in Liege our team was ready for Moscow. The time trial was the first event and was a great way to start it off as Lawson took the silver medal only 2 seconds off the win. The road race was two days after and we were all looking forward to the hard and technical course. However once the race came things went downhill fast. Gavin was to be one of the two protected riders and was struggling with the polluted Moscow air and pulled out after several laps. That put all the pressure on Jacob’s shoulders to get us the good result. We were looking for. Jacob gave it his best effort but missed the winning move, however still finished 17th. Our time in Moscow was not the most enjoyable, most of our time was spent in the 27 story hotel and eating the awful cafeteria food that was provided. Many of us had stomach problem because of the food and were so excited to return to Belgium and good home cooked food.

Once back in Belgium it felt as if a weight had been lifted from all of our shoulders, not from pressure put on us to perform, but just being able to relax in a place we knew and could get comfortable. After a week in Belgium we had recovered from our Russian experience and were ready to race again. We went to the north of Belgium to compete in a one day classic and went 3rd, 7th, and 9th. It was a great performance from the whole team and showed that we were in a better state of mind than we were in Russia.

The following weekend it was for most of us our final race with the Junior National team as we will not be juniors next season. The race was Regio tour in Freiburg, Germany. It started off very promising with Jacob winning stage one. He kept the Jersey for two more days before losing it in a tough stage three. That same stage I did not finish because of some chronic knee pain. So my junior career ended there on the side of the road in Germany, not the best way to go out, but as a junior I have been very successful and accomplished almost every goal I have set out to do.

After Germany I returned to Bend, which seemed like a foreign place I’d been gone for so long. It was a refreshing visit home but it didn’t last for long as I then had to move down to Chico, Ca for college. I did do one last race with the team in Bermuda which was the perfect icing on the cake to the most fun and successful season I’ve had.

I’m finishing this blog from my couch in Chico and the season it truly over. I’ve already taken one week off and have two more until 2010 begins. Next year will bring big things as I make the step up to U23/pro.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me this season, I’ve had a lot of support which is much appreciated. Thank you all so much. And I’ll talk with you all in 2010.

Ian

Bermuda Grand Prix

2009-09-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last four days with my best of friends in one of the most relaxing places I have been all year. Team Hot Tubes and I went to the small tropical island of Bermuda to celebrate an amazing season and compete in one final race together. The trip was about racing then again not so much. The day before stage one we spent six hours on the white sand beaches and swimming in the 87 degree ocean water. We all got our fair share of sun, but Lawson and I got a little something extra, a burn. While it wasn’t the best for race preparation it was an awesome wrap up to the end of a long, hard and successful season.

I’ll be brief on the racing because in reality the whole time while we were racing we wished we were at the beach. Gavin raced well and was top 4 on every stage and finished 3rd overall while Stuee, I and Lawson finished 6th, 7th and 8th respectively. Nathan was down with a stomach bug the entire race but started every event like the champion he is.

My 2009 season has now come to an end. I’m back in Chico catching up with school and enjoying the same bed for a while. I’ll be taking some time off the bike before I begin my next adventure as racing with the next level up.

I will post a year review soon.
Ian

Home at last.

2009-09-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

I didn’t finish the Regio Tour as my knee worsened over the course of the race. Jacob however finished 6th overall. After the conclusion of the final race we packed up the van and began the six hour drive back to Belgium. We returned to Belgium at 1 a.m. and then packed out bikes as we were to leave that morning at 5:45a.m. for the Brussels airport. We all made our flights, tired and all. I was really looking forward to coming home after, since January spending less than a month at there. However my time in Bend was short lived as it was now time to move down to Chico, Ca for college. But a few restful days in Bend was great. I’ll be spending the winter months is Chico which is a town I love almost as much as Bend. There is great riding and a good atmosphere for a relaxing social life.
I have only one more “big” race left on the calendar and that is the Tour of Bermuda at the end of September. It is more of a race for fun and to celebrate an awesome season on my hot tubes team. It truly has been my most successful season and the most fun as well.

The Boz

The photos are from the Hotel in Germany and Bear Hole an awesome swimming spot in
Chico

Regio Tour

2009-08-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

The team is here in Freiburg Germany competing in the 25th annual Regio Tour, however this is the first year it’s a junior race. Two years ago this race was a Pro Tour race, but then changed to a u23 race after the race sponsors were fed up with doping problems.
Stage one was hot, 105 out on the road and after being in Belgium for a few weeks it felt even hotter. The stage began at 2:30, and as always, it started fast. For me it was the first ride of the week after some knee pains kept me off the bike after our race last Sunday in Belgium. I was aggressive early and after 15km escaped off the front with four other riders. Our time gap quickly increased to 1:35 over the pack and they rolled along in the blistering heat. After 20 more kilometers we hit the base of the days only climb, I was feeling alright and thought I might have a chance at going for the KOM. Once the acceleration began I realized that three days off the bike had not been the best thing for my quick accelerations but I did what I could to stay with the leaders. With 500 meter to go a rider began his sprint not knowing it was only a sign for 500 meters. The move was brought back and just then I looked over my back to see that a rider had come from the group and coming fast. The sprint went again but I didn’t have it and missed out on the points. Over the top of the climb another group came up to us and shortly after the pack. From there the race just cruised for a while, and then the winning move went. Jacob was the first to go, I gave it a go but it was brought back then Nathan got away and bridged across. Five kilometers later Lawson marked a move with ten more guys and chased hard but never caught the lead group. From there Gavin, Ryan and I rode in the pack and made sure if anything else go away that we were in it. Nothing did and we slowly, rolled to the finish. Meanwhile Rathe was the strongest man and won the race and took the yellow and green jersey. Nathan was 5th and Lawson 13th. We were also winning team GC, so it was an awesome day for everyone.

Stage two was time to defend the yellow. We have an amazing team here; everyone is super strong and willing to lay everything out on the line for everyone else, which in this situation makes riding at the front fun knowing that your work is for the betterment of the team. That being said we did just that, rode on the front most the day not letting anything dangerous get to far up the road and discouraging any of the other strong riders/teams from attacking. For how un-difficult the course was the race was one of the hardest I’ve done this year. We had a strong head wind the majority of the time and had to ride hard at times to bring breaks back. And with 15km remaining Gavin crashed and Jacob trashed his front wheel and was forced to stop and giving a wheel from Lawson, before we all helped him rejoin the pack. It was a hard day, but awesome to see how well we rode as a team and we are still winning team GC and Jacob still has yellow.

We you race as a team you win as a team
Ian

P.S. photos are from day before the race, we took a mid ride stop……… it was hot

Worlds

2009-08-16T01:02:00.000-07:00

After four days at our 27 story hotel in Moscow Russia the individual time trial had come. The US had two competitors, Nathan Brown and Lawson Craddock, both men have podium at the international level this year, so we had high expectations for them. Lawson was the first to start the 13.5 km course in which they would complete two laps. Lawson posted the second fastest time check at the end of the first lap. After we did the calculations we knew it was going to be close, Lawson could go fast but just how fast we didn’t know. As he crossed the finish line we held our breath and stared at the big screen which displayed the finishing times. Lawson made up some time but came up just 2.22 seconds short of holding the number one spot in the finish house. Nathan started next and from the beginning was not on a good day, but time check one he lost 45 seconds to Lawson. Nathan finished 34th which is still not bad considering it was the world championships. Lawson rode and amazing race like he always does on the time trial bike and his second place time held up and he took silver. Lawson being seventeen has the sweet taste of success from this year but the drive to make up that 2.22 seconds for next year and take home the rainbow jersey.
The race was the next race on the schedule and a hard demanding course it was. Used as the Olympic road course in 1980 and again for the road world championships in 1989 when Lance Armstrong was a junior. Moscow is a relatively flat city so when I saw the course profile on line for the first time I thought that it must be wrong. However, during the excavation for the rowing events for the 80’ Olympics the dirt was piled up in one area creating a hill worthy of making into a road race course. The 13.5 km circuit consisted of five hard climbs each between 14-20%, they were short climbs but with a total of ten laps that’s 50 climbs. We had a plan for the race and were ready to race. All the bikes were clean and legs were oiled, and the race was about to begin. From the gun the race was on, as expected, and in classic USA form we started near the back. We all spent the first half lap moving up in the 165 rider field, consisting of 40 different countries.
The first few laps passed and I tried my best to do my job with was to patrol the front and make sure that no group with five or more riders got too far off the front. Then on lap six a large group of 8-13 riders escaped but Nathan was on top of it and represented us in the lead group. For the next two and half laps the pressure was off us at Nathans groups gap got up to 50 seconds. Then with a little over a lap to go Nathans group was caught and the race was all back together. Now the pressure was on Jacobs back to represent us in the final lap of the race. After Nathan came back I went straight to the front to make sure nothing else got away. Once I got there three riders had already got a gap, so I went to the front and drove the pack with all the energy I had left. I continued hammering up the first climb, but by half way I began to fade, and once I started to go back I went back and fast. By the top of the climb I had fallen of the back, but I had given what I had in hope that Jacob could finish it off. The three man group was soon caught but another larger group of 11 riders go away and we had no one. Jacob made a valiant effort to bridge across but was just out manned; it was too much to ask from one rider. The group of 11 stayed away and Jacob sprinted from the chasing pack and finished 17th. It was by far the most pain I and everyone else had ever endured while racing a bike. Afterwards we were all crushed.
We had hoped and had the power to do better, but bike racing is such, and we didn’t have the best of days. We are back in Belgium now, having never been happier to be here. Russia was a great experience, but I can live without the traffic, food and apartment buildings.

Enjoy,
Ian

Moscow

2009-08-06T04:25:00.000-07:00

I've spent the past three days in Moscow, Russia for the UCI Junior World Championships. Moscow is a crazy place, it appears that everything is an appartment building which rise up in every direction. Tomorrow is the time trial for Nathan and Lawson.

Liege La Glieze

2009-08-05T05:56:00.000-07:00

The Day after I arrived in Belgium we had our first race, Liege la Glieze, a UCI 2.1 in the Belgian Ardennes. The goal of the race was to get in some more European racing before worlds and test out how our legs felt. Our team consisted of five riders, all of which are good friends and great bike racers.
Stage one was a 97km road race with two KOM’s (King of the Mountain Sprints), Nathan got off the front in a small group after 20km and managed to win the first KOM. By the time the second KOM rolled around Nathan was back in the pack and the group was all together. Coming into the final 10km of the race as one big peloton we tried to organize at eh front in order to set up a lead-out train for Gavin and Jacob. With 4km remaining Lawson hit the front and kept the pace high, after him I took over and brought the race within 2km’s of the finish. When I pulled off I realized that I was the last US rider at the front, so I eased up and then things got dicey. I dropped back into 10th wheel with Jacob and Gavin both right around me, but then things went south. Two French riders clipped bars and took each other out right in front of all of us. I was able to squeeze through but Gavin and Jacob were forced off the road and into a gravel driveway but made it back onto the road going into 700 meters to go. By then things at eh front had started to go fast and we did what we could to stay in the front. Gavin finished 11th, myself 21st and Jacob not too far behind me, Nathan and Lawson were both stuck behind the crash and just rolled in but got the same time do to the 3km rule.
Stage two A was a team time trial an event that we were sure we could and should win. For a TTT the course was rather hilly and the frequent changes in directions didn’t play into our favor as we hadn’t practiced this discipline before. We started of fast and were passing the kilometers quickly despite our inefficiency. However, once we hit 6km to go the eggs began to crack; Nathan was the first to fall off the surging pace, followed by Jacob 4kms after. I was forced to dig deep as we had only three riders left and the time for the team was taken from the time of the third rider. Lawson and Gavin did more than their share of the work to lead us over the final 2kms of the course and when we finished we had posted a new fastest time by 18 seconds. Nathan and Jacob rolled in soon after and both did an awesome job helping us post a fast time. Out time was fast but not fast enough, the French national team finished a few minutes after us and took 24 seconds out of us over the 12km course. They went on to win the stage and take the yellow jersey; Lawson however got the white jersey for the best young rider.
Stage two B was in the afternoon following the TTT. Nathan put himself in the early move and racked up some KOM points and became the virtual leader of that classification on the road. Heading towards the finishing 20km of the race Nathans group of 15 still lingered off the front by around a minute. Then a move came from the pack of another 10 riders trying to bridge across, I saw that none of the other Americans were in the move so I went and with one Italian rider rode to the group of 10 then up to Nathans group making it a lead group of 25. When I got to the lead group two riders had already escaped off the front and were gaining time, I tried various times to get away but the French team rode smart and followed my every move. Two more riders got away and the remainder of our group came in as a sprint. Lawson and Gavin finished a minute behind and another group of 25, Jacob abandoned the race after a bee sting in his foot, which was plaguing him all week.
Stage three was the final and queen stage, seven KOMs and the weather made it all the more epic. Off and on down pour rains with low fog made what I thought would be miserable into an awesome stage. Going into the stage Nathan had the KOM jersey, Lawson was second in the best young rider and I was fourth overall on GC, so the plan was to keep what we had and improve on the others. The stage was hard but everyone on our team is riding strong right now so nothing fazed us. Nathan acquired points on the first three KOMs solidifying his win of that classification, and the rider leading Lawson in the best young rider dropped out for some unknown reason, as well did the 3rd place French rider on GC. Going in the final 20 km again the race heated up. The yellow jersey crashed and the team in 2nd on GC went to the front and began to hammer. The yellow never caught back on and didn’t finish the race, so all of the sudden I found myself in 2nd in on GC. A group of 4 riders then went up the road with the new virtual leader, and I called upon Gavin and Lawson to help me bring it back. Both guys did an awesome job, but Lawson flatted in the last 10 km so Nathan helped him to chase back on all while Gavin was driving our group in pursuit of the 4 leaders. We never caught the leaders but remained close enough to retain my 2nd overall by 4 seconds, and thanks to Nathan Lawson won the white jersey by a mere 6 seconds.
It was a very successful race for the team 2 out of the 3 jerseys, 2nd on GC and both Gavin and Jacob have good legs and are ready for Moscow.

2009-07-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

Back in Belgium

I arrived in Belgium early this morning for the second time this season and the fifth time in my life. As the plane was about to touch down I had a flash back to the first time I visited Belgium. When I first arrived as a sixteen year old two years ago, my eyes were as open as ever, even after the long overnight flight. Walking off the plane two years ago I felt like I had stepped into a new world. Everything appeared to be different; the buildings, cloths, and obviously the language. Now looking back I feel like I have come full circle and look at Belgium as a second home. I no longer notice the difference in these small details, but now look onto them as part of who I am.

It’s good to be back over here, and some of my best friends are here as well so I know it’s going to be a great trip. Tomorrow we start a stage race in liege, I’ll keep you posted.

It’s not such a big world after all
Ian

Red River George and Worlds

2009-07-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend team Hot Tubes and I traveled to western Kentucky for the UCI 2.1 stage race, The Tour of the Red River George. This year was the inaugural event; however there was a road race which took place there last year as the junior worlds qualifiers.
After along but enjoyable car drive from Mass to Lexington, KY we were ready to race. The opening stage was a 1 mile prologue on an out and back course in downtown Irvine, KY. Such a short event is not my forte, I finished 21st six seconds behind the stage winner Charlie Avis. Our however did good, putting three riders in the top ten. The afternoon of the prologue was the first true test with a 100km road race. The heat and humidity only added to the hard and hilly stage. After 30km had elapsed the racing started to pick up. I soon found myself off the front with a few other riders, and it wasn’t long before both Nathan and Anders were by my side. With three Hot Tubes riders out of the ten or so in the group we began to drive hard towards the finish. We worked hard and opened the gap to 1minute and 30 seconds before I almost lost it all. On a fast down hill road I miss lead the group off course. The riders at the back were able to turn around quickly and keep it; however some riders kept on riding in the wrong direction. I then made the turnaround and began to chase the group I was just leading. Thankfully I had two honorable teammates up front who waited for my return. Some riders never returned, thus our group was down to six, and going over the final KOM (king of the mountains) the group was minimized yet again. After the final climb with only 5km remaining Anders made a very tactically smart attack and quickly opened a big gap on our lead group. Soon after Nathan jumped and rode up to Anders, so I was the lone hot tubes rider with two of my teammates off the front. With 1.5km till the finish I knew that Anders and Nathan would stay away, so I then tried an attack of my own. I finally got a gap in the final 800 meters of the race and hot tubes went 1, 2, 3 on the stage and took 1, 2, 3 on overall classification.

The following day was the individual time trial, it went pretty straight forward. My teammate Lawson won, Nathan second, Gavin fourth, myself eighth, Anders ninth, and our Canadian teammate Stuee sixteenth. This moved our team into 1,2,3,4 on overall classification going into the queen stage.

Stage 4 was a long 120km road race with over 8,000 ft of climbing, a hard race that would separate the players from the pretenders. The first few climb were uneventful other than Lawson getting a flat, then Nathan having to stop and dislodge his jammed chain, but both Stuee and Gavin where there to help them back to the pack. Once the rejoined Gavin ran into a front flat so dropped back to get it fixed, but just as Gavin reintegrated into the pack a crash took him and a good percentage of other riders off the road. He just cruised in after that. Each time the road when up, riders went back, and going into the final 30km of the race the lead pack including four of us hot tubes riders was under twenty riders in total. The final two climbs where were the players came to play, Nathan in his yellow jersey went to the front of the pack and turned the screws. Riders quickly fell of his pace and by the time we summated the final climb the group was down to seven riders, but four of those hot tubes. Once on top the hill the course consisted of short but steep rollers. We weren’t on top for long before the attacks started. Most of them came from our team and after some hard efforts; Lawson and Jacob Rathe from Portland Oregon were off the front and free to fly. After some cat and mouse play, I jumped the group in pursuit of the leaders. When I was ¾ the way across and starting to fade, Nathan came up to me to give me some help. Together we caught the leaders and had 3 out of the 4 riders in the lead group. With 10km remaining we began to drive towards the finish. Theoretically we should have had an easy stage win, but Jacob is a very smart and very strong. I jumped the group with 500 meters to go but Jacob caught up with Nathan on his wheel. Nathan has a great sprint but the downhill sprint was too fast for Nathan to overcome on junior gears. Jacob took a very big stage win and moved into 5th overall. Nathan finished 2nd me 3rd and Lawson 4th.

The final stage of the Tour of the Red River George was a twilight crit in downtown Lexington. The goal was to stay safe and hold our GC placing. Both were accomplish and then added on by Gavin’s stage win. It was a great race for us as a team we won the overall plus 2-4, and the best young riders and the sprint jersey, but to show how well we rode as a team we won the team classification by over 16 minutes.

Because of how well we and I rode, I earned a spot on the world championship team. So next week I will fly back over to Belgium and then on to Moscow for the Junior world championships, which was my year long goal.

Thanks for reading and more posts soon.

Ian

Attleboro crit by Gavin

2009-07-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

Today was the Attleboro Crit. Hot Tubes sent a full 7 man squad for this local Pro 1-2-3 Crit. The team used this race as a warm up for Red River Gorge UCI 2.1 Stage Race in KY next week. After about 10 laps into the 60 lap race Ian, Lawson, Stueee the Canadian, and myself found ourselves off the front alone. After settling into a team time trial for 15 or 20 laps we lapped the field. The rest of the team set tempo at the front of the pack keeping the race in control for the remaining laps, until we lead out Downtown who took the field sprint making it 1,2,3,4,5 for Hot Tubes. He claims he's the next Cav. Since I was the last leadout man I ended up taking the victory. My fourth crit win of the year, one of these days I'm gonna win a road race...

By far the best part of the day was capitalizing on the excess food after the race. We left the race with 2 large pizzas, 2 footlong subs, and close to 100 bagels. Hopefully that will be enough to fuel our team on our long drive to Lexington, KY tomorrow.

Fitchburg stages 1&2 By Anders

2009-07-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

This post is by my teammate Anders Newbury

Fitchburg is the beginning of my second big block of races. Since getting back from World's Qualifiers in Tennessee, I hadn't done much racing other than some practice crits and time trials and the Housatonic Hills Pro/1/2 road race where I came in 7th.

When I arrived at Toby's house this past wednesday, it was cold and pouring rain. Conditions didn't change much by thursday morning's time trial, when I was awoken by the sound of pounding rain and deafening lightning strikes. The fact that I was comfortably lying on a mattress was made even better by the knowledge that my family was tenting in a campground and probably swimming by now.

The time trial was happily uneventful and I came in 4th place. Nate won with an average speed of over 29mph, and the team took 3rd, 9th, and 12th places. The next day's stage was a fast circuit race of 22 miles featuring a hard 5oo meter hill. Before the race, I was informed by certain doubters that a breakaway was impossible on this course and had never succeeded. Most of our team got front row call ups for the start of the race, so we began with good position. Nothing much happened early on other than a short-lived breakaway of 5 riders that I tagged along with. Then my teammate Ian Boswell attacked and was holding a slim lead over the field. When Nathan Wilson, who was sitting top ten after the time trial, went to bridge across I covered the move and soon found myself in a three man group just off the front.

We rode hard but the pack was strung out and doing about 40mph down the wide slightly downhill back stretch of the course. They brought the gap down to about 5 seconds, and it looked like our little adventure off the front was done. But we kept hammering and the next time I looked back the gap had shot back up again. Another rider had bridged across while we were close to the pack so now we had 4 riders. We drove the break hard until the finish. Boswell took the win and I came in with the same time at 4th place. The pack came in nearly a minute down. Ian had also taken some points sprints so he had captured the green jersey. Nate Brown kept his leader's jersey behind, and I moved up to 2nd place in the overall.

Afterwords, we came back to watch the pro race. The thunderclouds that had been looming all day finally rolled in and the race took place under a deluge. A breakaway including Vermont boy Will Duggan and Cyclo-cross champion Tim Johnson held off a hard chasing pack to the finish. The pain on their faces gave me a good idea of what to expect in a couple years.

With two out of four stages completed, our team is in good position to take the lead all the way through the final stage. I'm also considering sending my family some snorkels to help with the camping in the flood water.

Nevada City

2009-06-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my; father, brother and I took a road trip south to historic Nevada City in Northern California. Nevada City is the second oldest race in America and one of the hardest courses I’ve ever raced. This years race was only made harder buy the presences of; Chris Horner, Levi Leipheimer, and Lance Armstrong. However, before I had to race with the big boys of the sport, I competed in the junior race, which turned out to be faster that I expected.

Nevada City is up in the foothills of the Sierras so, as you can imagine it’s hilly. The course has a zigzag climb up the back street of the old town, then a screaming straight descent down Main Street before a tight left hand off camber turn at the bottom. Racing this course is much like a set of twenty intervals, and you are maxed out on the climb but have just enough time on the downhill to recover and do it all over again.

The junior race commenced with around thirty riders from ages 10-18, so the difference of experience and strength was great. It didn’t take more than two laps for us older riders to get in a group of our own at the front. For several laps I went to the front and punched it up the climb but couldn’t get our group any smaller. After a few more laps I was able to get away on the downhill nonetheless, and with six laps to got I was off the front solo. I was able stay away for the remaining laps and win the junior race.

After the junior race it was time to start recovering for the day’s later race with
Armstrong and his friends. The time pasted quicker than I had thought and before I knew it I was back in my chamois heading down to the course. One the start line I waited as the three big names, along with other top riders were called to the start line.

When the gun was fired and the raced started was when it first hit me, I was racing with Lance. I worked hard to move forward in the pack, as did everyone else, but slowly moved into the top thirty. Not to long after the pace increased and riders began to drop, and before long I myself was in the red. By now; Lance, Levi, and Ben where off the front and quickly coming to lap me, as the three riders came past I jumped onto their wheel and hung on as long as I could. It turned out to be longer than I had expected, for seven laps I fought my body to hang with the leaders of the race, and having nearly 25,000 spectators cheering us on I was able to ride just that little bit harder. Riding at the fast pace with the leaders I was able to rejoin the main pack of fifteen riders, but as Lance passed the group he upped the tempo again and I was at my limit. I started to ride a pace that was comfortable and once I had recovered a bit started to ride faster.

I began catching riders one by one as the climb started to take a toll on everyone’s legs. And with three laps to go I looked back to see that Lance was gaining and about to come around me for a second time. I lifted my pace just a little to prolong the infinite catch, which didn’t take place till the following lap. He caught me at the top of the climb and again I jumped on his wheel. As we crested the top the paced slowed so I decided to give him some help. I went to the front and gave it all I had, and leading through the start/finish I heard one lap to go. The crowds were going wild. I lead him into the sharp left hand turn and accelerated up the climb knowing I only had one lap left. It was an awesome feeling leading the greatest Tour de France riders in history up the finial lap of his first victory since his seventh tour win.

Nevada City was a great week of racing, but its time again to go back east and win some races with the team. Monday I fly back to Boston where starting on Thursday Hot Tubes will defend a long winning streak at the Fitchburg Classic. Then we will travel to Kentucky to compete in a junior stage race, which will be the first UCI junior race help in the US.

Check back for more updates
Ian
Here is a link to a video of Lance, Levi, Ben and I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdmOgG8tBoU

At home

2009-06-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

I’ve been back in Bend for a week for some much needed rest and recovery. Life on the road is awesome, but there comes a time when you just want to be at home, so that’s where I’m at. I have been very fortunate to have traveled and seen all the places I’ve seen. However, Bend is an awesome place and it’s often not till you are away for a long period of time that you realize just how beautiful it is.
It’s been great to see my family and friends again and for the first time in three months be able to put on a shirt that I haven’t worn for the past week.

I’ll keep ya’ll updated on my time at home and how my racing and training is going.

Ian

Back in the USA

2009-05-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

I’m now back state side after some hard racing in Europe. This weekend our team will travel to Nashville Tennessee for the junior Worlds Championships Qualifiers. This will be my last week on the road for a while as I will finally be returning home for most of the month of June.

2009-05-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

http://usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=4153

Coming close, but not close enough

2009-05-18T00:24:00.000-07:00

After a disappointing stage two, I came into stage three ready to race, as did our entire team. Almost from the gun we all took turns attacking and riding aggressive letting the other riders know that despite tradition Americans can do well in road races, and we are not just time trialist. The field was quick to chase our attacks down and nothing got away, and even with the hilly course that we had ahead the pack would stay for the most part together. With 25km remaining the yellow jersey attacked with two others and then proceeded to drop them and ride to a solo victory. Behind him two riders from Kazakhstan attacked with 15km remaining and one being caught with a few km’s after. There has a final steep climb in the final 10km which split our lead pack and I found myself in a group of 30 riders charging towards the finish. The under the 5km banner two riders attacked and I saw a chance so bridged up. Shortly after Charlie came across with two other riders and we began to drive it home. We worked well until 2km to go then riders started to fatigue and missing pulls, so it was then I decided that it was now or never. I attacked the group as I saw the main pack closing in a last chance effort to beat the pack to the finish. One other rider from the group was able to come across to me which helped to make the move stick. We came within 15 seconds of the yellow jersey, caught the remaining Kazakhstan rider on the line, however the other rider I was with piped me in the sprint by half a bike and I came across the line in 4th.

It was a good ride, but I realized unless you win you will never be satisfied.

I’m back in Belgium now and preparing for another stage race next weekend.

Frankfurt.

2009-05-17T10:20:00.001-07:00

I’m now in Frankfurt at 3etappen der Rad. It is a three day three stage race, which started with an 8km time trial. I had the chance to follow Austin in the team car before my own race, and scout the course that turned out to be very beneficial. In a matter of only 8km, the course had three 120 degree turns, one of which the follow car couldn’t make it through, Ben had to do the three point turnaround just to get the car around the tight turn. Other than the three hard turns the course was flat and straight as could be.

As I sat on the trainer warming up the air was hot and humid and I was beginning to sweat, but as the begin to look at the surrounding sky I saw that rain was inevitable. No less than 5 minutes later the rain came down hard, almost hail like drops. Then our mechanic placed wheel bags on my back as I continued my warm up. With ten minutes before my start I got to and put on my race wheels and rolled down to the staging area. All the while the rain was still pouring down and I was starting to get chilled, and not a minute later Anders finished and I saw his ripped up shorts. He crashed in the final 120 degree turn, because it was raining so hard he couldn’t see the cones. I then rode over the Ben in the team car and asked if it was still worth going for it, and he said “what do you have to lose”, so I remained chilled and road in the pouring rain back to the start area. As I was on the to starting block Ben called out on his megaphone which was placed on the front of the car, that riders were still posting fast times so I need to give it a go. As the clock hit 6:12 I was off. From there the race went well, the turns were wet but not extremely slick and my legs felt good so I powered my 52x 14 for most of the course. I finished with a time of 10’49” which slotted me into 9th place 14seconds behind the winning time. It was a good ride but the race is not over yet, we have two more road races each with lots of time bonuses out on route so I’ll need to be attentive and aggressive to improve on my position.

stage 2

2009-05-17T10:19:00.001-07:00

Stage 2 stated great and ended with my head hung low. The first 40km of the race were flat and fast but nothing that hard. 20km into the race I braked hard and my front brake cable came loose so I had to drop back to the car to get it fixed. It wasn’t easy as I ride with one hand quizzing the brake calipers tight and used the other hand to tighten the bolt. After a few tries I got it the brake working properly again just in time for the first and hardest climb of the day.

Climb one was a 10km climb, however it was not as steep as anything we did in the Czech. Near the top things started to split apart, and giving the good legs that I had I found myself in the lead group of 8 summiting the top. From there things figuratively and literally went down hill, after a few minutes of descending we came to a steep downward pitch and a tight right hand turn. It only took one rider going to fast to over shoot the turn then try and come back on the road which took myself along with 3 other riders down. I landed hard but my bars took most of the fall, as I remounted my bike and began to ride I realized that the bike was not ride able . The bars were severely bent in and the derailleur was bent. As I sat on the side of the road I saw my race go out the window, but I still had some hope. As the next group of riders came by containing Andrew, Austin and Anders I tried to get there attention. Anders happen to see me and being on Hot Tubes and a good guy he pulled over and gave up his bike. With a bike that was several sizes too short I chased as hard as I could. As the chase went on I began to lose hope of catching back up.

After 15km of chasing a group containing Ryan caught me and we continued riding hard. On the final climb Ryan and I rode at the front and descended like made men and dropped the entire group and rolled into the finish 15 seconds ahead of the group we where in but over 3 minutes behind the winners.

Today was mentally hard, being high on GC and having good legs but having a crash take me out of it, made for some frustration. However, as Anders says “ if you can’t get hurt and lose it all it’s a game, not a sport”, tomorrow is another day and another chance to lay it all on the line.

p.s. in the crash I tore up my jersey, broke my helmet and lost my second pair of glasses on this trip, but escaped with minimal road rash.

Shit happens
Ian

Last three days of the peace race.

2009-05-13T00:37:00.000-07:00

Friday morning started with a 14 km time trial. Traditionally the US national team has done well in this discipline however this TT in particular didn’t go well for any of us. I rode hard but haven’t put the time in on the time trial bike to go really fast in that position, but still it was good to get the first time trial out of the way. Andrew Barkers was the best American in 24th then Charlie Avis 5 seconds behind him then me 14 seconds behind Charlie’s time. The other three US riders rode the race easy to save energy for the afternoon stage.

That afternoon we had another road stage, a 98 km race but this time the course didn’t have as many hills. The race was again really fast but me legs felt good and had no problem staying at the front. I tried a few attacks but the Euros were quick to jump on my wheel. The stage ended in a field spring and everyone finished safely in the pack.

Saturday was the hardest yet most prodigious day on the bike this year. The race started with a 8km climb at 8-12%, however the hardest part was when we crested the summit and the road on top opened up the grass fields where the wind turned into a whipping cross wind. On top the riders that remained where slammed into the gutter by the riders at the front in an effort to drop as many people as possible. After 15km in the fierce wind we started a wicked descent, and reached a max speed of 93kmph. I had never been in such a large group going so fast, and the most astonishing thing was seeing big puffs of smoke rising up from all the riders braking. On a few of the tighter turns I grabbed so much brake that I was sure I was going to go over the bars, but that’s just part of junior racing in Europe, pushing yourself and your equipment to the limit. After the Smokey descent we started another 8km climb this time not as steep but still gaining over 400m. This time up the pack would start dwindling even more, but the top there were around 50riders and four of us Americans. Again on top we were welcomed by a strong crosswind and again we were slammed in the gutter. With 25km till the finish Russia with all 6 of their riders went to the front and put on the gas, coming into the final 5 km all four of us Americans were at the front and in good position. In the final sprint Jacob took 6th and America’s best ever result at the peace race, I finished 17th and god my own personal best. The other two Americans finished in our group, while Austin had a hard day and rolled across a few minutes behind, and Andrews crash on day two finally caught up with him and he did not finish the stage.

There were to be on easy rides to the finish on the final day either, with the general classification still close the day would turn out to be aggressive and another one in the pain cave. The course had one 3km climb at 13% and another more steady 6km climb at 6-8%. We did four laps on the course each pushing the body harder and harder. Every time up the short climb I fought with myself to summit with the leaders. The longer climb proved better for me and I was able to make it over, not easier but without grinding my teeth as hard. Coming into the final lap we again had four Americans in the main group, and after we all pushed ourselves about as hard as we could on the final km’s of the climb we made it over with the main bunch. In the final sprint there was a big crash with less than 1000meters so go, but again we all made it without falling.

In the final classification I finished 30th. It was the longest and hardest race I have ever done but I know that it will make me much stronger for the rest of the year. This weekend we are going east again this time to Frankfurt for a three stage stage race

Stages 1&2

2009-05-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

The racing has been all I had expected, fast, hard, and chaotic. Stage one was a wet 3 lap95 km stage with one big climb every lap. The first time up the climb I thought I was going to be dropped, my legs were dead from all the travel and lack of time on the bike in the days prior. On the second lap however I along with everyone on the team felt better, we rode at the front not letting anything get too far up the road. The same was for the final lap and the group was all together going into the final 10km. With just under 10km to go a group of 6 got away containing no Americans. However, with 5km left Andrew gave a good dig at the front and almost bridged across but came up short and was swallowed up by the chasing pack in the final km. The group of six finished 23seconds off the front, but all the other Americans finish in the chasing group and upright.

Stage 2 brought better weather and another hard race. On the deciding 10km climb the field had a massive separation. Charlie made the lead group over the top and I was just behind. Austin, Ryan, Jacob, and Andrew (who suffered a hard crash in the first 6km and held on to the car but caught back up going 70kmph). I eventually made it to the lead group with the help of a draft off the team car. From there on Charlie and I took turns following attack which was hard being that Belgium had 5 riders and almost every other country had 3-4 riders. At 20km to go a group of six got off the front. We followed and attempted to bridge across however all were unsuccessful. Four more riders managed to bridge across to the leaders in the final km’s, and Charlie and I finished in the following pack. Jacob, Ryan, Austin and Andrew finished in the next group 2-3 minutes behind.

Tomorrow morning is the time trial and Charlie and I are both looking for a good ride to move us up in the results.

TT Course

2009-05-05T03:03:00.000-07:00

Today we went out with the time trial bike to pre ride the course which is on the third morning of the race. It's a somewhat hilly 14km course. Teams are starting to roll onto town and the race will start tomorrow with a hilly 95km road race.

Czech Republic, The Peace Race

2009-05-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

Today we made the long drive from Izegem, Belgium to a town 40km northwest of Prague, Czech Republic. It was stretched day in the car but the book I’m reading (angles and demons), the German countryside and the autobahn kept it interesting. While on the autobahn we drove around 80-85 mph, however we were often passed like we were standing still by cars traveling at well over 100mph. Once we entered Czech it was a clear difference for Western Europe, it’s not that it’s more rundown but at the same time it is. I believe it is just different due to the extended influence of communism for so long, it’s still a beautiful country and going to be a great place to race a bike.
The race we came for is “le course de la Paix” the peace race. It’s a race that started during the time of the Soviet Union as a way to give the eastern bloc countries a chance to race against the riders of the west. Although it’s the “peace race” there is not going to be much peaceful about it, it’s a five day six stage, stage race with most of the better riders from Europe. The race is also known as the hardest junior race in the world. No doubt it will be hard, but our team is strong, has good European experience and is ready to race.

Tomorrow we are going out to ride the TT bikes on the course and the race starts on Wednesday. I’ll post as often as I can with race reports and pictures.

Ian

VeloNews story.

2009-05-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

Velonews did an article on our race yesterday, here is the link.

http://www.velonews.com/article/91502

Race 1 By Jacob Rathe

2009-05-02T06:29:00.001-07:00

Interclub Hoboken

A typical race in Belgium. Crappy roads, small roads, narrow roads, road furniture, and lots of corners. And more crappy roads. With a total elevation gain of almost 300 feet in 116 kilometers, and over 30 90+ degree corners in 50k.

It has been by first race in over two weeks due to an ear infection, I wasn’t expecting much but needed a good race under me for next weeks Course de la Paix in the Czech Republic.

33 teams with a total of 196 riders lined up. We started in the city of Hoboken, did 2 50 kilometer loops, then finished with 2 circuits around the town.

A break of 3 got away 20 k into the race. They were joined not soon after by 4 more, including US rider Andrew barker. At the end of the first lap I made my way up to the break with 4 other riders. The break was now 12. Then more came up. Then it was 25, and was more of a selection rather than a breakaway.

My only teammate Andrew flatted on the second lap, and I was the only US rider there until another teammate Ryan Eastman came up with another 10 riders. At the same time 3 riders snuck off the front just as we got to the finishing circuits. They got out of sight and I spent a lap trying to bridge up with another Belgian but couldn’t make it before getting swallowed up by the lead pack.

The finishing circuit was somewhat ridiculous, several 90+ degree corners every k. Along with a cobble stone section that was scary to look at. From a big road, we turned onto a small road that turned to cobbles. 50 meters later it opened up into somewhat of a field of cobbles, with train tracks, and a sharp bend onto an uphill highway overpass. The train tracks weren’t even nice train tracks, rising above the cobbles. Worthy of a good bunny hop.

There was no organized chase, but rather a constant barrage of attacks. Eventually 5 more riders got away to the lead group that grew to 8. I tried but had no more bullets left. We got caught by another group on the last lap, containing another teammate Charlie Avis. I was destroyed, and he looked like he still had some hop in his legs so I told him I’d lead him out for the sprint. I led the last 1.5k through the town to get swarmed with 200 meters to go.

Charlie ended up in 17th, Ryan in 28th, me in 29th. Austin came in not soon after in 41st, and all other US riders in the top 100. We were 6th in team GC.

It wasn’t a great race for us, but not bad.

The Course de la Paix (Peace Race) starts on Wednesday. 5 days long. Lots of climbing. Nations cup- only national teams. But probably better suited to our strengths as a team.

Race dates

2009-04-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

Here are the races and the dates of the races I will be doing.

Belgium Interclub Hoboken May 1st

Czech RepublicCourse de la Paix May 6th-10th

Germany 3-Etappen der Rad May 15th-17th

Belgium Vlaamse Ardennen May 22nd -24th

Back in Belgium

2009-04-28T23:22:00.001-07:00

I’m back in Belgium at the U23 house in Izegem, Belgium for another chance at the European field. Things haven’t changed much over here, Belgium is still Belgium nothing glamorous but still famous in itself. We have a strong group of us riders; Jacob and Austin both from Portland, Oregon, Charlie and Ryan from California and Andrew from Colorado. Our first race is a hard interclub this Friday, but only made harder by the presents of my trade team, team Hot Tubes. They will be in Europe doing that race then a big junior stage race in France that Nathan won last year. During that same time the national team and I will be racing course de la paix (the peace race) in Czech Republic which is know as the hardest junior race in the world. it’s a 5 day 6 stage, stage race with almost every strong national team sending a team. I’m looking forward to the challenge and having a good team result do to the strong team we have.

We are off today to ride some of the famous tour of Flanders climbs. I’ll post again later

Ian

Team Camp is over

2009-04-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

After an awesome week of; riding, ping pong, bowling, and rafting its time to pack my bags again for another road trip, this time to Boston. This camp has been one of the hardest and most fun weeks on the bike I’ve had this year. Our team is amazingly strong and incredibly fun, we have a total of seven riders and all are from different states and one in even from Canada.

North Georgia is home to some of the hardest riding anyone on our team has ever done. Everyday was around 70 miles with over 7,000 feet of climbing. Three times we climbed hog pen gap a hard climb used in the Tour of Georgia and once we did Brasstown Bald. Every climb is supper steep as well, most having grades from 15-25%.

The camp ended on Saturday and the drive back to the team house in Boston began. It was a long drive but I saw states and cities that I’d never seen before plus the others riders we good company. Now I’m off to Europe where I will be for a month traveling and racing with the national team. However Hot tubes will also be in Europe at the same time and we will even do a race together.

I have lots of good pictures I will try and post and I will take lots more in Europe.
Ian

Team Camp By Lawson Craddock.

2009-04-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

I'm here in Georgia with the Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team for our very first training camp. The riders that I am here with are Gavin Mannion from Massachutes, Nathan Brown from Tennessee, Ian Boswell from Oregon, Stuart Wight from Canada, Anders Newbury from Vermont, and Ben Gabardi from Mississippi. Yesterday, I flew into Charlotte, North Carolina to meet up with Toby for the three hour drive down to Tiger, Georgia. That night we received all of our new equipment including all of our clothing and our brand new Cervelo R3 SL's with Sram Red and Mavic Carbone SL's. We then proceeded to eat dinner before assembling our bikes. After everyone was finished putting the finishing touches on their bikes we played our luck in a game of Texas Hold 'Em. I ended up taking third and left the game without any money. Ian and Gavin went one, two respectively and split up the pot. Today, we woke up at around 9:00 for breakfast and a ride at 11:00. For the ride we did a 20 mile loop before riding about 40 miles out to a town called Helen for some sandwiches. We then rode about another five miles to a huge 10 mile mountain. The group whittled down to Anders, Nate, and I until about three miles into the climb. My legs then exploded and I was then passed by Stuart and Gavin. I then just tried to ride at a pace higher than four mph (seriously!). With about 3/4's mile of a straight wall Ian and I decided to call it quits and jump into the van. We then proceeded to turn around and drive until we found Ben to pick him up as well. After picking up Ben, we drove to the top of the mountain to find the rest of the team waiting up there. They then got into the van and we drove back to the house that we are staying at. We ended the day with around 75 miles and a little less than 4 hours. Tomorrow we plan on riding up the Brasstown Bald which should be oh so much fun! I'll keep y'all posted on how it goes.

new bike, kits and the gulf coast

2009-04-13T06:47:00.000-07:00

Last week my new team bike and our new team kits arrived. The new Cervelo R3 SL with Sram red is a big upgrade from the 20lbs steel bike I’ve been riding for the past few months. The new kits are also a bonus as always having to wash shorts to keep riding with clean bibs won’t be a problem any more.

I spent Easter weekend with Ben and his family at the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It was a good mental vacation in between all of my traveling. We went deep sea fishing and were very successful and even had time for some good riding. However not everything at the coast was exciting, even today three years tafter he destruction of hurricane Katrina can be seen. I was amazed at the destruction it caused to the entire area, we saw houses that were flooded and left vacant as if the hurricane was only yesterday. As we walked around the beach and town Ben’s mother Ellen pointed out where things were before the hurricane and as I saw were there no longer. Although some people did come back and chose to rebuild, I question there decisions as another storm of Katrina’s force is bound to happen again.

Luckily there are no hurricanes in Oregon
Ian

Southern Cooking

2009-04-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Well ya’ll know that the food down in the south has its own style and flavors, which is more than tasty and usually fried. Fried chicken is a southern food found even in Oregon, but the fried catfish we had at “catfish haven” the other night was truly a southern specialty. A plate of French fries, fried cornbread and fried catfish is what I ordered and common mean down in this part of the country, but my favorite thing in the south has to be the sweet tea. The sweat tea is amazing, I’m not one for soda or sugary drinks but this is delicious, and what make a good sweet tea great is the ice. The smaller the ice cubes the better the sweet tea, I never thought ice could make such a difference but it does.
Staying in shape isn’t hard down here as Ben has been showing me some great rides but staying lean for the hills might catch up to me if I keep up with the southern ways.

Ian

Tour of Tuscaloosa

2009-03-26T13:25:00.001-07:00

The Tour of Tuscaloosa started Saturday after noon for Nathan and I with a junior criterium in downtown Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The junior field had some good riders but Nathan and I had not problem finishing 1-2. After our short junior race it was time to start thinking about the nights big event, a 50 minute pro ½ twilight criterium. I have watched twilight criterium before, however this was more than a twilight crit. The course was a long 1.2 mile loop that passed through downtown which was lit well, however the course then descended a steep hill to the river which lead to a series of dark streets that were not lighted. I’d ridden the course earlier in the junior race so I knew how to take all the turns, but on lap one of the pro ½ race I felt as I was on a course I’d never ridden.
Despite the dark streets as strong winds the race went on and turned out well for our team (Hot Tubes). Nathan got in an early group of the front which happened to hold off the chasing pack until the end. He was under geared in his small junior gears for the final sprint but still took 3rd. Ben and I both finished in the pack behind, and road in a supporting role of Nathan.
The road race the following morning started less than 11 hours after the finish of the twilight criterium, so we didn’t have much time to rest. We woke the next morning to cold humid air, we arrived at the start and were ready to race. Ben, Nathan and I covered every move for the first three laps thinking that something would stay away off the front. However nothing did and after 4 laps Ben called it quits and Nathan followed on lap 6. I managed to finish in the pack. It was a hard race and good training as well.
Now I’m at Ben’s house outside of Jackson Mississippi where I will be for a few weeks until our team training camp in Georgia April 18th .

Ian

From the Wild West to the Dirty South.

2009-03-26T13:25:00.000-07:00

Training camp in Arizona finished last Sunday and it was time for the long haul from Phoenix back to the Browns’ house north of Memphis, Tennessee. Although most of the drive looked the same (dry desert or grass plains) we were kept entertained by the high winds that blew with such force that we saw numerous fifth wheelers tipped in their side. Thankfully Nathans dad (Mr. Brown) is an airplane pilot, so the strong winds didn’t faze him. As we got deeper into the South the more I could start to hear the accent and see the difference. In the South the people live with more tradition, which is far different from the West Coast and its progressiveness and modern way of life. It’s almost as the south is more relaxed than out west, people don’t worry as much about what car they drive or what street they live on, and surprising to me the people are much more friendly. On our rides the past few days I’ve noticed that every car that passes us the driver waves, we haven’t been honked at once. I’ve already become accustom to the friendliness out on the road by waving to every oncoming car.

The roads around here are also all in excellent condition, even the back roads that don’t have cars are smooth and newly paved.

This weekend I will travel further into the South and participate in a criterium and road race in Tuscaloosa Alabama, before I meet up with my other teammate Ben and stay with him in Jackson, Mississippi for a few weeks before team camp in Georgia.

So far at Nate’s I’ve drove a riding lawnmower and been bass fishing. I’ll post more after the race.

Ian

Mt. Lemmon

2009-03-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

It’s by far the longest climb I’ve ever done, a 27 mile epic that took us from the desert floor through cool rock formations, then into alpine trees and finishing with snow. A.J. Myer and I rode the climb together at a steady but quick pace and summited in a little under two hours. After we summited it was time for the long fast downhill to the heat of the valley, which was so quick the we were catching and passing cars the entire way down. The other riders followed, however most found that 13.5 miles of climbing was enough and turned around at the half way point. Lemmon is not a climb I would want to do all the time, but I definetly want to come back again and see if I can climb it faster.

Ian

Two hundreds

2009-03-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

Tortilla flats was all it was made out to be. An easy ride for the first fifty but an all out race the last fifty. Not only did we ride one hundred miles it was also one hundred degrees out on the tarmac. The ride was beautiful winding through canyons which are rivaled only by the great Grand Canyon itself. When the riding got fast my legs felt good, in fact I set five new watt average bests on my 1,5,10,30 and 120 minute power records. However, the long day didn’t come without damage to the pack, three riders called it quits before the fifty mile mark and on the final climb things blew apart. It was another great day on the bike, but tomorrow will be another death ride up the slopes of Mt. Lemmon.

Ian

climbing high

2009-03-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

It was another hot and great day of riding in Arizona. Today was for the climbers with lots of three and four mile climbs and a hard ten miler which took us above the altitude where the famous saguaro cactus grows and where deep breathing is a common sound. The camp is run very professionally and every ride is followed by Jose the camp mechanic and his Sram neutral support car. However, the best part of the follow car is the water, on a day like today I drank 8 bottles of water and loaded up on sunscreen twice.
Tomorrow we have a century planned and by the sounds of the others who have been here before it may turn into a race over the last 20 miles. My legs have been feeling good up to this point, but tomorrow might be another story.

Ian

Arizona

2009-03-16T16:36:00.001-07:00

Arizona Camp

I’m now down under the hot sun of Arizona at a training camp in Scottsdale. The day before I left I did my first road race of the year outside of Olympia Washington, in the cold wet weather of the North West, and now I’m in Arizona riding with my biggest worry being trying not to get sunburned.

Today we did an awesome ride in the 85 degree heart, and yes I got sunburned. The week ahead is going to be full of long hard rides, which one of the days will be Mt. Lemmon, a two plus hour climb that reaches over 9,000. More post and pictures will come in the following days.

Ian

Miles in Chico

2009-03-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

After three weeks of training in Chico I'm back in Bend for a two weeks before I'm off to somewhere else, but where I don’t know yet.
The riding in Chico was amazing, there are dead flat roads in the valley that you could ride forever and see few cars. However just east of Chico are the foothills of the Sierras' which offers all sorts of different and great climbing. We all know that riding in the hills is hard, but I never before realized that long flat rides can be just as hard. Riding on the flats you never get a chance to stop peddling, you are applying pressure to the peddles the entire ride and that starts to catch up with you after a few hours.
Here are some photos from a few of my rides.

Enjoy Ian

Back for 2009

2009-02-12T09:02:00.000-08:00

Hello to all, and hope the New Year is bringing good things. I’m back in the saddle training for the 2009 road season. I completed high school two weeks ago, and now really focusing on my training for my final year as a junior racer.
Currently I’m in Chico, CA for one month training in a climate that is more accompanying to cycling in the month of February. The New Year has also brought a new team for me, and I will be racing for Hot Tubes Junior Development Team. Hot Tubes is a team based out of the east coast, however has riders from all over the country. I’m excited for the upcoming race season and will keep you up to date.

Ian

Back at Home

2008-10-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

I’m now back in Bend and back at school. It’s good to finally be home for a while and not be living out of a suitcase.

The race in Croatia didn’t go well for me as I pulled out on the final stage after 5 km after I got another vertigo episode. I also ran into trouble on stage one when I broke my steer tube and had to get a spare bike. Jacob however rode well finishing 16th on GC and top 20 on each stage.

Next up for me is some time off and maybe some cross.

Ride with the Lion King and all his Safari friends.

2008-09-17T04:55:00.000-07:00

The US womens team is racing here in Italy near the house so we went today to watch them, and it turned out to be one of the best rides of my life. We took the hilly way to the race which was hard but awesome. The riding here is amazing and the climbing is even better. After a technical descent we traversed across the valley and went up another climb to get to the finish. At the finish is where things got magical, while waiting for the race to come we saw the lion king him self (Mario Cipollini) riding up with his friend Jorg Jakshe. After I got my picture with Mario we went down the hill a little to get a better view of the race, there we saw Thomas Dekker and three other riders on team CSC. After watching the finish we headed back to Lucca, but it wasn't any ordinary afternoon ride, we were rolling and talking with Mario and all the other riders listed above, plus the womens team containing Kristian Armstrong who just won a gold in the Olympic time trial. It was by far the strongest group I have ever ridden with and it was sweet.

I will try to post pictures but it hasn't been working.
Living the dream from Italy with the lion king
Ian

Giro di Basilicata

2008-09-16T00:25:00.000-07:00

Seven hours south of Lucca just above the boot heel of Italy in Basilicata is
the home to the 3 stage 3 day race we did last weekend. The race started Friday
afternoon with a 107km road race with one good 15km climb in the middle and a
hard 3km finishing climb. I was in the days first big crash but came out
unharmed. Thankfully I was one of the last people in the pile up so i landed on
top of the others. After some hard chasing i got back onto the pack and found
out that both Jacob and A.J. were off the front. A.J.'s group was caught
shortly there after however Jacob was in for the long haul. Jacob survived the
whole day off the front and finished 4th and was winning the K.O.M. Nate was
aggressive later in the race and finished 5th. I came in 19th with the rest of
the team close behind.

Stage 2 was the queen stage with several hard climbs. Everyone made it over the
first climb together and in the lead group. The second and biggest climb of the
day was different, gaps opened and near the top everyone on our team but Jacob
was in the second group on the road. We never caught the leaders but Austin and
I put in a hard chase and finished only a minute behind Jacob. It wasn’t a great
day for the team after our strong showing on stage one, but the heat and lack of
water on stage one really drained us for the second day.

Stage 3 our plan was just to attack, attack, attack, and so we did. It was a
long 119km race and 20minutes in it began to pour rain which was off and on for
the rest of the day. The rain made for some slick roads and lots of crashes. I
was in a lot of different moves off the front but none were a success, going into
the final big climb at 30 I was blown, I got dropped out of the lead group and
soft-pedaled it to the finish in the pouring rain. Jacob continued to show great
form and took second on the stage which made the day a lot more worthwhile for
everyone.

We arrived back in Lucca last night and will stay here until Thursday when we
will leave for Croatia for a nations cup race which has a much stronger field,
so hopping to rest up this week and try to carry any form I still have this late
in the year.

Italy........WOW

2008-09-10T04:09:00.001-07:00

Well Italy is worlds away from the rough windswept roads of Belgium. My travels here went fine and I met up with Ben and all the other riders Monday morning in Milan. From the airport we had a three hour drive south to the town of Lucca which we will call home base. The house is the headquarters of SRM Italy and the home of the women national team for the US.

The riding here is amazing and you know just how good it is because Mario Cipollini and Bjarne Rijs both live next door. On our first ride we went to Pisa a saw the leaning tower of Pisa, which was one of the more historical things I have ever seen. Even though there is so much history of humanity everywhere it almost takes a back seat to the natural geographical beauty of the area.

The weather is awesome and I’ve changed from riding with leg warmers to riding with sun screen. It’s been a big change of lifestyle as well. Life here is deffently more about looking the look and walking the walk. The drivers are also another big change from Belgium, they aren’t as friendly to cyclist but this is still the best place that I have ever ridden my bike, the climbing is awesome.

Yesterday we did an long ride and we all would have bonked had we not stopped and grabbed a couple cokes, and it worked magic because we all made it home.

Below are some pictures but they don’t even really do justice to the actual beauty of the area, it is really something you must experience yourself.

Ian

Racing bikes and……………Go Karts!

2008-09-07T03:20:00.000-07:00

That’s right after spending too many nights around the house we decided to find some Belgian excitement. Wednesday night Ben, John and I drove to a near by town which has a movie theater and saw The Dark Night the new Batman movie. I was skeptical at first about paying 7.50 Euro to watch a movie that I might not enjoy, however it turned out to be one of the best films I have seen in a long time, and it was a nice change up from the standard routine.

The following day was a long and wet one and my motivation was low, so I figured that another rest day wouldn’t hurt. That night we got the erge to do something again, and on the back of our movie tickets from the night before was an advertisement and discount for two euros off go karting in a town just 10 km south of Izegem. Again the three of us got into the van and went out to have some fun. The karting track was home to the Go Kart World Championships earlier this year so we knew it was going to be challenging. The 17 Euro for 12 minutes of driving was a downer at first but once I got the jumpsuit on and went out on the track my heart started pumping ever so quickly. Once in the Kart I was ready to go, when I first hit the gas the kart went zooming away. The first few laps were scary as I got use to sliding and going faster and faster through the turns. Then 4 laps into it Ben who is a great go kart driver (I don’t know about his skills on the road he’s the one who put the van in the ditch) passed me up and then I was really ready to drive. From then on I got the hang of it and was getting faster every lap. Before I knew it the 12 minutes was up but the 17 Euros was well worth it.

Yesterday I did my final Belgian race of the year in Kooigem. A very demanding course with one good hill and a lot of wind. Things started splitting up from the gun, the combination of a strong cross wind section and then the climb made for some big gaps. Groups got away and I was to far back to make the split but got into a good group of five for the last 30 km. I finished 18th which wasn’t great but feel like I have some good form which I hope to carry over to Italy and Croatia.

Now I’m off to the train station where I will take a train to Brussels airport then a plane from there to Milan this evening.

I’ll keep you posted and will also try and keep the CMG junior blog updated as well. The link is at the top of my blog.

Ian

some random photos

2008-09-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

Brussels and The Climbs of Flanders

2008-09-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the chance to go into Brussels and visit some family and friends. I first had lunch with my friend Romain and we caught up on all the racing that we both have done and talked about how the weather in Belgium is rough (he said he has only trained in shorts 4 times this year, every other time is with leg warmers). He is doing very well and getting ready for some big MTB races in France.

After eating I went to the house where I lived for nearly 10 months last year. I saw everyone in the family and it was funny to see how some things never change. We had a nice afternoon and then it was time for me to go back to Izegem. So I got on the train and headed back to the house where its just John, Ben and I because the under 23's left yesterday for the Tour de l’Avenir.

Today John and I went on a very ambitious ride. We rode down to the climbs of Flanders where the Tour of Flanders takes place. It was awesome to be riding the same roads that you see on TV but let my tell you that riding up the cobble climbs is not fun at all. You start every climb thinking your Tom Boonen but once your half way up you want to turn around and stop the painful assault. Anyway we had a good ride and the sun finally decided to shine in Belgium even though I still did the whole ride with leg warmers, a jacket and long fingered gloves.

After todays killer ride a walking around Brussels yesterday I think I'm going to take tomorrow easy before I do an other race on Saturday.

Living the dream
Ian

GP Ruebiland

2008-09-01T01:41:00.000-07:00

After a seven hour trek through four countries the day prior (Belgium, Luxemburg, France, and Switzerland) we were in Ruebiland and ready to race. The race started and the insanity began. Quickly descending at over 70 km/h, I could tell it was going to be a crazy race. The roads were wide but because the race used such busy roads that there were cars randomly stopped in the left lane so you always had to ride with your head up looking at what was coming.

20km into the race I fallowed a move that went off the front with 5 other riders. We rapidly opened the gap to 20 seconds but didn’t get much more then that. The first sprint point out on the road was coming up at 42km so our group worked hard to keep the gap until there. We held off the pack and I took 3rd in the sprint, but our group was caught shortly there after. When I returned to the field I realized that two of my teammates weren’t there; Max, Evan, and Ian were all caught up in crashes. Ian rejoined the group but Max and Evan rode hard but couldn’t close the gap to the main field. About the time that my little group was caught a large group with 14 riders went clear of the pack with no Americans present. Once the group was gone it was gone, most of the stronger team had riders up the road so they didn’t want to chase.

Going into the finishing circuits which were hilly, the group up front only got more time. As we hit the hill on the final lap I moved to the front to try and get a good finish. I finished 33rd but 3minutes and 38 seconds behind the group that got away, but because I got 3rd on the sprint out on the road I got a 1 second time bonus and moved up to 18th on GC.

Stage 2 was a shorter 70 km race but had one hard switch back climb and a descent that could make you pee your spandex. The race was again fast from the start but there were not so many cars on the course which made it a lot safer. The first time up the climb was hard but the first time down the descent was jaw dropping. Thankfully I started the descent in the top 15 riders, because the first time we went through a hard turn I almost went over the bars. However I made it down safe the first time and before I realized we were on the climb again. This time I started a little further back at the start but by the top was in the top 20, two riders behind my teammate Marshall. When we got to the first switch back on the descent Marshall took it too fast and washed out his front tire in the dirt. I was just behind him so I saw it all. He just lost control and slid across the road. There was a Japanese rider behind Marshall who hit Marsh and went flying. I had just enough time to swing right around Marshalls out laid body and make it clear of the crash. However the scariest part was after I passed Marshall and the Japanese riders bike bounced along side me as I was just waiting for in to fall into me. It didn’t however because I didn’t crash. The final time up the climb I stayed in front and finished 13th on the stage but stayed the same on GC because the riders ahead of me had a lot of time in between.

Stage 3 was that after noon and was a short 7.7km time trial. I got to use a TT bike but it was a little to small. It was a fast course and I finished 5th just 2 seconds out of 3rd.

Stage 4 was Sunday and was another hard hilly stage. Despite all the climbing the group stayed together for the most part and I finished in the lead group in 32nd, and moved up to 17th where I finished on GC.

The race was a leaning experience for everyone. I will be staying around Belgium for another week then driving to Italy to do some more hard stage racing.

Everyone was fine after all the crashes some road rash but no broken bones.

Hope you enjoy Ian

Return from Swiss

2008-08-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Switzerland where we had some hard racing. I will post more tomorrow with some awesome photos. I will also he hanging around Europe for a little longer and joining up with some more juniors in Italy next Monday.

Ian

Starting fast

2008-08-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Below are some pictures from our race Saturday(and the ones of me on Sunday) which was the biggest we have done so far. It Started out fast as there were 25 teams of 6 riders. We all started in the back but quickly were able to work our way to the front. Ty was in the early group off the front which stayed away most of the day. On the second lap I got one of my vertigo episodes and had to dropout.

The rest of the team rode great. Everyone was very active and rode well against the strong Belgians. In the end 7 Belgians got away and the rest of the Americans finished in the field just a few seconds behind. Even though the results did show their strength, anyone of the US boys could have finished in the group that was off the front.

Sunday I took part in another race because I didn’t get much of a race in on Saturday, so Ian Moir and Evan Huffman came along and helped me in a smaller race just south of Brugge. Just like any race in Belgium it started off fast. The field wasn’t very big so it was hard to stay out of the wind, but there were enough strong riders who wanted to go to the front and make it fast. Half way into the 80 km race things started to separate and I found myself in the front group. With 3 laps to go a group of 5 got away then another group of 5 including myself broke away. We came close to catching the leading 5 but never did. I jumped out of the second group of 5 with 2km to go because I don’t have a great sprint and was able to hold them off and took 6th.

Out next race is tomorrow then Thursday we leave for Switzerland for GP Ruebliland.

Ian

You can tell how hard the races are because the looks on our faces during and after the race.

2008-08-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

Crazy First Race

2008-08-22T03:40:00.000-07:00

It all started as we were flying down a small back country road at 80 km/h and we saw another car coming straight on. Ben (our coach) swerved to the right to try and make some space so that we wouldn’t have to stop because the road was so narrow. Everything was good until we hit the ditch, it was so deep that the bottom of the van bottomed out and there was no way that we could drive it out. We quickly came to a stop and were leaning way to the right and I was sure that the van was going to tip. Ben tried to gun it but the van was stuck. We then climbed through the window to get out because the door was stuck shut.

After that we tried a lot of different things to get the van out such as; jumping on it, pushing it, and pulling it. When we realized that we were going to need some more horse power we called Els (the woman who runs the cycling house) she called up her neighbor how had a tractor and as fast as he could, drove it out to see if he could help. Meanwhile, we were all thinking about what we were going to do because we were going to miss the race.

Once the tractor arrived we thought we were saved, but the driver didn’t think it was possible for his vehicle to pull us out. Els then took out her phone and made a call to a local towing company who was soon on the way. The man arrived shortly there after and looked like he had seen problems like this a thousand a times before. To make the story short he winched the van out, and now it was time for us to decide if we still wanted to try and make it to the race.

Ben drove like crazy as we rushed to get to the race which started in only 30 minutes. We arrived and all jumped out of the car to get registered. When we went into the building where registration was held they had already taken it down, but when we told them that we were from the US and had the current national champion they opened it up again. But just because we registered didn’t mean we would make the race, we still had to; pin number, pump tire, get water, and get to the start. The race director thankfully delayed the start 5 minutes for us or none of us would have made it. And with out warm up the gun shot and we were off.

The race went well everyone was ridding strong and off the front at one point or another. Marshal flatted on the second lap and had to drop out, but other then that there were no problems. A group got away that none of us were in and stayed away, but Evan (current road national champion) finish 16th, I was 20th, and Max was 23rd. The rest of the racers came in behind and upright which is always good. Our next race is a big race tomorrow which should be very hard.

Stay tuned

Belgium summer in the fields of Flanders

2008-08-22T00:45:00.000-07:00

While everyone in Bend enjoys the hot Central Oregon sun, I’m in Belgium riding my bike in the rain and gray skies of Western Flanders. The past two days while riding I’ve been wearing legwarmers, long fingered gloves and a jacket.

We have a strong team and everyone is getting along well. Yesterday we went on another epic Belgium ride however this time we got out of the flats and on a climb. We rode the Kemmelberg which is one of the most famous climbs in Belgium. Little did we realize that the climb wasn’t famous because of its rough cobble stones or its 20% grade but because what came after the climb, and that was the descent. On most of the other cobble stone climbs of the area the descents are paved and smooth, but not the Kemmelberg the downhill is just as hard as the up with its +20% grade and rough cobblestones.

After safely making it both up and down the Kemmelberg we made our way to Ieper to get some lunch. On our way there, we passed though cemeteries which were bedded with thousands of graves from WWI and the soldiers that fought there. In Ieper there was a huge arc which had the names of every allied soldier who died in the war. It was very powerful and humbling at the same time.

I will post again soon,
Ian

Long Time no Update.

2008-08-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back in Bend shortly before heading back over the pond to Belgium and Switzerland. The past month has taken me on many adventures and brought me some great results.

It started with the Cascade Cycling Classic right here in Bend. It's a home town race so I wanted to have a good race. I had a good time trial which lead me to eventually finishing 3rd on GC.

After Cascade I was looking forward to having a little down time before putting in one last final push before nationals. However plans always change and I got a last minute invitation to the Tour de L'Abitabi in northern Quebec Canada. I couldn't turn down the offer and quickly packed and got on a plane heading east. I was a long trip as I few into Milwaukee where I met the team and the got in a car and continued to head NW for twenty hours to get to the Small French speaking town of Val d'Or. The Tour de L'Abitabi is the largest junior stage race in North America and if not one of the Biggest in the World. Here there was a very international field of riders coming from countries such as; France, Japan, New Zeeland, Kazakhstan, and many more. The races where fast and dangerous, with large crashes happening all the time. I made the whole length of the race unscathed. I had another good time trial here which carried me to a fourth place GC finish. It was by far my biggest ever result and the most fun race I have ever done.

The time trial was the highlight of the race for everyone as we started 800ft under ground in a gold mine. I was a race that I will always remember just because of its wildness and scale.

Another twenty hour drive the long flight back to Oregon gave me time to rest and recover before my next big adventure, Nationals. This year the national championships were held in Southern California. Four days after I returned from Quebec I was back in a car this time heading south. My first race was the time Trial which was a course that suited me very well. I finished second seven second behind Adam Leibovitz. The next race was the Crit in which I rode at the front a lot trying to help out my other teammates. Jacob had a supper strong ride and finished fifth after being off the front earlier solo.

Then Sunday brought the road race, it went by fast as groups would go up the road and then get brought back. Finally I was off the front and it just happened to be the one that would stay away. It started with just three of us then more people bridged up until we had a group of seven. In the final sprint I died and took sixth, not as good as I believed I could do but there is always next year.

I'm off the Europe next Monday; I will update my blog as much as possible.

Talk to you soon
Ian

Back in bend

2008-06-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back in Bend after a fun week of riding and racing in Portland. Yesterday I did the Silverton road race and it went well. I was pretty tired after the team time trial in which our CMG junior team took sixth overall. We were expecting to do better, but were happy with our time just the other teams went faster. I finished eight yesterday in Silverton, it was a good race but took me until the last lap to start feeling good. CMG got 1St,4Th,7Th 8Th and 9Th, so it was a good day for the team.

Next my fellow juniors and I will be getting on a plane a heading back to Kentucky for the worlds trials. I have one week here then we leave. Looking forward to racing with the county's best and seeing some friends from around the states.

I'll continue to update as we travel and race
Ian

Picture is from after the team time trial

Portland

2008-05-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

I've been in Portland for the past week training and racing with the team. Its been great riding with the other juniors and getting to know each other. Next on the schedule in the team time trial tomorrow which should be hard and fun. We are doing a junior team and seeing if we can win the overall. You can vote for who you think will win over at the cmg junior blog (cmgjuniors.blogspot.com).

Here are some photos of the race last weekend.

New Blog!

2008-05-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

Hey check out the new CMG junior blog.

cmgjuniors.blogspot.com

Its pretty sweet.

Mitchell Ride!!

2008-05-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I did one of my favorite rides. We left early Sunday morning and drove to the small town of Mitchell about an hour and a half NE of Bend. There were eleven of us and it was a great group to ride with. The ride is only 66 miles, however you climb over 6,666 feet. It’s the hardest 66 miles that I have ever done. O.B.R.A was going to do a race on this very course earlier in the year however it was cancelled. I think this would be one of the hardest races in Oregon.

It was one of those rides that you will always remember. It was a beautiful day, and the scenery is awesome with the step valleys and canyons. The climbs are long and hard, plus there are few cars out on the roads. Its just a great ride.

Next on the schedule is the rehearsal road race, and following that I will stay the week in P town (Portland) with the Rathe’s and get in so riding with the team.

Good New!

2008-05-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well I have some good news, my stomach is fine. I have some inflammation in the intestines; however the results for crohn's came back negative. I’m back on a gluten free diet and feeling better.

I did a race a little over a week ago and it went well. Next up is the rehearsal road race up in Woodland Washington. Training has been going good, and I should be riding strong here soon.

My next travel will be back to Kentucky for the world’s trials in mid June. I’ll be heading back with the other juniors on my team Jacob, Marcel, and Austin we are all riding well and should do great. I’m going to be in Portland for a week at the end of this moth to get in some team training and get ready for the team time trial with the other juniors.

I’ll keep you posted
Ian

Giardia

2008-04-26T15:45:00.001-07:00

After lots of tests I found out that I have giardia. I was really surprised because I have already done the test four times and all have come back negative. I have even taken one course of the medication, but that still didn’t get rid of it. At least I know what it is and it’s treatable.

I’ll be going in for an upper and lower colonoscopy on the 5th, so looking forward to that. And earlier this week went in for an MRI because I’ve been having these strange headaches like vertigo and they started after a bike crash I had back in Belgium, so the Doctor wants to make sure that everything is alright.

Just to add to the list of doctor visits I had a problem with my achillies so was off the bike for about the 5 days earlier in the week. Today and yesterday I was able to ride and the weather was nice to everything is good.

I’ll keep you updated

Ian

Sun

2008-04-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

The sun is shining in Bend and I’m loving every minute of it. Today I went out and did intervals on the TT bike and it was awesome to be able to ride in shorts and short sleeves. It was actually the first time all year that I rode in shorts and I even had to search though the closet to find the sunscreen.

The weather should be nice throughout the weekend, so I'll be out riding.

(I didn't see a lot of sun in Belgium)

See you on the road
Ian

The beauty of Oregon

2008-04-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

I made it home safe, and it’s good to be back.

Getting on the plane and leaving Belgium was the strangest experience I had felt on my whole exchange. Not only was I leaving behind Belgium, but also a new family and house that I had called home for seven months. It seems so far away now, but yet it is still so close, and I know that I will return someday.

The world is big and beautiful, but Oregon is one of the best places to be. When I got off the plane at PDX and saw Mt.Hood with all the other beauty Oregon has to offer I wondered why anyone would want to live anywhere else. The drive from Portland to Bend was awesome as we passed right next to Mt.Hood then entered the high desert. It was a drive that I have done so many times before and yet the first time I ever appreciated all the natural beauty.

Being home is great and yet mysterious. While I was over in Belgium I changed so much as a person, and so far from what I see, most of my friends haven't changed at all.

All in all it’s good to be back home with all my family and friends.

Ian

24 hour Velo

2008-03-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

In Belgium the boy/girl scouts are very popular for all, and this past Saturday over 150 scout groups gathered in Brussels for a twenty four hour bike race. Most of my friends at school and in scouts , so they asked me to come and do a few laps for them and I told them I would.

Saturday Harrison and I eventually found my friends and got ready to do a few laps. It was a great atmosphere surrounding the event. Some teams were going all out with racing bikes and bike clothes, while others slowly peddled their bicycle floats around. This however made the riding that much more dangerous, we saw lots of crashes, as kids would swerve to avoid the slower riders and come into the pit of a rider change.

I did a few laps and had a great time, and didn’t crash.

Last night we where having a BBQ with a fire out on the porch. We live on the top story of an apartment building and have a big balcony in the back. Eric (host father) had a big fire going to heat up some coals and burn some wood he had out on the porch. Harrison and I where sitting upstairs when we heard some sirens in the distance, but moving closer. We made a joke and said that they where probably coming here. As we saw the fire tucks turn the corner onto our street we realized that they were coming here. Shortly after the doorbell rang and two men came running up the stairs with full suits, masks, and airs tanks. Harrison and I were laughing pretty hard, and as we looked out on the street we saw the ladder truck getting ready to send a man up in the basket. The trucks were already hooked up into the fire hydrant, and a large group of curious people watched with anticipation. Soon after the fire men left and the trucks were gone, but not before I got a picture.

Coming Home!!!!

2008-03-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

The rumor is true, I will be packing up and coming home. It's not all smiles, because I will be leaving my friends, family, school, and Belgium behind. It was not an easy decision to come to, but as many of you know I've been having digestive problems for the past 10 months. I have taken several test to detect for bacteria and allergies, but as of now all have come back negative.

My dad and step mom will be visiting from the 20th-30th of March, and I will be following them heading back home at the 2nd of April.

I have been in Belgium now for almost seven months and heading home in three weeks. Its hard for me to grasp, but the dates are set and the ticket is booked. Its not been easy telling my friends that I will be leaving so soon, but the memories that we had will be with us forever.

I'll keep you updated on my packing and such,

Its strange to say, but see you soon.

Ian