Memorial Day

Our team had a great weekend of racing. I had an OK one but I think my form is on its way up! Friday we had an 80 mile road race and Greg did an awesome attack near the end but it got caught with about 1k to go. I ended up 22nd in the field sprint and chris took 8th. Pretty good. Snakey alley was another story and this was my 3rd year in a row of finishing about 50th place in that race and getting pulled. I didn't have a very good start which is normally something I am good at and I just didn't have a ton of endurance to really power after the climb. However Paul got 2nd, Dan got 7th, and vince and chris both placed in teh top 20! Awesome riding by all of them! Sunday was muscatine and I placed 20th after trying to lead chris and myself up the inside on the climb when we really should have gone on the outside. Monday greg got 2nd place in a break with Adam Bergmann. It was an awesome finish for him and he really deserves it! I got caught behind a crash in the sprint and got 26th one spot out of the money. Overall a very fun weekend with the team and I am looking forward to racing with this great group of guys for the rest of the summer! Up for this week is a lot of long passion rides to get some good form in my legs for the Tour of mt. pleasent, tour of america's dairyland and the Tour de grandview. I hope I can pull off a few good results at these races!

What now?

Now that graduation, eye surgery, natz and finals are over it is time to get refocused both on training and on getting my research project that i have spent over 2 years working on published in a journal.  Today I met with my professor and we came up with the goal of getting it ready to be published by June 15.  I mostly have a little bit more statistical analysis to do and some graphs to revise.  Sounds easy right?  So hopefully I will be able to get it done on schedule.  For the rest of the summer I am basically working on that and biking.  it should be pretty fun.  I am really stoked to race for the first time this weekend with my Panther/RGF pb Felt Bicycles teammates at Quad Cities.  I am hoping to pull off a few good finishes this weekend and help my teammates do the same.  I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Graduation Day!

Wow there are have been a lot of big changes in my life lately and today is no exception.  In a few hours I will officially be a graduate of Purdue University.  My vision is pretty good after the surgery but it is probably at about 85% of perfect right now.  The doctor said over the next few weeks it will keep getting better.  I am not allowed to ride until monday but I am looking forward to it and racing in Iowa next weekend!  I also spent a few hours putting the new Ultegra on my Felt F1.  I am happy to say I haven't lost my ability to build a bike half decently.  I am excited for the ceremony today both of my grandmas came one from Indiana and one from Washington DC.  It still hasn't sunk in yet that I am done with college but I think it will soon.  Keep checking back to the blog for a big announcement about my future plans over the next few weeks!  

Another big day!

After today I am not going to need to wear glasses anymore!!  That's right I am going to be getting LASIK surgery today!  I am a little bit nervous but I think it will be OK.  I am looking forward to getting to wear a variety of sunglasses while riding or no sunglasses at all!  

Anyway we got home safely from Colorado after a lot of driving and I have basically been relaxing and doing some stuff since I got back.  My college graduation ceremony is this Saturday and both of my grandmas are coming which should be very exciting!  So next time you see me prepare to be surprised I will be both a college graduate and someone that doesn't need to wear glasses !  

sick but somehow doing well in the race!

Today was the criterium at Collegiate nationals.  It ended with a field sprint and Chris got 9th and I was 10th.  We both acheived our goals of a top 10 finish and we couldn't be more stoked.  Both of us just sat in for most of the race and then we moved up with 5 laps to go.  It was pretty hairy at the end as there was a break and U Vermont was on the front chasing.  We caught them with about 500m to go and I moved myself into good position but didn't have much left for the finishing stretch.  Chris passed me just a bit before the line but I am completely pleased with how the race went because I felt pretty cruddy this morning.  I was coughing up a storm after the race but after some hot water we decided to go ride Rist Canyon which is a 10 mile climb just outside of town.  It was painful with but well worth the ride. It was incredibly beatiful and we even saw snow near the top!!  Given being sick I am extremely happy with how I rode today.  Lets hope once I get better I can find some good form for the big crits coming up in Iowa.  Tomorrow we are gonna go for a ride in the morning and then drive to nebraska.  Feel free to call me in the afternoon or all day monday because we will be in the car.  

Sick and not doing well in the race

Today was the Road race and it did not go as planned.  I have been sick for the past week+ with a cold that won't go away and when I woke up this morning I didn't very good.  I haven't felt very fast the past few days and today was no exception. I got dropped on the first big climb and didn't feel like fighting for 50th place.  So I rode to the finish line a bit early and couldn't stop coughing the whole way.  It kind of sucked but at least I got to watch the race which was fun.  No one from my team did particularly well.  Tomorrow is the crit and hopefully I can at least make it though without getting dropped.  maybe I can sprint.... I guess we will see.  I am still coughing a lot today.  I don't know what I have but it is basically a cold that won't go away.  I think moving all of my finals may have caused a lot of extra stress and lost sleep causing me to get really sick.  I guess you can't win em all.  I am still having a fun time out here in colorado and am looking forward to riding the crit tomorrow!  

Gettin Ready for the Big Dance!

I've been in Colorado preparing for nationals for 2 days and the Road race is tomorrow!  Unfortunately I am still a little bit sick with a cold and I cough after I ride hard but I am slowly getting better and will hopefully feel good tomorrow.  I am riding pretty well but the altitude is really killer.  We are staying with Jake and his fiance Alyssa who are both recent Purdue alums out in Loveland, CO and we are only about 15 miles from the race courses.  I am excited and nervous for my last collegiate natz and I hope I can pull off a good result.  It is incredibly beatiful out here and today we rode a 3 mile climb that had awesome views.  We might try to get in some more nice rides after the crit on Saturday and maybe sunday morning before we begin our incredibly long drive home!  I bought a disposable camera so I promise there will be pictures some time!!!

Almost There!

Only 2 tests and one large manuscript stand between me and being done with school!!! If all goes as planned (which it will I will be done with all of that on Monday and in the car on the way to Colorado for nationals by Monday at 4pm. I should be working on studying or something but I wanted to post an update. Since regionals I got really busy of course but still managed to squeeze in a few short rides. I got a cold too but I am almost over it now. Friday I had a little "graduation party" and to my pleasent surprise my friends Dr. Sean and Sean Metz came down from Chicago to celebrate with me. It was a fun time for all with dancing, korean bbq, and other festivities. Most of the cycling club came out and it was a great way to say good bye to everyone who is leaving for the summer before I graduate. Saturday morning after cleaning up I went out for a nice 3 hour ride on my sweet Felt F1. I actually did an interval too on some of the hills near Battle Ground. I think my average speed was almost 30km/hr which I know thanks to my awesome CatEye Strata computer. Today I hope to put in another 3-4 hours on the bike to prep for the road race on Friday and the Crit Saturday. Wish me luck for getting all my academic stuff finished!