never trust sat nav

sometimes it pays just to trust your own instincts and not follow sat nav, otherwise you and your car might go for a bit of a swim

new training technique

my bro decided on a friday night to field test some new hydration techniques to try and make erg sessions easier for me

so far preliminary results show no conclusive data for/against this particular method, but apparently after the erg session he had a pretty good night

kiwi ingenuity

well today was one of those occassions I got quite stressed when something on my bike didnt go quite to plan.

i was putting a new seat on my track bike, a lovely white rolls saddle, plush and like riding in an arm chair.

as the rolls is quite a high seat i had to drop the seat post in the frame to keep the same height, normally a pretty simple operation but sometimes with aero seat posts they can get jammed and a bit tight.

so i chucked the rolls on then seat about lowering the seat a good couple of centimeters, at first it didnt budge at all, so i applied a bit more weight to it, still nothing, so i applied a bit more, so i really started to lean on it-still nothing. so i made sure everything was as loose as it could be and leaned on it again, nothing, so i went for the standard bike rider technique at this stage and gave it pretty much everything i had to try to get it to shift and drop, at first nothing, then, it moved-quite suddenly, and this is where my problems started. the seat post moved and like the bastard it was being it completely bottomed itself out with all the pressure i was applying to it.

then the fun started, it had jammed. completely and utterly jammed at the bottom of the frame and was not shifting again, i hoped and prayed it was somewhere about the right height but it was 6cm to low, so i had to try and shift it again, and it was just stuck.

nothing i could do could shift it, side to side, front to back, bike upside down standing on the seat, trusty wd40 on the seat post, nothing. i tried for a good hour and a half to get something happening with panic quickly creeping in everytime i tried something and it didnt work, with the world cup just over 3 weeks away it wasnt helping my nerves, then i had a tiny bit of a brain wave and through up the hail mary to get it out

it involved the following

taking the seat out and putting a spanner through the seat clamp......and

hitting it with this, the "persuader"

and im very happy to report a couple of good upward cracks on the spanner with this and it slowly came loose and popped out, crisis averted!!!! now i just have to wash the oil/wd 40 off the seat post and start all over again!! bit of outside thinking to get it sorted but when you have no other option, hitting something with a sledgehammer will normally do something haha

not a whole lot going on

lately there hasnt been a whole bunch going on, its been erg, road rides, or recovery rides, plus a whole bunch of stretching as i get used to trying to pedal at 120 rpm again, eeeeeeeeeeeek.
im finally going to have a day off tomorrow to knock it up down at Alton Towers, which is apparently the biggest fun park in the UK, so lots of roller coasters coming up for me tomorrow which im looking forward too! I've never been to a big fun park before so should be a mint day out!!

tour of lowther

this weekend i raced the last of the scottish super 6 series, the tour of lowther, which started in Wanlockhead, which is apparently the highest village in all of scotland, at a whopping 1500 feet above sea-level.
the course was 4 laps of a pretty tough circuit, with a 6 mile climb on each lap plus another small pinches, and to top things off it was freezing cold, one of the only races i have ever done where ive run in full leg warmers all day!
the race whittled down really quickly after the first lap, and i actually had my climbing legs on for once and was still in the front group. with 14 guys left in the front group and 4 guys from the endura team i was trying to hide as much as possible, both because it really wasnt my responsibility to chase down the breaks and i had also done an erg session in the morning before the race just to really smash myself and my legs were not 100%!!
coming into the last lap after splitting and regrouping in the wind and climbs for 100km it came down to the last accent and thats where both the attacks started big time and my legs decided to tell me to piss off!!!
on the 3rd time up the climb the sttacks had been pretty hard and i had just managed to get myself up the climb still with the front group, and the last time up with the finish at the top of the climb it was going to be a big ask to drag myself and the big avanti up there with the fly weights, and in the end the fly weights won out on the day haha
i hit the finish completely spent, but with a good day under the belt for the manchester world cup which is coming up at the end of october.
in saying that i am really bummed i cant ride the tour of southland this year to help gordy out, from everything i hear heis flying and it sucks i cant be there in the 5 man team to help him try and win a deserved tour of southland title again, but im pretty sure the boys in the subway-avanti team will do their utmost to help him out, and ill be down there to help support from the thursday of the tour onwards so be able to give a bit of a hand if need be, i might even guest DS in the car with the big man Humey for a laugh hahah, im sure the boys would be fizzin to hear me on the radio-"its windy, Gordy attac..............................oh you already have dont worry" hahahaha

dodgin the rain

the last week has been spent dodgin the rain, with a hell of a lot of erg time going under the belt as well, im kinda slowly starting to love the erg again, in a sick sort of way, so its been good.
just back from another 3 hours today with jimmy mac in the wet, got a big race on this weekend, the last round of the scottish 6 series, so hopefully be able to fly the flag a little in the 120km hilly race and get stuck into it!

the gas game

a wee while ago i got picked up at the airport by mike northey who rides for the Landrover - Orbea team.


he was running late, which wasnt a huge surprise and pulled up in one of the team Landrovers and off we went.


what first came to my attention when i got in was that the fuel light was on, and the fuel mileage was showing 0 miles left.


after driving on a pretty big motorway in Portland, i asked mike if we should get any gas.


nope, he replied, all good.



he told me they liked playing the gas game, where you drive round for as long as you can dare on empty and try and get home, so the next person has to stop and fill it up.

mike then got us really lost, we must have done a good hour and a half on empty, finally pulled into the driveway with a huge grin on the face as he put the keys on the hook, leaving the landrover with basically vapour in the tank and a shit of a morning to whoever drove it the next day

glen coe crit

My last race of the american season '09 was the Glenn coe crit in Chicago, which went bloody well.
It wasnt the strongest field by any stretch of the imagination, but for us (me, hash and josh) it was a chance to come out of a crit and feel good about things, after having some bad luck in a few crits during the year everything finally came together and Josh took out the win with Hash 2nd, and me 7th. my legs had finally returned a little bit and I kept the field together as much as possible, while Josh went on prime control, and managed to snag 6 out of the possible 10 primes, which was awesome!
It thunderstormed just before the race which made the circuit slippery as, but we all stayed upright again which was another bonus, nothing like crashing then having to get on a long haul flight, its been done before and trust me, it sucks!!
so with bank accounts topped up we were getting ready to leave and drive back to our wicked hosts the Langhoffs in Milwaukee, who looked after us for a good fortnight, when a lady drove up next to our car.
"what are you guys up to now??"
us all looking at each other-"ah, not much just getting ready to head home"
"but you guys are filthy, how about some food?"
us all looking at each other again-"ummmm yeah, food sounds really good actually"
"ok heres my address"

so heading off into the unknown we pulled up at this random ladys house, met her husband and family, they procedeed to cook a magic feast of burgers and salad for us, showered, and had a couple of beers with them!
it was a perfect end to a perfect day out, instead of driving home all smelly and covered in grime, we left clean and with a great meal in the bellys(which was free!!!!) nothing better than that happening when you are travelling on the road for as long as we have been. Im just not sure if a random kind stranger at a bike race would invite you into their home in NZ, its one of the things that does make US racing different from anywhere else in the world and its very much appreciated!!!

Right now im just havin an easy day in Scotland, had a major last 3 days, 5 erg sessions and a crit packed in over fri/sat/sun have left me quite poked!!!!

Im off out for dinner with Big Red tonight for my birthday-indian, which will be a treat!!!! havnt had a good indian since i left nz, will be magic!

finally made it

after my bike turned up at 2am in the morning i got all packed the next dayand flew over to scotland to set up base for the manchester world cup, at the end of october, ill do a write up of the last few races we did and the random people we met when im over this jetlag (hopefully tomorrow)

NWA

NWA has lost my bike, after i paid them the 100 bucks to get it onboard, suck!!!!! kind of need it as i fly out to the UK tomorrow, sigh

the beer drinking wolf/dog

we went to a mates place the other night after one of the races for a quiet ale, and they had this dog there, which was going round and knocking over all the empty beer bottles and putting her paw on them to tip the last remaining beer out of them, i couldnt quite believe it, ive never seen a dog hunt beer out before, then the owner started feeding her beer out of her hand. very bizzare but a kick ass dog none the less!!!!

aurora

we went past Aurora, Illinois yesterday out training, home of the world famous Garth and Wayne from Waynes world

it was both excellent and amazing, Waynes World was my most favourite movie when i was growing up, along with Bill and Teds excellent adventures, before Keanu Reeves went all Matrix on it

and as Wayne would say

ZANG!!!!!!!!!!

new kick ass shoes

heres my new shoes from my kick ass sponsor BONT shoes, check them out

http://www.bont.com/cycling/

they are the most comfy and stiffest shoes i have ever got, sweet!!!!!!

tour of elk grove

the second stage of the tour of elk grove was a 160km road race, which was basically a 160km crit, there were over 260 turns in the race and far out it was epic, it was one of the hardest road races i have ever done, constantly on the brakes, accelerating, by the last couple of laps on was getting tired, then i got chopped into a curb with about 8km to go, and that was the last i saw of the front group!! my legs were bloody rubbish as it was, really really struggling to get the power down and was on struggle street for most of the day so was just nice to get to the finish for me really!
the last stage crit went well, josh made the first break, and hayden placed 15th in the final kick, my legs were still absolutely crap, and made it about a 3rd of the way through before the elastic snapped for me out of the hairpin and it was game over. back to the drawing board i think and a few easy days and hopefully these legs of mine will get back to doing what they are supposed to do!

kirk obee

your a loser and you suck, once positive now dismissed for a doping violation, your an idiot and an oxygen thief

2009 tour of elk grove

just finished the opening time trial of elk grove, 4.5 miles, was pretty good. i found it hard to get motivated as i was running my road bike, no disk or anything, no aero helmet, so the main aim for today was to just get through, open up the legs and make the time cut, all objectives achieved and happy, finished an outstanding second to last hahahaha so was quite funny, keeping the guy moral high on the team thats for sure!!!
tomorrow we have a 150km road race, with 8 laps round a city circuit, i think there is something ridiculous like 35 turns per lap, so could need a new set of brake pads by the end of the race i think!
it will be pretty sweet though, ill be the only one tomorrow on my time trial bike, so it will be a massive advantage hahaha

hayden and josh take a trip together

in an effort to locate a bank the other day, good old Garmin directed us to the ghetto. it was a bloody dodgy neighbourhood and we wanted to make the trip as quick as possible and get into the bank and get out.
so Garmin told us the bank was on our right and we popped out of the car and Josh and Hayden ran into what they thought was the bank, and were confronted by a big que and alot of people, which confused the crap out of them. i had quickly glanced at a sign on the way in but kept my mouth shut, they waited in there for a little bit before a man explained that it wasnt a bank and it was round back. i finally couldnt keep my mouth shut and explained in the hast to find a bank they had walked into the community HIV clinic, looking like quite the gay couple.
ah its kept me amused for quite a few days now, need things like that on a long trip, brilliance.

only in america, what a bloody psyco

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=130828212811&h=uOmAr&u=I2HOD&ref=nf

chicago crit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YjxyP_MtLI


heres a video of the chicago crit, that we did yesterday.
it was the dodgiest race i have ever done in my life, so many muppets out on display it was amazing, and four massive crashes in the last lap confirmed it. 190 guys on the line and going down to Cat 2 was just a bit silly, as all the cat 2's thought they were mark cavendish and could knock it up from anywhere in the bunch and could fit 10 wide through all the corners, was a frustrating day.

flips and stunts

had a very interesting race on Friday night in Kenosha, for two reasons.
the first was that after we unpacked all our gear and put our bikes together, we rode down to the start to sign on for regisration.
Normally this is not a problem, unless your name is Josh, and you forget to put on your front wheel properly and try to do a wheelie, only to find your front wheel rolls out from underneath your bike and you end up putting your forks directly into the ground and doing a front flip over your handlebars, which was AMAZING.
Secondly i was on the start line next to Karl Menzies, when a red neck with a super mullet leaned over the rails and started to pray for us, which was quite an experience. He prayed for about 2 min solid, for us, etc etc, while me and Karl didnt really know what to do, then other people around him joined in and prayed for us as well. after it was all over he shook our hands, and Karl looked at me, and said "well, if i win today i might have to give this jesus caper some thought" which made me chuckle.
the race went smoothly but Karl didnt win, although i do call him Reverend Menzies now

few photos from racing lately

here's the madison from San Jose where Hash is trying to catch me for an exchange but i wont let him, no seriously its the keiran. but i should have done it to him in the madison

sprints in Alpenose

Kilo in Alpenrose, which was pretty much the most horrible kilo ive ever done in my life

superweek

After ripping around the track in portland the last weekend Im now here at superweek catching the last few races with Josh and Hayden.
So far so good really!
My superweek started off with the Lake Front road race, 150km, 22 lap around a nice little circuit with a couple of climbs. My legs were pretty knackered from the track still so it was a cruisey day for me really, i just rode around in the bunch and rode all the crap out of my legs, Josh made the break which was magic, and got pipped on the line by Hans Dekkers from Garmin for 5th place, when Josh decided to stop sprinting before the line, so im pretty sure he wont make that mistake again.

The next night Hayden and Josh took off, while I went to the race with Mike Friedman (Garmin), Brad Huff (jelly belly) and Mikes brother. It was a magic trip, laughed the whole way up there pretty much, knocked out a 100km crit (which Brad won) and drove home. My legs were slowly coming back which was awesome, I just got jammed against a barrier near the finish which kinda killed all my speed, and i was just happy to leave with all my skin still on my body!

Last night was the last of the races we will do here, with Hayden and Josh back we really wanted to get on the podium to finish with a bit of a high before a big money race down in Chicago tomorrow.
Hayden made the break and lapped the field, so it was up to me and Josh to control what we could to keep the field intact for Hayden to sprint. I ended up having to chase a pretty big break back with Karl Menzies and Jonny Clark to bring back a dangerous group of about 15 guys, which was pretty much all my candles burnt right there, Josh took over looking after Hayden at the end, and Hash ended up getting on the podium for 2nd, behing Hilton Clark, so all in all, a very good night!!! I keep forgetting how long 100km crits are!!! they seem to drag on forever, especially when you look up to see 87 laps of a 1km circuit left hahaha.

All us Subway boys are off to chicago tomorrow, so heres hoping we get on the podium again!

Alpenrose challenge

heres a photo of me on the line for the sprints against one of americas quickest, Dean Tracey, i just asked him if he had up to date health insurance thats why he's got that stupid look on his face

Well the alpenrose challenge up in Portland has been and gone for another year, and I was once again reminded that it is THE bumpiest track I have ever ridden on, hahah, nothing has changed up there.
The track is set in by the Alpenrose milk factory who donated the land in a pretty nice wee area, the track is kinda sunk into the ground so at the top of the banking there is huge grass areas where everyone sets up BBQ’s and tents for the weekend so the setting was pretty sweet.
My form for the whole weekend was really good, races absolutely everything I could, from pursuits,kilo,sprints,keiran,points,madison,scratch and finally the last event was the miss and out, where I was absolutely on my knees but managed to pick up second in that behind a flying Jame Carney. I was on the podium quite a bit which helped out the old bank account a lot, and finished up 2nd in the overall award behind Jame, which was actually sweet as I didn’t realise there was an overall omnium until Saturday night so got a nice little bonus with that.

Jame was really on fire so it was definitely good to see where my form was that and im pretty happy with it, with the track being so bumpy it was quite hard to stay with him in the banking as being bigger I was getting a bit of a rougher ride with my center of gravity being quite a bit higher than his hahah, but it was good, caught up with a lot of people I havnt seen in quite a few years, and managed to hang out with one of my best mates Marina Duvnjak on the last night I was there as well which was awesome, she just finished kicking ass up in Canada and was driving the next day down to support mike at Cascade before flying home.
Had one of the best flying experiences flying on Jetblue airlines up there and back, direct TV in all the seats which runs non stop, so as soon as you sit on the plane the TV is already going with bout 40 channels to choose from, and with it being July and the Tour de France on they waived their excess baggage bike fee’s for the month so that was awesome!!!!
It came back to bite me this morning though, im flying out to Milwaukee on Continental, and got told at 5am that my bike bag “didn’t conform to normal baggage requirements” and that would be an extra 115 bucks for the privilidge of flying my bike out there, so not the best start to the morning, mind you though, I could see the writing on the wall when the shuttle company decided to ring me at 3am this morning “just to make sure I knew the shuttle was coming to pick me up at 4.30am”
3am, yep, just to see. Not entirely impressed with that, so all in all with all the early flying ive had buggar all sleep for the last couple of nights, so a big catch up needed tonight for sure!!!
The tour has been finally getting interesting, from Roly going off the front and drilling it, to Hincapie not getting the yellow jersey, and then having a cry about it afterwards, to me, that’s just bike racing. He didn’t get it, that’s life. Im pretty sure you didn’t see Oscar Pereiro crying(in public anyways, I heard he was fuming as you would expect) when George sat on him that whole stage in the mountains that one year, told him he wasn’t going to sprint then rolled him at the top of the climb for the win, sometimes karma just gets ya really, It may take years, but cyclists etc tend to have very long memorys that’s for sure!
Ive now heard there’s thunderstorms forecast for Milwaukee, which will no doubt mean delays in flying, might just be one of those days I think hahah, hopefully I can grab some kit on this next flight and catch up a little. Hash and Josh are supposed to be picking me up from the airport and driving straight to a 100km crit, Josh has got good form he finished 4th last night, I think I might sit tonight out get ready for the Lake front road race tomorrow morning, which is pretty much my favourite course out of the whole of superweek, be good to just get in some good hard road stages and gear up for Elk Grove in a couple of weeks!