Tuesday, February 22, 2011

One place to the Next.....












I have spent the last 3 weeks riding and racing in the Phoenix area.  While the weather has been great for most of the time the last few days it has been cold, windy and rainy!  A bit of a disappointment when you expect sun every day but it didn't stop us from riding!

With the first race of the season out of the way I will be on my way to Las Vegas in the morning for the Calville Bay Classic that starts on Thursday.  It is a bit different from last year where as at this time I hadn't even raced yet and by Sunday I will have 7 days of racing in the legs.

From Las Vegas I will be going to Palo Alto for a few days before heading to Merced for the first big race of the season.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Race Update!



The first race of the year started last Friday in the Phoenix area.  It was a 3 day 3 stage race.  All 14 of the Specialized athletes were there.   We had a very strong showing in the junior categories taking time trial victories in both the 15-16 division and 17-18 division.  I raced in the category race and suffered through it! My fitness is not there yet but will come in the coming months.  I unfortunately was part of the first pile up in our 90 mile road race on Saturday but was able to finish.  It was a hard way to start the season with such a long hard race.  The criterium was on a bit of a weird course featuring some tight "s" curves crossing over reflectors and some rough pavement.  From what I observed from the front end there were no crashes which was good!  I raced a bit of a lazy race just sitting in the field trying to stay out of trouble.  Although I had no outstanding results at this race the team as a whole sure did!  I can tell already this is going to be a season to remember!

Next week will be a good training week in Phoenix and Tucson with Jeff Perrin.  We will be heading to Las Vegas on the 24th for the Calville Classic.  Another stage race 4 days and 4 stages.  The whole team will not be able to make it but the majority will be there.  After this race I will be headed to my new home in Palo Alto!

More pictures of the racing coming soon......

Friday, February 11, 2011

Rough Going

My rides throughout the week have been great but the majority have been followed by car malfunctions on the way home.  Tuesday trying to leave my friend Jeff's house the battery seemed to be dead so I jumped it and it only died again once I was down the street.  After a spendy tow truck ride for about 30 miles it turned out the battery was completely bad and the alternator belts broke. Great!  Two days after driving home from packet pickup in Tempe to Scottsdale I started hearing weird noises from the engine and decided I should pull off.  As soon as I hit the off ramp the car died... yet again.  I waited again for another tow truck to come and had yet another expensive tow truck ride that was a bit longer than the first.  This time it turns out the engine is completely shot!  So as of right now I am kinda stranded in the Phoenix area.  I have team mates that are willing to drive and pick me up for the races thankfully.

The moral of this seems to be.... don't go to kendall 4 seasons unless you like getting ripped of big time!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Phoenix!

So as some of you may know I recently graduated from High School to race my bike full time.  On Saturday I started my drive to Phoenix.  I stayed the night in Salt lake and finished the drive the next day.  When I arrived it was 70 degrees and sunny!  This was great compared to the winter wonder land of Missoula.
My first ride was a short ride in Paradise Valley with Jeff Perrin who will be racing with me for Specialized this season.
I have my first race of the season on Friday.  It will be a the first stage of the Valley of the Sun stage race.  Although I am not expecting much from my self I think our team will have great performances as most of them have been training and/or racing since November.
From Phoenix I will be heading to Tucson for a week of good training then to Las Vegas for another stage race. Finally after that I will be at my new home in California.

As this is my first post I would like to hear some input!
Thanks,
WZ