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Space in the class

What could be better then reading from a traditional text book and sitting in a traditional classroom? How about taking a science class with Frank Gregorio. Frank's class sits in a computer lab with the lights off while listening to music while using a free program called Celestia. In this class students use the program to view the universe in a way that no textbook could show it. The program allows students to look at the planets and other features of the universe in a three dimensional view. The program is said to be able to turn any classroom with a teacher, a computer and some video into a space simulation that no textbook could offer. This idea would be just another reason why schools should make a savy investment into their schools technology.

National Champions

Well it was a long week but I am glad that the team and coaches this year were not stressed out like we were going into last years final day. After winning the Mens Team Pursuit (Bennet, David, Taylor, and Rob) the team finished the day off with Sierra taking 7th in the sprints and David, Bennet, Taylor and Alex all finishing near the top of the long and fast points race.
At the end of the night Bennet finished up 5th in the individual omnium and David taking 3rd. On the womens side Sinead took 2nd overall after a long week of fighting a girl from Lees McRae. Congrats to the team on another National Championship and we look forward to defending our 3 straight titles next year and keep Deans undefeated record going at Collegiate Track Nationals.

Nationals Day 2 of Racing

Morning Session was a complete washout with the rains continuing until about 1pm this afternoon. When we finally got the track what did it do. well it poured again. We sat under the tent for about another 30 minuets until it stopped raining and watched the track dry. We started the night off with the 200 meter sprints. Alex posted a 19.81 that got him 18th overall and I posted a 19.91 which wound me up 19th. The night however belonged to Sinead and the women. We kicked it all off with the Collegiate Team Pursuit (Italian Pursuit) with a very convincing win. Then the women followed that up with a win in the Womens Team Pursuit after watching most of the teams fall apart. Right after that Sinead came through again winning the Womens Points Race at the end of the night to cap off her 3rd title in the night.

Collegiate Team Pursuit Team

Sierra
Sinead
Alex
Rob
Bennet
David

Womens Team Pursuit

Sierra
Becca
Megan
Sinead

Nationals Day 1 of Racing

Morning Session

The day started out rather great. Becca set an early time for the 2k pursuit finishing 6th overall just missing the podium. Sinead finished up 2nd overall in the 2k pursuit in her first collegiate track nationals event. In the mens 3k pursuit Zach set a very fast time with a 3:44 that seemed to sit in the top 10 for some time. Rob went out and set a rather fast time as well. If you had told me that I would only have done a 3:51 in the 3k this year after doing a 3:58 last year I would have been very upset with that time. I had to take into considerations though that I have been doing a large amount of sprint workouts these past few weeks trying to get my 200 meter time low enough to get into the sprints tournament. So considering that I just found out that I was doing this event 2 days before nationals I was not too upset. I still want to send congrats to David for a very great pursuit 3:31 which wound up being the 2nd best time of the day (he will win that event one of these days). Overall I think that our standings in the 3k went David 2nd, Bennet 9th and Rob 10th and Zach slid in somewhere around 15th in the top 20 I think.


Evening Session

Not much to post here. We warmed up on the track, heard the national anthem, had a moment of silence for 9/11 and then the rain came. It has yet to stop and the evening session was canceled. Hope it stops sometime. We have some points to start making up. We figure that we are sitting in second right now behind Colorado State by about 20 points which we can make up rather easily in the team events were we will be strong.

Nationals Day One - Arrival

Ok so its not really day 1 yet but it was the travel day. The longeset and hardest day. Started out by hanging out at Jeff and Bennets place were we rocked out to some DJ Scooter, and rip your face off rock. It was really just an ordinary day for traveling by plane. Everyone wanting to know what is in those boxes that you carry and trying to get everyone through security. All went rather well. Started a new tradition with the bear scare dance everywhere we go now as well as watching Metalocolips (not sure if spelling is right) and Vlad the Impaler on the plane. Got checked into this sweet hotel in Colorado Springs and found out that I get to do the Individual Pursuit, Kilo, and the Sprints at Nationals. Day 2 should be exciting and look forward to the journey continuing.

Cell phones in school?

Should cell phones be allowed in school? It is bad enough that students have enough distractions in school but do they really need a phone going off in the middle of an exam. Yes you can make an argument that students can use smart phones to look up info on the web. I agree with some schools that are giving students phones to use in the school because this allows the students to have more freedom inside the school and also allows students to try and get more info from a teacher or classmate if they have a question about an assignment. This however should be left to this being the only use of these Samsung phones that are being given to high school students though.

Class room progress for money

Are we reaching a point in education that students have to be bribed to do better in class by giving them money for doing good on a test or quiz. Schools in New York are experimenting with this idea and it seems to be helping. Grade point averages and attendance are up in the schools since students are being rewarded for doing their homework and doing well on tests and quiz's. What really ever happened to the day when you were expected to do well on a test and did not have to bribed into studying for a reading, math, or basic knowledge that you need to succeed in life. Why do students need to receive a cell phone form the parents for getting an A on a test. Is this really how we should be teaching students?

I would laugh in your face!

If you had told me about 2 months ago that I would be going to Collegiate Track Nationals this year as a sprinter doing the 200 meter time trials I would have laughed in your face. If I had told you that I would be doing them you would have just looked at my 5 foot 10, 140 pound frame and just laughed in my face and told me to get real. Now all I can think about is how pissed I will be if I miss the time cuts to get into the sprints tournament. I know that I am not the fastest guy out there but I have really learned how to read the track and pickup the extra tenths of a second that are crucial. Yesterday at track practice I knocked out 5 straight 12:04-12:15 200 meter runs. These my friends are just 92-93 inch gears that I was spinning my ass off in. At Colorado I will be loking to push a 96-98 inch gear that will allow for more of a faster sprint. I am looking to pull a 11:80 out of my ass at Colorado Springs. I dont know where that will put me in the ranks of things but knowing that I could go sub 12seconds is my first goal for Nationals.

Priority Level
D: Go sub 12 in 200 Meter event (11:80 is ultimate goal)
C: Qualify for Sprints Tournament (I think that sub 12 should do this)
B: Win at least 1 match sprint
A: Step onto the podium at Nationals (I will settle for being up there with the team if it is not as an individual)

Cat 1/2 Track Racing & Beyond the Book

I read probably one of the greatest articles in a long time on Edutopia.org this morning. Teachers in at Hinsdale Middle School are teaching students in this Illinois middle school how to look up information outside of the text book. I really have to say that these teachers actually have a great idea here. Text book information can be well outdated before it ever even hits the classroom and students today are too focused on just typing something into Google or Wikepedia to find quick answers. These teachers want to introduce new ways for students to look up information through other databases, newspaper archives online, other scholar works and other original documentations. This will allow students to not become so reliable on others opinions and dont think of your own according to James Tenbusch (superintendent of District 181 in Illinois). The example of a student doing a project on the American Revolution would allow a student to give the perspective from the British instead of only from the eyes of the Americans. This idea would be great for students to allow them better knowledge of what info is out there on the web for them to utilize that they had no idea was even out there.

This will become a weekly event posting about an article that I have read for my EDU 120 class. If you want any more info feel free to look this article up on Edutopia.org.

Cat 1/2 Track Racing.

Normally I am not too pleased with a 5th, 7th, and 12th place result on the track but in my first races as a Cat 2 on the track I can not really complain. I put everything I had into my races this weekend. I raced in my second Kerin and qualified for the final out of my heat that included Tom Hanley, Alex Wiessler, Rob Bush, Guy East and a few more. In the final I drew lane 1 but sadly was not able to grab the motor after Jeff almost ate it trying to push me off. Oh well no harm done. I still got a good spot and found my way to third behind the motor. The sprint was fast and I found myself weaving between people trying to find space. Came in 5th over the top at the line. The next race we did was the elimination race. Have not been able to race one of these in a while due to Ken being afraid of the Cat 3 field having another crash (almost happened this week in the Cat 3 race). Race started out fast. Got a decent starting spot until David decided to break off the front and got away. Spent the longest part playing the devil (sitting on the back and sprinting around the top using the track to my advantage). This tactic only works for so long before you get tired from having to sprint so many times. Sure enough it got to me and I finished around 7th. The final race of the evening was the 30 lap scratch race. Not too much to talk about here. I chased early but was not able to hang on for much at the endafter being popped off the back. At that point I rode until I got lapped and pulled off to call it a night. I still ended up about 12 out of about 20 or so that started the race. All in all I was rather pleased with my performance on the track racing with the "big boys" or the Cat 1/2's out there.

About Jonesy

Name: Matt "Jonesy" Jones
Major: History
What do I want out of this class? To gain a better knowledge of ways to present info to students in my class.

What a Week!

One word to describe the past week I have had, TITS! The week started out meeting the newest members that are going to help this team win its third straight track championship. Also met a new face that has introduced me to a new style of racing, Jeff Hopkins. Working with him and Dean seemed to have helped me reach down into places that I never knew I could reach.

Monday: Was probably the worst day I have ever had on a bike in a while. Coming off a very disapointing race at Marion I saw probably the worst 3K pursuit I have ever done in my life. I can also claim that about my Kilo time which was nothing to brag about.

Tuesday: Was a much better day doing some 500 meter sprints and other events that I normally suck at. I am not a sprinter and seem to struggle with those events but some how I seemed to have a pretty good day and held my own.

Wednesday: Started out with a morning track session before we hit the road for the first time all week and rode a simple easy CIBA loop. Nothing too bad.

Thursday: The week really picked up here. Started out with a slight rain delay before we did 200 meter time trials to seed ourselves for our sprint tourny. Have I mentioned I am no sprinter. Well, it seems that things have slightly changed? Went second and posted a time of 12.28. I have never posted a time like that ever. I dont recall ever going under 12.50. That was good enough for the second seed in the tourny only behind coach Curtis Tolson who posted a 12.18 200 meter. In the first round I had to face a new rider to our team Pete. After fixing a mechanical Pete put up a really good fight but I was able to hang on.

Friday: The morning should have been a sign of things to come. After posting some great results beating Zach, and Jeff (Just for fun) in the tourny and losing to Alex (eventual winner) I was able to claim third place. Not too bad for a guy that cant normally sprint. Later that night we showed back up for Friday night racing at the velodrome. Damn, I have never seen so many people at that track in so long. The night started out with 3 lap scratch heats. Took second in my heat with Zach right behind me taking third. In the 3 lap scratch final I got kind of screwed but managed to salvage 4th. In the 12 lap scratch race I covered an attack from Josh Pratter, Kind of rode away from him and managed to create a large gap form the field and soloed my way to a win in front of a large bunch of Marian athletes and fans. In the points race I managed to take the first sprint before Zach got off the front and manged to collect 25 points when he lapped the field. I managed to get away again and colleect the last sprint to secure second place.

Saturday: Mass Ave Crit was one of my better races. May have stayed on the back the entire race but managed to squeeze a 22nd place finish. Was just glad to stay witht the field and finish the race. I dont really get the chance to push myself on the road with the 1-2 fields.

Sunday: Zipp West Clay Carmel Crit. Managed to get an 8th place finish in my Cat 3-4 race as my warmup for the 1-2-3 race. I am pretty sure that I was one of only a handful of Cat3's in that field but I managed to handle myself rather well. Tried to attack went no where. After that I fell to the back and shadowed my coach's wheel before finding my way back to front of the main group which we were chasing a group up the road. Stayed up there until about 3 laps to go when the sprinters started to make their way to the front. I did not really have much left in my legs so I fell back to the back to make sure that I did not screw anything up and came in some where around top 30. This was probably the best week I have ever had on a bike. Now its time to start focusing on Collegiate and Elite Track Nationals. Not to mention classes start tomorrow.

Los Angeles Bound?

I know that if I show up at Elite Track Nationals I am just going to have my ass handed to me. With that in mind I still think that at least going would give me a major feeling of accomplishment. I dont really know that working my ass off this summer to just qualify would really mean as much to me. I would just be going for the experience and chance to race on one of the coolest velodromes in the country. It is the only indoor one (I think) and is also a wooden surfaced track compared to the concrete ones that we are used to in Indianapolis at Major Taylor Velodrome. I know that it will be rather expensive trip but when you have some one that is willing to help you out with your cost that is pretty fucking sweet. Right now I am looking to rebound from some shitty performances at the State Championships a couple of weeks ago this weekend in Marion Indiana. Cant get much worse I guess.

Hillbilly Energy?

Stealing this one from the Marian team mates, but in the last 3 days I have seemed to have a shit load of extra energy. It started with the Day off on Wednesday in which I took off the bike after really feeling like I was in the box after a very hard weekend. The day started Thursday with the daily ride to work. Just a simple 20 mile ride up Franklin Rd. which took about 55 minutes which is not too bad since I travel through a shit ton of traffic and deal with 3 major roads (Brookville, Washington, and Pendleton Pike) stop lights. After work it was off to 116th and Ollio where I met up with Anna and from there we rode up to 236th street up in Cicero and rode around Morse Reservoir and back down to Noblesville and Carmel. After a long ride I know that Anna was really deep in the box. I decided to ride her back to her house instead of turning into my neighborhood. After dropping her off I found a shit ton of energy in my legs. At this point I had been in the saddle well over 3.5 hours and it was getting dark. Well stupid me I decided to ride some more and I really hammered out another hour or so around Geist Reservoir. It was about 9:45 at this point and I was having trouble seeing and I did not want to get hit by a car, again. After getting a good nights sleep I thought that I would really be feeling it in the morning riding to work. Hell no. I felt even better then I had thought. Took only 34 minutes to get to work from Fishers and that normally takes a good 40 plus minutes. After work I hammered out a good ride in a strong humid head wind. It took a good hour but when I got home I just had no intention of getting off the bike. I decided to do another good ride all the way around Greenwood and then decided to hammer out another 2 hours. I dont know where all this energy has come from but I really hope that it carries over the next week as the State Road Championships approach.

With that in mind I have really learned a great deal. It was not until a few weeks ago that I really got the chance to appreciate real team work. After working my ass off to try and help Bennet finish up his MWCCC career that I really got the feeling that he has had to experience knowing that he has the support of his team. It has really made me appreciate all that my team has already done for me this summer and I am not planning on letting them down on July 19th. It may not be a national championship but it will be my first step hopefully towards an individual Stars and Stripes jersey of my own some day. Oh yeah, State Time Trial Championships are the following day and I am looking to rebound from a second place finish last year. I dont care who I have to race against but I will do what ever I have to do to win that race as well. Champaign will have to be on the ice next weekend.

4th of July Weekend

No races this weekend means no crashes I guess. The weekend started out very soggy. Felt like going out early in the day on Friday to get my ride out of the way. Nothing special just an out and back ride to Zionsville. I never thought I would ever be wearing leg warmers and a long sleeve jersey in July but the rain Friday morning was freaking cold. Saturday was a nice day. WEnt out to do 3 laps on the state road course before heading down to Fort Ben to do some hills. Did the normal ones but also discovered some new ones as well. Found myself deep in the box by the end of the ride. Sunday was more of the same. Did a loop up to Morse Resovore before heading back out to Zionsville and then back home to Fishers. In 3 days I think I probably put in about 12 good hours of solid riding this weekend. Not too bad I guess. Not to mention the tour has started and I am stuck at work trying not to look at Velonews.com so that I can go home and watcht the stages with out knowing what happened each day.

Zionsville Crit

I have never done well at this race in the three years I have raced it. Lets recap, 2006 in the cat 3-4 race I was dropped bad, 2007 in the Cat 3-4 race I finished in the pack of about 30 or so in 20 something place, 2008 was a different story. After Joey decided that he was not going to let any Cat 4's stay in the field I took my pull and realized that I was alone. Attacked again when I saw some one coming up to me. It was not until about the third attack that I realized that there was a large break. It took about 6 laps before we really got coordinated and realized we were going to stay away. This was by far the best race of the year for me. After hammering it in the break for the last 26 laps I went on a n attack with Grahm before we were caught and watched his team mate attack the group. Answer for that came from no one. Mesa rider rode away with 2 laps to go. It was not until the very end that I knew something was going to happen. For some reason the race promoter decided he was going to leave the field on the course as the break was about to sprint. Mistake for every one else. I was able to weave in and out and Grahm and I sprinted for 2nd with no real competition. Thought I was going to take it but as we all know I cant sprint for shit and I had to concede this race to a great rider that I have really gained a lot of respect for him (Grahm). I really hope that he decides to go to Marian since that is one kid I would have no problem racing with rather then against. Now it is time to start counting down the days until the state championships July 19th (road) and July 20th (Time Trial).


Just a new note. new 20 minute power of 272 watts. Up almost 25 watts from Regionals back in May.

Eagle Creek & NITE Ride

This was a hell of a day. Started out working for Spencer but about 25 minutes in plans changed. With about 6 laps to go I found myself sitting second wheel. All I could think was that this guy is going to pull off any minute and I will find myself on the front with less then 5 laps to go and no chance to get off the front since this was a crit that had no chance of anything getting away. For some real bizzare reason the kid just sat on the front and hammered it for about 5 laps. It was on the last lap that the action really picked up. There was no real reason for it but for some reason I hear behind me a major pile up. I dont look back and all I do is jump on a wheel that I feel is going to lead me out. Picked the right one. Sat right there on Grahm's team mates wheel and he pulled me right to 3rd overall. It was not until we rolled around on a cool down lap that those of us that missed the crash got a first look at the carnage. Some junior kid was laying in the grass with the entire side of his shorts missing and he was not getting up. There were bikes every where and I was very paniced to see my team mate on the ground as well. Thank goodness he was alright. All in all we had a great race. Eric Johnson finished with a strong result 5th and I took 3rd in a decent result. All I know is that I was going to be feeling it on the track later.

After a little bit of rest I headed out to the track for the annual NITE Ride. Kind of lame but it brings in a lot of competition to the velodrome. The night started out with Scratch Race heats. Felt decent once the races started but got boxed in and did not make it to the final. Decided to get ready for the elimination race. Not my favorite race but seems to be my best. After seeing a pretty bad crash involving my team mate Will I managed to pull out a 4th place finish. Before the night was over we had to do the damn points race. By far my least favorite race. Managed to pick up one point in the first sprint but that was all. Finished in the pack and might have managed to finish 7th. Oh well not a bad day and now I am getting ready for what should be a very hard Crit at Zionsville with Jake, Adam, Grahm, David and many others that are going to make this a very hard and fast crit thorough downtown Zionsville Indiana.

A new reason to hate Bloomington

Ok, its no secret that I am not an IU fan. Growing up I have always been a Purdue fan. As of late though my history of trips to Bloomington have not gone so well. 2004 IHSAA Conference Indiana Championships for cross country I tore my ACL during the race on the IU XC course. 2006 Hilly HUndred Joey blows his tire on the way to Bloomington. 2007 MWCCC Conference Championships I cramped up real bad going up Bean Bloosom and lost any chance of winning the race. 2007 Hilly Hundred I hit some loose gravel on a downhill turn and ate it right into a ditch. 2008 Bloomington Crit I was involved in one of the stupidest crashes I have ever witnessed in a race. Yes it was raining and yes the turns were rather tight but trying to pass on the inside in those conditions just was not smart. Not only did you take out a large majority of the field but you put one rider, my team mate Chris in the hospital with a concussion and took out our chance to put riders on the podium.
The race was truly going Pista's way. Six guys in the field we were for sure controling the race. This is something we have done very well this year as a Cat 3 team. We were the ones setting the tempo with the attacks and we were the ones covering right away when someone tried to attack us. We had numurous riders in breaks all day. Eric and Chris were very active in their first Cat 3 races. Spencer looked like he was in good form before getting tangled up in the crash on the last lap with myself. Will was looking very well coming off the track 24 hours ago, and Cody managed to pull out a 6th place finish in carnage. I guess if there was one thing that came out of this race it was that we discovered that we have the capabilities to be the strongest Cat 3 team in the state or region. We showed that this weekend again after we showed it at Tour de West Lafayette.

I wanna go fast!

Friday night in Indianapolis. That can only mean one thing. Time to race on the track. The night started out pretty damn well. Will took first in the first Cat 3 scratch heat to qualify for the finals and then I followed suit by taking the second heat. Things looked rather good knowing that Will and I would be able to work pretty well together since no one appeared to know that we were team mates since I had to race in my Marian kit due to my Pista skinsuit being in shreds. When the finals rolled around we were both planted on the front. I saw one attack and I went with it covering for Will. Then the damn announcer rings the bell for a five dollar hot lap. Damn, nothing gets the blood flowing like a cash prize at a race. Took it and was not able to recover just hanging onto the back of the pack and taking fifth. The next race that rolled around was the elimination race, or the miss and out. Had a great spot the entire race. Stayed out of the sprint lane and was not boxed in. I think I was even the first one across the line every lap until the end. Then it came down to 3 of us. Will, some other guy, and myself. Took second in the race after a hard faught sprint that was 3 wide. After that I knew my night was all but over. Ken decided that any of the Cat 1-2's that were not racing the Madison would do the points race with the Cat 3's. Not a big deal. It gave us another team mate to work with. Kevin seemed to be struggling all night and he rebounded in this race. Will and Kevin were able to get off the front together and suck up some points and I just sat in and chased any attacks to chase them. We really worked well as a team out there and I dont think that anyone seemed to know that I was racing with them since they never seemed to say anything about me refusing to chase the 2 man break that turned into a team pursuit up the track. Now I am just getting ready for the Bloomington Crit tonight. In the great words of Jon Royal, "Bike racing, Fuck yeah!"

Rid River "Gash" Gorge

After driving 3.5 hours south to Stanton Kentucky to race in a collegiate crit to help promote Marian College to a bunch of juniors that are looking for schools that give scholarships, I discovered that only 3 people signed up to race that race. After talking to Mike Hanley and Dean I decided to race the Cat 3 crit as well in case they decided to cancel the Collegiate Crit. Mistake. After getting into a 10 man break about half way into the most technical crit I have ever seen I watched the guy in front of me go into a dtich and do a superman. Instead of doing the smart thing and letting someone else close the gap I decided to try and close it myself. Mistake. Went into the first turn too hard and the front wheel just went out from under me. After seeming dazed for a minute I came to the conclusion that the bike was in good enough shape to continue and so was I despite the blood (red river, I think that was where the race got its name) just pouring down my leg I took my free lap and got back in the race. Was doing fine until about the last lap my leg just started cramping up big time and I had no chance to sprint and I rode in safely to take 7th. After getting the leg and bike looked at I decided that I was still going to do the Collegiate Crit. Before the race all 4 of us decided that what ever money that was going to be won we would split it 4 ways. It came down to Francis (Midwestern State) and a Lees Mcrae guy and myself in the sprint which I found myself taking 3rd. I could blame it on my leg but down inside I know that I am not a sprinter or a climber and when you put those 2 elements together I did not think that losing by a tire width was not too bad. So after the race the promoter decided that since he had to do something with the money he would go ahead with the pay schedule and let us devide 500 dollars among 4 of us. For any one needing a calculator thats 125 dollars for racing a collegiate race. Not too shabby since the only thing you normally get at a collegaite race is points for a season total.

Washed Out

I hate the rain. Well I dont really hate the rain that much but when it rains you can not race on the track. Normally you still race in the rain on the road but when there is heavy amounts of lightning and you live in an area with a bunch of pansys you dont get to race in that either. This was supposed to be the biggest weekend of the year for me, instead it turned into an interval workout Friday night and a 1 hour ride in the rain for no real reason on Saturday. Only good thing to come out of the weekend was a good ride in the 95 degree heat with a 25 mph winds out to the fort with Anna. About the only enjoyment all weekend on the bike. Oh well. I guess I will just get ready for the collegiate crit this weekend in Kentucky. Maybe have the chance to show a few Juniors what Marian cyclist are all about.

Friday Night at Major Taylor

I should have truly known that this was going to be an epc day last night. After picking up my new track bike at Deans house at 10pm and finding that my new bike had no tires and wheels were tubies. After waking up early to drive back home to pick up the spare tubies in my garage I dashed back to work to work until the bike shop opened. After purchasing some glue I spent multiple breaks during the day to apply coats of glue to the rims and tires. By the way, this is something that I have never done in my life. When I finally got the tires on I was amazed that they were sticking and ridable on the track. How well they would have worked I will never know since storms came in and canceled the nights racing. Kind of bummed but at least it allowed me to spend time with the old man on his birthday. At the same time it is never fun having a race rained out when you have friends come out to watch you race. Oh well, I should be much fresher for tomorrows road championship.

So when does your life become so pathetic that your 9 (yes, nine) year old sister tries to hook you up with her friends older sister. I am sorry but I dont need a 9 year olds help finding a girlfriend. I am very confident that I dont need any help in that area. I just thought that was the funniest thing ever.

Getting Lost

Ever go on one of those rides in which you have no predetermined length or distance in mind. You just go out to ride until either it is too dark to see or you have simply ran yourself out of energy? I had one of those experiences on Saturday last weekend. I just started my ride in the midst of the afternoon and just rode until about 8:00 at which time I could not feel my legs. Even though I had my powertap I estimate that I must have done something of 130 miles at a very easy 17 mile average. Nothing too hard in which I required loads of water but I still made a few stops in some deserted towns south of Indianapolis. It was during this ride that I got the chace to continue thinking about some things that I have had on my mind and as well as thinking about some upcoming races that are on the schedule. If you have never had the chance to do that I would highly recomend it. It allows you to clear your mind and really enjoy seme far out areas that you probably never would have had the chance to see on your bike. By the wayy my workout for the day called for 1:30 hours of endurance pace. I think that 8 hours at recovery pace should have that covered.

The Biggest Loser

So our company started a biggest loser competition at work and requested that everyone participate. How the hell is some one that weighs only 140 pounds (after putting it back on after a month of wasting away) expected to lose it again. I worked way to hard to get myself back into a condition where I can compete on a bike. Anyway I think it is a great idea for some of the people here to participate in this game. There are some rather large people here that could lose some weight. I also did find it kind of cool that they figured out our body fat percentage. I still feel that it is off a little since mine came out to be a whopping 3.5%. Seemed kind of high to me. That might also be because I am very cautious and particular about my weight. I do wish anyone that is looking forward to losing weight good luck. I dont really think however that this will be any kind of success though since there is a vending machine full of cokes and fatty snacks that are sold out on a regualr basis. Oh well just my thoughts on this idea. By the way if you are interested in my stats I will be glad to share.

Weight: 143
Total Cholesterol: 180
Glucose (Blood Sugar): 86
Blood Pressure: 125 over 65
Body Fat: 3.5%

Welcome to the BOX!

Bet you can not guess where I am right now! In the Box for sure.

Welcome to the Box
We got fun 'n' games
We got everything you want
Honey we know the names
We are the people that can find
Whatever you may need
If you got the money honey
We got your disease
In the Box
Welcome to the Box
Watch it bring you to your shun n,n,n,n,,n,n,,n,n,n,,n,n,,n knees, knees
I wanna watch you bleed
Welcome to the Box
We take it day by day
If you want it you're gonna bleed
But it's the price you pay
And you're a very sexy girl
That's very hard to break
You can taste the bright lights
But you won't get them for free
In the Box
Welcome to the Box
Feel my, my, my serpentineI,
I wanna hear you scream
Welcome to the Box
It gets worse here everyday
Ya learn ta live like an animal
In the Box where we play
If you got a hunger for what you see
You'll take it eventually
You can have anything you want
But you better not take it from me
And when you're high you never
Ever want to come down, so down, so down, so down
YEAH!You know where you are
You're in the Box baby
You're gonna die
In the Box
Welcome to the Box
Watch it bring you to your shu n,n,n,,n,n,,n,n,n,,n,n,,n,n,,n knees, knees
In the Box
Welcome to the box
Feel my, my, my serpentine
In the Box
Welcome to the Box
Watch it bring you to your shun n,n,n,n,,n,n,,n,n,,n,n,,n.n, knees, knees
In the Box
Welcome to the Box
Watch it bring you to your
It's gonna bring you down!Ha!

Gas Prices Suck

Normally I try to leave this to riding/racing posts but gas prices are really starting to piss me off. There are too many lazy asses driving there SUV's, Vans, and Trucks. If you really want to do something about these high gas prices then do something about it that will actually work. No, dropping the gas tax will not work becuase all it will do is encourage peolpe to buy more gas that these oil producing countries will not give us and gas prices will be right back to where they were plus the taxes will be thrown back on. Damn. I can only imagine what it would be like if we lived in a country that encouraged people to car pool or even ride a bike to work. Dont tell me you live too far because I commute every day for nearly an hour and a half to work and home again at 5 pm. Just get off your lazy asses and you might save some money and lose some weight. Which should encourage a drop in insurace rates as well. Damn, you win twice on that deal

Crazy Day

What a fucking day this turned out to be. After a long shitty day at the office I pretty much sped home to drop off my heavy ass Zipp bag. Just at the peak of the climb up to Fort Harrison who should I see but Dean out riding. Felt like a dick however just going around him and not being able to stop and chat or ride, but I was running late and did not want to make Anna wait toolong for me to go ride since I already told her I was going to be a few minutes late. I only hope Dean can forgive me since he will be putting me in the box tomorrow more then likely when we do LT Intervals for 2 hours. So after completing a lap around the new course for the State Championship I felt like I had to be a big guy and add a little extra riding. Should have known this was going to be bad from the get go. Of course what could go worse then a flat tire? How about trying to fix it and discovering that your air pump is broken. Thank God Anna had a CO2 cartridge with her. I should really know better then to not have one of those. Maybe it will just be time to breakdown and buy one.
By the way for anyone out there that cares Major Taylor Velodromes opening night is Friday night June 6th and the Indiana State Road Championships are Saturday June 7th!

What a weekend!

What a weekend this Memorial Day weekend turned out to be. I got the chance to meet some of the guys on our team and I got the chance of a lifetime driving the team car in the caravan. Nothing like watching a road race from a string of cars behind the race itself and hearing the officials and talk to each other and giving splits to team officials was pretty cool. Even though our team dropped out of the race by the 27th mile it was still pretty sweet to be part of this experience.
The only part of this weekend that really sucked however was the long ass ride up to Traverse City Michigan. 14.5 hours of bus riding up and 11hours of car driving home was worth it to hear some of the funniest things I have ever heard. Whether it was the Wabash jokes aimed at Jack or the multiple quotes from Ryan ("I am good at 2 things, bike racing, and making girls do some crazy stuff").
Oh well know it is time to get back to racing and try to get my ass ready to win a state title on the road in 2 weeks.

Been a long time

So I realized today reading someone else's blog today that I came to a quick conclusion that I have not posted anything for a long time. I have not really been up to much, just been kind of lazy about updating this thing. All that you have missed is a lousy 25th placing at Marian (Midwest Cycling Classic) and a 37th place finish at Purdue oh and I guess 2 top 20 finishes at Michigan (18th in the circuit race and 17th in the ITT). Could have been better but some idiot from Michigan fucked up my lead out for Jeff. The only decent thing that has happened since my last post was a 10th place finish at Ohio State in the crappiest crit I have every seen in my 3 year career of collegiate cycling. The course and management of it was not bad, dont get me wrong. It was just when only 8 Womens A's show up and only 23 Mens A's show up it kind of sucks. Yeah it means that I got a great placing but at what cost though. I beat a couple guys from Ohio State and Michigan that should not be racing A's at all. Oh well. I am only counting down the days til the biggest hurt fest ever when we head up to Wisconsin this weekend for the 2008 MWCCC Regionals. Madison has got the sweetest crit course ever being a loop around the Capital building in downtown Madison.

Getting TUFF?

This was one of those weekends that we knew things were going to be good for us. Coming into this weekend we as a team were ranked 4th in the conference and third in the Nationals qualifying rankings. It would also be my first weekend back in the Mens A's field after spending a few weeks in the Mens B's field to recoup from the flu that hindered my February training.

March 29th 2008 was one of the best days I think I have every felt on the bike despite a mediocre result. After sitting in the field for the first few laps of the race Jeff and I got gapped behind a few riders on the dirt road section. After a lap or so of hard pulling we were able to catch back on than goodness to join the rest of our team in the Mens A's field of about 27-30 riders. After a few
minuets of recovering I was summoned to the front of the pack by Bennet and told to attack. Everything went well from there with a small group going with me including Alex. After a separation was made Michigan decided to attack and I had no response with a cramp in my right leg. Thankfully Alex was able to respond and stick with it for the win. All in all we were very pleased with the amount of team work that went on in the race and hoped it would carry over to the next day.

Pitt Race

I really hate when you travel to a race that is six plus hours away and you have a race that is not really worth talking about. Probably just as aggravating as feeling great at the start of a race and not being able to finish the race at all. The only good things that came out of the day was that I got in an unofficial power test that increased my wattage by around 25 watts in a 20 minuet test and the fact that I should be half way rested for tomorrows CMU criterium in downtown Pittsburgh. Other then that as a team we did rather well racing against the competition of the Eastern Coast Cycling Conference.

Tale of two races

Where to begin. After a week of deciding whether or not to race collegiate mens b's this weekend Dean and I decided it would be best to get some more experience and confidence before resuming any help in helping the team advance to nationals. The race started out kind of fast with breaks trying to get away. There was the small break with a couple of Wisconsin guys, Joey and some one else in it. After that got brought back right away by Indiana I came to a quick conclusion that I would just sit in the pack knowing that nothing would survive. Not too many people figured this out though. This must have turned out to be the most boring race ever. Averaging just 150 watts over the span of nearly 3o some miles I just hung out on the back and chatted. Felt like a tour stage almost. On the last lap there were constant attacks and counter attacks but nothing would stick at all. Going into the final 200 meters it was open road and I took full advantage of this. The sprint was everything that I had hoped for. I am almost certain that if I had positioned myself a few positions further up I could have taken the win. Any way I wont complain about going from the very back of the field to 7th overall. I know that my final sprint was faster then the Indiana guy that won (34mph compared to my 36mph).
The next day however did not go so well. I knew off the bat that I had to be towards the front but I never had the intentions of leading the first 300 meters into the wind. After trying to get myself back into position I found myself falling back and Jack just kept on going. After getting dropped I just felt like riding and hoping that others in front of me were getting dropped and pulled. Not too bad that I only completed 10 laps of 20 and I somehow got 15th. I guess that every point counts. Kind of sad however that you can have one of the best races of your life one day and the next just completely bomb it. No wonder the pro's have to dope.

Ohio State Race

Well the weekend sort of sucked. After snow and sleet came down all day on Friday the Ohio State Cycling team decided to cancel Saturdays crit. More then likely it was a very smart choice because I do not think that we wanted to have another Depauw situation on our hands from last year.

So instead of deciding to stay in a hotel Saturday night we decided to pack up the bus and head out of Indianapolis Sunday morning at 5am. After about a 3-4 hour drive we arrived to the race with some faces/eye stares with expressions. The ladies raced first in the morning and we decided to walk to the course from the parking lot. Mistake number 1. They told us it was not far. Well 20 minuet walk later we started to regret not riding.

After watching the girls ride by a few times it was time to start getting ready. After a quick warm up we went over race plans with Dean and rode over to the start to find that we would be starting in the rear of the pack. Not the ideal place but oh well, it was better then a ditch I guess. The race was rather fast with attacks one after the other. After about 3 and a half laps I ran into some serious breathing problems. Hills and cold air just dont match when it comes to just getting over the flu. To the orders of Dean I kept riding off the back of the pack with an IU/Pista rider Matt Kain. After a few laps of solo riding at effort I had just had enough and decided to pull my self out of the race. I know that I did not finish the race but at the same time I am looking at this as a step forward. Knowing that I can at least hold with the field for a good 50 minuets right now should give me a good boost of confidence going into the first crit of the season at Depauw next weekend.

Day of reckoning

One day left. Training is over. It is now time to hop onto the bus loaded with bikes, wheels, etc and head out to Columbus Ohio to start the season. For anyone that has no clue what I am talking about knows nothing at all i guess. With the weather looking shitty I can only think that this is the Midwest and I dont think that too many of would have it any other way. Well as long as we dont have any 25+ crash races again this year.

Good luck to all of those racing this weekend when the MWCCC kicks off the collegiate season.

Getting closer.

It has been a very long off season. One that included a time trial and a cross race. It also included the opening of the brand new cycling center at Marian College that has allowed the team to train inside in a cycling friendly complex on campus, and a brand new bike. Sadly it has also included a major crash, broken wheel, road rash and a 2 week stint with the flu and respiratory virus. Now that that has all passed it is time to start counting down the days until the start of the 2008 collegiate road season. With a new team this year I think that Marian College can contend for not only the Conference Title but also our first National Championship on the road to go with 10 National Titles on the track. All I know is that I can not wait to hop onto the bus Saturday morning and arrive at Ohio State University and start racing my bike again. With a solid force of 6 guys and 4 girls racing A's this year I think that the other schools in the Midwest better watch out.

OSU
Depauw
Mizzou/Lindenwood
Pitt/CMU
Michigan State/Michigan
Marian/Purdue
Wisconsin

Only 5 more days!

Wattage Cottage

It has been a long off season. With the pain and joy from Collegiate Track Nationals we went into a long rest. Now that we are down to the last 35 days until Collegiate Road season kicks off in Columbus Ohio at Ohio State February 23rd we are really pushing forward to bring Marian College its first National Title on the Road to go with the 10 Track Nationals.
With the newly completed Cycling Center we have been laying down the base miles this week. Whether it has been the easy day of Sub LT, Over Gear efforts, or the 3 man Team Time Trials on the Compu Trainers. I have really learned something important about this season. It is great to watch your progress as a rider with a Power meter but you dont want to get caught into what numbers your team mates are throwing out as well.
On a last note I would like to thank all of the people that have made this a possibility for this team to have such a great opportunity. Whether it is the former coaches and riders, present riders, school admins, Mr Haklin, donaters, or just all the efforts that Coach Peterson has done to make this happen.

Sweet Job

I found out yesterday that I will be doing research on one of the coolest/cruelest people in the history of the world. Most of you know him as Dracula but his real name is Vlad the Impaler. I will be doing research for a book that will be sponsored by the History Channel. Not to mention there might be a sweet chance that I might get to go to Europe to visit Transylvania in the summer to do more in depth research.

This is of course the same guy that instead of just killing you he would impale your body on a post. Not to mention this method was used to frighten off invaders. Of course what goes around comes around because he himself was impaled when he was caught by the Turks.

Purdue to Marian

When asked why in the hell would I pass up a great education from a well known school to go ride my bike at some school in Indianapolis that most people have never heard of, it took me a while to come up with a full and complete answer. After having completed my first semester at Marian now, I have come to realize how much happier I am here. I tried to keep the whole transfer thing quite last year but it got out of hand. All I heard was that the only reason I was going to this school was because I was going to get a free bike. I can assure you that that was not and is not the case. I can also assure you that I paid for this new bike I am riding.

I think that the real reason I did transfer was because I was not happy being in such a large school. Classes that exceeded 300 students were not for me. Having 4 of your 5 classes in Class 0f 1950 sucked. Now that I am here at Marian I think that my largest class was only 45 people with the other only being 25-30 people. I feel more at home in these smaller and easier to work environments. Another great thing about this school is the fact that you have an actual professor teach the classes. Not some TA or grad student. So when you have a real question regarding something about the class or the way something was graded you can go to the prof and not have to look up some person you did not even know was the prof for your class.

I think that all the shit I took last year when every one found out I was leaving Purdue can finally and truthfully be answered that I did not leave for the reasons that were rumored, but for the reasons that I discovered as this semester went on. I thought my whole life that I wanted to be the 4th generation Purdue grad from my family and now I realize that I would rather be the first generation from my family to graduate from Marian College.