Racing for Team Joyride

This year I decided to ride for Joyride Bicycle Shop in Lincoln, NE. 
I decided to race for this team because my friend Mark rides for them.

Norfolk Criterium - State Championships

After Durango, I was feeling pretty good on the bike (especially after coming back down to Nebraska elevation) and the next weekend was the Norfolk State Championship Road Event, I had to work on Saturday, so I figured that I would do the criterium on Sunday and see how it went. After doing this race two years ago and getting shelled off the back when I should have been able to hang on for awhile, I decided on the following race strategy: Get close to the front early to avoid the accordian effect at the back and also to get well within the draft. A good warmup was also very important so I was ready to put forth hard efforts right away.
I executed my plan perfectly. I warmed up for 40 min on the trainer and tapped into all HR zones, then when the race started I got a good start and was positioned perfectly in the front 1/3 of the pack. From here, my conditioning shown through like a shining light, or more appropriately a black hole. There were 8 turns per lap and on the acceleration out of each one of them I was losing a spot or two and by turn 7 I found myself at the back of the pack... Lap two, I thought one more effort and I can get back on, but that was wishful thinking, my HR was already in the red and I was maxed out.

So from here on out I was doing a Time Trial effort and just hoping to minimize the number of times I got lapped. I ended up getting lapped twice which guaranteed me last place. While I had hoped I would do better than this there were a few positives for the day. For starters, I have not lost my mental toughness, never once did I even consider quitting or any sort of thoughts along those lines. Second, it was a good training day and I would not have been able to duplicate that effort on my own.

Really, when I consider how much riding I did this past winter: "What the heck did I expect?" I raced as well as I trained, maybe even better! Lastly, the result today was irrelevant, doing this race was still fun and gives me a big taste of the excitement and passion I have for cycling. This year, my comeback journey will be completed, It's game on!

2011 Race Schedule

May 28 - IronHorse Bicycle Classic 50 mile Ride
May 29 - IronHorse Bicycle Classic MBS Mtb Race - 21 miles

June 05 - Norfolk State Championship Criterium - Norfolk, NE
June 18 - Calamus Half Century - Burwell, NE

July 4 – Firecracker 50
July 16 – Silver Rush 50
July 23 - Mt Evans Hillclimb - actually just going out to watch.
July 31 – Crested Butte Alpine Odyssey (Leadville Qualifier) – 68 miles

Aug 13 – With some good luck at Crested Butte: Leadville 100


Sept 2 - Gateway Cup - Tour De Lafayette
Sept 3 - Gateway Cup - Tour Des Hills
Sept 4 - Gateway Cup - Giro Della Montagna
Sept 5 - Gateway Cup - Benton Park Classic
Oct 1 - Omaha CX Weekend
Oct 2 - Omaha CX Weekend

Oct 22 - Norfolk CX Weekend
Oct 23 Norfolk CX Weekend

Nov 18 - Lincoln CX Weekend
Nov 19 -Lincoln CX Weekend
Nov 20 - Lincoln CX Weekend (Nebraska USAC CX State Championship)