Cycling Mode: ON

Today is the start of my training and racing season mode of life. I will go to sleep at 9 on a weekend, and eat the healthiest I can while training as well as I can. I won't forget to take my vitamins or do my core work. I will concentrate on laying the hammer down when needed and taking it really easy when I am supposed to. But most of all I will focus on obliterating Chester in every race we do even if its for last and second to last (which I know it won't be).

New year, new team.
I am riding for Southern California Velo this year and must say that so far it is a great experience and can't wait to race as a well organized team. Well I am off to finish the first semester of school so keep them pedals turning, til next time.

Finals week

This week is finals week at Foothill Tech and I have one final the whole week so tomorrow will not involve me attending school but instead riding up to Santa Barbara to get coffee. Training shall be good as I am going to ride the TT bike a bit to start getting used to the set up. As well as some power work to help me do better in TTs and racing all together. More updates this weekend, then the first race is a week and a half away.

January 17-18 weekend

Saturday I started with the Ventura group ride that leaves from Juice on Chestnut. We had an easy spin up to bates at around 18-20 mph. Threw it in a hard gear for bates but still managed to be at the front. We waited for everyone to regroup then we started towards the first lake climb with Ryan Yee and a few other guys messing around and attacking for kicks, then i put it in a 45x17 or so and just grind it out passing them with a response from Scott but he faded and the front group caught me so I just sat on over the first climb then faded about 200 meters from the top of the second climb. I waited up for the SB ride and rode with them up to Carp and rode with Tom Soloday (Time Pro Cycling) after he flatted.

Sunday started out weird with me feeling tired and telling Eric Bennett I would just meet him in SB for the ride. I then woke up around 7:15 got suited up and chased onto the Sunday group ride once again easy up to Bates then harder gear but tried out my sprint and passed a few people for the top spot. The 192 was a pain fest with out of the ordinary attacks from Ventura riders. A group of three consisting of Noble Sr., Tory, and me went up the road and were joined by two others who then split us up with Mark and Mark up the road a few seconds and the three of us chasing. By the end we just opened it up and i passed everyone except for Mark Tucker. I continued to the Santa Barbara Worlds ride. All I can say is FAST!! With paces around the 30s to 40s on the flats and 20s on the hills. I followed Brandon Droese after that and ended up in Isla Vista on accident so I stopped for a rest. Then rode the 45 miles home, which racked up a long 7 hours in the saddle and about 120 miles. BIG MISTAKE! But I am riding easy tomorrow so its all good.

First Race

Of the season is the Poor College Kids Road Race. I will be racing the cat 3s at nine in the morning and I am very excited because the off season has gotten a bit monotonous but still fun. I am just ready to be back in a race even if I don't win, which I hope I will do anyways. I have remained relatively healthy this off season, which is exciting. I am now ready for Valley of the Sun again because I found a replacement fork for the TT bike. After the camp I am just really excited to start racing and getting results that will help ease my way over to Europe this season, because Michael Heitz had answers I was looking for to clarify the questions I had for racing over seas.
Hope to see you out there racing, and always be two steps ahead of the race.

Sam

My first blog entry

Well hello to anyone reading this. I have just tested my fitness for the upcoming race season at the SCNCA junior camp and I rode pretty well, still pushing some harder gears at a slower cadence but the power output has skyrocketed this off season because of it. I am excited to start the season up with a few local opening road races and crits then off to Valley of the Sun from February 13th through the 15th. If I get a good result there hopefully I will be able to make it across the sea in midseason.

Well anyways, I have to finish homework so I can get good grades and graduate.

More to come soon.