Tuesday, February 24, 2009
I crashed
today on my way home from school I crashed on my fix gear cause my foot slipped and my leg locked up and I was bucked from the bicycle. I have some nice road rash on the left side of my body. Ill be fine.
Valley of the Sun and Ontario Races
Two weekends wednesdays ago i left ventura to make my multistop trip to Arizona to race VOS. Wednesday I rode easy with teammate Dominic Galenti IV. Thursday drove to Blythe, CA with good friend Eric Bennett of Now MS Society. Did an easy ride with a few openers to prepare for the time trial the following day and was even chased by a pitbull - TWICE! That got the heartrate going. Friday I warmed up as best I could for the TT but was just not set up right on the bike and had less than adequate fitness due to being sick a week or two before. I had a time of 33:50 which was 57 seconds back from winner Danny Heeley. In the road race I was in a break with one 16 mile lap to go and was about to move into the overall lead when my body shut down and destroyed my hammy in the process. That injury will not leave me alone. I was still in fourth because my break mate - Stephen Leece - won and moved into first. The crit was fast and technical and I had some bowel issues before hand so my warm up was less than adequate there. After I realized I couldn't get off the front I stayed in the front group while Danny Heeley went away and moved back into first with our help of blocking an all out chase.
I ended up fourth overall and Danny Heeley, Stephen Leece and Connor O'Leary took first through third respectively.
Ontario #1 -
I drove from Ventura down to Ontario on Friday to ride with team mate and one of my best friends Ryan Cleveland and his little brother Marcelo (also a good friend). I stayed at there house (thank you so much!) and rode with the team Saturday on the Cow Ride. There was a crash and 4 or so people went down the worst of all being Jim Bosco who dislocated and broke his elbow(?). Sunday morning we all woke up around 6 (I slept till about 630) and then ate some homemade oatmeal and toast (all food thanks to Cecilia "Cici" Cleveland). Ryan and I left at 730 to ride to the course and then got registered and rode the trainers then went to the start line. I attacked from the gun (trademark). Was brought back and countered by teammate Andrew Ramage (wanted him to win) who was also brought back and countered by yours truly. Before I knew it I had a sizeable gap and about a lap later I look back and see a few guys bridging up. In the break was Ramage Damage, Mr. Britain himself - Danny Heeley, and three others. We worked well together and I attacked with two laps to go and was brought back with about a half lap to go and told Damage to counter but he was fried. I have no sprint so I sat on Danny and Jorges wheel to take third, with Ramage fifth. A major shout out to the best team ever, blocking everything that went and helping a ton. Josh, Ryan and Dave were life savers in that race.
The cat 3 race came and I got in a few breaks, dealt with a few idiots, most from Ironfly and took ninth in the sprint I guess.
Up next is the Southern Nevada Stage Race which starts Saturday.
I ended up fourth overall and Danny Heeley, Stephen Leece and Connor O'Leary took first through third respectively.
Ontario #1 -
I drove from Ventura down to Ontario on Friday to ride with team mate and one of my best friends Ryan Cleveland and his little brother Marcelo (also a good friend). I stayed at there house (thank you so much!) and rode with the team Saturday on the Cow Ride. There was a crash and 4 or so people went down the worst of all being Jim Bosco who dislocated and broke his elbow(?). Sunday morning we all woke up around 6 (I slept till about 630) and then ate some homemade oatmeal and toast (all food thanks to Cecilia "Cici" Cleveland). Ryan and I left at 730 to ride to the course and then got registered and rode the trainers then went to the start line. I attacked from the gun (trademark). Was brought back and countered by teammate Andrew Ramage (wanted him to win) who was also brought back and countered by yours truly. Before I knew it I had a sizeable gap and about a lap later I look back and see a few guys bridging up. In the break was Ramage Damage, Mr. Britain himself - Danny Heeley, and three others. We worked well together and I attacked with two laps to go and was brought back with about a half lap to go and told Damage to counter but he was fried. I have no sprint so I sat on Danny and Jorges wheel to take third, with Ramage fifth. A major shout out to the best team ever, blocking everything that went and helping a ton. Josh, Ryan and Dave were life savers in that race.
The cat 3 race came and I got in a few breaks, dealt with a few idiots, most from Ironfly and took ninth in the sprint I guess.
Up next is the Southern Nevada Stage Race which starts Saturday.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
If you want to know what pickles my socks....
It is that even looking at rain in lycra can make me sick so these days when it is raining make me angry cause I am left inside bored out of my mind. I worked all day and now am out to ride the trainer and read Beowulf.
I am leaving town Wednesday to go to the Inland Empire to ride with teammates and sell some bike stuff and get ready to leave for Arizona in the AM of Thursday to race Valley Of the Sun. This is a race that pisses me off more than anything and I love it. I want to win so bad that its annoying and addicting at the same time. I have a feeling of being married to it because its evil but I can't help but do everything for it. It is early season yet I want to be flying for it but if I am there is a good chance of slowing down later. This year I have a TT bike with aero wheels and legs that match the magnitude of the bike. I have a team to work with in the RR and teammates to lead out in the crit. It's awesome and I can't wait.
Well I am off to train some more so its easier to beat Chester.
I am leaving town Wednesday to go to the Inland Empire to ride with teammates and sell some bike stuff and get ready to leave for Arizona in the AM of Thursday to race Valley Of the Sun. This is a race that pisses me off more than anything and I love it. I want to win so bad that its annoying and addicting at the same time. I have a feeling of being married to it because its evil but I can't help but do everything for it. It is early season yet I want to be flying for it but if I am there is a good chance of slowing down later. This year I have a TT bike with aero wheels and legs that match the magnitude of the bike. I have a team to work with in the RR and teammates to lead out in the crit. It's awesome and I can't wait.
Well I am off to train some more so its easier to beat Chester.
Forgot to blog
Well two weeks ago was a weekend of debauchery cause I was sick, which lasted all the way through the week til poor college kids road race. Still feeling sick I completed one lap then pulled out succumbing to blown legs and mucus filled lungs and nose.
Day two was Mothballs. I got up and drove up feeling better than the day before but I couldn't eat in the morning, because I would feel sick to my stomache so I had a half eaten bowl of oatmeal in my car all day long. Talk about gross! Well the threes started and I just rode the race thinking i was gonna feel like crap. The opposite was true and I felt great. I made it into a few moves and did a few solo efforts racking up a few primes and blocking for teammates. In the end no matter where Dominic Galenti (teammate) and I went, we were blocked and forced back as if the racers were all against us. Ryan Cleveland ended up 7th and Kevin Miller was 14th. Dom and I ended up 29th and 33rd.
here is my race report to the team:
As some of you may have heard I was seriously ill from Sunday til Thursday last week, and still was feeling the affects this weekend. Saturday I drove up to Los Olivos to race the Poor College Kids Road Race. In the threes, the pace was pretty mellow for the first quarter of the race then the pace ramped up at the turn around and I hung on until the hill then shattered. I rode in and called it a day.
Day two at Mothballs turned out a bit better. In the 3s I got in a couple breaks and won a few primes but both Dom (Little) and I were shut out of the sprint by the sworming peleton, but Ryan ended up in 7th and Kevin was 14th and Dom and I were 29th and 33rd respectively.
The junior race started out well with all of us working together and covering everything that needed to be covered and Ryan and I spent most of the time chasing down break attempts and working so others could do well, so we decided one of us was to be the lead out and he covered an attack with 2 to go so he was spent so for the final lap I went to the front and hammered and came around the final corner first followed by two non sprinters then came Josh with Dom, Dave, and Geoffrey on his wheel who took the first four spots in the sprint. The relegation is the story that followed that will go in history books in a few years.
That is it for now.
Sam Simmons
Day two was Mothballs. I got up and drove up feeling better than the day before but I couldn't eat in the morning, because I would feel sick to my stomache so I had a half eaten bowl of oatmeal in my car all day long. Talk about gross! Well the threes started and I just rode the race thinking i was gonna feel like crap. The opposite was true and I felt great. I made it into a few moves and did a few solo efforts racking up a few primes and blocking for teammates. In the end no matter where Dominic Galenti (teammate) and I went, we were blocked and forced back as if the racers were all against us. Ryan Cleveland ended up 7th and Kevin Miller was 14th. Dom and I ended up 29th and 33rd.
here is my race report to the team:
As some of you may have heard I was seriously ill from Sunday til Thursday last week, and still was feeling the affects this weekend. Saturday I drove up to Los Olivos to race the Poor College Kids Road Race. In the threes, the pace was pretty mellow for the first quarter of the race then the pace ramped up at the turn around and I hung on until the hill then shattered. I rode in and called it a day.
Day two at Mothballs turned out a bit better. In the 3s I got in a couple breaks and won a few primes but both Dom (Little) and I were shut out of the sprint by the sworming peleton, but Ryan ended up in 7th and Kevin was 14th and Dom and I were 29th and 33rd respectively.
The junior race started out well with all of us working together and covering everything that needed to be covered and Ryan and I spent most of the time chasing down break attempts and working so others could do well, so we decided one of us was to be the lead out and he covered an attack with 2 to go so he was spent so for the final lap I went to the front and hammered and came around the final corner first followed by two non sprinters then came Josh with Dom, Dave, and Geoffrey on his wheel who took the first four spots in the sprint. The relegation is the story that followed that will go in history books in a few years.
That is it for now.
Sam Simmons
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