I have my fingers crossed...

I love this sport...

79

Instead of riding my bike at all today I ate a bunch of cookies that Joel brought to the shop. Brilliant!

want.

I know it's lame... I admit it. But I still want them.

80

What should have been a 60+ mile ride was cut short by some bad luck.

We were out east with Jim and two of the Kazane guys enjoying the insanely favorable weather. Out near Charles City Jim split off to go hang out with his kid and we continued on our way to Roxbury and the dirt road before looping back in the same way. We rolled up to the mini mart by Charles City Rd to refill water. I noticed some fire trucks and a police cruiser down the road but didn't think anything of it. Some random woman asked if it was our friend who got hurt because she saw a bicycle down by the accident. It had been a while since we left Jim and I didn't think it was him but rolled over there anyway to see what was going on leaving everyone else at the store. As I pulled up I saw Jim's bike with a mangled front wheel and a VERY large truck.

I freaked out assuming the worst. The officer assured me that Jim was OK so after I calmed down a bit the cop asked if I could get someone to come move his bike (nice). Sarah was able to and I waited around for her while the rest of the guys went on their way.

Long story short Jim went to the hospital but is a-ok. His bike is not a-ok. The lady driving tried to pass him on the left after he signaled and started to turn left onto Charles City Rd. Nice.

Wear you helmet folks. Jim's is broken but his head is not.

81

No ride today. Work work work.

82

Awesome ride today. Met up with Pete Henry and Zachshaw to ride trails at Poorfarm Park. It's crazy how ninety minutes of trail riding feels like 3 hours on the road. I took the Cannondale 29r singlespeed demo bike from the shop. That bike is so sick. I totally believe the hype for the big wheels. Zach was blowing my doors off at times. He's going to be tough to beat in the single-speed races next year.

I'm not sure when I am going to ride trails next but it has to be soon...

83

Woke up early after staying up until about 1 with the family playing Memory Madness. Opened up presents (work boots! drill! sweet!). The plan was to do about 50 or so miles of riding today down to Quantico Marine Base then back up and around Nokesville. I first did this ride about a year after I got into road riding. I ended up adding on more small loops until I got to about 75 miles, which was at the time the longest ride I had done yet. I rarely get to ride up in Nokeville and it's a shame. The roads are as empty as the east end of Richmond and the terrain is just a bit flatter than the Ashland area. Perfect area for a relaxing ride.

After a big breakfast of home made waffles, fried apples, and scrapple I contracted a case of the itis and took a nap. We planned to ride at noon. We actually got rolling after 2. A 3+ hour ride was out of the question with the amount of daylight so we settled on 25 miles of rolling country roads around Nokesville. Perfect pace for a holiday ride. Back at the parent's house wearing compression socks and waiting the for the seafood stew to be completed.

Tonight it's back to RVA to feed the cats and so Sarah can work at 8 tomorrow. For me it's a nice day off and trip up to Poorfarm park with some of the CBC dudes for some mountain biking.

84

Xmas eve. Closed up shop early and headed back to nova to spend time with the family. No riding today.

Always good to be home. My parents always hook up the food properly.

85

40 minutes on the rollers at 7am. Nothing special. 5 minutes of leg-speed and a few 3 minute intervals. Just enough to get the metabolism firing on all cylinders.

86

Countdown.... time is running out.

Old stuff...

I really miss being in a shitty hardcore band...


My War @ Nanci Raygun

Beer and wine.

Makes my friends extra funny sometimes.

Wow, Bin22 sucks!

I have never understood why this place has to be such a painful establishment to deal with. The staff is ALWAYS rude, the coffee is mediocre, and just now I tried to order a bunch of their appetizers and was told the "don't do carry out anymore". How hard is it to put your food in a container so I can come give you money for it? On top of all this they have their "we don't take cards" policy which really just means "we don't take cards during the day". I am constantly reminded why I will always walk a block past this place to Can Can for a cup of coffee...
I was about to spend about $100 on appetizers. Ukrop's gets my money tonight. Thanks for nothing douche-bags!

Siiiiiick....

Support cycling... support Craig!

Craig Dodson of Richmond Pro Cycling is up for the '08 Crocs Inspiring Sole Award. This award recognizes five "athletes who have dedicated their lives to raising awareness for meaningful causes." Voting is easy and if you uncheck the box at the bottom you won't get the Crocs email newsletter. Best of all, if Craig wins he'll get $25k to the charity of his choice and a full profile in Outside Magazine. Above is a picture of Craig racing with Mike Stoop of Team Mountain Khakis (then Time Pro). Both of these teams will be rocking Kazane frames and wheels in '09.

Had a solid team ride with the guys today. Alli, Beckmann, Robert, Jim, and Ben were all present and accounted for. Johnny Pham from the VCU team joined us as well (Troy is out in Kansas city racing at cycocross nats). Did about 50 miles out east. Alli got cold and Jim had to peel off early for family stuff leaving just the five of us.

Everyone is riding really well which on further emphasizes how out of shape I am. Compared to this time last year everyone is in a completely different place with their fitness. Good stuff.

Got back around 1, took a shower, then back to CBC to meet up with the guys again to talk business for next year. After chowing down on 4 burgers from Weezie' Kitchen we talked business. Big things are in store for the team I think. More out of town races for sure.

Over the weekend we also added J.H. Revere aka the cycling attorney as a sponsor. Every bit helps my guys get to races when they are a bunch of broke full time students. Guys like J.H. make a huge difference for us. Thanks man...

B

Rat and Jeff camping in the Everglades...

Two words: Brokeback Swamp.

I wear too many hats

When I was younger I always thought that the hard decision would get easier as I grew. Turns out they only get harder and come more often. I don't get any pleasure from this kind of stuff. Nothing to do but shrug it off and Gorilla Biscuits.

2009

I am really excited about the 2009 race season. The way things are shaping up there will be 10-12 race days out at Southside Speedway with 8 of them being exclusively track races. From mid-March to mid-May there will be a weekly Tuesday night race.

I am expanding to A, B, and C races to make things a bit more fair for beginner riders and adding gear restrictions to the C race as well.

It even looks like we will have a few rental bikes for people to use who want to try track racing for the first time.

The first race is still 4 months away but I cant help getting amped up already. Sweet!

Starr

BWM + cross tires + drop bars = ???

Most fun fixed bike ever.

So I have been kicking around the idea of doing some grass track races here in Richmond this winter. In the summer I built up a completely over the top custom Brooklyn Gangsta Track for the pure irony of it. Today I switched out the dorky risers, bmx stem, and road tires for some 700x30 Michelin Jet cross tires, some ergo drops, and an extra road stem I had lying around. Also geared it at 49x20. Riding to work this morning was the best commute in a while. Super smooth ride and chill gear is the best idea ever and the cross tires make it look kindof like a monster truck. I think I have a few friends considering getting steamrollers to do the same thing to. Fat tires are where it's at.

That's it...

Recently

Screaming Trees are one of those bands I missed back when I was rocking out to Nirvana and Mudhoney. This is probably my favorite song from them but to be honest there is not a single song of theirs I don't enjoy.



I completely missed the boat on Seaweed. Better late than never.



Quicksand usually end up getting some time on the speakers around the same time Seaweed and Screaming Trees do.

No expanation needed...

More Trashmore CX photos...

taken by BJ Samuel. They are HERE.

Mud.

BERLIN KEIRIN AD from Danny Baarz on Vimeo.

Today...

I killed the CAT5 BAR.

Perks of living in the county...

A three hour ride from the shop equals a 4 hour ride when it's 30 minutes each way from the house.

Rode with Alli, Hatton, Starr, Mia, Sarah, and The Rat. Sarah's back has been acting up which cut her ride short. Rat was not "feeling it" and left half way up Old Gun. I was surprised with how well Mia and Starr held up on the ride. Just base miles but still longer than they are usually riding. The CBC women's team should be a good thing if they stay focused.

After the ride a trip to the Great Big Greenhouse and Home Depot to get some supplies for the plant room in the house.

Rocking out on late 90's mindless youth crew hardcore still makes me happy...

Ten Yard Fight were the pinnacle of the retarded '88 rehash to me. I was (and still am) more partial to the more progressive hardcore that was coming out at this time but I would be lying if I told you TYF did not make me want to freak out...





When talking about '88 rehash you can't overlook Better Than A Thousand. Ray Cappo may be a complete moron but Just One was a great record.

I hate smokers

Really I do.

The drive home

Going to "Robert Is Here" is another one of those family traditions I have taken part in since before I can remember. In Homested, Florida right off RT1 is a fruit stand that over the years evolved into a family owned market with their own brand of everything from jellies to steak sauce.

It always nice to end a trip to Florida with a stop here and take with you enough preserves and other stuff to last through the next few years. It is the only place I have ever seen mango butter.

Miami Tropical Bonsai

I have been coming here for about 10 years. 275 dollars later I have a new pot for Sarah's scheflera, quality soil, and two ficus trees to work on.

The nursery has a nice and simple Japanese influenced garden out front that gave Sarah and I some good ideas for the back yard.

Too late to make it to the gardens but we did get to see a family of 5 racoons.

Day 6

Going back up to the Miami area again today. This time to see Fairchild Tropical Gardens. I have been a few times in my life but Sarah has never been. FTG is a HUGE botanical garden just south of Miami.
Still have yet to ride this week. Normally that would bother me but its not for lack of staying busy.

Walked down the steps to take out the trash this morning a made an interesting discovery. Inside one of the open trashcans was a very rough looking Opossum. I'm guessing he had been in there at least a day or two. He was looking VERY dehydrated and tired enough that he was not interested in hissing and thrashing around. I put down a dish of water and some pretzels in the corner and put the trash can on its side. When we left he was still in there. As soon as I figure out how to upload pictures from my phone I will...

hork

Got food poisoning. Threw up 4 times while snorkling. Turns out fish love barf. I was surrounded by 500 very happy fish. I have not thrown up since I was 5. I'm not saying I enjoyed blowing chunks but it was essentially a new experience for me. Interesting. I actually was instantly surrounded by fish which was pretty cool.

Also saw a 5 foot long barracuda. Much cooler than watching mongoloids stagger around Key West.

Day 1

Left work at about 5:30 Friday and rushed home. Let the dogs out. Parents arrived a short bit later followed by Sarah. After grabbing food, packing, and giving the pet sitter some last minute instructions it was into the van and onto the highway. The drive began at 7:30PM. About 18 hours later we rolled into Marathon Key in south Florida. We did make a stop in a south Florida park which I really don't remember much of. Went to the grocery store, cooked some burgers, passed out with the plan being to get up early Sunday and begin vacation for real.

Late...

I don't pretend to be up on current music. I stopped actively seeking out new stuff a few years ago. I'm not bored with the records I own so why spend money on new ones? I finally got a few new things that actually get me as excited as the old standbys.

Cursed-III: Amazing. The first time I listened to it I hated it. After I and II this is a big change. The production is VERY different. But after a few listens it is really growing on me. Just as brutal (usually an overused adjective but oh so appropriate when talking about this band). One of the select few hardcore bands that I have heard in the last 5 years that is actually putting out groundbreaking material. Alas I hear they called it quits...



Disfear-Live The Storm: It's been a long time since a band gave me the unstoppable urge to circle-pit in my own room. Motorhead meets 90s hardcore meets crust. I would even crawl out of my hole in Northside to catch these guys live. I just wanna get it off! Get it off my back!

Not really sure what is up withe Mountain Dew Images... but this is the first track off the album in question...



And... while looking for clips I discovered that Cursed made a low-budget music video...

Note to self...

Racing back to back cross races the same day is not nearly as fun as racing back to back crits.

I pretty much hate all politicians...

I gave up on voting a few years back when it finally occurred to me that it doesn't matter if a guys campaign sign is red or blue; his 6 figure income ass will never actually have my interests truly in mind and all the side issues are just that... a distraction. I can't remember the last time I heard one of these guys actually answer a question with anything that resembled a clear answer. But this November I am going to actually vote. Why the change of policy? My friend Julie was talking with Sarah about voting and shares part of my sentiment but made a good point. Obama is viewed by the international community with emotions ranging from "appreciation" to "not total hatred and disgust" whereas our current fearless leader ranges somewhere between "total disgust" and "pure I want to bomb your country over and over hatred". So a vote for Obama is a vote to reduce my chances of getting blown up or exposed to some nasty poison. Finally a political issue I can really get behind. Selfish self preservation. Plus he looks cooler on a track bike than McCain.

Courtesy of Ipsofatso.

This just in... Bush: "Lot of work to do before leaving office"

I know how he feels. When I lived on Pine St. in Oregon Hill we (and by we I mean Keith Browne) put all kinds of holes in the walls along with other random damage to the property. When it was time to move out we also had a "lot of work to do before leaving." Good luck G.W. and get moving... those holes in the walls from that Tequila bender are not going to patch themselves.

Ouch my life.

Today kicked off the cyclocross season for this particular slacker. A brand new course with elevation changes a-plenty promised to deliver some serious pain. Since injury took me out back in late July I have had exactly 5 days of real riding and about 10 more days of soft-pedaling to work and back. Not exactly the best prep for cyclocross. ESPECIALLY not for a season opener with this much up-hill.
I have never been the type to walk into a pool slowly. I know the water is cold and it's always better to just jump in and get that initial shock to the system over with. So what better way to dust off the cobwebs?
I lined up in the back C race (hey... I'm a lazy cat4 after all). No delusions of grandeur for this guy. I knew the next 30 minutes were going to kick my ass so I opted to just stay out of the way. 5 laps later I was ready to keel over but at least I passed a few guys who seemed to be having a worse day than me.
Don't be fooled though... I still had a great time. Like mountain biking, cross is one of those things I am really bad at but still thoroughly enjoy. What made it even better is that I did not feel nearly as bad out there as I expected to. The legs actually felt pretty OK (but the lungs were no amused by the effort).
Tomorrow's race in Bryan Park should be better. The flat course suits my lack of fitness a bit better and I always seem to race just a little bit better the 2nd day of a back to back weekend.

The best news of the day was Beckmann winning his first cross race. Starting out he said he kept thinking "I'm going to crash, this is going to suck, I am going to break my bike!" As it turns out he doesn't suck and along with fellow first timer Marc Warner of TNP/3sports, rode away from the C field. On the final uphill Beckmann put in a hard attack on Marc right before the stairs and was able to keep his gap to the finish. Guess you'll be racing the B tomorrow, eh Brian?

I could only hang around for the first lap of the A/B race because Sarah and I had to go watch Keck get married. I was there long enough to see Andrew Troy attacking the shit out of the B field. My high hopes for a Team CBC double were later squashed by text message later that day when I learned that he flatted and was a DNF. Better luck tomorrow...

Interesting stuff...

Amoro Supermotard. Pointless? Very. Cool anyway? Very.


Mike Giant has a show going on at White Walls in San Francisco. I was lucky enough to be tattooed by this artist before he retired from skin work to focus on gallery art. His love of bikes is obvious in many of the works he is currently producing.

Tribute to Theo Bos. Always good when fixed gear culture bothers to reference track cycling.

I'm kicking myself for not thinking of this one.


A few drawings were projected and painted on the walls as well. I have always be a huge fan of Mike Giant's style. Brutally simple and so much cleaner than I could ever hope to be. More info about this show is at the Rebel8 blog.

Watching the debate tonight is proving to be a good way to relax after a hard day of moving work. This is some of the best comedy this side of The Daily Show. In Gov. Palin the GOP has somehow managed to produce a candidate that is even more detached from reality than Bush was when he got started. This moron is on stage either talking in circles or flat out refusing to answer questions by changing the subject. My favorite moments have to be the ones where Palin is rambling on about something and in the split screen Biden has this grin on his face that clealy says "are you kidding me bitch?"

We got the house....

Signed the papers and got the keys. Life is good.

Projects for the next 365 days.
1. convert garage to art studio / workshop
2. create amazing Japanese style garden in back yard
3. build desks for study/craft room
4. build privacy fence
5. renovate bathroom
6. renovate kitchen
7. create amazing perennial/butterfly garden
8. create HUGE vegetable garden
9. plant cypress, redbud, and other trees
10. build chicken coop
11. install gutters
12. get rain barrells
13. build fish pond
14. renovate laundry room
15. renovate front porch
16. put up lots of bird houses/feeders

That should keep me busy.

New bike project...

I'll be the first to admit that this bike is somewhat retarded... just to get that out of the way.

Brooklyn Machine Works frame built in Brooklyn of all places.
The Chub Hub is back and I laced it up to some of the new H+Son rims. 42mm deep. Same as a Shamal but with standard spoke nipples.

Hyphy bars from the guys out in California.
Does this bike look ridiculous? Yes. Is it super comfortable and fun to ride around? Yes and yes.

Bike messengers....

Had a conversation with a guy today in the shop in his 60's that was a bike messenger in the 70's. Hip problems took him off the bike a while ago but he had both hips replaced a last year and now he is riding again like an addict. He was telling me about how he keeps seeing so many kids around on track bikes and it blows his mind.

To my whiny emo friends... you know who you are...

HOLY SHIT!

God bless the internet! You can all think the Metal Inquisition blog for this gem.

Losing my mind...

I found out today that if all goes as it should we will be closing on the house next Tuesday. The next week will hold much racing around finding missing paperwork, tons of stress, and hopefully the actual act of closing. On top of all this I am sick. Skipped out on riding this morning and went to the gym instead. This turned out to be a good move because as the day went on I started to feel worse and I imagine a few hours of riding this morning would not have exactly made it better. This feels like one of those 24 hour bugs so hopefully I will be feeling better tomorrow.

4:30 pm... Cary St.

Guy in a chicken suit enjoying a beer in front of Moshi Moshi. Does this need an explanation? I think not.

Oatmeal cookies

Normally I am more of a chocolate chip guy but there is something different about Sarah's oatmeal cookies. Delicious.

First for real ride in two months. Did about 3 hours with some of the team and others. Weather could not have been any better. I was hurting at times (out of shape) and the saddle seemed worse (need to toughen up) but I can't complain.
Only one downside. 3/4 of the way through the ride Beckmann managed to throw his chain as he was getting ready to sprint after Troy. This was just dumb luck and it threw his balance completely off and he basically just fell over. Sarah C rolled over him and ate it as well almost rolling across the street into an oncoming car. I was ahead and looked back in time to see her almost get squashed and it was really messed up to watch. After everyone got up and was ok Sarah said when she went down she was most worried about having the borrowed bike she was riding go under that car. Luckily aside from a bit of road rash no body was hurt and hopefully this gets our annual stupid training ride crash out of the way.
Still I feel amazing. Got back, took a shower, now it's time to hit up Kroger for some lunch and dinner fixings.

To everyone racing this weekend... good luck. See you later.

Outlaw Earth...

Well it may not be the best name for a bag but the bags are nice. A nice mix of features from Chrome and Timbuk2. Kevin Dillard of Demoncats came down and did a photoshoot for their catalog and some of the CBC staff (including myself) along with Andrew Alli helped out.

Back on the bike...

After almost eight weeks out I got back on the road bike yesterday to spin around the riverside drive route. Feels amazing to be riding again but damn I am in terrible shape.

Oh well... 8:30 am ride tomorrow with the Sarahs and some pro speed-skater. Next week the training starts.

This just in... The Rat cops to doping...

Jeff over at "actions speak" broke the story late Wednesday night. In the last two days there was much speculation as to weather the man known only as "The Rat" would indeed come forward and admit to using performance enhancing drugs. Now the truth is out. I can only hope that Tyler Hamilton will see this act of transparency and be inspired to reveal the location of his disappearing twin.

Hyphy Bars

We got in Hyphy Bars this week. These are hand built out in California. Much cooler than the average riser bar and amazing light for a cro-mo bar. 25.4 clamp only for now. Word is a 31.8 is on the way though. White or black, 2" or 3" rise. $60.I could not resist putting some on my Olmo for the time being. I'll end up up putting them on the Brooklyn frame I have in the works. But for now they are here. The grip is a big larger than standard so they don't take brakelevers and it's a stretch to put on grips but they do set up nice.

Hyphy bars, chub hubs, gangsta track and more...

I'll post up more tomorrow.

Ukrops ground beef seasoned Sauers hamburger spices.
Fresh tomatos
Mixed greens
More cous cous (what can I say... I'm predictable)
<$5

New cross rig

Traded the old frame straight up for a new one... upgraded the fork... painted it obnoxious green. Now I just have to wait a few more weeks to ride it.

Pine-nut cous cous
Tilapia cooked in olive oil and adobo
Field greens
$3.22

My life changed....

...the first time I listened.

I don't get it

The idea of protesting at the Republican National Convention is totally lost on me. Sure lots of shitty policy comes out of that half of our government but the same can easily be said about the other half as well. Making a stink and getting arrested does not exactly accomplish anything and it certainly is not going to change the minds of those who feel strongly enough about the GOP to go to the convention in the first place. Seriously all the dirt balls protesting should just stay home. Think about all the gas you can save by NOT going out to do this kind of thing. If you knuckleheads could not be counted on for this kind of douchebaggery each year I would think they would have to invest less time and state money in putting a bunch of cops out there to keep an eye on you. Besides trying to disrupt a group's little get together just because you disagree with them seems so... I don't know... un-American? I don't mean that in the silly waving flags way but more in the freedom of speech way. They have the right to their opinions too. Spend your time volunteering at a Democratic candidates campaign headquarters or something if you feel that strongly about sharing your views... in November we will see who comes out on top. My money is that the winner will be a carreer politician who makes far more money than I do and really does not have any reason to keep the interests of average citizen in mind. All this posturing and grandstanding is just silly.

Not MY national champion...

So Hamilton is going to wear the stars and stripes jersey next year... wow. I wonder if they will give him an extra jersey for that disappearing twin of his. Chimera my ass... that guy is still scum in my book.

Trash

Gearing up to move is always a pain in the ass. I dread the day of moving box after box of personal affects from house to truck to new house. So in the interest of moving less crap I am taking steps to purge myself of shit I just don't need. So far a bag of clothes is going to charity and pretty much all the comic books I have left are getting donated to Stories comic shop. Shoes are up next. Then who knows. Buying a house is a big step for me and I'm enjoying the prospect of using this turning point to make other changes and tie up loose ends.

WTF?

I'm as straight as the line that Boonen sniffs up his nose
And I'm as hard as the meth Ondrej Sosenka slams into his veins...

I'm going to have straight edge revenge on these dumbshits if they don't stop doing this stupid crap...

WTF? METH? What fucking year is this? Did all of the Czech Republic become a trailer park?

I'm not as funny as I think...

But who cares...

Bones touching!

No more 8mm gap between the two haves of my left collarbone. While they are still overlapping (and always will be) they are at least touching and there is even a hint of cloudiness in the xray around the break that signifies that a calcium deposit is starting to build up around the break. That means it is actually starting to heal. Finally. Still going to be off the bike for a while but at least I know things will end up running their course without any major problems. I just have to be patient.

Stress...

Stress is not having any idea if your broken bone has actually decided to start healing after 5 weeks. Getting another xray tomorrow and I really hope there are some signs that the bone is knitting. Trying to be optimistic is hard when I know that the alternative is surgery that I can't actually afford. Especially because I am trying to buy this:
It does not look like much now but if we buy it I have some big plans. That building in the background is a decent size garage that I will totally convert into an art studio. Plenty of room for the dogs too because the house is on a double lot. Crossing my fingers on this.

Holy shit.

What I just heard blew my mind. I'll just leave it at that.

End of the season...

So the road season is essentially at an end. Looking back I have to say this was the most fun year of racing I have had since I started 7 years ago. With the help of some photos by Kevin Dillard of Demoncats I wanted to go over some of the people and things that made this season what it was for me.

Easily the biggest part of making this year great has been the team. When I started the CBC u23 team last year I had high hopes for everyone but things still managed to exceed my expectations. Not only on the bike but off the guys have really come a long way. At all the races I put on this year I never had to ask anyone twice to help out. From running registration to moving wayward port-a-johns off the course there were always extra hands to help make any task easier. When I had to be taken to the hospital before the Circuit Race ended I knew things would be ok because I am part of a great team of selfless individuals.
This lack of ego on the team has been one of it's greatest strengths. Not a single member is EVER afraid to get on the front and work hard. I see so many people that just sit in and wait and while that's fine I would much rather race with people who want to put their head out in the wind and make something happen.

What has grown into our cat 3 team is one of the biggest successes this season. With the exception of Robert all of the guys were Cat5's back in January. Within a few months Andrew Alli and Ben Rickey moved up to cat3. Robert followed recently and in the 2nd half of the season Andrew Troy joined the team add a 4th cat3 to the squad. Brian Beckmann is not far from getting his upgrade as well. Next year should be interesting in the cat 123 and 3 races.

As the most experienced member of the team Robert was tapped to be the captain. His ability to stay cool in any situation and no bullshit attitude has rubbed off on the less experienced guys and been a major plus.

When not busy "getting real" Brian was usually found either working his ass off in races or getting the guys fired up before hand.
With almost no sound at all Ben Rickey had a great first year of racing. From some great collegiate results to a top 5 at Jefferson Cup and on though the rest of the year he has followed the Rickey family tradition of racing bikes like he means business.I think it took him almost all season to realize it but Ben Hatton is actually pretty fast. I knew it all along that he was going to put things together but when he made Rich Harper of Inferno Racing work all the way to the line during a match sprint it made everyone sit up and take notice. While he did not win that time it's not every day you see someone who was cat5 a few weeks earlier push a sponsored Cat1 all the way to the line. All this while wearing Ray Bans.
Andrew's kick in the final 200 meters of a race caused people to take notice from day one. It's no secret now that he has the kind of finishing speed to win races. Last year all he wanted to do was race track bikes. One year later he is just as amped on road racing and has really started to learn the moves that it takes to put himself in the right spot in those last few laps of a crit to put that sprint to use.
Andrew Troy was a late addition to the team but he had no trouble fitting right in. Andrew had been racing with most of the other guys during the collegiate season. Shortly after joining up he won the Cat3 Mill Mountain Time Trial bringing the team some more accolades.
Last summer at Bryan Park I tapped Mark on the shoulder during the B race and said "let's go". At the time Mark was riding for Nature's Path / 3sport. By the end of the day I had launched Mark to a solo victory and we both knew we wanted to be on the same team next year. Mark joined the U23 team as a mentor and has been a great influence on the guys. Unfortunately we are losing Mark to St. Louis next year. I hear the racing scene is great out there and some team is going to be extremely lucky to have him as a member.
Mike Oughton was one of the very first (if not the first) to sign up for the CBC club team. He has managed to line up at the starting line about 30 times this year and still manages to get his two sons out there to race as juniors as well. A great guy all around Mike will be taking over as the director of the club team this year so I can focus 100% on the u23 team. I know the club is going to be in good hands.

Richmond has WAY more than it's fair share of really great people in the cycling community.
John Messersmith is one of those guys. Despite being on a rival team he decided to sponsor the CBC u23 team. His donation helped get the guys to some races they probably would not have made it to otherwise.
Jim Temple is one of those guys that you only have to talk to for 15 seconds and know he is a good person through and through. Jim remains completely ageless at heart and his ability to always maintain a positive attitude and a sense of humor is something rare. As one of the other mentors of the u23 team Jim's good will and good humor have always kept everyone around him smiling.
JH Revere is another one of the people who makes this town great for cycling. When word got out that the final Go Fast Turn Left race was in financial difficulty this year he was one of the first people who contacted me about donating some money to make sure it happened. Because of a family vacation he could not even be there but wanted to do what he could to make sure the race happened. His wife and two sons race as well and the Revere cycling family has been at almost every race I have ever put on and often out there helping make it happen. At the Bryan Park Circuit race JH and his two sons were up at 7am sweeping the course while his wife Susan spent most of the day helping with registration. The whole Revere clan races for Team Altius and stood to gain nothing by helping out. Their selfless commitment to cycling in Richmond should be an inspiration to everyone.
Speaking of inspiration you cant make a list of people in Richmond who contribute to bike racing with out Matt Marchal. Matt has volunteered as medical personnel for not only most of the races I have put on but just about every race in Richmond . Thanks to his good work and good humor there are two kinds of bike racers in this town: those who have received medical attention from Dr. Matt and those who have been lucky enough not to crash yet. Personal physician to the majority of the community, nice guy, and a great petanque player. All this and he works for wine and t-shirts!




Sarah Caravella and Julie Kuliecza. Two of the local women not afraid to mix it up in the men's races. Sarah because she is a bad-ass pro cyclist and Julie because she is trying hard to be a bad-ass pro cyclist and knows the best way to get there is to do the hardest races she can find. At the final Southside Speedway race she finished the Men's 123 race in the top 20 beating out PLENTY of guys. More women should be looking to these two for inspiration and hopefully they will be helping to mentor the CBC women's team next year that Starr and my Sarah are putting together.
Speaking of my Sarah it's no secret she is the glue that keeps my chaotic life in one piece. I get the credit but if it was not for her work on race day none of my events would actually work out at all. Next time you see her at a race make sure you thank her and not me for all the hard work that goes into putting one bike races because I assure you she deserves it more than I do. Sarah took this year off racing but will be coming back swinging next year with the CBC women's team.
Speaking of ladies I have to mention the Rostello women's team. Karen Hanson has always made sure that her team has been out there supporting all the local races. Their club put on the state time trial this year. While personally I hate time trials somebody had to do this... ha ha.

The Rat. Probably the only racer funded 100% by ebay and iphone scams. He will be joining the cbc u23 team next year adding some more firepower to the 123 races.
Jeff Buckles. Another mentor of the U23 team that played a big role in getting the team where it is now. Next season he goes from metor to coach and will be schooling the cat 3 team on the proper way to train and I'm willing to bet money it will pay off.
I was happy to see Chad Rathbone racing again this year. His racing style can only be described with one word: fearless. Chad is the guy who is willing to attack over and over again throwing caution to the wind to make the break happen. Guys like him make racing fun and he always proves to be a worthy adversary in any race.

Jeff Brandon sets the bar in the sprint that Andrew is shooting for. For no other reason that that he is worth mentioning. Beyond that he has always been a great guy and was on one of the first roadies to realize how fun track looked and bought a track bike. Now he is hooked. Next year we have to get him up to Trexlertown. Too bad he's not on our team...

Danielle and Gilbert Craven. Probably the most organized USCF officials in the district. Despite having to pay more in gas money to get them here I will ALWAYS request they work my races. They make my life easier and are super nice to boot.

Last but not least... G Baker Ellet. If you know him you like him. Always good for a laugh. Always at the Tuesday night races with free drinks for the racers. Always with a smile on his face. On top of this he is helping Sarah and I buy our first house.

Not covered because I am getting lazy or because I don't have a good picture of them...
Stratton, Sean Yeager, Pete and Sally Swan, Craig Dodson and the rest of the RPC guys, Keck Baker, Mason Haymes, Rob Suydam, Joe Notarnacola, the whole CBC club team and anyone else I am forgetting...

Thanks for the great year!