Seattle Cyclocross #4

Quick update on the race yesterday. It went kinda lame, I was looking forward to a good showing this weekend but I just didn't have it. I had a great start 2nd to the dirt and the first half lap and made the selection for the first lap but then, after the first 2 laps I just had nothing and fadded really fast and watched my great start go down the drain. Then I rode with with dale for a while, got around him and preceded to crash a couple of times, then finally with 3 laps to go started feeling ok and gaver all I had but then preceded to not be able to stay on top of my bike... i donno what was up with that. But I finished 7th which was good. The funny part is that if would have gotten that result last year I would have been estatic, but I really should have been top 5 at least so I am a little dissapointed in that.

On a funny note, yesterday was Dan Nortans birthday, and for those of you who don't know Dan he always wears a mustache. So in his honor someone brought fake mustaches for anyone who wanted them. I got mine, it was pretty cool. here's a couple of pix of it. It might look like I am leading the race in the pics but I am second, which is still pretty cool.

Computer Software

I hate computers!!! I just got done spending hours trying to install this AutoCAD supporter software. I am taking this CAD class that we are using this Surveying software which works with CAD and I got a copy of the software so I can work on my homework at home....what a concept. So I got this program last night and it was the most convaluted install process I have ever seen! First you have to install the program then you have to go into the program and get into the lists of the program and insert the program into the lists themselfs, or something along those lines... anyway I started yesterday around 6 pm worked on iy until I went to a dinner and a movie with my mom at 8:30 or 9pm. I got home about Midnight and worked on it another hour before I went to bed. But then I couldn't sleep because it was bothering me that I couldn't get the stupif thing to work!!!! So I was up again at 6am and back on it, and finally after, what was it, 6 hours I finally got this stupid thing going!! YES! Luke-1 Computer-0. Wow I had messing with this stuff becasue I totally have better things to do but I have to say it feels good to concor this inatimate object. Well I figured I'd brag about it a little, so there it is.
In other news I am racing tommorow (even though I'd rather be racing today and tommorow in Kuntucky with the GP's) The race is at Fort Stellicom, this is always a hard course, no rest with a huge run up. I Love the run up but hate how flat the course is, I never seem to have the power on the flat courses but the run up might be my saving grace. I'll let you know how it goes, I didn't get much sleep so I might go back to bed. Late.

Luke

Oly Rads

I did the Olympia Cyclocross training session today. It was my second of the season, the other one I went to was when they were just learning the ropes of Cross now they are ripping it up out there. I forgot how cool the course at LBA park is. We got kicked out of there a couple years ago but I guess we are ok to go back know. I think I am going to go there more often especially right before the workout because there was no one there.

The boys leave for Kuntucky tommorow for the First GP's I wish I was going, but I'll be able to hit up the two stops in Portland and Then I'll go to Natz. I wish the Jrs good luck, Steve had a killer race last weekend so he is having good form going into the race, and Ian and Eric have been ridding really strong also. Well I gotta drive Chris to the airport tommorow morning so I gotta get going. Late

The Past Week

Ok so I know its been a week since I wrote in this thing but I have been massive busy!!

But I will start with last weekends race. It was at Evergreen High School which is a super fast course all grass with a couple of run ups. I was sick all the week comming into the race so I was feeling a little stale going in. I had a horible start, back in the 20's somewhere and just started methodically working my way through everyone. I definetly didn't feel good but I was not losing any ground while on the bike, but gaining gobs of time on the run ups. So I jsut started picking guys off and ended up with 2 laps to go riding with Eric fighting for 8th and 9th place. He got me and Ended up 9th. Top 10 I'll take it.

Last week was crazy at school, I had tests on back to back days in Statics and Multiveriable Calculus plus a bunch of homework to finish and by Wendsday I was smoked and ready for the weekend. The Statics test went super well and aced that, the Calc test not so much but the grade won't suffer too much. I'll do better next time.

As of last Friday Ris and I had been dating a year and a half. Wow that's a while. So she took me out on this really really cool dinner cruz around Lake Washington and Lake Union. It was so awsome, It was just us and a couple other people on this huge boat with awsome food and awesome views. I am so Lucky! Definetly a night to remember.

Ok now to Yesterday's race. It was at a normaly muddy Kelly Creek Farm, but it wasn't so muddy. The ground was just wet enough to feel really heavy. I had an awesome start made the lead group and settled in for a couple laps until the attacks started going off then couldn't hold on and settled into 5th and was a high as 4th at one point but I faded late and my teammate Steve had a killer last 2 laps and got pushed back to 7th with 4th-6th in sight. Bummer. It's another top 10 but dissapointing about how close top 5 was though. We'll giver another try this weekend at Stelicomme.

This weekend is also the first USGP of Cyclocross, which is the National series for Cyclocross, out in Kuntucky. Pretty bummed I am not going, I went to all the GP's last year on bad form and I am on good form this year and not going to any........ how did that workout? So I am pretty bummed this week, hopefully I can take it out locally and put in a good showing here. Thats all for now gotta go study. Late.

CrosstoberFest

So Saturday was CrosstoberFest, it was pretty cool, none of this UCI course regulation stuff. The course was awsome! probably the most fun race all year, and even though it wasn't part of any series racing a bunch of people came out. Even internatoinal stars like Joakim Parbo the Danish national Champ, and Adam McGrath gaced us with his presence seeing that he just so happened to be in town. But the racing was really good. I had a pretty good start up into the top 10 and settled in behind Dale, then it was a group of three in front then a chase group of 3 then Dale and me, and the Eric who had a killer race catching us and then dropping us and bridging to the chase group, with about 3 laps to go the chase blew apart and Dale bridged up to Sean but I couldn't follow and no matter how hard I tried to get back I couldn't. I am still happy about the result I think I was 8th or 9th no results are out yet, but definetly top 10 and I felt decently good. The next couple of weeks are going to be hard races for me, Evergreen and Kelly Creek, not my favorite types of racing but they should be good and hard and there is no let up of the rain in sight so they should be good and muddy also.

Late

Racing Tommorow!!!

Today's Friday which means tommorow we race. I am pretty excited to back on the race course and have a good showing with no mechanicals and throw down a good ride. This week has been pretty chill as far as training goes and pretty crazy as far as school is concerned. But I got through it with lots of power naps and late nights, (gotta love college). spending a lot of time in front of the computer montior seeing as all of my classes have some sort of computer aspect to them. I think I spent almost 6 consecutive hours in front of a computer the other day... that's rough on the eyes, but my AutoCAD class is really cool, we kind of got thrown into it but it comes pretty easy once you get to know it.

I hope this weekends race is as muddy as last weekend. I wish I had pictures, not that there was much to see except brown blurs, but it was still pretty cool. Like 50 deg and raining, perfect, and super deep mud, but I St. Ed's park drains a lot better than the school of last week, it will still be raining and still be muddy just not as bad, but colder so it should be good. I'll try and get Riss to snap off some pix even if it is post race.

Oh yeah and here is a pic of our new bikes this year. They are so cool. Super light! I think about 17.75 lbs. SWEET! I got another one that looks exactly like it just with a couple of different little heavier, less expecive parts. They rock and ride super well. They are fast now the engine just has to get fast. Anyway I'll update tommorow after the race. Late.

Luke

Seattle Cyclocross #1

The first Seattle series cross race was yesterday, and usually that would be the big story that I would have to tell about yet that seemed to be the smallest part of my day, mostly because my car broke down on the way to going up to the race, Lame! I broke an alternator belt and of course no one was open to buy one so my lovely girlfriend Clarissa picked me up and we managed to fit both my bikes and all my stuff in the her little car and I made it to the race, with only 45 min till race time! Ahh. And when we got there it was raining pretty good and it was pretty cold too, but the best part was lots and lots of mud. It was awsomly muddy out there and unfortunetly I had some more mechanical troubles in the race, first lap I slipped and landed on my seat really really hard and slammed the nose of the seat down to teh point where I could bearly ride it especially in the mud. but I switched bikes and got on my #2 bike started making up ground when that bike started make funny noises, like metal on metal which turned out to be that the tolences in my frame from the cranks ended up that my cranks were rubbing on my frame ouch but there was really no harm done I just jumped back on the other bike which Joe Mike and Chris, the rockstar mechanics, fixed up for me and got back on the gas. Not sure how I did, maybe top fifteen or something, hopefully results will be out soon. I am kinda bummed because I was feeling good and know I could have put up a good result minus the mechanicals, oh well that's bike racing for you.
Now back to my car. So I managed to roll the car into a rest stop to park during the race and I had my mom meet me there with a belt and some tools, so we got there and unfortunetly we had the wrong tools so I asked around and no one had anything I could use the after my mother making a couple trips to the store we got everything we needed and got back on the road about 2 and a half hours later for a 20 min job .Oh well it was just one of those days.....