A whole lot all at once

So it's been a while...... A lot has been going on since the last time I even thought about writing on this thing. I guess I should start at the last post and go from there.

Collegiate season ended and then I did two regular crits. One of them was the Spartanburg edition of speed week. I decided I would attack on the very first lap, before the first turn. I was joined by two other guys at the end of the first lap. I lasted three laps with them, I was doing a lot- probably too much- of work. I ended up getting dropped because I started feeling like I was going to explode out of two of my openings involving food. I didn't want that to happen so I sat up and rejoined the group. From there only one of the guys in the original break stayed away. A bunch of people crashed a few times, I mangaged to avoid them and ended up getting 5th in the sprint. I got some money and that was cool.

After that race I did the POA blair cup race. I felt good the whole race and raced pretty smart until the last lap I took the wrong line in a turn and got boxed in to the back half of the pack. Going into the sprint I was in about 20th position. I finished 14th, but two lapped guys got in my way and caused a huge traffic jam. That was frustrating.

Since all that I haven't done much other than work and not ride. I took about 2 weeks off, not totally I just rode when I wanted to, then there was a week straight of evening ride ruiners I like to call thunder storms. I managed to get one good ride in the last 3 weeks. Last week I went out on Wednesday morning to go up Paris Mountain.

I was shifting gears into an easier gear at the base of the moutain and my shifter made a horrible noise. It was busted, dropped me in to my 12 cog and I was done. I pulled into a friends house at the base of the mountain and asked him if he could give me a ride to Sunshine, he did. I called up Sram and they said a new shifter would be on the way. I waited a week and nothing, so this morning I called them. They said they are going to send me a pair of 2010 shifters, so thats pretty much awesome.

In the mean time I finally remembered I have access to a mountain bike and decided to take it out last night. The only problem with that is I picked the same night the storm of the century decided to hit. I rode anyway. I got about 30 minutes in and the lighting and wind got really bad. I decided to go under a shelfter, about 10 minutes later the bottom dropped out. I waited and waited and finally a guy offered me a ride back to my car.

Things at Sunshine have been going pretty ok. People still like bikes and I still like helping them with them. Hopefully my shifters will be here before this weekend and I'll be able to do our Saturday morning ride and get some riding done this weekend. This not riding thing is starting to get to me.

Hopefully the fun will start for me soon.

I hope you are still enjoying it

Have fun,

T Crotts

The good, the bad, and the UGLY!

Last weekend I had a fantastic two days of racing in Alabama. The road race went exactly the way I wanted it. I didn't really have a high placing but I executed my plan perfectly. I was supposed to try and get in a breakaway before the finishing climb. I made every break and even made a solo break for a lap and a half, none of the breaks stayed away because the course was pan flat until the last climb. Since no breaks got clear all I had to do was make it up the climb and save my legs for the crit.

The crit was almost perfect. I covered all the good moves and didn't have to do a whole lot of work. I maintained my postion well and ended up taking the field sprint and a third place overall. The only problem was I missed covering a late attack. The move went with five laps to go. The two that got away had bigger teams in the pack and they did their job and slowed down the chase. I was feeling very confident and excited.

I had hoped that my success last weekend would bode well for me this weekend. It did not.

Saturday was the hardest road race of my life. Three major climbs with three other smaller ones in a 12.5 mile lap that we were supposed to do four times. Needless to say that was not my course. I ended up getting dropped in the first lap and got in a chase group for 2 more laps. Close to the end of my third lap I was fighting hard to stay in contact with my group and ended up blowing into pieces on one of the tougher climbs of the course. I dropped out when I crossed the start/finish line for my fourth lap. I hate DNFs!

Sunday I woke up at 6:20am so that I could eat three hours before my race like a good racer boy should. The alarm went off, I got up, grabbed a pop tart, tried to eat it. Nope, too nervous couldn't eat. I got back in bed and got an extra hour or so of sleep. I tried to eat again when I got up the second time and finished another half of the pop tart. Then it was time to go load up and head out. When we pulled out of the parking lot of the college to head to the race I had a half of a pop tart in my belly and some water. My stomach was churning and I felt like I was going to hurl.

When we got to the race course, which was about a half an hour away, I managed to eat half of a bananna. My stomach still felt uneasy but I was getting hungry so I had to eat. I started to warm up and drank a bottle of drink mix to try and get some calories. I did my warm up and rode three laps of the course then it was time to start.

I was still in my funk when the race director said go. I had a horrible start and ended up losing about 10 places because I couldn't get clipped in. Then as we entered the first turn I got gapped exiting the turn and had to accelerate hard to maitain my position. The first lap was horrible. I started to feel better by the third lap and I moved up in to the front of the field where I could cover moves but not do any work.

On the fifth lap a guy from Lees McRea made a move. He is one of the guys I've been covering all season long and I know how strong he is. For some reason I hesitated and didn't get on his wheel. Then, another guy went- also one of the guys I keep my eye on at races- I let him get away without me too. When he went one of the guys I always cover joined him and gave the break three of the strongest riders in the field. The cherry on top of it all is that I had yet another chance to get across when another guy I know is strong started to bridge up to the break. I was out to lunch.

With four of the strongest guys in the break working together and building their advantage we were racing for fifth. For some reason I got upset and tried to solo up to them when their lead was already well established. I don't know if I was just trying to get everybody else to chase or what I was thinking but it was wrong. I had burned several matches on my silly move. I was getting frustrated. When I got pulled back I decided I would save it for the field sprint and I sat in for the rest of the race.

With one lap to go I was fourth wheel and maintaining my spot. A guy from Georgia State made a good move from about six wheels back with two hard turns to go. He got an advantage and maintained it. He was fifth. I started my sprint with about 250m to go. I was on the wheel of a Lees McRea rider; he started to drift to the right and our wheels were coming dangerously close. I tapped my rear brake and moved to his left for some open road. I lost precious momentum not paying attention. I sprinted hard and was a tire width from sixth place. Seventh place in a race I should have won doesn't sit well with me. Especially when I lost it the way I did. The silver lining, if you can call it that, was that I managed to get a top ten with all the stuff I did wrong.

Racing can be very frustrating. It is also extremely fun. Regardless of how terrible I think- or know- I did in the crit a seventh place still isn't a terrible result. I had a great season and learned a lot. I got three top five finishes and never finished outside of the top 15- other than two DNFs, one of which was because I got crashed out.

The good news is that phase one is complete. Phase one of my trip to becoming a Category 3 racer and an A collegiate racer. I need to cat up so I can help my team next year and possibly go to the Collegiate National Championships. I also want to get on a team outside of my collegiate team. I now have an entire summer to try to build on what I've learned and get some good results.

I am very excited about my season and I have improved a lot in my racing. I still have a lot to learn but with some good training and a little luck I will be right where I want to be.

My next race is this Thrusday night. I finally get to race with the people I know from Greenville and see how I stack up against them.

Until then.....

Have Fun,

T Crotts

Furman Race Weekend

The A guys warming up on Sunday

Me and Julia Tellman wait to start the Road Race Saturday.

This weekend my team and I traveled down to wonderfully sunny South Carolina for some bike racing. Saturday morning we left Brevard NC at 6am so we could make it to the Fork Shoals Road Race course in time to start the team time trial at 9:00am.

I have done the last two TTTs with the A guys from my team, they are in the Pro 1,2,3 Category. The first one was at the Georgia Tech race and we started really hard and I ended up getting dropped- the guys decided they were going to hard about 30 seconds after I got dropped- so this time we decided to communicate a little more and I was able to stay on all the way around the 15 mile loop. That hurt almost as bad as the SC Cyclocross chamionship race.

After the TTT it was time to go cool down and relax until the road race started at 2:20pm. The sun was out but so was the wind. It was warmish but the wind made it feel cold. My race was to do 4 laps of the 13 mile course for a total of 52 miles. That is the longest race I've done all year- and close to the longest race I've ever done; the longest being the 56mile bike portion of the Ironman 70.3 I did a few years ago- and definitely one of the toughest.

The fork shoals course is a tough 13 mile loop with a few long steep hills that zap the legs and leave a dead feeling in them after the climbs. It was only made tougher by my stomach acting up. I had horrible stomach cramps for 3 of the 4 laps.

Early on the 2nd lap a guy from the biggest team in the race attacked so his team sat on the front and made sure he didn't get pulled back. Then a few other guys decided to bridge up and the days break was formed. Once again I wasn't there. I have got to stop second guessing breakaways and just go with them. I could have been up there. I was the only guy with no teammates and every team had a man in the break. I tried to bridge up once but the field wasn't letting anybody get up there without them; so, I just decided to sit in and get some good miles in for the rest of the day.

This pretty much sums up how the day went for me: (I'm on the back)

Sunday we left early again and headed down to Furman University for the most fun Crit I've ever done. When we left Brevard it wasn't raining, about ten minutes after we got the van parked and got a tent set up the rain started to fall- talk about perfect timing.

The men's C race was underway in about an hours time so I watched and cheered on a few guys I knew. Going into the last corner a Lees McRea rider had the deal sealed but he overcooked the last corner and ended up going down pretty hard. That was hard to watch, it made me a little bit nervous.

After I watched the guy crash it was time for the women's race to get started. Julia Tellman and and her 48 tooth big ring had a great race finishing up in 3rd place. I didn't get to watch too much of that race because I had to start warming up on their 3rd lap.

I got dressed and started warming up. As I warmed up the rain started to really fall hard. I was getting a little more nervous. I got my warm up done and headed out on the course to try a few of the turns, nothing was too slick- the cobbled section was a little sketchy, but that is to be expected. When I pulled up to the start line I saw John James, the manager of the shop where I work and a mentor of mine, I exchanged a few pleasentries and rubbed Blair LeMarche's head for good luck and we were off.

The course was awesome. The first turn was about 200m from the start line and it was only one lane wide with curbs on either side and a sewer drain right in the apex. After that its a straight shot towards Furman's Student center and a hard right turn onto the cobbled path that goes around to the lake- I think. Once on the coobles we went down and to the left towards one of the dining halls and then back up and made sort of a C before turning right again off the cobbles and on to the pavement. That stretch lasts for about 100m then its another hard slick right turn on to the main drag through Furman towards the far traffic circle and the Athletic building. Instead of going around the circle we took the left turn, which is a double 90 degree turn. That was a strange one- that's the one the Lees McRea guy went down- we went into it fast and had to brake hard to burn enough speed make the first 90 then kind of float outwards towards the grass and then cut back in for the second turn and then stand and accelerate to the start finish line.

A shot of the cobble stones:

Right turn off the cobbles:

The right hand turn on the main street through the campus. The building in the back ground with the banner on it is where the right hander on to the cobbles.

I had a good but baddish race. I held my position better than I ever have in a Crit, but I struggled for the first few laps on the wet tight corners. I also did a little bit too much work on the front chasing stuff down and trying to cover moves. I won a points prime and tried to focus on riding a good race.

Going into the last 4 laps I was sitting 8th wheel behind the guy who beat me in the sprint at GT. His team was on the front sitting the pace. I was focusing on relaxing and trying to hold that position. On the last lap I should have tried to move up a few places but for one reason or another I didn't. Coming out of the last turn I stood, still sitting 8th or 9th, and sprinted. I passed for people and ended up taking 4th place. Normally I would be really happy about getting 4th but I really wanted to win and I probably would have if I had been a few more places up in the line. Oh well, thats what racing is all about- live and learn.

When I got done it was time for the men's A race to start and the star MC to have the mic in his hand for a whole hour- he was having a great time talking about cornering and "pot-hoes". T Cowie and Corey Meyer- Corey made it after crashing in the early laps- made the lead break and rode a hard race. T Cowie and Corey definitely showed they were some of the strongest guys out there, it just wasn't there day but they still ended up top 10.

All in all it was a really good weekend. I learned a lot and definitely gained a lot of fitness from it. The whole team did a great job and we had lots of fun.

Can't wait for Alabama next weekend.

Until then....

Have Fun,

T Crotts

A Dream Machine

I love bikes. I dream about them all the time, since the day I started riding bikes I've been pricing, figuring up different builds, and figuring up the different weights for those builds. I love to dream about what my next bike could be.

Lately I've been looking into some of my favorite components from the Sram Red group, I'm starting to think about a few upgrades on my Blue Rc8. I really like the red shifters, rear derailuer and OG 1090 cassette- it is one solid piece of CNC'd chromoly steel and on of the lightest-stiffest cassettes in the world.

I have also been looking into different options for measuring power output and I really like the Quarq Cinco Saturn built into a Sram S900 crankset. Crank power meters are a better option than rear hub meters for several reasons: they do not add rotational weight to the drive train, they do not limit you to what wheels you choose, and they are marginally lighter as well as more reliable.

All of this has led me to what happened the other day, almost by accident I typed giant-bicycles.com into my web browser and stumbled upon the TCR Advanced SL frame set. The TCR Advanced SL is the one of Giants higher end frames and it is one of their lightest- just below the ISP (integrated seatpost) version.

Looking into that may have been a mistake because I have just spent the last 2 hours cruising the web building up a dream bike. So here is what I'm thinking:

Sram Red Shiters

Sram Red Rear Derailuer

Sram Force Front D

Sram Force Brake Calipers

Sram OG 1090 Cassette

3T Pro Alloy Bar

Sram BB30 Ceramic Bottom Bracket

Easton EC90 Full Carbon Clinchers

Specialized Romin SL saddle

Speedplay X2 pedals

Garmin Edge 500 Computer

Quarq Cinqo Saturn S900 power meter

With blue and black Fizik Bar Tape and white Sram brake Hoods

This build would cost about $7100 and weigh in- with the power meter- at about 13.5lbs (thats overstating too) in a Size Small frame- which is the one I would need.

It looks a little Something Like this: (Bar tape and hoods not pictued)

Just thought I'd share a little of what I'm dreaming of.

Have Fun ,

T Crotts

Yep, that was fun.

Today was the day. The day I've been riding my bike in 30 or colder temperatures for. The day I have lost sleep over and the day that can proudly say was a success. Today was the first race of the 2010 season.

The race was a 5 lap trip around Perimeter Rd at the Donaldson Center in Greenville, SC. Each lap was about 7 miles long and the total race time ended up being 1:39.00. It was my first time racing in a field of only CAT 4s.

I lined up in about 15th place because I didn't think I wanted to be right on the front but I didn't want to get too far back in the pack. The race started fairly slow and we just kind of relaxed and let our legs loosen up. I was pretty happy about the easy pace for the first lap. The 2nd lap was pretty typical of what I'm used to at Donaldson Center, it was a little bit harder but not too bad.

I was concerned about my place in the pack for the first 3 laps, I was sitting just off the back of the middle of the group. I was in a good position to not have to do a whole lot of work but it was sketchy back there and I didn't want to miss out on any attacks- I just didn't really feel like I was in control. So I decided to do something about it.

Right after we went over the rail road tracks on Perimeter road I jumped hard to make up as many places as I could. I ended up right on the front of the group. I got there right as everybody decided to sit up and stop working; so I just kind of carried my momentum through the couple of guys that were up there and I made a small mistake, I went all the way to the front of the group and I got stuck there. I sat there and didn't really know what I was going to do up there, so I just sat there and pedaled a moderate-comfrotable pace going into the two hills right before the finish of the lap. I waited until the second hill, I was still on the front- I didn't really like being there- so I decided to attack and got a decent gap on the feild and held it until about 300m to the finish of the lap. The pack pulled me back right there and then the counter attack went.

When the group saw who made up the counter attack, two guys- one was a junior- who didn't look very threatening so we just let them go and decided to softpedal for the whole lap. We just had to keep them in sight and reel them in slowly. The break was perfect for us, it made the race so easy and relaxed. We let them stay off the front until the golf course hill on the last lap. The break was absorbed and the group got down to business.

The big attack came on the hill just past 3m's plant at Donaldson Center. Everybody was very very nervous the whole race- the 1st race of the season is like that, it takes people a little while to get used to the pack again- the last part of the race was the absolute sketchiest race I've been involved in. Everyone was on edge and screaming at each other. The impetus really picked up when we got across the railroad tracks and back on to the smooth pavement. The whole feild was jockeying for position and trying to get their team to the front. I was right there in the thick of it and holding a pretty good position.

As we went into the section of the course with the two hills and about 1.5k to go I was in the perfect spot- so I thought. We got up to 400m to go and I was still good, then I stood to sprint with about 300 to go and 2 teams with a good lead out train came around me and I just decided to sit up and ride it out- I knew I wasn't in the money or the points, plus I had beaten Pait, that was pretty much my goal for the day :)

All in all the race went great. I did exactly what I wanted to do. I made an attack which, in a way, decided a lap of the race and it also moved me into the perfect position in the group. My progress in my training for this part of the season is very positive. The race was almost easy. My parents and Caroline came out to watch the race, which gave me something to look forward to every lap. Plus, the weather was amazing and I had loads of fun while I was out there.

The second race of the season is tomorrow, it's a Crit at BMW's test track. That should be fun .

Until then...

Have fun,

T Crotts

Just a few thank yous:

Pait, thanks for giving me somebody to talk to out there and doing a good bit of work.

Tebbets, thanks for being out there and racing a good race and helping me move through the pack.

Hincapie Sportswear for putting on a great race.

All the CAT 4s I raced with who, while they were a little sketchy, didn't crash during the race.

Opening Day

Ha. What a silly looking outfit.

This is from back in the day at Paris Island.

3/15/08 the first race of the season.

The one I dreamed of, a lot like

I'm doing now.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I haven't been this excited about the start to a race season since I was a triathlete. The start to that season was set to take place at Paris Island Marine training center in March of 2008. I ws new to triathlon, just like I was new to road racing last season. I didn't really know what to expect from my competition and I planned on winning when I was visualizing the race and trying to imagine what would happen. Well, it didn't really turn out like that- in fact I couldn't even stay with the other kid in my age group in the pool.

Last season when I started road racing I made that same mistake, thinking that I would be one of the strongest people out there. I found very quickly in my first race that I was not as strong as every one else and that I had a lot of work to do and a lot to learn. I raced several more collegiate races last spring and I a few Cat 4-5 races over the summer. My results started turning out a lot like my triathlon career did, I was consistantly average. I have been top ten in almost every race I have started- not to say top ten is a good thing because I was pretty far behind the top 5 guys. In my triathlon career I finished top 3 in my age group on several occasions and I won my age group once. Towards the end of my triathlon season I began to get some confidence and knew that I would place well but could not ever pull out the win that I sought.

Right after the Brevard Confrence Champs race. I got 7th.

Bike racing has taken that same sort of path so far. I have gained more confidence with every race and I have gotten in a few top tens and some good racing experience. Now, as the start to this new season approaches I am kind of scared that it will end up like the last ones have, with mediocrity and no significant results.

On the way to a top 10 finish in the Cat 4 SC cyclocross championship. A decent result but still not really what I hoped for. Very fun race, and I learned a lot from it though.

I am hoping that my new out look on life and racing will help a lot with my worries. I am racing and riding because I really enjoy every part of it. I don't just enjoy being done with it and talking about it afterwards. I like being out there in the thick of it racing against human will power.

I am also considerably more well prepared for this season and much better trained, along with all those seasons of mediocrity in my legs and in my brain. So, maybe my past seasons will all culminate into a successful season and I will get some of the results I would like to. I'm not banking on anything or saying that I am going to win any particular race, my plan for this season is to be active in the race and if a win or a high placing comes from that then I will be happy- I will also be happy if it doesn't because I had a good time doing it.

There are a few other differences that could make this season better than those in the past. I have more experience. I also had a full summer of education on being a bike racer. I have better equipment. I am better trained and I have a better out look on the racing.

Anyway, the important thing that I keep reminding myself of is to go out there and have fun. I hope everyone has a great season and that they enjoy every second as much as I do.

Good luck and Have fun,

T Crotts

The test to make an A on

Yesterday I went out to find out if all these days freezing in the saddle are making any difference. The good news is that I found out that they are making a good bit of difference. The bad news is that the pyruvate I make still doesn't quite love my mitochondria the way I want them to.

I do my Threshold power tests on the 276 climb up to the Blue Ridge parkway. I start at Looking Glass falls and go all out for 20 minutes, usually that puts me out right where the gravel road 475b meets 276.

Learning to cope with the physical pain of a threshold test is half of the reason to do them. The other reason is that it gives a fairly accurate wattage for which I reach my Lactate Threshold, the point where my body stops using up the pyruvate left over from the production of ATP in the mitochondria of my cells. (Thanks Dr. Chandler for the College Education on the Subject) When a person who is training knows their personal limits they can train to make those limits better and make themselves better while they are at their limits.

For me my limits aren't much higher than they were the last time I tested, in September, however I am much more comfortable at those limits. I am more comfortable with threshold and I can perform at threshold more consistantly- my watts aren't all over the place as much and I don't have to recover every few minutes.

Another part of my my threshold test was the 12-16 degree fahrenheit- that was the wind chill the real temp was around 25- temperatures and the headwind- ON A CLIMB!!!- that I experienced yesterday. Now, I have been riding in some cold stuff lately but yesterday was the coldest ever; my feet, hands, and face were frozen. The thing about it is yesterday taught me a lot about pain and suffering. The pain of the effort and the pain of the cold, it's pretty painful to lose feeling in a limb and then get it back again. I am slowly becoming better and better at hurting myself and dealing with it. I have to build the pain a home to live in and make it comfortable, invite it in to stay a while. (I know that doesn't sound like much fun but it is kind of maniacal- thats kind of fun for some folks)

Well that's about all the training mess you're gonna get out of me on here so for now.....

Have Fun,

- T Crotts

Racing Time! (almost)

So that time of year is almost here again, and I absolutely can not wait.

Last year at the end of Collegiate race season I found a new love for my bike and that love grew and blossomed over the summer, and into the fall, and even through the winter. I have trained and raced with fun in mind. Over the summer I only rode for fun, I raced and competed but only for the fun of it, I didn't have any goals or ambitions other than just to get out there on the bike. This fall I raced Cross bikes and found that to be extremely rewarding, I learned what it means to really suffer and leave it all out there. This winter I have experienced some of the worst riding conditions and yet I have been enjoying alsmot every second of it. Even now as I type this I am watching the rain fall and I know that the weather will continue to get worse before it gets better. I am hoping that all this riding is paying off and I feel like it probably will.

I have ten days until my racing season starts and I have only been this excited one other time in my life- I was once a triathlete and I trained and got super excited for that too- and that time it didn't really turn out the way I planned. See, every time I close my eyes I find myself racing and imagining the attacks and countering them and sprinting to the line for the win. Only when the race actually happens it never turns out quite like I imagined. So this year I have been trying something a little different- its not self doubt just not being over confident- I have only imagined all the different variables of the race, still seeing the attacks and covering them. I see the guys around me and the road under me and the gear I'm in and all that cool stuff but I try not to ever imagine the finish or my role in the race. I don't want to imagine victory- obviously that is close to impossible and every once in a while I do- so I just try to keep in mind why I am there and that is to have a good time and to learn and get experience.

My first race will be the Hincapie Spring Series Donaldson Center road race. I am extremely excited about that race. It will be really fun to be back in Greenville mixing it up with all the guys I rode with over the summer. I can't wait to line up with Pait an all the guys again. The next day is a Crit at the BMW test track in Spartanburg, SC. I have never raced there but I am really looking forward to that race because I want to learn how to develop my criterium abilities this year and the sooner I can start the better.

After that I'll do the Feb. 28th installment of the Donaldson Center road race and then I'll move on into my collegiate season. Following all that will be some Blair Cup action and Saturday morning Hour of Power rides and then some Tuesday night world Championships.

In other news I am officially a Cat 4 USAC road racer and a "B" collegiate racer- that is the Cat 4 collegiate class- so I'll get to try to earn some points to upgrade to Cat 3 this year. I also discovered how delicious Nutella is and that it goes best on a spoon. I have run out the first set of batteries on my powertap, I've always been told there were little gerbles in there- guess that was wrong. Oh and Mark Cavendish is pretty much my new hero, that guy is an animal and the way he gives credit to his team for his sucess is something he doesn't get enough credit for.

That's it for now.

Have fun,

- T Crotts

A Perfect machine??

Sprinting has always been a very interesting and favorable topic for me in the sport of cycling. I like being involved in sprints, watching them, critquing them, and learning how to particpate more effectively in them. I have learned a lot about sprinting this year and I attribute that to two things.

1. Sunshine Cycle shop Hour of Power rides

2. HTC Columbia's amazing team work and powerful accelerations to the line.

It seems that the HTC Columbia team can not be beaten in a Sprint to the line. Are they a perfect machine or do they just have the fastest sprinters in the world. I think it is a little of both. Probably 60% fantastic lead out and 40% fastest sprinters in the world. This week at the Santos Tour Down Under the Columbia team has been proving that Mark Cavendish isn't the only guy who can win a sprint on their team. Andre Greipel has been dominating the sprint for the line at the TDU and showing me and everyone esle that his Columbia team may be one of the best lead out teams the world has ever seen.

Here's a few videos to back it all up and to entertain:

Stage 21 of TDF: a great example of the tactics of a sprint and Team Columbia's ability to control it.

TDU: Andre Greipel and team HTC control the sprints again in 2010.

Cavendish puts it best:

With some of the best talent in the world in the lead out train and at the Caboose the HTC Columbia team will be nearly impossible to beat again in 2010. Guys like Bernie Eisel, Mark Renshaw, Micheal Rogers, Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel will show the world why they are the best sprinters team in the world.

Oh yeah and not to mention a guy named George Hincapie who was a pivotal part in all of the 2009 wins that Mark Cavendish racked up at the Tour. He will be hard to replace but it seems, at least from the Tour Down Under, that he is not irreplaceable.

2010

Wow, is it really already 2010? Life is going way too quickly. Well with the New Year comes a few new ideas some wisdom learned in 2009 has helped shape my 2010.

Last year I was so worried with just sitting in the right place in the pack to use the least amount of energy. It was my first season doing road racing and I was a little scared/intimidated and in the earlier races I was humbled by my fitness and the fitness of those around me. I had a great summer of training, racing and learning. That lead into a confident fall and I did a few cross races- which were loads of fun- and now here I am with spring just around the corner. My fitness and racing brain have developed a lot in a year. So that leads to the resolution.

In races this year I want to be more of a factor. I don't really care if I win or lose, I just want to participate- rather than just survive- and leave my mark on the races I do this season.

Another resolution I have for this year is to update my blog more often than I did last year. This is the first update in months and for that I apologize.

I also want to learn some skills on a mountain bike and race next mountain bike season.

I have made a training plan to get me to the start of road season and I would like to continue and get better at training myself.

Just an update on whats been going on since November:

I've been riding a lot more this winter than I did last winter thanks to Santa Clause and his elves. I got lots of warm goodies for riding.

Another semester of college has come and gone and here I am about to start the next one.

I put the first 1000 miles on my new road bike. ( For those of you who turn up your noses at that I also got a cross bike this year and I rode it a good bit)

I did a tempo workout the other day. Those things suck! But, they'll make me stronger so I'm gonna do them.

I think that covers everything.

Have Fun,

T Crotts

First Cyclocross Race

The steep hill

that had me dry heaving

on every lap.

.

Trying to recover

and not get blown up.

The lead in to the steep a very awkaward chicane going down and then a hard right turn up to the hill.

Tony and me on the climb. (Tony is in the guy standing)

Over the weekend I did my first real cyclocross race. The Greenville Spinners put on a great event for the South Carolina Cyclocross Championships. The race was on an abandoned golf course in Easley, the cart paths made things interesting.

I had never done a cross race before but I knew that it was all about position, so when the start was given I gave it my all and started out with a good position. I was 5th out of the first turn. The first turn dumped us out on to the golf course for about 200 yards of rolling straight away and then a hard left hand into a sand pit. The sand was probably 6 in. deep so I decided to run through it- in practice I tried to ride and only made about half way through the sand and my wheel would just stop. After the sand the course went into a fun chicane and then rolled towards the parking lot and the back of the course. The back side started with the most fun part of the race. It went down a really steep cart path to a section of grass and then up and around a tree. It was so fast through that section! After that, it lead to the barriers- that was the easiest part of the race. Then the worst part came.

The course went up another short puncher and then to a long gradual climb in the grass. It was the worst pain I've ever experienced. I almost lost my breakfast there on every lap- that makes two sections of the course that were filled with dry heaves.

The laps went by and so did the heaves and before I knew it I was on the last lap. I was thinking, "Thank God I'm almost done, just finish it Tyler.... you can do it". More on that in a sec.....

Tony Warmuth is a guy who used to work at Sunshine Cycle and has moved on to become the manager of a shop in Greer, Gusto Cycles. Tony talks almost as much trash as I do and he backs it up too. We haven't had the appropriate chance for a show down until the cross race. Tony was there to race and so was I- even if he want admit it.

So I'm on the last lap heading into the barriers and Tony comes around me. We were on the back side on a cart path when he came around, I just thought I need to take it easy and pull him back slowly. So I waited. I just rode my race and caught him right before the puncher before the big climb- that was such a hard course! I went around him on the hill just to get into his head a little. As we went up I heard him try to shift and knew then that he wouldn't be making it around me. His gears just weren't havin' it. We made it to the big climb and I heard it again there. Tony shouted an expletive and I really knew then that I had it. So I trudged on up the hill and looked back at the top of it to see Tony off running up. I put it on a little harder and checked my progress after about a minute. I had a pretty good gap. The gap lasted all the way to the sand pit, but I could tell that he was trying to pull me back. I tried not to panic and just keep the pressure on. Going into the chicane I got a little nervous, he was faster through that section than me. I came out of it and looked back, he was gaining on me. I shifted and stood up and gave it one more hard effort. I was getting a gap, or at least maintaining it. The little kick up to the parking lot sealed the deal. I stood and sprinted with all I had left. 9th place, top ten at my first cross race.

I was really happy with the result, not because of my placing but because I fought Tony off. It was loads of fun and I can't wait until this weekend to do it all again.

Have fun,

T Crotts

P.S.

I would like to give a few shout outs that made my first race fun and successful. T Cowie; thanks for the race and warmup advice. Baker Bill: thanks for the tip about re mounts, run back up to full speed then mount- thats the only reason I stayed in the top ten. Caroline: Thanks for taking all the great pictures. Mom and Dad: thanks for coming out and yelling at me to go harder when I was going as hard as I could already.

Tony and me bombing down the cart path, that was so scary

Cross Fever!

Its that time of year: the air is getting cooler, the sky is getting bluer, the nights are getting colder, the days shorter, the leaves are starting to crunch under our feet and the fat tires and cantilever brakes are going on the bikes. Its time for cyclocross!

Last year I was introduced to something that changed the way I think about riding bikes. I learned what cyclocross is. Cyclocross is a war of attrition. It is a fight with the human psyche. It is the most fun you can have while dying at the same time. Cyclocross is awesome!

The bikes are probably the coolest there could be, the people are nice and crazy strong, the atmosphere is fun, the courses are hard and technical and it hurts.

I cannot wait for the season to start so I can find out what this is all about- I've only done one cross race and It was on my mountain bike- and it wasn't really an official race. But, that was all it took and I was hooked.

So, my suggestion to you is to find a cross bike, start riding it, and come to the races. I promise that it will be fun.

I will keep you posted with race reports and the epic tales of the pain, but until then...

Have fun,

- T Crotts

Today's Go fast Tip

Somehow become Jared Graves. Sure fire way to become super fast really quick.

That is all.

Have fun,

T Crotts

Something to write home about

 

       I've had a lot going on the past few weeks. Summer was a slow blur and the beginning of school has been no different.  Looking back on it all my life has been a whirl wind adventure of bike riding and education and driving and everything else under the sun. 

     I'm back in Brevard at school now, thats a huge plus - I like Greenville but Brevard is awesome, its great to be back.  I've been riding the wheels off of my new bike- its amazing, I pinch myself at least twice every time I ride. 

      I got a powertap and a training plan so all you people better watch out I'm going to be throwing down some wattage.  -- Speaking of throwing down wattage its time for the Saturday morning shop ride race report. 

      Saturday started much like any other Saturday morning shop ride usually does. I drove down from Brevard in the early morning hours to good ol SC for some bike riding. I was one of the first to the Shop and got changed and ready for the ride. We pulled out at our usualy 8 oclock time and I was off the front for the first few minutes of the ride, just getting warmed up and doing a little head game playing.  I settled down just before the first sprint of the day, the school hill sprint- at least thats what I call it- is rarely contested by the big guns and it wasn't Saturday so I was happy just to sit back and watch some of the other guys go at it. We pulled out from the convience store parking lot and headed towards my favorite sprint, Meece bridge rd. The pee tree sprint as it is affectionatly called is a long straight sprint with a hard lead in. The lead in is pretty complex, there are two longish gradual climbs before the road flattens out for the lead out to the stop ahead sign. Louis attacked early and got a gap on the field with another guy. I was on Tony's wheel just waiting for the action to start. Tony put in a monster pull and brought back Louis. About that time John came around me with Randy, the greenville spinner, so I jumped off of Tony's wheel and on to their wheels. John put down a good effort to get the pace high, I think it was for me but i'm not sure, and then he pulled off leaving Randy and him side by side and me just between their wheels- the perfect place. I stood and started to churn the pedals, I had it timed perfectally- I was really pleased with it- and got Randy by about half a bike at the line. Sucessful first sprint. 

       I've been trying to win the Quarry sprint since about mid July and Saturday it finally happened. The Quarry rd sprint is probably the hardest one on the ride. Quarry road has two climbs the first one is not that bad but its a decider. The second one is steep and long. John had a break going from the road before Quarry all the way down to the bridge where the lead in to the sprint starts. I got on the front and tried to bring them back, Pait, Louis and I think Tony were right there with me. We brought John back right at the bridge but two other guys were still up the road. They were pushing hard but it was too much too soon- thats what makes the Quarry so hard if you don't time it perfectly its not going to happen. So, Pait got on the front and set out a monster piece of work, the man is a powerhouse and one of my favorite wheels to be on. He pulled over the top of the second hill and even down into the false flat before the sprint actually starts. The line is at the end of a false flat after the two hills. Pait pulled off the front with about 5 or 600 meters to the sign and I was 2nd wheel. That left me two options, pull of and try to get Randy to go around or attack like crazy and try to take it out right. I took the latter. I stood and sprinted as hard as I could. I got to the line with a considerable gap on them- I don't think they even tried to go with me. I was heaving when I crossed the line on the verge of losing my breakfast. Second succesful sprint. 

     On to the State Park Sprint. The State park sprint starts up a really steep short hill and then over a few rolling hills where the pace really picks up. Pait was out on the front again, right at the top of the really steep hill he told me to get on his wheel and he would help me out. So, I did and he pulled all the way until the road started to go downhill and then he pulled off. Randy-the spinner was off the front, he's got this thing where he likes to jump off the group on the hill and see how long he can survive. Louis was on my wheel and I was pulling down the hill towards the dam of the lake at the state park, that's where the road kicks up the entrance of the park and the sprint line. So, with Louis in tow I was pulling down the hill and had Randy in my sights. He never turned around to see where we were so I kept the pace right to catch him just as the road kicked up. I waited for the last second then hit it as hard as I could to set Louis up for the sprint. It worked and Louis jumped out from behind my wheel and up the hill to the park entrance. Another succesful sprint. 

      Saturday was a great day loads of fun. It was nice to get back out on the Saturday morning shop ride. 

     Some things for the future, I've got a cyclocross bike in the works so the pain is going to start really soon and I can't wait. I'm going to do some collegiate and some real races over the winter to see what that scene is all about. 

      Until then 

      Have Fun, 

     T Crotts

P.S. I will update this more than once a month for the next little while sorry for the dry spell. 

New bikes and more speed.

My new bike except trade the red for force

    So, I finally got my new bike. It is a Blue RC8. I have been really excited about this day for a very long time. Today was the day that I got to ride my very own full carbon road bike with Sram components on it. I have dreamed of having a nice road bike for years and now that it has become a reality it's all kind of surreal. 

    I went from a 21lb Giant OCR aluminum frame to a Blue RC8 full carbon 16lb 4oz road eating maching. 

   The Blue RC8 is a lugged carbon fiber frame. It carries a modest 2lbs 8oz between all of its lugs and all the stiffness a manufacturer could engineer. The RC8 is one of the nicest bikes I've ever ridden. It is a smooth ride, handles very nicely, the thing decends like a bat out of hell- and ascends like one too. 

 

   I am probably the happiest young man on the face of this earth. Tonight when I lay my head down on the pillow- and lay awake for an hour or so because my heart is racing because my mind want stop thinking bikes- I can only dream of my bike. 

   Check them out at rideblue.com or just click the link that says "They aren't all blue".

  Have fun, 

    I know I am 

          T Crotts

P.S. Pait you better watch out I'm coming for you.

Wind blows, pain hurts, and TTs are hard

 My TT bike with the wheels I used tonight. (Minus the aero bottle on the down tube)

  Tonight was the 3rd Donaldson Center race against the clock. The second one for me. It was also the second real TT I've ever done. 

   Time Trials are a thing of beauty and the people in this world who have it down to a science are some of the most gifted disciplined people who walk the earth- or pedal a bike for that matter. Time Trails are different than most other races. They are a solo effort, man and his machine against the clock and his brain- especially in my case. 

    A good time trialist doses his effort out over the whole distance. The maximum effort he can preform for the entire TT. The Fabian Cancellaras and Levi Leiphimers of the sport have made an art form of being able to know their bodies and accuratley pace themselves over any distance against the clock. 

 

     That leaves people like me. I have done two full on TTs in my life- technically 3 but one was a climbing TT and I didn't give it much. I have done countless efforts against the clock and bike legs of a triathlon, but none of those are the  kind of effort a TT requires. TTs aren't like an interval, people preform those with the intention of going at a set pace for a short amount of time- it can be a long amount too, but still- and they have the intention of doing a similar effort following a rest period. TTs are all the rider has and its all for the whole time and nothing afterwards. That is so easily said but nearly impossible to do properly. 

    Last time at the TT I did a decent job pacing myself. This time I borrowed a friends Zipp disk wheel- it gave me some false confidence- and I thought I could go harder because: 1. I've done more training 2. I've done a TT before and 3. I had one of the fastest wheels in the world- I ended up putting too much into the first part of the TT and forced my body into recovery on one of the hardest sections of the course. Needless to say my goal of having a faster time than last time wasn't achived. 

     

     I learned two valuable lessons tonight: 1. Go easier at the beginning of a TT and ease into the effort and 2. You can't by speed. I guess technically you can but my experience proves just becuase you have a fast wheel doesn't mean the racing legs- or mind- can keep up with the wheel.

  

    At first it was hard for me to see the good in tonights experiences and I was actually rather disappointed with myself. I guess thats part of what this blog is for, it helps me sort things out and find the good in a bad situation. 

    I can't wait until the next race, August 6th, when I will not be expecting a better time just a better overall performance at this discipline. 

    

    Have fun, 

    

          T. Crotts

Start Hard, Sit in, Suffer, Attack, Blow Up

   That is the way to race the Blair Cup crit. NOT!

   Thursday night was Blair Cup number 3 and one of the hardest races to date for me. This one ranked right up there with the Lees McCrea Road race. 

 

    The race started really hard. I was in a bad position on the line and it just went down hill from there. We were gunning from the beginning because some guys decided to make a break and everybody went crazy. So, the people on the front chased really hard while I dangled on the back of the main field, knowing better than to be back there I tried to get in the middle on every lap- didn't happen. Anyway, lots of suffering, chasing, breaks, and catching of breaks. 

    The race is the standard 4/5 length of 35 minutes plus 3 laps. With about 7 or so laps to go the group absorbed a break right on the hill of the course. I saw that I had a clear line through the group and everybody was slowing down. I was already out of the saddle to keep up with the group and figured what the heck I'll give it a go. So, I stayed standing hit it a little harder and got a gap on the field. 

     I was out all alone for two laps. It was cool to come around on a lap by myself and hear the announcer say my name. I was dying by the second lap by myself. Did I mention it was 95 degrees? I thought I was going to hurl. Then going into turn 4 and the hill on the course I looked back to see Jonathon Pait out of his saddle breaking from the field and bridging up to me. I smiled and sat up a little. As Pait came up beside me we acknowledge each other with a nod and a smile Pait was having too much fun standing up and going fast so I just sat up and waved him on. Looking back I should have gotten on with him we probably could have done something. I went back to the field and sat in until we pulled Pait back. After about a lap of that I caught Pait and simply said, "Hurts doesn't it?" I was reffering to the pain of the attack. We kind of rode together just fast enough to stay on the lead lap.

   After a month of good spirited trash talk the better man won in my opinion. According to the results Pait placed 20th dead last of the people on the Lead lap. I got a DNF, which I will protest, because i was on the other side of Pait and they didn't see me. (we finished side by side) But Pait was kind enough to let me sit on his wheel for the last two laps and he was the stronger man Thursday night. 

   I learned a lot about racing Thursday night. I learned that its better to do something than nothing. That attacks hurt really bad and are best saved for closer to the end or earlier in the race. I learned that opportunities present themselves and taking advantage of them is easy, committing to them is something totally different. And that racing my bike is really fun. 

     So remember.... 

 Have Fun,

  T Crotts 

Going Slow

  Speed is relative. It is a feeling. So when reading this blog keep that in mind. 

  I have always liked to go fast on my bike and pretty much everything. Speed is fun. Going fast gets your heart pumping and when that happens your body releases chemicals that make you happy. So naturally I like going fast. 

  I recently was informed that to go fast you have to go slow. At first I assumed that John was just making stuff up, but then I realized he was right. I ride pretty much the same speed on every ride I do and that is bad. 

  So today I went out and did the slowest, easiest ride I have ever done. In three years of riding the slowest ride. It was not really that bad to go slow, I really needed it. 

  Thursday night I did a TT out at Donaldson center. I was hoping for better than a 24:18 for the ten mile course but thats about where John said I would be. That just means I'll do better next time. For the first leget TT i've ever done it wasn't too bad. I paced my self well and caught the guy in front of me at the 5 mile turn around. I didn't get caught be the person behind me so it was all good. 

      I'm going to be going slow for the next week or so. 

 Have fun, 

   T Crotts