Home is where the laundry machine is.......

Once again I'm starting off a fresh blog posting at home again after a trip away. This weekend was one of as much adventure as they all usually are! Marymoor GP, formerly FSA GP is a great event to be at. It always attracts top pros and a lot of spectators. Its held on the Marymoor velodrome in Redmond WA. The city name always rings a bell with people who cant quite place it. Usually that's because its where Microsoft is located. This year was my third trip down to the GP. Sadly I missed it last year as I was starting a new job and couldn't afford to go. My new job wouldn't have lasted that long if I had.

Historically, if its correct to use that phrase here, I have always done well at Marymoor. I've ridden kilo 3 times there and not stood off the podium. Its not an overly fast track but I just seem to get along with it.  Marymoor's location is right in the middle of a hot spot for track in the Pacific Northwest. Over the past years in living in British Columbia we all seem to get to that one race. Its always nice to see old friends that I've met along the way in my adventures. Some of them top level racers, some of them former pro's and some of them got into the spot long after having kids and just enjoy it more than golf.

My trip down started Wednesday morning. Once I arrived in Redmond I went strait to the track to get a good ride in. The previous week leading into and through Alpenrose I was pretty sick and had taken time off Sunday through Tuesday to rest as best I could. Wednesday I needed to go out and spin my legs out. It was a bit of a gloomy day but was still nice to get out and pedal while my sinus drained. This is where my adventure started. After leaving the track and an early dinner I drove back to the hotel located pretty much at the track. Upon checking in I learnt the hardway that my reservation that night had been given up due to high demand of rooms needed. I was not pleased. As a sorry I was given a map of how to find the next closest hotel in the area. That was the start of going from hotel to hotel for the next 3 or 4 hours! It would appear that Microsoft had a function of some kind and everyone in the world came to Washington for it! I made it as far as Everett before finding a place. If we open up our atlas we will see that Everett is on the I5 and not close at all. I was great full that the Motel 6 in the worst part of town had a room of any kind for me to sleep that night!

The next morning after a breakfast of some kind, I got my track bike all built back up and headed back towards Marymoor. I checked in successfully this time at the Redmond Inn where they at least were sorry for my adventure and then went to the track to get some training time in during the hottest time of day. A lot of people shy away from this. I learnt it to be a nice trick for last Minuit preparations so you know exactly what to expect the next day out of your body and wind when Kilo's are scheduled to start at noon. I had a great session on the track, felt pretty good all things considering and decided to call it an afternoon.

After a quick bite to eat, a nap, and some TV time I grabbed the road bike to head out and buy some more sun block, razors and a snack. I then pedaled over to the track to hang out with Kevin Mansker. I knew Kevin was riding Kilo too. He has turned into a fantastic Kilo rider, smashing the record in Alpenrose a week before! We shot the shit for a while, mostly about cars, and then went along my way to find another meal and more feet up time in bed.  This is where for at least 24 hours the weather went south. At some point in the night the sky opened up. And did it ever pour.

When I woke up in the morning my first task was breakfast, but not after looking for the rain jacket I didn't bother packing. I got to the track when I normally would have to get ready and it was still pouring. The race organizers set a new start time, optimistic it would dry up so I went back to the hotel and got to loosening up on the rollers, while watching the Tour time trial going on.

At 2 we were happily on the track getting ready. It was cool and damp out, and there was one hell of a breeze. Witch meant today would be slow, for all of us. They ran a bit of a rush program so they could get throughsession 1 without holding up session 2 in the evening.  When it was my turn to go, I was in the same boat as all the other elites in that non of us really got a great warm up in and was going to battle the wind. My ride went fairly solid. I set the new fastest time overall and held it until the last 2 riders. In the end T.J. Mathison of Los Angeles has taken second, and Kevin of Portland had landed in first. Not winning never feels good. All true competitors will tell you that. But this was still part of a test to see how my form is coming along and the end result, all though plagued by illness the last 2 weeks left me pretty impressed with my training so far. I have to tip my hat to Kevin and T.J. Both of them fresh off Olympic trials are absolutely flying fast. They rode well. Great job boys! The only event I normally would have ridden buy chose not to was the team sprint. I had been asked by a few teams if Id like to but I have no intention in anchoring a team sprint on a 400m track!

Because I had no desire to ride a keirin right after a kilo I had a quick meal and a nap. Then came back to the track for the podium ceremony in the evening session. It may have been out of boardem but I entered the 10 mile scratch race that night. The field was to track capacity of 40 riders, and most of them really fast riders. For most of it I sat in near the back and just motor paced along. I got to the front several times where it was obvious I'd rather not be. At one point I found myself rolling off the front and then had a gap. I decided to take a risk and see where it would go. At about a half lap I could feel it. I also knew that the leaders of the pack had started to speed up to try and hang me out to dry. Rather than destroy myself and explode I eased off and let them swallow me back up. Later in the race I managed to bridge up to a gap by myself, only for the breakaway to get caught again. When it came into the last few laps the race picked up very fast. At this point I just sat in and mixed it up. I knew I wasn't in contention to win it but it was a lot of fun.  After the race myself, Eddy and Eric, who were staying with me that night, ate like kings and then fell asleep watching a terrible show about ghosts. I don't even remember turning the show off!

Saturday morning was completely different than Friday. It was already warm. After a solid breakfast it was time to checkout of my home from home and get to a warm up for the sprint qualifying. I was really sore from the day before, not unlike everyone, but managed to ride a decent 200m time. Ive never ridden match sprint on this track so I had to quickly perfect where and how to set up my flying 200. I qualified 6th in a top 12 go through.

My first ride was against Danny Robertson of Illinois. I met him once, but had never raced against him. This makes it tough not knowing how to race someone. I played a good tactic but under estimated how powerful his jump would be from behind. Not pleased with loosing so early I knew I would have to be the repacharge superstar I'm known to be at times. In the repacharge ride I was up against 2 other riders put out in first round rides. The one that concerned me was Steven Beardsley. Known for being a hell of a good kilo rider in his day and still having a really good snap I knew if I didn't maximize what I could do he'd move on, and Id go home early. The moment presented itself and I attacked through the pair of them. I saved a bit of gas for the home stretch where I was able to put all the gas on the flame and hold him off at the line. Singleton's rule of sprint #1: You will win more than your fair share of races for making the first move and not looking back on it. The downside of this was I felt the effects of taking the race from 400meters out in that heat for a long time.

I squeaked my way into the quarter finals against Giddeon Massie. I don't really know him too well personally, but know his rap sheet on the track. He is very fast. 2 time Olympian, multi US national champion and just fast as hell all round! Its a tough position to be in racing someone like him. When it came time to get on with it I gave it all I had but was no match.  After that ride I was put into the 5 through 8 ride later that night.

After a few hours of chilling out it was time to get back to the track and ready for battle. I knew it wouldn't be an easy ride. Danial Walker, Stephen Mchlaghry, and the other rider who I cant remember his name are all very fast and fierce riders. I knew to win this ride of 4 riders would take something special. In the ride I found myself set up perfectly to take an opportunity of a move and go with it. In hindsight I made the move about 20 meters too early. Who's to say it would have worked or not but the point is I gave it what I had left in the tank and made it into one hell of a hard race for the other three. I ended up in 8th. After the ride, in a moment of luck I suppose I discovered how close I could have been to laying on the concrete in pieces when I noticed a huge bulge in my back tire and a large bit of tread gone. If that had of exploded in the final sprint it would have taken all 4 of us down potentially.

After that ride it was time to simmer down and take in some racing. I packed my things while cheering on. What a great event this is! By  9 30 or so it was time to pack the old Jetta up and head home. At least this time there was a convoy headed north with Rob and Eric Mulder leading the charge in the Roberts van, myself and then Eddy in the "group B" Volvo. 

The next race is in Victoria next weekend. I don't think I'll make it as I'm taking a week off to rest up from the chest cold and its time to get back into work mode for a bit. I will however race in Victoria later in August as a last check up before Nationals in September.

The last two weeks away were good fun, great racing and a good show for me of whats to come. I'd like to personally thank Apex Wireless for their very generous contribution towards my travels for racing. Without their help It would not be possible. I hope tomorrow the weather returns to normal for this time of year so I can get out with the Tuesday night Velocity Cycles club ride. Andrew the key man at Apex Wireless has spread his passion for cycling with his staff and every week it appears he has brought out another new rider keen on getting into such a great sport. With any luck the sun is shining tomorrow so I can get out and enjoy it with these great people.

Muchos Gracias to Andrew, Jenna and the Apex team! You guys are great! And big thanks to Travis, my eccentric boss, for letting me disappear for 2 weeks to race!