What's This?

Oh yeah, it's my blog, which I have seriously neglected over the last couple of months. To get up to speed.

Man Trip 06 was off the chain. Highlights - Gordon lost his wedding ring, Ty was a dancing maniac, I had a drunk philosophy battle with some chick at a bar, Todd bought enough cheese for 4 sandwichs, when we had 16 to make. Brian tossed his cookies first night. Clint had a spectacular wipe out on the slopes. I haven't laughed that much in a long time. That all I remember :)

Had a 4 day hut trip 1st of February, which turned nasty. Our group got seprated in a white out on top of a ridge at 12,500 ft. Spent next 3 hours in -50 degree windchill. 2 guys had to drop packs. We all eventually got to the hut. I had frostbite on 2 toes, and nerve damage in 3. Lost all the skin off the left side of my nose and cheek the next day. I was just happy everyone made it ok. Scardest I've ever been for my and my friends survival. Wife wasn't very happy with me when I got home. Toes didn't heal till the middle of March. Lost one toenail.

Got droppped hard on first group ride of the year. Just didn't have the motivation to hit the trainer hard with all the shitty weather. Have had some great rides with the VC guys, and have enjoyed getting to know them.

Went home last weekend for my godson's christening. Got in a epic ride in my home county along the river, and even got some fishing in one afternoon.

First Race is this weekend, and I'm pumped. I probably get spit out the back pretty quick, since I haven't gone into the red much yet this year, but who knows. I finally feel like I'm starting to come around with my training. I behind where I wanted to be, but still better that where I was at this time last year. Shooting to get some results towards the end of April and early May. I've been stressing trying to get a TT bike together. Spent my money for a frame on replacing the tires on my car after someone decided to slash the tires of 4 cars on my block. Guess I'm just lucky ;( Hopefully, I'll have one before the stage race in Nebraska.

Watched Blood Diamond last night. Great Flick. Also the Planet Earth series on Discovery is awesome as well.

Man Trip 07

L to R (Gordon, Casey, Todd, Clint, Brian, Ty)
Man Trip 07 is in the books. More info to follow

Tired of the Trainer?

Then read this. I thought 2 hours was a lot. I've heard of guys riding centurys on there rollers, but this is nuts.

Cali Anyone?

Alright, who is ready to go to Cali for the weekend?

California on Sale!
Purchase by January 11, 2007.
Fly by March 9, 2007

For ALL sale fares and complete details, please click here.

To/From Denver:

Fresno $99*
Los Angeles $104*
Orange County $104*
Sacramento $119*
San Diego $104*
San Francisco $114*
San Jose $119*

Want an update?

Weather in Denver right now sucks, and isn't supposed to improve for the foreseeable future. Need to ride my bike, getting very cranky. Did take my first skate skiing lesson at Eldora Saturday which was challenging. Would have been better, if it was warmer than 15 degrees and the wind wasn't blowing 25mph. Look here for some pics of what Skate Sking looks like. Felt the need to include this b/c most people don't know what it is. Sunday I went with Ty to Keystone to freeze my ass off, ski a few runs, and then sit in traffic for 2 1/2 hours back to Denver - YEAH!

Gage's 1st Christmas

My nephew Gage enjoying his first Christmas. He is almost 3 months old now. Unfortuantely I haven't seen him since he was born. Hopefully the weather around here will clear up and I will be able to get home soon.

Christmas in Vail

I would have to say that if I was stranded anywhere for Christmas, Vail isn't too bad. We headed up last Saturday and started our trip at Beaver Creek. I didn't ski here all last year, so it was nice to get back. Snow and weather conditions were good. Had a good lunch at Red Tail Camp, and then headed to the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa.

The Cascade was very nice, and moderatly priced considering it was a holiday weekend. That night we drove to Edwards to eat at Sato Sushi. I know what your thinking (Sushi in the mountains?). Trust me this place is really good, they get fresh fish in daily from the vail/eagle airport and it is more of a locals place, so the atmosphere is laid back.

The next morning I woke up to falling snow. Ty and I caught 1st chair on the Vail Cascade lift and our day began. On the front side they had about 2 inches of fresh when we started. We instantly started making our way to the back bowls, were the snow got progressively deeper. Game Creek bowl to Sun Down Bowl to Blue Sky Basin. We were the first ones to catch 4 differnt lift that day. We laid fresh track for over an hour before we saw someone. By the time we got to Blue Sky the snow was 8 inches deep and it kept snowing all day. We had some epic runs down resolution. After lunch we hit China bowl and then made 3 runs down Red Square in the Siberia Bowl before ski patrol closed it for avy control. Overall one of the top 5 days I have had skiing. It snowed the whole day so the track kept filling in as fast as you could ski them. There were times the powder was almost up to my knees in spots.

That night we took a sleigh ride and had dinner at the Vail Golf Club. I had a good time but it was overpriced and not what was described when we made the reservation. I would not recommend going here.

The next day we got up and skied Vail again, but my legs were shot from the day before, so we stuck to the groomers with girls and pulled the plug early to catch lunch at the Red Lion I recommend the Nachoes and Burgers. After lunch it was back to Denver for a night of laying on the couch.

Denver Blizzard

The blizzard that hit Denver last week, dropped about 2 feet of snow in 24 hours and therefore cancelled our Christmas plans. We had planned to make it home to Illinois to spend time with friends and family, but instead made the best of the situation and went to Vail for the weekend. We weren't alone, as Ty & Jen couldn't get back to North Carolina either.

Midyear

Just got back from my annual pharmacy conference, not much to talk about there. Did have a good time driving down Pacific Coast Highway from Newport Beach to San Diego. Had a good lunch at 3 thirty 3 in Newport, saw lots of fancy cars and real life Barbies. Also had a great dinner at 21 Oceanfront . Ate at The White House, but thought it was a bit overrated. If you are every in the area and looking for a good time try the Rockin Taco . We went there 3 differnent nights for drinks and had a great time. I did however catch the flu from someone on the flight back wednesday, so I'm laying low trying to recover.

20 Questions

Click here to see what I had to say regarding the 20 questions my friend DB asked me.

Linkage

I've added state racing links, so that it is easier to search for certain races if you plan to travel. Feel free to send me more that I've missed.

Thanksgiving

Had a nice Thanksgiving with Ty, Jen, Joel, and Anna. The wine was probably my favorite part. We then heading to Brenckenridge for a couple of days. Had a few Vanilla Porters at the Breckenridge Brewery, then ran into Chris Nunez at the Blue River Bistro. If you watch Miami Ink on TLC you might recognize him. The skiing wasn't much to talk about, except for Ty throwing an unexpected heli and landing it. I guess, I'll have to give it a try next time.

Made the Jump

I joined the Vitamin Cottage 3s team this week. I got in a couple of good rides with team, and I'm super pumped about the upcoming season. We should have a strong team. It was a great opportunity to jump to a team that was dedicated to racing, and to train with a group of guys who take cycling as serious as I do. Several of the guys have the same goal as I do, to cat up, so it should be a fun season. 5 months to the first road race.

U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross

High jacked this picture off Jared Roy's blog. Check it out for some good pics and video.

I think the pic says it all.

Had a great weekend working the pit for Taylor during the 2 USGP races this weekend. Taylor had a great ride saturday and even better one sunday. He finished 26th saturday and 18th on sunday. Considering the field, it was a awesome result. It has got to be fun beating guys that get paid to race for a living. A few thoughts:

1. Ryan Trebon is a freak, kid is crazy fast. In my opinion, he would have won going away on sunday as well, if not for the 4 bike changes.

2. Boulder Cup course was awesome to watch, best race atmosphere I've ever seen. The hill run-ups were sick.

3. If you don't get called up, or have a starting number in the top 30 you are already out of the race.

Sat. Race Report
Sun. Race Report

Sat. Results
Sun. Results
After watching the races, I almost want to race cross myself.

The Nut Cup

I had a great time playing golf in Pinehurst. I went with my father-in-law and met up with 10 other guys for a weekend of fun. We were invited by my wife's cousin, Michael Landsberg to play in his private 72 hole tournament named the "Nut Cup". I know what you thinking, but it is actually in reference to Michael's life threatning allergy to nuts. After I finally got my clubs and clothes (American Airlines lost my luggage for 24 hours) I was finally able to relax. We played all weekend at Forrest Creek Country Club where Michael is a member. It has been voted top 50 private courses in the USA. I played 27 holes Thursday, 18 Friday, 36 Saturday, and 9 on Sunday. Needless to say I was a litte worn out when I got back to Denver late Sunday night, but can't wait to try to claim the 07 Nut Cup.

Sunday Cross

Sunday I went out to the Boulder CX#2 to help my buddy Taylor who was racing the Men's Open division. After a ride around the old Morgul-Bismark loop for myself I headed back to the race. Changed a flat for him before the race, and got his wheels in the pit just as they took off. Taylor got a crappy starting position which left him about 30th/50 riders coming up the first climb. 3 laps later his was sitting 7 and looking good. I was also feeding him. Let me say that when he wants water he means water, not some type of electrolyte mix. Needless to say I found some water within about 5 minutes to accomodate the request, and drank the mix myself. For most of the race Taylor was working with a TIAA-Cref rider, but that guy eventually blew with about 5 to go. Taylor ended up closing the gap to 5th place, and made a move on the next to last lap to solidify 5th place. Before the race, I thought top 10 would be a great result considering the field, so we were both pumped about 5th. Super strong ride, considering his shitty starting position. If he was on the front row he might have had a shot at the podium. It was good motivation for him and me, as I'll be pitting for him when the US Grand Prix comes to Boulder Nov. 4th & 5th. The results are here, and he even got his name and result in VeloNews. While that may not seem big to you, I think it's the Cat's Meow.

Gage Carter Dugan

I am the pround uncle of this little guy. Gordon and Gage after his arrival

What to do now?

After Salida, I got my upgrade to Cat 3 and had planned on racing the Fed Center but, bad weather, vaction with little training, and a bunch of canceled races lead me to end my season early. Overall I had a great season. I reached and surpassed every cycling goal I had set at the end of the season. Now it is time for some golf, and easy rides.

Salida Omnium

TT - I sandbagged the TT to save my energy for the road race, since my best finish in a TT this year was 20th. This turned out to be a big mistake as only 38 guys registered. I cruised in at 36th place, while Andrei took 11th and Ty 16th. If I had tried, I think I could have broke the top 10 considering the field.

RR - Disaster - I was feeling great, got to the park early had some time to shoot the shit with a few of my buddies and then got ready to roll. Just as we are getting ready to rollout. My back wheel goes flat (WTF). This was the first time I hadn't brought a extra wheel, so I felt guilty asking for a change that wasn't mine, before the race even started. So I hurried back to the hotel, changed wheels and the then did a TT effort to catch the pack before the neutral rollout ended. I ended up being about 1 min off before they hit the first climb. I started picking guys off, but realized I wasn't catching the front group, and I wasn't racing for 20th so I bagged it, hoping to be super fresh for the crit on Sunday. At this point I was pretty bummed how my weekend had gone.

Crit - Before the race Gregg and I had a chat about going together with about 3 laps to go. Here is his account of the situation. With our plan, I spent the first part of the race hanging in the top 10-15. HART had the #1 rider overall so their team (7 strong) were controlling the pace and chasing down everything trying to keep their boy in the pack. About 20 min in I got off the front with 4 others, but were quickly reeled in by HART who then sat up, bunching the pack again. At this point I was hurting so I drifted back to recover, then with 5 laps to go started working my way back up. No one was wanting to drive the pace because HART was chasing everything down, and they were content to cruise at 17mph. With 2 laps to go, things picked up and we were single file going into the false flat uphill (5 blocks long) when a HART rider pulled through and sat up. No one came around so the front group bunched again. Not wanting to wait for a sprint, and tired of the same shit every lap, I moved up on the outside and attacked about 20 meters out on the first of 2 corners before the finish. I was hurting, but figured so was everyone else. I caught everyone off guard, and they weren't able to react through the corners. When I got through the 2nd corner, I went as hard as I could go for 30 seconds and then looked back to decide whether to sit up or continue. To my surprise I already had 50 meters. Apparently everyone hesitated not wanting to be the one to chase. Having 6 corners in the next .4 mile stretch was a big help. I was able to recover, while maintaining a high speed and the pack couldn't organize a chase. Coming up the false flat for the last time I buried myself, took the last corner a little too fast (back tire skipped twice) and held off a fast chasing duo by about 20 meters for the win. This totally made my weekend. I was more pumped about winning here than Hugo. Still can't believe I was able to hold if solo for a lap in a crit.

Unfortunately, I wasn't any help for BAT, but Andrei
and Ty came through big time and both looked really strong
during the RR.

Where Have I Been?

Good question - I'll try to catch up with a barrage of posts. I have a lot of catching up to do.