Tips for riding long distances on a trainer

Many people struggle to hop on a trainer and sit and spin for long periods of time. One thing that I have had to get used to is being able to ride for long periods of time on a trainer. I would say I have gotten pretty good at it. There are a few tricks of being able to sit in one spot for such a long time.

This is how I do it. First of all I have a nice pair of noise canceling head phones, over ear are best, to listen to music, Youtube videos, live race feeds, etc...  This helps me to blank out and forget about the time. Having a Powertap power meter helps to because then you can focus on always keeping in your zones. It also helps because then you know you are riding at the proper pace because thing always seem harder on a trainer.  Next, I always have my computer off to the side of me, on top of my mini fridge and microwave in my dorm room, so I can easily see it and type on it. I try and plan my rides around when a live feed of a race is so I can watch and ride at the same time. Depending on the duration I need to ride, I may still have the computer connected to the charger. Then, I always have 1 towel on the top tube and 1 over my bars to wipe my face. Also a fan pointed right at me with the window cracked.

When it comes to nutrition, I always have 1 bottle in the bottle cage and a 32 oz Nalgene sitting next to the computer so I don't have to stop to fill up my bottle. Right behind the computer is a bag of Skratch Labs, so when I need a new bottle I can add in a scoop. I have some snacks near by, like a Honey Stinger gel or waffle, but if I need to eat more, I get off for a quick second, grab a bite and start again: this helps break up the time a bit.  That is another tip, is to break up the time into small chunks to make it more manageable. Like after hr 1 your going to stop use the bathroom and grab a small bite of food, after hour 2, you'll start 1 load of laundry, like I did today, grab another bite of food and fill up bottles, at hour 3, think I am done or only have X amount of time left, typically a shorter period.

Lastly make sure that no matter what the ride calls for, always make sure to add in some standing efforts, hard or not, to help relieve the pressure on your sit bones. These things help me manage a long ride and will hopefully help you.  

Jingle Cross

With the penultimate race of the year done, things are slowly starting to wrap up and change focus for next year. This season started off early in January with CX nationals, moved into road racing, then transferred to mountain biking, then collegiate mountain biking and now cyclocross. With only the state championships left I'm still pretty excited to keep riding and training. I think having some great results at the end of the season has helped.
      This past weekend at Jingle cross I raced in the cat 2 race. On day 1 we raced under the lights. This was pretty cool seeing how this is the only race I do at night. The race was fast. I got out front early and held a steady gap of about 10 seconds behind the lead group, for the whole race, until the last lap when they picked it up and put 15-20 seconds on our group of 3. With 1 to go we hit a lot of lapped traffic. We weaved through them, politely asking to get by. Thankfully the lapped riders were nice and happily moved a side. This allowed me to stay with 4th place until the final straight when we both opened it up and he ended up getting me at the line. A solid 5th place on day one. With 2 more days to go I made sure to get my Honey Stinger protein bar in me and a lot of water followed up by some Texas Roadhouse for dinner.
      Then on day 2 the racing kicked off at 12:10. The weather was pretty nice seeing how it was a 80% chance of rain. A little rain hit right before the pro women took off but thats it. Since I took top 8 on friday I got a call up today. When the gun went off I was a little slow getting clipped in and was sitting about 15th into the first couple corners. I moved my way up a few turns later and was sitting with a group of 3 guys, again places 4-6. This time on the new hill ride up, 4th got away and it was just me and 6th place. He seemed tentative in the corners and didn't have the best top end, but could definitely suck wheel forever.  So on the big hill, where 4th got away, I rode hard up the first half and got a little gap. I tried to sustain it to the top and opened up the gap even farther. On the decent it stuck and I slowly pulled away only to catch a guy who fell off the lead pack. Now on the final lap, I pulled him all the way around until the final straight when we both sprinted for the line. He had a big kick, having had a lap of rest, and I ended up 5th again.
     Now on day 3, the course had a slick top layer which made the corners slippery and made Mt. Krumpit unridable. This time when we took off I got clipped in and was sitting 5th wheel. With 2 days in the legs running Mt. Krumpit was really tough. I slowly faded each lap to end up with a 9th place. Still had a great weekend with some great results. This season has been long but wouldn't have been possibly without the help of a lot of people so Thank you to everyone who has supported me this year. With out my parents none of this would be attainable. Thank you to the Ripon Red Hawks for helping fund some of my none collegiate races. Thank you to Saris/ Cycleops/ Powertap, Honey Stinger, ESI Grips, Fox Shock, Crank Brothers and Mad Alchemy for generously sponsoring me this season. I wouldn't be able to do what I do with out all of your help. 

Nationals Prep

With only a week to go till Nationals the thoughts and expectations, of this week, are already pulsing through me. These next couple of days just need to be over so we, the Ripon Red Hawks, can get on the road to North Carolina. Even though I have spent the better part of the year racing and preparing for each race I do, it all comes down to this, the last one, at least for this MTB season. I've thought about this race and what is going to happen now numerous times. I've been doing my homework, on the other teams, to see what they will have to bring to the table. I have been slowly packing and going over my bike since the middle of the week. I guess you might think I'm kind of crazy for doing all this stuff so early, but this is what keeps me up at night. It's comforting to know that I have everything ready to go ahead of time, so last minute all I have to do is put my stuff in the car and go. Not worry about anything just enjoy the ride and have the time of my life. I have also been really focused these past couple of weeks. Really just making sure that I keep on eye on my body and making sure that I don't get sick or hurt. Being in school it is really easy to get sick from someone. I've kind of turned into a germaphobe making sure to keep my hands clean and my body free from illness. I have some expectations for this race but I'm going to be happy knowing it was my best. Make sure to check back because I'll probably have another post a couple days before the race with more thoughts and some pictures. 

Sheboygan

Just a quick recap of this past weekend. Instead of going to Kentucky, our Ripon team coach let me stay home and race the last WORS race of the season so I could get 8 races in to help with my overall and age group spot. Seeing how it had rained Friday and Saturday, I was expecting way worse then it actually was. When it came time to race, almost the whole track was tacky. At the start line Don told us no equalizer this year because it was to muddy. After the National Anthem, we got the gun and were off. I pushed it hard, like usual, this time I was sitting top 10 when I entered the first section of single track. Without being able to pre ride and not riding that course for over 3 years now, I didn't really know it as well as I should have. So I hit a long root and slide out, but stayed up right. A small group passed and I was sitting about 11th. I kept that pace for almost a full lap when I started to fade. I got passed a few more times until the field started to come back. I picked a few people off and rode in for a solid 13th place and 2nd in age group. This was one of the most fun races of the year. It's great to see the great progression since the beginning of the season. This was probably one of the best feeling races I have had all year and my 2nd best finish, my best was 9th overall. Still great to know I was only 6 minutes out of 4th. This is relatively close seeing how I was much farther back only a couple months ago. Only 2 more mountain bike races and my MTB season is over with. Ill be finishing the year off with cyclocross and cross nationals in January. Can't wait to see what the rest of the season has to offer!!!

Trek CXC Cup

A week ago was the Trek CXC Cup, ya, i'm a bit behind on things, but I haven't really thought to write until now, while sitting in a hotel room, after racing some DH and having the XC race get cancelled because of to much rain. But thats a different story. The Trek CXC Cup was my first real cross race where I could test my legs against everyone else. I was really excited seeing how the race was hosted by Trek at Trek World Headquarters in Waterloo, WI. Day number 1 was a bit overcast but no rain. When I arrived, I went inside Trek to register and to check out the sweet bikes they had displayed. I think the 2 coolest ones were Fabians winning Paris Roubaix bike that was still dirty and Katie Compton's National Champ bike, still dirty. Fabians bike was tricked out with some sweet stuff. Just a couple things were his derailleur cage was beefed up and full carbon, his cranks/chain rings I believe were a bit different and the sick Spartacus paint job. Onto the race. It was a fun course with a steep climb near the start, a set of barriers, a tricky little decent, and a lot of fast corners. I pre rode the course 3 times before racing and felt really comfortable with it all. I rode the steep hill in practice but didn't try it until day 2 during the race. When it got to be race time, they called you up by how you registered, so I was 6th row, number 56 out of 85ish. When the ref blew his whistle, I knew I had to move up as fast as possible. I snuck up the right side of the start straight and about 1/2 way in I was sitting top 10 and moving up. Each lap I tried to catch the leaders, but starting so far back they had about a 30-40 second lead already. I still pushed and caught people each lap and ended up 6th, missing 5th by 6 seconds. Not expecting much, I was really happy with this, a great result to start the weekend. Then on day 2 it was the same stuff just a different day. The course changed slightly but it was for the better. Corners smoothed out and the descent was changed and was a little bit more tricky. Then after riding it a couple times it was race time. Got called up this time 58th out of 100 or so. I knew I had the legs to move up and thats exactly what I did. I was top 10 before the steep hill, which was about 1-2 minutes in. I pushed hard to catch the leaders, but seeing how day 2 was a UC 1, a couple more faster guys came out and drove the pace. I never caught them, but I did manage to hold position and ended up sprinting for 7th with Mike M, a friend of mine. He got me and I took 8th. My race was great, I felt fast and I finished 1min 10 faster then day 1.  Now after getting a taste of cross, I want more!! But with collegiate still going on, its back to MTB racing for me.

College life and biking racing

After a long summer of being home and working, I am finally back at Ripon College. Its really nice to be back with everyone again and being able to meet some new people. Its been about 10 days since I've moved in and I've been enjoying every moment. Besides riding and racing, our team has been doing a lot of team bonding, which is always cool. We are building trails, playing mini golf and hanging out when we are not racing. Now that Its officially collegiate season, I'm racing for the Ripon College Cycling team. Almost our whole team has gone to the last 2 WORS races. The first race, Colectivo Classic, I lost 3 of my 5 bottles and got dehydrated. I then proceeded to get dropped and lost 4 spots from the first 2.5 laps. I ended up 22nd overall and 2nd in age group. Still good considering my other results in WORS were just a couple spots ahead of this one. I'm still showing consistent results with the beginning of the season. Then after a good week of fun and hard training, along came the Reforestation Ramble. WORS number 9 for the series and probably my last one for the year, so I had to make it count. After a solid warm up I was feeling just like always, nervous and ready to race. I lined up 3rd row and after Don's long GO, I clipped in took 2 pedal strokes and got knocked almost off my bike and faded to the back of the field. I quickly jumped onto the pedals and got going. I easily managed to work my way back up to the top 15 and was sitting comfortably in the front group. The massive field worked its way around into the first single track section when we got split up. I had no idea where I was. I knew it couldn't be to bad seeing how 2-3 people who usually beat me, were in my group. For that first lap, we were really giving it and a few people fell off. Our group was now down to 4 people. I took the lead at the start of lap 2, where I held a fast but comfortable pace through the first sections of single track and open flats.  Nobody got dropped yet, but I could see that one person was hurting. I pulled off and sat in when Rick Mezo attacked. I chased and managed to hang on with Mike M from LAPT. After 1/2 a lap we managed to push it hard enough to pop Mike off the back. Now Rick and I were taking pulls. We hit the 3rd lap, I took the front and pulled for a long time, then let Rick take over. Then when he got to the front he slowed up. He was hurting, so I attacked on a hill and got a gap. I held a hard pace to the finish, which landed me a spot on the overall podium. I finished 9th overall and 1st in age group. This is now the 2nd time I've cracked the top 10. Now that I've tasted it, I want more and hope to have a great collegiate season. 

Sunburst thoughts

For the past couple of years they have been running the same course for the Sunburst race. Not many people actually liked the old course for some reason or not. Me personally, I didn't mind it.  I seemed to do good at it each year. A couple spots were not so much fun, but thats racing. This year, thanks to Attitude sports and WORS, the course was completely different. There was close to a 50/50 ratio single track to open. Probably a little more open because of the lower part which switchbacks so much. These switch backs were the hardest part of the race. After you did about 4 of them, on the lower slopes, the hill really kicked up and made you suffer. You did 4 or 5 switch backs before the top. Then once you were at the top you dropped into single track. It wasn't hard but it was nice to have it in their. A couple log ride overs and some rocks but nothing hard. Then you had a fast single track decent, hard left into a field, then climbed up and around a corn field back into some single track, where another fast decent was. The decent was long and fast enough, where if you were good at it, you could drop people. After the decent you climbed a little, across the hill, turned right, climbed a little more then hit a single track climb. Then a little more open at the top, then into a fast decent, down to the bottom where you lap through. This last decent was key. If you were in the front on the last lap you were most likely going to beat the people behind you. This decent is what we did in the past, but instead of descending it, we climbed it at the start of the loop. This course was, race pace, 16-20 minutes long depending on who you are.  A lot shorter laps then most, but I liked this style. It made it feel more like a world cup race. After 5 laps, I managed to hang on for 20th and 2nd in age group. Still really consistent with the other races.  All in all the course was fast, hard, fun and made you suffer. I think this new course is here to stay. 

MTB, Skinnies and Nats

Haven't really been keeping up with this so it has been a little while since I've wrote anything. Life has been going good, I started the WORS season a little slow. I had to DNF the first race, the next 2 races were much better taking 17th overall and 1st in age group and 18th overall and 2nd in age group. Then at the 4th MTB race of the year, Cam-Rock, I ended up rolling the tire off the bead. Luckily I had a spare tub, I threw that in and got going. I was just riding and trying to have fun with it and get some good practice. That race I took 29th overall and 2nd in age group. Thats been the start to my MTB season, next week I've got the Subaru Cup. This will be the true test before nationals the following week. A lot of the people Ill be racing against at nationals will be here. So kinda a pre race for nats.  This year nats is in PA so Ill be driving out to Bear Creek Resort PA the 18th and coming home the 21st. My race is the 19-22 Cat 1 at 8am eastern time. A little early seeing how I usually race at 1:30. It'll be interesting to see how the body reacts to the high stress. Then the week after nats ill be heading out to Washington for my uncles wedding. Taking the MTB to hopefully hit up some good trails. This site is what I going off of to find them. I was hoping this season would have been going better but can't dwell in the past. Keeping things rolling and hopefully go into the end of the season still fresh and ready to rock it for Ripon college!

Then for the skinny tires, I just finished racing TOAD, Tour of Americas Dairyland. I like doing these races because they are close, fast and fun. I only raced 4 days, I finished 3 of them and go pulled in the other.  For those 3 days I finished in the main field about 30th place. For now thats good enough. But next year if things go as I hope they do, I want to upgrade to a Cat 2 and maybe race Road Nationals in Madison.  One more road race for me, the state crit championships, and thats on the 6th. That's it for now more post as the weeks go by. 

WEMS #1 Greenbush

This past Saturday the 11th of May coach Joe decided that it would be a good idea for me to race the 100 mile WEMS race. Knowing that I could do a 100 mile race, I wasn't worried about finishing the race, just wasn't sure how well I'd do since it was so early in the year.  I was really nervous the days leading up because of trying to pack, ride and work.  I wasn't sure if I had everything that I would need to tackle this race. But after a couple days of checking and re checking, I was positive that I had everything. I had my extra set of Bontrager 29-1 tires, a couple Camelbacks, extra set of Sun Ringle rims, spare parts and extra Crank Brothers pedals. I think I packed a spare part for everything that could easily break. After stressing out for a few days about this, Saturday finally rolled around. After leaving the house at 5:20 my dad and I arrived at Greenbush at 6:45am. A little earlier then expected, but it was nice because we got first pick of pit spot.  Then after dragging all my stuff out I changed into my kit and rolled around for 10 minutes before the start. A brief riders meeting then we were off. We ran up a gravel road to our bikes, mounted and came back down the grass side of the hill. I was first onto my bike and first into the single track. I was riding at a comfortable pace making sure to hold the horses back so I wouldn't blowup later in the race.
 Lap after lap I came through the feed zone switching out bottles and grabbing Honey Stinger products. After the first 5 laps I was still feeling strong, then about 1/2 way though lap 6 I felt sick and slowed down. I didn't take anything from the pit this time around but after whatever worked through my system about 4 miles into lap 7 I felt way better. I ate a couple gels and just wanted to finish that lap. At the end of lap 7 I ate a Dark Chocolate Mint Almond Protein bar and felt amazing. My lap times even started to decrease for laps 8-10.  Also, mentally it got a lot easier because now the 3 and 6 hour races were at the venue. Then before starting lap 10, Brian Matter came over, and talked for a little, which gave me a little bit more motivation to finish strong.  Then only a few miles in, Brian came screaming by me and was gone like a flash of lightning. This last lap felt forever but after lapping 3rd place and 2nd place I just wanted to finish. I tired to push it cause I knew I was close. I rolled around the last corner and up the gravel hill to the finish with a time of 8hrs 56 minutes. After the race I could hardly stand up and walk because my back was so sore from the pouding that this course gave. So I went into the little hut sat and ate. We waited around for a bit to get awards then headed home.
Now 4 days later I'm feeling much better and was debating about doing the Bone Ride but decided against it because of WORS #1 this Sunday. Thanks to my Dad for being my pit and making sure everything was perfect for me. A I would be able to this without a great pit.

Ripon Spring Classic

           This past Saturday, April 6th, the Ripon College Red Hawks cycling team hosted a 110 mile ride through the beautiful Wisconsin countryside. The days leading up to the ride were very promising, sunny, 40's and 50's and very little wind. But of course the weather changed and made this truly a "Spring Classic". On Saturday it started off a bit gloomy and only attracted a small dedicated group of about 17 people. We had a mix of people from all over. A couple ISCorp teammates Hayley Giddens, and Kyle J. showed up. Some others were Bill Koch, Mike Klapperich, Ted Hanes, Scott Cole and Mike Curtis. After going through what the plan was for the day, handing out maps, and taking a couple pictures we headed out. We took off North towards Berlin and rode at a nice pace that we could all hold.  But after about 35 minutes, I looked down and my Cycleops Joule started telling me my hub battery was low. I kind freaked out for a bit but then shortly forgot about it. I then moved to the front with Ted and he started pushing 300 watts on the flats. Being on the front I had to keep up with him and then it hit me to slow down cause we had a long day a head. We all settled back in and I moved to the back. We made it into Berlin, went West a little, then came back South into a 17 mph head wind and rain. The rain only lasted for about 45 minutes but was enough to soak my shoes, socks and glove.

Group at the Pub

         The pace was higher then when we started but I felt comfortable sitting in the pack. After going South for about another 45 minutes we were on the North side of Green lake, we turned west and headed towards Princeton. We snaked around then finally made it to one of the sections of dirt path. Scott Cole, Mike K., Hayley and I were pushing on the front and split the group a little. After 20 or so minutes of this, we got back onto the road. We stopped, re-grouped, I opened up a Honey Stinger Waffle and gel, while others grabbed a couple Ripon Good Cookies and bananas from the sag van and took off. This is when the group split. Some of us took off solo and formed small groups while a small group of about 8 stayed together. After cranking way above threshold I caught a couple riders and was in a group off the front with Mike K. Ted, and Scott C. We then meandered through the country side, rode through the country club in Green Lake and popped out on a rode just north of the lake. This is when Scott C. dropped off and waited up for the people he came with. Now just us three, we started a small rotation going around to the South side of Green Lake. We turned South on County O, then headed back West.  While us three were cruising down a long straight away the group of 10 or so, stopped at Riley's Pub in Green Lake. From what I heard, after a couple Irish coffees and Guinness the group decided that they would take the shortest route back to Ripon.

Group before the ride, Photo credit: Scott Cole

            Now after what seemed like forever my group made it to mile 70 where the road turns to dirt yet again. This time the dirt was a bit softer and made riding much tougher, it was total 'cross conditions. We crossed over a damn and continued on past a logging operation and came out on the road at about mile 73ish. We made a turn back East when we rolled by the Mexican place that we were supposed to meet the others at.  After consulting with the group we decided it would be better to continue on and eat after the ride. Good thing cause the others would have never showed. But of course we were snacking on cookies, bananas, Honey Stinger products and another goodies we packed. Right after the restaurant we met back up with the lead van to re-fill water.  We each started to take off some of our outer layers cause the weather was starting to warm and get nice.  Now with only a small portion of the ride left we turned North and had an amazing tail wind. Cruising at 27 the last 30ish miles flew by. I was pulling on the front for about the last 1.25 hours cause the others were hurting. I don't think Ted had enough food and Big Mike K. did a lot of pulling earlier in the ride. We made it back into Green Lake and with only about 20 minutes left, Ted and Mike started to seem happier until they found out about the last 2 hills. One isn't so bad but the 2nd one is a killer. Granny gear for about 2 minutes to crawl up it, slowly. Not so bad until you have 5hrs 45 in your legs. We rolled in at exactly 6 hours and my hub battery still didn't die. We got some good miles in the legs and I had a great time getting to know everyone.  Hopefully next year will bring good weather and more people. Thanks to all who came out for the 2nd Annual Ripon Spring Classic.

Back to it

        Man its been a while since my last post. Since then I've completed another cyclocross season with ISCorp and Ripon. I competed at nationals in January then went to Worlds and watched in February. I took some time off in December and have been getting in some good base training with my newly structured plan that Coach Joe has me on.  I have been riding the Cycleops trainer mostly. I've been trying to get outside more often than last year and now that its getting to be March hopefully it will start to warm up so the winter atire can start to come off. After looking at the forecast looks like we still have at least one more week on winter.
          Now that its March the road season has kicked off.  I did my first race this past weekend, March 2nd and 3rd, down in Indiana. The Depauw team hosted both days. After upgrading to B's, a couple days before the race, I had a 40 mile road race on day one. The race itself wasn't that hard. The course had some rolling hills but nothing to hard. While racing it was about 27 degrees and it started to snow, the flakes were huge!!  This was the first time I've ever raced in snow on the road, which in a way was fun, but road shouldn't have snow falling during it. Lap after lap the pace held pretty steady with a couple attacks near then end but it came down to a bunch sprint. I felt I was sitting in good position for the sprint but missed the lead train and ended up 10th.  For me this was an excellent result seeing how I was on a cross bike and how I thought last year the C's were hard.  After the race we sat around in the suburban and watched as T-Kaatz raced 72 miles in mens A. He was going up against kids who are cat 1, race on the USA national team and are supper fast. He lasted almost the whole race then in the last couple laps he popped and ended up getting pulled but still an excellent result!!

Start of the TTT, thanks Jay Labecki for the picture

         After they were done we drove to the TTT. This was only a 5 mile race so nothing challenging. A down and back on a relatively flat course. Looking at my power file it only had about 50ft of elevation change. The wind was howling from the left, on our way out, so we had an echelon going and each took our pulls. We tried to power as hard as we could but had some fitness differences between us and had to slow just a bit. After the turn around we went as hard as the 3 of us could hold and finished. Nothing spectacular but we were not expecting anything much.

On Sunday we had the Crit. The weather was beautiful, barely any wind and sunny. It was about 35 but didn't feel like it. The course was about 2 miles long, flat with 4 turns and a winding final stretch. Todays race was 45 minutes. Eric and I lined up and took off. The pace was hard for the first lap or so then once the legs came around it wasn't to challenging. A group of 3 or so took off from the start and got about a 50 second gap. While they were off the front, I was sitting happily in the group not doing much, just sticking on. We never closed the gap to the lead group but we came close. So around the final corner we all sprinted for the line and I ended up mid pack. I wasn't trying to win more just going for a pack finish and thats exactly what I did.

Then after the race I sat around and watched Tony race the A's. During his race I got to catch up with some friends that I don't get to really see except for on race weekends. It's nice to be back in the swing of things and I can't wait for the MTB season to start!! The Iola Bump N' Jump is May 4th. Stick around for more to come. If you want more "live" updates follow the Red Hawks on twitter.  

Thanksgiving Day

Hot Apple Pie with Streusel
crumb topping 

Again this Thanksgiving I have taken the reins and am cooking with the help of my mom. Last night my mom and I went grocery shopping and got all the food then we came home and I started to brine the turkey, and make the apple pie with streusel toping which I am going to bake it first thing in the morning.

Reducing down POM
for the vinaigrette 

Today I woke up at 5:30 made a egg, ham "McMuffin" and a cup of Alterra coffee. Then I started my full day of cooking. First I started the oven then popped in the pie. While thats cooking I started to reduce down some pomegranate juice for my pomegranate vinaigrette.  I will use this on an Apple,and Toasted Walnut salad topped with blue cheese.   Next I will make my homemade cranberries that are cooked down in OJ and some sugar. But first I headed out for my ride.  I did my usual route out past Pewaukee and back. It was nice because no one was one the roads and I didn't have to worry about anything around me and I could just ride. After getting home and showering I made up the cranberries and Pear Pecan stuffing.  For the stuffing, I first toasted the bread in the oven, then pulled it out and combined it with the sautéed pears, onions, butter and chicken broth. I sprinkled on S+P and some nutmeg.  I realized that this batch wasn't going to be enough so I asked my dad to run to the store to pick up some stuff for the cranberry and sausage stuffing. Again I toasted the bread combined with butter and chicken broth, but add thyme, rosemary, and sage. Now with both stuffings done, cranberries done, pie done, salad dressing done only thing left was the green beans in beur blanc sauce and the turkey.

Turkey Pre Cooking

Making fresh bread cubes
 for the pear pecan stuffing

Now around 10, I pulled the turkey out of the brine and let rest for 30 minutes. I then seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic, thyme and rubbed it all down with butter.  I set it in the roasting pan stuffed it with carrots, celery, onion and surrounded it with more vegetables.  I poured chicken broth in the bottom of the pan and a glug of white wine then tented it with foil and placed it in the oven at 350 for about 4ish hours.  After being in the oven 2 hours this where going good the thermometer was reading about 80 degrees and was climbing.  My other family members showed up and started snacking on my mini caprese salad skewers.  Then about 1 hour later I came back and with the temp around 130, it started to go down. For some reason when we lock our oven it stopped cooking. We unlocked it and the oven turned back on. This set things back about 45 minutes but no big deal.  Then around 2:30 I made the mashed potatoes and saw that the turkey had reached 160. I pulled it out and let it rest while I made up the green beans.  Once it rested 15ish minutes the thermometer read 165 so I figured we were ready to go.  I dressed the salad and topped it with the apples and blue cheese. While my mom served it I cut into the turkey and it looked good until I hit the deepest part of the breast and it was still pink.  My worst night mare just became a reality. I thought everything was going to go smooth but now that I needed to cook the turkey longer and dinner already started things got hectic. My dad was rushing me to get everything served, instead of letting me do my thing, I rushed and had no choice to quickly cook the turkey pieces in the micro and serve it. The one and only thing I hate to do and try to never do, cook food in the micro, was my only choice for quick service to make the food safe for my guests. With every side dish on the table and being passed around I brought out the now fully cooked turkey and served it.  While everyone was enjoying dinner and sipping on their red or white wine, I was still cleaning the bird and making sure it was cooked.  Then after most everyone was done with their first plate I finally came out and enjoyed the dinner I just spent a full day stressing over.  I couldn't focus on how well the meal went with the turkey on my mind. So i didn't really enjoying the dinner like I should have.

Fresh Wisconsin Cranberries 

 Once we finished our plates full of food I brought out the cherry nut cake and apple pie. Each had 5 candles in it for my dads birthday.  Each person had 1 or 2 pieces of dessert topped with freshly whipped cream.  This was also served with a dessert wine that  tasted like pure honey.  With everyone satisfied with the meal the day was finally over and I could just relax.  Looking back on it, the meal went pretty well, but I wish it could have been a little bit better.  If you head over to this page you can find some of the recipes I used. If you would like any recipes not posted just ask and ill send them to you. 

CX here and almost gone

Now that we are in the midst of the cyclocross seasons. Many people have been done racing for a couple months and started the "Off Season".  But some have continued on and started racing cross. Last year at this time I was so burned out I didn't even want to look at a bike. This year I am still racing and feeling excellent.  I started off the season as a Cat 3, raced Halloween Cross and took 2nd then 7th at Estabrook park. The race after that was a collegiate race mixed in with a WCA race. Since I am an A for collegiate I got to line up with the Pro 1/2 field and race for 1 hour instead of 45 minutes.  This race was so much fun and way faster. I ended up in the middle of the field and felt that was good enough to put in for my upgrade to Category 2.  The day after I put in for it I received an email saying it was approved.  This now means Ill be racing for 1 hour with the best racers in Wisconsin.  These guys are wicked fast.

Now this past weekend I wanted to go down to Jingle Cross in Iowa City but didn't have a ride and I didn't want to drive down by myself, so I stayed home and raced.  This was my first P/1/2 race and I was really nervous. When we got to the start line a small group was already on the front line and I realized that this was going to be a great race seeing that the field was so small.  Once the gun went off I tried to just hang with the leaders.  I was holding on to the back of the group until slowly it started to fall apart.  I was sitting 5th but lap by lap I gained ground passing people until I caught 2nd place, Chad Hartley.  I knew he was mainly a road racer so I wanted to get in front so I could set the pace through the tight turns and off camber hills.  I would gain time on him through these but he would jump and get right back on my wheel on the flat sections.  Then when we were coming down the home straight to start the last lap my chain broke. I ran to neutral support and got a bike. I rode the last lap knowing I had to push it so 4th wouldn't catch me, but it was really hard to when your riding on flats with clip less shoes.  I managed to hold him off and secure 3rd place.  This was my first pro podium for cross and my 3rd pay out.  I really enjoyed being able ride with Chad seeing as I watched him race on the road since I was really young.

This season has been great and is still going strong.  Hopefully Ill keep racing until Nationals in January then its break time until I kick it off again in preparation for next season.  Thanks to Crank Brothers, ESI Grips, Cycleops, ISCorp, Wheel and Sprocket/Vision, Ripon college cycling and most of all my parents, family and Coach Joe Cieszynski for helping me develop into who I am today, showing great support and helping me in all my highs and lows. And thank you to everyone else who has made this season and past seasons so much fun.  

2012 NATS

            This years Nationals started off with a bang.  Howard Grotts destroyed the D1 field and lapped most of the D1 and D2 field. The D2 race started at 9:10 am. Since Eric was out with an injury that he received after a practice run of the dual slalom course, I was the first Red Hawk to be called up and was in the second row right behind UWP rider Mike.  At 9:10 the gun went off, I clipped into my eggbeaters and took off. About 100ft later we started the ascent.  I was still sitting in the top group until the first 2 big kickers when the highlanders took off.  The group I was in was clipping along at a great pace, when single speeder Marc Thorsen of Ripon flew by Casey and I.  After about 2 miles or 20ish minutes up, we hit a really technical rocky single track section.  I could until the last couple feet then had to dismount. Casey ran by me and was 2 people ahead of me going down the decent.  He snuck by those 2 riders and flew down the hill.

           After 10ish minutes of descending we came through the start finish shoot and started to climb again.  I caught Casey and Marc then try to hold a steady pace. Casey and I kept pretty close for most of the race. On lap 3 about half way up the hill Howard Grotts flew by me at about 13 MPH, to put it into perspective I was going about 6-7 MPH.  We kept climbing when I hit the single track and Casey closed the gap between us. We flew down the hill, came through the start shout and I almost got taken out by D1 riders who were finishing because they got lapped. 

               I started the last lap and knew it was going to be tough because after the downhill my legs felt like bricks since they were being flexed all the way down the hill and had no time to relax.  So when we hit the first climbs my legs said stop, no more, but I kept saying "Shut up legs" -Jens Voigt. Another thing that help this pain go away was I kept thinking of Eric. Since he couldn't race I was racing for him and this gave me the extra motivation to go deeper into the pain cave until the point of no return. With this new motivation, energy etc... I caught a couple people and saw 2 others just ahead. I caught them right as we started the downhill and couldn't get around.  Shortly later I spotted 3 more people. Mike from UWP was one of the people I caught but was faster than Karl who was right in front of me so Mike got a gap on the downhill. I knew it was going to come down to the last open section right before the finish. So once we hit the open I tried to jump but the Karl also jumper and the gaps stayed the same and we rolled through the finish 12th, 13th and me 14th.  

              The short track was Saturday at 10am.  The course was the same start straight as the XC race. You sprinted 100ft then you turned up the mountain then veered left and continued to slowly climb when about half way up it kicked and the legs started to burn like a forest fire.  At the top you turned right and descended into some lose and dusty single track then after 2.5 minutes we were back onto the start straight. Lap after lap I moved up only hoping I wouldn't get caught by the leader. Finally on the 3rd last lap I noticed the leader getting closer but they didn't pull me I pushed it thinking I was getting pulled on the next lap. To my surprise I didn't and kept going. Then with 2 to go I jumped and gained 3 spots. I started my last lap and realized I went to early and burned my last matches. I gave it all I had but those 3 people slowly rolled past and I finished on the lead lap in 22nd place.  After 2 solid days of racing I'm beat and want to sleep but have to much fun coming tonight after the awards banquet.  Hopefully the banquet will be just as fun as the WORS banquet.  Kinda wish I could be there to get my award and see my WORS family again before the long winter.  

First days in NM

The Ripon crew looking good in our new Mt. Borah kits

So today is day 3 at altitude and day 2 in NM.  The Ripon crew left Wisconsin this past Saturday.  We headed out and Drove 12 plus hours to Kearny, Nebraska where we stayed in the Holiday inn hotel.  The hotel was great, it had water slides, big rooms but the only downside was no free breakfast so we ate at the restaurant in the hotel.  Never again will I eat there. The food was very over priced and so was the coffee and other beverages.  Then after Sunday breakfast we drove to Erie, CO to drop off Jeremy and kept on trucking along to Angel Fire.  We stopped about 1 hour away from our cabin and star gazed. Never have i seen something so beautiful. Ric took some pics of them and let me take one.  I was able to capture a shooting star. After we got arrived late sunday night so we couldn't really get to enjoy the views and the house we were staying in.  The house is huge, has 3 bed rooms and 2 bathrooms on the first floor, 1 master bedroom with a full bathroom and kitchen/ living room upstairs.  Then above the garage is another room with 4 beds and another bathroom.   The 2nd floor porch is also giant. We brought up the Park Tool equipment so we can work on bikes.  Thanks to all who ended up supporting our Ripon so we were able to come out to NM so early.

The first day of riding out here was sick.  We all road the course from last year and its really weird to see it in such amazing shape.  Also the downhill part of it was super fun last year and was just as amazing this year.  Hopefully tomorrow i'll be able to get out and ride the actual course.  Its totally different from last year.  It starts off with a double track climb then we enter single track and start to head back down the hill.  Hopefully it lives up to the expectations of last years course.  We also hit up the skills track that was being built last year.  Now finally done we got to practice some dual slalom skills.  Its fun hitting up jumps even though I don't know how to launch them yet.

Yesterday also was a great day because I finally got to surprise my dad. He usually figures out what our surprises are before we can actually tell him but this year my mom and I finally got him.  I took this picture to the right and sent it to my dad saying "happy birthday get your stuff packed you fly out in a couple days."  My mom, brother and I all bought him a ticket to fly out to Colorado and drive down to New Mexico with my grandparents for Nationals.  

I've procrastinated enough today I better get back to homework.  Ill keep posting up to and after the races have happened.  Here are more pics.

Statues in a store in Taos

Chicken Taco from a
 food cart in Taos

The past weeks and whats to come

This past weekend October 6-7, the Red Hawks headed to Kentucky for regionals.  The first day we raced short track and dual slalom.  It rained the day before so the short track race was a bit sloppy but nothing to bad.  The course included a hill climb, some single track and a couple of BMX style jumps/rollers depending who rode them.  Then on Sunday we did the cross country race.  The course was muddy but since the soil was made up of mostly clay it didn't do to much to affect the race. A couple sections were slippery but nothing to bad.  I ended up taking 9th behind some pro level riders. Now with a weekend off the Red Hawks are heading down to Angel Fire, NM for nationals. We are driving down a couple days before and riding down there trying to get used to the course. Also this will give me some time to see my grandparents before I race cause they are coming down from CO to watch the race. Then racing will take place on friday the 19th-21st.  I will be racing on Friday and Saturday.  The cross country race is first and will be about a 5 mile loop with 2.5 miles up the hill and 2.5 down.  I'm guessing it will be fairly similar to last year but a little less muddy. Then Saturday will be short track and if things go the way they have been this whole year a Red Hawk may be on the podium.  Time to pack up and get ready for a great week down in NM.  

Good times with great people

This past weekend we had a weekend free from collegiate racing so I decided to head up to the WORS Bear Paw race.  My friends and family got to stay in the cabins right on site which was cool because they had a full kitchen, bathroom and the best part was having a campfire and making pudgy pies the day before.  I had a turkey and cheddar on a ciabatta roll with just a bit of mustard. But making it over a campfire made it that more tasty.  But this weekend I wasn't really planning on racing.  I wanted to go up and just hang out with everyone and enjoy riding the trails the day before.  Then our Ripon coach persuaded me to go and race.  After riding a couple laps of the course I didn't want to stop.  I was having a blast just riding these trails.  They are technical and need your full attention.  Then realizing I had to race the next day I called it quits. Then after dinner, Joe Maloney, Tim Racette, Myles Beach and I sat in Myles cabin, the one next to ours, and had a great time talking and laughing over Mrs. Beach white cheese chicken lasagna. It was great to hang out with these guys again after being in school and not getting a chance to see the WORS family. On race day it was a bit chilly in the morning but warmed up pretty nice by the time I had to race at 1:30.  I got another call up and got to start right behind the winner, Cole House.  Don yells go and we take off. I got a great start and was sitting near the front up the first big climb.  At the top we cruised around in tall, bumpy grass and after losing some spots I entered the first section of single track 3 spots behind Myles.  This year the course was dusty and a lot of us had troubles seeing because of the dust cloud.  After battling this dust bowl, we hit the first road section.  We flew down it and made a hard right back into more technical single track.  We climbed up through roots and big rocks, a lot of which were "pedal busters".  After alternating these single track sections and fast roads for the first 3.5 laps I started to catch people again.  I was gaining speed on Ben Koenig when he noticed I was there and took off like a spooked deer. He ended up beating me at the end. This race was probably the most fun of all just because I mentally was able to go out and just ride with out really caring how I did.  Thanks to all for the cheers throughout the course racing wouldn't be as fun without you all.  

Chequamegon Fat Tire 40

This time of year is probably the best.  The leaves are starting to change colors, apple picking is on its way, the temperatures are cooling off etc... But another thing that makes this time great is the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40.  This race is a road race on gravel, grass and dirt roads.  Its fast, really fast.  So I new this year, with a gate 1 preferred spot, I'd have to hold back a little and not let my nerves get the best of me at the start.  I lined up behind some pretty big names like Lea Davison and local Wisconsinite's like Cole House, Mike Phillips, Matthew Bushce and previous winner Brian Matter. It was cool getting to line up with the big dogs.  When the gun went off the ATV rolled away and it was go time, well kinda. The ATV's kept the pace pretty smooth so everyone could keep up.  But once we hit Rosie's field it was go time.  Everyone battled and the field split up into different packs. This year I was riding with Chloe Woodruff, and shortly after Lea Davison but only for a bit because she flatted.  After riding through field after field I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold on and with only 1 hour 15 minutes in the legs I popped. This could have been due to many things, being sick for the past week, going to hard in warmup or the simplest answer it just wasn't my day. I tried my hardest to hang on the back but couldn't. After loosing the group I tired to eat a couple of GU and Powerbar Gels to see if that would help bring back some energy. It definitely helped because when a tandem rolled by I jumped on their wheel and they pulled me from about mile 21-34 where we caught Dallas Fowler and 1 other rider.  Those 2 guys jumped on the train but the tandem was just to strong for me and I fell off again.  I pushed my hardest to not get caught.  I almost held off a group of 3 but they were just to strong and got by.  I rolled down the finish hill and then back up to find Bill Street attacking hard from behind I stood up and tried to sprint but he got me at the line. After finishing I new I was top 60.  I was hoping for a top 30 like last year but this year was a lot faster than last.  Even though I didn't place where I wanted I still was happy with my effort and happy that I did it in about the same time as last year.  It was another fun experience racing bikes.  I gained a lot of knowledge from this race and hopefully it will help me in the future.  It was also cool to see how well the WORS pro racers did.  Even though Brian didn't win he still crushed it and took 3rd Mike Philips from Adventure 212 also destroyed it and took 4th.  Well off to another race next weekend in Missouri which is on the MWCCC calendar for Ripon.  

Hard Times

This past race was in Suamico WI, which is just north of Green Bay.  It was a fast course for the pre ride but a little dusty.  I hoped that we could get a little rain to help it out but instead we got a lot of rain.  The course didn't turn to muddy as it was mainly all sand. For as much rain as we got it made the course tacky and just that much more fun.  I didn't have my best race of the year, I took 25th overall and 2nd in age group.  I decided to represent Ripon for the race because I have moved in and this was the official 1st race on the calendar for us.  For as much fun as I had not many people felt this same way.  The had to re-route the course because a ground hive got stirred up and many people got stung more than once. Thankfully my dad did not get stung as he is allergic to bee stings, but he did take a stick to the face and got a nice cut on his upper lip. Another tragic accident occurred that I don't feel comfortable writing about as I don't really know Rob.  For the best write up read Travis's page. Now I'm back in Ripon waiting for breakfast.  I forgot how hungry you get after a race.   

Life...

Today the 22nd is my first day of class. Summer came and went by super fast.  It's nice to be back and in the swing of things.  Life up in Ripon is pretty much the same as last year, living in the room right below my old room, things still close at 9pm every night, and the cows still stink which in a weird way I kinda missed. Tomorrow is my 19th birthday and my grandparents are flying in from colorado for my grandpas high school reunion and are coming up to visit the campus and then we are headed out to dinner with my parents. Collegiate racing starts on the 1st of september with a home race at Mt.Morris where the Subaru Cup was held this past weekend.   I didn't do so great at that race.  I was in the top 10 up the start hill and then I crashed pretty nasty and had to try and fight back up to the front. I burned a lot of energy trying to do that.  On sunday was the short track race and I was pretty beat from the day before but I gave it my all and had a blast racing.  Hopefully this weekend Ill have a better result.  Well off to lunch and then practice tonight on the dirt.