Josh Carter Reports in From Colorado

3/19/08

I'm heading back home to the midwest after a 3 week work trip to Denver, CO. At first I was looking forward to training at altitude, but then I got there ... I felt like a smoker! After a few days of riding by myself in the mountains, I called on our long lost ABD teammate, Zach Watson to see if he'd take me out on the local training ride. We hooked up with the Saturday group ride in Boulder and I was thinking 'I'm in in good shape, this is going to be fun.' Boy was I wrong. I never thought that I would ever say I hate riding on flat roads ... but when you throw the flat roads a mile above sea level when you're used to training at about 200 ft. elevation it really changes things. And then we went uphill. It wasn't the climbing that hurt me the most. It was being dropped by the women and being passed by the guy 4X my weight ... and then chasing the group for 30 minutes to catch back up to the group as they stopped for a break. Four and a half hours later we ended up back at Zach's house and I was a mess. It literally feels like you're breathing through a stir-straw out here.

I just have to thank Zach for helping me find some really awesome places to ride. He and his wife, Erin (who used to race with Julie back in the day), were awesome to hang out with.

Sunday. Race day. There was a criterium the very next day in City Park, CO (suburb of Denver). Criteriums = right up my ally, right? A 60 minute crit ... no problem, right? Apparently I didn't learn my lesson the day before because this was the best and the worst race of the year so far. It was a 1 mile loop in the shape of a triangle with three (yes 3) roundabouts. There were about 80 riders and a lot of them were pros. From the gun I made good position in the front of the race. I missed the first 6-man breakaway but a lap after the break got away I bridged across with Jonathan Clark and Henk Vogels from Toyota United. I tried to sit at the back of the breakaway and catch my breath, but after 4-5 laps I couldn't recover and got dropped from the group.

I stopped pedaling to recover and tacked onto the 3-man chase group that included Pete Lopinto, Tyler Hamilton, and another guy I didn't know. A couple laps later we made it to the breakaway ... so now I'm back in the lead group (go figure). Again, sitting at the back of the break I tried to recover and 4-5 laps later I got dropped again.

I went back to the field and I sat at the back of the pack for about 10 minutes, wanting to quit the whole time I was back there. I just couldn't recover without getting the oxygen I needed. While I was at the back another chase group got away ... now there were about 16-17 guys off the front and the race only paid 3 places deep. So then I thought 'there's no money left for the field, I might as well race hard and get a workout ... if I get dropped, I get dropped.' So I attacked again with about 10 minutes to go and formed a 3-man chase group. About a lap later there was a big crash in the pack (behind me) and the officials pulled what was left of the field. My 3-man chase group picked up a few of the guys that were dropped from the other chase group and I just kept pulling really hard, taking really long pulls. With two laps to go I decided I didn't want to risk anything with no money on the line with all of the roundabouts on the course. So I went ahead and pulled out early.

All in all, it was a good race. It shows that I have good form; I just can't breathe at altitude. I would have liked to see how this race would have finish had it been at sea level.

I'm now on my way back home to St. Louis. I'm looking forward to team training camp and the Hillsboro Roubaix. I'm very excited to be with racing with the guys for the first time together this year. I have to wish Alex and Ebert good luck out in San Dimas while we're racing in Hillsboro.

Until next time,

Josh

Kenosha Crit #2: The White Brothers Go Two for Two

In the days' main event, ABD/GEARGRINDER team members Rob and Ryan White joined Rob Jungels and Jeff Schroetlin for a sufferfest that saw Schroetlin, Rob White and Ryan White drive the winning break. In the finale Rob White soloed to the win on the final lap with Ryan taking second and Schroetlin coming across for 5th.

Jeff Schroetlin decided that one race wouldn't be enough of a workout last Sunday, so he also jumped in the Masters 30+ and took second.

White Brothers go 1-2 at Kenosha Crit #1

Rob and Ryan White took first and second at the first Kenosha Criterium last weekend, held in frigid conditions. The pair traded attacks until Rob escaped, only to be joined by Ryan a few laps later.

Meyers Nets a Win and Another Podium

Meyers Report: 2nd and 3rd on the Weekend

Last Saturday marked the return of the annual (for as long as I can remember) Depauw collegiate race weekend—I was excited. The road race has been a blast in the past, and this weekend was looking to be no different. Our official of the day made note of the fact that the previous race had been boring, and he had nearly fallen asleep in the chase vehicle. He said that since he had shortened the race for us, we should ride extra fast, and that our race should be more “interesting”. The field must have taken his words to heart as we started fast and more or less kept it that way. Attacks were made in the first lap, but none stuck. Midway through the second lap, a big group of 12 formed, and the field was nearly at its breaking point. I attacked out of this group and three of us rolled away: Erik Bean (UW Madison), Erik Loberg (UW Milwaukee) and myself. We hammered and hammered. Loberg forgot to eat, and suffered at the doorstep of Mr. and Mrs. Bonk. Bean and I trudged on. As we got to the final lap, I came under the impression that we had something like a minute plus on the field. This was wrong. All of a sudden, Bean says “We have about 30 seconds on them I think”. I turned around to see the bunch closing in. I grunt “GO GO GO GO GO.” Bean and I put it into overdrive. With about 1 mile to go, I have no choice but to go at it alone. With the field hot on my tail, I punch it as hard as I could. Leg cramp be damned. I’m going to win this race with only one functioning leg if I have to.

A moment of bliss comes. I think I’m going to make it! I was wrong. Cross eyed, I see a blurred double image of Derek Laan (Purdue) screaming past me 10 feet in front of the line and raise his arms in victory. Second place. Dangit.

Brett Stewart (Also of ABD/GG fame) rides for Indiana. He was one of the nine Indiana University riders bringing the break back. An unfortunate crash took him out of the bunch sprint. Fortunately, I won’t have to ride against him this summer.

Sunday was a Crit. Warm weather greeted us. Wind too. This was going to be fun—as a 170 lb rolleur, I find flat, windy, power courses to be tailor made for me. 2nd lap or so I follow an attack by a Milwaukee rider. We work together for a few laps, but in a turn I ended up dropping him. I spent a couple laps off solo until a chase group of 5 caught up. We continued at a high pace. At one point I attacked for a prime, and dropped a couple people. It was now just four. Shortly thereafter, it became three. I was starting to cramp, badly. I told my two compatriots that I was not going to sprint. All of a sudden, it’s back to four riders. I had thought we had dropped one guy, but he really just flatted and took a free lap. I was OK with sitting on and not sprinting for 3rd, but didn’t feel that way about 4th. With the little legs I had left, and 3ish laps to go, I guttered it out in an attempt to pop at least one guy. Luckily I did. When the sprint came, I flicked off and watched the fireworks go off. I coasted it in for third, with quads in knots.