A Year In Review: 2018

Happy New Year!

I've really embraced the whole professional-cyclist persona this last year, racing just about every weekend from April-July, plus some more thrown in. I've learned a lot - not only about racing, but about myself as a cyclist and endurance athlete, but more importantly as a person. I've developed my racing skills ten-fold when looking at previous years, and of course I'm very much looking forward to a very successful 2019!

I've made this particularly clear to anyone that has so much mentioned a bike in my presence, but I'll be racing with Team Clark Logic starting this Spring! I'm super stoked about this, TCL is exactly where I should be to develop my racing skills even more in this critical point in my cycling career. I've raced with most of the TCL boys already, just not working together; being on the team and having solid plans for each race will not only benefit myself very much, but TCL will be just as successful with more strong riders working together; I'm super excited for this opportunity, and extremely grateful this was able to happen!

As for 2019 racing plans, I've already started to fill up my calendar (: Most everyone has seen pictures of my hot pink bike, but I'm super stoked to race gravel every weekend this Spring! USA Cycling hasn't released the road schedule for the summer yet (as far as I know) so I haven't really put too many of those on my radar, but I plan on doing all races within a 3-hour ?? radius (: Seeing as I don't work on Saturday's anymore (more on that later) I'll be free to roam the upper midwest in search of cycling glory!

The first race on my calendar is the Waterloo G&G on March 16th. It's a gravel race in Waterloo (?) and I'm hoping for a quick and successful start to the racing season. Shortly following are Melting Mann and Barry-Roubaix !!!!!

Goals for 2019 include:

- Getting some solid results and winning more money than I spend on bike races, gas, registration, licenses, etc.
- Moving from Cat 4 to Cat 3, = more money, pro races, feeling like I belong in the TdF
- Contributing to the success of TCL by helping myself and teammates cat up, hoping to be able to stick together as a team through categories of racing! (care to learn more?)
- Sticking to my plan throughout the year (including offseason training) (I've been running recently), coming out in early races strong and finishing the season in a good way
- Continuing my pursuit of a 4.0 GPA at Davenport (more on that later)
- Growing at work and continuing to learn (more on that later (: )

- I love my parents and I love living (ha!) with them, but I'm thinking I might want to move out on my own later this year (stay tuned)

Work has been going wonderfully. I started with Tibble & Wesler CPA in August of this year (does everyone already know this?) When I first started, I was working a lot with tax returns and such as the extension deadline Oct. 15th (did you know you can file your taxes late? with a penalty from our friends at the IRS of course) was fast approaching. I haven't touched too many tax returns since then so it'll be interesting this fast-approaching tax season, especially with the new Tax Cut and Jobs Act (if you have any tax questions, please reach out, I'd love to do my best to help, charlie@tibblecpa.com ) I've been processing payrolls, sales tax returns, unemployment, and quickbooks for quite a few clients, I've made numerous Starbucks runs, I've gone to a few conferences, I've met a lot of cool people, and I'm super stoked for this next year with T&W!

(Let me try to explain the new standard deductions to you, I have some good talking points)

Through KVCC and Davenport, I'll be able to finish my Bachelor's degree in Accounting from Davenport, but never have to leave KVCC's campus (isn't that wonderful?) Not going to a community college anymore has been and continues to be astronomically more expensive (thank you Capitalism), but I'm learning an enormous amount of new things, I finished my first semester with a 4.0 !!!!!!!!! and I've finally got a plan in place to finish my degree in 3 more semesters! After which, I'll begin taking CPA exams, and I'm hoping to have my CPA certification shortly after I graduate with my Bachelor's degree. Exciting times for Kalamazoo's favorite little associate accountant! After college and CPA certification, I'm not quite sure what I want to do (open for suggestions). I hear Manchester United has been having quite a bit of management turnover in recent years, so I'll be open to phone calls from Ed Woodward (;

That's all I've got, please stay tuned for more posts once racing begins in March (: Like I've mentioned, I'm super primed for a super fantastic year ahead, I'm exactly in the right place and things are falling just how they should be.

Now that I don't live with my sisters, I miss them constantly and always look forward to seeing them. We can usually make it at least 24 hours before we are sick of each other now (: Same goes with all my friends, I have a fantastic time whenever I go out with them all now, and I'm super blessed to have all that!

Happy New Year to you and yours! (my new year's resolution list is growing by the hour)

Cheers! CE

Uncle John's 'Dirty' Ride

Guess who crashed again?

P.S. this picture makes it seem like the road rash isn't that bad, but wow it hurts

Of course it was me, but I have a bag of doughnuts next to me so not all is lost.

I mean I really don't know what to do. It seems like every time I am racing recently I'm going down, and today I went down pretty hard. I managed to crack my pink helmet, so I can't wear that one anymore which is too bad. Head is still all intact, no issues, no worries!

It was my first race today since crashing back in July over in Detroit. I honestly had some pretty high hopes; Pedal always does well at this race, I've been feeling very fit lately, and I felt like this would be a pretty good opportunity to get back on my feet (for those counting, it'd really be wheels). The entire race was really sketchy, a lot of people that didn't seem to know how to race, moving back and forth erratically across the dirt roads of Lansing (?) county.

What I can take from this race is a lot of confidence. I was doing very well, feeling very strong, in a position that was good, it just happened again; I crashed. It happens, it needs to stop happening to me so much but it happens and it doesn't hurt that bad and it is a part of racing; not worried about it.

A couple guys I was racing with from Pedal actually stopped and waited for me to get back up and we rode in together. There were a couple times when we thought about trying to bridge back up to the main group, but it wasn't happening. The wind was brutal, the race was fast, and we were hurting.

P.S. bike is super fast, super light, and super pink

Next week begins CX season at Markin-Glen aka local race aka no driving. Pretty excited, pretty don't-know-how-it-will-go, but excited. I don't expect anything, just to get better at dealing with pain and pushing through it and maybe something fantastic will happen and I'll be able to hang. I think I'm at the point where I should probably be racing in the A race now so; less people, more time, more pain.

4/14 Eagle Creek Crit, Indianapolis, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/22 Notre Dame Crit, South Bend, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/29 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 22nd Cat 4/5 (40)
5/6 Kalamazoo Half Marathon Kalamazoo, MI 13th (27) AG (M 19-24) / 249th (1392) Overall
5/7 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (9)
5/12 Tiger Lane Crit, Memphis, TN DNF Cat 3/4 'heat'
5/20 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 6th Cat 4/5 (25)
5/28 Waterford Hills Circuit Race, Clarkston, MI 13th Cat 4/5 (38)
6/3 Cobb Park Crit, Kankakee, IL 18th Cat 4/5 (36)
6/4 131 Racing Series, Matin, MI 2nd 'B race' (6)
6/9 BTR Crit, Kalamazoo, MI 8th Cat 4 (16) 20th Cat 3/4 (32) $30
6/10 Race for Wishes, Lawton, MI DNS 'rain'
6/15 Zeeland Crit, Zeeland, MI 26th Cat 3/4 (43)
6/18 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (9)
6/24 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (10)
7/1 Great Lakes State Classic, Marne, MI 4th Cat 4/5 (11)
7/9 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (7)
7/14 Detroit Cycling Championship, Detroit, MI DNF 'crash'
7/15 Corktown Crit, Detroit, MI DNS
9/9 Uncle John's Dirty Ride 30th 24 Mile (90) 'crash'

Almost forgot to mention how PRO I felt riding to the finish after having crashed. Everyone told me when I got back in they were surprised I was able to ride back, the crash looked bad. To be honest, I didn't think it was that bad, and I was ready for some more!

New job is swell for all those keeping score, soccer is going well (although I haven't been as involved as I'd like to be thanks to work, school, bikes, etc.), school is going smoothly, I really have no complaints besides crashing on my bike every other week.

I feel strong. I feel tired. I feel like I should be doing something else. I feel happy.

Cheers! CE

Best Summer Ever!

As I sit in my room hectically trying to get ready for the first day of class tomorrow, I can't help but look back at a fabulous summer. I've raced bikes close to every weekend these last 5 months or so, and I feel much better for it. I've gone on a few trips, made many new friends, started a new job, and matured in so many great ways.

Let's talk about bike races first (: It was a solid road season, I never really got that super great result I was looking for at the beginning of the year, but I did win some money. I learned a ton and I feel like I have a really good grasp on how to win crit races now, I'm hoping that will pay off next year! I have a pretty full Fall season of cyclocross races, the first two: next Saturday in Alma and Sunday in St. John's, both of which I'm very much looking forward to. I think my fitness is at a pretty good point, what will hurt me is my mental game. Will I be able to fight through the pain or will I crack as soon as the pace gets high? Ryan told me last week I need to find 'the eye of the tiger', I'm not sure if I have yet, but it can be something good to work on (:

I've been through my first crash that I can remember (haha) and I feel better for it. I now know that crashes can (and will) happen, they hurt pretty bad but it is not the end of the world. Sometimes nothing can be done to avoid crashes, they just come out of nowhere, but it is a part of racing and something I can recover from. I have a whole cabinet drawer full of first aid supplies now, so I'm very well prepared to go down again. I think cyclocross races this Fall will be even better to help me get over crashing since I haven't raced since I went down in Detroit in July, and cyclocross racing is more or less just one big crash after another (;

I've gone on a couple trips down to Ohio to see Betsy and friends and it has been a great time every time. I am so glad Betsy moved away (not because I was sick of her or anything but she has made a whole new best friend group), met a wonderful guy (Mason for King), and it has opened up many new experiences for my family and myself. It is wonderful having a place to go a few hours away and a nice little vacation (party) spot just a short drive away (long enough to get bored while driving and go through a few playlists).

I went down to Tennessee at the beginning of summer and saw some great friends and did some new things, which was totally rad (always looking for a reason to go down to TN).

Most everyone must know by now; I left Advia around the beginning of August (thanks for everything, I miss everyone so dearly) and started a new job with Tibble & Wesler, CPA on August 27. I've worked full-time now for a week and I absolutely love it. I've prepared a few tax returns, worked on some bankruptcy stuff, and have done some bookkeeping; I don't think I'll ever get enough. I love having my own desk and my own phone extension, I've decorated my desk with some of my favorite things (Manchester United, bikes, and family, not necessarily in that order (; ), and I really enjoy the new people I work with/for. It is life changing having two computer monitors to work with, I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to just one.

I feel very happy with myself. Coaching the boy's soccer team at Parchment has been amazing, Jerod and I are working very well together with the boys and I feel as if we will start to turn a corner just as conference play starts. I am very much looking forward to the rest of the season, even though I will take more of a back seat role now that school is starting and work has already started. I feel very motivated to have a strict schedule and get all my shit (stuff) done, still have a social life, and be able to be fast on a bike as well as my other extra curricular activities.

P.S. have you seen my new bike? (it's acid pink) (go see my friends down at Pedal)

I am figuring out what I want in life, what I want in a relationship (still don't know), and what fills my cup (it's not always alcohol). It'll be a very crazy next few months, I'll write when I can (hopefully after most race weekends), and I'll continue to make myself happy. Let's hope for a fantastic cross and gravel season, a successful first semester at Davenport, learning more at work and becoming a tax pro, continued fun with friends and potential suitors (suitors? what is this, the 1700's), and forever more reasons to put off doing homework (;

P.P.S. (I think that's right) It has been four years since I knocked my head and almost didn't make it, extremely blessed/thankful/fortunate/lucky/grateful to be able to live my life however I want it to be and not feel as if anything is holding me back (I wish people would stop coming up to me on my right side (; )

I better start reading some syllabi.

Cheers! CE

Birthday Edition!

Well, I don't have much to say this week. Another week full of change and adventure and stress and maybe particularly surprising, no bikes. I still haven't got my bike completely together after crashing last weekend, that will be a project for tomorrow.

I've lost most interest in traveling to race the rest of this year. I'll probably spend some time learning my skills a bit better at Martin on Monday's, as I begin to think about next season and starting the year fresh and fast, hopefully to be able to move into Category 3 rather early next season, hopefully by May.

This winter I'm considering buying a new frame and building it up with all the components that I hand-choose to be a racing machine next Spring. I'm moving towards a lighter bike so I can be a bit more of an all-around threat. I feel like that is where I need to be moving towards, instead of just hoping for a sprint-finish, I want to be the one pushing the pace and causing the pain during races. I want to work on being very quick, I also need to lose like 10 pounds by next Spring, something I think is doable, as long as I can stay away from the Oreo's.

I'm ever hopeful for next year, it's been a very exciting year and learning how to race and what to do and not to do, I'm hoping that knowledge will carry over into many future races.

Cheers! CE

Detroit Cycling Championship - Carnage

Good evening!

I still haven't been able to tell if I'm mad, sore, disappointed, hopeless, or unlucky; but I feel all of them. I went down very hard on Saturday at the Detroit Cycling Championship and I'm having some serious doubts about the rest of the season. I'm probably being a little too dramatic, but this is my 'first' time falling off a bike and it was a big shock to me.

4/14 Eagle Creek Crit, Indianapolis, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/22 Notre Dame Crit, South Bend, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/29 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 22nd Cat 4/5 (40)
5/6 Kalamazoo Half Marathon Kalamazoo, MI 13th (27) AG (M 19-24) / 249th (1392) Overall
5/7 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (9)
5/12 Tiger Lane Crit, Memphis, TN DNF Cat 3/4
5/20 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 6th Cat 4/5 (25)
5/28 Waterford Hills Circuit Race, Clarkston, MI 13th Cat 4/5 (38)
6/3 Cobb Park Crit, Kankakee, IL 18th Cat 4/5 (36)
6/4 131 Racing Series, Matin, MI 2nd 'B race' (6)
6/9 BTR Crit, Kalamazoo, MI 8th Cat 4 (16) 20th Cat 3/4 (32) $30
6/10 Race for Wishes, Lawton, MI DNS
6/15 Zeeland Crit, Zeeland, MI 26th Cat 3/4 (43)
6/18 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (9)
6/24 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (10)
7/1 Great Lakes State Classic, Marne, MI 4th Cat 4/5 (11)
7/9 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (7)
7/14 Detroit Cycling Championship, Detroit, MI DNF
7/15 Corktown Crit, Detroit, MI DNS
7/22 Tour of Port Sheldon, West Olive, MI
7/29 Muncie Grand Prix, Muncie, IN
8/19 Gaslight Crit, Grand Rapids, MI
8/26 54th Annual Debaets-Devos Pro-Am, Detroit, MI

I feel very resigned. I just realized there are only 4 races I have planned the rest of the year, and I am not feeling good about them. I feel even if my road rash was to heal enough where I could ride, I think my fitness will take a hit as I'm nursing some serious burns, and my confidence has never been lower. I am going to have some doubts about my bike handling flying around corners at 30mph +, and that will significantly hinder my results. I'm going to take a couple days off and heal up, then I will hit it hard again on Thursday. I have some new handlebars I ordered that will be super rad and fast, looking forward to getting them installed.

Thankfully the bike was not damaged in any way, some just minor scuffs on the right shifter. It is always recommended that carbon bars are replaced after a hard crash, so I've done that! We were flying around the second corner, a tight one, after a prime lap, so the pace was very high! I positioned myself perfectly this entire race. I was in the top 10 the entire time, exactly where I wanted to be in a 70-person field. I still feel like I could have been a little more towards the front because whenever we sprinted on the finishing stretch, I wasn't really getting close to the first place rider. As we were coming into this second turn, a guy on my left, on the inside, just came into me very strong and there was nothing I could do. He came out of no where, went straight into me, and I went down. He threw me towards the barriers and my wheels came out from under me, sliding out to the right. I went down hard on my left side, thankfully my forearm and leg took all of the impact.

Of course with my history, anything crash-related/head-related is very concerning. I laid on the ground for about 10 minutes while an EMT made sure I didn't have a concussion or anything serious. The extent of my injuries is only road rash, but it hurts very badly. I've done some good research on the best way to heal this up quickly, and I've been taking very good care of all the damaged areas, hoping to be ready to ride again by Thursday.

I'm still very disappointed, but I am also hopeful that something good may come out of this. I have a good grasp now on what it takes to be in contention in a crit, and I'm very much looking forward to my 22nd birthday next weekend...aka I'm beginning to be an old man now.

Cheers! CE

2018 Recap! (the rest of the year)

Ah, what a lovely day, sitting inside the new Starbucks on 9th street, white chocolate mocha next to me, what a wonderful time to be alive! My legs have been feeling particularly heavy lately and I think it has a lot to do with my diet, I've been eating bad, I've been drinking a lot of alcohol, I haven't been stretching. I've taken some time off to relax and get the legs primed up for this weekend however, as I feel this weekend could prove to be the biggest race of my life so far!

Let me tell you, there isn't a much better feeling than beating Jeff Nordquist in a sprint finish! Jeff was one of the key people that got me started in cycling all those years ago, and I must say, I think I am just as fast as he is on a bike! Not quite halfway through the race, a 4 man break formed, and I was in it! Yes! Finally I've found myself in a break with some of the strongest riders I know, Mike Jones, Jeff Nordquist, and Shane Thellman. The four of us worked very well together, going up more than a half a lap on the rest of the field, it was very fun to be a part of something that worked so well. Coming around the last lap, I pulled off about half way around the course, just long enough that I wouldn't have to make another pull, so basically I set it up perfectly for Jeff, the only person in the break that was in the 'B' race with me, to lead me out. Jeff and I came flying around the last corner and just as it started to become straight again, I took off and beat Jeff by about 1.5 bike lengths, it was wonderful!

4/14 Eagle Creek Crit, Indianapolis, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/22 Notre Dame Crit, South Bend, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/29 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 22nd Cat 4/5 (40)
5/6 Kalamazoo Half Marathon Kalamazoo, MI 13th (27) AG (M 19-24) / 249th (1392) Overall
5/7 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (9)
5/12 Tiger Lane Crit, Memphis, TN DNF Cat 3/4
5/20 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 6th Cat 4/5 (25)
5/28 Waterford Hills Circuit Race, Clarkston, MI 13th Cat 4/5 (38)
6/3 Cobb Park Crit, Kankakee, IL 18th Cat 4/5 (36)
6/4 131 Racing Series, Matin, MI 2nd 'B race' (6)
6/9 BTR Crit, Kalamazoo, MI 8th Cat 4 (16) 20th Cat 3/4 (32) $30
6/10 Race for Wishes, Lawton, MI DNS
6/15 Zeeland Crit, Zeeland, MI 26th Cat 3/4 (43)
6/18 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (9)
6/24 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (10)
7/1 Great Lakes State Classic, Marne, MI 4th Cat 4/5 (11)
7/9 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (7)
7/14 Detroit Cycling Championship, Detroit, MI
7/15 Corktown Crit, Detroit, MI
7/21 Whiskey City Twilight Challenge, Lawrenceburg, IN
7/22 Tour of Port Sheldon, West Olive, MI
7/29 Muncie Grand Prix, Muncie, IN
8/19 Gaslight Crit, Grand Rapids, MI
8/26 54th Annual Debaets-Devos Pro-Am, Detroit, MI

Next up, on my annual review so far, I went over to the east side of the state for the Waterford Hills Circuit race on Memorial Day. It was so very hot, I didn't have much of a warm up, which thankfully I don't do that anymore, not have a good warm up I mean. The race started fast and continued to be fast, and this course was actually on a race track, something similar to Kalamazoo speedway, which was very cool indeed. There were a couple little hills on this course, something we all know I struggle with. There ended up being a break of about 6 people I think that stuck until the end, so I was in the bunch sprint at the end of the race. I had a poor sprint even though I was second wheel coming around the last sweeping corner into the uphill finish. I never really had a sprint I imagine, just sort of cruised over the line, something I have improved on greatly the rest of this year. Again, this race was very very warm, I'm glad it is over with!

I drove down to Kankakee, IL the next weekend, and it was strange driving down there! I just hit Chicago traffic, took an exit on the highway and started heading south. When I got off the highway I drove through a town that almost seemed to be completely deserted, it was strange. Anyway, this race was fast, I warmed up on my trainer which was good, but I was put out by the speed of the race. I hung with the main group all the way through the race, which had a fair number of turns, something I wasn't quite expecting with such a large and fast group. Coming around the back stretch which was downhill on the last lap it was time to make my move towards the front of the pack, I just never/couldn't do it and I happily came home for a mid-pack finish after a big 180 degree turn before the final short stretch along the Kankakee river to the finish!

Ah, the only time I haven't won the 'B race' up in Martin. There was a new cat from GR doing the race this week, I don't remember much at all of this one, but he made a move around the last corner where I usually do and I just couldn't match him. Oh yes, I did all the pulling on the back stretch into the wind which sort of burned the rest of the matches I had for the sprint, a mistake I haven't made since! It is vital to be in a good position on the back stretch on this course, as the wind is ripping the field apart, it is very important to be protected before the 180 degree turn to the finish! I was punished for pulling the last part of the race, but no one wanted to do the work in front because it was so windy, so the race got very slow and I didn't know what to do, so I just went, but didn't go enough to actually have a gap between myself and the field, rolling home to a second place!

BTR! I won some money this race, my first ever check from riding bikes, it was only $30 but it felt very good to be getting paid for what I love to do! This race was very large and fast as well. I hung with the group just fine, probably a little too far towards the back so I was doing a lot of work trying to get back on after turns and what not. There was a break in this race which stuck until the end. Knowing what I know now, in Crits I am going to start on the start line in the front and just stay on wheels in the front of the pack, I won't let people just pass me at the beginning of races, this is setting me up for failure.

The next day in Lawton it was raining very heavily, I got to the race 3 hours early so I stood in the rain for about a hour and a half before I decided to leave. I figured the misery and danger of racing in the rain wasn't worth the risk. If I had crashed and gotten hurt, I wouldn't want to race any more this year and my mother wouldn't let me. I decided to drive home, and leave Race for Wishes glory for the next year!

Zeeland was the fastest race I've ever done by far. There were a lot of people in this race as well, my warm up wasn't as good as it should have been, and I did the same thing I've done in every crit so far, let everyone pass me on the first lap! We averaged over 27 mph for the 45 minute race, and around every corner I was just trying to get back on the main field. I finished with the pack but I was never in contention at all, which was very disappointing. Zeeland was a very cool race though, the course was right through downtown Zeeland, and there were a lot of people watching, I felt pretty pro!

The next two weeks are pretty similar, and I must say I don't remember a lot from either race at Martin. I got first both weeks thanks to the ride I did earlier in the week after Zeeland with Mike Jones. Mike taught me a lot about both racing in crits and sprinting, the things he taught me have made me a much better rider. I also won some donuts in these races, which is the true prize of the season, I love racing at Martin every Monday (maybe only because I win almost every week).

The Great Lakes race was the first road race I've done this year and it took a toll. My heart rate hit a new high because of the effort and the heat, 208 bpm!!! The first lap was calm until we took a right and started heading slightly downhill. The pace really picked up and I just held onto the wheel ahead of me. I had talked to Ryan before the race and he had said there wasn't really much elevation or much wind. He was right about the elevation but the wind was howling! out of the Southwest-ish. After that downhill section we took a right and I found myself in front. Not knowing what to do besides take off, I pushed the pace up the largest hill and split up the pack. Now there were only about 6 of us in the lead group and we rode together the rest of the first lap and the second lap. There were a couple moments on the second lap where people tried to attack, including myself, but nothing stuck and we were all together on the final stretch of the course before we turned into the fairgrounds. We were heading back East and the Southerly wind was absolutely ripping up apart. However, I found myself in the perfect position, sat about 4th wheel on the left of another person, I was perfectly protected from the wind. The guy I was next to said to me as we were getting towards the fairgrounds and the finish, "it looks like you know exactly what you are doing." We turned into the fairgrounds and I was in the front now, pretty much just where I wanted to be. The course was not well marked and I went some people go around me because I wasn't sure where to go. We turned onto the track to do half a lap before the finish, I was fourth onto the track and I finished fourth. I never really had a sprint as all 3 of the guys ahead of me took off before we got to the track through the fairgrounds and I was probably a little too cautious. If I could do this one again, as soon as someone came around me I would have jumped on his wheel and had a go at him at the end!

This next weekend, I head over to Detroit both Saturday and Sunday to race. These races I feel are very important as they are very big, its getting towards the back end of the season, and I still haven't had a result I can hang my hat on. On USA cycling's website my point total is predicted to do very well on both days, so I'm hoping I can use what I've learned in these races to finish towards the top. I don't want to talk about these races too much, I just need to get a result!

That's all for the 2018 recap, I've hoped everyone has enjoyed reading this as I have writing about it. I look forward to going back at the end of the year and the beginning of the next season and reading all my posts, I think it will be very cool. Big things are still happening in my life, I feel happy and at peace, everything always works out!

Cheers! CE

Early 2018 Recap!

As I sit at Water Street with Nate; my roommate, best friend, mentor, life coach, all of the above, I can't help but think how thankful I am for these last 7 months or so. I've learned so much, I've made a lot of new friends, I've experienced things I never have before, but most importantly I think I'm setting myself up quite nicely for a wonderful 2019. I just told Nate what I'd be writing about today, and he asked, "what are some of the highlights from this year?", and nothing really came to mind right away. I think I've had a lot of highlights, so buckle up and I'll explain my year so far!

First, I was trying to find a training plan for the winter that would work well for me. I've tried just riding on the trainer with some sufferfest videos; that didn't work. I've done Pedal's spin class in the winter, and that helped a lot but towards the spring time, like March and April-ish, I ran out of time to be going to Pedal on Monday and Thursday nights with things to do for school and whatever else. This year, I bought a smart trainer and I started using that! I bought a Bkool smart trainer and it has been wonderful! I tried using the Bkool software for a while but I just thought it was a little too slow or laggy and it wasn't quite interactive enough as far as being able to ride with other people. I then tried Zwift and it was awesome! I would follow training plans that Zwift had set up and I would follow it very religiously, like I would write which workout I'm doing on which day on my desk calendar, and I stuck with it for a long time and I feel like it set me up for a faster than average Spring, which ultimately led to me feeling pretty fast this summer.

In March, my mother, sisters, and I went out to California, and it was the best of times! We drove around most of the state and saw most of the cool things. We went to Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, L.A., San Fransisco, the Pacific coast up near my Aunt Nancy's house, and we had a fantastic time. I think we all got along very well the entire trip, I feel like I have a very good relationship with both my sisters (which I haven't always had), and I drove the entire trip in a SUV w/ four wheel drive (which proved pretty daunting driving through L.A. traffic, not to mention up and down the sides of mountains).

We got back from Cali and I raced on a tandem with Tim, my old boss at Pedal at Melting Mann in Vandalia. We got second in the tandem category of the 32 mile race and it was a lot of fun. It's very interesting to be on a bike and be moving but not having to think about anything else but pedal, pedal, pedal. I used all my horsepower to push us up hills and we were cruising along the entire race. We never actually saw the tandem that got 1st place, I think they started way in front of us as we started the race in pretty much the back of the mass start in downtown Vandalia. I also learned a fun thing about tandems; when you are riding in the back, the ride is much smoother and much less sketchy when you 'let go' and try not to control the back. As soon as the person in the back tries to control the bike and hold on to the handlebars real tight, the frame begins to 'whip' and flying down a hill at 35 mph with a bike that isn't going straight isn't the best feeling in the world!

4/14 Eagle Creek Crit, Indianapolis, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/22 Notre Dame Crit, South Bend, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/29 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 22nd Cat 4/5 (40)
5/6 Kalamazoo Half Marathon Kalamazoo, MI 13th (27) AG (M 19-24) / 249th (1392) Overall
5/7 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (9)
5/12 Tiger Lane Crit, Memphis, TN DNF Cat 3/4
5/20 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 6th Cat 4/5 (25)
5/28 Waterford Hills Circuit Race, Clarkston, MI 13th Cat 4/5 (38)
6/3 Cobb Park Crit, Kankakee, IL 18th Cat 4/5 (36)
6/4 131 Racing Series, Matin, MI 2nd 'B race' (6)
6/9 BTR Crit, Kalamazoo, MI 8th Cat 4 (16) 20th Cat 3/4 (32) $30
6/10 Race for Wishes, Lawton, MI DNS
6/15 Zeeland Crit, Zeeland, MI 26th Cat 3/4 (43)
6/18 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (9)
6/24 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (10)
7/1 Great Lakes State Classic, Marne, MI 4th Cat 4/5 (11)
7/14 Detroit Cycling Championship, Detroit, MI
7/15 Corktown Crit, Detroit, MI
7/21 Whiskey City Twilight Challenge, Lawrenceburg, IN
7/22 Tour of Port Sheldon, West Olive, MI
7/29 Muncie Grand Prix, Muncie, IN
8/19 Gaslight Crit, Grand Rapids, MI
8/26 54th Annual Debaets-Devos Pro-Am, Detroit, MI

After Melting Mann, the real racing began. I started by driving down to Indianapolis for probably one of the coolest races I've done this year. It was at Eagle Creek Park and it was circle course, so it had no turns and I don't think I touched my brakes at all the entire race. It was fast and I stayed towards the front and followed most every attack and I burned all my matches chasing people and I didn't have any sprint left. There was an attack that I didn't follow with like 3 or 4 guys and it actually stuck until the end, so we were only sprinting for 5th place but again I just followed the wheel in front of me and didn't really have any punch to my run-in at the end. 12th wasn't so bad though in the first race of the year, and I was hopeful that the year would be full of learning and experience; which it very much has been.

Next was the Notre Dame Crit. This race was just about the opposite of the one I had done previously in Indianapolis. There were 7 very tight corners that required a lot of stopping and starting again. I started in the back of the pack at the beginning, a mistake I haven't made since, but it proved costly. I break got away at the very beginning of the race and I never actually saw them go or saw the move at all. So I stayed with the people I was with and in the second or third group on the road, I came in 12th and to be honest I was a bit disappointed. I was more disappointed with my tactics, letting a move get away without any effort to be with them. I felt at this point in the season, and for the rest of the year and still currently, I've had the fitness to stay on anyone's wheel, its just been poor decision making that is keeping me away from the podium.

Next, I went over to Ann Arbor and it was a very cold morning! I honestly don't remember much from this race. I think coming down the back stretch of the course I found myself in first place (which is the absolute last place you want to be with one turn to go) and everyone just flew around me on the last corner and I didn't have any matches left to have a go with anyone. This race was pretty disappointing for me as I thought I had pretty good positioning the last couple laps, although there were points in the race where I was just trying to hang on at the back of main field. 22nd was not a great finish for a bunch sprint at the end, particularly when I consider myself a pretty fine sprinter. This is probably the race I wish I could have back and try again, because if I knew what I know now, the result would have been much better.

I ran for the next week and ran the Kalamazoo Half Marathon the following Sunday and that was a silly thing to do. I sprained my ankle and actually took a week off the bike to get that feeling better. It was probably best I took a week off for other reasons as well, but I'll probably never run again in my life, although it was pretty fun to compete in front of all those people. The pain was not worth it though (:

The next day I went up to Martin Speedway for the inaugural 131 racing series race and walked away with 1st place and a medal! I don't remember hardly anything from this race, only that there weren't that many people left on the lead lap and it was very close at the end! It was so close we couldn't determine a winner that night so Dan took the picture home and blew it up and texted me the next day to tell me I had won! I did most of the pace-making that night if I remember correctly and the guy who got second sat in the entire time, and Hayden is pretty fast so it boosted my confidence quite a lot to get the victory that night!

The next weekend I drove down to Tennessee to see my sweet, sweet friend Sarah Noe. It was so lovely to see her and I miss her so dearly and can't wait until she comes back up to Michigan, and she is coming back up pretty soon I believe, I should text her! I spent Friday night with Sarah then drove down to Memphis, a 4 hour drive, early Saturday morning to race, which was quite possibly the dumbest move I've made this year. In Michigan the weather had been pretty rainy and we may have had a day or two in the 70's but not much warmer than that. I got down to Memphis, and of course it is about 95 degrees, it is super humid, my ankle still absolutely kills to put any pressure on it, but I decide to race without any sort of warm up. I made it two laps I believe trying to stay on wheels, which ultimately I did, but I felt like I just might suffocate so I pulled myself from the race and drove back up to Nashville with my head hanging pretty low, that was rough. I spent Saturday night with Clay and Madi, we went to a few bars downtown Nashville and it was probably the greatest night of my life. Sunday morning I drove over to Knoxville to spend the day with my cousins and other Aunt Nancy. As soon as I got to their house, Aunt Nancy says, "I'm sorry to put this on you right when we get here but put some nicer clothes on, we are going to Haley and Parker's baccelaureate (sp) service." So we go to that then we go to dinner together, pick up Parker's girlfriend and go get ice cream! It was very nice to see my two cousins, they have grown so much since I saw them last in 2014! Drove home to Michigan Monday morning, and back to work the next day!

The next Sunday, I drove back over to Ann Arbor and did the same race on the same course I had done previously in the year. I went for a nice warm-up ride, but I can't remember much else from this race. I believe I did a good job at keeping myself towards the front of the group. Coming around the last corner I think somebody went away solo and it was absolutely marvelous move and nobody went after him because I think he caught every one off their guard. He ended up winning the race solo and I cruised comfortably to a sixth place finish. Again, if I had known what I know now of sprinting, I think I would have finished on the podium, but alas, a good result!

Well, it is 9:30, I'm awfully tired, I don't want to talk about the rest of the races right now and I think it is time for bed! I didn't race this weekend, but I have been riding a lot and my legs feel very tired, I think I either need to change my sleep pattern, diet, stress level, or all of the above. Big things are happening in my life, which I am super stoked for, I can't seem to keep a girlfriend for more than a couple weeks which is concerning, but I am happy, I am riding bikes, I am thankful, and I am tired! I'll probably throw in a mid-week blog post finishing up the recap of this year, but for now, adieu!

Cheers! CE

"It looks like you know what you're doing"

Can you believe someone said that to me today as we were coming up to the Berlin Fairgrounds where the race finished? There was a very strong cross-wind coming into the finishing area up near Grand Rapids, and it was completely tearing apart the field. I finished fourth and I'm very happy with that considering I was in the front of the group almost the entire race doing all the work on a crazy wind-swept course. I would come up to the front and then pull off, and no one came around me! What the hell! I've been working and talking to Mike about staying towards the front of groups during races, but I shouldn't be IN the front for 70% of the race.

Today's race was two laps, the first lap was pretty mellow until we took a right and started heading west. The road was slightly downhill and everyone just took off and we started pushing a high pace. We took another right once we got through Lamont and it was the first of really only 2 climbs. I found myself in front coming into this hill, just like I found myself most of the race, and for some reason I decided to attack. Not really attack like I was trying to form a break, just the kind of attack where I'm pushing 20 or 21 mph going up a pretty significant climb. This broke up the field pretty good, leaving only about 6 or 7 guys with the lead group. We then took another right and man, the cross winds just killed our speed. I tried to slow down and get  back in the pack behind someone, but like I said no one would come around me!

Coming around on the second lap after we passed the finish area, some guys attacked once we took the first right and started heading west again. I said to myself, might as well go with them, so here I am pushing upwards up 30 mph trying to get away, but nothing sticks and we get into Lamont together as a group and take a right and start heading up the same hill I attacked on the first lap. This time though, I was just trying to survive until the finish, hoping the group would stay together and there would be a sprint finish. I used all of my energy to stay on the wheel in front up me as we were going up this climb, heading north until we took a right to start heading east again to the finish. I never felt like I was going to be dropped, I just burned a lot of my matches trying to stay with the wheel in front. I did though and we took the right and the cross winds slowed the group right down.

This is where another racer told me, "It looks like you know what you're doing", I was sitting about 4th wheel, the wind was howling from our right sides, and I was sat just on the left of the bike in front of me, the perfect place to be shielded from the cross-winds but also the bike in front of me was helping to lessen the blow of the head-wind. I was sitting here for a while, thinking about how great life is and looking forward to the sprint. Then someone attacked, or pretended to attack about 5k out, and of course I followed, which of course led me to be out front again, the last place in the world I wanted to be as we were coming into the fairgrounds and the finish. As we took the right into the fairgrounds, some guys came around me and I stayed on their wheels but I was never able to make a move, it was a pretty sketchy and narrow finish. I held out for 4th place, and considering this was my first road race of the year, I'm very pleased with this.

4/14 Eagle Creek Crit, Indianapolis, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/22 Notre Dame Crit, South Bend, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/29 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 22nd Cat 4/5 (40)
5/6 Kalamazoo Half Marathon Kalamazoo, MI 13th (27) AG (M 19-24) / 249th (1392) Overall
5/7 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (9)
5/12 Tiger Lane Crit, Memphis, TN DNF Cat 3/4
5/20 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 6th Cat 4/5 (25)
5/28 Waterford Hills Circuit Race, Clarkston, MI 13th Cat 4/5 (38)
6/3 Cobb Park Crit, Kankakee, IL 18th Cat 4/5 (36)
6/4 131 Racing Series, Matin, MI 2nd 'B race' (6)
6/9 BTR Crit, Kalamazoo, MI 8th Cat 4 (16) 20th Cat 3/4 (32) $30
6/10 Race for Wishes, Lawton, MI DNS
6/15 Zeeland Crit, Zeeland, MI 26th Cat 3/4 (43)
6/18 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (9)
6/24 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (10)
7/1 Great Lakes State Classic, Marne, MI 4th Cat 4/5 (11)
7/14 Detroit Cycling Championship, Detroit, MI
7/15 Corktown Crit, Detroit, MI
7/21 Whiskey City Twilight Challenge, Lawrenceburg, IN
7/22 Tour of Port Sheldon, West Olive, MI
7/29 Muncie Grand Prix, Muncie, IN
8/19 Gaslight Crit, Grand Rapids, MI
8/26 54th Annual Debaets-Devos Pro-Am, Detroit, MI

Also raced at 131 last Monday and that went very well as usual. Made my move in the same spot I had been and it worked wonderfully, I won by a good gap, it was awesome! There were also a few primes during the race for boxes of doughnuts from Sweetwaters, and if there was one thing that made me go faster and work harder on a bike, its probably doughnuts. I was either 1st of 2nd in all 3 of the prime laps, the two I didn't win they were photo-finishes, my sprint was in top form thanks to Mike!

I know I've said this a lot before, maybe not on here, but I'm going to work really hard to cut sugar out of my diet, train hard all week, and work on my core! I'm racing next week down in Ohio, I still haven't fully committed to the 4 hour drive but I think I will. I believe tomorrow there is no racing at Martin, so I'll go work on some sprints! I hope to be able to stay motivated throughout the week and see where that leaves me next weekend!

I am forever hopeful with some big races still coming up the rest of the year! Exciting things are happening in my 'professional life', soccer will start up here pretty soon, and it is so hot outside, which is nice and hopefully it can stay like this for a while!

Cheers! CE

Rest Weekend

Yo!

I had this weekend off from racing and its been very relaxing! I raced last Monday and it went super well! 1st place! There were 3 of us on the lead lap of the 'B' race and I felt very confident coming through on the last lap, I feel very fast in a sprint and it will only get better now. I went early just about at the start of the final turn at Martin and I won by a good amount. I think one of my big strengths is going early in sprints because it seems like I am able to hold a sprint for a long time, which is a very good thing.

I met Mike Jones and we rode together for about an hour and it was the most informative ride of my life. Mike taught me about his '4 T's of sprinting' and I'm really hoping to implement them in my racing. The races I have been doing will benefit greatly from a much better sprint so learning so much from Mike is probably the best thing to ever happen in my cycling career. It feels very good for someone so seasoned as Mike to believe in me and tell me that I can still do big things with my cycling career.

We went over 3 new workouts that I'm going to incorporate into my training, I believe some structured training will help very much with my development. My hopes for the rest of this year are to get some solid results in Cat 4 and be a Cat 3 racer by the end of the year so I can spend the entire next year in Cat 3, where I feel I need to be. I'm going to start going on the Wednesday night ride as long as work doesn't get in the way, which I feel like it will be better once I get a full time job, which I feel is very close. I'm super excited for the rest of this racing season, I feel very confident and on top of things after talking with Mike.

4/14 Eagle Creek Crit, Indianapolis, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/22 Notre Dame Crit, South Bend, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/29 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 22nd Cat 4/5 (40)
5/6 Kalamazoo Half Marathon Kalamazoo, MI 13th (27) AG (M 19-24) / 249th (1392) Overall
5/7 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (9)
5/12 Tiger Lane Crit, Memphis, TN DNF Cat 3/4
5/20 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 6th Cat 4/5 (25)
5/28 Waterford Hills Circuit Race, Clarkston, MI 13th Cat 4/5 (38)
6/3 Cobb Park Crit, Kankakee, IL 18th Cat 4/5 (36)
6/4 131 Racing Series, Matin, MI 2nd 'B race' (6)
6/9 BTR Crit, Kalamazoo, MI 8th Cat 4 (16) 20th Cat 3/4 (32) $30
6/10 Race for Wishes, Lawton, MI DNS
6/15 Zeeland Crit, Zeeland, MI 26th Cat 3/4 (43)
6/18 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (9)
6/24 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st 'B race' (10)
7/1 Great Lakes State Classic, Marne, MI
7/8 Ashland Crit, Ashland, OH
7/14 Detroit Cycling Championship, Detroit, MI
7/15 Corktown Crit, Detroit, MI
7/21 Whiskey City Twilight Challenge, Lawrenceburg, IN
7/22 Tour of Port Sheldon, West Olive, MI
7/29 Muncie Grand Prix, Muncie, IN
8/19 Gaslight Crit, Grand Rapids, MI
8/26 54th Annual Debaets-Devos Pro-Am, Detroit, MI

I think I need to take some time to show some appreciation to my roommates, especially Nate and Madi who I have spent a lot of time with recently. Nate is doing big things this coming year and driving a damn van across the country, I'm super excited for him and I'm sure this will be a fantastic adventure! Madi is the best, we rode bikes on the KRVT today and stopped at Genos and Twisters then we went to Applebees and it was super fun! Madi is doing big things too and I'm super excited for her to see how much she does this next year!

Bianca and Phil got married Saturday night at our cousins Stephanie's house! It was a beautiful wedding and we had the most fun we have ever had together. Betsy's boyfriend Mason is super cool, we love Mrs. Lacy, and we all danced the night away and had to be driven home, always the best of nights! Congratulations Bianca and Phil, you two are the best and super perfect for each other!

My writing is going downhill, but it is pretty late at night and today was a big day for me! I'm hoping the results start to turn for the rest of this year, and I think they will get a lot better.

Cheers! CE

Zeeland Criterium

Good morning!

I would pay the government a significant amount of money if they could help me sleep in past 7am on any given day, but here we are. I couldn't tell you the last time I slept in past 7am and, and I have to pay $110 to renew the tabs on my car. That letter was an unpleasant surprise when I went to my parents house yesterday for dinner.

I don't have a lot to say this week. I think I understand how my racing is going, it is about the same every weekend. I can hang with the main group, which has been very fast, but I am not at all a factor at the end of races. On Friday I went up to Zeeland for the Zeeland Crit, a very cool race in downtown Zeeland. There were about 40 people in this race, so it was big and it was very fast as well. At the end, our average speed was 27 mph, 27 mph!

The entire race I was trying to move up the field and get towards the front, but I never did it. I think my training needs to be more structured, and it might even be better to train inside, where I can design my own very specific workouts and not spend time doing riding that is not beneficial to my goal: getting top 10's at these races I'm going to. I think I might train inside for this week and maybe next week, and see how my results are coming up. I have this weekend off of racing, so it might be a good time to try some new training.

I have a plan, and I'm going to see if it works! Like I said last week, I think this year is for learning what will work, next year will be the one!

4/14 Eagle Creek Crit, Indianapolis, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/22 Notre Dame Crit, South Bend, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/29 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 22nd Cat 4/5 (40)
5/6 Kalamazoo Half Marathon Kalamazoo, MI 13th (27) AG (M 19-24) / 249th (1392) Overall
5/7 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st "B race" (9)
5/12 Tiger Lane Crit, Memphis, TN DNF Cat 3/4
5/20 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 6th Cat 4/5 (25)
5/28 Waterford Hills Circuit Race, Clarkston, MI 13th Cat 4/5 (38)
6/3 Cobb Park Crit, Kankakee, IL 18th Cat 4/5 (36)
6/4 131 Racing Series, Matin, MI 2nd "B race" (6)
6/9 BTR Crit, Kalamazoo, MI 8th Cat 4 (16) 20th Cat 3/4 (32) $30
6/10 Race for Wishes, Lawton, MI DNS
6/15 Zeeland Crit, Zeeland, MI 26th Cat 3/4 (43)
7/1 Great Lakes State Classic, Marne, MI
7/8 Ashland Crit, Ashland, OH
7/14 Detroit Cycling Championship, Detroit, MI
7/15 Corktown Crit, Detroit, MI
7/21 Whiskey City Twilight Challenge, Lawrenceburg, IN
7/29 Muncie Grand Prix, Muncie, IN
8/19 Gaslight Crit, Grand Rapids, MI
8/26 54th Annual Debaets-Devos Pro-Am, Detroit, MI

Yeah, 26th out of 43 isn't the best, I finished in the bunch sprint. Like I said, I'm going to take these next couple weeks, race on Monday nights, but I think I want to do some very specific indoor training and we will see if that makes me a factor in these races for the rest of the season. I feel like I am slow out of corners, and I don't think I have enough confidence to move up in groups, which that has to change but its all mental at this point. I feel like most of this racing is mental, and it's hard to get in that mindset that when I am racing, my only goal is to beat every one else, I don't think I am there yet.

So looking at that first result, it was pretty good! There wasn't much time to train outside before that race, so all my training was on Zwift, so maybe it is going to be a good idea to move my training back inside! In that race, I was towards the front the entire time, so that is where I need to be during the next races. I need to do what works for me, and I need to stay towards the front and chase down attacks.

It looks like July is going to be packed full of races, a lot of driving for those races but I am very excited. I think some more deliberate training is going to help very much. I probably shouldn't be as excited as I am about this next part yet, but the girlfriend situation is going very well! We've been on like 6 or 7 dates and they have all been the best. She is out of town for the next couple days, and I'm going over to my parents for dinner tonight for Father's Day, but I am super excited to have the healthiest relationship of my life, it feels very good.

Tricia and I went to Black Owl for coffee with her best friend, and it was a great time, and it is always a great time with her! I mean just look at this picture, everything is perfect! I actually spent a lot of the week going on dates with Tricia and either her friends or my friends, and double-dates are the best! It is been a nice distraction from the bike, but I'm still able to find time to train!

Very, very excited about the full-time job thing at Advia, I think it might even be in the Accounting department! I don't want to move back in with my parents in August, so I think as long as the full time thing works out, which again looks like it is all happening very quickly (:, I'll get a place by myself for next year and it'll be great.

So, my life is moving very quickly and I'm loving it, I finally feel like I am growing up, and let me tell you, it is very strange considering where I was 4 years ago. Every person has a different journey at this point in their lives, and mine is strange but it looks like it is all going to work out!

Hope springs eternal!!

Cheers! CE

All of the rain!

It is a damp and drizzly November in my heart the last couple of days. It is also a damp and drizzly November outside, and it is awful. BTR was Saturday and Race for Wishes today. BTR went well, I'm still learning a lot and I think this year and this season has been about learning and will continue to be about learning.

BTR started out fast and it stayed fast the entire way. By the end of the race, our average speed was just under 27 mph, which is fast!! I thought I played the race pretty well during the beginning and towards the middle. I stayed out of the front and out of the wind, but I may have been a little too far back in the pack as I caught myself a couple times chasing. My chases were successful, I would catch back on, but it was a lot of extra work trying to get back on the group. Ideally, I would have been riding a little bit more towards the front. A few attacks went and every one came back. I think I tried to hop in a move but it came back almost before it got started.

At the beginning of the race I tried riding in the front of the main group but I was doing so much chasing making sure no breaks got away that I burned a lot of my matches so I moved back a bit, probably too much. I was out of breath and it was hard to catch my breath again. The legs felt fine but its just that feeling of almost suffocating that really takes a lot out of me. Towards the end of the race with about 5 laps left, a move did form and they actually stayed away the rest of the race until the very last lap when the main group brought back a couple of the guys in the break. Coming around the last turn, I would have liked to have been a little bit further up in the pack, I just didn't have the legs or the confidence to make a move.

It was raining very hard before my race at Race for Wishes so I decided racing in a road race wasn't worth the risk of getting sick, crashing, burning myself out for the rest of the season, so I drove back home. I'm disappointed the weather wasn't better this weekend, but I did win $30 at BTR so thats pretty cool!

This was my big weekend and the rain took a lot of that away. The rain stayed away from BTR for most of our race, it didn't start raining until about 2 or 3 laps left and it wasn't really a factor. Like I've said, this year is about learning so I really want the next couple races to be a little more exploratory. I want to go out in a break, I want to attack with a lap left out of the main field, I want to make a move coming around the final turn; I really just want to try some things and see what works.

I still have a few races left, more than a few, and I'm excited for them.

4/14 Eagle Creek Crit, Indianapolis, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/22 Notre Dame Crit, South Bend, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/29 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 22nd Cat 4/5 (40)
5/6 Kalamazoo Half Marathon Kalamazoo, MI 13th (27) AG (M 19-24) / 249th (1392) Overall
5/7 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st "B race" (9)
5/12 Tiger Lane Crit, Memphis, TN DNF Cat 3/4
5/20 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 6th Cat 4/5 (25)
5/28 Waterford Hills Circuit Race, Clarkston, MI 13th Cat 4/5 (38)
6/3 Cobb Park Crit, Kankakee, IL 18th Cat 4/5 (36)
6/4 131 Racing Series, Matin, MI 2nd "B race" (6)
6/9 BTR Crit, Kalamazoo, MI 8th Cat 4 (16) 20th Cat 3/4 (32) $30
6/10 Race for Wishes, Lawton, MI DNS
6/15 Zeeland Crit, Zeeland, MI
7/1 Great Lakes State Classic, Marne, MI
7/8 Ashland Crit, Ashland, OH
7/14 Detroit Cycling Championship, Detroit, MI
7/15 Corktown Crit, Detroit, MI
7/21 Whiskey City Twilight Challenge, Lawrenceburg, IN
7/29 Muncie Grand Prix, Muncie, IN
8/26 54th Annual Debaets-Devos Pro-Am, Detroit, MI

Uncle Dave got married to Grandma Gail this weekend on Friday and it was beautiful and I'm so happy for them both and all my pictures will be from that!

Looking forward to more races and trying to figure out what works for me. Next year will be my year, this year is for getting used to things and learning all there is to learn!

Cheers! CE

Pre-Kalamazoo Race Weekend

I've been thinking about Kalamazoo Race Weekend; Saturday at BTR and Sunday in Lawton since this last winter. It is these two races that motivate me to get through all this training, drive these long hours to races, pushes me to keep going. My mind has been elsewhere all week; I've caught myself on multiple occasions day dreaming about things that have no relevance to what I'm doing, whether that is driving or riding bikes primarily. Maybe this is good, maybe I need some mental time away from the bike. My fitness was very good today, I think things are on the up-swing just in time.

This is a bit of a recurring theme, but I didn't ride two days early in the week, Tuesday and Wednesday, and I think this may be putting my training back a little bit. I had Thursday off from work so I actually did two rides. In the morning around 11 I rode over to the BTR course and did the full 50 minutes, which is what the Cat 3/4 race will be in length this next Saturday. It felt good but the wind was brutal so I was a bit slower than I would have liked, but confidence is high ahead of the weekend.

Last Monday, Memorial Day, I drove over to the east side of the state to race at Waterford Speedway and it was very cool. It was a race track for cars and it was a 'street' course so it had a lot of sweeping turns which made for a very fast race. There was a brutal little climb before we turned onto the back side of the track and that split up a lot of the race. Just about from the beginning there was a break of about 7 or 8 and it stuck the entire time. After this race, I decided I needed to start watching breaks more, whenever more than one or two guys go, I need to follow. I finished that race with the main pack, I was second wheel in the main group coming around the final turn but my sprint let me down a bit and I finished 13th in the Cat 4/5 race out of 38 riders.

Pedal's Thursday Night Ride was a little cagey, lets just say when I'm in the front doing the work and I pull off, I'll never try to get back in the pace line until I'm at the back. I don't really want to talk about this one more. Some guy chewed me out pretty good and I'm just glad that didn't affect my racing this weekend.

Took the night off Friday, nervous about the Lawton race on Sunday as that race is not a crit and I believe is 50 miles. I know I can ride 50 miles, I'm not sure if I can race 50 miles. Not super high hopes for Race for Wishes, but we will see what happens; fake confidence is key in most situations!

Went for a nice recovery ride on Saturday, trying to keep my heart rate at or below 120. I did that most of the time but opened up the legs for the 'Campus Climb', in which yours truly is the new KOM!!

Sunday! Drove the 3 hours to Kankakee, Illinois where I raced the Cat 4/5 Cobb Park Crit. It was a beautiful park, but I couldn't help but notice the dismal towns and living conditions on the way down there once I got off the highway. South of Chicago is not doing very well right now, and it was odd to see just about an entire city abandoned.

This race preparation finally fell perfectly into place! Found a place to park, checked-in, and set up my trainer next to my car so I could see the races going on as well. I think this might be my new strategy, warming up on my trainer instead of riding around. I feel like riding on the trainer I can focus more on what kind of warm up or what exercise I'm doing; whether that is spinning real fast or mashing the pedals or standing up and pretending to climb, its all is easier to focus on, on the trainer!

It was really very windy on the Kankakee river today, so no breaks were able to stick or even start to form. I did come around the last corner about the middle of the race and kinda made a move. I looked behind me and I had a sizable gap but I knew I couldn't race solo and get any sort of result; other than burning all my matches far too early. I really only did this because the announcer was announcing the name of the leader for each lap, and I wanted him to say my name! Never heard him say it though so maybe this was a bit wasteful. While I was out in front, another guy rode up from behind me and as he was going past me he told me to grab his wheel, which I couldn't quite do. A teammate of his came past me next and I grabbed his wheel but we were never able to catch the guy in front to form a break so the entire field came back together again.

Another guy during the race yelled at me for taking a wrong line, which I admit I did but I see people do it all the time, like what is the big deal dude? Anyway probably not going to try to do that again, try to pass people on a turn; it is ill-advised. The whole field was together on the last lap, I was sitting about mid-pack and all of a sudden the race turned up a couple notches. We sprinted out of every corner the entire race and coming down the back stretch and into the final sweeping turn we were really cookin'. The speed was so fast and I was caught unawares, positioning kind of got away from me and I settled for 18th out of 36. Again, the entire field was together at the end and the leader only finished 2 seconds ahead of me.

What I can take from today's race is that my fitness is good. I am fast and now we just need to learn how to win. I should have been more towards the front on the last couple laps, especially coming around the second to last turn on the last lap before the very fast, downhill back stretch before the final turn. If I could have positioned myself better, I believe my result would have been much better as well.

Information overload today, but things are looking up for this next weekend. I'm racing tomorrow at Martin, then all eyes are on the Kalamazoo Race Weekend. Only working Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, that will be nice as well. I am going to Uncle Dave and Gail's wedding on Friday, and the key will be not drinking very much, if at all! I hope all my 'fans' can make it out to next weeks race at Western Michigan University's Technology and Research park on Saturday. Contact me somewhere if you want more information, it would mean a lot to me to have people cheering me on, that is what is missing at these races so far, people cheering for me. This is the race I have been focusing on and I hope hope hope it is a very good result for me.

4/14 Eagle Creek Crit, Indianapolis, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/22 Notre Dame Crit, South Bend, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/29 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 22nd Cat 4/5 (40)
5/6 Kalamazoo Half Marathon Kalamazoo, MI 13th (27) AG (M 19-24) / 249th (1392) Overall
5/7 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st "B race" (9)
5/12 Tiger Lane Crit, Memphis, TN DNF Cat 3/4
5/20 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 6th Cat 4/5 (25)
5/28 Waterford Hills Circuit Race, Clarkston, MI 13th Cat 4/5 (38)
6/3 Cobb Park Crit, Kankakee, IL 18th Cat 4/5 (36)
6/4 131 Racing Series, Matin, MI
6/9 BTR Crit, Kalamazoo, MI
6/10 Race for Wishes, Lawton, MI
6/15 Zeeland Crit, Zeeland, MI
7/15 Corktown Crit, Detroit, MI

Thank you for following my adventures so far this year, it means a lot to me that so many people have read my unorganized, often typo-strewn posts!

Ha! Almost forgot, have a date planned for later this week with a pretty rad gal, very much looking forward to that and hope it can take my mind off of bikes and racing and all this nervous energy and anxiety that is building up ahead of next weekend.

Cheers! CE

Memorial Day Weekend

Good evening, I just got home after leaving this morning before 7am and I have never been this tired. A very hectic weekend filled with a lot of good memories I'll keep forever. A few grad parties and Hannah and Tyler's wedding on Sunday night, as well as a bike race Monday, another grad party, and a cookout to wrap up the weekend. I'm just now sitting on the couch upstairs, ready to start another week, full of promise of new opportunities.

I raced this morning in Waterford, about 2.5 hours from Kalamazoo, and it was absolutely scorching outside. We raced on a car race track which was very fun and cool, but the black-top pavement brought the temperature up at least another 15 degrees, so I wouldn't be surprised if while we were racing it was well above 100 degrees.

I think a flaw in my preparation is my lack of confidence. I feel like that may be the one thing I am missing before I hit a good turn of results, I'm hoping I can get over that soon so I can see some nice finishes in the next couple of weeks. I feel like I set myself up to defend, I tell myself that I am just going to hang on to the main group and not get dropped, and I think this is hurting my results. I have the fitness to hang with most of these guys, and I need to realize that it is alright to be hurting. I need to come with more confidence to these races, maybe push the pace a little bit, chase some attacks, see what happens; rather than just sitting back and letting the race come to me, I think I need to go out and grab the race by the throat.

I think I'm scared of doing work out front, so I generally have been sitting in and that is never a good plan for me and it is taking me until now to realize that. On every single Thursday Night Ride I do a good deal of the pace making and those always go very well for me. I think good preparation is key to doing well at these races. Last night, the night before racing on the east side of the state at 11am, I went to a wedding, and I wasn't completely sure until we got there, but they served free beer and wine and I took full advantage of that. To go nicely with the beer and wine, I also danced my little heart away to all of my favorite songs, I saw a lot of old friends, I think I may have fallen in love (don't bet too much money on this), and I had a wonderful time. I rode home with my parents and slept at their house until about 3am this morning, drove back to my place, and left about 6:45 for the race. I didn't get hardly any sleep between 3-6:30 either, I'm going to blame this on the race not going quite as good as I expected. Overall, a very fun time and I'm looking forward to the rest of the weddings this summer.

4/14 Eagle Creek Crit, Indianapolis, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/22 Notre Dame Crit, South Bend, IN 12th Cat 4/5 (29)
4/29 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 22nd Cat 4/5 (40)
5/6 Kalamazoo Half Marathon Kalamazoo, MI 13th (27) AG (M 19-24) / 249th (1392) Overall
5/7 131 Racing Series, Martin, MI 1st "B race" (9)
5/12 Tiger Lane Crit, Memphis, TN DNF Cat 3/4
5/20 Ann Arbor Spring Training Series Ann Arbor, MI 6th Cat 4/5 (25)
5/28 Waterford Hills Circuit Race, Clarkston, MI 13th Cat 4/5 (38)
6/3 Cobb Park Crit, Kankakee, IL
6/9 BTR Crit, Kalamazoo, MI
6/10 Race for Wishes, Lawton, MI
6/15 Zeeland Crit, Zeeland, MI
7/15 Corktown Crit, Detroit, MI

The race this morning was very good considering the poor preparation and the intense heat. A break of about 6 or 7 or 8 guys got away towards the beginning of the race and the second group on the road which I was in was never able to pull them back. This is where I think I need to be braver and more aggressive and more confident. When I go to these races that I've never been at before and I'm not sure whether a break will stick or not, I think I need to start chasing these guys down and try to get in a move myself. I hung on to the second group on the road pretty well, there were a couple times where I felt like I couldn't really breathe, my heart rate was above 200bpm, but I quickly got myself back together and relaxed and caught a wheel. I really didn't have too much trouble hanging on to this group; like I said, I think I need to start challenging myself a bit more, try to hang on to a break. I finished 13th today, out of near 40 I believe, which I'm pleased with considering the circumstances. I was second wheel of my group coming around the final turn into the finish and I thought my sprint was better today. I really took my own line and think I may have moved up a couple positions. I do think I still need to finish through the sprint a bit better. That last pedal stroke or two I actually completely stopped pedaling and just threw my bike, I don't think this is a good tactic.

 Result sheet from the race on Monday! 13th/ 38!

 Congrats Hannah and Tyler! You two are perfect and your wedding was perfect and I'm so happy for you!

How could I forget!?!?! My roommate Madi and I watched Janae, Jack, and James Misner and we had an absolute blast with the kids. Mr. Misner and his wife Julie have raised the most adorable, well-behaved children! Looking forward to spending more time with them.

Ending the weekend on a positive note and the next couple weeks on a positive feeling! Ankle feels great, body is healing up well, feel like I have a good grasp on things, had some very good talks with people who are very important to me this weekend, all is well! Time for some results!

Cheers! CE