Acton Lake Pics

Pre race P.R.(Joe wanted to show off his new bling,{in the bottom right corner})

We we're both trying to eat.
Just before lift-off.

Lap #1: almost everyone is still together

Lap #2 Breaks start to go.

Lap #3: I was off for a while.

Lap #3: Joe doing his thing.

Lap #4: Still feeling fresh. Breakaway has about 1-2 mins on us.

Lap #4: Getting cold, and the break is loooong gone.

Lap 5(?): Sprint(a)

Sprint(b) Joe getting 2nd(by a long ways).

Sprint(c) Not quite there.

Until next time......."You stay classy, Planet Earth."

Acton Lake RR

Nothing much has gone on for the past week or two. The CIBA Hinkle Field house rides have just started up again, and I got a new TT helmet. Pretty sweet! Today was the Acton Lake RR in Oxford, OH. It started out pretty chilly when Joe and I rode a warm up lap, but it got even colder as the race progressed, eventually raining in the end. There weren't too many people there, but the Alderfer & Bergmann guys made about half the field.





As soon as we start off some A&B guy attacked and ran out of gas, then another one attacked ,and another one attacked, and another one attacked, (etc. etc,) for the first lap until another A&B guy got away with a Pista Elite guy(sorry, I don't know every body's name), and they got a bit of a gap. The move didn't look too dangerous so Joe and I backed off for a half a lap. We then find out they have a minute on us, so we start pulling through, and for some reason another A&B guy attacked! That was it! If they want to play like that, we'll give it right back to them. Joe and I started attacking and somewhere I get a gap and try bridging up to the break, but by then the break had up to 3 mins on us. Dang. Those guys were booking. When I got pulled back only 5 guys were there, including Joseph, Depauw, Inferno, and 2 A&B. I sat in for a few minutes then started helping Joe pull. The A&B guys were pulling through, but they were obviously blocking. Because the break ostensibly was not gaining any ground, Joe and I decided to start up the fireworks. Two laps later of continuously attacking the break, it was apparent that we weren't going to drop anybody else.( 1 A&B either was dropped or flatted, I'm not sure) We just sorta gave up on going off the front. With one 9 mile loop to go, it started to rain and the temp dropped some more. Since I wasn't working as hard as the past laps, my body started shutting down(courtesy of the temperature drop). Joe absolutely destroyed the sprint(for second, once again) with A&B getting 3rd, Inferno 4th, and yours truly almost 4th. Pics will be up sooner than later.

I don't even know whats next.

Arnold Pics

Let's do this!

Here we go.

Shak'n and Bak'n

Doing the back-of-the-pack leadout.

Joe Throwing Down The Gauntlet

The Arnold Challenge

I think the best thing that happened during this race was actually seeing The Govenator. Yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger was there to start off the first race, but left in a hurry to important California business.(in Ohio?) Anyways, the course was a 1 mile 4 corner sketchy crit. The last turn had me the most worried; it was really sharp, really narrow, and a little bit of gravel on it. My goal was to race smart and not lose any skin. I decided, if it got too dangerous, I would bag it and save it for another day.



Thanks to a front row starting position, I was able to stay at the front for the first few laps. Around the 6th or 7th lap I let down my guard and faded to midpack, and started to panic a little(being in the middle of the pack is one of the last places I wanted to be on this course). Right then I saw Joe making his way to the front, and I did my best to grab his wheel. I lost his wheel but hitched a ride to the front from someone else. Then faded back and rode to the front and faded back etc, etc. After a while my mental block got the better of me and I decided to bag it. I hate quitting, but it's early in the season and I'd like to keep all of my present layers of skin right where they are.*

Joe put in some devastating attacks and round up finishing 11th. Not bad. Not bad at all for the only the 3rd month of the year. You guys better watch out for this playa. He's a lean, mean, clean, racing machine and hungry for a win this year. Grab yo glocks and run!*




*I'm pretty exhausted right now, and I'm sorry if some of this stuff makes lots of sense to nobody*

*exactly*

Next Up: The Henryville Classic

L Esprit

L Esprit is a 9 mile, predominately flat loop with one "hill" or big roller. But that's where the move ALWAYS goes. Joe Kukolla, Weston Luzadder(ISCorp), and I made the trip down for the 1,2s. Joe and I played in conservatively for the first lap, but after nothing really was happening, we decided to try and shake things. Still nothing stuck. After another lap of relentless attacks (mostly from Texas Road House since they made up about 20% of the field), Weston got in a break with a Roadhouse guy and a Bolla guy. That break lasted for about half a lap until (for some reason) all 30 Bolla guys made it up to the front and reeled it in. Right after that a roadhouse guy attacked on the hill and I went with it. After hammering up the hill I was extremely grateful that my buds Joe K. AND Weston L. had made the break! I was especially surprised that Weston made it since he had worked pretty hard on the earlier break, he must have made a herculean effort not just to catch on but to start pulling. Now we're in a break of 7; w/3 road house guys(Rob Bush, Dirk Something, and Chad B), a Huntington guy, Joe, Weston and I. After we crest the hill we start motoring and gain significant time on the field almost immediately. For the next lap and a half we all work pretty smoothly, but with half a lap to go I look back and the field is not more than a minute back. When we got to the hill for the last time Dirk attacked like "a bat outta hell". I didn't even have a chance to respond before he was half way up. Joe did try to go with him but just couldn't quite hold his wheel. Great. Now the other RH guys are just going to sit on for the ride. Weston, Joe and I were doing all the work to try and bring him back but he would not be seen again untill after the finish. for some reason the Huntington guy never helped pull through in the last few miles, which was particularly irritating since he sprinted in the finale. In the sprint Joe took 3rd, Weston took 4th and I took 6th. The field was right on our trail and finished only a few seconds behind us. I was pretty pleased with the day's racing since we all made the break and I didn't get last in it. Whenever I find pictures, I 'll try and post 'em.



Next up: The Arnold Classic