BIKE TOUR DONE!

Right before thanksgiving I ended my bike tour a bit short due to an outbreak of poison oak that I inhaled from a campfire. The wicked rash started in my core and b lew outward to my extremities, it made for a very unpleasant and irritating thanksgiving. The trip however was very good, It helped me alot to relax and build excitement for the next season. I am very lucky to have the chance to do such a wonderful adventure, even though it happened to be cut short at big sur. Now I have returned to Chico for winter training, I hope to have a great training season and this will equate to a very strong racing season. Here are some of the pictures of my trip!

Pacific Coast

The trip has been fun so far, met some company and discovered how nice it is to have company in the campgronds. Many of the roads have been great so far but I have a feeling that the traffic situation is just going to get worse untill I get passed Carmel, once I get into the big sir area it will be smooth sailing for the rest of the trip as I am missing the whole Los Angeles area with the help of trains. I have really enjoyed the time to think, time on the bike always helps to clear the head. Still not quite sure on what I will be doing for next year, but as the riding has helped me to relax about the whole situation, something will work out. I have also adopted a gluten free diet for the duration of the base season in hopes of loosing a bit of weight, so I will have to see how that plays out over the next few days and when I start my training for next season. Travels are well here and I will update again when I get to grandmothers house and can upload a few pictures of the journey.

BIKE TOUR

Hello all,

I have decided to take a break from all the chaos and take a bike tour down the california coast to get to grandmas house for thanksgiving. The bike is packed and ready to go, and I'm feeling the last minute jitters, yep I'm about to go on a trip. I will have some communication through emal and facebook throughout the trip but will be limited. I am using this trip as a pre-pre season training, as it will give me some good strength to start base with. I also want to congratulate Boz on his new team, awesome dude awesome. Keep checking back here for some updates along the way.

Ciao tutti

Thanks To ALL !!!!

I would like to thank everyone that has helped me out this season, through the good times and the bad. It has been a long season Indeed, I have visited more countries this year than any year to date, I have had good experiences and bad, overall a very successful year. I would also like to thank the individuals that believed in me, your support has been a major part in my success. last but not least thanks to all my family and friends in Italy, you guys are awesome! Here are some of the best pictures from my great year.

Planes, Trains, Automobiles

Hello everyone,

sorry that I have not written on the blog lately, but I haven't had time upon my arrival back to the US, things have been quite hectic. I left Italy on the 23rd of august the day after my birthday, from Feltre I embarked on the journey back home that i thought would be quite a costly experience, however it was not, only 28 euro to return and 200+ to get there imagine that. the train ride from Feltre to padova was pretty uneventful because I had done it a few times already, Padova to Milan was unexpectedly fun however. I had some unexpected company on the train ride from Padova to Milan, I sat next to one Oregonian and an Australian, so time seemed to go by quite quickly. After we departed from milan we had to go to Brig, Switzerland where I was switching trains to Geneve, then i ran into some more unexpected luck. In Geneve the conductor to the train was really nice, and let me ride the train for only 18 euro which was much better than 77 for this leg of the journey on my way down. Paris! (ok that needs a new paragraph)

at Paris nord, and had to grasp where I was for a second, I had just gotten off the train in the ghetto, I'm sure Paris was interesting, not a fun city to be in at night let me tell you, maybe the more tourist areas are better, but where i was was not good news. so I got off the train at Paris Lyon from Geneve and then made my way up to Paris nord where I would catch the train to Brussels, this was my first mistake. I got out of the train station there are worse parts, but this was not the best of neighborhoods. I immediately started to search for a hotel that would suffice, this was quite the chore. I must have gone to 4 hotels before I found one that would take a credit card, and then two more because of vacancy issues, finally I found one that took a credit card and had internet so I was set for the evening. In the morning I was in quite the hurry to get to the train station as of my train was leaving at 8, once inside the train station all was well, the paris nord train station was actually really nice inside. After a few cups of coffee I boarded my train and was on my way once again.

Back at the garage, I packed all my stuff as quickly as possible, because I got the wild hair to go and do some tourist thing in belgium the next day, not knowing that I would in fact have to go to the airport that day i undertook my new journey. Brugge was very nice, and i couldn't get the phrase from the movie In Brugges out of my head, "Its like a f@#*ing fairytale." after I had finished with Brugge I made my way out to the coast to see something different in Belgium. The coast was great i was, however expecting to see the big JAX things left behind by the last world war, I was disappointed when all i saw was sand. After the coast on my way home i stopped to visit the Delirium brewery, and made my last visit to Geeraldsbergen, then arrived at the garage at about 4 o'clock.

At the garage I was in for another surprise, still to check the time of my flight in the morning i made a bit of din din and watched a bit of TV. It was a good thing that I had already packed all my stuff, because when I finally got around to checking the flight time I found out that i was to leave at 7 in the morning, oh shit! At least I didn't check this earlier because I probably wouldn't have done my day a round belgium if I would have discovered, I have to be at the airport tonight. saying my farewells I boraded the train to the airpot, and I was on my way home.

At the airport, I met this indian guy who was a pilot on a standby flight in the morning as well, so we had a few drinks and a few laughs and watched each other's stuff, while using the bathroom, very helpful. In the morning , we went to starbucks and grabbed a cup of coffee then he helped me to check all my stuff in which was nice. A few problems with luggage weight, but 70$ later and I was on my way home, because of the weight problems I only had 30 min to get to my plane. It was perfect timing because then I had no waiting around.

My delay at london heathrow was 4 hours, which was not the greatest part of my trip, but i could manage after all i was on my way home. I slept for most of the plane ride home so that i wouldn't have any jet-lag, because i was racing 2 days after returning. when i finally arrived in the US it was good feeling because even in england i had to work in my head to understand the language but now i could finally let my brain relax, It is good to be back!

BACKPACKING

Two days ago I went backpacking for three days in the dolomiti, it was one of the best trips of my life. vibrant colors with the blooming wildflowers and beautiful pictures the whole way, however those pictures are stuck on my camera until I get home.

the first day there was a lot of climbing and a very heavy pack because I had not eaten any of the food. it was a long day but the most beautiful. I took over 200 pictures that day alone, after about 6 hours of hiking tho I was tired and just wanted to get to the bivaco where I was spending the night. bivacos are little backpacker hut's. I still had about an hours hike too it tho, so i put the camera away and made my way. the bivaco was very nice it had a table candles fireplace and a few other amenities, i shared it with 4 other hikers that night.

Day 2 was a very hard day, I did not realize how dramatic the country around here is, and i climbed all day, or so it seemed. the plan was to get to refugio BOZ and have lunch then go on to bivaco feltre. well during lunch i got a bit of thunder and lightning and dicided that the trail to bivaco feltre was too dangerous after these events, and spent the night at refugio BOZ

Day 3 was a long downhill hike, and i found out that there was a bivaco only 20min hike from BOZ that i could have stayed at and not paid, but thats ok. I had lunch after a late start from BOZ and then continued down. i dropped over 5,000 feet in elevation and ended up at my end point Vai Canzoi. it was a great backpacking trip and good to get out of the house for a while. will not soo forget this one.

6 Days, I have 6 Days before I come home, I am ready to be home. this year has been very fun and i have had some great experiences and i hope to have more in the future, but next year i will be staying in the US to race. I will return to Europe to race, but not for a while. It has been the biggest adventure of my life and i will not forget this one either!

Family & Bella Vista

Since I have arrived in Feltre I have been very busy, this is why I have not written on the blog for a while, I have been busy living what feels like a dream. Since I have been on "vacation" there has been very few days when I have not ridden a bike, and now I have started running to try and slim down more before next season and to try to keep off all the food I have been eating. Feltre is one of the most beautiful places on Earth I keep having to pinch myself every morning to make sure I'm still not sleeping, the most amazing views have come from the tours on Mt. bikes. My uncles are all very into riding Mt. bikes and they have taken me to some very cool places, there has defiantly been no shortage of adventure in the trip. It takes a little getting used to, for the times that they eat here tho. In the morning it is a little breakfast, then lunch is usually very big and then dinner is a little smaller than lunch sometimes but very big as well.

Palio de Feltre, a big festival that takes place every year, the festival is all about the birth of Feltre and

how things where done back in the time of the city's creation. As the times have changed tho everyone uses it as an excuse to party for 4-5 days, its really diverse however in the us if this happened after dark it would only be kids out partying. Here everyone from old women and young kids are out until 1-2 in the morning, and there are festivities and the whole nine yards. on the last day there is a parade and a horse race, then the Palio is over until the next year. I did not think much of it when my aunt asked me if I wanted to be in the parade and I thought for sure I would be no one important, as the costume I got was not that elaborate. then I learned that I was representing one of the leaders of Feltre, that was kinda cool. after the parade there where a few events and then the horse race. The whole thing was all very cool and makes me want to come back for the Palio all the time, maybe i can come back in the next few years to enjoy it all over again.

FELTRE

The trip was interesting to say the least, when I got to Brussels Midi/Zuid I found out the europass is not really worth anything so I had to pay full price for a ticket from Brussels to paris, and then agin from paris to Geneve, but the rest of the trip was covered. I am very glad that I decided not to go to the tour de france stage the next day because paris Nord station was enough of a crowd for me I could not imagine what TDF would have been. Paris to Geneve was a good trip however it was all rolling hills and was not that spectacular, but what was about to come was sheer beauty. I would say that the train ride from Geneve to milan was the best train ride that i have ever taken in my life, but it was so much more. It was like I was on a magic carpet, dramatic views all over the place, cool little towns, and passing into italy people started speaking italian and it was a truly an amazing experience.

Milan to Padova was interesting, not much to see because it got dark soon after we left the milan station, upon arriving in Padova our train was late 30 min so I missed the last train to Feltre. I was in for a long night in the Padova station. I fell asleep for a second at about midnight, and then woke up at 1 to a police man kicking my foot, he told me I have to go outside because the station is closing until 4am so I moved outside where there was no possibility of sleep because of the drug dealer and other shady people walking around. In the morning I was going to catch the 6:00 train to Feltre but it was actually the 6:50 train because they decided not to run the 6:00 train. I could hardly enjoy the view on my way there because i was so tired from the night, so I got about 2 hours of sleep on the train. When I arrived at Feltre I was asleep and the guy next to me woke me up, so in a panic I got off the train and forgot the camera. I went to the train station window and asked if the camera could be put on the return train and the guy had to see if the train

conductor could find it, so I went on my first tour

of Feltre.

I knew that my family had been waiting for me last night so I felt really bad when I didn't show up, so I walked up to the shops that they own in Feltre to see if any would be open it was a chance in hell because it was sunday. when none of them where I went back to the train station to see if they had found the camera, when the stationer gave me the thumbs up I was realived because all the picture from my trip where on it. After I got the camera, I started to walk back to the center of town with the intent of taking as much pictures as I could, I only got about 500 meters when a truck pulled up next to me, it was Anna and Christian. I had arrived, and found my family, it was more than I could have asked for.

The Journey Continues

Belgium has been good to me over the past two months, I have learned a lot, and raced a lot, but I must continue my journey through Europe. I came here to race my bike, but as Belgium has worn on me I have realized that this season has been long already and its about time to take some time off the bike. I have decided to take a month and travel around europe, I have not seen my family in the northern veneto region of italy in many years and it is about time for a visit, I am leaving from belgium tomorrow morning bright and early. Getting on a train to paris, then on to Geneve then onto Milan and then finally to Feltre, where I will be arriving at midnight, looks like I will be sleeping in the train station for a while.

I will stay in Italy for two or three weeks and then return to belgium for a day then head up to Amsterdam, just to say I went. then back to belgium and by then I will be returning home on the 26th of Aug, this leg of my adventure was a decision to clear my head from cycling for the rest of the season, if you let it build up it can be an overload. since I have made the decisuion not to take the bike and everything that entails, I have been much more excited about the trip and the weight feels like it has been lifted now I can go travel, no rules and have some fun.

I will be leaving tomorrow with a 20lb backpack and a camera bag on the third stage of this trip to Europe, this is my vacation!

2 WEEKS OFF

after two weeks of really hard solid racing im going to be taking a very large break for the next two weeks, there will obviously be a few long days and a few races, but for the majority of this time coffee shop rides will be the norm. over the next two months I also plan to stay very focused in my training, this means little chocolate, no snacking and good quality training. The tour will help me over the next three weeks to accomplish this, after that I have asked my girlfriend Alyssa to keep me focused. The reality has hit me in the past few days, this stretch of my career is the most important and if I can take it for all it is worth, and get my head straight then, I will be on a much faster track to the european pro scene.

Things have been starting to look up lately good weather(except the last two days), and good company, TDF is on TV live everyday, all these things have motivated me to be the best i can be. hopefully this attitude will transfer over to when I am racing, im hoping that the better I feel in general the better I will race, which is generally how it works, so we will se if the form starts to come around.

It has really boiled down to a simple truth, Belgium is a HARD ass country to live in, and Im doing the hardest sport in the world, so its not about anything but surviving in this country as a cyclist, when you survive then you make it. It is such a HARD sport mentally an physically that only champions survive, lots of people fail, stick to it and ride till you can't anymore and good things will happen.

START OF A LONG WEEKEND

Today I did a race in Melle right by Ghent it was a 1.12A race which means its a little longer than a regular kermis, at just under 140kms it was a very hard race for a kermis but it had all the big teams there so it was ridden like a Interclub. This race differed from a regular kermis because it was a lot smother through the corners and just a constant fast pace, quality of racing. so the race was supposed to start at 230 and then the organizers decided to delay the start for 15min for whatever reason, I don't know. When we finally started I was trying to stay at the front as much as possible but in some of these races it is impossible to start at the front, I lined up at the line and crept up as people kept coming in and we where probably 10 meters in front of the line and still 40 back in the peleton, its is crazy at the start. the race started somewhat tame, about halfway through the first lab the pace started to pick up considerably, but we had yet to get to full throttle. laps 2-6 where however where fast, with the occasional hot lap, or full gas lap. laps 7 & 8 where relatively easy and then the last two laps where full on, good quality racing for a kermis thats for sure. I ended up getting caught behind a crash on the last lap so a young kid and I rode in by ourselves in front of a group of about 40-50, and I ended up about 60th of about 130 finishers so not too bad at all.

That race however is just the beginning of a very long weekend, last weekend we did 4 races in a row and this weekend I will also be doing the same, this weekend however will be harder because of the quality of racing. MELLE was today, tomorrow we go 8ks north to ZOTTEGEM, then Monday we go 8ks east to NINOVE,and those three races are all kermises, then finally we have a race only 2ks away from the house to wrap it all up in LIERDE, and that is a local race. I expect to be so nuckerd after tuesday that I might have to sleep for two days straight, for the next two weeks I will have a lot of rest and coffee shop rides, after that I should be on the best form yet. It is truly amazing how much racing there is in this country and how much racers can develop here, I truly think that Belgium is the worlds cyclist factory.

FLYING

I have been doing a lot of races lately, the past weekend I raced all weekend and did about 400 miles in five days, including the races. so my form should be coming around soon, I was feeling very strong in the past few races that I have entered, however im trying to recover from an infection that I got from crashing a few weeks ago. I spread throughout my leg and I broke out with pimples all over my lower leg, with the help of tea tree oil and clay I have managed to clear up about 80% of it in two days however. So I am going to race again today, just for training i have no expectations unless I find myself in the break halfway through the race then I might gain expectations. I know all this racing will benefit me in a few weeks, I should be flying when it comes time for some of the big tours in July and August.

the weather has been unusually nice for Belgium, it has not rained for a few weeks now (knock on wood) and shows no sign of rain on the weather forecast, so lets hope it stays this way it is great for the tan lines. the hardest thing with living in Belgium is watching how much you eat, on the sunny days, after training it feels like you have burned enough to eat a lot, which you have but the sun is up until about 11:00 so you continue to snack until late. and on the rainy days it is hard to stop eating because there is a lack of things to occupy yourself with. it is a deadly cycle, basically all there is to do is eat, sleep and ride which sounds all dandy until about your second week here, then it starts to get really really boring, oh well living the dream.

MASSAGES

Since I have been doing kinda crappy in most of the races I have been doing im going to talk about something else, the last race that I did was fun, but for some reason it was fast and you had to really fight hard to stay at the front.  the first two or three laps where fine, I could hold my position no problem, but at lap two we went onto smaller roads which strung out the group to the max. After a lap of this I was near the back and playing a game of catch up with a 2km long line, that sucked and I eventually just got bungeed off the back at about 6 laps in.  

Back to massages, when you get a massage it is great for everything, recovery, mental recuperation and muscle recuperation.  massages two days before a big race or a race weekend always help you race better, and my situation is golden, I have a masseur in my house he is also one of the cyclists.  I get a massage once a week and that usually holds me over for a while, but by the time that week is up I am in need of my next massage.  Massage is also like a chore however, because after the massage the stretching and hydration are the most important parts and that is usually not something you want to do after your massage, but its all good because as long as I give it a day before racing to get the crap out of my legs, then I am flying when it comes race time. 

COMING TO FORM

It has taken long enough, but I feel like I am finally coming to form in Belgium.  my first few races in this new rigid land have not been the best for my confidence and for my legs, but finally on Tues at an Interclub Race with the PRO's my legs felt strong.  My form is also starting to come around, by this I mean that I am starting to get used to the racing style and intensity that is consistent with Belgium.  Now that I have found some form and finished my first 160+ km race the hard part is over and now I can attempt to get some results. 

The race this weekend was really good for me, the course was flat with 4 pave sectors, not only that me finishing a race has really done wonders for my head now I can focus on my racing.  the course being flat and cobbled was right up my alley, when the sounier said that it was a long course that was flat and cobbles I started to get excited about the race and rejected any of the thoughts about what a sufferfest it actually was going to be.  

By the way our sounier is the coolest guy ever, and we appreciate everything Roland you are the best.  

The start of the race was not all that hard I spent some time at the front for the first four laps, after that I started to creep backwards and remained there for the rest of the race petty much.  There where a few times that I came back up to the front, but mostly stayed mid-pack and just hung on, because my goal for this race was to finish.  At about six laps to go I ran into some trouble, is tarted to get cramps in the legs, so I drank the two bottles that I had a fast as I could, and grabbed another in the feed zone.  the next four laps I grabbed a bottle in the feed zone, this subdued the cramps for one lap.  then on two laps to go the break away and another group of 30 was established so one of the boys from a rival team got on the front and slowed  down the race as to say don't even try for the next few laps.  So about six of us got on the front and started to drive it, since the impetus was not so high from the group I sat on the front driving it for about half a lap.  After this pull I was completely nuckered, so I sat on to the back of the pack for the remaining minutes of the race.  When I came across the line I felt like raising my arms in the air in victory, but I figured as pretty much the last person on the road that might look kinda stupid so I just celebrated in my mind.

CRASHES

It is commonly  know that bad things come in three's, well I have had three meetings with the pavement in this new country, so hopefully that is all out of the system.  the first crash was in the wet, at a kermess and I took a corner too fast.  the second was at a dry kermess, and the guy in front of slammed on his brakes to go into a 90deg corner and I hit the back of him then kinda ran off my bike, third was the worst. 

The third crash happened yesterday, I decided to do a kermess yesterday over by brussels.  The race was a long 15 laps on a very hilly circuit, as I do at any other kermess i grabbed my number and went out in front of the bar to put it on.  Sitting on the curb having a bit of a nap was none other than a Helens Cycles rider from LA, he is racing for a team in paris.  After talking to this guy for a while I went searching around with my South African teammate to find some fellow  South Africans that where also at the race, we sat and talked to them for about 15min and before long it was time to start.  Lining up was more intense than at any of the previous races because there where several PRO's there, topsport, and beveren 2000 which is the Quickstep development team, but it wasn't as bad as I thought.  The race was tame for the first lap then the next 3 or 4 laps where balls to the wall, then it settled down a little but not much.  This was the first race that I actually did decent in, even though I didn't finish I lasted the longest I have so far and felt pretty good.

The deadly ride home, everything was ok on the ride home until we went through Ninove.  After Ninove it started to rain, so we naturally started to go faster.  With the rain coming down a little bit harder I was following my teammates wheel, and he didn't see a brick in the road until the last minute, so naturally I didn't see it at all.  my front wheel missed it oddly enough but I nailed it with my back wheel and went ass over kettle ended up about a meter off the road in a muddy ditch.  what a way to have the third crash eh? luckily I was not hurt to bad just plenty of road rash and some bruises, nothing broken or re-broken.  Let's just hope i can be well enough to race this weekend, some big races coming up including a mountain bike race which is going to be fun as hell!

RIDING IN BELGIUM

Riding in Belgium, is so much fun, maybe its because its a new place to explore for the moment or maybe because it is actually that good, but the other day i was actually excited to ride my bike which has not happened for a while. usually riding is a chore, or known as going into the office, but my riding here is so enjoyable.  Most of the big roads that you have in Belgium have large bike lanes or separate bike paths, but most of the rides that i have been doing lately, i haven't hit a main road for more than a kilometer.  most of this country road riding consists of me going out for long rides and getting lost then trying new roads to find out how to get home.  Sometimes however these rides actually have a plan and a direction, which if you know which direction your destination is then these roads are faster than the main roads.  The cities are places to stay away from, after riding and driving through the cities i have finally figured out that its best to stick to the small villages, it took me a week too long.  

We had a big race this weekend past it was an interclub, which is just a few steps below pro racing over here.  I did not finnish, but i did feel a lot better than in the first two races that i have done so far, there was a 400 meter cobble climb and that didn't fair to well with a broken finger, but thats life, GRAB A CUP! 

New Experiences

I went for my first race in belgium Two days ago, just a real genuine experience it had all the factors to it.  The race started out really fast and i attacked from the gun which probably wasn't the best idea being my first Belgium race and all, but I figured what the hell and gave it a go.  No surprise that about halfway through I would pay for my early efforts, and got spit out the back of the pack but i did my go and happy enough with that.  My teammate Eliot did do fairly well however and finished with the bunch after being off the front all day long covering attacks.

the real story tho doesn't come from the racing it comes from the sidelines, from the moment you arrive the experience is overwhelming.  All the old guys at the race are looking at you, and your legs to see how good you look and they all have start sheets that they mark in to see who wins the race because they are betting on all the riders and how the riders will do.  It is truly great, they also know all the

 names of the big riders, it is much like baseball in the US lots of stats to keep track of and other things, but its all for betting.  

the next day we did a coffee ride with all the guys from the house Peter, Matt, Eliot and me, we went into Ghent to get some coffee and pastries in the main square and man was that ever an experience.  All these old buildings and small alleyways full of bakeries and shops and it was just an epic adventure.  

Today Matt, Elliot and I went out for 

our adventure, we went to the Muur today, the famous climb in Ronde Vanlaanderen.  The view that overlooked the top was just epic however when i left the house I forgot the camera, so I promise that when I go back next week I will take pictures and post them on my blog.  After the Muir then we adventured through the farmlands on cobbles and small roads, it was truly one of the best rides i have had in my short career. 

After this epic ride I went out again right away on a shorter ride to go see my mate Ian who was racing just 4km away from the team house.  So I went to go see what all the fuss was about and it was a huge junior race, team buses and the whole bit.  It was good to see Ian and i hope i will be able to see him again before he goes back to the USA.  I hope that the stories to come will be the same quality, as I'm sure they will be I will keep writing. 

Caio 

Belgium

As some of the people close to me know I was thinking about moving to belgium, because the UK has not really lived up to the expectations that I had.  There is much more races and much more quality over in Belgium, also I feel that the racing best suits my style over in Belgium so it is the obvious choice.  I will not be riding for any teams in Belgium, but will be racing alot and looking for teams or contacts to help me out in any way shape and form. 

I have also been very sick over the past two weeks, so I hope that I am past the sickness for my adventure to Belgium.  I feel much better, but last night when I ramped up the speed in a training exercise I found out that I had lost quite a bit of fitness from being sick, but being in belgium and racing and resting I am fairly confident that my fitness and speed will return soon.  As i am not sure exactly where I am staying, I believe it will be somewhere around Ghent, in the Flanders  region, as this is the area with the most racing.  soon I will know more about my adventure because I will hopefully be going as quickly as next week, Keep checking the blog for updates on this new adventure. 

caio for now