Dopers are idiots - 9/27/06

Drugs have no place in sport. Period. End of story.

Those that say we should allow the doctors to administer the drugs so that the athletes can take advantage of their benefits but in a "safe and controlled" environment are whacked and missing the big picture. The long-term negative effects of some performance-enhacing drugs on the body are well-documented. Other drugs are too new to know for sure. Whether a drug is self-administered or doled out by a doctor in "safe" doses, the negative effects are still going to come back to haunt you.

Also, this approach would still allow those athletes or teams with the most money the best access to the latest-and-greatest drugs available. So, as it used to be with some cycling teams (for instance)having access to better equipment, so too would it be this way with the drugs.

But, this speaks nothing of the morality of it all. In one survey, national class athletes on the cusp of being world class were asked if they would take performance-enhancing drugs in order to win an Olympic gold medal if they knew they would never get caught. Over 90% responded affirmatively. That, in and of itself, is disturbing. But what is even more disturbing is that over 70% also responded affirmatively when asked if they would do so if in five years they would die from taking those drugs. Over 70% still said "yes"!!!

There is a limit to "pushing the limits." NFL linemen are now categorically averaging well above 300 lbs. They are certainly strong human beings, but they are also (for the most part) grossly fat. And we really don't know how many of them are on steroids, etc. The weather is no different now than it was decades ago. Yet, today, linemen are dropping dead during practice. Not just any players, but the linemen. Is it because of the heat, or is it because they are killing themselves anyway with the added fat and weight they slog around? (Hint: It ain't the weather, folks)

Cycling is just the latest debacle. I am encouraged that teams are starting to clean themselves up. Several teams have a "no tolerance" policy - like FdJ as one example.

To me, bans should be for life. Cheat in Vegas and you go to jail for a very long time. Certainly not 2 years. Throw the cheats out for life, severely fine and punish the team organization for such infractions. This would make sure the coaches, directors, doctors and other staff members would be intimately aware of what was going into each athlete's mouth. There would be no, "Huh, I had no idea Joe Rider was doping. I really didn't!" Sanctions need to be swift and dealt out with finality for doping to be erased from sport. Everyone involved needs to understand that their careers are in jeopardy for any such infraction. Otherwise, what is the real consequence? Nothing.

So, that's the rant for today.

2006 Reflections - 09/15/06

So, time for some reflections. . .

It’s funny, but when I take a break from training at the of the season, I always tell myself I’m taking a long and well-deserved break. But, as soon as I cross the finish line of my last race, my mind already starts spinning about how I can better prepare myself for the following year of racing. After so many years of top-level competition, it’s in my blood and I can’t turn it off even though this time around it’s “all just for fun.”

I felt a lot stronger in the early races of 2006 than I did in 2005. I looked back at my training diary and realized I had put in 50% more riders longer than 2:30 over the winter – 19 compared to 12. That’ll do it. My overall hours weren’t significantly different, but I can look to this one data point as the differentiator between feeling really strong at Koppenburg that first weekend of April and getting jettisoned off the back halfway into the race (as happened in 2005). So, for 2007 prep, I’ll stick to going long as many weekends as possible. If I can get that up to 22-24 from 19, that’ll be great stuff.

I think my overall approach to intervals worked. However, I see ways to better organize them over the course of time and am adjusting my approach in this way. When I’m back on the bike come October, the changes will take effect immediately. Likewise, I’ll be hitting the weight room as hard as I did last year, if not even harder. My legs were the strongest they have ever been in my entire life. If this didn’t help my cycling, it sure didn’t detract from it. I’ll never be big and burly, so I have no fears that I’ll put on unwanted or unneeded mass that will only serve to slow me down on the bike. My climbing was stronger and faster this year, so I’m putting a check in the “win” column for keeping serious weight lifting as an integral part of my routine.

The only thing I lament is that I was forced to quit lifting when I separated my shoulder at Lookout Mountain in early May. I had hoped to keep lifting through the end of June, so I lost 7 weeks worth of pumping iron. Did that help or hurt? No idea. What certainly didn’t help was sustaining a 4th degree separation of the left shoulder. While I ultimately did not lose any time spinning the pedals, those first outdoor rides and first couple of races back were causes for some fretting. My ortho tried to convince me that even if I fell hard on the shoulder, it was completely frammed (read: totally fucked). There was no way I could injure it further. Gee, what a relief.

So, what’s a guy to do? Surgery or no surgery? I’ve read accounts of athletes with similar injuries – Alison Dunlap, George Hincapie, more – going in both directions. George opted for no surgery with his 3rd degree separation. Alison opted for surgery. She was laid up for 5 months, the first 6 with the arm isolated in a sling. Umm, I think I’ll avoid that. I’m a terrible invalid – selfish and grumpy. Lori would kick me to the curb so fast my head would spin. I’ve decided to do everything I can to strengthen the shoulder area and see what happens. My range of motion is fine, but the crunchy floating sensation doesn’t feel good. I did start doing some pushups to start the strengthening process. I’m a total wussy right now, relegated to doing girly push ups on my knees. And I can’t even go down all the way to the floor due to the funkiness of my shoulder joint and collarbone alignment. The goal is to get to the point where I can complete sets of Marine-style push ups. If I can get that far, then I’ll forget all about surgery. If not, I’ll revisit that option.

I’m excited with how Feedback gelled this year. We got stronger as the year progressed and finished with a bang. Three of our riders upgraded. We expanded our ranks during the race season and we’ll expand further over the off-season. We’ll have a really strong contingent remaining in the 4s and a solid contingent in the 3s (especially if Greg Ross upgrades now rather than waiting). That would give us 5 in the 3s. All of a sudden, we have options.

Scott was integral to our success. His tragic death forced us together in a way we would have otherwise missed. Dare I say we're a family now? Cheesy, maybe. But the yarn that knits us together has been woven pretty damn tight. We race not only for ourselves but for those who are no longer with us. I know I for one ride with more purpose, more pleasure and enjoyment, and keep Scott close to my heart on every ride. I am also keenly aware of my mortality in ways I could not appreciate before last Memorial Day. I know every day on the bike could be my last. And I'm OK with that. Right now, the rewards far outweigh the risks. We'll see what more time in the saddle brings.

So, these are my immediate musings. With no races to report on, I’ll have to think of some other shit to jabber on and pontificate about. For now, I’m focusing on putting on a few kilos, getting as out of shape as I can and spending more time with the fam.

See you on the other side. . .

Swanky's Circuit Race - 09/10/06

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

There was a little bit of each at Swanky's, the final race of the road race season. Going into it, after racing at Gore Pass yesterday, Feedback Sports was 12pts down on Rocky Mounts / Izze for the BAT title. High off our 2-3 showing from the day before, Andy and I spent 2 hours on the way home from Gore Pass musing and plotting strategy for Swanky's. We determined that a 1-2 finish was the only way Feedback was going to win the BAT title. We said good night with this objective clearly in mind. So, on to the Swanky's race report. . .

THE GOOD: Feedback Sport completely dominated! In my mind, this is the first race where we raced as a complete team and where every single rider contributed to the overall result. Andy and I decided that about 15 minutes into the 45-minute crit, we would attempt an attack. The goal would be to attack at the end of a prime lap, when those who sprinted for the prime backed off to recover and the general pace of the peloton eased as the reintegration took place. This 1.4-mile circuit was pretty damn hard. The climb to and past the start/finish line was tough, definitely a drain on the legs, and the wind started to kick up as the race was set to begin. That wind was in our faces for the climb, making it all the more challenging. Yet, all the more perfect for an attack.

Andy and I decided that halfway up the climb, past the start/finish line would be the place to attack. There was a bell lap for a prime about 5 minutes into the race, and each lap was taking about 3 minutes (we averaged about 26mph for the race). Andy came up beside me and said we needed to try to go at the end of the lap. I did the math, realized we would be heading off at just after 8 minutes into the race, took stock of my already-tired legs and nodded my concurrence. The funny thing was, right after we committed to this tactic, the pace lifted and we dropped back to about 20th in the blink of an eye. We both wondered how we were going to get back to the front, let alone lauch a two-prong attack. But, as we came to the end of the prime lap, we both moved up naturally and were in perfect position to attack.

The attack itself was a thing of beauty. We figured a standard attack where one guy went with the other right on his back wheel wouldn't fly too easily. Predictable and easy to counter. So, Andy moved to the inside of the group while I veered to the outside. As if we had practiced this all summer long, we downshited, got out of the saddle and launched away on opposite sides of the road, just after the start/finish line. I got ahead of Andy but never looked back; he would either be there or he wouldn't be. I jammed it up that climb and just kept going. I wanted to be fully committed to this attack, whether it was solo or with Andy.

On the backside descent, I risked a look back. Andy was a good 15 feet behind me; I hoped he would close the gap because I wasn't letting up. Behind him was a startlingly large gap. Greg Ross, the bane of my existence in hill climbs, tried to bridge up to us and I thought he just might do it. Greg is an ally, so his presence would have been welcome. But we sure weren't going to wait for him.

The next time up the climb, Andy came through and kept the pace hot. All right!, I thought. We're together, we've got the gap, let's see what happens. Another lap into it, it looked like a small group might bridge up to us. I asked Andy if he wanted to sit up and wait for them. He said, "No way" so we whipped ourselves on. If I'm being perfectly honest, we still had 30 minutes left to race and my body was already in a huge deficit. Backing off the pace would have been very welcome. But, I re-committed myself to our effort. We'd see what the next couple laps would bring. We were breathing way too heavily to talk but we quickly fell into a rhythm in terms of taking pulls. Andy was instrumental in us staying away by the monster pulls he took up that hill those first 3-5 laps of the break. I led most of the rest of the lap before Andy would again come by me up the hill.

Each lap, however, our lead increased. With a couple laps to go, it was up to 50 seconds (thanks to J-Rod for being there to cheer us on and for yelling out splits!!!). I came around Andy and pumped my fist. We had it in the bag. I charged through the 2nd to last lap, just for good measure. On the final half of the final lap, I motioned Andy to come up beside me. I said, "Let's enjoy this!"

There is a right hand bend and then a 75m uphill to the finish. As we came through that bend, I sat up and started pumping my hands in the air. Andy, on the other hand, sprinted for the finish line. We realized afterwards that our interpretations of the word "enjoyment" were different things. In no uncertain terms did I "give" the victory to Andy. Yet, I am so very glad he took the initiative at the end. After a season of giving, giving, giving, he deserved to bask in the glory.

And I would be totally remiss if I did not mention the efforts of Jim Bergman, Kelly Hanes and Jerry Kopack. Those guys rode like rock stars. Jim chased down key early breaks by Rocky Mounts, and all three of them controlled the race after Andy and I jumped away. Each one of them was instrumental to our team's success out there. We did everything we could to sew up the BAT title. Now, it would be up to Rocky Mounts to finish and the points would fall where they may. Rocky Mounts ended up 3rd and 10th, giving them 17 fewer BAT points on the day. Given that we were only 12 points down coming into the race, we did the math and realized we had won the BAT by a mere 5 points! What a great season of racing! We had 4 different guys win races and many top 3 finishes, well ahead of any other team out there. What we lacked in depth (top 20 score for BAT), we more than made up for in talent and outright results.

THE BAD: After the race, we were standing there celebrating and soaking it all in. Yvonne van Gent, the head of the ACA (American Cycling Association) and who was the head referee on the day, came up to me. Her exact words to me were, "I'm upgrading you for next year. You abused the system and I'm not letting you do that anymore." The group of us were dumbfounded. I decided that her passive-aggressiveness was not a dog that would hunt and pedaled off after her. I found her at the awards table and asked her to explain to me how I "abused the system." Some background for those of you who are not aware of the rules surrounding upgrading categories, I would need 20 points in a 12-month period to reqeust an upgrade and 30 points would be a mandotory upgrade. After this weekend of racing (my two 2nd places), I had amassed 19 points total. And only one victory. Before the end of August, I had only 2 points. I spelled all this out to her and asked, "So, explain to me how I abused the system." She could say nothing in response but, "You are classing up next year."

Whatever. It was inevitable and moving up is not something I would avoid. If it happens, it happens, was my motto. But the unprofessional way she handlded the situation demostrated a complete lack of class (and, yes, I did tell her that. Sorry, not one to hold my tongue).

THE UGLY: So, as I am finishing up my "debate" with Yvonne, a Rocky Mounts rider who raced against us (not sure if he was 3rd or 10th or the guy Andy and I lapped and forced off the course) barged up and blurted, "Are you Nate Llerandi?" When I verified that I was, he then said, "You shouldn't be racing as a 4."

I asked him why not and he proceeded to tell me that I had registered as a 3 the year before and the rules stipulate that downgrading is illegal. I stated that Yvonned downgraded me (she was still standing right there). He said, "Yeah, but you requested it." I said that, indeed, I had requested it but knew that the rules would probably prohibit it, and that I left it up to Yvonne to decided. She decided to downgrade me after I lost my entire first season of racing.

The Rocky Mounts rider asked me why I hadn't raced last year. I explained that my friend and teammate died not a foot from me and I narrowly missed dying when an SUV veered across the road and slammed into him. The fallout from that kept me off my bike and I was mentally out of sorts. His immediate response - and I shit you not - was, "Well, I broke my collarbone 5 weeks ago."

The sheer stupidity of that comment shocked the hell out of me. Mount Saint Helen's was threatening to erupt inside me. It took all of my self-control (and some self-control I didn't even know I had access to) for me not to destroy this guy. I wanted to pound him to a bloody pulp. I don't remember exactly what I yelled at him, but it was along the lines of, "How in the hell can you draw a parallel between you breaking your collar bone and the tragedy I experienced last summer?" He just looked at me and gave me one of those shrugs. If I didn't quickly walk away, he would have been smashed to bits. The outcome was the difference of a split second decision.

When I talked to Lori about it later that evening, I broke down and cried. Not because of this asshole's poor sportsmanship or his sheer callousness. I've delt with all this shit plenty of times in the past. He's nothing to me. But, he opened a wound. It felt like poison spilled out from the gash. I couldn't sleep at all last night and it's affected me today.

I refuse to let this prick tarnish the great things Feedback accomplished this year and especially this past weekend. We stepped up to the challenge against long odds and WE DID IT! If you make yourself hurt just a minute longer than the guys around you, they'll crack before you do and great things will come your way. Yesterday, the peloton cracked while Andy and I did not. End of story.

I am very proud to say I am a member of our team. Our reputation preceeds us, which I find amazing. We're a group of hack bike racers who enjoy what we're doing, try to find the balance between riding our bikes and the rest Life has to offer, and we just do it pretty damn well.

Now, pop the bubbly!

Gore Pass RR - 09/09/06

(Nate & Andy awaiting their prizes, and trying to stay warm amid the rain and sleet at the finish line)





In the famous words of Yogi Berra, this was "Deja Vu all over again."

First off, Feedback Sports kicked ass! This entry will explain that. The most challenging part of the race was in dealing with the generally miserable, bipolar weather. . .

We arrived at the race site, between Kremmling and Steamboat, well in advance to ensure a relaxed pre-race prep. On the east side of the Eisenhower tunnel, the weather was beautiful - crisp temps and blue skies. However, coming out the other side of the tunnel, we were met with dark grey skies and rain. It was little better at the race site. Pretty damn cold and rain that came and went. Warm-up was relegated to about 10-15 minutes and mostly in the rain as well. As J-Rod and I have mused in the past, this was shaping up to be one of those "Bring it on!" weather days.

About 60 riders showed up for the first race on the final weekend of road racing. A race like Gore Pass isn't about numbers, though. It's a really tough race, so it only matters who at the top shows up or stays home. The "who's who" of the peloton was generally there - Feedback Sports, Greg Ross from Spike!, Jordan from HART and they guy from Echelon who was leading the Rocky Mountain Cup, as well as other one-off riders. Feedback's plan was to control the race and set Andy and Nate up for top placings. As we were the only team members who could score BAT points, this was important for us to accomplish.

During the initial 12-mile climb, there were plenty of people going to the front and keeping the pace hot that Feedback was saved from having to accomplish this task. Unfortunately, the pace was a little too hot for Bryan, Jerry and Kelly (his week-old, sea level lungs weren't doing him any favors), and a few miles from the top they had faded off the

This Smithy is Open - 09/06/06

Gore Pass is only 3 days away! After the trauma and tumult of last summer, and the disaster that was last year's race, nothing more needs to be said about this year's race and its importance.

Final tests last week and earlier this week show that I am better prepared than ever. Gore is going to be full of gore. Then, the next day is Swanky's, a criterium and the final race of the season. I've got a hall pass from my wonderful wife, allowing me to race both days.

And, in one respect, it is critical. After the Longmont crit, Feedback Sports was leading the BAT competition (Best All-around Team). After last weekend's races out past Grand Junction - "only" 6-7 hours away; none of us went - we are now 20 points down on Rocky Mounts / Izze. The BAT title is coming down to the wire! I can tell you right now, Feedback Sports will take no prisoners.

This is the most excited I have been to race this year. Now, I've got to run. I've got one monster hammer to forge before Saturday!