cyclingPT

Asheville, NC

2006-08-02T19:14:00.000-05:00

Home from NC... What a week! I hooked up with some of the guys from Hearn's Bike Shop in down town Asheville. They were "kind" enough to set me up with a couple of great rides to do during the week. I was also convinced that I should take part in their Wednesday night points race. This race was on an old car track that is affectionately known but the locals as the "mellowdrome." It is a 1/3 of a mile track with a slight bank that has been converted for bikes only... It is the centerpiece of a park that is about five miles out of town. 60 laps with points up for grabs every fifth lap. I raced the "A" race which was FAST. I tried out my legs on a few of the sprint laps but decided to hold back a bit for the finish. Took second in the sprint to the finish and won myself a set of masterlock street cuffs. Those things are like $70 and the winner got 50 in cash. Seeing as how I needed a bike lock anyway I think it worked out for the best. The rest of the week was spent riding in the hills. I did a day out on the Blue Ridge with nice steady climbs and 50-60MPH descents. One of the loops that I was given by the guys at Hearn's was described as some good steady climbs with a few "little kickers." Apparently, climbing at 6% for five miles with the sixth mile kicking up to 18-20% constitutes a "little kicker" in North Carolina. I thought that my legs were going to explode after that one!!! I could almost hear the boys at Hearn's laughing to themselves, " I bet that damn Yank is hurtin' right bout now, HA HA HA..." Anyway, it was great to see my sister and spend some QT. The riding was hard but fun. I have to say it was a pretty good vacation!!!

Vacation!!!

2006-07-24T07:27:00.000-05:00

What a day to head out on a road trip. The car is packed and I am headed south. I am driving down to Asheville, NC to visit my little sister and get in some killer climbing on the roads of the Blue Ridge Mountains. See you all in a week...

Fall River Finish Photo...

2006-07-22T17:28:00.000-05:00

On a roll...

2006-07-20T16:49:00.000-05:00

Well, I am definately on a roll now. I was able to take the fastest time at the CBTT last night with a 21:15. It was not a PR but there was a strong head wind and everyone's times were a little off. Hopefully, I will be able to get that sub 21 minute time before the end of the year.

So here it is...

2006-07-16T20:03:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I suck at keeping up with this thing but here are the last few weeks in a nutshell...

I took some rest during the Fitchburg Longsjo. I couldn't get the time off work so I had to settle for working in the feed zone and helping out where I could. Back to racing at Attleboro and New Britain.

Attleboro: I made a pact with myself not to just go flying off the front for no good reason. Besides one little counter attack I kept that bargain. I was able to sit in and avoid the two or three crashes that took place on the second corner. I was feeling pretty good so I thought that I would give it a go with five laps left in the race. I moved up on the finishing straight and C Todd and Josef cleared a hole just before the climb. I nailed it up the climb and got a good gap right away. Maybe I jumped just a little too hard cause I got caught in the last lap. I could feel the pack coming up behind me and instead of just pushing harder, I kept looking over my shoulder. I really beat myself on this one but it was the right idea and Josef ended up with second in the sprint!!

New Britain: I was determined to put in a better effort on this race. The race started out fairly fast and I let the group just pull me along. There was some real sketchy riding going on and with about 10 laps to go there was an terrible crash right in the middle of the field. A lap later and there were still riders laying in the road. The race however, was now up the road with a strong solo attack from the rider who took the win at Attleboro. I saw him go and no one was reeling him in so I made my move. I bridged up in a little more than 3/4 of a lap and we worked together for the last 6 laps. With two laps to go we were joined by two more and the gap was dropping a bit. We were able to hold it to the finish and it was a four up sprint. I started in last position and made my move to the inside but the rider in front of my jumped right into my line. I had to hesitate for a moment and then re-accelerate. I threw my bike at the line and took second by less than 1/2 a wheel.

ECV TTT: THIS WAS THE LEAST FUN I HAVE EVER HAD ON MY BIKE!!! Those of you who know me know that I LOVE the TT but this was just crazy. I had ridden with these guys once and didn't know the course very well. To add to my discomfort a light rain at the start turned into an honest ot goodness monsoon by about 1/3 into the race. You could not ride on the wheel in front of you with out the possibility of drowning, or seeing, for that matter. I heard a few of the riders calling it an epic day but I thought terrifying was a little more accurate. The end result was a 2nd place about 30 seconds or so behind the winning team. As a side note three different riders destroyed disc wheels on this course. I think that qualifies that race as the most expensive TT of the season.

Fall River: Can you say HOT?!!! I don't think that there was a single rider that didn't think, "What the hell am I doing here? Am I nuts? It has to be 95 degrees with 200% humidity." Then reality sets in and you realize that you just drove an hour to race your bike so you should just shut up and get out there. The heat was the major factor in this race. NO ONE wanted to work except for and NEBC rider and an unattached rider who were off the front for more than 1/2 the race. Josef was my only teammate in this race and we had talked tactics on the ride down. "OK, so if you feel good I will launch you at the end of the race," says Josef. And launch he did. Six to go we went for it. Josef sent me up the climb and I was off. There was a chase group up the road and I passed them like they were going backwards. On to the two leaders. Before the end of the lap I made the catch. They did not look too good. I went right to the front and pulled them for a lap. I let them pull through on the down hill and then said that I would do the work up the hill. I went to the front and just kept it steady and the two former leaders couldn't hold my wheel. Flyin' solo for the last 3 laps. Josef had gone to the front of the field and said that I was out of sight for the last several laps. I came across the line with about one minute and twenty seconds on the field. MY FIRST WIN!!!
I guess I have finally figured it out...
Special thanks to Josef and all of the NEBC'ers who were cheering me on throughout the race!!!

Riiigghht...

2006-06-18T17:41:00.000-05:00

So... I have been really bad about posting this past month. Since there are only two or three people that actually read this thing I didn't think it was that big of a deal... Anyway, for those of you who actually do read this, I am sorry about my deliquency. So, racing hase been going well. Sort of... I am feeling very strong but I have not really been finishing as well as I would like. The high spot was a PR at the CBTT of 21:11 (average speed of about 28MPH) Everyone at the races are so good to me. They all tell me that I look good out there and that I am super strong. If I were only as smart as I seem to be strong. I have such a hard time just sitting in during a crit and doing nothing. It just doesn't feel like racing to me. So what do I do? I attack the field in every crit that I have been in.

Auburn Road Race: Missed my start by about 1 minute... Dohh!!! Folks at the line said they were just rolling out so I might be able to catch them. Well, I would have if they had someone marshaling the first turn. I flew past it in full TT mode. Kept going until I passed some riders going in the other direction, who said in unison, "You are going the wrong way!!!" That seemed to be the theme of the day because the 4 field that I was chasing ended up doing the same thing. One rider was off the front and the lead car went with him. They took a right and the field went straight... For fifteen minutes!!! Talk about a lucky break!!!

Auburn Crit: Greg goes out on the attack for several laps, takes two premes, gets caught and then attacks again in the last lap only to drop my chain on the hill... Finished with the pack...

Nutmeg Criterium: This time I attacked the field with 12 to go and was away for 4 or5 laps. Attacked again a few laps later and then tried to get away with 2 to go but got caught again. Finished in the back of the pack but it was fun ;-)...

Keith Berger Memorial Criterium: This is the race that I should have attacked!!! I went for the preme with 8 to go. I attacked so hard that I put 20 - 30 seconds on the field by the time I came across the line. I got to the first corner and looked over my shoulder and the group still had not made it onto the finishing straight. There was one rider who was dangling in between. Instead of putting the hammer down I sat up and waited cause I thought that the group had too much horse power. After the race was over everyone in the group said that they all sat up after they caught the guy in the middle. Aaaarrrggg!!! The one that would have stuck and I sat up. Oh well... Also did the 30+ race and that was a lot of fun!! These guys are FAST and they don't do supid stuff in the corners (for the most part). A break went up the road, four strong, and I figured that it was the winning move. I attacked and tried to bridge. I was close enough to taste it but just needed a little more gas. Chased for five laps and then started loosing ground. Finished with the pack again.

Stafford Springs Criterium: 3 races today (4, 3/4, and 30+). Once again Greg gets an A+ for attacking the field but a F for results. Best I could muster on the day was 17th in the 4's. Well, at least I made 'em hurt... Most proud of my effort in the 30+. I saw the seven man break go up the road and they were working well together. This was my third race of the day so I figured that my only chance was to get across to that break. I gave it a go... I heard the announcer say that I was with in 6 seconds of catching. Two more laps and I wasn't making up any more ground and then, 6 laps into the chase, I popped. Oh so close!!! All in all, a good day on the bike. I gotta believe that one of these days something will stick!!! Lets hope so...

Sturbridge/Palmer Weekend

2006-05-05T18:31:00.000-05:00

Sturbridge: Sat in for a bit... Attacked hard and stayed away for about 1/2 lap... Got caught... Then got passed like I was going backwards. Oh well, I gave it a shot...

Palmer: My first cat 3-4 race. Legs felt amazing. Covered an attack. Sat in to rest for no more than five minutes and... Whammo!!! Hit the deck at 30 MPH. No significant road rash but I hit really hard. Then got run over by a few people. See if you can pick out the skewer, derailer bolt and pulley that were imprinted in my hip/butt from the fall...

Chased for about 15-20 miles before I gave up and called it a day. Steve Weller made up for my lack of road rash. He got into a crash shortly after mine and he ended up with enough road rash for three people... Today is Friday and marks the first day back to my bike after the crash. I couldn't even turn my head from Monday through Wednesday. Starting to feel better today. Days like these it is good that I am a PT and have 12 other PT's that put down whatever they are doing to work on me for a bit. Thanks guys!!! I will try to stay upright this weekend... ;-)

...

2006-04-20T21:54:00.000-05:00

I should post a new blog entry... But I am too lazy right now...

A few bad days...

2006-04-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

Been sick for the past few days (throat feels like I have been doing shots of napalm). Haven't ridden my bike since Tuesday night (cause of the throat thing), and may have screwed things up with the new girl (cause I am stupid)...

SOMEONE SHOOT ME...
PLEASE!!!!!!

Hello...

2006-04-11T19:07:00.000-05:00

Hello, my name is Greg...

... and I am a CAT 4!!!

OK, not that much of an accomplishment but I am still excited to be able to race with some other people from my team! Who knows, maybe cat 3 by the end of the season? Well, lets not get ahead of ourselves...

Wells Ave.

2006-04-04T08:34:00.000-05:00

Despite being out late and having a few beers the night before I felt OK at Wells on Sunday. It was very windy and there was no time to warm up. Went to the line cold. Anyway, the good part is that I was able to be where ever I wanted to be. I didn't have any trouble moving around in the pack. I did spend too much time at the front seeing as how I was the only one there from my team. Felt pretty good with four laps to go and when the pace slowed after the five to go preme, I jumped. I got a good lead and was able to hold it but ended up getting caught in the last 1/2 lap. If there was just a little less wind on the finishing straight I could have stayed away. After that I didn't have enough gas left to contend for the sprint. Oh well, that is what training races are for...

ouch...

2006-03-30T11:33:00.000-05:00

Sunsets

2006-03-28T23:31:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine recently recounted the words of a loved one before she died which were that "a beautiful sunset was a message from beyond that everything was going to be ok."

What a beautiful sunset...

No more Russian mail order brides!!!

2006-03-27T21:32:00.000-05:00

SHE SAID YES TO A SECOND DATE!!! What a great weekend!!! I went out with a beautiful woman on Sunday and we had a great time. She is smart, beautiful, athletic and she even speaks English ;-). We met for coffee and that turned into dinner. I guess it is true, once you have totally given up on the opposite sex... BANG-O, that is when you meet someone. Don't want to get too excited just yet but she seems amazing. We will just have to wait and see...

I had a great ride today! Rest week, hooray!!! I rode home to a beautiful sunset. Life is good!!!

Feelin' better today.

2006-03-25T18:18:00.000-05:00

Did a hard ride this afternoon (3 hours) and although it had it's moments (nailed it up hill road, Oak Hill, and up by the Fruitlands) I felt good. I won't say great... But good... I think I am over the hump and am looking forward to a rest week. I think that I may try my hand at Wells Ave tomorrow but we'll see how I feel when I get up in the morn'.

Easier to say what doesn't hurt...

2006-03-22T23:52:00.000-05:00

Earlobes, left hand, forearm, and right big toe... PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ELSE HURTS!!! Maybe a slight exaggeration, but only slight... Almost rest week... Aahhhh

Fall out from St. Patty's Day

2006-03-18T22:08:00.000-05:00

Got a late start today . Might have had something to do with a certain Irish Saint and that damn green beer. Thanks to Rebecca for making my St. Patty's Day a good one!!! Dinner at the Border Cafe (we were given Corona shirts for looking the most Irish in the place) and a few beers at Red Bones. In Boston EVERYONE is Irish on St. Patrick's Day Border Cafe and Red Bones were no exception. No need to cram yourself into a pub to get in the spirit.

Rode 4.5 to 5 hours today by myself. It was a little lonely but there is also something peaceful about a long solitary ride. Well, peaceful until I blew out my front tire while coming down a hill at 40 MPH. Ok, that will get your heart rate up a bit!!! I made it to a complete stop without incident but boy that woke me up a bit. Otherwise the ride was uneventful, except for the seemingly ever present head wind that just seemed to blow right through me today. Well, must be off to bed. I gotta get up and do it all over again tomorrow.

Russian Mail Order Bride?

2006-03-16T10:41:00.000-05:00

Ok, I admit it... I am single... For the last few months I have been on match.com. There have been a few people that I have found interesting but so far it has not been too fruitful of an endeavor. Until...

From: Regin349
To: cgrcycle
Date received: March 14, 2006
Subject: Hello....
Hello the new friend. I had visiting a site match.com a siteinternet. There many interesting and good people, I do not knowWhy but I have decided to enter into dialogue with you and to learn you in more detail.It is a little about itself: my name - Regina to me of 27 years.I have no attitudes with any men rather internet here againIn Russia. Yes I live in Russia in city Kazan, it is very bigAnd beautiful city surrounded, the long rivers and beautiful lakes.I have good friends with which I like to spend timeIn the days off and at a leisure.As I have very close girlfriend which advised me To visit internet and gets acquainted with the person abroad for creation Long attitudes. But I yet do not know as it will find to myselfThe partner in life through internet because I do it for the first time.If I have interested you write to me back from your e-mailAnd I shall necessarily answer you.My electronic address Riga1979@rambler.ru, I shall be with impatienceTo wait from you the answer. Your new friend Regina :)

This seems to be the type of woman that I attract. I wish that this was the first of its kind but sadly it is not. For some reason RUSSIAN WOMEN LOVE ME!!! I was hoping to meet a nice, intelligent, athletic, and possibly even cute woman. What I get is Russian mail order brides... I GIVE UP!!! So, if any of you out there would like a few email addresses "from Russia with love," I would be happy to forward them to you.

Anything but a weekend off...

2006-03-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this is the second time that I have written this post. I spent twenty minutes writing it and then I went to spell check and poof, gone... Screaming at the computer did not seem to help get it back so here I am rewriting the whole damn thing. I am sure that it would have sounded better the first time around but now I am just bitter... So, despite the annoying loss of my original recounting of my weekend, all in all it was a good one. I spent a total of more than 8 hours on my bike this weekend. This was truly the first spring-like weekend in a long time. So warm and spring-like in fact that I ended up getting a sunburn. During the ride on Saturday I had taken my gloves off and proceeded to burn my exposed skin. I have lovely red spots on the tops of both hands and red lines across my calves from my knee warmers. Saturday's ride had me meeting up with Rebecca, Brooke, and Todd for a spirited ride through Lexington, Lincoln, Weston, Concord, Bedford, Sudbury to name a few. We even did a loop of the CBTT course because Todd had never ridden it. I pulled around the entire course with a strong headwind. All I could think was that I was glad that I wasn't being timed today. After that loop Brooke took of and headed home. Todd and Rebecca followed me back to my place before they rode all the way back to Arlington (another hour and fifteen). Beautiful weather, great friends and 60 plus miles on the legs what more could you ask for? How about dinner and beer afterwards with one of your best buddies? Rebecca and I went to Anna's in Davis Square for borritos and then to Red Bones for a drink. First nice weekend in a while and Davis was banged out. Fifteen minutes just to find a parking spot. Dinner in our bellies we proceeded to Underbones for a beer (dark and stormy for Rebecca). Red Bones was packed but as soon as we walked in was saw some familiar faces. One of the guys at the end of the table extended his hand and said, "It's Greg, right?" It turned out to be Steve Weller my coach from cycle-smart. It was great to finally put a face to a name and get to meet the guy who is shaping my first road season. I want to say a special thanks to Steve for spending so much time with me. I know that you have taken way more time with my plan than was required by the level of coaching that I bought. Hopefully, I will be able to turn your advise into some fast days on my bicycle.
Rebecca and I hung out a bit longer talking about this and that. We decided to retire fairly early because we both planned to ride the next morning. Dropped Rebecca off and headed home... What a great day!!

Sunday:
As in weeks past there was a rumor of an alleged ride leaving from an undisclosed location somewhere in Massachusetts. The riders who might have accumulated at this location may have been as many as 12. If such a ride existed it might have found its way through the hills surrounding the Wachusett resevoir and beyond. The victims of this alleged ride were speculated to have hammered up many of these hills and pulled steadily through most of the flats. If I had been one of the victims of this ride I would tell you that I felt pretty good up until the last few miles when my hamstring may or may not have cramped up pretty badly. All in all, for an "alleged" ride it was a good one. Thanks to all of those who may have been there...

A weekend off...

2006-03-05T17:51:00.000-05:00

Today is Sunday. This officially concludes my rest week. The good thing is that I feel pretty charged up. I intended to take part in an alleged ride leaving from an undisclosed location somewhere in Massachusetts today, but felt like crap when I got up this morning. I think that it might have had something to do with the beer that I drank last night but I can't say for sure. I hope that those who may have taken part in a ride that might have happened would have had a good time at this alleged gathering. I was content to ride by my lonesome this afternoon for a few hours on this balmy 42 degree day. The other fun of the weekend was bringing my dog over to LaundroMutt. For those of you without a furry, four-legged companion this is a self-serve dog grooming place. Max has never been so clean, and he actually smells great (although he and I might differ greatly in that opinion)!!! I am sure that at the next possible moment that he will find something dead or at least something that smells like death to roll in (ahh, doggie perfume). In any case, for the moment, viewing him in direct sunlight requires sunglasses (pictures forthcoming).

training...

2006-02-23T10:55:00.000-05:00

I seem to be having a hard time fitting anything into my schedule other than training, eating, walking my dog, working and sleeping. I am still trying to find time to keep up with this blog thing and haven't been doing a good job lately. Just got to finish out this week and I am on a rest week, whew... Hopefully I can make it...

"no chain, no chain"

2006-02-09T09:28:00.000-05:00

Sprint work out: Tuesday, February 7, 2006. Forth or fifth sprint, out of the saddle, second crank... BANG!!! I broke my chain!!! I nearly go flying over the handlebars but I manage to keep my self up. Holy crap, I AM HUGE!!! Ok, so one might speculate that after a full season of cross and winter training, covered in mud, blasted with water, and cleaned with solvents (bla, bla, bla...)that a chain might have the tendency to weaken. I say NO!!! It was my uncanny, super-human like strength that caused the metal to bend and break under the torque of my Herculean legs. Well, this is how it happened in my reality, anyway...

YES!!!

2006-01-31T23:17:00.000-05:00

All you can eat sushi with Rebecca on a Tuesday night!!! My tummy is soooo full. Thanks for dinner and the great company!! Hey, save me a few of those cookies!!!

ouff...

2006-01-28T21:00:00.000-05:00

Holy cow, I am tired. Rode a bunch this morning and drug tested all afternoon. Also; I totally bit it in the driveway after my ride. Walking in the house I slipped on some ice and nearly fell on my bike. Thankfully, my cat-like reflexes allowed me to smash up my arms and left leg instead of landing on the new bike and potentially scratching it. Wheew... That was a close one.

The plan is in!!!

2006-01-23T23:44:00.000-05:00

I start my base training tomorrow!!! I can't wait to see what these legs can do when I actually train ;-).

One thing is for sure...

2006-01-18T09:52:00.000-05:00

For the sake of the greater good lets all hope that I am never reincarnated as a woman...

So, today is my B-day

2006-01-15T19:10:00.000-05:00

On this fateful day thirty-one years ago I was born. Thirty-one years old. When I say it it sounds old but I don't feel old. Actually, I don't ever seem to feel all that much different with the passing of birthdays. It seems such a random marker at times. Life, to me, seems to be governed more by the events of these years than the actual number of them. An interesting journey thus far, no doubt... I look forward to the journey ahead.

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes: "For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin- real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obsticles were my life. This perspective has helped me see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one. Happiness is a journey, not a destination..."
{Souza}

...how could I forget?

2006-01-10T09:06:00.000-05:00

My sister on my "chopper."

it has been a few days...

2006-01-09T22:33:00.000-05:00

Well, It has been a few days since I have updated my blog. I have attended a benefit for Mo Bruno, replaced the brakes in my car(my first brake job!!!), caught a movie(Fun with Dick and Jane, pretty funny), and I might have even worked a little in there somewhere ;-). The benefit for Mo was great!!! I had a ton of fun at Red Bones and left with handle bars, and a pair of independent Fabrications socks and pint glass!!! What a night. Although, it didn't quite match up to Rebecca's "set" of IF glasses, and mavic rims... Way to go Rebecca! The bottom line is that Mo will have the resources to make it to World's and I am sure that everyone that came out is proud of the fact that we got to be a part of it all! GO MO GO!!!
As far as my brakes go... It is awesome to be able to stop again without the awful squeal of metal on metal. My buddy Dave let me use his garage. I saved myself about 250 smackers by doing the brakes myself. It was actually pretty easy, who knew? I love sticking it to the MAN!!! Well... I love saving 250 bucks at least.

New Year's Day Ride

2006-01-02T23:20:00.000-05:00

Special thanks to Todd Rowell for hosting this event. It was great to see everyone out for a wet and brisk, but fun New Year's Day ride. I especially liked the lap of Wells Ave and the pseudo sprint that ensued. As for the meal after the ride... Todd your chilli was AMAZING!!! I don't think that I will have to eat again for a week. A good ride, a good meal, and good friends... What more could you ask for? (Well, maybe some dating advice from Todd... Did you really throw out the Idiot's Guide to Dating or was it removed from the trash after we all left? If you still have it I need to write down some of those lines. Just kidding...)

Happy New Year!!!

2006-01-01T03:14:00.000-05:00

I was lucky enough to ring in the new year with two of my best friends, Matt and Debbi Scurfield!!! Actually I am still ringing in the new year seeing as how my ears are ringing so loud that I can't sleep. We spent the night at a little dive bar in Lowell where Matt was gigging with the Gary Hoey band. Small bar + big speakers = marginal hearing loss... I SAID MARGINAL HEARING LOSS!!! (just in case you couldn't hear me) I spent most of the night staring down all of the weird-o's who were trying to move in on Debbi. Sometimes it is fun to pretend that I am all bad ass and stuff.
I want to wish Matt and Debbi all of the happiness in the world!!! This is your first New Year as husband and wife!!! You guys are the best!!! If there is anyone out there who is inclined to read this blog thingy that I've got going on here, I wish you health and happiness in 2006!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Tour de Tacky

2005-12-31T17:28:00.000-05:00

The tour de tacky was a great night!!! Seeing that I just set up this blog thing I figured that I should post a few of the events that have happened in the past week or two... Here are a few snap shots of the night. Enjoy...

My first blog post!!!

2005-12-31T13:58:00.000-05:00

So here goes... My first blog posting. I figure that I should start off with a bang and share my Us National Cyclocross experience. Well, sort of a bang... Actually more of a thud and an "ouch." 7:30 am it is very cold and I walk to registration. Crossing the course I observe the "frozen tracks of death" (that's what I like to call them) that were created from the mud that had solidified the night before. I was having some trouble just walking over to registration so I knew it would be great fun to ride. I get ready at the car and jump on the bike to take on the "frozen tracks of death" in my first warm up lap... It wasn't much of a lap... After the three step run up there was a quick down hill. The fall line was slightly to the left but my bike decided that it wanted to go right. The ensuing disagreement between bike and rider resulted in bike: 1, Greg: 0. So over the handlebars I went. Didn't think much of it at the time. Figured it would be the first of several falls that day. However, my left brake lever was bent all the way in. When I reached down to try to straighten it I noticed that my pinky finger must have slid out of the finger of the glove some how because it was pointed back up at me... Ohhh, wait a minute... Finger still in glove... Not good!! Well, at least my hands were numb and I couldn't feel it.

I threw my bike over my shoulder and walked over to the EMT's. The next 45 minutes was painful. However, not from the finger (still numb) rather, from the idiot EMT's who would not give me directions to the hospital. No one in the area seemed to know how to get to one. I had a very nice offer from one of the guys in the Mavic tent who offered to straighten it for me but I declined. You see a Physical Therapist needs all of his fingers to do his job well. Seeing that I get paid to physical therapize and not to bike race I figured that I should get this fixed right. Eventually the EMT's convince me that they can get me through the ED faster and I might make it back in time to start my race. That, unfortunately, did not happen. My finger was dislocated at the DIP and IP joint and there was a small chip fracture in the IP as well. Lots of lidocane and a quick "POP, POP" later my finger was straight and I was headed back to Roger Williams Park. I arrived for the end of my race. But not all was lost!!! There was plenty of beer to be consumed. Well, one or two any way... I still made it to the pit for the Women's elite race, "GO GEARWORKS!!!" Rebecca did great!!! Although, she would tell you that she sucked ;-). Thanks for reading!!!