'Ain't Going Out Like That'... 2008 Year In Review

Ok,the end of the 2008 racing season was sort of anti-climactic, so I decided to post my top 8 highlights of the year, in an attempt to gear up for 2009... appreciating my successes, and repressing my failures. Below they are listed in chronological order.

#1 - Silver Medal - Iowa State Roller Champs - Feb. 24th

I set my sights on upgrading to Cat 3, early in 2008, which fueled my winter training to unprecedented heights. The result, a PR on the 2 mile Roller TT of 5min. 18sec. and a Cat 4 Silver medal, conceding only to Shawn Loomis (who nearly went sub 5min).

#2 1st Place in Cat 3 Debut at Finchord Roubaix - April 13th

I scored points in each of my first 4 road races of 2008, which gave me enough total to upgrade to Cat 3 for the race in Finchford, Iowa. I was both nervous and excited to be racing against this more experienced and skilled Cat 3 field. After a couple laps of attacks by other teams, I launched my own with another rider. He fell off my wheel eventually, and I basically pulled off a lengthy solo breakaway to win the day. What a great start to my Cat 3 racing career.

#3 - 2nd Place - QCBC 20k TT Championships - May 18th

I had just gotten my first TT bike earlier in the month, but felt sharp and ready to go for this race. I noted that the course record was 26min 13 seconds, and decided to use that as my goal. Sure, that is a lofty ambition, but I was on a roll, having just come in 2nd overall at the Cinco DU Mayo Duathlon in Davenport, Ia, with the fastest bike split. I crossed the line at 26:16, just missing the course record. I was stoked. Oops, Bryce Mead, a professional TT specialist from Team Jelly Belly entered this race and bettered my time by approxiamately one minute.

#4 - 7th Place - Melon City Crit - May 25th

This is my hometeam race, so always a sort of 'goal event'. 81 racers from all over the region lined up for the Cat 3 race, and I was happy to have executed a very 'smart' race. I used my fitness strategically and fought my way to the front during the final sprint.

#5 - Silver Medal - Iowa State Cat 3 Road Championships - Aug. 2nd

Lining up against 45 Cat 1,2,3's for a 108 mile road race was truly a memorable experience. There were 21 Cat 3's aiming for the three available medals, in a race that was quite simply much too long for our capabilities. I was one of the last cat 3 men standing and won the chase group 'sprint' to get this Medal.

#6 Gold Medal - Iowa State Cat 3 TT Championships - Aug. 10th

I pulled off a great demonstration of my TT fitness at this event. I surpassed my expectations with a time of 53min. 27seconds (27.9mph ave). This easily gave me the Cat 3 gold, not to mention 2nd overall.

#7 - 2nd Overall - Du State Duathlon - Aug. 17th

Hoping to capitalize on my Bike Strength, I subjected myself to the horrors of a duathlon, knowing my running was weak. I clawed my way up to first place as the third transition (run) began, and only conceded one place to come in 2nd overall. Sweet!

#8 - 3rd Overall - DICE Cyclocross Series - Nov. 23rd.

I can't lie, my cyclocross season sucked. However, by competing in seven cyclocross races this year, I have successfully maintained my fitness, creating a great foundation for this winter and spring. Coming in third in the DICE series is still a highlight, because placing top 3 in this series was my main goal from the start of the fall season, and, I nearly blew it, but I didn't.

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Ok, I do feel a bit better now. That will help set the tone for 2009. More on that in future blogs.