American Equity's New Team Member

We added a seventh member to the elite American Equity Racing Team... JJ Bailey.  From Lou Waugaman's Blog Entry...

"JJ Bailey USAC cat 2 - Over the past several years JJ has been tearing up the triathlon scene culminating in his win at ITA World Championships. He has also been a regular in local and regional cyclocross racing. He is the founder of one of the largest athletic coaching companies around called Zoom Performance. JJ's is an "all-arounder" but his main strength is in timetrailing where he is a state champion. This season JJ will focus his efforts on the road and cyclocross for American Equity Racing. "

That's a pretty sweet addition...  read  Lou's Post, for his perspective on the team's 2011 rundown.

We have had several meetings in which we worked out a team budget, racing calendar, team kit/bike design, sponsors, training camp,  etc.  We spent quite a bit of time talking about socks, but that will happen during the off-season... I am impressed with how effectively this team is able to communicate.

The Velosport Club is thinking about putting on a USAC race or Grand Fondo type Race/Rec event as a fundraiser.  It was mentioned that the Quad Cities Criterium might be up for grabs... hmm, I suggested that they move it to Davenport, IA and add Brady Street Hill to the course... man that would be sweet.

Here is a sneak peak at the bike some of the members of the of the American Equity team will be riding...

New Iowa Bicycle Racing Website

The Iowa Bicycle Racing Assocation has a new website.  I just learned about this today, so sorry if this actually isn't breaking news. 

Well, if you like to follow Iowa Bike Racing, this site will be the place to be.  Looks like there will be results, a calendar, links to photos, forums and more.  I would recommend bookmarking it accordingly.

So, I will start organizing my 2011 race calendar using the info on this site(though I am sure the calendar isn't going to finalized until early next year... i.e what about the State Crit Champs, Eagle Point Crit, Scott County Park Series, etc.). 

It was also fun to check out the 'results' section to see a recap of the 2010 State TT Championship.

I am glad to see some new energy directed towards Iowa's online racing presence. Thanks to the IBRA for their efforts.

NOTE: Some links to regional Iowa Racer Websites (blogs, etc)  might be a nice addition, imo.

Sugar, Sugar, Sugar...

SUGAR BURNER- Exercising at too high of an intensity too often teaches your body to burn sugar for energy.  That is why people often rationalize the concept of lower intensity base mileage as an appropriate component of an effective training strategy (longer, slower rides that use a mixture of carbohydrate and fat w/o going anaeorbic) .  I can definately say that my high intensity training tendency does make me somewhate of a sugar burner.  I often bonk on the longer early spring rides/races until my body relearns its ability to use fat as an energy source.  Not sure I have the mental fortitude to pedal slower and longer during the early season, but I am going to try and mix up my workouts a bit.

SUGAR ADDICTION- Ok, once I learned that consuming too much sugar was bad for your skin (wrinkles, etc.) my vainity trigger was tripped, and I seriously contemplated giving up sugar.  Additionaly, I know it plays a role in thickening of the blood, making one more susceptible to heart disease, and obviously makes keeping a healthy race weight more of a challenge. 

So, I actually cleaned out my pantry of all sugary items and experimented with not eating sugar.  I then researched sugar withdrawal sypmtoms to realize that my newly formed depression and lack of energy were actually part of the process.  Nope, I'm out, not a good time to be depressed and tired... I will try again at a later date.  I can say that sugar is everywhere.   After I cleaned out my pantry I didn't have anything left to eat... This is a life changing endeavor, it can't be taken lightly and needs to be carefully planned.  What about my GU and energy drinks/bars?  Can sugar really be avoided?  Probably not, so I just switched from Cocoa Pebbles to Wheaties, that is a good start for now.

SEASONAL SUGAR - There sure is a lot of sweet temptations this time of year.  I was recently reminded that the vast majority of weight that people gain each year is between t-day and new year's day.   So many parties and desserts, not too mention the cold weather adjustment... Ok, so far so good.  I haven't really gained much winter weight yet, so I am simply focusing on keeping my fitness in check until January 1st.  At that point, the racing season will seem much closer and the increased training load and motivation will make my weight much easier to control.  Sweet!

Team Announcement - American Equity

I am happy to announce that I have elected to undertake a new challenge within the world of competitive cycling by accepting an invitation to join an Elite Cat 1,2 team for 2011.   The team is called American Equity and will include a 6 man squad of well-established riders.  The roster includes Jeff Bradley (former pro-cyclist, Tour De France participant, Team 7-11, olympics, etc.), TJ Tollakson (current pro-triathlete), Paul Deninger (multilple state TT champ, coach, cat 1), Lou Waugaman (Cat 1, multiple Kent Park winner, numerous wins, etc.), Carson Christen (Exercise Physiology Grad Student, Snake Alley Cat 3,4 winner, Endurance Coach, etc.) and myself.  If you ask me, this team is going to be ridiculously strong.

I had a taste of racing in Cat 1/2 events in 2010, and noticed many more team tactics.  I am excited to see how I can be of help to team focused initiatives rather than being a solo rider. 

The team is well sponsored, specifically by American Equity and Trek  (also Dunn Bros Coffee, Outdoor Innovations, Extreme Bodyshaping, and more TBA).  It is a priviledge to actually be recieving financial incentives based on having earned an invitation to race for this team.  All of the hard work literally is paying off.  Additionally, the team is planning a spring training camp in Arizona which should be a great new experience and a nice break from the cold.

I wouldn't have been able to upgrade all the way to Cat 2 without the guidance of the gang that meets at Harper's Cycling in Muscatine for Tuesday night training rides, so a huge thanks to everyone who has ever showed up and encouraged the friendly battles.  Specifically Greg Harper, Joe Mann and Bill Ford gave me great guidance while serving as mentors and role-models.  Hopefully they will encourage my continued interest in competitive cycling at this level by including me in future rides.  Also thanks to the Melon City Bike Club for supporting local cycling initiatives.


The Tuesday night gang (not pictured Mike Doyle, Bob Hayes, Jeff Hunt, Tim Armstrong, & misc. local athletes).

 Things are going to get interesting...  I will have a whole new perspective to share with readers of this blog.  I hope to continue to support midwest competitive athletics by providing race reports and personal insights.  I appreciate the race promoters, competitors, sponsors, and fans whose passion provide me with this healthy outlet.

2010 Year in Review

Before I unveil my plans for 2011, I thought I would take one last look at some of the highlights of 2010. 

-ROLLER RACES-

Actually, 2010 didn't get off to that great of a start.  I had set the record for the fastest 2 mile Roller TT the previous season, but ultimately had to surrender this accomplishment as several guys actually surpasssed my mark, beating the 5 minute barrier (Loomis, Rewerts, Cassady) .  I had good results for the most part.

-SPRING RACING-

I'm not much of a cold weather racer, and it showed in 2010. I was a husky 172 lbs as I entered the racing season. I felt impotent as I trolled around during the first race of the year at Scott County Park.  Things began to improve a bit as I had a strong race at the 2010 edition of Kent Park...

I enjoyed a renewed sense of determination, as I rode near or at the front of the group most of the race.



Finally, for the Cody Race Series #2, the arm-warmers came off and I was able to actually bring it all together as I rode off in the winning break with Bryan Moritz and Dan Galles.

 -IOWA CITY RACE WEEKEND-


After winning the Cat 3 Time Trial on Friday, and finishing mid-pack at the RR, I was hoping to tear it up at Sunday's Criterium in downtown Iowa City.  Unfortunately, I got involved in an accident on the downhill section, and hit a wall so hard that it broke my helmet...


-STATE FAIR CRIT-

I was deligthed to have had a great day of racing at the 2010 State Fair Crit.  I won the Cat 3 race with a solo victory and later went on to finish in the 6th paying spot in the Cat 1,2,3 race.  The course had a punishing hill that suited me well.  Below is a clip from the Cat 3 race that shows the gap that I created, successfully holding off the entire field despite their best efforts to catch me.

-MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2010-

I had good results Memorial Day Weekend.  I finished in the leading chase pack of three guys at the Cat 3 Snake Alley Criterium for a fourth place result.  I also won the Cat 3 Melon City Criterium.  This was an awesome accomplishment for me.

 -IOWA STATE CAT 1,2 CRIT CHAMPIONSHIPS -


I upgraded to Category 2 during the middle of the season, and was pleased to be a competitive presense in the State Criterium Championships.

 - SQUAW CREEK PARK CRITERIUM-

This course had a significant uphill section, so I was right at home racing competitively against some of the best Cat 1,2 racers in the state.  (NOTE: Please don't confuse 'competitively' with 'intelligently')

-BBQ BLUES WEEKEND-

I had a great time at the Clear Lake Race Weekend.  The Master's Crit was brutal as Team Zealous ended up sweeping the podium and I finished 5th.   I finished within the payouts of the Cat 1,2,3 Crit and the RR later in the weekend.

-IOWA STATE CAT 1,2 ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIP-
I was thoroughly prepared for this race, hoping for a hot and brutal race of attrition.  Unfortunately, it ended up being wet, cool and lethargic due to the weather.  Oh, well, I used that fitness the following week and was still able to finish with the field in 8th place ...

-IOWA STATE TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIP-

I was thrilled to have accomplished one of my main goals for 2010... winning the Iowa State TT Championship with a time of 51:47.

-BIG CREEK ROAD RACE-



You gotta love being in the winning break!

 -EAST VILLAGE CRIT-


My road season ended on a high note, as I raced aggressively at the Cat 1,2 East Village Criterium, finishing 6th overall.

-2010 CYCLOCROSS-
Oops, missed out on that...  I signed up for a Tuesday class, and that really did have a big impact on my ability to focus on racing at that point.  I will try again next year... maybe.

Other highlights include wininng the 2010 ABR Illinois State Road Championship as well as the 2010 QCBC 20k TT Championships. Additionaly for 2010, I went up to Wisconsin for Superweek and the Tour of the Dairyland and got some great experience, though I wasn't specifically successful.


I archived a lot of results from the races I entered, on the RESULTS ARCHIVE page at http://www.muscatinecycling.com/. 
 
2011 is going to be huge for me (at least in theory)... but I can say that I was very satisfied with how 2010 went, and rewarded by my decision to include bike racing as a major part of my liesure time.