Act 4 of 4: The Best For Last

*My friend, Patti!

As fun as the events were, I saved the best for last, the big finale!  The special things in life and sport, ironically, are not the sport itself.  The special things are the dedication, the goal setting, the memories, the accomplishment, and above all, the friendships with the people sharing those memories.

I was so fortunate to share my memories of this "production" with some great people.  My dear friends, Ed and Patti, provided me a gift after the competition and told me they make a quilt for all their grandkids, and I was an adopted grandchild in their eyes.  That's a very special thing to hear from someone.  When Ed and Patti told me that, my little heart just about melted.  To think that someone would go through all the effort, time, and money to make me a special gift just to say they care about me is a powerful thing.  I am so thankful to have shared my memories with Ed and Patti, they are great folks who are close to my heart.

*Patti and I with the quilt she made me, amazing.

*Ed and Patti, my dear friends.

Before I left my parents gave me their support, which I appreciated.  My mom bought me some little goodies to take on the road and use on my long trip.  I knew I had them behind me, without them and their constant support and encouragement these dreams wouldn't materialize.

*Opening ceremonies

I arrived at the events by myself, but I quickly reconnected with my race friends and met many new friends.  It was such a pleasure to share the adventures with all of my friends as we dreamed big and achieved together.  Again I owe Chris Seivers a big thank you.  Her words, "Do you want me to take pictures for you" were music to my ears.  Her photography and cheers over all my races was clutch and I appreciate it.  She is a very nice lady who I was lucky to meet at the bike race.

*Patti and Gloria at the parade of athletes

As great as the results were, those aren't the accomplishments I am most proud of.  Whether you agree or not, anytime you are interacting with people you are a role model.  I feel strongly that there is general lack of role models for young kids (even adults) today. I take my responsibility of being a role model very seriously. I was lucky because I was able to interact with nearly a hundred people of all ages.  I am a role model, it is my responsibility to show through my actions and words that dedication, determination, honor in competition, and positive attitudes belong in sports.  I have made it my personal mission to show people (young people in particular) that you don't have to posture, act tough, have a foul mouth, or take short cuts to get to the top.  It's okay to be compassionate and kind to your competitors but still compete and train ferociously (and honorably) to win. Those are important lessons that I was fortunate to learn growing up from my role models.

*A random shot of driving in a picture

*Moving into my hotel

*This is where my bikes slept

*Speedplay sent me some special edition white pedals for the Murder Machine!

*What did I eat after two days of mostly liquid diet?  Eggs, tuna sandwich on wheat, and a bottle of water.

The weekend of events was a dream come true. I couldn't imagine anything better than having those moments throughout the weekend in which I felt so empowered with the feeling of being happy to be me, happy being where I was at, doing what I what I loved to do.  It's about seizing opportunities and going for it, and that's what I did.

Thanks for reading, Believe in the Power of One.

Act 3 of 4: The Triathlon

I realize that it is a huge oxymoron when someone asks me what my favorite sport is, and I reply with "triathlon."  Triathlon is three sports, simple, yet amazingly complex , an oxymoron in itself.  

*My favorite thing is actually three things

In order to accomplish your goals in the tri you have to be trained, disciplined, and efficient in not one, but three sports.  I think the combination of raw horse power and tactical execution of a limited amount of energy across all three sports is a big part of what people find appealing.

*Finish what you start.

*Peaceful morning at the lake

I love to bike race, do running events, and compete in swim meets, but nothing compares to the triathlon.  Act 3 was my favorite event of the series and even though professional triathlete, Lewis Elliot, totally spoiled my bid to repeat as champion, I still had an amazing day.  I train hard for my events and make a lot of sacrifices doing the things that other people won't do.  Does it somehow cheapen my accomplishment, damper my enjoyment, or somehow detract from all those long hours I spent training alone to come across the line in 2nd place rather than first?  

The answer is, "No, it doesn't"  I put a lot into my training, and I had a good race.  It was the best I could do for that moment and I am not disappointed with 2nd place.  The ultimate satisfaction is in knowing that I did the best I could in training and working through the little bumps that showed up along the way. I try and keep a humble heart and motivated attitude, and show people that training hard and doing your best is always enough to feel accomplished.  Like I've said before, it isn't always about winning.

*Testing the water

*Reeeeaaach

The race started with a pretty balmy swim in the lake.  After lap one of the two-lap swim I was in 2nd place right behind one of the best swimmers in the state, Chandler.  On lap two I moved to the lead and exited the water in first place, about 20 seconds ahead.  That for me was an awesome swim!

*Superstar, Chandler, leads the group on lap one.

*I had a great swim, I enjoyed it!

I left for the bike after a good transition and entered the main portion of the bike course.  This is a pretty tough bike course and we fought the wind and rolling hills for a majority of the time.  At about the 3 or 4 mile mark on the bike eventual winner, Lewis, passed me.  One thing I respect about Lewis is the fact that he can actually say "good job, etc." when going by.  I always encourage people out on the course, even if they are passing me or I am passing them.  To think that somehow saying something nice to a competitor robs you of your power or ego is ridiculous. I find it very classy to tell (or be told) that you are "doing a good job" while you try to rip the other person apart and beat them. :)

*Bike time!

Lewis and I exchanged a few comments back and forth before he eased ahead.  He is in his triathlon prime and to see how someone can perform at that level is motivating and humbling at the same time.  He's pretty incredible.  Anyway, on the way out to the turnaround Lewis left me, and I left the field.  When I made the turnaround I checked the gaps and they had busted wide open.

*Auto detailer spray makes my bike shine!

I climbed the hills and made my return to the park to some great cheers and my paparazzi, Chris Sievers.  Thank you so much to her for again taking pictures.  I owe her big time.  I made my change to shoes and my visor and left for the run.  

*Transition two

*Run time!

I respect this sport and one thing I do that I find really satisfying is try to come up with sweet kits.  It's called being eccentric and I like to look sharp.  I find it satisfying to do weird things like match my sunglasses, race belt, and shoes.  Half the fun of triathlon is being able to express yourself in uncommon ways.  When I left on the run I heard a girl say, "That's a cool outfit!"  The run was all gravy after that, mission accomplished. lol.

I had a great run, I had good turnover, and rolled through the tougher sections of the course.  I locked up a little near then end, but that can be attributed to all the mounting fatigue of the prior acts.  I briefly reminisced about what it took to get to this level; the hard winter training, the ouchies, and all those moments I told myself that "you need to do this," before I finished with a big smile on my face.

*Finishing with a smile

*My "cool outfit." Hey, I didn't say it, the nice lady did.

To say I wasn't a little disappointed with 2nd place would be a lie.  I trained hard and I trained to win, and I didn't.  That feeling was quickly replaced when some of the spectators told me congratulations and what a good job I had done.  All things considered, it was a good day and 2nd place is a fantastic accomplishment (if I do say so myself...which I just did say).  

Remember, it's not always about winning, and it's not a crime to compliment someone when they are doing a good job.

Act 2 of 4: The Road Race

*Tarje and Brodacious discussing the great race.

If someone were to call you "calculating" you probably wouldn't consider it a compliment.  You would however consider it a compliment if it were in the context of road racing.  The road race is one of the most tactical of all races and I enjoy that aspect of the sport.

*Want to know a random fact?...

*...Most bike kits don't have a waistband, they have suspenders! lol

Although the numbers were a little bit low this year, there were some familiar faces (and bikes) in the race.  This included my friend, Ken, who is a super strong rider.  He beat me at this race in 2010 and hasn't slowed down.  On top of that he was wrangling a new Pinerello which is basically the Ferrari of the bike world.  We had a quick chat before the race and hatched a plan.

*Rockin' the Montana State Kit

*Riding to the start line

*Ken and I discussing "the plan."

The plan was to make the break, take the peloton out of the competition by getting a big lead, and then fight it out every man for himself at the end.  Ken is fantastic sprinter and this plays right to his game.  When the race started we rolled out and our plan went into effect, perfectly.  Pretty quickly into the race Tarje, a phenominal jr. rider made a solo break.  Tarje told me he has been racing in the Lance Armstrong's bike series and has been tearing up the scene.

Tarje's break was a perfect opportunity for Ken and I. After Tarje went clear Ken and I made our own break to join him.  It worked perfectly, after two hills our group of three was clear and working together very well.  When it was clear that our break was amassing huge time, we all went into the "every man for himself" mode and put in a few attacks on the break. I made a few accelerations to test our trio and see if they had pretty good legs.  Both Tarje and Ken covered my small attacks and we made the turnaround stuck together in paceline.

*Ken going off the front to join Tarje

After a couple of miles of rotating through on the front I realized that I had a little secret, and it wasn't a good one.  My front tire had picked up a puncture or a pinch flat, I could see the tire's sinking sidewall and feel the degrading handling.  This was a bad feeling because stopping to change a flat would guarantee me of not winning.  I was hoping the other two riders wouldn't notice my sagging tire.  I was very lucky because the tire was a slow leak, it wasn't a dead flat (which you shouldn't ride) or a total tire blowout (which you can't ride).

I did my best to maintain the other riders' wheels and stick in the draft.  I was also very lucky that the finish was uphill and there were no high speed descents, the latter would be dangerous on a going-flat tire.  For 90 percent of the race our break worked together.  With a mile to go the pace slowed to a lull as none of us really wanted to be the lead out man for the final sprint.  We all wanted to win, that's not a bad thing, and were not really set on doing any more work for the others.  So we all coasted down as if to say "No I insist, you go ahead."

*Ken and I joining Tarje in the break

The best way to win a sprint is to draft a lead rider up until the line.  When you get within a couple hundred meters of the finish you smash it and go for the pass, never looking back.  Ken beat me doing just that in 2010.  I was able to cover his finishing move and repass him to win in 2011.  With a 500 meters to go I was on Ken's wheel and Tarje was on mine.  I really had to force myself to stay there and be patient. "Stay here, stay here, not yet, not yet."  I repeated to myself as the finish line approached and my patience meter was about to bubble over.  Every nerve in my body was buzzing with anticipation of the sprint finish to come.

*Ken opening the gap with an accelaration, I need to reel him back in.

*I have a secret and it's not a good one, my poor tire.

With 300 meters to go I pulled through and raised the pace to disrupt the sprint.  Ken and Tarje covered it well and stuck to my wheel.  I knew this because I could see our shadows just inside my periperhal vision.  With 150 meters to go Ken made his move and accelerated around me in his quest for the finish and the win.  If I wanted any shot at winning I had to cover his move and get on his wheel.  My flatting tire wobled as I dropped a few gears and stood out of the saddle to accelerate.  My front tire felt like it was glued to the pavement.

*Jostling for position

With 50 meters to go we hit the steep part of the climb, I had covered the attack despite the protesting wheel.  This was my chance, I had to now put in my attack and go for the win. With 25 yards to go Ken was  full power, mashing his big chain ring while going up the hill, that guy can ride!  With 20 meters I made my move and swung right and exited his slip stream.  With 15 meters to go Ken countered my attack and we were wheel to wheel.  10 meters to go and it was anyone's race. 5 meters to go I put my head down and gave a few final accelerations and eased a bike length ahead.  This was the moment a bike racer lives for, the close finish is something special.  

*That's it, we are done!

I crossed the line just in front of Ken for the win.  I was thankful I even made it to the finish with my tire issue.  Tarje did a fantasitic job and came across the line a few seconds later after being spit out the back of the group during the last half mile or so.  Just past the finish Ken and smiled at each other and he said, "Good race."  You know, that's what it is about, we worked together in the break, then tried to break each other. In the end, regardless of place, we are all lucky to share the race moments.  It was really fun.

*Tarje telling me about his race.  He told his mom he "did all the work for us." :)

*Epic landscape

*This race also took place in the middle of nowhere

After the race I had a good chat with Tarje and his team manager (his mom, Cindy).  They have a great family.  They were telling me they go to Colorado for bike races and Tarje has been showing the boys up.  The kid is a great rider and it was fun to have him in the break. In all honesty, he did a ton of work for our group while gaining valuable race experience with the big boys.  To my surprise I had some air left in my tire so I was able to ride the short distance back to the car with Tarje while he gave me tips on bike racing. :)  What a fantastic day, I am glad I was able to share it with all my friends, special moments and memories for all of us.

*Tarje and I both won our respective divisions

Again, a BIG thank you to Chris Sievers for graciously taking pictures, without her I would have to settle for photo-shopping my head into other bike race pictures.  

*Flat tires are sooooo sad!

*But, I am still smiling.

Thanks for reading.

Act 1 of 4: The Time Trial

I have been a very busy boy the past few days.  I am over-run with adventures, memories, and maybe a little fatigue.  I competed in a bunch of races back to back and need a few separate "acts" to write up all the adventures.

*Before I made one pedal stroke I had already won the competition...for the best coordinated outfit.

Act 1 was the "race of truth," the time trial.  For those unfamiliar, a time trial is a bike race in which each rider races the clock directly (and the other riders indirectly) by riding a pre-determined course as fast as possible.  Each rider is separated by a time interval, usually a minute, to ensure each rider will ride the entire course under their own power.  It's every man, woman, and crazy person for themselves.  No drafting, no paceline, no break away, no resting, no mercy. :)

*The race was in the middle of nowhere

*The community center didn't even have indoor plumbing...

*Downtown had one store, and it was abandoned.

*The racers parked in a hay field.

This time trial was a moderately flat, but windy, 8 mile course.  The wind and heat added a little pressure to the riders, overall though I think everyone had fun.  This time trial (TT) was about 12 hours before I was to defend my 2011 triathlon title, so I wanted to ride hard at the TT, but I wasn't going to go full power and crack my legs wide open by giving everything I had.  I planned to ride hard, let's face it this is a very hard discipline of cycling.  You basically have to suffer through a TT from the first few seconds of the opening sprint up to speed, all the way to the finish line.  It's attack, attack, attack, and I love it.

*Mentally preparing for the "ouch"

I knew that riding a hard race like this 12 hours before my triathlon could have somewhat of a negative effect on the tri the next morning, but I love to race and will make that sacrifice. I told myself "It's in your head, not your muscles."  At the end of the day, I love to race, be with my friends, and have adventures so I never second guessed a hard effort.  I train very hard for multiple race efforts just like this.

*Montana Cycling did a great job with the event

After receiving our final athlete instructions, we all lined up.  For nearly an hour riders left successively on each minute.  I had a somewhat disadvantaged  position of starting third, which only left me two riders ahead to try and catch.  The later you start in the TT the more information you have as to the current best times.  When you ride first you just have to ride as fast as you can, wait, and hope.  Which is pretty much what I did.

*All lined up and ready to start, one by one.

When the starter let me go I went into my aero bars and fought the wind and rolling hills for about 13 minutes to the turnaround point.  The hot pavement radiating up heat made the ride into the head wind tough.  My legs burned, sweat dripped down my face, and my sunscreen covered legs glistened under the hot sun. I was melting. I took a check to the guy who started one minute ahead of me (my "minute man") and thought the gap was fairly stable at the original minute stagger. This meant we were essentially tied.

*My buddy, Kevin Livingston, mashing some gears.

*My lil' buddy, Tarje Grover, about to show the big boys how it's done.

*Clip in and mount up...

*...It's Brodacious Time. :)

After briefly coming out of the aero bars to squeeze the brakes and make the u-turn, I was relieved to feel the wind ease a little for the ride back to the finish line.  By the way, I only touched my brakes twice, once at the turnaround and again after the finish.  The race is not a true out and back so we didn't get to enjoy the full benefit of the tailwind.  We road about 5 miles into the wind and then back tracked 3 miles to the finish.  The two-mile stretch from the finish to the cars was the cool down and chit-chat area.

*Have you ever ridden your bike in a vivid landscape painting?  Can you see me in the distance, I'm the dot.

*We started and finished in the middle of nowhere

I pedaled my burning legs at about 85-90 percent of my full TT power until I crossed the finish line.  That was fun, but I was glad to be done.  I finished 7th overall in the field after all the dust had settled.  Overall, it was a great night of hard racing, sweet kits, and fun with my cycling friends.

A HUGE thank you to Chris Seivers who graciously took the time trial photos.  Without her graciousness and pictures, all I would have is my words and my memories, those two alone are rarely enough for a high quality race report.

Thanks for visiting!