Fast and loud

Last nights Mid Week Crit race was a shredder.  Still nearly 100 racers showed up.  The 30+degree temp was not enough to detour anyone.  Last night the toughest sport in the world just got tougher.

                                                                                   Pics by Juan Farias (Baddass mechanic)

From the start of the race I was sitting near the back.  Unfortunately I still had it in my head that I still don't have my fitness back after being sick, and taking the time off.  So slowly as the race progressed I started moving up.  From my vantage point I think everyone on the team took turns at the front of the pack.  I could see Emilio dragging the pack for a while, but I could always see the black and white team outfit standing out as a beacon of hope and dogged determination , telling me to get up there and engage thrusters.

                                                      Eric and me
When they held up the sign saying 20 more laps that's when I made my move for the front.   I got into a small 3 man breakaway with 2 dudes I have never seen before. We lasted about 2 laps.  Then Eric Box (pictured) bridged the gap , catching me and dropping me.  I slinked back into the peloton, but  we caught them shortly after .

Penultimate lap , Marc screams to me "Doyle, get on my wheel!!!! NOW!!!!"  Somehow, from where I was in the pack I made it over to his wheel and held it for a while.  We were accelerating out of the pack which was already doing over 50kph.  As we rounded the second last corner Marc puts down such a retarded acceleration that he is able to ride me off his wheel, and in turn all the guys who were on my wheel.  He takes off.  With about 400m to go , but 75m ahead of the pack he sits up and pulls to the right thus letting me and the whole pack catch and pass him.  He thought that there was already a breakaway that has crossed the line.  Wrong.  He was the breakaway.  Regardless, Andy got a 2'd place in that sprint.  And I think all of us were probably top 30.  I had maybe my best night to date.  Thanks also to Auntie Candy for looking after my boy so I could race!!!!!!

                                                      Eric dropping me

Nice hills, nice beer !

Today was so nice out that I thought I better take advantage of the sun and go for a ride in case I can't tonight. I have recently been introduced to a new and fantastic area to ride.  The Hockley Valley.  Today I went from the Brampton fairgrounds and meandered up through the many canopy covered side roads up to Orangeville.  It's not a really long ride so you need to take some lefts and rights instead of going straight up there, or you'll get there in an hour.  A few of the roads are still gravel, and some are even more like dirt.  No traffic lights,  no rogue taxi cabs, and no angry moose to contend with.  I wish I would have thought to bring a pocket camera so these pics turned out a bit more clearly.  Its difficult to see how the roads go off into the distance with a smart phone camera.   The hills aren't huge climbs but they are still frequent enough that you need to be on your game so not as to upset your rhythm too much.

Not a whole lot to write about today.

I rode with the team today.  I think we did just under 100kms.  I was feeling really good.  I took a few good pulls at the front, and tried to give Marco a lead out for the final sprint. It didn't work exactly as planned but we tried, and it was a cool effort.  I wish it was on video.  Hopefully next week I'll be posting the KW Classic race on here as I should be racing with some type of video camera strapped to the bike.

I also traded my 2011 Zipp 303s to Marc for a set of 2009 303's , which would normally seem stupid but mine are so damn wide they won't fit into the chain stays of my Guerciotti .  With that bike being my preferred racing bike I think I need to put my fast wheels on it.  I'll leave the Pinarello for training.

Time for some CP24 news and then bed time.

and this was all you got, so don these broken wings.......

Tonight some of the  team made it out to the Matheson loop.  It was a little windy, but not too bad.  No cars anywhere.  I guess on Friday everyone goes home right after work......and leaves the road to us.

                                                One of the  best carbon frames ever made!

All we did was ride at a pretty easy pace for about 2 hrs. Strong, but far from hammering.  I think I am finally back from this terrible cough and illness.  I feel 100% now.   I imagine my main problem is that I took too much time off from intense riding and my top end fitness suffered, as well as my brain (which is the boss of me) telling me I am weak and that I can't hang on.  I have had a few great rides this week and I'm past all that sissy light beer bullshit.

Tomorrow I am riding to Milton in the morning.  Again Sunday with the whole team.  Next week we are going to do serious damage in Kitchener.  I am going to say this every time I blog between now and then.  Screw coming in mid pack, this is the fuckin' Catalina Wine Mixer!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuvTsNWu9I0

Shock me Valley

Tonight we rode through Hockley Valley.  I've never even heard of that area until I joined the Kurzawinski team.  Anyways, its from the northwest end of Brampton (what ever happened to Bramalea????) and I guess we head up toward Orangeville.   (I always thought the name Orangeville should be reserved for a town in Florida, not a small city in a province where no oranges could possibly ever grow.....).   We took Heart Lake road north and the hills were good.  Not huge but lots of them.

On the way back we started to make a small gap between us (Me, Mr O'Salvati, Emilio, and Stanislav) and the main group ,  we hammered it all the way back .  I would say maybe 15 or 18 kms.  Not sure, I don't have a computer on my bike.  They never stay working for very long.  Regardless , we never got caught.  I felt the strongest I have felt in weeks.  Being sick sucks baggis.

I imagine my fitness is just about returned after my very bad month of rain, illness and damaged hand.  I have to do the 90 km Invita sport ride again Saturday so I hope to put the hurt on those guys while staying in the small ring and spinning.

Kitchener race in less than 2 weeks.

That Veronica Vaughn is one piece of ass!

Taste the silence

Trappist Beer is beer brewed by Trappist Monks, or at least under the direct supervision of Trappist Monks.  There are only 7 Trappist monasteries in the world, 6 in Belgium and 1 in The Netherlands.  All 7 carry the AUTHENTIC TRAPPIST PRODUCT logo and should be considered a world class beer with strict guidelines and standards and a rich history.

I now have tried all 7 of these lovely beverages.  La Trappe being the last one.  If I were Sam  Jackson and this blog were Pulp Fiction I would be saying 'ymmmm, this is a tasty beverage Vincent!!!"   Alas,  I am neither Samuel Jackson nor a beer reviewer.  Far from it.  Hell, I'm not even a blogger.  Well, maybe a shitty blogger.....I guess that's still a blogger.   But anyways, this La Trappe bier is really good.  A couple of the Trappist beers are a little heavy.  Not that they aren't tasty....especially after 2 or 3, but they sit thick and heavy kind of like how Molson Export used to when I was 17.  12 of those bastards and you were hammered , but also too full to move.

This La Trappe tripel is similar to Chimay premiere but really the big difference is that there is almost no aftertaste.  It may be a bit smoother going down but less creamy, but for some reason (could be that I just rode 120 kms solo)  I think I like it better than Chimay.  Maybe less than Orval though, and although I love beer as much as the next guy (who really friggin' loves beer), I always lack the hyperbole to describe something in terms understandable by those who haven't known me for 20-25+ yrs.   In summation I gots to say that La Trappe is one of the better Trappist beers at least to a North American palette,  and if you ever see it at the Liquor store you should grab as many as you can afford.    I can only describe La Trappe as a  winning and tasty amalgamation of Meuse River water, the sweat of 1000 monks, with the carbonation of  a Pop Shoppe veteran all bottled really fancy-like in a corked 750 ml jug.  Me likey!!!!  The only thing I don't understand is their slogan found on the reverse label of the bottle that reads "taste the silence"......What the ?!?!?   Maybe 'taste the sound of getting kicked out of the bar'..........or 'taste the punch in the face'.................or 'taste the pillow as you hit it face first'..................man, this beer is 8%, and although that may be a light beer by  Belgian Trappist standards I'm not detecting any  silence.

The other thing I don't get about the La Trappe Tripel...........and it's why some labels have a big T on them and some have a Big D.   I am cool with those 2 initials but why 2 different ones?  I must look into this.

I rode today from Dixie and Bloor St in Mississauga to Rattlesnake point in Milton and then rode the hills around there for an hour , (I only did the Rattlesnake climb twice though) before heading home.  I kept the pace high and stayed in the drops a lot.  Light winds from the north/west, and largely overcast skies.  Although it was very humid and cloudy the sunshine did fall on me.  A good little ride.   I pretended may last name was Blazek and hammered out a fast pace.


Ice Cube will swarm on any motherf#cker in a blue uniform.  

St Lawrence Criterium

                                                  What a great spot to host a criterium race

Emilio shredding as usual

                         Charles Dumas from Coach Chris, wearing the ugliest kit in the OCA

                                               

Man I'm glad Jeff left the Lapdogs team

                                                         Marco looking for a hill

After I left the race it started to rain.  Finally those M1 bastards can get some rain during their race.
I rode the crit course for over an hour today and did intervals.  3 laps on, 2 laps off.  I felt good, like my illness is gone.    Dinner was good.  Riding to Milton tomorrow for hill intervals.

Alcohol: The cause and solution to all of life's problems.

"I always knew that cycling wasn't just the act of riding a bike.  It was always far more emotional....far more ethereal practice than just pedaling."  -Rapha Continental rider

                                              Several years ago I rode to Point Pelee daily

I used to ride.  A lot.  100kms a day.  Almost every day.  I loved it.  Loved life.  I saw a short movie today that made me realize the possible folly of my ways.  http://www.rapha.cc/rapha-continental-the-movie/?cm_mmc=email-_-270511-_-textlink1-_-movie    Here I am .  Slowly recovering from supposed  pneumonia, a fairly badly sprained hand and a pretty bad crack in a $5,000 bike frame.  I'm depressed.  I can't ride with my team, and even if I do .....I can't keep up with them right now. I don't have the lungs or legs for it.   Or maybe its just that I don't have the head for it.  Over the past year or so all I do is ride here in the city.  Ride laps around a couple of business HQ's on roads deserted after 6:00pm.  All so I can get faster.  Not so I can enjoy myself.  Not so I can come home with lungs washed clean with fresh rural air. Not so my mind returns refreshed and ready to focus.  Not so I can stop and hear the sound of a near by creek's water running hurriedly over some jagged rocks.  Just so I can be a bit faster.  I think I used to feel more fulfilled....more rich inside when I used to ride by myself.  Or at least riding for myself instead of racing with others.

                                        Nightly rides around the Crit course isn't doing it for me

 Now that I think about it I really don't think cycling is giving back to me the equal to what I'm putting in.  Maybe it is.......I don't know.  I used to really enjoy getting suited up to go ride for the day.  Now it kind of seems like a chore.  I hope I can get a handle on this .    I think a better balance between the competitive aspect and the pure enjoyment part would really help.  I found that balance with beer, quality over quantity.   I've got some thinking to do.  Riding from Mississauga up to Rattlensnake point tomorrow morning.  Fuck, will I ever be pissed if I get hit by a car again.

                                                            Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, fresh oxygen!

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine......

I was up in Trent Hills working today.  Another great little area that I would kill to live in.  In general it wouldn't take much to get me to kill so that's probably not an accurate indicator of how much I would enjoy living there.......or not living in the city.

Great riding.  No traffic.  Decent asphalt. Numerous hills.  Rivers and water everywhere.  Numerous unicorn sightings........  

This looked like a cool place to stay and just hang out.  I imagined my friend David would jump at the chance to chill out here.  A bike, some cold Chimays and some good food would be a good break.  Probably better than going and hanging out on a beach in the Caribbean with a pile of strangers, drinking watered down booze, getting the shits from the local food and water, and enduring brutal service.  Although I always like the tan I get down there.......

The more I type this and look at these poor quality pics........I wish I were back up there enjoying fresh air and not having to decide which highway is less congested.

Although I feel like I'm on the mend, I rode with the team last night and got dropped a couple of times.  My legs and lungs just aren't back yet.  So, no Toronto Criterium I guess.   I guess my season will re-start in July. suckmo.

Violence and Force.......and rain.

I have been so sick.  No riding.  No anything. My doctor said he thinks I have pneumonia.  I don't think so.  So I think I'll err on the side of caution and go with my own diagnosis.   I went to watch The Nith River race, it was another disaster.  Just like Springbank the Master 2 race was basically started in a deluge, while the Master 1 race was met with dry roads and sunny skies.  And again, threats of violence towards Team Kurzawinski are met with swift retaliation .

                                                                  Master 2

                                                                Master 1

Tonight I'm racing the Mid Week crit.  Hacking cough and all.

                                   Here's the damage to my frame from the crash in London.
                                                    Stronger, but much uglier.
                   

                                  To Vic's chagrin I had to try and cover the new carbon
                                                        bandage with something........................

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTYQnX_e1zc

Spreading the Disease

After that race last race in London, where I got put into the curb, I got sick.  Yeah sick, real sick.  The kind of sick you try to hide from  the other kids so they don't think you have Impetigo, or Lice or something like that........but this time I have some sort of Made in Hell sinus infection, in concert with what feels like whooping cough.  As well as an overall weakness and malaise that is keeping me from the bike.  Thats the worst part.  Everyday I'm off the bike my season goes further down the shitter.

                            I think this is the last pic of a girl with a bike that I have.....

I also have been going to a Chiropractor for lazer treatments on my sprained hand. You always think hands are stupid useless things that you will never need, well let me tell you -that's a lie.  I can barely open a beer, gets keys from my pocket,  text on my stupid phone, and more!!!  I'm told it can maybe be months before it heals totally.  For the last few days I have been enjoying a few of my favorite products.  No beer,  but also almost no cold drugs.

Stan and Marc

                                             
The other day in Sauble Beach Stan got 4th, and  Marc got 5th in M1 and Andy (Sweetness) got 3'd in M2.  I guess Andy moves up to the machine now.   It's all us now.  Boom!  tomorrow I'll either die on the course, or get blown away and ride home coughing.