sick whip

They say if you gonna ball, you gotta keep a sick whip. When I wanna ball so I keep a sick whip.

All joke aside, I have been incredibly fortunate this year with bikes. KS EnergyServices/Team Wisconsin has a new deal with Trek and Emery’s bike shop in Milwaukee to keep us on hands down the nicest frames out there. First off, the new road bike. It almost hasn’t set in yet, but this is a sick whip. It’s 2012 Trek Madone 6.9 SSL with a sweet red and white paint job. It’s been built up with the new Shimano Ultegra grey which takes this otherwise bright frame back a little. The more subdued look is much more my style, and between the frame and components it strikes a nice balance. Enough talking, here are some pictures!

First off, the bike as a whole is pretty fun. I've had a few rides on it when the weather was nicer, and I'm pretty impressed. The seatmast works really well. You can actually see it flex a little while riding, which scares you a little at first, but you can really notice the comfort benefits. It's also pretty stiff drivetrain wise. I haven't really put any serious power down on it yet, but at the very least it's on par with my old Cannondale, which was very stiff. But above all, I am blow away with the steering precision. I've taken it down a few winding hills and it really is point and shoot. The confidence it gives you helps you push the limit. Combine that with good road feel and you can take it right up to the line of grip. It corners just as well, but with all the sand on the roads I haven't really taken any risks yet. 

Riding on the Fizik Arione CX once again. Hands down my favorite saddle. Comfortable and light with tons of space to move around for when you're climbing versus putting the power down on the flats.

Shimano Ultegra grey grouppo for the drivetrain. While it's not the lightest group, the shifting quality is amazing and the whole thing is affordable too. Which will come in handy when I start replacing worn parts. But the thing that really caught me off guard was just how good the front shifting is! I never imagined being able to shift while putting the power down. Plus it looks elegant and clean. What more could I ask for?

Yea, SSL baby!

Aluminum 110mm RXL stem from Bontrager for stiffness and 44cm carbon RXL bars for comfort. I'll probably be switching to a longer 120mm stem soon.

 An interesting camera angle, but check that out! CycleOps wheel set! Thats right, I'll be on CycleOps new carbon PowerTap wheelset, 45mm deep clincher. The really sick part is that at only 1,540g I can have power data from all my races without taking a weight penalty. Plus the Enve Composite rims are stiff and durable.

 WISCONSIN REPRESENT! Proud of that right there for sure.

 The wheels will be wrapped in Bontragers new R4 tires. Haven't ridden them much yet, but from what I hear they are super grippy. I'm looking forward to seeing just how much grip there is out on the mountains.

Training is really starting up in earnest right now. After a few weeks of building up the volume I'm starting to feel like I can put some real effort into the rides. Come March I'll be in full swing. That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

Getting back at it

I’ve been riding a lot in the last few weeks. With last year’s huge amount of racing stretching all the way into January, I decided to take more time off than I did the year prior. I have yet to really understand what the extra time off the bike will do to help or hurt me, but I know a few things for sure. First of all, Motivation is way up there right now. The last few weeks have flown by. I’ve been building up the hours trying to get fit. But unlike last year, I’m taking recovery and general health a lot more seriously. I’m trying to eat better and making sure that I’m flexible. I’ve lost a few pounds already just by eating healthy, and the weight seems to be dropping off now that I’m actively keeping the calorie intake in check, eating quality nutrient rich foods and just enough to keep me going.

A pretty big change this year will be my schooling. I’ve ended up getting a co-op with Saris Cycling, a company which I have done part time work with for the last year and a half. The job will let me make some cash to help pay for school, while giving me a little break from school to train and get ready to finish school. And the day in day out 9-5 schedule works really well for me. Being the creature of habit that I am, It’s easy to plan my days around work and riding to get in a lot of hours while still doing all the other things around the house that need doing.

Finally, the coming racing season is shaping up to be something special. With KS Energy/Team Wisconsin moving to Emery’s and Trek, I’ve been able to get my hands on some pretty sick whips and the folks at Emery’s have been really quick to help out; check them out, and if you buy anything mention my name. I just got my new road bike all up and running and it is on another level from my old bike. I was lucky enough to get a Madone 6.9 SSL with a full Ultegra Grey Component setup. Man, putting miles on that thing has been a joy. So far the thing that has impressed me the most is the handling. It goes downhill with such precision that you have the confidence to push the tires right to edge of grip. It’s also pretty comfortable, considering I have yet to get the fit fully dialed in. The flex in the seat mass keeps the bike stable and comfortable. Overall so far, very happy, hopefully I’ll have some pictures soon. The paint scheme is really sexy!

And the good news kept coming this spring so far. I’ve got some other cool things in the works, and I’ll have more on them when they actually happen. But long story short, this whole bike riding thing is turning out pretty well. But like anything else there are tradeoffs.

This brings me to the one thing I really wanted to express in this post. I’m getting anxious. With each passing year I have put more and more in to racing and working towards making a living racing bikes. I still don’t know if it’s a realistic goal, but let’s be honest; if you could get paid to ride you would. I think it’s worth it to know you tried. But it makes me a bit nervous to know that it might actually happen. I talked to my dad about it the other night. He had few words, but they were powerful. So I’m not too worried now, but now I’m more excited to really see what I can do. 

2012: It has begun

After some time off, 2012 is here, in a big way

See you on the roads