JB's Adventure Blog: April 2006

OK.

Sam Schultz is the top of GC on our team this week at TOS. By pulling a great move and slipping into a break on the last road stage he moved into 5th!

Yesterdays ITT was a tough rolling/hilly out and back 15 miler. We faired well and now, Sam, Ian and I are sitting. In 7th 10th and 15th respectivly. This has been super burly week of training and a great week of comraderie we have all has a great time. We all hope Mark Hardman is doing ok. He had a crash on the vesuvious descent I hope he calls soon because i don't have his home number and we have his things still! Phil was awesome this week and gets the hard ass trophy for finishing NO matter what he rode a large portion of stage 4 by himself after a bonk, he surly would have been fine but he gutted it out like no other the day before to put us up the road in the lead group. It was great to catch up with a freind and remeber back in the day. In Charm city' bike scene.

Les has been working around the clock to get our bikes running smooth for every stage, Erin has been keeping us on schedule and organized. Larry has been putting in alot of heart and love into our humble little team. Thanks.
Jody has made us win the best fed award of the whole race! Gormet meals every night. This is the first time I have gained weight during a wicked hard stage race. I was talking to Ian and I think this was a level up in difficulty from last year. The talent is just deeper! So...one stage left the Crit!

Viva le tour!

Jeremiah.

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 6:57 AM 0 comments

Tour of Shenandoah

It's day one of the Tour of Shenandoah! Today featured the prolouge time-trial in Dayton, VA and the wicked-fast downtown Harrisonburg criterium.

It was really fun seeeing all the local bike crew, the JMU posse, the Shenandoah Valley Bike Club, and Thomas' unmistakable voice cheering us on from the fast straight away in front of the shop.

Tonight's race was a stark comparison to last year. Though we did have a crash that resulted in a broken bike, all the riders worked together like a well-oiled machine. And, I was sitting in the pack at one point and another rider said "Man, Jeremiah Bishop is at the front again!" Haha, we had him fooled.

Tomorrow's stage is a 108-mile ride from Staunton to Hot Springs... with over 12,000 feet of climbing!

During the week, check out the "Media" link, at left, to read some race reports and view results.

Keep Cheering!
JB

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 6:15 PM 0 comments

O"Hill Melt down.

Wow!
It is good to be back home, rich black soil, rocky twisty rooted single track with flowers and green things shooting out of the ground everwhere, it was an amazing climax of spring's growth today in the woods. I don't know how I managed to take notice during the race but I did.

I joked with Todd as I passed mid race that "if the Norba Nationals where on courses this good I would take up mountain biking!" One time I was allmost in shock as I blasted toward this puzzle of a rock garden for the first time on lap one. I dabed and came to a stand still. Second lap I aced it. The technical leprican award goes to non other than Paul "the punisher" Buchi for riding the 50 foot rock encrusted wall of a hill at the end of the lap. I didn't even try it untill the last lap. Oh well I have to go for it next year. I did win the race and Sue won hers too. So that was cool.

Other highlights where;
Tim Richardson sporting a Prototype Carbon Bontrager front hoop on his steel fixi. Super swanki low tech award! Holar!!!
Top 5 reroute we got lost on course but found the finishline.
Tecnical option. They had a sign for a 30ft option that said mere mortal and the other said expert, one had a log jamm with a drop off bridge with chicken wire for traction the other was a little longer around but trail. . Another good tip for the NORBA promoters.
Oh an even better tip for the Norba promoters was the 15 dollar entry. I didn't say anthing to the promoter but I hadn't seen a entry that low since well never!

Rad course and i allso got to see the local crew it was fun.

Later Erin and I went for sushi. She thinks it is pronounced soo-shi.?? Anyway. It tastes the same.

In other late breaking NEWS....... Sam Schultz of the U 23 national team is racing for Trek/ Byvick Financial's Composite team for Tour of Shenandoah!

SO far our roster is.

Director Shortee. Erin.

Mechanic; Less Welch; winner of the best mechanic challenge at Interbike!

Riders:

Tristan Schouten; Short track racer extrodare

Sam Schultz; 3rd at the Sea Otter time trial

Jeff "on the fence" Shalk?? NCS series Champ for Semi Pro.

Mark Hard man C" villes finest.

Phil the "Stallion" Riggio.

And me. At tour de burg they call me il sparro. What ever.... I guess it is better they the pigeon.. :)

Should be a sick week in the saddle.

I wonder what Nick's doing??

Later peeps: JB

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 6:39 PM 2 comments

Back off Otter!

I finally fended off the Otter! Fourth place and the first American in the Sea Otter XC!

That 800 pound Sea Otter always crushes me, (as Adam says) " I leave feeling like a small child". It has been as sure as the water in Monterey bay is cold… or so I thought.

The key to Sea Otter is to treat it like a road race/roller derby. The fight for your position is key because you are assured some breaks by not having to ride in the wind by yourself (IF you make it to the lead group). This is no easy task, in fact I tried as hard as I could but got gapped on the first lap, only 5 miles in. The speed of the front group was insane. We were ripping down the dirt road with a tail wind at mach 5 and every hill was out of the saddle. ‘No way I can keep this up,’ I thought. I was exhausted and we had only gone 8 miles. After taking a bad line thru some ruts, I was dropped and I struggled to chase back on after. I fought back on and after my best 10 minutes I could just make out the orange of Kabush’s Maxxis jersey in the distance. The pack slowed to negotiate a mud puddle and then there was a decent. ‘Sweet,’ I thought, ‘I am back.’ They were going along kind of slow and I was like ‘this is a total rest.’ But the bad part is that Liam, an Aussie, and an Austrian took off up the road. I could see the split but I was in no position to cross it at the time. Once again I was thinking like it was a mountain bike race. Our lead pack included some serious firepower anyway they were likely to take up chase. And I would just hold on. I did. They didn’t chase and the gap slowly increased. Incidentally, the same places that slowed down a 10-man group were also the places that I could get it together and rest.

The last lap was tough, not because of my energy level but because of a bad cramp in my left rectus femoris. It is a muscle that lifts the knee. I was trying to hide the fact from all of the world-class athletes that surrounded me. An Aussie; Michael Weis from Austria; two time Olympic medalist, Sir Bart Brenjins; Todd Wells; Christoph Sauser, winner of the world Cup the last two years; Geoff Kabush; and Jean Christoph Pearuad, former French national Champion. It seemed like the front of a World Cup! The few that were missing were Absalon, Paulison, and Keisikoff. They went home after Curacao.

I was doubtful the cramps would go away, but they usually do. I thought back to a few big races I won, and yes, I cramped then too but I just hung in there!

The cramps went away just in time and I was back in action for the last round of climbing on the last lap. I was least able to make the selection on a steep paved uphill. My legs were pretty empty. I was just hanging with Kabush who was getting gaped himself. The thing is, just when you think you are done everyone else is probably in the hurt locker too.
We dropped into a swift little decent. I took a few deep breaths and NO brakes I was back on.

The single track was wet but fast and a few good lines put me back in the mix. Max Plaxton had come across and got on the back of our group.
Weiss gave me some watery Red Bull to drink but then let a gap open in front of him before a most crucial section-the climb home. This 2-mile stretch was a rolling climb up the last hilltop of the course. I was sure this would be the duel for the podium. I struggled to get on the draft. Ok got it. Then I made sure to ride down wind of Big Bart and Sauser as Peruad made a sharp acceleration with the Aussie and Wells in tow. The hill slackened and I kept the pedal pressure on and got on terms for the last pitch. My strategy was to take it to the max on the climb get a gap and then drive the false flat into the last single track, even a small gap is hard to over come once you hit the decent on the raceway.

I pinned it on the flat and Peruad tried to come left for the trail. I closed the door and late cornered and inside line strait for a photographer. I was sideways in the sickest 2-wheel drift ever. I hooked up in the berm and it shot me down the throat of the single track like a pinball game. I could get much on the slick trail just a couple seconds but I knew a good line on the last little muddy uphill punch to the race way. I stood and KA-WACK my cranks stopped! Agh! ‘Not now!’ I was fighting for 3rd against the best except I had to pedal backwards while they pedaled forward! I got going again and drove it. I snaked the jersey walls and pinned it down the raceway with no clue if anyone was on my wheel. I wanted Peruad. I closed in on him in the tuck and came close to catching him. Brentjens came in just behind me to round the podium. Cool! I was on the box at Sea Otter this bodes really well for the races coming up where the courses suit me!

For now, I am happy to head back to the Burg for some much needed rest and relaxation. I have some sick training ahead of me. The plan is to train into Tour of Shenandoah! Our team looks strong. We have Byvik Financial Services on as a title sponsor and we have Tristan Tshouten, from Trek/VW Midwest; Phil Riggio; Todd Helmick; Brian Matter from Michigan; and Chris Beck from LSV. Eatough won’t make it because he will be in China.

I need to call up Trek and see if I can borrow a TTX for the ITTs. I will also need an aero-helmet and some of those aoleus wheels. That would be so cool..

For now it is a time to catch up with Spring in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley! Yard work never sounded so nice.

See ya;

Jeremiah

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 7:13 AM 5 comments

The Blog Dog.

Oh where do I start? I am in Montery Califonia resting between stage 2,3 of the Sea Slaughter. I haven't been slaughter yet but I have taking the usual beating. I am focusing on the main UCI event on sunday and keepin it cool as I can untill Sunday. Erin and I are having a good time hanging at the race and whent to the legendary Montery Fish house last night with buds Nick and Captin Cadence.

My blog slacking was so Bad that "Popa" Ian call to check in to make shure I was still alive. :0

How a bout sorry? I have been a bad blogger as of late. :0
If I had to come up with excuses I would have no lack of material. The top 10

1. A loose wireless card,
2. Summerlike carribean breezes
3. Erin and have been beach walking,
4. No one likes to hear bad luck cry baby whining. ;)
5. I am tired...
6. A band of internet Gypseys hijacked my computer and downloaded viruses.
7. I have been out of the country.
8. That punk Nick Waite stold my computer charger.
9. There was no hot water or working stove in Puerto Rico not to mention wireless!
10. Riding is more fun!!!

Since I have some make up blogging to do I will just get up to speed quick.

Our team had Camp for a week in Solvang and we found out why Disco team comes here. The riding is cool and the climbs are huge. Allso it is like disney set for some dutch movie with all the cafe's windmills and gingerbread architecture. It probably makes the euro's feel at home. The bull dog was my favorite hang there. The coffee was super charged and I like my
coffee stong! Check it out.

Week 2 was spent in Rincon Puerto Rico for the Ultimate Dirt Challenge. This is a really fun race with 5 bands and it takes place next to a beach! I had a bad start and flat and finished 4th. Rats. I was going well in the middle.

Week 3 Curacao
I had a good race going for the first 3 minutes but then my tire split in half. I guess I hit some metal or somthing.
Before I knew it I was on the ground. Ouch. I got a wheel and fought back couragously to the 50's out of the 120 rider field. It is a shame they do give UCI points for being tough. I got my second flat, got a slow change and got back in the mix. I pushed to get back into my former spot. On the last lap I got too hot and faded. In my dizzie state I wrecked. It was a bad fall onto the left leg that had me rethinking my toughness. I kept going and eased back to speed to finish just a few spot out of the points. Dirty Rats. Cookie, Cookie, Cookie!!!

When the clouds of bad luck are thick I think of races I have won, how sweet is it when everything goes right? On top of the World!

I am going to keep cracking the wipp and working for good luck.

Until then, keep on keep'n on, your usually closer than you think.

Jeremiah

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 4:32 PM 2 comments

Take me to your leader.

Tour of Shenandoah

O"Hill Melt down.

Back off Otter!

The Blog Dog.

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