Collegiate Times Article

Yesterday I had an interview with Collegiate Times reporter Kerry O'Connor about bicycles in Blacksburg. We spoke of the team, riders, racing, and the nature of the sport. Most people don't realize it, but Blacksburg, Virginia is a premier haven for cycling; there are group rides every weekend along winding quiet roads with current pros, ex-pros, soon to be pros, and everything in between. The Virginia Tech Cycling Team proudly boasts its grassroots heritage from this cycling mecca and strives to continue growing its legacy.

Today this was on the front page of our campus newspaper:


Unfortunately, the team was not the highlight of the article. I made sure, however, that we were well represented within the mix. Here is the online version, Biking becoming big in Blacksburg. I decided to get my jollys in for the day by using a picture that Ryan Harne had taken of me 2 weeks ago at NC State. I also gave the reporter the quote of the year, "Blacksburg is a petri dish for cycling." Take that Cycling News!

Top Supporter

Top Sporter - 1. one who competes in the highest level in sport 2. professional sportsman who lives, eats, and trains with the intention of being the best 3. Most elite pro cyclists in Le Belge. 4. Tom Boonen

Top Supporter - 1. one who supports the highest level in sport 2. sportsman who gets stuck in the trunk 3. an academic who has the mind of an encyclopedia for games like celebrity, moviebomb, and the name game but guesses Yuri Gagarin for every round 4. old school cyclist who uses bubble wrap as insulation under a skinsuit 5. Tim C

I don't think I'm any of these, but if I had to choose, I'd probably want to be the latter. Why? Because as a top supporter, you have a way better chance of winning. The point of playing games in the van on the way to races is not to pass the time or share brainpower among your teammates; it is to divide and conquer your enemies and humiliate them with subjects such as Pikachu, Martin Scorcese, and Steven Hawking.

Did I mention the cool factor that top supporters face when getting trapped in a trunk and not having a means of getting out? Immediately the top supporter-signal is flashed into the sky and other fellow top supporters rush to the aid of the entrapped top supporter. Top supporters support other top supporters; it is the unspoken rule.

I did some sporting of my own this weekend. Racing at William & Mary there was some time trialing (12.5 miles) and some road racing action (67.5 miles). The team did well both days. The goal for me was a sub-30 min and top 15 placing in the tt; this was met with a 29:35 time and a 12th place. I don't have specific goals like this normally for time trials, however due to last years unacceptable 2nd to last finish, I had to make this a point to improve on. Booya. The team went 3rd, 6th, 7th, 12th...pretty solid. The road race was equally enjoyable with my man JZ getting into the break 1 mile in and staying away with 2 other compadres till the bell lap. Lots of work was done for him and other teammates as well. The impossibility of trying to get away, as VT has become the #1 marked team, has been taken to a whole new level. I think our best rider was 5th. All in all a fun filled weekend complete with birthday cakes, new tt rigs, and poppin' bubble wrap. Time to drag a comb across my head...



out,

-E

Are the bottle cages red or pink?

Where is Waldo?

Off we go! 60 minutes of averaging about 27mph/43.2kph

...going through the chicane at snails pace, but holding the bars white knuckled because I was scared for my life

Why was I in the drops the whole race?

Up close

Shannanigans as usual

"Hey Jeff, thanks for the bloody nose!"

Getting into the break

Working hard to get the gap

Felt good

...ahhh that's bike racing

All photos compliments of Ryan Harne

bok racin'

This past weekend the Virginia Tech Cycling Team went to race bicycles down in Raleigh, NC for its season opener at NC State University. The Men's A race was 75 miles long, so from the gun nothing exciting was really happening. After a long yawn session, I settled in and took in the sweet 50 degree Saturday morning air. I got to talking with one of my teammates from Cycling Center , a certain Scott Jackson, about being top sporter and wearing leg warmers while racing when some jokers from App Army began to attack.

After a flurry of riders going up the road, a breakaway from 5 got about 2 min on the field, near the end of the first lap. I signaled to Matt Howe from NC State that I was going to bridge and we attacked together. We put in a strong effort for 20 minutes but then we were chased down and we got back in the bunch. Strangely I noticed that my own team brought me back. I did some thinking and realized what was going on. The VT train lined up all 8 guys (Owen Nielsen, Ben King, John Zaccone, Steven Gordon, Eoin McDonnell, Bryan McVey, Reid Beloni, and myself) on the front and began to drive hard to reel in the break. After coming back from trying to bridge, I was motioned to be the gatekeeper for the pace line and made sure that no teams got in the mix to interrupt the rotation. We were really nailing it. Eoin's dad was in the wheel truck and had said that we were putting the whole field into the gutter and popping riders off the back. Eoin's dad timed the second lap at 41 minutes, while the rest of the laps averaged 46 minutes. Way to go team!

Eventually we caught the breakaway and the attacks began to fly, again as is expected. Being somewhat "fresh" from sitting behind the pain train I decided to attack with the seperation that was going on. Steven and I got into a move with like 6 other riders. We were going pretty well but then I began to hurt. Ben and Jeff Buckles bridged and I went backwards. I got into a chase group with some other riders but really couldn't put in any power. I felt kind of empty.

I ended up flatting going on the way back to the peloton. BONUS: I got to watch the finish! The break at the end was 6 riders with about 2 minutes on the field. Congrats to Steven for pinning down the win and for Ben following for 2nd. We also cleaned up the field sprint for 7th (Owen) and 8th (Reid). Our Women's A riders went 2nd (Lesley Golenor) and 5th (Sarah Hanson). Not a bad show of force for the first race of the season.

That night the team had some rockin' burritos from the Armadillo Grill.

Note: Although the burritos can be extremely good, do not be fooled by the free chips that fail to come with your meal.

The next day was a 60 minute crit on the NC State Centennial Campus. I got to speak with a number of the good 'ol boys before the race; famous creator of the Doody Bar,Chris Judy (DLP Pro), and C-Do, Craig Dodson (Team Nature's Path Pro/Am). As we lined up, I noticed we were missing 3 of our riders. Steevo had gone out for a training ride with Reid and Ben and had gotten lost on the way (Our newly appointed Officer of Integrated Cultural Experiences, Reid, did however manage to find Lilly's Pizza Restaurant, a really good joint that we stopped at on the way home).

Anyways, we had to race with 3 less Hokies and ended up having to change the race plan on the start line. The plan was to contain moves, then lead Owen out for a 5th consecutive win on the course, but it was now impossible to do with because of the depth in the field and the lack of numbers on our part.

It was criterium shannigans as usual. Attacks were flying off left and right. I stayed near the front and reeled in a few moves with Owen. I also picked up a points prime, BLING! Towards the end of the race I was on Jeff Buckles' wheel (VCU) and he began attacking the hell out of the field. I stayed on his wheel even though it hurt like hell. A group ended up countering at the end of his flurry with 10 laps to go. B Mac got into the winning move with Ryan McFeely (USNA) and some other guys. Towards 5 to go I attacked and along came Shawn Kane (NCSU) and a LMC rider. We were going pretty well. I was feeling good and conserving in case the field came charging, but was working well also. Bryan ended up getting 3rd, with Ryan (USNA) winning. They finished about 30 seconds off the front of the field with my chase group 15 seconds behind. I think I may have gotten 9th or something.

Definitely a better day for the legs than Saturday. Maybe it was the coffee that morning, interestingly enough brewed from a beheamoth such as one like this (but not necessarily)
Owen ended up taking the field sprint for 10th. 3 in the top 10, was not bad. Oh yeah and I noticed that at the end of the race, I was bleeding like a stuck pig. I must have popped a blood vessel in my nose. It was either from yelling my arse off in the breakaway or it was from putting out 800 watts/minute trying to stay on Buckle's wheel. Judges ruling?



out,

-E

Zbest

Booyackasha. Packages from the nice UPS man are fun. Mother dearest sent me a Mr. Coffee grinder



and a bag of Zbest Coffee Company, LLC. Sumatra Super Fancy. Any one know where Sumatra is? I thought it was somewhere in South America; apparently I missed that question in high school geography class.



My coffee portfolio has grown three fold in the last 18 hours. Now I have the Sumatra Super Fancy, Brazilian Pilao from my bro, 4 bags of assorted organic coffee from The Heritage, all free trade of course, and a empty bin with Folger coffee crumbs sitting in the freezer. Fear not! I know better than to freeze good coffee. All of the bags are sitting nicely in the cabinet over the oven. From the looks of it though I might have enough coffee to last me into the next decade...

Since we're on the the topic of taking coffee to the extreme, I'll leave you with a picture of John Wayne on a tumbler.

Pretty Prince of Parties

I go where the party takes me!




I'm a funky monkey junky :: you're a flunky bunky donkey

Inaugural Blog

Hey-
So this is the inaugural blog for egglestown.com. It took me less than 5 minutes to set this whole shingdig up and it will be my new wire to the world. The blog will keep you updated on all the sweetness that bike racing offers as well as the downlow on what is going on in everything non-bicycle.

Today I took some initiative and rolled into the coffee shop to pick up one of these french press coffee makers.

SCHWING! We're in business to sex it up.

out,

-E