Baseball & Softball

Having taken photos for both Softball and Baseball, I am going to make a few comments based on observations.

The fields are smaller for softball.  This is convenient for photos.  However, not so convenient because I can't be inside the field since it's so small!  (A bit hectic too I'd say).  Also, the game is much faster.  I'm not sure why yet. (other than the fact that there is less distance traveled for everything like softballs, players running, throwing, etc)  The girls games are much louder.  Hey, that's softball though!  Baseball, it's interesting how the guys have their chants and things they say to encourage team mates.  Whatever works, right?  For softball, it was super challenging shooting behind the fence if I was trying to track the ball once it was hit into play.  My best bet for photos was to focus on one spot (usually the pitcher or hitter) and make that the sweet spot for most all the photos.

 I couldn't track the ball as it was thrown to 1st base for a few reasons.. One, it's hard to line up the camera with the fence holes, and secondly the dugout would be in my way depending on where I was situated.  That, and the fence isn't easy to shoot through at an angle rather than head on.  Fortunately for the baseball games I could be inside the field next to the players.  I liked that because things were more personal, I felt more a part of the team rather than some distant observer trying to take photos.  

I am dedicating all of tomorrow to photos.  I must work on photos!  Plus, I've got a photo shoot coming up.  I'm pretty pumped about that, plus the weather should be great! 

New Life

It's never too late to blog.  Plus, it's not even midnight yet.  I'll convince myself it's a good idea, that the time I could have spent reading a nonsense textbook for a nonsense class will be spent blogging about my nonsense-less life.  I wish I had photos to post, but to be honest, I have not had the time to pick up my camera in quite a few days.  With racing, school and friends, life has been full to the max.  On a good note the rain went away finally.  I'll take this nice weather!  So, lately.. lately. let's see.. I got rid of Facebook.  I've been spending quality time with the friends I love and care about.  Phone calls.  I've been making phone calls. (I better watch my minutes since Adam's plan doesn't have a whole lot!)  Nah, you know what's better than texting or calling?? Seeing people in person.. It doesn't get any better than that. Now to find time to do just that. Life has been pulling me in so many directions lately.  Photos taking me all over the place, here at this time, but no, over here at this time!  "Me, me, me! Photos of me!"  See, I like the potential of having people interested in my photography.  But, the deal is I've got only so much time to devote to everyone on top of my school and cycling.  Plus, not a whole lot of money is coming my way, so the incentive to do lots of photos isn't really high.  It's more a "do-good" kind of thing.  Like, you know it's for a good cause so you do it despite the fact that if you ran all the numbers you would realize there isn't a whole lot you're getting out of it.  Fortunately, in my opinion, we need more people like that.  Because if everyone was living off of dollars and cents actions I think we wouldn't have a whole lot going on these days.
On a happy happy happy note, I went to North Rim to buy some bike parts!  Despite the price tag, I'm still happy happy happy!  I am fixing up my bike!  I got a new chain, new wires and housing for the shifting cables.  In WHITE!  Booyah! This good weather is amazing, I even washed my car today!  Wow, and it's only a Monday? wow I feel good.  Must be a combination of things.  Plus friends, gotta love the friends.  A few friends that made my day.  Sydney for being herself.. haha and texting me.  Christian for answering his phone and carrying on a genuine conversation.  Andrew for not answering his phone but just being alive. Casey for answering his phone and sharing my pain for Ric's class and also not wanting to read the 20 pages filled with outlandish ideas created by pointy headed philosophers. (I didn't come up with that name either). And, last but not least, Adam for dropping by in person to use my internet and give me a free shirt.  Win!  I even practiced my saxophone today!  I am telling you.  Get rid of Facebook EVERYONE..  Regain your life!  You will thank me and thank yourself later!  Even though I have not caught up on sleep, I have been catching up on life!
Now on to another day filled with school and photos! (Baseball and Softball.  Now, why do they have to be at the same exact time?? Isn't that a wee bit inconvenient for a photographer?)
By the way, my guesstimate for my score on tomorrow's Statistics test.  96 out of 100.  A few points for error, because I'm bound to forget the difference between a independent and dependent probability or some far out concept related to probability.  I've got the equations and graphs hard wired into my head, it's more the terminology that might throw me off.  (And no, no I am not going to study the terminology because I now have realized what's my weakness).  Like last test, I will storm in the class room, annihilate the test, walk out. Last time I was the first to leave.  People were literally still stumped on the first page.  Usually in that case, you must have messed up bad if you've finished that fast.  Like, forgetting an entire back page.  But nope, I got a 95 on the last test.  Finally a math class I've got a solid grade in.. Most of the time it's like from the get go your grade slowly plummets and by the last day you are just praying to get a C or a B, hoping to scrounge up enough points on the final to save your grade.. hahhhh.. yea.  Boo..

Oh, and on another winning note,  I'm still down to 162 pounds!  I am shooting for 155, and staying off the fast food, soda and Facebook for a couple months.  If not forever. :)

Night ya'll!

Driving

Some people like driving as a way to get out.. similar to how I'd like to ride and ride just to get out or get my mind off something. Well, driving is like the easier version.  And, you can bring a friend. :)

Tonight I could have kept driving and driving! Though I admit, when I'm driving it's hard to think and drive.. Either way I'm happy though.  Today has turned out to be a great day.  (to go along with my previous post, WIN!)

Too bad gas prices are so high, or I'd drive like I did tonight more often!
(I'll just ride to school more frequently to make up for the driving) haha

and a photo for today (:

If only I could drive on this road again. :) lots of time to think.. lots of road to drive on.. 

Winning!

Winning moments:
Denying someone's phone call. hah.. Denying people the opportunity to Facebook stalk me.  Win!
Getting 40 bucks for racing today.  Buying new deodorant, win!  I have to say, not being on Facebook has been a challenge.  A few things I've gained from it.  Free time!  Real friends, and most importantly, my life back!
I think the hardest days are the first few days.  It's such a habit that's not easily broken.  Facebook on your mobile, Facebook on your computer, as your homepage, bookmark, you name it!  Sitting there mindlessly reading updates that you've already seen multiple times.  The same old stuff.. And with only 100 friends, the status flow hasn't been to rapid.  Which is a good thing, forcing me to realize there is more to life than FACEBOOK.  Enough said.  I could go on about the pros/cons of FB.  But, at this point, I'd like to focus the attention on why Facebook is/has/could cripple people of this generation.

Having left Facebook, I felt this sudden loss of "importance"..  This "need" that constantly brought me back to the computer.  That someone "needed" me.  That I was of importance in the social world.  It's as if through Facebook one felt important, based on the amount of attention they would get.  "I got 2 new messages and 14 notifications!"  Wow, that's really thrilling.  I won't lie, the most beautiful thing to see is a "new message"..
Sure, that does bring a feeling of importance, however can't we get that same feeling through other more meaningful ways?  Perhaps a phone call, a visit in person, or a self satisfying run that leaves you tired yet accomplished. "Important"..

You get the idea by now, or at least the point is somewhat clear.  The last few days I've shifted my desire for "importance" from Facebook to other things.  I've done more things that leave a feeling of success, a feeling that is much more rewarding than being "successful" with my social life.  "I have so and so amount of friends!" or, "I'm Fred's top friend!"  HECK YEA!! what does that mean?  I spend wayyyyyyyyy to much time of Facebook.  The "real friend" of Fred is probably hanging out with that person IN person, doing things that create lasting memories.  That friend doesn't need to be on his iTouch liking Fred's status as Fred is on his iTouch updating his status.  Really, I mean, come on.. haha

Alright.  With that in mind, call a friend.  Right now.

The Game Plan

Let the weekend begin!!

I officially submitted my essay application for the UC Davis Alumni Scholarship.  I'm pretty pumped, I feel great about it!  And, I'm pumped because I'm not wasting my life away on Facebook!  And, next week I have a photo shoot on Wednesday.  We finally found a day that works, not to mention the weather turning out. (10 day forecast says partly cloudy at 67 degrees).. Let's hope it stays that way.  I had to pull a few strings to make this work.  I'm risking a "quiz" in the ONE class I'll be missing to do this, BUT, like a responsible student, I emailed my teacher ahead of time to see what could be done.  Worst comes to worst, we do the photo shoot in the "later" afternoon.  But, on the bright side, that's when the light is "ideal".. Thank goodness for the time change, it's light later these days! (Now if we could just have some nice weather!)

Alrighty.  Photo business getting back into gear, I like this!  Speaking of photos, I'm getting really close to the finishing steps of April's photos!  (let's not forget we took the photos almost a month ago).  However, in this special case, I'm taking extra care to edit and choose wisely.  I have a feeling the people who see these photos will be more or less influenced to want to have their photos done by me. (All depending on how these look).  Plus, I want to do a good job on them.  (like always.  I am guaranteed going to end up spending hours to fix the littlest things to make these photos turn out).  Sure you could argue it's not worth my time if you divide the money by the time spent on the job.  But, to me it's not all about the money.  This is art!  These are pictures that mean a whole lot more to the person who's in them than they do to me!  And, with that in mind, I like these pictures a LOT! Rather than it being an "assembly" line process, I'm taking my time with the portrait photos.  The sports photos on the other hand, I know how to edit those relatively fast with a great turnout rate. (lighting, color, contrast and all the necessary adjustments)

On a "current" note.  The weather was CRAZY today.  Winds were insane, the rain was not very nice to go with those brutal winds.. Lots of things blown away/knocked over.  I am glad to see that by the afternoon the bulk of the storm had passed.  I pity any cyclist who had to ride in that weather today!!

On an "old" note, I'm going to dig up an old photo since I don't have anything new.  (I'm fresh out!) ha-ha-ha..

Oh man.. this goes back to the first day of college.  All ready to go, gloves on, Rock Racing shirt and everything!  Just had a bagel, I'm good to go! (I still LOVE bagels to this day). 

Man, I need a hair cut right now.  I kinda like that "clean shaven" look. (Even though I doubt I could even grow any facial hair then. LOL)

Well, that's all for now. 

Facebook

I am testing out the "deactivation" button..

So far so good.  And I hear I can go back whenever I want?  Haha.  The only thing that concerns me is if my Ferretti Photography page disappeared too..  I think I'll transfer it over to a family member so it stays online.  People can contact me through email or phone if necessary. (ride4life_af07@yahoo.com and 282-6964)

Now, time to write this essay that's due tomorrow!  Time to be productive this weekend.  I just finished up a productive week at school, despite the poor weather.

Rainy Spring Days

So, if you haven't noticed.. it's been raining a lot lately.  I don't know what's up with this weather!  First off, I don't like the rain.  Secondly, racing in the rain is definitely NOT fun to do at all.  Racing is a beautiful thing.  I dislike getting my bike wet and dirty.  The road grime that gets wedged in to hard to reach areas just wreaks havoc.  I feel like my bike is falling apart beneath me, like I'm riding it into the ground, grinding gears till things break.  I'll admit, I'm a lousy bike mechanic.  But, I do know my bike could run a bit more smoothly.  It is not quite a "fine tuned machine".  And at the moment, neither am I.  I feel fat, over weight and out of shape.  That's a problem.. right now I am in the middle of my first P/1/2 season.  Say what?? yea, I think I need to get some things straight.  Set the junk food aside, watch what I eat and train harder.
I feel like all I've been doing lately is racing and racing.  Sorta like a "sink or swim" method.  And, let's see... I think I've been sinking more than swimming.  Enough of the DNFs.. I am tired of watching the end of MY race.  I mean heck, if I'm going to do that I might as well do some good and grab my camera.  Hahhh, no. That's not why I'm there in the first place.  To be honest, I'm glad I get a weekend off.  No P/1/2 at Bariani.  That means two things.  1, I get to go to church in the morning!  It's been ages since I've been to church.  However, I have been attending a youth service Sunday nights, so hopefully that makes up for the skipping church for the past 4-5 Sundays.  2, I get to rest my legs!  Rest is good.. just as important as training I've heard.
Moving on to photos.. So, the photo "business" has been going slow.  I should just categorize it as charity.  Like a Rodney event type thing.  But, maybe on that note I should have a "donation" can somewhere near for those who appreciate my time and effort.  Just sayin.. haha I mean my parents (naturally) have been my biggest supporters.  You know, like when your mom slips you a $20 because she knows you could use some food money because you've been on the run the entire weekend doing photos.  haha yea, thanks mom :)
I've contemplated ways to make more money.  But, it's sure not through the photo route!  More like "how many lawns can I mow, etc".. That, or get a job. haha "get a job, kid".. haha sure.  Get a job that takes away the opportunity to do something that no one else can.  To provide others with photos!  Well, at least I get joy out of my photos, I can post them here in my own blog.  Right here. Or there.. I could fill this entire blog entry with photos!  That would probably be a lot more interesting than what I've been rambling on about. Plus, it's said that a photo is worth a thousand words.   Well, in that case, how about this photo.

Or this photo

...

I could just keep going, and no I'm not going to even begin with the 1,000 words per picture. We'd be here for days!  But, my point is, there is so much that a picture can say!  So much that can be learned from a picture.  And sure, our vocabulary may be limiting us from saying everything that's possible about the picture.   For example, I hardly know anything about the moon.  I don't even know what it's made of. (let me google that real quick).. The crust of the Moon is composed mostly of oxygen, silicon, magnesium, iron, calcium, and aluminum. There are also trace elements like titanium, uranium, thorium, potassium and hydrogen. Well, there you have it. (thanks to Google).. Anyways, see, there is so much to be learned! Plus, why are there the "crater" looking imprints on the moon? Let's see.. I'll google that too. "The surface of the moon is scarred with millions of impact craters. There is no atmosphere on the moon to help protect it from bombardment from potential impactors (most objects from space burn up in the Earth's atmosphere). Also, there is no erosion (wind or water) and little geologic activity to wear away these craters, so they remain unchanged until another new impact changes it."  Well, there you have it!   Wow, and that was only about the first photo.  I'll stop right there. 

This brings me to my second point.. Google.  Everyone can use it.  Does that make us smart?  I'd say.. no.  Why?  Because any average Joe can "google" something.  I think it's how we apply the information to our lives.  It's how we take that "useful" information from the web and use it to our benefit.  I'm not talking about using the web to cheat on a test or to use Spark Notes to read the summary of a book you failed to read over Summer.  I'm talking about using the Google to efficiently learn something.  Like, for a quick example: In class yesterday we were arguing over the spelling of "An historical event" vs. "A historical event" that was written on the board.  Well, we could argue all day about it or get to the bottom of it somehow.  It bothered me, so I googled it on my Itouch

right there from my seat and found out that it can be spelt both ways depending on how you pronounce the "H" in historical.  If it's silent then use "an", if you pronounce the "h", then it's "a".  Now, really, does this even matter?  That's debatable.  The technology is there, so you might as well use it to your benefit.  Similarly to using spell check, or the dictionary.com rather than getting up from your position to dig up the big red dictionary and thumb through the pages to check the meaning or spelling of a certain word. Now, the real question is, so you've saved some time by using the internet.  But, what are you doing with that "free" time?  Are you using those spare extra seconds to update your Facebook status, or browse the internet mindlessly?  Or, as my History teacher would say, he'll have an extra 15 minutes on his death bed to smoke a pack of cigarettes.  Cool I guess.  haha.  

Imagine if we never had to do the same tasks over and over again. Like dishes, laundry, mowing lawns, etc.  Wow we would have so much free time!! 

So, lately.. lately I haven't had much time to blog.  Kinda disappointing.  I feel like I have so much to share about.  I've been too busy getting outside and LIVING! (that's a plus)

Well, here's a photo to leave you all with that came from today.  Just one of the many random events that took place this week.  This random event started with a text from a friend (and a phone call from another) informing me of the great photo opp.  This brought me to the fish hatchery.  And.. this is what I ended up with after mindlessly taking photos for a half hour. (quite relaxing!) My way of getting away for a bit, enjoying nature..

and.. 

which brings me to my title.. "full circle" See the rain on the water?  I never even thought of "seeing" the rain on the water as it rolled over the dam.  I mean, really.. take a moment to think about that!  How cool is that!! Rather than hurrying to the car to find shelter from the rain, or bundle up inside and read a good book, you can take a moment to appreciate the beauty of water!  Water falling from the sky, water flowing from the dam.. water everywhere!  I think it looks cool.  Sure made a cool picture.  That's sure a lot of rain drops too..

Anyways, just a thought or two on a rainy day like today. 

Collegiate Racing, Take Three. Campus Crit

This morning I felt beat up from the combination of a long week and a hard day on the bike yesterday.  We packed our bags and drove over to the Humboldt State University campus where the criterium was hosted.  It was raining, no big surprise there.. I got a good long warm up in before my race at 10:50.  I had not pre-ridden the course, so that was a surprise to me when we went around the back side on the parking lot.  The "hill" wasn't that bad, however the problem was on the top.  Right when you get done using all your energy to get up the hill, gaps form from those who take a momentary break to regather themselves and those who power along.  Having started in the back, I was closing these gaps going up the hill each time.  That was mistake number 1.  I can't think of any other mistakes.. It reminded me of a junior's crit how there were so few people and the race was literally to the first corner!  bogus..  I'll catch on sooner or later.  I spent the rest of the race trying not to lose too much ground.  I managed not to get pulled till 5 to go.  I was the last rider to get pulled, finishing 8th place out of I think 15 riders.  A so so day for racing.  I was glad to get out of my cold, wet gear and eat some food.  After racing and packing up we headed home up over the mountains where it was snowing.  I wasn't sure if we'd make it home in time for me to attend the youth service at 7 pm.  Fortunately enough we got back at 6 and I had just enough time to take a shower, eat and drive up to Paradise.
As for the weekend.  I'd say it was a success.  Another weekend spent beating up my legs and body on the bike.  I'm still learning plenty, and there are a lot more races in the future to be raced.  As for this weekend in specific, I'd like to mention that although it was my first collegiate race, I felt very comfortable at the races.  The Humboldt team was very very nice and they had answers to any questions I (or my dad) had.  It was a chill environment which made the weekend all the more enjoyable.

Pictures will be posted later.. too tired to upload them from the camera.

Collegiate Racing, Take Two. Hillclimb TT

Well, after having relaxed a bit (and getting some shut eye) we drove back to College of the Redwoods for the time trial.  It was only like five miles, with the fifth straight up a beastly hill.. Fun fun.  Of course they are going to send us up a hill!  I do not think I'm suited for hills.. that's just something I've noticed over the past few months.  Coming into this second race, I felt pretty gassed.  First time I've felt this gassed in a while.  Like, my body took a beating this morning.  Full body, arms legs and everything!
By the way, this morning my legs were practically numb I wasn't sure how well they would respond to attacks and what not.  And, to answer that "question", they didn't respond to much at all.  Felt practically dead with that freezing rain.  And, for the record, my rain jacket didn't do squat in those downpours!  Seems like rain jackets are designed for "light sprinkles" so it "rolls" off the jacket.. ehh, oh well, the jacket is awesome and looks great too! Super small so I can easily fold it up and stash it in a back pocket. 

Back to the TT.  I was the first to go, and I had honestly no clue where I was going.  The road got smaller and smaller, then winding steeply up a hillside!  Brutal.  And, of COURSE there were going to be brutal headwinds.. That just made it even more interesting.  I only got caught by my thirty second man and the skinny Stanford kid who started 1:30 behind me.  All in all, I raced hard.  It was COLD as ever on the way back.  No arm warmers or anything, man alive it was a cold ride back.
  

After the race, we headed back, got showered and went out to eat at Applebee's.  The food was good, the environment was great and it was a great chance to get out a bit.  Then we connected up with Mr. Cordone and we had some ice cream in Arcata.  That was nice.  Now, time for sleep! I've got a 50 minute crit tomorrow at Humboldt University.  I am expecting a lot of team tactics, as well as razor sharp accelerations.  And, last but not least, bad weather!!

Collegiate Racing, Take 1. Humboldt

So, where to begin.
Let's start at the beginning.. My dad has been suggesting that I try out collegiate racing this season to get a taste of what's to come, so I'm more familiar with the scene when I'm at Davis next year.  Well, that's a great idea!  I got my license, I signed my college up for the club stuff and all that jazz.  We (dad) looked at the schedule, and noted that there was a race in Humboldt this weekend.  He was pretty jazzed about the idea of going up to Humboldt to try out the collegiate racing scene.. Plus, since it was far North maybe not all the hard hitters would be there and I'd have some luck.  Well, little did I know that it would be raining here. (Everywhere)..  It apparently has been bad enough elsewhere that the Wards Ferry RR got cancelled due to snow, as well as the Colfax Criterium this weekend.  Our Humboldt racing was not going to be cancelled, and it hasn't snowed on us yet, but the rains have been vicious.  This morning it was off and on.  Starting the race it was dry.  A little spray from the road, no big deal.  I went with booties, black shorts, vest under shirt, arm warmers, topped off with my new rain jacket. (and long fingered gloves). 

My gear.. haha

Racing with the "A's"

So far so good, till it poured on us halfway through the first lap.  The rain and wind didn't let up until the third lap or so.  The course was great, but for some reason I've been cursed when it comes to hills.  I do not like hills very much..  I got dropped on the climb at the finish of the fourth lap.  I had previously been working with two Cal riders and a Humboldt rider.  The rest of the pack wasn't up for any work since they (Stanford and UNR) both had a rider in the break.  It's funny how a break forms in collegiate.  They just ride off the front.  Literally, just there they go.  The rest of the pack either gets controlled by the teams sitting on the front, or people end up giving up after chasing for too long.  We worked till the climb trying to narrow the gap.  I was in the rotation and wanted to get out and I look back and there were three or four Stanford riders.  I'm pretty sure they were smiling, knowing that we four got suckered into chasing.. haha Well, I had just witnessed first hand how it plays out in a collegiate race.  Fun fun.  Then after getting dropped on the climb, I spent the last two laps (in the cold sunshine and occasional rain) finishing the race alone. 

(Me after the grueling 6 lap race)

I'm now in the hotel staying somewhat warm.  My kit will not be very enjoyable to get back into in another two hours.. I only have one kit, and of course it's raining and cold this weekend.  The weather couldn't have taken it easy on me or anything.. haha
On the bright side, I'm being exposed to collegiate racing, I'm "sight seeing" the area up here in the Humboldt area.  It is very very pretty here, and it's a nice change of pace.  And, the people at the racing scene are really nice!  That is, the promoters and riders from Humboldt.  I think I even got invited to a barbecue going on tonight!  I may have to turn down the offer, I think we're going to dinner with the Cordone's.  They live a few minutes from here.  Aside from the rain, this racing is a good chance to meet new people, get more racing in and more experience under my belt. 

Now for a little down time before the Hill Climb TT at 4:30 PM

Madera: Stage Four, Road Race

This is a week or so late. So, I'll keep it short.

The road race was not that bad!  We lost an hour in the time change, but that did not affect my race or anything.  After packing the truck and leaving the hotel, we drove to the road race course.  Nestled in the rolling hills of Madera, the road race course was looking like a fun course.  We did 5 laps, and the hardest part was the rugged section before the rollers at the finish.  The wind wasn't blowing things apart too bad, but the road wasn't in great shape so it got interesting in that section..  People flatting here and there, dodging pot holes and what not.. I managed to not flat in the race, which allowed me to finish in the main pack.  Throughout the race, the pack dwindled down to maybe thirty riders.  It was due to a combination of flats and spitting people off the back here and there in the rough sections.  For the most part Cal Giant did the work setting the pace and what not.  I think there were a few riders off the front for a long time.  They dangled out there about a minute ahead.  I think with a lap or two to go we swallowed them up in the rollers and at that point I was in the "front" of the pack.  That was cool, since usually I'm in the back somewhere.. yea, whatever. Haha anyways, the pace was really slow at this point and a Cal Giant (the one who won it overall) was off the front with someone else.  At this point it was a chess game that they had won.  We never reeled them back in and I managed to finish 18th overall.  I was happy with my finish.  Not flatting, and finishing with the riders in the front pack.  That made up for the previous two days of racing.  I think I moved up to 44th overall, rather than 80somethingth..

Then we drove back home to a rainy Northern California.  Yay!  We managed to enjoy great weather the entire weekend.  That was nice. 

Madera: Stage Two & Three, ITT and Crit

This morning I felt sick (just like the past couple of days).  I'll admit, I slept amazingly in the comfortable beds and with the earplugs we got last night. (the word is that with earplugs you sleep better, your lighter REM sleep isn't interrupted, etc..)  Having used them, I'd actually say that my already great sleep was even better!
Then off to the lobby we found tons of awesome food!  Then we all drove out to the time trial course.  I've got a few pictures from after my race.  I had the opportunity to borrow Jeff's 58 and 80mm wheels for the time trial.  He still nearly caught me on his TT bike, having started 1 minute behind me.  Our goal was for me not to get caught, and for him to catch me.  I'd have to say as simple of a goal it was, it seemed to work!  But, looking back and seeing a rider right on your tail is pretty demotivating, so I only looked back once.  On the other hand, Jeff said he saw me right there in his sights and went pretty deep in the headwind trying to catch me and had to back off a bit.  But STILL, he was about 10 seconds or so behind me at the finish.  That TT was brutal, especially the wind at the end!

This is the fastest this bike has ever looked! (thanks Jeff!)

Lots of blossoms in the orchards where we've been racing lately. 

Me after my time trial. I did alright. Didn't get last! The skinsuit/aero helmet/tt bars and aero wheels were nice. 

We were treated with blue skies today. (I hear it's raining in Chico)

Crit time!

After all that fun, we were back at the hotel where I enjoyed a shower before we rode to the crit.  Jeff used "the force" to get us there.  Not too shabby, just a road along the way that was under construction.  It was the ride back where his force went wrong.  We trekked through a plowed field by the highway after realizing that our road turned to gravel.  All in all we made it, and I've been told that in years past Madera has been the stage race where getting lost/strange events happen.

Team dinner.  We at at "Sal's", a Mexican food place.  The waitress must have known we were going to have to pay a gratuity tip, because she was quite helpful! (That, or she along with everyone else in Madera, is a nice person!)  We had so many chips brought out I almost literally was full off of chips.  That salsa was the bomb, and we had plenty of water to go around.  (Water is one of those must-haves after a long day of racing).  Our food was great, the whole night was great.  Having 10 people sitting together chatting and enjoying food.  This weekend has been great so far, and I've had a blast spending time with the team.

Tomorrow's road race will be a doozie with the rough roads and possible winds.  I've heard from Dave many times what will most likely pan out for tomorrow in not only the P/1/2 but the 3's and possibly 4's.  The wind is going to make a selection, along with riders in the gutter burning matches if they don't get out of that wind.  My personal goal is to ride smart, ride near the front (if that's even possible), and try not to overdo myself in the first half of the race.

Now, with this time change, I'm off to bed before it gets too late! Don't forget to set your clocks back! (but with the technology these days, you probably won't have to do that!)

Our hotel kindly reminded us of the time change! How thoughtful.

Having some fun with the full size mirror in the hallway. 

-Night everyone!

Madera: Stage One, Ben Hur Hillclimb TT

After a brutal week at school, wrapping up exams and homework assignments before the break, we left this morning for another 3 days of racing.  This weekend is the 25th Madera County Stage Race.  Today's stage was a 10.2 mile time trial that involved hills.  The drive down was nice.  I slept most of the way, and we made our way to the starting area somewhere near Madera.  Upon arrival we rode the course.  I realized how this time trial was not going to be easy.  The roads were rolling, some parts pretty beat up (from mile 5-8) and it was an uphill from mile 6-9.  After riding the course Dave decided not to use his TT gear, and Jeff decided to switch to his 58's.  I had the chance to borrow his 80's.  I figured why not, they are awesome wheels and if anything I'll at least feel faster :)  The funny thing was, the kid who started behind me eventually caught up with me and would start passing me on the uphills, and I'd motor past him on the flats and downhills.  That happened for a great deal of the race until he managed to pass me after about a mile of climbing up the main hill.  I didn't race that well today.  After finishing at the top, having been passed by way too many riders (who had started at 1 minute intervals), I had the sinking feeling I'd literally be one of the slowest riders in the P/1/2 today.  I'm looking forward to the criterium tomorrow.  I need to work on my time trialling before I'll start "liking" TT's.  I do realize that TT's are supposed to be hard, but I don't have the technique down yet.  I haven't done enough of them to know my rhythm or pacing of efforts.  Anyways, on the bright side, the race today was in one of the most scenic areas I've seen lately.  The water flowing from the hills, green grass everywhere, nice cool looking trees contrasted with blue skies filled with clouds.  Yea, that was enjoyable on the way back and when we pre rode the course.  It would have made for some cool pictures.  Oh well, I'm here to race this weekend.

Enough said about the race. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's crit. Gotta get the OTHER time trial out of the way first. Dang it, why can't we be done with all these time trials!  Maybe the highlight of my day would be the hotel we're staying at.  The Hampton Inn!  It's so legit! The beds are super comfy and the bathroom is fancy, just like the rest of the room!  The paint job has matching color schemes, the photos on the wall are poster sized and framed, quite nice!  The shower felt good, my legs don't feel "good", but I think my racing legs will show up eventually.  They better, because it seems like from here on out I'll be racing just about every weekend for a while.

This is what the area looks like.  This was across the way from our parking lot.

The blue skies I was talking about earlier. 

P/1/2 parking. You can tell by the cars (inside joke)

More of the scenery in the area. (on our way back into town)

Helping us not get lost..

We pre-drove Sunday's course. A few cool views along the way.

The roads will make it an interesting race Sunday

One of these hills is the finish line..

Some very cool scenery along the way!

and now at the Hampton! Where we rest for the remainder of the day. 

My bed!

And, the color matching walls I was also mentioning earlier.

And, where I am and will be staying for the rest of the day. (:  The best part of the day! 

Pros for today: 

I got to ride my bike

The weather was decent (despite the wind)

It's almost Spring time!

It's the weekend

I get to spend the day (and entire weekend) with awesome teammates 

The hotel has internet and it's really fancy!

Cons for today:

There were hills on the course, lots of them..

There was wind, lots of it.

There was a bad earthquake in Japan, and lots of damage!

MERCO Cycling Classic, Stage 4: Almond Blossom Road Race

I'm not sure what to say about today..  I have mixed feelings about the last stage as far as performance, results and the experience I had out there in the P/1/2.  First off, it did end up raining on us today.  Started out as a sprinkle, then it came down a bit more.  The worst part was that the roads were wet which meant water spraying up regardless of what was coming from the skies.  I might have used my glasses for about 8 minutes before they were useless.  I did not want to cross wheels just because I couldn't see out of my own glasses.. Anyways, I spent the rest of the race squinting and dodging people's wheels and the reflective bumps in the middle of the road.
One the first lap rolling down one of the hills in the orchards all the sudden people are piling up in front of me and everyone's sliding down the hill with breaks locked up.  I slid right into someone's bike, still upright.  My right quad hit the back of someone's seat post.  That brought me to a halt so fast my Original pair of M Frame Oakleys flew off my helmet. (DANG IT!)  Anyways, that was a mess.  Fortunately things were slow after that that I could rejoin the group and continue riding.  The first three laps things were somewhat tame.  Actually, so calm that we were just rolling along for the second and third lap that we took like 3 pee breaks.  Seriously.  I didn't mind that though, but it was just weird because I wouldn't have imagined we'd get another chance after the first one.  Bissell just pulls off and I figure well if they are pulling off, I'm pulling off. No one's going anywhere without them. (they and their yellow rain jackets.)  Not sure if I should be in awe or in frustration at the sight of Bissell just rolling along, all 7 or 8 of them on the front just taking turns setting the tempo, whatever speed they wanted.  We were going so slow that they had to neutralize us in order to let the Masters go by us.. That was weird..  We were going that slow, and THEN to get stopped for like 5 minutes WHILE there was a 4 or so man break off the front.  Apparently Bissell didn't mind and they would just chase them down later. (which is exactly what they did).
After 3 laps, they turned up the speed and we were strung out and popping off the back one by one.  I lasted a while, but my leg was killing me from the crash on the first lap.  My quad felt like someone punched it and gave me a dead leg, so any acceleration was not at all enjoyable.  Yea, so anyways I too fell off the back and ended up doing about 8/10 of the 4th lap solo.  Super slow, just destroyed mentally and physically.  Leg killing me and just soaked as can be.  I finally made it to the finish line and stopped.  I did not do the 5th lap, I had no desire to do another 25 miles alone, knowing that the P/1/2 was already doing their final lap and I would be just doing a "training ride"..  And, that's not exactly what I wanted to do after 3 consecutive hard days of racing.  The downside?  I DNF-ed, which took me off the results for today AND the overall results.  I can't even say I was "--th" at Merco.  Because I wasn't, I DNF-ed all because of one lap.

Anyways, then driving home wet, dirty and with hurting legs from the past two days of crashing..
I can at least be glad I got to race with these guys, enjoy a great team and have a great time this weekend living the racing life.  I got a lot of experience out of this weekend, as well as a lot of great riding in.  There are always more races, more chances to NOT do certain things again, and do other more beneficial things that might yield better results.

Alright, for those who were like "where's the photos?"  Or, if you just scrolled down here as if my blog was a picture book.. here you go.

The drive out to the road race.. already looking wet to begin with.

All the team cars heading out to the course as well.

This is where they got the name for todays stage race. 

The gang after the race..

The legs after the race.  Nice and beat up.. 

Yea, so lets see.. results:

25.  ALBRECHT David Chico Corsa 4.44'38"   

11.  MYERS Lindsay Chico Corsa 3.07'21"  

and overall:

23.  ALBRECHT David Chico Corsa 10.08'05"   10'39"  

15.  MYERS Lindsay Chico Corsa 7.39'27"   3'58"  

Nice work Dave!  You raced great out there this weekend, and I'll look forward to sticking on your wheel in future races. (when I have the legs to hang with you!)  As for Lindsay, it's great to have you racing for Corsa and seeing such great results at Merco.  Keep up the great work! 

That's all for this long, long weekend.  I'm ready to sleep in my own bed and enjoy it!