Matt's cycling blog

Stage one pro louge GAY I miss my tt bike. Shit that bike was fast as hell 8th in a world cup time trail. Maybe next year I should be a tt specialist considering climbing sucks.

Stage 2

112 miles of 90 degree fun. I passed out at taco del mar after I found out the slip and slide I was promised at the start hadn't arrvived. Nothing really happened early in the race break got 13 minutes. I tried to bridge in it's early stages but nothing doing. Kirk our sprinter who got 2nd on this stage last year went down going threw the feed. Jared our guest rider and I went back to pace him back on. We caught back onto the back of the caravan after a few miles of hard chasing. He got to hold onto the side of the car to get his hand taped up. I tried to tuck in behind the car but got motioned by the officials to get out of it's draft I made it up to the Toyota United car and sat in on a descent. Then went full gas up the next hill and just tagged on over the top. By this time Health Net was in full war cry, and I had lil gas after chasing. I got popped when the attacking started the next time around up the KOM hill. Kirk myself and Dan ended up together and we just rolled in who knows how many minutes down.

It was Intense. 4 of the best pros in the area showed up. Chad Hartley BMC, Evan Elken Jittery Joes, Omar Kem Priority Health, Doug Ollershaw Health Net. They made the race 20 laps instead of the usual 15. I attacked right off the line to take the first points sprint. Got in a break of 4 guys out sprinted them for the 2nd points sprint. Then things got interisting I found myself in a break including Chad, Evan, Omar, Myself. We were flying rolling it in the upper 30 mph range. Evan and I duked out the points sprint and he nipped me at the line. We all sat up and went back to the bunch after that sprint. I got chopped by this guy "112 Oliphant David Therapeutic Associates" who was in the middle of the bunch and just swung left not even bothering to see if anyone was behind or if anyone was crossed over his wheel. We touched wheels pretty good but I managed to stay up. Then he did the same exact thing in the final stretch sending me back 10 riders putting me out of contention for the final sprint. Better yet he got 3rd in the overall and I got 4th only because he got 3rd in the final points sprint ending up with the same points as me in the end. He got 3rd because he beat me in the final sprint. He is now on the top of my shit list.


I'm feeling faster and stronger everyday. I will be back in k-town june 5th for a good run at the state road race.

stage 4 time trail with climbing wheels no aero bars I didnt stand much of a chance 78th or something on the stage.


stage 5 mt nebo. Hardest climb i've ever done 18% grade for 3 miles. We worked early in the stage to try and protect Aaron keep him up at the front and keep people from cutting him off a crash at the wrong time wouldnt be good for his GC. 10k away from the finishing climb there was a crash in the center of the bunch by going completely sideways shooving some guy who was falling into me the other way then going into a ditch bunny hopping back onto the road I managed to avoid the wreck. I had to chase back on for a few kilometers. I tried to move up to help aaron into the climb, but i'd get within a few riders of him and a giant swarm would sent me back 20 places. I rode tempo up the climb and finished 44th on the stage and 49th on GC. Aaron ended up 3rd on GC.

Crits are gay. It’s like one of the mini cars where they put 12 clowns in at one time. It was just chaos. I started in the back and pretty much stayed there. The long straight where moving up in the bunch would have been optimal was made literally impossible by a strong headwind. Attacks were launched in the first 30 minutes of the race I think the biggest gap grew to 30 seconds, after the 30 minute mark of the race it went from being on the rivet to an all out single file sprint just to hold the wheel in front of you. Only problem with that is when the guy 20 riders in front of you sits up and opens up a 50 meter gap. It was going to happen sooner or later the race split in 2 I found myself in a 50 rider group 40 seconds off the back of the front runners. Tuckerman finished among the top 30 riders of the lead group. We are hoping he will have a good ride in the TT tonight. Then we will do our best to protect him and put him in front at the finishing climb tomorrow, and keep him high on GC maybe even the overall victory.

Today started out pretty lazy a break of 6 riders got off in the early miles. Which was good for us, myself kirk and richard went to the front and set tempo. We continued to do that for 30 miles or so until Healthnet offered some help sending 3 riders to the front. We ended up pulling off after being told over the radio to stop rolling through. Healthnet instantly complained, and said they'd attack us if we didn't continue to roll through. We ended up making a deal with them as long as we sent one rider to roll through they wouldn't attack us. I was that unlucky rider. After riding hard tempo for 30ks with the health net boys. I took a turn on a slight downhill grade we took a left turn straight into a hill and I popped and ended up finding myself as last wheel for next 10 miles. The last 20 miles was downhill which it was single file the whole way down going 80ks per hour. It was insane groups of 4 or 5 riders were getting popped off the back. I dived in and out of corners slowly moving up the long single file line. I look to the right hand sign of the road and see the 1k to go marker. The last 1k was a pretty good climb it was basicly a slow motion sprint riders were getting popped all over the place I sprinted as best I could. I got onto the back of a small front group right at the line. I think I was top 30 today.

We did a Live Strong ride yesterday over 200 people showed up so it was fricken awesome. We also stopped by the children's hospital and handed out wristbands and chatted with people it was a good time.


This morning was the first stage of Tri-Peaks a 60 mile road stage with a 10 mile climb with a 2500 foot elevation gain to finish it off. Myself, Richard, and Kirk. Followed all the moves in the first hour. Until a break of 10 riders with all the big GC hopes from Jelly Belly, Toyota United, and Health net in it. Our Gc rider Aaron Tuckerman got in on that. They we're pretty much gone right away. A small chase was organized by Rock Racing but we never saw the front group again. The last climb was a decent one so it made a selection out of the main bunch out of the 140 in the main bunch it was down to 40 or 50 by the finish. I just rolled in the middle of the bunch. I want to stay in the front bunch tommarow 100 miles and over 10k feet of elevation gain.


O yeah I forgot to mention Aaron took it to the house today and left Toyota United Jelly belly Health Net behind at the 5k to go sign and soloed in for the Win.

Finished up in 53rd on GC at joe martin, I had a good ride in the crit, but it was a 85 minute race which is a pretty long crit. It was just about half uphill and half downhill out of the 125 starters 26 people finished on the leaders pace. I got popped at the 75 minute mark and ended up around 50th in the stage. I ended up 53rd on GC out of 150 that started. Hopeful I'll gain some more fitness from this for tri peaks.

1 parkside #1 Cat 1/2 3/11/07

1 parkside #2 Cat 1/2 3/18/07

2 Icebreaker Criterium Cat 1/2 03/31/07

6 Piece of Cake rr Cat 1/2 04/01/07

11 PIR Pro Cat1/2/3 04/03/07

6 brad lewis crit Cat 1/2 4/8/07

18 1st u23 Sea otter pro nrc Cat 1/2 4/14/07

2 PIR Cat 1/2/3 04/17/07

5 Three Rivers Road Race Cat 1/2 04/22/07

11 PIR Cat 1/2/3 04/24/07

4 PIR - April Series Cat 1/2/3 04/24/07

15 vance creek road race Cat 1/2 04/29/07

7 PIR Cat 1/2/3 05/01/07