memorable memorial day

relax and full gas

had to fill up before we made our north bound journey. gas prices can go as high as they want. i don't care. maybe the motor city will begin to construct more bike lanes for people who would rather park cars and commute on bicycles.


once we arrived it was like we were completely detached from all other civilizations. so calming and disconnected. everything slowed down. beachs, sun and sand. it couldn't have been a better place to take a time out.


of course when you're north you have to take advantage of the beautiful riding. the roads were just awesome. rolling hills and light traffic. just awesome. on saturday morn we had breakfast outside then headed into town to start the 3 hour ride. a great day in the saddle.


the van looked pretty full when we packed it all in. wow vans are starting to become attractive simply for the traveling cyclist. auto doors and lots of room.


that eve was the dinner of the weekend. total relaxation with a full belly. of course wine to aid in the digestion.


layered salad topped with goat cheese.

body buzz from wine and the fire place to ease all tensions. nothing can bother me now.

a gentle spin on sunday to keep the legs awake. monday morn drive 3 hours to grand rapids for the coolest criterium so far this year. only the 2nd but definitely ranks high with ada for cool factor.

the race was just awesome. the atmosphere of the event was really great. gas lamps with lots of restaurants and of course a convenient starbucks right on the course. a covered parking deck to shield us from the intense sun was perfect for warm up.


the course was really nice with only a couple gacks in the road. fast as hell but smooth with flowing corners. when i was warming up on the trainer i new right away i had good legs. the nice 3hr ride on saturday followed by the recovery spin the day prior made for the perfect race day condition. i was spinning for like 40 min then took a few laps before the start. just Will, Foshag and myself were the only mates in the race so that didn't leave us much to work with. the gun went off and on the first 2 laps i felt like riding away. of course that would never happen. but i felt really comfortable and wasn't hurting at all. at first i just tried to ride the race with nothing on my mind. trying to keep a good position and not screw anything up. it was a big field with like 65 riders. i never was at the back but rarely was at the front. i think foshag was 6th place or better the entire race. he never left the front. Will and i floated a lot and occasionally found a wheel that was moving fast and that maybe rolled off the front briefly. for some reason i didn't feel like i was riding smoothly even though my fitness and legs were working beautifully. i should have been at the front to try and help foshag a little better. we just kept riding laps with the lathrup boys again and again trying to make something happen. tarrant was tired since he had just come off a huge string of races and achieved a nice win in elkhart. priority was present but didn't seem to have the normal organization they usually show. essex was in there and west coast had a ton of bodies. with 3 to go i had to find a way to the front some how. for some reason i could only find maybe 12th wheel with 1 to go. i could see the front good but it was fast so i didn't have a good position to move up for any type of sprint. on the last corner i saw 2 west coast guys take the corner and bump elbows just a bit and then blast off for the line. foshag appeared to be in a really good position. i think he got 4th or something. really great. todd shoeberg won and brian adams got second. i think i got 23rd. Will was in there with me somewhere. i'm glad we got in there a little bit for the team points. it was a race i'll certainly return to. good weekend.