UPDATE / IMPORTANT THINGS

Hey all!!! (recommended listening “Foggy Dew” by The Young Dubliners)
Hope this finds everyone doing well. If you live in my area, you already know that the spring snowstorms are hindering any real outdoor riding from occurring. While this is unfortunate, it has allowed me to reflect on what is important.
Snow, first of all, sucks. This is important because those of my readers in the south and east probably haven’t fully experienced the disappointment that comes along with waking up to a white blanket in April, on a day that you had planned a ride.
Second, family. Its not that I didn’t know that family was important, or even that it wasn’t the most important thing to me already. But given the time I have spent staring at a wall on a trainer and/or a set of rollers, I have pondered where I might be if I didn’t have the loving support of my family. I know for sure that I would not be involved in cycling (or more than likely any sport) if it weren’t for Dad, Mom, Toni, Dave, Tiff, Cala and Neek. It is they that provide motivation in times of lacking whether they know it or not. My sisters, who are 10 times the athlete’s that I am, keep me striving to be the best, training hard, and riding fast. And what young man doesn’t want to make his mother and father proud? I can say without any doubt in my mind that my parents are my biggest fans and this is always in the back of my mind whatever I may be doing.
And third, slang. That’s right, made up words if you will. I find using slang is the single best way to secretly communicate between friends. For instance, cyclists can say things like “bonk” or “pinner” and few know what it means. Medical specialists can say things like “code” or “NPO” and it’s a fun secret language. This is most fun when tossed around between friends when no one else around know what is being said. I invite you all to try it. It is truly entertaining.

Thanks as always for the support guys, and for reading.


-Austin

Frostbite TT Report

Hey guys,

The Frostbite Time Trial was this weekend in Wellington, Colorado. Conditions were good, but the wind was atrocious. On a borrowed bike, I set out to ride in the first race of 2010. The start was great. I knew the first half would be fast, so I gave it 100% and flew through the first 6 miles in roughly eleven minutes. At times I thought the bike might actually get airborne because it felt like I was going so fast!
At the turn around, I caught the guy in front of me, and started towards the finish line. It was then that I began to feel as though there was a Mack truck tied to my bike. The wind was so strong that my average speed quickly dropped to around 14 mph whereas before it had been near 35. I could see that the rest of the field was in equal distress. As I crawled to the finish, I was passed by the racer that had started behind me and followed him to the end of the race.
Despite the wind, it was a fantastic race. The company was great, and Cheyenne was represented well. Official results put me in 11th place, which I think is an acceptable result so early in the year, especially in a discipline in which I do not specialize.
Thanks for reading all, I appreciate all the support and look forward to writing about all my adventures in the upcoming racing season! (Recommended listening “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” radio on Pandora.com)

Frostbite Time Trial

Ok, the "Frostbite Time Trial" in Wellington Colorado is set for this Saturday. I hope to do very well and hope you can come out to watch it if you have time. I will give you a play by play soon after the event.

Getting ready for 2010

2/16/10

So guys it’s been awhile since I’ve had a chance to sit down and update but I’m here now so here goes!
Under the tutelage of Jesse Anthony, I’ve been doing ample amounts of winter training. Unfortunately, due to the local weather rides, outside rides have been limited. This of course is made worse by the fact that I despise the cold. Riding into the wind has never been my cup of tea. However, I have put lots of miles on the trainer and rollers. Some weeks have been light, 5-8 hrs, while others I have ridden up to 13 hours. All in hopes of being faster and fitter for the upcoming racing season.
I recently heard from one of the sales reps at Jamis that the new team clothing should be in soon, so with any luck I’ll have a fancy new kit to race in for 2010! Some of you may not share my enthusiasm but for a cyclist, new kits (jersey and bibs (lycra not spandex)) are like cake for fat kids. Don’t ask me why, it’s just nice to mix up the wardrobe and look freshy fresh!
In other news, I’m going to rebuild my mountain bike. I had been considering a whole new rig, possibly a carbon fiber 29er, but I don’t think the funds are going to be in favor of that this year. Between school and other things, I think it’ll be best to put a new bridle on the old pony. I test rode Cary Mead’s Gary Fischer Superfly, which had a superb ride and stuck to the ground like glue, but the steel frame did me well last year with the exception of Crested Butte, where the single track is way too rough for a hardtail. In research I found that pro mountain biker Julien Absalon rides hardtail 26” bikes almost exclusively and he is one of the most successful riders currently on the world circuit. So the decision is a new cockpit and mostly new drivetrain. Ritchey and SRAM? What do you guys think?
Well that’s all I have to report for now. I’ll be more frequent with my post from now on. SORRY MIKE

-Austin

Conditioning Report

I am glad to report that when I was tested at LCCC at the beginning of the semester my BMI was 8.1. Today my test result was 4.4! That is a great drop in body fat. I hope that my training can continue through this cold weather and I can continue to improve to insure that I perform at my best for all my followers and supporters. Thanks for being there for me.

2010 USA Cycling National Championship Calendar Unveiled

Written by USA Cycling
Monday, 09 November 2009 11:40

Colorado Springs, Colo. – USA Cycling announced today the dates and locations for the majority of its 2010 National Championship events. Next year, sixteen events will provide professional and amateur cyclists of all ages with opportunities to race for Stars-and-Stripes jerseys in five disciplines of competitive cycling. Of the fourteen events whose locations have been determined, nine are returning to their 2009 locations and five are headed to new host cities.

The nation’s BMX riders will be the first to compete for national titles in 2010. Slated for March 20, the USA Cycling BMX National Championships will return to the Metroplex BMX in Desoto, Texas where riders in both Challenge and Elite categories will compete for national titles in 20” and 24” Cruiser Class and Championship Class events.

UCI has new cyclo-cross rules in the works

By: Brecht Decaluwé, Published: November 28, 19:15,

The International Cycling Union is considering a number of changes to rules for cyclo-cross, with modifications to the calendar and UCI rankings in the works.

Peter Van den Abeele, the UCI's cyclo-cross and mountain bike coordinator, talked with the press in Koksijde during the cyclo-cross World Cup round held in Belgium on Saturday to introduce the ideas, emphasizing that no decisions have been made yet to implement them.

"Nothing has been decided yet but we're informing everybody right now so we can gather feedback to adjust the rules where needed," Van den Abeele said.

One of the key issues is the proximity between the MTB and cyclo-cross World Cup calendars. This year just two weeks separated the two, and the UCI has proposed to make modifications to allow riders competing in both series to have a break in between.

"This year the World Cup round in Treviso would have been better been organized during the same weekend of the Giro di Lombardia; it would have attracted more media. In the women's race, world champion Marianne Vos wasn't there because she wanted to take a break and Sven Nys wasn't able to ride at a high level yet after riding the mountain bike season," Van den Abeele said.

The lack of parity between the men's and women's calendars is also being examined, and Van den Abeele said next season the organisers of C1 races will be encouraged to hold races for both. "One year later, during the 2011-2012 season, we want to oblige them to have both races," Van den Abeele said.

Another change under discussion relates to the UCI rankings, which determine a rider's position on the start line. Currently, cyclo-cross riders start with zero points in September, and riders who miss early season races are at a big disadvantage.

A proposed new system would work much like the rankings in tennis, which use a one year rotation. This will allow riders who're not competing at the beginning of the season to keep a decent start position.

The UCI also intends to address a recent debate over the rules which prohibit organisers from manufacturing sand pits. World Champion Niels Albert complained after the rule was introduced, saying that the previous rider liaison to the UCI 'cross commission, Erwin Vervecken, had not informed him of the change.

"We want to make a strict ruling about the sand pits. They have to be top quality and safe," Van den Abeele said. "Some riders complained about the removal of some sand pits and the fact that they hadn't been asked about it. I can say that all riders have been contacted through myself or Erwin Vervecken, who was still in the commission back then; Niels Albert wasn't contacted as he was out of competition at that time."

Van den Abeele added that regulations regarding the height of barricades may be loosened. "The current rule is that they have to be 40cm high and 4 metres away from each other. We want to make those 40cm a maximum which gives the race organizers the chance to lower them," the UCI coordinator said.

"I want to emphasize that Sven Nys, part of the commission, decided not to discuss this matter to clarify that he isn't the one asking for this change." Nys, together with Zdenek Stybar, is one of the few Elite riders who can ride over the hurdles.

Finally, a travel allowance awarded to elite men for each World Cup round, based on their World Cup ranking, may be rolled into the final prize purse instead. "The 30500 euro we're spending on that would be added to the prize money which is currently 12000 euro. The 42500 euro we collect would be used to reward riders massively for their World Cup standings at the end of the season."

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Once you sign in as a follower of the blog, please click on the gold "comment" button after each post and leave your thoughts and comments. This will provide a forum and feedback that we can all enjoy. I appreciate your taking the time to do so! Thank you for taking part. AUSTIN

Lincoln CX Weekend Report

The weekend of November 21st and 22nd 2009 brought some incredible racing to Pioneers Park in Lincoln Nebraska. Over 100 racers came from six states, to see what the boys from the “Cornhusker State” could put on, and let it be said right from the start that they did not disappoint.
After the 450 mile drive from Cheyenne to Lincoln, I went straight to the park to see if the course had been set. It was, and I had a chance to talk and ride with some of the local guys. After some conversation about the local riding, and how the race would be set up, we pre-rode the course for Saturday. I was immediately impressed with course. To my surprise, there was no mud, or sand, but instead lots of grass, winding through trees and up and down hills. I felt right at home.
On Saturday I arrived early to register and check out the earlier races. As I sipped my coffee, I wandered over to where it seemed like everyone else was watching the race. When I got there I saw the sign for the aptly named “Hooligan Hill.” As the masters made the sharp left turn, dismounted, hurdled the barrier and began to run up this steep loose monster, I thought to myself, “WOW, what did I just sign up for? This is the biggest run-up I’ve ever seen!”
As my start time approached, I dawned my new Jamis skinsuit, did a quick once over on the bike, and began to stretch and warm-up, then went to the starting line. I was early, so when the called for us to stage I got a nice spot on the line. Shortly thereafter, a man pulled in next to me, wearing a skirt, and lipstick. “Apparently no one else knew this was a “cross” race.” he said. I chuckled.
The whistle blew and we were off. 21 guys jostling for position for a short time before we hit the grass. I got in behind the guy that got the hole shot, and sat closely on his wheel amongst the commotion. Around the first turn four or five guys got around me, so I shot around the guy I had been drafting. As we came back through the first barrier section, I managed to get around a few people, and got comfortable in the lead group. We immediately started putting time on the rest of the field and before I knew it, it was just me the leader. He and I worked together/dueled for the rest of the race. Each time we went over the run-up, the screams, cowbells, drums, etc were deafening. My heart was pounding, my mouth was open, gasping for air, and looking over at my competitor, I could see he liked this hill as much as I did.
On the last lap, I had trouble getting back into the pedals after the barriers, and he attacked. “Oh crap” I thought. Fortunately I was able to close the gap, and counter attacked shortly afterward. I had the gap. When we got to the run-up again, I sprinted as hard as I could. As I entered the pavement section, I could see that he was several seconds back, and I sat up in the saddle and gave a fist pump as I crossed the line alone, realizing that this was my first ever cyclocross victory!
The second day promised to be equally if not more challenging. The course was in reverse. One might think this meant the omission of “Hooligan Hill.” Unfortunately not. Plus, they added “The Chute.” A steep U-turn section after descending a big grassy hill, with a long sweeping turn at the bottom.
Lining up I noticed there were few of the people from Saturday, but several new racers. The whistle blew, and we started up the very long, very fast paved section that had been a descent the day before. A young KC man got the hole shot this time, and again, I followed closely. In the trees, I was able to pass him, and gain some time. I was the first cat-4 racer to pass the hooligans, who were out in force. There had to be twice as many people out watching! I was happy that I was able to do the run-up and the chute by myself, because I was unable to pre-ride them.
I found myself leading five other racers away from the rest of the pack. Before the end of the first lap however, I dropped my chain. The guys behind me flew past as I tried to work out the problem. Once I had the chain back on, I had work to do. Those guys had opened up a decent gap on me, and the chasers were closing quickly! So I focused on the guy in front that I could still see, and chased.
I managed to close the gap, without blowing up, in a short enough amount of time. Then, I noticed that the guy who had come in 2nd on Saturday was in the group. I worked my way up to him through the barriers, and sat on his wheel up the hill. When we got to the grass again, it became a rugby match. We were into each other in every turn! Tires rubbing, leaning on each other, it was fantastic! And the hooligans went nuts over it!
I passed 3rd place in “The Chute,” and made my way up to 2nd place. After passing him on the pavement, I set my sights on the leader. But after trying to chase him down, I saw him on his last turn towards the finish line and realized it was futile. And after a short battle with a chaser for 2nd place, I crossed the line too. After the awards ceremony, I loaded everything up and started the long drive back home.
All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. Easily the most successful I’ve had in my career. Thanks so much to all the guys in Lincoln for putting on a fantastic race, to Jamis Bikes, and to my fellow racers for making it so much fun! See you guys next year!

Video posted by "Cornbread" on Lincoln Cyclocross Race 2009

Wow, I could hear the drums during the race! These guys are awesome. Go visit cornbread's site at http://jedionabike.blogspot.com/

Big Wins in Nebraska State Championships

Well, Austin had a great weekend of racing. He traveled 450 miles to Lincoln Nebraska on Friday night to race on Saturday and Sunday. He raced the category 4 races and on Saturday he took 1st place in a battle that he described as "Insane". Austin said he met a lot of great people from Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Iowa and enjoyed the event tremendously.

On Sunday he had hoped to do as well as Saturday but with a few extra entries into the race he would have been happy with a top 10 but came away with another podium finish as he took 2nd in the Nebraska State Championship Cyclocross races in Cat 4.

Hopefully I can get him to send me his personal account to post on this site for him. When he does, I will get it posted ASAP. For now, GREAT JOB AUSTIN!!!!! I guess we will have to change your quote from "wanna wessle" to "Wanna WACE?" LOL

SEE COMPLETE RACE INFO AT: http://www.nebraskacyclingnews.com/

Nutrition "Wake up call"

For this assignment I chose to go to Burger King. The nutritional information that was given to me was astounding! The fat, sodium, and caloric values of most of the items on the menu were staggering. Even what I consider to be a small meal, like the one I ordered, was almost half the daily-recommended allowance of the normal 2,000-calorie diet.
The more popular sandwiches such as the flagship “Whopper” have 670 calories. Keep in mind that this is without cheese, and with only a single hamburger patty. Other items like the “Angry Chicken Tendercrisp” sandwich boast 1030 calories, 2670 mg of sodium, and an artery hardening 105mg of cholesterol. Even healthier items such as the “Tendergrill Chicken Salad” have as much as 1450mg of sodium. So, upon evaluation, one could easily see why quick serve restaurants must me chosen in moderation, and not for every meal.
The meal that I ordered was the traditional American lunch. A cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke. As I ate, I looked closer at the numbers, and began to lose my appetite. My BK double cheeseburger (ordered as normally served) contained 29g of fat, 14g of saturated fat, 1020mg of sodium, and 510 calories. The medium sized salted french fries contained 23g of fat, 2.5g of saturated fat, 820mg of sodium, and 220 calories. Amazingly, my Coke was the least unhealthy item that I ordered, with 0g of fat, 0g of saturated fat, only 10mg of sodium, and 290 calories. All this means that in that small meal, I took in about 1020 calories, 1950mg of sodium, and 52g of fat. I was previously aware that Burger King was not the healthiest choice for lunch, but I thought the convenience outweighed the consequences. It is now more than apparent, that I was wrong.
In this assignment the question is posed, “Will this change what you order the next time you visit the restaurant?” The answer is a simple no. This is because I don’t think I will be visiting “The King” anytime in the future, due to this newfound information. Veaganism has never looked so good.

Welcome to my blogspot!

Welcome to the blog spot for Austin Dulaney. This site is dedicated to the sport of cycling and the happenings and events in the life of cyclist Austin Dulaney and his friends.

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