The Vuelta Mexico is finished and Gracias Dios for that. The last 72 hours that I spent in Mexico are the most memorable moments of the Tour, but also some of the most difficult.
Friday: The stage was shorter, 80km, something like that, but it also meant that it would be a very fast stage. Nothing special happened in the stage that is worthy of noting but my day began and ended right after my post race meal. I went to a restaurant: TGI Fridays. How cliche, I know. I went back to the hotel afterwards and felt awful. Tired, overly full and bloated. Ughhh. Got a massage, and tried to rub my stomach and calm it down but nothing was working. Then, that feeling of praise was coming over me. Yes I was feeling it! The great white god in the bano was calling and I answered! Oh boy, I must have absolved some bad sins that I had committed during the previous seven stages because I kept seeing the White God through the night with all fluids leaving my body. I was being purified! I hate being purified like that....I'm not even religious. I was wasted, physically tired, mentally cracked and had one more day.
Saturday: The last day! Hooray! 50Km of deathly pain was all I had to make it through. I was totally depleted form the day and the night before. I was almost dropped out of the neutral start parade. The stage started and was about 25km up to 9500ft and then another 25km back down into Mexico City. I was popped right off the back and I couldn't hold onto any car because the commisaire was right there with me the whole time. Little did he know I spent the night praying to one if his Mexican bacterial Gods of Hell! Eventually I was able to hold onto an ambulance, I think they knew the 50kms would take 3 hours if I didn't hold on. I caught up to Dan and Mark who were waiting for me. Dan, whom I waited for in Puerto Rico after he had cracked during some extra training miles, was waiting for me. He kept my spirits going by pushing me and Mark blocked the wind. You guys rock! Really rock! Upon reaching the summit we dropped off the mountain, the three Toshiba amigos, ready to be totally done with the race. By the time that we made it into Mexico City they had reopened the roads! What?! Try to imagine 20 million people moving off the roads for a bike race to come through. We were escorted by two race sponsored motorcyclists, and an entourage of police, officials and ambulances behind us. I was so dazed and depleted at this point that I just followed Mark's wheel like I was in a dream. I dream where we were trying to get to the finish but there was just too much traffic to get through. The kind where you try to run but can't. It was that kind of frustration. After we saw the 10km to go sign I knew that I was just a few more minutes of this pain and suffering. 5km would come soon, then 3km then 1km. But we never saw anything after 10km. We got lost and ended up going into the back side of the finish ceremony. People were like "what? where the heck did you come from?" It was pretty much the most ridiculous race I have ever been in. I had never suffered more and been more dazed on my bike, and have never had to negotiate such a large city. The combination was like a bad acid trip. I was happy to have finished the race with Mark and Dan though. It was a fitting end to our year of Mexican travels.
Saturday night and Sunday:
Check back tomorrow for the conclusion of the Great Mexican Enima.....
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Primero Etapa, y Secundo Etapa
Wow! Day one of the Vuelta had to be one of the more crazy days of my life in bike racing. The day was not abnormal, beside the events that occured, but was to be a noramal race day just like any other.
The craziness began when I was about to put on my kit. Mark, also known in some parts of the world as Jumbo because of his ability to put down enormous Presidentes like its nothing, often jokes about things that are serious. Usually we all get a laugh out of it and so when he came running into my room yelling, I thought he was just pulling another joke on us. "Is it bad if you get stung by a scorpion?" he asked. "Ummmm, well yea, most of the time" I said. "Dan just got stung, is that bad?" I thought to myself, whatever, your just playing like you always do. But no, he was serious. Very serious. I went over to Dan´s room to find him on his bed with a small swelling toe. The scorpion had climded into his shoe and got him when he put it on. It was tiny, about half the size of a book of matches. I will post a pic later. Turns out the region doesn´t have very many deadly scorpions but a scary incidenct non the less. He is doing great, as if he was stung by a bee.
The race:
We were meant to do several circuits to impress a crowd, parade around a bit, and then head out onto the open road. Nope, they missed the turn for the circuits and we headed straight out onto the race course.This was actually nice because 30km were knocked off the distance.
Proko flatted right after our "second start" and had to chase back on. He made it back only to confront the back wheel of an over excited Mexican with his front wheel. He went down and was out of the race. He is ok, very stiff and a little bloody but ok.
The pace was so high that there were several crashes. At least 10 all day. People were nervous all day and to make matters worse the were fresh, and we were on roads that were under construction with two foot high gravel medians and no shoulder. Almost 25 people including myself were caught in a massive pile up on a hill. A hard chase ensued right after that. I saw one guy clip a wheel in front of him and he sommersaulted right back to his feet, meanwhile I had to ride through thick gravel to avoid launching off his bike. Another guy was bumped, freaked out, unclipped and put his feet down while stradling his bike at 30mph. He will probably need new cleats. The worst was when I saw a guy knocked out cold becasue he went headfirst into the barrior 600m before the finish line. Damn guy, he messed up my finish kick. No, just joking, I hope he is okay.
Stage 1 was the scarriest and most nerve racking event I have ever been in!
Stage 2
People were a bit less nervous for the 196km day. We started with a 20km climb followed by two hard hours of attacking. My team and I were all very active but just didn´t have the fire power to make the move. After the move was established we took a half hour to refuel, pee, chill. Then another hour and a half we raced balls to the walls. The last seven or so km´s were down hill on a road so rough it makes dirt seem smooth. We were going so fast, bottles were flying from peoples cages, chains were being dropped and it was basically a shit show to hang on to your bike. We joked afterwards that we didn´t need massages because we just had one from the bumps on the road. we finished in 4:15. Fast!
Tomorrow is 226kms and will no doubt be just as fast.
http://www.vueltamexico2008.com
The craziness began when I was about to put on my kit. Mark, also known in some parts of the world as Jumbo because of his ability to put down enormous Presidentes like its nothing, often jokes about things that are serious. Usually we all get a laugh out of it and so when he came running into my room yelling, I thought he was just pulling another joke on us. "Is it bad if you get stung by a scorpion?" he asked. "Ummmm, well yea, most of the time" I said. "Dan just got stung, is that bad?" I thought to myself, whatever, your just playing like you always do. But no, he was serious. Very serious. I went over to Dan´s room to find him on his bed with a small swelling toe. The scorpion had climded into his shoe and got him when he put it on. It was tiny, about half the size of a book of matches. I will post a pic later. Turns out the region doesn´t have very many deadly scorpions but a scary incidenct non the less. He is doing great, as if he was stung by a bee.
The race:
We were meant to do several circuits to impress a crowd, parade around a bit, and then head out onto the open road. Nope, they missed the turn for the circuits and we headed straight out onto the race course.This was actually nice because 30km were knocked off the distance.
Proko flatted right after our "second start" and had to chase back on. He made it back only to confront the back wheel of an over excited Mexican with his front wheel. He went down and was out of the race. He is ok, very stiff and a little bloody but ok.
The pace was so high that there were several crashes. At least 10 all day. People were nervous all day and to make matters worse the were fresh, and we were on roads that were under construction with two foot high gravel medians and no shoulder. Almost 25 people including myself were caught in a massive pile up on a hill. A hard chase ensued right after that. I saw one guy clip a wheel in front of him and he sommersaulted right back to his feet, meanwhile I had to ride through thick gravel to avoid launching off his bike. Another guy was bumped, freaked out, unclipped and put his feet down while stradling his bike at 30mph. He will probably need new cleats. The worst was when I saw a guy knocked out cold becasue he went headfirst into the barrior 600m before the finish line. Damn guy, he messed up my finish kick. No, just joking, I hope he is okay.
Stage 1 was the scarriest and most nerve racking event I have ever been in!
Stage 2
People were a bit less nervous for the 196km day. We started with a 20km climb followed by two hard hours of attacking. My team and I were all very active but just didn´t have the fire power to make the move. After the move was established we took a half hour to refuel, pee, chill. Then another hour and a half we raced balls to the walls. The last seven or so km´s were down hill on a road so rough it makes dirt seem smooth. We were going so fast, bottles were flying from peoples cages, chains were being dropped and it was basically a shit show to hang on to your bike. We joked afterwards that we didn´t need massages because we just had one from the bumps on the road. we finished in 4:15. Fast!
Tomorrow is 226kms and will no doubt be just as fast.
http://www.vueltamexico2008.com
Friday, September 12, 2008
Vuelta Mexico
Hola de Mexico!
I´m here in central mexico and have been the last couple of days. Aguascalientes is the city and state that the 8 stage race begins in. So far mexico has been treating me well. the sun in shining, the weather is warm and dry. the roads to ride on are smooth and there are some really good teams here. can´t wait to get the race started. we will begin the race with 600 plus kms in the first three days. hooray for the suffer fest. the rest is, well, none of the rest of the race is going to be easy, excpet....they have been feeding us soooooo much food at the hotel that i think everyone is going to be fat an heavy. thats good, really good.
we have a few guest riders that i will meet tonight at our team meating. Hopefully they are ringers and can bring home some prizes. that would be sweet! I´m hoping that my legs turn over after a long season and hopefully the turn over fast.
I will be posting updats through out the week when i have access to the internet so stay posted.
Over and out!
I´m here in central mexico and have been the last couple of days. Aguascalientes is the city and state that the 8 stage race begins in. So far mexico has been treating me well. the sun in shining, the weather is warm and dry. the roads to ride on are smooth and there are some really good teams here. can´t wait to get the race started. we will begin the race with 600 plus kms in the first three days. hooray for the suffer fest. the rest is, well, none of the rest of the race is going to be easy, excpet....they have been feeding us soooooo much food at the hotel that i think everyone is going to be fat an heavy. thats good, really good.
we have a few guest riders that i will meet tonight at our team meating. Hopefully they are ringers and can bring home some prizes. that would be sweet! I´m hoping that my legs turn over after a long season and hopefully the turn over fast.
I will be posting updats through out the week when i have access to the internet so stay posted.
Over and out!
Monday, August 25, 2008
20 second catch up
The last few months have been really busy (by pro racer standards, which is really not that bad) with races abroad, trying to dial in a new team for 09 and just making enough to pay for rent.
After the Vuelta Puebla I raced a local monster: THE GWINETT STAGE RACE! I came in second to Cesar Grajales. I have never seen him riding so well. No matter what I tried I couldn't shake him. It was a good race, I had good form the team helped me out, especially Proko when he gave me his bike because I somehow managed to rip both derailleurs off the bike with out going down. I have no idea how I managed that one, needless to say Dennis our mechanic was not too stoked. Oops.
Then Presbyterian and Hanes park. My legs were crap but my job was to work for my sprinters. They did good with Mark coming in fourth. Good job buddy. The next day was Hanes park. Mark was our go to man again and finished in the top ten. Nothing special for me but good for Mark.
Next was Puerto Rico. I ended up fourth overall. It was a good mountainous race. My climbing legs were great but my tactical prowess was not quite there. I made a mistake that allowed Caico to sweep the podium. Oh well, the best guys in racing today are there because they have all made, and learned from the same mistakes.
The last two weeks I have been nursing a knee/ IT band problem. I have had to take it very easy on the bike. the pain was debilitating. But I have been feeling better and better, however my form took a small hit. I was cooking before the forced time off and just need to get the engine firing again before US PRO. Cannot wait! Leaving it all out on the road!
After the Vuelta Puebla I raced a local monster: THE GWINETT STAGE RACE! I came in second to Cesar Grajales. I have never seen him riding so well. No matter what I tried I couldn't shake him. It was a good race, I had good form the team helped me out, especially Proko when he gave me his bike because I somehow managed to rip both derailleurs off the bike with out going down. I have no idea how I managed that one, needless to say Dennis our mechanic was not too stoked. Oops.
Then Presbyterian and Hanes park. My legs were crap but my job was to work for my sprinters. They did good with Mark coming in fourth. Good job buddy. The next day was Hanes park. Mark was our go to man again and finished in the top ten. Nothing special for me but good for Mark.
Next was Puerto Rico. I ended up fourth overall. It was a good mountainous race. My climbing legs were great but my tactical prowess was not quite there. I made a mistake that allowed Caico to sweep the podium. Oh well, the best guys in racing today are there because they have all made, and learned from the same mistakes.
The last two weeks I have been nursing a knee/ IT band problem. I have had to take it very easy on the bike. the pain was debilitating. But I have been feeling better and better, however my form took a small hit. I was cooking before the forced time off and just need to get the engine firing again before US PRO. Cannot wait! Leaving it all out on the road!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Hagman goes good at Vuelta Peubla
The Veulta Puebla, a six stage road race held around the state of Puebla, Mexico was held last week and found riders from the Toshiba-Santo cycling team in good form.
Not really knowing what to expect the four riders from Toshiba-Santo showed up to the start of the race ready to experience a taste of international racing. In true Mexican style there was very little information available on the stages and course profiles. The locals and past participants were our main source of information.
Hagman showed his good form on stage one getting second in the only KOM sprint of the day. Stage two however was the Queen stage and would solidify the GC for the rest of the week.
Stage two stats: three major climbs, 10km, 25km, 8km to the finish. 12,000 feet climbing. 110km. !!!! Hagman rode and impressive race being attacked by Tecos, a team from Guadalajara, Mexico, who had a full squad of eight riders over and over again. Two riders managed to evade Hagman and he finished with a solid performance in third place putting over 4 minutes in the the fourth place rider. Also, Hagman managed to win the KOM leaders jersey and would wear it for four days!
Stage three and four were easy days being controlled by Tecos and no GC change occurred.
Stage five however saw Hagman in a bit of trouble when a break away get nearly seven minutes. All the GC contenders became nervous as the stage neared the finish. Alex, in a display of strength and calculation saved his third place by a mere 28 seconds by riding the last 20km of the race on the front of the peleton, over a climb and to the finish. Hagman showed his maturity as a rider and was able to hold onto third place overall.
Stage six was a circuit race to finish the week off and what a week it was!
A huge thanks to Dan Vaillencourt, Andrew Talansky, and Mark Heckman! They all rode out of their minds and helped me to keep my third place overall. Mark climbed like he was a skinny bitch. Dan broke away like he was a classics racer to his first pro win of the season. And Andrew was all over the road helping with bottles and getting into the decisive break in the ciruit race. You guys rock!
Not really knowing what to expect the four riders from Toshiba-Santo showed up to the start of the race ready to experience a taste of international racing. In true Mexican style there was very little information available on the stages and course profiles. The locals and past participants were our main source of information.
Hagman showed his good form on stage one getting second in the only KOM sprint of the day. Stage two however was the Queen stage and would solidify the GC for the rest of the week.
Stage two stats: three major climbs, 10km, 25km, 8km to the finish. 12,000 feet climbing. 110km. !!!! Hagman rode and impressive race being attacked by Tecos, a team from Guadalajara, Mexico, who had a full squad of eight riders over and over again. Two riders managed to evade Hagman and he finished with a solid performance in third place putting over 4 minutes in the the fourth place rider. Also, Hagman managed to win the KOM leaders jersey and would wear it for four days!
Stage three and four were easy days being controlled by Tecos and no GC change occurred.Stage five however saw Hagman in a bit of trouble when a break away get nearly seven minutes. All the GC contenders became nervous as the stage neared the finish. Alex, in a display of strength and calculation saved his third place by a mere 28 seconds by riding the last 20km of the race on the front of the peleton, over a climb and to the finish. Hagman showed his maturity as a rider and was able to hold onto third place overall.
Stage six was a circuit race to finish the week off and what a week it was!
A huge thanks to Dan Vaillencourt, Andrew Talansky, and Mark Heckman! They all rode out of their minds and helped me to keep my third place overall. Mark climbed like he was a skinny bitch. Dan broke away like he was a classics racer to his first pro win of the season. And Andrew was all over the road helping with bottles and getting into the decisive break in the ciruit race. You guys rock!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Greenville Spring Classic
While Saturday found Athens in a snow storm and freezing thirty mile per hour winds, Sunday found three Toshiba riders in good form with the wind and weather on their side.
The Greenville Spring series concluded with a 56 mile circuit race and beautiful spring weather. Tommy Nankervis, Dan Vallencourt and Alex Hagman showed up to a race with fierce competition coming from several strong regional squads. The plan was to set up Nankervis for a sprint, or get him into a break knowing that he had the strongest finish. The first half of the race was very negative with guys chasing any hint of a move down and then looking at each other not knowing what to do next. Only once Dan and some other big name guys started making moves did the race begin to get exciting. With four laps to go attacks started with Tommy getting into what looked like the move of the day. He was gone for sure, only to be in a group of guys afraid to work hard and go for the win. Then Dan got in to another break with three to go, but again the combination of riders was not quite right. With two to go there was a flurry of attacks and counter attacks however nobody wanted to miss the break and nobody wanted to go hard to make a break work. With a lap and a half to go Hagman launched a brutal attack bringing two men with him. He drove hard doing most of the work in the break allowing the other two riders to hang with him (they were barely hangin on), giving him recovery for the next pull. One lap to go and the break of three was gaining ground on the peleton. It was the move of the day and Hagman put all of his cards into it knowing Tommy was there to finish it if he was caught. With 500m to go one of the riders jumped only to be countered and jumped by Hagman who held off the other escapee for his first win of the season!
In an impressive display of force Dan, Tommy and Alex rode together like a team that has been riding for years. Each put in their share of work obtaining the ultimate goal: winning for the team!
The Greenville Spring series concluded with a 56 mile circuit race and beautiful spring weather. Tommy Nankervis, Dan Vallencourt and Alex Hagman showed up to a race with fierce competition coming from several strong regional squads. The plan was to set up Nankervis for a sprint, or get him into a break knowing that he had the strongest finish. The first half of the race was very negative with guys chasing any hint of a move down and then looking at each other not knowing what to do next. Only once Dan and some other big name guys started making moves did the race begin to get exciting. With four laps to go attacks started with Tommy getting into what looked like the move of the day. He was gone for sure, only to be in a group of guys afraid to work hard and go for the win. Then Dan got in to another break with three to go, but again the combination of riders was not quite right. With two to go there was a flurry of attacks and counter attacks however nobody wanted to miss the break and nobody wanted to go hard to make a break work. With a lap and a half to go Hagman launched a brutal attack bringing two men with him. He drove hard doing most of the work in the break allowing the other two riders to hang with him (they were barely hangin on), giving him recovery for the next pull. One lap to go and the break of three was gaining ground on the peleton. It was the move of the day and Hagman put all of his cards into it knowing Tommy was there to finish it if he was caught. With 500m to go one of the riders jumped only to be countered and jumped by Hagman who held off the other escapee for his first win of the season!
In an impressive display of force Dan, Tommy and Alex rode together like a team that has been riding for years. Each put in their share of work obtaining the ultimate goal: winning for the team!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Burial-zonia
The snow scene back home in Aspen, CO
Every ting is totally buried mean while I'm enjoying
warm 70 degrees in north GA
Every ting is totally buried mean while I'm enjoying
warm 70 degrees in north GA
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