JOE MARTIN STAGE RACE AND ELVIS DIES!

First off, let me explain my title. Obviously i am gonna give you race report of Joe Martin but on top of everything else, the best DOG in the whole world died yesterday. Elvis was our family Boxer. He was the sweetest most RIDICULOUS dog I have ever been around. The pictures attached are of him. He was a terrible swimmer but a great cuddler and knew exactly how to take up 99.9% of the bed. He will be GREATLY missed.

One would think if you are doing a stage race all weekend, you would have plenty of time to sit around and write a race recap or even just write a short blog, well i was wrong. I lugged my 20 pound lap top with me all the way to ARkansas and didn't get logged on once.

So here we are on Tuesday and I am finally getting around to giving a recap of the weekend's TOUGH stage race. This was my 2nd year to attempt Joe Martin. I went in with something to prove. My goal was to finish top 25. I ended up 30th on the GC. Top 25 doesn't sound so impressive but this particular race this year was significantly harder than years past. The women's field was stacked. All the big teams were here with all their big guns. On Friday when we lined up for the first RR stage, it literally was a who's who of women cyclist.

Back to why i was seeking revenge from last year. In 2005 I crashed in the 2nd stage of the RR with 2 miles to the finish and wasn't able to continue. Not only was my bike completely screwed my body was beat up as well. I had no other option but to head east back to Nashville. That was my first stage race ever...Fast Forward a year, I do believe i am a different rider. I have finished some big crits but still hadn't conquered a finishing a stage race. This was my chance.

Friday's stage had a nice 9 mile climb in the middle. Once you got over the "bumb" it was rolling the rest of the way. From the get-go, the well represented teams were attacking left and right. The pace was being pushed. These were all just preliminary openers waiting for the base of the climb. As expected as soon as we hit the base and the steepest part the climbers went to the front and did their thing. I hung on for a mile or so and had to find my rhythm so i could climb the rest. I found myself in no man's land. Off from the top climbers but not with the rest of the peloton. I continued my pace and decided to regroup with the main field. A group caught me and I paced the climb along with one other rider to the top. At the feed zone, we revved up the pace and went on the hunt for the leaders. As expected others had popped from the lead climbing group. We caught small groups of riders until our chase group was in fact the biggest pace line i had ever been a part of in a race.

The finish was fast with a small pitch. I went to the front and sprinted for a good finish. I learned my lesson about doing this. Apparently i wasted energy b/c they all gave us the same time and my results looked like i came in at the back of the pack. That was aggravating!

2nd Stage was a rather difficult circuit race with a couple of long rolling climbs that would shatter the field pretty quickly. I was more prepared for this race and felt stronger the 2nd day. The pace was nasty up the climbs and on the 2nd lap i found myself coming off the main pack but i wasn't the only one. After we topped the climb we put in a serious chase group and caught the leaders in time to have a group finish. It was intense but the sprinters did their thing and I came in a decent position.

That afternoon we did a 2.5 mile uphill TT. 3 minutes before my start I got a rear flat. Talk about stress. I went straight to the SRAM Neutral Support tent where JOSE, the wonderful SRAM guy and not to mention the support person for the Edgar Soto Memorial Stage Race - www.sotomemorial.org, gave me a PHAT Zipp 404 to ride. (By the way, I WANT A SET OF THOSE SOOOOO BAD! I am taking donations...) The TT was miserable and I had no idea where i was on time. I basically went tempo during the TT. Bad idea and my results showed it. I dropped in the GC to 34th after that. Guess I need to learn how to go hard up hill.

The final stage was Sunday morning. This criterium always had the reputation of being hard but I thought this would be the perfect opp to move up some spots in the GC. Sure enuf, I stuck out this BRUTAL crit. There is a steep little pitch at the start finish line where riders literally where dropping like flies. The pace was fast and there were several crashed all around me. I stayed up right and stuck with the group till the final climb with 3 laps to go. I fell off but so many had been dropped by then I actually moved up. I finished my 3 laps with a Colivita rider and called it a day.

All in all, it was a decent race for me. I have a lot of things to work on but for my first stage race of the year and my first stage race to complete, I am satisfied.

This week I head back to ARKANSAS for Tri-Peaks, a brutal 3 day stage race with finishing stages with 18% climbs OR i may just stay here in Nashville and have fun at some local races like the NASHVILLECYCLIST.COM/Cumberland Transit Criterium and Hot Sumner RR, visit www.nashvillecyclist.com for more info.

Stay tuned for more race recaps and blogs by visiting my website at www.robinfarina.com
In the next couple of weeks, I will doing several big races such as Wachovia Liberty Classic in Philly, Nature Valley Grand Prix, Tri-Peaks and Edgar Soto. Hope to see you on the bike!

Sleepy...Body hurts, HELP!

I am somewhat pleased with the way this weekend turned out. One of the most nerve-racking races of the season is now in the books. The annual Athens Twilight kicked off on Sat night with biggest and baddest girls/teams in the country in town to make a one-hour race freaking miserable or so i worried all day saturday that was going to be the case. Last year, I raced twilight in the pouring rain and got pulled. Granted it was my first NRC crit ever...so I had a lot to prove on sat night. Not only that i could finish but that I am different rider from last year. I decided to race this weekend on my power tap which was a great idea. The information was interesting and proved that I could have done more and well should have been more aggressive in the both races. Next time I won't just try to sit pretty and wait for the big girls to make the moves. The beginning was tough and I didn't get a good start. Those damn pedals never work for me. Maybe it's time for a new brand. Any suggestion?
So off the race goes and I am working like a dog to get moved up. Looked around and saw some girls i knew i didn't want to be around very long. Got out of that situation fast and continued to move up. Within minutes the field was becoming shattered and strung out. Had to close a few gaps but got in a comfortable position and pretty much stayed there the entire race. Athens is like no other race. Every corner you hear your name being yelled and it motivates you just enough to hang on and push just a little harder. With a few laps to go, you could feel the pace getting faster. This is where my legs just started to burn and from what the power tap reads my heart rate was around 192. Nice huh...Last lap girls are getting freaky and the peloton is making some jerky moves. Best thing to do is either get off the front or stay patient. I chose patience for once, not the time for patience. In retrospect should have made the million dollar move but I just buried myself for the last half lap and rode in a comfy 24th.

The Kenda girls were represented well. Alisha pulled out a 13th and Jenny Trew got 17th. I ended up 24th but still in the $$. That is always fun. Now i get to take that and get a massage, THANK GOD! Thanks to all you girls that sat up in the sprint so I could take home a couple of extra dollars to pay for tip on my massage...Thanks to Chris for helping me get ready for the race and being there to keep all the media away from me while i warmed up. It's such a hassle having to do interviews for cyclingnews pre-race, hah hah ;-)

Yesterday was one long damn day. The girls, Deb, Alisha and I got in the car with Veronica, the temperamental GPS device, and made our way to Roswell. Our not-so-loyal men abandoned us and headed for home. Funny thing, it took them 2 hours to get out of Athens and get on 85N. Silly boys! I swear they can barely find their way out of a brown paper sack! Serves them right for making us set up our own trainers amd pinning our own numbers.

The Roswell Crit is fun course but the field was huge. I struggled at the start again and found myself in a bad position. Being at the back of the peleton in a crit is not safe nor is it easy. In fact, it's the place where you work the most. Work I did, up to the top third and there i sat moving back and forth. According to the power tap, this race was harder and faster than the night before. It didn't seem that way but then again the adrenaline level was quite higher for Athens and there wasn't as much excitement. A small break got away and no KENDA represented. I must have been taking a little nap during that part. It stayed away and the sprinters did their thing. I rolled in mid pack and was pleased to finish. No money yesterday, guess that means no dinner for the week.


It's Monday now and I can barely keep my eyes open. I am sure i will fall right to sleep during my massage. Big week ahead. Getting ready for Joe Martin next weekend. Looks like there is a lot of climbing in my future. Got all the crit racing out of the way, bring on the mountains! Stay tuned for pics of athens. there are some floating out there just have to find them.

Big thanks to Tim Hall for letting me ride home in the Cumberland University Van yesterday. Felt like i was back in college heading to some sporting event. I jump in the van and there it is the "cosmopolitan", you know CHICK magazine. What else are a bunch of guys going to do on a long road trip but read all about how they can tell if they are pleasing their girlfriends. Good luck guys! I am sure you still have no idea! I finally get home around midnight. It was late but it was fun comparing power tap info. What a bunch of bike dorks we are with our little bike computers!