Been awhile

So I think last time I checked in I had just finished up Tour of the Gila! Well since then I have been doing a lot! Actually thats a lie. Most exciting thing that I have accomplished lately has been securing my housing in Boulder for the next year starting on August 1st. So thats pretty cool, me and my friend Taggart are going to live in an apt. together, he races for the CU ski team so it will be nice living with someone who is also focused on their sport.

As far as racing goes, I havent done to much lately except a local MTN. bike race last night! It was really fun. Mr. Filipe Merheage was there. He was fast. I was happy cause he didnt beat me by too much! haha. Only 1min 40sec. When he passed me I broke out a little bit of the flemish that I have been able to pick up over the past few years. He did a double take, responded then rocketed past me. I know that I would have been a lot closer has my technical skills been up to par. Since I have only ridden my Mt. bike twice this year i was a little sluggish when the trail when down. Im hoping to get some pics for you guys to see, but until then...

Have fun
Walker

Gila!

So the first stage was pretty hard, mainly because of the rough cross winds. I was riding well and some people got gapped off so myself and 10 others had to chase back on. At the base of the finishing climb I was in the front group of maybe 40, but of course i was 3 riders too far back and a mile into the climb there was a crash. So I had to stop and walk over the people on the ground; i was feeling good and definitely think I could have atleast been up in the top 20-25 on that climb.

Stage 2 I crashed on the decent and had to chase back on by myself in a tail wind section, that sucked. Got back in and just finished in the peloton.
Stage 3 I felt alright, i could tell I was using someone elses TT bike but not too bad. At least I had a TT bike (thanks Peter)
Stage 4 just sat in trying to conserve for the last day.

stage 5! I was good over the first climb, I felt good but it was hard. I was gapped off on the downhill mainly because I was lacking the balls and then once I saw the crash it made me think that my feeling of the decent being sketchy was legitimized. On the second climb I was with Baldwin and some other good riders but soon remembered that I was stuck with a 42x25 and was grinding at 55 rpm when they were at 75-80 rpm. I decided to take it a little easier because grinding so hard was not feeling so good. On the last climb up to Pinos Altos I rocketed up there since it was shallow enough for my gear to be alright. So I felt really good and I finished strong, did 3800 kjs.

Now I am at home just enjoying summit county, but not enjoying the mass amounts of snow we have been receiving and more is on the way! Apparently this is all due to Global Warming. Weird, warming=snow?

I came across an interesting article while I was perusing my friend Alex Howes blog. Go and read the article, kinda paints a gloomy picture of the future!

Walker

Good Day Sir!

So I am just sitting in a Motel Six in Silver City NM. This is quite the lavish lifestyle, let me tell you! Last time I updated I had gotten back from California. Well coming back I did a race in Co. Springs. It was awesome! Although I felt like my heart was going to explode when I went a little too hard. The road course was really cool, it was the 1986 World Championship course and had a good amount of climbing. I felt really good and think that had I been acclimated I could have done something. Hopefully I am now ready to tackle the Pro1 field here at the Tour of the Gila. Wish me luck. I forgot my camera cable so I wont be able to upload pics until I get home.

Walker

Cali

So I must apologize for the lack of updates. I have been some what busy and have lacked motivation to get on here and write something....So here is a race re-cap...

San Dimas...
Well I was a little disappointed after the uphill TT. It went up Glendora Mt. for 3-4miles. I think I would have done a lot better had it been a little longer, that said I didn't do horribly. Just not what I had wanted. Oh well. For the road race I felt really strong but I lacked good judgement. So when we went up the climb I would freak out and go from 3/4 of the way back up to the front of the peloton; needless to say but after 10 times up it I was tired. So i rolled through the finish in with the grupetto. Unfortunately we did not make the time cut. So i had to sit out the crit the next day. LAME i know. So the uphill TT was not horrible and although i was strong in the RR my strength could not make up for my stupidity...

This is a section of Glendora Mt. RD. pretty cool



Redlands...
So the prologue was alright, nothing special. I am pretty sure on a course like this a TT bike would have been much faster but whatever. I was still in the top half of the race. But I was also at this race to work and to learn. So because Peter and Tommy D were the fastest the next day I had an opportunity to suffer for them... HealthNet was really dumb letting a strong break with Botero and Baldwin go up the road and get 5 minutes. They started to chase but were not getting anything done so Kirk and I were told to go help. Sitting in the train I was having to try and recover at 380-400 and pull even harder. One lap of that and I was fried. So then with my job done I was able to just roll in behind the peloton. While Kirk and I were at the front we managed to pull back about 2 minutes on the break... that felt good, it was also nice to see that in the group that I was rolling in with there were 3 HealthNet guys with me.
In the Crit all I did was sit in and suffer. With so many corners my back was screwed afterwards. My back was out of alignment it turned out so that probably did not help.
Now Sunset was really cool. Really hard but really cool. There were alot of crashes which was not good. It was nice though, I think after 3 or 4 laps the field was down to 50-60 riders. My back was still bothering me so I wasnt able to do much. I made it up Sunset with the lead group 10 out of 12 laps before I was fried. I think part of it was my back and just from having done so much work all race...
So all in all Redlands was really good I learned and lot and suffered. It was really cool just being able to ride with Tommy D and learn from him...

This is Kirk(on the left) and I(on the right) during sunset



Peace
Walker

San Dimas

Just sitting in my hotel room; extremely bored. So today my team mate Kirk and I rode the uphill TT course that goes up Glendora Mountain rd. It was really cool. Many of the corners were concave almost like a velodrome. No wonder people enjoy riding motorcycles up and down it. So wish me luck tomorrow, I would love to be top 20 but with the strength of the field here that is a tall order. More to come later after the race, or when I get bored enough.

Walker

Getting Ready...

I fly out this evening to San Dimas, California for some racing. pretty excited. Also, my friend has started up his own coaching company that I have started working for. The website is www.laketraining.com Everyone who needs coaching should check it out. If you email or call LakeTraining tell them that Walker sent you. haha. But seriously. Ok thats it. More from Cali later.

Walker

Boredom

I got this nifty video off of my team mate Danniel Holloways blog and thought it was a worthy enough clip to share with all of you.


http://view.break.com/470052 - Watch more free videos

On another note, mustache march is really coming along.


It really just looks like I have have not bathed in a substantial amount of time.

Mustache March!

So I was finally able to race this last sunday! It was much needed. The group rides out of Boulder are just so sketchy. So 60 riders started, I think only 16 or so finished on the same lap. 10 of those in the lead group that consisted of mostly Toyota United riders like Henk Vogles, Baldwin, England, Clarke then there was Hamilton Dan Schmatz and Stefano. Unfortunately I was racing more like a road race and was always in the top 5, so when moves went it was really hard to go with it without the whole peloton sitting on me. Unfortunately I could not get into any of the good moves. I was strong even though the whole week previous had been easy because of getting used to a new position and new shoes.Oh well, it was hard and I got some good work in. 1100 KJ's in a hour aint bad.

But it is march, and with it comes a mustache, or mullet if you have the hair for it. I dont really have either but I have given it my best try. Just looks dirty like I cant afford a razor. Oh well. I guess I will have it right up until Redlands.



Might not be able to see it, but trust me its there in all of its glory.

Walker

Im an idiot!

seriously, i made a big mistake. Im currently in the airport on my way to Phoenix. Turns out my original flight was yesterday! Hopefully it wont turn out to be too big of a deal, The thing thats hard about it is that I am going down there to ride my bike in front of potential sponsors. If I am lucky which is fairly rare they will look past my lack of judgement and go ahead with a great investment and jump on board with the Slipstream train.

On another note, I did the group ride out of Boulder on saturday. It was sweet, sketchy sweet. There were soo many people and there was a good size crash on highway 36. Probably one of the worst things possible. But I felt really good, once we got to Carter Lake I let loose and went for it. I blew up pretty good but was able to recover on the flats over the top and take the sprint... Never thought I would be able to say that I was first in a sprint. Granted it was just a group ride, so in a race I probably would have been destroyed. Oh well it felt good.

Well wish my luck in Phoenix.

Walker

Revelation!

A Chipotle Burrito is a lot of FOOD!

Now this might not come as a surprise to most but I am used to downing one big one at a extremely fast pace. Today was an off day; only riding an hour and a half it did not seem like a full burrito was warranted for "recovery" but because of the easy accessibility and availability it only made sense to swing by and pick one up on my way home. This time around I decided to stop myself at about half way, wrap it back up, and save the rest for later.

My stomach feels better and I think I have discovered a master two seat session for eating one of these behemoth foil wrapped beauties. On another note the guys are killing it in Cali.

Walker

Routine

I have slowly developed a routine living down here in the Independent Republic of Boulder. Its nice wake up make a delicious latte or americano on the extremely nice espresso machine that I have at my disposal here in Boulder. The riding is awesome as well for it being February.
So I am on the Roster for Redlands, it should be really cool working for the likes of Dave Z and company. Hopefully I will be on super solid form so I can maybe even get a good result at San Dimas before I play bottle gatherer. But if anyone wants to ride let me know, starting to get kinda lonely here all on my own in this huge house. Well thats all for now.

Walker

Journey Home

Coming home from training camp was chaotic to say the least... The last night in Silver City it actually snowed! The roads were so pretty icy, at least for a desert. The next morning we got to the airport only to find out that our flight had been cancelled to Albequere. Luckily for us there was a Charter flight service right down the road. So we bought a flight for 6 of us and off we went. The plane had to be THE nicest plane I have ever been on and it was only a prop plane!

We got to the ALB airport with 10 minutes to our next flight, had to check in and go through security! It was nuts but so fast that we were able to get coffee before our flight. The worst possible travel day (driving 12 hours from Silvercity) turned into one of the nicest possible. The only thing was that I had to leave my bags behind because there was not enough room for my bike and duffle bag, this was the cenerio for most but everyone else lives in Boulder and was able to pick their stuff up the next day. Hopefully I will be able to get my stuff today!

On a better note I have free housing in Boulder! So now I will be able to hone in my form for Redlands so that I can ride strong in support of DZ.

Thats it for now,
Walker

Camp

Is good... Got here thursday evening with no time to ride. Only time for dinner and getting to know some of the older guys that I had not met before. It was awsome sitting there and seeing all of superstars that I normally associate with Velonews or on VS. during the Tour of other races that they show. The most interesting person to sit next to at dinner thus far would definitely be Dave Zabriskie. Some of the stuff that he says is super funny especially with the demeanor with which he says it. For example last night Tim Duggan and I are talking about me possibly renting out his house for super cheap in Boulder if I cant find something else that works out better for me. Dave then chimes in with,

"You should just move in with me and be my scribe. Every time that I say something that touches you spiritually you would have to say "Amen Zabriskie"".

Its these comments that he unleashes that are super funny. Look for a DZ quote board to be on Lucas Eusers website. I dont know what that website is but when I figure it out I will let you know.

The riding here has been super tough too. Two days ago we rode 175km with over 10,000 ft. of climbing. Needless to say I was tired. One exciting thing is to think about how good of shape I will be in shortly. Probably the best I have ever had this early in the season. Well thats it for now.

Walker

Flughafen!

I am sitting in the Tucson Airport, really bored. This place is pretty nice compared to other airports that I have spent time in, I mean obviously. Only nice places have free internet, or this at least applies to airports. So reflecting on my time here in Tucson it has been very valuable. This is definitely the most I have ever trained in January. Period. Its nice to think that after these 20 days down here in AZ I have hopefully laid the solid foundation needed to turn this season into one of the best ones I have had. So after a travel day today, rest day tomorrow followed by yet another traveling day I will finally be at training camp in Silver City NM. Checked the weather and it looks like it should be creeping up into the 50s once I get there. So not the worst conditions ever.

Also after camp I am trying to move to Boulder so I can train at a lower altitude than 9,000-10,000 ft. Hopefully everything comes together and the progression will continue. Until next time, ride hard.

Walker

Boredom

So Tucson is really starting to reach its limits. The riding is alright and the temps are really nice but man so many drivers just want to take all the cyclists off the road that they pass. Its scary sometimes how close these people will get to you while your riding.

But on a different note I go to training camp next week in Silver City NM. Should be pretty fun except for the fact that yesterday the team rode 3.5 hours in 28 degree temps. Doesnt sound too fun but hopefully I can bring some of these nice Tucson temperatures with me. Also Slipstream was featured on ESPN check out the article.

Well thats all for now.

Walker

Under the Cactus Needle

Finally!!! My legs are starting to get their endurance back. It was pretty sad... After my first ride down here in Tucson I was wrecked. Just so tired and only after 3.5 hours. Lame. But after this last week I can tell my endurance is getting back to where it needs to be before training camp in Silver City NM. Yesterday was 4.5 hours with a lot of climbing and today was 5 hours with some good climbing efforts and I still have energy. YAY. Visible progress is real motivation booster.

Overall the riding here is about so-so. There is some sweet climbing and some cool roads the only thing is that you almost have to choose, lots of climbing or cool desert roads. The reason that a choice has to be made is that we live on Players Club Dr. This is located on the opposite end of town from the great climb called Mt. Lemmon. So for instance coming back from climbing Mt. Lemmon the other day I am almost positive that I hit ever intersection on a Red light possible. At first became some what comic but as the ride went on and I grew tired it was not much of a laughing matter. Right out side our door here on Players Club Dr. are some really cool desert roads that are in located in a park so there isn't too much traffic.

One the lighter side deserts must have some of the most beautiful sunsets around. It was crazy the abundance of colors that I was able to see the other night. But thats it for now. Thanks for reading.

Walker

Tucson

Finally in Tucson, and man it feels good. Being able to ride three hours today without arm or knee warmers was quite delightful. The situation set up here is really nice. I have a large Futon that i can call my bed. Chad and Sheldon did a good job in finding this place its pretty secluded but in one of the nicer areas of town. The picture is of Gates Pass. It is pretty much right behind the apartment, it starts off light in grade but the last kilometer or so gets pretty steep. Well thats all for now. Time to go get some food.

Walker

Sick/bored

Woke up today with all of my sinuses throbbing. Definitely not the best way to wake up in the morning after a good few weeks of Holidays. Hopefully I will be able to kick this illness before I leave on Friday for Tucson. Arizona should be a great place to kick off this new season of racing. Just to be on the road will be a great change of pace from the lonely life on the rollers that I have been experiencing these last few weeks. Thanks.

Walker

New Year, New Steed

Happy new year to everyone! Up in Breckenridge it has been a very white week for the hollidays. I-70 was shut down all the way to Denver because of Blizzard conditions and white outs. That made for some very interesting driving. But now I only have 3 more days until I leave for the warmth of Tucson. I am really looking forward to this especially with my new ride that I picked up in Boulder a few days ago. Well i guess its time to once again endure the mental struggle that is associated with the trainer.

Walker