Rocheport Roubaix - 2nd Place Overall

Great day to be on the bike today. The Rocheport Roubaix 67 miler had a really good field this year. The race took off on a fairly quick pace since we had some pavement sections. The first real test was around 30 miles for a KOH. I rode hard into the hill and nobody really went after me but I missed the KOH. I knew there was lots more racing to come. Once we got down the hill and turned back north into the wind, the lead group started to hammer. I got dropped out the back and luckily Carter slowed up to help me out. We worked together for a few miles and once we hit the hills again I was able to regroup with the lead pack. At 50 miles there was another KOH and that time I went hard and got it. After cresting the hill I put in a few hard efforts which put me out in front by quite a bit. I knew that once I had committed like that I was going to have to work extremely hard to hold the group off. It was nice that there were quite a few rolling hills and people were going to have to work hard to catch me. With a couple mile to go, I was getting pretty tired and I saw a couple guys coming hard. Going down the big hill into Rocheport I gave it everything I had but came up a little short. With about 200 meters to go they had caught me. BJ hammered by me, but I was able to regroup a little and hold off Ethan right at the line for second place.

Going back to redeem myself

In August, I will attempt Gravel Worlds again. Last summer the race didn't really go as planned. I know that I was in really good shape, but I didn't have a good day. The race went out harder than I had expected and then I struggled around mile 100. Luckily there was a country store that I was able to refuel at to get me to the next check point. This year I will have a few more gravel races under my belt including Dirty Kanza so hopefully I will be better prepared.

Dirty Kanza is now happening!

This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions. My wife was diagnosed with colon cancer this week, so my riding has taken a backseat to helping her. I was suppose to race today @ Rocheport Roubaix but luckily the race was postponed until next week because of the ice storm. I don't think mentally I would have been really up to racing today anyways.
I was fortunate to get registered into Dirty Kanza. The race sold out in 13 minutes! I know it will be the most challenging race I have ever done, but I am really excited about it. The idea of spending 13-14 hours on the bike is a little overwhelming right now but I am confident that I will finish.

Prepping for Rocheport Roubaix. #garneau #liveyourdream #thisismaplewood #fueledbyscience #justanotherdayonthebike

A little cold out on the Katy Trail today, but I did get in 60 miles. After a cold week here in St. Louis, it finally warmed up just a bit and I got back outside. Yesterday was 60 miles on the trainer, so today seemed to go by much faster. On the way out, I felt really good and then I realized I had a tailwind and the last 30 miles were going to be a little tougher. The wind wasn't really that bad, but with the trail covered with a little snow, I had to work a little harder than I wanted to get back.
Next week is Rocheport Roubaix, a 70 mile gravel race. The weather right now doesn't look good, but that can all change over the next few days. I feel that I am in pretty good shape for the first part of the year. After my really big training week the last of December and a good rest week this week, I should be ready.

Two years of base miles.

The past two years have been quite an experience of getting back into shape after a long period of doing nothing. Deciding to get back on the bike was probably one of the best decisions I have done in a long time. Looking forward to a fun 2017 full of gravel, road & crit races. #thisismaplewood #garneau #liveyourdream #fueledbyscience