Rehab Rides

So, it's been two weeks of couch surfing for me since the "accident"; the rumour is going around that Joe pushed me in order to make sure that he was going to be team captain on his return to the team.... The pain is receding in the hip, but still causing me enough trouble to make life difficult. The pain is centred on the outside and front of the hip and seems to come and go as the muscles stay limber or tighten up.

A couple of days ago I did my first ride, if you can call it that, after the "accident". I was on the rollers for half and hour at zero resistance riding my smallest gear, kind of pathetic. At each pedal stroke there was a pull in my hip. On getting off I could hardly walk and thought that things might take a lot longer than I thought.

Today I tried the rollers again and wow, things are improving. Today I was able to ride on the big ring and push a decent tempo. It actually felt better on the hip with a bit more resistance. Again, I only rode for half an hour as at that point the hip started to get sore and I'm not looking to push too hard. Riding today made me more optimistic about getting back out on the road.

The problem there will be "getting back on the horse", so to speak. I'm a little worried about the road conditions being a little slippery and the chance of falling again. I figure it will be OK, but I'm sure I will be a lot more ginger in the corners.

Keep the rubber side down.

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Merry Christmas

The stockings are hung by the fireplace with care in the hopes that saint nick will soon be here... The Jetfuel Cycling Team wishes you and yours all a happy holiday season and a very merry xmas PUSH TO PLAY the cartoon»

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Joe returns

He's BACK!. The Jet Fuel Coffee team is pleased to announce the signing of Joe Giuliano for upcoming 2005 season. Giuliano's returns to the Jet Fuel Coffee team after racing with Italpasta for the past two seasons.

"I want to thank Annie and John for their commitment and hardwork over the
last couple of seasons, supporting me in my cycling. I'm excited to be back at Jet Fuel. I'll get to race with Matt Hansen and Andrew Randell once again; this could be our last chance for the three of us to race together. We're hoping to find the form, and team spirit, that led to two stage wins in Europe when we raced together last time. I'm looking forward to a fantastic season," said Giuliano.

Giuliano's experience and dedication to cycling will help deliver some great results for the team in 2005. Most important is the help that he'll be providing to the team's younger riders, Mark Pozniak, Buck Miller and Zach Bell.

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Training with Gord and the Euro Pros

Training is in full force. Well, it has been since November 1st. Thursday night I returned home from 2 weeks in Tucson Arizona, my chosen training home over the winter months since 2002. I've gotten to know all the rides, some local riders, know where to shop for the cheapest groceries, the good coffee shops, and all the important stuff. So I dig Tucson, it's a great city.

On December 2nd, I packed the bags, headed out the door with my guitar in one hand, and my girlfriend Lori in the other. She just finished up her job, and had some time off, so she decided to come with me as she isn't likely to have any time off when I leave January 1st and I don't come home until sometime in April.

The flight was smooth (other than the fact that I forgot my tickets, but that’s another story.) We landed in Phoenix, and stayed with some family friends for a few days. We hung out, had a good time, and then took off to Tucson.

My first ride, an easy 4.5 hours wasn't so nice, it was pretty cold, and raining on and off, I was kind of wondering why I left home. That was a short-lived feeling. For almost every day after that, the weather was getting better and better. It got up to 75 degree's in the shade.

I went to Tucson to get some quality miles, and I did. I was staying in Oro Valley, on the north side of the Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson. So it was about an hour ride into the U of A where the rides left from everyday. I would leave at 8, to meet up with Gord, Mike Sayers, Stephan Wesemenn, two other T-Mobile riders Thorsten Hiekmenn, Stephan Schreck, a few other dudes, and off we would go. The pace was nice and steady, not too fast; on the front we could hold a conversation. Day after day, I was riding with these guys. The German's were staying only a few miles from my house, so we would ride back together, often with over 6 hours for the day. At the end of my last week I had 32 hours in. I was happy with that. Training with Wesemenn was cool (he's the guy that won Tour of Flanders this spring.) He's a good guy, speaks English well, and is easy to be around with, as were his teammates. They thought highly of Mike Sayers and Gord Fraser, which I thought was cool too, because they're some hard riding domestic dudes that I also have looked up to for years.

So the trip was wicked, a good break from the choppy weather back home in the Falls, and more importantly, a break mentally, even though I was training more, the Arizona scenery is a healing thing to me. The season's long, keeping fresh and motivated over the winter is crucial.

Up next, some kick ass Christmas dinners with friends and family, followed by a 3 day drive south.

Till then, finish your homework.

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Keeping track of where you’ve been…

Everybody wants to know about my World Cup track experience. And I keep thinking and thinking about what I should say. All the stories about the World Cup have already been released and read, told and re-told and I have barely had time to catch my breath to start to talk about it. So what is left to talk about?? I don’t want to just relay the cliché “rookie learns a lot” because: a) that should be a given, and b) rookies aren’t the only ones who learn a lot from a world-class event. So how do I do my experience justice in a short little blog like this?



Why is it that something like the World Cup should be so exciting - especially your first time there. Of course you get to “compete with the best” and “gain experience for the future” but that is just like the rest of life for people who are paying attention….

Or maybe that is what is so great about it. When you are there, YOU are there, Thoe Bos is there, Arnaud Tournant is there, Sergi Escobar Roure is there. You realize they have all been there before, but between times they were all learning from life somewhere else just like you. That might seem a little ridiculous and obvious but as a cyclist it is a significant milestone…everyone there becomes a part of your history. And you become a part of everyone else’s history. The only difference is that the best have taken notice of more milestones. The top riders have a greater education, PhD’s in psychology, where as I am only finishing my high school diploma. The best part about an event like this is that you get to see even the best cyclists learning, about their riding and themselves. So I guess the experience of a world-class event isn’t being in the same place with the best. It seems to go beyond that. It is more like getting an education with Einstein as your peer. You are developing alongside the best at that time, in that place. And, even if you grow to a point where you can beat them in the future you both still have that shared history. The temporal nature of cycling puts everyone on the same level; the champions are the individuals that grow throughout their entire career. Not just learning how to win either; learning how to win, lose, teach, be humble, be a showmen, an athlete, and all the other things that set great cyclist apart from those that simply utilize talent.

I guess that was the best part of my World Cup experience; coming to the realization that the “best of the best” face just as many challenges as I do. After all that’s what makes it so much fun…the fact that even when you are the best it will still be a competition, an experience, and even more of a challenge to dig deeper and be a better competitor than you where at the last milestone.

I would like to say a quick thank you to all the support staff we had, and to the other Team Canada athletes, and I hope to be on more projects with all of you in the future.

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Relief

I saw the doc today and the femur isn't broken. Thank goodness! He said that after his initial diagnosis that he thought I had broken it, but luckily no. He prescribed some anti-inflammatories and wants to see me in a week. It seems like he doesn't really know what to make of my injury.

One good sign was that after taking the anti-inflammatory my leg was feeling pretty good. Maybe after a few days on those things I'll be up and running again. I sure hope so...

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Frustration

Well, I can add frustration to the list of emotions engulfing me in this post-season mess of a fall. Not only did university deal me a crushing work load which left me fatigued beyond belief, but now, with my Christmas break at hand, I have gone and crashed. You know, the usual winter riding, hitting ice, falling sideways thing. OUCH! My hip is bruised, but that's not what's actually bothering me. What is bothering me is the fact that I can't seem to walk. Something in my hip flexor has been pulled/twisted/and otherwise abused to the point where it kills if the muscle has to work at all.

Right now, my consolation is that it could have been much worse. Things could have been broken; I could have impaled myself on a nearby pole; who knows what the consequences could have been?

It was pretty funny though when my girlfriend and Joe Giuliano, with whom I had been riding, had to carry me up the stairs to my apartment. While I was screaming in pain, we were all laughing at the same time at our feeble efforts to get me upstairs. Finally in bed, I ended up going into a bit of shock with the shakes and chills finally taking hold of me. Not fun.

Oh well, like I said it could have been much worse. Tomorrow's plan is to visit the sports doc and hopefully he can tell me what's up.

Wish me luck!

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Coffee Secrets

For all you faithful followers of the Jet Fuel blog I have a little confession to make, and it may come as a surprise, I've reduced my coffee intake. Actually for a while there I was totally off the bean. I've kept it to myself, ashamed to let my employer, the coffee shop, and the rest of the team know, but I can't hold it in anymore.

Really, I'm outing myself to say how much I love the bean. Having been off the bean for a while I couldn't resist anymore and decided that I would only drink coffee at work; why drink anything other than the best? And now? Well, drinking coffee is like a little visit to Nirvana. Ever do cocaine? You get that tingling feeling all over your face? Well, that's me on coffee now that I'm not totally addicted to the stuff, with an adrenal gland run into the ground.

At work watching the thick and creamy golden, delicious coffee flow from the espresso handle is one of my favourite events of the week. Combine that with a pastry and wow, there's not much better in life.

I tell you, find a coffee shop that makes a real espresso. An espresso with thick crema, and steamed milk that is frothed like a meringue, all small bubbles, stiff and sweet, not milk a la Star Fucks where it's all big bubbles and burned.

Find a coffee shop that can do that, a la Jet Fuel, and you've got yourself a little sip of Nirvana.

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USPS gangs up on Jet Fuel

A veritable battle of the world's top professional teams occured on November 26th in Toronto, Canada. USPS brought out many of its top riders, including Michael Barry, to contest the well-known "Donut Ride". Many riders were resplendent in their USPS kit to show support for one of Canada's top roadies; Barry was also supported by T-Mobiles' Dede Barry, who made a quick return from her retirement to help her husband.

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