Hillbilly life

2008-04-24T07:25:00.000-04:00

2008-04-24T07:10:00.003-04:00

I have been with the TDG all week!! Yee Haw!!! I am writing this at the Lake Lanier Islands, nice, across the hall are the CSC team and Slipstream, don't see much of the guys though, I reckon after the race they is restin and gettin their massage on as I did see a massage table set up in one of the CSC rooms. In fact all the teams are here, sometime they will put the riders up and a 2nd tier motel but for last night and tonight they are all here. On my birthday I rode in the VIP car #2, they announced on race radio that I wuz in the car and it was my 50th so everyone wished me a happky one. And yes I brought Hilllbilly flavor to the VIP car, a few hoots and hollers out to the crowd and me and the driver took a natural out in the Ga red clay. It was a pretty wild ride, we would go back to within about 200 meters off the front of the peleton, and when the one rider got a 2 min gap we were allowed to go back between him and the peleton and ride just behind him, coool. I took some video and will put something together, the driver was Darrah from Ireland and he asked if I was gonna make him famous, you know it. I have been handing out some stickers to some of the mechanics, rock racings guy got a hoot out of it and asked for a couple more, and Darrah got hillbillized too. I have tons of pictures but I forgot my password for photobucket and my blog is a little difficult to post pictures but I have one or two I'll stick on there.We didn't bring our bikes with us, we are carrying too many hands and don't have the room so I will probably gain 10 lbs this week although I have been running in the morning, the food is too good to pass up.It has been a blast, best birthday ever, driving the truck throwing out the KOM hands is a hoot, we travel bout 30 min ahead of the race and stir up the crowds in the UCBI Avalanche, and two HHR's, so when you see those Fri, and Sat holler at the hillbilly, in fact Isomebody ought make a sign...... Hillbilly STOP HERE!!

1st stage TDG

2008-04-21T22:53:00.004-04:00

Bobby Julich after the race

His crazy rotor rings

Georgie
After the race

Toyota United

Suckers

1st report TDG 4/20

2008-04-20T21:58:00.005-04:00

Met with the other team members this morning in Helen to drive to Tybee Island for Mondays start, Stan, Star, Matthew, Joe, Ron and myself. We arrived around 4:00 picked up another UCBI van and checked in the the Ho Jo.
First thing of course is seafood, so off to the Crab House, too much food , bad thing we couldn't bring our bikes to I'm gonna havta get out and run so I don't gain 10 lbs this week.
We gave out a few hands, but not much going on, some drunk kid thought we were sombody and kept asking us cycling related questions about fit and knee pain, wheels and such, we just went along with him and gave him some hillbilly advice.
It may be easier to do this with pictures so here goes.
Hillbilly and Stan the Man

One of the stand ups

El capitan

Well were at the beach

Sweep wagon

Waitin on the crabs

Rock Racin

Tour De Georgie

2008-04-14T23:18:00.003-04:00

I will be attending the TDG beginning Sunday April 20th, will be meeting my Team Captain on the UCBI cycling team in Blairsville and driving down to Tybee Island for the start, I think Star was saying that the bank wanted the team to ride in some sort of parade before the start of the race, so that should be cool.

Well I guess before I go any further I will say I have not been a very good blogger in that I haven't blogged at all and have not directed anyone to my blog, but I figured that attending the TDG should be interesting for people that won't be able to attend the entire race.

My involvement began last fall when I ran into one of the guys on the UCBI (United Community Bank Incorporated) cycling team at a cross race, I asked about the team and asked how I could join, Star later contacted me and put me on the team, mainly for CX.

Now the deal with the TDG is since UCBI is one of the sponsors they hand out a lot of promotional items, the big hands, and we ( the team) volunteered to do all that work instead of the bank having their people so this. So, the team has all expenses paid, motels, food, transportation, VIP passes, rides in VIP cars and get to stay in the same quarters as the teams.

So I figure to take a lap top with me and blog the whole week about the tour, pictures, video, just what goes on behind the scenes or whatever I get to experience. If everything goes as plans start looking for reports on the Tour starting with my departure on Sunday.

Driving down to Duluth for CX # 3

2007-11-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

Driving down to Farmer G's crib and then on down t0 the Cross course in Monroe to pre-ride the course for Sunday's race.

Go Colts!

2007-11-01T14:48:00.000-04:00

The Masters 45+ podium
Day Coy 2nd
Brad Harper 3rd

Cross season begins: Race #1 and #2

2007-11-01T10:31:00.000-04:00

Well the first two races of the year have past one went badly and one was great.

Race #1 Conyers GA. Horse Park Oct 21st 07

Arrived the day before and pre-rode the course enough to get the turns and barriers in my mind. Next morning got to the venue did a couple laps of warm up got the camera ready and lined up on the front row with the usual suspects and some new faces to the 45 + crowd.

The whistle blew and off we went, was not anxious to go hard from the gun and was happy to see that everyone else must have felt the same, Gerard and Dan were up in front setting the pace with the others in tow, about 1/2 lap into the race moved up to Dans wheel just behind Gerard and settled in to see how long I could hang. It was going well, heartrate was not skying and seemed easy enuff to stay in contact but of course it was still the first lap, and then it happened, I felt the rim hit something hard and them moments later I could feel it on the ground, done, race over, flatted a 100.00 tire. I made my way back to the pits and put my spare wheel on and waited for the leaders to come around just so I could ride and see if I could keep pace. I jumped back in just as Dan, in 2nd, went by and followed him for a while then passed and rode up to Gerard and followed him for a lap. Didn't seem too hard but again I was much fresher since I was on the sidelines for a while. Here's the video I took.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2496556249650700986

Race # 2 Fort Yargo, Winder Ga Oct 28th 07

Having flatted at the previous weeks race I was an pumped for this race, I arrived the day before and went to the course and spent 1 hour riding the course, learning the lines and practicing the barriers and the sand. I was able to ride about 1/2 thru the beach but then the dismount was not too pretty but decided to ride as much as I could during the race, I just hated to waste all that speed going onto the beach.
Race morning and I was feeling really anxious, I didn't sleep that well the night before, I just kept going over the course in my head and playing out how I thought the race would go over and over in my head.
The masters lined up and this weeks field was about 10 short of the previous week and no Gerard, but Dan, Torre, Lamar, David, Brad, Jim, Wojtec and other strong riders were there to take up the slack. Brad was kind enough to give me a spot on the front row for the start and off we flew. For the first 1/2 mile we were on a fast paved road section and the big guns all grabbed their place near the front, I choose not to get caught up in the holeshot action and was about 8 back from the front but moved up several places as we went off road the first time. Brad, Lamar and David were setting the pace up front and I noticed that Dan was a few places behind me, which suprised me a little. At about 3/4 of the 1st lap I had moved to 3rd behind Lamar and Brad and went past in the single track section somewhere around the headless GTC rider. At this point Dan was behind me, I didn't know it at the time, and I kept going my same pace which kept putting time between me and the field. Looking at my video afterwards I see that at some points during the race I had pulled out a lead where that no one can be seen chasing on the road after you make the left turn at the top of the hill. I never let up the pace though and kept riding onto the sandy beach and actually fell twice in the sand which let Dan catch sight of me and he pulled me in on the last lap. Now I didn't fall on the last lap but Dan was really charging and he caught and passed me just past the finish line of the last lap, I figured I could save a little energy right then and repass in the fast woods section, so I got on Dan's wheel and we went off the pavement into the woods pretty damn fast, the 3rd left hand sweeper I made my move and passed Dan taking his line and causing him to overrreact and hitting the course marking tape wrapping it in his wheel, this gave me about a 30 second advantage which I held till the end and my first ever cross win.

Here is the news page for the Ga cross series web site.

GA CX Series #2 - Fort YargoFort Yargo saw another great weekend of racing in Georgia. Opening up the day was a great battle between Dan Coy and Wayne Nix in the Masters 45+. Nix opened up an early lead but Coy bridged back for some tight racing on the last lap. The Men's 1/2 race came down to a battle between Thomas Turner and Jacob Fetty with Turner pulling out the victory on the last lap. The Women's 1/2 race saw Ellen Carroll give a dominating performance and solo away to her first victory of the cross season. The sand proved to be vicious again this year and many riders taste tested the gritty mix before the finish.

A video of the first lap with a shot of Dan with his pass on the last lap.

2007-10-11T09:29:00.000-04:00

Tennessee Football!!!!!!!

Yes it was a good time in Knoxville this past Saturday

Tennessee 35 Georgia 14

This wasn't really a game, UT took control from the outset and it was game over. I was sitting in the Ga. section and got flipped the bird several times, which I got on my small video camera, but considering the whipping the Dawgs took they took it very well, probably better than I would have.

My section was a couple over from my nephews and I spotted him with about 3 min left in the game and went over, he wasn't happy and let me know it, don't mess with me or Josh he says, I did anyway. He got over it.

My nephew Corey is on the right and Josh is the bearded one and current UGA student.

With Ga. and Fla. both losing UT is on track to win the East, but they must win the rest of the conference games, and play for the SEC championship.

Tennessee football yee haw!

2007-10-04T15:00:00.000-04:00

Going to the UT-GA game this weekend, my nephew from Conyers and eventually a UGA grad and his buddy are coming in and we are going up to K-Town early Sat. morning. This will be his first time in Neyland Stadium for him and hope it will be a good experience for him, well except for the score. I will have to make him watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEYFRLbvWoo before we leave. If he protests, too bad, until Ga. beats UT then he has to watch or listen to my crap and if that happens I'll listen to his.

The little sh#t called me after Cal beat Tenn. this year giving me all manner of crap I told him util Ga beats UT then shut the hail up.
Should be a fun weekend I'll post some pictures and details.

Practicin for cross

2007-10-04T14:46:00.000-04:00

Thats bicycle racin on a road bike wit big fat tires.

Yep went out to a local elementary school and set up a 1 mile course with some run ups, including steps, a short section of trail, some pavement, and some grass. The course seems to be a good mix of courses I raced last year, heck it even rained just enuf to get the grass wet and sling up on my legs and bike!

I did a couple of 3 lap race pace intervals, had a friend show up to heckle me and keep me going hard, and a couple of easy laps. Some guy from across the street brought a pack of dogs over, probably 6-7, and turned them loose inside on of the ball fields, so they all chased me around the inside until getting back around to home plate and out they came, so I stopped and let him gather up the herd and get them back home.

After talking for a few minutes left for home and watched snl's greatest 101 moments.