Arnon Bike Marathon

The marathon today in Switzerland was a 35km, single loop course that skirted along the edge of a huge lake and then climbed to the top of the ridge before dropping back down to the finish. We started with an odd neutral start that rolled out of town for about 5 or 6 km to the next twon where we re-staged before getting the real starting gun. It just seemed a little unnessecary. The course, however, was killer. The amount of singletrack was pretty limited, maybe 10km or so, but descent down into the finish was dope! The rest of the climbing was on long, loose fireroads that had some spectatular views that made my reconsider racing my bike, and just spectating. I finished up the race in 9th out of 45 U23 riders, and was the top American in our field. It was awesome!

Nice!

This week will be focusing on recovering, staying fresh, and eating more Euro cereal. Next week is the Swiss Racer Bike Cup/Mini World Cup.

I been on top of taking pictures so far. All but one of these are from today. The days ride was on Hinterwaldkopf, the big mountain just outside of town and the site of the '95 World Championships. We got about halfway through the course, which was almost entirely narrow double-track, got bored and opted for some of the sweeter singletrack. The trails here are interesting. They're mostly smooth, not overly technical, but are crazy steep. They don't do switchbacks either, just straight shots up the mountain. There is one rippin descent that come off the ridge into Freiburg that's about the sickest thing here. It's one long 2000 vertical foot out of control two wheel slide that blasts straight down the mountain with a few manicured berms, drops, and lots of braking ruts.

They also love graffiti. It's on almost every building. Most of it is normal junk thats ugly and doesn't really mean anything. Then there are others that more like murals and probably took a lot of time. Those are cool to look at.

I think the most interesting part of being here is the language barrier. Being in a smaller town, English isn't quite as commonly spoken as we all thought it would be. I can't even tell people that I can't speak their language. All I can do is shake my head and walk away. I ordered a pizza today by pointing to the picture of it on the giant menu boards on the back wall. I did the same with the pastry I bought a few hours later. They seem to catch on quickly that were Americans.

Matt, this one's for you...I know how you love them

Tomorrow is our first event. We're racing the Arnon Bike Marathon is Grenichen, Switzerland. They're telling us its a local race, but we're in Europe, and I have my doubts.

I slept with Harlan Price

Don't believe me? Today was the big travel day. Not only was the flight never-ending, I couldn't fall asleep either. I landed in Frankfurt with ehh, maybe two full hours of shut-eye before pileing into a Eurovan and driving three more hours to Kirchzarten.

Bikes freshly assembled, we took a short spin on the bike paths of Freiburg. Man, bikes are big here. Everyone rides a bike. They own the roads.

We're being put up at a small bike hostel right in town. The place is small with limited/nearly insufficient utilities. Take your hands and make two fists. Now fist bump yourself, in front of your chest. Your elbows would now be touching both sides of the shower. I guess it adds to the culture.
The Aaron Snyder Signature Edition bottle collection.

With all this down time, my posts should be frequent.

Focal Point

As of 3pm this afternoon, I have professional modeling experience. No SI centerfold or Men's Health cover shot, but you'll come across my mug somewhere within the August issue of Bicycling.

I was suprised at how awkward the whole thing was. Being the focal point is not my thing. Lighting sensors, flash bulbs, light reflecting panels, and cases of lenses. I faked pain faces, I lathered up with tanning oil, and I flexed so much it hurt. It was terribly unnatural at first, but when a guy's laying out of the side of a mini-van cruising at 30-35 mph with a camera a few inches from your front wheel, its hard not to feel a little rockstar-ish.

Bill, I know your checking this out, so thanks for the referral.

Less is more

In a hole of fatigue, the only ladder out is recovery. I'm standing on the bottom rung right now, looking up. My body is tired right now. Not from over-training, or over-reaching, or over-exerting. Just under-sleeping. I made a pretty stupid error last weekend. A very, umm..., unprofessional mistake. Exactly one week ago, following the US Cup race in TN, I drove straight home, more or less all through the night, with only a 2 hour nap in Maryland.

It wasn't like I had to be home for anything. I just wanted to get there.

I figured a little nap in the afternoon an early night the next evening would satisfy my sleep deficit, but it's been slowly catching up with me all week. I've been taking naps, going to bed early, and sleeping in, only to wake up still exhausted. I few more easy days, and I'll be back at it.

This weeks lesson: Shut eye is the best thing to happen to an athlete. Don't underestimate it, don't underdo it. If your tired, take a nap. If your not tired, take a nap. And remember kids, less is actually more. (exept in the case of money)

US Cup East Coast Opener

Race my bike in Tennessee. Check.

I was a little wary of what to expect at the first big east coast event. I ditched the Cascade Classic and Granogue for the chance to race somewhere new. Its been a little while. It was a big race too. The 13 hours cruise down I-81 felt like the longest one ever, though I've made the drive dozens of times. I never had to dodge full size sofa beds falling off of trailers before though...I cleared it by mere inches.

The forecast for the weekend was grim. The rain gods had me thinking that it might hold out, but the next morning it was pouring. Not raining. Pouring. Fortunately, most of the trails in the southern Appalachians are resistant to water and hold up well and we were even luckier to have our race time slotted perfectly within the best two hour window of the day. The rains stopped and the sun was beating down on us for the start, only to open up again immediatley following the finish.

The racing action was superb. Though shortened a bit, the course suited me well. With the middle section removed, it was a true mountain bike course with a climb/descend profile. On the opening climb I found myself recovering from a poor start and by the top of the course I had passed most of the field, and made my way into the top 5. Swapping back and forth with Ryan Woodall, we pushed a hard pace, trying to real in the lead group. The second time down the descent, a lap rider got between the two of us and held me up just enough to give Ryan a small advantage. By the bottom, the gap was about 20 seconds. I mashed the 3rd lap but wasn't able to pull him back and the gap stayed the same. 6th. Darn, so close. I can't complain though, I'm more than happy with it.

The legs felt awesome. I was hoping last week wasn't just a fluke, and its not feeling like one. It makes me feel really good. It would be nice to not get second for the third year in a row at French Creek this weekend.

Brakes were smoked by the end