Day 6, AC Sparta Praha

Today I decided to get in with a group b/c I had gone solo the last two days and needed a little reprive. I did the standard parking lot wait which is where the options for rides leaving the hotel is quite extensive. I decided to roll with the entire AC Sparta Praha, a continental professional team from the Czech Republic. I had previously written of these guys inaccurately saying they were part of PSK Whirlpool, which is not the case. We ended up rolling north up to Inca then onto Pollenca then to Alcudia before returning south to Felantix then Campos then final S'Arenal. To sum it up we road across the entire island, 196km total, 6.25hrs. We stopped for a proper euro pro cafe stop about 2hrs before the finish. When you latch onto these rides you really have no idea what is going to happen. I kept on the director's good side by just hanging near the back. It was a pretty chill ride, endurance pace. It was good for me to work on leg speed as i probably spent the majority of the ride 95-105rpm. The avg on my SRM is a little skewed b/c of the large number of 0s while riding. Sitting in the slipstream today really enforced the issue of staying out of the wind in races. Despite being 196km, I still had good punch at the end. Just needed one more bar as I was beginning to run a little low.

I managed to do only ~3000kjs of work which is quite an accomplishment with the amount of time on the road.

They got it right with the fish tonight at dinner. The brought out the fish from tuesday which is by far the most delicious. There was also some other meat thing. I think it was some sort of pork but its questionable. Tasty however. At the cafe I grabbed a coke, first one since arriving in Europe. They served us majorcan orange slices and a few small cookies. The waitress was super nice and spoke excellent english which was helpful to me but I spoke spanish to her. the czech's didn't seem to get it. redemption.

Now on the ride today, I saw several riders just discard their trash on the side of the road...even throwing used coke cans into the drainage ditch! Didn't really have the cajones to speak to them about it or translate it into to Czech but its quite disturbing. I don't think its a Czech thing though. I commented to my lady that I was quite surprised about the amount of cans, bottles and wrappers on the side of the road. Its quite disturbing.

I spoke with the front desk tonight about getting laundry done. Apparently, I fill up a white trash bag they gave me with my clothes and they attach a room number to it. Then I get the clothes back in 1 day. So does that mean 1 complete day or I get it back same day. Will they split my colors and whites? What if I want a non-odor detergent? Schisse! LOL. I guess I will continue to wash some of the bike clothing in the sink. I'm running out of hand soap and it takes forever for things to dry here. I guess living in CO for the past year will accustom you to your clothes drying in a couple of hours b/c of the arid environment. Fortunately, I have been conservative with the non-bike clothing situation. For the bike stuff, I'm on a 3 day rotation. I really don't want to go through 3sets(3x3) without a proper washing.

Only planning on 2-3hrs tomorrow, very chill with a cafe or two stop. 31.5hrs thus far this week.
ciao,
Matthew

Dining Room Update

Success again today with the black=op ride sandwich production. The Czech pros of PSK are taking note. I saw the look-to-be captain making one. I sat inconspicuously behind them in the corner. The tall one also took part along with his teammate to the left. The tall one made a simple toasted white bread with several pieces of jamon and queso. You can immediately tell the intention b/c they bring a napkin back. I too follow a similar protocol. However, when I was watching the tall one make the illegal move of placing the "dirty" sandwich in his jacket pocket, he took looks both ways and then put it in the pocket. I couldn't help but sit there and laugh. I remember those days as a young pioneer in taking sandwiches from the dining room, I too was a little scared of the eyes watching. But with the experience I have gained this week, I am more comfortable in my shoes as a "dining room food pilferer." I decided to forge ahead with the new super power sandwich without crushing the dates. I need to save the energy for the road. I just de-seeded then crushed them and strategically placed them with some dried apriocots in the pan.

today, overcast...sticking to the flats. Going to latch onto one of the groups that leaves the hotel promptly at 1000. Hope you all are having a great Samstag(Saturday) wherever you are.

Ciao,
Matthew

Training Camp Day 5

International catastrophe averted...
At dinner tonight I decided to bring the big bottle of water I purchased at the supermercado to dinner. When at the Hotel Ayron, do not bring outside water to dinner. One must pay. The server was quite explicit. Fortunately, I save my small bottle I bought the other night and will refill it. Touché! The salad/cold portion of the buffet tonight got a little boost. They chose to add some mixed greens rather than just iceberg lettuce. It was welcomed by me. Soup was a vegetable broth green stuff. Good but not super filling. The fish was descent, not as good as Tuesday but I can hope for it again this Tuesday right?

The plan for today was to hit the climbs along the western shore(ie big day) from the suggestion of one the Camp Eden Training Center proprieters. It was worth it. 5.5 hr, 3300kjs despite a lot of descending. I rolled out along the boardwalk then when I got to Palma I latched onto a Dutch group. Same ride lead group with the prison kits from Tuesday. I started chatting to a guy next to me who had a Moots frame. I asked if he was American b/c that is a very American frame, Steamboat Springs, Colorado to be exact, so it was weird to see it among all the Merida, Author, and Cube frames that are so popular here. We chatted quite a bit about SRMs and training with power. He said very few in Europe train with power. Most train by feeling which is normal. Listen to any euro interview with a pro, "yes I had good sensations today. My team did a great job of controlling the race for me." He was running an SRM on his Moots. He did mainly mtn bike and even tricked out his mtn bike with the new wireless SRM. We hit the first climb together and were chatting pretty heavily. Before I knew it we were blazing up the Coll De Sa Creu, 8km climb. Another dutch caught on to us and we were pushing a pretty high pace. I was surprised by my good sensations b/c I had been feeling pretty tired on the ride out. Somehow competition brings you to a higher level. We were keeping it gentlemanly, still able to chat but pace was pretty high. The other dutch rider, who looked Italian gave us the "tranquillo..tranquillo" and then the hand gestures for "mellow, mellow." We weren't killing it but it was a good way to open up the ride. Descents still pose problems for the dutch. At the bottom, I rolled on to Calviá then to Andratx then up M10 to take in the Col De Sa Gremola, Des Pi, Claret and finally back to Valldemossa before heading down to Santa María then to Pórtol then the Palma Rush Hour(nice scooter hopping) then boardwalk home. I think it was like 60km of climbing? The sensations got better as the day went on. Sometimes you can feel not so good then after an hour or two, the sensations are good. Cycling is weird like that.

At breakfast this morning I completed the special black-op I had devised last evening. I'm sure I looked pretty weird cutting up dates, then using my fingers to mold them into a bar like shape with dried apricots in tow. But one must appreciate my desire to achieve bike fuel goodness. Plus you have to devise ways to motivate yourself to eat the same things every morning. And I'm a foodie and I love creating new stuff. So the "bar" i created wasn't holding shape very well. I needed some sort of "cement." Not wanting to get too messy with honey, i forged ahead and cut my little concoction into small pieces and placed them securely in the pepito-crusted roll. Next I spread nutella and added a slice of queso. The other one was sans nutella. Maybe next time I put some sort of jam inside b/c that would provide some moisture. I guess you could say I am adapting from the great Eddy B's method of food while training. Of course he uses a bit of wine to moisten the bread. Me, no wine, so I adapted. One must learn to adapt or one will not survive. The new power fuel concoctions are still going through inital R&D. Hopefully a finished product with a proper name will be unveiled in the coming days. You are probably wondering how I can pull off such controversial(as using my fingers to mold dates) or espionage like operations in a hotel dining room? Well, one must be secretive and I choose to sit in the corner with my back facing the wall. That conceals the majority of the operation, plus I never eat with my back to the door lol...

Ciao,
Matthew

Day 4, Solo

Decided I needed a day of driving by myself. Headed west along the boardwalk. Kind of a chilly start but warmed up nicely as I got into the sun. Knee warmers, longsleeve jersey and windvest. Didn't do the proper euro thing of full body coverage b/c my leg warmers were still a little damp from my in-room washing. Hopefully I wasn't judged too harshly for my lower calfs showing. Thinking of maybe picking up some authentic santani leg warmers. They are a little bit thinner than my thermal ones. Perfect for covering the legs in 70º temps b/c you don't want any skin exposed to the wind or you could risk becoming ill.

The ride started out a little frustrating b/c I was trying to find a route away from the waterfront and into the mtns along the western side. I ended up exploring quite a bit before I found the right road. Made a lot of stops to look at the map. Then I realized that any riding I do is good b/c the time here is about getting in the kms. So I stopped worrying about finding the "right" road and just rode my bike. Much better. Eventually I did find the road and it was smashing to quote the brits here. Very small, quiet roads. Very few cyclists in this area which is a stark change to other areas of the island. Did several climbs, 4:40 total on the road. That makes almost 19.5hrs thus far in 4 days. Still recovering well. I am being very conscious of eating enough while on the bike. In the past i have usually ridden myself to the ground then eaten at home, only to burn muscle rather than the fats and carbs I ate for breakfast and during training. Its much better b/c I don't arrive back to the hotel completely knackered(brit term) and unable to move b/c of hypoglycemia. Just some normal fatigue and after a proper washing in the nice warm shower, its a bowl of muesli and some laying down. Then before you know it...dinner time.

This morning I started getting a little bit more creative with my food. You have to after eating the quanity a training cyclist eats and nearly the same options each morning. In order to create the perfect ride fuel, I uncovered a special new treat: finger-size roll with dried apricots in a nutella spread. Good boost when on the ride. And a nice treat. Tomorrow morning I am going to go a little bit earlier and get some of the dates and smash them up into some fruit bars. I started doing this before I left Boulder. The project was to try to unravel the Laräbar magic. I think I came pretty close. Dates are perfect source of healthy energy and they mold very well and can hold other stuff nicely. Plus they are wicked cheap. Date trees have incredible fruit production efficiency, plus they have ancient mythical powers. You can stuff them with either sweet or savory stuff....I will post the production tomorrow.

Well I need to get to bed...Big day tomorrow, 60km of climbing along with many other kms.

Ciao,
Matthew

Japanese Dancing at Shimano Party

Training Camp Day 3

Started out with a pretty good breakfast. Tried the cortado this morning which is espresso with a "dash" of leche. Pretty solid. The plan for today was to try to hook up with a group for a good ride. Headed down to the boardwalk and patrolled the area up and down. Nothing looked promising. So I headed over to the Barcelo Park Hotel. Super nice hotel...one day I'll have the funds to stay at this place b/c the word is they have the best food along with a superb bike garage. Max Hürzeler bases one of his cycling centers here. So it attracts quite a bit of the German development teams along with a lot of ProTour and other professional riders. Word on the street is that Columbia and Milram are in the place. Hoping to get hooked up with one of their training rides. You basically have to know the right people and then you get permission to ride with them. Cycling is cool like that. No other sport do you get to mix it up and train with professionals w/o being super über imporante(that's a trilingua expression). I rolled around Barcelo and I saw a U19 Bavarian team. Pretty professional outfit. Then another group. I ended up latching on to the other group b/c they had a follow car with a speaker on top, so I figured this must be a pretty good one too. I rolled up to the director sportif and asked in my sorriest of Deutsch if I could "Ich fahre" with them, or "I drive" with them. He said yes. The thing about latching onto groups out here, you must find the ride leader or director sportif and get permission. Its a sign of respect and quite normal. It was a mix of male and females. They were all Germans. I found out after 5.25 hrs with them that they are the German U19 mountain bike national team. You wouldn't have thought b/c they were pretty well equiped with new SRMs and new gruppos. It was a good day to ride with them.

They decided to head towards the mountains b/c the weather was quite nice today. We did the Coll de Soller from both directions( I also added an extra 3km after the front side ascent b/c i finished with the front group of 2 then caught back the rest of the group right at the summit on my 2nd ascent). Next we descended the backside and headed toward Coll Puig. The director rolled up in his auto next to me and said that we "drive quarter more hour up, avalanche has closed road." I gave him the thumbs up and "danke." Again I was in the front group. Climbs are becoming better for me. Putting out good power and recovering quickly. Good juju. On the way back to the backside of Soller the group totally blew apart. The backside is quite different from the front. Very shady and short, steeper switchbacks. The front is very exposed to the sun. At the top I was just a minute behind the front group. The director said, we split into two groups now. One group rides 1 more hour the other group straight home. I rode with the first group. 5 of us total.

I am finding group training to be very beneficial. Unlike so many groups rides in the US which is just an attack, race fest. Here its very proper. 2x2 with 10min at the front. With the wind and undulating terrain it gives you 10min at threshold or more then recovery in the back. So you end up spending quite a bit of time in some good training zones and can cover many more kms than by oneself along with keeping the leg speed high. But training alone is still very needed to become a complete rider. One must really enjoy riding his/her bike if he/she wants to make themselves into a cyclist. Its just so incredibly hard. It was great to see the strong work ethic of these riders and the humor they were able to maintain.

The black ops in the dining room was a smashing success. Scored kiwi and pears for the room along with a spoon for post ride muesli. Leche stayed cool on the deck. The fish tonight was in a tomato sauce. Okay, but not as tasty as last evening. Chicken was good however and so was the soup. Got my rice pudding for desert =)

Tomorrow, I will probably patrol the boardwalk again and depending on the weather maybe head back up to the mountains alone if nothing looks too promising with the boardwalk. Found out the Katyusha rider I saw that was big enough to break me into many, many pieces was Vladimir Karpets. Would you mess with him? Not only does he have the wicked chops on the side but a sick communist mullet. Would you expect anything less from this giant Russian...

Day 2, Training with the Dutch

Today I got word about a training ride leaving from La Terreza. You have to have special permission to get into some of these rides. Fortunately, I know people who know people who know the person. And it worked out. Ride started out like any proper euro training ride...2x2 with follow car for extra clothes, food, and wheels. I settled in nicely. Legs recovered quite well from yesterday's ride and travel. The plan was to do 5 hrs and head to the mountains. We were getting some very light drizzle, not even rain but it was enough to wet the roads. Anywhere else, it just means throw on the raincape. Here the roads are very dangerous when they get wet and apparently there was snow at the top of the mountains. Crazy...So we were doing the rollers all throughout the central part of the island then did the climb up Randa Cura which tops at 543m. 5km climb at 5,8%. The climb really starts about 9km out but they only list it at the base village. They dutch rider next to me asked if I was a good climber. I joked, "we will see." I was pretty pleased. Able to stay with the early attacks and finished 5th out of 22 riders. Wasn't feeling super but pleased with effort. Two Katusha riders were doing repeats. They rode past me at the summit. The one guy was a huge rider with long locks. He was just pushing over a huge gear at probably 70-75rpm. Wicked...Saw some other pros on the route: Cervelo Test and Caisse Espargne. After we finished the climb at the cathedral, the dutch rider who made it up first said, "good climbing." I was pretty pleased and surprised to hear it.

We hit the rollers after that. Each time, putting a proper 10min at the front before rolling to the back. I ended up spending a few extra efforts on the front b/c of the disorganization at a few turn points. Good for training. This one dutch rider I spoke to quite a bit was telling me about his training and his capabilities. The power numbers he said he could put out in the lab were a little skewed on what I saw on the road. Labs are for scientists, the road is where the real riding is. So read that as you will on what I think about lab testing. So when we were on the front, I was putting out a good high threshold effort, feeling strong and his Polar is blowing up. I was watching his heart rate on my SRM(super secret racing weapon). It was at 192 bpm. Now he is 68kg as he says. The power he was saying he could put out based upon where his heart rate should land him a pro tour contract this afternoon. Its funny how people overspeak of their capabilities. He also said he preferred 25% gradients, 20% was just not enough for him to really do well. WTF? Who enjoys racing at 25% gradients? Only the 57kg italian and spanish climbers. But I'm not going to bash the guy, he was super nice. Just pretty funny.

On the last 10km, we revved it up and the attacks were one after the other. Having been at the front for nearly 10min when it started I knew it was going to be tough. Able to stay with the front group of a few by the finish. It became quite apparent what I was missing when I was in the kermesse scene in 2007. Not now...In the end, 5hrs, 160km, 3200kjs. Pretty good day. Legs still feel good. Eating properly on the bike, ie eating for tomorrow, riding for today.

I'm trying to be as professional as possible while here. Which means proper cleaning of bike and recovery after training. I bought some muesli and leche at the supermercado last night for recovery. I forgot to steal a spoon from breakfast this morning. I managed to drink the leche and muesli from the water glass in the room. Refrigerator for the leche? Forgetaboutit...I just place the leche outside in the shade. 3ºc low tonight and high of only 16ºc. In the shade the leche will keep. Let's hope =) At the supermercado today I bought some muesli bars: apricot/almond and a chocolate one. Needed a little change from the clif and powerbar stuff. Going to have to run a super covert op in the breakfast room tomorrow to get some rolls with queso and jamon.

Dinner tonight was a delicious pesca. I think I probably at an entire fish after the number of filets I ate. So fresh! The steak didn't look as good. Had a bit of flan for desert and an orange. The oranges here are worth enough to come to the island itself. I have never had such fresh, sweet tasting narajanes sp? in my life. Missed the kiwi fruit. Tomorrow, more proactive with the kiwi hunt.

Ciao,
Mateo

Newspaper Article

Training Camp Day 1

Early arrival this morning in Majorca. 0751. Eating breakfast at the hotel by 0900 and on the bike by 1115. Not too bad. Got in a total of just over 4hrs. Pretty stiff headwind most of the day. Decided to head east along the island. Goal was to get in 4hrs endurance pace and just get the legs opened up. Haven't been able to ride so much in the past few days so it was great to get out. About 10km from the city of Arenal, which is where my hotel is, I caught a group of german and french riders. They looked to be moving pretty quick. After riding into the wind all alone all day, it was a welcome sight to push up the watts and hammer it the last few kms and see how I felt. Good sensations. Having been and trained at altitude over the last year and just another year of fitness, I was very pleased with the power I was putting out at the end of the ride. I bridged up to the group then was chatting with a german rider who actually lives nearby me in Stuttgart. I ended up dropping him as I pulled "us" back to the group after we dropped back 100m. I think they were a little surprised at who I was. Kind of fun.

Majorca is quite a place. If they had snow skiing it would be my perfect place. Amazing cycling and the sailing looks to be incredible. I saw the German and UK 470 and 49er teams at the supermercado and on the street. They are just down the road from my hotel. Both are Olympic class so pretty damn good sailors.

The hotel is filled with many Czech riders. The hotel is the base for a Czech Cycling Camp during the spring months. Lots of pros and u23 and other elite amateurs amongst the Czechs. Several Germans, Brits, Scots, and Irish. I think I am the lone American, ohh well, typical I guess. Majorca is just amazing for riding. Weather is incredible and so many different opportunities to train. Lots of pros make their late winter european base here. I'm thinking of making it my european winter base as well. So far its been a gastronomic success. Before today, I have never seen baked beans and little sausages served for breakfast. Well, check that off the list. I stole two small rolls from the breakfast room this morning and spread a little nutella on them. Nice treat while riding. They have nutella in little single serving packets like we have jam. For dinner, I had a majorcan soup with lentils, potatoe and pork of some sort. Very delicious. The main course was a goulash looking thing with potatoes, mushrooms, pork, peas. It was in a tomato sauce of sorts. I think it was spanish b/c I asked the attendant but i can't remember what she said. Looked kind of like a paella but I don't think it was. Rice was on the side.

A Team Columbia pro is here as well along with some PSK Whirlpool riders. The Columbia riders had his watchers with him this morning. For dinner, I think he was with his dad. His Scott is pretty tricked out with DA wheels and new DA10spd with SRM. Frantisek Rabon is the guy. Pretty good palmares for a young pro.

I got the word about a good training ride tomorrow morning with some Germans and Dutch riders. Not sure what to expect but it will be good to get some leg speed and long kms.

Ciao,
Mateo

Majorca Photos

Supermercado and the boardwalk outside my hotel. Also La Terreza, a unique cycling bar. Exellecent sangria and alloi, a majorcan treat of whipped olive oil and garlic. its like a garlic oil cream. Pretty much dangerous, like nutella dangerous.

Majorca Training Camp and Deutschland Snow

Tomorrow morning I leave for sunny, warm Arenal, Majorca. Majorca is located off the Costa Brava in Espana. Reknown for its many training roads that swarm with cyclists or fahrens, deutsch for driver from Oct to Apr. I return to Backnang on 11 Mar.



Just finished packing up my bicycle and my clothes. Funny, I just thought I finished unpacking and creating some order to my room. Still in some order, but I am back to shleping a bike bag and a backpack. Hopefully mz excellent travel karma will continue and I won't have to pay extra for my bike bag. I think I'm a little ahead of the bike case curve here. Mine is 75% of the par-for-the-course size. I will use my 'verstache keine deutsch' skills to the maximum and of course show a weak, sad face.

Today was schiss wetter again today in Backnang for fahren. Heavy, wet snow. Having grown accustomed to the dry Colorado snow, I am deeply missing it and the eventual melting and drying of the roads which we can always expect following a snow storm. Not here, just wet and heavy and roads stay wet for a long time. Will be getting familiar again with massive cleaning jobs that I so dearly enjoyed while in California. Ohh well. So i did just shy of 1.5hrs on the trainer. In just a few short days of catching Eurosport in the morning or while training, I have become quite the expert in World Cup Biathlon. The German 4x7.5km team were killing it today up to the 2nd skier and he had a 30s lead going into the final shooting zone. Only to suffer badly from poor glock skills. Went from 1st to 3rd very quickly. I believe the Norwegians pulled off the final victory which most likely sent Leif Ericson jumping up and down in his grave. Its great watching these guys race b-c there is no panache when they win or podium. Each person collapses at the finish, succombing to the physical breakdown from their body. With spit clinging down from their chin, they pick themselves up and smile. Pure guts racing.

Well, I need to head to bed now. Early departure to Majorca...Arrive just after 0800 so I might even score part of the breakfast at the Hotel then its off for some riding.

Tchüss,
Matthew

Team Presentation article

http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/stz/page/1954118_0_2147_sushi-vor-dem-start-in-die-neue-saison.html

still looking for the interview piece...yeah, im kind of famous in Deutschland

Deutsch Lessons 21/2/2009

Today began my first “intensive” day of Deutsch. Sandra worked with me this morning for 30minutes. We went over numbers(1-10), feelings, questions, bike parts, and comments. It was very good. I forced myself to write the stuff down on paper with Sandra talking out loud. Helps me learn to spell correctly and eases the memory effort. We had a typical continental European breakfast as far as I can remember from my time in France and Belgium. Bread with jams, cheese, and nutella. I had a small bit of rice pudding and a touch of tropical fruit muesli as well b/c I only ate a small piece of bread. Marc took me to Activity b/c we had scheiswetter. I am very much looking forward to riding tomorrow and not doing training in the gym. I was eager to finish up my training in the gym before I left Boulder. Ohh well, its good that I am doing some maintenance on my core strength. On Monday I leave for Malle(Majorca) for just over two weeks. Weather should be 15-20C and sunny. Plan is to rack up the kms, do the races on the weekends. It should be spectacular.
Afer we trained at Activity, we went to a Shimano World Tour party at the Paul Lange Group headquarters. Paul Lange is celebrating 60years of being a bicycle parts distributor and Shimano is putting on a world tour to celebrate their new Dura Ace group and other component upgrades. The evening was filled with a happy hour of the whose who in German cycling. I saw the former Gerolsteiner boss, Max Holczer. He is much taller than I expected. I also saw the head of Shimano himself, an older Japanese man. He was signing autographs for people. I got a little bit of schwag. The evening was quite the event with many dancers and theater acts. Then came the dinner. It was a buffet style with many Schwäbian(area of Germany) eats. Spatzel and many types of meat, bread and vegetables. I tried to sample a little bit of everything but I didn’t make it through. Didn’t eat very much b/c I didn’t train much today. Don’t think that I am not eating, just understand that I am being careful. Desert was applesauce, fruit cocktail and a type of bread pudding? I think. I had 3 cappuccinos also. The capo is definitely my new favorite drink. I never treat myself to espresso drinks but they had a barista making whatever you wanted. So why not? They were very tasty. Near the end of the evening they served sake in a cedar box with Paul Lange and Shimano engravings. Quite impressive. Across from me sat Imka?. She is a pro triathlete from Germany and knows my former roommate and other American triathletes from Boulder. I said to everyone, “small world.” Sandra smiled b/c she knew the English phrase.
Tomorrow we have breakfast with Marc’s family to celebrate Kai(marc’s brudder’s birthday). Then we will go training afterwards.
Ciao,Matthew

20/2/2009

Weather was no so good for fahren(driving) today. Cold, cloudy and snow flurries. I decided to ride the trainer indoors rather than risk getting hurt on the wet, icy roads. Sleeping still not so good but that will change soon enough. Had some delicious tropical flavor muesli for breakfast along with 3 kaffees and a little bread with nutella. Proper breakfast I must say.
Later in the afternoon after my training, I went with Sandra to see Tim and Elena. They are Marc’s brother’s children. They knew that I would be visiting shortly and were eager to meet me. Tim is a little shy but he opened up more once we started playing a game. Elena was shy too but began showing her outgoing nature after our competitive game of Powel? Became heated. I won the first game but she handed me a lesson in the 2nd. Powel doesn’t have an American equivalent that I am aware of. There is a small jar with 6 holes in it. You have metal bits that you try to get rid of. Each time you roll the die you put a metal peg into the whole if it is open. If the hole is filled then you have to take that peg. I guess kind of a like the card game speed.
When I was at Marc’s parent’s house with Sandra, I spoke with Heinz quite a bit. Heinz is Marc’s father. Very nice man. We have some trouble communicating but we are both trying very hard to learn Deutsch for me and English for him. I prefer we speak in Deutsch so that I can get improve. He is a very funny man and always happy to see me. Marc’s mother is very nice as well. She is a hausfrau or housewife by job. Really she is the boss and manager as we joked. She is very nice as well.
So I am gained some non-temporary status here in Backnang. I now have a German handy, or mobile phone. Marc gave me all the numbers of the “drivers” on the team. I helped Sandra set up her Skype account tonight so that she can talk with Marc when he is in Australia with Leif next week. I surprised then with my computer savyness despite Skype being in complete Deutsch.
Today was a very good day despite training indoors. I began my Deutsch lessons. I’m making notecards of words and will increase words each day. Hopefully it will work. It seemed to work for me for Espanol.
Tchüss,
Matthew

19/2/2009

Weather is much colder today, -0. Fortunately the sun made its way out and there was not much wind. I rode just short of 2hrs. Followed a similar route as I did on Wed with Marc. But this time I went on the climb a little further. I was rewarded with a beautiful descent that gave impressive views of the valleys and lands far, far away. As I made my descent, I approached a town that was built on the edge of a clif. The cool part was the sharp bend at the edge of town with a stone wall about waist high. Cycling in Europe is very beautiful and you are never too far away from any town. Not that cycling in the US isn’t beautiful b/c I have had the great opportunity to ride in some of the most picturesque regions of the country, namely the San Francisco coast up to Sonoma and Napa counties, the mountains of Colorado, hills of Tennessee, and the Chicago lakefront and surrounding flatlands of Chicago, most notably, Sheridan Rd.
Legs felt much better today. After returning, I had my baguette with cheese and a little rice pudding. Then it was off to Activity for “training” and team presentation. Activity is the title sponsor of the team and also a health club. There were many “American” workout machines. But what was most notably different was they have badmitton courts and an indoor soccer field. Enrico, my new teammate, re-introduced me to badmitton. I told him I hadn’t played in 11 years, which was Racquet Sports class in high school or gymnasium in Deutsch. I know why I excel better in cycling…my hand-eye coordination es no bueno. Afterwards we did some training together with weights. I showed him some of my core exercises that I do with the stability ball. I hope that he liked them.
The end of the day was the team presentation. In the US we don’t have these events as they are only typical to professional teams. But here it is very normal. I think its good b/c it brings all the team together and you get to meet the sponsors. Bonus is the schwag and food that you get. I came home pretty good last night =) The first part of the presentation we took team photos of the entire club and then just the elite team(which I am a member of). Then we did individual shots for the elite team. Marc, the team director introduced me. I couldn’t hear what he was saying nor understand very well but Sandra his wife gave me a thumbs up so I assume it was good stuff lol. Afterwards, I had a bite to eat then I had an interview and photo session with a reporter, Gerhard?. He is writing a multi-part story. I have never done such an interview. Felt kind of pro. He has been following my blog. So its good to know that I have some continental followers lol. The funniest part of the interview is the discussion of where I am from in Colorado. It is also the first entry for my “lost in translation” segment. This will be an evolving list of the good, no-so-good and funny translation mishaps that I will of course encounter.
1.The Boulder Bubble
I list myself as residing in the Boulder bubble. In the US this means I live in Boulder and Boulder is deemed as a “bubble” of sorts b/c things that happen in Boulder seem illogical or impossible elsewhere. Its more or less a joke.
For Gerhard’s research, he was thinking that I lived in Boulder Bubble which is right to think that b/c that is what is in my blog. We had a funny laugh when I explained to him its significance. But he did Google “boulder bubble,” and he said that he found entries so it did give my joke a little credence.
Now its 0330. Very tired when I returned at 2200 and fell right asleep now I’m awake. I will fall back asleep hopefully shortly and struggle to pull myself out of bed at 0900 which is very late for me. Hopefully my sleeping pattern will normalize soon. My Deutsch learning is improving. I am very keen to learn it and I continue to encourage everyone to speak as much Deutsch to me as possible. At the end of the day, my head is very exhausted. So much new and so much thinking. Das gut though. I knew beforehand things would be this way.
Tschüss,
Matthew

Backnag Day 1-2

Made it here safely. The town i am staying in is quite historic but verz beautiful surroundings. built up the bike today after some muesli and a little bread with nutella. And of course some kaffee. 2hrs on the bike. roads are mostly clear but 10cm of snow on monday left some sketchy parts. terrain and surroundings are quite beautiful. team presentation tomorrow. lots of goodies. write more when i have access to my laptop as i can access the wireless network in the house. so if anyone is handy with wireless setups shoot me an email. i believe its a wep 128bit setup. i think my macbook is configured for a wpa setup which is not synching with the network. i can see the network but having difficulties hooking into it.

tschüss,
matthew

Almost There

Currently in London Heathrow Terminal 5 soaking up some free wi-fi. Got my own row on my BA flight over. Didn't really sleep too much but I still got my own row. Dinner was a pasta bake with red sauce, chicken and cheese. Tasty. Someone was quite ill on the plane and they had to ask for a on-board physician. Not sure whatever happened but it streamlined our landing queue. Hopefully the person is gett the needed attention.

I'm feeling good. Fatigue is better than I had imagined. Of course it could be the 3 cups of cafe I had on the plane this morning. We will see tonight. I'm trying to get accustomed to the new time zone as quickly as possible. Legs feel good so I just have to wait till tonight to sleep.
chow,
Bearclaw

The Grande Depart

I'm at Terminal A37 awaiting boarding of BA flight #218. My strategic packing paid off, and I was able to board without over charges. And to top it off, I managed to score an entire row to myself for the flight over. Too good to be true? I hope not. If it does pan out, this is good ju-ju for the continuation of my euro bike racing campaign.

This morning was packed with some delicious strawberry-ricotta pancakes I made for Kristi and myself. Next it was final North American production for Bearclaw Granola until June at Miguel's wedding. Kristi is set for a little while. I packed a lot for myself and the director and is wife. The BA plane is approaching the gate, looks like we are in for a minor delay. No worries, I've got leg room. I did my best to plan and conquer as much prior to today so I wouldn't be running around scattered on my last day. Worked for the most part. Managed a small cafe ride along the Boulder Creek Path with Kristi. Such a gorgeous day today, upper 50s/low 60s and sunny. Gotta love CO!

The updates will be flowing periodically. The only thing that I know now is that I have some team comittments this week with sponsors, presentation, training rides etc. And I know that I am getting picked up at the airport and will be having lasagna for dinner, mi favorita! Other than that, the mystery will unfold with time.

Auf Wiedersen,
Matthew

T-1

Final bits of packing today. I think I managed the unthinkable from a week ago. I will only be taking my bike case and a duffle bag for check-in. I have decided to put my new Osprey Talon 33 backpack inside my Osprey Travel Backpack. Osprey makes sick equipment and its nice they are from Cali. Very nice dinner last night with my lady. I made a yam-ricotta ravioli with a walnut-brown butter-sage sauce. Very good. Along with some roasted beets and roasted asparagus with turkey bacon bits and almonds. Started out with some turkey bacon covered pitless California dates. Super tasty treat of sweet and savory. I joked with with the Sherpa that the meal was a departure from my usual style of spicy. Don't want to be a one trick pony so the dinner was quite savory and sweet as would be fitting. For desert I double-boiled some dark chocolate with orange zest and we dipped strawberries and oranges. 

Packing is nearly complete. Just need to put the final touches on the bike bag. We are heading over to the Camp Eden Training Center for dinner and strategy talk prior to the grand depart. 

Here are some photos of the product that will keep me going fast during races b/c apparently based upon my lab test, I burn a lot of carbohydrates which leads to quick depletion of go-fast resources.

The Day After Tomorrow

I'm sitting at Panera getting some wi-fi action and a little cafe. Able to squeeze my way out of work this weekend. I definitely needed these last two days to be filled without "job" obligations.

Last night I went to pick up a new laptop b/c my beloved iBook G4 is on the way out. I also need something that can support my training software better and one that has a camera for video conferencing. Well, I tried to install some new software last night and the whole thing went into meltdown mode. Not good. Not good. Hopefully the problem will be resolved at the apple store this morning without much delay.

today is also v-day, not Victory Day(WWII), but Valentine's Day. I'll be bucking the system and making a delicious meal at home for myself and my lady.Hoping to get out for a short spin today on the cross rig. We got some snow last night and the roads are still a little dicey. So much for the cleaning effort I put on the bike the other day.

I received a schedule from the team manager this week of my upcoming week schedule. Packed with some meet and greets, team training rides, team presentation. Feelin' pro.

chow,
Bearclaw

Disease All Across the Land

To steal the words of Billy Joel...why is that people who are sick and coughing up blacklung fail in public cover their mouths as if no one but them is around? If people were a little more conscientious of the diseases that could be prevented from public infiltration, then the world would be a better place. I sit here in a cafe with a women coughing up black lung and no movement of her hand to cover her mouth

Don't be that girl or that guy....

~7.5 Days~

Anxiety, not stress. Anxiety, not stress. Anxiety, not stress.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Yeah, I'm a little anxious. All good but just a little anxious. Reality is finally hitting the head while I'm drinking coffee in the Bubble. Next Monday, I board British Airways for an adventure of a lifetime. Still a few things to wrap up. Namely, tax returns and insurance stuff. But i'm not going to let the man get me down. Weather in Boulder last week was pretty awesome. Now its back to mid 40s, but it could be snow. I've already determined in my head that training this week will most likely not be super good. I'm okay with it. I need to be fresh when I go over. I'll be putting in plenty of hours once I hit sunny Malle(majorca in deutsche). The work i've done over the last few months gives me peace of mind that I'm fit. I just don't want to go over with any additional stress so I'm taking it low key this week. Tomorrow will be a little different as I'm heading over to Boulder Performance Lab
Going to get the full fitness evaluation, ie I'll be pricked, prodded and forced to ride my legs to the ground while my oxygen consumption and lactic acid production is measured. Should be exciting. I hope to have some photos and video of the whole experience to post.

Chow,
Matthew

~11 Days~

11 days until I jump over to the magical world of bike racing in euro land. Anxiety is high but I'm not stressed. Training is going well, of course a mild Boulder February, 60s and near 70 today help. Heading up to the Camp Eden Training Center for a plyo session shortly then its back to getting my affairs in order before a delicious happy hour at the Med with my lady.

The next 11 days will be action packed, typically BearClaw style, leave no room for rest but that's okay. I have to make the most of it all.

Chow,
Bearclaw