The Assimilation Continues...

Alpine Adventures

Returned yesterday from quite an amazing time in Österreich with Karin and Heinz. The homebase was their camping platz in Westendorf which is in the Tirol region of Austria. What is the Tirol region, well its a collection of delicious foods, fun clothing, enchanting music and incredible natural beauty. Training was good. I managed to take on 15hrs and 500km. Sat/Sun I did 172/141km respectively. 4200kjs/3000kjs. Two pretty big days back to back over some good climbs. Saturday's ride took me over parts of this year's Giro d'Italia, Gerols Paß. Altitude is not much of a problem, but the length of the climbs and grad
Here is the map:
Here is the just a little bit of the tasty food that I took my fingers and lips too:
Kaiserschmarrn(Tirolean mehlspeisen). This is a desert dish. Similar to pancakes but so much better. A side of apple sauce or fruit compote is a perfect accompaniement. And yes that gold glass in the background is a local beer =)
Tiroler Gröstel aus der Pfanne(pretty much deliciousness in a pan). A collection of potatoes, local bacon, onions, and eggs. You could argue its the perfect recovery meal after a 5hr day in the saddle. Plus you only have one dish to clean, what could be more perfect?
Germknödel mit Mohn und Vanilla Sauße with a cappuccino to boot! At first I thought this was a cake, but its a yeast dough with plum compote in the middle and swimming in a sea of vanilla sauce. Knödel is a popular dish in Tirol and the Tirolean people love sweets so it's pretty much an anytime meal. It's categorized as a Mehlspeisen(which is flour foods). The Mohn is poppy seeds. Hopefully no USADA checkups anytime soon =)

Here is Apfel Strüdel. It's a mainstay in Tirol. Think you have had it before, you better question that statement b/c you haven't. This is the real deal. We took on this project in the historic glass blowing town of Rattenberg. I scored a nice commemorative glass thanks to Karin and Heinz. Heinz and I took our Strüdel with vanilla sauce while Karin went a la mode with vanilla ice cream. It was piping hot as they cooked it right up for us after ordering.
And what could be more complete to the delicious culinary treats of Tirol than savoring their famous fruit schnapps! An after dinner fruit schnapps is tradition in Tirol. This is a pear flavored one. Or maybe a schnapps flavored pear one...it's mearly how you look at it =) It was quite smooth and satisfying. The german flag was a nice touch even though we were in Austria. This was after a delicious fish dinner at the Erbensee in Brixen im Thale.
And of course, being in Europe offers many interesting sites in the supermarket. Stuff that is the norm here is like precious gold in the US to the culinary eyes. Heinz and I enjoyed this particular Swiss specialty one afternoon. Let's just say that the fatigue I felt in the legs after 4200kjs provided the "flying feeling" I needed to get me through the rest of the day =) haha Again, hopefully USADA is nowhere nearby as my Cannibis tea drinking habit could land me in a place far far away.
Now some riding photos:

Paß Thurn is a super hit pass, compared to what we have in Colorado but with the heat, wind in the face, grades: 5-8%, and already 4.5hrs in the saddle it makes for a good effort.
It was definitely a great recharge and escape from the demands of Volkschule =) The Tirolean people are probably some of the most friendly I have ever met. Never have so many people said hello or "Griste" to me in my life. The drivers are also very pleasant with cyclists. Not the honking and passing just a little too close like in Deutschland and in the US. The area we were in contained hundreds of hiking paths and countless mtn bike trails. I estimate that for every 1 road cyclist, there were 20mtn bikers and all levels too!

Making a pause today before getting back at it tomorrow. Sunday is a big LBS Cup race and Monday is a C-Klasse race. Tuesday I head back to the mother country!

Chow,
Bearclaw

Surviving the Serious Demands of Volkschule

Today I completed my Volkschule class. Well the rest of the class is meeting tomorrow and 3 days in June, but I begin my Urlaub(holiday) a little bit earlier. It was quite a unique and enriching experience. Perhaps I could say in 30-40 years from now, "ahh yes, when i was 28 I studied in Germany in a most prestigious learning environment." And of course this would be said with a glass of scotch in one hand as I continue to rattle off the long and perhaps embellished stories of my "wild" days.

It's a pretty gorgeous day here in Backnang, close to 80ºF and sunny. Nice change from all the rain we had last week. I'm taking a pause(rest period). Gearing up for my awesome Österreichen experience tomorrow.

At the race on Sunday, I came to the conclusion on why Europe predominately excels over us in the States in bicycle racing. Is is the awesome haircuts, the bling around the neck swinging or the obscure American music that is blasted at all races? No, its the the attention the sport pays to the youth. 75 riders in the U15 categories! Even the U11 raced two laps on the demanding course.
Watching them spin their small chainrings and blast up the climb was just fascinating. Yeah they suffered, but the mountains don't let anyone hide. Some just hide the pain better. There are areas in the US that are doing great things in growing the sport. But it's pretty isolated. Even more isolated than bike racing in the US. Yeah things are improving but if you want to learn to race and learn to race at a new level, you have to give Europe a try. To me it is a difference in mentality. In Europe, cycling is seen as a possible way to the means. In the US its a means for the way. Now not everyone here is looking for a job as a cyclist. The majority are hobby riders. I'm not knocking the American scene. We have done a lot in the last 25-30 years. But we can do more. Developing youth programs and promoting youth cycling or sport in general is my solution to the obesity and lackadaisical pandemic that has gripped the young population. Maybe they aren't all lazy but forgetting how to enjoy the outside without electronics and mom and dad hovering over them has become an ancient practice. I know my family reads this but if my parents knew half of what we(brother and friends) did or where we went on our bikes we would have probably experienced a life-sentence somewhere far, far away. But we survived and we have all grown up to be responsible gentlemen. How does this relate to my writing about my experience here in Germany riding my bike? It all comes full circle like everything else in the world. If you think about it long enough, parallels can be made if they can't, just make one up and hope no one questions you.

Chow,
Claw

My Weekend of Battles

Raced Saturday and Sunday this past weekend. It was certainly a tale of two completely different races. Saturday was C-Klasse on a 10km flat circuit over 6 laps with 180 starters. Sunday was a KT/A/B/C Gonso Ba-Wu-Liga race over 25 laps on a 4km circuit with 120 starters with a sick 200m climb that probably averaged 12-15%. Fortunately the black lung that made it's presence known to me last week was feeling the wrath of vitamin C and Zinc.

Saturday, I felt really good. It had been a while so I was pretty stoked. I took a really long warmup knowing that it would be full-gas from the get go and not much time to make up as it was only 60km. After scoring probably the best start position(more on this technique later), I was able to position myself very nicely near the front and avoid the carnage that would ensue. Now the key I have found in getting a sick starting spot is to avoid at all possible the standard line up that the keepers put the riders. This is usually a roped off area. Stay near the start line, or just ahead of it on the sidewalk. Also you must pretend that you don't understand anything which they are saying. Fortunately for me, this is nearly completely true. I think my Deutsch thinking portion in my brain turns off as soon as I get near race time. It's a conservation of resources you could say. As the keepers allow the riders to go to the start, a swift and what might be referred to as a "wanker" move is par for the course. Over here, you have to look out for numero uno, ie yourself. The team was quite impressed with my navigational skills. In the first 3km, someone flatted and consequently took out about 20-30 riders immediately. Marc fell victim and suffered flesh wounds and a broken bike. It sounded like the rider was runing 150psi in his tubular. No bueno. From then it got fast and sketchy like most C-Klasse races. I was hoping the pace would stay high to keep it safer and thin out the field. 2nd lap rolls around and all is compacto. 3rd round, and another crash on the slightly uphill section before we entered Kurhart(village). This one took out another 20-30 riders I think. The next two laps were all about watching what is going on and keeping sure nothing serious went without being in it. I tried my luck following a rider in one move but it ended after a few minutes. On the last lap, a rider was about 20-25s up the road. The field was uninterested in him. To me, he looked too strong and I wasn't about to let some rider go off the front when I had some teammates who could shake it in the end. I didn't like the finishing stretch and prefered to do work for the team. So I told Florian, Marcel, and Daniel to sit in and I would bring it back. Having good sensations and a cyborg approach that I was going to pull this guy back no matter what I set out. Immediately I ramped up the pace to 45-50km/h after being at 38-40km/h. I didn't even look but apparently the field was completely strung out. 3km later, I brought the rider back. Rested briefly then brought Daniel(designated sprinter) to the front and drove the pace for as long as I could to halt any attacks before the village. It worked until I blew up just 1.5km from the finish. Daniel got into place but got pinched near the end and had to settle for 12th. I was top30 as only 60 finished I think. For me, it was one of those great moments of riding. Doing the work I did in the race was so much better than scrapping for a top-15, top-10 in the finish.

Sunday presented an improved level of suffering. In the pre-ride, I was watching the Jugen(youth) u-11 category, or u-13 category. Anyways, they were young and the field was all girls. Pretty cool stuff. What I witnessed was a true champion. Sure there was the winner, but the girl who was off the back will forever be the champion to me. She drove as hard as she could and suffered and suffered and suffered. I look over and she got into her little aero position and worked as hard as she could on the demanding course. Closer up, the girl was bleeding from the nose. No not a crash, the girl dug so deep that she was bleeding through the nose. Crazy stuff! I thought later as I was suffering quite a bit that I could never let up after watching this cyborg of a young girl. The race for me was damn hard. I managed what I could but had to settle for the 4th group. Weather was insanely warm, not Colorado July warm but nevertheless, my jersey and shorts could be sold for the delicious salt that encrusted them. On lap 18 the ref told us to sprint on the climb which was also the finish because our race was over. Again, the portion in my head that understands German was obviously completely turned off. As was the rest of my brain. All resources were dedicated to staying on wheels and drinking as much as I could. Fortunately, I spoke with another rider and go the low-down on the course we were taking. Ended up 39th. I believe there were probably 45-46 scored finishers.

One more day of Volkschule for me. Wednesday I am playing hookie and heading to Österreich with Karin and Heinz. We are staying in their camping platz in Kirchberg, right smack in the Alps. Check it out...Kirchberg We will return to Backnang on Monday. Looking forward to adding another country to my resume and doing some Austrian recreation.

Chow,
Claw

And the Ref Shows the Red Card

No this is not Fußball its Volkschule. Yesterday, the Camerooner threw out the race card. I don't know how it came about but the conversation went from learning a language to discussing and arguing about his difficulties in Esslingen and in Deutschland. What started as a conversation turned into a "Stand Up with Arms" harangue. Yeah that is a big boy word. Use your inferencing skills or your GRE language skills to unravel that one. Or you can just see the definition here
So the whole event went on way too long. Finally the lehrerin took the rheins(1st time) and she put the big kabush on the whole thing. I sat there uninterested and wondering what the hell just happened?

Health is getting better. My infection has moved from my throat to my nose. So now it's like normal, normal being full-on nasal drip, as is par for the course normally for me. Racing tomorrow, C-Klasse then A/B/C Ba-Wu-Liga race on Sunday.

Stepped up the maturity ladder today. My younger sister Lauren gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Which made me the an uncle and consequently a provider of all future things her parents won't give her or take her too. It won't be demanding for quite a few years but I will first expose her to Deutsch. Tomorrow I ride for Lauren and Abigail.

Chow,
Claw

Seinfeld Moment

Went to battle yesterday and paid dearly. Not sure what is up. Today I feel congested so I'm not sure if I am coming down with something. Hopefully not. Hopefully it's just the aftereffects of yesterday's effort on the pulmonary system. KT/A/B/C Gonso Ba-Wu-Liga race yesterday. I was in the front group in the front 15 on the start of the 2nd climb 2km (8-12%). Felt good the first lap, 2nd lap, I completely blew when the field split. The whole body was screaming from Lactic Acid. Did a lot of chasing to catch the chase groups. At one point in my chase, I had a lapse of thought as 99% of my self was into catching the group up ahead and I found myself riding the gravel just inches from endo-'ng into a ditch. Kind of unnerved me and the social consequences of crashing by oneself would have been quite tough to bare. I had weeds hanging from my shoe. I think I rode 4 laps with it in before I finally was able to grab it. Another rider asked if I went into the weeds. I kind of smiled b/c my brain wasn't working enough to speak Deutsch.

Volschule took it's toll on me this morning. I didn't sleep well last night and it was a bit of struggle but I pressed on. Only 7 more classes...I need to develop solid sleeping habits after races. The adrenalin from the races always prevent me from sleeping well the night of the race. Body temp is up and just restless. Tonight should be a good sleep though.

Last Friday, I had a Seinfeld moment at Volkschule. I was being extra healthy as swine flu takes over the world and washing my hands. Just before I was to dry, a guy blew his nose using the dry cloth. This is not some sheet of brown paper, this is the cloth type that is reused over and over. Let's just say that I won't be using this hand dryer or any other one the rest of my life. And if you need to blow your nose, use toilet paper as this is bad form.

chow,
Bearclaw

Volkschule Throwdown

Good day today at Volkschule. I had one of those, "all systems are go" type day, ie I was able to create coherent thought in Deutsch and understand a lot better. Some days I have it, some days I don't. Before our "pause" (English=break, recess) this morning the Cameroon guy blew up. I'm probably not the only one but his accent is so not-german that I can barely understand him. Not quite sure if the teacher could either. But he was blasting the way the class is run. He can't learn when everything is spoken so fast and only in Deutsch with no Franciosich(french). That lasted for about 10min. The teacher cowered away. I thought she should have done a better job at redirecting his frustration into an offline discussion. My deutsch is limited so I wasn't able to offer a witty one-liner that would ease the crisis. I was thinking about something like, "I can wipe my own butt" or "I like to eat muesli." I should have just said it and not worried about it 747'n over student's heads. Next time...

At the end of class, we played a classic American game of Hangman. The teacher went first and she chose a rather long word, "telephoneiren." As she was counting the spaces, I spoke up and gave the answer. She was completely bummed and I think a little frustrated. Who is this American?! Its just how I roll...I throw down in Hangman. So she sent me to the board and I gave the class a pretty good run for the money before my word, "antwort" (answer) was answered correctly. Only had two chances left so I chose well. My skilz didn't stop there, each time it was my turn to guess a letter I guessed correct. The Cameroon guy was so excited for me. One might call him a fan of mine...

Cooked up a nice Eggplant marinara for dinner along with some fish. It was a nice touch after a good training session. Karin and Heinz furthered the enjoyment with some ice cream and fresh fruit. Quite the tasty treat. I had forgotten how good ice cream tastes. Perfect day for it as it was sunny, cloudless and 75!

Adios,
Claw

Steeper at the Top

My race performance went better on Sunday than the experience on Friday. After a proper departure of 7am after a wakeup of 5:50am and cramming down muesli, we were out the door for Geislingen. First we had to meet up with the rest of the team in Fellbach and caravan down. Geislingen is about 1.5hrs south of Backnang. Course was a 12km circuit with a climb at the start then flat, then down, then up for 2km and rolling before a tailwind descent to the start. The field size as always was enormous, atleast 250. Some were saying 300, but I managed to see someone with a pinnummer of 250. Before the race even began it was a race, a race for the front of the start. With the juniors finishing just before us, they left no time for the start for our KT/A/B/C race. I like it this way, no bs'ng around. The keepers were having a difficult time keeping the field at bay. I played it cool and stayed just far enough up that and didn't make eye contact. This kept me from being told to go back. I also got a nice little sidewalk position which helped the cause. My efforts paid off, as I got a 2nd row start. Better start off on the upside I like to think.

The race was again, crazy hard. About half-way through with the break up the road, the field blew up. I was falling back in the first group then the cord snapped and I was in the middle. So I waited till the 2nd group came. Fortunately, two teammates made the front group. I was thinking as the pace went from okay this is hard, to "who the hell is the human cyborg at the front?" Fortunately, we had a pretty big group and several well-conditioned riders. They forced their leadership on the field and kept the pace respectable but not blood coming out the ears. With the race leaders up the road, our race in the Grupetto became who could descend the fastest on the final descent and cross the village sign first. It was pretty funny. You had teams forming leadouts and people going all out for the village sign. When the winner crossed, hands were thrown up in the air. I think the highest i hit was 79km/h. It wasn't very steep but I managed to slingshot myself off some riders and ride the gutter.

Had a good ride yesterday. Legs still felt pretty good. Upcoming week is looking good. Another LBS Cup race on Sunday with Schule the rest of the week.

Chow,
Matthew

Frülingsfest 2009

After our little battle in Öschellbron, we headed to Bad Cannstatt for Frülingsfest. I came to learn that it's the biggest festival in Europe. I wasn't disappointed.

The race didn't go as I had planned. I learned some things, and I hope that I can continue to work for the team and help them as much as possible. Tomorrow is a new day and a new race so that is where my mind is.

When we arrived at Frülingsfest I started taking pictures like a tourist. I told myself before I came over here that I would do a much better job at photographing the experience. I did a pre-school job in Belgium. I'm planning on making a photo/movie presentation once all is said and done. It will be available to the public after a private viewing with my peeps. So onto the festival experience. I needed an objective for the evening. Something to make the evening comical and provide myself with some needed humor and above all, great blogging material.

The objective: Photograph as many "Eurotrash" haircuts that I can find(for my european readers, eurotrash is american slang, nothing derogatory, just fun slang). The tools: my Olympus digital camera and my superb clandestine skills The place: Frülingsfest, Bad Cannstatt, Germany 1 May 2009

Disclaimer: No individuals were asked permission for their photos. I reserve the right to laugh and describe in my own words the individuals hair.

This is your standard Euro mullet. Notice the top is clean but he keeps a party going on in the rear. The plain white tee adds to the standardness of this guy. He is your good friend, someone that you know is true to the game, much like his mullet.

This is a great example of the melting of eras in Germany. The young gun on the left is posting up a beefed up standard mullet in the rear but added a touch of flair to the top. It's a melting of cultural periods. Quite beautiful. His posse to the right is sporting the Ecstasy Hawk. This is the guy who can roll with the best at the all night ragers. Notice the classy leather with the faux tie on the yellow button up. This has class and party written all over it.

Here is the ÜberHawk as I like to call it. This cut says, "damn, I'm a gangsta. I roll on 24s and I spend 2 hours doin' up my hair yo!" It's loud, it's tough, and it's gangsta all rolled into one. You can't see, but his harem is in tow.
Here is a bleached blond example. The pink hood is a classy and sophisticated touch to the ensemble.

This is, "Honey I'm Home from Work!" Traditional yet sophisticated. Notice the tightly kept backside which rolls down the neck. This is a man of principle and servitude to his community. The finely chiseled beard is just an added bonus. Classic in design and never out of style. Sporting a white tee and posting up a leather jacket is Fonzesq.

Here is a Spiked EuroHawk. Notice the shaved sides. This provides a pleasant accentuation of the top and a good ear shot to insure optimal hearing while at the concert. Here is a 2nd take on the popular Spike EuroHawk.


The Turkish mafia...that's all that needs to be said about that.

We step away a bit from the typical eurotrash haircuts being featured above and focus now on the urban spike. An upclose view found the do' quite spikey and frizzy. It's fun and new, like Spring.
Here is a fine example of the "clean mullet." Nothing too fancy. For the ladies, he is one you can bring home to mom and dad but know that he still has the wild side when he is out.

If there was to be a leader amongst the crowds, someone that all eyes and ears would turn to, it would be this guy. The full hawk on the top and half-way down the back side. Then he throws down a perfectly trimmed, and straightened neck bob. This is a look only few can pull off, and only few who would dare try such a masterpiece of eurotrash style. As you can see, it works well with the ladies. but one must include neck bling and a black leather vest to full accessorize the part.

And finally the boys who could have ended my clandestine work. They weren't too happy about me snapping a photo of them. I thought they looked funny when they were all posting up along the railing of the bumper cars. It was like this was their turf and they were checking out all the ladies walking by. Too nervous to talk to them but they sure did look cool next to the bumper cars.

Over and Out,
Claw

A Little Bit of Humor