Fall is in the air

The 2009 season has flown by. It feels like yesterday that I was getting on a plane for Italy, nervous and excited to travel and race in Europe for the first time. There were many firsts this year, too many to list them all but I am grateful for every experience, both good and bad, that I had. When I started the year I had no idea where I would be by the end. Turns out I'm in a good place. Despite not having any amazing results this season it was a consistent year, did a lot of solid racing and gained valuable experience that will certainly serve me in the future. I was able to wrap up the year on a high note with a weekend of local wins in a road race and downtown crit. Even when it's not on a large stage winning feels great, especially when you have the time to sit up and savor it, to fully appreciate the effort that garnered such a result. That feeling is what keeps me going, it is the same feeling that made me fall instantly in love with the sport. As I've progressed, I've learned to take the same pleasure out of working for teammates and doing my job well. I am still finalizing my plans for next season but I have no doubt that wherever I end up 2010 holds great things. This year felt like that transitional year where I would have glimpses of great form, a few days here and there where there was "no chain", but I couldn't seem to make it appear when I needed it most. I was always solid, always near the front, but not quite there yet. Next year I plan to bring that amazing form to all the big races, to make sure that I am ready to perform on the large stage when the opportunity presents itself.

Now, as I step outside my door and feel the cool wind whipping around me, I know that it is time for a break. Time to hang up the bike for a bit and let my body recharge mentally and physically so that I can approach my training for next season with fresh legs and a fresh mind.

Paradise

Don't have much to post but I'm in Truckee, CA right now. If you've never been here you should check it out. A quick drive and you'll find yourself on Lake Tahoe. Endless sunshine, warm temps and good riding plus sleeping at 6,000 feet... can't ask for much more than that. Heading back to the bay area tomorrow for a couple days to race in San Rafael on Saturday night then back up here Sunday. More races coming up soon which means updates are on the horizon. Ciao

Lining up at Philly for the second year in a row was an experience not soon to be forgotten. Not 1km into the race I took off chasing Daniel "Hollywood" Holloway from the Garmin U23/USA squad. It took a little longer than I would have liked, about 80 or so km's before I caught him, but I wouldn't change a thing about the race. Well, except for the chasing part. Wasn't quite clear on why he didn't wait for me but every team and director has their own priorities.

Getting to ride up "the wall" in Manayunk solo, hearing the people scream and cheer was an amazing experience, one I would like to repeat in years to come. I was hoping that since I was off the front the guys would have an easy ride in the field but some bad luck pretty much took us out of contention for victory at the end of the day. C'est la vie, that's bike racing. After twenty or so hours of car and travel time we found ourselves in Minnesota, home to the Nature Valley Grand Prix.

The race started off pretty blandly for us, nothing special in the TT for anyone but it got better from there. Lots of top fives and close calls all week until Mamos finally showed everyone how its done on the final day taking home the W. Props to Chad who always seemed to find his way off the front and earned himself a day in the most aggro rider jersey as well as taking home the KOM jersey overall. I wasn't anything special at NV but I did what I could to help the guys. Thank you Linda for housing Rich, Chad, and myself, you were great! Next up is some local flavor with tour de nez thursday through saturday and Nevada City on Sunday.

Wish me luck and legs,
Andrew


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We've got the dreamer's disease...

Welcome to Philly, temporarily the city of dreams. For our team that means standing on the top step of the podium come sunday. Each night before bed I picture how I'd like the race to go. You can feel the tension building as we get closer to race day. At the race hotel riders walk around saying their hello's, doing everything they can to ease their nerves. A win here is huge for any team but especially for the american squads as this is one of their only chances to measure themselves against their european counterparts. On paper it looks like Columbia-Highroad is the team to beat with big names such as Boasson Hagen and Greipel.

Philly is a truly unique event where seemingly anything is possible. The fans come out and creat a european atmosphere with screaming cheers heard all along the course. As the riders struggle up "the wall" in the latter part of the race, the masses are quick to offer a much needed push and a shout of encourgement. It matters very little to the beer fueled fans whether you're leading the race or suffering at the back, they're just here for the show. Big group, small group, bunch kick, breakaway. Only time will tell. Like I said, we've all got dreams, hopefully we can turn them into reality come sunday.


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Left San Fran this morning and I'm currently en route to Virginia via DC. I have some time before hopping on my plane out of ATL so figured it would be a good time to throw up a post. After recovering Jose Martinez I fit in a solid block of training to get ready for the upcoming races. Felt nice to be at home for a couple weeks although I'm pretty sure I've forgotten how to use a closet.

So Amore-Vita is coming stateside...world get ready. Hope all the domestic boys are ready to toe the line with Yuri. If he's riding like he was in Italy he's going to be a tough guy to beat. We've also got Starchyk aka Starsky, Mamos, and Rich England along with some team staff making the journey to the US. Starchyk is my pick to win something over here, he's like a Russian energizer bunny on the bike. Flat, uphill, downhill, doesn't seem to matter with this guy, he's hardman without a doubt. As for me, I'm feeling good, the training has gone smoothly so no excuses, ready to race.

On a random note I got stung by a bee yesterday while riding. Glad I'm not allergic. The last time I got stung I was in Banner Elk and it was the tongue. This time it was the lip. I have a theory that the bees are attracted to the honey that I usually eat for breakfast and they're trying to get a taste. I take small consolation in the fact that the little bugger is most surely dead now. Ha.

Race Schedule:
Sat, may 30- CSC/Clarendon cup crit
Sun, may 31- Air Force
Sun, june 7- Philly
Wed, June 10-14 Nature Valley

Anyone remotely near Philly come check out the show. Biggest one day event in the US, great racing, and a huge party atmosphere for the spectators. See you there


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Gila monsters and jose martin

Wham, bam, thank you tour of the Gila for one of the nicest weeks of racing I've had in a while. Nothing super as far as results go but this year was a fantastic event with the best/biggest field the race has ever seen. I'll be back for more.

Now its off to a race I have dubbed Jose Martin...Joe just sounds to plain. Plus, its cinco de mayo so a little hispanic flair is in order. Right now I'm in my favorite blogging spot, the airport. This time its Phoenix and I'm off to memphis in a couple hours. Pretty excited to be heading out to Arkansas for a couple reasons. One, I'm a happy camper after getting some solid racing in and I'm ready to put the good form to use. Never done the race before but I hear good things and its a solid field. No Lance, Levi, or Horner but I'm sure it will still be tough. Secondly, I'm going to be tagging along with my good friend Trent Talley for the week, haven't seen him since MTB nats at LMC back in october so it will be nice to catch up.

Finally I have to throw some thank you's out there. First off thanks to Chris and Jim, my most accomodating hosts and great friends. It was great having a place like home to come back to after the races. Another huge thank you to my mom and grandma who came along and helped me out as crew for the race. From making bottles to getting me my feeds everything went off without a hitch and I couldn't have done it without them. Lastly, thanks to Tom and Nancy for their great cheering, to Gila Hike and Bike for help with all things mechanical and to everyone who came and and supported the race, the fans this year were incredible. See you all in Silver next year.

Feliz cinco de mayo,
Andrew
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And BAM!

Just like that I'm on the road again. Spent a couple days at home in Cali, hit up a great local race by the name of Copperopolis, then packed up a few bags and zoomed my way south. I've been in Silver City, NM since last tuesday getting some sunny training rides in and getting used to the altitude. The first few days here I think I would have had better luck breathing through a straw but it's starting to get better. This town grows on me everytime I come here. Plenty of mexican eateries, a very eclectic mix of people, and the kind of sunshine you only get above 6,000ft. Gotta love it.

The next few weeks are going to be action packed: heading to Bisbee the 24-26 for some tune up racing, hitting Gila starting the 29th, then flying out east for Joe Martin on the 5th. This is what it's all about, suitcase style living has never been so appealing.

A big thanks goes out to the people helping me cart myself around the country. Chris and Jim Macintosh are two of the greatest hosts and friends I could ever ask for here in Silver. As far as JM goes, thanks to Trent who's going to be picking me up from the airport and hooking me up with a place to stay. Trent is an Arkansas native so you can bet he'll put his stamp on the race as well.

For those of you who think the blog updates aren't enough, I've become a part of the twitter revolution at: twitter.com/andrewtalansky. Enjoy


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