Money for Words

Remember last month when I [tentatively] scored the huge coup—a teaching assistantship for next year? Turns out, they’re doing one better for me at UIC! I’ve been nominated for a Max Kade Fellowship. What does that mean? A year of getting paid just to take courses and write my thesis. No undergrad contact necessary. Suh-weet!

That dude in the picture is Mr. Max Kade himself, a German doctor who emigrated to New York City. He started his foundation at the end of World War II to provide assistance to war victims, as well as to rescue artworks and cultural artifacts. Eventually, the foundation began branching out to other endeavors that would foster German-American relations, including great stuff like university fellowships. Woo!

Your Bike as a Dog

Thanks, Chris, for this the other day:

The real thing:

Poor Michael Creed

I really like this guy, especially after seeing him in the movie Pro, which is probably the best cycling DVD out there. Yes, I do concede though, slim pickings in that genre! Anyway, imagine my surprise when he shares this wacky letter in his latest Velocity Nation interview:

Definitely read that interview. He’s got some interesting things to say about the general racing/pro cycling scene in the states these days, as well as about another pauvre, Tyler Hamilton. (FYI, for the record, I’m not necessarily glorifying the guys, per se, just sympathizing; life sucks for everyone at times, I guess.)

Fun and Sun and Form[?]

It’s funny how you can have so much to say about races immediately afterward, but, if you don’t get it down quickly, they just seem like one big blur a few days later. Well, here’s what I can recall from the blur:

Road Race: Four 20-mile laps in near the Hocking Hills area in Ohio. I have good memories of this place, thanks to past races. This year was a bit different, though. Two things: 1) It was the first race we had in 85-degree weather this season. Despite getting two bottles and a gel per lap, the heat still took its toll. 2) Having gone 26 days off the bike up until Thursday, I was definitely missing something. Still strong enough to go with some moves on the climbs, but I would get in them, have to sit on, and eventually get dropped because I just lost so much fitness. I hope it comes back soon! Meanwhile, I actually tried to participate in a field sprint and didn’t crash anyone out. So that’s good. I was 5th in that for 18th in the race. Pity to miss the breaks, one of which I surely would have made without the rib injury.

Criterium: The wind picked up just an hour or two before our race, and that changed everything. What we thought beforehand would be a fast course with a bunch of eyeing for last-chance double regionals points, turned into a pure sufferfest on this course that seemed to have only 10% tailwind and no shelter anywhere. About 2/3 of the field eventually dropped and what was left were three separate groups. I made it about 30min in, and was disappointed to see on the PowerTap afterward that my average was just 290 normalized for that 30min—a sure sign I need form back. I did a 20km TT at 320 non-normalized in March. Then again, I didn’t do an eighty-mile, eight-climb death march the day before. Still, I wish I would have been up there.

Oh well. It sure was fun. And, even though it was tough, it was nice to be under the hot sun for once. I hope I get that missing fitness back in the next few weeks. It would be nice to race from the front again!

For Now I Leave You With

The sights from Columbus, Ohio…while I totally zonk out and then update this thing in earnest on Monday! Hope you had a good weekend too!