Remember the 1989 Tour de France when after 2,400 miles of racing Greg Lemond took the TT by eight seconds to with the race. Many accredit his win over Lauren Fignon to superior aerodynamics. Some, actually citing that Lauren’s ponytail may have lost him the race. And I know we’ve all see Lance on TV modifying his position in the wind tunnel. Even as a guy who shaves his legs, I’ve always wondered how big of a difference it really makes.

I just finished racing stop two of the Boulder Cyclocross Series. As usual the field was just over 50 and there was no lack of fast riders. A few of us rode to the race which took about 45 minutes. It was really windy but was a great warm up. I didn’t have time to get a practice lap so the mud pit just after the start was a big surprise. You had to dismount into this muddy ditch with running water and run up the steep, slippery hill on the other side.

After another long day of lounging by the pool at Treasure Island Resort in Las Vegas, we went to watch the final CRIT of the USA CRIT Series. Team Einstein’s snuck in early to score a sweet parking spot right after the start/finish line. A large group of us piled on top of the van nearly collapsing it like a tin can. From the top we could almost see the entire course and watch the action unfold.

After much early season preparation, the day finally came and Cross Vegas was here. I had a nice day lounging in the shade by the pool with my girlfriend while waiting for the team van to arrive. When it did, we cruised over to the race and set up for the big show. The race crew had been out all day preparing the course and it was great. There were TV cameras on booms, lots of lights, tons of CRAZY fans and Elvis holding the lap cards. I was surrounded by all the big names at the start and we could barely hear the gun go off over the screaming fans.

For the last two seasons I have raced on the road for Team Einstein’s and cyclocross for Primus Mootry. This cross season I’ll be sticking with Einstein’s and racing a Giant bike instead. Primus Mootry has decided to downsize the team efforts and stay local. I was bummed when I first heard the news because Joe, Chris and the crew at Primus Mootry were, in my opinion, the best cross team on the circuit. I was worried that I would have no support at all, so when Einstein’s stepped up to the plate, I couldn’t refuse.

Just a quick word of thanks to Joby for the sweet job of tunin our machines before the National Sprint Championships @ Rattlesnake Tri... the secret sauce that you sprinkled on em did the trick. Jenny went 3rd overall for the women and all of the old farts musta slept in or were out playin shuffleboard cause they let me sneak in for an age group win. Thanks for sharing your magic with a couple of tridorks.
I realize that we are not real bikers but since we hang out with Brad... you helped us out. How did the weekend go in Chi?

My friend Jason Donald, aka The Duck, has started a featured blog on this website. He’s the one with the goofy picture below mine. It’ll be great to follow his progress through the top ranks of cycling. Jason and I started mountain biking together four years ago on Giant’s Rocky Mountain Regional Team. He took 2nd at the Sea Otter Classic his first time as a semi-pro and won Big Bear. From the start, we all new he was going to be kind-of-a-big-deal. The next year he switched to road and tried to talk me into doing the same but I resisted and raced pro the following year.

Once again, while on the road, Old Man Jack has passed on some of his knowledge. With a degree in the history of religion and 25 years experience racing a bike, you never know what you’re going to hear. At the last race I ran out of Assos, my favorite chamois cream. I start searching for something else to use so I can keep everything down there in good shape. In the process I look over and see Jack using A & D ointment and Hamity using some concoction in a Noxima container.

I finally checked the official results from the Nature Valley Grand Prix and Team Einstein's did some pretty big things. The biggest being that we had three riders in the top ten of the Best Amateur Rider division. Cory Collier took 1st, Jared Berger 7th and Ryan Hamity 9th. Jared also wore the Best Amateur Riders jersey for two days during stages 3 and 4. The team as a whole finished 9th in team GC beating a few big budget teams such as BMC. Whitey DeBroux (me) accidentally won a sprint point and finished 28th in the Sprinters competition.

The final stage of the 2007 Nature Valley Grand Prix was absolutely brutal. It's not too often that I'm concerned about making the time cut but today I was. The one hour CRIT started at the base of a 22% grade climb. By the third lap the leaders were out of my sight and I was just hoping to last the minimum 15 minutes. I ended up getting pulled with a group of about fifteen, twenty-seven minutes in. Cory finished with the lead group as usual but lost the best amateur riders jersey to a rider with a pro contract.

I'm extremly exhausted so bear with me. Today was an 87 mile road race that ended with a three lap circuit through town. The circuit showcased the biggest hill in town which was about 4 blocks long and steep. The peloton entered town fully intact but the domestics who worked all day were tired from working in the wind all day. I made it with the group over the hill the first lap but by the time we hit it the second time it was all over for me. I think I ended up finished with the third or fourth group but I'm not sure.

We started the Minneapolis Downtown Criterium with Jared Berger in the Best Armature Riders Jersey. This is a huge accomplishment for him and the team. We averaged 29 mph during the CRIT and the announcer said there was 35-40,000 spectators lining the 1.2 Km course. All we wanted to do was stay up front and out of trouble so we could keep Jared in the jersey and Cory up in the GC. There were no mishaps and we did exactly as planned. My parents and brother drove over from Wisconsin to watch the race so it was extra special for me.

Stage two was a 60-mile road race over mildly rolling terrain. It started out with a short neutral start that I thought was somewhat sketchy and fast. Only two miles after the neutral was over and the race began there was a huge pile-up. I saw it coming but the race had swelled and there was no where to go but down. I think I was the fourth guy to land and it felt like a wave of bodies piling up against me. After stepping on a few people I escaped the crowd fairly fast. I was only able to ride about 50-feet before I had to stop and fix my bike.

Tonight was a 60 minute CRIT on a 1 km course in downtown St Paul. The course was L shaped and had a mellow climb and descent. It was strung out right from the gun and riders were getting pulled shortly after. You had to make it 30 minutes without getting pulled to be able to start tomorrow. Everyone on our team made the cut but it wasn't easy. Between minutes 25 and 30 it was really fast and I had to dig deep because I thought I might not make it. After that I started feeling much better and started gaining a few spots each lap.