And so the climax to the Tour of California is tomorrow. Well there are two tough stages after tomorrow, but tomorrow will set the pecking order.
Levi will win.
He already won this time trial several times in his head over the past few months. He is dialed in and unbeatable on this course. We will all witness his dominance tomorrow.
Well I am in the car on 101 North leaving L.A. for Solvang. My crew consists of Joe Praino and Antonello Guzzo. We will be looking for trouble.
It's always nice going to races and connecting with so many of the people who saw our show on Discovery.
I will be Twittering until my fingers bleed tomorrow.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Interview With District Cycling
About a year ago, I did an interview with Gregg from www.districtcycling.com. Gregg is a DC area cycling enthusiast/blogger. Check out his blog when you get a chance!
DC: This Is Gregg with District Cycling and I’m here with Adam. How are you doing Adam?
A: I’m doing really good, thanks.
DC: We know you from the Living the Dream Discovery Channel Special where you had an opportunity to actually go to Johan’s house as well as ride a stage of the Tour de France. Let me ask you: What happened? Can you lead me up to when you got the call?
A: Oh yeah. I saw the commercial on TV like I’m sure a lot of people did. I got a video together real quick, sent it in, basically telling them why I should be on the show and talked about how much of a fan I was and how cool of an experience it would be. They called me up like two days later and set up an interview. Maybe a few hours after that they called me back and said “can you get off of work for a few months in the summer to do the show?” I was completely psyched.
DC: That’s awesome. Now they got you a brand new bike, the new Madone as it was coming hot off the press.
A: Yeah.
DC: Do you still have the bike?
A: I still have the bike. I ride it all the time. It’s like, you win the lottery and win a farrarri, you’re gunna drive it everywhere. Definitely love the bike.
DC: In the series they hooked you guys up with some kits. How much stuff did they actually give you?
A: Almost everything the riders get. So we got three kits, we got shoes, we got jackets, we got sweatshirts, we got hats, we got socks, we got waterbottles. I laid everything out on my table and took a picture and I couldn’t get it all on the table. Lots of gear, lots of shwag.
DC: Tell us what you’ve been doing since?
A: Yeah, since then I definitely keep up with Joe, the other guy from the show. We are cycling junkies so we’re at every event, we’re at all the races. We’ve actually been doing some races together. This summer I started doing some time trials. Still out on the bike quite a bit.
DC: Any local races that you’ve hit in the area?
A: Yeah, I’m actually going to be doing the Route 29 36K Time Trial out in Jersey in a couple of weeks. I did the Church Creek Time Trials a couple of weeks ago. I’ll be doing the Virginia State Games, another time trial. I’ll probably make my way out to the Greenbelt Series at some point this summer too.
DC: We’d love to see you out in some road races! Are you Riding with any teams right now?
A: I’m riding, I’m just kind of like a mercenary kind of jumping around to different places…a free agent or whatever! (laughter) I ride with some really cool guys, the Blue Suit Pacers, they’re sponsored by the Air Force, a lot of Air Force guys that get together and ride a few times a month. That’s the kit I’m wearing right now and the guys I ride with. They’re a really good group.
DC: How old are you?
A: 33
DC: And you’ve been riding for a couple of years now?
A: Uh, yeah…seriously for about two years. When the show came on I had only been riding pretty serious for a few months before the show. But since then I got the bug and was hooked.
DC: What kind of training do you put yourself though nowadays?
A: Yeah, now I mean they (Discovery) hooked us up with some coaches from the Carmichael Training Systems and they gave us a whole layout of training schedule that I’ve kind of recycled and reusing. I work a pretty crazy schedule, so I have to get up really early in the morning to get out. The show kinda got me on the right track and I get out as much as I can.
DC: I know on the show you were concerned about losing some weight so you’d be able to hit those hills. How do you think that has come along?
A: Good! Johan gave me some really good advice. He was like “think like you’re carrying a 20 kilo bag on your back and you have to drop it,” and I really lost quite a bit in a short period of time. I think for the show I may not have gone about it the best way. So now I’m just kind of focused on a long term because I was losing a lot of power when I was crashing weight. I kept up with the Carmichael coaches and they gave me some really good advice.
DC: I think a lot of riders nowadays would love to have the opportunity to go out to the Tour, to see the Tour, to try out one of the stages. What was that like doing that stage?
A: Brutal. That was the hardest thing you can imagine. Your wrapped up cause your fan and your excited to see everything you watched on TV, but at the same time you’re doing the hardest physical thing you can imagine in your life. It was a bit mix of emotions that is pretty hard to manage when you’re riding your bike uphill. At the same time I knew it was something I would think back on and really love.
DC: And of course being able to be on the inside with the Discovery Channel and talking to George, Levi and those guys on the inside, again you’re doing things that would be our (cyclists collectively) dream. Where there any conversations outside of what we saw on the Discovery Channel that you had a chance with those guys that you could share with me here?
A: Yeah, probably the coolest experience is that we got to do a couple of training rides with George and Levi. This is right before they went to the Dauphiné Libéré and just hangin with them and hearing them talk about crazy stories about the Giro and some other races they did and in an informal setting. A lot of stuff wasn’t on camera. Just riding behind these guys is just pretty awesome. Then we went to visit Tom Danielson up at his house, which is just right at the base of a ridiculous mountain and got to hang out with him and his wife. We talked about his struggles. He’s a young guy so he was really fun about music and hip-hop. He was like “I got to get me some hip-hop over here.” We still keep up and exchange emails so it’s probably my favorite part of the experience.
DC: Have you gotten any haters since the show. Do you run into anyone that gives you a hard time?
A: Yeah, yeah…there is quite a bit. All you have to do is Google my name with Tour de France and you will see quite a few blogs that pop up that hate Joe and I for everything we did. That was a kind of strange part of it all, but whatever! Opinions: everyone can have them!
DC: I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit that I hated you for being able to do all of that! (laughter) So you’re doing some races as a Cat 5, I assume?
A: Yup! Just got my license a few weeks ago.
DC: We’re going to keep an eye out for you man! It was great to meet you and good to see you here. The last question I have is: Do you think Johan is going to recognize you when he sees you?
A: I don’t know! We’ll see! I think he’ll recognize me but he won’t remember my name, but I’m pretty sure he’ll recognize me.
DC: That’s cool. He seemed like a really good guy when you where meeting with him (on the show). Thanks for talking to me, I appreciate it!
DC: This Is Gregg with District Cycling and I’m here with Adam. How are you doing Adam?
A: I’m doing really good, thanks.
DC: We know you from the Living the Dream Discovery Channel Special where you had an opportunity to actually go to Johan’s house as well as ride a stage of the Tour de France. Let me ask you: What happened? Can you lead me up to when you got the call?
A: Oh yeah. I saw the commercial on TV like I’m sure a lot of people did. I got a video together real quick, sent it in, basically telling them why I should be on the show and talked about how much of a fan I was and how cool of an experience it would be. They called me up like two days later and set up an interview. Maybe a few hours after that they called me back and said “can you get off of work for a few months in the summer to do the show?” I was completely psyched.
DC: That’s awesome. Now they got you a brand new bike, the new Madone as it was coming hot off the press.
A: Yeah.
DC: Do you still have the bike?
A: I still have the bike. I ride it all the time. It’s like, you win the lottery and win a farrarri, you’re gunna drive it everywhere. Definitely love the bike.
DC: In the series they hooked you guys up with some kits. How much stuff did they actually give you?
A: Almost everything the riders get. So we got three kits, we got shoes, we got jackets, we got sweatshirts, we got hats, we got socks, we got waterbottles. I laid everything out on my table and took a picture and I couldn’t get it all on the table. Lots of gear, lots of shwag.
DC: Tell us what you’ve been doing since?
A: Yeah, since then I definitely keep up with Joe, the other guy from the show. We are cycling junkies so we’re at every event, we’re at all the races. We’ve actually been doing some races together. This summer I started doing some time trials. Still out on the bike quite a bit.
DC: Any local races that you’ve hit in the area?
A: Yeah, I’m actually going to be doing the Route 29 36K Time Trial out in Jersey in a couple of weeks. I did the Church Creek Time Trials a couple of weeks ago. I’ll be doing the Virginia State Games, another time trial. I’ll probably make my way out to the Greenbelt Series at some point this summer too.
DC: We’d love to see you out in some road races! Are you Riding with any teams right now?
A: I’m riding, I’m just kind of like a mercenary kind of jumping around to different places…a free agent or whatever! (laughter) I ride with some really cool guys, the Blue Suit Pacers, they’re sponsored by the Air Force, a lot of Air Force guys that get together and ride a few times a month. That’s the kit I’m wearing right now and the guys I ride with. They’re a really good group.
DC: How old are you?
A: 33
DC: And you’ve been riding for a couple of years now?
A: Uh, yeah…seriously for about two years. When the show came on I had only been riding pretty serious for a few months before the show. But since then I got the bug and was hooked.
DC: What kind of training do you put yourself though nowadays?
A: Yeah, now I mean they (Discovery) hooked us up with some coaches from the Carmichael Training Systems and they gave us a whole layout of training schedule that I’ve kind of recycled and reusing. I work a pretty crazy schedule, so I have to get up really early in the morning to get out. The show kinda got me on the right track and I get out as much as I can.
DC: I know on the show you were concerned about losing some weight so you’d be able to hit those hills. How do you think that has come along?
A: Good! Johan gave me some really good advice. He was like “think like you’re carrying a 20 kilo bag on your back and you have to drop it,” and I really lost quite a bit in a short period of time. I think for the show I may not have gone about it the best way. So now I’m just kind of focused on a long term because I was losing a lot of power when I was crashing weight. I kept up with the Carmichael coaches and they gave me some really good advice.
DC: I think a lot of riders nowadays would love to have the opportunity to go out to the Tour, to see the Tour, to try out one of the stages. What was that like doing that stage?
A: Brutal. That was the hardest thing you can imagine. Your wrapped up cause your fan and your excited to see everything you watched on TV, but at the same time you’re doing the hardest physical thing you can imagine in your life. It was a bit mix of emotions that is pretty hard to manage when you’re riding your bike uphill. At the same time I knew it was something I would think back on and really love.
DC: And of course being able to be on the inside with the Discovery Channel and talking to George, Levi and those guys on the inside, again you’re doing things that would be our (cyclists collectively) dream. Where there any conversations outside of what we saw on the Discovery Channel that you had a chance with those guys that you could share with me here?
A: Yeah, probably the coolest experience is that we got to do a couple of training rides with George and Levi. This is right before they went to the Dauphiné Libéré and just hangin with them and hearing them talk about crazy stories about the Giro and some other races they did and in an informal setting. A lot of stuff wasn’t on camera. Just riding behind these guys is just pretty awesome. Then we went to visit Tom Danielson up at his house, which is just right at the base of a ridiculous mountain and got to hang out with him and his wife. We talked about his struggles. He’s a young guy so he was really fun about music and hip-hop. He was like “I got to get me some hip-hop over here.” We still keep up and exchange emails so it’s probably my favorite part of the experience.
DC: Have you gotten any haters since the show. Do you run into anyone that gives you a hard time?
A: Yeah, yeah…there is quite a bit. All you have to do is Google my name with Tour de France and you will see quite a few blogs that pop up that hate Joe and I for everything we did. That was a kind of strange part of it all, but whatever! Opinions: everyone can have them!
DC: I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit that I hated you for being able to do all of that! (laughter) So you’re doing some races as a Cat 5, I assume?
A: Yup! Just got my license a few weeks ago.
DC: We’re going to keep an eye out for you man! It was great to meet you and good to see you here. The last question I have is: Do you think Johan is going to recognize you when he sees you?
A: I don’t know! We’ll see! I think he’ll recognize me but he won’t remember my name, but I’m pretty sure he’ll recognize me.
DC: That’s cool. He seemed like a really good guy when you where meeting with him (on the show). Thanks for talking to me, I appreciate it!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
California Dreaming...
This has to be the most exciting time of the cycling year. Sure the Classics are great. The Tour is epic. However, there is something special about the excitement that comes with the beginning of the cycling season. The die hard fans are glued to Versus or Cycling.Tv analyzing every move their favorite pro makes in the first few races.
Things kicked off with a hot Tour Down Under. Lance made his return to the peloton, and the media circus was on. Lost in the craziness was Allen Davis and his triumphant return to winning races in his home country.
A few races in countries we can't even pronounce, and now we find ourselves in the good ol' USA! The Tour of California is represented by one of the deepest fields ever assembled in North America. It has the feel of the Tour de France.
Was anyone surprised to see Fabian dominate the prologue? Macebo tried to steal some glory with his Gladiator effort on stage 1. He picked up a well deserved win, but paid for it the next day when Levi looked over at Popo and said "fire it up". The young argyle lad Peterson took the stage win with Levi going into yellow. I will continue blogging about the Tour of California, but it's pretty safe to say that it's Levi's race to lose. When I had a chance to ride with Levi back in October 2008, he was talking about the Tour of California. He wants it bad. Prelude to France?
Stage 3 came down to the sprint most were hoping for. Cav missed the train, and Thor took the win. Where was Boonan?
Well tomorrow I begin my trip to California for a live look at the race. I am picking up the race in Solvang for the time trial and will be following till the end in San Diego.
Still living the dream...
Friday, July 4, 2008
Twas The Night Before The Tour...
and all through the world. Not a wheel was spinning.
For most fans of professional cycling, tomorrow marks the begining of the end. It will be the end of watching last year's Tour De France DVD on repeat. It will be the end of the painful wait for the begining of the race.
Who will be the darkhorse who will shine early in the race? Who is going to try to steal a stage win with some ridiculas breakaway? When will we see the first big crash? Who will be on the podium?
My life turns yellow in 24 hours.
Vive le tour!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
HBO Real Sports = Real Dissapointment
Woke up this morning excited to catch the HBO Real Sports episode featuring David Millar and the Garmin-Chipotle cycling team. It's not often our beloved sport crosses into the mainstream media, so I was excited beyond words to watch. (I even postponed my training ride to the afternoon, so I could watch the show in the morning).
The piece was good. David's story is truely a remarkable one. Here is a guy who stood on the moral high ground on doping early in his career. He was out to prove you could win without doping. After a few years under the intense pressure of his team, sponsors, and managers, he cracked and doped. In an instant, David pushed his values aside and fell into the dark side of our sport. He was caught, jailed, suspended, fell into drinking, and gave up on cycling. Like any redemption story, he made his way back to the sport he loved, and is now a champion in the world of ending doping in our sport. Doing so with the flair and cool that only David can.
John Frankel and Bryant Gumbell completed the piece with their commentary at the end. I should have turned the TV off at this point. My faith in the media left me to believe they would leave the audience without something positive about the direction cycling is going. Some nice kudos for those teams who are leading the charge for a dope free sport. And then they drop the bomb...
Bryant Gumball "I can't believe folks in the cycling world still consider Lance to be a hero" He went on to compare Lance to Barry Bonds and Roger Clemons. The debate over whether or not Lance doped can be argued from here to eternity. So what substance does this accusation make to the story? I guess a sports writer is only happy if they have a villain. Who would make a better villain than the man who won 7 Tour's and is a hero in the minds of thousands of cancer survivors? It's this kind of gutter ball media that makes me ill.
Someone pass me a pain reliever. The Tour can't start soon enough.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Disco Days Revisited
How the time has passed. 1 year ago......
Do you have what it takes to race in France this summer?
If you think you can climb the hardest stages of the world's best-known cycling race, then Discovery Club1080, presented by Discovery HD Theater, invites you to saddle up to test your skills this summer.
Discovery Club1080 is looking for two cycling enthusiasts to star in an upcoming program. If selected, you'll travel to Spain to meet riders and coaches from the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. They'll show you the ins and outs of training for the world's toughest cycling race before they send you home where Discovery Club1080 cameras will follow you as you continue to train on your own. Then it's back again across the Atlantic, this time to France (with the Discovery HD Theater production crew right alongside), to negotiate the toughest stages of the world's best-known cycling event this July.
Well someone in the production department at Discovery thought I would make a good test speciman for the show. "So how many ways can we kill this guy on T.V.? Any reader of this blog would agree that getting a chance to participate in the challenge above, is the equivalent of winning the lottery of amateur cycling. It’s playing in the Super Bowl for your favorite team. It’s driving laps at the Daytona 500. It’s hitting a grand slam in the World Series for your favorite team.
So I’m that guy. I’m that guy who actually won this contest. So here are a few of the things I got to check off my list this past summer.
1. Getting the new team issue Trek Madone not available to the public. Check.
2. Sipping lemonade on Johan Bruyneel’s porch in Madrid with the legend himself and previewing stages of the Tour. Check.
3. Spending a week in Girona, Spain (the Mecca of professional cycling). Check
4. Going on a training ride in Girona with George Hincapie and Levi Leipheimer. Check. (oh and running into Michel Barry and Freddy Rodriguez on the way).
5. Eating dinner, drinking wine and talking about the Tour with George and Levi afterwards. Check.
6. Hanging out with Tom Danielson at his home at the base of the Pyrenees. Check.
7. Climbing with Tom on a training ride (well watching him drop me) Check.
8. Having my body pricked and poked in ways I never would have imagined while having my V02 tested by Chris Carmicheal at his facility in Colorado Springs. Check. (oh and another training ride with Chris afterwards). Check
9. Being hooked up to this fancy computer bike fit thingy with all these sensors on me like a video game. Check!
10. Getting all of the coolest Discovery Channel gear you could imagine. Check.
11. Being on the team bus. (does that make me a groupie?)Check.
12. Riding stage 16 of the Tour and cracking on the climb. CHECK!
13. Sipping champagne on the Champs Elyesees with the team. Check
14. Sitting on the rooftop of the nicest hotel in Paris at the Discovery Team after party wondering how I got here. Check.
15. Hearing some of the greatest Lance stories from the coolest camera crew ever!
16. Meeting some really cool people who watched the show. Making some great new friends!
17. Getting up every morning at 6:00 am trying to relive the smallest part of my experience on my local training ride. Check.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Must Be A Dream
Hey All
While I was in Spain training for the Tour De France, I had the chance to meet some of the pro riders with the Discovery Team. The highlight of the trip was the time spent hanging out and riding with the guys. This picture sums up my experience. In this moment, I felt like a real part of the team. I am hanging out in the park waiting to go on a training ride with George Hincapie (US Road Race Champion) and Levi Leipheimer (Tour De France favorite).
This moment was priceless.
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