Letter to USA cycling and response..

Dear USA cycling,

I'm not sure what to say about the recent change in the Nationals TT
course.

As one of my major cycling goals for 2007 this is one of the worst TT's-
I
repeat worst course that I've ever witnessed.

I'm not buying USA cycling blame on the state for not allowing USA
cycling
to use the HWY. You've known about this location for two years and could
have
found a more suitable course for the National championships.


Additionally, with the difference in ability for the TT you are going to
have 25+ riders on the 6k course at once. The 3 turnarounds will without
a
doubt be congested and unsafe.
Michael Hutchinson
Team Spine
------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Hutchinson,

Thank you for the e-mail. I appreciate your feelings regarding the ITT
course at Seven Springs. Just to clarify would you like to be removed
from the start list? I am happy to refund your entry and remove your
name but would like to make sure I understand the purpose of your
letter.


Best regards,

Justin Rogers

_____________________
Well justin,

I'm already here, airfare, hotels, vacation time, training, etc....

Thank you for your deep concern to have a National Championship.

What ever, I'm pissed and gonna ride that frinkin thing as hard as I can.

USA cycling BS...typical.

Dear USA Cycling Members, Due to circumstances beyond the control of USA Cycling, several changes to the time trial course at the 2007 USA Cycling National Festival at Seven Springs. The changes affect all participants registered to compete in the time trial event. For the categories originally scheduled to race 30 kilometers (Master Women 30-44, Master Men 30-54, U23 Women, U23 Men, Elite Women, Elite Men and Tandem), the event has been shortened to 24 kilometers.

That's just f-ed up...one week before the event...not really surprised..just pissed! Anyone within an earshot of me this year knows that this is my only real goal for the year..to win the TT.

Guess I'm going to hit the parking lots this week and do some TT 180Zzzzz.

Does anyone there have a frickin clue??? Do I get 20% of my entry fee back?

Yhea right.

Fitchburg stage two-done.

Fun uneventful and we did 78 miles in 2:44. Half of the field got shelled, I felt good all day and tomorrow's stage will be blown to bits on the finish climb. I'm hoping to be in the front group, legs felt great today, but still a bit sick. There are alot of big legged racers that were suffering today, they will suffer more in 12 hrs.

Not sure if its the loads of U25 riders, roads, or handling skills...but being back east both riders and drivers are pretty sketchy. They also don't know how to take corners at full speed.

busy day.

I have a wine tasting from 12-4, a TT at 5 dinner at 8 and worst part is a sore throat showed up last night. Not the best prep for a hard 4 day stage race.

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tracey Ford wins B Game:)

photo stolen from proman site:)

So happy and proud of my girl for nailing one of her big goals for the past two years. Tracey won B Game today with the help of Promans fearless leader Tricky Nicky and always stong C Drumm.

If you only knew how hard she trains, the hours she works and what a great girlfriend (you'll never know that one) you would be even more impressed. She gets up at 3-4 am some days to climb hwy 9..lights, thermal tights, etc.

Big hug from me here back east. I wish I could have been there, but I'll be there for the Nationals:)

I love you.

MJH

Ninagrit crit -Team Spine solo's for the Pro 12 win

Yippee! Mark McCormick, Jason Snow and a bunch of faces I didn't know started the crit today ...after attacking from the second corner of the first lap & going off the front for the entire Masters race and getting 5th of 5 from the break...phew.

I decided to be more patient in the pro race. I waited, and waited, and waited, patiently while the other riders flexed on the front for what seemed like an eternity. Quietly waiting to make my move, no more field sprints for me. So....

on the second lap I attacked:)

Went clear with two others. We almost lapped the field then one dude dropped off and the other guy was in trouble on the last couple of laps. We split all the primes and I took off on the last lapper roo. Mom, Dad, and my niece were all cheering...just like 18 years ago....

Other cool things-a guy come up to me and says "did you go to URI?" I said "yup." (for a couple of years before I quit school and cycling). He and I trained all the time when I started the URI cycling team. He was giving me time splits all day...that was cool.

There were about 10 other cool things like that that happened today. So glad I came back for a tune up before Nationals.

Back East-Memory land

Well it is good to be back home for a little bike racing. I started my day yesterday in Vermont sawing good bye to a friend, then thru MA, CT and finished off the trip in RI. It only took three hrs. Very different from the 4+ hr drives in CA to bike races never crossing any state lines.

Here I am on a Sat am at my parents house, drinking Pete's and getting ready for a couple of crits that are 10 minutes from their house later today. I went for a bike ride yesterday and found a dollar blowing around on the side of the road and my gut told me there was more..so I kept my eyes open. I saw a speed walker wearing a hat only Gilligan would wear heading my way. He bent over and I could see he had a fist full of buck's too. He offered them to me, I said finder's keepers..or something like that as I was riding by..sure was nice for him to offer....back east.

Next stop was to see another old friend, Jim. This guy made it possible for me to go the 88 Nationals, gave me some $$$ for the trip and really helped me get to Spokane. I told Jim I was racing today and tomorrow. He said win one for him. Shit, I didn't have the heart to tell him it was a flat crit...so what do I do???

Attack all day!

Things are different back here --people got thicker skin on the outside, but really big hearts. The weather sucks 70% of the time otherwise I'd have stayed. One more thing...every other house for sale ..for what a downpayment is in CA. I did meet two people that didn't have a computer too...cool.

Wall of shame..Girona

So last year when I was cycling arouond in Spain I stayed at this very bike friendly hotel in Girona. They had a case filled with American cycling heros jerseys, all kind of hall of fame and stuff. I'd look at it every morning before I went for a ride.

Armstrong, Levi, Hamilton, Landis, CSC....

I'm so tired of the Americans lying about drug use, a few euro pros are coming clean and not getting sacked...not sure why Zabel is allowed to race. If it wasn't for the water bottle carriers, most of these guys would be riding off into the sunset.

The Pro's are screwed! Better find another sport cuz this one is starting to crumble...

The other thing...CSC's...leader is a ...liar, cheater, and thief! The things he has able to accomplish never would have happened if he were on drugs.

What not to do on a group ride...litter bug. It makes me green.

This blows me away.
Menlo Park paper

"Cyclist in bottle-throwing incident to be arraigned on misdemeanor

A trial may be ahead for the Menlo Park cyclist who threw a water bottle that bounced off a car and struck and injured a 62-year-old Portola Valley pedestrian last November.

When the water bottle hit.... on Portola Road on the morning of November 16, the blow knocked her down and she hit her head on the path, she said. Her injuries included a black-and-blue area on her face, a chipped tooth and a loose tooth, she said."


This is bad for all cyclists! No wonder they brush us off the road when driving or get pissed when following a large group of cyclists.

Oh yhea, then there is the littering thing. Last night Sabine caught a litter bug at the local Coyote ride that is put on by the San Jose Cycling Club( very fun way to spend a Tues night) and called him out on it. BRAVO! I really like that girls style. Next time I see her, she gets a jug of vino for being a do gooder.

Will it change him? Will it stop him when he is alone? I can only hope....sigh.

I hate litterbugs, hate them, hate them. Usually its fast food containers on the shoulder of the road, but every now and again I see a gu wrapper, deflated tube, water bottle or a CO2. Last I knew this stuff isn't bio friendly, maybe I'm getting green. I've been thinking of going solar for the house-kitchen first.

You know any other do gooderz? Let me know and I'd be happy to consider them for the weekly post as "do gooder of the week" the winner gets a bottle of Vino.

Small price for some good news.

McGovern started it all- Bye old friend RIP

One cold snowy day I decided to drive up to VT in search of a job for the
winter to be a ski bum. I was running away from a bad relationship, bad job,
and overall I was pretty lost just being a waiter at a drug infested
restaurant. Nights and tips were spent as faster then they came in and I
needed to get away, where I didn't know anyone and try to get a fresh start.
I picked up a hitchhiker in Mt Snow which was the closest ski resort that I
could find within a 3 hr drive. At the time I was working at a
wine shop by day and restaurant by night.
I asked the hitcher, where is one of the best restaurants in the area where wine is a
focus? He said there are two that have great wine lists. The Inn at Saw Mill
and The Hermitage. I dropped him off and we both thanked each other, him for
the ride, me for what later would give me more direction in life then I
could have ever imagined.

I wandered up to the Hermitage Inn first and I was getting hungry. I drove
up the snow filled circular drive and parked the car at the Inn. As I walked
in the storm door slammed behind me and later I would always recognize that
sound of someone or an English setter coming in from the cold in search of
wine, food, bed, etc. I headed up to the bar and met a character named
Murphy who was a local ski legend and had a few teeth missing. I asked if I
could have brunch and take a look at the wine list. He said "sure!" Brought
me to a table and gave me the largest wine list that I had ever seen. It was
over 150 pages thick and had over 1500 selections.

Until this point, I really liked and was familiar with Italian wines and
this list was mostly French. There were 6 Italians out of 1500+ the list and
I was in over my head. While I had brunch I could see a few tables having a
great time and enjoying the food, wine and snow on a Sunday afternoon.
Looked like a nice place.

I finished brunch and went back to the bar and asked for an application.
Then a woman came over and introduced herself as Lois. She ran the dining
room and was a impressed that a 22yo kid would have have brunch first then ask for an
application (truth be told I was just hungry) and was very very interested in
wine. I asked her if there were any positions available and she said that
they were all filled at the moment, but she would keep my resume on file.
(Lois later became like a second mom and friend).

I headed back to the bar to see Murphy, he was still there having a good old
time with the customers and occasionally making sexual passes at the guests.
He and I started talking and I told him I really liked wine and he took me
for a tour of the wine cellar. We made our way thru the kitchen where the
staff didn't seem to notice me and the dogs were licking there chops hoping
for a hand out or three.

I had to duck as we headed to the cellar. It was the most wine I've ever
seen, like a football field underground organized by white and red in two
different rooms. Impressive!

I returned to home that night thinking of the day and was hoping that I
would get a call. Honestly I wasn't real optimistic and figured that I'd be
doing the same old wine gigs for a long time.

Then Lois called me a few days later and asked me when I could start..I
said ASAP. I moved, packed all my stuff in the Jetta and headed to the
Hermitage Inn. I was so excited and a little nervous too.

That job pretty much changed my life. I met Jim McGovern's daughter Shelia a
couple of weeks later. She was the NE Manager for Vineyard Brands which was
the leading French Wine Importer in the US. She helped me learn about wine
along with her father. They would always have me taste the wines in a blind
format which would challenge the senses. I remember McGovern asking me one
time about a wine he was tasting.

It went like this

McGovern-Hutch taste this and tell me what it is...

I said-hmmm I think its Rhone (trying to be vague)

McGovern- Asshole! are you asking me or telling me. Now what is it?

I said- Rhone for sure, Chateaunuf du Pape, Beaucastel..thinking that would
be enough.

McGovern-Ok, good, now what vintage? And why?

I also remember some other funny quotes that I'll never forget.

McGovern's quotes:

"Nothing you say after 10pm is important" usually due being over served.

"Screw the no shows" for restaurant guests that were late for wine dinners.

"If you don't figure out what you are going to do by the time your 30, your
screwed." This one totally stuck.

"If you ever get pulled over by the cops for drinking, lie and say you've
never had a drink. They will get you one way or the other"

"She wasn't very durable" one of my girlfriend's that came to McGovern's
60th birth week celebration in St Barts. She hyper extended her leg while
running to the beach when we were over served on Veuve Clicquot

Two of my favorite stories, both happened in the dining room.

1) I had a gift for breaking glasses and they never made me pay for a single
one. It was a Sunday brunch and McGovern was in the kitchen bringing out a
full tray of glasses to the dining room. All of a sudden there is a huge
crash that seemed like it went on for a minute. When Lois heard the crash,
she immediately looked at me. I was standing in the middle of the dinning
room, nowhere near the crash. I looked at Lois and said "It wasn't me" thank
god.
The dining room was silent..finally McGovern swings the kitchen door open
with the tray that had the glasses. There was only one glass on the tray..
"I saved the wiggly one" he says." We all laugh.

2) It was a very busy New Years Eve around 1992 at the Hermitage and the
people that came to dinner on NYE were always grumpy. Typically they were
from NY and traveled in large groups. This night was no exception.
The kitchen staff was slammed and for the life of me, I can't remember why
this next recipe was created. There was an item on the menu called
Wienerschnitzle which was thinly pounded veal, that was breaded and fried.
It was pretty tasty, but this was not the night to order Wienerschnitzle.

It was about 9:pm and we were heavily into the second seating. The kitchen
staff was on their second case of beer and looking for a laugh. Some woman
who was being a bit grouchy ordered..guess what?..yup the
wienrschnitzle..well the kitchen decided to get a cloth napkin, soak it in
egg batter, breadcrumbs and fry it up, just like the real thing..

All the staff except McGovern and Lois knew that the unsuspecting bitch was
going to get a napkin..not the wienerschnitzle to chomp on for here NYE
dinner..when we served it...we were doing everything we could not to bust a
gut laughing. Then she asks the busboy for a knife because it was a little
tough...holy crap..this was so funny...she was all dressed up, diamonds,
make-up, treating the staff bad...

Then the waiter comes by and says , here let me just change this for you.
She notices that its a napkin and he started laughing...she is not amused.
Says she won't pay for her dinner and wants to speak to the owner. McGovern
is bartending that night, mostly because he wants to Avg 2.2 cocktails per
person on NYE.

She goes to the bar and tells him the story in front of all the guests at
the bar. She was expecting an apology or something, McGovern says" Well
obviously the guys in the kitchen thought you had a sense of humor. Looks
like they were wrong, have a good night" We laughed for hours and this story
still makes me smile.

McGovern was a friend and like a father that gave me shit & who's advice I
always listened too. He told me how the real world was, gave me a kick in
the ass when I needed it, and words of encouragement to get my shit
together.
I'll remember fondly driving up to the Hermitage and couldn't wait to see
McGovern and Lois. I'll remember bird hunting with him which was one of my
favorite things to do, I'll remember so many things and Jim you taught me so
much I hope your proud of me you had a lot to do with it.

Blessings,

Hutch

Superbowl weekend!! Nez and Nevada City rule who gives a crap about football?.

I love Tour du Nez & Nevada City



What great bike racing weekend!!!! These are in my opinion the two best bike races in N CA/NV and I'm happy they are on the same weekend. They have so much history, difficulty, classy fields, and the people watching...oh my god! A very special thanks to the promoters Tim & Duane to attract a world class field, crowds and put on a first class event. I can't wait for next year!!!

First off I'm really proud of them Proman chicks. Tracey, Kelly and Nicky got busy all day at Folsom on Sat and came up with the "V" as a team. Then again at Nevada city with a 1, 2, & 5th in the always tough women's race. It was Shelly who soloed with confidence to the line for another "V" for Proman.
I'm really proud of Tracey finishing NC, cuz that bugger puts the hurt on a sprinters legs, its a huge accomplishment for a climber to finish and more so for a fast twicher. Maybe it was the inspiration of me flashing my gun rack and bare chest that helped ease the pain for a brief moment.

We agreed to do some his and her racing Folsom for her & Nez for me. Since Tracey takes the warm-up thing serious and I was driving--- Sat am we got up when it was dark and headed to Folsom and got there two hours early, not much for me to do but I did have a chance to clean out the fingernails and kettle chips from my car mats while she warmed up so it was a productive morning.
After we escaped from Folsom we packed up the grocery getter and we made a mad dash to Tour du Nez for my first Master race since Santa Cruz. The girl missed the podium ceremony at Folsom for me - a sacrifice..sorry baby - but I forgot to pre reg and it was going to be a little tight on time. We made it no problemo.

It was a top notch Masters field at Nez, Dave was singing on the microphone, chicks and dudes fat and skinny were hanging on the rocks and swimin in the river. Due to weekly wine walk in Reno there were a few drunkards to dodge in the crosswalks which kept things interesting when your going 30 mph. We ended up with a group of 12 almost lapping the field, I got across on Nolan's wheel then he decided to get skinny in search for a $50.00 prime and fit his 36 six inch thighs thru a hole made for 15 inches. He miss judged and body tackled both a hay bail and body checked former Olympian Copland (StrawBerry). They stayed upright thankfully...but then Nolan went down twice in the laps to come..not sure what was going on...to much pressure in the pneus??? Rumors are he was running at 140psi..? Please note, tire pressure more then 110 on a technical crit course not recommended.

Any way Buckeye and I rode a good race, we were a bit out legged and numbered on the last lapper roo, but it was fun and there were so many beers to drink and had fun watching the Columbian's National team tear up the Pro field. I bet if they knew about Nevada City, that would have made things interesting.

Nevada City
I'm not sorry to have missed the fireworks in the 35 & 45z Masters race, as the duo of Tazando looked smooth as glass as they stomped away from the field. Metcalf and Bubba...shit they had great rides too. I saw Phipps stacked into the hay bails and he took out Pasco. It looked like Pasco took the brunt of the fall on the chin as he spit it open. That guy is tough, I had to beg him to go ice it and clean it up as he wanted to chat while the blood was dripping on the ground.
Phipps meanwhile got back in the race, he looked like the straw man from the wizard of Oz with the hay sticking out of his helmet. Angerman also had his ass hanging out for the world to see when he tried to ditch the baggers on the corner. Well, he did hand out a bit of ass in a different way at Nez.

I was happy, very happy to finish Pro 12 race with some of the top riders in the US. Just good prep for big fish to fry in a couple of weeks. I'm so in search of stars and bars for the TT at the Nationals..then on to worlds. I really did appreciate the cheers from Tracey, Briggs and his Berries, Safewaaz, and everyone else that felt sorry for the old bag of bones. I didn't make the suffering any easier, but made me suck it up and get over that climb every lap.

Gracias,

Fitchburg Longsjo Classic Stage race

Here is another one with slim attendance. Now that its not a NRC I wonder how long they will be throwing these kind of bucks around.

I'm going, anyone else??

http://www.longsjo.com/racers.php

Registered riders as of today.

46 Pro 1 men for $25,000

12 Pro 123 women for $15,000

Maybe I'll get a wig.

Money pit...before & after

Phase 1 almost complete. Hope Tracey likes it when she gets home tonight..

What to do with a flight delay.

A) Check email

B) Get a order of fish & chips rather then the healthy fish tacos

C) Get a Chair massage for 30 min

D) Get a beer

E) All of the above

E is the correct answer.

Track tuesdays in Seattle

Thanks to friends in most of the citys across the US I was able to get on the track here in WA. Its 400 meters and seems like forever when your doing the pursuit. I'm not worthy to ride this, but wanted to thank Kenny for the loaner.

Much different then the rentals at Hell yr & they have wireless at the track....sweet!

Weekend warriors...

and here I am on a Monday scrambling to pack my bags to fly to WA for the week, enter a few more bike races, fit a 2 hr ride in before the airport, mail off bills, print off notes for a wine tasting tonight, dinner plans for tomorrow, order new doors for the house, appliances, etc.....phew..

Man that Sattley TT thing was a tough slog back...the drive I mean after a 3+hrs of climbing on the TT rig at 300 watts with Buckley and Tracey. I did come back to find that I had the fastest time of the day. Everyone was gone, but I got a nice BIG hug and kiss from Tracey. Thats really all that counted.

All aboard!

A day in the MJH life:

Weigh in..on track for lowest since 1988.

SJ to SF and have a meeting with my financial guy..."you have a high risk portfolio"..there's a shocker..

Go to Pete's for a lowfat Latte

Take a car nap in the Marina for 10 minutes...got some kind of 8 hr sickness..wonder if its still recovering from Hood???

TT final fitting with TT ace John Hunt

Sell some vino on the phone

Get stuck in traffic on the way to Napa.




Ride with legendary winemaker Randy Lewis (also drove in the Indy 500 5x) we talk about super secret wine project

Host a 6 course dinner of Spanish wines on the Napa Valley Wine train for 50 of my new best friends.

Get home at 11:02 and check email, wander in the demo zone of a home and go to bed.

Race against the clocks..Sattley TT is almost here.

Every year Sattley gives me a chance to see if I'm getting faster at something other then going bald. The TT thing is a race against more then just one clock..for aging masters like myself there are two. One clock for the race and one for the how much longer am I going to keep on doing this bike race non-sense??
Sattley first
A couple of years ago when my GF and I made the annual drive up to Sattley, she said" who are all these people, I don't know any of them" the TT breed attracts all types. The flatlanders, Tri guys, and there are always a few specialists that show up to spoil the show.

For me its not so much a race against the clock, but a race against myself and I have high hopes this year with both time and watts in mind.

The one thing I love about the TT's is its just plain and simple.

Here are a few tips.
After a proper 30 min warm-up with a few 1-2 min efforts put the bike on the road and give it a test. Accelerate hard on the rear wheel to make sure there is no slippage. One last gu.
Have bottle half full of h2o for the race.
PSI-120 lbs in the rear, 140 front
No need for a gear larger then a 53x11=42mph at 109 rpm and the closer the better.
Ramp up speed slowly in first 2 k to target speed for way out. Get a feel for the wind by looking at visual cues..flags, grass, etc. If its a headwind understand that you will be faster on the return.
Shoulders and head tucked in.
Cadence 110
Power...
HR...
Feels good???
Pass first rider...don't get excited its only the first 10 min..get the next rider, focus on the pedals, keep aero, get to the turnaround and you can have a drink, check target time for turnaround..stretch the legs, back and beans ... Do the half time math quick..reverse split...get back up to speed steady..now start dialing up the watts..speed...catch a few more riders...now just hold as much as possible for the next 5 k...get to the max hr, start to hyper ventilate, not much air, keep it to the line, one more k= 1 more minute and its over, keep on pedaling to the line and its over.

See plain and simple.

Crit today in Hood River..then Full Sail beer tent!

Looking forward to this crit today, its always been a favorite. But we'll see if I still feel that way after Navigators puts the hurt on Healthnet for the time bonus. This crit is like Santa Cruz, a bunch o turns and a uphill leg grinding finish. Then I get to have some beers with Justin England and Sean Whelan. Spine Teamates from the past, we did this race together 5 years ago. That was the year we shot Fuentes off the back on the last stage and Justin was my leadout man on the climbs. Now I just read about his ride on Velonews as I'm too far back to see him attack.

I'm already thinking about my next stage race in Boston...problem is I'm strugglin...Pro 12 or Master...I'm thinkin I'll give the Pro 12 a run at Fitchburg. I can't wait!

Epic stage!

Ok sometimes the word epic gets used to often when describing a road race stage. This is the only word I can come up with after finishing today's race. It was amazing, beautiful, challenging, and one of the most physically demanding stages I've ever raced. The descents went on for miles and were straight as an arrow. There were three main climbs with a 5-6% grade that hurt when the attacks started..they started early and often. This week was a big piece of humble pie and I'm in awe of the Pros who are actually racing for every stage. I've just been a passenger holding on as long as this bag skin and bones are able. Its been great training I think..

After the 87 miles I rode back to the car which was mostly downhill for another 15 miles. I was beaming from ear to ear with a bit of my own personal glory of finishing yet another stage in this life I'm living.

Hot damn that TT was FUN!

Hood TT 18.5 miles

Today my legs are starting to come around after a couple of very very hard days. The new TT course here at Hood is awsome! Its like that first kiss, not knowing what to expect around each corner, over the climb, thru the parking lot and the tunnel.
I always spend time getting to know the courses, this was the exception and I don't reccomend it if your really trying to do the GC thing. For me my racing has been getting better as the form is coming back from a few weeks of pretending. Just two more stages then rest up for Sattley:) I wanna break into the 50 min zone...20 years ago I was happy with 55min.


Bev on the other hand..I guess I should have not been such a whimp and soaked my legs in the Hood River a bit longer. It seemed to work fo her in the TT as she finished second and I was 25th.

Click it or Ticket....

Men in Blue with nothing to do..piss me off before the am coffee....$102 clams.


Oh well, yesterday was another hard day. 1/3 of the field got shelled in the first 10 miles and never made it back. 25 dnf's and 4 outside the time cut of 55 min...

Klye had a huge ride and finished 11th and moved up a ton in GC. I got shot out of the back with 10K to go and lost 9 min..


Today my 30 sec man in the 18 mile tt is the ex-national TT champ...Ian M from BMC.

I'll have to have an extra shot today in the latte.


All is well.