So all evidence seems to be that my leg is better. last night racing i was able to take a few full lap pulls (about 2.2 miles i think) which is way up from my previous 1 to 1.5 minute pulls. the good news is I’m getting back to normal and am excited about it. the bad news is a week ago my form was fine based on what i could physically do, but now that i can generate a ton of force again my form doesn’t seem so great. i didn’t slide back or anything but last weeks maximal effort is like 80% of what i can do this week. so I’m glad i finally feel normal but i also would have liked a bit more time for some better Philly prep.

as for the boys who crashed last week, 5 driven to the hospital, 3 broken collarbones, 1 fractured hip, 1 rider who was air lifted and was put in a medically induced coma for awhile. he is now stable and his injuries are no longer considered life threating. best wished to Ryan and the rest for a speedy recovery.

If you have been around me for more than 5 minutes you have undoubtedly seen me adjust/crack my back.  this is in no small part to a constantly nagging dull lower backache i have had for well over a year.  it first started at the end of April ‘06, the day before my last race in France when i woke up with my back completely out, like couldn’t stand up straight-kind of out.  complications worsened in august of ‘06 at Charlotte when for some unknown reason my right leg loaded up totally and then shut down.  it caused me to quit the race on the third lap.  needless to say i was a bit scared as my roommate and teammate Stu had been diagnosed with a kinked illiac artery and had to retire from cycling.  the only difference between Stu and I however was that his symptoms were constant and mine seemed to get better as I warmed up.  i had some testing done with a dopler flow meter that mesures blood flow through the vascular system.  it didn’t find anything- but i could not get symptomatic during the test, so i felt they were inconclusive.  Since then I have hoped that it had something to do more with a nerve then a vein (because theres no $20,000 surgery to fix the nerve). 

WELL. this morning i adjusted my back and had a very DEEP release that instantaneously ended my back pain.  it struck as a slight shock because a feeling that i have lived with for a year was gone.  on my ride today, try as i might, i could not get my right leg to fail.  for the first time in over a year i felt normal,having equal strength in both legs.  for the first time in months my lungs were my limiting factor not the strength in my muscles.  tearing up hills in an effort to blow up my right leg i was gasping for air and i still had reserves in my legs.  the only way i know for sure to get my leg to fail is to do a pursuit on the track.  so i’m off the the track in a bit to try it out.  but right now im really excited.  i hope this is the end of a long depressing period.  i’ll let you know how it goes!!!!

so i went to go to a local race today only to show up and hear of a disaster earlier in the day.  in the 4-5’s sprint finish a guy blew a tire and went down on his head in front of a lot of people.  His outcome is questionable, whether he’ll pull throught or not.  so out of respect all the afternoon races we’re canceled, and most donated their entry fee to him and his family.  our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.  lets hope for the best.

this is not one of my own doing, it was passed on to me by Smyth.  im sure you will find it as funny as we did.  and for those of us traveling every weekend i’m sure some can even relate.  so on to 29E….

 29E

click on that up there for the little story… then laugh a little if you want.   yey for stink shields

So the plan was to throw up all these pictures of the guys confessing and draw needles and stuff and then do this one…

so i just go ahead and skip the bagging on dudes for now and just go with its getting better. 

On a side note while i was cruising around for that picture i found this one

BI-CYCLE, BI-CYCLE, I WANT TO RIDE MY BI-CY-CLE…..

i never knew that was the cover to the album or single or what ever it is… but its sweet.  Queen likes trackies.  i wonder if shes a doper? hmmmm.

in other news i won the Points Race last night pretty good.  i think i won by 17 points (a lot).  the madison on schedule was canceled because the were 5 1-2’s going to be paired with 32 3-4’s.  in other words- imminent death.  i couldn’t imagine doing a madison (most insane event ever)  with 32 guys who were not only new to track racing but new to the madison.   on that note, in the points race i lapped up with two other guys and once we made it back we weren’t in the field more then 3 lap before one of us got taken out.  Seth had his front wheel ripped out form under him when a guy, with the whole field on his wheel, wanted to go up track without looking.  idiot.  i was on seths wheel when he tested the cements softness.  his elbow said it was pretty hard.  the “nice” thing was it was in the last kilometer so even though he didn’t do the last few laps he still placed 3rd.   hes ok, nothing broken just a few scratches and bruises. 

also Brad Huff is the ominum “continental Champion”, and colby and brad are madsion “continental Champion” what ever that means.  all i know is the Amuricans went down there and beat up on a buch of third world nations.  nice one guys.  geees 

ok thats it