::: www.egglestown.com ::: Eric Chrabot

Back at the beach

Virginia Beach is exactly where I left it. I went into the ocean for the first time since last August and I must say, it was quite delicious. I forgot what it was like to sleep with sand in your bed and waking up with a big salt lick hair-do. The bike frame needs to go back to PA so it's in pieces at the moment. Poor Fuji. Tear.

Smile.

Super Week

Stupid Week, as it is also known as, was really sweet actually. The Pennsylvania Lightning raced the first 4 days scoring a 5th, 6th, and several top 30's. We also got a prime. The courses were really fast and the field was pretty solid. It is a mix of good pro teams and some not-so-good amateur teams which can lead to a strange racing style. 100k crits are all that goes on in this 16 day festival, with the exception of 2 road races. I crashed the 3rd day sliding out in a corner, no worries though, I'm okay.

We stopped for a quick rideski in Indianapolis. The place is all about the Colts and NASCAR. Apparently riding along in a tie on motorcycles blasting hip hop radio is also how they do it in this Midwestern metropolis.

Here is a scene right out of Lord of the Rings. We saw the Sears Tower get hit by lightning three times on the way into Chicago!

We stayed at Mike's uncle's house in Northbrook, IL. My room had some Micro Machines that I got to play with, sweet.

It's been a long time since I've been to the top of that. Straight from Wikipedia.com >>>The Sears Tower is a skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. It has been the tallest building in the United States since 1973, surpassing the World Trade Center, which itself had surpassed the Empire State Building only a year earlier. Commissioned by Sears, Roebuck and Company, it was designed by chief architect Bruce Graham and structural engineer Fazlur Khan of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Construction commenced in August 1970 and the building reached its originally anticipated maximum height on May 3, 1973. When completed, the Sears Tower had overtaken the roof of the World Trade Center in New York City as the world's tallest building. The tower has 108 stories as counted by standard methods, though the building owners count the main roof as 109 and the mechanical penthouse roof as 110. The distance to the roof is 1,451 feet (442 m), measured from the east entrance.[4]

Here is a sweet picture from the last day of Tour of PA from Cyclingnews (Greg Sailor). Time Pro Cycling's Andy Baker crashing on the slippery first turn on Stage 6.

Labels: there and back again

Fitchburg Longsjo Classic

Fitchburg didn't go as well as I thought it could have. I broke a chain and derailleur hanger during the 6th lap in the road race after dropping it a few times. It seems that the last day of Tour of PA had come back to haunt me. The derailleur hanger was damaged in the crash fest and I didn't find that out until the road race in Fitchburg. I had been in the small chain ring all week doing recovery rides and it wasn't until I began shifting into the big ring on Friday that the problem began to escalate. I had not been feeling perfect but I was getting over the feed zone climb in the front so I was a bit disappointed to say the least. On a different note, I felt great during the time trial and placed 30th out of 120 riders. The circuit race went okay and the crit I was behind a crash in the last lap. 8 hours of driving for 4 days of good road racing action, sweet!

Ben lost his saddle on the way back from the TT.

After the circuit race, we went to a good 'ol fashioned Massachusetts barbeque. Anyone else know how to play bocce ball?

We stopped in West Point, New York on the way back to break up the drive. This is Bear Mountain, one of the tallest peaks in the area.

After a day of hanging around and not riding, I will be leaving for Chicago, IL tomorrow to race the first 5 days of Super Week.

ICC Super Week schedule:

Beverly Hills Cycling Classic presented by Vee Pak/Beverly Bike & Ski
Friday, July 11, 2008
Chicago, Illinois

St. Francis Hospital Blue Island ProAm
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Blue Island, Illinois

Olympia Club Criterium
Olympia Fields, IL
Sunday, July 13, 2008

Richton Park Criterium
Richton Park, IL
Monday, July 14, 2008

Ray Basso Bensenville Criterium
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Bensenville, IL

Other races:
Mt. Holly - Smithville Invitational GP
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Mt. Holly, NJ

Carytown Bicycle Company Bryan Park Circuit Race
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Richmond, VA

Peter Teeuwen Time Trial
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Chesapeake, VA

Stage 6 - Pittsburgh Circuit Race

The last stage of the Tour of PA was as wet and wild as your elementary school glory days when you and your friends broke out what every 8 year old loves most on a hot summer day: the Slip'n Slide.

Racing bikes in the rain is very much like playing on a Slip'n Slide. The objective in both activities is to have as much fun with as many people as possible. Speed is required and you normally fall with grace onto your stomach or back, and the faster, the better. You get wet, you have fun, then you do it again.

Yesterday's race saw 89 starting racers at the line. At just 1/2 lap into the race, somebody turned on the garden hose. Before we knew it, the sky began to dump buckets on us. It wasn't until the 2nd lap in that the first rider had gotten to christen the pavement. Unfortunately I was behind the bloke and had to put a foot down and resist the temptation to join the in the fun so early in the game. I took a free lap then was back in the action.

We found that the bricks provided the best sliding surface. The was a long stretch of these on the top half of the course. With enough speed, you might have been able to slide going up the hill. Also, I noticed all the motor oil in the corners that had to be taken advantage of. This little secret treasure had provided the best opportinity for the pensive kids to take a turn on the pavement.

With 8 laps in, 40 participants got a taste of the action. This time, I made sure I didn't miss out. I grabbed my front brake on the first corner as hard as I could, then dog piled onto another racer. My bike was tangled in 3 other bikes so it took a while to get to the wheel pit.

The field was neutralised until the rain let up and the tornado warning went away. We got back onto the starting line with an eager grimmace on our faces: Round 2. With the GC sealed, prize money donated to charity, and the laps pro-rated, the field was content to take it easier. The noted changes took out the risk of guys going as hard as they normally would. The stage race had ended. Now guys were just going to play for fun on national television. Some guys couldn't stand the fun anymore so they pulled out. Others protested by not starting back up. As for myself, I hadn't had enough.

The race started up and the water was turned on. More fun-loving souls splatted onto the road with screams of joy and laughter. The large audience was eating up every bit of it. By now with 5 laps to go, there were only about 30 participants still in the race. My team mates had had their fill of the water and watched me from the sidelines, cheering all the way.
With 1 lap to go, I was beginning to grow quite sad that the week and races were over. It had been quite a journey and the team and I had a lot of fun. What had seemed so far away in January when I had first heard of the race was now about the end. The time during the racing had just been a blur while the transfers and hotel moments had frozen into one solid memory.

A tear came to my eye on the 2nd turn on the last lap. The race was about to be over. I took the turn with the speed everyone else had but on a farther line on the outside. I squeezed my front brake and noticed my rear wheel beginning to lose its grip on the smooth bricks. At the last moment I braced for impact and took one last Slip'n Slide turn into the curb. Sweet, maybe they got that on television, I thought. I got up and pedaled to the finish line with the tear gone and a smile in its place.

Thanks for reading,

-e

Stage 5 - Ligonier to Pittsburgh

Racing was really tough. Crosswinds tore through the peleton. The finishing circuit was fast. There were a lot of people hitting the pavement during the day and there were many flats. Check out Versus tonight for 2 hours of tonights race live. Lunch time.

- e