Black Rainbow

Welcome to the Jungle

It seems strange, but up until last weekend I had never raced my fat bike. The Fat Bike Birkie is one of the largest races of the winter in the northwoods of Wisconsin, and the races in the Hayward/Cable area always have a super good vibe to them. My sponsor, Freewheel Bike, also happens to be a big supporter of the event. Even though the Birkie was a low priority race in terms of training I still wanted to perform. I backed my ride time down a few hours for the week hoping for snappy legs. I was lucky enough to get an updated version of Rad Bicycle Co.'s Grizz a couple of weeks ago and that would be my race rig. I outfitted it with carbon bits from Whisky, studded 45N tires and a SRAM XO1 kit. 

Race day started at 3:45am. I mainlined some coffee and was on the road by 4. The early morning pilgrimage is almost routine at this point. Traffic is light and the drive uneventful. A coffee refill at Alley Cats in Spooner usually gets me through. My tire choice had been weighing on me all week. Prior to the course change announcement I mounted a set of Dillinger 4 studded tires. After the course change they said studs were not needed. I considered swapping a set of Husker Dus back on but went with my initial gut reaction. After 2 minutes of warming up on course I knew I made the right decision. While a lot of the course was frozen dirt there was a significant amount of ice. Even with studs I was sliding around a bit. Temps hovered in the single digits for the morning. Add in wind chill and you have some interesting race conditions. I opted for a full 45N array of clothing: Wolvhammer boots, Sturmfist 4 gloves, and Stovepipe hat. Freewheel had me squared away on the rest of my race kit. I anticipated being a bit overdressed but it ended up being just right.

Heading to the start line I felt ready to rip. I hoped the training that I have done would get me through with the lead group. As the gun fired and I was swallowed up by the pack my lack of speed was quickly evident. I drifted my way into the lead group by mile 3 only to get derailled as I went down hard on a patch of ice. I was back on the bike quickly hoping to bridge up until I realized my hanger was bent. I faked it for another 5 minutes before my chain launched, forcing me off the bike for a quick repair. I chased a few more minutes and eventually linked up with Bjorn Selander. We spent the next 2 laps chasing each other around the course and riding down anyone who had fallen off the lead pace. With two laps to go I lost Bjorn and spent the last fifty minutes suffering alone. The Birkie hills were taking there toll. I continued to ride steady to roll in 13th. Of course, I hoped for a better result but in hindsight it is about the result I should have expected. Maybe I could have hung with the leaders for a few laps but they were much stronger than I am at this point. It was great to see some of my friends from Madison and have them post strong results. Onward and upward. I'm thankful to have a rest week this week and then it's back to some serious base miles for another month. Next up is the Ragnarok 105, a staple in the MN gravel classics. 

LaLonde Coaching

I'm excited heading into 2017 with some big changes in the works. The biggest news is that in my offseason I've gotten certified as a USA Cycling Level 3 coach and will be looking to coach a few athletes this year. I'm really stoked to be able to share what I've learned about training and racing over the years. I've competed at a high level on of a variety of training programs. I've been my own training guinea pig for years. I'm confident I can help you train smarter and accomplish your goals while balancing your off the bike responsibilities. If you're interested in hearing more please contact me at lalondecoaching@gmail.com

2016 Season in Review

2016 was a huge transition for me. I started the year cranking out a huge base but that all changed when I accepted a job in Minneapolis in March. Moving a family of 4 and a 4 bedroom house is stressful to say the least.

I was lucky enough to link up with Foundry Cycles for the year and race some great bikes. Going into the year one of my main goals was the Royal 162 gravel race in May. With my modified training plan in hand I went solo just a few miles into the 157 mile race and came away with a 30 minute gap at the end. I turned my attention to the mountain bike and quickly realized my form and skills were lacking a bit after a disappointing ride at the local Buck Hill weeknight mtb race. Another adjustment to my training plan and I head into the Pre Fat mtb race in the land of Chequamegon. While I was bummed by a weather-modified course that consisted mainly of fire road I went into the race ready for some fast racing. I made the lead selection before falling off midway through the race. After a little soul searching I regrouped and rallied the muddy singletrack to the finish for my first mtb win in 3 years! Next on the docket would be my biggest challenge in years. I hadn't raced the Fat Tire 40 in years but I was shooting to get back into the top ten. As long as I made the lead group through Rosie's I knew I'd have a good showing. I stuck to the front group on my Foundry Firetower through halfway but got shot out the back in a tactical error and a small crash in front of me. Luckily I was able to link up with former Madison local Joe Maloney and TT back to the lead group. The effort proved to be a bit too much as I lost contact for good going over Firetower. I put in some good pulls and a steady effort to roll in for 10th place. 

My focus turned to cyclocross for the remainder of the year. Minneapolis has a great weeknight series that I took advantage of until the weekend races started. I was continually foiled in taking a win by my bro Jesse. But my speed was continuing to develop and the gap got closer and closer. My peak was working to perfection coming into the MN state CX champs. I was coming off of two weekends of wins and the legs were feeling rested and snappy. Fresh snow/mud had me wishing for a pit bike but I always operate on the "run what ya brung" principle. 20 minutes into the race it was down to myself and CJ. He pitted and I got a small gap. In the end it was not meant to be for me. CJ powered home on the last quarter mile and I couldn't answer. I'm incredibly happy with my season as I out rode my preseason expectations. I did a lot of experimenting with my training and learned a boatload. I've been incredibly lucky to have the support of my family as well as some amazing companies: Foundry Cycles, Twin Six, Whisky Parts, Rad Bicycle Co, 45NRTH, Industry 9, HED and Cycleops.

 

here.

old end/new beginning

is blogging becoming a dead art? i dont think so, but with so many social media outlets its pretty difficult to keep up on all fronts. my motivation to craft a thoughtful and entertaining parcel of words, wrapped up neat and tidy, is waning. so naturally, when something much less time consuming but still visually appealing is brought to my attention, i choose it as the future path. aside from a link to a new platform, expect nothing more from this url.

summation

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

my favorite photo from racing in europe. in this closeup, tom robertson captures something that results or race recaps just cant. focus, determination, and good ol fashioned racin. im sure plenty of people were wondering what the point was of going to belgium to finish two laps down. it was more about finding something inside myself than trying to win and you can certainly find a lot when your going balls out and still getting lapped...

the recap

our final race of the trip was the fidea cyclocross classics tervuren. i did my best attempt at internet recon on youtube. pretty pointless. we arrived to fog, mostly melted snow, and a plethora of soupy mud. after a training lap, i was already confused. the course made great use of the natural terrain. a twisty track that weaved through the trees, up and down the small gully running through the park, all linked together with rutted walking paths. after our viewing of the course we hit the warming van and did our best to recount the parcours in our head. it was difficult. it seems we'd be ending the trip with the toughest race.

standard warmup and to the line. mid pack lineup. of all the races i did, i felt i was racing the most in tervuren. brian and i stayed within 10 seconds of each other for most of the race. the cross camp guys were riding well around us as well. it was an uneventful race placing wise, but it was a hoot to ride. with frozen hands it was back to the van for one last time. discard our soiled clothes for clean ones while nelle poured the apple tea and gregory and chris prepared the bikes for our trip home.

a mostly trouble free trip home, back to work yesterday, and now here i sit, reflecting on nearly 3 weeks of riding and racing in belgium. i can hardly believe that it even happened. soon it will be a distant memory so i better gather my thoughts before theyre gone. so what can i take away from this experience? well, ive already outlined two points, but ill continue on with a couple more thoughts:

1) ride the ruts

2) listen to the mechanic

3) racing in belgium requires you to be aggressive at all times. everyone says "you have to fight tooth-and-nail for every place". i believed it, but its another thing to experience it. if you want a line, you have to take the line. you can't get a half wheel in front and the coast expecting the other rider to just file in behind you. you have to take ownership of every move and follow through. if you don't, 3 guys will have just passed you.

4) uci points pretty much mean squat. if your good, you'll make it to the front. also, a 2nd to 3rd row callup in the us translates to 5-7th row in europe. additionally, there's little regulation by officials to actually stay lined up in an orderly fashion. if im called up 5th row, by the time the light turns green im in the 4.5 to 3.75 row. everyone scoots up wherever they can.

5) the racing is different. i used to try to compare results with guys i'd raced against in the us. there were guys i beat in the us this year that pretty much destroyed me in belgium. whether that due to the courses being tougher or just racing halfway across the world, im not sure but its pretty useless to try to compare.

that's all ive got for now. im sure i'll have more in the future. lastly, i have to give credit to all of the support ive had from various sponsors and blog readers.

The Sponsors:

Twin Six: Ryan and Brent are two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. when i approached them about doing a "fundraiser" shirt, it took them all of 30 seconds to commit. in addition to keeping me looking dapper in all their shirts/jerseys/socks, they came up with a substantial amount of funding for my trip. twin six made my dream of racing in belgium a reality.

Specialized: Ian at specialized came through when i was looking for a bike sponsor. two identical S-works Tricross bikes, outfitted with the best specialized components and SRAM red groupos. all the race equipment i needed from shoes to helmets. specialized also came through with some funding to help get me to belgium.

HED: Timmer and the guys at HED committed to being my wheels sponsor before i even had a bike sponsor! most of the season i raced my stinger 4 carbon wheels and loved them. fast and light. but they also set me up with 3 sets of alloy wheels. for me, the alloy wheels were a game changer in belgium. i used them in every race and the stopping power gave me the confidence to hit any tight drop in front of me.

Challenge: Bill set me up with tires for every condition. most of the season i found the fango did the trick on most any course. when i felt i needed something different, the grifo was the way to go. the new limus tread that will be out for next season looks to be as good or better than the rhino. 

Mad Alchemy: i figured it was a shot in the dark when i contacted pete about sponsorship. much to my surprise he said "our sponsorship is pretty full, but i can get you some embro to sample". unbelieveable. the standard days with a little chill, i went for the mellow. but not in belgium. every day in belgium i busted out the russion warming tea embro. sure, its a medium heat, but trust me, medium is enough.

 

Individual donations:

ive listed out everyone thus far, but maybe itd be good to see a comprehensive list.

Planet Bike/Bob Downs: Bob came through in the deciding moment with a substantial donation, Mike and Patti Rutz (my mom and dad-in-law), sean burns, tony zanca of the hawley company, uncle mike lalonde, my parents, stevil kinevil of allhailtheblackmarket, jon and nora beck, djonnymac, chris follmer, ken higham, corey stelljes, glenn jones, amy dykema, the right gear, trev hulton, ryan shiroma, james lalonde, Ernest Hilbert, Russell Jobs, bruce leblanc, Lyle Hanson, john ericsson, dan and diana ellerkamp, Billy Knudson, Kristin Wentworth & Dave Staab, Bubba Wolfe, Paul Collett, David Pilotto & team flatlandia, Renee Callaway, Tim Willcox, Steve Smith, John Miller, Gordy & Diane Paulson, Dave Simmermon, Jason Lummis & Fam. and i cant forget ross cerniglia from the mywifeinc crew who let me use his double bike box to get my bikes there!

Wow, that list is massive! thats the thing about the cycling community. everyone wants to help everyone else succeed. when someone needs help, the response is overwhelming.

another big maybe in this trip planning was work. the crew at planet bike deserves a lot of credit for covering for me while i was away. how many employers would allow this? im not sure, but i know it isnt many.

brian matter did much of the trip planning and it was smooth as can be. it was definitely easier to stay 3 weeks with brian keeping me company. his wife andrea and her sister elicia cooked us meals and hung out for the first week, which was much appreciated. our mechanic gregory has us dialed in as pro as we could be. traveling to races and keeping everything in tip top shape. chris was the other mechanic and made the two rider equation doable. and lets not forget about nelle who was always waiting at the start to grab our jackets and was then at the van to let us get our cloths and pour some hot tea.

so folks, thats it. season over and time to relax. let the achilles heal and live like a normal person. my last thanks goes to my family for all their support. saying my wife is amazing is an understatement. and now i actually get to hang out and get into trouble with her. tata for now.

 

 

happy new year.

happy new year one and all. i learned last night that belgians take their new year's fireworks pretty seriously! i heard a solid 10 minute stream of blast going off after midnight. 

new years day is also the traditional day for the grote prijs sven nys. a race in sven nys home town on his home training course. we were greeted by thick fog, 3 degrees C, and a bit of drizzle. 2 laps of training on the course and i was covered in mud. gregory and chris would have their work cut out for them today.

being part of the gva series, all the top guys were present but the amount of riders was a bit lower around 48. road start straight into a steep muddy gutter, barriers, a flyover, uphill slog w/ steps. a series of descents and uphills before another uphill slog to a set of 20 stairs...then a sketchy steep drop to sharp up, followed by another crazy descent. can you follow that? yeah, me neither. my race was so so. it was more of a good hard ride, but i never really had the snap i needed. brian and i pretty much rode the whole race together. he'd drop me on the climbs and i'd catch back up on the downhills. the highlight was going past lars boom near the end of lap one. i guess this is why. i've gotta say, my alloy hed tubulars are killin it for me over here! the stopping power with them is amazing. 

tomorrow is the last day of the trip and were finishing it off with the fidea classic at tervuren. one last chance to pop a good one for everyone back home! photo cred tom robertson.

bredene and rest day

yesterday was the smallest race of the trip for us. bredene is right on the coast of the north sea. a quick 60 minute drive and on to inscription. after some back and forth with the gate keeper, he finally let us in after we showed our licenses. i don't think he believed that this guy with a huge beard was a pro cyclist! we tracked down the registration in the dank corner of a cafe/bar. pretty straight forward. we managed about 4 training laps on the course. flat, bumpy, some twisty sections and more road sections than i care for. actually, pretty similar to a lot of courses in the us. 

sylvestercross was a c2 race, but it still drew in the top guys: stybar, albert, nys, etc. i managed a 2nd row callup, right behind brian. he crushed the start and that allowed me to be top 20 into the first corner. pretty uneventful race, at one point i may have been top 20, but faded towards the end to finish 27th, 4 minutes down from stybar. at least i didn't get lapped this time. 

easy rest day ride with brian and pete webber today. pete guided us along some of the famous cobbled climbs of the ronde van vlaanderen. achilles was pretty solid today...good thing as weve got two big ones left with the gp sven nys tomorrow and gva tervuren on sunday.

tell that to rainman.

the last couple of days have been interesting for me. after diegem, my achilles really started bugging me. bad enough i couldn't even ride yesterday. remember what i said about listening to the mechanic? i come back early and gregory says "ok, we go to the doctor". a phone call and 30 minutes later i was in the exam room for one of saxo bank's doctors. crazy. so there's not much to do about the leg except try to dull the pain. christmas cross week is no time for rest! he gave me some anti inflamatories and some high strength tylenol. good news is it didnt hurt during the race, but i still raced like an amateur. i think maybe it had something to do with the panadol retard! no pain but no brain. still no good legs. frustrating to feel like i haven't had a race i can be proud of since i've been over here. well, 3 more chances before i head home.