Blogs by Professional Cyclists - Professional Cycling Unplugged™

Jut got home from the Nature Valley Grand Prix.  I really need to thank my team for this one!  I was in second place throughout the week and it was very difficult to gain any time over the Bissell team.  Those guys are super strong and protected their leader well.  Seven seconds seemed like seven minutes at certain points in the week!  It all came down to the last stage and everyone on our team worked so hard.  I felt stronger as the week progressed, but the last few laps of the race were incredibly tough.  I just gave it everything I had and managed to make up the time I needed take over the lead.  It was great to repay the team after all the hard work they had done.  Minnesota is a great place to race and I look forward to going back next year.

I am back home in California for a bit of rest and training before Cascade.  This is a fantastic race and I love going to Bend for a week of racing.  It is a fun town and I really need to go back there for an actual vacation at some point.

It is definitely summer in California.  All of the tourists are back and the Del Mar Fair is now in full swing.  I guess it is called the San Diego County Fair now, but everyone I know who is local to the area still calls it the Del Mar Fair.  Anyway, getting anywhere is nearly impossible because there seems to be so much more traffic.  It took me forever to get home from San Diego yesterday.  The weather is improving (is it ever really bad here?) and the beaches are becoming more crowded.  I have to be honest, this time of year is not my favorite, as the crowds are just a bit much.

I am off to do the infamous Wednesday Ride.  I usually do this ride whenever I am home.  The ride leaves Carlsbad and goes through Camp Pendleton towards San Onofre.  We then turn around and come back.  I wonder why all of these people do not need to be at work at 8am on a Wednesday, but I guess that is none of my business.  It is a good workout for me and it is nice to ride with the group.

Cascade is up next!  

(5 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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Posted under ROAD BIKE

Summer has arrived!  I spent Memorial Day weekend training in Santa Barbara.  It is one of my favorite places and we had a stellar weekend.  The weather cooperated and I just love training in that part of the world.  However, it was really sad to see all of the fire damage.  I rode through most of those areas and it looks like a different planet.  

My days in Santa Barbara had to come to an end and I flew to D.C. last Thursday to do a couple of races in preparation for Philly.  We raced the Clarendon Cup race on Saturday.  This turned out to be quite a humbling crit for me, as I was not having a stellar day.  Some days you feel great, but there are those times when you just can’t seem to get it together.  My teammate Karl Menzies was having a good day and ended up third!  Sunday was the US Air Force Classic and my legs were starting to come around.  The race was hard and it was rather warm out, so it was great training for Philly.  

I am training in Asheville, North Carolina this week.  We have had several team camps here and I really enjoy the roads in this area.  I really want to have a good ride at Philly, so this is the perfect place to prepare.

We head straight to Minnesota after Philly for the Nature Valley Grand Prix.  This race suits me well and I enjoy being in the small towns of Minnesota.  From there I finally head home to San Diego to continue my house hunting!

(5 votes, average: 2.80 out of 5)

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Posted under ROAD BIKE

I am back in Carlsbad after two weeks of travel.  I started in Orange County and flew to Tucson via Las Vegas (not quite direct).  We had a team event in Tucson before driving to Silver City, New Mexico.  Did a week of racing in Silver City, then flew to Albuquerque.  Spent the night in Albuquerque and then flew to Fayetteville, Arkansas via Dallas.  Raced in Fayetteville for a week and then flew home to San Diego via Houston.  It is good to be home!

Gila was…well, Gila.  Silver City is an interesting place and this race is always grueling.  Altitude, tough stages, wind…something for everyone!  The racing was difficult and the team definitely struggled at times, but that is what helps us to become stronger.  It was a great race to get everyone ready for Joe Martin.

The Joe Martin Stage Race went really well for the team.  We managed to take over the lead in stage 2 and then worked hard all week to keep it!  This was easier said than done as the other teams raced super well and managed to put our team to the test throughout the week.  This is what racing is all about and I am so proud of the guys for all of their hard work.  It was great to have a win for the team and I think this really gives us some momentum for the remainder of the year.

The efforts of the past few weeks have caught up to me and my body is taking a few days to recover.  I had planned to race in Ventura this weekend, but we will see how I am feeling tomorrow.  Recovery is most important!  I think people often forget this important fact.  

I am home for a couple of weeks before heading back East for CSC and Philly.  Those are fantastic races and I think the team can do well in both of them!

(5 votes, average: 3.20 out of 5)

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Posted under ROAD BIKE

I have left the world of Facebook.  Yes, that is correct.  After nearly two years, I deleted my account.  No more photos and I am done with silly quizzes (which movie star are you?).  It is all about Twitter!  Twitter is the new Facebook!  So, get yourself a Twitter account and check out rorysutherland1.

I spent most of March entertaining my family and training for Redlands.  I enjoyed the time with my parents and they have now returned from Australia.  Redlands went fairly well.  The team really tried to make something happen on the last stage, but there are so many strong riders/teams this year!  It makes for great racing and I am looking forward to the rest of the season.  My favorite thing about Redlands are the crowds.  We have had the same host family for awhile and I love seeing them each lap as we climb Sunset.  Thanks for coming out to watch!

Gila is coming up quickly, so I have ben heading into the mountains on a regular basis.  I left for Palomar on Saturday morning.  The weather report said it would be in the 50’s at the summit.  Let me tell you, that weather report was wrong!  It was barely 30 degrees at the top…clouds, snow still on the ground, I could barely see 10 meters in front of me….it was freezing cold.  Not the most enjoyable day, but it is part of my job.

I spent a few days in San Francisco last week.  I have raced through the city several times, so it was nice to actually spend a few days there looking around!  We hit all of the tourist spots…Alcatraz, Muir Woods, Stinson Beach, Golden Gate National Park.  I can see why so many people live in the Bay area.  It was great to see so many people out on bikes as well!  Here are a few photos from the weekend:

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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I had every intention of updating the blog during the race, but that clearly did not happen!  Where do I even begin…?  

The Tour of California is always a fantastic race, and this year was no exception.  The weather was clearly a huge factor the first few days of the race.  I was wearing every piece of cycling clothing I had packed, but I was still cold.  We were shivering out there, but the amazing crowds kept me going.  I could not believe how many people were at each stage, especially when the weather was so foul.  Thanks to everyone who came out to support us on those tough days in the rain and cold!  

My favorite day of the race was definitely the last day.  My legs were finally coming around and I felt great on the bike.  It was a tough stage, but it was exciting for me because I live in Carlsbad and train in that particular area quite frequently.  I also had a lot of friends who came out to watch and that made it all the more important.  I will say that training on Palomar was a bit different than racing up Palomar!  We made it into Escondido and Floyd gave me a great lead out as we came through the last few corners.  I thought the finish was 200m from the last corner, so imagine my surprise when I saw the 300m to go sign!  My legs felt pretty decent, so I gave it my best shot and ended up fourth.  Not a bad day, but I look forward to improving my result next year.  

I was meant to race in the Tour of Mexico, but I have a bit of tendonitis in my knees, so I will be resting up this week.  San Dimas and Redlands are next on my race calendar.  These are always great events and I enjoy racing close to home.

(6 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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Posted under ROAD BIKE, TOUR OF CALIFORNIA