Friday, July 13, 2007

espoirs national champion!!


i have confirmed that
ONE of these area cyclists is now a
national champion.
[espoirs, TT]
i won't give it away.
perhaps you'd like to hazard a guess?
congrats, speedy.
did you use packing tape and spray paint this year?
[for any questions about when to wear your stars and stripes jersey,
. . .
actually, after blistering the iowa games time trial course,
i gave nick frey a call.
he said he was somewhere in the sticks, pennsylvania,
and he said that, yes, he IS indeed
the new espoirs [under 23] time trial champion.
rough data:
nick averaged over 30 mph
on a 24 km course.
winning margin: 1.5 seconds.
as a matter of fact [remember, this guy is NOT given to overspeak],
nick said that his "season has been dragging out,"
and he actually felt that his "efforts at collegiate nationals
were better indicators" of his fitness at the time.
nick was not, however, dismissing his efforts today.
he indicated that one major reason that he did so well was because
"there was wind everywhere.
you really couldn't let up; you had to go hard all the time."
i asked him what affect his win today would have on his college plans
[i've been advising him all along to take the money and run],
and he said, "i'm going to drop out."
after a brief pause, nick chuckled and said,
"i think it proves i can do both fairly well."
i might point out that i have NOT seen his report card lately.
he does credit his intense training companions in colorado,
who, by the way, include former and occasional iowans
garrett davis, ralph henderson, kelly ruddick,
bob dahl, randy reichart, wes hartman,
and a bunch of other colorado ne'er-do-wells.
nick's immediate plans include relaxing and doing a bit of a ride tomorrow,
and then lighting some fireworks in sunday night's criterium.
congratulations, nick, and best of luck.
and don't forget to drink your espresso!

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