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You've Been Cooked: Cascade Cycling Classic Stages 1-3

(We catch up with Matt Cooke in Oregon, halfway through the Cascade Cycling Classic. Matt raced locally as an amateur with Lateral Stress Velo and in 2006 was the Elite National Road Race Champion. For 2007 he landed a pro contract with Navigator's Insurance, and this year is racing for the Health Net Pro Cycling Team. He'll be contributing regularly to GamJams as he follows the NRC Calendar around the country.

Questions for Matt? Ask away in the comments and he'll get back to you. But probably not until after his massage.)

You've Been Cooked: Cascade Cycling Classic Stages 1-3
by Matt Cooke
Health Net Pro Cycling Team, presented by Maxxis

I’m in Bend Oregon at the Cascade Cycling Classic.  We are three days in, I think, and we have two more.  Today was a time trial in the morning that Levi crushed and then a crit tonite that just ended a few hours ago. 

Tonight was some crazy racing.  Just really fast with guys taking all kinds of risks just to move up a few spots.  In the last half hour there were like 4 bad crashes, two Bissel guys I’m sure stacked it and also one Rock guy, who was on the ground for a long time.  For me I was just hanging in the middle of the field trying to stay as safe as possible.  I would have loved to have gotten into a move but Rory got into the first and only move of the day.  And really you have to be sitting like top 6 if you want to try and break away.  In the end Toyota lined it out and their man Dom Rollin won but our guy Kyle Gritters took a very close second.  Nice job Kyle.

The TT this morning was pretty damn hard.  I don’t know what I placed but it was pretty far down.  I didn’t even make the first page of results!

Yesterday was a little more interesting for me.  It was another 80 mile road race with a mountain top finish.  A break with Kyle and Corey went away in the first 20 miles or so and stayed away.  Rock Racing had the leaders jersey but the team they had here was pretty weak so it was left up to BMC to control the front.  There were some pretty windy sections where we were all in the gutter, and I totally hate that stuff. 

As the race got closer to the finish the gap to the break came down but not that much.  On the final climb Horner from Astana led the group up the first pitch and then pulled off.  I was in that main split with Levi and Botero and all the other GC guys but I was a little too far towards the back.  My teammate Roman came up to me, told me to get on his wheel and took me all the way to the front and dropped me off on Phil Zajicek’s wheel.  So I was sitting 4th wheel behind Cesar from Rock, Levi from Astana and my teammate Phil.  At some point Levi attacked and there was no reaction, so of course I ride right up to his wheel.  I’m there for like, well I don’t know how long, but not very long when Botero comes right up pushes me off Levi’s wheel and then the lights go out for me.  I just stopped pedaling.  Trying to go with Levi is pretty much suicide but I figure I tried and I figured out one way that I can’t beat him.  Maybe there’s some other way, I don’t know, but I’ll keep trying.  The good news is Corey got 3rd for the stage and he’s got to be stoked for that because he has spent most of the year working for his teammates. 

You've Been Cooked: Nez to Fitchburg Road Trip

(We catch up with Matt Cooke just outside of Boston, as he's recovering from a Top 10 on GC finish at the Fitchburg-Longsjo classic over the long July 4th weekend. Matt raced locally as an amateur with Lateral Stress Velo and in 2006 was the Elite National Road Race Champion. For 2007 he landed a pro contract with Navigator's Insurance, and this year is racing for the Health Net Pro Cycling Team. He'll be contributing regularly to GamJams as he follows the NRC Calendar around the country.

Questions for Matt? Ask away in the comments and he'll get back to you. But probably not until after his massage.)

You've Been Cooked: Nez to Fitchburg Road Trip
by Matt Cooke
Health Net Pro Cycling Team, presented by Maxxis

I have been doing some road tripping this past month.  When I looked at my race schedule over a month ago and figured out that I would not race for a long time I took it upon myself to find some racing on my own.  I hooked up with my teammate Roman Kilun in California to do The Nevada City Classic and then the Tour de Nez in Reno (where we would be joined by our other Health Net/Maxxis teammate Corey Collier.)  The goal with these races was several things and in no particular order they were: get outta of Boulder, keep racing (into fitness), make some money, keep the motivation high and get some results.  My little trip ended yesterday and I’d say for the most part it was a success.  I got 9th at Nevada City, 6th I think in Nez, with 2nd on a stage and then 7th overall at Fitchburg.  And I did Reston Town Center GP which I thought was great course and a lot of fun. I also want to add that Corey got 9th overall at Nez and Roman won two stages plus the
sprinters jersey, so yeah he’s pretty much the man.

Fitchburg ended yesterday with a crit that my teammate John Murphy won with me in the field (sorta) holding onto 7th.  I started out with a pretty good time trial that put me in 12th after the first day.  One of the guys I trained with in Tucson over the winter won the damn thing and it was pretty cool to see a cat 1 spanking a bunch of pros.  The next stage was a hundred and 5 mile road race ending with a 1k climb (I may be off with my distances but really a few miles here and there does not matter too much.)  This was where I was supposed to really shine.  It is a super steep climb and the truth is I think I am well suited for it but this time I just blew it.  I can’t really say what I did wrong.  I have an idea but really I’m not sure.  Team Type 1 had two guys in the final group.  One would attack and then if he got brought back, the other would go.  I knew exactly what was happening but there wasn’t much I could have done.  Team Type 1 got the stage win and Kyle Wamsley got 2nd and took over the GC lead.  I got 9th on the stage.  I think most people consider Kyle a sprinter but I have a specific memory of a race in Holland last year when we were both on Navigators where he took off like a rocket up some short steep climbs.  So the guy can go up hill. 

The next day was the 70 mile circuit race.  It has a steep hill on the front side and then the rest of it is a long gradual downhill.  Colavita rode the front very well and pretty much had the race in lockdown.  Kyle showed he’s on form by winning the stage by several bike lengths.  Towards the end of the race riders would attack on the hill and Colavita’s train would come apart but they would regroup on the downhill and pull back every significant move.  I did try myself once and it’s funny because you can think you have a gap and you may look back and not see anyone but on a course like that it’s nearly impossible for one guy to stay away.

And then the crit on the last day: Colavita had it on lockdown again which was to be expected and pretty much everyone knew it was unlikely they would lose the race on the last day.  As for me, I just stayed in the bunch and tried to stay safe which for the most part worked until there was a body in the road that I could not avoid so of course I go ass over tincups and landed on my back.  There were only 3 laps left of the race so I ran to the to the pit, got a new bike, rode half and lap and then got pulled by the official.  But here’s the good part, actually several good parts.  My teammate John Murphy won the crowd prime that was $1500, then won the stage, and since I went down after the free laps ended I got the same time as the field, so I kept my 7th in GC. 

I’m at my teammate Tim Johnson’s house right now outside Boston and tomorrow we fly to Bend, Oregon for the Cascade Stage Race.  I’ve been looking forward to this race sooooo we shall see.

Here are a few pictures from the trip:

Climbing at Nez. That's me wearing the purple climber's jersey.

Me and Corey at Nez.

Fitchburg: cha-ching.

You've Been Cooked: Tour de Georgia Stage 6 and 7

(Here's Matt Cooke's latest update from inside the pro peloton. Matt raced locally as an amateur with Lateral Stress Velo and in 2006 was the Elite National Road Race Champion. For 2007 he landed a pro contract with Navigator's Insurance, and this year is racing for the Health Net Pro Cycling Team. He'll be contributing regularly to GamJams, beginning with updates throughout the week on the Tour de Georgia.

Questions for Matt? Ask away in the comments and he'll get back to you. But probably not until after his massage.)

You've Been Cooked: Tour de Georgia Stage 6 and 7
by Matt Cooke
Health Net Pro Cycling Team, presented by Maxxis

Hi guys.  I'm short on time right now because I have the good fortune to have a flight back to Denver tonite  rather than the morning.  I wont call it home, cuz DC still feels that way or at least has since my real home burned down....

ok so as for the race.  Yesterday was Brasstown Bald.  I was protected all day and that made a huge difference but I still kind of messed it up in the end.  19th is respectable I am told but its not what I wanted.  It was only 5k but I am totally wasted from it, still, and its a day later.

So then today was pretty much a 100k crit but on a 10k loop in downtown Atlanta.  It was like the circuits at Univest for those who know that race.

I got in the move right at the start.  My teammate Matt Crane was there.  The two MC's in the break.  We were riding really hard and pulling through often but there were about 12 guys sitting on.  Crane went to yell at them and hit the wheel of the guy in front of them and went down taking out a Gerolsteiner guy also.  I kept going but the fatigue of the day before was creeping on me and I had to sit on the back for the last half of the race, otherwise I woulda dropped myself from the break which would have been a bad thing.

We got up to 1 minute 5 seconds and stayed at 55 seconds for nearly the whole race. It came back but it was good I got in the move.

My shuttle to the airport is leaving soon so thanks for reading and I hope you liked it.

You've Been Cooked: Tour de Georgia Stage 4 and 5

(Here's Matt Cooke's latest update from inside the pro peloton. Matt raced locally as an amateur with Lateral Stress Velo and in 2006 was the Elite National Road Race Champion. For 2007 he landed a pro contract with Navigator's Insurance, and this year is racing for the Health Net Pro Cycling Team. He'll be contributing regularly to GamJams, beginning with updates throughout the week on the Tour de Georgia.

Questions for Matt? Ask away in the comments and he'll get back to you. But probably not until after his massage.)

You've Been Cooked: Tour de Georgia Stage 4 and 5
by Matt Cooke
Health Net Pro Cycling Team, presented by Maxxis

Sorry for not writing an entry yesterday.  The posh resort we were staying at lost internet for about 8 hours making what should have been a nice relaxing day of only a short ttt into a day where about 200 cyclists bitched and moaned over not having internet.

I mean seriously what else are we supposed to do when we're not on our bike?

As for the TTT, it went pretty well.  I think we got 7th.  We nearly finished with everyone but Corey came off at the end but he did it to himself because he pulled through when we told him to sit on.  Seriously though the guy is missing a chunk, make that several chunks of flesh out of his leg, ass and back. So he gets one of several Tough Cookie Awards for the week.

We ran a single pace like which on a course as technical as Road Atlanta was the best call.  I wish we had all had shoe covers but I think thats about it. Bigger chain rings would not have helped because of how up and down the course was in my opinion. 

So today was a total death march.  133.4 miles of up and down all day.  3 KOM's and a few sprints.  Mike Creed of Rock Racing and I tried to go early and nearly crashed into a traffic island.  That was fun.

Finally after an hour of non stop attacks a group went and as soon as they got to 100 meters or so the field shut down.  Everyone wanted to ride easy for a bit.  Tim Johnson from Health Net-Maxxis was there thank go so we didn't have to ride.  I took a piss, got a feed and tried to save as much energy as possible.

We got word that our team car crashed.  We thought we were screwed b/c what would we do for feeds all day.  The second thought was is our director ok.  I mean, we're racing all day we have to eat and drink.

Toyota loaded us up with bottles.  Thank you Toyota.

10 minutes later we see the team car drive by the field to go feed Tim so I guess that was all nothing. Whatever, I got my feed.

It started to rain at the end and I didn't know the roads so I backed off and was feeling just a bit tired and ended up missing the split.  Rory got second on the stage after Tim went solo from the break and nearly pulled it off.  Tim got Most Aggressive for the day and he totally deserves it.

I lost 58 seconds which is a shame but whats done is done and I am now thinking about tomorrow's barn buster of a stage that finishes on top of Brasstown Bald. Its supposed to be the hardest climb in the US and I've never done it but I'll give it my best shot.

Also. I look really skinny in these pictures. I don't see myself as that thin but I guess the camera does not lie. 

And thanks for the messages.  I do like reading them and I hope my words are worth something.

Stage 3

Warming up for the TTT

You've Been Cooked: Tour de Georgia Stage 3

(Here's Matt Cooke's latest update from inside the pro peloton. Matt raced locally as an amateur with Lateral Stress Velo and in 2006 was the Elite National Road Race Champion. For 2007 he landed a pro contract with Navigator's Insurance, and this year is racing for the Health Net Pro Cycling Team. He'll be contributing regularly to GamJams, beginning with updates throughout the week on the Tour de Georgia.

Questions for Matt? Ask away in the comments and he'll get back to you. But probably not until after his massage.)

You've Been Cooked: Tour de Georgia Stage 3
by Matt Cooke
Health Net Pro Cycling Team, presented by Maxxis

I am happy to say the stage is over which I knew would happen so I cant be that happy there but we are at a super plush hotel for not one but two nights so that makes me really happy.

It was a crazy stage today, weird and wild stuff.  For just over 90 minutes there were constant attacks.  I dont mean attack settle down then attack again.  It was attack, chase, field get strung out single file, break comes back, attack again and over and over again.  Nothing would stick.  I could feel the collective sigh from the field as another move would go and we would have to chase after it.  There were even a few times where a move would go, get a gap and it would look like it would stick and then a couple guys would jump out of the field to get across and guys in the field would yell at them or whistle in hopes that they would sit up just so we could have some damn peace. 

That did come eventually thank god but at a price.

Two things happened.  Health Net-Maxxis rider and Mr. KOM Frank Pipp went off the front super hard and just a few seconds later my other teammate Corey Collier crashed hard after his front wheel went into the seam in the road.

A Slipstream rider went down too and has a bad head injury and is in the hospital now.  This crash which a good part of the field saw made the field sit up so the riders who went down could rejoin.  After a bike change Corey did get back up to the group but he was cut up pretty bad.  He looked shell shocked to say the least.

I found out at the end of the stage that his bike was broken to bits and the top tube was never found.  It musta flown into the woods.

As we got towards the finishing circuits which one guy said was like a mountain bike race, the break came back.  We went up and down some tough kickers in this neighborhood and Rory got away building up to a 15 sec gap.  He ended up with the Most Aggressive Rider award.

Everyday I am realizing more and more that this sport is nearly all mental.  Everyone at this level is so close in fitness but what makes the difference is having nerves and confidence. 

I've been talking to Myron from NCVC and I want to try and make it back to DC for Poolesville but it will be difficult.  And it would be nice to think that I could just come back there and roll over on everyone but the truth is I doubt that would happen. The Harley guys have some good depth and I can see them getting amped up for Poolesville.

TTT tomorrow.  I'm preparing for pain as I write this.

You've Been Cooked: Tour de Georgia Stage 2

(Here's Matt Cooke's latest update from inside the pro peloton. Matt raced locally as an amateur with Lateral Stress Velo and in 2006 was the Elite National Road Race Champion. For 2007 he landed a pro contract with Navigator's Insurance, and this year is racing for the Health Net Pro Cycling Team. He'll be contributing regularly to GamJams, beginning with updates throughout the week on the Tour de Georgia.

Questions for Matt? Ask away in the comments and he'll get back to you. But probably not until after his massage.)

You've Been Cooked: Tour de Georgia Stage 2
by Matt Cooke
Health Net Pro Cycling Team, presented by Maxxis

Hi folks-

Today was a little less eventful (for me at least) even though it was a longer and harder stage. 

The plan for the team was to just to be active in trying to get in breaks and then do our best to set up Frank or Karl for the KOM.  It would be great to win the KOM b/c there is no KOM for the next two days or maybe three so if you win it then your have the jersey for all that time. 

You might think King of the Mountains: 'Matt will do well there.'  But the truth is most KOM sprints in the States are sprints with a slight hill before them that are not suited for true mountain goats like me.  Today there were two 8k finishing circuits which were pretty much crit laps and we did them so fast they seemed like 4k.  Heading up the 'climb' on the second lap I went up on the raised side walk for about 100 meters which was great because I passed about 50 dudes but then when the time came to jump the curb back into the peloton there was no place for me so I had to stay on the sidewalk and take it till it emptied back on the street and I lost about 30 of the 50 places I just moved past and wasted a bunch of energy.

I didn't know it at the time but Frank Pipp had already won the KOM so our team was pretty much successful for the the day.  I wish I could say I helped with that but that would be a lie.  These roads are just too damn flat for me to do a whole lot on. 

My teammate and roommate Matt Crane went down in the run in to the finish.  He lost skin on his back side but it otherwise fine.  I think he's pissed that he wasn't up there for the sprint.  He'll be up there - mark my words.

My wrist is holding up well.  I got a good taping job on it and it doesn't actually bother me too much.  I broke a bone in it two weeks ago on the last day of
Redlands but like I said I think it will be fine.

I have a rub in 15 minutes so I got that, then lots of food, then bed.  Keep the comments coming, thanks guys.

Matt

You've Been Cooked: Tour de Georgia Stage 1

(ed: And so begins a new feature in GamJams - You've Been Cooked. Matt Cooke raced locally as an amateur with Lateral Stress Velo and in 2006 was the Elite National Road Race Champion. For 2007 he landed a pro contract with Navigator's Insurance, and this year is racing for the Health Net Pro Cycling Team. He'll be contributing regularly to GamJams, beginning with updates throughout the week on the Tour de Georgia.

Questions for Matt? Ask away in the comments and he'll get back to you. But probably not until after his massage.)

You've Been Cooked: Tour de Georgia Stage 1
by Matt Cooke
Health Net Pro Cycling Team, presented by Maxxis

Hi folks, 

Stage one ended just an hour ago and the internet connection here is terrible so i'm sending this out in this short window that it seems to be working.

It was only 77 miles so it was super fast all day.  it was totally flat all day except for a few small bridges.  I thought the crosswinds were going to be much worse but they really weren't bad at all.  As a team we were just trying to be aggressive and to be in breaks, which we were.  Everyone was active.  I did a little solo move a few kilometers before the second sprint line on the road.  I was hoping some others would have come with me.....but no one did.  I got swallowed up just before the sprint.

Frank Pipp got in the one real move of the day. I wrecked a front wheel when I was handing out bottles and drifted the right just as a HighRoad guy was drifting to the left.  His skewer hit my spokes and the wheel died.  Once back in the bunch and after the break went up the road and the team car went across to it.  I got a rear flat.  Mavic gave me a spare but with no team car to take me back to the field I was on my own.  I stayed on bumpers for what seems like way too long and did some push offs from side mirrors and front hoods but made my way back well before the finish.  I know Ivan Dominguez won but otherwise I have no idea the results. 

There was a lot of stress for such a short race but thats bike racing I guess.  I'm getting a rub in an hour so that will be nice. 

If you have a question ask me and I'll do my very best to answer it. Later...

Here are some pictures from the team presentation at the race: