I am currently back in LA after spending a well deserved month back at home in Michigan for Christmas and New Years. I had a lot of fun spending time with my parents and I also got to spend a couple of nights at my cousins. My cousins live about 30 minutes away from me and are brothers to me. We have grown up together and it is always a great time when we get together.
I flew into LA on Sunday and am staying at a friend's house, Andy Lakatosh, who is a track cyclist training for the Rio 2016 Olympics!!!! Go give his fan page a like on facebook!!! The riding here is amazing, the other day I rode through all of the major beaches. It feels so nice to be in warm weather after it being -20 F in Michigan last week.
I also enrolled in a local college and I am taking two online classes. It is pretty cool to say that I am starting college early.
The most exciting news that I have is that I will be racing for the Hincapie junior development team this year! This is the best team for young riders in the U.S and has a great track record of sending riders onto Pro Tour teams. Our team camp is next month in Greenville, SC and I can't wait to meet everyone. This is a huge step forward for myself and I am ready to take my cycling to the next level. It feels great to finally see my hard work paying off.
I have a lot of pictures that I want to upload onto here, but the website isn't working that well right now, sorry!
Thanks for reading,
Rainman
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Enjoying the Sun
I have been on the road for about two weeks now and I am loving the amazing weather and riding that I have had the opportunity to take advantage of so far. To Sum up the first couple of days in LA, I felt like I was a kid who got thrown into the deep end of the pool and didn't know how to swim. I had been really busy with finishing up high school and I hadn't raced since late July. After the initial shock of the long rides, hot weather, and thousands of feet of climbing every day I began to feel better and better. By the end of the trip I felt great and I could see a huge gain in my fitness. Besides the fact that I suffered a bit in the beginning, the trip was a ton of fun! We got to ride with Phil Gaimon who just signed with Garmin for the upcoming season and we went to a great restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner. I found it funny that this was the first year that I lost weight over thanksgiving compared to the usual tradition of eating a ton and passing out later.
As the last day of camp arrived all of my teammates were packing up to go back home to the frigid Midwest, but I was excited to pack up for Tucson, AZ. Gord Fraser, who directed my team at the Tour de la'Abitbi over the summer and lives in Tucson connected me with his friends who offered to host me for two weeks. These first couple of days in Tucson have been amazing. My host family is super generous and welcoming. They have truly made me feel at home. The riding here is also great. There are bike lanes on all of the roads and there are so many different routes to choose from. I am very confident with how my training is going. I am working very hard and I know that this will be great year for me.I am also really learning about what it takes to take cycling to the next level, everything from eating right to maximizing recovery.
Thanks for reading
As the last day of camp arrived all of my teammates were packing up to go back home to the frigid Midwest, but I was excited to pack up for Tucson, AZ. Gord Fraser, who directed my team at the Tour de la'Abitbi over the summer and lives in Tucson connected me with his friends who offered to host me for two weeks. These first couple of days in Tucson have been amazing. My host family is super generous and welcoming. They have truly made me feel at home. The riding here is also great. There are bike lanes on all of the roads and there are so many different routes to choose from. I am very confident with how my training is going. I am working very hard and I know that this will be great year for me.I am also really learning about what it takes to take cycling to the next level, everything from eating right to maximizing recovery.
Thanks for reading
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Day by Day
It has been too long since my last blog post. Life has been going good and I have been enjoying the beautiful scenery that the fall season in Michigan has to offer. Sadly, the fall weather is turning into the cold and miserable weather that we call winter. This past weekend I finished high school by taking the GED. I lasted two months in public school before I realized that balancing the two proved to be too difficult. Public school was not all that I had hoped it to be. Many of the students at the high school had been together since first grade and had their cliques sorted out. I only had two friends that went there going in and I didn't have classes with either of them. I had trouble "breaking in" to the social scene. Don't get me wrong though, I met many nice people during my time at Franklin and enjoyed being around others my age. I have struggled through all four years of High School battling depression and never being able to participate in the school's activities due to training and travel. The GED offered me a way to end my high school career early and still be able to get into all of the colleges that I am interested in. I will be starting College in January by taking two or three online courses through a local college to start earning credits. I am excited to start a new chapter in my life.
In other news, I am going to LA later this month for a ten day training camp with some fellow friends and teammates. After the training camp, I will fly from LA to Tucson, AZ for two weeks of climbing Mt. Lemmon. I can't wait to be in the Sun and to get some high quality training in. The season's start will be here before I know it.
Thanks for reading,
Richard
In other news, I am going to LA later this month for a ten day training camp with some fellow friends and teammates. After the training camp, I will fly from LA to Tucson, AZ for two weeks of climbing Mt. Lemmon. I can't wait to be in the Sun and to get some high quality training in. The season's start will be here before I know it.
Thanks for reading,
Richard
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Off-Season
Wow, this summer has gone by fast! I had a decent second half of my season with a 20th place in the road nationals time trial and a 22nd place overall at the Tour de l'Abitibi (the largest junior stage race in the world). I flew straight to Pennsylvania from the Tour de l'Abitibi in Quebec to race track nationals and hopefully qualify for the world championships. My legs said different though and apparently they didn't want to race anymore. I can't blame them, I had been racing the whole summer. Sadly my season goal of making it to the world championships was thrown away. After having been on the bike every day of the summer, I only spent 3 days at home from early June to the beginning of August, I decided to end my season early and enjoy the rest of the summer.
Ending my season early turned out to be a blessing in disguise, I was able to take a 10 day vacation with my dad to our cabin in Montana. This trip included a lot of hiking, napping, eating, and swimming at the hot springs down the road. As a younger kid, I would go to my cabin in Montana every summer with my parents, but these past summers I haven't been able to go due to the cycling schedule. Knowing that I will be off into the world next year as a man it meant a lot to be able to have a fun father/son trip.
This past month I have been taking a break from riding the bike in order to give myself a mental and physical break. It feels amazing to play video games and watch a lot of movies, but I am excited to get back to training in a week. There are some very exciting races on my schedule for this upcoming year.
Also, I am starting public school this Tuesday. I started high school at a private all boys school in Detroit, then I became homeschooled these past two years to accommodate cycling better. Homeschooling did not give me the social scene that I needed, so my parents and I worked very hard to transfer me into a public school for my senior year. I am very excited to make new friends and to experience something different. I am super happy that this will be my last year of high school!
That is all the news that I have,
Thanks for reading
Ending my season early turned out to be a blessing in disguise, I was able to take a 10 day vacation with my dad to our cabin in Montana. This trip included a lot of hiking, napping, eating, and swimming at the hot springs down the road. As a younger kid, I would go to my cabin in Montana every summer with my parents, but these past summers I haven't been able to go due to the cycling schedule. Knowing that I will be off into the world next year as a man it meant a lot to be able to have a fun father/son trip.
This past month I have been taking a break from riding the bike in order to give myself a mental and physical break. It feels amazing to play video games and watch a lot of movies, but I am excited to get back to training in a week. There are some very exciting races on my schedule for this upcoming year.
Also, I am starting public school this Tuesday. I started high school at a private all boys school in Detroit, then I became homeschooled these past two years to accommodate cycling better. Homeschooling did not give me the social scene that I needed, so my parents and I worked very hard to transfer me into a public school for my senior year. I am very excited to make new friends and to experience something different. I am super happy that this will be my last year of high school!
That is all the news that I have,
Thanks for reading
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Turning A Corner
The first half of my season has not gone well for me, but I think that things are starting to turn around for me. The season started off in Arizona at the Valley of the Sun Stage Race where I flatted early in the road race and then had to drop out later due to heat exhaustion. Besides having some bad races, I was also battling depression. I had no energy to get out of bed and no motivation to do anything. It was hard on my body as my psychiatrist tried to figure out why my medicine wasn't working and what dosage of medicine would work best for me. I felt hopeless.
But I have kept on pushing through and I have weathered the storm. Two weekends ago I went to Iowa to race with my team. I had a great weekend of racing despite crashing at the race where I was hoping to defend my title. I had one of my best races ever that weekend when I finished in the field in the pro race on Sunday. There were about 100 riders in it and many big names were there. It was very fast, but I fought to keep my position throughout the race and I showed that I can compete with the best in the U.S. This was a big moment for me because only 3 years earlier I looked up to these guys and never imagined that I would be on their level someday. Hard work pays off!!!!!!! I also finished second in last nights local race. It feels good to be back on the podium.
During these next two months I will be traveling to Madison, Wisconsin for road nationals, Quebec, Canada for the Tour de la'Abiti, and Pennsylvania for track nationals. I am feeling very strong going into these races and I am expecting big results. I am happy to finally be feeling better! Thanks for reading!
But I have kept on pushing through and I have weathered the storm. Two weekends ago I went to Iowa to race with my team. I had a great weekend of racing despite crashing at the race where I was hoping to defend my title. I had one of my best races ever that weekend when I finished in the field in the pro race on Sunday. There were about 100 riders in it and many big names were there. It was very fast, but I fought to keep my position throughout the race and I showed that I can compete with the best in the U.S. This was a big moment for me because only 3 years earlier I looked up to these guys and never imagined that I would be on their level someday. Hard work pays off!!!!!!! I also finished second in last nights local race. It feels good to be back on the podium.
During these next two months I will be traveling to Madison, Wisconsin for road nationals, Quebec, Canada for the Tour de la'Abiti, and Pennsylvania for track nationals. I am feeling very strong going into these races and I am expecting big results. I am happy to finally be feeling better! Thanks for reading!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Gotta Love California
This past week I have been in L.A at the Home Depot Center velodrome training for track nationals which take place in Pennsylvania in late July. My goal this year is to qualify for the junior track World Championships by doing well at track nationals. The training consisted of a lot of intervals (hard efforts) and motor pacing (racing behind a motor bike, check out my fb page for video). Besides riding, I went to the beach a couple times and also got to see a stage of the Tour of California, one of America's biggest professional cycling races.
Don't get me wrong, I had a blast on this trip, but I have never felt this tired before. My body is excited to go home tomorrow to get a day or two off. I gave it my all in every training session. After each workout I got some recovery food in me and then passed out in my hotel room bed. I feel stronger than ever though and I am confident in my ability to have success in my upcoming races.
I have to say that my favorite part of this trip was being able to get coached by Andy Lakatosh, a very high level track sprinter who has accomplished so much in his cycling career and still has bigger goals that he is working towards. He is the nicest guy and I have learned so much from him. The biggest thing that Andy has taught me is to believe in myself and that anything is achievable with sweat, sacrifice, and hard work.
Alright, it's my bed time, thank you for reading! Finally, I would like to thank my awesome mom for taking me on this trip!
Don't get me wrong, I had a blast on this trip, but I have never felt this tired before. My body is excited to go home tomorrow to get a day or two off. I gave it my all in every training session. After each workout I got some recovery food in me and then passed out in my hotel room bed. I feel stronger than ever though and I am confident in my ability to have success in my upcoming races.
I have to say that my favorite part of this trip was being able to get coached by Andy Lakatosh, a very high level track sprinter who has accomplished so much in his cycling career and still has bigger goals that he is working towards. He is the nicest guy and I have learned so much from him. The biggest thing that Andy has taught me is to believe in myself and that anything is achievable with sweat, sacrifice, and hard work.
Alright, it's my bed time, thank you for reading! Finally, I would like to thank my awesome mom for taking me on this trip!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Tour of the Battenkill road race
A lot has happened since the Valley of the Sun stage race in Arizona in February. I have been working on school and training a lot. I went back to Arizona a week after the stage race and then one more time over Easter break for the official team training camp where I got to meet all of my teammates and get all of my cool team gear.
This past weekend was the first official team race in Cambridge, New York. The Tour of the Battenkill is a one day road race that is 65 miles long and includes a lot of climbing, gravel roads, and beautiful scenery. This is a big and important race which many juniors show up to. I arrived on Saturday at noon after a ten hour car ride that my family split into two days. I got my number, went for a ride, and then met with my teammates for dinner at a great Mexican restaurant to get some fuel in our bodies and to talk over strategy. After dinner, I went back to my hotel to get a good night's sleep.
The morning of the race was very cold, but it looked as though the sun was going to come out soon. My teammates and I rode to the start line and it was time to go. The race started off very slow and the hills were the only hard parts. Everyone knew that the real action doesn't come until the final hills within the last 7 miles. My teammates were great and set the pace at the front. At mile 40 I saw my chance to try and bridge up to the two man break up the road. I soloed for the next ten miles and I made a decent gap for myself. I only could reach within 25 seconds of the two riders ahead of me though. At mile 51 I got caught by a raging field that was getting ramped up for the finish.
By this time, I only had one teammate left in the group, and I did not have that much energy left inside of myself. My objective now changed to helping him have the best possible chance at taking the win. I went to the front and took pulls with other teams to bring back the breakaway. After a few hard pulls, I was done and the next hill shot me off of the back of the group. I rode in the last 4 miles with six others and got third in the sprint. I finished 18th overall out of 58 starters.
This was a very fun weekend and I am so proud of how my team did. My teammate David Lombardo got sixth in my race! We couldn't have done it without the rest of our teammates. They worked their butts off! I am feeling in great shape and I am excited for the bigger races in July. I would like to thank my parents, ISCorp/Intelligentsia Cycling Team, Trek, Bontrager, Spy sunglasses, and Billy Jones for all of their help and support!
This past weekend was the first official team race in Cambridge, New York. The Tour of the Battenkill is a one day road race that is 65 miles long and includes a lot of climbing, gravel roads, and beautiful scenery. This is a big and important race which many juniors show up to. I arrived on Saturday at noon after a ten hour car ride that my family split into two days. I got my number, went for a ride, and then met with my teammates for dinner at a great Mexican restaurant to get some fuel in our bodies and to talk over strategy. After dinner, I went back to my hotel to get a good night's sleep.
The morning of the race was very cold, but it looked as though the sun was going to come out soon. My teammates and I rode to the start line and it was time to go. The race started off very slow and the hills were the only hard parts. Everyone knew that the real action doesn't come until the final hills within the last 7 miles. My teammates were great and set the pace at the front. At mile 40 I saw my chance to try and bridge up to the two man break up the road. I soloed for the next ten miles and I made a decent gap for myself. I only could reach within 25 seconds of the two riders ahead of me though. At mile 51 I got caught by a raging field that was getting ramped up for the finish.
By this time, I only had one teammate left in the group, and I did not have that much energy left inside of myself. My objective now changed to helping him have the best possible chance at taking the win. I went to the front and took pulls with other teams to bring back the breakaway. After a few hard pulls, I was done and the next hill shot me off of the back of the group. I rode in the last 4 miles with six others and got third in the sprint. I finished 18th overall out of 58 starters.
This was a very fun weekend and I am so proud of how my team did. My teammate David Lombardo got sixth in my race! We couldn't have done it without the rest of our teammates. They worked their butts off! I am feeling in great shape and I am excited for the bigger races in July. I would like to thank my parents, ISCorp/Intelligentsia Cycling Team, Trek, Bontrager, Spy sunglasses, and Billy Jones for all of their help and support!
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Valley of the Sun Stage Race
This past Wednesday I flew out to Phoenix, AZ with my parents to compete in the valley of the sun stage race. This is a 3 day long race consisting of a time trial, road race, and a criterium. This is one of my favorite races of the year because it gets me out of the Michigan snow and allows me to test my fitness against some of the best riders in the country. This is also a very important race to me because many national team coaches were here and look closely at the results.
The time trial on Friday went well for me. I had a good warm up and felt confident. I started off at a good pace and I was able to hold it for the rest of the 14 mile distance. I finished up in seventh place for the day with an average speed of 27 mph. The goal was to be top 5, but I know that I gave it my best and I will accept my placing. Also, fellow Michigan junior Rudy Peterson had a great time trial finishing in 8th place!
Yesterday was the 62 mile road race that consisted of 4 laps around the desert. 7 miles in I flatted after hitting a pothole and I had to wait a while for the wheel car. I tried to stay calm and when I got a new wheel, I hopped back onto my bike and began chasing. I made it up to another rider who I worked with to make it back to the lead group. This effort took a lot out of me and the rest of the race was just trying to hang on through the brutal crosswinds. At mile 56 my body completely blew up on me and could not take any more. My body started shaking, cramping, and felt very nauseous.I found a ride back to the finish where I was taken into an ambulance that gave me a lot to drink and monitored me for a while.
It disappoints me greatly that I was not able to finish the road race, and therefore was not able to start in today's crit. Cycling is like life, we all have our share of good and bad days. It is how we deal with the bad days that really makes us who we are. I am not going to allow yesterday's bad race to drag me down, I am going to let it motivate me to have an amazing next race.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who made this weekend possible for me including: Daniel Sterling for being an awesome boss and letting me borrow his bike box and wheels, Brian Adams for being the best physical therapist in the world, Lucas Wall for being an amazing mentor and coach, IS Corp Cycling for providing me with the best team ever to ride for, and all of my friends and family that are always cheering me on! I am leaving back to Michigan tomorrow with confidence knowing that I am in great shape and that I have many more races left to compete in. Thank you for reading!
The time trial on Friday went well for me. I had a good warm up and felt confident. I started off at a good pace and I was able to hold it for the rest of the 14 mile distance. I finished up in seventh place for the day with an average speed of 27 mph. The goal was to be top 5, but I know that I gave it my best and I will accept my placing. Also, fellow Michigan junior Rudy Peterson had a great time trial finishing in 8th place!
Yesterday was the 62 mile road race that consisted of 4 laps around the desert. 7 miles in I flatted after hitting a pothole and I had to wait a while for the wheel car. I tried to stay calm and when I got a new wheel, I hopped back onto my bike and began chasing. I made it up to another rider who I worked with to make it back to the lead group. This effort took a lot out of me and the rest of the race was just trying to hang on through the brutal crosswinds. At mile 56 my body completely blew up on me and could not take any more. My body started shaking, cramping, and felt very nauseous.I found a ride back to the finish where I was taken into an ambulance that gave me a lot to drink and monitored me for a while.
It disappoints me greatly that I was not able to finish the road race, and therefore was not able to start in today's crit. Cycling is like life, we all have our share of good and bad days. It is how we deal with the bad days that really makes us who we are. I am not going to allow yesterday's bad race to drag me down, I am going to let it motivate me to have an amazing next race.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who made this weekend possible for me including: Daniel Sterling for being an awesome boss and letting me borrow his bike box and wheels, Brian Adams for being the best physical therapist in the world, Lucas Wall for being an amazing mentor and coach, IS Corp Cycling for providing me with the best team ever to ride for, and all of my friends and family that are always cheering me on! I am leaving back to Michigan tomorrow with confidence knowing that I am in great shape and that I have many more races left to compete in. Thank you for reading!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
ACT and stuff
Wow, a lot has happened since returning from LA a couple weeks ago. Since then I went back to Tuscon, AZ with my team for 5 days and got in a lot of good training. I also competed in my first race of the year that was held on the University's campus. It was a 40 min long junior crit that my teammate Garret and I worked together in. I ended up with 4th place and Garret in sixth. Not bad for our first race and having ridden 3 and a half hours the day before. I am not satisfied though, the wins will come soon.
After ariving back from Arizona last week, I took the ACT this past weekend. I was very nervous, but I did my best. The worst part about the test was having to sit in a seat for 5 hours and having to fill in little bubbles. I am glad to have it out of the way though.
This wednesday I am leaving for the Valley of the Sun Stage race in Phoenix, AZ. This is a very important race on my calender and juniors from all over the country show up to it. I am in good shape and I am excited to measure my progress from last year.
Life has been very busy, but I am working hard and doing my best. I have big goals this year and I know that I can acheive them. Believing in yourself is the first step towards success!!! Thank you for reading!
After ariving back from Arizona last week, I took the ACT this past weekend. I was very nervous, but I did my best. The worst part about the test was having to sit in a seat for 5 hours and having to fill in little bubbles. I am glad to have it out of the way though.
This wednesday I am leaving for the Valley of the Sun Stage race in Phoenix, AZ. This is a very important race on my calender and juniors from all over the country show up to it. I am in good shape and I am excited to measure my progress from last year.
Life has been very busy, but I am working hard and doing my best. I have big goals this year and I know that I can acheive them. Believing in yourself is the first step towards success!!! Thank you for reading!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Update from LA
I'm currently in Los Angeles, California training at their world class indoor velodrome. I am making the most of my short time out here and I can feel my body getting stronger. My main goal for this season is to represent the USA at the junior track world championships and I am doing everything I can to reach that goal. I have done a couple time tests to see what I need to improve on which is very valuable info to me.
On top of getting in some very good training in, I am meeting great people and seeing new places. I have sacrificed a lot to chase my dreams, but I know that my hard work is paying off and I am excited to see where it will take me. Thank you all for your support and for reading my blog. I will be posting regularly now that I have more events in my life to write about.
On top of getting in some very good training in, I am meeting great people and seeing new places. I have sacrificed a lot to chase my dreams, but I know that my hard work is paying off and I am excited to see where it will take me. Thank you all for your support and for reading my blog. I will be posting regularly now that I have more events in my life to write about.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The Smell of Racing Is In The Air
Wow, the winter has been going by fast. Lately my life has consisted of work, school, cycling, and chasing after girls. This last week I have been working very hard on school knowing that things are about to change in a week. My first race is in about a month in Phoenix, Arizona and I am starting to get ready. Knowing that my first race is coming up, the intensity in my training is coming up and my traveling is also starting to pick up. Next Saturday I leave for LA, California to train at the Home Depot Center velodrome for a week. I am super excited to see this world class track and to get some very hard workouts in. After returning home for a few days, it will be off to Tuscon again for a couple days of hard work.
Phew, I will be busy this next month. Everything is coming together and I am feeling very confident that this will be my best season so far. I know that my hard work is paying off and I have so many good people behind me. Thank you for reading and supporting me.
Phew, I will be busy this next month. Everything is coming together and I am feeling very confident that this will be my best season so far. I know that my hard work is paying off and I have so many good people behind me. Thank you for reading and supporting me.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Team training camp
After spending a couple days in Houston, Texas with my parents and family I was off to my teams first training camp of the year in Tuscon, Arizona. My parents dropped me off at the airport early Christmas morning and I was off. Every day we rode a little more than 3 hours on some of the best roads around. It felt amazing to be riding outside in sunny and warm weather. After riding, I took a shower and then got a massage. I got the all-star treatment. My favorite ride is going up mt. Lemmon. It is a 40 minute ride to the base of the climb and then the climb is 28 miles to the top. I only made it to mile 14 because after that it gets very cold. Climbing a mountain gives me a sense of joy and freedom that I cant explain. Also, once u turn around, the descent is very fast and fun.
The riding wasn't to he most important part of the camp though, getting to hangout with some of my new teammates was the best part. We watched a couple of movies and went out for ice cream one night. I am leaving this camp with new friends, a little more fitness, and excitement for the upcoming season. My first race is in a month and a half which I can't wait for!
I am sitting here at the airport ready to go home and I would like to thank IS Corp Cycling, Billy Jones, Mr. Roth, and my parents for giving me this great experience. Thank you everyone for supporting me in reaching my goals. Happy new year!!!!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Why Do I Race My Bike?
Why do I race my bike is a question that I ask myself A LOT. After racing on the track saturday night, I went to bed very sore, tired, and needing to take my inhaler. I missed hanging out with my friends to race my bike, but why? Well, these are the answers that I came up with.
1. I feel accomplished after I finish a race or training ride. I know that I am working hard towards my goals and that my hard work will pay off. There is no other feeling like finishing a 90 mile race and knowing that you gave it your all.
2. Cycling provides me with goals in life. I am a highly motivated person and having goals drives me every day to work hard. If I can dream it, I can do it.
3. The people and places that Cycling has taken me to are amazing. I have raced all over America and have even raced in Belgium! I would have never been able to go to Europe if it weren't for cycling. I have also met the most wonderful people through cycling. I feel very blessed to know the people that I do. They truly care for me.
4. Cycling also keeps me in shape. If I wasn't cycling, I would probably be 15 pounds heavier and eating whatever looked good.
5. Competition. I am very competitive and I am wired to compete. I like trying to do my best to overcome my competition and rivals.
Those are a couple of the reasons that I love my sport. I feel as though my bike is my identity, and I wouldn't know what to do without it. Life is not very easy for me and cycling gives me an outlet to plug into when I need to let my anger out. I sacrifice a lot for cycling, but it has given me so much in return. Cycling has also taught me a lot about life. Cycling has taught me that life isn't easy, you have to work for what you want, and patience is key. I love my sport and I wouldn't do anything over in my life.
Thanks for reading and being a part of my life.
1. I feel accomplished after I finish a race or training ride. I know that I am working hard towards my goals and that my hard work will pay off. There is no other feeling like finishing a 90 mile race and knowing that you gave it your all.
2. Cycling provides me with goals in life. I am a highly motivated person and having goals drives me every day to work hard. If I can dream it, I can do it.
3. The people and places that Cycling has taken me to are amazing. I have raced all over America and have even raced in Belgium! I would have never been able to go to Europe if it weren't for cycling. I have also met the most wonderful people through cycling. I feel very blessed to know the people that I do. They truly care for me.
4. Cycling also keeps me in shape. If I wasn't cycling, I would probably be 15 pounds heavier and eating whatever looked good.
5. Competition. I am very competitive and I am wired to compete. I like trying to do my best to overcome my competition and rivals.
Those are a couple of the reasons that I love my sport. I feel as though my bike is my identity, and I wouldn't know what to do without it. Life is not very easy for me and cycling gives me an outlet to plug into when I need to let my anger out. I sacrifice a lot for cycling, but it has given me so much in return. Cycling has also taught me a lot about life. Cycling has taught me that life isn't easy, you have to work for what you want, and patience is key. I love my sport and I wouldn't do anything over in my life.
Thanks for reading and being a part of my life.
Winter Fitness
One of the problems about living in Michigan is that the winters are nasty. They are cold, wet, cloudy, dark, and just straight up miserable for me. I personally hate being cold and I do not prefer to ride outside when it is in the 30 degree range. Therefore, I have been riding my bike in my basement which is not a lot of fun either. To keep up my motivation for training I decided to go up to London, Ontario to race on their indoor velodrome (a wooden, steeply banked oval) on saturday night. The velodrome is about 2 and a half hours away from my house and is located in an old hockey arena that is not heated very well.
The racing started at 7 and was in a tournament format. It started off with four groups of about 11. The top 6 from each group qualified for the semi-finals. Then the top 6 from each semi final qualified for the final race. If you did not make it in the semi-finals, you had one more chance to make it into the finals by getting 1st or 2nd in the "last chance race" for the riders who didn't make it through the semi's.
So the first heat went smoothly for me. The semi finals were a lot faster and I finished 7th, one off from qualifying. Even though I was really tired, I hopped back on the bike to try and get into the finals. The last chance race started off super fast and I just followed wheels and conserved myself. Near the end of the race I felt very good and I made my move. I caught two riders off the front and passed over them. I finished 1st! Now I had to worry about the 140 lap final scratch race with the best riders. The race was super fast and it exploded immediately. At lap 40 my legs had had enough and gave up on me. I finished 8th overall.
It felt very good to race again and especially to ride a new track. My goal is to go to junior track worlds this year and I am feeling very confident in the fact that I can do it. Thank you for reading my blog!
The racing started at 7 and was in a tournament format. It started off with four groups of about 11. The top 6 from each group qualified for the semi-finals. Then the top 6 from each semi final qualified for the final race. If you did not make it in the semi-finals, you had one more chance to make it into the finals by getting 1st or 2nd in the "last chance race" for the riders who didn't make it through the semi's.
So the first heat went smoothly for me. The semi finals were a lot faster and I finished 7th, one off from qualifying. Even though I was really tired, I hopped back on the bike to try and get into the finals. The last chance race started off super fast and I just followed wheels and conserved myself. Near the end of the race I felt very good and I made my move. I caught two riders off the front and passed over them. I finished 1st! Now I had to worry about the 140 lap final scratch race with the best riders. The race was super fast and it exploded immediately. At lap 40 my legs had had enough and gave up on me. I finished 8th overall.
It felt very good to race again and especially to ride a new track. My goal is to go to junior track worlds this year and I am feeling very confident in the fact that I can do it. Thank you for reading my blog!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Putting Things into Perspective
I believe that everyone sees life from a different point of view. I also think that our points of view are created by the experiences that we have had in our life. I do my best to see life through the point of view that everyday is precious and that tomorrow isn't guaranteed. My point of view is created from the fact that life hasn't always been easy for my family. In October, 2010, my friend and cousin Kyle Zuleg was killed after a tree branch fell on him while he was camping. It was a clear night and it was a freak accident. I honestly could not believe that it happened until I was actually going to Chicago for the funeral. Kyle was only 16 and had such a great life ahead of him.
Also, early onset Alzheimers runs on my dad's side of the family. My dad's dad had it, and I have lost an aunt and an uncle to it already. Since my dad does not have it, I am safe though. Early onset alzheimers is a genetic disease where your brain slowly fails. Many elderly people get alzheimers, but early onset alzheimers starts when you are in your mid-late thirties. While in Texas, I am living with my Aunt who has early onset alzheimers. We just celebrated my Aunt's 44th birthday the other day and she has 3 young children. The disease is getting worse every month and it is hard to watch. I am not even sure if she knows who I am.
I am not saying this to make people feel bad for my family. I am saying this because staying here has given me a new take on life and family. Because of the fact that my family has gone through so many struggles, we are all very close to each other. I would do anything that I could to help out one of my family members or friends who needed me. If I ever get upset at how life is going at a certain moment, I just need to realize that I woke up with great health, a roof over my head, and I have a great family. We should all take time to enjoy the little things in life that make us happy!
Sincerely,
Richard
this is my cousin's website: http://www.kyleshineson.org/
Also, early onset Alzheimers runs on my dad's side of the family. My dad's dad had it, and I have lost an aunt and an uncle to it already. Since my dad does not have it, I am safe though. Early onset alzheimers is a genetic disease where your brain slowly fails. Many elderly people get alzheimers, but early onset alzheimers starts when you are in your mid-late thirties. While in Texas, I am living with my Aunt who has early onset alzheimers. We just celebrated my Aunt's 44th birthday the other day and she has 3 young children. The disease is getting worse every month and it is hard to watch. I am not even sure if she knows who I am.
I am not saying this to make people feel bad for my family. I am saying this because staying here has given me a new take on life and family. Because of the fact that my family has gone through so many struggles, we are all very close to each other. I would do anything that I could to help out one of my family members or friends who needed me. If I ever get upset at how life is going at a certain moment, I just need to realize that I woke up with great health, a roof over my head, and I have a great family. We should all take time to enjoy the little things in life that make us happy!
Sincerely,
Richard
this is my cousin's website: http://www.kyleshineson.org/
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Its Hot in the South
Well, Im going through my second full day here in Houston, Texas and Im getting used to things. I was expecting it to be warm down here, but I was frying on my ride today. I thought that I was in a desert with no shade. I almost ran over a snake too, which you don't see in Michigan that much. Anyway, I did a 50 mile ride today and I though that I was going to die from the heat, haha. I am definitely a northerner. I guess that being hot is better than freezing my butt off though.
I am having fun playing with my younger cousins, two twin boys who are in fourth grade and a girl who is in sixth grade. The boys have already kicked my butt at playstion and xbox. They are super good at Call of Duty, which my parents would still prefer me not to play. Yes, being an only child makes me a little sheltered. Yesterday we celebrated my aunt's 44th birthday and it was a lot of fun! There was good cake and we were all in a happy mood.
I am keeping up with my school so far, Im only 2 days in, but I am proud of myself so far. Its hard to concentrate when there are so many Texas cowgirls I could be chasing outside. I am having an awesome time here and I am getting some good training in. Thanks for reading!
I am having fun playing with my younger cousins, two twin boys who are in fourth grade and a girl who is in sixth grade. The boys have already kicked my butt at playstion and xbox. They are super good at Call of Duty, which my parents would still prefer me not to play. Yes, being an only child makes me a little sheltered. Yesterday we celebrated my aunt's 44th birthday and it was a lot of fun! There was good cake and we were all in a happy mood.
I am keeping up with my school so far, Im only 2 days in, but I am proud of myself so far. Its hard to concentrate when there are so many Texas cowgirls I could be chasing outside. I am having an awesome time here and I am getting some good training in. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Whats Up In My Life
Hello good friends and family, thanks for reading my blog. Lately I have been doing a lot of schoolwork, cycling, and trying to spend some more time with friends. I am in the part of the cycling season that some some people call, "the offseason". A lot of competitors find this a time to relax and kick back, but I find it the time to work even harder and try to improve on my weaknesses. I have been doing a lot of stretching, core work, and I have been spending a lot of time on my bike. I also decided to hire a nutritionist to help me make sure that I am fueling my body with the best food possible. I am really feeling a lot of improvement all around and I am feeling the rewards of my hard work.
My schedule for the next couple of weeks kicks off with the Iceman Cometh Challenge mountain bike race in northern Michigan. This race attracts over 4,000 racers from across the U.S. and has a great atmosphere. It is 30 miles of challenging trails and dirt roads that takes about 2 hours to complete. It is the one mountain bike race I do a year, but I always have a lot of fun at it. I leave for this race tomorrow afternoon and I am super excited for it!
After the mountain bike race, I will have to come home that night and start packing up things for Texas. I am leaving for Houston, Texas on Tuesday and will be there for two weeks while staying with family and getting in some really good training. I will bring my school with me and work on that while I'm there. I think that it will be a nice change of pace for me and I love being around with my family!
I have one final exciting announcement. I will be racing for the IS Corp Junior Cycling team out of Wisconsin this upcoming season! They have produced many great riders on and off the bike and are invited to the Tour de la'Abitibi (a UCI stage race in Canada) every year. I will be getting to meet all of my new teammates very soon and I am excited about being able to race with such a great group of people.
That is the summary of what has been going on in my life lately. I have very big expectations for this upcoming season and I am going to come out swinging. I am taking care of all the little things and I will let my legs do the rest. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed.
Sincerely,
Richard
My schedule for the next couple of weeks kicks off with the Iceman Cometh Challenge mountain bike race in northern Michigan. This race attracts over 4,000 racers from across the U.S. and has a great atmosphere. It is 30 miles of challenging trails and dirt roads that takes about 2 hours to complete. It is the one mountain bike race I do a year, but I always have a lot of fun at it. I leave for this race tomorrow afternoon and I am super excited for it!
After the mountain bike race, I will have to come home that night and start packing up things for Texas. I am leaving for Houston, Texas on Tuesday and will be there for two weeks while staying with family and getting in some really good training. I will bring my school with me and work on that while I'm there. I think that it will be a nice change of pace for me and I love being around with my family!
I have one final exciting announcement. I will be racing for the IS Corp Junior Cycling team out of Wisconsin this upcoming season! They have produced many great riders on and off the bike and are invited to the Tour de la'Abitibi (a UCI stage race in Canada) every year. I will be getting to meet all of my new teammates very soon and I am excited about being able to race with such a great group of people.
That is the summary of what has been going on in my life lately. I have very big expectations for this upcoming season and I am going to come out swinging. I am taking care of all the little things and I will let my legs do the rest. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed.
Sincerely,
Richard
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Fall
Well, It has been too long since my last post. I finished well at the Green Montain stage race over Labor Day Weekend and then I took a two week break off of the bike. Before I talk about what I have been doing though, I want to talk a little bit about my season overall. I competed all over the country, took two trips to Belgium, and met a lot of my goals. I upgraded to category 2 and I adjusted to the faster and longer racing pretty quickly. I want to thank everyone that has supported me for making this season so great. I would like to thank all of the older category 1/2 riders for teaching and watching out for me in races. I want to thank Lucas Wall for being so patient with me and coaching me to be my best. I am very thankful to everyone who has encouraged me and sent me nice messages over facebook and in person. It helps knowing that other people are in your corner. Finally, I would like to thank my family, they are the most important people in my life and nothing comes before family.
After taking the two week break I eased back into training and hit up the books. Now I am putting in a lot of time on the bike and preparing for the next season. I have signed with a very exciting team for next year (that I will announce soon) and I have a lot of cool races and goals on my calender. Everything is going alright in my life right now and I am pretty happy. This upcoming season is going to be great. Thank you for reading.
Sincerely,
Richard Rainville
After taking the two week break I eased back into training and hit up the books. Now I am putting in a lot of time on the bike and preparing for the next season. I have signed with a very exciting team for next year (that I will announce soon) and I have a lot of cool races and goals on my calender. Everything is going alright in my life right now and I am pretty happy. This upcoming season is going to be great. Thank you for reading.
Sincerely,
Richard Rainville
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Off Season
My season finished off over the Labor Day Weekend in Vermont at the Green Mountain Stage Race. This race was four days long with some of the nation's best juniors. I felt very good throughout the race and I finished off 17th overall out of 75. I am glad that I ended my season on a decent note.
Now that the season is over though, its time to take a break and stay off the bike for a while. These past two weeks I have been focusing on school, work, and I have been hanging out with my friends a lot. It feels good not having to worry about which workouts Im doing on which days. On monday I will start riding again on the trails with my mountain bike and do some longer rides on the road. I am excited to start training for next season. Thank you for reading my blog.
Now that the season is over though, its time to take a break and stay off the bike for a while. These past two weeks I have been focusing on school, work, and I have been hanging out with my friends a lot. It feels good not having to worry about which workouts Im doing on which days. On monday I will start riding again on the trails with my mountain bike and do some longer rides on the road. I am excited to start training for next season. Thank you for reading my blog.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Last Days in Belgium
Well, I leave Belgium tomorrow to go back home. These last couple days have been pretty calm and relaxling. The only thing that I have to complain about was the heat these last two days. It got in the upper 90's which is very hot for Belgium. There is also no air conditioning here which lead to all my chocolate melting :( I probably should have put it in the fridge though. Today I went for a ride to Gent (a fairly big city about 20 miles away) where I got completely lost once I reached the city. I did end up finding my way back though. I packed my bike up a little while ago and I am praying that TSA doesn't decide to take a chainsaw to it.
I am super glad that I was able to come back here for a second time this year for more racing and learning. The racing did not go as well as I wanted it to, but I still got more experience racing at an international level which is important. I want to thank Holly and Greg Germer for providing me a great house to stay in, Tim Redus for providing a great racing trip for me and great dinners, John Kelly for helping Tim run the trip and taking me to a couple of my races, Daniel Sterling for lending me his bike box and supporting me in making my racing dreams come true, and I would like to thank my awesome Mom and Dad for being my biggest supporters and cheerleaders. I also would like to thank all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and my friends for being such great people in my life.
This trip has been another chapter in the Journey of Rainman. The journey to the top is not easy, but I am never going to give up. I can't say enough how glad I am to have such a great group of supporters surrounding me. I have one more race this season over Labor Day weekend and I am going to give my all. Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed!
Here is a short video on why racing in Europe is so important and what I am trying to accomplish in cycling: http://vimeo.com/47605727
I am super glad that I was able to come back here for a second time this year for more racing and learning. The racing did not go as well as I wanted it to, but I still got more experience racing at an international level which is important. I want to thank Holly and Greg Germer for providing me a great house to stay in, Tim Redus for providing a great racing trip for me and great dinners, John Kelly for helping Tim run the trip and taking me to a couple of my races, Daniel Sterling for lending me his bike box and supporting me in making my racing dreams come true, and I would like to thank my awesome Mom and Dad for being my biggest supporters and cheerleaders. I also would like to thank all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and my friends for being such great people in my life.
This trip has been another chapter in the Journey of Rainman. The journey to the top is not easy, but I am never going to give up. I can't say enough how glad I am to have such a great group of supporters surrounding me. I have one more race this season over Labor Day weekend and I am going to give my all. Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed!
Here is a short video on why racing in Europe is so important and what I am trying to accomplish in cycling: http://vimeo.com/47605727
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