Abitibi Done...Lessons Learned

I really had fun in Quebec. I became great friends with my teammates and was a finisher at Tour de l'Abitibi. 106th out of 132 doesn't seem all that great, but I'm comforted by a few facts: 1. Danny, my teammate, finished 10th overall. 2. I lost 19 minutes after crashing 40 kilometers into stage 2. That set me back for the entire race. 3. I gave it all I had.

If you're going to L'Abitibi next year, here are some tips I accrued over the week.

1. Nutrition is super important in a 6 day stage race. If you don't drink sufficiently on the bike, you will probably cramp. You or your teammate will have to go back to the team car to get bottles. I didn't get bottles all week, and perhaps that contributed to my suffering. Off-the-bike nutrition is just as important too. You have to be eating, eating, eating all the time.

2. Positioning is everything. L'Abitibi is won in the time trial and lost in all the other stages. You can't be riding at the back (which is what I did for the majority of the race). The crosswinds are vicious at L'Abitibi, and the experienced riders are looking for them. If you're at the back when it happens, get ready to suffer in the gutter for the rest of the race. Very painful. The crashes tend to happen in the middle of the pack where everyone is condensed together. That being said, being at the back is still worse than the middle. You need to be at the front.

3. A L'Abitibi piece of advice is to grab your (male organs) out of the jar in your pantry and ride like a man. You have to stand up for yourself in the pack. To ride at the front requires controlled agression.

4. NEVER GIVE UP!!! If there is one thing I learned at L'Abitibi, it is to keep on keeping on. I finished off-the-back in three stages, but I wasn't time cut, thank God. Good things happen to those who finish. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. It just hurts in between, that's all.

Thanks everyone for helping me get to Canada. It was a great experience, and I hope I did you proud.

The Quebec Chronicles: The Team

I suspect I will get significant access to a computer up in Amos, so hopefully this blog shall be kept updated over the next week or so. Allow me to start this off by introducing the riders of Team Mid-South Regional:

Daniel Eaton, 18, Mesa AZ
Danny is pretty well-known in Arizona. Pretty well-known as one of the top up-and-comers in this sport. In his second year of racing, he is already Category 2. He loves to attack, break away, and take fliers...as well as time trial....and climb. He's a powerful rider, and despite his large size, he's able to climb with the best. He got 2nd at Camp, winning the flat repeats. He took 9th at the National TT and crit, but crashed twice in the road race. I sense he has something to prove.

TJ Eisenhart, 17, Lehi UT
TJ is pretty much having his best year of racing ever. He was 1st at camp, after ravaging every test. He is around 115-120 pounds, a little heavier than me, yet he produces about 40 more watts. In other words, if there's elevation, he's going to hurt you real bad. I regard him as one of the most skilled juniors I've ever seen. Also, he has been racing since 2006, so he rides with quality experience.

Owen Graves, 18, Scottsdale AZ
Big O, as we call him. Racing for Bike Haus. Owen is most comfortable in the crits. He packs a strong punch that makes him very competitive on power climbs and sprints. Seeing how Abitibi is basically a flat race, he will get many opportunities to shine. I suspect he will mix it up in the sprints, but at the same time be a complete team player.

Chris Putt, 18 Park City UT
Climbing specialist. On camp's Mars Hill repeats, Chris was incredibly close to TJ and Danny, with a time that would have won last year's test. He isn't on many riders' radars because he hasn't raced Nationals. I suspect he will surprise many people.

Erik Volotzky, 17, Chatsworth CAErik, in my opinion, brings the most experience to the table for our team. In his racing career spanning 7 years, he has accrued 9 podiums at Nationals and several wins at VOS and Callville. He went to the 15-16 Euro Camp, and rode with the National team this spring. He has Europe experience, which really helps the team. He's strong on the flat and competitive on the uphills. Certainly he will be in the mix.

The Ride is On

The first group rolls out at 5:15am tomorrow. This will be fun!!!

10 Countries Represented at Abitibi

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.abitibiexpress.ca/Sports/V%25C3%25A9lo/2011-07-05/article-2632503/LEurope-revient-dans-le-peloton-du-Tour/1&ei=C80UTpuqHI3CsQLZpejUDw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDQQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3DL%25E2%2580%2599Europe%2Brevient%2Bdans%2Ble%2Bpeloton%2Bdu%2BTour%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DT9Z%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26prmd%3Divns

Abitibi gets some funding

http://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/11/07/m1641366/government-of-canada-funds-commercialization-of-tour-de-labitibi-coupe-

The Legend

During the last lecture session of camp, the coaches told us of their career highlights. They had big highlights. For example, Jon Parrish had gotten 2nd in the National U23 crit. Jake Rubelt had raced on the european circuit. Connor O'Leary was set to race with the National U25 team after a bout with cancer.
And then there was Corey Steinbrecher. He got pretty quiet because he didn't consider himself to be all that prolific. I think we all knew he was just humble. After thinking about it for a bit, Corey said that one of his career highlights was the 1999 Tour de L'Abitibi:

Regional teams aren't supposed to beat National teams. The 1999 Arizona Select team, directed by Barney King, was supposed to be middle-of-the-pack. Its team was, after all, average. That turned out to be not so. Arizona Select won the Team Time Trial by minutes. Pieter Wiening, Dominique Rollin, and Kenny Van Hummel were among the riders they beat. Arizona Select beat the US, Dutch, French, Canadian, and Japanese National teams...soundly. When Brad Buccambuso, a rising star from Utah, took the leader's jersey after a winning breakaway, Arizona Select was defending the brown jersey against the entire world. Barney tells me that Corey and Austin King were both little guys, frequently pushed around in the pack. They were small, but that didn't prevent them for riding their hearts out in support of Brad. They poured out every bit of energy for their leader. And in the end...they won the Tour de L'Abitibi.

This was Barney's career highlight as well. Lately, he has been directing the National team. He said that it was a great pleasure to see ordinary people do extraordinary things. Watching those 6 average joes from the Southwest beat the best in the world was Barney's career highlight. I wasn't there to watch it happen, but I get goosebumps just hearing about it.

Heading North

Hey, it's James making an introductory post for the fundraiser. I got picked to race Tour de L'Abitibi in Quebec. Six 17-18 age riders were chosen from my regional development camp. The other riders include: TJ Eisenhart, Christopher Putt, Erik Volotzky, and local boys Danny Eaton and Owen Graves. Just getting the invite was a dream come true. I thought that I could possibly make the selection in 2012, but I never expected this much.

They say Abitibi is the Tour de France of junior cycling. I've heard so many stories from older riders. John Zaccone, Alex Keomany, Stephen Christy, and Jordan Stohl were my teammates back in Michigan. They went to Abitibi, and I idolized them so much for that. For whatever reason God intended, I received this unbelievable opportunity.

There's your introduction. Thanks for reading.