Fall Series Championship Comes to an End.

Expert/Pro Class: - Victor Alber finishes the Florida Championship in 1st place with Martin Cox (BCC) finishing in 2nd followed by Kevin Hoffman in 3rd, Regan Woodall 4th (BCC) and Daniel Jimenez in 5th.

Colorado So Far!!

As most of you know I have gone out to Durango Colorado for a month of training with my coach Drew Edsall to not only do the National race in Utah on July 27th- 28th but also to go back east and try and get some good finishes in New York on July 11th- 12th and Hopefully the next weekend in Vermont for the National Championship on July 16th - 20th!!

So far I have rode every day but one to recover since the training is so hard here. It is almost impossible to find somewhere here without a minute climb that you cant help but here your head throb only half way up! Well anyways the training is killer. The trails are just amazing and the best I have ever rode, the only problem is saving some energy for the next day. I have logged in around 13 hours already in the first week being here. The biggest problem I still have is my breathing. I need a little more time to aclamate because riding at 0-130 feet above sea level back home to riding at 6500-9000 feet above sea level out here is a little harder.

However tomorrow I am going to try a practice short track the Durango Devo is putting on and see where my fitness stands against the locals out here. Then to follow that I have some more hard training to finish out the second week here.

Soon I hope to have some pictures up so I can share the beauty of this place with you all. For now though I will just keep riding and enjoying.

Bump & Grind

And CRAMP!! AAAHHH

Well we started our trip out to colorado and did the Bump and Grind national calendar race on the way out. The race took place in Pelham, AL right below Birmingham. The race is what I would say the biggest race in the southeast with the most talent around lined up on one line for a 17 mile course with a grueling climb about 1/2 way through. I went into the rce feeling pretty good and ready to post a solid finish. I started on the second row and still got a decent start. I was up in the top 10 for the beginnig with no intention of moving up until later if possible. As we can out to the climb on the first lap I simply sat up and rode my own race. Of course a few riders instantly shot out about 20 feet and just sat there. As the climb went on I felt okay. I simply reeled the other riders in at the top when they hurt the most. Coming through the first lap I was probably in around 16th or 17th which was mid pack, however I knew I put out a good lap time and just hoped I could do it again.

Beginning the second lap about 3-4 miles into my legs where really still feeling strong but starting to quiver so I knew I would have probably later. I was however still moving up in my class. So as I crested the climb for the last time I felt good and was in a solid 10th place however right before you shoot into blood rock the most technical part of the trail my friend michael viertel blew by me telling me to stay strong. Well this got me a little fired up so I paced myself an d caught up to him slowly. I was plannong on seeing how the last climb went then trying to pick up the pace however on that climb my legs started to lock up and I had to warch mike walk away from me just so i could finish the lap. I continued to ride my best through the cramps and finished a solid 11th place overall and 5th place out of the semi pro's.

Congratulations for the top spot going to RYAN WOODALL once again as he was out the blazing the course once again and won the pro field for the second time in a row. Also good job to my coach Drew Edsall for placing 6th overall and 1st out of the semi pro's. Jamie Knight was also in the house taking the win in the Junior Expert class with a fast time. And as always Regan Woodall was there to liven things up, but was unable to race so he can start up training for the East Coast nationals!! Thanks for all the help this year from everyone at this race and look for me on that podium next year with no cramps.

California National

So lets start this off by saying this was one of the best trips ever. Not only did I get to travel to California, Race a national, hang out for a few days with some of my best friends, and get a wicked sun tan from a california heat wave..haha..Oh yeah and I didnt even mention the course yet!! Lets just say an 11 mile course with climbs so grueling they make pro racers look really human..

So the flight out was pretty good and I got to fly all day with Ryan and Drew. As we arrived at the airport in Santa Babara finally my day got even better as my friend Mike had come prepared for the trip sporting this super funny haircut and shirts..Finally we all got our luggage and rental car and headed to the hotel to build bikes. Well except Drew cause they did him a huge favor and didnt get his luggage until the next day. Once all was said and done we headed to the course to look at the venue, and I took off for a real long easy lap..

The next day we headed to the course so everyone could get in a ride and check out the course. We meet up with the knights there and our crew was complete. As everyone finished up there day we went to dinner to get in some good ole pasta and sleep.

So saturday was upon us and I was feeling good for cross country. I got to line up on the front row and had a decent start with no intentions but to pace myself and finsih strong. COming throught the first lap I was in mid pack and still felt strong. I waited until the end of the second lap to start making a few moves and move up a little. I ended up getting a little screwed over at the end and not able to get two riders I could of easily beat, but at least finished strong. After checking the results I ended up in 28th place out of like 50 riders. This got me a little down but I was happy with my performance in the 106 degree weather..

Well sunday was here and we had short track, but dont let the name fool you. This is a 20 minute race where you are seeing stars the whole time or hitting a wall on a tricycle. Well lets just say I got another good start and tried to pace myself off the leaders. I was in the top 10 the first say 6-7 minutes then I absolutely crashed. I finished the race barely able to move. I was hurting worst than ever but I knew I had to finish because I never drop out and that does nothing good for you but make it easier to quit next time.

So that was all for the trip. The race was awesome and I learned a lot about big races. As I headed back to florida I could not get the good times out of my head, and knew the trip was well worth it.

UPDATE

Yeah it is time for an update. I have been unmotivated to talk about my riding more than I am motivated to just get out and ride. I have competed in the first Georgia state race and The Lakeland Urban Crit since the last post.

For the Georgia State Race it was a good time traveling up to the race and riding a great course however I was unable to put in a good ride. My body was way off for the day and I started having real bad muscular cramps on the last lap. I got in a good training day but was real mad at my result. I actually got passed near the end of the race by a woman racer yelling at me to get out of the way and I was only pedaling with one leg cause the other was cramped and locked up. This was so funny to me as soon as I was finished. The other was that they conveniently let out the beginner wave right in front of me on my last lap. Which is not good for a blown up semi pro to race with over excited unexperienced racers. Near the end a beginner fell on a climb in front of me causing me to fall into the bushes and lose a spot while having my legs lock up. So the georgia experience was good but my performance was very off.

As for the urban crit. This was an awesome event. They had a sweet trials/ speed course set up right in the road to entertain spectators which was awesome. Well and the crit course was cool for you went by a lake, down stairs, and all the way up and down a parking garage. I felt really good going into the race and confident in myself. However I did not feel comfortable on slick tires blasting through oil spills. However all that aside I went into the race with an open mind to kick some butt. Well as the race broke in I found myself up front making the right moves and staying in front. However before I noticed all in a split second Steve Bent had flatted and hit a statue hard and well I look up and Jamie and Mike were broke away. This was the worst thing that could happen. ACTUALLY NOT they were working together flawlessly and moving really well. So I tried to just stay calm and help the people around me however within a few minutes I knew my race was for third place. So it came down to me and Brent Hall riding the rest of the race together before the finish, where I squared up the last corner to beat him. This was a move I made on experience and something he will never forget. great race though Brent.

So that is about it for now. I am currently trying finish out school which is a huge stressor for me and get ready for the California national.

Martin's 2008 Race Schedule

So here is the plan for the rest of the year..I have decided to step it up and not do as much local stuff until the end of the year for the state series.. I want to really start to see this year where I am going and what needs to be done to get to the top.

I have a great coach Drew Edsall who is helping me accomplish whatever I set my mind too. Along with that I have an amazing mentour Ryan Woodall who is really letting me know what it takes to get where I need to go and guiding me in the right way. The last huge thing is the support I am getting. Kurt Leverett has really gone out on a limb and created an amazing program to not only help and support Floridas future pros but also put in a huge program for florida itself to keep it on the map. Along with all this I also have some amazing family including my Grandparents Charles and Katherine Perry, my aunt and uncle Dixie and Mike Harper, and most of all my Father.

So here we go lets see what can come of this year..

Downtown urban Crit Lakeland, FL Apr 12th

NMBS #3 Los Olivos, CA May 15th-19th

Bump and Grind Pelham, Alabama June 1st

COLORADO TRAINING June 2nd-26th

National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS) #4 Park City, UT June 27th-29th

COLORADO TRAINING June 30th-July 6th

NMBS #5 Windham,NY July 11th-13th

NMB Championship Mount Snow, Vermont July 16th- July 20th



SERC #9 Fontana, NC July 26th- July 27th

Florida State Series Mid. September- Mid December

SERC#1

This race was given to me with mixed emotions. It was my first Semi Pro race ever and I got the pleasure of being with pros also..haha. Well I went in with an open mind and after my normal routine warm up with my coach Drew Edsall, it was on. We lined up where we wanted and the race was under way.

I got the holeshot as normal ( Not to brag, I just really like starts). As soon as we hit a little starightaway I kind of set up though to let a few riders by to pace off me.. Pro rider Andy Johnston was the only one to take advantage there and took the lead.. I followed him up a few hard climbs and we were both filling well and starting to break the group a little a part. Well on the steepest climb of the race I shifted a little late and put out a lot of power which resulted in snapping my chain and bending the der. hanger. I took this bad and dropped my bike told my coach as he came by and cheered everybody else up the hill.

Well I have never dropped out of a race, but I was pretty sure I was done with this one. So I started walkking back to th e pits. Then I said screw this and I fixed my chain and got rolling. Instantly I noticed my hanger was bent and did the best I could to get it straight. I tuned the gears and got the bike working decent for the rest of the race. SO I just decided to put in a hard ride. Well I ended up catching a few riders that got blown up and it made it worth while. I finished way back and was not very happy with what happen. All in all though it was a preview for the future and I cant wait for the next race.

Big Weekend

Lets just start this off by saying my road bike owns me after this weekend. I knew that I needed some more base work and overall training to begin this year right with the upcoming races.. So I have made an effrot to myself to not doing anything that I wll regret the next day. So what happened exactly.. Well my Coach (Drew Edsall) always tells me the weekends is where the time needs to be put in.. So here was what went on.

Saturday I decided to do a criterium race to get in some high intensity work. Well as I lined up for the A race ( Pr0 / Cat 1-3) it was quite aware this might be extremely hard regardless of the situation. But I went in with an open mind and told myself it was okay if I didnt fell comfortablte just stay in a while and focus on saving energy for tomorrow's long ride. Well right off the back I found myself sucking wheels and following the smart people I knew around the course. This made for a fun race without totally killing myself. I am also pround to say that I finished right behind the front group in a 40 mile pro crit was not such a small accomplishment.

As for sunday this is where the fun was had. My good friend Ryan Woodall came down to do the Oluste ride with me, which is a 115 mile road ride that leaves from gainesville and goes out to the middle of nowhere and back. I had never rode over 80 miles before on a road bike and was not sure if I was ready for this, but it had to be done. The beginning of the ride stays at a pace of about 20-23 mph the whole time for about 60-70 miles..Well that is all good, but it gets rough.. When the pace picked up me and ryan both decided we were going to need more to drink, so we decided to help each other transfer gatorade from our jersey pocket to our bottle on the bike..BIG MISTAKE for we were almost dropped trying to just make sure we has a sip of gatorade.. Well as we recovered from our chase back to the front group I started to recognize we were coming back to roads I was familiar with..

SO we waited until I gave the cue to go.. As I saw we were approaching the steepest hill of the ride I told ryan this is where we go up to the front. So we cruised by people and made are way up front and caught the break in the process, until we hit the red light..thank god.. But I wasnt done yet with about 10 miles to go there were 2-3 guys that kept trying to make a break, so I put it on myeslf to keep them close..After one real hard effort to reel them in for the group it worked..But I was hurting and only 3 miles till the sprint. So about 1/2 mile from the end I noticed two guys out front again and at the same moment Mike Neimi shot out about halfway and I instantly chased him done and somehow caught him but he and I were both dead but at the same time I think we helped the group catch them..After the ride was all said and done I had no problem with cramping and a total ride time of 5hr. 15 min. making for a great day and an awesome end to my road bike weekend..

6 hours of El lagarto

The 6 hrs of El Lagarto took place this past Sunday, Jan 27, 2008, which was presented by Red Trail Racing. I teamed up with my Coach, Drew Edsall, and together we took the team title. It was my first real race of the year and we were expecting nothing but fun for the race. Well not only did we lap the other two teams in our class, but somehow we won a 6 hour race in around 4 and 1/2 hours. Now if that is not fun then I dont know what is. Trianing is still building up and showing great speed at a early stage of the year if definitely a good thing which gets me really excited for this year. Thanks for everyone making this such a fun event..

Special Thanks to: Drew Edsall, Ryan Woodall, Regan Woodall, Dyan Lee, Ricky Knight, Steve Bent, John Harlan, Jorge Rojas, Doug Estok, My family, Bike Route, Scott, Sram, Endurance Factor, and Trikes, Bikes, and Hobby!!