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!!

The Intro

Hi everyone and thanks for checking out my blog..I created this blog to keep everyone updated on my cycling status..While this might be a short time I have had a blog to keep the public posted it has been a long road to get where I am, and an even longer road on where my cycling will reach in the future..

Currently I am only 17 years old, but have risen to a high level of fitness and cycling status. I have been racing for over 7 years now and 2 as an expert..This past year I currently started to venture out of fl and GA to begin my career as a mountain bike racer..In my pursuit I conquered the South East Championship in the Senior Expert 19-29 class..Currently I am racing the Florida State Series to finish my year off..

While next year I am not to sure yet of exactly what races I will be attending, it will be a promising year..I am on a Florida based Youth development Team for next year to help my cycling meet the next level..

Well that is all for now guys, but please check back frequenly for updates!!