Der Amerikanisch Sechs-Tage Renner

We've moved!

2009-06-26T19:27:00.001-07:00

goodsensations.blogspot.com

And for my final trick...

2008-01-27T12:23:00.001-08:00

He described it as “the worst experience of his life.” “But,” he continued, “it makes you feel like a warrior.” That is what I’m up against tomorrow morning as my farewell to Nice.Here’s the pickle: my plane leaves at 7am. The earliest bus leaves at 6am and takes 20min to get to the airport. Cabs charge 50 euros for the trip which is more than I would ever pay for moral reasons. All my

2008-01-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

2008-01-19T09:53:00.000-08:00

2008-01-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

Mmmm, nothing like a nice spinach, chickpea, and lentil salad after a long day in the saddle.

Summery winter epic

2008-01-19T09:49:00.000-08:00

Had another long winter epic today, but now the good weather is back so I headed out the coast on a mission to make it all the way to Saint Tropez. It was a shorts and a jersey day, or at least I made it into one with a wind-proof baselayer. Last night I spent some quality time with my maps to see whether it would be feasible to ride to the aforementioned holiday destination, and determined

All I want for Christmas..... is a derailleur

2008-01-18T10:39:00.000-08:00

Here's my final video, I promise. It features some rides around town with a camio by my big goofy friend Dan.

2008-01-13T11:50:00.001-08:00

2008-01-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

2008-01-13T11:49:00.000-08:00

Our buddies

2008-01-13T10:59:00.000-08:00

2008-01-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

Bonne Année! Bonne Anniversaire! Bon Voyage!

2008-01-13T10:52:00.000-08:00

New Year’s Eve: the long pending report. This will be the Reader’s Digest version though because my better senses tell me to not disclose all my secrets. It all started at my humble language exchange before Zürich when I asked some French buddies if they had New Year’s plans because there is nothing obvious to do in Nice (no fireworks, street parties, etc). They offered a costume party in the

2008-01-01T05:51:00.000-08:00

Details to follow in the coming days... stay tuned

2008-01-01T05:49:00.000-08:00

The six days never dissapoint

2008-01-01T05:48:00.000-08:00

Not us racing

2008-01-01T05:47:00.000-08:00

1....2.....3....SECHSTAGE!

2008-01-01T05:45:00.000-08:00

Our humble accomodations at the race

2008-01-01T05:44:00.001-08:00

This is how we find our way around

2008-01-01T05:44:00.000-08:00

Creative route-finding through Zurich our first night

2008-01-01T05:43:00.000-08:00

Dan powering down

2008-01-01T05:41:00.000-08:00

Dan enjoying a drink

2008-01-01T05:40:00.000-08:00

In Zurich with one of our couchsurfing buddies, Katrina

Grande Finale

2008-01-01T05:35:00.000-08:00

The last night of racing in Zurich was somewhat anti-climactic but still probably our best night yet. We were both really excited to get out there and race, largely because we were starting to feel better but maybe also because we had to check out of our hotel at eleven and sat in the lobby reading and using the computer until time to head to the track. The racing was the fastest yet and no one

Roller Derby!

2007-12-30T02:04:00.000-08:00

Here’s the status report after two nights of racing in Zurich. Actually, I’ll take it from the top leaving Nice last Thursday. At first the trip got off to a rocky start at the bus station when a pigeon lurking in the ceiling catacombs shat on my head. It was a pretty perfect shot and I can only imagine the high-fives he would receive later. But actually it turned out that it was lucky shit

2007-12-25T03:53:00.000-08:00

Nicois Christmas...

Small victories

2007-12-25T03:51:00.000-08:00

It’s been a while without any postings so I’ll just cut to the meat and talk about the good stuff. I’ve been thinking of the “small victories” concept for a while since there haven’t been any moments of epiphany but in hindsight I’ve been making lots of small strides towards getting settled here.Victory number one was figuring out social outlets in town. Nice is a bit of an odd place in that it

Problem: solved

2007-12-10T09:32:00.000-08:00

Water has been a problem on my rides. I currently have plotted out all the public fountains (aka. drinking fountains) within a three hour ride of Nice, and with just one bottle stuffed into my back pocket I generally have to stop at all [three] of them whenever I go by. The bigger problem is that when descending my bottle bounces around in my jersey like a little kid whose pony escaped the

BAM!

2007-12-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

If there were a sound effect for my ride today that would be it. I think I also might have heard my knees make that noise at least once… I finally figured out why everyone says the riding along the coast isn’t very good. It’s actually not a reflection of those roads, but of how incredible the riding is in the mountains to the north. I think today might be deserve the title of the nicest ride

Updates!

2007-12-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

Got some new pics in from Munich, as well some photos of Nice and the debut of video number 3 below.

2007-12-07T07:43:00.000-08:00

One of my buddies enjoying the view and a bit of a stretch.

2007-12-07T07:41:00.000-08:00

Some locals playing boules. I don't know what's up with the American flag scarf/cape. Or with the hands on the left hip. Whatever works for you...

2007-12-07T07:39:00.000-08:00

Nice at sunset from the top of the castle hill, which actually doesn't have a castle now but did a few hundred years ago. I live about two blocks from the ferris wheel.

2007-12-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

The start of my derny heat. I'm at the back wearing polka dots and about to come over the top... I think I finished fourth.

2007-12-07T07:37:00.000-08:00

Brian (in polka-dots) en route to "winning" his first derny race.

2007-12-07T07:36:00.000-08:00

Start of one of the many elimination races in Geneva... with all 28 riders on the 166m track.

Second video... at long last

2007-12-07T01:41:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've updated anything, but I can assure you it's for reasons other than laziness or lack of want. I finished this video a few weeks ago but haven't been able to upload it, but here it is now for your viewing pleasure. All the pictures are new, the red jerseys are from Munich and the green are new pics from Dortmund. I just today found a few new photos from Geneva, so

Things I like

2007-11-26T22:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, I’ve been thinking about these for a while, so I think I’ll just get it all out at once in a nice, clean format. I think it’s pretty much self-explanatory.Three things I like:The sun: remember? The great giver of light and warmth, and taker-away of wetness and paleness? The one that’s around from July to September? Well, I figured out where it goes the rest of the year.People: not just

2007-11-25T08:13:00.000-08:00

Shorts! In November!

2007-11-25T08:12:00.000-08:00

Monaco... in the foreground, I don't quite know. In the background, a Lamborghini.

2007-11-25T08:11:00.000-08:00

2007-11-25T08:10:00.000-08:00

2007-11-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

Zurich start list (click to enlarge)

Au revoir, seasonal affective disorder

2007-11-25T08:07:00.000-08:00

Riding today was pretty awesome. I put in a solid few hours in the velo going east along the coast, first to Monaco then into Italy and around a bit there. The real story was the weather though… perfectly sunny and in the mid to upper 60s. One sign I passed said 24c, but I think it was in the sun. Regardless, I rode sans legwarmers and with just a long sleeve jersey on top, and when I got

A ride through Nice...

2007-11-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some video clips from my ride today. Biking through Nice proper is sort of like playing a video game because so much is happening at once. Unlike Germany, it's definitely okay to jay walk and run red lights here... and people do so with great passion. I look forward to exploring more, and as much fun as it is, getting out of the city more as well.

2007-11-23T08:59:00.000-08:00

Found this in the paper... read down to the bottom.

2007-11-23T08:58:00.000-08:00

Villefranche, on my ride today. And today was crappy weather... I could get used to this.

Nice: a long shot, or just a long trip?

2007-11-21T02:58:00.000-08:00

It was a long way to Nice, and not just in kilometers. I woke up at 5:15 to make an early morning train that would get me to Nice with just one transfer and all high-speed trains. I got to the train station and was told that because of strikes the only trains running to France go to Paris. Yes there are trains listed as being unaffected by the strike, but she assured me they actually are not

2007-11-18T13:20:00.000-08:00

This is what we came home to after the first night of racing. Florent + couchsurfing = awesome.

2007-11-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

Florent's instructions for the wash... if you read them, you'll find that he pre-programmed everything and even poured in the soap for us.

2007-11-18T12:28:00.000-08:00

It was sad to leave Tubingen for a number of reasons, but Mullermilch and homemade strudel before bed will forever hold a special place in my heart.

C'est fini

2007-11-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

Well, the first part of the trip is over. We finished racing today and Brian took off to stay closer to the airport for his flight tomorrow, and I'm still with Florent until my early morning train to Nice tomorrow. Things went pretty well for us today. Brian was second in his first ever derny race, though he actually won (according to the commisaires as well) because a swiss rider took a lap

Au revoir, Allemagne...

2007-11-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

...et bonjour, Swisse! Our train down to Geneva went swimmingly and we've been here for two days now. It came down to the wire on finding a place to stay, and we were beginning to lose faith in couchsurfing after many non-replies and rejections (all with compelling excuses, however). But things worked out at the last minute and we're staying with an extremely nice French ex-pat named Florent.

Kalt. Bitter, bitter kalt.

2007-11-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

So, I'm not sure why I didn't read the memo before leaving home, but apparently Europe is really really cold in the winter. Crap. Today we rode about 1:30 through the snow because we're racing friday and don't want a repeat of last week. I'm getting over my cold but it looks Brian and I should have layed off the snuggling these last few days because now he has it. I'm thinking today's

Sechstage News Flash!

2007-11-12T13:25:00.001-08:00

This just in, while walking through the grocery store with Brian I found a pack of toilet paper named "Happy End." Still to come is a review of just how happy the ending really is.

2007-11-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

I think this picture is pretty savage... It also captures our swanky Cane Creeks well, which have drawn a lot of attention of late. A lot of the pros have been looking with their hands and the head mechanic for T-Mobile asked us for a pair. So far they've been great to ride and seem particularly well-suited to this style of racing--high average speed but with lots of accelerations.

Bizarrrrrro

2007-11-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been pretty nuts. The short story is that we finished racing in Munich, parted ways with David on some very strange/rocky terms, and are now staying with my cousin Csaba and his wife Emese in Tubingen, Germany. The long story is yet to come, but I'll at least recap the stories from the races.Night two was another highly underwhelming evening of racing. During the day there

Six Days: the video!

2007-11-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

It's no "Stuck in the A-Frame" but it will have to do.

Ich liebe Deutschland!

2007-11-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

There are a few great things about Germany, including the wide assortment of yoghurts and sandwich meats and cheeses. But also great is the occasional, but complete disregard for subtlety or diplomacy: This little pearl comes from the daily newspaper for the Munich Six-Day, where we’ve just finished our first day of racing. Things were mediocre for us on the first night. The track is a huge

2007-11-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

Trip goal #4: find jeans with 6-10 sets of zippers. Why? To match the white velcro Pumas I'll find for goal #3.

2007-11-06T07:01:00.000-08:00

With Vio, our new best friend in Dortmund. And we even have more than one friend! Brian can explain.

2007-11-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

To Brian: "I think this is the beginning of an adventure."

2007-11-06T06:56:00.000-08:00

I'm nothing if not a slave to fashion, and these FULL-zip hoodies seem like just the ticket.

2007-11-06T06:55:00.000-08:00

When in Rome...

Brian Crosby: unlucky streak ends!

2007-11-06T06:48:00.000-08:00

I really dropped the ball on the race updates from Dortmund, but not entirely without reason. The primary factor was momentum, but what set that process into motion was what can only be described as an “implosion” during the second night’s Madison. Things were over for us before they even started, as I awoke in the wee hours of the morning to hear Brian’s two-Euro mystery-meat sandwich clawing

2007-11-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

This is how we roll(and this is my hardcore face)

2007-11-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

Looking back...

2007-11-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

...and facing forward

Deutschland!

2007-11-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

We just finished the first night of racing here in Dortmund and things are good. The organizers sprung for rooms at the Hilton so as I write I'm wearing an embossed Hilton bathrobe with handsome matching slippers and Brian is fixing up my hair with our new Hilton combs. Not really, we combed our hair earlier, I can't concentrate on writing while he's grooming me. But it's well known in Euro

2007-11-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

The new Sprint 85s at Alkmaar

2007-11-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Training with the Dutch national team

It takes a village to raise a child… or every village needs an idiot?

2007-10-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

After a two hectic weeks of finishing law school applications, training, then planning and packing for my move, I’m finally here and slowly adjusting. We’re currently in Alkmaar, Netherlands for a few days training at a nice indoor 250 and staying a cheap hostel before heading to Dortmund for our first big race. Last night we raced the monthly omnium night with some “locals” including 6-day pro

A little teaser

2007-10-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

Nothing too new to report, but I thought I'd give a brief update. All my travel plans are set and I take off October 29th and tentatively return in February. Dortmund is first up and racing starts Nov. 2nd. One mixed blessing for this trip is that it solves one of the greatest personal conflicts I've had in a long time, namely whether to be a mormon or a sperm for Halloween. Because of the

BANG... I pulled the trigger

2007-10-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

Things are coming together finally. I have been unable to find a title sponsor and for that reason I somewhat abandonded my large-scale vision of a European track season. Over the last few days I've figured out the missing pieces to the puzzle, and at the end of October I'll be moving to Europe to race track through February. For the record, here's a little three-step plan in how to become the

Not the usual homestay

2007-10-07T21:41:00.000-07:00

And....... done

2007-10-07T17:09:00.000-07:00

All done. The madison was yesterday and wasn't stellar for us but was still probably my best race yet. We were really aggressive in the first half of the race, attacking for the first points sprint and getting to about 2/3 of a lap up. At that point the field turned the screws to bring us back and that was about it for our race. We attacked a lot more and won more points, but that was our

"Reinactment of Nativity," by Dan Harm

2007-10-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

2007-10-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

I think Garfield (the cat, not the president) once said that if you set your expectations low enough you'll never be disappointed. With that in mind, maybe at this point it's time to rethink my strategies for these races. Today's points race was a step in the right direction over the last two days, but still not what I had been hoping for coming into nats. It's a bit of a mystery why I haven't

This about sums it up

2007-10-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

Pursuit finals

2007-10-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

Nicht so gut

2007-10-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

Things weren't stellar today. Dan experimented with a big gear in the pursuit, went out flying then hit a big wall the final km. He was third in qualifying which of course isn't bad, but he missed the time standard time by 7 hundredths of a second and almost certainly would have made it with a different gear. The feds talked to him afterwards but weren't very sympathetic... all they commented

Team Pursuit Podium

2007-10-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

Rubicon Team Pursuit

2007-10-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

TP Warm Up

2007-10-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

Mass Start Test

2007-10-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

MST Warm Up

2007-10-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

Things could be worse

2007-10-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

Day one is in the books and things went okay. The feds are experimenting with a new schedule "system" (like their registration "system") which is to simply run all of the events in one giant session rather than the typical AM/PM split. So today we got to the track at 9:30am and got home at 6pm. Tomorrow should be even longer, with a full schedule of pursuits, scratch heats, keirin heats, and a

Oops, I did it again

2007-10-02T21:45:00.000-07:00

2007-10-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

T Minus One

2007-10-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

As has become nationals tradition, Dan and I broke down and shaved our arms. It was an important part of the mental preparedness process and I think a good team building excercise as well. Though, I will point out, we shaved only our own arms, and as a rule there was no back and forth shaving. There was especially no )) <> (( back and forth forever. Lunch to the first person to name the movie

LSAT, Nationals, Francais, the list goes on...

2007-09-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

So now is the time this site becomes functional. Semi-functional anyway, as I'll probably only update with key race info and won't talk about sitting at home training in the rain. I just took the LSAT this morning and hopefully it will be the culmination of my studies... if I don't get in the score range I'd like I might take it again in December, but I put in a lot of quality study time and as

The Plan.....

2007-05-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

Overview:European six-days function differently than any other type of bike racing. Event promoters secure their own sponsors, hire riders as independent contractors, then supply each team its own "sponsor." Teams in a traditional sense are non-existent, and riders frequently ride with multiple partners throughout the season.As the name implies, events are held over the course of six nights of

Resume

2007-05-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

Career Highlights:1st, KOM, 2006 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic (NRC)1st, Individual Pursuit, Hungarian National Championship1st, Team Pursuit, Hungarian National Championship1st, Stage One, Berlin 6-Day UIV Cup1st, Stage Two, Copenhagen 6-Day UIV CupEight-time Hungarian, three-time US National Championship MedalistHungarian National Team Member, 2006 U23 World Championships2007 Major Track Results:-