Oh that hurt. Somehow got into the big break, gained 8 points to now have a 15 point lead on the jersey. Nearly dropped out of the break. We were caught 37 km before the finishing circuits started, then I was dropped in the first loop. Frank and Creed stayed with me to the end. I would not have made it without them!
Brad’s attempt at fitting into the Euro scene…
Somehow made it to the finish today, but dropped on the last lap. Frank and Friedman helped me make the final lap. My legs are fried. It is a deep fatigue that is really felt on every hill-climb. Somehow I am still in the jersey.
–Brad via phone call
Most combative classification
1 Charles Bradley Huff (USA) Team TIAA-CREF 18 pts
2 Alexander Serov (Rus) Tinkoff Restaurants 10
Yeah, baby! Read it and weep! Way to go Bradley!
?? Well I made it to the 4 finishing loops. 5ish km each and a witch of a hill! Dead last over the hill each time and popped on the damn hill on the last lap. I finished 30 to 45 seconds behind the front pack. Lost the jersey to the break away rider of the day that tied me in points, but finished in front of me.
–Brad via phone call
Guess what…I crashed! Midway in the race. I looked back to see Peter Stetina going into the ditch–when I looked up, the group was rolling to the left and I was still going straight! Overlap…KABAM! Slid on my chamois, not really hurt, but some sore spots. Had to chase back on for a few km after helping chase with the team earlier! Finished in the group, but toasted most of the day. I did win the 1st of 2 sprint hot spots! The break took the other one. So, I just learned I am in the Most Combatative-Points jersey! I guess that the first hot spot had good points. Most likely I am in 2nd to the stage winner who is in the leaders jersey. A positive for a crappy day! Stage 2 is going to be brutal–three climbs starting at 109km in the race–all finishing at about 14%+ and all within 20 km of each other! We’ll see how it goes.
–Brad via phone call to Melissa. I used as much of his language as possible!
Track Worlds was more of a test than a race. Coming into the week of racing myself and the rest of the TIAA-Cref track boys were fully focused on the Team Pursuit slated for Saturday, although Friedman and I both knew that we would be doing some other event. He ended up doing the Individual pursuit and I was thrown into the Points Race. This was the first test to my Adrenal Glands, that were already getting worked from the previous races and team pursuit work. Points race, OK, all I have to do is qualify and then do something in the final. Oh I did something all right I had the wrong gear on for a guy just coming off 2+weeks of crazy gutter 200km races in northern France, meaning it was too small and I was having a hard time with the higher RPM’s. With about 25ish laps to go of the 160 lap race(40km) I totally blew, was lapped once, then pulled myself from the race. My cardiac and respiratory system was tapped out, I was pinging off my rev limiter for most of the race, and I was dropped hard. Not using the gear as an excuse, because the race was DAMN hard and I did not even finish, but the gear did not help. Ok totally humbled in my first ever Worlds event. Team pursuit next, pretty much we warmed up WAY too early, attempted to idle the engines only to lock up, and another humbling at Worlds. So I am pretty upset about the past 3 days, I am SICK of spinning my legs off, so I head out in my 53×14-13-12 and ride for 2+hrs, only to return to find out that I am now doing the Madison tomorrow? I laughed and cried at the same time when I heard the news, what next….Womens Kerin? SWEET Madison, my most favorite event ever….I do not even wish a Madison race on my worst enemy. The Madison is the most insane set of VO2 intervals that any rider could attempt to do. Adrenal Glands nearly exploding at this point, but some who I was able to blow off some steam by kicking Pat McDonough and Colby Pearce right in the jimmy. While at the same time Mike Friedman was practically having an orgasm with the thought of doing the Madison. The thought of doing the Madison brings visions of….well I do not even what to think about it. Pretty much Friedman and I got into the race, found out that it was not as horrible as we had thought, were able to go with attacks, follow moves, go off the front, and not get dropped and pulled from the race! Even though we were not even close to winning the race, Mike and I feel that we were very victorious in the fact that we 1. did not crash 2. were not dropped 3. did not crash 4. were not even supposed to do the damn thing, but we were able to put our big boy pants on (that I had next day shipped from Josh Johnson’s house) and compete. I am sick of spinning at 120+RPMs!
Men’s Points Race
Qualification — Heat 1
10 Charles Bradley Huff (USA) 5
