*Click on Title above for Race Interview*
Once again the bike racing season has begun in New England. What better way to get after it on a cold, wet, April Saturday morning, than slogging around on a Mtn Bike. The Root 66 New England Race series is a goal of mine this year along with some Nationals and Canada Cups. The competition is always stiff and you can guarantee on any given weekend a hard fought race.
Leading up to race weekend here is my week; get up (of course), work emails, out the door for a quick session, get home, off to work, get back home, maybe another session, go see Trey, say hello to my wife, then some more work emails and off to bed! My point, not a lot of time to think about the race, how it will play out, who will be there, the weather etc. Speaking of weather, hello up there, spring anytime soon? Help us out, we're freezing and wet!
So I meet my training partners and friends Tim J. and Lyne B. and become pleasantly surprised that they want to race Mountain Bikes this weekend in the New England Opener. This is a huge relief because they are true professionals, prepare properly which allows me not to have to think as much, love that!
Off we go to CT, both envious of my new Team Cannondale Scalpel, especially Tim because I let him borrow my 5 year old Scalpel that has been ridden into the ground, still races great though! He complained a bit but with some good Slapshot Jokes, Lyne's knitting, and my constant pee breaks, the mood was lightened and he was ready to race.
The Course was great! Fast rolling single track with some open double track that made for a suffer fest right from the beginning. The start line was packed with the New Pro category riders, great to see! Mountain biking is definitely making a positive turn in New England, not quite to the tune of the early 90's when I was racing full time, but I see it coming back, awesome!
Tim and I didn't know what to expect from the rest of the riders. The nice thing about New England is we have a lot of up and coming pro riders in addition to some fast Canadians that usually make the trip south to race, similar to cross.
We (Tim and I ) did get away on the first lap with a couple of guys not far behind. We stayed smooth and fast to increase our gap over an hour and 48 minutes. Tim and I have a lot of fun on the bike but at the same time we stay focused and ride hard. Toward the end of the race with about a mile or so to go there was a good little grunt climb maybe 2-3 minutes long that the Tour of California legs in Tim definitely showed. He slowly dropped me and I fought to stay, but the 2 hour mtb all out fitness, at his pace, isn't there yet.
The surprise ending:
With about a 1/4 mile left we both thought it was wrapped up, no one in sight, and a nice little descent into the finish. I made a mistake in the mud, grabbed my bike off the ground and vrooooom, Andrew Frye goes blowing past me! I thought, holy crap, where did he come from and we were pretty much at the finish. When I came across the line, a little disappointed with second never mind third, I asked Frye how and when he made contact and congratulated him on a great race. He said he started seeing us on the last climb and that he grabbed Tim also at the line, what!? Great riding by Andrew to stay focused and keep driving forward. Life lesson for Tim and I never think its in the bag!
Andy 1, Tim 2nd, Me 3rd.
Thanks for reading!
Also check out the http://www.cyclingdirt.com/ website. Great mtb coverage.
Ciao for now.
Matty O.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
TREY MATTHEW O'KEEFE!!!! 3/26/09 @ 11:16 am
Well, it wasn't supposed to happen this way but what situations in life really go as planned? Training is going great, work is progressing, house project is right on schedule, why would I think that something would upset the apple cart? Then WHAM! 2am someone I never met before shows up at the door to wake me( Jenn, Tara's co-worker). Nothing at that time in the morning can be positive and panic set in for sure. Is Tara ok? Is the baby ok? The answer no! Tara began having contractions and it looked like the little guy wanted out. They whisked her off in an Ambulance to the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston (what an amazing place!) Beth Israel is famous nationwide for its NICU (NeoNatalIntensiveCareUnit) which made both of us somewhat at ease based on the circumstances.
We arrived at Beth Israel at 2:45 am with a tremendous amount of fear not understanding a premature delivery. The doctors and nurses at Beth Israel reassured us that things will be ok and that there will be no surprises. They were very upfront with all of the possible diagnoses, and we couldn't have felt more secure anywhere else. Their goal was to calm down the contractions and get Tara on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. They were successful in the contraction department, they slowed for an 8 hour period which allowed them to release us to a bed rest floor ( the country club).
Tara and I put our bags down, she got settled in bed, then proceeded to go to the bathroom. The timeline is a whopping 10 minutes in the country club. Then, her water broke! The doctors came in and they whisked her back up to the labor and delivery floor. Needless to say we were in a panic. How did this happen? Is he going to be ok? Is Tara going to be ok? Mind and heart racing, the doctors sat us down and told us that we were in the best place for an early delivery, and that it's out of anyone's hands now. Who takes over? TREY!
The rest is history, Trey arrived roughly an hour or two after that conversation at 11:16 am on 3/26/09. As the NICU doctors whisked him away on his little bed, my son, calm as could be, gave us a little thumbs up and a wink that everything will be alright.
People have told me that the feeling of seeing your child born is unexplainable and how you will never experience another moment like it in your life. Now I know. In 36years I have never felt so overwhelmed with joy, love, compassion, and complete bliss on any other day than when my son Trey Matthew was born.
He is doing great, Tara is a true Champion and is doing great, and we can't wait to introduce him to all of you.
Ciao for now.
Dad!
We arrived at Beth Israel at 2:45 am with a tremendous amount of fear not understanding a premature delivery. The doctors and nurses at Beth Israel reassured us that things will be ok and that there will be no surprises. They were very upfront with all of the possible diagnoses, and we couldn't have felt more secure anywhere else. Their goal was to calm down the contractions and get Tara on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. They were successful in the contraction department, they slowed for an 8 hour period which allowed them to release us to a bed rest floor ( the country club).
Tara and I put our bags down, she got settled in bed, then proceeded to go to the bathroom. The timeline is a whopping 10 minutes in the country club. Then, her water broke! The doctors came in and they whisked her back up to the labor and delivery floor. Needless to say we were in a panic. How did this happen? Is he going to be ok? Is Tara going to be ok? Mind and heart racing, the doctors sat us down and told us that we were in the best place for an early delivery, and that it's out of anyone's hands now. Who takes over? TREY!
The rest is history, Trey arrived roughly an hour or two after that conversation at 11:16 am on 3/26/09. As the NICU doctors whisked him away on his little bed, my son, calm as could be, gave us a little thumbs up and a wink that everything will be alright.
People have told me that the feeling of seeing your child born is unexplainable and how you will never experience another moment like it in your life. Now I know. In 36years I have never felt so overwhelmed with joy, love, compassion, and complete bliss on any other day than when my son Trey Matthew was born.
He is doing great, Tara is a true Champion and is doing great, and we can't wait to introduce him to all of you.
Ciao for now.
Dad!
Friday, March 13, 2009
The MAN in Cyclocross!!
This is a must read and good friend. Most of you know my new blogging scheme and I will reassure I'm still behind the times after reading Tim's. Twitter? God now what? I know I'm getting old but I promise I will catch up.
By the way, the pic is of the new Cannondale Team bike, pretty sweet! Thanks Matty J. Real team issue bike graphics are a little different though. See you on the trails.
Cheers and hope you enjoy.
Monday, March 9, 2009
OK, Seriously?!
Finally the Dini curse is gone and I can walk up the stairs without gasping for air. Dini is a nickname for my cousin Brendan who I am convinced set this curse on me to get sick, long story. I did promise never to pick on Tara again, thanks Dini for getting rid of it!
So the curse is gone and the winter just wont go away, SERIOUSLY?! Now don't get me wrong, I love the snow, but when it starts in late November and is still going strong in March, come on! After being sick for two weeks I was able to put some good time together on the bike, 3 hours Saturday and 3 on Sunday. Definitely feels like I went backwards a bunch, but was just awesome to be outside in that weather, regardless of how I felt.
Sea Otter is fast approaching and I must say,with Miguel Martinez of France winning last year, and a lot of talent showing this year, I think it will be an interesting test. Its funny how we listened to our parents drive years of wisdom down our throats, only to get frustrated looks along with a lot of yeah, i know, i know. Without sounding to seasoned, I will comment that this years Sea Otter will definitely take savvy, patient, intelligent racing from this old body. Its the kind of racing in the early spring that I wished I hadn't put such high expectations on in the past. Fitness comes slowly and in my case brains come even slower. Racing with your brain is not something that can be taught, only learned over years of failing. On the upside, I will be in Sunny California probably right before the spring snowfall hits the Northeast!
Thanks for reading and hopefully I will have some epic adventure to blog about soon. For now just snow fall and cold wet rides!
Ciao for now.
So the curse is gone and the winter just wont go away, SERIOUSLY?! Now don't get me wrong, I love the snow, but when it starts in late November and is still going strong in March, come on! After being sick for two weeks I was able to put some good time together on the bike, 3 hours Saturday and 3 on Sunday. Definitely feels like I went backwards a bunch, but was just awesome to be outside in that weather, regardless of how I felt.
Sea Otter is fast approaching and I must say,with Miguel Martinez of France winning last year, and a lot of talent showing this year, I think it will be an interesting test. Its funny how we listened to our parents drive years of wisdom down our throats, only to get frustrated looks along with a lot of yeah, i know, i know. Without sounding to seasoned, I will comment that this years Sea Otter will definitely take savvy, patient, intelligent racing from this old body. Its the kind of racing in the early spring that I wished I hadn't put such high expectations on in the past. Fitness comes slowly and in my case brains come even slower. Racing with your brain is not something that can be taught, only learned over years of failing. On the upside, I will be in Sunny California probably right before the spring snowfall hits the Northeast!
Thanks for reading and hopefully I will have some epic adventure to blog about soon. For now just snow fall and cold wet rides!
Ciao for now.
Friday, February 27, 2009
The Ignorant Motorist!
Two post's in a week! Don't get used to it, I just happen to be home with the flu and this blog is keeping me busy. Below is a letter to the editor that my buddy John wrote regarding an incident with an ignorant driver. People think it's funny to "brush" a cyclist or beep for kicks while they're riding. Sometimes they will throw things out the window! What the knucklehead doesn't realize is that when it startles the rider they can easily get sucked under the car, the rest is history. I experience someone yelling at me to get off the road twice a week, its sad, real sad. Thankfully the State of Massachusetts along with many others made this kind of behavior a felony because too many cyclist have been severely injured or killed.
Some parts of the law state that cyclists are allowed to ride two abreast on major roads. In addition automobiles have to provide a minimum of 3 feet between them and the cyclist and are only allowed to pass when it is safe. So when someone thinks its funny with their buddy's to see how close they can get and god forbid they clip them, it's now a felony! Local law enforcement is being sent to bicycle awareness classes as we speak. Thank god , anytime I've been swerved at and a police officer happens to be in the area, I won't get the usual ,"what do you want me to do."
Read the story below:
Share the road, not your Slurpee
To the editor:
As I was rolling into Newburyport down Water Street Sunday afternoon with my girlfriend freshly soaked off the PI Turnpike, it struck me! No, not my ambition to compete in this year's Tour de France, but a king-size Slurpee cup, courtesy of a big blue SUV with Mass. plates! That's right, it hit me like a clap of lightning at point-blank range via the smoking teenage copilot in the SUV. He hung out the window like a chimpanzee and clocked me, apparently just for his amusement.More stunned than hurt, thanks to my helmet, I rode alongside the vehicle for a good half mile. Considering that I was traveling the same speed as the flow of traffic, it was not difficult to stay with the offenders and plead for them to pull over. However, they chose to keep on truckin', apparently having no real bone to pick with me, and ignore my request to reason and share the road. With all of my adrenaline pumping, I failed to even get the litterbug's license plate number. I could only hope that someone in the line of traffic behind me who witnessed my plight — and perhaps had an inkling of the rules of the road — would report the incident. Unfortunately, no officer of the law or a Good Samaritan was in sight!
As we cyclists prepare for another busy spring, summer and fall on the roads, let this be a warning to you that to some drivers, we are mere asteroids in the field on their quest to grab another Slurpee for fire!
JON BERNHARDNewburyport
Some parts of the law state that cyclists are allowed to ride two abreast on major roads. In addition automobiles have to provide a minimum of 3 feet between them and the cyclist and are only allowed to pass when it is safe. So when someone thinks its funny with their buddy's to see how close they can get and god forbid they clip them, it's now a felony! Local law enforcement is being sent to bicycle awareness classes as we speak. Thank god , anytime I've been swerved at and a police officer happens to be in the area, I won't get the usual ,"what do you want me to do."
Read the story below:
Share the road, not your Slurpee
To the editor:
As I was rolling into Newburyport down Water Street Sunday afternoon with my girlfriend freshly soaked off the PI Turnpike, it struck me! No, not my ambition to compete in this year's Tour de France, but a king-size Slurpee cup, courtesy of a big blue SUV with Mass. plates! That's right, it hit me like a clap of lightning at point-blank range via the smoking teenage copilot in the SUV. He hung out the window like a chimpanzee and clocked me, apparently just for his amusement.More stunned than hurt, thanks to my helmet, I rode alongside the vehicle for a good half mile. Considering that I was traveling the same speed as the flow of traffic, it was not difficult to stay with the offenders and plead for them to pull over. However, they chose to keep on truckin', apparently having no real bone to pick with me, and ignore my request to reason and share the road. With all of my adrenaline pumping, I failed to even get the litterbug's license plate number. I could only hope that someone in the line of traffic behind me who witnessed my plight — and perhaps had an inkling of the rules of the road — would report the incident. Unfortunately, no officer of the law or a Good Samaritan was in sight!
As we cyclists prepare for another busy spring, summer and fall on the roads, let this be a warning to you that to some drivers, we are mere asteroids in the field on their quest to grab another Slurpee for fire!
JON BERNHARDNewburyport
Thursday, February 26, 2009
February 2009
This is the start of what will be an interesting season of blogging. At first I had some reservations about blogging and had concerns on how it was perceived. I'm doing the blog for a couple of different reasons. First is for my friends and family as I attempt another season of professional mountain bike racing while trying to be a new dad and husband. Second is for my sponsor Cannondale Bicycle Corp. Some of you may know that after 15 years of racing and having been out of the sponsorship loop for a while, I have signed a contract to ride off road again for Cannondale. A lot of people went to bat for me including Tim J, Greg Orivitz, Matty J, Johs H, and some others in the industry. I'm grateful for another opportunity to ride with such a great bike company for 2009. So far, even though i am getting up there in age, I still feel my professional license is worth renewing for another year. I started mountain bike racing in 1994 with CCB/Racing and ironically have come full circle with this squad in the past 5 years or so. The main reason I went back was because of a good friend and mentor Steve Pucci, who has given me the go to try and do the Mtn bike thing again although he secretly cant stand it. CCB is an elite road team out of the Northeast that launched many cycling careers like Tim Johnson and Tyler Hamilton. Being an exclusive road program some have their opinions of off-road, I don't care. Speaking of which, quite a few people were hesitant about my fast ascent off-road and warned me of signing my first contract in 1997 with the Nautilus Barracuda Mountain Bike Team. Sometimes I wished I had listened but that's all part of the experience. The growth as an individual, maturity (some would argue this one), and patience I have learned through my cycling experiences are second to none. After Nautilus I tried the road for a while which allowed me opportunities to race in Europe and all over the country in a slew of different races. The transition from mountain bike racing to a low level pro road team with no direction was tough. As I've matured in this sport I see a lot of people making the same mistakes I made when I was trying to "make it". Cycling can be so humbling yet very rewarding at the same time. It is a true test of mental and physical endurance and without patience and foresight you can't survive. Hopefully as the season goes on I will be able to relay all the tales of bike racing that make it such a beautiful yet painful experience all in one.
By the way the Blog title has a long story behind it that I will try to keep short and comprehensible. Those of you who knew my dad understood how he could take a story and translate it to real life, literally. The Endurance is a true story about a ship and its crew that made it through some of the harshest conditions ever endured by both vessel and humans. My dad gave me the book and proceeded to name himself, me, and my uncles after characters in the story. Funny, classic him. Very simply it reminds me of some parts of a race or training when you think you cant go any further but somehow your mind and body continue. Something to be said for that........
Ciao for now.
Matty O.
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