I’ve taken a long hiatus from blogging, due to school, church, and other commitments.  Yes, they’re excuses, but I had to prioritize and get all my ducks in a row.  I’m going to try to type a little more coming very soon.  Thanks for being patient with my typing.

-Josh

p.s. –  I’ve got a 4.0 average since I started back to school.  So there.

Just a test post… don’t get too excited.

Lots of folks from my church, Revolution Church (Canton, GA), are putting the word out to help these kids get some of the essentials during this Holiday season.  They need clothes, food, and basics for living during this time.  They have, literally, nothing to give thanks for this Thanksgiving.  Help me change that.  The kids need the following:

Dionna/17, med shirt, 9 girls juniors pants, 7/8 women’s under garments, 9 womens shoes

Josiah/14, med shirt, 18 pants, 7 men’s shoes, socks/boxers (small), socks

Trey/12, shirts small mens, pants 16/18, shoes 6 1/2, boxers/socks

Derrick/15, mens x-large shirt, size 36 pants, mens large boxers,socks, size 12 shoe.

I don’t have a lot to give them, personally, but I’m going to make a sacrifice somewhere in order to do so.  If you read this, I’d like to ask that you chip in a little bit, as well.  If you’d like to make a gift card donation, please send it to:

Revolution Church, 155 P.Rickman Industrial, Canton, GA, 30115

If you’d like to donate via PayPal, you can send it to my PayPal address.  I’ll get the donation where it needs to go.  The Paypal address is:

probikewrench@gmail.com

If you have any further questions regarding donations or would like to help out more, please let me know by contacting me at probikewrench@gmail.com. Thank you for making a difference to kids who need a little bit of hope right now.

If you’re reading this blog post, please forward it on to anyone you think might be able to help.  Thank you for your help.

I’m in the process of moving to a new house in the same town. We’re going to be saving a good bit more money by making that move, which will put us in a much better position for future endeavors, cycling and otherwise.

Another big thing in my life that’s kind of crept back into the picture is COLLEGE. I never finished a degree back when I was first enrolled. Some of my focus during the first go-round was taken away by short periods of active duty training with the Marines. It split up my school years and I never really could get back in the right rhythm to complete my degree. Starting in January, I’ll be trying to tackle online courses with Liberty University Online, majoring in Religion, another passion of mine.

I may still continue to be a part of the VeloReviews Podcast… I’ll just have to see how much time I have once the schoolwork comes, and see if I can balance it. My PROBIKEWRENCH branded coffee (which people CONSTANTLY ask about) will probably be on the back burner for a while, too.

Bottom line is, for a while, posting will be sporadic. I’ll post as I see fit, but don’t hold your breath for any new material. I’ve got a lot of other things that now take precedence over blogging and the PROBIKEWRENCH brand (that I’ve been working on for the last 5 years). I’ll still be around… just not nearly as frequently.

Thanks for reading and understanding.

Looking at the start sheet, I noticed there were NO BMC RIDERS RACING THE TIME TRIAL.  Stand by for a full frontal assault by BMC in support of Greenville local, George Hincapie, at the Road Race on Sunday.

I think I’ve got a ride in a team car figured out for tomorrow, so stay tuned for updates on Twitter at @VeloReviewsTech and @probikewrench.

Order       Start         Last Name                First Name                     Team

1                  11:30          JONES                         Carter                      Jelly Belly p/b Kenda

2                  11:33          KING                           Benjamin               Trek Livestrong U23

3                  11:36          WILLIAMS               David                       Bissell Pro Cycling Team

4                  11:39          FREY                          Nicholas                 Jamis-Sutter Home

5                  11:42          STETINA                   Peter                       Garmin-Transitions

6                  11:45          MACH                         Paul                         Bissell Pro Cycling Team

7                  11:48         POWERS                     Jeremy                   Jelly Belly p/b Kenda

8                  11:51          TIETZEL                    Scott                        Mountain Khakis/Jittery Joes

9                  11:54          HEGYVARY            Adrian                     UnitedHealthCare p/b Maxxis

10                11:57         BUSCHE                    Matthew                  Team RadioShack

11                12:00         MUMFORD              Jonathan                Kelly Benefit Strategies

12                12:03         VANULDEN            Bernard                  Jelly Belly p/b Kenda

13                12:06         ZWIZANSKI            Scott                        Kelly Benefit Strategies

14                12:09         PHINNEY                 Taylor                     Trek Livestrong U23

15                12:12         LEIPHEIMER           Levi                         Team RadioShack

The 2010 Greenville Hospital System USPRO National Championship weekend kicked off today with a press conference, featuring past champions, ProTour riders, and Elite level up-and-comers, all with an eye on the Stars and Stripes jersey after the racing concludes.

Representatives from the City of Greenville, The Greenville Hospital System and Medalist Sports began the conference with a series of comments that reinforced how great the partnership with the USA Cycling Professional Cycling Championships is, and how well the City’s emphasis on health and wellness aligns perfectly with the atmosphere and environment that the race weekend has encompassed for the past four years.

The profile athlete introductions and question and answer period started with Oz Sanchez, current World Handcycling Road Race and Time Trial Champion. Speaking on behalf of the US Handcycling Association, Sanchez expressed the excitement of combining the USPRO National Cycling Events with the National Handcycling Criterium Championships, saying that the collaboration takes handcycling to a whole new level.

Road cyclists that attended the press conference included Scott Stewart (Team Type 1), Ted King (Cervelo Test Team), 2010 Tour of Utah and 2010 Leadville Trail 100 Champion Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack), 3-Time USPRO Champion and Greenville resident George Hincapie (BMC), and one of the brightest up-and-comers on the professional racing scene, Taylor Phinney (Trek Livestrong U23), racing in his first Elite Road National Championship events.

The USPRO Time Trial Championships, being held Saturday at Clemson University’s ICAR (International Center for Automotive Research) Facility, is usually very lightly contested due to the road race’s precedence the following day. It is also affected this year by the participation of some high-profile US ProTour riders in the Vuelta A Espana (Tour of Spain), finishing this weekend. Reigning USPRO Champion, Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Transitions) will not be defending his three consecutive titles because of his inclusion in the Vuelta.

Two of the riders being favored for the victory at the Time Trial were Phinney and Leipheimer. The two joked about the “young dude vs. the old guy” comparison and Leipheimer was ribbed about not wearing a proper skinsuit in the Tour of Utah Time Trial (which Phinney won), but both were very humble, and being the consummate professionals that they are, stated that “anyone could win.”

Of the riders attending the press conference, Hincapie was, without question, the rider that any smart cycling fan would put their money on for the race on Sunday. “Big George” said that the Paris Mountain climb was “his climb,” and that he rides it daily while training on the roads of Greenville County.

This year, unlike years past, Hincapie has a big team to support his quest for a fourth USPRO title. The most team help that Hincapie has had in the past has been one or two team riders and maybe a ProTour alliance with some other lone riders. Having won the race in Greenville on two previous occasions with the cards stacked against him, it’s safe to say that the odds are in George’s favor, and the sparks will definitely fly this weekend in Greenville.

Here’s the link to the recorded footage of the LIVE broadcast from the USPRO Kickoff Press Conference this afternoon:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/9635207

*Cross-posted at http://www.veloreviews.com

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Next up is the USPRO Cycling Championships.  I’m not working as a mechanic this year, but I will be reporting with live Twitter updates throughout the weekend’s event, including photos, and possibly rider interviews.  You can follow the updates by following @VeloReviewsTech on Twitter.