Chris Zambito

I just don't get what I have been doing wrong lately, or why I have been having this string of bad luck, my mom says it's because I'm a Zambito, but who knows.

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I crashed yet again last night at Lebanon. While the others may have been just small falls, this one knocked me silly, and was probably the worst crash I've had out of the many I've had in the past month.

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I was racing both classes last night and in the first round of cruiser I dove way too low in the second turn and my front end slid out, and my helment smacked the ground, I also pile drove my shoulder again and tore up my leg a bit. When I fell I managed to smack my face, I felt my nose and mouth hit the ground, how I don't know because my helmet was strapped and everything. I got a pretty bloody nose and really nice road rash on my shoulder and leg. I had a bad headache and couldn't see straight at all when it came main time. It wasn't fun at all.

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I definitely think it's time to slow down a little bit and let my shoulder heal back to 100%. It was finally starting to feel good and I go and wreck it again. Like I said, this string of bad luck is killin' me!

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I'm not going to race tonight, and probably wont ride at all until Sunday, which may be down in Southern Maryland BMX for their Redline Cup Qualifier, but who knows.

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I just wish all this bad luck would end. I've worked my butt off this year and it seems I've gotten worse then better, and now to the point where I'm falling every race I go to. I just want it to stop! I just don't get it.

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I hope you all are having a good week, and if I don't update before, have a good weekend as well!

-Z-

Well the ABA/UCI First State Nationals are over. And it was one crazy wild weekend.

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Friday and Saturday in practice, I felt amazingly well. I felt like I had a lot of power and just felt like my riding ability was 10X of that-that it usually is. My gates and track were on par, besides the rythem, which everyone was having issues with. The weekend ended on a bad note, but here is the story...

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Friday night I just raced my cruiser, Luxxy thought it would be a good idea. So I did and I placed a solid third.

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Saturday I just rode in class, I felt good, and my first and second straits were on par, I just was stuck in a really tough class Saturday, I was pushing myself through the rythem, hit a soft spot in a manual, and bounced my front end of off three rollers but kept it up, but screwed me up bad enough to not qualify.

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Sunday I race both cruiser and class. Being without any practice, I felt like complete crap and my riding showed. I didn't make cruiser, but in class, in second round I was in a qualifying second spot, but while jumping into the first turn I nosed in way to much and nose cased and went for a ride. I took out enough that I could get up and ride off to make it in, when I got up and went to pedal away my bike didn't move. Here on the fall my brake arm broke and got lodged under my rim and everything was locked up, couldn't go anywhere, so Gary got the semi spot.

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The bike got the most of the fall. My cage on my clips bent and a now stripped bolt on the end of the pedal just leaves it flopping all over, my Brake spring "pin" broke, needing a new brake set up. My rear wheel had to get a nice re-build by Kovachi. It sucked. Luxxy got me my parts besides the pedals so far and the bike is ridable now. My pedals should be in by the weekend though.

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All in all it was a tough weekend, but we spent a day at the beach which was well needed.

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Last night I headed up to lebanon, just to ride cruiser since the 20" still needed some work. I took home a First. Luxxy was a little peeved that I showed up with just my cruiser. lol.

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Though this was the last national I could really make, I'm goin gto try my hardest to make New York, and North Carolina. and I even got an offer for a ride out to Grands. Which would be an awesome experience for sure. We'll just have to wait and see.

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Be sure to check out the Photo Gallery page for pics from the national. Thanks Donna for the sweet pictures by the way.

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I hope you all had a good weekend, and have a good rest of your week, despite the weather!

-Z-

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I'm officially graduated!!!!!! Congratulations Class of 2009! We did it!

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Finally out of high school, and it feels great not having to get up at 6 every morning and do the same routine over and over again. The past 13 years of my life have had there ups and downs and there will be many things and friends I will miss greatly, but I'm just glad that it's all over. Now we get to go to school and learn things that we actually want to, and actually have to do with our lives! Congratulations Class of 2009!

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In other news, Wednesday I had my first session of Physical Therapy, it was tough, they put me through many painful movements to figure out what they have to do with my shoulder. They then showed me all my home workouts I have to do two-three times a day which are pretty tough. They look simple and easy, but you can definately feel it working. The cool part is that my "therapist" is pretty chill and cool, so it makes it "enjoyable" if that's the right word to use. I have six more sessions that I have to go to which should get me back to the way I was and better yet.

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Chris Monasmith, who is a good racing friend and team-mate on Deluxx, is now blogging as well, check out his posts at www.chrismonasmith.blogspot.com

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Also, check out the new "Photo Gallery" page, I've posted a bunch of new photos from this season and it's no longer an iFrame like the other page was, so it's a lot simpler to use. Check it out and let me know what you think!

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Time to start getting ready for this massive weekend in Delaware, First State Nationals/UCI Points Race. It's going to be huge! I'll try to update you all as much as I possibly can!

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I hope you all have a fun and safe weekend, and to those going to senior week, don't get too messed up. Again, Congratulations class of 2009!

~Z~

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Graduation 2009

Well this past weekend went OKAY race wise, but after getting screamed at for every bit of the worlds problems I was glad it was finally over. I was at the track at 7 every morning to help out, but I guess I was just the kid that everything got blamed on. But it's whatever, I'm seriously not going to miss it a bit when I go off to school.

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On the race side of things, Saturday was a Race For Life, I pulled a total point moto and won every round for the overall win, felt pretty good, shoulder wasn't bugging me all that much.

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Sunday was the Redline Cup Qualifier, pulled 43 motos, niice. I was winning the first moto until I completely timed a manual wrong in the last strait and got passed and setteled for second. In the Second moto, I completely screwed up again and skyed the table into the first turn and lost loads of ground. I worked my arse off for another second place. In the main I just rode a horrible lap yet again and took a third, points added up to an overall second though. When Lebanon came around I was cooled off a little bit and ready to race again. I put together a good set of laps for the race and took home a First place.

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So I'm happy with two firsts and a second. Can't complain. I just wish I could have put some better laps together on Sunday at York though. Water under the bridge now.

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Anyways, I can't wait for tomorrow, I'm finally graduating, as well as all my fellow classmates in the Class of 2009! It's gonna be a blast.

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The huge national at Delaware is this coming weekend, I'm going to have a stacked class but I just need to make my main, and I'll be happy!

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I hope you all had a great weekend, and I hope you all have a good week to come!

-Z-

Wow, it's been a while.

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A lot has happened since I last posted here, some good some bad.

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But I'm updating you from my new laptop, its a Dell Latitude D610. Pretty nice, it was a graduation gift from my parents before I leave.

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I also just picked up a cruiser last night, of course it's an intense, check out the Bike page for a complete set up and picture.

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The next two weeks are going to be crazy. This weekend is Bumps-N-Berms Race For Life, and Redline Cup Qualifier. I really hope that the weather holds out for that unlike last time. Weather has been really gay lately and it's pissin' me off, can't get any riding or sprints done. Next week I have my official Graduation! WOOOO! Can't wait, then Next weekend I'll be in Delaware for the UCI race, it's going to be HUGE! and that an understatement. I can't wait. After that I believe I'm hitting up the beach for a few days and coming home and getting ready to move and start School! What fun! Not.

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For bad news, a couple weeks ago I pulled for a jump and my front end came down way too early and bucked me into the bars, killed my shoulder. I just shrugged it off and continued to ride until I got too low in a turn last weekend and slid out and smashed the ground with my shoulder in the pro-am. I've never known my shoulder to have soo much pain. So this past Tuesday I went to my sports doctor to get it checked out and he put me through some painful movements and test. The outcome was a torn labrum. The labrum is a pad of cartilage with a lip on it between the shoulder joint and the socket that keeps the shoulder stable and in socket. So it's not working right and it's giving me a ton of pain. My doc is putting me through physical therapy for 4 times a week for the next 4 weeks. If that doesn't show any results I'll be going through a series of shots. I can still ride because I have it to the point where it can't get any worse. Hopefully this all works out.

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So while all of you will be enjoying your summer time, I'll be in physical therapy, racing, and getting ready and going right back into school. Great! oh well.

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I hope that you're all having a good week, and have a good weekend to come. I'll try and update you as best I can on the upcoming weekend.

-Z-

Wow, what a crazy weekend.

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Just going to get into this one. Left for Luxxy's house Thursday night and got packed up and everything when I got there. We got some shut eye then headed out around 2 in the morning. This wasn't all that bad until we hit a ton of traffic about 3/4 of the way there, and the trip just seemed to take forever and we would go for a bit, and then creep for a bit, and it just seemed like forever and a day. 

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After 14 hours (shoulda been 11-12) we arrived at the track, I got on and rode as much as I could and the track was very impressive. It was smooth and rock hard. I couldn't find one flaw in it whatsoever. I raced Friday night and took home a Third out of five riders.

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Saturday is when it struck, the weather just didn't work out in our favor. After practice was over the sky just opened up and it poured for about 3-1/2 hours straight, and delayed the race for 4 hours. The track was a mess and everyone in my class decided it would be a good idea to take everyone out before the first turn, and I ended up having a rear-end come across my front and I had to un-clip, and move over, and by the time I got situated it was too late. I missed out on my main that day. It was a one moto transfer by the way.

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Sunday, was way worse. It poured all through Saturday night and the track was even more of a mess. They ran a regular two moto transfer which worked out for me as I was able to get in to my main! A couple motos before my main it started raining again and the now wet paved turns were nasty as well as the track. When my class got their chance out on the track it was just like Saturday night dirt track in the turns, feet were out and everyone was sliding around the turns and the whole track. I was able to pull off a Seventh, my class altogether had around 15 riders. So that made my day so much better. I was proud of my finish and my riding abilities this weekend for how sucky the weather was.

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All in all I had a good trip, we did make it back in 11-1/2 hrs which was nice. I just hate that drive. I've got a lot of bike cleanin and uniform cleanin to do now thanks to the mud but it's all good. My next race will be this Wednesday up at BNB if the weather holds out, they've been canceling a lot lately thanks to mother nature, who has seemed to be screwing up everything this year. I just hope it gets better.

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I have just about 4 more days of school as a senior. I do have to go back for a few days afterwords for finals, but those aren't full days. I can't wait for graduation and summer vaca. Nor can I wait for UTI, it's gonna be great and I'm going to have a blast! Hope everyone else is looking forward to it as much as I am.

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I'll try my best to update as much as I possibly can this week. Have a ton of last minute school work to do though, which is gonna suck, but oh well. Have a great week all and be safe!

-Z-

Hey all

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Needless to say theres probably going to be no racing going down this weekend. My dad and the other operators/directors decided to cancel the three day weekend with the race for life and redline cup qualifier. Cedar's forcast is not looking good at all, as well as First State. The only place that might race this weekend is Lebanon, but we'll just have to wait and see.

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I've actually been doing a lot of "bike specific" training lately. Haven't touched the gym once in the past two weeks but have been getting on my bike and doing a bunch of sprints and got on the stumpy a couple times, as well as just plain riding around. I can tell you right now that all of the intense training plus all the lawn work I've had to do has plain killed my legs, they feel like shiz but it's all going to pay off.

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Made the call that I AM going to the Dixieland Nationals next weekend in Powder Springs, Georgia. Which if you all don't know where that is, it is mad close to Atlanta. I'll be making mains down there and have my mental and physical strength in a much better place then I did in Virgina. I promise.

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Not really much else to say, rain has been rediculous, I'm tired of it. But on the good side of things, I only have 11 more school days as a Senior. I tell you what, it's going to feel good not having to get up at 6:00 every morning. I'll be out enjoying myself while all the freshmen-sophomores-juniors are in school. Woo! haha.

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Oh and if you all are curious. I have been building the new website for Bumps-N-Berms. I have the layout finished, as well as the calendar, hotels, and about us. The other pages are created, just need to put the information on them. Once I get it done, everyone in the parents association will have to go over it before we transfer it over. But if you want to check it out, go to www.20092048.50webs.com Now remember, it's not finished or anywhere near completed, so there are still some issues and bugs I need to work out, but it'll get there.

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Make the best of your weekend, rain or not.

-Z-

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Leavin' you with a photo of Monasmith in VA

I'm just going to get into this update

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I'm not going to give you my complete loses or the low-down on my horrible racing abilities in Virgina, I was no where near my full potential, I screwd up, thats all I'm going to say. Congrats to the rest of the Deluxx Team though, they definitely did what they had to do and then some. If you want more, check the bulletins on MySpace (www.myspace.com/deluxxbmx)

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What I really wanted to do in this post is apologize for everything that went down in VA itself. After my motos on Sunday & on the way back to PA, I sat and just thought about how I do not deserve to wear that jersey on my back, or have the supporters that I do, and I definitely didn't deserve to be at that race after realizing how horrible I actually did.

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I let everyone down, I let Luxxy down, I let my family down, I let my friends down, I let my team-mates down, and most of all myself. I know I have some issues that I need to work out in my head, theres certain times I get down on myself too much, that I under-estimate myself, and that I get aggrevated and I do horrible on the track because I can't focus completely. I know that could get pretty bad but I never knew it could get as bad as it did last weekend.

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I went down there to race, yeah, I also went down for another reason. A reason I'm not going to say, but one that most of you can guess, because I'm always getting hurt and dying on everyhill because of this reason. Anyways, when I was there somethings with this "reason" didn't go as planned and it ended up as a major pile of sh*t that I should've never let get to me, but I did, and when I was sitting in staging and even on the gate, this "reason" is all I could focus on and what the hell went wrong. The race was barely in my mind, or what I had to do to make my semis or my mains. Saying so is why I raced so poorly and why I was getting beat by a strait-a-way and why I would just give up. I had my mind so stressed out on this one little thing that I probably should've had a massive heart attack and fell over dead. It screwed up my whole weekend and left me sitting on the bench watching all my friends race and wishing I wouldn't be so stupid, and regreting what had happened.

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I just want to apologize to my sponsors, to luxxy, to my team-mates, friends and my family, my trainer, and anyone else who I let down or embarrased this past weekend. I know I don't deserve to have all that I am so lucky to have. I took it all for granted way too much and let my mind get off the race and what my task really was that weekend. I focused on something that had nothing to do with racing whatsoever, got shown up and hurt, and let my racing suffer, the "reason" I should have never even got started with because I should just plain know better by now.

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All I can really say right now is that you're going to see a new person and racer out of me, the glass is going to be half full from now on. It may be a change that may take a while but I now know I have a lot to make up for and a lot to prove to myself and everyone else if I really want to keep the things I am so lucky to have. It's just going to be about my bike, and pushing my limits, and making mains and producing great results. I no longer want to be the "best practicer" or the "mascot". I want to be at the front of the pack everytime, showing everyone what I can really do and what I am really made of, and making up all that I have lost this past weekend!

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All I ask of you all to please accept my apologies and forgive me of my mistakes. I will do my best and whatever I can to my abilities to make it up to you not only as a person but also as a racer.

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I want to end out this post with a new favorite quote of mine, one that I am going to use to drive me at every race I attend for the rest of the season, one that we all should use, not only in racing, but in life itself.

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"Taking chances can be dangerous, but can also lead us down a direct path to our dreams"

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-Z-

What's up all?

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I hope that you all had a good weekend and are having a good start to this week.

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I must say, this weekend, I felt the best I have yet and the season is just starting!

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To start things off, I have to say, my trainer John had me max out this past Friday, and I was able to pull of an amazing 1018 lbs on the leg press! For me thats pretty da*n good!

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On to the races.

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Thanks to fellow team-mate Chris Monasmith, I was able to make a trip up to Cedar on Saturday. I love this track, I wish others rode as smooth and fluid as this one does. I ended up having to race Chris and 4 other riders, so in all there was Six of us. I qualified out in the second moto, and felt pretty strong in the main and pulled of a nice Third place. 

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Sunday was the usual Bumps-N-Berms and Lebanon. At Bumps-N-Berms I had a fairly easy day, but it sucked that I had total points. I was able to perfect every moto and main and took a First.

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Lebanon, on the other hand, got pretty wild. I again had total points but had to race Justin who is a pretty good competitor. The first moto as I was leading out of the third turn I popped a clip and wasn't able to get it back in - in time and Justin was able to pass me and take the win. Second Moto I went flawless and pulled off the win. This tied Justin and I for the main. I was stuck outside in gate 8 but was able to pull a good gate and first strait. Leading most of the race, but Justin came back to battle in the rythem but had some complications and looped out. I held my lead and again took First for the overall win!

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It was a pretty exciting weekend, I definitely had a ton of fun and can't wait for the trip to Woodbridge, VA for my first NBL national & race this coming weekend.

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I hope that you are all having a good week thus far and have a good weekend to come. I will try my best to update you all on my results from Woodbridge asap.

~Z~

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Photo of the day: Wippin' out a tad, photo credit Donna!

Well it was opening day for York and Lebanon this past weekend, and all in all I believe things went pretty well for both tracks.

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I helped all day Saturday to get the track at York in shape for Sunday's race, and a lot of people gave comments to the way the track was and the way the race was run with the new administration behind the scenes. Was a busy day for my parents running registration and the snack bar, but I think they enjoyed it for the most part, and it looks like it's going to be a good year for Bumps-N-Berms.

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As for my race  at Bumps-N-Berms it was somewhat intense. I got a total points moto, which stunk. First round I decided to leave a little early on the gate and flipped head over heals over my bars, placed a third. Second round I did my usual six-pack and rythem pull and took a first, and in the third round I messed up on the first double in the six pack, and I was able to go for a move in the last turn but just didn't have the room and lost all my speed and took a third, which gave me a third overall for the race.

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Lebanon was a joke. Luxxy and I ended up working on the first turn again, he ended up pulling a good bit of glass out of the dirt, again. They also decided it would be safe to run the four-wheeler on the track during practice. I really hope this wont turn into what York was last season. I again got stuck with a total points moto, First round pulled a wild second, Second round just did not go my way and I got a third, and the final round I got a second, but the way points were I got third, yet again.

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I think I need to get out of the gym and on my bike more and focus on my stumpy gates and sprints for sure. I still feel I have a little getting use to the new bike, but it's a beast of a bike. The best I've ridden without a doubt. So I'll be on the bike as much as possible this week and in the gym with my trainer on Friday.

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I've also been getting ready for my first NBL national ever down in Woodbridge, I can't wait to try something new, going hard every round will be fun and something different.

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I hope that you've all been having a good beginning to the week and hope the rest of it goes well, stay tuned.

-Z-