Only the facts

I'm afraid to admit it's been quite some time since I've written anything of substance. Fortunately, in a few weeks this will all change as I'm currently chipping away at a monstrous, long-overdue story. To be honest: this season I've used traveling and racing as an excuse to avoid writing. In many ways, I fear writing. When I write, I try to focus on the lessons I've learned; this in turn often results in forced introspection, which, I've found, is not always a pleasant experience.

I also needed time, for in emotional terms: time is distance. Well, I've distracted myself long enough. Last week I sat down and typed up an outline of what has happened over the course of this past year. Slowly, like a man crawling crippled towards the opening of a collapsing tunnel, I've been filling in the gaps. And you, dear reader, will be the lucky ones privy to see into these gaps I hope to understand.

Until then, I will leave you only with the facts. This season I was plagued by an injury I had to keep a secret. I signed a pro contract in the autumn, raced World Cups, was living it up huge, and then the universe handed me a healthy dose of ego-check and reminded me that I'm hardly anything close to a big deal. In a span of a month I plummeted back down to the nebulous rank of a so-so amateur racer, barely able to finish local races, without a team or money. All I had left were shards of a dream.  I refused to let them go. I was given an opportunity to learn what GRIT was all about. And I made shit happen.

Races:


-Cali World Cup, Colombia


-Manchester World Cup, England


-Tour of Murrietta, CA


-Southern Games, Trinidad and Tobago


-Tour of Walla Walla, WA


-Tour de RBC, NC


-Brick City Criterium, NC


-Joe Martin NRC Stage Race, AR


-Mutual of Enumclaw Stage Race, WA


-Ski to Sea, WA


-Mt. Hood Cycling Classic, OR


-A.T.R.A. Fixed Gear Classic, MN


-USA Elite Road National Championships, GA


-A.T.R.A. Testerossa Challenge, CA


-Joe Matava Criterium, WA


-A.T.R.A. Dicklane Omnium, GA


-A.T.R.A. Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge, OR


-Cascade Cycling Classic NRC Stage Race, OR


-Tacoma Twilight Criterium, WA


-A.T.R.A. Roger DeLanghe Trophy Race, IL


-Fort Collins Cycling Classic, CO


-36th Annual Madison Cup, PA

-SteamBoat Cycling Classic, CO
-A.T.R.A. Far West Challenge, CA

Results:

     Road:
-1st, Stage 1 (Time Trial), Fort Collins Cycling Classic
-1st, Ski to Sea (Time Trial)
-2nd, Stage 1 (Time Trial), Steamboat Springs Cycling Classic
-3rd, Prologue, Mt. Hood Cycling Classic.
-3rd, Stage 1 (Time Trial), Mutual of Enumclaw Classic
-4th, Stage 2 (Time Trial), Tour of Walla Walla
-4th, Joe Matava Memorial Criterium
-5th, Elite Time Trial National Championships
-6th, Stage 2 (Time Trial), Mt. Hood Cycling Classic
-6th, Stage 1 (Time Trial), the Tour of Murrieta
-9th, Stage 2 (Criterium), Steamboat Springs Cycling Classic
-10th, Stage 4 (Criterium), Steamboat Springs Cycling Classic
-11th, Stage 3 (Road Race), Fort Collins Cycling Classic
-16th, Prologue, Cascade Cycling Classic
   
     Track:
-The Southern Games, Trinidad
    1st, Overall International rider,    
    1st, 8k Premier Scratch race (night one)
    1st, 10k Premier Scratch race (night two)
    1st, Elimination race (night two)
    2nd, 2k Scratch Race (night one)
-36th Annual Madison Cup, Trexlertown, (avec Zak Kavolcik)
    2nd Madison Omnium
    2nd Premier 120lap Madison
-A.T.R.A. Dicklane Omnium, GA
    2nd, Overall Omnium    
    1st, Madison (avec Emile Abraham)
    1st, Point Race
    1st, Point-a-lap
    2nd, Elimination Race
    2nd, Scratch Race
    3rd, Sprints
    4th, Unknown Distance
    5th, Keirin 
-A.T.R.A. Fixed Gear Classic, MN
    2nd, Overall Omnium
    1st, Madison (avec Zak Kavolcik)
    2nd, Tempo Race
    3rd, Points Race
    3rd, Elimination Race
    6th, Scratch Race
-A.T.R.A Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge, OR
    1st, Individual Pursuit
    3rd, Elimination Race
    5th, Points Race
-A.T.R.A. Roger DeLanghe Trophy Race. IL
    1st, Points Race
    4th, Tempo Race
-A.T.R.A. Testarossa Velodrome Challenge. CA
    3rd, Miss & Out
    6th, Scratch Race
-A.T.R.A. Far West Challenge, CA
    1st, Premier Scratch Race
    1st, Premier Points Race
    3rd, Olympic Omnium
-World Cup Team Member, Team Pursuit, (Manchester World Cup) OUCH Pro Cycling
-World Cup Team Member, Team Pursuit, (Cali World Cup) OUCH Pro Cycling

Favorite Race Pics from the season:  

 (36th Annual Madison Cup: off the front in the premier Madison avec Zak Kavolcik)

(A.T.R.A. Fixed Gear Classic: on the podium reppin' my sponsors)

  (A.T.R.A. Dick Lane Omnuim: enjoying a rain delay in the hundred degree Atlanta heat)

  (Fort Collins Cycling Classic: pushing the break on the flats after a burly 8k climb)

(A.T.R.A. Dick Lane Omnuim: waving to the awesomely large crowds supporting USA track racing)

What's left:

-SteamBoat Cycling Classic, CO
-A.T.R.A. Far West Challenge, CA 
-Tour of Scottsdale, AZ
-USA Elite Track National Championships, CA

For the remainder of the season I have/will be living in Boulder, CO, where my new road team, Juwi/First Solar, is based. Immediately after Track Nationals in Los Angeles I will fly straight back home, to my home, Seattle. For a month I will live in the Cascade Mountains, taking a much needed break away from the bike, building trails, sleeping under stars, waking as the sun rises, and snuggling with Nature, a mistress whom I've severely neglected.

-dan harm

Corsa Concepts on the TK1

One of my sponsors, Corsa Concepts, wrote a nice article on my track machine: the Felt TK1. I choose my equipment carefully. No compromises. Read below, or visit the original version.

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Dan Harm's Felt TK1

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of babysitting Dan's bike while he was racing the Cascade Classic in Bend, OR. While he was here, we sat down to talk about his new track wheels and decide if any changes were in order. One of the great things about working with Dan, besides his pure racing abilities, and the fact that he's a really great guy, is that he's able to provide detailed feedback based on his technical knowledge, feel and race performance. From our conversation we were quickly able to identify a few things that we all thought would help him meet his goals.

Dan's specialty is going really fast for long periods of time as an endurance rider, who rarely gets out of the saddle to sprint. For a guy as big as Dan is, he's relatively easy on his wheels and doesn't have a lot of lateral movement while racing. So while Dan was racing on the road in Bend we rebuilt his wheels with CX Ray spokes. Instead of using our typical 2-cross lacing pattern on the front wheel we went with radial lacing. In terms of overall stiffness, with an 88mm rim and a high flange hub, there won't be much of a change. As a custom wheel system it's great to be able to dial-in ride qualities for specific riders.

It didn't take long and the wheels were back on the bike with nothing to do. I thought about taking it for coffee, but it was way too big. Instead we decided to get some good pictures of the bike and took a good look at his selection of parts for the rest of the bike. It's seriously hot!

Bike: Felt TK1 57CM

Headset: Felt Bayonet 1 1/8 Integrated

Stem: Felt Bayonet 2 Adjustable Stem (and lengthener Dan's too tall for standard stem on their largest
size)

Seat Post: Felt TK1-Aero Carbon Fiber

Seat Post Clamp: Aero 2-piece Stainless Stell Clamp

Saddle: SMP Evolution

Crankset: Shimano Dura-Ace 177.5

Chainrings: Dura-Ace 50-55t

Bottom Bracket: Dura-Ace Track

Pedals: Shimano Dura-Ace 7810

Handlbars: FSA Alloy Aero-bend

Handlebar Tape: Cinelli Cork White

Chain: Izumi ESH

Cog: Euro-Asia

Wheels: Corsa Concepts Proto3.3

Tires: Vittoria Corsa Evo CX 23 w/70mm Corsa Concepts Valve Extender

Tubular Glue: Vittoria Mastik One

PS. More stories to come...

-dharm