Velo News article:
New Perspective: From Steven’s crash to my crash course
March 1, 2010
by Jennifer Caudill

*click the link below. It will take you to VeloNews.com to an article that reflects the courage of a professional cyclist and how love between two people can work magic!

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/03/news/new-column-from-stevens-crash-to-my-crash-course-by-jennifer-caudill_106587

March 1, 2010
Written by Steven Cozza

If there is someone out there sticking needles into a voodoo doll of me please, stop. I’m serious. This has been a past two months of insane misfortune. It’s like I got the fortune cookie an elephant pooped out or something.

The list of mishaps is too long and it’s no use harping on the past, but in just the past few days I have had my car broken into and burglarized. We had just filled the car up with goods we needed for our new 1 month temporary apartment until our permanent residence is ready in April. We went to the Hypercore, (a large mall with everything), picked everything from linens to pots and pans, and then parked the car in the driveway of my teammate’s house for the night. We woke up the next day and just about everything was missing – garage door opener and all. I was shattered because of the fact that I had already been ripped off early in January by a housekeeper from the hotel at our training camp in Calpe for about $300.

Well, we carried on and loaded the car with all our belongings and headed right back to the Hypercore to replace the stuff that was stolen. After that. we headed to our new apartment in downtown Girona. Upon arriving, the one way street in the ancient city was blocked at the entrance for the night, so my Spanish friend, David, and I had to back it down the smallest one-way cobbled streets you could ever imagine. We both hit the ancient stone walls several times just trying to get to the front door of the apartment.

Once we made it to the front of the building, we learned that the elevator was broken for the night and that we would have to walk up the 3 stories with every bag Jen and I owned – two cars worth of junk I have collected over the past couple years here. We then went into the apartment for the first time to meet the owners and sign papers and were hit across the face with a horrible burnt-down house smell. That’s exactly what it was. The apartment building had just had a large fire recently and the smell was just overwhelming. The good thing is we are only here for a few weeks till our real apartment is ready. It’s worth the wait that’s for sure.

Getting burglarized and cheated is a real horrible feeling and I don’t believe I deserve it nor does anyone else, but these things happen in life and I am just so thankful I have Jen over here supporting me through these tough times. She is quite the angel.

For a quick injury update. My clavical surgery is healing slowly but surely. I’ve been doing lots of rehab and everything I can to get my arm to work again. After the surgery, it was as if my arm just died instantly. It’s even numb in some spots. I have been told this is because a lot of the muscles in the area shut off naturally to protect the damaged areas.

So now it’s rehab rehab rehab until my arm starts functioning normally again. I am still currently on the indoor trainer and going to the gym. I tried riding outside the other day but it was too much discomfort. I am hoping by the 3rd week (March 4th) post surgery, I can start riding on the road again. The indoor riding is really starting to crack me that is for sure, but I understand it is what I need to do to be at my best come my next race, the Volta Catalunya in mid March. All the pain and suffering will pay off.

I just won’t let these tough obstacles stop me.
Steven

Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words.
Keep your words positive, because your words become your behavior.
“Keep your behavior positive, because your behavior becomes your habits.
Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your values.
Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny.”

Mahatma Gandhi

“We create our own destiny”  Steven Cozza

February 13, 2010
http://stevencozza.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/StevenSnowman.jpg

Steven, wearing his Garmin cycling cap, is in Girona, Spain, icing his injured collarbone. Steven is very serious about rehabing his injury. You can see this by the amount of ice he is using! Go Cozza! Paris Roubaix all the way!

Steven’s girlfriend Jen, kept him warm by sharing the beautiful scarf Steven’s grandma Julie gave her. Jen also took the photo. You go girl!

Written By: Stephen FarrandPublished: February 9, 00:43, Updated: February 9, 06:00Edition:First Edition Cycling News, Tuesday, February 9, 2010Race:Tour of Qatar

Steven Cozza (Garmin-Transitions) is keeping a positive attitude in spite of bad luck.

Garmin rider to have plate fitted after third fracture
Garmin-Transitions’ Steven Cozza became the second rider to broke his collarbone during stage two of the Tour of Qatar on Monday after Team Sky’s Kurt-Asle Arvesen’s fracture.
The likeable rider from California hit a pothole in the rough roads and lost control of his bike. Unfortunately he landed on his left shoulder and his collarbone gave way, fracturing in the same point it had during two previous career crashes.
It meant the end of Cozza’s race and he will now travel to Belgium to have a plate fitted on his fracture. It will mean more pain, but the hard man of US admitted he did not even take painkiller after his crash.
“It’s the third time I’ve broken my collarbone and in the same place. I’m getting kind of used to it but it’s not something I want to get used to,” he told Cyclingnews after dinner in the race hotel at the Tour of Qatar.
“I have to get it operated on now because a collarbone never really heals properly. After three breaks in the same place it’s about time I get it sorted out so that it doesn’t keep breaking.”
While Arvesen crashed in the neutralised section of the race, Cozza crashed after 50km when the side winds and high-speed attacks were splitting the peloton into echelons.
“It’s so dangerous out there with all the wind and stuff and it happened when the cross-winds started coming and we started racing hard,” he said.
“It was a like a war zone and it was every man for himself. I think I hit a bump because there’s a lot of potholes out there and my hands slipped off the handlebars. Unfortunately as I went down I took out my teammate Martijn (Maaskant) as well. That’s party of cycling but fortunately he’s okay.”
“It’ll make me stronger for the future”
Cozza was disappointed to have crashed out of the early season race but true to character, he stayed optimistic, saying this latest setback will only make him stronger for the future.
“It’s not that too bad for me. It’s early in the season but fortunately I’ve got the whole month of February to recover and get going again. I wasn’t going to do any other races apart from this and the Tour of Oman. I also trained well this winter, so I’m sure I’ll be able to bounce back pretty quickly,” he said.
“After I get the procedure done I can hopefully be out training in two days. Not hard training but I’ll be back on the bike. I love racing. It’s a shame it’s the first race of the year but getting down about it doesn’t fix anything. I’ve got to stay positive and I know I’ll always come back stronger from these things. Hopefully it’ll make me stronger for the future.”
Cozza is expected to fly back to Europe on Tuesday and probably undergo surgery as early as Wednesday
_______________________________________
*Go to Announcements for updates on Steven’s condition – Scott Cozza

February 6,2010
Steven Cozza

After settiling in to our desert oasis, we went for a ride. Many extremely strange things happened today. That’s why I like traveling so much! My favorite thing about riding is when I get lost… and when I fly into a new place like Doha, Qatar, I feel lost all the time – even though I’m not really because I have my Garmin.

Its just been one great adventure already. Just five minutes after leaving the hotel parking lot, I sensed something was looking at me. I turned to my left and there, sticking its head out of an SUV like a dog, was a full-grown cheetah. I was so excited because a cheetah is my favorite animal and here it was, just inches from my face. I was so bummed I didn’t have my camera.

We rode on and into the desert. Everything looked exactly the same and we couldn’t see more than 2 kilometers down the road because of the sand and dust in the air. I just read in the newspaper this morning that yesterday there were over 120 car accidents because of the dust storm. Can you imagine being on your bike in a dust storm? That would be nuts…

We rolled on and on down the pancake flat terrain and in the middle of the desert, it started to rain. In minutes we were caked in sand. It was as if we had all jumped into the ocean and then decided to roll around on the dry sand afterwards. At first, I was a bit angry to come to such a warm place and then have to ride in the rain, but then I became happy for the people that live here, because water shortage is a huge problem in the middle east.

We kept riding and then came across a guy riding a road bike too. As it turned out, this guy is a P.E. teacher from California. He’s here teaching in the Doha middle school. What a small world this is.

All in all, we did two hard efforts during the ride and did a total of three hours. After riding the TTT circuit that we will be racing 8 kilometers on tomorrow, we headed back to the hotel for a shower and some lunch.

The food here is good. It’s lots of fluffy jasmine rice, hummus, chicken and lamb.

Tomorrow will be a great day for us. More to come.

Steven

February 1, 2010
Written by
Steven Cozza

During the 3 hour wait I had while my car was being serviced, I took the time to go on a little adventure into the heart of Olot. Olot is an ancient mountain villiage surounded by volcanos and it just happens to be the place I purchased my awesome, fuel-efficient European car.

To make the surrounding area even more amazing, it snowed last night here (very unusual), so everything is covered with a fine layer of bright white. As I wandered deeper and deeper down the old ancient stone-covered streets, I felt as if I was going back in time. I walked on and came into a clearing much like a town square. In the middle were hundreds of people and lots and lots of food stands. It was a bustling Monday market here in Olot.

Lucky for me, I just had walked into an outdoor produce store. I love fruit and veggies and it doesn’t get fresher and more local than this. I learned that it sure can be hard to get something because it is so crowded and I am always amidst people speaking fluent Catalun. I eyed some prize sweet potatos and determined to bring them home with me for dinner, I wiggled my way in among all the grandmas. They sure are tough when it comes to getting a spot in line, haha! On a side note, the quality and way of life here is just incredible and its no wonder these people live so long.

I did manage to score some sweet potatoes that I think I’ll try barbequing tonight. It’s now time to get walking again. It’s going to be a challenge just trying to find where I dropped my car off. Where is my Garmin when I need it?!

Steven

January 21, 2010
Written by Steven Cozza

Today we got to go out and test out our sweet TT bikes. It was a tough workout, but worth it. We get a little break now and then go out again to do a sprint workout. After that, it’s massages and then dinner!

I have to say it’s pretty sweet being a pro cyclist. We wake up and eat an awesome breakfest that has been made just for us. Then hop on our bikes, do a workout, come back and eat more awesome food that is prepared for us. Then we take naps or head to the hotel spa for a massage and then we enjoy dinner before turning the lights out and going to bed in our perfectly made and prepared rooms.

In fact, it’s beginning to make me a bit mad. We have some obsessive compulsive housekeeping here. They go as far as to fold both Danny’s and my clothes. The other day, I came back to the room to find a pair of Dannys underwear nicely folded in a stack of my nicely folded clothes. So I thought I had a fail-proof tactic today – I went as far as to construct a blockade in the room with chairs and I put a note up that said, “solo el bano, por favor. No ENTRADA.” Well, that didn’t work. They just tore past the sign, broke through the baracades and went to town. This is war!

On a better note, I’m glad I can finally eat the oatmeal now that they are not soaking it in milk. It took us 5 days to get them to do that. Whoop, whoop! I hate to be a pain, but it’s important that I stay gluten and dairy-free for my body to function properly.

The sun is always shining here in Calpe and I am feeling great on the bike, so all is good in Spain. My heart goes out to all the people of Haiti. I wish there was more I could do to help. If you get the chance, please make a donation to American Red Cross or www.haitichildren.com. If you send one to the Haiti Children’s relief fund, you can get a nice tax write-off and become a member of my Race For Kids Fan Club. It’s a win-win!

Off for our second ride of the day – sprint workout time. Hoorah.

Steven

January 15, 2010
Written by Steven Cozza

I peeled myself out of bed, hopped on the trainer for 30 minutes, took a shower, ate breakfast, and then finished packing my bags for our long road trip to training camp today. Boots, the cat, has gotten quite fat since I have been feeding her. I figure she will have to go for over 2 weeks without being fed, so I’ve been giving her lots of food. I even gave her some of the fish I made last night. This morning, I left lots of food all around the backyard for her to snack on as the days go on, that is if the other strays don’t steal the food.

Today we are off for our drive down to Calpe, Spain. It will be about a 5 hour drive so I will bring plenty of movies to watch in the car on my notebook. I’ve never watched a movie in a car. I get car sick, so it will be interesting to see what happens to me, haha.

It has been a great past 3 months leading up to this camp and the start of the season. I am really excited to see all my hard work pay off. It’s been one of the most challenging winters ever for me, mostly because of my dietary changes to help with my Irritable Bowel Syndrome Disorder. I’ve had to limit as much sugar as possible and cut gluten completely out of my diet along with dairy. This has helped me and I am just so glad to have my IBS-D under control for the most part.

I will try and report back throughout the camp on how everything is going. We have quite a few new members on the squad this year so it will be great to get to know all of them.

Off on a road trip,

Steven

January 8, 2010
Written by
Steven Cozza
 

So far my transition back into Spain has been great. I finally like hearing Lady Ga Ga and her “Paparazzi” song on the radio. Back in the states, I couldn’t stand hearing that one on the radio, but over here it is by far the best song on the air. 

What a small world this is. I got on the plane and sitting right next to me was Ted King from the Cervelo Test team. We were both shocked.

Driving back into Girona was surreal. One minute in Georgia and the next in Girona, Spain. Very, very, weird. Going from speaking English fluently to speaking Spanish like a 2 year old child is quite the life experience. At least I can feel young again going back to the days when I couldn’t speak English. One of these days, I will conquer the Spanish language and speak to all my friends over here with more than just saying, “hi, how are you?”, and then translating the rest with made-up sign language. 

After getting all my stuff moved out of my old apartment, I headed over to Svein’s (my Canadian teammate) house in Banyoles where I will be staying the 9 days before I leave for camp and until I can find a place to live in the rest of the year. It is a huge house and nicer than any place that I have ever stayed in over here. They have a cat that I am feeding for them which is a little creepy. I love every kind of animal in the world, but I have always had issues with cats. On top of it, I am allergic to them. This particular cat paces back and forth outside and just stares in at me like it wants to eat me. Everytime I go outside to feed him or come back from a ride, he rubs all over my legs as if he wants to be my friend. I think he is starting to soften my heart. This morning when I saw a white stray cat swooping in to steal his food, I stood up for him and scared the stray away so he could eat his breakfast in peace.  Its only been 3 days having to take care of a cat, but who knows, maybe by the 10^th I will like cats.  I doubt it… 

So far the weather has been really bad, but I was able to get a good solid dry day in the other day. The forecast looks good for the weekend, so I got a couple hard days coming up. Tomorrow I am going for a good climbing workout on the Cobra, a good climb for doing intervals. Just a couple more hard days and then on we go to Valencia, Spain. 

Thanks for reading,

Steven