Shifts & Grins

New Blog

2012-01-19T12:43:00.003-06:00

I am moving my time to a new site, http://hammerforlife.blogspot.com

Stop on over and check it out.

Working On Something New

2011-12-29T23:10:00.002-06:00

I know I haven't been on here in a while but I'm working on a new site, it's a site I'm using to promote Hammer Nutrition as I will be a sponsored athlete for the 2012 season. I will give more details about this soon.

Early Fall Gravel Grinder

2011-09-28T19:45:00.004-05:00

I went out to Indian Creek today to ride and as I was getting my stuff together I got a text from James, he was looking for a ride around Noon (it was about 9:30 at this point). I text him back that I was in for a ride and decided to go ahead and do my original ride. I started around the campground loop and then headed over to the dam and then north. My full suspension bike was giving me a bit of trouble on power sections, not exactly sure what is going on but I have to get it fixed because it is not functioning as it is intended. Anyway I didn't go all the way to the top, pretty close but not all the way, since I needed to get back to town for the other ride. I ended up with a little over 13 miles of singletrack and other than my bike acting up it was a good time.

I met James at Hy-Vee at 12:30 and he told me we were going to meet Doug at his house and then meet up with Brent. We weren't really sure where we were going and to tell you the truth I don't think I could really tell you where all we went. I can tell you that it was a great ride and we found one road in particular that was an absolute blast to ride, it looked like a private drive and then ended up with an amazing climb with loose rock and some small rock shelves to lift up onto and then it was about the same coming down the other side (it was a mountain bikers dream gravel road hill). We spent most the afternoon on our ride and had a lot of fun, we ended up around 63 miles for the ride. I'm pretty sure there will be more of those in the future.

It's Getting Cooler

2011-09-15T17:40:00.003-05:00

I'm sure we will get a few more days of warmer temps along the way but the temps right now are sure feeling cooler and I am really liking that. Now the delivery I got today is a bit premature as far as temps go but it won't be long and it will be time to get these out.

I got Louis Garneau winter cycling shoes.

And a pair of Castelli cycling bibs, these are fleece lined with a windproof front on them. I'm pretty excited to try these on.

An Expanding Nation

2011-09-11T15:44:00.002-05:00

Okay so I am a sucker for documentaries about all natural foods vs processed foods and all the problems that are created from the latter of the two. Looking at the rising cost of health care in our nation is staggering, especially when the world is being structured on convinence which is just making health matters worse. I am very curious what percentage of our diets comes from processed foods which have little or no nutritional value whatsoever. I read a book a few years ago called "Sugar Blues" that really opened my eyes to just how bad sugar is for us. I did really well after reading that book on cutting down on my sugar intake but I have let it creep back in here and there, running a bakery makes it tough to stay away from sugar (actually even if I didn't work there it might still be tough). Another eye opening occurrence is how select countries that still live on mostly plant based diets and some fish do not have an obesity problem, and the health of those countries is for better than ours. I have been thinking about putting myself through a challenge but I am not sure if I can handle it, but I'm thinking if I only consumed an all natural primarily plant based diet for 30 or maybe 60 days what difference would I noticed in my body, mood, and emotions. This would be a detoxification process that could be tough at the start but I hope would be easier as time goes on. Now I haven't decided to pull the trigger on this yet but I will let you know if I do.

Hammer On!!!

24 hr of DINO

2011-09-10T15:22:00.003-05:00

Well the 24 hr of DINO is going as I type this, I really wish I was there again this year but my schedule just didn't work out. Missouri has a good showing with many St. Louis riders going again. I told Molly that maybe they will race so hard at DINO that they might still be tired for RIM and give some of us a chance!!!

2011 24 hr of Seven Oaks

2011-08-29T20:42:00.001-05:00

Instead of writing up a summary of the race I thought I would take 5 times as long and do a little documentary. I know it's cheesy but my kids are cheese lovers!!!

Out And About

2011-08-06T11:29:00.003-05:00

Wow, where have I been lately? I for sure haven't been posting anything on here, I hope I have been out riding my bike. I can say that I have saved some money this year by not racing as much but I have paid a price of fitness and speed in doing so. Now I'm saying I'm not in shape or able to ride very fast because my fitness is pretty good and I can still carry some speed, it's just racing is a whole different level of training in fact I believe it is the best training. And for a guy like me that has never won a race when you come across as second best here and there it is some motivation to do better next time. Plus the racing scene is just so much fun, being around like minded individuals that enjoy riding their bikes in the dirt.

I am less than 2 weeks away from my second 24 hr solo race, I'll be heading to Boone, IA for the 24 hr of Seven Oaks on August 20-21. Am I ready? Maybe not where I want to be but I don't think it matters how good of shape I'm in I don't think I will ever be satisfied with where I want to be. I am ready to go out and race my bike for a day. My wife, kids, and parents will be there so it will make it that much more fun. I'm trying to get my body and especially my mind ready for the pain and agony that is inevitable. I will be taking my Specialized Epic and my Dad's Santa Cruz Blur for this race, I thought about taking Mary but I hear there is a ton of climbing on this course and I don't want to toast my legs earlier with no gears. I have only ridden my Dad's bike a couple times, but I really like how it handles (even with it being an XL frame). I rode a lap of the race course at Crowder and on some of the rocky climbs that bike climbed like a rocket, that bike has the VPP (Virtual Pivot Point). I don't know exactly how it is designed but it makes the bike handle very well.

I've been getting some miles in at I.C. and the cobwebs have been excessively bad this year. My last ride James was there before me so he got 95-98% of them knocked down for me so that was great, thanks James!!! My last ride out there I did a couple extra laps on the campground loop (which is blazing fast right now). After riding next to the water there is a short distance of gradual climbing and then the drainage crossing followed by some downhill again. The sun was getting lower in the sky and on the downhill the glare of the sun off the water was almost blinding and riding that section was a little difficult since I couldn't see exactly where I was going. My concern was that my speed was pulling me to the downhill side of the trail and I was afraid I was going to clip a small tree but it all worked out just fine. It made me think about Coach and the fact that he could probably close his eyes anywhere on that trail system and ride for 30 seconds or so and not miss a beat, I think that man knows every rock and root on that trail. Actually I think he knows a lot of trails like that, Lyle has mentioned about how fast Doug can memorize features on trails even in a single preride.

Truth In Advertising?

2011-07-18T20:49:00.003-05:00

I am always looking for a deal whether it is on ebay or Craigslist or just a huge blowout on one of the many online shopping outlets and I have come across some really good deals. I watch a lot of bikes sell on ebay basically just to keep in touch with what bikes are going for, they always vary but it gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect. I am however always amazed at how many people list their bike as "Gently Used" or "Barely Ridden" or "It Has Never Seen Dirt". Wow, you mean you dropped $3,000 on a brand new bike and didn't ride it? I will say that I do believe that is the case sometimes as there are probably some people that have more money than they know what to do with and the idea of a high dollar bicycle sounds cool.

It's funny how these "Barely Ridden" bikes have "Normal Scuffs" on them, of course because you rode it because those scuffs on your chain stays didn't happen by keeping your bike in your garage. Now I'm not saying that there aren't some bikes that haven't been pampered out there and are probably just as good as they were when they were brand new but I sometimes want to list my bike and lay it all out on the line...something like this.

For Sale: 2007 Specialized Epic Comp

This thing has seen more miles than a hooker on the Vegas strip, and has been ridden harder too!!! I have beat the crap out of this thing out on the trails and she just keeps coming back for more. I wouldn't call her "Chubby" but she isn't exactly light, this is no featherweight carbon bike here. Adding to the weight is a downgraded wheel set that I bought after she and I took quite a tumbling pass down a hill at a high rate of speed, you have to watch out for gravity. I didn't buy the same level or better of wheels because...I'm cheap. The inside of the handle bar is able to breath really well as I have bounced off a few trees and tore the ends of my grips off of the bike, it's these little things you don't get on a new bike!!!

Now don't get the wrong impression because she is a great bike and has handled everything that I have thrown at her. Just be careful if your riding in Oklahoma, make sure she doesn't try to put her saddle somewhere it isn't suppose to go...I'm just going to leave it at that.

Registered!!!

2011-07-14T21:07:00.002-05:00

Not sure if I should be excited or scared, I just registered for the Men's solo division at the 24 hours of Seven Oaks in Boone, IA on Aug 20-21. From what I have read and been told this will be a VERY demanding 24 hr course. I have been told that this trail is NOT built to IMBA specs and has a lot of up and down, lots of short steep climbs that can wear a person down. From what I remember being told it isn't too technical as far as rocky and rooty (but I could be wrong) but there is a lot of off camber tight twisty single track to enjoy.

It's time for the trails to dry out so I can ride a mountain bike again!!!

She Doesn't Want To Listen

2011-07-13T22:05:00.002-05:00

I keep telling my Epic that the trails have been too wet to ride most of the year this year but she just isn't listening to me. I think she is still mad that I didn't take her to Michigan this year. I got quite the silent treatment from her when she found out that Mary got called up from the minors for that trip. That being said she is ready to perform, last week at Crowder she was loving that trail!!!

My Trail Buddy

2011-07-09T20:46:00.002-05:00

I have been out a few times here lately to do some trail work, this has consisted from just simple trimming to blowing debris off the trail to armoring and deberming. I have been taking a companion out with me on these trips, it is our dog Selma. She is a Weimaraner/German Shorthair mix and she is a high energy dog, she loves to run and play outside. I have been going out often enough that on my days off when she sees me grab my hiking boots she starts getting pretty excited, she will go to the back door and start hitting her lead with her nose.

I really wanted to take her out but was hesitant at first because I wasn't sure if she would just take off and then have a hard time finding me but she has done really well everytime we have gone out. She only gets about 40 yds out and then runs back to me and then off again, that is about the perfect range for a bird dog and it must just be instinct. I'm glad that she likes to go because she gets a lot of exercise and when we get home she is on the couch and is out for a couple hours.

This last trip I took her on we were doing some armoring and dirt work and it was pretty hot, I brought water for her but she wasn't drinking as much as I thought she should. On the way out I was stopping and doing some deberming and she was getting hot so as I removed layers of the top soil she would lay down in it and roll around to cool off. I tried it but I just got dizzy and dirty!!! At one point she thought she would help me dig but I had to put a stop to that real quick, while I appreciated her interest her technique still needs some honing.

What's Your Kryptonite

2011-07-04T08:39:00.002-05:00

I'm no Superman (I just have the chiseled body) but all of us have our weaknesses, Sampson couldn't cut his hair or he would loose his amazing strength. I keep checking out James' hair length and it appears that he is still having it cut so that is not where he is getting his leg ripping power from, let me guess he's probably doing the old fashioned way by earning it with hard work and dedication...figures!!!

I think my biggest weakness is that I am a classic over eater at times, especially when I'm overly stressed or start getting depressed. Thing is that I eat all the wrong stuff and I absolutely know better. I know what it takes for my body to perform but I still eat the crap I shouldn't, then I get mad at myself and to punish myself I eat some more. Well this shit has to stop, eating the occasional crap isn't that big of a deal to me but doing this spiraling out of control is not okay. I'm seeing my performance drop off with it and I do not want that at all.

On a side note, when the trails dry up everyone needs to get out and ride them because they really need some traffic on them to make them faster. They are a bit spongy right now and need to get packed down....just sayin.

Right And Wrong

2011-06-26T14:04:00.002-05:00

There are the "Right" things to say and then there are the "Wrong" things to say. Here is a list of examples.

#5) When you see a couple riding tandem and you engage them in conversation. The right thing to say is "Do you ride together often?". The wrong thing to say is "Do you shower tandem?".

#4) When someone asks you if your friend really just took their drivers test and why, the right thing to say is "They let their license expire by 2 YEARS, and they had to take the test over again. The wrong thing to say is "Well he grew up Amish!!!".

#3) When you see someone applying Chamois Buttr the right thing to say is...nothing. The wrong thing to say is "Do you need a hand?".

#2) When you are in a race and you work hard to bridge a gap and you tuck behind another riders wheel to recovery before passing and they ask if you want around, the right thing to say is "Not just yet I will let you know when I'm ready". The wrong thing to say is "No thanks, I'm just enjoying the view".

#1) When your riding to the top of a long climb behind someone that is in their granny granny gear the right thing to say is "Great job, keep it up" (with great enthusiasm). The wrong thing to say is "Are you still in that gear?".

Lumberjack Recap

2011-06-24T18:11:00.002-05:00

Wow I almost forgot to post anything, been so busy not riding my bike and eating way to much! Like I had mentioned in an earlier post I was up at 4:30 on race morning, I already had all my bottles mixed and on ice just needed to get dressed an the rest of our gear into the van. We left the cabin about 5:15 for the race site and we got the best parking we could ask for, just across from where we could walk over the single track to our tent. We got everything set up pretty quickly and awaited the riders meeting. It was cool, about 56 degrees so I was really enjoying my jacket around that time.

This was a 3 lap race and I decided to use Perpetuem on only the first 2 laps, I tend not to not drink it later in a race. I also had decided to try and do the race with only bottles, I didn't want to carry the extra weight of a Camelbak on my back if I didn't need to. I had a Camelbak ready to go just in case in between laps. I had 2 bottles on my bike and then a 3rd bottle in my Mountain Feedbag on my handlebars.

As far as my bike I was riding my Haro Mary SS, I was riding her all rigid. I was running a 32 x 18 gear combination and I had a new set of Specialized Fast Trak tires as they are a low profile fast rolling tire. For the start we had to ride about 1.5 miles down the road for a rolling start. Many of us were freezing on the ride to the start line, my arms were a shade of purple and I had lots of goosebumps. I wasn't really looking forward to the start as I knew I would get dropped while spinning out. We took off and I was getting passed by a lot of geared riders, the lead pack had got out of sight rather quickly. I just did the best I could and knew it was a long day of riding to make up ground. Soon we were turning into the parking lot and the next turn would take us into the start of the single track.

As with any endurance race the early part of the first lap was congested, not much anybody could do but just try to be patient until things were able to speed up a bit. The slow going was tough on me riding a single speed, I need momentum to get me up some of the hills and it wasn't happening early on. After a couple miles I was able to get around a few riders and then pick up some speed. Soon I was behind 3 tandems in a row and their climbing was very slow. When we got to a short steep climb I did a cyclocross dismount and ran my bike through the weeds around them and took off again. A few miles later we hit a road section and I was surprised that I was able to pass so many riders since I was riding on a single speed. The rest of the lap was pretty good, my calves were getting tight but other than that I was feeling pretty good. I finished the first lap 9 minutes off of last years pace but I was okay with that, I didn't know what to expect riding one gear.

I was in the pit for less than a minute and back out on the course. I was making sure to stay on the fluids and trying to keep endurolytes in my system. A couple of the climbs seemed a lot longer on the second lap than they did on the first. The run up to the fire tower seemed a lot steeper and I was pretty sure it would seem even worse on the third lap. I came in from the second lap 1 minute faster than last years second lap so I was pretty pleased with that.

I was in the pit for 3 or 4 minutes this time, got new bottles and took some Endurolytes and Ibuprofin and had Molly put some Biofreeze on my lower back (oh and had to lube the chamois again). As the third lap progressed I could tell I was slowing down but I wasn't wiped out totally. I was walking some of the steep climbs and parts of the long sustained climbs. I would climb until I could feel the lactic acid building to a certain point and then I would walk a bit and then back on the bike. I decided to stop at the aid station on the last lap, it was about halfway through the lap. I still had a full bottle and I topped off my other two bottles, I also got and orange wedge which was really tasty. It wasn't until just as I was leaving that I realized the water they put in my bottles was a little skunky. Not a great tasting water but it was wet. I ended up going to my full fresh bottle and saving the other bottles until I had to drink them. The last 10 miles of the last lap was tough, I was really having to dig deep. Finally I knew I was getting near the finish line and I was going as fast as I think I could, this section of the course is fast and flowy. I passed two geared riders with about a mile to go and could see another rider ahead of me shortly after that. That rider was another single speeder and I went around him as fast as I could in case he tried to jump on my wheel. He didn't make a move but I stayed on the gas as much as I could to the finish, I looked back a couple times but didn't see him coming. I rolled across the finish line in 9 hr 40 min. This was 21 min slower than last year but I didn't care, I was very happy with that time.

As I went through the finish chute I saw Molly and I heard Emma but I didn't stop. I grabbed my finishers patch from a volunteer and just kept pedaling to our pit area. I felt bad for not stopping but I was looking for a chair to sink into. After about 45 minutes of resting and talking about the days adventures I went up to the food tent. I was hoping they had orange juice again this year and that was about all I really wanted but instead I found a huge burrito and a corn/black bean combo that was really good. We also went over to the timing kiosk and found out I was 28th out of 47 in the Single Speed class and I was 152nd out of 337 overall.

While I was still out racing Emma got to meet womens pro rider Danielle Musto, Emma got her autograph and also got her picture taken with her. As Mark and I was loading the van Danielle tracked Emma down and gave her a brand new set of Optic Nerve racing glasses, how awesome is that???

As much fun as the race was I was glad that it was over. I think we all slept very well that night, then it was a long day in the van on the way home. I had a great time and I was very pleased with my results.

2011 Lumberjack Prerace Activities

2011-06-20T15:59:00.004-05:00

Well on Thursday June 16th around 5:00 p.m. or so Molly, Emma, and I headed over to Marks house and picked him so we could start our 659 mile drive to Manistee, MI. I started off with the driving and held the wheel until a little after 10:00 or so and then Mark took over. I decided I better try and get a little sleep so that I could drive again later. Molly was willing to drive but I knew she had worked all day and I really didn't want her to have to drive but we would let her if needed. Mark dove til 2:45 I think and then I took back over and drove until about 5:00 a.m. or so. When I took over driving the last time I stopped and got a cup of coffee and it kicked in quickly, not only keeping me awake but also making me have to stop and pee. As we got close to Ludington, MI the fog was getting very thick and it was tough to see very far in front of the vehicle. Mark took back over driving from Ludington and got us into Manistee. We decided to get something to eat and then we headed to the beach. It was cool that morning, around 55 degrees, and the fog was still pretty thick. The view off the pier over Lake Michigan was very limited but it was still pretty neat, I think Emma really enjoyed it.

From there we headed to the race site so Mark and I could pick our pit area, we had a great spot last year and wanted the same location. Most people don't pick their pit area until the come to preride the course and do their packet pick up but we decided to go ahead and claim our spot. We got the same exact spot as last year which was about 60 yds after the lap but still on the course as we would head out for another lap. The corridor widened there and it would be easier to access our pit while not obstructing the trail. Mark mentioned later that he knew we had a good spot because the pros pitted right next to us both years, they were looking for the same area too.

With still some time to kill before we could check into our cabin and get some mid day sleep Mark and I decided to walk part of the trail. We walked in the opening stretch which was a long gradual climb that seemed to go on forever. The mosquitoes were unbelievable this year so we made sure to spray ourselves really well. After we hiked out we decided to go to the cabin and see if we could check in, it was almost 11:00 a.m. by now. We were able to get in and we got some stuff settled and Mark and I laid down to get some sleep. I think we slept for 2-3 hrs off and on, I don't know about him but it wasn't the most restful sleep I have ever had but it was better than nothing.

About 4:00 p.m. we headed back over to the race site and picked up our race packets. The raffle this year was already underway, they had drawn race numbers and labeled the prizes so if you were a winner you could get your prize at that time. Mark won a hydration pack with about a million pockets in it, it is pretty cool.

We got our bikes down and prepped and worked our way into the single track. The early part of the race had a couple good climbs in it so I was trying to fly downhill into the climbs to carry momentum so my single speed wouldn't get bogged down. After a couple climbs I went ahead and walked a couple big climbs because I didn't want to burn my legs up on them during the preride. Early in the ride Mark noticed this tree was having "pecker problems" so I had to take a picture, it's hard to see the issues in the picture.

About the time I took the picture Marks phone rang and it was fellow Lumberjack Tim Riekena so Mark had to take it. We sure did miss Tim this year.

We only rode about 5.5 miles and then was back at the van, my legs wanted to ride some more but I knew the next day was going to be some work. We headed back to the cabin where Molly was just finishing up some lasagna and cheesy garlic bread...YUM!!! It didn't take much for me to pass out on the bed that evening and then I was back up at 4:30 to start getting ready for the race.

I'll do another post about the race later.

2011 Dirty Kanza...

2011-06-06T21:30:00.007-05:00

I had high hopes for the 2011 running of the Dirty Kanza 200, not about placing high just of riding strong and finishing. I had got a lot of training miles in, my base probably could not have been much better. The thing about Dirty Kanza is that it is such a brutal race, it takes a lot of mental and physical strength. My race day preparations were all in order, I had been eating pretty well and hydrating very well. My bike was set up and ready to roll and I had my nutrition plans all laid out. Molly and I arrived in Emporia around 2:30 on Friday afternoon, we got checked into the hotel and then went and got my race packet at registration. Then we came back to the room and I started prepping all my bottles and laying out my riding gear. My fellow Lumberjacks (Mark and Tim) were on their way too as they were doing the team relay event. We all met up at the pasta feed which was put on by the Emporia Farmers Market, it was a really good meal and very convenient. Then it was back to the room for final preparations and then time to get some sleep.

The race start was set for 6:00 a.m. and if anyone knows me very well at all then they know that I am a hurry up and wait kind of guy. I was up at 4:20 to let my body get woken up and so I could do some business. We made our way to the start venue around 5:20 a.m. and Mark and I rode up and down the street a little bit, I think for me it was more to calm my nerves than for anything else.

When people started forming on the start line there were huge gaps here and there so instead of just getting in line I rode my way up to the middle of the pack and took my place, Lyle rolled up next to me and we talked for a little bit.

Soon we were off and the pace thru town seemed to be faster than the year before, I didn't run off with the leaders I just maintained a steady pace and by the time I hit the gravel road (about 2 miles in) the leaders were probably a half mile ahead of me at this point. I didn't care about that because I know I cannot ride that pace without blowing up. The first leg was 58 miles and all of it was into a headwind or a head/crosswind. There wasn't a ton of climbing but some good climbs were littered throughout the course. I started out slowly, I did have to bridge up early to draft off a group of riders because I was stuck in the open with riders a ways behind me. When the group I was drafting sped up I just eased into an easy pace and waited for the next group to catch me and then I rode with them for a while. I did not want to be a hero as I knew it was a long race and we were not very far into the race.

About 22 miles in I was flying down a hill in a group when I noticed something fly up in the air, as it was doing flips I could tell it wasn't a rock but I wasn't sure what it was. I looked down and I found out what it was...it was my computer. Well I just kept going since I was in a group and who knows where it landed. The remainder of the first leg was pretty good, steady effort but nothing too hard. I finished that leg just under 4 hrs.

I came into my pit area and was there for 10 min max and then was back out on the road again. The second leg was 44 miles and I was feeling pretty good about it. It started out with a lot of flat sections and a tailwind, this lasted for about 20 miles or so. I was riding with Gerald Hart and another guy toward the end of that 20 miles and when we made the turn back to the West Gerald made the comment that we had 24 miles of wind so we better settle in. Only a couple miles down the road we came to a turn that was not marked but it seemed by the map that this is where we should turn. Gerald and I said that we should turn but another guy rolled up and said we were suppose to go straight. Gerald went on but I wanted to make sure and there were more riders rolling up. There ended up being about 10 of us there and half of us thought one way and the other half thought the other way, we could see several other riders had gone straight but I still didn't feel that was right. Soon we could see some riders coming back from that direction, it ended up being about 30 people and now there was around 40 of us standing at this intersection, we quickly realized that we did need to turn there and we all left as a group. About a mile in we found some more course markings so we knew that we were on course. We had 3 water crossings, the first one was a stinky muddy mess but the other two were not so bad. Soon we were climbing out of these low sections and back into the wind, I started to slow down. I just kept pushing on as best as I could. The last 8 miles or so was more of a tailwind or cross tailwind but I knew not to go too hard thru there as I was just getting to the halfway point of the race. As we rolled into town I looked at another guy and said "Man that was a tough 44 miles", he smiled and said "Thank you for saying that because I thought I was just being a wimp".

Rolling into the second checkpoint I was not feeling really good, my stomach was not feeling right and I was not wanting to eat anything. I sat down for a while and took of my jersey and soaked a towel in ice water and put it on my face and neck to keep cool. The longer I sat there I was hoping to feel better but just didn't, so I decided to try and go to the bathroom. That was a good choice because I felt much better after that. I got new bottles and filled my Camelbak and headed back out on the course. The third leg was 60 miles and it was getting hotter out now and I was a bit concerned. Not very far into this leg I realized that I should have just brought all water because I tried to drink my Perpetuem and Fizz but my stomach wasn't having it. Now I was going to have to rely on my 70 oz of water in my Camelbak to get me to the end or try to force my other options. I was feeling really good early on, I wasn't riding very hard but seemed to be carrying a good speed (couldn't really tell without my computer!!!). This good feeling stopped about 15 miles in, I knew I still had 45 miles to go and I was hurting. I found a shade tree and stopped for about a minute and then went on again but was not feeling good. Now my stomach was not wanting water in it either, I was a cotton mouth since I had already slowed my fluid intake but I couldn't stomach the fluids. I decided to look for a water source to cool myself off. The next creek I came to the water was a ways down the hill so I went on, the next one was bone dry. Then I came to a low water crossing where there was concrete in the low spot so water wouldn't wash out the road. I laid on the concrete because my back hurt but the concrete was so hot. Stephanie McCreary, from St. Louis, rolled up and said "Oh Water", I told her I was thinking about getting in and she said "What are you thinking about, let's get in". So we did and the water was so cold and refreshing, my core temp was able to lower and it felt nice. A couple other people saw us and joined us then she and I got back on the bikes and took off. After a few miles we noticed rain in the distance and that it was clouding up so that was a good sign. I rode on ahead and could see some lightning off in the distance and the clouds were getting darker and darker. It wasn't long until my stomach thought it was time to put me through the ringer, I stopped and was hanging over my handlebars and dry heaving like a champ. I couldn't get anything out but my stomach didn't care and it kept trying to empty itself. Stephanie rolled up next to me and checked on me, I was in a world of hurt. She asked if I needed to call my wife and I told her I think I should. I turned on my GPS so I could get the coordinates but I did not want to quit. I told Stephanie to go on and I would be fine. I talked myself out of calling Molly and straddled my bike again, Emily Brock (last years female winner) rolled up and checked on me. I started riding with her and the lightning was increasing and the clouds were getting darker and the wind was picking up. Then it started to rain hard and it was big drops, usually I take my glasses off in the rain but it was raining so hard I couldn't see with them off. Emily said she was trying to decide when we should take cover and then she saw a tree line up ahead and said "I don't know about you but I'm going in there". I was hot on her heels and Stephanie was already under the tree line and then 2 or 3 other guys rolled up too. The rain was pouring down in sheets and the wind was thrashing the trees like crazy, then lightning struck about 50 yds away...it was a little bit scary. I heard later that someone had reported that they saw a tornado, I don't know if that was true or not. Another guy I talked to said the group he was riding with took cover also and the wind snapped a tree in half near their location. He also said a guy got blown off of his bike.

When the wind and rain slowed up we all took off again and about a mile down the road we made a turn back to the East, it "was" a dirt road but now was a mud road. It was impossible to ride as the bike was picking up huge amounts of mud and the wheels would not turn. Really made the bike nice and light!!! We all picked up our bikes and started carrying them, then the road turned back to the North and it was a mud road as far as I could see. We all ended up getting into the tall grass on the side of the road and did a hike-a-bike for 3 miles, talk about suck!!! My stomach was still not happy with me, I would stop and dry heave here and there and after nearly 2 hrs I was at the end of the mud road. There were a few riders there and a farmer had his pick up truck there too. The last thing I wanted to do was to quit but I was in so much pain and I couldn't drink anything without wanting to throw up. Also I was concerned about any other mud sections on the rest of the course. The farmer gave 4 of us a ride to Burdick, KS. It was about 4 buildings and a couple houses. We all tried to give him some money but he wouldn't take it, he was such a nice guy and you could tell he enjoyed helping us out. There were about 10 other riders in Burdick when we got there, they had gotten rides from other farmers. Soon after I climbed out of the truck I started my dry heaving again, man was I getting tired of this. I got a hold of Molly and she came and got me. We gave another rider a ride to the third checkpoint since that is where his crew was and he couldn't get a hold of them. On the way to drop him off I was shaking in the van, my fingers were curling into my palms and my hands were curling in toward my body and I just couldn't stop shaking. I was a mess.

I am disappointed with my race but not upset, I am more disappointed that I don't know exactly what happened to me. I don't ever want that to happen again, I hope that this experience will make me stronger.

Dirty Is Fun

2011-05-30T17:37:00.002-05:00

I have spent several hours trying to get my wheels on my single speed set up tubeless, I would say somewhere between 6-8 hrs. I have a Haro Mary with WTB Laser Disc wheels, not the lightest wheelset but hey it's what I got. I had originally purchased the Stan's conversion kit made specially for that wheel and it didn't work, talk about being pissed ($50+ that I can't get back). Every time that I tried to get the wheel set up I kept leaking air around the valve stem and out around the nipples, have you ever leaked air out of your nipples? It kinda tickles!!! This told me that I wasn't getting a good seal up to the edge of the rim on both sides. I had tried the ghetto version and did not have any luck...the first time. I did some more reading and watched a couple videos on youtube to see how these guys did the ghetto version. When I worked on the wheels prior I would get so frustrated that I would have to just walk away from it and let myself calm down....sometimes for weeks. The first time I tried the ghetto version I tried to trim the cut tube before I put the wheel on, I found out later that the excess tube doesn't get trimmed until after the tire is mounted on the tire and it is holding air. I am very happy to say that I finally got Mary's wheels set up tubeless, I spent about an hour and a half trimming the excess tube material from both sides of both tires. I haven't ridden the tires yet, I am anxious to do so. I really wanted to get Mary set up prior to Lumberjack, if I had to run tubes I would have but I wanted to be able to run lower pressure that only tubeless set ups let you do.

Pull Me Away

2011-05-27T19:23:00.002-05:00

Somebody pull me away from the food, oh my gosh I am eating like crazy. I need to get my caloric intake up but not this much, plus I should be eating the right stuff and not.....um, everything I see!!! I'm feeling fluffy right now that is for sure. I was off today and then I go back to work tomorrow and work thru Thursday, I am taking next Friday off to travel to and hang out in Emporia, KS for the Dirty Kanza 200 on Saturday June 4th. I really would have liked to gone for a ride today or even trimmed trail but I was still not feeling 100%, I have to get this taken care of as I don't need to deal with this next week. I have to work thru Monday for sure because of the holiday weekend and we have inventory on Memorial Day...I leave that alone. I am at least coughing stuff up a little bit so it is productive. My throat is still sore and another issue that I will leave unlisted!!! I have been doing pretty good about drinking water, I have been getting 80-90 oz per day but the past couple days have been tough because drinking water sucks when your throat hurts. Anyway I can't stress over it because that won't help anything, I think I have been stressing a bit and that is one reason I am eating so much...that and just sitting around the house. I did get my yard mowed today so that is good since we have some more rain in the forecast.

Are You Serious?

2011-05-26T21:49:00.002-05:00

I'm dealing with a bit of a scratchy throat and a slight cough right now, it's never a good time to deal with that especially with a big race coming up. I am doing what I can to take care of it although I did go out and ride my bike today, I have to remind my legs they are on "light" duty and not "off" duty!!! Anyway the not feeling quite 100% isn't the reason for this post, it is just leading up to it.

I don't take a lot of medicine, I'm not opposed to taking it but it seems that too often there are more natural ways to get healthy. Last night I was really wanting something to soothe my throat so I went looking through our medicine cabinet and the only cough syrup we had was "Children's" cough syrup. I figured if it was good enough for them it would have to be of some benefit to me. I started reading the back of the bottle (since there wasn't any pictures to look at) and one of the things it said was "Avoid alcoholic beverages"....are you serious? This is medicine for kids. I can just picture it now, "Sorry son I'm going have to cut you off at that 6 pack because it's time for you to take your cough medicine".

Finally

2011-05-24T18:10:00.002-05:00

I finally got to get in a high intensity ride last night, it wasn't the biggest leg ripper ever but it was pretty good and just what I needed. The group ride went to Chula and James led the way out of town and he gradually built up the pace so it was nice that we didn't just start hammering. I was panting pretty good early and continued to do so most of the way up.

The ride back started the same way, nice steady pace that gradually built until we were pushing pretty hard but not too hard and then the stretch back to town was much faster (or at least it seemed faster). I was trying to be fairly aggressive on hills, not because I was wanting to drop anyone but I was wanting to get some good climbing intervals in. I had to tuck back in on the final descent as I was hurting pretty good, I did have enough left to attack the last climb and when we got over the bridge I was officially spent. James, Denny, and myself made it to the street just over the bridge first and we stopped to wait on the rest of the group. You know it was a pretty good effort because all three of us were shaking in at least one place on our bodies. My hands and legs were trembling but it was a good feeling, the noodles I had ate prior that were trying to work their way back up was not a good feeling!!!

Another Phase

2011-05-22T14:46:00.002-05:00

Well it's time to taper off the riding with DK less than 2 weeks away, I will still ride just not nearly as far and not at a high pace (well if we ride tomorrow night I will try to hang with the big boys for that one). I can tell that the race is getting closer because I am having a hard time trying to get deep breaths. That happens to me on races I get nervous about, the first time I was afraid I was getting sick but turns out it was just a bit of anxiety. It is affecting me early in rides as I am totally winded but after about 10 minutes I must seem to settle into a groove and forget about it and then am fine. I am needing to get my water intake at about 90 oz per day which I am short of right now so I really need to focus on that. I also need to get better at eating the right foods and not a bunch of empty calories, although a few extra fat stores in the upcoming 10 days will probably be a good thing. I like to eat but the extra calories right now along with the shorter and less often rides make me feel "fluffy", but I know it needs to be done.

I have to keep telling myself that the DK 200 is a long ride and that I am riding against myself. It is too easy to get sucked into racing early in this ride but going out too hard too fast usually doesn't work out too well. I had such a good finish last year that of course I would like to finish that well or better but just finishing is the goal, plus there are double the racers this year so that can change things dramatically.

Every time I read about someones training for DK I get worked up and start getting concerned that I haven't trained enough, but looking at my mileage that I have logged so far this year I have the base. The lack of interval training really doesn't concern me too much in the race due to the long distance of this event.

I put my bike back up on the stand the other day and got the shifting better, not nearly as good as Cale did but it is better. Then I put some tape on the barrel adjuster because I am concerned that it is a bad adjuster and could be letting slack back into the cable. After taping the adjuster I took my cross bike back out and rode the loop and it did much better, the chain never did jump down to the lower cogs when I applied more torque. I need to ride it some more to make sure that the problem doesn't happen again, I am sure hoping that this problem is not going to come back and affect my riding.

Okay it's about 3:00, must be time to eat again!!!

Pre Race Big One

2011-05-19T19:09:00.003-05:00

My normal pre race "Big One" usually involves getting to my bibs and a port-a-pot but I am referring this time to my final big ride before Dirty Kanza. I have gotten 2 really good long road rides accomplished in the past month or so but this time I wanted to ride gravel. Mainly because after changing out my drive train I was having some shifting issues and I had finally gotten my bike up to Cale to check it out. He made some minor adjustments and then realized that my hanger was slightly bent, after fixing that the bike was shifting perfectly on the stand and was ready to be tested on the road. I took off out of town and I could not believe how well the bike was working, I don't think it ever had worked this well before. About 20 miles into my ride I had did 2 monster climbs and then was on a moderate climb when it felt like something popped, I could feel it through the cranks. Shortly after that the shifting went to pot. I made a minor barrel adjustment and the shifting was better, not perfect but better. The more I rode the shifting would return to it's not so good function. On flat sections where I could really hammer I wasn't able to because as I would shift to smaller cogs the chain would just jump down all by itself. To say that I was frustrated is an understatement.

I continued on my ride and came across some sections of road that a maintainer had been, it was a lovely site. Other sections of road had fresh heavily laid gravel and it was very slow moving.

I came back to the house at mile 76 and took a couple hour break, I really needed something to eat and my rear was really enjoying the break from the saddle. Normally when my rear is hurting I stand and ride for a while but due to the shifting issues this was not an option as everytime I stood up it was not a good situation with my gears.

I went back out later and got in another 32 miles, this put my total just over 108 miles. It was a tough ride due to the distance, and the bike issues as they were making me very frustrated and angry. I have been preparing for this race since January and to have bike issues is making this tough, I am still working on it and I will get it figured out.

On my earlier ride I came across what looked like might be some trouble but it just turned out to be some jackass' and a horse's ass!!!

Back In The Day

2011-05-15T09:33:00.003-05:00

This is what we used to rock out before bicycles in Amish country. Still living the lie, courtesy of Jan Pyrtle.

Thanks Jan!!!

Hey, What's The Big Stink???

2011-05-14T17:52:00.003-05:00

It's a stinking mystery, who farted???

I think someone looks guilty!!!

Still Around

2011-05-13T21:21:00.003-05:00

I haven't been very consistent on posting on here lately but here I am. When it comes to racing I think we all have felt like we were lacking at some point in time, right now I am trying to get my mind wrapped around Dirty Kanza. I have to get my mind right for the pain that is close at hand, if you continue to push on at every checkpoint you can't escape the pain. I think back to last year and two legs in particular I had really good rides, the other 2 weren't bad just a little more pain than one would care to remember. In fact the mind is an amazing thing, it doesn't forget all pain but it does let some of the memories of intense pain fade. Last year at RIM I was in the most pain I have ever been in on a bike, when I sunk into that chair after the race I was so trashed that I wasn't even sure what to do. Now I remember it hurt, I remember I had the opportunity to go back out and take 3rd place and I just couldn't do it but I can't truly remember all the pain....but I know it was there.

I have got some solid base miles in this year but I feel like I am lacking in the intensity aspect with a lack of interval training. I plan to finish at Dirty Kanza, I probably shouldn't even show up if I felt otherwise, but I don't know if my performance will mimic last year. I had a handful of races under my belt before DK last year and most of them were marathon class races that were 3+ hrs. This year I only have one race but at least it was a 6 hr 30 min effort for me. The lack of interval work doesn't concern me as much for DK as it does for Lumberjack which is only 2 weeks after DK. Lumberjack is a whole different ball game this year since I will be riding a single speed, I have no idea what to expect from myself.

I look at some of the riders signed up for DK and there is some very stout competition, very fast Men and very fast Women (fast as in quick...not easy!!!). I know of several of these riders that have a ton of miles on their legs and lots of racing too. I have to remember to not go out too fast at the start, I have to tell myself that at every endurance race (I don't always listen). Last year I was able to hold back for at least 3 or 4 miles and then I just couldn't take it anymore, I really started to feel it at about mile 30. I was smart enough to know that when that fatigue started in to back off and settle into a recovery pace for a bit. I am amazed at the speed that the lead riders take off at, I don't know if I could go 25 miles at that pace. I can't think about what other riders are doing, I should look at it as I am racing against myself. Do I think about winning that race? Sure I dream about that, I would like to win at least one race some day!!!

Dirty Kanza is 3 weeks from tomorrow and it is almost time to start tapering off on the riding efforts. I didn't get around to changing the drive train on my cross bike until recently and I am trying to get some bugs worked out of it...that is stressing me out big time which is a performance inhibitor. I am almost wishing I hadn't changed the drive train now but Cale is going to look at it for me and we will see what he can do. I was getting really excited for the race but since the hiccups with the bike that has faded back a bit but I am sure that Cale can help me out and I will be back on track.

Getting Closer

2011-04-29T19:36:00.002-05:00

It is a bit of a reality check to realize that the 2011 Dirty Kanza 200 is only 5 weeks away, and I have a feeling these next 5 weeks will go by rather quickly too. This has been a weird cycling year so far, lots of wind and quite a bit of rain which has lead to some shorter rides due to dangerous conditions and a lack of group rides. It is the same for most of us, we need to have decent weather on our days off of work to get a long ride in and there haven't been a lot of great weather days this year. I will say that I am really enjoying riding in the wind because it is good training and it is almost certain that we will encounter it at DK. I feel like I have a good base in but like I have stated before, I haven't got much interval training. That training usually comes with group rides and it just hasn't happened yet this year. Interval training isn't as important to me for DK because that race will be more about pace and perseverance but I am concerned about the lack of interval training for Lumberjack. When you really think about it my training for Lumberjack is complete at DK, because I will be in some serious recovery mode after DK. I say my Lumberjack training, that makes me smile because I haven't ridden much single track due to weather and I only have about 11 miles on my single speed this year!!! I'm not going to get worked up over that fact though.

Shoulder Update

2011-04-20T21:29:00.003-05:00

Last night I was able to sleep the whole night without waking up in major pain, of course I got up at 2:45 so I really only slept half the night I guess. Sunday night was an agonizing night of sleep, I don't know how many times I woke up moaning and grimacing from the pain. Molly said I woke her up several times because I was whimpering in my sleep, if that doesn't make you feel like a man I don't know what will. Monday night was much of the same, the pain didn't wake me up as many times but it still kept me from getting a good nights sleep. Before I went to bed last night I put a large amount of Icy Hot on my shoulder (it was on fire) because it was causing more muscles to tighten up,this seemed to help quite a bit.

Today at work I was still being very careful with my left arm, and I wasn't having nearly the amount of sharp shooting pain episodes that I had been having. I could tell it is still very tight, the swelling has come down but it is still puffy. It is still very tender and my range of motion is very very limited, basically reaching back is not going to happen without a large amount of pain.

I don't think Molly was real pleased with me today because I decided I was going to ride my bike....twice. My body positioning on my road bike wasn't bothering my shoulder too much besides I need to keep it loose....right??? Okay maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to do today but I really wanted to ride and I got in some good miles today, not very fast but I'm okay with that.

It's Amusing To Me

2011-04-19T20:44:00.002-05:00

A person could look at just about any set of pictures from a mountain bike race and when you get to the podium shots there is almost always a picture that it would seem a homeless person worked his way into the photo. The guy has a beard so scruffy because he hasn't shaved in about 8 months and is wearing a button up short sleeve shirt that is pretty baggy on him along with some cut off shorts. Your thinking "What is this guy doing at a bike race?", and then you realize that he just kicked everyones ass on an all rigid fixed gear single speed!!! You didn't see his bike because he as done so early that he already had it loaded up before you emerged from the woods.

Actually that last little bit reminds me of my first race ever, it was a duathlon at Clinton Lake. I finally made my way to the finish line and pretty much everyone had already loaded their bikes and many people were already gone!!! I guess they didn't realize that they were going to get the opportunity to see a well over 200 lb guy with blood stains on his legs come staggering across the finish line, it was well worth the wait for those that saw it.

Bone Bender V3

2011-04-18T13:52:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was the 3rd annual Bone Bender mountain bike race held at Clinton Lake in Lawrence, KS. I will say that Clinton Lake is a great place to work on your technical riding, many places require great balance and constant focus. Some of the hills I opted to run up because I felt like I would use less energy to run up then trying to ride. I drew first blood on the second lap on the first climb, I was following Lyle and we both were running up the hill when my foot slipped and down I went. It happened so fast, I was shocked that I was laying on the ground. I cut my knee just enough to bring blood to the surface (I think it got dirt in it and that kept it from bleeding) and put a big scratch/strawberry on my shin, it was actually kind of funny.

I was nervous before the race which it was just normal jitters, I think I was more nervous about how congested the first couple miles was going to be especially since the course started off with some technical rocky sections. These areas would slow you down and then of course the riders behind you too which many would have to put a foot down to wait so the line of walking would begin.

I do feel lucky to get the picture below of my pre race potty break, after all my race number was #1. I had text some guys about my race number and Jan text back, "If people yell go #1, you will think you need to go pee". I thought that was hysterical. (Photo courtesy of Brady Bernskoetter)

We got to run up a gravel road to our bikes, it was very similar to RIM a couple years ago. My bike was one of the last to get put in the staging area and it was down the road a ways so I got to run a little extra distance. I wasn't running real hard up the hill but I was panting pretty hard by the time I got to my bike. We had a short section of paved then we dumped onto a gravel section and then across a burned off grassy section and then finally we dropped into single track. After the first couple miles of very slow moving the riders started to get more of a gap, I tend to go out too hard and settled in on a relaxing pace. I was riding 3 deep in a line of riders when the pace got too slow, the second rider went around and I went with him thinking his pace would be much faster. He was faster for a bit but seemed to slow down so I went around and turned it on, maybe turned it on too much. I did have a great first lap and when I came through the pit area I stopped for about a minute, I usually like to pit after going through the timing area but we pitted just before. My second lap was at a pretty good pace too, I started to get some early signs of cramps in my calves toward the end of the second lap. I popped some endurolytes and chewed them up...YUMMMMY!!! That seemed to help and I also made sure to drink a lot of water as well.

I really slowed the pace down on my third lap, I didn't want to push the issue of cramping and I knew I still had a lot of miles left to ride. Pretty early in the 3rd lap, just before a drop in, I popped my shoulder out again. I did this last year and it hurt really bad then and guess what.....it didn't feel any better this time. I stuck my front wheel in a rock and it jammed my arms straight back and my left shoulder was out, the pain was so intense and I knew it needed to go back forward. I am standing straddling my bike with my left shoulder dropped down to reduce the pressure on this ultra painful spot and I rocked my shoulder back and then thrust it forward and back in she went. It was another burst of pain that I can't hardly describe, now I was doubled over the side of my bike while clutching my arm against my body and "expressing myself" in a very much out loud kind of way. I figured if I could just keep going the pain should lessen and my shoulder might stay loose from riding, it was the ride home I was worried about. It only took a few minutes for the pain to get to a manageable level, probably because I was more focused on the trail. Shortly after this incident I was walking up one of the rocky climbs when the guy in the picture below came by me, he asked if I was okay and told him I was just fighting off some cramps. As he powered up the hill he said "Tell them to F#@K OFF!!!" I started laughing, I couldn't help but smile.

While I was out on lap 4 I was starting to feel some fatigue, there were some really fast sections that I felt great on and that helped the lap seem to go faster. It was on this lap that the reality that I still had to finish this lap and then should be able to get 2 more laps started to settle in. I was tired and the course was taking it's toll on my body. I just kept staying after it and trying to ride smart which can be a challenge as your body fatigues. There was a rider that had passed me around lap 2 that I kept pretty close most of the race although it seemed like every time he saw me he would turn on the gas. On lap 5 he stopped to get a gel and I went around expecting him to be on my wheel soon along with another strong rider from the St. Louis area that I was able to pass. Toward the end of my 6th lap (about 2 miles left) there was a switchback and you could see riders that were behind you (this means they could see you too!!!) and I was only about 1/4 mile ahead of them so I knew I had to stay aggressive. I didn't go all out because I didn't want to blow up but I did amp up the watts and stay strong to the finish.

I ended up 6th in the Men's Open out of 13 riders, I was very pleased with these results. I did finish ahead of some riders that are much faster than I am like Cam Kirkpatrick because he stopped early and I did get beat by 2 guys in the Sport class but that's okay because I did have a good race, I'm hoping it just keeps getting better from here!!! If you want to check out the results go to http://www.moto-tally.com/TWC/Results.aspx

Made It Through The Day

2011-04-11T20:34:00.003-05:00

WOW today was a rough one. Any persons job can be stressful and mine has a few times when it is but today was a bit overwhelming. I won't go into too much detail but trying to manage two peoples clashing personalities all while trying to do my own work was almost too much to take today. A little over halfway through the day I absolutely think I could have laid down and fell asleep in a matter of minutes, I was so tired from being mentally drained. That being said I am home now and all of that is past me, on to bigger and better things.

I got my new Thule roof rack for the van today so that was pretty cool, now I just have to assemble it. I did get out and ride the loop today, once again it was pretty windy out there (I know that is hard to believe for April). I am going to taper off my riding a bit this week with the Bone Bender 6 hr on Sunday, I will probably do a short ride Wednesday and another ride around town on Friday and then a preride of the course Saturday and then race on Sunday.

I need to set some time aside the next couple of days and go through my toolbox and totes and get all my gear together that I plan to use at the race. I put some more Stan's in my rear tire on my Epic on Saturday, it was pretty dry. I'm ready to make another attempt at getting Mary tubeless, I really want her tubeless for Lumberjack but if she isn't it will all work out.

Dreams And Theories

2011-04-09T20:27:00.002-05:00

I had a dream the other night that I weighed 138 lbs which was really odd because the lightest I weighed myself last year was 162 lbs (I don't get on the scale but a couple times a year at best). So I thought I would check it out and what do you know 138....and then I lifted my other leg off the floor and put it on the scale. Just kidding, I didn't go near a scale although the dream was real.

I think we all have theories about many things but what exactly are theories but heories with a "t" on the front??? No seriously I'm asking because I have no idea, I mean I wasn't exactly an honor student in school.

Actually today while I was riding I was thinking about training in the wind, I personally love riding in the wind because it makes me stronger. It really sucks at the moment too many times but the reward is far greater. I do try to start out into the wind so I can finish with a tailwind but today I wasn't sure what kind of traffic there would be on Hwy 65 South of town so I opted to ride to Chula knowing there was a SSE wind and I would at least get a little push on the last couple miles coming back to town. I didn't realize just how much the wind was out of the South until I started heading North...Whoa, I was hauling tail. I was probably riding at an 8.5 out of 10 effort and was making great time, I ended up averaging 23.2 mph on the trip North and was still feeling really really good. That told me the wind was pretty strong out of the South and then I started riding back and it was soon a real eye opener to just how strong the wind was. I worked harder to get back home and only avg 16.7 mph...I don't know if my skirt was catching extra wind or if my heels were clipping the road on every pedal stroke. Since I had such a strong ride up my instinct was to really push on the way back to get the really good avg speed but one thing I have learned about riding in the wind is being steady. I was letting my muscles build up the lactic acid but not letting them get overloaded, there is a fine line here and I was trying to stay just below it. I don't like to ride in my drops when riding in the wind, I figure that the wind is a great training tool so why not create as much resistance as possible and get the full benefit. I was so excited to get to turn back to the West and head toward town at the latter part of my ride today. I was at a 20.0 avg heading into the last climb into town and I dropped to a 19.9 but I really didn't care, it was a good ride.

I've Got Needs!!!

2011-04-01T19:42:00.002-05:00

Now that I have scared most of you with the title I guess I should expand on this topic. I have been getting in some good base miles but now it's time to move to the next phase and that is interval training. I will continue getting in long rides but I need the group ride atmosphere and need some of that leg ripping action. My first race, which is almost a month later than my first race last year, is just over 2 weeks away and I'm not sure how ready I am. What I mean by that is I don't feel explosive yet, the power that comes from those intense group rides that leaves me staggering when I get home. I know the race will be fun and will be good experience for the future. The lack of single track riding for a couple months has me a bit frazzled, I hope to get in a nice relaxed preride the day before the race. I want to really pick my lines in the technical areas, I hope this will pay off on race day. I think my Epic is feeling totally left out, I haven't ridden that bike since probably mid January.

I am taking off Saturday April 9th and there is a race at the River Trails in Lawrence that day, but it is Jonas' birthday so I will be staying home and celebrating his 4th birthday. There is a duathlon the next day but I am working, although I thought about going to work at midnight and then leaving a bit early to go race but I haven't done any running and it might be best to just save it for the next weekend.

Full Day....Somebody Answer The Phone

2011-03-30T20:09:00.002-05:00

Well I finally got out to do some trail work today, my wife lets me play in the dirt as long as I'm driving back and forth in my truck and not in her van. I set out with my camelbak and some other items stowed in the pak and my Rogue Hoe and hiked out to armor the second drop in on my section. This drop in gets a lot of leaves built up on the high side of the drainage and on the lower side as well, so knowing this you would think that I would have planned a little bit better. I should have carried a rake in with me or went to the trailer and got a blower to take with me but instead I walked in and did the best I could with my hands and feet. I quickly realized that if I was going to do this job right that I needed to get the bulk of the leaves out so I could see exactly what I was working with. I went ahead and started mining rock from the drainage above where I was working, that was a workout in itself. After I got 4 good size rocks I decided I would hike out and travel to the trailer to get a blower but I couldn't remember exactly where it was so I text Denny to find out but I had to wait for a signal on my way out just so I could send the text. Denny told me where it was and soon I was back at the work site with a blower. I got a lot of leaves moved and then went and found a couple more large rocks and started the jig saw puzzle of armoring. I think I got it pretty secure, there was enough water in the drainage that getting mud to pack the seams was not a problem. The only thing is my gloves were so muddy that I don't know if I got the seams filled good enough. Time will tell on that one and I can always add more in later if need be. I got more smaller rocks and put them on the lower side right next to the armoring to add to what was already there to eliminate the water back cutting. It may be a bad idea but I also got some rock built up on the upper side and made a little pool, the water can still go over the armoring like normal. My hope is that if debris starts to build up it will get caught in the upper section and make it easier for me to clean out as needed. I think it turned out pretty good, take a look at the before and after picture and tell me what you think. Oh that's right I forgot to take my camera.

I went out this evening to try and get my new seat post and saddle dialed in, let's just say it wasn't on speed dial. When I took the measurements from my old seat post and saddle I shouldn't have written down a number and put "ish" on the end of it, I don't think that is how Mark does stuff at work!!! I rolled from my sidewalk onto the street and knew right then that the nose of the saddle had to drop at least half a skosh if not a full skosh. After dropping the nose a touch I rode some more and then slid the saddle forward a very little bit, then rode some more. After a bit I lowered the seat post and it felt better but still not quite right so I lowered it another mm +/-. It is feeling better now but I still need to get some more saddle time to make sure, plus I need to get it on some good climbs to see how it feels.

Beware

2011-03-28T20:58:00.002-05:00

I went out and did a road ride tonight with James and I have to say that it was pretty painful, the bad part about it is that the speed wasn't very fast. I did get out and ride yesterday, it wasn't overly windy but it was consistent out of the East and while riding that direction I was feeling the burn. I rode to Chula and then headed East on K and KK over to BB and the South on B into Wheeling. Then I rode Hwy 36 home and that was nice because I had a very good tailwind. I was feeling the burn a little last night but it wasn't bad because I really didn't ride very fast on that ride either.

I was going to meet up with James at the YMCA and on my ride through town over to the Y I could tell that my legs were tired. Too often I don't eat during the day and today was no exception and that wasn't helping anything. I was a bit concerned at first but then I thought once I get going and get warmed up I will be fine. I must not have got warmed up because it was lactic acid city tonight. I knew riding with James was going to be a workout so I packed a lunch....and he ate it!!! He literally took my chain off my bike and beat me with it, he didn't have to smile the whole time but I guess he is just a happy guy.

Money Well Spent???

2011-03-23T19:30:00.004-05:00

Okay the picture below is of four items that I hope will help me in the 2011 Dirty Kanza 200. When I look at these items I don't see speed, what I hope to achieve with these things is comfort and hopefully comfort will turn into less pain and less time stopped to deal with the pain. Notice I didn't say that these thing will stop the pain because let's face it, 200 miles is a really long ways. It doesn't matter how fast of a rider you are the Dirty Kanza takes centuries to finish...2 of them to be exact, 200 miles in who knows what kind of weather on smooth gravel roads, really rough gravel roads, and roads I wouldn't dream of driving my truck on.

I am not looking at the Dirty Kanza as a race, for me it is about a ride that I want to finish. If my name was Corey Godfrey, Troy Krause, Andre Lance, Joe Fox, Mike Merchand or Doug Long I would have a different approach to this race. I don't want to make my efforts sound weak because I know I am a strong rider but these guys have the ability to put out some amazing efforts.

Let's start with the new cassette and rear derailleur. I will be replacing my 11 x 25 cassette with a 11 x 34 cassette to have a broader range of gearing for those really steep hills but also for late in the day when your legs are so fried that riding on level ground can be a challenge. I will be switching my cross bike over to mountain bike gearing by pulling my 105 derailleur and replacing it with a XT long cage derailleur. Last year the last checkpoint was around the 145 mile mark and it was in a little town called Alma, KS. After a very long stay in Alma I headed out of town with Stoney Cranmmer and Chris Bopp, both of Team Redwheel. Stoney was on a single speed and I'm not sure how he was able to do it. The climb leaving Alma was very long, steep, and had loose rock and I was having trouble getting to the top with gears but Stoney just kept grinding it out to the top as well. We had been told that the next 20-25 miles to Eskridge was hilly but we had no idea that it was going to be as brutal as it was. About 15 miles into this non stop sequence of climb climb climb, descend and repeat over and over and over again I stopped at the top of one hill and laid my bike down and just stood there. This is where the doubt started to try and work it's way into my head, I remember thinking that if the last 50 miles was like this I don't think I could do it. I told myself "Just get to Eskridge", people had said it was much better riding after that town. Fortunately getting to Eskridge was such a relief that it helped lift some of that doubt from my mind. I guess I am hoping that having more gearing options will help as the day goes on and I can spin more if need be to get to the top of some hills. Of course I believe the route is different this year so maybe we won't be hitting those big hills late in the race....or maybe they found some bigger ones.

I don't think there is anyway around having legs that are running on empty by the end of this race, and last year my legs were pretty well shot when I crossed the finish line. I did however have to deal with some other pain for the majority of the day and that was in my lower back and my butt. My last two items in the picture are of a Thudbuster ST seatpost and a Fizik Airone saddle. Damon Hennon had recommended to me before last year to change the gearing on my bike, get a Thudbuster and to get a saddle like the Fizik Airione but finances kept those items out of priority. This year those items went a little higher on my list although I am not looking for them to make things easy, I do hope that they help. I have a Thudbuster ST on my single speed and it helps take the edge off of trail riding so I feel confident that this seatpost will be greatly appreciated on gravel rides. The Fizik Airone is widely known for it's comfort and that is why it is my saddle of choice this year.

I will probably make some more posts about the upcoming Dirty Kanza since I have been thinking a lot about it lately. I have been getting in some good base miles and I am eager to have some team effort interval training on Monday nights this spring and summer. Later posts might include my nutritional plans for the race, strategy for the start and checkpoints or any other topic I can come up with.

Salsa Frameset Contest

2011-03-22T21:58:00.002-05:00

Salsa Cycles is the premier sponsor again this year at the Dirty Kanza 200. They are offering up a new frameset, either a Fargo or Vaya, in a contest titled "Why I Should Win A New Salsa Fargo Or Vaya Frameset". I would really like to get my hands on a Fargo, built up to my riding style it could be the perfect adventure bike. Below is my entry into the contest...wish me luck!!!

Pen And Paper

2011-03-16T21:06:00.002-05:00

I guess I should write this down, some really good advice that is. I have heard this advice floating around for a long long time but I guess I forget about it until I do the opposite of the advice. Okay the tip is: Don't pee into the wind. I remember it as soon as I do it, so maybe I should just write it down. I told Molly my bibs were just really sweaty!!!

Saddle Up Partner!!!

2011-03-14T21:21:00.002-05:00

Okay I have pretty much been riding by myself all year so far which is fine because I do a lot of endurance racing and I am out there by myself for several hours but training solo doesn't do nearly as much as interval training with a group of other riders (even if it's just one other person). I have an area I plan to train on whether I am riding with someone or just do this by myself but it is some good climbing and I plan to do so on my single speed to build up my legs for Lumberjack.

I have no idea what I weigh, I have been feeling pretty skinny until today (I only ate 2.5 dinners tonight so I'm not sure why I feel this way!!!). I'm not worried about it though because I know I have a lot of riding yet to come and my weight will take care of itself, as long as I don't let it get out of control.

I hope I am not falling off the back of the pack early in the year, if I do I will just have to work that much harder and I know I can. I sure am ready for Monday night rides to begin, even if we don't go real hard the first week or two it will be good to ride in a group (I am all over the road right now, probably should pedal with both eyes open).

This Is Making Me Hungry

2011-03-13T14:42:00.003-05:00

Where is my training going? I feel good that I am getting in base miles but I am discouraged that I am not getting in many "Fast" miles. It is so tough to judge a lot of ride this time of year because it seems to be windy everyday. Don't get me wrong I love the wind, it can be your best training partner. In fact it is great training for the DK because wind is something you can pretty much count on in that race, better be ready for it.

Yesterday I had to cut my ride short due to time constraints but I was glad to get some riding in. Today was my 6t straight day of riding (although I don't feel like I am making much progress) and I cut it short again today. My legs were really feeling the fatigue from the start and the wind wasn't helping matters at all. The reason I decided to cut the ride short is I think my legs need a bit of rest, I think too many times we push too often and don't let ourselves really recover correctly. I still got a few miles in today but I didn't push very hard. I'm sure I need the rest but the racer in me is screaming cuss words at me right now. I am talking about rest but if I get the chance to ride tomorrow you can bet I will be back at it again.

I also think the lack of trail riding is affecting my speed of road riding right now, the more trail riding I do the faster I road ride. I'm trying not to get discouraged with where I am at right now, it is what it is. I will say that I am getting hungry to ride more and really ready for some group interval training. These base miles will pay off!!!

Easily Impressed

2011-03-11T20:01:00.002-06:00

Well today we had to run to Independence to do some stuff and since the kids were out of school we took them with us. It seems that my kids are trained to have to go to the bathroom at Cameron and today was no exception. I went into the stall with Jonas and before he even went to the bathroom asked if he could flush the toilet yet. He finished up and then asked me if I needed to go potty, I told him I was going to go too. As he is pulling his pants up I hear the bathroom door open and close and notice the feet of another gentlemen in the stall next to us, then I step up to do my business. Jonas is watching me the whole time and then says "You have a BIG penis". I can only imagine the look on the other guys face, I didn't what to say so I didn't say anything. I did however wait for the guy to leave before we stepped out. I guess it doesn't take a lot to impress a 3 yr old.

I Couldn't Believe It

2011-03-11T08:29:00.002-06:00

I went out and rode the Chula route yesterday but I wanted to add a few more miles so I rode through town North to 190 and took that to the connector to old 190 and back into town. While traveling some side streets through town I had something happen that if I didn't see it then it would be hard to believe. I was coming down a small hill and something caught my eye in a fast downward motion and then I heard a LOUD "Thud" on the street. It was a squirrel that fell out of the tree, it jumped up ran in a circle and then took off. I'm sure it was thinking "I hope nobody saw that" and then it saw me!!! I don't know how far he fell but it made a very loud noise, I had music in both ears and it was still a loud thud. Of course it landed only about 5 ft from me, pretty amazing.

It's A Win Win

2011-03-08T16:51:00.002-06:00

I have to admit that I don't usually ride a lot of gravel roads (if I can't ride trail I usually am road riding), the main reason I have been doing more this year is because of the Green Hills Challenge. I find myself either riding pretty strong on some rides and then just getting saddle time on others, both have their benefits. The faster pace rides are when I am riding roads that I know but there is just something about going out on an adventure and finding roads that you personally have not ridden. I find myself not riding as fast on the adventure rides but they are so much fun to just get out and explore, besides I can ride them again later at a faster pace. I have to get an updated map though, I have already posted about one ride that had some unexpected areas. The other day my map failed me again, I was riding along and the gravel turned into pea size gravel and then into grass but I just kept riding. I saw a levee up ahead so I rode to it and saw a sign that said "Bridge Out". I thought I might be able to get across the creek and keep exploring....well I was wrong so I had to turn around and find a new route. It was a lot of fun, although I was waiting for a truck or something to track me down wanting to know why I was on their property!!!

Get On Track

2011-03-07T20:11:00.002-06:00

I am so ready to ride some single track, I know it's winter and this is what the weather is suppose to do but I am ready to ride on dirt. I wish we had a few more weeks of just frozen ground before we got any snow but I guess we don't get a say so. I keep hearing people talking about one more big snow this year, not sure if that will happen. I hope it doesn't happen but if it does then we will just have to deal with it. This weeks weather isn't working with my work/riding schedules but I will take whatever riding I can get. We have the time change this weekend so starting next week we will have a little more time in the evenings to ride, I am digging that.

I am hoping once the weather warms up and the sun is more prevalent that peoples moods will make an up swing, including my own. It seems the pressures of life are more evident in many peoples lives now more than ever and as a society things seem bleak. Having to wonder if your job is hanging in the balance has to be a rough situation to deal with, besides all the other pressures we put on ourselves. Imagine getting a phone call and what the person on the other end of the line says will change your life (your entire families lives) forever. I'm rambling, yes I know.

Confidence or Cocky

2011-03-06T13:28:00.003-06:00

Confidence is full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing; or a belief in one's own abilities. Being Cocky is being arrogant, self assertive, or conceited. The ironic thing is that many times people mistake confidence for someone being cocky.

When I think of someone who is confident I always think of Coach. If you dare to toe the line with him he already knows he is going to kick your ass, and let's be honest, you know he's going to kick your ass too (probably because he told you so!!!). In fact he probably told you how he was going to punish you.....Hey, it is what it is.

Casual Ride

2011-03-01T20:36:00.002-06:00

At Hy-Vee we are contracted with a company out of Des Moines that works on our refrigeration equipment and some other areas of the store. A year or so ago one of the guys that calls on our store heard me talking about biking and he asked me if I rode. I told him I did and he said he did a little riding so we talk every time he is in the store. For a while now I have been telling him that he needs to bring his bike down with him when he comes and we can go ride, of course I never know when he is going to be there. Well today he showed up at the store for a service call and I was eager to talk to him because he rode Cirrem this past weekend and I was wanting to know how he liked it. That was his biggest ride to date and with the winter weather conditions it was a great accomplishment. We talked about Cirrem for a couple minutes and then he said he had his cross bike in the van. I said "Seriously?", and he said yep, what time can you get out of here? I told him probably not til 4:00 and he said that would be perfect. I left just before 4:00 and went home and changed my clothes and got my bike and then we took off and rode the loop. We didn't ride very hard, we did ride a few stretches at a good pace but then we backed it off and talked for most of the ride. It was a really good time, I told him that if he is in town the summer on a Monday night then we will have a ride for him for sure. He said that sounded like fun.

Not Gravel

2011-02-28T21:15:00.002-06:00

Well I did get out and ride yesterday and today but I just did road rides, I need to get some more gravel but it's a bit sloppy right now. Yesterday my road ride was pretty sloppy too, I rode to Chula and back and it was misting and foggy in areas. I was wearing my Hammer team kit and it is mostly white so probably not the best choice on a foggy day but I did have my blinkie on my pocket to help keep me more visible. Today I didn't have a lot of time but was able to get the loop in, I really felt like I was flying but my computer said otherwise. But I really don't care what it said today because it was a good workout either way and I will take it.

Not sure if I will be able to ride outside tomorrow or if I will go to spin class, last Thursday was an awesome and very painful speed workout at spin class. Of course we started out with risers but I really like risers. Today on the rollers coming back on Hwy A I found myself doing risers as I came over the top of the hills. I don't do risers a lot on road rides but I use them on the trail a fair amount, especially in technical climbs.

I'm Committed

2011-02-27T19:03:00.004-06:00

It's all in the title although some say I should be committed. February 1st was the start of registration for the 2011 Lumberjack 100, registration was set to open at 7:00 p.m. Last year the the race sold out in just over 12 hours and this year the race limit was extended from 300 racers to 350 racers. I was sure the race would sell out again and I was pretty confident that it would sell out faster than last year but I had no idea what was in store.

I feel very lucky to get a spot in the race because the night of registration was the night of the big blizzard and I had my truck parked on the street. A police officer informed me I needed to move my truck due to city ordinance/snowfall amount but it was stuck. Molly and I went out and with the help of a neighbor we were able to shovel the truck out and get it into the driveway. We made it back into the house at 6:58, I was a little stressed just because I wanted to be set already although I was sure I had a few hours to get signed up. I logged on and was ready to register right at 7:00, the process took me 2 minutes and I was in. In fact right after I registered I clicked on the registered riders list and there was 111 signed up in the first 2 minutes. Mark was signed up as well and he called me and asked me if I was watching the number climb, it was amazing to watch the riders list climb and climb and climb. The race actually sold out in 14 minutes, that is AMAZING to me.

Below is a picture of me from Lumberjack last year, this year I will be racing my single speed (Mark says I should be committed!!!). In fact I will be racing all rigid, there is only one spot I can remember for sure on the course that I am not looking forward to riding all rigid but it is a pretty short section. It is an eroded out downhill section that really shook me pretty good on my full suspension bike so no shocks should be a real treat!!!

The Lumberjack 100 is Michigan's Ultra Single Speed Championship, I have to say I am a bit worried about racing my single speed because there are so many fast riders on one gear. I am not concerned with how I place in this race because I am out of my league with many of these riders (I also want to represent Hammer Nutrition well). Below is last years single speed winner, Gerry Plug of Salsa Cycles, and he is returning again this year.

I will have to get back to you with a goal for this race, I have a lot of work to do and it's tough when I haven't done a race like this on this particualr bike.

Map My A$$

2011-02-23T16:42:00.007-06:00

Okay today was the first time that my gravel road map turned out to be just a piece of paper with lines on it. The times I have used it when riding to the North and East of town it is correct but today I headed South and when I took the first gravel road the map indicated that I would have 2 roads to choose from to head further South....wrong, dead end. I took the road across the highway and the map indicated that there was one road that I could take South to another road, wrong it was another dead end. I took a paved section South and jumped on another gravel road to the East, the map showed I would have another road heading South, guess what it was there....sort of. The road had huge rock on it and was mostly mud and then it turned into the picture below.

I'm not saying it wasn't fun to ride but I was expecting roads not something a tractor might get stuck on. I finally got to the end of the road but not before I got to the water pictured below.

When I got to the next road I headed East again because the map showed that I could hit another road South. Well guess what? It wasn't there...again. There was another road that went further East so I attempted to ride it, I should have known not to since the gravel only went about 30 yards. Beyond that point it was pure mud and my bike got nasty quick. I had to carry my bike back out of there because the wheels would not turn due to the amount of mud, not a lot of fun. I ended up looking for more familiar gravel and then continued my ride.

I did have some deer run across the road in front of me, I grabbed my camera as they were approaching the road and I didn't realize I missed hitting the on button and tried to take a picture when they were very close (about 15 yds away). I had to brake or I might have hit the back deer, I realized I didn't take the picture so I got the camera on and captured the picture below. It was a pretty cool thing, I just wish I could have got the first picture.

I sure am digging the base miles that I am getting but man do I feel weak right now, 52+ miles today (and it wasn't very hilly) and I was feeling trashed. It seemed especially odd since I was riding by myself and I couldn't seem to push the pace. I know my nutrition is not key right now, garbage in garbage out.

I Like Pie

2011-02-19T16:20:00.002-06:00

Well the gravel road ride was canceled for today so a group of us decided there was still an opportunity for pain so we met up and rode to Jamesport for a pie ride. All I heard was pie, I was so excited I almost forgot my bike. Doug, Denny, James, Tim, Jan, and myself headed out of town and the wind was out of the South East and of course was blowing North West...guess which direction we started out heading, of course it was North West. You know, it is almost difficult to enjoy a tailwind on the first part of a ride because you know how much of a headwind you are going to have on the way home. Well Mother Nature didn't let us down, if fact I think she was down right nasty to us in a couple spots.

Okay I am getting a little ahead of myself, the ride there was great. We had a constant moving pace line and it was a good time. I have to be honest that it was much better when we got there because it was time to eat some pie...did I mention pie earlier??? If not then we rode there to eat some pie. Being Amish myself I think makes the pie taste even better in Jamesport!!! When my Coconut Meringue slice showed up I'm not exactly sure what happened, the memory of it is a blur. It was hard to see my plate with my eyes rolled up in the back of my head, I did use The Force to keep Doug away from my pie (I'm not sure but I think he likes pie too). When my eyes rolled back out of my head I had to ask "What happened? Where am I?". Then the group informed me that it was time to ride back to Chillicothe, I asked them "Did I bring my bike???". They of course rolled their eyes and I heard one mumble to another one "Why did we bring him?" and he answered "I don't know, he just shows up". Okay not all of this is true, but I tell you there was pie!!!

The trip home wasn't as much fun as the ride there but I know the reward of such efforts will be realized in the months to come. Continuing to get in base miles I hope will pay big dividends in June and July. I brought my camera with me today, I guess I took it for extra weight since I didn't use it.

Age Of Innocence

2011-02-18T20:21:00.002-06:00

This is probably a no brainer for some people but I just stumbled onto it the other day. The 1.2 people that read this blog probably know that we don't have cable at our house but we do have Netflix and it is a pretty good fit for our house. One of the "watch it now" items was the Cosby show, I used to love to watch this show when I was younger. It's kinda funny how the same feelings you had at that age resurface when watching it years later. It was almost like I didn't have any worries at all, of course at that age what was a worry is a popcorn fart now. I might have been worried if my parents our my teacher would realize that I was wearing the same pants for the 4th straight day...oh I still do that!!!

It was very refreshing to watch a show where there were no cell phones. I remember when my Dad got his first cell phone, he had to carry it around in a bag. Might as well carried the kitchen phone with you!!!

Tough Ride

2011-02-13T21:06:00.002-06:00

I got out for a road ride today and I have to say that it was very tough, not my best effort. I was actually shocked at how quickly I faded and at how much it hurt. I know that my fueling practices are not anywhere close to where they need to be, but I don't think that was a huge factor today. I will say that the first 30+ miles was into the wind but I was actually carrying a decent speed, it wasn't blazing fast but not bad. I could really feel my legs fatigue about mile 25 and I knew that I would get a tailwind a little over 30 miles. The tailwind felt good but my legs were pretty shot by this point. I will say that I rode a very hilly route which was a big factor in my leg fatigue but still...come on. There were a couple times I was wondering if I was going to make the whole distance, I knew I was on the verge of bonking (maybe straddling that line). I was a bit discouraged with the ride but I am confident that this ride will make me stronger in the future.

It was a beautiful day to be riding, I dressed in my mind a little heavy so I could take layers off but actually it was just about perfect. I also tried some of my new Hammer products today, I used Endurolyte Fizz and Perpetuem Solids. The Fizz is an effervescent and the taste at first was a bit strong for me but after it "settled down" (my own phrasing) it had a very subtle flavor and was pretty good. I used Mango today but I also have Lemon Lime and Grapefruit to try also. I have all 3 flavors of the Solids and used the Orange Vanilla today, it smells just like the powder. I was going to use 3 pieces at a time but only took 2 at a time...and there is a reason. It's hard to describe the taste and constancy of this product. The taste is subtle and I found it appealing, which was a very good thing. When chewing the Solids the pieces I was chewing seemed to stick together it was almost like chewing gum for a minute, some of the smaller pieces were sticking to my teeth a little (maybe I should brush them). I don't think I could chew 3 pieces at a time, maybe I need to chew one most of the way and then add the second and chew most of it gone and then add the third. The only problem with that is if it is a mtb race it will be tough to access the solids 3 different times and try to carry speed while chewing (having to breath through your nose). I guess I have some organizing work to do!!!

8.....And Change!!!

2011-02-12T21:54:00.002-06:00

I was thinking back to last year at Lumberjack, after I had finished the race Mark and I were standing at the end of the trail watching and cheering on riders that were finishing the race. The race was (3) 33 mile laps and as these riders were finishing their 3rd leg we would cheer and then Mark would say "Only one more lap to go", man did that get their attention. While standing there another racer who had finished the race came over and joined us, he was from Wisconsin and we talked about the days efforts. He said he was primarily a road racer but did do some mountain biking and decided to do this race. He had several buddies that are also road racers and they kept contacting him (not sure if it was texts or calls) to see how he did. He had a great race, he finished in 8 hr and 50ish minutes. So when he told his buddies how he did, he said he acted like it was no big deal "I finished in 8 and change!!!". Of course he just started busting up laughing when he told us this and of course we got a huge kick out of it too.

Maybe you had to be there.....maybe you should be there!!!

What's Wrong With Some People?

2011-02-06T17:26:00.002-06:00

I, like most people, like to find good deals. I am constantly looking for sales or particular items on ebay at a great price, it doesn't happen very often but there are items that seem to slip through the cracks. Some people don't know the best way to list an item on ebay so when doing a search I will use words that are close to the item but not the most popular terminology. I have gotten some real steals before but it is amazing what some people are willing to pay for an item.

Here recently I have been watching gift cards sell on ebay, many of them go for just under the face value of the card so the buyer saves a couple bucks. I figure if I can find a card to a retailer that I was going to shop already and can save roughly 10% by purchasing a gift card then I would probably do it. As with any ebay item you have to really watch the shipping costs. I saw a card on there that had a face value of $135 and the auction was about to end and the bid was at $51.01 so it peaked my interest. I clicked on that item and checked the shipping, it was an impressive $124.99.....what the heck??? Of course it doesn't take a genius to see that the card that is worth $135 is being sold for $176, the buyer just lost $41 on this purchase. I just don't understand people sometimes. Another person was selling a Shell gas card that had a value of $100 and had a "Buy It Now" of $122. Who in their right mind would waste $22 on this purchase? I'm guessing they have it on there because someone will fall for it.

Anyway that's all I have to say right now, well it really isn't but some things are better left unsaid.

Sorry Chuck

2011-02-05T18:34:00.002-06:00

Well this is the first time that I have missed Chucky's Challenge but sometimes life is a challenge. I haven't been to a single basketball game of Brady's yet due to work and this was a great opportunity to see him play. I think he was a little nervous about me being there but if he knew I don't know much about basketball he would probably feel better. I could have found another game to get to (and hopefully will be able to get to another one) but with only half a day of school this week it has made our house chaotic. Our house functions on routine and this was not a week of routine but instead a week of rearranging schedules, much like everyone else in this town. Jonas was feeling under the weather the past couple days and anyone who has been around kids knows that a 3 yr old that isn't feeling great can be a chore to care for.

When I told Molly that I wasn't going to ride she was really shocked, she urged me all night Friday and early Saturday morning to go. I told her I would still ride today but it would just be by myself. I did get in a 35 mile road ride today and it was pretty good. I was amused on part of the ride, there were dozens of robins along the road. You could just see it in their eyes, they had to be thinking "Why did we come here in February?".

White Stuff

2011-02-02T17:45:00.003-06:00

Wow that was a lot of snow yesterday, I am not a big fan of snow anymore but since there is nothing I can do about it I will just deal with it and move on. Now when I was a kid I loved the snow, I grew up in Lowe's Acres and we had a lot of places to play in the snow. My brother and I would work together to make a track, usually I would sit on a flat bottom sled and he would pull me down the hill to pack down the snow and begin a track. We would do this a couple times until the track was packed down really nice. There were a few times that we would get out a hose and spray water onto the track and get a super fast ice covered track. Then usually he would lay down on the sled and I would put my hands on his upper back and take off running/pushing him down the track. Once we got some speed built up I would launch myself into the air and land on his back and off we went down the hill, man that was a lot of fun. One year one of our neighbors, Randy Hapes, made a sled out of bed rails and topped it with a sheet of plywood (it held about 6 of us neighborhood kids). He strapped it to his 4 wheeler and took us flying around the neighborhood, that thing could really fly. I remember one turn in particular that we took too fast and that thing rolled with us tumbling in it's path, we might have gotten a little banged up but it was still a lot of fun. I remember my parents were not too thrilled that we had ridden on that contraption and I couldn't understand why, now that I am a parent I totally see what their concerns were. Plus if anybody knows Randy then they know he can have a bit of a wild streak in him.

Yesterday when I got home from work I parked my truck on the street like I normally do, not even thinking about the snow ordinance. About 6:15 Molly noticed some flashing lights outside our house, it was a police officer cleaning the snow off of my license plate. Molly stepped outside and he asked if it was our truck, then told us we needed to move it due to the ordinance (he was really nice about it though). Molly and I got suited up and started shoveling a place to put the truck and then had to shovel the truck out of the street. It took a little extra effort to get the truck out, a neighbor came out and helped me bounce up and down on the rear bumper and the truck moved sideways out into the street. Finally I was able to get it into the driveway, man that really sucked for a little bit. I was worried that I was going to have it stuck in the middle of the street. Plus the extra time of getting it out got me eerily close to missing something that I did not want to miss out on (this topic will come up later).

Since I didn't ride today (actually today wouldn't have been too bad to ride) I used the art of snow shoveling as my workout. It was mostly a legs and abs workout, not great but I did burn some calories. I kept pealing off layers of clothes because I was sweating quite a bit. By the time I got done my t-shirt was soaked through and so was my underwear (I finally remembered to put some on). It reminded me of what it felt like after wrestling practice (if I didn't have fresh tighty whiteys to put on), I was usually cutting weight and my clothes would be soaked and would get dressed back into my street clothes with wet underwear to wear home (now that is sexy).

After shoveling today Molly, Emma, and Selma played in the snow for awhile. Really it was a pretty relaxing day even though there was a lot of work outside.

Ole!!!

2011-01-31T21:36:00.002-06:00

It's been a while since I have felt skinny but actually a couple days ago I felt that way again, I even felt like I looked skinny. But at this moment I am not feeling that way at all. Emma is spending the night with a friend and Brady and Jonas are spending the night with my parents so Molly and I went out to eat at El Toro's. We are limited to where we can eat since Molly has Celiac's but I don't think either of us would turn down El Toro's.

It seems I usually do the same thing, I pretty much fill up on chips and salsa before my meal ever arrives (which usually doesn't take very long). And I always get a 1/2 order of Nachos Supreme (I would hate to see a full order, a 1/2 order is pretty big) and then I tear through it like I haven't eaten in a week. It's so good...and then the bloated feeling sets in. I guess I will have to ride my bike now (oh darn)!!!

Interesting To Watch

2011-01-30T08:19:00.003-06:00

As some already know we don't have cable/satellite television at our house, it just seems too expensive especially when we only watched a few channels anyway. Instead we subscribe to Netflix, we are signed up to get 2 DVD's at a time and I think we pay $15/month. Along with the DVD's there are a lot of items we can watch on our computer or straight on our tv using the Wii system that are streaming through the net. There are a ton of kids shows for this and that works great at my house, the kids like them too!!!

I recently got the DVD "Off Road To Athens" which was produced by Gripped Films, same group that made "24 Solo". It was a documentary about pro mountain bikers (men and women) trying to get a coveted spot on the USA Olympic Team. Only 2 men were allowed to go and only 1 woman. The selection was based on UCI points and they had to travel and tour around Europe because that is where the most points were available. It showed footage from each race along the way and how the mental and physical fatigue really set in from racing to the stress of trying to make the team to the fact that these individuals where away from home and family for such a long time. It also showed a disappointing fact that USA cycling really didn't have their "ducks in a row" in the selection process and the women's spot was decided in court.

I personally really like watching documentaries, strange since I had a hard time staying awake when teachers showed them in school. I guess when the subject matter is of interest to me it makes a big difference, I really thought this was a good film to watch. It was amazing to watch some of the best that the USA has to offer really get the butts handed to them in some of the races, Europe has some super strong mountain bike racers. I knew there were strong riders over there, especially in the road racing circuit but I really hadn't given it much thought when it comes to mountain bike racing.

On The Road Again

2011-01-29T19:06:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I took advantage of some good weather and got to get back out on an actual road ride again. I didn't think I was going to be able to go but work was pretty slow so I left a bit early and was able to get in a few miles. Not much else to say, good times.

WANTED: GOOD SENSE!!!

2011-01-27T16:05:00.002-06:00

I guess that is what an ad should say for some of us, not sure what kind of response you might get to that. I do know that if you ride your bike on snow covered gravel to Laredo in 20 degree weather and stop at a store to eat a candy bar, someone will ask you "Where is your good sense?". I thought it was a silly question because I didn't know I had any. Luckily Coach was there to take that question by the horns, Denny and I got a good chuckle from that one!!!

Snow Much Fun!!!

2011-01-23T18:52:00.002-06:00

Well today was the day, I finally got to get back out and ride my bike and it was great. It wasn't an interval training day or a speed workout but it was some quality time in the saddle. Today was more about just riding and having fun, well trying to ride some of the time. The snow made for some challenges but for the most part wasn't too bad.

I opted to ride my single speed today because I thought the idea of constant pressure on the pedal was good particularly during climbs, of course after getting up to a certain speed the pressure was gone and it was a spinfest!!! Plus I have some knobby Kenda Nevegal's on my single speed and that was a great tire choice today. I had a 32 x 20 gear ratio set up but changed it out to a 32 x 18 and early on I was wishing I had a 16 or 17 tooth rear cog but it didn't take long for me to realized that for today at least an 18 tooth cog was perfect. Like I said it wasn't a fast ride but it was a great time.

I did get to wear some of my new gear today, I was very impressed with my new thermal jacket and it was so warm.

Fairly early in the ride I was cruising along just listening to my music and all of a sudden a dog was on my wheel (still didn't see it yet) and started barking at me. Well Peek A Boo it scared the crap out of me, I swerved all over the road. I told Molly that if anyone was looking out their window at that point then they got a good chuckle from that one. Had a couple other dogs come out toward me today, Mark I'm still not sure how that bacon in my rear pocket is suppose to keep them away but I will keep doing it since you said so.

I did get in a little over 21 miles of sliding/riding and it was a lot of fun. I would have like to stayed out a little longer but I needed to get back home, I finished my workout when I got home by shoveling the driveway and sidewalk....again!!!

This Is For Me

2011-01-21T19:08:00.002-06:00

Frustration is a common emotional response to opposition. Related to anger and disappointment, it arises from the perceived resistance to the fulfillment of individual will. The greater the obstruction, and the greater the will, the more the frustration is likely to be. Causes of frustration may be internal or external. In people, internal frustration may arise from challenges in fulfilling personal goals and desires, instinctual drives and needs, or dealing with perceived deficiencies, such as a lack of confidence or fear of social situations. Conflict can also be an internal source of frustration; when one has competing goals that interfere with one another, it can create cognitive dissonance. External causes of frustration involve conditions outside an individual, such as a blocked road or a difficult task.

Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. Patience is the level of endurance one's character can take before negativity. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.

New Colors

2011-01-16T16:21:00.002-06:00

Well this year I decided to make a change, I will not be riding for Cycle City but instead I will be riding for "Team Hammer Nutrition". I have nothing but great things to say about Joe Fox and Cycle City and I appreciate the opportunity to ride for that team, and I will continue to shop in his stores. I did decide that since I am a person that talks up Hammer products so much then I figure I should put my money where my mouth is, and that is why I have decided to ride for Hammer this year. Last year when I started riding for Cycle City I was concerned that I wasn't good enough to race for a team, I didn't want to wear their team kit and not represent them well. I have to say that I am feeling those same feeling again, but I guess I will just get over it again.

I am pretty excited because my team kit should be here on Wednesday, I feel like a kid in a candy store....or for that matter, me in a carbohydrate store!!! Just to throw this out there too, if you have never ordered from Hammer Nutrition you can save 15% on your first order by using me as a referral. You can do this a couple of ways, the simplest is just by clicking on the Hammer link on the sidebar of this blog, that will take you to the Hammer website and gives you my referral number. Or you can call Hammer at 1-800-336-1977 and give them my referral number when placing the order "107465". I know that some have already done this in the past and saved some money.

Yesterday was the start of preregistration for the Dirty Kanza 200, I jumped online and registered right at 5:00 a.m. It was fun to sit there and hit the refresh button every few seconds and watch the "Registered Riders" list grow. Last year the rider limit was 150 but there ended up being 157 starters because the promoters allowed some of the Salsa staff to enter as well, I thought that was really cool. This year the limit went to 300 for the race and 25 two person teams for the non competitive portion (still no small task). My last check there was 313 total entries and 18 of these were 9 two person teams so there is only 5 spots left in the race, it is amazing how fast this race is filling up. I think I have probably forgot more about the DK from last year than I actually remember, it is funny how fast your mind forgets just how painful it can really be. My goal this year will be to finish, I had some amazing results last year and it's our nature to want to better our outcome every year. I would love to do better than last year and I will try but this race is so long with so many variables that I am going to just go out and ride my own ride. As far as variables, the weather alone can make this a day of pure hell with heat and wind. You just never know what you are going to encounter out there and there is plenty of opportunity for WIND!!! My back and butt were in some serious hurt last year because obviously 200 miles is a long way to ride, not to mention the toll that the heat had taken on my body. When I got to the last checkpoint and sat down inside that gas station my hands were shaking so bad I couldn't hardly drink my water, I think more got on me than in my mouth. That's enough of about that because I am going to do the best I can.

I did notice some very talented riders on the confirmed riders list, I am really excited to see how Stoney does this year in the single speed class. Stoney took second place last year and wasn't too far from first place. Also I am so excited that Tim and Mark are teaming up for the two person relay, these guys are no strangers to gravel. Also Coach is signed up as well, I am sure we will see great things from him at the race.

Stupid Waffles

2011-01-09T19:31:00.002-06:00

Okay okay, I went out and rode trails today and I was starving when I got home. I ate a banana and drank some water but made the kids (myself included) some waffles for dinner and let's just say I like waffles. Probably should go out and ride some more now!!!

Riding today was great, even though it was cold outside and fairly windy in the open areas I stayed really pretty warm and was out of the wind on most sections of trail. I started at the campground and did one lap for a warm up and then did an out and back and finished with the campground loop. Then I rode over to the boat ramp lot and back a couple times to get some more miles in. Obviously the trail was frozen and was like a speedway. On the trip North I came flying down "False Hope" and actually was going so fast I shot thru one of my lines, part way down a rock bounced up and smacked my big chain ring with enough force to rattle the bike. Once I got to the bottom I checked it out and it had broken 2 teeth off and bent one over, I need to try and bend it back a little but I'm sure it will snap off. Not sure what I will do with that, I will need to ride some with it to see how it functions. I guess worst case is I will just put a new big ring on...but I don't want to have to do that.

If anyone needs some confidence on taking turns with speed I would highly recommend doing it with trail conditions like it was today. With the trail frozen solid, a tire with any kind of side knob is going to bite on a turn. I couldn't believe how responsive my tires were on the trail today and I was running a low profile knob.

I'll have more to report....but later.

She Didn't Show Up In The Photo

2011-01-07T18:43:00.003-06:00

I went out for a short night ride last night and I didn't realize that I would have company while out on the trail. It all started on my first night ride, Mark took me out to ride and while riding he asked me if I saw the lady in the white dress along the edge of the trail. We were joking back and forth about it and then the more we joked the more freaky it was, finally I told him we had to stop joking about it because it was really freaking me out.

While I was riding last night I stopped to take a picture of the trail, it is the picture below.

Just after I took the picture I heard something in the tree above me and to my right, it was her!!! She slowly started to descend down in front of me....I didn't know what to do so I snap a picture.

Once she got in front of me she kept moving to my left but she never took her eyes off of me, I was wigging out but I was able to take another picture. I thought for sure I had her caught on film but it only turned out like a vapor.

Then she drifted off to the left of the trail and vanished into thin air....HOLY CRAP I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Just before getting back to the truck I stopped and took my own picture, not sure why because I was ready to get out of there.

It's A Challenge

2011-01-05T08:03:00.002-06:00

Well the GHTA Challenge is underway and I have signed up for 4 categories: 2000 Road Miles, 1000 Gravel Miles, 300 Singletrack Miles, and 300 Single Speed Singletrack Miles. I was a little hesitant to sign up for the gravel category, even though I race the Dirty Kanza I still don't ride a lot of gravel. It isn't that I don't enjoy gravel I just seem to find myself climbing onto my road bike, in fact I was somewhat concerned last year before DK because I didn't have very many miles on my cross bike.

I still want to ride my bike everyday but of course that isn't always possible but I have to be smart about it also. My plan was to ride a moderate amount yesterday and then get in a long ride today, I rode just shy of 35 miles yesterday so today would need to be bigger. I raced fon New Years Eve and then on New Years Day I took my mountain bike up to N. Poosey and did a lap plus some extra gravel and my legs hadn't felt fatigued from the race until I hit the first climb.....Son Of A #$%#$, I can feel it now!!! The next day I went on a road ride and made it short because my legs were exhausted and the strong wind was not helping them out at all. Yesterday my legs felt okay, not great but okay, but they are pretty fatigued this morning. That isn't my big issue, I am having a little bit of a hard time breathing and my nose is congested so I am toying with the idea of not riding and trying to get some rest. But then I feel like a pansy and usually end up riding anyway....I don't know what to do!!! I have a project I am working on at home right now so I will probably continue on it and see how I feel later this morning or this afternoon. The rest of the week I probably won't get much riding in due to work schedule so really want some miles today. I'm sure that anyone that decides to read this will be thinking "What is wrong with this guy?". Jury's still out on that one!!!

Cross Eyed Fun!!!

2011-01-01T12:24:00.004-06:00

It only took me til the last day of the year to get a cross race in but I finally did it, I really wish I was able to do more but I will take the one I got. Friday was the Cross Off The Old Year Cyclocross race in Shawnee, KS and it was bitter cold with winds blowing about 27-28 mph. This was only my second cross race ever so I haven't seen a lot of courses (obviously) but this course seemed very simple and fast. I was really hoping to race a course that would need more bike handling skills because I feel that would play to me well. This course didn't have a lot of twists and turns like the previous course I had raced but it did have a long run up hill that proved to be my downfall in the race. It didn't help that the last time I ran my bike was my only other cross race in September of 2009!!! There was a fun downhill with a couple slight turns and then launched you on the side of a hill so you were riding an off camber section, it was a hoot.

Since I have so little experience in cross racing I had absolutely no game plan other than ride as fast as I could without actually puking (I will say I came close). On the start I was in the middle of the pack but was able to bridge up to the lead group and shortly after the barriers I was able to make a move and jumped up to 4th place. I made a mistake here, I should have settled in and let someone else do the work for a little bit, the pace seemed a bit slow so after a couple turns I made a jump and got into 2nd place. I quickly found an outside line and went around the leader and hammered into the lead. The pic below is me leading on the first lap as we came around where most people were standing and cheering. It didn't take long for the lactic acid to build up and I was really feeling the burn, I was concerned prior to the race about not getting a lot of riding and not much interval training and it showed rather quickly. I led going into the run up but was passed by 3 or 4 going up the hill and then passed by some more shortly after and I found myself in 8th place...OUCH!!!

The leaders kept increasing their lead on me, I wasn't surprised since I was battling the wind alone and they were in a group but I kept on plugging away. On the fourth lap I was caught and passed by another rider so now I was running 9th but when he went around he seemed to slow down, James told me to stay with him and use him. I sucked his wheel for almost a full lap and then bolted around him and created a huge gap, tucking in on his wheel allowed me to recover a lot.

It wasn't long and I was right behind 2 more riders in my class, I waited for a good place to pass and then went around both at the same time. I surged in front of a single speed racer just before a turn and the 2 riders I had passed got stuck behind him. One of them was spent and quickly fell off but the other stayed on the gas and got around the single speeder and was right on my wheel when we got to the hill. He passed me up the hill but I was riding the downhill better than him so I was able to reel him in on that section. I stayed right behind him in the narrow section and then did a slingshot around him as we sprinted it out. With only one 180 degree turn left and then about 100 yds of pavement left I came into the turn too hot and didn't get the best line. I jumped up and started sprinting and was really hurting, at the last second he came around me and passed me with only 2 ft from the finish. I was upset he got around but I had nothing left, it was a great finish. I ended up 7th but not sure how many were in my class, Molly thought there was about 15. All in all it was a lot of fun, I wish I had done a couple things different but live and learn!!!

Somewhat Idle

2010-12-19T07:39:00.002-06:00

I hate this time of year, with the shorter days and longer hours at work it makes it super tough to get a ride in. I will ride in just about any weather but sometimes weather plays a part in that role as well. I am trying to focus that frustration into goal oriented thoughts and future training plans but it's tough when there is so much good food around this time of year. Right now I feel like a dog on a chain when it comes to riding my bike, going for a ride and doing a training ride are totally different and I want a lot of training. It is super early but after a year of hardcore riding it is hard to not want to rip your legs off every chance you get.

I also hate that so many races have their regestration so early in the year, I understand they need to get the ball rolling and I totally respect that. I just don't like the fact that I won't know my schedule for sure serveral months out so it makes it tough to commit to some races. The biggest factor for me is I may have to go ahead and pay several hundred dollars in January to register for the races I want to get into and that can be taxing in itself. It's the way it is and I'll deal with it but I can still complain!!! I have not nailed down many races for next year for sure yet, the only one for sure I plan to do is Dirty Kanza, I will try to get back out to Indiana next fall to do that 24 hr again. I would like to do 24 hr of Wausua but it falls on inventory (for work) again so that would be super tough, but hey I might not be working there when that race rolls around. I had some early thoughts about trying to qualify and race at Nationals in Idaho, that would be an experience that I would love but I'm not sure that will happen this go around and that is okay.

I don't know exactly yet but I will probably have a different look next season, I won't give any details until I have decided for sure. No this change doesn't involve a change from 26" to 29" (Although I haven't thrown in the towel on that one), I could really use 3 more inches..."I was in the pool"!!!

I figured I better post something on here since it had been awhile and the last thing was about my pup, who by the way is laying across my neck and chest as I type this.

She's A Lover

2010-12-09T17:20:00.002-06:00

I know this is a cycling blog but our pup will be spending some time with me on the trail (plus this is my blog!!!), Selma is getting bigger everyday. She is able to jump on the couch with ease and this morning actually made it up on our bed, she had to get her rear feet on the frame but she made it up all by herself.

Right now she is laying on Jonas on the couch, I think he is using her as a heating blanket. I let her lay on my chest last night while I was on the couch, she was nice and warm. There is no doubt she is a pup, when it is time to play you better be ready to play...she is a hoot.

Just Hanging

2010-12-03T08:55:00.002-06:00

I purchased a new saddle for my cross bike, a Fizik Airone. It was scheduled to arrive on Tue or Wed but it still hasn't arrived so I am hoping that it will get here today. I guess the USPS forgot that I am the only person on the planet and they have other things to deliver as well!!! Not a big deal I just want my new toy, what am I 8 years old....I must have grown up. I bet Santa has the Postal workers humping it this time of year, he better not be sitting on my saddle. I'm going to be pissed if it smells like sugar cookie and hot cocoa farts, I plan to put my own savory blend on it (I don't know why nobody wants to ride my bike when I offer it).

Off Is On?

2010-12-01T18:38:00.002-06:00

I know a lot of guys are still racing and their fitness is awesome right now but I am in my off season, I would rather be racing cross but work just isn't allowing it right now so I am doing what I have to do. I can't complain because I have done a lot of races this year...but I always want more. I went out and rode the loop today, it took me almost as long to get dressed for the ride as it did for the ride (and it wasn't real fast!!!). I wanted to make sure I was warm enough that the ride was enjoyable, I have done enough rides when the temp is anywhere from 10-25 degree's and I have gotten so cold that I hurt something fierce. I wasn't going to look at my computer to see what my avg was but as you can probably guess I ended up looking. The ride started out into the wind that was blowing out of the West/North West, it wasn't the strongest wind but it was still pretty stout. After being off the bike for nearly 3 weeks this was my 4th ride in 5 days and my legs were reminding of that as I was grinding into the wind. Taking into consideration the extra efforts this week, the wind, and the cooler weather I guess my avg wasn't too bad but I have to remember it isn't always about numbers. I am getting saddle time and burning calories, I can tell I am burning more calories because I am hungry all the time it seems. I was eating all the time while off the bike but I wasn't hungry...just bored, or maybe I am just used to eating all the time.

Where Am I?

2010-11-30T17:02:00.002-06:00

I keep checking this site and waiting for the author to write some more posts, wasn't sure what his deal was and then I realized....Oh Crap, I am the author. I have been a little distant in the biking world here lately, just needed to be off the bike a couple weeks and took the opportunity to pursue another hobby of mine for a week. No the other hobby is not eating although I mastered that as well and I am now paying for it, I am feeling FLUFFY!!! I ended up being off the bike almost 3 weeks and my first ride back was frustrating, I had no rhythm, legs, or lungs. I rode the next day in a powerhouse wind and it was brutal. Both rides started with lactic threshold and I really enjoyed the pain, I just wasn't used to it that early in the ride.

What would be ideal for me in 2011? A new 29er would be awesome but I am not going to hold my breath, it may happen but maybe not. I may put an upgrade or two on my Epic instead...or maybe not, just not sure yet. I really want a new bike but I have to be able to justify and afford it, but I keep telling myself it doesn't matter what bike I race on because I am not going to get beat by a bike. Whether I'm riding my Epic or a Huffy my bike will have the same engine. I know a guy that reminds me "It's all about the engine". I don't know if we want something bigger and better (usually something we don't need) because we are human, or if it's because we are Americans (shut up Mitch). I have a couple changes for my cross bike lined up to better prepare for the 2011 edition of the Dirty Kanza 200.

Molly and I will be married for 15 years next September so we are planning on taking a trip, we may take it in the spring or summer due to schedules. As far as racing I am not sure what 2011 will hold, I am planning on Dirty Kanza in June and I want to do at least one but hopefully two 24 solo races. Beyond that I just don't know yet, it is still early.

Her Name Is Selma

2010-11-05T20:08:00.004-05:00

Since we haven't had a family pet in about 5 years and since I haven't bought a new bike recently we got ourselves a puppy and named her after a bike!!! We took the name from Salsa Cycles and named her "Selma". She is a Weimaraner/German Shorthair mix and is 6 weeks old. We were told that she was dark grey but she looks black to me (we don't care either way).

Here is a picture of Brady with little Selma, he was pretty excited to get home from school and see her for the first time. Molly, Jonas, and I picked her up in Lawrence this morning while the older kids were in school.

Below is Emma posing for the camera with our new pup, Jonas missed out on the first round of pics because he had passed out on the couch from the hectic day and being on the road.

Go With The Flow???

2010-11-02T18:09:00.002-05:00

Have you ever been on a windy road ride when the urge to pee makes you stop along the side of the road? Have you ever stopped and while straddling your bike started to pee only to realized mid stream that the wind was blowing piss onto your handlebars? NO?!?!?! Oh.......uh.....yeah...uh....me either.

2010 BT Epic

2010-10-25T21:17:00.002-05:00

This past Friday Molly and I loaded up and headed South to Steelville, Mo for the Berryman Epic. This isn't just a great race but a time to hang out with great friends and ride bikes, I was missing some of my other friends that weren't able to make the trip though. We arrived shortly after Lyle and Cathy and I decided to go on a short ride with them on a section of trail that was not on the race course, it had some gradual climbing and some fast flowing sections that eventually popped out at an outlook point that had an awesome vantage point of the valley below. We rode very casual and had a good time riding and talking and oh sucking down the dust from the leaves as the rider in front was kicking it up on the downhills. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, prepping gear, and eating!!!

Our cabin was basic but pretty nice although you could hear an ant fart echoing off the walls during the night, or maybe it was the raccoon that was whacked out of his mind after it got into Denny's GU and Clif Shot Bloks. I was up early and was trying to decide what to wear for the race, there had been rain in the forecast and the year before it was wet and cold. It was pretty warm that morning but I was concerned about rain and the temps dropping later in the day so the only extra clothes I wore was a sleeveless base layer that later in the day I wish I had not put on. I did send multiple options of layers to the checkpoint with Molly just in case.

We all gathered around for the riders meeting and during the middle of this the start line began to form and I was not in a very good position. The line formed way up ahead and I was toward the back and there were several people off to the side ahead of me and I could tell that it might be an ugly start. I knew that the first gravel climb would separate things but I didn't want to be buried and having to switch back and forth thru the gravel. The said a firecracker would be the start but I think it was a freaking stick of dynamite or something...holy cow that was loud. After I nearly crapped my pants I took off, we started on paved with a 90 degree left turn onto another paved road. Right at the corner an inside line opened and many riders were going very casual so I turned on the jets and was able to hit that line and it slingshot me past several riders and to my amazement the outside line stayed open and I was able to clear many more riders early. Denny had warned me that when we hit the gravel it was going to be deep and loose and he was not kidding, I did my best to let my bike float across it and tried to keep some speed. Soon we were at the base of the gravel climb and I had forgotten just how much of a climb it was...then we turned the corner up the hill and it was staring me right in the face. I wasn't sure how the day would go so I wanted to go out hard and not get caught behind slower riders once we hit the single track so I really turned it loose on the gravel and passed a lot of people. I played leapfrog with some of the riders as we would pass each other back and forth and eventually the 3.1 miles of gravel ended and we were into the single track. The group I was riding with backed off a tad once we hit the single track but we recovered very quickly and the pace was soon high again. I found some opportunities to make some passes so I did when I could and would try to make a gap between that rider. About 6 miles in I caught up to Zach Brace and he actually said "Do you want around Dude?", I couldn't believe I was able to keep up with him told him I was fine on his wheel for now. I am not the strongest downhill rider but I was doing a great job so far in this race, Zach had pulled away from me a bit on one downhill and I was letting my Epic eat up the trail to try and catch him when I went into a downhill left hand turn at a screaming fast speed. In an instant my bike washed out from underneath me and I found myself about to bounce off the forest floor. Without even thinking my reflexes threw my handlebars out and away from me (I would have landed on them) and then threw my arms up to avoid impact with my left shoulder. I really watch that shoulder since I dislocated it and instead sacrificed my chest and chin to the ground. I couldn't feel any blood but it seemed like my lip should be bleeding and my right thigh landed on my bike and that didn't feel much better!!! I jumped up and jumped back on the bike and realized I had dropped my chain so it was back off the bike and put the chain on, at this point I had three riders go past me but I was back on course within a few seconds.

I have to say that I was rattled from this spill, it wasn't an awful wreck but I lost a lot of confidence in the loose downhill sections. I was running Specialized Armadillo Fast Traks, I was glad I had Armadillo's on but I really wish I had Captains because I feel like they are a more aggressive tire with a stronger outside knob to help control those loose turns but guess what...I didn't have them so I did with what I had (which is still a great tire). I felt pretty good once I got to the second check station but I could feel myself slowing the pace a bit. A few miles in I was having a lot of pain in my right thigh from where I had landed on my bike, I wasn't able to lift and lunge without extreme pain and doing risers on short power climbs was out for sure. And then the real pain set in, I started to cramp in my hamstrings on a long climb but I was able to push through on that hill. I popped some Endurolytes and kept grinding along but soon found myself in some of the worst pain when both hamstrings locked up and I was all but screaming in agony out on the course. It hurt like hell and I did my best to walk straight legged to continue on the course, the pain eased a bit but it was still very painful and I got back on and just started to peddle. I was able to get the pain to a manageable state but my climbing was limited the rest of the day, I was able to do it but I could not get aggressive at all. Soon I was on the gravel and then a section of paved road. I caught and dropped a rider on the paved section and about a mile later I looked back and saw a rider in the distance getting closer, I remember thinking that surely that guy didn't get a second wind because he was hurting when I went around him. I turned up the long paved climb to the last checkpoint and when I was about 50 yds up the hill I looked back and her comes Denny charging for me like I stole his beer (It's not just for breakfast anymore). He quickly caught up to me and we talked a minute about the cramping we both had experienced I told him about my wreck and he told me about his as we continued up the hill. He powered on ahead and I did my best to just keep pedaling and soon I was at the checkpoint.

The last section of the race is the most technical and it isn't that it is really tough but when you are tired and there are a lot of leaves on the trail it can be a little hairy. Denny said it best, that if the trail was clear of leaves and we were just going there to ride and we were fresh then that would be an awesome section to bomb down on our bikes. About 1/3 of the way through the last leg I was going very slowly and I remember thinking that I just wanted to be finished but like several times in the past I caught a second wind. I was able to carry good speed through some sections and did my best to climb without blowing up. Coming through the last section of single track I caught another rider and when we popped out to a grassy section he went the wrong way and I thought about letting him continue but I just couldn't do it. He pulled well ahead of me on the long service road climb out of the valley but I caught and passed him on the gravel but I was loosing steam. He caught me back and gapped me, I surged and started to reel him in a few times but he stayed on the gas and I was unable to pull him in. Coming into the finish line (into the wind) I was so ready for the race to be over. I had a great race and took 45 minutes off my time from last year and finished in 5 hr 34 min, I can honestly say I left everything I had on the course. I had enough salt on my forehead to cure a ham for Christmas!!!

I was really sore the rest of the day and on Sunday, of course all of us had to sit in a vehicle on the ride home which didn't help our stiff muscles. We went to a church hayride on Sunday evening after we got home and I had Jonas on my lap and Brady under my left arm and I was sitting kind of weird on a hay bale and it was causing my left hamstring to get really tight. I thought it was going to lock up on my again, I'm glad it didn't because I didn't want the pain and I figured that a church hayride wasn't the place for me to jump up screaming "Mother F#$%#$%"!!! Today at work I think I can say that this is the tightest my hamstrings have ever been, I was not enjoying walking around today. I did about 30 minutes around town today on my road bike at a very easy pace just trying to flush some of the acid out of my legs, I have to say it felt pretty good but my legs are still pretty tight...it only hurts until the pain goes away.

No Whammy

2010-10-24T21:29:00.003-05:00

After yesterdays BT Epic I had a dream that I was on a game show and had to pick a prize from 1 of 3 doors. Behind one door was a race pace mountain bike ride, behind another was a gallon of pickle juice I had to drink and keep down, and behind the last door was a kick in the nuts. The producers told me I was the only person that they have ever seen saying "Come on kick in the nuts"!!!

More updates to come from the 2010 BT Epic.

BT Epic This Weekend

2010-10-21T17:24:00.003-05:00

I guess we will see if I can remember how to race my bike, I am not worried about the distance but just concerned that I might not have the deep inner desire to rip someones legs off. It is hard to stay competitive all year long and I have had some great races this year so maybe getting out on the bike and having fun will be enough?.?.?.

Anyway it is a tough course with a lot of climbing so my legs better be ready for it. I don't plan to really preride this year, I will probably just ride a couple miles to stretch my legs after the long drive down. Last years 25 mile preride was not good for me and the race the next day, but it is what it is and I still had a pretty good race. Last year I told Doug that Epic stood for "Everyone Paddling In Canoes" because the area was FLOODED and I have never crossed so many water crossings in a race. Denny and I were riding together in the race when Mike Clausen tried to ride a man made bridge (we were told not to ride them) and ended up taking a bath in the creek....I hate to say it but it was pretty entertaining.

What Is It Thinking?

2010-10-19T16:18:00.002-05:00

I have spent a lot of time in the woods and I have spooked a lot of deer and of course they run off but I have also spooked some deer while out mountain biking. Obviously I am not gaining on them as they run away but they are not creating quite the gap they would if I was walking and it makes me wonder what exactly is going thru their head if it seems they can't get away fast enough.

Yep, I didn't have anything else better to think about!!!

.....

2010-10-08T12:56:00.001-05:00

Do You Feel Fast?

2010-10-07T18:01:00.003-05:00

Ever since the 24 hour race it seems all I do is eat and not ride my bike very fast, it's pretty depressing. I have had a rough stretch at work and it seems it isn't going to get any better, I'm not sure I'll have a job at the end of the month (I only have been there 16 years) so let's just say I have some anger issues right now. I am trying to use those emotions in cycling but I haven't found a way to harness them yet, instead I seem to stare at the wall. I did buy a new handgun and after 100+ rounds the other night I was feeling pretty good, those pieces of paper didn't have a chance!!!

As you can probably tell I haven't been feeling very fast lately, in fact I'm concerned that Berryman might be a let down after the season I have had. I feel a little extra pudge around the mid section and just don't have much time to ride with a new work schedule. I looked in the mirror and realized I don't look fast either, I have let myself go and was looking pretty shaggy so I got out the clippers and got to work.

That's a pic of what I got done so far and that was just from my ASS!!! I was concerned that my chamois might feel different so I put on a pair of bibs and I a taint tell a difference.

Some Cool Memories

2010-09-24T20:38:00.003-05:00

As with anything bike racing and bike related trips can make for some great memories that will last a lifetime. I took some pictures the other day of some of the items I have currently on display in my house. First up is the pint glass that I got for finishing the Dirty Kanza 200, I thought it showed best full of rock since it was a gravel road race. I also ordered the special edition of XXC magazine and have it on display with the pint glass. I also stuck one of my maps from one of the legs of the race inside the pint glass as well.

Next up is my team Trek VW jersey that is signed by Chris Eatough, who is by far my favorite mountain biker, I felt like a kid when I went up to Chris and asked him for his autograph. It was our first trip (Mark, Tim, and myself) to the Lumberjack 100, there are a ton of memories on this trip alone (what happens at Lumberjack stays at Lumberjack!!!). Starting with the all night drive and traveling through the tail end of a massive storm that hit the race site and left an unimaginable 11 inches of rain. We had to take a detour and still had to drive through water across the road in several places. I remember thinking that we just drove all this way and they are going to cancel this race, to my surprise other than the 200 yds of flooded area we were racing on an almost dry course. Many sections the rain made it faster due to the sandy soil base. After the race we went to the post race festivities and I took along my Trek VW jersey in hopes that I could get Chris to sign it. It's kind of funny because sitting across from Chris was Jeff Schalk (the race winner who also raced for Trek VW) and I bypassed him to ask Chris for his autograph. It may have been nothing but I do remember him kind of looking at me funny, I'm sure he was thinking "Hey, I won this race", but then again Chris is a 6 time World Champion. Do you like the custom made frame? Tim made that for me, he did an awesome job.

This is a a few pictures from Cruise The Blues, this particular year I raced as a team with my Dad, this was his first experience of this kind and we had a lot of fun. He told me later that early on his first lap he was thinking "What did I get myself into?". He rode great and we had a blast and walked away with a 2nd place team finish. I had another 2nd place medal from a solo race the year before so I hung on the frame as well. The year before was a fun trip too, only Mark and I went out West to race that year. We drove out the night before in my truck and I have fork mounts in the bed of the truck, I had laid my front wheel under my bike and even had the thought that I hope my tire doesn't for some reason hit my chain ring....guess what? I did!!! We got up race day morning to the front wheel of my bike flat due to a sidewall cut compliments of my chain ring, I pumped it full of air and tried to get it to seal and it was fine until I put pressure on it. It was entertaining to say the least because it would spray out as if it had a pulse, it would shoot out a foot our so every few seconds (pretty cool to watch). That was the year that Mark took a header onto a big rock and busted open his chin but that wasn't the end of the race for him, he went on to overtake the 4th place rider on the last lap and found himself in the money on the podium. After the awards we packed up and headed to the hospital so he could get some stitches, that is after he harassed the doctor a little bit. We waited a long time in the ER for the doc, turns out he was mowing his grass!!! The doc came in with street clothes on and sandals and had a ring around his ankles from dirt, Mark asked him if he had been racing his bike too!!!

This last pic is from the 2009 Lumberjack 100, I did a little detailed finish work with my finishers patch, it looks great on the wall.

So many riding experiences with friends, I have only mentioned a few here. Of course a couple more that stick out in my mind happened early this year in Oklahoma, there was 8 of us (I think) that drove most of the night and we arrived at the hotel around 4 a.m. We had canceled one of the rooms since we were going to arrive so late and 4 of us slept in the van in the hotel parking lot. Jan came out the next morning and being the silly guy he is looks in the van window and says "Is that a condom?", it was hilarious. Then we had Lake Denny right at the back door of the van!!! Speaking of Denny, his maiden trip on "The Kevinator" will stick in my mind as well. I was off to the side (on the Sally route which changed from the time I was there before, the arrows painted on the rock took you off a 3-4 ft drop...I don't think so) and was watching Denny start the drop in and as he was going through he started bouncing a little bit and then disappeared behind the massive rocks that make this awesome hill. I watched below the rock but he didn't emerge. Turns out he actually had to lay it down and ended up cutting his tire (we had a great view up there while he changed that flat). I have a lot of respect for him because he tried to ride it, that's more than I can say for me!!! And the really cool thing is that there are a ton more still to happen.

24 Hour Of DINO Race Recap

2010-09-13T12:01:00.008-05:00

Going into this race I had no idea what to expect since it was my first race of this kind, I knew it was going to be painful but that was about it. Molly and I arrived early in the afternoon on Friday, in fact the course had not been marked yet but that was okay because I hadn't planned on riding the full 13 mile course. Shortly after arriving one of the local riders asked me if I had been there before and I told him no, he said that I would want to see the "Waterfall" on the Cliffside trail because it had a 90 degree drop into a narrow rock shelf with a rock wall on your left and a 50 ft drop on your right, and if they received the rain that was forcasted then this was going to be a really nasty spot. I decided to suit up and go ride the trail, I was a bit nervous about the spot he was referring to but when I got there I soon saw that it really wasn't too bad. It could be a big accident waiting to happen but I never looked down when riding it and was able to get through it with no problems. The course was a blast to ride, it had a touch of everything except rough technical stuff. This course had so much flow to it, it started out with quite a bit of a rocky section (reminded me of Crowder) and then a short somewhat steep climb (had some rock in it) and then into nice flowy single track with gradual climbing. During the pre ride and the first couple laps I could hardly tell I was climbing (every lap after that I swear the hills got steeper and longer and 13 miles felt like 15 or 16). There was an aid station set up about half way through the course and once we reached that point most of the climbing was done, then it was back to flying through fast flowing single track....it was a hoot to ride. The last four miles was on a section called "Shadow Run", it started with a bit of climbing to the top and then some fast flowy single track along with some really tight and twisty single track that you could still carry a lot of speed through....fast and fun. Then the last mile was almost all down hill and it was screaming fast, there was one turn that I had to really watch my speed because it was a touch loose and I didn't want to go flying off the edge. Almost the whole down hill section had exposure on your left side so a bad line or if you got squirrely you were going to have a bad day. After the pre ride we started setting up our pit area, we were going to set up our camping tent to sleep in but with the rain in the forcast we opted to just put the air mattress in the back of the van since we didn't have any seats in the van, it worked out great. I guess we got a very small amount of rain Friday night into Saturday morning, about as much as a heavy dew. I might add that the ground was dusty dry there, we noticed on the drive in that most of the yards had burned up grass. Molly and I turned in early Friday night and got a pretty good nights sleep. Saturday morning early it was sunny and clear and then the gray clouds started to roll in and it was very cool out, I was nervous since the forecast was for rain, rain, rain. Around 7:30 it started to sprinkle and then came on a very heavy rain for about 8-10 minutes and then stopped but the sky was still gray and the threat of rain was still there. After about an hour the sky started to lighten up and finally the sun popped out, some people with internet on their phone said that the heavy rain split and went directly North and South of us.

Race start neared and the start of this race was a little unique, it had the typical lemans start but we had to take a part off of our bike and run with it and then once we reached our bike we could put it back together and take off. Soon we were all lined up and it was GO time!!!

I had no intention of running in fact I just did a light jog and was soon in the back of the pack, when I got to my bike I wasn't breathing hard at all but then I couldn't get my front wheel on. I started to panic but realized I needed to open the skewer a little more and it went right on. Starting out in the back of the pack was good because I wasn't caught up with fast riders pushing me to go harder than I should but tough because some of the riders I was behind were a little slower than I wanted to go. I slowly made my way up through the field when I could and finally got into a groove, maybe too fast. I almost backed off a bit but I was riding in second position of a train of about 5 or 6 riders and I would of had to stop and pull off to the side to let people around and I just couldn't do it. I never felt overworked during the first lap in fact it was a lot of fun, I kept the idea of 24 hours in the back of my mind and just tried to settle in to a nice pace.

I finished up the first lap, I pitted long enough to change bottles and say hi to Molly and then I was back out on another lap. Laps 1, 2, and 3 seemed to flow together really well, I was taking a few minutes for a break between laps and then about lap 4 I started to take a little longer for breaks. My back started hurting on lap two, which was a little discouraging, but then I remembered that I had the brain dialed as firm as it would go on my rear shock. I stopped and softened the rear suspension up it made a big difference on my back, the only bad thing is it made my pivots squeak a lot and it drove me nuts the whole time. I tried to shoot some lube into the pivots but I just couldn't get the squeak out of them, that was tough to deal with.

I don't remember exactly which lap it was but toward nightfall I started to get nasueous and let me tell you it is no fun to ride your bike when you feel like you are going to throw up, especially when you still have over 12 hours to ride your bike. The laps all seemed to run together so I don't remember which lap I went out with lights, I didn't use them until a little over half way through the lap, the next night lap I had a 12 hr solo rider come up behind me and he told me he didn't want around, he just wanted to ride my wheel if that was okay and it was fine with me. We talked for about half of the lap and then he backed off and I was all alone again. After that lap I decided it was time to take a longer break and put on some fresh clothes so I went and took a nice hot shower and put on my most comfortable bibs and a long sleeve jersey and it felt so good. I did one more lap and then decided to put on knee warmers, I left the pit with Mitch Johnson but he dropped me about 10 feet into the course. I came staggering in from that lap around 2:45 a.m. and decided I needed to lay down for a little bit. I had Molly set the alarm for about 1 hr and 50 min and we crawled into the van and I was out, when the alarm went off I had so many emotions flying through my head. I was so tired, sore, cold, my mental status was not at a normal level....a 24 hr race is brutal on the body but super brutal on your mind. I knew I needed to get up and ride but I think it was pure fear that kept me in the van, I had Molly set the alarm for 1 more hour and after a few minutes I was back asleep. When the alarm went off again I was not wanting to get out of that van, I was shivering inside the van, my legs and back were stiff, and I new my rear end was NOT going to like being put back on the saddle. I threw on a jacket and slowly took off, for the first 5 minutes I literally shifted every pedal stroke because my butt hurt so bad, I was dreading every climb and coasted wherever possible to save energy...needless to say it was a slow lap but the sun came up during that lap (that was a new experience for me). My next lap was pretty good, not blazing fast but pretty good and I took a good break after it as well, maybe too long. The next lap was my 11th lap and I took off like the start of the race and was feeling great for the first 2/3 of the lap and then I was wiped out again. When I came in Molly and Mitch J. said I could possibly get 4th place if I went back out, I didn't want to go back out but I wanted 4th place. We checked with the scoring tent to see if the current 4th place rider was out on course because he had finished his 11th lap at 4 something that morning but the scoring tent didn't know. We looked in the solo pit are for his bike number and couldn't find it so we didn't know if he was on course, or had left, or was pitted somewhere else in the park. I decided not to go back out because if he was on a lap the chances of my catching him (especially if he hadn't ridden since 4 a.m.) was not good, turns out he was done and I could have gotten 4th place. That is easy to say now since the race is over, I know I could have ridden another lap but it was going to be slow and painful (I had 2 hr and 8 min to complete the lap). I think one thing that made this race so hard (other than it was 24 hrs) was the fact that I felt like throwing up for more than half the race, I almost stopped on the trail and chugged my bottle and then was going to force myself to throw up to see if that would help. I wish I had gotten in more laps but 143 miles was still a great accomplishment and I am so pleased that I did this race. Mitch asked me afterwards if I was going to do another one and I told him I couldn't answer that question yet. One day later here I am and I can say that Yes I will do it again, I thought it would take several days before I would even consider it but it only took a few hours.

Below is a pic of Mitch "The Masher" Johnson, he is one heck of a bike rider and a super nice guy, I have gotten to know him this past year and I really enjoy being around him and the other St. Louis area riders. Mitch placed 3rd with 14 laps. Unfortuanately I don't have a pic of Todd Holtmann, who placed 2nd with 15 laps, but Todd is a lot of fun as well and obviously a great rider too.

Zach Brace finished 1st in the 12 hr solo with an amazing 10 laps. Greg Ott finished 3rd in the 12 hr solo with 9 laps. Todd Hecht finished 10th in the 12 hr solo with 7 laps. If you want to laugh and have a good time then Todd Hecht is the guy to hang out with!!!

What's For Dinner?

2010-08-31T17:36:00.003-05:00

Hmmm, what should I eat??? Oh what's that, I should eat everything? Okay!!!

The Monday night ride was a leg burner on the way up and again for about the last third of the return trip home. I was pleased this morning when I got up and my legs were not shot, they were fatigued but it wasn't painful. Last night was my last hard effort before the 24 hr race which is less than 2 weeks away, I will still do some riding but basically to keep my legs loose and to keep the calluses on my ass intact. A few days after RIM I peeled enough dead skin off my ass to make a 2 ft snake blush. It wasn't so awkward using a mirror for this, it was more awkward that I was using the mirror outside the fitting room at Wal Mart!!!

I have been eating quite a few calories this past week but from now until the race it is time to really load up on the carbs. I just ate a bowl of egg noodles mixed in mashed potatoes....oh so good. I'll being eating dinner before too long, yes the potatoes and noodles were just a snack. Last night Molly grilled burgers so I had a couple of those with some mac n cheese and then finished it up with my peanut butter and Mr. Goodbar sandwich....man that's a good sandwich. I had a couple of these sandwiches at Lumberjack and Tim was in for a surprise when he almost ate one of my tasty treats.....I don't think he thought looked too tasty (of course it had been sitting out ALL DAY, at least it wasn't a tin of bubbling sardines!!!).

I'm In

2010-08-24T17:20:00.002-05:00

I just registered for 24 hr of DINO, I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.....so basically how I feel a lot of days!!!

I am wiped out today, my legs are really feeling fatigued from the past couple days of riding, I opted not to ride today and actually took a 2 hour nap (that isn't normal for me). I woke up in a panic, I thought it was morning......YIKES....stupid naps!!!

Anyway, back to planning the trip and making sure I have my gear ready to go. We leave in 2 weeks and 2 days, I'll be ready to leave since I have to work 13 days straight up until we leave. I told a couple of the guys last night it was 11 straight so I was really ticked off when I figured it out this morning that I have to work 13 straight. At least only 12 of the 13 are 3 a.m. shifts!!!

Feeling Somewhat Lost

2010-08-23T16:56:00.002-05:00

I usually have a pretty good plan leading up to a race, I don't always execute the plan the way I would like to but I do lay the groundwork. As with most of us there are always things that get in the way whether it's work, family events, mother nature, actually there is an endless list of things that can get in the way of training. I am less than three weeks away from my 24 solo and I really don't like that I don't have more long rides in right now but that isn't my focus as I near the race. I do get a bit discouraged when I read other blogs and these people are doing several 4-5 hr rides but I just can't get those in very often, I am very grateful when I can but it just isn't very often. That being said I am not very concerned about lack of long rides especially after having a really good race at RIM, I know I was in the worst pain I have ever been in on my bike but there were several factors in that race. I have watched 24 Solo (featuring Chris Eatough) dozens of times and he mentions that he will check over his equipment several times to keep his mind off the hard times to come during the race.

I think I am on the backside of my peak of the best shape I have ever been in but I think I am still very strong right now, as the race approaches I am trying to focus on the mental aspect of the race. Maybe because I have no clue what to do right now as this race is totally foreign to me. I'm still riding as often as possible, they usually only 25 miles or so but I am doing what I can when I can. I plan to sit down Wednesday and write out a pack list for the race, I am list kind of guy (drives some people crazy). I also need to plan out when I need to cut back on my riding leading up to the race, at least cut back on my effort during a ride. I have been on an eating frenzy since RIM, it has backed off a bit but I find myself eating a lot of junk.....tastes pretty good though!!! I plan to load my diet with a lot of brown rice, oatmeal, bananas, and other slow burning carbs probably toward the end of this week all the way up to the race. I still have some decisions to make in regards to my bikes, lighting equipment, and it seems and endless list of other items. I really am getting excited about the race but I have to admit it is a little scary too, I feel better that Mitch Johnson and some of the other St. Louis riders will be there. Not that they can help me it just makes me feel better that I will be suffering with other riders that I know, I just wish they weren't faster than me!!!

Back In The Saddle

2010-08-19T21:53:00.002-05:00

After RIM I think my body was in a little bit of shock, I am still eating everything in sight even when I'm not hungry. I went out on the Monday night ride and at first it felt pretty good to be in the saddle but it didn't take long for my sensitive rear to get upset. It was a good ride with a good group to ride with, I did however ride too hard a couple times during the evening. The final 5 miles I rode a steady pace and let the group fire ahead on old 190, I told Mark afterward that it was hard to sit and watch that. I really enjoy it when the riding gets spirited and everyone starts using a little strategy along with some big efforts of pulling and pursing.

Tuesday I opted to rest which was a good idea as my hamstrings were still really tight. Wednesday I went out and rode the loop again but at a pretty slow pace, I didn't realize until I looked at my computer that I was riding "that slow".....but hey, it is what it is. I went back out tonight and rode up Y and then took A over to U and then U South to 190 and back into town on 190 and then rode thru town. I felt pretty good, my left hamstring was still tight so I would stretch it out while rolling a couple times. Even a slight South wind makes the ride on Hwy U tough, I think that is why I really like that route...plus I get to hit a couple big hills on 190 on the way back to town. I ended up with 36+ miles and avg 20.1 so I was pleased with that effort since RIM was only 5 days ago.

As I had stated before, I'm in for the 24 solo which is just over 3 weeks away....YIKES!!! I have been working on plans the last couple days, Molly and I are going to leave around Noon on Thursday Sept 9th and drive to Indianapolis and spend the night. I have booked 3 trips now with Priceline and have gotten some really good deals, I got us a room at the Wyndham for only $44. We plan to sleep late and then make the rest of the trip to Versailles State Park, which will only be about another 1 1/2 hr. The race course will be set up Friday afternoon and that is when I will be able to select a pit area. I will go and ride at least some of the course, probably all 13 miles but I will have to see what kind of time I have. It will be a very easy paced ride so that I don't dip into my glycogen stores very far, and then I will spend the rest of the day setting up my pit area and getting our tent for camping ready to go. Then I plan to sit around and hydrate and add a few more calories into my system.

The race will start at Noon EST and this race has a cut off of Noon on Sunday, if you don't finish your last lap by Noon...it doesn't count. If anyone wants to check on my progress throughout the race I will be giving Molly's cell number on the forum as we get closer so anyone can call or text her. I'm sure she would enjoy the interaction as she will be sitting around waiting for me.

RIM 2010....Oh God It Hurt

2010-08-17T12:38:00.002-05:00

I have raced my bicycle for more than 12 hours more than one time but I wasn't quite prepared for the agony that was to come at Rapture In Misery this year. I have had a great season and my fitness is at a very good level and my weight couldn't be much better. I did have a little concern because I feel that I have already peaked, but my fitness is still high and I am still riding strong. It was hard to get extra calories and get super hydrated while doing trail work leading up to the race but I wouldn't trade it for anything, I really enjoy doing the trail work....especially when I get to enjoy the rewards of the labor!!! Friday night I drank a lot of water and I felt really good about my hydration, however the heat the next day would really test me physically. Saturday morning brought cooler temps than what we had experienced earlier in the week but it was still going to be a hot day.

I knew I needed to go out a little slower than the year before so during the running start I just did a light jog and got to my bike and got in with a group of riders and took off steady but not really fast. I passed a couple riders in the field and passed one more rider in the first rocky section of single track, I had a much better line picked out than the guy in front of me and was able to swing wide and carry momentum through the turn and get ahead of him. The line I took looked like a longer way but it set me up for the turn perfectly, that was an advantage of racing on your home course!!! I did brake a little extra before going into the boneyard because I didn't want to be 6 inches from the rider in front of me if they had a mishap, there were bikes everywhere on the boneyard in that first lap. I was able to make it down the boneyard clean although it was very slippery on the rocks. The next rocky section was a bear to climb up with extra moisture from a multitude of tires going over them. By the time I hit "Rock N Roll" the field had split quite a bit and I was able to carry a lot of speed through that section all the way to the dam. The rest of the first lap was pretty greasy and seemed to slow my momentum. That being said I believe I finished the lap just under an hour.

The start of the second lap I could tell right away that the large group of riders was already drying out the trail, it was still damp in areas but the trail was getting faster. I didn't push super hard on this lap either but still came in with a pretty good lap time. Third lap I got my first taste of a cramp in my left hamstring while climbing the service road across the dam, I immediately got off my bike and started walking since I had all day to keep the cramps away. I was biting open 2 Endurolytes every hour to help keep the cramps at bay. On the way out of River Forks I stopped at the aid station to get some water, I was already going through a lot of water by this point. I was drinking so much water that I was getting water logged but I had to keep the liquid coming. The extra fluid intake was throwing off my caloric intake as nothing was tasting good, this would prove to put the hurt on me later in the day.

I put my lights on for the start of my 7th lap, I would end up not using them for the lap but I wasn't sure how long that lap would take. Toward the end of the 7th lap I started feeling nauseous and when I got to my pit I was starting to really hurt. The more I stood there the sicker I felt and then like a ton of bricks it hit me. I got a massive head rush, my vision went to almost nothing and I started to stagger. I quickly got myself to the ground and laid there for several minutes, I heard someone say "Hey, check that out over there". Molly told me later that several people were staring at me as I was lying in the riding path. I finally got up and headed out for another lap, Molly was a bit concerned at this point and wasn't sure I should go back out. The 8th lap was not fast at all but I felt pretty good considering my fatigued body and mental status. I really didn't want to go out on a 9th lap but I had to, it was too early to quit.

I remember thinking as I rolled out that I just had to get through this lap and then you can call it a night. The first 100 yards was great and then reality started to set in, I was in a world of hurt and still had over 9 miles of an incredibly hard course to conquer. I had never been in this position before, I have been hurting on my bike but never this bad. If I walked a certain hill I would keep walking on some of the flat section before I got back on my bike, I stopped to pee 5 times and I really didn't have to go....it was just an excuse to get off the bike. The whole time I was telling myself the more I rode the faster I would get done but it was work to get myself back on the bike. I walked both water crossings because I was getting so tired that I almost endoed the lap prior and the water was making my rotors make an awful sound. As I rode the Short Thompson I was breaking the rest of the lap down into sections. I told myself once I got to the downhill at Steep Creek I just had to get to where we started climbing out, then I would just have to get to the meadow, then I would just have to get through the finish leg of single track. The funny thing is after I would complete a section I would say it out loud "Task 1 Complete" and so on.....sound crazy? You do what you have to do. I finally popped out toward the finish and Molly and Mitch Johnson were waiting for me, they told me I had a decision to make......I just wanted to roll over and die. Mitch was done with 9 laps and if I went back out I would take 3rd place, I wanted it so bad but I just could not do it. One thing that I have learned since I started riding my bike is that I need to listen to my body. There is a difference between a person not wanting to hurt and a person hurting themselves severely, I feel that I made the right call by not going out on another lap. The only regret I have from the race is that I didn't weigh myself right after the race, I had to drop some serious water weight that day.

By this point I was 90% sure that I did not want to do the 24 Solo that I had been planning for nearly a year, I didn't know how I was going to be able to endure another 12 hours of this torture. After a day of getting my mental status closer to where it needs to be I did some serious thinking about 24 hr of DINO. I realized that those 2 things in my shorts that were banging against my saddle while going through those rock gardens were my Amish love nuggets and they aren't there to let me back down.....in other words, 24 hr of DINO here I come. Life is too short to say "Well, maybe next year", I have done that too many times with other things and guess what....I didn't do it the next year either. The race is in September and I am hoping for a little bit cooler temps, which will help with my caloric intake as well. I am working on a strategy for pace, breaks, changes of clothes, and nutrition that will hopefully give me a better physical feel. Mitch Johnson has done 24 hr of DINO before and said last year he rode nearly 200 miles during the race and didn't feel as bad as after 85 miles of RIM this year. RIM was a super hard course this year and it took it's toll on a lot of riders. I am not going to underestimate the 24 hr race though, I plan on being in a lot of pain for this race as well. I also plan on just racing against myself, I can't get worried about how close another solo rider is ahead or behind me.....I just want to survive.

A Picture Show

2010-08-02T13:39:00.000-05:00

Here is the video that web master Mark Jenkins did from last years Rapture In Misery. We are getting closer to te race date, just hoping we have dry weather the week of the race.....oh and until the race is over too!!!

Still Rollin'

2010-08-01T20:41:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday was the gravel grinder and I had a great ride, Monday I was concerned that I wouldn't have anything but I was very pleased with the ride. I will say that my legs were very fatigued and the lactic acid built up faster than normal but I was still able to generate power. Tuesday I worked for 8 hours at Crowder and was sweating my tail off......seriously, I can't find my tail anywhere. I drank over a gallon of water just while working and I don't know how much afterwards so I'm sure that day took it's toll on me. Wednesday I rode and felt like crap while riding, just felt weak and seemed to have no power. I went back out to Crowder Saturday after work and got in 4 more hours of trail prep, trails are starting to look good, and it wasn't as hot so that was nice. I went out this afternoon and got 47+ miles in, it started with a 20 mile ride heading South into the wind and I really wasn't enjoying that. A lot of times I like a windy ride because I know the benefit far out weighs the temporary discomfort but today I felt weak again and couldn't seem to find a rhythm. I took 65 South and jumped on Z and went to the second C blacktop and headed West and rode over to F Hwy and turned back North. Once I got to Dawn I headed back East to get back on Z and head North back home. That ride with the hills and the wind can make for a challenging ride for sure. I only avg 19.2 so I wasn't real pleased with that but I was riding and not sitting at home so there is a positive in there!!!

Farmhouse Classic

2010-07-25T09:34:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the Farmhouse Classic gravel grinder hosted my Joe Fox, owner of Cycle City bike shops. It was an 85.3 mile gravel road race that began and ended at the Fox family farm on the edge of Lathrop, MO. We started with a nuetral roll out for the first 4 miles or so and then the pace picked up but wasn't a blazing speed, that being said it was still a pretty good pace. The lead group was pretty big and I was working my way up through smaller groups as I hadn't started out very fast but within 8 miles I was on the back end of the lead group. I don't know if it was some loose gravel here and there or what but the pace line would yo yo and I really had to work to get back on the group from time to time. I wasn't going to be upset if I couldn't stay with the lead group because it was being lead by Coach and tucked in behind were riders like Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey (2010 Dirty Kanza winner), Troy Krause, and Matt Gersib, along with some other talented riders. There were also some riders that were just trying to hang with the group as long as they could and they did pretty good until we got into the climbs. On the first desent climb I quickly found myself getting into other lines to get around some riders that were not climbing very well, if I hadn't I would have lost the lead group very quickly. I could tell real fast that the lead group was going to thin down a lot in the next couple hills. After about 3 or 4 good climbs (about 20 miles in)I found myself right in the middle of the lead pack and to be quite honest it was a little intimidating, I mean seriously to be riding with this caliber of riders made me feel like I was out of my league. I was pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to hang with them a lot longer so I was going to get in some interval work and I jumped on the front and pulled 2 or 3 climbs and actually made a gap on the group for a very short bit, I wasn't trying to but I figured I would go until I blew up and then try and survive from there. When we got to a confusing turn we stopped for a minute to make sure we were going the right way and I was able to get a little recovery and then tucked in on the rear as we started up again. About 2 miles from the checkpoint I had fallen back and met up with the lead group again at the checkpoint. I knew what I needed to do and quickly did it so I would be ready to roll out when they did. It really seemed to be more of a good paced group ride than a race for quite a while, when someone would flat the whole group would stop which allowed me to catch up when I would fall off the back a bit. The course was not marked and it was tough to know which way to go a few times because not every road had a sign on it.

Stewartsville (about mile 50)was the next place to get more fluids and or fuel and I wasn't too far behind the lead group when I arrived. I already had a plan on what to get and quickly purchased more water and filled my camelbak and bottles and was one of the first to be ready to roll again. Troy had mentioned that he was not feeling very good at this point but was going to continue on and I was able to start to see on the faces of a couple other riders that fatigue was starting to settle in as well. We rolled out again and had to stop a couple times due to flats, which once again allowed me to tuck back in for a while and about mile 70 ended up being the last flat of the day for the group. As we rolled out the pace would pick up and then back off and then pick up and then back off which started to drop a rider and then two. At mile 70 there was only 8 of us in the lead group and I went from 8th to 7th a couple miles later. Troy, who had been suffering already, and Matt, who was really starting to show signs of fatigue were riding together and the lead group was already on a good size climb so I let it rip and charged up the hill leaving those 2 riders behind. I was just trying to get on the wheel of somebody in the lead group but just couldn't quite make it. I would get about 30 yds away and then the group would pull away again, now in 5th position I caught another rider but he quickly got back around and we still had 10 miles to go. I was thinking that there were two riders that might falter if I could just stay close enough, and no the riders were not Coach or Corey. About 3 miles to go the group was about 1/2 mile or maybe farther away and I was pretty sure I would not catch them but I stayed on the gas as best as I could. Soon I was pulling into the driveway and the ride was over, I'm sure the look on my face showed that I was glad to be done. My legs were pretty fatigued, my rear and lower back were hurting quite a bit and I knew that the smoker had been going while we were gone and there was some fresh pulled pork waiting for me to devour it. I popped the back hatch of the van and just sat there for a few minutes with my water. I finished in 5th position overall and thought I was 4th in the Men's open, but I didn't realized that Corey was on a single speed. I didn't realized this for sure until Joe was getting ready to do the awards and pointed at me and Coach and said I need you guys, I knew that Coach had won the 50+ class and then I figured out that I was 3rd in the Open. I feel kind of bad that I got an award because the group ride pace allowed me to stay within striking distance and toward the end I was able to get ahead of riders that were much better than I am, if it had been race pace the whole day I don't think that I could have bridged that gap. That being said I couldn't be more happy with how I rode, I was able to push myself very well and I really listened to my body and backed off when I needed to but I wouldn't stay there very long.

No Ride Tonight Or Tomorrow For Me

2010-07-22T17:05:00.002-05:00

I won't be able to go and ride at the first Dirty Thursday, in fact I may not get to do very many of the Thursdays with my schedule. That's okay because I do get quite a few rides in, although it is fun to ride with others plus there is more of a competitive spirit in a group. I got in 40 miles last night so that was good, I took a little easier pace on that ride. Tomorrow there are 14 of us heading over to the Pear Tree for dinner to celebrate my brothers birthday, I'm guessing my sodium intake will be a little high. Then Saturday morning is the Farmhouse Classic gravel grinder, 85ish miles of gravel in the hot July sun!!!

Recovery+Rain=Uh.....Not Recovery

2010-07-21T10:41:00.002-05:00

I went out yesterday for an easier paced ride, just to get my legs good and flushed out and for some miles. I checked the radar before I left and it showed rain was coming our way but of course I could still see a little blue sky so I left anyway. I went out 190 and headed up Y, as I rode I could see the rain to the West and looked like it was going NE and I could probably ride back on Y and be okay. I wasn't riding slow but I wasn't riding all out either and after I got to the top I quickly realized that the rain was moving more East than North and I had better get on my horse if I was going to stay ahead of it. The rain had an angle on me as far as getting back to 190, I got on it and let er rip and the last couple miles approaching 190 I was getting into the edge of the front. As I rode back on 190 I just got out of the sprinkles until I headed up the hill, once again the rain had an angle on me. After I crested the hill and made the turn I pulled just ahead of the moisture again. I got back into town and slowed my pace to allow my legs to loosen on the ride through town and the weather caught me again but I was almost home and it never really rained on me, just big sprinkles!!!

Always A Bridesmaid (For Now)

2010-07-19T21:14:00.004-05:00

Bridesmaid??? Yep I have not won a race.....yet. That's not to say that I am not proud of what I have achieved especially after some of the ass kickin's I have taken in some races. I was able to go to Eureka Springs this past weekend and race at the Fat Tire Festival, I have been there 3 years in a row now and I really like that course. I really need to work on my loose gravel downhill sections and some of the single track had a lot of gravel that took some getting use to. My technical riding has come a long way since I started riding and the section around the lake was a blast to ride. There is a ton of climbing on this course and that is were my hard work showed in my opinion, I was able to find my groove on the climbs (when I wasn't stuck behind someone) and pull away from some riders. I finished 2nd in the Cat II 30-39 out of 23 riders, I was very pleased with my results on the day.

Here is a pic of me giving James a pep talk before the race.....right. Actually he was giving me a pep talk, making sure I remembered the course....where to recover and where to really turn it on. Thanks James!!!

Here is James and Lyle just chillin out before the start, I think James told him his 29er was going to put the hurt on him and Lyle just said "Bring it on".

This a good pic of me and Denny taking off on the start, I finally got a good start position but the guy on my right kept coming into me which made for a rough 100 ft or so but I was able to finally get around him, besides we still had a lot of climbing to get out of town.

Here I am exiting the single track at the finish of the race, no I don't shave my chest along with my legs it is naturally hairless!!!

No the whole trail was not paved....trust me it was NOT paved!!! I am headed to the finish line and ready for my chocloate milk that has been buried in ice water during the race.

Denny on his way into the finish line. Denny came in 6th place in our class out of 23 riders.

Jonas (my 3 year old) actually took this picture. Can you tell I was trying to rehydrate??? It was hot!!!

At the awards ceremony getting my pint glass and watch, they only thing they didn't have was a podium. Between the Chillicothe riders and Lyle and Cathy we had really good results, (2) first place finishers, (2) second place finishers, and (1) sixth place finish...not too shabby.

IC Trail Is Getting Closer

2010-06-29T22:48:00.002-05:00

I think that the trail system at Indian Creek Lake is almost done with trimming, there is still plenty of work to be done with reroutes and armoring but at least we will be able to ride without getting smacked in the legs with weeds. I know that Tim was working on his section today and Denny and James have their section ready to rock and roll plus Coach has his section done as well. I spent several hours out there today and got my section all trimmed, I also removed 2 trees from the corridor with my hand saw but still have one large tree that is leaning over the trail and it is way too low.

With the nice weather I was really wanting to ride sometime today but I have ridden 7 or 8 days in the last 8 days and I needed a little recovery. Of course I got a full body workout doing trail work today but that's okay with me. I had an armoring detail that I was going to work on tomorrow but there has been a change of plans in my personal schedule so it will have to wait for another day.

Trail In Need Of TLC

2010-06-26T19:22:00.004-05:00

I went this afternoon and rode Indian Creek from the campground to the top and back, the trail hits both ends of the spectrum. I decided to ride so I could do a recon on my section, get some warmer weather riding in, and put a few more miles on my legs, it was not a cardio workout because so much of the trail is in such rough shape....in fact it was more of a bike handling session (which was good too). The campground loop was being mowed as I rolled out and was finished when I got back and I have to say it is awesome. Other areas to note are where Doug trimmed from 510 down to the creek crossing, I would classify that as a "race ready" section on any trail. Also where Doug has trimmed from lot 17 to bottom hollow road, some of the open sections have a little growth on them but nothing compared to some of the other sections of trail. I had trimmed my section earlier this year but you can't even tell it, it is a mess right now and those stinging nettles are back and I think they are pissed off and they let me know it.

Of course Doug has been putting in the hours on his section plus, and James and Denny have their section buff....it is PRIME right now!!! I ran into James and asked him if he wanted to race me on dirt. He kind of got that half smile on his face and just looked to the ground. Then with his "CAT I" like reflexes he popped me right in the mouth, and I hate to admit it but it sent me backwards onto the ground. He stood over me chuckling and said "That is pretty much the same result of us racing each other, it just saves me some time". What do you say to something like that???

What A Jerk!!!

2010-06-25T21:39:00.002-05:00

I slipped back out tonight for another road ride, I was able to get in 35 miles and that sometimes "Jerk Off" friend of mine, the wind, gave me some punishment. I started out on the loop but after climbing to the top I stayed on Hwy A over to Hwy U and then made the turn South back to 190. It doesn't take much of a wind at all to get a heck of a workout on Hwy U, I rode in my drops most of the time and still felt like I was barely moving and by the time I got back to 190 to ride out the end of the 190 Alps my legs were pretty blown. As the wind was hitting me I could hear her whispering in my ear: "Where have you been?" "Trying to avoid me?". I started screaming absurd, almost lunatic comments: "I had detention" "I had to clean my room" "I wet my pants". Absurd comments.....well the first two weren't true, and that last comment can stay between you, me and the Internet!!!

Actually I have gotten in quite a few windy rides this spring and they have served me well but today was a bit of a struggle. I did ride hard yesterday but I thought I could carry a better avg than I did tonight, I dropped to a 19.0 on the last climb coming back into town. I know there are some positives in that ride somewhere, if nothing else it was better than not riding at all.

Finding My Groove

2010-06-24T21:04:00.003-05:00

Today was an ideal day to do a time trial except for the fact that I was exhausted from an early shift at work and hadn't properly fueled myself.....not that that is unusual. The temps were not real hot and the wind seemed fairly mild so I set out to ride the loop knowing in the past on days like this one that I could ride a 20.5+ avg. Heading out on old 190 proved to be a chore for me and I was already thinking that this might be another tough ride.....man, I have got to find my groove again. It felt like I was riding into a slight headwind but I don't believe I was. When I got out onto 190 and on the trip North on Hwy Y it felt like a headwind still but I kept looking at the tree tops and they were not moving at all....Marco.....I'll find it sooner or later. Once I got to the top I checked my avg and it was at 19.1 which was better than what it felt like I was riding, I continued over to Hwy A and headed South. I did have a very slight tailwind but I wasn't carrying a ton of speed, I was able to get the avg up to 19.8 once I hit 190 again. I rode solid through the bottoms and carried pretty good speed up the Grand Oaks hill but I was really starting to feel the burn at the top and started to fade when a good song came through my ear buds.....I kicked up my cadence and found my groove!!! I think we all know that feeling of suffering but you know you are doing things right and you are loving the pain you are in, I was finally in that mode cresting the hill and cranking back towards town. I only wish I had got into that rhythm earlier in the ride but it was still a really productive ride. I ended up with a 20.4 avg on the loop which for a solo effort is not too bad right now.....I'm feeling the effects of my ride right now and I'm loving it!!!

Still Recovering

2010-06-23T10:38:00.003-05:00

I went out this morning to the campground loop to get a few laps in before the possible rain comes.....again. Monday night I really didn't have much in the tank to ride after Saturday's hard effort. I don't know how the long ride home on Sunday played in the scenario but I have to think it didn't help but we had to get home......right? I was hoping to get some night laps in last night since today is my only day off this week and night laps would fit into my schedule but Molly and the kids are going on vacation today so I figured I better spend some time with them before they left since I won't see them until Monday sometime. I hadn't ridden my single speed in a while so I decided to take Mary out and let her play in the dirt. I have never timed it but I think I can ride the campground loop faster on my single speed than I can on my geared bike. The first lap I went out pretty hard and kept the fast tempo through the whole lap and then on the second lap I backed off and flushed my legs. I could tell that I had power but it was not sustained. The third lap I let it all hang out (well maybe not "everything") and was ripping corners and flying up the gradual inclines, I was picking areas to work on break aways and then trying to stay on the gas. I was cranking right along but I soon realized that I was getting gassed much quicker than I had expected, then I remembered it had only been a few days since the race and I need to be smart about my riding. I don't think it was a bad idea to go ride but I was getting down on myself for feeling so weak. I took it easy on the fourth lap and started the fifth lap out pretty fast but quickly started to slow down, I decided to just ride and not push it too much. I was bombing down the grassy section that feeds in below the camp area and leads down to the water and as I made the right hand turn back onto single track I nearly went down as the back end washed out......I knew right then the tire was too low. Sure enough it was going flat, I hit it with air and it sounded liked the leak was coming from the around the valve stem. Instead of fixing it I decided to walk it out and that is when I noticed a big thorn in the front tire....and I'm running tubes in both tires, the front is still holding air but I am not about to pull that thorn out right now. I have to get this bike converted to tubeless, I guess all I need is the rim strips since I have everything else already. Priorities have kept me from getting this done yet but it is time to do it. I am considering getting a suspension fork on Mary to make trail riding more enjoyable.....plus then my eyeballs wouldn't be rattling around in my head on the rocky descents. There are times I literally can not see what is going on due to the vicious bounding that my body is taking and I just hope for the best. I did put a Thudbuster ST on her though and that has helped a ton even on smoother sections. I know the long travel is designed more for mountain bike but the short travel that I have on her really takes the edge off. I would usually have some serious back pain after riding her all rigid, she is starting to so her softer side but don't let her fool you....she can still be a real Ball Buster!!!

Lumberjack 100 Report

2010-06-21T21:37:00.005-05:00

This was the third year in a row that Mark, Tim, and I made the trip up to Wellston, MI for the Lumberjack 100 mountain bike race. This year it was only Tim and I racing as Mark wasn't able to get an entry for the race, the registration filled up in just over 12 hours with a field limit of 300 racers. I had to make an emergency run to Parkville the Saturday before we left so that I could get the rear brake bled on my bike, it was kind of scary how little braking power I had. I went back on Wednesday to pick it up after work and with a 3 a.m. shift on Thursday and then leaving Thursday afternoon I had to hurry to get things prepped and packed. After picking up my bike I wanted to ride it around town for 2 reasons: 1. To make sure everything was working well 2. To give my legs a little stretch before the long drive the next day. I rode around town for a little bit and then as I was rolling toward the driveway I grabbed brake and the rear brake lever mashed to the grip and I just kept rolling. OH DEAR LORD, let the panic begin. I'm not sure how many emotions ran through my body at one time but it was overwhelming, I grabbed the brake lever with my fingers and pulled on it and it came out in my hand.......OH SWEET MOSES!!! I compared the two levers and quickly realized that the pin that held the rear lever in place was missing. I called Mark and he told me to bring it on over, on the drive to his house I was already getting my mind right to ride my single speed instead of my geared rig. Mark already had an old Avid brake system that he had saved (just for these kinds of events) in the driveway when I arrived and quickly determined what was missing and how to retrieve the part from the old brake system. Within minutes of tinkering he said "Try that", son of a gun it worked......I had pooped in my pants for nothing, well maybe not nothing because it was actually pretty scary.

Thursday about 5:00 p.m. we loaded up in Tim's van and headed on the road. Once we got North of Chicago a ways we found a town to pull over in and get a couple hours of sleep, it wasn't the best sleep but it was still sleep and it was good. We woke up as the town started to stir and grabbed a bite of breakfast and then back on the road. We only had another couple hours or so of driving left to reach Manistee, MI. Once we arrived there we found a small camping area and pulled in and slept some more until mid morning and then picked up a few things in town and then headed over to the Black Bear Inn. I don't think check in was until around 3 but we arrived shortly after Noon and was able to get into the room with no problem. We had the exact same room as last year, of course it was a 1 in 6 shot at the Black Bear Inn. We all took another nap and then geared up and headed over to the Big M ski lodge to pre ride and pick up our race packets. The start of the single track started a long gradual climb that was getting my heart rate and breathing up rather quickly but after we got to the top we were able to bomb down some screaming fast twisty single track. Mark and I rode together, we only rode 6.5 miles as I found myself pushing harder than I probably should, and Tim rode another section. After cleaning up we went and had dinner and then off to bed for an early rise to get to the race site, every year people start arriving earlier and earlier. I knew we had picked a great pit area because several pro riders were pitting together and they picked the site right next to us after we had already put up our tent.

The race started with a 2 mile roll out on pavement before diving into single track and there seemed to be a lot more riders trying to ride with the lead group this year. Last year I was on the tail end of the lead group when we hit the single track but this year I rode the pavement strong but didn't push too hard, I knew it was going to be a long day of riding regardless. The first 5 miles or so was a steady train of riders but we were able to work free for a bit and then we got clustered again. I found myself in 3rd or 4th position in a string of 15-20 riders and we rode like this for a few miles. We got to the aid station and a few riders dropped off to fuel up and I was now in 2nd position of this train. A short distance after the aid station was about a 3/4 mile climb in a sandy section and I was able to overtake the lead of the caravan and found myself pulling for roughly the next 8 miles. I was getting tired but didn't want to let a single rider pass as I knew they would all want to pass and besides I was controlling the pace......I kept it uncomfortable. We finally popped out onto a road section and I backed off to let someone else take over and it seemed that no body wanted to but finally a couple guys jumped up and I used the road section for recovery (the road was sucking the energy out of me most of the day...I was glad it wasn't very long). The cluster of riders scattered into the next section of single track and finally I was heading toward the end of the lap and ready for a pit, I was amazed when I crossed the line at 2:52. My pit stop only lasted 2-3 minutes and then I was off again.

If you couldn't tell from the picture....I was suffering and I think I looked like that most of the day. I would find myself feeling really strong and I would push hard during those times and as I would start to peter out I would back off and find a recovery zone to ride in but I made sure not to stay in it. Hydration was a big goal for me that day as I knew that cramping would be an issue for many riders. I didn't get nearly as much liquid as I would have liked on the first lap because I was trying to stay focused with so many riders right behind me. The second lap I drained my camelbak and only had a few ounces left in my bottle. I finished the second lap at 6 hr 2 min into the race, I was really pleased with my pace. This pit was 3-4 minutes, I seemed to have more trouble taking the pills I had set out but quickly was on my way. Only a couple miles in I just couldn't seem to drink enough water, I was so thirsty and just kept hydrating....even to the point I was feeling a bit water logged. I had not stopped at the aid station out on the course on either of the first two laps and I had no intention of stopping on the third lap but I realized that I would not make it to the end of the race without running out of water. When I arrived at the aid station I didn't rush too quickly but I had a plan and I executed it and left. It was a good thing I had stopped because I had already drank 3/4 of my camelbak and was only half way through the lap. I found my happy place with about 10 miles to go and was able to fire on all pistons the rest of the way in. I did struggle at the top of the last big climb, I could feel my hammy's start to tense and I knew to dismount or pay the consequences. After stepping off the bike and taking a couple steps to crest the hill my muscles were trying to knot up but I was able to fight it off. I eased up the rest of the gradual climb and then it was the wicked screaming fast downhill to the bottom and then about 3 miles of flowy single track to the finish. With about a mile to go I caught another rider and was on his tail in a flash, he heard me coming and just moved over and I stayed on the throttle. I was afraid he was catching me but it was my camelbak making noise behind me. Just to make sure I rode with a very high intensity to do a break away that I was certain he would not catch and I ended up making quite a gap and was able to sprint to the finish line. My goal of 10 hr 45 minutes was crushed with a time of 9 hr 19 min 06 secs. I don't think I could have been more pleased with the race that day, I feel like I rode at the next level and I hope that I can continue to do so.

What made the day even sweeter is that Tim is an official Lumberjack, Tim finished the race and he had been suffering.......seriously suffering. A finish is a finish Tim, and no one can take that away from you....GREAT JOB!!!

2010 Dirty Kanza Recap

2010-06-08T14:09:00.003-05:00

The DK 200...WOW!!! Does a 205 mile gravel road race sound like hell? If you answered yes then you would be correct, especially when temps reached into the mid/upper 90's. First of all I would like to say that Jim Cummins, Joel Dyke, and all the Dirty Kanza sponsors did an outstanding job putting on this event. The event had a new host hotel this year, The Best Western, and it was about as good of a setup as you could have. Racers arrived to do race packet pick up and then had the option of an all you can eat pasta feed followed by the racers meeting later in the evening. Molly and I were fortunate to get a room there so all we had to do was walk across the parking lot to get everything accomplished. Looking around the room during the racers meeting it was a little intimidating to see the caliber of racers that were there but then I remembered that I was there mainly for training for Lumberjack and 24 hr of DINO. Coach asked me what my goal was for the race and I didn't really have one because to be really honest I wasn't sure if I could do it. I figured if I could complete the race then I would be happy to do it in 18 hrs.The race started and finished at the Granada Theater in downtown Emporia, this would prove to be a great location for the festivities throughout the day. The race started at 6 a.m. with a police escort through town. I had a bit of a panic on the start, we started rolling and I looked down and my computer was not registering speed. I knew immediately that the magnet had been moved in transport but I was riding in the middle of a pack and didn't want to work my way to the edge and fix the problem and then have to play catch up. I was really frustrated because I wanted to know my mileage to help read the map and also so I knew how much farther to the checkpoint. As we turned onto the gravel I was quite a ways in the back but just rode a steady pace until I found a way to get around a few riders and then worked hard to get to the next group so I could draft and then worked my way through that group and bridged up to the next pack and tucked in to recover. I would ride somewhat hard for a while and then drift back to a recovery pace knowing that I had all day to sit in the saddle. Several riders were going out super hard and I kept telling myself "It's not a race".....not a race??? I kept telling myself "At that pace it's a race to see who bonks first". I was riding pretty good and feeling pretty good when Troy Krause came around me at about mile 45, he had dried blood all down his right arm but was riding strong. I rode close behind him for a short distance and he would ride with his arm just hanging straight down, it looked like it hurt pretty bad. Shortly after he and another rider went around we were riding a pretty fast section and all of a sudden my rear tire got cut and started spraying sealant on every revolution. I stopped quickly and spun the tire but it didn't totally seal, I found the hole and rubbed it and it sealed. It was a sidewall cut and I was pretty sure it wouldn't stay sealed but it was worth a shot, I hit it with CO2 and she blew open again so I pulled the rim strip and put in a tube. I decided to run higher pressure than I would have preferred because the roads have large rocks embedded in the ground and some are almost like small ledge drops and I did not want to pinch flat. The higher pressure would cause me to spin out while climbing out of the saddle but I could handle that over a pinch flat. The rest of the first leg I played catch up without blowing up, I rode strong but not at my max. I pulled into the first checkpoint and took about 10-15 minutes to refuel, put on my lovely Chamios Butt'r and rubbed some Biofreeze on my lower back.

I had fixed my computer during a pee break on the first leg and decided I would zero out at every checkpoint since the mileage from checkpoint to checkpoint was on the map. The maps were much better this year, much easier to read and you could of rode the whole course without a map....it was marked that good. The second leg had quite a bit of flat section which was nice but the temps started to climb and fatigue was starting to settle in on many riders. After one particular downhill the temp instantly jumped and it felt like a sauna, I was worried that the rest of the day was going to be like riding in this furnace but as I started climbing I looked around and realized we were climbing out of a small canyon and there was no way air could hit us. As I crested the top the air hit me and it felt awesome, it was still really warm but it was much better than what we had just experienced. The second checkpoint was at mile 103 and I had already decided that I was going to take some time there to really rest, I may have taken longer than I should have but it may have paid off later in the day as well. I was there for about 45 minutes and then headed out for the shortest leg of the race but I was told it had some interesting riding as well.

The third leg would prove to be my best riding of the day, on this 38 mile section I would pass at least 15 riders and did not get passed by anyone. Riders were really struggling and I think my prolonged break helped me push on. This section had "Lil Egypt Rd", I had heard of this but wasn't sure what to expect. Let me just say that I wouldn't drive on this without 4 wheel drive but I would ride a cross bike with 35mm tires on it????? I was wishing I had my full suspension bike on the downhill portions of this road, I was descending very slow so I didn't wipe out in the large sharp loose rock. I was able to climb every section of the road though, I passed several riders that were walking their bikes so I was able to make up some ground. As I got to the top of a short steep power climb I could see a rider just ahead lying on the ground in the road, I was a little scared he was really hurt. He looked up as I approached and I asked him if he was okay, he said he was but he was beat. Shortly after that I came across another rider that was laying over his handlebars but didn't take any help from me, I'm not sure he would make it to the next checkpoint. I rode into the checkpoint strong but the heat was intense too, I was getting gassed and was in need of some hydration and getting my core cooled. There was about 12-15 bikers in the local gas station trying to cool off in the air conditioning, I was trying to hydrate but it was difficult because my hand was shaking so badly that I could hardly get the water in my mouth. I would remain at this checkpoint for an hour before heading out on the last leg.

The last leg was 66 miles, not a distance that I liked staring in the face but I had no choice. The next little town was about 24 miles away and it was nothing but uphill and downhill the whole way. They were long climbs and the downhills were pretty loose gravel, I was stopping every other climb to rest as I was really feeling the pain now. I eventually stopped, laid my bike on the ground and just stood and ate a Hammer Bar, the doubt was starting to slip into my head then but I had to dig down and push on. I wasn't sure how far away Eskridge was and the hills were still coming on fierce, we were on an off road section that I had to walk some of the climbs. Finally after getting to the top we made a turn South and after slow pedal strokes up the hill I could see the water tower for Eskridge....finally. There was a gas station there and it closed at 8:00 p.m. I arrived at 7:50. I wasn't out of water but I stopped and got a little more and decided to rest along with a multitude of other bikers. There were several vehicles picking up riders as they were throwing in the towel for the day. I knew I wasn't going to stop now but I was going to rest a bit longer. One rider was going into the gas station and asked me if I needed anything, I told him a kick in the nuts would probably be best at the moment.

Another rider said there was a section coming up that he wanted to get through before it got dark, that got my attention so I jumped up, put on my helmet, and took off on my bike. He was right, I wouldn't want to ride it in the dark either....it was doable but not preferred. After I got to the main gravel again I decided to ride as fast as I could without blowing up so I could get as far as I could before having to turn on my headlights. I ended up being about 30 miles away before I turned on my headlights and the wind had shifted to the North to give us an awesome tailwind. I lost 2 spots to some riders that were riding very strong, I was feeling pretty good but couldn't hang with them. About mile 184 I cut the front tire and it went totally flat within seconds. I was able to change this flat pretty quickly, I think I was too tired to panic and try and rush. The worst part of this repair wasn't the fact that it was in the dark and I had to use the beam from my headlight, it was the fact that I was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and I lost another couple spots to advancing racers as well. The glow of the Emporia lights was getting brighter and so was my spirits and finally I came to a sign that said "End Of Gravel". I was so excited until I realized that the sign meant it was now a dirt road and not going to paved road. I couldn't read my computer in the dark so I was not sure how much further to town but finally got to Hwy 99. It was a short ride to cross over I-35 and then the turn into the Emporia State Campus, I was getting really excited now since I knew that I was almost done. The ride through campus was longer than I had expected but soon I popped out onto Commercial St and it was only a few blocks to the finish line. I could hear music in the distance and people were cheering me the whole way down the street. I was out of the saddle from the time I entered the campus to the time I crossed the finish line. I was so excited to be done, I think I could have ridden farther but it was a relief to know that I didn't have to. Remember I would be happy to finish in 18 hrs, I finished in 16 hrs and 34 mins. After Jim wrote down my name and congratulated me on my finish I walked my bike out of the finish area and saw Coach walking toward me with a smile from ear to ear. He shook my hand and congratulated me and then Molly was running toward me because she had been up the street keeping watch for me to finish. She gave me a big hug and took my bike so I could take off my gear. After a short visit with Molly and Coach I laid down on the sidewalk and rested my back and body, it felt so good to just lay there. Coach went to see where I finished and I could not believe my ears when he came back and said that I finished 22nd out of 157 riders. I know that I finished in a higher place than I probably should have because there were several riders that were much better than I am but fell victim to crashes, heat, and exhaustion.....but that's part of racing.

I also have to say that Stoney Cranmer rode like a champ on a single speed, Stoney took second place in the single speed division. He was winning that class but his crew had the wrong van at the last checkpoint and he had to wait over an hour for the right equipment. I am sure that if he didn't have to wait for supplies that he would have won the single speed division, I think he would have beaten me as well. Well done Stoney!!! I also finished one minute before one of Stoney's teammates, he would have finished well ahead of me but he was being a true team player and riding with a slower team rider early in the day.