MTB United

Rocky Mountain High

2011-11-28T19:59:00.001-06:00

Quick Denver trip over the weekend to see Dave. Just pics. Loads of fun with my bro.

Full size show here, or........

Still the One(s)......

2011-11-12T19:40:00.001-06:00

As the years go by, nothing compares.

Santa Fe

2011-11-10T12:53:00.001-06:00

So we planned a few nights in Santa Fe as I may have mentioned. Monitored weather until the day we were supposed to leave and had to call an audible the night before due to shitty winter weather. The weather map said the South was to be sunny and 60 for our days of travel. Narrowed down to Charleston and Asheville. Asheville wins. Changed flights and lodging and away we went.

Stayed in a loft downtown. Walked the town, ate a ton, hiked, perused some art galleries, etc.

Bulleted Thoughts

-Asheville dining has a lot of focus on local, organic, and fresh; right up our alley so we didn't go hungry.

-I eat my fair share of BBQ, we generally seek it out when traveling for work. Had a lot from MO, TX, AR, and OK. I found the best. 12 Bones in Asheville wins hands down. Not just for one thing, but everything. Ribs, pork, beef, turkey, potato salad, corn pudding, baked beans, green beans. All superior. I can give specific details if you want, but won't bore you here. I ended up eating two dinners and half of Jess' lunch, and yes I finished the cookie and the beer as well.

-Appalacians / Pisgah National Forest is as beautiful as I remember. We were behind the foliage peak, but still lots of bright red to be seen. Blue Ridge Parkway would be a great bike ride. Waterfalls, rhododendron, blue hills, fog, etc. Could spend a ton of time exploring here.

-Neither of us know anything about art, except what we like. The River Arts District is a developing haven for artists rising out of an abandoned industrial area. Very cool and interesting for us even though we know nothing. (I asked before I photographed)

Full Size Slideshow

Current

2011-10-26T16:57:00.000-05:00

***This will contain a plethora of the typical "boat bow to scenery" shots. You've been warned.***

Few weeks ago had the itch to get back down to the Current for a solo overnighter. Weather has been amazing, so I made the push.

The plan was for 27ish miles, from Pulltite to Two Rivers, where the Jack's Fork joins up. I wasn't going to be on the water until 1PM so I planned to get through a bit more than half and then set up camp on a gravel bar.

Abundant Scenery.

As I passed under a large tree similar to the one at left below, a Bald Eagle took to flight. It takes them a second or two to start gaining altitude, so it flew right over my head and downriver. I could hear its huge wings beating the air. One of those moments where I actually spoke aloud even though no one was there to listen. It got up near the bluff ahead and circled, catching updrafts until I could barely see it. I'd have never noticed, but there were two more up there as well. I don't know if they were eagles or not. Didn't appear to be Turkey Vultures.

Later on I saw another huge bird flying down the river, looked like a Golden Eagle to me.

Almost stopped at Bee Bluff to camp for the night but I was enjoying the river too much to stop. Once dusk came I realized I was moving pretty quickly and had approx. two hours of paddling to go. The allure of a night paddle was too strong so I bundled up and got out the lights. Never had to use them though, the stars were bright.

Finished up around 9 and decided to roll home.

This may be my favorite float of all.

Rat

2011-10-13T12:19:00.000-05:00

Talking with Keeven a while back got me thinking about a certain style of motorcycles (and cars and bikes) that I think is cool. The other day I realized that I was a few easy steps away from having my own. Jess' old mtb was just hanging in the rafters, all it needed was handlebars and tires. I pulled off the front brake and lever, inner and outer rings, and front derailleur and shifter. Put on a bash guard from the parts bin. Ran the rear shifter to the seatpost instead, creating by far my most favorite part, the suicide shifter. Slapped on the new bar and tires.

What's in a Name?

2011-08-29T07:23:00.001-05:00

Jess and I headed down to Council Bluff this weekend for a night under the stars. The weather has been great here as of late and we had to take advantage.

Paddled the lake....

And hiked to "The Bluff"....

And in true Seagal fashion took in some Dos Primos. It really is good.

You may remember my old boat, which now belongs to someone else, was nicknamed "The Bernard". I need a nickname for the new boat. It's a bit longer than the last so I was trying to come up with a variation on the original, like Bigger Bernard. It doesn't need to follow that, but I think I like having Bernard in it.

Any suggestions?

Flying.....High.....

2011-08-15T17:43:00.000-05:00

That Shit's too Shallow for this Lawn Dart

2011-08-08T11:16:00.000-05:00

Jimbo, Keeven, and I headed down to the Current for a few days/nights. 51 miles paddled total. Fun stuff.

Full size here or:

Family Goes to Door County, WI

2011-07-08T15:54:00.000-05:00

We spent the past week up north "cooling off". The Door County area is vey beautiful and relaxing. Great paddling, road riding, and quality family time. I'll bore you with the pics if you please.

Or view full size here.

Sidetrip

2011-07-01T07:30:00.000-05:00

Traveling through Arkansas this past week. Ole Blue kicked my ass.

Having a blast until I got this.

Had to cut it short and do a bit of this.

Was doing some work for the local Sheriff, he let me ride along on a mission with the heli pilot and the lead diver around the local Corp of Engineers reservoir. Those things are agile. Notice the MTB United paint scheme they put on there for us.

I Missed the Boat

2011-06-13T16:03:00.000-05:00

First watch David clean and jerk 245 lbs. Yes, they call him Super. And they call me Special. Not sure that's a compliment.

Watch The Big Jump video afterward for a laugh.

The weather broke this weekend so we did our best to get out in it. Saturday I brought the boats up to Council Bluff lake.

Put the boats in and paddled two miles over to the quiet side to meet up with Jimmy and set up camp.

Ended up pulling Jess' boat as I didn't want to leave it in the parking lot overnight. It worked well as a gear hauler.

We took a few mile hike up to the top of Johnson Mountain which apparently includes the actual Council Bluff. Amazing view from up top.

Did a little feeding and hit the hammock.

Was up at 5:30 the next morning to paddle out.

Loaded up and drove over to Onondaga Cave to meet Jess. We shuttled the boats ten miles upstream to Bass. Six miles on the Courtois, 1.5 on the Huzzah, and 2.5 on the Meremac. The water was clear, crisp, and moving. No dragging, even up on the Courtois. Had an enjoyable float with picture perfect conditions.

Yep, I dumped it. High sided a bit when I slammed the log and the current jumped up over the near side and rolled me.

My amazing view for the entire trip.

Courtois in to the Huzzah.

Huzzah in to the Meremac.

Packed it up and rolled home. Great weekend.

Maximus Race

2011-05-04T08:24:00.006-05:00

Howdy folks. Just throwing some pics up from this past Sunday. Rode in the first of three races in the Michaux Endurance Series. Did the 10 miler (I know I know, big boys do the 20 or 40). The day was nice, not too cold and the rain held off, but the trail was sloppy. Running water coming down the uphillls and sticky mud in all the low areas. Had to hop off several times and felt slow otherwise--finished 11th overall, 4th in my class. Fun time anyway, good food, free beer, and Lera and Bear at the finish.

Start

Done

Food

Beer

10 miler results and all cat results

Easter MTB Race

2011-04-24T16:42:00.007-05:00

Started off the race season Saturday with the Easter MTB Race at Schenectady Central Park trails. The temperature was cool (high was about 45) and wet (rained all morning). Trails were an absolute mud-fest, very slick - especially on roots and planks. A little over 30 riders total, between all classes. I placed fourth, out of 14 riders in Sport class. Hoped for a little better place, but I'm not complaining. I can come up with a number of reasons why I should have done better. But, the bottom line is, endurance. 11 miles, 1:10 total. Maybe some more pics later, if I can find some.

Along the same lines.......

2011-04-05T14:40:00.001-05:00

Trials, XC, Street, DH, Freeride, Dirt.

D. All of the Above

A Hill in Spain from chris akrigg on Vimeo.

Cool Videos

2011-03-22T11:39:00.002-05:00

http://vimeo.com/9970489

http://vimeo.com/20601448

Long Weekend

2011-02-21T20:17:00.001-06:00

I rode my road bike once a couple of weeks ago. It felt great and I had a good time.

Some pics from the weekend. Excuse the phone quality pics.

See big pics here or watch show below.

Winter

2011-01-20T16:34:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.

Since about Thanksgiving, I've been on a bike one time. Other things are keeping me entertained lately. On a scale of 1 to 10, my desire to ride a bike right now hovers around 1-3. That's technical.

We've been fortunate enough to take a couple of trips so here are some pics. $0 to the person who can name the two places. See the full size pics here, or small ones below.

And here are some more pics of our bad ass dog.

CrossFit Kandahar

2010-11-16T12:35:00.001-06:00

http://www.dcmilitary.com/stories/111110/pentagram_28405.shtml

We've been.......

2010-11-03T18:37:00.000-05:00

I'm so over typing.

I built you dorks something

All Hollows MTB Race

2010-11-01T10:00:00.005-05:00

I participated in the All Hollows MTB Race yesterday. Race was 10.5 miles total at the local trails. About 20-25 riders were there and 15 in the Sport class, which is what I rode. Weather was cold, about 45 at race time. It was super competitive, with a lot of good riders. I jumped out in front at the beginning and didn't look back the whole time. One guy caught up to me at the end, but I held off. I placed first in my category out of those 15, with a final time of 1:03. Podium finish, took home some loot and candy. Good stuff. They now want me to move up to Pro/Expert. Really? Is that a joke?

Pics:

This is hilarious and not me.

1st Cross Race

2010-09-23T11:21:00.000-05:00

Did my first cross race last weekend. Everyone is right, that format is extremely fun. I will be doing more of these. I learned a bit about strategy and hopefully can to better next time. If I can stay toward the top a few times I'll move up to Cat 3 and be a bottom of the pack racer. I think I can do that, but am not sure about licensing and Categories and all that road stuff. Thanks for the pics and the help Jim.

There's a race at Council Bluff this weekend. A little Burnin' prep may be in order. Probably take my time on the SS in the marathon class.

Results

Pics

Pics

Luther Loops

2010-09-13T07:16:00.002-05:00

Raced the first inaugural Luther Loops MTB Race yesterday. These trails are brand new and were just given 'legal' status recently. The trails system isn't long - at only about 4 miles per loop - but I discovered it is only a 15 minute drive from my house. There is talk of extending the trails and also doing more races here. Format of the race was 2 hours, most laps win. I'll try to make this post short (what is with me and these super long write-ups?)

There were about 20 or so racers total, about half of which were in Sport and other half in Pro. I raced Sport and recognized a few riders from other local races. We start out at a double track that funnels into single and no one is vying to jump out front. I end up going into the single-track second, along with two other riders right behind me. I yo-yo back and forth for first and second for the first half of this lap. Then I'm in first for the better part of this lap, with the other three guys right on my tail.

I realize now I pushed it way too hard, because I completely blow out going into the second lap. Two guys overtake me pretty quickly and just like that I'm alone. I hold on, feeling like crap and come in to go out for the third lap.

I pull back in this third lap, just trying to keep a rhythm. I regain some strength and start feeling better.

I don't really remember the fourth lap, except that when I came in I still had time to do one more lap, so I go out for one more.

On the fifth lap, my quads start cramping really bad. I start sliding back and forth in the saddle to try and redistribute my muscle load, which seems to help a bit. Come in to the finish and I'm elated that I'm done. As I cross the line, I hear the race organizer call out "third place, sport". I'll take it, for sure. I go home with some loot and a podium finish. Great race against some super great riders. No pics, yet. Final stats: 20.15 miles, 2 hours and 15 minutes, 8.9 average speed.

Midwest SS Championships

2010-09-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

Results

Video of the start

And more pics here

Labor - ious

2010-09-10T11:42:00.000-05:00

Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series Results

2010-09-01T07:51:00.003-05:00

It looks like I placed 8th out of 20 or so riders in the series. Not bad for missing one of the races (last night). This is one spot better than last year, I'll take it.

Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series - IV & V

2010-08-25T16:27:00.001-05:00

The race last night (four of five) was cancelled because of rain. I can't make it to the race next week, because of my teaching schedule. More in a few weeks.

The Beer Question

2010-08-22T16:32:00.003-05:00

Any suggestions...

Tour de Schenectady

2010-08-22T10:33:00.007-05:00

To preface, I don't mean to monopolize the blog... the Tour de Schenectady was Saturday, filled with benefit rides of all sorts going towards the Schenectady Cancer Foundation. A short road ride of 15 miles, a long road ride of 55 miles and a 12 mile MTB race held in Schenectady's Central Park. I originally was on the fence about riding any of these for a variety of reasons. But, ultimately decided to do the MTB race. This event was organized by the same group doing the Tuesday series, with the exact same race location and format. I went for it, thinking I could get in a solid weekend training ride and maybe make some progress with technical features.

When I showed up, I was surprised by how few riders were there. It was a super nice day; 67 degrees, sunny and a light breeze. Trails were in perfect shape, dry and packed down. Who wouldn't want to ride on a Saturday with those conditions? When we went to line up, there were only about 10 riders, with very few of the 'regulars' from the Tuesday series.

The race starts and, oddly, I jump out in front and hit the trail with no one ahead of me. What is going on? I hit it really hard, just pumping as fast as I can. The whole pack behind me. This is the first time this has happened and I have to admit, I was surprised. I hit the first series of switchbacks and no one is near me. I start thinking maybe the race stopped or something, but keep riding. Then I see some riders, but they are way back. Okay, normally, when I start I'm following at least half a dozen riders and just fighting to keep up. I'm riding clean and hard through the first lap, completely solo - no one around me. It felt very weird to not have anyone in front of me. I come in with a solid first lap time - 23:30 - only 30 seconds off from my first lap Tuesday.

Going into the second lap, same thing, no one around me. I see guys through switchbacks every so often, but they are at least a minute back. I back off a little from my pace part way through so I don't blow out. I come in from the second lap and go out for the third. Same thing as the first two. I finish the third lap, feeling good... in first place overall. Weird. I've never won a MTB race and wouldn't say I'm that great of a rider to win. But, I guess I did. As a result, I get placed first in Pro category (more by default) and take home the loot. Gift card, water bottle, free lunch. But, best of all... I'm getting a free bike fit, a completely top to bottom service, from Plaine and Son Bike Shop. I'm so excited, I can't believe it.

I also realize that my time is a bit faster than Tuesday - 1:12. That's one minute shaved off my best time. My average speeds have been hovering around 9.6-9.8 for the 12 miles.

No pics yet, but there might be some coming later.

A Couple of Things........

2010-08-21T22:13:00.001-05:00

I've been blog dormant for a while so here's a little update. First, a couple new builds to clutter up the garage.

Second, our good friend Ingrid of IStudio took us out to ride some dirt bikes, the kind with engines. We went to her buddy Harper's (one of the coolest people I've ever met) place outside of Troy, 10 acres of fields, trails, and jumps. This was the first time David and I had ever ridden motorcycles so we were pretty excited. Ingrid brought her Kawasaki 250 four stroke, and Harper has a Honda 450 four stroke and a KTM 200 two stroke. They are both great teachers, super generous, and incredible riders. I've got a few more good vids too but they're just too big to post.

Thank you so much Ingrid and Harper, we had a blast!

Dave suiting up

Chris

Ingrid

Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series - III

2010-08-18T14:34:00.003-05:00

One step back, two steps forward. I had one of the best races last night; finishing sixth, with my best time ever - 1:11. I trimmed 5 minutes off my time from last week and moved up two spots in the overall rankings to 8th. I also had my best lap times - 23 minutes first lap, just under 24 minutes for the second lap and 24 for the third lap. This was the most consistent I've ridden in a long time. I, of course, still wrecked once and had a minor run-in with a tree. I can't seem to get one clean race without a dust up, but I'll take the time improvement.

First lap was super fast, with some really great, new riders. I started out about 8 or 9 riders back from first and felt good from the get go. I was trailing some really good riders throughout the first lap, all riding at a super quick pace. I was able to pass one or two (I don't remember) by the time that first lap was over. There was one spot in particular that a guy messed up on something, I passed him and then really cranked it out to separate from him. He was a good rider and I knew he'd likely pass me if I messed up or didn't push it. There were a few guys ahead of me that I could barely make out in the distance coming in from the first lap and I got super excited knowing I might catch them, coupled with realizing my lap time.

Halfway through the second lap, one rider wrecked bad and I moved up one spot. He has been a good, consistent rider throughout. So, I knew he would be on my tail. I ratcheted up my pace in this second lap, just trying to hold on. Soon after, I was yo-yo-ing with another rider ahead of me- catching up to him and then losing him.

Going into the third lap, I feel really good. Not as tired as what I had last week. I had two riders less than ten seconds behind me: the guy who wrecked and another guy who I passed in the first lap. I realized a quarter of the way through the third lap, I am 10-15 seconds behind four other riders. I didn't realize I was riding that close and try as hard as I can to close the gap. With riders so close ahead and behind, it really put an urgency on me not to lose my place. I come in from the third lap, super happy with my time and place. That post-ride Yeungling never tasted so good.

Pics:

Tongue Mountain/Graphite Mountain Road Ride

2010-08-16T13:28:00.002-05:00

I had planned on riding another metric century on the 8th, but the race was cancelled. I didn't find out about the cancellation until the night before. So, in lieu of that race, this weekend I went on a road ride with a group of older gents (they were all in their 50s). I was invited by an acquaintance, Bill, I've gotten to know from a group I'm a part of - Toastmasters. We went up to the Adirondacks, near Lake George to go for a 45 mile 'climbing ride'. In those 45 miles, we climbed over 3,000 feet of elevation. Most of it happening within the first half of the ride. It ended up being a great day for riding, highs in the mid-80s and sunny.

The ride started out with a small hill and then dove down to a lake. We then got the real climbing on and I was all out. Most of the steeper sections I was out of the saddle, just to keep myself moving. Surprisingly, I like to climb - I really enjoyed these sections. They reminded me of the climbs in St. Charles I did with Stitz last year, except steeper and longer. Good stuff.

Regrouping after the first climb. Bill's 'younger' brother in the foreground - great rider, races a lot.

Me, at the Hague General Store after the first climb.

Bill - he is in his late-50s. He can outride me in most sections, insane.

The rest of the group, seven riders total. I felt like the young pup, but had a great time. I was wiped out by the end. Not being used to climbing really took its toll on me. I normally get in around 30-35 miles a ride now, so the distance wasn't that far off from what I normally do. But, add in the climbing and it's a whole other ride.

Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series - II

2010-08-11T12:29:00.003-05:00

Last night was the second of five in the Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series. No rain this week - sunny, temps in the mid-80s. I was feeling really excited and warm up for about 20-30 minutes. When we line up to race, there are a few more racers than last week. We start and I get a good beginning place, about six or so racers back. The pace is super fast and I can tell right away I wasn't feeling great. I just felt off for whatever reason. I pass a few guys, a few guys pass me. I held my own through the better part of the first lap, sandwiched between two really good, fast riders. I mess up on a technical feature and those two guys shoot off, I'm alone for the last part of the first lap.

I come through, go out for the second lap and just try to get into a rhythm. I just can't seem to do it, I feel twitchy on the breaks and slow. I mess up on a few technical features, wreck twice and am just feeling all over the place. No reason, just my own inadequacies with riding. I try to pick up my pace and find some sort of consistency going into the third lap. I end up catching a guy right into the beginning of the third lap, but I wreck again and he loses me. Coming in from my last lap, I feel I gave it my all and couldn't have done much better. Looking at my time, I'm surprised and a bit relieved - 1:16 for 12.11 miles. Not bad for me. This is actually the same exact time I posted last season on the last race of that series. And my first lap is one of my faster times on these trails - 24 min. for 4.3 miles. I end up in ninth place for the night and fall a bit in the overall rankings to tenth place. One of my bigger goals going into this series was making some small improvements from last season. But, I guess these kinds of rides/nights come along and you just feel a bit off. I'm hoping that I can get into a groove next week.

A few pics....

Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series

2010-08-04T07:47:00.004-05:00

Last night was the first of five races in the Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series. Format is three laps of four miles a piece, best time wins. It started pouring down rain about 45 minutes from the start time. It tapered off about five minutes before we were supposed to begin. We lined up to race and it looked extremely wet and muddy. I was already soaked from head to toe.

The race begins and we all funnel into the singletrack. A girl (no offense to any women readers) fell over and blocked me and some others from the trail. About 4-5 people got by on the other side of her, she picked herself up and we got going again. I can't say I would have held my own had this not happened, but it definitely put a damper on the start. I knew I was going to need to make up some time, just not sure I was up to it. It was super slick out and everyone seemed very twitchy. There was standing water everywhere. Every root and skinny plank was so slick, it was impossible to have any consistency or expectation about clearing anything. I just wanted to make it a goal not to wreck and have a good steady ride.

First lap through, I passed a couple of guys and made up a little bit of time. I felt good, but was sucking air because of the pace I was riding. End of the lap, I was in eighth place. Right in the middle, but not as high up as what I was hoping to be. Second lap in I backed off a little, but was keeping a good solid pace. No wrecks or slip ups. Coming in at the end of the second lap, another rider got into a bad wreck. He slipped on a root and fell over. He is a super good rider and always does well in these races. They halted the race completely for EMT to come through and pick him up. He ended up dislocating his ankle (ouch). As a result of this wreck they stopped the race completely for the night and counted just our first lap. I ended up less than a minute behind four riders, all separated from one another by one second. I had mostly caught up with the rider in front of me at the end of the second lap, but not sure if I could have caught him by the end. There's always next week.

Mud:

Race pics:

A Few from Vacation

2010-07-13T13:47:00.001-05:00

Brommelsiek Park Race

2010-07-11T21:55:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting a couple weeks for some pics to surface but nothing has shown up. Now I've forgotten the race and really don't have much to say. It was short and sweet, close to home, and I felt okay. I rode the SS and had no back issues, that usually happens and I think it's due to the abundance of standing / changing of position.

I have two pics and results. Have a nice day.

Results

Castlewood State Championship Race

2010-06-21T20:34:00.000-05:00

This will be short and sweet, just the facts.

My training as of late involves one, maybe two bike rides a week, and three or four days of Crossfit.
I feel the same on the bike, maybe a bit stronger at times.
No more long ass boring days on the bike.
I ride when I feel like it, not when I feel like I should.
Almost lost sight of that.
It's fun again when I head out for a ride.

Race was hot.
Race was fun.
Happy with the results.

Results I actually finished 9th, right Nate? By approximately .001 seconds.

Pics

Pics

Pics

The opening descent. Watch at 1:45. Wow. Apparently he was fine.

Marine Corps Half

2010-05-18T18:01:00.004-05:00

Ran in the Marine Corps Half Marathon on Sunday (I'd say raced but I was lucky to finish) down in Fredericksburg, VA. Sunny day, 6,000 or so runners, and felt good most of the race. But around mile 10 there were a couple long, maybe quarter mile, hills and instead of a strong finish I just kind of slogged out the last few miles. Good event, lots of Marines in uniform helping out with water and food, live music every couple miles, plenty of port-o-johns, and free beer at the finish.

My Results

Winners ran it in boy-1:14:40 and girl-1:26:26.

Metric Century

2010-05-17T10:39:00.013-05:00

Although, technically, not mountain biking and, technically, not a race- I rode in the "Sweat & Spring Century/Metric Century Road Race". This was a local road non-race/race put on by the same local race organizers that have been doing the mountain bike races. This type of ride was a first for me and I've been thinking of doing it for quite a while. My fitness is getting there, but not quite to a full century. I've been hitting around 35-ish miles on my road rides, in about 2-ish hours. I went for the metric- 62 miles total.

There were probably about 30-40 riders of all different abilities and I didn't feel like I stood out too much like a sore thumb. Except for the fact that I was happily donning my full MTB United kit (aside from wearing a long sleeve jersey at the beginning). I had more pre-race jitters than normal, mainly because I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I had ridden 50 some-odd miles with Stitz about a year ago and think I did okay. I stress the okay in that sentence. So, I knew I could do close to that many miles and then would just suck it up at the end if I needed to. Normal pre-race information meeting....

That'd be me to the right of the orange jersey, in black.

Race started and I was in the middle, in a pack of various riders. It reminded me of some MTB races, started out clustered and began to thin out. I picked my own pace, lanes and rode my own race. Ended up on some local roads I'm really familiar with at the beginning. My normal route for road riding, which was nice.

Kept going and it really thinned out, until I met up with a guy who rides the MTB races. Last race series we we're really neck and neck, but he is a much better rider than I am and he would always end up riding faster. We rode together and chatted for a bit, which really ate up the time quickly. He took off, chasing the lead pack and I stayed back knowing full well I could hang with him; but would blow out pretty quickly.

Great support on this race, every 15 miles there was an aid station with all kinds of goodies. All you could eat and drink, along with supplies. It was really comforting knowing that this support would be there and really helped track the mileage. I was yo-yo-ing back and forth with different riders/packs throughout the entire ride, until the end. After the last checkpoint I was feeling beat down pretty bad, with about 10 miles left. I knew this would be the breaking point for me. As a result, a pack of riders took off and I couldn't keep up. There was literally no one around me for miles and I missed a turn, got off track of the route - about 3 miles total. I figured it out pretty quickly and re-routed. By the time I was back on track, I got a brutal muscle cramp in my right thigh and had to really slow down. I was averaging 17 miles an hour and had to go down to 12-13. Still no one around, which was really debilitating.

Made it to the finish, leg killing me and really tired overall. I was happy to have it over and get off the saddle.

Overall, this was a great ride and I'm really happy I did it. I'm now gunning for the full century in the fall.

Total distance, with getting lost (65.7 miles):

Total time (3:57)

Following in the tradition of the Stitz brothers, here are some pics of food I ate- Post-ride grub:

The above pics were of dinner and I finished off my night with late-night snack:

I can honestly say I do not feel guilty at all about eating all of this.

MEGAPOST

2010-05-11T21:55:00.031-05:00

Things have been pretty eventfull for me as of the last 4-5 months, new job, moved home, new gym, new riding season, new friends along with bein back with some of my old buds once again, starting to travel a bit for work, very fortunate dude. I must say that I’ve neglected posting up on goings on. I’ve got a few things written, but I’m thinking to just go for the bulk post. Let us begin.

RIDE

This past Saturday Chris and I did the Greensfelder Challenge. Greensfelder is a park located behind Six Flags St. Louis, you can hear/see the roller coasters on various points on the trail. The terrain is sweet, rolling, and very rocky. In fact, so jarring on a rigid bicycle that I called it quits after 1-10ish mile loop. No mas, when your grip is on the verge of failing on various downhils, you just don’t want to do it anymore. At least that was my case. Pussed out, not worried about it. Anyway, Chris pumped out 4 laps in the marathon class, a sweet feat for someone who has been out of town for work from last Sunday through later Friday night. Congrats to him, hopefully he can get this back issue sorted out, if he does he's gonna be scary on the bike.

!NOT GREENSFELDER!

CROSSFIT

I’ve definitely shifted gears toward this stuff, been following the regime for 4-5 years on an off. Well, its on now and its been on for a while for me since I moved back to St. Chuck. I’ve gone from looking at CF as a great way to train for riding, to seeing riding as a great way to cross train for CF. The neat thing about Crossfit is that I get the chance to compete in it, its actually pretty big, at least relative to the community. I spent last Thursday through this past Monday in Castle Rock, Colorado, competing in the North Central Regional Crossfit Team Competition. Myself and 4 other athletes from the my gym flew/drove out there, competed against 31 other teams from 10 states in the region, 3 workouts on Friday, and if we made the top 16 on Friday then we would compete again on Sunday, top 8 on Sunday go out to California in July for nationals. First workout, Team Suicide Sprints, we were in 29th after that.

Workout 2, Team Snatch (hehehahaha), Olympic barbell lift for max weight in 1 rep. After this one we bumped up to 22nd place. As best as I can show the movement

!NOT COLORADO!

Third Workout, Team Triplet, as a team row 3000 meters on a rower, perform 200 overhead squats(95 lb for men, 65 for women), and do 50 muscle ups(its like a pullup into a dip on gymnastic rings). We executed our plan/sequence perfectly, ended up 4th overall in that workout which bumped us up to 13th for Friday overall, moving us into Sunday.

Not Comfortable

Glad

Saturday we watched some insanely strong men and women compete in the individual competition. Sunday workout went well for our team, but not as well as we would’ve liked, we didn’t make the top 8, so no California. There is next year, and who knows, maybe I’ll feel up to competing individually.

JOB

I got the chance to go to Seattle a few weeks ago. We put in long hours at the plant but got finished early one day and drove around the city a bit, Space Needle, coffee at the first Starbucks, Mount Rainier. Seattle is beautiful. No complaints from this guy. This past week I flew into Baltimore on Wednesday, long day on Thursday, drove to Philly for work on Friday, ate 2 cheese steaks at 2 different ‘joints’ within about an hour. We've got Jim’s, based on the suggestion of the desk attendant at my hotel. A bit pricey, but the beef was perfect, Cheez Whiz, and sautéed sweet peppers. Black Cherry cola. 8.5/10.

Mouth waterin yet?

I walked down the street in search of Rick’s, based on a friends suggestion, but found Steve’s, King of Steaks first. Dude’s the king of steaks, done. A bit more of a traditional diner feel, store bought bread (Jim’s was homemade), meat wasn’t as good, about 7 bucks w/ fries and water. 5/10. Then the next day I got my work done and had time to grab some food before headin to the airport. Upon the suggestion of plant management I grabbed a sandwich at Tony Lukes, which is really close to the airport. Went with the pork, this sandwich had AWESOME potential, it felt truly Philly. But they put spinach on it instead of broccoli rabe, and I didn’t have time to get it fixed, it was good, but I think it would’ve been great otherwise. 6.5-9.5/10. Pictures of sandwiches and mountaneous scenery make any post a great post.

!JUST OUTSIDE MOUNT RAINIER!

Greensfelder Challenge Tool

2010-05-10T21:10:00.000-05:00

Greensfelder Challenge. Ten mile course. Fun as hell. Plenty of rocks and tech thrown in with a bit of everything else. The GORC boys have done a FANTASTIC job with this place and it sure seems to have a ton of potential. DRJ Racing put on the race and laid out the supreme course.

I raced marathon class which in this series is a three hour cutoff. Completed four laps in about three and a half hours. Lap one was crowded as I didn't get a good start but eventually I made my way clear. Probably a good thing as I just relaxed for the first half of the lap, figured there was plenty of time. Lap two brought the pain with my back doing the cool new thing of sucking ass. Lap three it worked it's way out a bit. Lap four I was able to push here and there. Rode most of the race myself again, that allows me to race my race, but it makes it hard to push when I don't see anything to chase.

I may sound indifferent but that was a really fun race, mainly due to the course. I love that stuff. I'm ready for some more racing.

Skip the next two paragraphs.

I took the opposite approach to the whole back issue this time. Went out of town Sunday morning, returned 11:30 Friday night just before the race. Didn't do anything while away except eat fat and drink beer and sit in a chair. My back wasn't good, it still tightened up enough to cause me to have to stop and stretch a number of times, but it was better than last time.

I think I need a better warm up followed by an extensive stretch, and also a look in to fit on the bike. My seat may be a bit too far forward, causing me to pull hard with my hamstrings. They may be pulling on my back. Who knows. Blah blah.

Results

Helmet Cam Vid (Great Music)

One of my favorite parts in any song of the Tool catalog starts at 4:05. And builds. And holy shit that guitar at 4:44 gives me the willys every time. Then at 5:05 I sing like my name is Maynard, feeling like I am made of pure adrenaline.

See my shadow changing,
Stretching up and over me.
Soften this old armor.
Hoping I can clear the way by
stepping through my shadow,
Coming out the other side.
Step into the shadow.
Forty six and two are just ahead of me.

Holy shit I fucking love Tool.

I wonder if the creator Bob knew that Tool is coming to St. Charles and tickets went on sale that day at 10 AM, the same time that my race started. I considered skipping the race to get some good tickets but didn't. We still ended up with some decent seats.

What just happened?.......

Oh right.

Pics

Pics

Pics

Vids

No Training Wheels Here

2010-05-09T21:14:00.008-05:00

Guess who.

If you have good speakers and a subwoofer turn them all on and up, but it still won't do justice.

And try to ignore my dorky ass voice.

Michaux Maximus

2010-05-04T12:25:00.004-05:00

Partook in the first Michaux Endurance Series race of 2010, Maximus, this past Sunday. Been riding fairly keen singletrack on the other side of Michaux State Forest this spring, so the coupled facts that the race would take place near my newly assumed stomping grounds and that it was ‘bout time to anty up and clip in for my first race this year led me to fix on doing the race rain or shine, race fit or not.

I knew I wasn’t in ripe racing form, so I attempted two pre-rides last week. Neither of them were successful…race-prep wise. The first was a group ride with fellas from Gettysburg Cycle and others, for the first few miles at least, but I fell off the back of the pack on a long rocky downhill and guessed incorrectly at a crosstrails, bringing another unlucky rider with me down the wrong trail and out to a highway. Neither of us knew anything about the systems in that part of the woods, so we settled with peddling back to the cars and calling it a quasi-fitness ride. I tried to ride the loop another day, and missed a wholly different turn somewhere and ended up riding a ridgetop for 10 miles. Beautiful view, but not part of the race course.

Thank the gods for me the course was superbly well-marked on race day. The venue was great too, and the race was well-organized and handled professionally throughout the day. I registered for the 10-miler (there were 10, 20, and 40 mile options) pledging to myself to do the 20-miler for the next race and the 40-miler the following. As I suited up, I could see the 40-milers take off from the fire road start adjacent to the parking lot. The lot was packed and an organizer had said 230 registered. Good mix of sponsor-clad jerseys and thick-bearded single speeders were milling around prior to the 10 and 20 mile start. As I went through my pre-ride routine, I decided that this was one of my favorite parts of race events. The riding is good, of course, but not always the best depending on how things transpire. The brew and grub are undoubtedly nice after the race too. But that pre-race excitement and methodical preparation sells me on racing. Anyway, short pre-race brief and then staging at the start. 20-milers left about two minutes prior to the 10s and everyone had been staged by age group and whatnot, however, the first few miles of the course were fire road and by the time I turned into the woods I had no idea who was racing what and how far. I knew there were people in front of me and people behind me, so I just tried to ride my pace.

The trails were a bit moist, but fun (think Chubb a day after a thunderstorm). Some nice smooth singletrack and rolly downhills, but most of the trail was rocky and boggy (or maybe these are just the parts I recall best as this is where I spent most of my time.) The course was paraded up until about mile 5, where I turned a bend after a downhill and witnessed firsthand the carnage a slippy rock garden can create. There were probably 10 riders all stopped off trail making repairs within a half mile of each other. Everybody gave the okay as I passed and me and a guy who I’d been trading positions with rolled on through. We rode past the first aid station of the 20/ 40 milers almost in tandem, but he hit a wall on the a muddy climb and we parted ways. I was huffing pretty good but knew there was a group of four not far behind me. About two miles out from the finish, I started thinking a bit, and realized I’d passed a lot of riders but remembered a lot of speedy-looking guys at the start who I hadn’t seen since the fire roads. That’s about as far as I got though before I nipped that thinking shit in the bud. I just tried to keep spinning to the end and finish without anything left. Closed a couple hundred meters on the rider in front of me in the last mile but he sensed me coming and powered out to the finish ahead of me. I felt good coming through the finish chute regardless. I shook hands and jaw-jacked with the guys coming in around the same time as me, then de-kitted, had a burger and fries with cold beer, took some pics and met the guy I’d spent most of the race trading spots with, and then headed home. Good day.

Results

Schenectady Race Pics

2010-05-03T09:35:00.001-05:00

Just found these pics...

Schenectady Race

2010-05-03T06:19:00.004-05:00

I rode my first race of the season yesterday. Race format was a little different, two laps; fastest time wins. Each lap is 5 miles, with an added extension that I haven't been riding as much. To preface, I wasn't feeling that confident about my riding skills the past few weeks. I went out for a few rides and felt twitchy, with no rhythm on the trails. I went on a pre-race loop the day before the race, took it really easy and felt a lot better. But, still wasn't 100% confident I'd do that great. I figured I'd go out, see how everything feels (me and bike) and just ride - no pressure.

Showed up morning of and about 25 racers where there. It looked like a good field, but mostly Sport class, very few Pro and a couple Beginners. I felt good, but jittery and nervous; so I rode around the trails trying to get rid of it. We lined up at the start and go, I was about 6-8 guys back from front. Oddly, started to feel really good and really enjoying myself. Through the first few technical sections, a few guys dismounted and ran their bikes alongside. I took the technical sections (mostly skinnies and planks) and passed about 3-4 of them. Then, right after that, one guy had a mechanical in front of me and I passed him. From my calculations I knew I was near the front and started pumping hard to get some distance. I was by myself for a while, with a pack of guys tailing me (the ones I passed) about 10 seconds behind me. I kept my pace through the next couple of sections until I got towards the end of the first lap. I started really sucking air and sucking riding on the bike. I had to dismount at two technical sections that I wasn't feeling too confident about clearing and lost a little time. I was fatigued and realized I pushed too hard at the beginning. I wasn't clearing anything very well and got out of rhythm. I came into the pit and the race organizers were flagging everyone down to stop.

Apparently, a guy had hit a jump in a weird way and lost control of his bike on his landing, hit a tree with his face and got knocked out. They called the ambulance and fire department. The race was postponed for about 20 minutes. Felt really bad for that guy, but it seemed no major injuries.

We ended up lining up in the positions we had finished the first lap. We go and I know that I'm near the front, but realize that there aren't as many guys in front of me as what I thought. I guess two guys (one Pro and one Sport) had to leave because of the accident. I know that puts me near the top three, but probably not in the top three. I get excited and just try to keep a good pace, no wrecks, etc. One guy passed me halfway through, but I notice that he is a race organizer, just out for a lap - no big deal. I feel a little better through that next lap, since we had a 20 minute break. Finish and complete both laps in exactly 33 minutes. Not bad. When I pull through I hear "Ben, 33 minutes, second place". I pull over, dismount and say "What?". Is that second place for weenies who had to dismount at two technical sections part way through the race? No, I got second place in Sport. Now, I don't feel I fully deserve it - without the accident, 20 minute break and two guys bowing out; I'm not sure I would have done that well. But, I'll take it I guess.

I brought home a new saddle (the irony is that I just bought one). This one is a Specialized Rival. But, it would be a nice addition for my road bike, or I'll sell it on Ebay. No pics, except for this one:

Weekend Visit - Yuengling Brewery/Biking

2010-04-26T13:46:00.009-05:00

Went to visit Jeremy two weekends ago. We met in Pottsville, PA - home to Yuengling Brewery. Not far from Jeremy's house, it was the perfect idea (thanks Jeremy) to see this historic site and view where my favorite beer is brewed. We got a free tour and free samples of the goods.

This was near the hand-dug cave, where they used to store the beer before refrigeration. It maintained a steady cool temperature when the brewery was first built.

In the cave, there were brick walls put up during prohibition. They just knocked part of them down a few years ago to give tours of this area.

Free samples. Thank you Yuengling.

Couple of riding pics...

Post ride pic.

Thanks for the great weekend JP.

Bone Bender

2010-04-19T13:28:00.016-05:00

The first race of the season was this past weekend, the Bone Bender 3/6 Hour at the Smithville Lake Trails.

Saturday night Jess and I attended a wedding downtown on Washington. It was a great reception, congratulations to the happy couple. We left the reception just as the AMA Supercross event was getting out of the dome. Wow. What a show. Those folks were drunk, rowdy, and having a good time. The streets were packed. There was a guy two vehicles in front of us in a monster truck. He did burnouts the whole time that we sat in traffic, right on Washington in front of the dome. I have no idea how he wasn't approached by the police, but he definitely kept the crowd entertained. Too bad he probably burned through a grand worth of monster tires. We finally made it home around 11:30 and quickly went to bed.

The 4AM alarm went off and I was up and out the door. I picked up David in Columbia around 6 and we were off. David had steak and eggs for breakfast before he got in the car, almost as funny as an Arnold impersonation, or, or, but way more gross. We saw Busken and Jim and Wendy on the way out so we knew we'd have some friends on the trails, always nice.

We pulled in to the venue just before 9. It was packed, people buzzing around everywhere, getting ready for the beautiful day. ToddandKarenandCasey were there when we pulled up, more pals. Mitch was in line for registration. Schottler showed up. It was shaping up to be a great ride. 11.5 mile loop and perfect trail conditions.

Before I knew it we were standing down by the lake ready for the running start. There were a ton of people lined up. Off we went. The entire first lap was a bottleneck, things were slowly sorting out, but there was a lot of passing, grabbing the brakes, quick accelerations, crowded trail, you know.

I started the second lap with Mitch and Busken. The pace was high and eventually Mitch said he was going to slow down, then disappeared off of the front. Busken and I hooked on with some guy who was smooth and pushing a perfect pace. We followed him the whole way in to finish the second lap.

Third lap I dialed it back and tried to settle in for the long haul. My lower back had gotten pretty tight and that really needed to go away. Unfortunately, by the end of the third lap it had spread up to my neck and down my leg. That's new? I spent most of that lap thinking about how bad my back hurt and just doing whatever it took to make it hurt less. Finished up that lap and went to the tent for some rest and stretching. I tried for about 15 minutes to work the pain out and it seemed to work decently so I headed back out for lap 4.

Lap 4 = call the waaaaambulance. Pain came back almost immediately. I tried standing, I tried sitting, I tried spining, I tried mashing, ouch. Finished 4 and went to rest and stretch again to fix it. It didn't go away so I quit. Gimme a Natty.

Not sure what the deal is, but I know what I've been slacking on so I'll start there. I've been slacking the long ride time. Didn't do a road ride over 50 miles all winter. Probably did that 10 times last winter. Haven't been doing dedicated core/ab workouts, better get back to that. Haven't been doing yoga, better get back to that. All my slacker fault. Hopefully I can spend some time (aside from the long road rides, I'm tired of those and would rather do a long MTB ride or anything else really) addressing these issues and they'll make a difference next race. Oh yeah, that super intense lower back blaster workout on Friday may have compromised it a little bit. Hopefully that's what it was and I just won't do that next time. Either way I need to work on some things.

Some things that I noticed that I attribute to my Crossfit St. Charles workouts. Ability to up the heart rate and recover extremely quickly. My heart beats so hard and fast during those Crossfit workouts that it's getting used to it. Total body strength. I just felt strong on the bike, standing and climbing, cornering, slow tech, etc. I rode the Sultan and it's pushing 30 pounds. It feels light. Coordination. The Crossfit workouts involve all of your body working together. I really felt balanced and that I could direct the strength that I had where I needed it to go.

David did an awesome job on the rigid SS. He pulled out 3 laps in the 3 hour race with no problem. I'm sure he'll post up so I'll let him tell you about it.

Everyone else there did an awesome job, Schottler, Busken, Wendy, Mitch, ToddandKarenandCasey (coming off of a 24), Stephanie, everyone.

Jim Davis is the A#1 support crew handupper babysitter motivator picture taker. Thanks Jim.

Video from the start.

Pics (Thanks again Jim!) There should also be some on trail action pics coming out soon. I'll post those up when they come out.

Will post results as soon as they're out as well.

Finally! (Albany Edition)

2010-04-07T18:58:00.003-05:00

After some issues with components, I finally was able to get everything together and get out for my first ride of the season. It was short, but sweet. Trails were still pretty wet here, but absolutely ridable. I still have a few minor issues to resolve with the bike. It's not 100%, but should be there soon. The adjustments and changes I've made have had a huge impact. More pics of the bike to come.

Sunshine on my shoulders

2010-04-04T13:17:00.003-05:00

Sun was shining and trails were dry (well, not snowy) out at Michaux Forest, so took Vegas out for the first trail ride this year. Nothing epic, only about half of half of Stitz' 8 hours of ridin' (nice work by the way).

Rode near the AT

And over some pretty stuff (don't mean the bike)

Good to remember what beer tastes like after a solid ride.

Finally!

2010-04-02T19:41:00.003-05:00

The trails have come around. Got in a double and a half Chubb yesterday and a Trifecta today. Eight hours on the MTB in the past two days. Oh man I just pigged out. It's raining now but wow that spell we just had was nice. Various ride pics follow.

LV

LV

LV

Osage Ridge Rd

Chubb

T-Tam Hasselhoff

T-Tocs Hasselhoff

Chubb

Chubb

LV

Klondike

Klondike

Klondike

Almost There

2010-03-31T08:45:00.003-05:00

It's been quite a while since I've posted. This semester has been a crazy, busy one for me. Along with the normal course load, committee work, etc. I had a couple of exhibitions of my work. As a result, I'm a bit behind on my bike preparation for the season. Jeremy was kind enough to give me his old Specialized frame (it is one step up from mine) and I'm rebuilding it with some new components and bringing some over from my frame. I'm going to then sell my old frame (hopefully) and will reimburse JP. It's win win.

New derailleur hanger.

New Sram X-9 Trigger Shifters.

New Sram X-9 Rear Derailleur.

Chris King Headset.

Another view.

I've also replaced all cables and housing, along with a new chain.

I have been road riding quite a bit, but I'm anxious to get this rebuilding finished. I worked a lot over this past weekend and it is almost built up. I just have a few last things to do and I'll be ready to go. I'm already loving the Sram components. So much easier to get set-up than Shimano, with minimal adjustments needed.

The weather has been hit and miss here, lots of rain. So, I don't think I'd be able to ride still anyways. I'm starting to get sick of road riding and can't wait to get back into MTB. I plan to post some more pics soon, once finished.

What's going on?

2010-03-31T08:07:00.000-05:00

A quick update on what's happening around here as well as a quick pic dump out of my phone.

We've been hitting the Crossfit gym fairly often. I've actually gained three or four pounds since I started, but my pants are all fitting a bit looser in the waist. I'm good with that. The weight might not help me climb on the bike, but I suck at that anyway and my bikes weigh thirty pounds. I haven't been spending nearly the time on the bike as I did last year. The drive isn't there for those long days on the road, however I'm absolutely ready for some off roading. I've found that the Crossfit workouts have really gotten my body used to high intensity and I seem to be recovering quickly after efforts on the bike. Jess and I have been running exclusively in our Fivefingers. My longest run in them so far is nine miles. She routinely does that and has done a twelve as well. All of the Crossfit workouts are done in the Fivefingers as well. Go get you some.

There was a Crossfit competition for all of the St. Louis affiliates. David and his team took second in the advanced division. I'm not sure how Crossfit St. Charles did in the intermediate and beginner divisions.

Now the pic dump. Looking through my phone it's apparent that my favorite subject is food. No disagreement here. Food food food.

And of course beer....

And no doubt bikes......

So in summary, I like food, beer, and bikes.

And Jess likes to take pics of me working.

I talked to David last night. He's in Seattle, went to the space needle, had a coffee at the first Starbucks, drove out to check out Mt. Rainier. I'm in Talequah, OK. Oh yeah. However, I'm heading home tonight, it's supposed to be 80 and sunny the next few days and the trails are ready.

Moving Forward................

2010-03-11T13:39:00.000-06:00

As David alluded, he continues and I've begun training at Crossfit St. Charles. We'll also be spending a bit of time at iStudio. In the short time that I've been in the Crossfit gym I've learned quite a bit. I can see the path ahead and it is hard working, difficult, sweaty, and intense. I can't wait. I'd like to thank Kim and Ingrid for giving us the opportunity to train with them. We'll be flying the Crossfit St. Charles / iStudio flag from now on. Stay tuned for more race reports, training reports, and of course all of the miscellaneous randomness as usual.

Follow along:

Crossfit St. Charles

Crossfit

iStudio

Gettin Ready to Race - Crossfit Style

2010-03-04T11:03:00.006-06:00

Hey guys, just wanting to post up since its definitely been a while on my part, and I need to get my typing fingers ready for all of the blogging to follow this year’s epic races. With no school and a big boy job I now have a pretty regular schedule that has allowed me to train quite a bit for this upcoming season.

I’ve been spending a lot of time at Crossfit St. Charles(CFSTC), a small gym that’s in a warehouse not even 5 minutes from where I’m living at M&D’s. Ask M&D and they’ll tell you that they rarely see me; this gym has been my home away from home. I’ve seen tremendous gains in my strength and stamina, and am optimistic about this sort of training yielding great things when trying to pound my single-speed up a rocky hill.

I’m terrible at explaining Crossfit’s theories on training, the best way that I can put it is that the end goal is to be able to do more work over less time. A lot of the workouts that we do are less than 20 minutes, few go over that, and some are less than 5 minutes. The intensity of the workouts is whatever you scale it to be since all of the movements performed can be modified to accommodate people of any strength or skill level. I’ve been trying to challenge myself at these and am at a point where I can do all of the workouts ‘prescribed’, or without scaling any weights or repetitions down.

This is my friend Nathan and I bangin out some swings at the end of a workout.

Kim Wilkes is the owner and head trainer at CFSTC, she’s certified in everything under the sun, a Registered Nurse, and just a really fun and caring woman to be around. She watches us like a hawk, correcting form and providing tips so that we can all get the most out of our training and stay safe.

Chris is set to join me in the gym this week, I know he’s excited, and I’m definitely pumped to have someone there to push myself against. Hopefully we’ll be successful in racing, in promoting MTBU, and in being ambassadors for CFSTC. I’m not entirely sure if he knows what to expect, but there will be a little bit of this

Immediately followed by some of this

Sorry, I’ve got to preach just a bit more. I talk about the tremendous gains that I’ve made at this gym, but what I have accomplished there is nothing compared to the goals that have been reached by the other members. I cannot talk enough about how motivating it is to see these people working their asses off to create a healthier life for themselves, and I just need to express my gratitude for the inspiration that they provide. One of the big reasons that I spend so much time there is because you cannot walk out of that building without having just seen something amazing and feeling like you accomplished something great. They welcome everyone, any shape, size, weight, gender, color, etc, and it truly is a non intimidating atmosphere. We’re all aware of each other’s goals, and we help one another reach them. I’ve made a lot of great friends already after only being there for a couple months.

The first race that MTBU Missouri Sector will participate in is at the end of the month, right up the street at Lost Valley. Hoping for a good showing, but my goal is just to do the best I can and get an idea of the competition for this year. I’m very curious to see if this general fitness training will apply well to a specific sport.

Michaux Forest

2010-02-21T17:14:00.003-06:00

Hopped on the Appalachian Trail for a few miles today.

Even with warmer temps the last couple days, and sun, there is still about a foot of snow here.

Cheers

Getting Ready for the Circus

2010-02-12T23:07:00.002-06:00

Crossfit St. Charles - Dave on the rings from Matt Ellison on Vimeo.

Winter in PA

2010-02-10T14:26:00.002-06:00

From the alley behind my house Saturday

My back yard Sunday

My street this morning

Image Chronology

2010-01-21T10:13:00.008-06:00

Feel like the blog's been neglected a bit, so I'm gonna follow Stitz' lead (although I haven't had the pleasure of ridin') and post some general pics. All photos are from my phone, so please excuse the poor quality.

Christmas eve eve with the Stitz' (prior to the hardcore partying.)

Bear enjoying the weather in my yard and a pic from a sunrise at the College.

Little Mexican bakery in downtown SA (good stuff and open 24/7.)

Home on the range.

My rig and respective parts at winter stage one--cleaning.

And this last is in front of my place last night. While I was walking Bear last night, there was a small domestic dispute involving 8 or so 20-year-olds on my street. A couple guys aparently got stabbed right next to my truck (hence, if you can make out the pic, my vehicle surrounded by police tape.) After chatting with the cops, also found out there had been a rape and a shooting the day before a couple blocks away. Coincidental exceptions to the norm for my neighborhood I believe.

NW Arkansas

2010-01-21T08:48:00.001-06:00

I had a bit of free time from work and was in the area so I got a chance to check out a bit of NW Arkansas singletrack. I was there for three days and it was sunny with highs in the mid 60s. Jersey and shorts.

First was Hobbs State Park right by Beaver Lake. They claim twenty something miles of singletrack. It's very well built and maintained, non technical, rolling, ribbon trail. Very fast. I came up with around 18 miles of trail or so. Loaded with armadillos. I saw three just lumbering around. Either they're lazy, stupid, or really sluggish due to "winter". I walked right up to them and could've picked them up if I wanted. I couldn't get them to curl up for whatever reason. A few shots from the phone:

Next was Lake Leatherwood just outside or Eureka Springs. Variety of terrain, lakeside, ridgetop, technical, buff, a bit of everything. I think 10 or 15 miles of trail. I had a blast here and will come back whenever I can. I ran in to Scott Davis of the BT Epic and talked/rode with him a bit, he was the only other rider out there. There is a Fat Tire Festival that takes place in Eureka Springs every year. Looks like it would be a good time. A few more:

Then some Buckingham's on the way home.

Workin' hard.

Pic Dump

2009-12-29T17:13:00.006-06:00

Just some randoms from the camera I came across today.

Dust It Off

2009-12-21T07:58:00.002-06:00

First off, HUGE congratulations to David, the proud recipient of a newly printed MU Mechanical Engineering Degree. Mom, Dad, Anna, Scott, Jess and I were all able to go down to Columbia Saturday to watch him walk and then celebrate. Massive quantities of steak were consumed, followed by plenty of homemade cookies and desserts. Then mom and dad split for home, we picked up Schottler, and went out to drink the night away. Everyone had a blast.

It was perfect preparation for CXMAS, the end end of season non race concoction developed by Dr. Evil Gino Felino. A brain and belly full of Moose Drool, five hours sleep, an awesome free continental breakfast, and a two hour drive had me in high spirits for the noon start.

I dusted off the MTB race bike for this one but was much too lazy to try to mount up any CX type tires (I don't have any). When I arrived the parking lot was packed and people were pouring in. We all registered up and before long we were off down the Hamburg and in to Lost Valley. Whiskey and egg nog greeted us along the way. I tried my best to keep up with all the skinny tires and big rings, but it was tough. I found myself alone a lot of times while I think a lot of folks were working together. That was cool though as I saw and spoke with a number of different folks. Some folks treated this as a race, some as a fun ride. I think I finished somewhere between 20 and 30 of 130 riders. But luckily that wasn't the only reason to come out. It was so that all could get together and ride and have a good time. That was certainly accomplished.

Read a poetic account here, pics included. Results here. Prize stuff here.

2009-11-26T10:18:00.004-06:00

Just a couple photos of our annual tradition of Turkey Trotting

(we went to Saratoga, NY for this year's 5k)

Happy Thanksgiving.

How do.

2009-11-15T18:33:00.008-06:00

Just thought I'd throw a post up of some random photos from the last month or so.

Pumpkin festival in nowhere Ohio

Monsters

Had some pumpkin donuts there that were superfantastic (I had no idea)

Ben drove down to help me create a small workshop/trainer area in my basement

And to do this

Last pic, from a hike Bear and I did earlier today

Hope y'all are well.

BT Epic - Through the Eyes of the Promoter

2009-11-04T08:08:00.002-06:00

We just finished the 2009 BTEPIC and it was a huge success. I would like to thank all of the racers/ riders and volunteers for all of the positive attitude that I seen over the whole weekend.

I witnessed Jason Ozenberger who was in the money hunt stop for an injured Eric Pyrtle, who crashed at Brazil Creek in the lead. Jason stayed with Eric until myself and Rocky Hudson our medical staff could get on site. Jason also did not leave until Eric was in the car on the way to hospital. Jason was rewarded a life time free entry to the BTEPIC. He did not ask for anything but I believe his actions are what we would like to see from every mountain biker out there. Jason finished with a time of 6:38:41. This is remarkable with the amount of time he stopped.

I also seen from the very fast pro to the entry level racer battle the elements and the challenge of the course with a smile on there face. I personally enjoyed watching the top guys battle all day long it was very fun and everyone should take a chance to watch these guys ride. I have to say this was the most fun and rewarding race I have had the fortune to promote.

I started the BTEPIC in 2008 with a friend of mine Tony Schardt. I had been to Ouchita and Syllamo and really enjoyed both events. I took what I learned from those and other races i have promoted or raced in to combine to what you see now. Even some adventure racing such as the drop bags. Even the location at Bass River Resorts, was brought to my attention when doing the Berryman adventure race. Tony and myself spent a lot of time riding and plotting the course for the BTEPIC. The goal was to offer as much single track as possible but with road breaks to help out the body. The 3 mile road climb at the start was set to separate the group before entering single track.

In 2008 we started out to clear the trail for the race 2 months before event it was rough, nearly 79 trees laid in our path. After sawing,pruning, and weed eating for 2 months we had it clear. In 2009 it was much easier. 2008 I only had 4 dedicated volunteers that helped the whole time with 3 more joining up for event. In 2009 i had 17 show up for work day and 25 for the race. I cant brag enough about how big of a role volunteers play in a race.

2009 showed to be just as big of a challenge since we got 2 inches of rain Thursday before the race. i got out of bed Friday morning to see the flooding. I contacted Stephan bass owner of bass river resorts. He said he hoped it would go down but would not promise anything. so i waited and went to bed Friday night around midnight I then got up Saturday morning at 4am to check on all of the water crossing, it did not look good, so i went back to Stephan at bass and we came up with the truck and trailer hauling idea. Stephan had 2 tall trailers one for his truck and one for mine. While most tour people were sleeping Stephan took me down to the river crossing and gave me a crash course in how to cross a bridge you could not see and that had water rushing across. His not was see that dead elm tree straight ahead that is the center of the bridge, keep you truck centered on that and go slow if you go off we can pull you out with a tractor. The way back was a little harder i was told to keep that same tree in my rear view mirror that sounded crazy.

So i went to the start line and explained to all of the tour people how we would be crossing the river leaving out the scary parts. The tour started and all the riders were waiting at the shore line of what looked like the ocean. People started to pile on the truck and trailers it was a sight. Stephan went first then i went. As my truck entered people on the trailer commented how deep it was but they were dry. I pulled up to the bridge that i could not see and started across. This was a little scary because i had a load of rider this time. When i got across to the other side safely i was relieved that it went so smooth. at the end of the ride i again showed up at the river and shuttled people back across but by this time i could see the bridge it was easy.

After the morning start most tour riders did not realize that i still had to build a bridge across hwy 8 since the water had been to high. when i and volunteers reached the site it was still to deep and wide for my bridge so after walking across the water(which was cold) to find the best spot we constructed the bridge but it was to short my dad and John Bradley went back to Stephan for Pallets to get people across dry. We had 3 rider that had to get a little wet but after that it was dry. i want you to think about how far back that crossing is from hwy 8 on a bike not so bad but carrying sections of a bridge forever again thank volunteers.

Again going to bed late Saturday night i again got up early Sunday to check on river crossing it looked a lot better but still deep. so again i go to Stephan he is ready to trailer people again for second day in his own personal truck but i have a problem how do you get all the racers across at same time without causing unfair time delays. we could only haul 25 at a time so i asked Stephan if i could borrow his trailer we parked it in the middle and put out ramps and pallets to get riders across dry this worked perfect. I watched the line get long for the crossing but not one person bitched or complained, thank you.

Also in 2009 Ryan joined to help out with promotion and work this proved to be huge. One person cant do it all. I have received a lot of thanks and praise but without the dedicated group that helped this year it would not have happened. Next year has already began in planning and i already have more volunteers dedicated to 2010. The race has also picked up some more sponsors so i promise you the BTEPIC will be a race that will continue to grow and hopefully encourage people to help the sport grow.

I have been asked why I spend so much time and effort into a race. I have been mountain biking since 1993 and have had some unbelievable experiences that have for every changing my life. I realized that without promoters and volunteers there would be no races. So by doing the BTEPIC is my way of giving back to a sport that I love so much. The only regret is that as this race grows and becomes a popular race I can never race in it, but the reward I got this year from all that happened and all the things i seen gave me the same satisfaction as if i were in the race and won.

Thanks to all that attended and i hope to see you next year although i would not wait long to sign up because i see this race filling up quickly.

BT Epic

2009-10-27T08:21:00.006-05:00

Second year for this event. Extremely well run, big payouts and worthwhile raffle. This brought out some of the fast guys from the area and beyond. It was a great weekend. The perfect way to finish up the long race season. I really love the scene of MTB racing around here. Everyone is in it to have a good time and I've met a ton of cool folks. I had a decent ride with a good two hours, then a bad two hours, then a decent hour and a half. I'd love to figure out why I slump so bad like that. Training, nutrition, going out too hard? Not sure. Sometimes I feel powerful, sometimes I can barely turn the wheels. It was a sloppy day but I don't think it really bothered anyone too much. I know I had a blast!

Read these if you want some good accounts of the race.

1st Place - Jon Schottler

2nd Place - Steve Tilford

Mitch the Masher

Mr. Brace

I linked to some pics from various places, none are mine.

The start, 120 racers or so.

After less than a mile we had to cross this.

So they made this.

And we did this.

Credit Jim Davis of Team Trail Monster / Seagal Joint Venture with the nutrition, motivation, and entertainment award.

Results

Photo Time

2009-10-19T10:04:00.017-05:00

It's been quiet for a while here. I don't have a lot of text, but plenty of pics from BURNIN (huge thank you Zac) and some other random stuff.

First, the randoms.

And the BURNIN.

I'm on a Boat....I mean Bike!

2009-09-23T16:09:00.004-05:00

20 Days and Counting

2009-09-20T20:08:00.011-05:00

Til Burnin'.

I just made a giant pot of chili.

It's getting dark a lot earlier nowadays. Been doing quite a bit of this lately.

Congratulations to the happy couple, Zach and Erin.

I fell asleep on the way home and when I woke up we were pulling in here. Jess can't get enough of animals. She'd adopt every one she came in contact with if she could. We really had a lot of fun here.

China. Big beautiful quarterhorse. She was my favorite resident.

There was a dog show going on. Has anyone seen "Best In Show"? They nailed it.

Blog Schmog

2009-09-16T18:47:00.005-05:00

Have a couple weekends stacked up to report on. This will be short and sweet.

Made it out to the Tall Oak Challenge 6 Hour a couple of weekends ago. Great time, awesome conditions. Happy with the performance but I've got a couple things to work on. Here's the results. Scroll down to male solo.

Did some Council Bluff recon last weekend. We had time for two laps and made the best of them. Getting so pumped for Burnin'. Trail is in good shape.

Riding, Planning, Burnin

2009-08-31T09:39:00.010-05:00

Did some riding over the weekend. Saturday was 40 miles 4 hours of all Castlewood singletrack. I haven't ridden there much this year so it stayed fun the whole time. Sunday was 12 miles of fun with Jess and the dog. Once again I was impressed with her riding. I think she's really enjoying it.

Big Skies

With a Smile

Obligatory

Old School

Planning on this for this coming Saturday.

And BURNIN'!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cue beer discussion.

Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series - IV

2009-08-26T11:44:00.002-05:00

The fourth and final race in the Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series was last night. The format was changed from 4 laps (16 miles) to 3 laps (12 miles), to allow for awards and enough daylight riding. I had mixed feelings about this, because I liked tracking my progress each week. But, I also knew that I could ride a little faster; without worrying about running out of steam. I also knew that a lot of other riders would be thinking the same thing and the pace was going to be a bit quicker.

Strangely enough, this week there were nearly double the amount of riders from the last couple of weeks. As a result, the line up and start was really clustered. I ended up somehow getting in the back of the middle group at the beginning. There were just so many riders, there wasn't much I could do. On top of this, I found out that more Pro level riders had showed up.

We start off and right away I could tell that there were some riders who had bit off more than they could chew and lined up too close to the front. At the very beginning there were a lot of riders trying to get around each other and being a little ridiculous about it. I even saw two guys right in front of me literally elbowing and yelling at each other trying to get in front.

Something I feel that I've learned doing these races is that regardless of where I end up in the line up, I eventually will get around the slower or weaker riders. And, those better than me will end up getting past me at some point.

During this first lap I was extremely patient when I was behind a slower rider and just waited for them to mess up on a technical feature or slow down too much going uphill. I would then just crank it out and pass them.

I ended up getting around the two guys elbowing each other really quickly when they both messed up on a technical feature. I passed a few other people at other points and then it was open terrain. I caught up with the 3 guys that I've been chasing all series long, and one other rider. Sure enough we all ended up together, tailing one another and pushing really hard. I knew this week that I really needed to make it a goal to stay with them. I ended up in the back of this pack and we all held a really quick pace into the first lap at 24 minutes.

Going in to the second lap, the two guys at the front started to gain some distance. This is where I normally start to mess up or slow down. Sure enough, I slipped on a skinny plank and flipped over my bars (getting completely covered in mud). I jumped up, got back on the bike and worked really hard to catch up to the guys in the second lap. I ended up making up the distance and by the end of that second lap, I passed one of the guys. It was me and one other guy left who was definitely at my pace and level of riding. We stayed with each other the entire third lap, riding really hard until the end.

I ended up finishing one second behind him, in 12th for the night. After I rolled in, the guys that I was riding close to and myself, stood around and talked about how much fun it was. It was a great feeling and a great, fun ride.

My time was 1:16 for the 12 miles, which is a personal best for me. In the overall series standings (results here) I finished tied for 9th place. I'm pretty happy about this, considering my mechanical in the first race and that my goal going into this series was to place in the top ten. After looking at the results and talking to some other folks, the first 6 guys are all Pro. Which means out of the 26 total riders, 2o were Sport class. And I was probably in the upper-middle (3rd or 4th) for the Sport class. Good stuff. No pics.

Cedar Lake and Michaux

2009-08-24T10:58:00.010-05:00

Thought I'd throw up a post from recent rides. Rode Cedar Lake Illinois while stopped at my folks on the way up to PA. Great trails (although in need of a little more upkeep due to storm damage) and kicked my butt.

Also got in a couple rides in Carlisle local. Michaux State Forest actually. I'm stoked about these trails.

Open invite to come up and ride 'em with me.

Unseasonably

2009-08-24T09:17:00.004-05:00

The weather was amazing this past weekend. Got out for some riding and hiking and all of the usual. Jess finally let me ride behind her for a while and all that I can say is, "Wow". She has really picked up some skills. I followed her as she picked her way through some rock gardens on the rigid, I'm very impressed. Relaxed and flowing.

Vortex.....

2009-08-20T14:48:00.001-05:00

Someone please build one of these immediately.

Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series - III

2009-08-19T16:58:00.014-05:00

The third race in the Schenectady Series was the best it has been yet. Jeremy came barreling through town to represent MTB United after a marathon 18 hour drive from Jackson, Missouri. With just enough time to get in a pre-race lap and some bike prep, we were ready for battle. It was unseasonably warm, for Albany weather. The high was 94, with considerable humidity.

I felt really good going into this race and it started out pretty normal for me. However, I did have my best first lap time yet- 24 minutes on the 4 mile loop. Throughout the first 2 laps, I was contending with one of the guys I was with last week and one other guy. It was a great time again, as I felt we were really pushing each other. I rode better for a longer amount this time, but just couldn't seem to hold on to that pace. One of the guys passed me and the two of them took off. This time, I worked really hard to get back on track with them and ended up passing one of them on the third lap.

Towards the end of the last lap, a storm came rolling through. It got really windy and then all of a sudden, it got super dark. I almost couldn't see the trail, it was so dark. I could only imagine Jeremy, not knowing the course very well, out there trying to find his way back. I finished up my last lap and immediately turned around to go back to look for him. Right then, it started pouring down rain. Luckily, he found his way out just fine by himself.

In the end, I finished with my fastest time yet at 1:48, shaving off one minute from last week. I ended up placing 9th for the evening and moved up in the overall rankings to 9th. I'm just hoping I can hold on to that or move up this next and final week.

Jeremy finished at 1:59, in 12th place- a very respectable time, especially for driving 18 hours and not knowing the trails.

Post-race Yeungling Lagers and Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

Thanks for going to such great lengths to make it up this way Jeremy. As always, it was great seeing you and great riding with you.

This week, I was persuasive enough to have the amazing Mindi get some pics.

Prep time. I'm either really pissed about something or struggling to get my helmet on.

Sizing up the competition.

Getting ready.

Off to the races.

Jeremy starting out.

Battling it out with fellow contenders.

Jeremy getting after it.

Me, coming around after the first lap.

Jeremy, coming around after first lap.

MR 340

2009-08-19T00:23:00.012-05:00

I’m not really sure where to begin with this. Starting from the top and drawing out every detail, as much as it would suck for you readers, would likely bore you and therefore give you an idea of how we felt many times during the race. I think I’ll probably just recap my personal highlights.

Day 1 – Kaw Point, KS to Miami, MO

Distance: 105 miles

Time: 9:30 a.m. to 2:51 a.m.

Driving to Kaw Point Tuesday morning and getting prepped in a torrential downpour was our first challenge. Nothing like getting soaked to the bone to really get you excited to be in a boat for 4 days.

Needless to say we loaded the boat and set off on the river anyway. A line of Civil War reinactors fired black powder rifles over the river to start the race, and we were off.

This went pretty smooth, aside from being bumped by some zig zaggers who needed a physics lesson. Hit the first CP after a long 50 mile haul in the heat, and then pushed on to the second, Waverly. This CP was a balancing act between keeping the boat on the rocky shore, getting our lights set up, checking in, DEETING, and a couple other tasks. While using the nature bathroom I spat, and remembered immediately after that that I had already put on my mosquito head net, so that was nice. We got the heck out of there and headed into the black unknown. This was our first time on the river at night and it was pretty amazing. Full moon, clear sky, just followed the nav lights of boats in front of us while keeping an eye out for the black shadows of a buoy.

A couple hours into this we hit some really thick fog and could only see about 20 feet around the boat, but like Carol Ann we just continued to follow the light. There was a really windy stretch that seemed to last forever, and eventually, around 3 a.m. we spotted the checkpoint flare. The boat was too heavy for 3 men to get up the ramp, so they allowed us to stash it in some mud just next to the ramp. Set up camp, slept for a few hours.

Day 2 – Miami to Cooper’s Landing, Columbia, MO

Distance: 92 miles

Time: 7:18 a.m. to 12:57 a.m.

Woke up, saw Keeven’s grinning mug first thing, they headed out a few minutes after that. Checked my phone, got a few text messages that reminded me that it was my birthday, 24. Got some pancakes, packed up and headed out. Got to Glasgow, pushed on to Franklin’s Island, which was a few miles before passing under the I-70 bridge.

Heading into Cooper’s Landing was probably one of the toughest stretches for us. After it got dark the sleep deprivation caught up with us, we almost dumped the boat when John made an instinctive lunge for a dropped paddle. Ran into a couple of sandbars, not a lot of things in the river more discouraging than a sand bar bringing a nice pace to a grinding halt. Shadows and reflections looked like whatever your mind tricked you into seeing. After yelling “BUOY BUOY BUOY” at John and paddling like a maniac to avoid it, I realized it was just the reflection on the water from a red light on a radio tower far in the distance. The lights from Cooper’s were really deceiving, and could be seen from over a mile away. At one point it seemed that we weren’t moving at all. Finally pulled into the boat ramp, unloaded our heavy stuff and then were able to get the boat up the ramp. Ate some delicious Thai food from a dingy looking trailer cooked by a little Thai woman that was hopped up on coffee after being up much later than her bedtime. Thanks Chim. Set up camp and listened to some drunks stagger around outside our tent.

Day 3 – Cooper’s to Hermann

Distance: 74

Time: 7:15 a.m. to 10:02 p.m.

Woke up in the morning to a symphony of farts coming from the tent next to us. I was torn between laughter, early morning crabbiness, and the urge to join in. Headed downriver to Jeff City. Pulling into that CP I saw a handwritten sign on the shore with our team name and number on it…we had a fan. An old friend from my internship a couple years back was on a project in Jeff City, and turns out that they had timed our progress to coincide with their lunch break. It was lifting to see a familiar face, plus we ate some delicious hotdogs with homemade relish, followed by some free apple pie.

Moving on we were both a little more full than usual, hoping none of that food was planning a return trip. Paddled and paddled, this being our shortest day we pulled into Hermann just after 10 p.m. Things got weird again that evening because the Hermann bridge can be seen for over an hour before you’re actually under it. We pulled our boat up that ramp and were greeted by a good friend that decided to come by and see us on his way to the Lake of the Ozarks.

Hung out and ate for an hour or so, called the parents to let them know we were alive. I found out that my mother, who was at one point strongly opposed to me doing this race, had now made her entire school aware of our journey and was giving them updates as often as we updated her. Slept next to a train that night. It couldn’t really be avoided...and we didn’t really sleep well.

Day 4 – Hermann to St. Charles

Distance: 69

Time: 4:00 a.m. to 4:32 p.m.

We got up and out by 4 a.m. sharp, and were on the way home. The last CP before the finish was at the familiar Klondike Park. We pulled in there, took a bathroom break and then ran into Chris, who then followed us down the river via the Katy Trail until we made it to St. Charles.

I only know one person that would sit down and create a spreadsheet with our speed and approximate locations, as well as his own speed and approximate location on bicycle, the locations where he can pull off the trail to catch a glimpse of us and at what time that should happen. Big thanks to him; if he were not the extremely prepared man that he always is we probably wouldn’t have seen our families at the finish. Once we passed under I-64 it was on, the finish was relatively close. Eventually we passed under the Hwy 364 bridge to see my screaming family above, and within an hour we were on the beach and finished, with a party of 15 or so waiting to congratulate us.

We walked up the street to a nearby brewery/restaurant. This was one of the happiest moments in recent history for me, being surrounded by loved ones, food, and beer after accomplishing something like that. Looking back on the experience I will say that some day I want to do it again, but not next summer, and maybe not for a few more years. It was different than any other challenge I’ve been a part of, not a lot of adrenaline involved but very mentally stressful. As far as recovery, I was surprised that delayed muscular soreness was minimal, and my back, which I’ve had trouble with in the past, was not in bad shape at all. There were extreme highs and lows of emotion. Times when I could sit up, grin big and really dig the paddle in, and times where I slouched back, paddle in a manner that probably slowed us down, and was a real dick to John. I was pretty lucky to have a teammate that has been my friend since grade school. The conversation was always pretty entertaining, especially after heat exhaustion and sleep deprivation kicked in and singing and stupid ramblings began. At one point we sang the Fresh Prince of Bel-air theme song to a random cutie that had been paddling with us for a little while. And that was the first day, to give you an idea of how that behavior may have progressed. At night we froze in our tent, no sleeping bags were packed, and you could always expect a cool breeze off the river. The emergency blanket that I started using the second night (after sleeping in the fetal position the first night) was loud enough to keep your average camper awake all night; luckily I was surrounded by zombies. If boats were sumo wrestlers, ours was Yokozuna, the heaviest of them all. We had enough peanut butter and honey sandwiches to feed two families, but somehow didn’t make a huge dent in the stack. We started with 52ish liters of water between the two of us, and even though I had wanted to take in a liter every hour on the water, we never refilled and I dumped out over a quarter of my water at the finish. Still managed to keep the urinal (Gatorade bottle) full somehow. Between my teammate and I, we had well under 50 miles of paddling experience, and the 8 miles I contribute to that number happened the Sunday before race week. If its something you want to do, get a boat and do it. Prepare for a year out or just deal with things as they hit you, regardless you will have a great experience to look back on.

It's Chubb

2009-08-17T09:38:00.002-05:00

Haven't been there at all this year (RIDICULOUS), finally made it out there on Sunday. I maintain this is the most fun trail in town, without a doubt. We rode it like we hadn't missed a beat. What stairs? Having so much fun only got one pic. Who is that guy?

We noticed a lot of new cheater lines. Are those rogue or land manager sanctioned? I hope that folks continue to ride the difficult lines so they don't get phased out. Also saw some flagging near the top and heard a RUMOR that they may be rerouting the trail away from the two steepish climbs to the picnic bench. Can we not have a difficult trail?

Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series Video

2009-08-17T08:25:00.003-05:00

Found this video on YouTube, I am prominently featured 57 seconds in (not so fancy footwork), at minute 1:57 (solo riding) and 2:58 (in between two other racers, hauling it). I'm also at the very beginning, but am a total blur (probably because I was going so fast, not because of camerawork)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4NQxm5i7b4

That's funny.

2009-08-12T09:31:00.000-05:00

Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series - II

2009-08-11T13:01:00.003-05:00

"It never gets easier, you just go faster" - Greg LeMond

I thought that quote was perfect for this post. The race last night was much better than last week. Overall, I placed 10th last night with a final time of 1:48. Total of 4 laps, about 4 miles per lap. This is nothing incredibly impressive, but a personal best for me. On top of it, I've trimmed down 13 minutes on my time for the same amount of laps, since the race in April. Quite an accomplishment for me.

The race started out the same as last one. No Le Mans style start, just sitting on bikes in a cluster and then start. I was in back of the middle pack and jumped up a few spots at the very beginning. Immediately going into the singletrack, some girl wiped out hard and took up all of the space to get into the trails. It all came to a stop and people started walking bikes up the first hill. I downshifted and just sat on my bike, sort of track-standing, not wanting to disengage. Once it started moving again, I started pumping hard to pass those walking up. I passed about 3 or 4 people and shot through the singletrack. The pace was really fast and I was feeling good. I got stuck behind a slow rider, he messed up on a technical feature and I shot by him. I passed maybe one or two other riders after that.

At this point, it was about 1/3 through the first lap and I caught up with 2 other riders who were clipping along at a really good pace. I ended up in the middle of these two riders and we kept our pace with one another for about another lap after that. It was a lot of fun, as I felt we were working to push each other. The riding was a really fast pace for me, but I felt good. About half-way through the second lap, I clipped a tree with my handlebars and hit another tree next to it with my shoulder. The two riders took off without me and I was left alone for the next 2 1/2 laps, until the finish. I lost my pace pretty bad from there on out. I saw no one else for the rest of the race.

In hindsight, I should have pushed harder to pick those two riders up more quickly. However, I did feel good about my time and my start was really strong. I just need to keep it up in those last two laps next time.

More next week. No pics again, but someone was taking some last night. I'll see if I can get a hold of them.

Recent Activities

2009-08-11T10:23:00.016-05:00

Have a few pics on the camera that need a place so here they are.

Congratulations to David and John on their successful completion of the MR340. They made very good time and completed the race unsupported. Quite the feat. I imagine there will be a post sooner or later. Probably takes a while to wrap your head around and sort out what you just did.

I was lucky enough to get to watch them complete the very last leg of the race. I parked at the finish line in St. Charles and hopped on the SS to ride down to the Klondike Park boat ramp (approx 313 miles done, 27 miles to the finish) where their last checkpoint was. Took a few pics along the way.

I pulled in to the boat ramp around noon and found their boat but not them. Wandered around for a few minutes and finally they appeared. They were both in good spirits and didn't seem to be in any real pain or discomfort. I was suprised and impressed. They weren't staying long, just a bathroom break. The timing couldn't have worked out better. Another ten minutes and I would've missed them.

They shoved off.

I stopped off at various spots along the way to watch them go by, take some pics, and give them some last minute encouragement. They're in there, you'll have to look closely.

Around 4:30PM Friday, after 79 hours, they pulled in to the finish.

Dave was interviewed by a Columbia Missourian reporter.

Great job guys, very impressive!

With some route additions that I made due to the difference in speed between boat and bike, I ended up with about 60 miles for the day. I enjoyed watching those guys finishing up the challenge.

The combo of singlespeed and Katy Trail made for some constant spinning that really helped me work on my spin, so I went at it again on Sunday. This time parked in Defiance and rode with Anna and Jess for 10 miles before they turned around. I continued on.

Finally saw a decent size Copperhead. He was laying across the trail just west of Marthasville when I approached. When I got to close he slowly made his way to the side of the trail. If you grabbed both ends and tugged he would be close to three feet long. The chesnut color is interesting, makes the snake look soft and smooth, no shine.

Made it to Treloar and turned around. Finished up with 52 miles.

Yep. I crossed the line.

Jess and I did a bit of hiking.

Along with our crazy dog.

Schenectady Tuesday Night Race Series

2009-08-05T07:01:00.004-05:00

I was really looking forward to this race. I've been lifting, training and gunning for this thing all summer. I didn't think I was going to go out and kill it, but was more looking forward to tracking my progress after all that work. I've been trimming down my lap times on the trails and knew that I was making progress.

Race format is a series of four Tuesdays in August. Four laps per race, winner determined by time. Open class racing, Pro and Sport race together. Separate race for Novice/Beginner. Points based on placement all the way down to 15th place. The trails are my regular stomping grounds, I know them blindfolded.

Show up to sign in and warm up on the trails a bit. We line up to get going and there aren't nearly as many racers as last time. We are counted and told there are only 17 racers, first 15 finishers will get points. I think to myself, "that is my goal, just get above 15". The rest of the racers there look uber-pro and I line up back of the middle pack.

We start out booking for the first entry into singletrack and I'm about 10-12 people back. The pace is fast, but a little clustered. I was surprised by the fact that I was tailing the guy ahead of me no problem, with plenty of gusto left in me to pass. We roll through the trails and I start passing guys, maybe 2-3. I'm feeling really good and know that I can keep the pace.

Suddenly, I can't shift and realize that I'm stuck in my smallest cog on my rear derailleur. I try shifting and get nothing. I try getting to the top of a hill, thinking I'll look at it then and I can't even move, something is wrong. I dismount and realize my rear derailleur cable snapped right where it connects to the derailleur. There is no easy fix I can think of right away, I was so consumed in race mode. About half a dozen people pass me in this time. On top it, this is about 10 minutes into the race.

I hop back on and shift down on my front derailleur thinking I can still crank it out. It was like pedaling through mud. Every single little hill is a major effort to get up and I'm zapping my energy. Roll through after the first lap, way off my normal time. Get some help from someone in the pit, who adjusts my limit screw to get my derailleur to stay in about the 4th or 5th cog. I go out for a second lap, super pissed and frustrated. Almost stopped right there to give up. I felt dejected, humbled and mad that I messed up such a great start. Nothing I could have done, though. Ride through the second lap and am about out of it. I was basically running a single-speed, but I've never ridden a single-speed on singletrack.

I come in to the pit and find out I'm in 15th place. If I just finish, I'll get some points for the next race. That is motivation enough, but I about lost it. I felt so alone out there, which didn't help. For some reason, I start actually feeling really good about halfway through that third lap. I somehow pass one guy and then another. More motivation just to keep cranking it. I come in for the fourth lap and find out that I've got another guy ahead of me and another right behind me.

I go back out, contemplating DNF - really tired, super sore. I crank it out for the last lap, I don't even remember it. Come through on the last lap and find out I'm in 13th place. Not great, but with a major mechanical, I can't ask for much else. After looking at the race results, I realize the guy ahead of me is 1 second away. Two guys ahead of him are about 12 minutes away. Not sure if I can make that up, but will try my best next week. No pics.

MR340

2009-08-04T19:28:00.003-05:00

Follow David and John on the river.

Via Twitter.

Via Official Race Updates.

Castlewood Challenge

2009-08-03T08:56:00.007-05:00

Huge turnout, racers and spectators. Such a fun course. First lap went fairly well, second lap lost a bit of motivation as I was alone with no one in sight either way. Third lap I ate shit pretty hard, the kind where you're dazed for a moment thinking, "what the hell just happened?" Banged and bloodied my knee a bit, but didn't hurt too bad. Bent/broke the banjo bolt on the rear brake caliper and lost all my fluid with one pull of the lever. Wish it would've been the front, things got really sketchy trying to carry speed through the switchbacks and such. I got to the line at about 1:29 and drank a beer and waited a few minutes to get past the 1:30mark so I didn't have to go out again. I had lost all motivation. I see now that if I would've went out again and held my position I would've ended up in seventh. What a wuss, I should've done it.

Photos 1

Photos 2

Results

Found two pics, credit the second link.

Credit Jason Pryor.

Show-Me State Games

2009-07-29T11:29:00.010-05:00

This was a fun one. The whole family came up to watch Dave and I race at Rock Bridge State Park in Columbia, MO. We set up the tent along the course and they just relaxed and picniced and watched the races.

Dave, Keith, and I did a quick preride.

I felt good coming in to this race so was extra excited to get started. I went in to the woods I believe seventh of twelve. Not sure what was happening behind me, but for the first half mile or so we were all one group. Then we passed David's roommate Jon on the side of the trail with a flat. At that point I believe Chris Ploch and Josh Johnson starting gapping the rest of us. I was at the back of the four man chase group and was able to hold their wheel for a while. On the flat locomotive section I fell and had to chase back, which took a bit out of me. I caught back up right at the base of one of the tougher climbs. Just couldn't quite hold on but kept them in sight. At the top of that climb you hit gravel road and open field riding for a bit. The three man group ahead was working together and I just couldn't get back to them.

Finished that lap there and out for lap two, my back tightened up again, but not as bad as last time. A little bit of standing mixed in seems to help relieve the pain. I caught a couple glimpses of Matt James, never made it to him. One of the guys in front of me DNF'd, and Jon eventually passed back by me and that's how it ended. Sixth place, not last, mission accomplished.

David did really well, especially considering that I believe he has been spending his time prepping for the MR340 and hasn't pedaled in quite a while.

Results

Thanks for the pics Jess! Thanks for the support family!

2009 Chubb Challenge

2009-07-22T16:07:00.001-05:00

You have to check this out. (Click Me)

Weekend Ride

2009-07-21T09:09:00.000-05:00

See here.

Tappin' Bass at a Bachelor Party

2009-07-18T09:33:00.023-05:00

Hit Bryant Creek in south-central MO last weekend to celebrate with Zac, the bachelor, one last time. Eleven guys, seven canoes, one hand-made longboat, two dogs, and a shit-ton of fishing rods.

Put in about noonish on Saturday.

And then we fished and we fished and we fished (I actually did more picture taking and beer drinking and left the casting to the professionals.)

Cut out at a gravel bar early that evening.

Set up camp.

Let the beer flow like wine.

Played some washers.

Sent out a hunting party for the ever-elusive gar.

And were treated to venison fajitas and then dutch-oven cobbler and homeade ice cream.

(thanks to Kyle who runs Longboat Outfitters and Jim)

Then told stories and talked about Zac's ex's until the rain came.

Zac and I (and one or two others) slept commando style under a barrage of thunderstorms.

Packed up in the morning and hit the water again.

And got to hear some of Zac's wisdom on Nymphing.

I had to paddle out early on Sunday to catch a plane, but the weekend was well worth it. Great weekend with a bunch of good guys...

...and the man of the hour.

Omba Caramba

2009-07-15T12:19:00.006-05:00

On the way back from Table Rock we caught the OMBA Caramba MTB race at Sac River in Springfield, MO. Scott Davis from Springfield Bike put on a great race with tons of good schwag,food, and drinks, and the Midwest Fat Tire Series folks were fast and accurate with the timing and scoring.

Before the start I felt too rested (fat and lazy) from the week worth of vacationing and not riding, but did okay off the start. Quickly developed some really painful lower back tightness issue that I hope to work out before the next race. Bad enough that I was off the bike three times to stretch it out. That doesn't help much, but it's all part of the game. I'm definitely focused on doing better next time. Those expert boys are fast and I'll continue with my goal of not getting last place.

Thank you Jess and David for being the support crew.

Results