Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Looking Back

My mountain bike racing roots came way before even stepping a foot on a starting line.  In fourth grade I was introduced to skiing, and by fifth grade I was ski racing.  From fifth grade up to middle school, I was on the Snowstar Ski Team.  I competed in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. I was a chubby kid and never did well, but I did manage to gain a strong set of legs.  I didn’t know it then, but that was the base of my biking career.  Once I reached high school, I lifted my first weights for football.  I could already squat more than most on the team, and remained the top ranked squatter through Senior year. Unfortunately, I lacked upper strong and wasn’t the fastest runner so I never played, but strong legs plus no upper body, minus fast twitch muscle equals a decent mashing mountain biker. After high school and no longer practicing football, I needed a new outlet so I decided to do a 7 mile hilly running race called the Bix 7. I found my love for long distance cardio. After a year or two of doing this race, all the while still lifting weights, I decided to compete in several short triathletes around the university I attended in Springfield, IL. I didn't have a road bike, so I used the mountain bike I had from saving up money as a lifeguard one summer in 1998. Considering I was racing a hardtail with knobbies on it, I didn't do too bad. When I came home from college I found mountain biking, and the rest is history. Now I'm on my sixth year of racing, and my fourth year of endurance racing in Colorado. All this from being a chubby ski racing kid in the Midwest. Now I hardly find time to ski because I'm mountain biking. Funny how that all worked out.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Back Into Action!


Training week number one complete!  Thirteen weeks to go until the first race.  Every year, I do a performance test the first week of training in January and then another in February.  It's a 20 minute sprint uphill as hard as you can go.  My last test was last February with a solid result.  This year I beat that record with a 2.7% increase in distance!  To make things better, I was 9 lbs lighter last year during the test, so there's lots of room for improvement as more weight comes off.  Also I had my first long day on Thursday.  I had a four hour ride close to work on a Broomfield/Boulder trail system. I typically only ride Jefferson County trails, but because I'm going to be out of town this weekend and really didn't want to ride in the dark this was one of my only options because it's close to work.  It is quite an awesome option to have!  I had never ridden most of the trail, and although it wasn't my beloved JeffCo trails, I had a blast! I even convinced a friend who works in the same building as me to join in for a part of the ride, so even better.  It's a great start to the season.  Oh, and I've officially decided to upgrade the ride!  My bike shop picked up Scott Bikes this year, and the Scale was just too tempting to pass up.  I am saving up, and hopefully will pull the trigger in February.  2013 is being to be awesome!

My Future Bike

Another Trail User on the Trail in Boulder

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Looking Forward To 2013

The stats are in!  For 2012 I rode:

Distance:  3,690.11 mi (481.98 more than 2011)
Time:  351:18:48 h:m:s (only 7:18:28 hours more than 2011)
Elevation Gain:  343,260 ft  (83,766 more than 2011)


I did spend quite a bit more time on the road in 2012, but still some good signs of improvement!

Currently I'm on my third day out of a three week rest period, and all I want to do is ride!  Seriously, how do people go every day not doing anything active?  I'm going crazy already and I'm not even half way through!  In the meantime, this is a good time to go over my goals for 2013.

Goal #1:  Weight!
Once again, the elephant in the room is power-to-weight ratio, because I was the elephant last year.  After losing a sufficient amount of weight for my first race (which I won), I gained back much of  the weight I had lost, started losing races, and wasn't able to get back on track.  After counting every calorie and refusing to eat anything remotely bad for weeks, I would have mental break downs where I was binging and then had worse mental break downs after gaining a lot of weight (I gained 10 lbs in two days... I'm aware it was mostly water weight, but still, that's crazy).  And that's what we call an eating disorder.  I told myself winning wasn't worth not eating... which is true, but I think I can do both for 2013.  Next year I'm approaching weight loss differently.  No more counting calories.  I know what I need to eat and more importantly what not to eat to lose weight.  I would get upset every time my wife made something because I had to add all of into the calorie counter, and I HAD to know every calorie.  This stressed both of us out... definitely not healthy.  Also, I'm going to indulge once a week, but within moderation.  Having a little bit of bad is much better than not having anything bad for weeks and then eating everything in sight. Limiting my beer intake!  This by far was the biggest factor for me not keeping the weight off last year.  And lastly, starting the weight loss early so I lose it in a slow, healthy way; which I am currently doing successfully.  The hard part is when summer hits and there is less training to keep the weight off between races, and you seem to find reasons to drink and eat.  I can only 'weight' and see how it goes.

Goal #2: Go Pro!

All I have to do to compete in the Pro class is cut off 30 minutes from my best race, and do it constantly!  Simple, right!?  Okay, maybe first step should be to spend 2013 getting on the podium in the class I'm in, and then maybe go Pro 2014, but you gotta dream big to go big.

Goal #3:  More races... without killing myself.

So far I have 14 endurance races planned for 2013.  I only did 7 in 2012, so quite a jump.  That should help keep the weight off too!

Pretty lofty goals for 2013, but I'm not getting any younger.  Training starts in January, and I'm ready to hit it hard!  Can't wait for the first race in April!

Friday, December 7, 2012

Turkey Day And Fun In The Sun

Well, my CX season of suckiness has continued since my last blog.  I raced in Boulder at Valmont Bike Park on November 17th.  During the race, my chain fell off and somehow got a loop in it.  I found myself trying to figure out how to undo the loop mid-race, and in doing so  I bent a link which made the chain skip on some gears. The time it took to undo the chain and the skipped gears  cost me enough time to put me out of any decent finishing position.  Turkey day, I raced the Turkey Cross.  I was doing great, and then on the 3rd of 4 laps my tire flatted.  I didn't bring an extra bike because I was short on time since I needed to hop on a plane to visit the family for the weekend.  That tacked on another DNF.  I came back early on Sunday that same weekend to race the first of two Green Mountain Sports CX races, and didn't even make it to the race because when I was loading the car to go to the race, I hit my head hard on my truck door.  Blood starting pouring down my face and I was feeling a little dizzy so I figured attempting to race would have been a bad idea.  

One more race to go this season on Sunday.  The venue changed to my favorite place where I'm most favored to do well, but honestly I just don't care anymore.  Even though my CX season has been a disaster of mechanical and poor performances, I still accomplished my end goal to keep fit in the off season and to have fun doing it.  After all, the blog says "Endurance Mountain Biker".  Never claimed to be any good at CX, but I sure do love trying to be.  

In my traveling news, after my poor turkey weekend results, I needed another weekend vacation.  We flew down to Cabo San Lucas for some fun in the sun.  Snorkeling and playing frisbee on the beach while sipping a piƱa colada is considered cross training, right? 

Monday, November 12, 2012

Weekend Trips And Sore Legs

Since I'm technically in my off season, I've been trying to get out of town every other weekend with the wife. During these away trips, I always try to get in some cardio.  In October we went to Durango, CO for some awesome microbrews and great food in this fun mountain town.  I strongly recommend Steamworks Brewing Company for some amazing beer and food.  During that trip, I woke up early and was able to spin for an hour on an exercise bike, and then run for 30 minutes on a beautiful trail along the river.  This last weekend we found ourselves in Boston to enjoy some seafood, and you guessed it, more microbrew!  FYI, Shipyard Pumpkinhead with a glass that has sugar and cinnamon on the rim is amazing!  I delayed my workout until Sunday, and slept in late so I decided it was best to rent a bike for the wife and run along side her on the bike path that goes around the bay.  Although the views were great and we both enjoy ourselves, I know I was going to pay for running an hour.  Today I looked like an old man hobbling around the office.  The things I do for CX.  We are going to try to do another weekend trip in early December, and then going to spend a couple of days in Vegas over new years.  I know, the life of a flight attendant's husband is a rough one, but I tough it out somehow.  

In other news, the CX bike is back in business thanks to the compact crankset I use for road riding the majority of the year.  I swapped out the 50 for a 46 tooth, and the middle is the same with 36.  I was planning on getting a 39-53 for road riding anyway so it all worked out.  Plus, it was good to get the green machine up and running for a spare bike in case I run into anymore mechanical issues at the races this year.  I really want to take CX to the next level. I'm definitely going to cut next years' endurance season a little shorter so I can switch gears to CX sooner.  I may even upgrade the frame to carbon next year too... maybe.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The Green Machine Lives Again

This last Sunday I really pinned the start of the CX race!... that's because I was pinning down a line of plastic for the starting lanes of the race that was going on that day. After that, my duties for the next three hours were to make sure the course was in good shape after and during each race. Felt good to get out there and volunteer. Cycling has given so much to me, so it's only right to give back every once and awhile. After course marshalling for half the day, and the fact that the venue is were I train weekly, I knew every turn of the course. My race was later in the day and I felt pretty prepared. I was quick off the line and was fifth to the singletrack. The leader wasn't too far off the front, and I knew that I was faster in the corners than everyone in front of me. Considering the course was pretty much all corners with little straight aways, this course catered to me. Things were looking up for me to grab a top finish... and then I heard a snap. Suddenly my pedal was hanging at an angle. Like a car with a blown cylinder, I was giving it gas but not going anywhere. Game over. Didn't even get through the first lap. I had stripped out the threads of my left crank arm were the pedal screws in and it was just hanging by a few threads. Second DNF of the CX season due to mechanical. I was really hoping this was going to be my redemption race after my poor performance during my previous race. I had a solid two weeks of training, and had cut some weight. Guess I'll have to wait another two weeks to try to redeem myself.  At least the race was free, and I'm glad I volunteered regardless.  Well, with the CX bike out of commission I have no choice but to bring the Green Machine back to life!  This was my first bike; a 1999 Trek 6500zx.  Through the years I have replaced just about every part on this bike.  The only thing that remains is the frame and the headset.  Before I bought my CX bike, I transformed this 26" mountain bike into a cyclocross monster!  I took it out for a spin tonight at the CX course.  I was quite surprised how well it ripped!  I should of had this beast in the pit area during the race.  I might not of been able to get a podium, but I could of at least finished.  Lesson learned.  In the meantime, I'll keep training hard.  Another podium spot is in my reach, just need to keep pushing.  Next race!

The Green Machine is back!

I guess I don't know my own strength...

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Back On The Horse... If It Can Hold Me

For all the those Simpsons viewers out there: do you remember the episode when Homer is trying to gain weight to get out of work, and when he hops on the scale he isn't heavy enough until Bart points out that his roll of fat stuck on the towel rack revealing that he hasn't only met the weight, but exceeded it by a good number? That's kind of how I felt when I hopped on the scale and it was way over what I had estimated it would be. I know, I know, I said I wasn't going to care about my weight until January, but come on, you can't just shake being a racer for three months. By the time I found out I had become a massive sea cow it was too late.  I had a disappointing Wednesday night CX race with a 9th out of 39 followed by an even worse Saturday race getting second to last place. Just back in September, right before the Crested Butte race, I started dead last and ended up 3rd during the Wednesday night race, and now I'm struggling to even finish!? I've accepted that I suck at CX, but this is just pathetic! I guess I took the off-season theme and ran with it a little too far. I have two weeks until my next CX race. Time to get back on the horse and lose some pounds. Hopefully I can get back into form so I won't completely embarrass myself this CX season.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Fall = Off Season

After an awesome vacation in Ireland followed by a trip to Moab to bike with friends from the Midwest, I'm moving a little slower these days.  I eat what I want to, and I drink what I want to drink.  My race weight for the fall is whatever I happen to be at race day, and hopefully I'll still fit into my team kit.  After nine months of dieting, training hard, and racing, it's time to dial the ambition level down for a little while.  Sure, I'm still going to 'train' for the cyclocross season, but when I feel like just riding rather than hitting my intervals I'm going to do so.  Soon enough, January will come around and it will be back to business.  Undoubtedly, I'll hop on the scale, cry a little bit while shaking my roll of fat, and focus on a getting down to race weight... a race weight a little more sustainable then last year's bout of near anorexia.  All I have to do is cut my race time by a half hour and I'll be at pro level.  Easy, right?  I guess we'll find out.  For now, it's time to drink some good beers, enjoy cross season even if I am going to suck, and take it a little more easy for a couple of months.  Oh, and I'm going to take as many weekend getaways as I can except when I'm racing.  I love fall.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Last Endurance Race Report of 2012!: Leadville 100 Qualifier Race, Alpine Odyssey

This race was an awesome race to end the season.  The race was held in Crested Butte, and was the last race in 2012 for a series of Leadville 100 qualifier races.   It was beautiful in Crested Butte because all of the aspen leaves were turning colors.  The aspen trees weren’t  the only shade of yellow to be seen in the race though. Not long before the race, everyone learned that Lance Armstrong was going to be racing as well.  Sure enough, at the beginning of the race during the neutral roll out, I looked over and there he was.  It was incredible to see such an iconic cyclist right there in the same race as I.  Lance wasn’t the only celebrity I saw, however.  The day before the race,  after picking up my race packet in the Crested Butte Resort hotel, I walked outside and Dave Wiens was standing right there.  He could tell I was staring at him in bewilderment and asked my name while shaking my hand.  He was a genuinely nice guy.  Anyway, back to the racing action.  The race was two laps, with a big climb at the beginning of each.  After the neutral rollout, I hung with the lead peloton for a while until everyone slowly split apart.  Most of the race was dirt road, and I had no intentions to try to podium, so the first lap I rode at my own pace while taking in the gorgeous views.   The second lap I found myself picking up the pace quite a bit up the big climb.  I caught up to a young lady who was the leader in the women’s category.  She was happy to have found a partner in me to join in the painful climb to the top.  After conversing for a minute, I found out she was Amy Beisel, the sister of pro-endurance racer Kalan Beisel, and this was her first endurance mountain bike race.  It appears as though endurance runs in the family.  I had to push really hard to help pull her up the mountain, and eventually she pulled away near the top.  She ended up getting first place, which was her first for the year after racing XC all year.  The poor girl was crying when she crossed the finish line because she was so happy.  After she pulled away, I rode alone for quite a while until the last part of the race.  A racer passed me on a downhill pavement section, and then I passed him on a short pavement climb before the last part of the race which was single track on Crested Butte Mountain Resort.   I went deep into my cave of pain to stay ahead on the single track climb before a long descent to the finish line.  He stayed on my tail the whole time, but I had enough left in me to sprint to the finish.  Remember how I mentioned earlier that this race was a Leadville 100 qualifier race?  Based on the age class size, they allot so many entries to each class.  My age group was given 10 spaces, so the top 20 would be given entries, but if anyone declined, the entry would get rolled down to the next person in the rankings.  Come to find out, the guy behind was in my age group… and I got tenth place!  Talk about a close one!  Luckily enough, 1 of the top 10 finishers did decline, so he got his entry too.



One more thing before I end this post.  During the first lap in a downhill single track section I hit a stomp with my pedal which caused me to come off the bike in front of the saddle, and somehow the bike jolted forward right into a very uncomfortable to spot.  I spent a good ten minutes crying out in agony after that one.  Remind me not to go to prison ever.


Wanted Sex Offender

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Cyclocross is here!

Had my first CX race yesterday.  Thanks to a couple of upgrades, I may actually do well this year.  When I got into my accident back in May, the only thing that broke was my fork.  Honesty, I'm glad it did!  I didn't realize just how horrible that unlabeled carbon fork was until I put on an Easton EC90X.  The old fork flexed so much in the corners that I was never confident in the turns, and it was horrible at absorbing the rough terrain.  The EC90X feels solid in the turns, but is very forgiving on the rough terrain.  I love it!  I also decided to go tubeless with the Conti Cyclo X-King RaceSport tires I bought.  I set them up with Stan's NoTubes sealant on my Mavic Ksyrium wheelset.

Muddy CX Bike
The race course was a mixture of tacky, and muddy trail.  It had rained all day, but luckily stopped a couple of hours before the race started.  We had decent field size show for the race which always makes it more fun, and tougher.  At the beginning of the race during the charge for the hole shot, I heard a loud noise under my bike that sounded like glass.  I looked down to check that every thing was okay, and when I looked up I was in the back of the pack.  I spent the first lap passing like a mad man.  I got up to second place and hold it until the last lap were I was passed.  I was gassed from my first lap, and I didn't want to turn myself inside out to chase since I still have an endurance to do on Saturday.  I ended up getting 3rd place!  Pretty happy with that result.  Great start to the CX season!

UPDATE: Apparently that race cost me my bottom bracket!  The bearing on the left side ceased completely.  I serviced it, but it's still not that smooth.  Bottom brackets aren't too pricey so I'm just going to replace it.  Probably needs it anyway.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Finally!

Yesterday I went on my last long training ride for 2012.  Finally!  I started my ride much later in the day than I usually do for long rides.  I didn't get out until 11:24am, so I was riding in the hottest part of the day.  Usually I only need a water bottle an hour to stay hydrated and carry two water bottles on me.  I went through the first two bottles I had in about an hour and half before I had to refill.  Once I refilled I figured I was just thirsty at the beginning of my ride and would have another two hours before needing to refill again.  That was a mistake!  I went through those two water bottles in about an hour and fifteen minutes.  Out of water with no water fountains nor gas stations anywhere close.  One good thing was I didn't run out until the long descent so at least I wasn't climbing without water.  It seemed like forever until I finally saw a potential water supply.  At the base of Red Rocks park is a wedding chapel.  I looked around for a water fountain, but there wasn't one.  However, there was a facet with a hose attached on the side of the building.  I took a quick look around for cameras and witnesses before shamelessly detaching the hose, filling up my water bottles, and reattaching the hose before making a quick get away.  I went through that pair of water bottles in about an hour, but luckily I knew of a water fountain close by.  It was a hot, painful ride, but I still felt it was a good strong effort so it was an success.  No more late in the day long rides for me though!

Friday, August 10, 2012

'Tis The Season

Ran to the local today booze shop today and saw something that made me very excited.  Samuel Adams Octoberfest is out!  I know, it's sad.  Colorado has more microbrews then you could think of, and yet I'm a sucker for this mass produced beer each year.  Anyone, back to the point.  Octoberfest equals cyclocross season is near!  Only four more weeks of two to five hour training sessions to prepare for my last endurance race, and then it's one to one and half hour training sessions for cyclocross season until January.  I'm super stoked this year for cross since for the first time every In Colorado there is going to be an ultra cross, the Boulder Ultra Cross.  Fifty miles containing mountain roads, singletrack, run-ups, barriers, cowbells, beer, and everything else that makes cross so much fun!  Heck, I might actually do well at this cross event.  That will be a change from me coming in among the mid pack feeling like my lungs are going to explode.  It's the first CX race of the year for me.  Perfect way to start the season.  I love my off-season!

Cyclocross is near!

Monday, August 6, 2012

Race Report: PV Cycle Derby

Welp, it happened again.  I over-trained and just like in the Ridgeline Rampage, my legs were sore before I even started the race.  Maybe it was the ride I did during my off week after the Breck 68 with a teammate, or the low calorie diet I was on to frantically lose as much weight as I could for this race, or maybe I just went too hard on the interval ride I did the previous Monday before the race, or perhaps I just needed more recovery time after the Breck 68.  Most likely it was a combination of all of them.  One way or another, my legs were overly sore on the Tuesday prior to the race and then I should have known to cut some training rides.  What can I say, I'm not the only A-type athlete who's battled with pushing too hard in training.  I remember reading an article by Georgia Gould about her lack of recovery causing her to be 'flat' during her Cyclocross season; and hence created #heckleme.  At least I'm in good company.  The race was 3 twenty-two mile laps.  It was a really windy day with a lot of open field fire roads so pace lining (yep, we all look like a bunch of roadies) was important to do well.  Unfortunately, I fell behind the group late in the first lap and spent the rest of first lap and some the second lap trying to catch up.  By mid lap during the second lap my legs were screaming.  Every climb was so painful I was actually biting my lip and clenching my teeth.  I thought the Breck 68 was going to be the most painful race of the year,but man was I wrong.  My body was saying, "Just give up", but my mind insisted, "Quitting isn't in your vocab, pansy!".   So I kept on grinding along.  I have never been so happy to cross a finish line.  I sat for at least ten minutes breathing hard before I even remotely came back to life.  Luckily only seven people showed up and I somehow beat two racers for a fifth place finish.  Good thing I did finish because it gave me just enough points to win third in the Rocky Mountain Endurance Race Series!  It's bittersweet though because I know I had the potential to podium that race, and it would also probably bumped me up to second in the series.  Still have a lot to learn about endurance racing, but for a guy with a training plan on a PDF, no coach to tell me when to back off, and the ambition to keep grinding along towards my goals no matter what obstacle, I can't complain too much.  I still have one more endurance race before cyclocross season starts.  Going to take a solid week off from biking, and take it easy the following week before hitting it hard again... but hopefully not too hard.

3rd in Rocky Mountain Endurance Race Series

Monday, July 16, 2012

Race Report: Breckenridge 68

EXPERTS ONLY!!! This race was tough! Not only was it a mean amount of climbing, a lot of the climbing was done on steep, loose, rocky sections. The descents were just crazy. Seriously, they'd be dicey on a nine inch travel downhill bike let alone a hardtail carbon XC bike. Super steep, big rocks, roots, and loose. The race had four huge climbs,and each one was a swift kick to the groin. The 'easiest' climb was the last one on a dirt rode which started at 9,917 and went up past the tree line at 11,438. To makes things worse, it rained at the end of my first loop (two big 34 mile loops in the race) so the second loop was a little moist in spots. There wasn't a lot of smiling coming from me during this race. It was a grunt fest the whole time. Despite being over my race weight and being half asleep, I somehow pulled out a 4th place. Almost 3rd by 1:31. On the last climb I passed the guy at the base, but he caught me near the end. I tried to up it a notch, but he pulled away more. Guess that's what I get for being a fatty. Still, with a 4th place finish I guess you can call that a good day of racing, but I certainly wouldn't call it a fun day in the saddle like my other races have been. And to top off my day of suffering, I hit Sunday afternoon traffic on the way home so my hour and half drive turned into a three hour drive in traffic with sore legs and a stick shift. Now if you excuse me, I have some Ibuprofen calling my name.





Monday, July 9, 2012

Race Report: Firecracker 50

The Firecracker 50 has been one of my favorite races of the year since I began endurance racing, but since I have the Breckenridge 68 a week and half later which is more of a priority, I decided to not do the whole 50.  Instead, I decided to do the race as a duo with my good friend Don.  Don is more of the casual rider, and this was actually his first mountain bike race (which I didn't know until after the race; awesome first though!).  My only goal was to pound out the fastest lap I could to give Don ample time to complete his lap before cut off.  That is exactly what I did, but not without some complications.  The first complication was that I had forgotten my saddle bag which had my CO2 inflator so instead I stuffed Don's frame pump in my jersey pocket.  Complication number two happened during a downhill section were there was a slower rider in front of me who I attempted to make a quick move to get around, but instead took a spill which caused the frame pump to fall out.  I have never raced this race without getting a flat, which brings us to complication three.  I was riding along on some sweet singletrack when I heard a loud noise coming from rear tire.  The culprit making the noise was a decent sized nail in my tire... that's right, a freakin' nail in the middle of the forest.  Why was there a nail in the middle of the forest you may ask?  Well, because several of the trails are on old mining trails and this one in particular had a old metal mining shoot running along side the trail.  And to our last complication, it had been awhile since I had put some sealant in my tire so a tube was needed.  Without a pump my only option was to run until I found someone in the race crew because no one was going to stop to help out.  Luckily it wasn't too far off before I did find someone, but it still cost me 10-15 minutes.  I completed the lap around 2:15:00 which considering my difficulties was pretty good.  Don was up, so I figured I'd keep him company for awhile since the first six miles is up a dirt road.  Once we hit the singletrack, I figured I had already climbed so I might as well reward myself... then Don wanted me to help support him on the second and only other big climb... might as well reward myself some more... just did the only other big climb anyway... so much for only doing half the race!  Yep, I ended up doing the whole fifty!  For the sake of proper recovery, probably not the best idea.  For the sake of having a blast riding at a casual pace with a good friend, fantastic idea!  I wasn't going race pace for the second lap so I'm just going to consider it a long cool down.  Besides, it was fun seeing Don really tearing up the downhills.  On one really rocky dirt road downhill section that had singletrack going through it, Don chose the rock garden to blaze around a line of racers with a slow person leading the pack.  I was absolutely stunned... and then I shifted in my third ring and followed suit.  Good times!  Our official time was 5:29:06.2 and were 61st out of 85.  Not too bad at all for the guy that found one of the only nails out there and the first timer.  You couldn't rip the smile off my face after that race.  We both had an absolute blast!  Even enjoyed a good brew or two afterwards.  HFDB!


Chasing down my friend Don

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Midwest Mountain Bike Fest

This is how my past Friday went: 8%, 4%, 4%, 12%... no, I'm not talking about the grade of the hills I was climbing, I'm talking about the ABV I was consuming on my day off during the Midwest Mountain Bike Fest held in Davenport, IA. I had gotten in on Thursday night to start my camping trip out at Scott County Park in Long Grove, IA where the Midwest Mountain Bike Fest was held this year hosted by my favorite club, FORC. Friday started with a fast loop at Scott County with my buddy Paul. After Scott County, it was off to Sunderbruch Park in Davenport, IA with some guys visiting from Michigan. That's where the ABVs started, and then continued at lunch at the Filling Station with some tasty wings. Once back at Scott County, the Michigan guys gave me an awesome 12% beer before embarking on the night ride. So, here I was on Friday night with a group of other mountain bikers preparing to start a night ride. I had no lights, and probably couldn't even walk a straight line. Now the no lights thing I've learned to master before. You simply just have a good friend in front with lights and another in back with lights, and just really trust the guy in front you to have a good line. Everyone I followed had a great line, but the last key to this riding format is being able to hold a line yourself. When I started riding I could see my front tire going everywhere on the trail but straight. The result was me crashing... a lot! After the hundredth crash, I finally forced myself to concentrate enough to make it back to the campsite without impaling myself onto a tree first. As a high level mountain bike racer in Colorado, I wasn't too proud to have fallen as much as I did... but did I mention 12% ABV! Oh well, at least I didn't hurt myself too badly other than a badly bruised right thigh and a bent brake lever on my friend's bike that I will be replacing for him. Saturday was more crash free as I opted to skip the night ride. There was a big beer potluck and grill out to occupy my time anyway. Great riding, great beer, and great friends! The Midwest Mountain Bike Fest was a huge success! Thanks to all my old and new friends for tolerating me for the weekend... now excuse me while I ice my bruised thigh and try to restore my dignity I lost on Friday night's ride.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Bailey Hundo: Race Report

Saturday morning at 4:30 a.m. Bailey was freezing cold, as predicted. Arm and knee warmers in the middle of June... brrrr!  The shot gun (that's right, the race is started by a shot gun... gotta love Colorado!) went off promptly at 6 a.m. and we were off!  The first couple of miles were all dirt road climbs which made it nice to thin out everyone before hitting the singletrack. The course was designed very well in the fact that most of the climbing for the first half of the race was on doubletrack, and the rest was on some truly sweet singletrack!  I decided early on to back off from race pace so I wouldn't burn myself out too early. I'm glad I did because there was some really breath-taking views to be enjoyed, and some amazing trail to be ridden. By the end of 60 miles of twisty singletrack and descending, my index fingers were sore from all the braking (yeah, I do that 'braking' thing from time to time), and my triceps were burning. I've never been happier to ride my mountain bike on asphalt. After a 'break' on a good stretch of asphalt, we hit a looonnnngggg dirt road climb back to the top of the  mountain. You may think to yourself, "Dirt road? sounds easy!", but this was not the case. The road was steep, full of loose rock, and really choppy (kinda like the speed strips on the side of the interstate that when you hit them make your whole car vibrate in order to wake up swerving motorists who fall asleep at the wheel... except bigger). My legs were just screaming at this point. Once again, really glad I backed off during the first half of the race. The whole climb my legs were on the verge of cramping, but miraculously I never hit that point. After the first stage of the climb, we hit a false summit and got a break with some fast dirt road descending. In this race, there are two big water crosses. The first water crossing is the worst of the two and made the second one just a good way to rinse off the muck from the first. During the first, I was riding with a guy that I had been chatting with since the asphalt road. He warned me to stay left and just plow through it. Glad I did because about three-fourths through the crossing it was deep!  Seriously, it was up to my top tube. Oh, and did I mention the water was brown from all the cow pies dropped in it?  Yum!  Cow poo water!  Now somewhere between the last big climb and the last few miles my legs suddenly came back to life. This was probably because an afternoon thunderstorm was brewing above head and my legs didn't want to be out there any more than I did. On the last summit where the last aid station was, the storm finally let loose and it started hailing. I stopped under the aid station E-Z Up and threw on my rain jacket for last bit of the race which was muddy dirt road descents and short climbs that I was able to stand on to really plow through to the end. Hail turned to rain as I descended to lower elevation. Visibility was pretty low since my glasses were caked with mud and thus became a splash guard sitting at the bottom of my nose so I could see between the top frame of the glasses and my helmet. I really had to get on the brakes early to wipe off the water and mud before they even were semi-functional. I have to say, even with the terrible conditions I was smiling like a mad man flying down these steep dirt roads. I made one last standing climb to a short doubletrack section that desceded to the finish. Sprinting to the end, I crossed the finish line at 7:56:45.08. My goal was to do it in eight hours so I was pretty happy with the results. First thing I did was to make a stop at the beer tent for some delicious micro-brew. Not sure what it was, but it a fruity summer beer of some sort and it tasted absolutely amazing!  Have to say, best race I've done so far. What an awesome race!


So clean... that didn't last!




The only way I could see for the last few miles!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Bailey Hundo: Big Day in the Cold and Rain


Well, it's finally here. The start of the Bailey Hundo is less than 24 hours away. Tonight I'll drive into Bailey and set up camp. Race start is at 6:00am. Weather is calling for 30% chance of Isolated T-Storms this afternoon until 10pm. In other words, 30% chance for camping in rain and lighting. Temperature at race start is 45 and will get up to 69 by the last 2-3 hours. Once again chance for Isolated T-Storms starting at 11am. Yep, it's going to be a long, cold, and potentially rainy day. Going to have to carry a lot of clothing for this 8+ hours ride. I'm a little nervous, but not as nervous I was on Monday. Now that I've checked off everything on my 'what to bring' list and looked over it a hundred times I'm a little more at ease. All that's left is to drive down, set up camp, and attempt to get a halfway decent nights sleep until I wake up at 4:30am in the dark and cold. What can I say, this is what I raised $500 to do, and I love it! The second the gun goes off I'm going to be in mountain biking bliss. There are some really good trails to be ridden tomorrow. Thank you to everyone that donated so I could do this race! Don't know how well I'll do, but failure is not a option! Game on!

Friday, June 8, 2012

Yeah, I'm One of Those Guys


Having some Midwestern mountain bike friends visiting this week really made me think, “Gasp! Should I ride with baggies or not!? What are they going to think about my shaved legs!?”. 


When I started mountain biking in the Midwest, it was always considered taboo to ride in just bike shorts and would most certainly result in ridicule. When I came out to Colorado, that same mind set lasted about a year for me until I really started to put in a lot of road miles where riding with bike shorts without baggies is not only accepted, you kind of look like the black sheep if you're seen road biking with baggies. Not too long after I started riding non-baggy during my off-road efforts as well. It may seem trivial, but when you ride as much as I do having one less layer to deal with makes a huge difference. Not only is it more comfortable, it's one less item you have to wash. Plus, you don't have to worry about the occasional catching of the baggies on the saddle case scenario. This isn't to say I've completely shunned baggies altogether. My rule is that if I'm on the road or on the hardtail race rig really pushing the pace I'm in bike shorts. If I'm on the full suspension and taking it easy I'm in baggies: more all-mountain style. And of course, when in a group ride I always follow the dress code that everyone else is wearing.

Now that I've explained the baggy or not topic, on to why I shave my legs. Now it's not like I bought a bike and bunch of gear and instantly started shaving my legs the day I began biking. It wasn't until mountain biking for six years and my second year of endurance racing in Colorado before I started shaving. It all started when I decided to 'trim' my leg hair two days before the Firecracker 50. The day before the race I went for short ride to warm up the legs with a friend who insured me that my 'trimmed' legs looked terrible and shaving them would actually be an improvement. I went to the store, bought a razor, and the shaving of the legs began. At first I was shy about my newly smooth legs, but I quickly came to the realization that I deserved to shave my legs. That's right, I DESERVE TO! Each year I put in thousands of miles and hours training. Each vein and muscle that protrudes through my skin is a medal of honor to me, and damn it I'm going to show them! Besides, if I want sponsors to take me as a serious endurance mountain bike racer I better look the part. If you look at the rest of the top finishers you'll be hard pressed to see hairy legs standing on the podium. Nuff said!

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Warning: Graphic

For all of you who want to see the carnage, here's some pics of the accident.  My left arm took the bulk of the impact.  Before and After pics of the 63 stitches:
Before Pic
After Pic