Merry Christmas

Well just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas from our family to yours wherever you might be and however you might celebrate make sure to take a minute raise a glass in toast or spend a minute in prayer for those spending there holidays away from their families and love ones so that we can continue to enjoy the freedom to celebrate with ours. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Rain dampers and Hangovers

Well been a eventful week off here at the Houghtling House last weekend we had two parties scheduled for the Saturday. My son's B-Day party at DJ Galaxy Qwest and my promotion party at the house with Keg. Now my son had a limit of 10 people he could invite and had ten kids there 4hrs of fun! wasn't too bad actually and the boys had a good time. Now with the limit my son had on his kids he could have and he still had more people show up for his party than I had for mine! The weather kept alot of people home but those who did show up had a good time and some good food as well. I did my best to put a dent in the keg of beer with assistance from those who came over and paid for my efforts on Sunday! Anyway I got back up on the trainer Tuesday evening and then out to Thomson Trails on Wendseday. Once again I was painfully reminded I need to work on my strength training and climbing so I will do my best while I am out on my Desert training camp so I can come back ready to race in April. The new helmet showed up today and it is SEXY I will leave you with the bike porn and if you are out there on Sunday I Will See You on the Trail!

Training Made Fun

Boy been a little while since my last post been busy with work again, like I said before I hate it when work interferes with riding and blogging time! Anyway I have been up to Atlanta, where we had to go to the mall and of course Performance Bicycle. Well I have been looking at the Axiom Real Trainer with the virtual ride software except they run about $700. Well in the store the trainer was set up with the computer so we could see the actual system in action and it was sweet. It was also $200 cheaper so without hesitation the wife said "Merry Christmas" Well long story short this trainer rocks with the optional courses and displays that track HR, Cadence, Power, and Speed. The training courses are pretty good and the video courses are pretty tough and provide some good training as well, I haven't missed a morning all week! If your seriously looking for a indoor trainer this is a great system to look at and for $500 not a bad deal. Anyway I am planning on taking some time off next week and hopefully get in some trail riding before I have to pack up for my trip which I will be packing up the Vertex to train on while I am out there. Well that is about itfor now so while it may not be anytime to soon I Wll See You on the Trail!

Why Stans is Better

Recently one of my esteemed colleagues whom I have great respect for posted about the wonders of the Bontrager Tubeless system and how it is better than the other systems on the market. Being a devoted user and avid promoter of Stans Tubeless I felt obliged to respond and defend my products standing as the best tubeless system on the market. Of course the following is the excerpt from there home page however from personal experience I have only once had a incident that Stans couldn't seal and that was a sidewall tear that no tubeless system would have sealed. So without further due here is my response(all in good fun and competition of course!)
About Our Tubeless System
Stan's tubeless system will convert your existing wheel set to tubeless allowing you to use either standard or tubeless tires. Saving hundreds of dollars and weight over purchasing other Tubeless Systems.
Check This Out



The side walls are touching and the bead lock is exposed!


Features and Benefits of Stan's Tubeless System
Stan's Tubeless System offers two sealing points on the tire versus other tubeless systems which use only the bead lock as their sealing point. First the bead lock is sealed, as well as the lower portion of the tire and rim to create a second inner seal. This unique design allows you to break the bead lock seal without losing air pressure. Secondly, the inner seal flexes inwards with the tire to maintain air pressure (see above photo).
The patented Rim Strip makes installation simple. It can be removed as easily as a tube and can be used over and over again. Time involved can be less than 10 minutes per wheel. With this system you can lose rotating weight in an area that previously was not possible.
Your lightweight wheel set can be converted to a tubeless set up with only 56 grams of added weight per wheel. Saving hundreds of dollars over purchasing new wheels.
No need to worry about the dreaded pinch flat.
Possibly never having another puncture flat again because of the self-sealing qualities of Stan's Tire and Rim Sealant.
You will be able to keep using your lightweight tires and not be limited to buying expensive and much heavier tubeless specific tires.
The New Molded Rim Strip features a new Presta valve stem with a removable core allowing you to add sealant without removing the tire. This removable valve core will make inflating easier by increasing the air flow into the tire. Removing the valve core also allows for cleaning or easy replacement.
Stan's Tire & Rim Sealant can also be used to seal punctures and slow leaks that occur in most tubeless tires. As a result, your tubeless tires will hold air for longer periods of time.
Other Information

If you are interested in rotating weight (and who's not!!) you can lose anywhere from 100 grams up to 400 grams of rotating weight per wheel set.
This System does not require any modifications to your existing wheel set. If you are not satisfied with it, all you do is remove the rim strip, and put your old heavy tube back in and go riding.
This System requires very little mechanical ability to install.
It does not use any glue and you can change a flat the same way you do now.
Lower Air Pressure, Better Traction and Ride

Stan's Tire and Rim Sealant will usually last from three weeks up to three months. At that time you simply add more. (Time will vary due to different tire characteristics). It leaves no mess in your tire.
Stan's Tire and Rim Sealant can also be used in tubeless tires for puncture resistance and STOPS leaks.
Once you seal your tires they will not lose air pressure.
What happens if I get a flat on the Trail? -- Do like most riders, and bum a tube from one of your pals because they always carry one. Heck, use their pump too!! Stan's Tire & Rim Sealant does not use any glue, so you can change a flat the same way you do now.

Pig Trail Riding and Planning for Training

Well it has been almost 4 months since I was out there but it was great being back out on the Pig Trail today. Was out there with Charles, Ethan, Gary, Chad, Jesse, Ryan and a couple of other riders who's names escape me at this time. Was a good ride overall and had a great time I felt a little bummed out though I was unable to hang with the guys when they kicked it up a notch on the trail, it wasn't as if they kicked it to race pace or anything I just couldn't hang with them once they got going. I have several excuses, ran 2 miles Thursday morning, rode 15miles same day at lunch, rode thompson last night, ect, ect, ect. However bottom line definitely seems to be I need some more leg strength when I hit the hills my leg muscles started to burn as soon as the elevation started going up. That not withstanding I did have a good time hitting the trail again, and look forward to getting out on the trails a few more times before my next work related trip.
Speaking of the next work related trip I should be able to get some outstanding training in if work doesn't interfere. I will have access to spin classes, ab classes, weight room 24/7 and of course a good 20 miles of road with some guaranteed wind resistance to make up for the lack of elevation changes. This means it is simply a matter of putting together a good 3 month training regiment and sticking to it as well as not overdoing it on the 24/7 buffet of a chow hall as well as all the available junk food. So my challenge is to develop a focused workout plan that accomplishes what I need to create more speed and hill strength using the resources I will have available to me. Not quite sure at this time what I will be able to compete in or if I will even be here for the entire season. As it stands right now that does not have a high possibility of being the case however, I should be able to compete in a couple of the GSC races and the 12hrs of Tsali and maybe one other endurance event. So I am hitting Charles up for a training program for the time frame so that I can get in shape along with my other goal of getting down to 140lbs for racing season, which is a 14lb loss from my current weight. For the time being though I am just enjoying the riding time and am going to stick with the trail since I am going to get plenty of road time coming up so thanks for reanding and if you happen to be out riding while I am I Will See You on the Trail!

Dropped like Michael Vick from a Nike Commercial!

Well I have fallen behind before in a ride but always been able to get pulled back up before I lost the group however today that was not the case. For the first time in my vast experience of 4 group rides I was dropped and then subsequently lost. So after missing the left turn I should have made that I didn't see(my bad as well I failed to print the map) I continued straight on RT 42 for about 7 miles until I finally decided that I would have come across someone by now so I turned around and headed back to the last known position, Forsyth. So by the time I went back to Forsyth I had 56 miles on the Garmin and decided rather than try to get back to Macon I would just call the wife have her drive out and pick me up. Charles who asked me if I wanted to go ride with the group today and James another rider spent a good hour checking the route for me so they did attempt to locate me once they got back and realized I wasn't there so I appreciate that. The first half of the ride was pretty good the group got doing some pace line work which started my demise as we hit the hills. I really need to work on my climb strength that seems to be my primary weakness because I can hang on the flats and I have never had any issues with downhills. However I am not deterred, just more determine to get up to speed with these guys I figure it has to help the MTB Racing if I can get up to speed with the road guys enough to hang for the entire ride. The technique of tempo riding is a interesting one, most situations I fly down the hills no brakes getting as much speed as possible for the impending uphill. With these rides I am breaking all the way down the hill to stay off the guys wheel in front of me and spinning earlier to get up the hill but it definitely makes ya work for it up the hill. I did get some good cookies though due to the fact that I was dropped so I was lucky there they were some good cookies, Thanks Steph. Well this week will be a couple of more short rides during the day a night ride on Wenseday with Charles and a ride this upcoming weeked which will probably be the last road ride I do on the weekends as I will be road riding for a few months after Christmas so I will be looking to get some trail time in before then. But for the near future I Will See You on the Bike!

Dauset or Road this weekend, Hmmmm?

Well been a little while,(over a week) since my last post and has been a eventful week. The Good news is I was selected for MSG by the board so I will be getting promoted sometime in the future, hopefully near future. The drawback to that good news is with that promotion comes a guaranteed PCS to a new duty assignment so come this time next year I will definitely be somewhere else. Anyway as far as riding and training goes I had a good week last week, ran 3 days for a total of 10 miles and rode 50 miles during the course of the week and the WBL ride on Sunday for 57 miles. This week has been a little less with the holidays coming and all the arraingements that have to be done so looks like a Wednesday night ride with Charles and either a trail or road ride this weekend haven't made up my mind on that yet. I will probably see if anyone is going to do a group ride on the trail and what time and see if that fits the schedule and then make my decision so whatever the outcome I will See You on the Bike and thanks for reading.

"hmmm, what gear should I wear and how can I get these gloves on??"

Dauset Festival

Well it was a good day at the Dauset Festival today I headed out about 0730hrs and was there by 0900hrs. I had plenty of gear and the bike and everything loaded up the night before so I was well prepared for the day and looking forward to it. I think the last time I was at Dauset was about a month ago so I was ready to hit the trail. we had a good showing of riders to begin the day with and it only got better as the day went on. So we started out with a good size medium group and me as the group leader-first time for everything since I hadn't been a ride leader before. I tried to keep everyone together while making it a fun and challenging ride for all. Based on the feedback I guess I did a half way decent job of it. We did the entire loop and were back in time for lunch, which was some Delicious firehouse sandwiches. After that I relaxed for a hour or so and then got some clean riding clothes and hit the trail again, this time it was solo cause everyone was out riding already and I wanted to do Huff and Puff again(not a popular choice the first time!). This time I kept a fairly steady pace, eliminated the stops and rode straight thru the whole route so I completed it in 28min..... oh wait no I mean 1hr and 51min. Had to head back home after that so I didn't get to make the weekend of it but it was great to get back on the trail again and 34 miles on Dauset at any decent pace is a pretty good work out. Tomorrow will be a day of rest and relaxation and I will probably hit Thomson on Monday since I have it off(don't forget to thank a Vet)and will be out there early enough that it won't be dark before I finish. So if your out there I Will See You on the Trail! Meanwhile here are some pics of today's festivities.

Good Week for Riding

Well this was a good week for riding at the Houghtling House. After Sundays ride I took Monday off and recovered, on Tuesday I was able to get in a hour of PT in and did 15.9 miles at 16.9mph avg, Wednesday I did a couple laps around the airfield for 15.6 miles at 17mph avg and then Wednesday night received a call from Charles to do some intervals which was pretty fun it was pretty cold out there at 9:30pm, 37 degrees to be exact. Today I went out and did the C group route for 21 miles at 18.3mph avg I started at 4:45pm and by the time I wrapped up 1hr and 9min later according to the Garmin it was getting dark. The kicker was I decided that I would be warm enough with the short sleeve jersey and the wind vest, well two miles into it I realized that decision might have been a little off. Well since I was already out there I was going to suck it up and I managed to keep myself somewhat warm. I also realized why riding alone(particularly road riding) was not such a good idea but ya do what you gotta. I am looking forward to this weekend out at Dauset I will be out there Saturday for the festival days and since I haven't been on the trail in about two weeks I am looking forward to getting some dirt and catching some air. So if your out there riding I Will See Ya on the Trail!!

Rockin the Trek 1000SL

Well the Trek 1000 came in on Friday and Charles put in together and had it ready to go for me that night and ride planned on Saturday morning. So at 0730hrs (and yes it was cold!)out we went for some intervals. Now knowing Charles natural speed and the fact I have never trained intervals with a plan I figured to have a pretty good workout in store for me. I was not let down that was some good training and gave me a good feel on the new bike for Sundays ride with the WBL. We had beautiful weather for the ride and I was looking forward to a good workout. Since the bike is the flare orange I figured what the heck I would wear my OMBA gear which matched it nicely(I may not be fast but I look good!). I recieved several compliments on the bike which I purchased from The Bike Store in Warner Robins. Well we headed out and started out with some problems as Collin had a mechanical which caused a wreck and a injury, hopefully he is ok. So we got going again without incident and were cruising at a good pace even with the occasional wind. I was considering getting up front and pulling for a little while but Eddie gave me some advice I was thankful for later, which was to not worry about pulling on my second ride and save my energy we still had a way to go. This would prove critical as I had a couple of times were Shane had to drop back and pull me back up to the group, thanks Shane. Jesse was also very helpful in keeping me up with the group and riding with me when we took the shortcut at the end. Since this was my second road ride with the group I felt pretty good I hung with the group for the most part, only got pushed up part of one hill and didn't hold the group up to much. Overall had a 19.4mph pace and did 54miles total and felt like I had a great workout with good efforts and good riding. This week I plan on doing a couple of hour training rides during the week and hitting the group ride on Wenseday and the Dauset Festival on Saturday so I will miss this weeks ride on Sunday but I will be back the following week. So depending on the day I will See You on the Bike!

The Hours of Power

Well been a uneventful week as far as trail riding haven't gotten any in and don't look to this weekend either. Not a problem though since the broken toe is preventing me from running it has given me a excuse to ride the bike during PT. So over the past three days I have gotten in a hour of riding each morning on the Vertex to help get me in better condition for the Sunday WBL rides. The Trek 1000 should be in tomorrow so I am looking forward to trying that out on Sunday. Moments like these make me realize that the phrase "I will never...." is a set up for contradiction somewhere in the future. I have come full circle from a individual who stated "I can't believe anyone would pay that much for a bike.", then "I only want to trail ride" to now, "when does that road bike come in?" But I guess as we expand our horizons, push out our goals and try to improve ourselves we find ourselves trying things we didn't think we ever would - good to know I can still learn something new even at the young age of almost 40. Anyway got in 4 rides all about 16 miles each steady pace and was able to use my lights since it is still dark at 0600hrs in the morning, so hopefully I will show some improvement on Sundays ride. So if your out there I will See You on the Road!

Wow, never make fun of roadies again!

Seeing as I was getting pushed up half the hills we rode by someone 10yrs my senior as we were doing about 15mph and he was talking like he was on a casual ride and I was huffing like I was on the last hill at ORAMM! Just want to give a big thanks to Eddie and Shane, wouldn't have made it without you guys! That was quite a ride the WBL started up this week. I am trying to add that missing dimension to my training so out I went, I heard road riding helped with your speed and aerobic abilities boy did these guides prove it! I am getting a road bike so I can continue to participate seeing as that was one of the more difficult rides I had done in a while I figure if I can get to a point where I can hang with these guys I should be doing pretty well come race season. We had a good group and everyone was really great about giving me some pointers on how to ride with the group and not be the spaz nobody wants to be near(I tried to keep those skinny little tires as straight as possible!) Anyway I am looking forward to the next ride this Sunday where I will try to cut down on the arm workout I provide for others. So if your out there I will See ya on the Road!

Road Bikes and WBL Training Rides

Well it has been a whole week of nothing but the ab wheel twice a day no riding or running due to a encounter with a baby gate and my pinky toe. Hard to imagine that a little pinky toe could stop ya from doing so much but dang breaking that toe is painful! Anyway I will be hitting the road with the WBL Group tomorrrow on a Trek 2.1 road bike I am borrowing from Jesse(actually his Father) from TBS Macon. Took it out on a test ride around the neighborhood this evening after putting my Candy Pedals on it and those skinny little tires are pretty skitish - it oughta be interesting tomorrow so I am looking forward to it, at least I should be able to hang speed wise with the group so we shall see how it works out. Still planning on heading out to Dauset for the festival and not sure if it will be viable to go up to Razorback for the retirement weekend that is definitely a unfortunate situation to be losing that trail, it was a good trail. So that is about it for now not sure if I will be trail or road riding this week for the most part hopefully the toe heals up quickly I am getting fatter as the days go by I can feel it! So if it is on the road or on the trail I will see ya on the Bike!

What if I couldn't ride a Rocky Mountain..........?

Well that is a question that was given one possible answer on Wednesday out at Thomson. I was originally planning on doing the group ride from The Bike Store on the road however I had to change plans when nobody showed up(One of the reasons I ride trail, don't have to wait on anyone). So since I had the road tires on the hardtail that wasn't a option, however the Trek Top Fuel 8 was looking pretty sharp sitting on the Saris Themla 3 rack in the store so I hit Charles up to demo it since that was what it was there for. So we put some pedals on it and I headed out to Thomson for a ride. The frame was 17" with about 3.5" of travel all around with mid level components all around except the SWEET Fox RL fork in the front. It is about 2lbs lighter than the Rocky and due to the fact it has 1.5" less travel it has a noticeably lower Stand over height. On the trail the Trek suspension turned Thompson into a fairly smooth trail absorbing all the roots and bumps the trail dished out fairly comparable to the ETSX. The combined weight and suspension set up made this bike handle like it was on rails! I took it through turns as comfortably as the ETSX and while I took it easy on some of the downhill portions, I still maxed out the travel, it felt like it could handle everything the trail had and then some. I felt like I could go faster on the trail due to the lighter weight and good handling capabilities. If I was in the market for a new full suspension that would fit into a XC race season as well as enjoyable riding this bike would definitely be in the running and for the set up it is a pretty good deal at $2500. Since The Bike Store in Warner Robins, or Macon carries Trek you could easily pick one up from either location. Well that is my humble and limited opinion on the bike but don't take my word for it go Demo it for yourself and if you happen to be out there at the same time I am I Will See You on the Trail!

Cruising, on a Sunday Afternoon

On such a B E A Utiful afternoon how could one not get out and ride somewhere? Since I had a change of timing but not necessarily a change in plans I headed out to Dauset around noon after a late breakfast of pancakes and sausage. Once I got there I was one of many riders who decided it was a great day to be on the trail, unloaded and headed out. The trail was in great condition, even some of the way back stuff had been cleaned up so the trail wasn't covered by pine needles or leaves. Huff and Puff was fun as always managed to cruise thru it pretty consistently. I had just done some work on the bike on Thursday adding some STAN's Tubeless to the back tire to refresh it and keep the tire inflated, also pulled the seat post out took it apart and cleaned it off in a last ditch effort to find out what was causing the irritating creaking on the bike. Well that seems to have done the trick cause I did the entire 17 miles of Dauset and not a single creak out of the bike wish I would have tried that earlier. It was a extremely enjoyable ride got back into a comfort zone on this ride with more time in the saddle after Thomson and started adding some more speed and catching some more air. What was also nice was the tempature, for the first time since April I didn't get on the bike and be soaking with sweat by the end of the first mile! Well it was a good start to the week as I got that ride in and then a 3 mile run this morning so training is getting back on track still looking forward to getting on the road as well for some good training rides also. Looking to hit the group ride on Wenseday again as that was a good ride last week so if your out there the I Will See You on the Bike! Thanks for reading

 

P.S. If you're a movie watcher and like horror movies DO NOT
rent BUG that movie sucked!

Road Ride Casual

Well after a Monday out at Thompson which was really enjoyable, I hadn't been on the trail in over a month so worked the rust out. Trail showed a little bit of wear from the rain but overall is in good condition. The Stans Tubeless must have been dried up because the tire kept going flat by the end of the lap so I had to stop and re inflate it. Anyway it was a good ride kept it a little conservative on the speed just to get back into the trail without ending up on the trail. Today was the casual group ride we had eight riders in the group and a new rider from Idaho out for the ride. We headed out for the 26 miler and about the 7th mile the new guy decided it was time to pick it up so we had a pretty good pace for most of the ride. While I was able to hang pretty well with the group on flats and downhills the up hills caused me to drop back a little but considering I was on the Vertex hardtail with road tires I didn't feel to bad and finished up with the group at a 17.5mph average. The ride left me questioning my sanity in attempting to do the WBL rides on the mountain bike so I may be in the market for a road bike here shortly if anyone has a bike they are looking to sell at a reasonable price I am in the market just remember I am only 5'4" tall. Well that is about it for now hoping to get a ride in on Sunday morning or afternoon just not sure if it will be trail or road so were ever it happens to be I Will See You on the Bike! Thanks for reading

Back again

"The newest Lazy Boy Water Chair"

Hello all, well it was a short trip this time, out and back in less than 45 days so it wasn't too rough. Had a good month got back into my running(wow I need some work there my times really fell off on my run!) did some eliptical training and also got in some spin class. The spin class was pretty cool I had never tried them before and saw the benifit of the classes and look forward to getting some more in the next time I head out there. Anyway I am back home and going to looking forward to getting training for the 2008 season, still looking for that elusive 1st podium finish so to that end I am going to try and structure my training a little more this off season. I am also going to try and apply some diet adjustments this year and see if I can't drop a few pounds and try to improve the strength to weight ratio see if that helps. Well with the way the weather is around here and in a effort to expand my training regiment it is more likely you will see me on the road here in the near future than the trail so were ever it is I will see you on the Bike!

Been a while

Well it has been a while since my last post I know. I have been keeping busy with work and getting ready for some fun in the sun as well and I don't mean the 13hrs of Santos (I wish that's what I meant!!) However I have been fixing some computer issues and trying to get back up and running here for about the last two weeks. I believe I have resolved the issue and am now trying out this new feature on MS Office 2007 where I can type the blog post in a word doc window and publish it without even going into the blog site. Seems pretty cool if it works. Well I am finally trying to finish my degree as well 4 more classes and I will have my B.S. in Criminal Justice – taken me a lot longer to get there than I thought it would when I started it back in the fall of 86'! Yes that is right folks 21yrs (only 18 of those in the Army so far) and more than a few deployments later I will actually accomplish that goal. Anyway I am looking to possibly hit the trail Saturday or Sunday morning probably out at Arrowhead so if you're out there I Will See You on the Trail!

Transition Time

Sebastian Says "what up?"
The Pizza Cutter has left the Bike Store!


Well it has been a slow couple of weeks around here since the Pig Race. Since I have previous vacation plans for September I won't be participating in two races I was looking forward to, Tsali and Dauset. So I figure I will start the transition period this month and get my training year started early still working on the details but I should get some pretty good training in with hopefully a full GSC schedule next summer. Anyway just taking it easy for now going to do some running and weight training and just ride for the fun of it for a while. So if your out there and riding I Will See You on the Trail!

Prespiration at the Pig

Phrase of the day- "Wow its Hot!" I think I heard Bruce make that statement about 100 times today - that was the understatement of the Summer. White wave started at 0930 and by 0940 I was sweating like it was cool I could only imagine what the Sport/Expert racers where feeling as I watched Charles and Noah do their 3 laps starting at 1130. I finally raced the hardtail for the first time ever after 4yrs of nothing but FS I took the Vertex-70 out and placed 6th at the Pig, my best finish in any event since I started racing(Things that make you go hmmmm). The support and preparation for this event was outstanding as was evident by how well the course was groomed and marked. Also excellent was the motivation provided by the volunteers that were all along the course cheering on the riders. My start was a little slow but there was plenty of area to pass and spread the field out before entering the tight twisty single track(I love that stuff!). I managed to get in the dirt in a loose rocky are of the trail on my first lap but otherwise kept it rubber side down for the entire race. Cleaned Chandlers Challenge on both laps, not in the Big ring like Charles did though(You Stud!). In my group Ron Fields placed 2nd to a serious sandbagger - anyone who can beat Ron by 2.4min definitely is sandbagging if they are in the beginner class! Monti took a 2nd in his Sport Class, Jesse did a strong finish in his class as well not sure were he finished, and Stan finished 1st for the Grandmaster class all had outstanding races. Charles and Noah finished strong especially considering neither of them has raced all season. I hung out to help clean up a little bit but even with all the water I was drinking I still had a headache from the heat and had to bail before the banquet. It was a great day overall and a good finish to the GSC series. I missed my goals for the season but am already looking forward to next year were hopefully I will be home enough to participate in a few more races and eventualy get on the podium. Unfortunately I will miss both the 13hrs of Santos and the 12hrs of Dauset both events I would like to do solo but will have to wait until next year to see if I am around for it. Anyway i will probably just chill out this week and hopefully hit Dauset twice before I have to depart for a little while so if your out there and riding I will See You on the Trail!

Recap of ORAMM

When I first heard of the ORAMM I had just finished the Dauset GSC race and was chatting with Monti after the race so I checked it out. Initially I looked at the web and thought that don't look any worse than what I had done out in AZ in the White Mountains 66 or the Whiskey Barrel 50 both sponsored by Epic Rides. So I figured what the heck I will sign up. Well I headed out this past weekend to see how correct I was. Packed up Friday night and loaded up the family and headed out Saturday Morning. We arrived in Old Fort around 5pm and drove around lost for 30min(I forgot to print out directions to the campground). Finally after asking directions I found the Catawba Falls Campground which was a very nice camping area with great owners




So after getting set up with the tents we drove into town and found the race registration made sure I was good to go and got my number. After that we headed back to the campground to cook some dinner and set up my sag bags for the race.



Hit the sack at a decent hour and set the alarm for 0630hrs got around had to make sure we got the morning coffee especially before this epic adventure. Now onto the race!



I strategically place myself in the back of the pack and started out cruising with about a 1/3rd of the field having the same idea apparently. After the nice warm up on the road we hit the first fireroad which was still a nice steady climb and still a good warm up. Well a half a hour or so later we hit the single track were we are welcomed by a pleasant hike-a-bike due to the back up.

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Phrases like "Not going anywhere for a while?" come to mind as I look up the long line of riders in front of me. Well we eventually get thru the hike-a-bike and start riding up the trail and make our way back onto the road up to the first really fun part of the trail Kitsuma! Switchbacks and climbing fun stuff there so I manage to hike the switchbacks ride the straights up to the top. After that we are greeted with a short section of some HECTIC downhill, fortunately the Hectic part was only for a short stretch and and when it finally went downhill again it was downgraded to radical! I saw some hardtails out there and as I smoked the bakes through this section I wondered how in the heck did those guys ride this??! Well it is down to the first sag stop and I am registering almost 17 miles on the computer(it was suppose to be 15mi). Anyway a refill on the water fresh bottle of accelerade and one of there gel packs along with a turkey and cheese wrap made by the wife I am off again more climbing up some twisty single track switchbacks. By the way when they say the trail is in its natural enviorment they mean it 6ft diameter trees and all across the trail. We were rewarded by some wide trail rolling downhill to the 2nd Sag stop at which point I am registering 30 miles(this was suppose to be at 24mi). So along with the other riders I was hanging with I sat there discussing the impending 9mi and 2800ft climb in front of us until finally I motivated myself and headed out. I can't say I rode the entire thing but if I had hit this trail 2yrs ago after coming out from AZ I think I could have, we used to ride a trail up Carr Canyon, steeper grade just about 2 miles shorter but that not being the case I walked about 2 miles of it. Well sag point three was a welcome site were I sat recouping for a good while especially once I heard that the fabled 5mi downhill on the parkway was more like 4mi uphill and 3mi downhill. So I switch out my mp3 player get another wrap and accelerade and head up the hill after the nice break on the road where I had to stop to take some pics of the great view



After that the real fun began. There was some serious hike-a-bike section where once again they emphasized the trail in its natural state



This hike-a-bike was followed by a wicked(fun)downhill section which left my tri's smoked and my rear brakes just as smoked! It was the same switchbacks we came up earlier just in reverse back down to the sag point 5 where you went back up to Kitsuma(thought this was the Off Road Assault on Mount Mitchell?) and then back down the radical downhill again, brakes screaming at this point. Further review revealed the pads where gone at this point so the noise was enough to keep any wild animals away! Well I came off the trail and hit the last three miles of road to the finish and manage to find some leg strength to finish off strong.



Overall it was a challenging and fun ride I took my time at the sags and enjoyed the trail as I rode through. It refreshed the definition of Mountain Biking for me versus XC riding and made me wish we had some of that terrain in this area. This is definitely a ride I will be looking to put on my calender next year as well

ORAMM Aftermath

1.Entry Fee for Race: $80
2.Biking Gear to Prepare $100
3.Gas for trip and camping cost $160
4.Being able to say I completed ORAMM - Worth it!

Well that was the toughest thing I have done on the East Coast without a doubt! There will be more to follow on the ride but for right now I just got back and unpacked this evening after a 7hr drive home I need some rest. For right now I'll just say I accomplished my goal and finished the whole event, will still continue to ride and unlike the Snake Creek TT I didn't finish saying "I'll never ride that again!" Here are the vital stats for now.

Total Time: 10hr 33min
Riding Time: 8hrs 38min
Distance:62.13
Average: 7.1mph
Max Speed 40.2mph
Goo Packs consumed 10
beers drank (After Race) 4

I will Leave you with some pics

On the Edge(Garmin Edge)

Well I finally broke down and let the wife buy me a GPS computer with PC Software, I know all of you avid gadget fans are thinking "that is awful big of you". I got a Garmin Edge 205 and based on the reviews and information I have seen so far it looks like a good investment. At least I will be able to tell at what location and altitude I am suffering the most this weekend! I did a early ride out at Dauset on Wendseday and I must say that the Crack Spider and his Bee-otch are alive and well and working in the trail at Dauset! If your not familar with the Crack Spiders Bee-otch go to this link. Anyway other than the spiders it was a pretty nice ride took a casual pace up huff and puff and focused more on staying in a even flow for the entire duration of the ride. Managed to get a short ride in today on the roade more of a sprint than anything else which was nice I will have to pack up tomorrow and head out on Saturday to get to the Campground and ready for Sunday so if your out there on Sunday planning to suffer I will See You on the Trail!

Seats and Squeaks

Seemed appropriate since I seem to history being a little less than conservative on my downhill riding


Well it has been a slow week and a half since I have returned from Carters Lake and a week of leave in MI. Which actually translates to I am not at tip top shape going into the ORAMM which should make it all that much more interesting of a ride come Sunday. Since the race I have ridden two painful laps around Thompson probably due to the fact that the seat was positioned incorrectly, that was Thursday since it rained on Wednesday, did a 4 mile run on Friday and then Sunday afternoon hit Arrowhead. I adjusted the seat this time and took off for a couple of laps around the trail. Well the seat adjustment must have been dead on because I felt really good on the lap no back pain or anything which had been a problem ever since I got back and had been riding the ETSX. The first lap went so well I rolled right thru the parking lot and did a second lap which felt just as good. I stopped for the third lap grabbed a gel and full water bottle and headed out. Well the back still felt fine but the suspension started creaking like I had a frog in the top tube. Not sure what it was but I couldn't take a pedal stroke without hearing it so made it kinda irritating but I finished the lap and felt pretty good about the ride. Didn't smoke myself too hard but did manage to make all the climbs and keep the bike upright finishing the 16.8 miles in just under 1hr 48min. On a downhill note I did manage to top out at 32.4mph on the utility trail downhill. Took the bike in today had Charles give it a once over check the suspension bushings and true the wheels to make sure it was ready for the 64miles of ORAMM on Sunday at least the bike will be well prepared even if I am not! Makes my goals pretty simple to finish with my pride, bike and body intact and enjoy what should be some beautiful scenery. I am doing a ride with the Company Commander tomorrow and probably do a road ride on Thursday just for some distance. I will pack the camera and try to get some good pics to add to the blog when I return so if you happen to be one of the brave souls riding the 64 miles with us then I Will See You on the Trail!

Good To Be Home

My favorite freedom on leave, The Beard!


Well it was a enjoyable week up in MI, I was able to get a couple of rides in and while it wasn't the terrain best suited to practice for Carter's Lake it kept me from getting rusty over the week. I rode Egypt Valley which was more like the Pig Trail really fast and smooth and Cannonsberg Ski Resort which had some hills but was pretty smooth as well. They keep the trails so clear of roots and rocks up there while it might be trails it is almost too smooth that it takes away some of the challenge and definitely made the trail at Carters Lake a welcome reminder of what true Mountain Biking is. We left MI on Saturday and drove from there to Ellijay arrived about 8pm or so and checked into the Stratford Inn, nice place after I got things around for the race was about midnight when I crashed out. Not the preferred way to prepare for a race - if you can AVOID traveling 14hrs the day prior to your race I highly recommend you do so!
Race day started off normal enough, good start with a small field, 12 total riders, and the road section gave us a chance to separate prior to the single track. Started out pretty good however the lack of preride of the course and the warnings of dangerous downhills made me a little too cautious as well as getting my butt handed to me by the big hill out there! I managed to keep the rubber side down the entire race so even though I finished 9th out of 12 I felt pretty good about it considering the lack of preparation coming into the race. My next major event to prepare for will be the ORAMM which I am looking forward to, I haven't had a long epic ride of this duration in two years so it will be interesting to see how I handle it mentally as well as physically. Should be out at Thompson on Wednesday for some riding and the OMBA meeting so if your out there I Will See You on the Trail!

Slow Week

Well it has been a slow week after the Flat Rock Race Sunday, I quickly ordered another seat from WTB this time I am riding the Rocket V SLE another Gel Seat I am pretty fond of those. WTB did offer to replace the seat I broke at 15% under invoce but since I had already purchased the new one I passed on that. Went out to Thompson on Wenseday had a good time did a single lap and rode with my son and wife before that. Planning on doing a run tomorrow at PT and then it is off for a fun filled week in MI with the in-laws(good thing the wife doesn't read the blog huh?!). Anyway I am planning on doing a couple of good road rides there and hitting a trail out there called Eygpt Valley which should be pretty good training for Carters Lake on the 8th. Plan is to leave MI on the 7th drive back stop in Ellijay that evening and race the next day and hope for a wreck free lap! Congratulations to Charles and Stephanie on the birth of their Son all are doing well. So that is what is on my schedule for the next week I know I will see Mark and Ron at the Carter Lake race and if I have any readers from the Grand Rapid area and your out there at Eygpt Valley this week I Will See you on the Trail!

Deja-wreck

The new "Stealth" saddle from WTB so light you won't even realize its there-Caution when using this seat make sure your shorts have a chamois!


Well it was off to Columbus this morning for the GSC#6 FlatRock Race. I met Rick at TBS at O-dark 30 and headed out so we could get in a preride as neither one of us had run the course before. We arrived about 7am and set up the pop-up, talked to Bruce and headed out for our lap. It was a good thing we did because more than one rider would get confused about were the trail went and how many laps we were doing due to some of the changes that were thrown in. It was definitely a big ring course for the most part - fast and twisty with some sweet single track and just a bit of climbing thrown in for good measure. The start was tight we had two short sprints with a tight turn in between before we all bunched up on the single track. Being the "explosive" starter I am I decided to be smarter than I was at Dauset and wait until I got openings to make my passes and just settled in near the back of the pack. Well apparently that strategy is no good for me either, about a mile in there was a 3 foot tall ant hill- for lack of a better description, which caused a back up and as the rider in front of me stopped abruptly at the top of it I was stuck nearly vertical with nowhere to go but over - which I did. In the process I caught something with my seat which promptly snapped off the rails, which is better than breaking my seat post. I think I also tweaked the new XTR crankset because that was creaking from that point on thru the race, Charles is going to love seeing me this week. Anyway it takes me about 4-5min to figure out how to improvise the seat back on as well as put the chain back on meanwhile I get passed by the two waves that started after me before I get back out on the trail (this should be sounding familiar to some of my avid readers!). Surprisingly the seat stays put fairly well and I manage a half way decent pace, I finished the race sprinting it out with two other riders from the group and came back to finish 11th. The bad part was my time for the second lap we did was good enough to be top 5 and had I not wrecked I feel pretty confident I would have had a first lap within that group as well. Ron "The Phenom"Fields took mercy on us mere mortals and succumbed to technical difficulties I was looking forward to seeing him podium again, Rick took 9th in the beginner 40-49 age group and Jesse and Mark where both on there second lap on my way out. Jesse was looking good when I drove by clearing the rock wall with ease. Well I have a busy week ahead of me will probably only get one ride in this week before I head up to Michigan to spend the 4th with the wife's family. Plan on doing some riding up there at a place called Eygpt Valley, good trails kinda like Dauset. On the way back we will be coming down by Ellijay so we are going to time it so I can hit that race on the 8th of July and see if I can't get a race in without a wreck! So more than likely it will be a Wednesday ride at Thompson for me this week so if your out there I Will See You on the Trail!

1st Annual Fathers Day Trail Ride (unoffical)

Like Father....
Like Son!


Well it wasn't a announced event but if it gives me a excuse to use on Fathers Day to go ride, I figure why not? Myself, Charles, Gregg, and Rick all met out at Thompson at 7am and headed out for a good morning of riding. After a casual first lap and a reverse direction second lap I had to do a little motivating as some people where ready to call it a morning and go home - "Get me out here at 7am to do 2 laps?" So with a little motivation we headed back out and put down a pretty good lap time which I figured might have been our last lap however Charles turned the tables on me and piped up "lets do another one" so out we go for the fourth lap. During this lap Charles decided to redefine the phrase "just cruising" either that or me Gregg and Rick might have been a little tired. It was a great way to spend the morning and a good ride effort overall. This was the first time I had run the trail in reverse since they had made the changes to the trail and it makes for some good climb efforts going in reverse might have to do that more often just for the training effort it provides. I did manage to jinx Gregg on the second lap after he made a nice move to get a branch out of his rear wheel while continuing to ride as soon as I said "nice job" he wipes out after that he dumps it about 3 more times and then identifies a flat tire so I will refrain from saying that the next time we ride! To all the Fathers out there Happy Fathers Day and I should be back out on the Trail Wensday so if your out there I Will See You on the Trail!

Super Excellent XTR!!

Now if that doesn't say Happy Fathers Day I don't know what does! Saw a smoking advertised deal in the Performance Bike sales add of $333.94 for the XTR-970 crankset I couldn't get on the phone fast enough - only to find out that the add was wrong! However, now follow the logic here, since the sale did knock $50 off it and then I got 25% back on my performance Team Card and a additional $25 at the time of purchase. So started at $550 knocked off $75 and then get 25% back($125) and now I am only paying $350 - nice math huh? lol. Of course no crankset would be complete without the XTR-970 rear derailluer which was actually the inital Fathers Day present from The Bike Store. With all this XTR Charles will be busy at the shop putting it on the ETSX, which will make it a tough decision whether to race that or the Vertex this weekend at Flat Rock - so any reader input hardtail or FS with XTR for the race?? Well I am meeting Charles and some others out at Thompson at 7am tomorrow so if your out there I Will See You on the Trail!

12hrs of Tsali Pics

12hrs of Tsali Pics

Well they are a little late but here they are,(I had to get them developed at Walmart)