Full Suspension and Trails again!

Boy did I miss that! Wow, I hit Thompson today around 4:30pm Jesse and Mark(new guy) were out there already doing a lap. It took me a little to work the rust out since it had been nearly two weeks since I rode the trail last. I managed to work out the kinks the first lap and still catch some air over the creek and the drop out at the end, maxed out the travel on the fork and rear shock though might need to check the air pressure just to make sure. Second lap some more people where showing up me and Jesse headed out to hit the trail for our 2nd time and ran a pretty good pace, got the big ring working through a couple of the sections felt pretty good. Work schedule is a little hectic this week but planning on hitting the Pig trail with Charles on Thursday for a few laps in the morning so if your out there I Will See You on the Trail!

Hardtails and blacktop

Charles new helmet.....
Will go well with his new ride!

Well got out there this morning on the Vertex-70 and met Charles on his CycleCross bike for about 40 mile ride. It was good to get out there and stretch the legs I needed a start point to get back riding again as that was only my 3rd ride since I raced at Dauset. Felt pretty good we kept a fairly steady pace so it was a good base ride with a 16.4mph average for the ride which was probably a little slow for Charles but worked up a pretty good sweat for me. Ran across two good cycling stories on the AP that the wife found. This one will redefine when people say "I am to old for biking" and the next one adds a new "view" to the ride. Well the plan is to get in a couple of laps out at Thompson tomorrow and to hit the Pig Trail with Charles on Thursday so if the plan works out and time allows I Will See You on the Trail!

What a week - NOT!

Well started out this week ith early mission planning on Monday, Early sortie on Tuesday, early mission planning Wenseday, early simulation trainer on Thursday with mission planning for a sortie on Friday, which was the earliest day with a 4am rise and shine not only did I not ride I got no training of any kind all week! So Sunday I will be riding with Charles who will undoubtedly put some muscle failure on me. However tomorrow I am planning on sleeping in until at least 9am and I am riding some trail at least twice this week and will get some eliptical time in as well to get prepared for the ORAMM anyway short post tonight watching some movies. See you on the Trail!

Bling, Bling!

Well the new Diadoras came in today and dang if anything producing light hits these the people around me will be blind! These are the same style as my current shoes just a step up to the carbon team shoes, suppose to have a better energy transfer thru the sole and heel cup is more secure. I continue to find new ways to cause my LBS headaches with the Hope Mono M4's apparently the pads are not easily replacable with other pads and are not kept well stocked either so Charles is having a time trying to get me some replacements for me. Hopefully I will hit the trail tomorrow on the hardtail time permitting I am going to try to hit the Pig trail and then get a Sunday ride on the road, the second set of wheels comes in handy so I can switch them out depending on what I am riding. Well heres to hoping I make it out there tomorrow and if your out there I Will See You on the Trail!

Back to work again

Well this sucks, early into work, ugly weather in the evning(I am not as high speed as Gregg riding in the rain). I haven't worked out since Sunday - riding or otherwise these styling running shoes are sitting in the closet collecting cat and dog fur and I am getting a spare tire where I don't need it. I don't miss the desert but I miss the time I had to train, I know then quit my whinning and get up off my butt and get busy! I am trying just have to work out the timing is all so I can get my schedule in order-new priority is to make sure I am in good enough condition to have a good competative time at ORAMM and be at a minimum a top ten finisher in the GSC races I do compete in. Anyway hopefully I will be riding with the ETSX on thursday as well as a new pair of Diadoras so if I your out there I Will See You on the Trail!

Sunday Rides

Is that a picture of my Bike or my But??
Oh yea thats a cool pose look for it on the cover of next months Mountain Bike Action!
One of the few times I was in front of Charles - Notice the styling Pink helmet Charles is sporting
Now is this a)A shameless promotion of The Bike Store. b) A styling pictures of my pale white legs. or c) A picture of what slicks look like covered in mud?
Yes that little red spec in the distance of that red muddy road is me trying to cach up with Charles


It was a B E A Utiful day for a ride after the rain cleared out the Morning was nice and cool and there was hardly any traffic at 8am when we started riding. Charles took us out on a 35 mile loop the Perry-Robidouex(sp) loop down some dirt,(MUD) road and down some other roads that were lightly traveled I think for most of the ride we saw less than 10 vehicles it was great.

I am planning on doing the Off Road Assualt on Mount Mitchell (ORAMM) in July I heard about it from Monte anyone else planning on riding it from the area? I think me and Charles are going to make the Sunday MTB Bike road ride a regular event for a while at least it felt good to stretch out the legs on a long steady pace with some good climb efforts thrown in. The longer I ride the more I realize that the trails provide the good technical training and sprint efforts for the races but the road riding is definitely a necessary part of a overall training aspect if your going to race competitively(hopefully someday I will be competative!).

Anyway The wife is now riding with some Candy Bros pedals on her new hardtail and wearing the Specialized Body Geometry shoes I had that seem to fit her better than the Pearl Izumis she has so we will have to see what we can do to get her into a pair of her own shoes that fit.

I am planning on doing some trail riding this week once the brake line is fixed on the ETSX Bonfire not sure where but if your out there when I am I Will See You on the Trail!

Let it Rain

Well for the good of the rest of the state as well as our area heres hoping it rains pretty good today even though I might have to reconsider trail riding tomorrow if it does, might have to get a road ride in with the CGC group tomorrow if that is the case. Charle got my new wheelset Mavic 223's with Shimano Deore hubs and a set of Maxxis Detonators for the tires so I can road ride the Vertex-70 with a quick switch of the wheels when I feel like it. Well my apologies to Dean and others for not being out there on trail maintenance but B-Day parties and Grocery shopping took precedence today. Speaking of which I need to get going so if it is Dry enough tomorrow I Will See You on the Trail!

Road Tires and Hard Tails

"OUCH"


Well has been a slow week since the Dauset Race on Sunday mainly due to the fact that I had to put the ETSX into the shop to repair the brake break (ha ha). Took the Vertex out to Thompson Wednesday for a lap need to get used to the hardtail on the trail again so I can race it at the Pig in August. Changing the priorities this summer though after this weeks race(even if I was a little more competitive) I realized that unless the top 6 decide not to ride 3 of the next 5 races I will still not crack the top five for the category since I missed the first 3 races of the season. Still going to race but races like the Ft Mountain may fall off the schedule that is little far to drive if I am not competing for the series. However that allows me to add a second endurance ride on my schedule for example The ORAMM which from what I have read is a real test of dedication as well as skill. As for the hardtail comment the wife is joining the fun and getting a Trek 6500 WS and joining me on some limited road riding. Not sure if I want her to though after she nuked me with a real stinger, after hearing about Ms Universe pageant were Ms USA took a tumble and finished as the 5th runner up she turns to me and goes "Hey Honey, look Ms USA wrecked too and she still finished better than you!" Anyway the Hope tech guys are suppose to get my new line to Charles tomorrow so I am hoping to be ride ready by Saturday and out on the trail Sunday morning again. Not sure where I am riding but will be somewhere in Macon if I can make it up to E. Macon on Saturday I plan on helping out Dean with the trail maintenance. So if you are out there I Will See You on the Trail!

Look Ma - No Brake

Well Dauset was a good race today, not quite what I had hoped for but considering the spill I took the first mile into it I wont complain. Managed a 10th place overall for the beginner group both SERC and GSC 30-39yrs out of 27 riders pretty respectable for my first series race this year. A Good start got me out in the top 10 but several of us got caught behind a slower rider with about 6 riders behind him and my patience wore out quick so about a mile into it I tried to make a pass got caught on the outside of a turn rubbed a tire and went down hard. Once I got up straightened out the handlebars and realized that my front brake line was torn out of the reservoir I was passed by pretty much the entire field. So with rear brake only I took off after the field and over the course of the next ten miles managed to work my way back up to the top ten, tried to pass two riders for about the last two miles but had wore myself out getting back to were I was by then so finished as strong as I could. Still Chasing Ron Fields - great race today believe he was top 5, will be interesting to see were I fall in with the GSC riders after they post the split results on Gone Riding. A shout out to Charles for setting up my pop up for me and letting me know what to expect out of the trail conditions and a thanks in advance for fixing my brakes as I know how much he enjoys working on my Hope M4's. Well it is the Ft Mountain Race on June 10th so I will be doing some road rides in the morning and some trail rides locally here at Thompson or something so if your out there I Will See You on the Trail!

Triple Threat

Work Sucks I'm going Mountain Bike Riding!

"Tires Anyone?



"Is it a garage or a Bike Shop?"
Well that was the thought this afternoon when I drove out to Dauset and hit the trail today. It was a enjoyable 17 mile ride with some good efforts thrown in on Huff and Puff and the other hills. Was definitely a better way to spend the afternoon than sitting in a classroom all afternoon and good prep for this weekends race since I hadn't been out to Dauset since I got home. Anyway with was feeling like the blog needed some photographic enhancement and gotta keep up with Charles with all those pics of great biking stuff usually found at The Bike Store. Well its late and I need to hit the hay for a early wake up for work so if your racing on Sunday I will See You on the Trail!

Rocky Mountain Mornings

The 12hrs, No Wait - 6hrs of Tsali

First let me say to the riders that were injured in paticular the one that was severly injured my well wishes for a speedy and full recovery. While I don't know the specifics there was a rider who was injured on the second lap that required a Air Evac. All told I believe they had to take 4 ambulances out on the trail in the first six hours of the race. As for my weekend I headed up to Tsali on Friday with the family we got up to the resort around 5 pm and checked in I dropped the family off at the cabin and headed up to preregister. I drove up to the park and once I got up to the registration site began to realize that the set up was going to be somewhat of a logistical challenge. So realizing that it would be a good 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile hike up hill with any equipment and family members in tow I prepositioned the pop up and some other equipment. Figured to be at least one trip up in the mornig and then the trips back down at the end of the race to get it all back at the end of the night. Anyway race day was beautiful! Wheather was perfect I did forget my sunglasses(left them at the resturaunt the night before)and a few other odds and ends but at least I had the bike and my riding shoes! Had nice stroll up the hill from the start line always fun watching them team racers sprint up the hill fighting with each other to see who gets the bike first. Anyway by the time I got to my bike and headed up the hill it was like I was on a Sunday ride out by myself. Well my first run down the first hill was interesting since I hadnt preridden the course I had no idea what to expect but it was a rocking ride! I came around the right hand turn into the section with the jump and saw the first casualty of the day, a 12hr solo rider who wrecked on the jump and was getting assistance from the EMT's with what appeared to be a race ending collar bone or shoulder injury. Turned out to be the shoulder and he was at the pop up right next to mine. From there I started to find out how much fun this course was, The downhills have great flow with AWESOME banked turns and the climbs were a challenge but weren't so rough the killed you right off the bat. I started picking off riders about halfway thru the course which wasn't a big deal since I am sure I was dead last off the start but it felt good anyway. Ran the first lap at about a hour went up the feed zone back to the pop up and took a 5min breather which was my plan for the day to do each lap with 20min breaks after every 3rd lap. The second lap I was running a little faster since I now had a idea of the course layout but as I approached the first downhill again this time there was a EMT at the turn before the jump warning of a ride down on the track. This time the individual was unconcious and bleeding he didn't look good I rode on but with the image of that in my head was a little distracting last I heard he was doing ok and was awake and responsive but didn't hear anything other than that. Any way my next three laps took me to the 6hr mark and if I had to compare this course to anything local it would be a faster flowing version of Dauset and a Kick Ass ride! However due to the afformentioned logistics and the cost of the lodging arraingments I called it a day at the six hour mark and packed up the tent as it was it took 2hrs to get everything together and get the family moved out couldn't imagine trying that at 11pm at night with everyone else doing the same thing. All in all if it works out that I can be stateside for the event next year and the weather is as good I would be willing to do it again, just arrainge to camp at the park this time. While disappointed in not completing the 12hrs as planned it was a enjoyable weekend and I rode away in one piece so I am happy with that and will look forward to this weekends race at Dauset. So if your out there I will See You on the Trail!

Thompson Evenings and Arrowhead Mornings

Well getting warmed up for the 12hrs of Tsali with a couple of back to back rides before I start preparations to head up to NC this weekend. Trying the Joe Freil recommended approach with a couple of race effort runs and finish it off tomorrow and give myself the recommended 72hrs of rest before the race. Also been trying out the Optygen suppose to increase VO2 Max and help hold of LT effects so will see what impact that has. Taking the family up to the race with me and staying at Nantahala Village resort figured make it a enjoyable weekend for everyone, my son will have a game room he can go to if he gets bored and I lose my pit crew about 7pm when the All Star NASCAR Race comes on. I am looking forward to the race I haven't done a 12hr Solo since Santos last year and from what I have heard thru the grapevine it is a challenging course so I am looking forward to the ride. Hopefully that 1500 training miles in the desert will provide me with the endurance I need to be able to keep a steady pace and ride for the full 12hrs. I will be sporting the new OMBA kits as well as The Bike Store Gear and should get a oportunity to wear the ARMY jersey and of course the Rocky Mountain jersey as well and get the wife to take picks so I can post a few here(talk about shameless promotion and I aint even gettin paid except by one and it aint for my riding skills!). Well getting late here and I am going to be up early so if your out there at Arrowhead I Will See You on the Trail!

Ergon Mania Strikes!

Can You spot the Biker in this Picture?
Well I am officially part of the Ergon grip crowd. Picked up a set today at TBS from Charles and already can tell I am going to like them on the 12hrs of Tsali. Also did the Bike Fitting on the ETSX by Jesse which was pretty informative and hopefully will help with the lower back pain I have been experiencing lately. Took the wife out to the Pig Trail Monday to allow her to get out on the trail again she hasn't been riding since the horrific wreck she had at Thompson last fall so this was a pretty big step for her it went well she managed to keep the rubber side down for the entire ride. I also had a chance to check out the new Maxxis Ignitors that I got from TBS. These tires have some of the lowest rolling resistance I have ever ridden on they are fast and reliable handling I would definitely recommend them. Tommorrow I will be heading out to Dauset for a birthday ride so will be seeing if I am still able to hang with Charles out there. So if your out there I Will See You on the Trail!

I'm Back in the saddle again!!

Thats right folks I'm back less than 48hrs after my return I was on the trail! I may have put in almost 1500 miles on the road out there in my desert oasis over the past 3 months however the technical skills were a little rusty as well as the handling skills. However I did manage to keep the rubber side down for 2 1/2 laps out at Thompson so I felt pretty good about that. I don't know when I will be called on to return to my second home however until then I plan on having fun and doing as much riding as possible starting with the 12hrs of Tsali and the next GSC race at Dauset. Speaking of Dauset my plan is to hit the trail out there on Sunday not sure of the time yet but if your out there I will See You on the Trail!!

Flying and Riding

Well that is what I am going to be doing for the next several months. I will have the Vertex-70 with me this time so I can get some quality riding time in while I am gone. I have some driving goals to keep me focused while I am training, and recently added the 24hrs of Conyers to the list of events I am planning to do. I am trying to get one more ride in before my departure so I might be out at either Thomson or the Pig Trail so if you happen to be out there when I am I will See You on the Trail!

4hrs of Fun

Well it was a fun 4hrs at Thomson, just for the record I did 7 laps and had fun racing the other rider right at the end there it was a good ride before I have to go for a while. Between all the CGC jerseys and Bike Store bibs you would have thought we had organized a team just for the event. Charles and Noah blew my socks off right from the start but where gracious enough to take a long break so I could catch up and we rode the 6th lap together before I headed out for my 7th. They built in a nice little ramp to circumvent a good jump through some cool water to cool ya down during the lap which is what I went through every lap, it was warm to begin with so it actually felt good, Dans Bastard was enjoyable every lap as well. Anyway if I had a hardtail I might have been able to catch old boy at the end there but when he shifted it up at the end there and kicked it in even matching gear to gear I just couldn't catch in time with the FS. Well I will have some quality training time here over the next 4 months and will be doing some big gear riding and some interval training to increase my speed hopefully so I will be competative when I get back here. I am planning on riding Wenseday night and trying to get out to Dauset this weekend so if your out there either day I Will See You on the Trail!

Smoked in Milledgeville

Well went out to Milledgeville with Charles today and was enjoying the ride right up to the first good hill. Now I am not the billy goat I used to be out in Az but I am no slouch either. So when we hit the first hill and all of a sudden I couldn't catch my breath I was pretty suprised and concerned once I did we rode to the next good hill and I was working my way up pretty well when it hit me again. This time it was pretty persistant and wouldn't go away for a while felt like my heart was just out of rhythem and I was going to be sick. Anyway this scared me a bit and forced a slower ride than I think either me or Charles was planning. Well I have been taking prilosec for about 4 days and this evening I went on line to check out if there was any side effects of prilosec that might have been a cause and I found out that one of the less frequent side effects is a abnormal heart rhythm on a severe level so I am going to get off the prilosec and see if that stops the issue. Anyone else out there had any similar situations from a heartburn meds? Anyway I will be out at Thomson Day on Saturday which will be my last event until May but I will have plenty of training time so look out when I get back! Since this time I am shipping out the Vertex between being able to actually get some riding in and using the eliptical for intervel power training I should be able to do some pretty solid training. Well even though I am not doing much to help out at Thomson Day I will be out there riding and doing what I can so if your out there I Will See You on the Trail!

The Longest Miles

Well just shy of a year later and all I can say is I must be suffering from short term memory loss in my old age. Back to the Snake I went thinking oh yea I can do this in 4 1/2 hours this year....NOT! Anyway ride day arrives and we started off groups of 3 the first 5 miles weren't too bad the creek, the mud, and a few minor climbs and I was hanging pretty well with the group I started with and some single speeders(I was smart this year and let the women start ahead of me so they wouldn't have to pass me!). Anyway my limited lactate threshold kicked in and I was starting to feel the pain around mile 7 and the granny gear was barely helping, so I rode the next 5 miles of uphill reaching the first mile long stretch of downhill on the gravel road which allowed for a quick breather before the next climb. The following 4 miles after that took some time, I enjoyed that last mile of downhill right before the midway point, getting ready for that big climb on the start of the second half.
So I am sitting there at half-way point thinking maybe I should pack up and catch a four wheeled ride back when Grant, Mark and Jake all arrive. Not bad since they started 24min behind me and caught me already, somehow that provided me with the motivation needed to decide to gut it out and finish what I started. So away we go I was able to hang in there for awhile until once again my lack of conditioning kicked in and I started lagging behind again. the second half had some more interesting features, the root wall, which was a conveniently placed 3 1/2 foot vertical wall of roots right at the bottom of a fairly flowing downhill, the 500yrd mud slick located conveniently after a creek crossing going uphill of course, the dead fall downhill, where the was a large tree right in the middle of some technical downhill section which required a dismount crossing. This was also where I ate it pretty good when I managed to get a little left of the trail and almost plowed down a couple of saplings. Then of course the icing on the cake the 2 miles of rock garden or as I like to refer to as the hike from hell, while there is some ridable area throughout it has many more dismount points than any other trail I have ever been on. This is the section where you definitely can reflect on why you got started in mountain biking to begin with as well as questioning your sanity for putting yourself through so much suffering not to mention paying for it. Anyway I saw the towers as I approached the 32 mile point signaling the end of the torture and a pleasant 2 mile downhill split between a gravel and paved road to the finish line.
Now if my calculations are correct we have 2-3 miles of downhill in the first 17 miles and then about 4 miles of downhill in the second 17 most of which is in steep sections one mile or more at a time so once again my question remains Who was the sick individual that developed a 34 mile trail with 27 miles of climbing? And why do I keep riding it?? If nothing else it should me where I need to start focusing my training and getting my latctate threshold up as well as working on my power looks like I might be doing alot of interval training. Well with that I am looking forward to Thomson Day this Saturday and in light of 6hrs of trail time I had on Saturday and the 4hrs I plan on doing next Saturday I will stick with some light road rides this week, however if your out at Thomson Day on Saturday I will See You on the Trail!