Team53X11Coffee Cat 2 MTB XC, Cat 4 Road/TT Racer

IMBA's Take a Kid Mountain Biking - Sat. October 3, 2009

2009-10-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

Just a head's up for everyone. Saturday, October 3, 2009 is IMBA's International Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. (http://www.imba.com/resources/kids/index.html) There are events all over the country. You can find the closest event to you here, http://www.imba.com/TKMBD/map.html. For those of you in the DC area, there are three events, one each at Ft. Dupont, Rosaryville, and the Anderson Family rise along the Capital Crescent trail (Silver Spring). I hope to coonvince my 11 year-old to get out and ride. How about you?

Cranky Monkey MTB Series Race#1 - Wakefield

2009-08-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

I wrote this the day after the race but forgot to post it.

The Cranky Monkey is a three race series of MTB in the Washington, DC area (USA Cycling D20) promoted by EX2 Adventures. The first race of the series was this past Sunday, July 26, 2009, at Wakefield Park in No. Va. Wakefield Park has some very non-technical single-track trails including some paved road sections as well as some gravel road. There is very little climbing to speak of so I would say it is somewhat rolling with no major climbs. I am signed up for the Sport 45+ series so my race started at ~9:49 a.m.

Given that it is 2009, it wouldn’t be a MTB race if there wasn’t rain the day/night before the race or during the race. This race was no exception. There was even an e-mail by the promoter advising racers to check the race website in the morning to see if the race was cancelled. In the morning the race website said that the trails were a little wet but that the race was on. Cool!!! The race start is on a gravel road that climbs up a short steep hill to the paved park road which takes you to the “bowl.” The bowl is a 2-2.5 mile single track section of the park with quite a few log obstacles but nothing too difficult. However, it was still rather wet with a slick .25” layer of mud on top in some places. Of course about a quarter-mile into this section I leaned into a turn and my front wheel slipped out and down I went. It seemed like 10 – 12 guys went by me while I picked myself up and got back onto the trail. I decided right then I would take it easy in this section. The “power-line” area and “berms” area of the trail seem to have more sandy soil and were hard and fast so you were able to ride normal there. Anyway, the rest of the race was fun. I looked forward to the climbs especially the powerline climb and the switchback climb up the berms. I ended up 18 out of 24 in the Sport 45+ group. On to Fountainhead!

Cranky Monkey MTB Series Race#3 - Quantico

2009-08-26T06:44:00.001-07:00

Race #3 of the three race Cranky Monkey MTB series was held on the trails at Quantico Marine Corps Base on August 23, 2009 in the Washington, DC area (USA Cycling D20) promoted by EX2 Adventures. Given my first top-ten performance as a sport class rider at Fountainhead, I was hoping to achieve another in this last race of the series. The Quantico trails offer a lot of steep, punchy climbs which I like.

Unfortunately, the Mother Nature decided to dump over 2” of rain in the area the day before the race so I was expecting the race to be postponed. I woke up early to find that the promoter said the trails were good and the race was on. The temperature was forecast to be mid-eighties and not too humid which is all you can hope for in the middle of August in No. VA. This year the race start was at the bottom of a fire road that we bombed down on last year’s course. This suited me fine because it was a white-knuckle descent last year and it seemed in worse shape this year. The trails were actually in perfect shape for the race. Unbelievably, there were no puddles or mud anywhere on the course so my concern about trail conditions was misdirected. Last year I seemed to be having a good race until I broke my rear derailleur cable and ended up DNF. The race started very well for me. I was not really concerned with where I was at the start so I cannot say what place I entered the trails after the fire road start. Right away I noticed that I was engaged in a battle with three other guys that I would pass on the climbs and they would return the favor on the descents. There were quite a few climbs so I think I had the advantage and was able to pull away by the end of the first lap. I had no crashes to speak of except for one close call. There was a descent down a creek bed that was muddy in the middle but dry on the sides. The notable feature was a big tree trunk laying in the middle of the creek bed the entire length (~80’). I was going pretty fast down this area when I recognized the danger. Gravity was pulling you toward the middle of the creek bed and the sides were steep enough to make it difficult to stay there, but you didn’t want to get near the tree trunk because of the negative ramifications of crashing on it. I was fighting this situation the whole way down when I realized I was going to not be able to miss the tree trunk. I ended up clenching my teeth and closing my eyes as the crash loomed. A quarter-second later I realized that I was still upright and not going to crash. I had somehow skipped over the tree trunk to the other side of the creek bed. I felt very fortunate and made a note to avoid this mistake on the second lap. The second lap was good except that I started cramping towards the end of the raced. I backed off a bit to recover and ended up getting passed by one of the guys I had been swapping places with on the first lap. I kept him in sight knowing that we had one last climb before the final descent to the finish. I caught him and passed him on the climb, he was very gracious about giving me space to get by, and gassed it down the hill and over the line. I ended up finishing eighth out of nineteen for the race and ninth in the series for Sport Men 45+.

I want to give a couple of shout outs here. First to all, to those who have given me encouragement during the races I thank you very much. It always provides a mental boost to hear someone call out your name and it is most appreciated. To Greg Massey and all the other Sport class racers who shared the trails so sportsmanlike, it was a pleasure to race with you this year. And finally, Mark Thompson, thank you for sharing your experience from the beginner race earlier in the morning. Your information was pertinent and really helpful. Good luck to all. See you next year!

Cranky Monkey MTB Series Race#2 - Fountainhead

2009-08-26T05:44:00.000-07:00

Race #2 of the three race Cranky Monkey MTB series was held at Fountainhead Park on August 9, 2009 in the Washington, DC area (USA Cycling D20) promoted by EX2 Adventures. Given my ho-hum performance at the first race of the series at Wakefield Park, I was hoping that the added technical features of Fountainhead along with the steep, punchy climbs may help to improve my performance as it relates to my finishing place amongst my worthy fellow competitors. Bottom line is that I was looking for a top ten finish.

The weather leading up to race day was relatively dry for 2009, and compared to last year the course was in pristine shape. The temperature was forecast to be hot and humid (mid-nineties) but what do you expect for the middle of August in No. VA? This race start is a one-mile loop around the park on the park road before diving into the rooty trails. The roots and undulations of the trails at Fountainhead always seem to surprise me. The trail seems more technical than those I usually ride (Rosaryville) so I always seem to take some time to adjust my riding style. Regardless, I felt good entering the trails after the road loop probably about mid-pack. One other thing I like about Fountainhead is that they name their climbs/descents, so you see signs with names like Holy Grail Hill, Lung Buster Hill and Shock-a-Billy Hill to name a few. Anyway, the first lap went really well for me with no crashes or falls and I had passed a number of folks in my race, so I had to make up for it on the second lap. I had my first crash of the day on a sweeping descent where I was paying more attention to the rider I felt behind me rather than the trail. My front wheel rolled over a branch or root mid-trail and slid out on me. I went down on my right side skidding into some leaves with some minor scrapes. My last crash of the day occurred just before the finish line. I had just descended Shock-a-Billy for the second time and had just a quarter mile to go. I knew from the previous year’s race that it was all uphill to the finish line. A guy had just passed me on the approach to Shock-a-Billy and I saw him not too far in front of me catching/passing another racer. The gap to these guys was shrinking fast and I was thinking that maybe I could catch one or both before the line. As I approached this little stream crossing (bridge), I was looking up the trail still gauging my chances when my front tire hit the bridge and slid out. I went down quickly and shot across the surface of the bridge on my back. I must have been spinning slowly because my left side left the bridge surface all at once and I dropped a foot or foot-and-a-half into the creek bed which was dry. Unfortunately, there was one big rock there in the creek bed that I took right in the small of my back. Ouch! I jumped up, thinking how that crash had cartoon implications, and remounted my bike only to discover my chain had dropped. Seeing that I had only about 50 yards to go I decided to run rather than futzing around with my chain. So I ran as fast as I could up the hill to the finish. I ended up ninth out of twenty-four Sport 45+ competitors. Needless to say, I was happy with my race and looking forward to race #3 at Quantico.

Barking Mad

2009-08-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

I know it has been really hot and humid out there lately. But can all this heat and humidity cause craziness? You be the judge. I was out doing a lunch time ride yesterday. Just getting in about 45 minutes of moderate spinning. As I was riding along a route that I frequently ride I heard barking. I did not recall ever hearing a dog in that area so I took a glance over hoping that there was a fence. There was no fence but there was a lot of bushes and shrubs so I thought I was safe but I prepared myself mentally for a sprint just in case. Suddenly, it seemed the barking was getting louder and much closer. I thought, no way this must be one big, fast dog to be closing on me this quickly. I decided I'd better take a look back to better judge if I was going to need to sprint. So I look back and what do I see? A guy running after me barking like a dog. He was just giving up. I couldn't believe it. He had a great dog bark. It was very realistic. He fooled me. I just wish I had a photo I could show. Anyone else ever get chased by a human barking like a dog?

GamJams Reviews: Socks - DeFeet, Smartwool, Starter

2009-08-06T04:31:00.000-07:00

Socks, to me, are one of the least important items in my cycling clothing collection. I am not partial to any one brand in particular. As long as they are functional and low cost I will wear them. Since I mostly race MTB, I base my sock selection on weather more than brand. If it is wet or muddy I try to choose a dark colored sock. In dry conditions color is less important but dry trails still tend to provide a nice layer of dirt/dust to the lower leg area. So my stable of cycling socks consists of several (~4) pairs of dark gray Defeet socks with a Powerbar logo on one side of the ankle and the Tour de France logo on the other. These socks are highly functional and were provided to me gratis with some orders from Performance Bike (2004-ish) as I am a Team Performance member. I have one pair of light gray Smartwool socks that were provided gratis at 2004 Richmond Adventure Race in which I participated. These socks are thick, warm, and provide much cushioning. I usually wear them while running. I recently purchased a two pack of Starter compression socks (from Walmart). They are black ankle highs and I am liking how they feel. Since my other socks are older and wearing out I may have to purchase some more of these. Lastly, I have one pair of Team 53x11 socks which are also Defeet. They are 60% Nylon, 39% CoolMax + Fresh FX, 1% Lycra. They fit very closely (foot is held firmly in every direction), no extra cushion required, are super light weight with low bulk. They provide enhanced airflow, the most direct power transfer to shoe, are fast drying, and won't get weighed down with water during extremely wet events, river crossings, etc. The last thing about this pair of socks is that I hardly ever wear them because they are mostly white!

GamJams Reviews: Recovery Drinks - PR2 Systems

2009-07-30T04:14:00.000-07:00

PR2 Systems, my sponsor, has a suite of recovery beverages that are age and gender based. For those of you who are somewhat generationally challenged (like me) they have the PR2 Amino (Branched Chain Amino Acid) product. (There's also the College Protein formula, Women's formula, and Low Carb/Less Sugar formula plus capsules for those who do not like drinks) From the website (www.pr2systems.com):

PR2 Amino Acid is the newest generation of targeted amino acid technology. PR2 Amino Acid is a safe post-exercise dietary supplement containing a rich concentration of glutamine and the branched chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine in combination with a high glycemic carbohydrate system to promote rapid muscle recovery from intense training and or competition. PR2 Amino Acid contains glucosamine, a key nutrient for the enhancement of connective tissue and joint health, and MSM, a preferred source of bioavailable sulfur which contributes to the connective bonds in articular and connective tissue and in amino acid synthesis. Plus a comprehensive water soluble vitamin complex consisting of B vitamins and Vitamin C.

Since signing my agreement with PR2 Systems I have used their PR2 Amino Acid drink for post race/workout recovery and also pre-race hydration. I can honestly say that I have not had any cramping in a race while using their products. I have also noticed that I am not as sore all the time, so I am recovering much better after exertions. The products are easy to use and taste is not an issue for me. With the sponsored athlete discount the products are very competitive price-wise. If you would like to try PR2 Systems I can pass on my discount to you. BTW, I get nothing in return for referral so this is not a marketing ploy on my part. Enjoy!

Raccoon Rally RR & MTB

2009-07-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

The Raccoon Rally is a cycling festival in Alleghany State Park just outside of Salamanca, New York in the southwestern part of the state. It is held annually in the last weekend of June and is promoted by HeartRateup.com. In addition to the road race and cross country race on Saturday and Sunday respectively, there is also a downhill MTB race,

a short track XC race, a trials competition

a kids race,

and a bike toss (among other events).

I signed up to compete in the masters 40+ race on the road and the Sport class MTB race. I had competed in the same events at this race two years ago and have been looking forward to this year's races.

Road Race - I arrived at the park early on Saturday since the masters race was scheduled to start at 9:40. I had plenty of time to get ready and get a decent warm-up. The course is a 24.7 loop around the Alleghany State Park perimeter road which contains two steady 5-6 miles 3-5% climbs and two similar descents. For the masters race we do two laps. In 2007 I was dropped about 1/3-1/2 of the way up the first climb. My goal this year was to hang with the group as long as possible. Before I talk about the race I want to mention all the 53x11 riders I saw at the race. From the web site I thought there were only two riders in NY but apparently there are many more than that. There were at least 6 53x11 riders in the road race that I could see. Here is a photo of some of them. This was the cat 5/citizens race.

Anyway, the race started calm enough as we approached the base of the first climb. Right when we hit the climb there were a couple of surges but I was able to stay with the group. I was pleased with myself as I was comfortably sitting in spinning my compact crank chatting with a guy from Hamilton, Ontario. About 2/3 -3/4 of the way up the climb there was a crash right in the middle of the group. Three guys went down and blocked the center of the road. I had about ten feet to maneuver so I was OK but the guy from Hamilton I had been chatting with was just ahead of me and to the left. When the crash occurred he swerved right across my path so I had to come to a complete stop. I didn't go down but I lost contact with the group who seemed to accelerate when they heard the crash. I watched the guy from Hamilton continue off the road and crash in the woods. He wasn't hurt so it was fairly comical. There were several of us who were detached at that point so I was looking to hook up and work with some others but I couldn't make contact. So I latched onto the cat 5 group when they went by. They were really flying along at 35-40 mph on the downhill and false flat just past the descent. When we got to the base of the second climb we turned the corner and a lot of damage began. People were getting dropped all around. I decided to shift to my small ring and spin again as I had done on the first climb, but when I shifted I dropped the chain. I had to stop to put it back on so I got dropped from that group. I finished the first lap and started the second and saw a few folks in front of me that I thought I could catch. One guy stopped for a nature break and I passed him. I saw another guy, Ron Rosenburg and decided to try to catch him. I kept slowly closing the gap and caught him just past where the crash occurred on the first lap. We chatted a little while and then got to work sharing pulls down the descent. As we approached the base of the second climb we saw three guys just making the turn ahead of us so they gave us some motivation. We caught them fairly quickly on the climb and Ron chose to accelerate after the last guy. I chose to spin and we both caught him about halfway up although Ron pulled away from me. I ended up 20th out of 23 which was not bad for a days work, plus I was saving myself for the XC race the next day.

XC Race - Much to my dismay, I was having some issues with my MTB such that I could not use the middle chain ring or the fifth cog of the cassette or the chain would jump. I knew this before the race so I was able to make the best of it. The rain that fell all day I had no control over but was not counting on. Plus, I had a 6+ hour drive home after the race and I had promised my wife and children I would be home in time for dinner. For these reasons and the fact that the Beg race started first and was only 13 miles while the Sport race started last (10:32) and was 20 miles I decided to do the Beg race instead of Sport. Two years ago on a dry day I finished fourth in the beg 40+ class in a time of ~1:06:30. I was hoping to better that time but the elements and my bike did not help. I started out well and within the first mile I was probably in the top twenty overall. I did have to stop due to a shifting problem but over came that quickly. The first four miles are all steady uphill and I caught a good dozen more riders before the top. I was enjoying the double track trails and rolling hills throughout the course. There is a short single track section followed by the Bova cross country ski hill that descends down a gutter of switchbacks about 400'. With the rain it was very treacherous. Here's a photo of someone losing it on Bova.

I did not want to do that so at one point, maybe just above where the guy in the photo bought it, I bailed over the bars, landed on my feet and ran down the rest of the way. I ended up passing maybe three or four folks while being passed by two who rode. I ended up finishing third in the Beg 40+ in a time of 1:09:39 and ninth overall. It was fun and I made it home to MD by 6:00 pm.

Belated Urban Assault Report

2009-05-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

The Urban Assault MTB race was held in downtown Richmond, VA on May 16, 2009. It was part of the first annual Dominion Riverrock Festival and was promoted by the Sportsbackers organization. The race course looped through the James River Park (Butternut and North trails) as well as Forest Hill Park which is adjacent to Belle Island and Brown's Island in downtown Richmond. I held out registering for this race because the weather was sketchy heading into the weekend but ended up being fairly good given what could have occurred. I did this race last year when it was part of the Xterra championships weekend which was in the middle of June and very hot, if I recall. Of course, I did the beginner race last year which was only ~8 miles and I was racing the Sport Master 40+ this year which was ~16 miles.

Given the urban area in which this race is held one would think that it may be a less technical course but if one were to think that they would be incorrect. Other than the roads and fire roads, the course is fairly technical with a lot of narrow steep trails, lots of switchbacks and some rocks and roots (not to mention the 22nd street stairs we descended twice and the 42nd street stairs we ascended twice).

My race had 18 folks entered. We were almost the last group to start in the 12:30 wave. The start was on a grassy area off of fifth street on the Tredegar Iron Works property. For those of you interested, Tredegar Iron Works was the source of all the Confederate Army's Artillery and cannons during the American Civil War and there is a Civil War Museum on the premises that I would like to visit someday. Anyway, the course ran along a trail under the R. E. Lee bridge and then up a gravel road to the bridge which we used to cross the river. I was toward the back of the field initially but started moving up on the gravel road and passed a few folks on the bridge. After crossing the river we exited onto a local street and headed to the 22nd street stairs where you had to dismount and run/walk down to the James River Park fire road. We took the fire road to the 42nd street stairs where we climbed up and over the railroad tracks to get on the Butternut Trail, through a tunnel into the Forest Hill Park trail system. It was in Forest Hill Park that I was riding along and heard some folks behind me that I thought might be about to overtake me. So I looked back to see where they were as we rounded a rooty curve and the course seemed like it was heading up a relatively steep shortish ascent. The folks I heard weren't close enough to overtake me so I got out of the saddle and attacked the climb. When I got to the top I realized there were no course arrows in sight. I had seen a racer coming down and turning left in front of me as I was climbing and looked back and saw a course arrow. At that point I decided to take a u-turn and follow that arrow. I immediately realized that I had been through this part of the course before. So, as I came around to the point where I looked behind me before I made sure to pay attention for course markings. Sure enough, behind a branch on the left there was an arrow that I missed causing me to do an extra minute or two loop. Not to worry, but I felt bad and apologized to the guys that followed me. Anyway, we finished the Forest Hill Park trail, went through the tunnel and back to the Butternut Trail east to the 22nd street stairs where we descended again, rode the fire road back to the 42nd street stairs, ascended and then went west on the Butternut trail the the Boulevard Bridge onto the North trail and back to the finish. A guy passed me really close to the end and I stayed on his wheel and was planning on sprinting past him at the finish. I clearly need to work on this because I waited too late to start my sprint. Even though I was overtaking the guy I didn't have enough time to do it before the finish line. The other thing that was holding me back was my recollection from last year when I observed two guys sprinting for the line crash right after because of congestion in the grassy area before fifth street. At this race there's not a lot of room and finished riders tend to congregate past the line reducing the amount of space available. Needless to say, I did not want to be sprinting for tenth place and crashing. As it was, both of us had to lock our brakes to stop in time to avoid the crowd. I congratulated the guy who pipped me and headed to my car.

I was very happy with the way the race turned out. I ended up in ninth in my class. My first top ten in the sport class (not counting my third place out of four at Camp Hilbert). My time was 1:33:17 and I had no crashes. I only had a couple of scrapes on my calf/shin from my pedals from some unsuccessful attempts at some technical obstacles. I feel my technical skills are improving and look forward to the Iron Hill Challenge at the end of the month. I also want to give a shout out to Mark Junkerman (and his crew at Run, Ride, Race) who promotes the Camp Hilbert series, the Twisted Tire races, and a number of running events as well as providing race timing/results for a bunch of events including the Urban Assault. Great job Mark!

GamJams Reviews: Pedals - Take a guess

2009-05-07T03:50:00.000-07:00

You'll never guess the brand(s) of pedals I use on my bikes. (Nudge-nudge, wink-wink) Ok, maybe you can but I'll tell you anyway. Here's what I use and reasons why.

Road Bike and TT Bike - For these bikes I use the Forte CR150's which are a Look knock-off from Performance. These are just like the Looks in every way except the price. I believe I paid ~$40 per pair whereas the Looks start at $100. I can comfortably compare their performance against the Looks because I have an authentic 'vintage' pair of Looks from back in the 1980's that I use on my trainer bike. It is also very convenient to have the same style of pedals on all your bikes so any shoe you happen to have with you will work, i.e. it minimizes the number of pairs of shoes you need to own. A photo of my road pedals is shown below.

MTB - For my MTB, I use the Ascent ATB clipless pedals. I shouldn't have to tell you why but I got these for $15 a pair from Performance Bike. They use the Shimano SPD cleats so there is no issue with cleat availability. Before these I used the Forte knock-off of this pedal that lasted about a year or so. The failure point was the front part of the pedal where the SPD cleat was anchored snapped off after catching on a log/rock/other obstacle. I have not had this problem with the Ascents. These pedals do not perform real well in the mud. Let me restate, I have trouble clipping in when there is a lot of mud on the bottom of the shoe. For the price, these pedals work fine.

Greenbrier AMBC XC Challenge

2009-04-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

Greenbrier 2007 was my very first MTB race. I remember it well. I entered the beginner men's 40-49 race. It was cool and damp. I remember doing a lot of walking because there was one fairly steep climb with logs to go up and over and another really rocky climb. I also remember riding the campground descent with a white knuckle grip and being thankful I only had to do one lap. I recall I finished seventh out of 19 and was happy.

Greenbrier 2008 was one of many MTB races in which I would participate in that year. I remember it well. I entered the beginner men's 40-49 race. It was stormy the morning of the race but the storms had passed by race time. The first races of the day were very wet. I remember walking more than I thought I should because of the one fairly steep climb with logs to go up and over and the other really rocky climb. I also remember that the campground descent wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was the year before and I recall being thankful that I only had to to one lap. I also remember I was about 3 1/2 minutes faster than my time from 2007 and that I finished seventh again.

Enter Greenbrier 2009, my fifth MTB race this year. I entered the men's cat. 2 45-49 race along with ~25 other racers. The weather was uncharacteristically hot, humid, and sunny with not a lot of rain in the days leading up to the race making for a fast course. I predicted the race would start fast and it was as I entered the woods in last place. I believe I was in last place right up to the point after the stream crossing where you hit the first climb. That is where I started overtaking some folks. Then we hit the steep climb and there were a lot of folks walking, which was expected, because it is steep with logs to go up and over. So I walked up to the middle point where I got back on a rode to the top. I then proceeded to get to and ride up the rocky climb I had never successfully ridden up before. Then I hit the campground descent and did not have any issues so I finished the first lap in ~35, about three minutes faster than last year's one lap, except I had two more to do. This is not as onerous as it seems because I was feeling very good. I skipped the feed zone and entered the woods for my second lap. Near the end of the descent with the logs a man was giving warning of a crashed rider ahead and to keep left. As I rode by slowly, there was a guy that had crashed and was being attended to by a volunteer. I sure hope he was OK and my thoughts go out to him because it looked like he could have been seriously injured. Anyway, I got across the stream and up to the steep climb where I rode almost all the way to the top except for the very last log where I spun out on a rock. Of course I thought I would ride all the way up it on my last lap. I did make it up the rocky climb a second time, however, riding down the campground descent I got a rear tire flat about 2/3's of the way down and since I wasn't carrying a spare, my race was over. I was walking with the bike rolling and the tire and tube popped off and was binding on the frame so I had to carry the bike. I was disappointed with another DNF although there were a large number of other racers who had flats out there. I had a nice conversation with a lady spectator who was walking with me to the finish area, so it was not all bad. I had one little fall that was inconsequential and my shoulder held up excellently so I am not disappointed. Maybe next year!

GamJams Reviews: Floor Pumps

2009-04-23T01:30:00.000-07:00

The floor pump I use is a Lemond brand floor pump. It has a digital display and a dual valve head for both presta or schrader. I remember seeing it at Tar-Jay in 2003 or so. It was $49.99 and my wife picked it up for me as a b-day gift and I remember being apprehensive about her buying it because I thought it cost too much. It has held up well for six years or more. I don't think it is available on the market today. I should take a picture of it to show you all what it looks like but that won't happen before the publishing deadline so you'll have to take my word for it. It is a good quality pump!

Bike Line Fair Hill XC Race Report

2009-04-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

The Bike Line Fair Hill Spring XC Mid-Atlantic Super Series Opening XC Race was held in Elkton, MD this past Sunday, April 19, 2009. It was a great weather day, thus a great day for racing. Over 400 folks had pre-registered for the races so there were going to be some crowded trails. The course description stated that the course was mostly non-technical with very few climbs and not many roots. The description was accurate. It was a fast course! There was a fire road climb to start followed by a long FR descent to a wide stream crossing and a short climb where the single track began. The single track was very fast flowing with just a few roots here and there and some field and stream crossings.

There were 23 pre-registered for the Sport Male Masters I race for men 45-49. We were about the sixth or seventh group to take off in two-minute intervals starting at 10:30. I was hoping to finish in the top of half of my race given that there are so many fast guys in this area and age group. One thing that was interesting is there were no body markings. The organizers wrote your category on your number on the lower right side which was good to see where to stand at the start but not so good for seeing if you were racing against someone on the course. The race timing was done by Prolog Timing Systems so we wore chips on our ankles. Anyway, after the start I was working hard and felt that I was in the middle of the pack. I was passing some folks on the uphill parts and they would pass me back on the down hills and field crossings. At the end of the first lap I was feeling good and felt that I could maintain the pace I had been riding.

On the second lap I was passing a few folks and had a conversation with a guy who was trying to talk me into getting a 29er. So things were going well and I caught and passed a guy I saw at the start just before a field crossing. So when I get to the field I decide to have a drink so I reach down for my waterbottle with my left hand leaving my right hand on the handlebars. This is important because this is the side with my injured shoulder. So I take a drink and I'm leaning forward to place my waterbottle back into the cage when I veered off the trail about six inches and hit a little rut. Since my body weight was shifted forward I started to pitch in that direction. Since I knew I didn't want to endo I threw my weight back hoping that my backside would hit the seat. It did but on the very back end so instead of catching myself I slipped off the back of the seat and laid out completely. At least my pedals unclipped and I landed on my left buttock so no harm was done. I looked around quickly to see if anyone had seen me crash on a totally flat field crossing piece of trail but there was no one in sight. I got going fairly quickly only to find that I had no front brakes (the cable clip had popped off in my crash) so I had to stop again to re-attach the cable. I got hung up in one rooty section near the end of the race but it was just a foot touch down. The rest of the race after that was fairly unremarkable.

I saw in the results today that I was 14th out of 33. I was happy with the result and happy that my shoulder seems to be getting better every day even after hiking out and hitting the deck.

Camp Hilbert #1 Race Report

2009-04-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

While all you roadies were out there in Walkersville dancing in the wind, we MTB'ers were enjoying a beautiful day down in Maidens, VA at Camp Hilbert. After all the rain on Friday, one would think that any trail would be too muddy to ride on but this was just not the case at Camp Hilbert. The trails were perfect except for one 30-40' section about halfway through the course. There was a large amount of water and mud there but you could not ask for a trail in better shape than the rest of the course. That being said, I was racing in the Sport Master 45+ race which was starting at 12:10. I was the only geezer signed up for this race on Bikereg for the longest time but at the very end I believe there were seven of us pre-registered. When I checked in today it looked like there were about 10 folks on the list including race day registrations. I was liking my chances for the win when I was the only one signed up but as folks joined in my chances were getting pretty slim. Especially when one of the guys raced with me at Blue Ridge School who was ~4 minutes ahead of me after the first lap. I am sure he would have finished farther ahead of me if I hadn't DNF'd with my shoulder injury. Speaking of my injury, I was feeling quite uneasy about the shoulder for a couple of reasons. Obviously I didn't want to crash and further injure it and I was worried about being able to lift the front wheel in the few technical parts of Camp Hilbert.

Anyway, at the start, the Sport Masters 45+ men were the second to the last group scheduled to start. While we were lining up there were only four of us and two Clydesdale ready to start behind us. Mark, the promoter, asked the Clydesdales if they wanted to start with us and they said yes so there were six of us on the line. Of course, I'm thinking I like my chances of being on the podium because all I have to do is finish ahead of one of these other three guys. I didn't think I had a chance against the guy who was thrashing me at BRS but I knew nothing about the other two so I thought maybe. My chances dropped pretty quickly after the start when all three of the other guys in my race and the two Clydesdales took off leaving me in sixth place. Now I'm not the fastest starter needless to say. My strength is my stamina. I know I can throw out three pretty much equal laps and I won't fade much at the end. The trick is to stay close enough to pass someone before the end. BTW, I tested the shoulder in my pre-ride popping some wheels and it was good so the shoulder was not the problem. So the guy in fifth place is the guy that was thrashing me two weeks at BRS so I thinking top three is probably not going to happen this week, but maybe fourth? So I decided I would try to keep him in my sight and see if he could hold his pace. The first lap I did fairly well in this regard. He was about fifty feet ahead of me the entire lap. I was getting closer to him on the climbs but he would power away from me on the descents. Camp Hilbert doesn't have anything really steep or long in the way of climbs and descents. It is mostly fast, a true power course. Early in the first lap, I came up on a female enduro rider and asked her very politely if I could pass. I think I said "I would like to pass, please, if you don't mind" or something like She said sure and then proceeded to stay right in the middle of the trail. I stayed patient and surveyed the trail ahead and then said "How about just after that big tree on the left?" She went off on me yelling something about that she knows I want to pass, etc. Right after the tree I accelerated and went by her on the left as she did not slow down at all or move over at all. As I went by her I said "You don't have to get upset, I was only trying to tell you when and where." To which she replied, "I've been out here since 9:30." I was thinking that if racing your bike for two and a half hours is going to turn you into the wicked witch of the west maybe you should consider the XC race instead, but of course I didn't say anything.

Right at the end of the first lap I clipped out on a rooted climb and lost sight of the guy I was hoping to keep in sight. That was when I thought, I guess its fourth but I was hoping to press harder and get him in sight again. I was encountering and passing a lot of the Sport 35-45 folks who started two minutes ahead of us so that was making it harder to catch up. I kept looking ahead but didn't see the guy I was looking for. In the last quarter of the lap I saw him in the distance. He was in an area that I had gotten real close to him on the first lap so that gave me the incentive to push harder. I was hoping to get close and take my chances on the last lap. He was riding up the same rooted climb that I had unclipped on in the first lap as I reached the bottom. I saw him clip out just as I got to his wheel. He said, "I'm sorry" as I hopped off my bike and starting running up the hill past him. I told him "it's OK" but I could tell he was in a world of hurt. So I hopped back on my bike and tried to create as big a gap as possible. As I crossed the finish line I looked back and he was about one hundred fifty feet behind me. I was thinking that the only way I wouldn't finish third is if I crashed or had a mechanical. But I rode a clean third lap and was cautious where I needed to be. So I finished in third place. Not long after I crossed the line the awards were being handed out. I won a $15 gift certificate to 3Sports.

GamJams Reviews: Bike Racks

2009-04-02T03:38:00.000-07:00

There are a few different types of bike racks that I own. I have two Xport roof-type fork mounts that I can attach to any roof rack. I use these occasionally, especially when we take a family vacation/trip and the luggage goes in the back of the car. I like these because they are quick and convenient and I haven't had any problems or issues using them.

I also have a hitch-type Xport Slipstream 3-bike dual-receiver rack that I also use on occasion. The occasions are the same as the one above and I tend to use this one when I need to carry more than two bikes. I like this rack also, it is heavy-duty and works well.

I have a couple other racks that I don't use anymore either because they are old and broken or I much less convenient than the two I currently use. The most common bike transport I use is to simply remove the front wheel and stick the bike in the back of my car. This is the most convenient method I have found but is only usable when you don't have luggage. More than one bike can be carried in this manner by simply folding down one of the back seats. That is all!

Injury Update

2009-03-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

I went to see the Doctor last Monday, the day after the race/injury. I got an appointment to see Dr. Owens at 4:15 p.m. She examined the shoulder had me move it and/or moved it all around and was impressed with the range of motion. She didn't think it was anything too serious but sent me to get a x-ray just to be sure. She also gave me a prescription for 800 mg of ibuprofen for good measure.

So Tuesday I got the x-ray. They actually took four because the tech cut off the top of my clavicle on the first two. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary so she let me go. I spent the rest of the week in pain barely able to move my right arm without greater pain.

Saturday morning I got a call from my doctor at around 8:30 a.m. She told me she was looking at the x-ray's and wanted to know if I knew I had a broken arm. Having woken up not too long ago I wasn't sure I heard her right so I asked her which bone was broken. She said it was the humerus up near the shoulder. My brain finally kicked in and I said that I knew I had broken my arm there about 33 years ago. She said it was good because the x-ray tech hadn't written anything about on the films. She then told me to give it another week and if it was still bothering me she would refer me to an ortho.

So today it is one week since the injury and I can say that it is improving. I still feel pain when I move the arm, mostly around the outer part of my upper arm. I do not feel pain constantly though. That stopped yesterday. I rode my MT bike on Thursday and the arm did not bother me at all, although I rode on the road. I could not stand and pedal, it was too painful. I rode the trainer last night and that was mostly pain free. There might have been a circulatory issue because my arm started getting numb toward the end of the hour. I tried to ride outside on my road bike today but my saddle bolt stripped out and my saddle dropped about eight minutes into the ride. Fun! Actually, I was lucky it happened early in the ride. I'll try again tomorrow and hopefully will not have to write about this again.

GamJams Reviews: Race Tires

2009-03-26T06:09:00.000-07:00

For those of you who read my wheel review, you will not be surprised by my tire review.

Road Bike

Basically, I do not want to be changing tires the night before a race and I don't have a spare racing wheelset so I ride in races what I ride to train. I haven't raced my road bike yet this year but if I were to race, it would be on my Panaracer Stradius Pro tires. Why do I train and/or race these? I am not sponsored by a tire manufacturer so these go on my bike at my cost. They are available for $19.99 each at Performance. End of story.

TT Bike

Above applies here, I do not want to be changing tires the night before a race and I don't have a spare racing wheelset so I ride in races what I ride to train. I haven't raced my TT bike yet this year but if I were to race, it would be on the tires that are on it. Honestly, I don't know what they are. They are the ones that were on it when I bought it. Maybe I will look at them sometime to learn what they are. Probably when I need to replace.

MTB

OK, ahem, I do have a set of "racing wheels" for this bike. Not really, I have set set of training wheels with somewhat slick tires that I ride during the week. I also have set of wheels with real MTB tires that I use for races. Right now they the tires on these wheels are the front and rear specific tires from Panaracer the front-specific classic Dart and the rear-specific classic Smoke. Last year at Twisted Tire Spring Cup I had a spoke issue and was seeking assistance from one of the shop vehicles before the race. The Bike Factory of Charlottesville folks were able to fix the problem. The reason I bring this up is one of the "kids" saw the tires I was using, the Dart and Smoke, and quoted the Performance Bike buzz words in the catalogue description about how more races have been won on this set of tires than any other. I looked at him with a quizzical look at first and then told him that those words hadn't influenced me. It was the price.

"Ride The Ridge" MTB race - Blue Ridge School, VA

2009-03-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

After last week's debacle at the O'Hill Muddown, I was hoping for warmer temps, drier conditions, and a good race. Can you believe all three requests were answered . . . . up to a point. Oh yes, the weather was warmer, mid-60's by mid-race. Very nice!! The course was mostly dry with just a few wet/muddy spots. Not much more you could ask for there! Good race? Well . . . . it started out good!

Start time was 11:00 a.m. for the Pro/Expert cat. and they went right on time. We folk in the Sport category went at 11:02 with the beginners following us. The course was all you could expect it to be. The race director, Nolan Lavoie, sent out a course profile on Friday and if I wasn't mistaken I thought it could have been a "sawtooth" waveform. Yes, it was up or down the whole eight mile without a meter of flat. Ok, that's an exaggeration, but not much. There were also a good number of rock gardens and other obstacles that would prove rather difficult given the terrain. For the beginner's sake, they cut about a mile out of the first lap which was good for them, but not for me as I will explain later. There was also one really muddy spot next to a pond that was about ten feet long. Someone had the sense of humor to throw a railroad tie down along one edge of this "bog". I considered attempting to ride across it but then decided I better not even try so I used it to walk across the mud. The first lap was quite frustrating at first because they sent all the sport category riders out at once, and there were twenty-six pre-registered, so it was quite crowded. Given all the steep climbs and obstacles you had to stop and walk quite a bit because you were always coming up on someone walking. It got less frustrating and more challenging after everyone spread out a bit. Toward the end of the first lap I came up on a guy on a rocky descent who was having a tougher time than me, and I'm terrible on the downhills. He (Kevin) said, "go ahead, I think you are better at the downhills than me" to which I replied, "that doesn't say much about your descending skills then." We both chuckled and rode on. At the very end there was a fire road climb followed by a fire road descent to a road descent then a short dirt climb back up to the football field and the start/finish. Kevin passed me on the road and then quickly lost it on the dirt climb and started walking. I passed him back then and crossed the start/finish somewhere in the middle of the field of sport vet men 35+.

So after the first lap I would say that I was having a pretty good ride. On the second lap, things went much smoother in the beginning because there were a lot fewer riders to get stuck behind. I rode almost all of the places I had to walk on the first lap and was opening a pretty good gap to the folks I had passed just after the lap started. I duly noted the spot where we turned off on the first lap and headed up the 300 foot climb over a half mile plus the corresponding descent. I was going up a particularly nasty spot where the trail was narrow rocky and steep. There was a ~120 degree turn to the right between a big tree on the right and a couple of little trees on the left. Oh, and it was a steep little four foot rise on loose soil to get between the trees. I swung up and around to left side of the trail because I wasn't sure how close I should get to the big tree when either my bar hit one of the little trees, I lost traction or something else but I started to fall to my right toward the big tree down the slope. I was just far enough to the left to fall and crack my head on the big tree. Of course I was falling down the slope so even though I got my right leg out it touched only air. So I threw out my right arm to keep my head from smashing into the tree only to have my forearm hit the tree causing my body to pivot as I spun twisting and falling down the slope. My head missed the tree mostly but my arm got abraded by the bark and as i fell/twisted I heard and felt a loud pop and searing pain in my right shoulder. I thought, Aw man, I was having a good race too. I went to move my bike out of the trail but it hurt so much when I tried to lift it I just sat down on the slope. Kevin stopped because he saw me wincing in pain and my bike was laying across the trail. Another rider rode back down to inform the race folks of my injury. Just about everyone stopped to ask if I was OK. I tried to tell Kevin I could push my bike back down the hill myself but he would have none of it. He insisted, so we walked down to the place where the trail split and we ran into the guy who went for help. I told Tony I could handle it from there because I could see some Blue Ridge School buildings just below from where I stood. I headed toward them and ran into Tony the race promoter. He took my bike and walked me down to meet Judy from the infirmary. Judy met us by the Church and gave me a field examination. I was able to shrug my shoulders and lift my arm and some other things pain free, all be it slowly. So off to the infirmary to get some ice and saran wrap. Don't ask. While Judy was wrapping me a boy (Brandon)~fourteen or so who had also hurt his shoulder came in and started talking to me. I think he was pretty impressed with my 53x11 kit. He was nice and had lived in Crofton, MD. Judy gave me four ibuprofen's and then drove me down to my car where my bike was sitting. I have to give a big shout out to everyone who helped me or tried to help or even gave a nice word. Thanks everyone!

So I had my first DNF due to injury. The jury is still out on what is wrong with my shoulder. I don't think anything is broken. At first I thought collar bone or something but I don't think so after my self-examination. Probably a strain or tear up there near the shoulder joint. I guess I'll have to visit the Doc tomorrow. Bummer.

GamJams Reviews: Cleaners & Degreasers

2009-03-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

OK. I have some cleaners and degreasers in my basement but I don't know what brand they are and I do not use them. In fact, I am not really sure how or when I acquired them. For cleaning I use H20. I use the same natural ingredient for degreasing. Why? I don't know. Maybe I don't trust products of this nature. Maybe I feel a little "elbow grease" is all you need. Perhaps someone will enlighten me with their product review. Anyone in the market for a unused bottle of degreaser?

O'Hill Meltdown

2009-03-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

Today was the Observatory Hill Meltdown XC race down in Charlottesville, Va. This was to be race #2 of the 2009 VORS but turned out to be race #1 because Camp Hilbert was postponed last weekend until April 4th. Of course last weekend's weather happened to be seventy degrees and sunny both days but the trails would have been quite muddy due to the snow melt. Warm but muddy, I think I could handle that. Enter this weekend, with rain Friday night and then again Saturday (up to 1") forecast to continue into Sunday morning with temps in the Charlottesville area in the upper thirties. Now the O'Hill trail is on the campus of UVA. After the promoter stated that marginal weather would shift the race to the Tevendale Farm, Saturday night the announcement was made that the race was on. OK, but someone needs to define the term "marginal weather" for me.

Anyway, I drove almost three hours to get to the race but arrived on time and about an hour before the start. Another 63 racers pre-registered so there was going to be a pretty good showing. So the weather forecast holds true and it rains the entire race and the temps stay in the upper thirties. The trails were wet, muddy, slippery, etc. I think the conditions were as bad as Spring 2008 Twisted Tire with the exception that there were no trails turned into waterfalls. The laps were supposed to be about six miles long and the promoter told us at the start that they took out one flat section that was about a half-mile long because it was too muddy so the rest was either up or down. I did the sport race and it started on the road by the Slaughter Rec Center. We went up the hill towards the observatory and then cut off the road onto the trail just before the top. The trails were as advertised. It was very hilly. I think I would have liked it if it were dry. OK, my bike and I are not mudders. Our mother's weren't mudders. Our father's weren't mudders. We don't like the slop. Unfortunately for me, on one of the many leaf covered, rock strewn, muddy, white-knuckled descents on my first lap I had something happen to me that has never happened before. Oh, I've crashed many times, but not in this particular way. Like I said, I was picking my way down this descent when I saw a line where there were no leaves so I shifted my weight in that direction and then looked further ahead for the next line I wanted to hit when all of a sudden I realize that my hands are where the handlebars should be, my feet are where the pedals should be, my eyes are still looking down the hill for where I want to go next but my bike has decided to stop. So I hovered about six feet down the hill before my left foot, then knee finally hit ground causing me to tumble onto my left shoulder. Other than a small scrape on my knee I had no damage but the front wheel on my bike unfortunately get wedged or jammed into a hole or rock or limb and got bent. Every rotation of the wheel resulted in a loud clacking noise as the brake calipers slammed into the left fork. Of course, I continued the race and finished even though I took another header on a subsequent similar descent. The second lap was better in that I didn't crash at all and was able to ride some of the hills that I had walked on the first lap even though I was getting dizzy watching the front brakes go back and forth, back and forth. There was one place on the trail where there was about a four foot climb up what seemed to be a rock face with a tree on the left until you got close and saw it was a bunch of big rocks with spaces in between just about a bike tire width. On the first lap some guys in front of me had stopped and walked it so I just joined the parade. On the second lap I was by myself, or so I thought. As I approached this spot I was trying to decide the best way to ride up it when I heard a shout behind me. I bailed left and stopped by the tree and watched Jeremiah Bishop bunny hop up and over. I guess if I were a pro I could do that too.

I don't know where I finished in my race. I do know that I let a whole bunch of guys by me after my wheel was bent. It definitely slowed me down. Hopefully next week at Blue Ridge School won't be as bad weather-wise.

GamJams Reviews: The Wheels I Want - Mavic Kysriums et al

2009-03-12T04:20:00.000-07:00

You may look at the title of this post and ask, "FD, didn't you tell us last week that you have Mavic Kysriums as your race wheels for your road bike." Can it be true? Could the wheels that I have be the wheels that I want? To avoid the long-winded answer I respond, yes. The wheels I have on my road bike are the wheels I want. That last sentence just sent me down memory lane by having a DEVO song ("Girl U Want" with Wheels substituted for Girl) running through, but alas, I am back to reality. I am totally happy with my Kysriums and I'm not spending four digits to remove one of my better excuses for why I get dropped in road races. Think about it. If I am in a race and I get dropped (which happens all the time) I can say, look what I'm riding. I'm racing on a Performance Forte with Mavic Kysriums. Wait a minute. I may have stumbled onto something here. Perhaps the former combined with any racing wheel would be an acceptable excuse. Whew!!! Caught myself straying from the company line there for a moment but I am back on track.

Now, on my TT bike I already have Zipp 303's (650's) and I am, honestly, quite happy with them. They are more wheel than I ever expected to have so there is no wheel bling envy with this bike at all. I even have a Synergy wheel as a backup rear wheel for this bike so I am set wheel-wise for this bike. Not even looking at anything else.

Ok, I have a confession. I have a documented case of wheel bling envy concerning my mountain bike. Twice I have had the Mavic Crossland MTB wheel set in my cart on Performance Bike only to remove it at checkout when I see how much they charge you for shipping. Yes, I know they are not that "bling-y" but I have a rule that I try to live by. It goes something like this. No component can cost more than you initially paid for the entire bike. So if I want to get some really nice wheels I must go out and buy a more expensive bike. ;-)

GamJams Reviews: The Race Wheels I Have - Mavic Kysriums

2009-03-05T03:43:00.000-08:00

I believe I have communicated to everyone that my bikes are almost completely blingless. Having said this, my road bike wheels are your standard Mavic Kysriums. I got them from Bill Browne within the last two years (they say the memory is the first thing to go) when he removed them from his new bike (I think he had some Zipp 404's- now those are bling!). The nice thing about my Kysriums is they are rock solid. They are heavier than any "bling" laden (read $$$) wheel so I feel comfortable riding them all the time. They have remained true for the entire time I have ridden them and I haven't had any issues at all.

My MTB has the wheels they sell at Performance for $19.99. I have been in the market for some nice wheels for racing for about a year but just can't get myself to make a decision or drop the coin. I believe for the $19.99 I spent the hubs are plastic, there are no bearings, the spokes are linguini and the rim recycled egg shells. Alright, I think they have the base Shimano hub, regular spokes, aluminum rims, and some kind of system that adds five pounds but they roll quite well for the cost . I really do want to upgrade and will at some point, hopefully soon. Yes, I will cringe as I ride over logs and other obstacles that could turn your wheel instantly into a taco but those are the risks one takes in MTB racing. I have my eyes on some Mavic wheels and since I have had such a good experience with their road wheels I will probably stick with them for my MTB race wheels.

My TT bike has Zipp 303's (650 mm). They came with the bike when I bought it used from an ex-teammate. They have too much bling for me. I can honestly say that riding on them is totally unfamiliar territory for me. I would be much more comfortable riding on wheels that you would see on the Flintstones. You know, the ones with a wooden axle and carved out of solid stone. I'll stick with the Zipp's for now. I will stick with them at least until I find some of those Flintstone wheels or some low cost wheels from Performance Bike. Although, some may consider the former and latter identical.

GamJams Reviews: Saddles & Seat Posts

2009-02-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

Before I start my review I have a couple of observations. Since they are mounted on a "seat post" shouldn't they simply be called bicycle seats. Or, perhaps since we call them "saddles" we should call the things they are mounted on saddle posts. Sorry, I digress. Maybe its because I have "bling" envy after seeing all the high dollar/high tech saddles and seat posts on everyone else's bikes. That's right! When it comes to bike components, I have very little bling. Alright, alright, I have no bling at all. That is why I had no review for handlebars a couple of weeks ago because I have the handlebars that came with my bike and I don't even know their brand. This applies to all my bikes. Yes, the road/racing bike, the TT bike, the MTB, and the beater/bike on the trainer. So, blingless as I am, I will share with you my saddle/seat post experiences.

Road Bike: My road bike is a Performance Forte. OK, go ahead and snicker. I will ignore you. I believe it has the standard Forte seat post that came with it. The saddle I rock is a Forte Pro. It is not the saddle that came with the bike (that saddle is on the beater/bike on the trainer bike). I actually liked the saddle that came with the bike but it got worn out so I replaced it with the Forte Pro which is tolerable. Let me put it this way, I've ridden on much worse saddles and my junk only falls asleep after a few hours.

TT Bike: My TT bike is a Kestrel 500SCI. I got it used from an ex-teammate. It is very nice! It came with a Bontrager 2014 seat post and a Fizik saddle but I am not sure of the model. It is two tone back/grey. I could not get comfortable on it on this bike in the aero position so I replaced it with the same saddle that Karen's Got Wheels uses on her tt bike, the Performance Forte T1 Tri Saddle. This one works great and is comfortable, especially down in the aero. I just hope I don't get Swanned on it.

MTB: My MTB is a GT Avalanche 3.0. This bike was voted the best entry-level mountain bike a couple years ago. Until last year it had mostly stock components. The only things original right now are the frame, stem, brakes, shifters and handlebars. The stock seat post failed about mid-2008. At least it failed slowly, not catastrophically. I noticed during a ride that the seat was too low and seemed too far back. So I adjusted it back to where it should be. During my next ride I noticed the same thing. So I got off and inspected the seat post and it was arched like the letter "C" toward the back wheel. I guess the metal reached it failure point and gave way and started bending back. I could feel it bend farther with every bump/log. So, I went to an LBS and picked up their standard seat post which happened to be a Bontrager. So far so good. The saddle that came with my MTB was a stock GT saddle. It was too wide, so wide, in fact, that my skinny ar.. sit bones would never adapt. Now don't laugh. I mean it. While at a K-Mart, (OK, OK, laugh all you want) I saw a Scwhinn MTB saddle that looked halfway decent and was inexpensive enough that I thought it was worth a try. Guess what. It worked. It was comfy and light and I rode/raced on it for a year before it broke. So I said, OK, I'll just go back to the Big K and get another. Sure enough they had them. I picked one out of the litter, put it on the bike, went for a ride and it broke. Lesson learned. So now I rock the Fizik unknown model saddle that came with my TT bike. It works but it probably is not the best saddle for the job. In fact, I might switch the Fizik saddle with the Forte Pro from my road bike and see if that works any better. Yes, I think this might be a win-win situation for both bikes. But for now I can only say that while saddles are not my forte, Forte's are my saddle of choice;-)

Beater/bike on the trainer: My beater bike is a Univega Sportour-S from 1985. It has its stock seat post and it looks rather neanderthal but it is functional. The saddle I already told you is the one that originally came with my road bike. Since this bike stays on the trainer (because it has no brakes which is perfect for the trainer but not so perfect for the road) I decided that it needed some extra padding. Back in the 80's when this bike had brakes and I rode it outside the saddle that came with it was so uncomfortable it had to be called the "cruel saddle." To make it more bearable I went out and bought a gel saddle pad. I still have the pad and use it to cover up the worn and torn parts of the saddle on this bike and provide that extra padding it, or shall I say my sit bones, need(s). Problem is that it is over twenty years old and the fabric covering the gel is beginning to bunch up and cause me problems from all my winter training. So now I've had to resort to using Balmex on my bottom like a baby. I'm walking around smelling like a freshly changed babies diaper, but I don't care as long as I get relief from my saddle sores. Thanks again Flamenco Chuckwagon! Or did he recommend A+D? Enjoy!

GamJams Reviews: Chamois Cream - Body Glide

2009-02-19T02:00:00.000-08:00

Let me first say that Body Glide is not exactly chamois cream. It is, exactly an anti-blister & anti-chafing stick. That's right, its the Mennon Speed Stick for your nether region. You apply it just like deodorant to your saddle's points of contact in your perineal area. This is a plus if you do not like dealing with messy creams and what not. One draw back though, if you are hirsute in the nether area, your stick can get a little fuzzy if you know what I mean. The stick does not care but you might. I have been using this product for several years now and had minimal problems related to saddle sores. When I have had a minor "issue", one or two applications of Body Glide clear them right up. In fact, I used Body Glide the day I spent ten and a half hours in the saddle riding stage 10 of the 2004 Tour de France from Limoges to St. Flour (L'Etape du Tour) and had no "issues" at all. Body Glide, it works for me.

SNOTCYCLE Shots

2009-02-04T07:22:00.001-08:00

I found some photos of me in the Snotcycle race from this past weekend. It is clear that the photog's believe that my backside is my better side since two of the three are of it. In fact, with this first one if you zoom in on the schnoz in the upper right you may see the source of the race name.

Did anyone mention that it was cold?

Perhaps the camera lens was damaged after the front on shot?

At least the kit looks good!

Race Report - Snotcycle 1/31/09 Leesburg, VA

2009-01-31T14:34:00.000-08:00

The folks at Plum Grove Cyclery decided to hold a MTB race at one of their courses in late January. Here's the race description from bikereg.com:

Come on out to Leesburg, VA for the first annual SNOTCYCLE Mountain Bike Race on January 31. This is a "weather be damned" rain, sleet, the nastier the better, race.

We will be using the same champion chip style timing as the Bakers Dozen, having a little schwag, and a good old fashioned "Fear this", "Piss on Ford, Chevy, and Chrysler", Screw the economy, rebel yell hella good time. I dont want to hear any of the following crap:
- My drivetrain will get damaged
- My spandex will get dirty
- I will slip in the mud
- My toes will get cold
- The bourbon in my water bottle tastes funny with cow crap in it

This will be your first opportunity to ride the 2009 Bakers Dozen Race Course, which is run in reverse from last year, with a few small reroutes thrown in.
Each lap is approximately 7.6 miles of rolling single track.

All races should be between last between 1:40 - 2:20. Pets are welcome, but will be required to be on leash.

Check in and packet pickup will be onsite from 6:00 - 8:00 on Friday, January 30 and 7:30am to 9:00am on Saturday, January 31. All racers MUST be checked in by 9:00am Saturday!!! Please have a valid picture ID ready when you check in. You do NOT need a NORBA/USA Cycling license or permit.

Guess what? They got what they wished for! After last week's snow and rain/ice and temp's below freezing most of the week the course was mostly ice with a little bit of frozen slush on top. There were a couple muddy sections that were frozen at first but slowly softened up over the course of the race. At most the top 0.33" melted and the rest remained frozen. Since this is a working cattle farm (at least they had cows), there was one short section where the cows must stand around in the shade near the watering trough or something because it was super rough and pitted and tough to ride over with any speed or control since it was also frozen.

Other than all the ice, there were very little technical parts to this trail. Right at the start of my race the men's Sport 40+ (or as the sign at registration read: Sport Geezers) I took the honor of being the first to fall after the race started. Another guy fell before the race started so his didn't count. There was a two by three foot strip of ice on the left side of the start line and even though I thought I was above it, my rear wheel slipped out and I stepped off before falling. I thought that put me in about last but there were more than thirty of us registered so I could have been in front of a few guys.

The first lap was the most difficult for me. I tried to ride hard to catch back up to the guys in front was having trouble staying upright. If you went off the center of the trail you really paid for it because even though the trail was icy, it was firm and you could roll on it fairly well. Off the center of the trail it was more crunchy and soft and it slowed you way down and ate a lot of your power. The problem starts when you hit a turn hard and fast and the ice makes you start to slide. If you try to brake to slow down you slide faster or smash down side/face first. So after about three wipe outs I realized if you use the front brake on the ice you are more likely to wipe than if you just use the rear brake. Of course the rear brake causes you to slide all over but at least you have a chance if you are somewhat upright. After a couple more wipe outs I decided I needed to back it off so that I might stop crashing. This was effective. I think I only crashed once on the last two laps. Verdict on ice racing - Ice bad!

I was looking forward to seeing my lap splits from the champion chip timing system (btw I think all races should use this or a similar system) but as I was finishing the first lap I realized I had forgotten to put on my transponder. Doh! Oh well, I did hit the start button on my bike computer so I would have elapsed time at the end. Anyway, after I backed off a bit I noticed the guys I had passed were starting to catch up to me. I guess that no pets thing without a leash was not enforced. I saw a cat riding a bike in my race and he didn't have a leash. Well, maybe he did have on a leash under the four or five layers of clothing. OK, the guy's name was Tom Waters and he is or rides for "El Gato Rojo". He was one of the guys I had passed who passed me near the end of the first lap. He stopped for a drink after completing the lap so I passed him there. BTW, a camelback was a good idea for this race. It was very difficult to get a drink using a water bottle while riding one handed on the ice. There wasn't anywhere on the course where you could ride one handed without the fear of crashing. Of course, I left my camelback in the car with my transponder so my choices were to stop to drink, risk crashing and drink while riding one handed, or don't drink at all. I chose the latter, initially. Back to the red cat, he passed me again late in the second lap and I again passed him just after the finish line while he was stopped drinking. So that gave me some incentive to push it a little in the first half of the third lap to make sure "El Gato Rojo" didn't catch me before the finish line. He didn't, so I had that going for me, which was nice (sorry, Caddyshack moment).

Actually, I felt really good the whole race other than when I was meeting the ice face first. I noticed my HR during the first lap was in the lower 150's. Then it was in the mid 140's during the second lap. Near the end of third lap my HR was in the upper 130's, my fitness level seems to be good.

At the end of the second lap I decided that I made a bad decision about the water and decided to take the risk to get a drink. I was on the fire road just after turning left after the finish line and I reached down, got my bottle, and stuck it in my mouth to pull the cap open. Got a little sip and then started going sideways left and right sliding all over the place on some ice. I heard a voice behind me sounding both familiar and somewhat disappointed. The experts had started about twenty minutes after we geezers and quite a few of them had already passed me. I knew that, my friend, Doug Pepelko had signed up to race so I was keeping a look out for him. Well, it was Doug who was berating me for sliding all over the entire fire road while trying to get a little drink. I said "Hi Doug" but he was probably more concerned with whether or not I was going to take him out and thinking "what an idiot" so I don't think he heard me. That or he didn't want to acknowledge that he knew me because there were a couple of guys on his wheel.

The bottom line for this report is no injuries or hard crashes. I finished it looks like 22 out of 34. I don't think I want to race on ice again but Mother Nature definitely controls that one. I didn't get any frost bite (a plus). I was happy with my fitness. I didn't have any issues with my back. Oh yeah, I had fun (most important). Check out the schwag from the race in the picture below. I think I may have to re-gift this one! Sue?

GamJams Reviews: Winter Gloves - Performance Neoprene

2009-01-29T02:00:00.000-08:00

The winter gloves that I prefer to wear are these:

They are Performance Neoprene gloves. They are less than 1/4" thick so they are nice and supple. They have leather on the palm so you get a nice grip (important for MTB). They are very warm, so warm that you will sweat when you wear them, but like a wetsuit, your hands still stay warm. I plan to put them to good use this weekend at SnotCycle. I checked the Performance website and it looks like they don't carry them anymore.

GamJams Reviews: Handlebar Tape

2009-01-22T06:47:00.000-08:00

Its funny what some folks will stick on their handlebars. I, myself, am guilty of using a little electrical tape or duct tape here and there to keep the original handlebar tape attached to the handlebars temporarily (read up to 5 years) when a tear, rip, or other failure occurs. The nicest handlebar tape I ever had was an ex-girlfriend who worked in a bike shop put on my first bike. I bought the bike, a Univega Sportour-S, from her bike shop, The Peddler in Long Branch, NJ, in 1985. She put a nice two-tone blue and white tape that lasted until a couple of years ago. I replaced it in 2004/5 with the blue Forte' Classic Cork Tape from Performance. At the same time I replaced the handlebar tape on my road bike with the black Forte' Classic Cork Tape from Performance. I must admit that I like the feel of the cork tape. It is soft and supple while also quite resistant to ripping and tearing. I like black because it shows the least amount of stains (read sweat) as compared to white, blue, green, red, etc. Plus, if your bars happen to be black or carbon, a little gap or tear will only be known by you. Also, the most readily available color of electrical tape is black. ;-)

GamJams Review: Hydration - Nuun Tabs

2009-01-15T02:00:00.000-08:00

These active hydration tablets are worth a try if you are not sold on Accelerade, Gatorade or any of the other powders. I like the fact that you can't make a mess with the tablet. Just fill the bottle with H20, drop the tablet in and you're in business. I tried the cola flavor and it tasted great. It didn't take like Coke or Pepsi, rather more like a store brand cola. Not too sweet or sugary but with adequate electrolytes and just enough flavor to make me want to drink more. Plus, when the bottle's empty there is no residue like there is with some other products.

GamJams Reviews: Best cycling gift - TYP

2009-01-08T04:18:00.000-08:00

For those of you who do not know what that acronym TYP means, in this context it stands for "take your pick."

I received several cycling related gifts this holiday season. Most were replacements for items I had worn out and needed desperately. After smashing my helmet on the rocks at Twisted Tire Fall cup I desperately needed a new one. Santa delivered a Louis Garneau "Fast" MTB helmet which is very nice.

Features:

In-Mold construction with Ringlock technology combines tough-as-nails performance with impact resistance - perfect for when you’re cruisin’ at high speeds
14 vents keep your head cool
Airdry Fusion pads wick away moisture for breathable comfort
Vx10 visor shields your eyes from the sun and trail debris
SpiderLock Elite retention system adds stability and adjusts on-the-fly with a single hand
V-Lock straps and Ergobuckle fastener for a custom fit

I also needed a new pair of MTB shoes since mine were causing me problems towards the end of the year. Santa delivered a new pair of Cannondale Carve MTB shoes which are nice too.

Features:

Carbon-black reinforced rubber outsole with improved stiffness provides durability and unbeatable traction on wet or dry surfaces
Deeply angled outsole lugs easily shed mud
Synthetic leather and mesh upper give you breathable protection for all your trail exploits
Tacked down tongue stays in place and won’t slip from side to side
Three Velcro straps provide a secure fit and accommodate a variety of foot widths

Thank you Santa!!!

GamJams Reviews: Winter Tights

2008-12-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

My winter tights are not much to talk about. I bought them from the clearance section in Performance Bike back in the mid-1980's, you know, back when all they had was a catalog and you had to order by phone. They are unique in that they have rainbow stripes on the bottom near the ankle and they have real chamois. I wore them in the 2004 Livestrong Challenge DC Fundraiser ride. This was a forty mile ride around DC with LA at the head of affairs. I remember there was a starting corral right on Constitution Avenue and I was in the very front row. There was space ahead of us for LA and all the top fundraisers. When LA and the others came out for the start LA gave me a double take, I'm presuming because he saw my rainbow stripes and was wondering what former world champion was back there among the commoners. He did it a second time as we passed each other on the Clara Barton Parkway. Anyway, I still wear these tights when I ride outside in the cold but I don't do it very often. Especially since ~23 year old chamois tends to get hard and feel like you are sitting on a brick instead of a saddle. I also will wear a pair of tights I purchased for running and wear these for padding:

I even have to wear these under the old tights because of the chamois brick.

Beans/Kit Have Arrived

2008-12-22T07:21:00.000-08:00

One of the perks (if you'll pardon the expression) of joining Team 53X11 Coffee is they provide, you guessed it, coffee! If you haven't looked on their website yet, they offer four coffees: The Early Break, The Big Ring, The Chain Breaker and The Down Shift (Decaf). Here are the descriptions of each.

The Early Break - A very unique coffee blend that comes from five different countries. Our medium roasted beans give you a complex coffee with tons of individual bean flavor. Bright, lively, nutty, a perfect morning cup.

The Big Ring - This is a coffee from the far reaches of Indonesia. 100% Sumatra medium roasted to a very specific profile that brings out all the richness and flavors. You won't be disappointed.

The Chain Breaker - Med/dark roast meant for espresso as well as drip. A secret blend that will bend the cranks and break the chain. Comprised of beans from four different countries to give you a full bodied, heavy on the tongue flavor. You can stand a spoon up in it.

Down Shift Decaf - A natural water process decaf. This coffee is so good, you'll never know it's decaf. Look for a smooth full-bodied cup every time.

The welcome package included one bag each of the first three coffees listed above. I immediately opened and tried the Chain Breaker. The description from the web site is very accurate. It is great for espresso. Alone it has a very strong flavor like navy coffee but does not give you that rot gut feeling one gets after drinking navy coffee. It is extremely good! Next I tried the Big Ring. It is also extremely good! I used to drink Sumatran coffee from one of those coffee shops in downtown DC but had to stop because it was so acidic it upset my stomach. The Big Ring does not do this to me. It is tasty and has little to no acidity. I have not yet tried the Early Break and I did not receive any Down Shift Decaf but I am sure neither will disappoint. Bottoms Up!

GamJams Reviews: Trainer Distractions - There was one?

2008-12-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

The beauty of the RealAxiom Trainer is the trainer is the distraction. Do you find a one hour spin on your trainer to be one hour of sheer boredom? Then ride Alpe D'Huez without boarding a plane. Simply select it from the menu on the RealAxiom and within the first mile you're hitting the first of 21 switchbacks on this ~eight mile mythic climb. Need tunes you say? Load all the tunes you want into a play list and you can ride up the mountain listening to whatever tune spins your crank. Is the average ~9.9 gradient too much for you winter training plan? Shift into the small ring/large cog and spin easy all the way to the top passing cars, bikes, pedestrians, road kill, and whatever was there when they filmed the ascent (bonus in that the RealAxiom tops out at ~6-7%). Tired of being a mountain goat? Do any number of other courses available from http://www.shopelite.com/ or http://www.performancebike.com/ for a modest fee. Need to know where you stand as a cyclist? Take the Training Test which gives you your average watts/kg ratio from the test and uses it to provide a "cyclist rating." Don't like any of the RealAxiom courses? Just go into the Axiom software and create your own course. Or do what I did, build a course of the race where you plan to kick tail to practice it all year long (don't ask me how that turned out). All of this eye candy surely is better than watching the cat yak up a fur ball around minute twenty-three or, if you are Betty-Betty (Itchy Bits), watching the dog take a dump right in front of you during your spin. Better yet, lock the door to your "training room" so you won't have to listen to your young daughter complaining about how her older brother just pulled her hair or your spouse walking in, crossing their arms with a disgruntled look on their face saying "how much longer is this going to take?" These are distractions, or lets call them close encounters, you don't need, but somehow always seem to happen during your spin.

My New Team 53 X 11 Coffee

2008-12-15T07:10:00.000-08:00

Yes my friends, I have decided to bail on Team Nature's Path to fly the colors of Team 53 X 11 Coffee. Not only is 53 X 11 Coffee a sponsor of GamJams.net, they sponsor racers too. The following paragraph is straight from the 53X11 coffee blog.

53x11 Coffee
Occupation: Providing the Best Coffee
Location: Missoula : MT : United States
About Me
Evan and Owen are two guys from Missoula, MT who have been training and racing together for years. The idea for 53x11 coffee came about while training in Tucson, AZ before the 2006 season. They both saw the need for great tasting fairtrade/organic cycling related coffee. The ideas started flowing and it wasn’t long before the perfect blends were selected. Even though they were racing the NRC circuit full time they never lost their vision of providing great Fairtrade, Organic coffee to cyclist across the country. After the 2006 season Evan and Owen made their grand debute at Interbike 2006 in Las Vegas. The coffee was an instant hit in the cycling community. Their coffee was labeled best of show by all who tried it. Since Interbike they have been promoting their coffee all across the country all while riding their bikes and loving life. Both of these guys have never been afraid to work hard and do the footwork for something that they are passionate about. All the 53x11 Coffees are Fair Trade and Organic. This is also very important to both of them. Living a healthy, sustainable lifestyle is what they stand for and they want their business to reflect that.

I can't wait to try it.

GamJams Reviews: Trainers and Rollers - Travel Trac Real Axiom V4 Trainer

2008-12-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

From http://www.performancebike.com/:

Much more than a trainer, the Real Axiom is a cycling simulator, bringing the feel and view of the road inside by pairing a state-of-the-art electromagnetic resistance trainer with your PC.

Features:

Your PC communicates with the trainer, varying the amount of resistance, reflecting real world conditions as you ride through different courses
New features include the ability to race against a human competitor on a LAN and multiple menu languages
Includes 14 preset courses, a four week training program and allows you to program your own custom courses
View personal ride stats, like speed, distance, ride-time, cadence, heart rate and power output and store them for your own training history
Not only does the resistance change based on the course and rider input, the Real Axiom features two DVD’s of actual European road courses-the Limoges climb from the 2004 Tour de France and the 2004 Verona World Championship course - these courses are coordinated to the Real Axiom resistance unit so the rider will experience the ultimate in indoor training realism
The addition of the SofTrac roller improves traction, lowers tire wear and allows a much quieter, smoother ride
GPS/Google maps for Real Axiom/Real Power now available at RealAxiom.com
System requirements: Pentium III or better, Windows 2000 or XP, 10GB/7200 RPM Hard drive, 256MB RAM, USB port. DVD drive; Microsoft Vista download available at RealAxiom.com.

FirstDropped's opinion:

There are many things to like about the RealAxiom trainer. There are some drawbacks but overall it is a good product. One of the main reasons I was interested in this unit is it's comparability to a Computrainer. Where a Computrainer will cost you somewhere around $2.000 or more, the Real Axiom can be had at Performance Bike for only $799. (I bought mine in 2006 for ~$599). I have ridden a Computrainer numerous times and in most respects the Real Axiom is as good or better. It is my belief that Real Axiom, at any given slope (say 5%) is harder than a Computrainer at the same setting. However, the Real Axiom is limited to a maximum resistance of ~6-7%. Also, Real Axiom sells dvd courses that simulates riding famous TDF, Giro, Vuelta and other monuments of cycling. I have purchased the dvd's for Alpe d'Huez, Le Mont Ventoux, and Vassiviere. There is one dvd where you can race against a pro (I believe it is the Larciano dvd where you get to race Damiano Cunego in the "GP Industria e Artigianato di Larciano") and more courses are being released continually. Another reason I was interested was to help with training and motivation. This trainer comes with testing software that rates your performance and gives you a four week training program based on your test results. Another test provided with the unit is the Conconi test which is used in a lot of European Cycling teams. Let me warn you, the user forum for this particular test is full of folks whining about how difficult it is to complete this test. I have completed it once and can assure you that it is difficult. Personally, I like the RealAxiom. The trainer has a nice feel. The sofTrac roller is quiet and allows good traction for the tire. The unit tends to get warm especially when you put out some high wattage over an extended period. That is why you will see a fan in my photos pointing right at the resistance unit. The ~6-7% slope limitation isn't a big drawback since I don't think that you need any more than that for the races we have in the mid-Atlantic. This will be my second winter using the RealAxiom so I have included some photos to help with my review.

Here is a photo of my setup. (Note the Continental Ultrasport Trainer Tire).

This is a shot of the console that mounts on the handle bar. (Note: the first console that came with my unit had a poor design such that sweat would drip onto the RJ-11 connector and cause problems with the connection to the PC. This is the redesign with the connector on the underside).

This is a main menu shot. RealAxiom is how you get to the DVD courses. The Axiom button takes you to the Computrainer like profiles. History is self-explanatory and more is in the next shot.

More gets you to the Conconi and Training tests as well as where you can import courses and export data (to Excel etc.)

This is a shot of the Training Test screen.

This is a photo of the course I created for my 2 X 20 minute intervals. It is 30 miles at a slope of 0.5%.

This is a shot of the RealAxiom DVD courses I own. Note that Alpe D'Huez is selected and that is the profile you see.

This is a photo of the power file like BRILF posts. Please don't look at the numbers lest I get embarrassed.

In the picture below I have selected the Mont Ventoux DVD course and I am just ready to start.

Just a couple minutes into my Ventoux ride.

This next shot is near the start but you can see in the back ground the top of Ventoux (12 miles later, the two whitish spots in the distance or, as Armstrong would say, the surface of the moon).

Don't ever try riding and taking a picture even while on a trainer for this is what you may get.

Nearing the top.

Done.

The results.

Enjoy. FD

It's Official (Well Almost)

2008-12-08T06:56:00.000-08:00

After renewing my license with USA Cycling (USAC) for 2009 (which you all should do) I thought it appropriate to review the upgrade language related to MTB categories given the recent announcement that USAC was reworking the categories for next year. Rather than using the Beginner, Sport, Expert, Semi-Pro, and Pro categories that we've all grown to know (and love?), the new categories for next year and beyond are much like the road categories, i.e., cat. 3, cat. 2, cat. 1 and Pro. You say, "FD, there seems to be a problem here. There were five different cat.'s before and now here are only four." To which I say, touche, you are paying attention. USAC has seen it fit to combine the Semi-Pro and Pro categories into a singular Pro category to improve competition and increase the numbers signing up to race. It is my experience that the Pro and Semi-Pro cat.'s were the least popular at the races I attended, so this may make sense in the mid-Atlantic area anyway. But, I digress. I believe I started this post talking about upgrades. The upgrade rules remain the same year to year. Any racer placing in the top five in five races must upgrade or face serious consequences. That is not an exact quote from the USAC website but I think that is what they are trying to say. I find the wording to be rather nebulous. Do they mean any five races? Do they mean top five within your class, category, age group, or any of the above? USAC further muddies the waters by listing the numbers of racers needed for a race to qualify by age (which maybe answers my second question?). So, if you placed in the top five of a race in which you needed ten racers but only nine raced in your category it doesn't count? Regardless, I looked over my results from 2008 and I believe I saw five races where there were the minimum number of racers (10 for those in the 40-49 age group) in which I finished in the top five. So, I have officially submitted a request to USAC to upgrade me from a cat. 3 to a cat. 2, most likely before the ink dries on my renewed 2009 license. When is the first race?

GamJams Tech: Winter Training Tires - Continental UltraSport

2008-12-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

If you are like me and mostly ride your indoor trainer/rollers through the winter and have no desire to HTFU, then I have the winter training tire for you. Call it the slick banana, bald banana or anything else yellow (don't go there), but for riding on the trainer/rollers, this tire rocks! I bought the tire to use during the winter of 2006-2007 for Computrainer sessions at the Quest Sports Science Center in Annapolis, MD. ***Warning: Do not ride this tire outside on the road/dirt/grass/etc.***

During that winter I used an old, slick, road tire (Forte Kevlar) on my RealAxiom trainer to prevent me from swapping out wheels/tires between the trainer bike and computrainer/road bike. While the old tire worked fine, after a while I noticed fine black particles collecting all around the trainer (i.e. - floor, roller, resistance unit). This does not happen with the Continental tire (unless, of course, the yellow flooring hides the yellow dust). It is constructed from a special hard rubber compound that prevents it from breaking down and heating up, thus preventing it from falling apart. But beware, I noticed a difference in power produced when using this tire. With the old road tire my threshold power resulting from the RealAxiom Training Test was 460 Watts. When I began using the Continental Ultra Sport my threshold power from the same test was 410 watts. I believe this is due to the lower coefficient of friction of the special hard rubber compound of the Continental tire. While the "drop" in power bummed me out at first, I have decided that it doesn't matter for this year's baseline test as long as it gives me good workout parameters and I can show improvement over the course of the winter.

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/ info below:

With a modern roller and the UltraSport Hometrainer in the house, winter can set in when it wants to. Thanks to its special cold-running compound, the UltraSport Hometrainer won't experience the heat buildup of a road tire, nor does it suffer the tread separation that the road tire is prone to under the special loads occurring when cycling and braking on the revolving drums of the roller. The UltraSport Hometrainer has been designed explicitly for trainers and rollers and is not suitable for on road use. All Conti yellow (orange). Size 700x23. 120psi max. Weight 240g.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-27T06:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

From my family to you all,

Go easy on the turkey,

Or you'll need one more interval.

Beer, Wine & Training

2008-11-24T07:43:00.000-08:00

On the heels of my review of the 2006 Cycles Gladiator Merlot I decided to review a restaurant and a beer. My wife and I were blessed a "parent's night out" event organized by our children's elementary school (thanks Bob) last Friday. So we took advantage by heading out to dinner at a local (Prince Frederick) place called Saphron. Saphron is a pseudo natural food restaurant which serves "comfort" food using locally grown/raised (sometimes organic) produce and meats. For our appetizer we order the hot crab dip, but what came to our table was a vat of crab dip with toast points. Seriously, this was huge. I thought we could never finish it but it was delicious and after we demolished the toast points we used the rolls provided with dinner. When the waiter saw that we had exhausted our supply of bread they brought more toast points. That spelled the end for the dip. For beverages, my wife ordered a local wine, the Solomons Island, MD winery Peregeax Merlot, whereas I ordered the Omeggang Witte beer ( based on the Unholy Rouler's CX Brewery Ommegang race report). We both ordered the Roast Pork Medallions in a plum reduction with mashed sweet potatoes. Everything was quite tasty. I was most satisfied with the meal, especially when my wife offered me the rest of her sweet potatoes because she was too full. Recommendation: Try it, you'll like it!

Onto the training, which is going well. I think I provided some details regarding the exercises I am doing within my lifting routine which I am doing on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Saturdays I am riding the trainer (Realaxiom) for a 30 mile slightly uphill (0.5% slope) working in 2 x 20 minute intervals at FTP or Functional Threshold Power. My FTP was measured in my Realaxiom "Training Test" which I performed on the first Tuesday of my training plan. This training test, which is software driven, gives you a five minute warm-up and then, starting at 100 W, increases your wattage by 10 Watts every minute until you reach or exceed your threshold heart rate (instantaneous and average). Once you reach your threshold heart rate the program tracks your power output while maintaining your heart rate at the threshold rate. My results were as follows: Max. power - 435W, FTP - ~270 W. I am now in the fourth week of training and I can tell you that the first 2 x 20 workout was good. I felt even better during the second. The third workout was hard but I felt OK. The fourth was a struggle but I completed it. For the fifth, I decided to add an interval and lower the wattage slightly. It went OK but I think I really need to take a break this week. So I will do two easy recovery rides this week and see how I feel on Tuesday of next week. On Thursdays and Sundays I am doing cross training which for me is an hour on the elliptical trainer. Of course after the first four weeks the plan will change slightly, and I will document the changes then.

Product note: On a trip to Trader Joe's this weekend ostensibly to stock up on Three Buck Chuck for Thanksgiving Dinner (the inlaws are coming) I discovered some Yerba Mate tea bags. Hey Sue, you don't need a bong (gourd) to drink this Yerba Mate. Just hot water and a mug. TJ's also was selling bottles of Ommegang Abbey Ale. I picked one up to share with my father-in-law. Adieu!

Cycles Gladiator

2008-11-17T10:48:00.001-08:00

Fat Guy Racer has given me the incentive to post my review of a wine my spouse and I imbibed over the weekend. The wine is a California 2006 Merlot from Cycles Winery in Soledad. I picked it up for $8.99 at Nick's of Calvert in Prince Frederick. I usually don't like to pay that much (my favorite wine? - Three buck Chuck - actually Charles Shaw - from Trader Joe's) although my spouse imbibes most of the wine in the house. Here is a picture of the label.

If you can't make out the image, it is a winged bicycle being guided by a naked long-haired goddess. The image happens to be from a poster created by the French printer G. Massias during the "Golden Age of Cycling." You could read all about it if the image below was more clear.

OK, so I bet you want to know how it tasted. I felt it was full-bodied, with a hint of oak, not too strong though. In other words, I liked it! My wife, she liked it too. Of course, you can't trust her taste. After all, she likes Three Buck Chuck.

Rock Burn Cross?

2008-11-09T16:36:00.000-08:00

I would say that is a definite Yes! Today at the Twisted Tire MTB race in Ashland, VA, I crashed on a downhill "rock garden." Lucky for me, the first body part to make an impact with the rocks was my helmeted head. The point of impact can be seen in the photo below:

After my helmet hit the rock(s), of course the rest of my body needed to go some where. So the right side of my face got scrunched up against the rack that busted my helmet. I was wearing some safety glasses and heard a crack but could not feel any damage. I didn't notice anything until, of course, after the race, when my friends Mike Thompson and Rick Duncan pointed out that the lens was missing:
So the side of my face is swollen from the facial impact (I'll spare you photos of body parts). I've got a rock burn on my back on the right side (small one). My right elbow is sore but has no visible damage. And lastly, both knees were skinned. Funny thing was, I was so "cross" after I fell that I actually rode better.

The race consisted of two laps at Poor Farm Park for we Beginner Men 40+ (beginner geezers). I had no idea how or what I would do since I hadn't raced or ridden much since mid-September. I ended up fourth in my category. This race was the make up race for the one that was cancelled by tropical storm Hannah in September. It was also the grand finale of the VORS with the awards ceremony afterwords. Since I had a headache and various sore body parts I was allowed to take my schwag bag for finishing first in the beginner category for the series and go home before the awards. Thus ends my 2008 racing season.

Halloween/Election/Training

2008-11-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

Finally got the pics I took to where I could get at them for this post. Yes, the photo above is Clone Commander Cody holding pink Wonder Woman hostage. Later on Cody was assisted by a Stormtrooper as well as Clone Captain Rex (not to mention Indians Jones, the Cat in the Hat, and an unspecified jedi knight) in an effort to maintain control over pink Wonder Woman and gather enough candy to keep the family dentist living in the Obama tax increase zone for years to come.

Speaking of Obama, wow! Just beware, I can hear Rush Limbaugh's hate machine cranking out some massive rpm's in preparation for the unleashing of the fury. But congrat's to the President-elect and hope that he can do a better job than the current POTUS.

Regarding the photos of my winter training equipment, be prepared for here they are with some details. The first photos will be of the equipment I will use for the Joe Friel prescribed strength training days (three per week). For the Build 1 phase Mr. Friel calls for strength training in the anatomical adaptation mode which means light-ish weights with high reps. The eight exercises I use for this phase are squats, lat pull-downs, leg extensions, chest press, seated row, hamstring curls, upright row, and abdominals. For the squats, leg extensions, and seated row I use this Smith Machine:

For the lat pull-downs, chest press, hamstring curls, upright row, and abdominals I use my Nordicflex Ultralift which is pictured here:

Mr. Friel's program also calls for two days of cross training per week. For this purpose (and since my wife also likes them) we purchased an elliptical machine. The elliptical is much gentler on my knees and provides more of a full body workout than running (although I will probably also do some running). The elliptical we purchased is seen here:

For my indoor riding days I will use my old Univega Sportour-S on my Elite Real Axiom trainer (pictured below):

The Real Axiom trainer is much like a Computrainer (much less expensive) in that it allows you to create and ride "courses" using their software. The trainer adjusts its resistance to simulate uphills and downhills. You can also purchase famous TDF, Giro, Vuelta stages as well as some world championship's and classics routes and ride them. The only limitation is that he resistance unit tops out at around 6% so when you are riding Alp de Huez and you see the slope increase to 10.5% the difficulty is only in your head. However, 6% in my mind is adequate for the hills you will encounter in the MABRA region. Just don't tell my vicious 'irradiated eyes' coach (pictured below):

You may note that there is no one suffering on any of the equipment in the photos. While this is true, my wife will avow that they are being used, much to her dismay. Also, all these photos were taken in our recently finished basement. Bye!

2009 Training

2008-10-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

Looking around the blogs lately has brought me to the conclusion that I'm not the only "wacko" around. I see at least a few others are starting their training for 2009 next week if they haven't started already. I started training for 2008 around the same time last year and it seemed to work (for the most part).

When one thinks of training one should have a goal or goals to provide motivation, as if being in good shape isn't good enough. Last year I set goals that I thought were very attainable and realistic. I will not list them here, mainly because somewhere around March 9, 2008, I changed course and threw my original goals in the hopper. To elaborate, I was focused primarily on road racing and doing well in some of my favorite road races and time trials. What happened on March 9Th was the Camp Hilbert cross country mountain bike race where, unbeknownst to me, I won my age group category. Having found a discipline/category I could be competitive in caused a change in focus to MTB racing and attempting to win the beginner category in the Virginia Off-Road Series. Of course, instead of shifting to an MTB training/racing program four months into my training program I simply stuck with what I started with and modified it by riding my mountain bike once or twice a week.

So, while I am ready to get started with my training I have some decisions to make regarding what I am going to do for goals for next year. Should I focus on MTB again and target the Sport category? Should I go back to road racing and time trialing? Should I do all of the above? Should I make my wife happy and do none of the above? One thing I know for sure, next Monday I will start my training using Joe Friel's Cyclist Training Bible as my guide. That means at least for the first four weeks I will be lifting weights three times a week, cross training twice a week and endurance rides twice a week. Maybe in tomorrow's post I will share some pic's of my winter training equipment so you can have something to compare with Fat Guy Racer's pics. Until then!

Sunderland Elementary School Fall Festival

2008-10-28T05:42:00.000-07:00

Actress Lynda Carter, an Alexandria, VA resident recently was seen at Sunderland Elemantary School, in Sunderland, MD at the school's Fall Festival. Normally a quote from Ms. Carter would be entered here but I believe she was just too cute to speak on this occasion. Enjoy!

Ambassador to the blogdom of GamJams.net

2008-10-27T04:59:00.000-07:00

Although I do not know Barack Obama and do not expect to receive a political appointment from him as a result of the impending regime change in DC, I can say I have received an equivalent honor. Mike May of GamJams.net has officially accepted my application to be a GamJams ambassador. Mike may have gotten sick and tired of my pestering him (think SpongeBob Squarepants asking Squidward for art lessons) for the position but I finally wore down his resistance. Regardless, I will now have to blog more frequently and provide more content given this lofty position. Mr. May, I will make my best effort to carry on the fine tradition set by last years GamJams Ambassadors. While I strive to blog like the Unholy Rouleur or Kyle at Pedal n' Around, well maybe not like Kyle, those of you who would like to measure the pending improvement may want to take a look at my previous posts/race reports/blather. I recommend you use my previous posts in lieu of Nyquil or as a possible cure for insomnia. Warning: please do not read while driving, extremely dangerous! Bye for now, mhh

EX2 Adventures Day of Endurance MTB Race

2008-09-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

EX2 Adventures created a new race for this year, a 12 hour duathlon, which featured a 6 hour MTB race followed by 6 hours of trail running at Rocky Gap State Park in Flintstone, Maryland. I hoped to convince a friend or two to do the relay with me, but being unsuccessful convincing anyone, ended up signing up to do the MTB solo. I decided to bring the wife and kids and make a weekend out of it at the beautiful lodge at Rocky Gap. The area is appropriately named because there were many loose rocks, particularly on the fire road trails up behind the campground which formed a major portion of the MTB course.

The race was scheduled to start at 9 a.m. on 9/20 with a Lemans-style start, meaning we were to run about a quarter-mile to the transition area to get to our bikes. BTW, the weather is much different out in the mountains than in Calvert County. The temperature was dropping into the forties overnight and the projected temp. at start time was 52 degrees. Since I hate to be cold, I tend to over dress and so I was as my friend Doug Pepelko pointed out as he surprised me while I waited for the start. So as we stood waiting to start I removed my vest and carried it during the run and tossed it into my "pit" area which was located not too far past the start line. (I commandeered a picnic table down along the lake front)

The first lap went great. It was sort of crowded but there were not too many technical challenges along the lakeside trail until the trail hit the campground and climbed up into the hillside beyond the campground. The trail here was rocky fire road that in some places had a preferred line but in a lot of places there was no line because of the loose rocks. There was an awful amount of climbing and once you reached the top the was a long, killer, rocky descent back down to the campground and then back to the lakeside trail. I finished the first lap in 55 minutes and change and was in fifteenth place. After walking through the transition area I got back on my bike, not stopping at my pit area. However, I was having trouble clipping-in to my left pedal. After I fussed with it for about a half-mile I decided to stop and see what was the problem. When I brought up my shoe there was no cleat, it was stuck in the pedal and one of the screws was missing. I guess the rocky descents caused the screws to vibrate loose? Anyway, I decided to suck it up and ride without the cleat because I did not know how much time I would lose if I turned around and went back for repairs.

Lap two was not so good. After learning about my missing cleat and deciding to forge ahead when I got to the climb near the campground my lower back began to spasm. The harder I pedalled the worse it got until I thought I would have to quit. I stopped briefly next to a tree and the spasm went away but as soon as I started pedalling the pain returned. Of course this was on one of the steeper climbs and I stopped again to relieve the pain. I then tried to relax the muscles in the back and bent over further and that did the trick. I had stopped on the very left side of the trail leaving the entire fire road open for everyone else. Just when the pain subsided and I started walking one of the Quantico Marine riders came up the trail and barked at me to get out of his way. I said, "Buddy, you have the whole fire road to get by me" to which he replied " Yeah, but the preferred line is over here and you shouldn't be standing in it." This happens to be one of my pet peeves since I have fallen quite a few times trying to ride by folks who are walking up the center of the trail. Then sure enough, as I was trying to ride up the next climb a guy was walking up the center of the trail and I tried to zigzag around him and ended up falling right on his heels. He apologized but I was not upset because I hadn't been able to ride up that climb anyway. So I continued sans left cleat and with a tight back to finish the second lap in 58 minutes and some change. I chose not to stop again and rode on to lap three. I believe the results said I was in twentieth place after two laps.

Laps three and four were relatively uneventful. I finished both in 58 minutes and some change and used the relax technique when my back tightened. I was in nineteenth place after the third lap and seventeenth place after lap four. After the fourth lap I decided to stop and take a break in my pit. I removed my knee warmers and my headband at this time while I ate a clif bar and downed a Monster Energy drink. I believe I took around a three minute break and then headed out for lap five.

Lap five was good. I don't know if it was the energy drink or the bar or the couple of minutes rest or if I was completely numb, but I felt good and the back pain went away. I ended up finishing the lap in a time of 1:03 and some change but I knew three minutes were spent in the pit so it took me around an hour. I also knew that I was tracking pretty close to the cut off time meaning that if I got back before 5 hours and 55 minutes had elapsed I would be allowed to start another lap. This was something I decided I did not want to do. Six laps was going to be my limit. Initially I had thought I might be able to do seven laps but I was happy with six. So I decided, to be on the safe side, that I would stop and take another rest after the fifth lap. When I came around to my pit, much to my chagrin, my picnic table was loaded with people. I was in no mood to be social at this point so I just kept riding and decided to just take it easy instead of resting. I found out that I was in fifteenth place after five laps.

Lap six was OK except for the one major leg cramp. I started out riding really easy. There seemed to be no one around so I was just rolling along in no hurry. About a quarter of the way through the lap I moved aside to let someone by me. That person was from a different category so I was OK with it. But another person was just behind him and as I let him by me I noticed he was in my race so after he passed me I sped up to keep him in my sights. I expected that I could catch and pass him on the climb so I wasn't too worried. Sure enough, I caught him on the steep little dirt climb before the campground and then passed him as we entered the campground. I looked up and there was another rider just ahead and, sure enough, he was also in my race so I passed him. Then heading up the road climb in the campground there was another racer from my race and I passed him (he was walking so he may have had cramps). I motored up the climb until the steep rocky part that I had walked up every time and then walked up as I had done before. After remounting I rode the "fast" part and then hit a steep little rocky climb for which I decided to get out of the saddle. Big mistake!! My right thigh cramped hard. I hopped off the bike and started walking with the thigh still cramping. By the time I got to the top of that little climb the cramp had passed and I remounted. I was able to ride the rest of the way to the top even getting out of the saddle once (without thinking). Checking my watch I knew I was going to be close to the cut off time so I actually slowed a bit. As I came around and saw the finishing chute, the guys yelled "forty-five seconds". It was thirty seconds as I dismounted and started walking. There was no one coming behind me so I slowly walked to the finish and logged in just after the cut off time. I ended up doing the sixth lap in one hour and finished twelfth.

After the race I went to the Positively Chiropractic tent to get a post-race massage and adjustment given my back spasms. I then went back to the lodge for a shower. When I got in a sharp pain hit me when the water hit my arse. Sure enough, I had a saddle-sized, saddle-shaped, saddle sore that was open. I wish I would have remembered to use my body glide before the race.

Overall, I was really happy with the way everything turned out. Finishing twelfth given my cleat issue and back spasms is awesome and a good note on which to end the season. I think I would have been top ten without the cleat issue. The rest of the family enjoyed the stay at Rocky Gap! I also want to acknowledge Joe Fritsch who completed nine laps in just a little more than six hours. Awesome ride, dude!! The most laps anyone else completed was seven.

Cranky Monkey #3 - Quantico

2008-08-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

Today was the Cranky Monkey series race at Quantico. I had been looking forward to this race because I had done a practice adventure race at Quantico a couple of years ago and did not recall too many technical features but did remember a lot of climbing. My recollections were somewhat accurate although the course was definitely more technical than I remembered. The day of my previous ride it rained the whole day and today it was quite dry (note sandy) so there was also a big difference from that perspective.

I don't know how many started the Sport 45+ race with me but the were quite a few Sport 35+ in front of us. The course went maybe a quarter mile on a dirt road before entering the woods but there was a lot of fire road trails so there was no issue concerning getting around folks. The laps were nine miles in length and well marked with mile markers along the way. There were quite a few log ramps, one of which was taller than the handlebars on my bike but negotiable all the same. I finished the first lap in around 57 minutes and started the second feeling really strong even though it was pretty warm. I was catching and passing quite a few of the Sport 35+ riders and I know I had picked off a couple of riders in my race. I had made a goal to finish in the top ten and I thought I had a pretty good chance to do it. However, luck had other ideas. Right after one of the fire roads turned onto a single track trail where there was a drop off to the bottom of a dry creek bed and a corresponding climb as I came up out of the creek bed I heard a horrible sound that sounded like a high pitched grinding noise. At first I thought it was coming up behind me but then I realized it was my bike so I looked down and saw a huge stick stuck in my rear derailleur. So I stopped and pulled it out hopped back on my bike and tried to downshift to climb the hill in front of me but the pedals wouldn't turn. The chain was in the smallest cog even though my shifter said it should be in the largest. I got off again and found that the stick had caused my rear derailleur cable to detach from the derailleur itself. So now I had to decide whether I should try to finish using just three gears, small cog in the back and three chain rings in the front but I realized I would have to walk up a lot of the hills which would not be fun. So I decided since I was close to the start/finish line I would ride back to get some help fixing the bike. The Bike Line guy was nice in that he tried to help get me back in the race but he ended up cutting some threads on my derailleur cable in order to get it to shift somewhat properly on the stand. I did not feel comfortable heading back out to ride with a bike that may or may not shift correctly for the rest of the lap so I chose to DNF. This is actually my first DNF ever at a MTB bike race. This was the last race of the Cranky Monkey series and although I did not do well, I fully intend to ride the series again next year.

Cranky Monkey MTB Series Race #2 - Fountainhead

2008-08-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

Guess what? There was a cranky monkey race today and I didn't forget my shoes! I did the men's Sport 45+race at Fountainhead which started at 10 a.m. I really liked the course. There were a lot of short steep climbs and descents, roots rocks etc. It was probably the most technical course I have ridden in the MABRA region. We did two laps after about a mile on the road and I thought I entered the singletrack in around eighth place but I must have been further back because I only was passed by one guy in my race and he finished just ahead of me after I caught him on Shock-a-billy hill. I finished thirteenth but I probably would have finished in twelfth place had I not endo'ed on a little bridge. Even so, I still caught the guy but just couldn't pass him at the end. This was the second race that I finished one second behind someone in my race. I noticed that there were significantly fewer competitors at this race than were at Wakefield. Maybe it was too technical for some? Like I said, I liked it even though I am technically challenged and should probably be racing beginner still. Such is life!

Farmall Hill Challenge - Aug 5, 2008

2008-08-10T16:15:00.000-07:00

The wife (Renee), the kids (Noah and Hannah) and I began our annual pilgrimage north to pay homage to those responsible for us entering the world and to those with which we entered (i.e. siblings/friends). So off we drove to Fairport, New York on August 3, 2008. Some nice things about Fairport, other than being the current place of abode for my wife's parents is that it is located on the old Erie Canal and thus has a tow path on which to ride bikes. It is also a short ride from some very nice Finger Lake Region road riding (i.e. hills). There are also numerous mountain bike trails in the area. On August 4, Noah and I went for a nice Father/Son ride along the tow path from Fairport to Schoen Place in Pitsford, met Renee and Hannah for lunch at the Coal Tower restaurant and then rode back. All in all 18 miles which was Noah's longest ride to date (he's 10). The next day was the Farmall Hill MTB race. Basically, a MTB race on the farmland of two property owners in Fairport, NY. One property owner is also the owner of RVE Bike & Skate, a local bike shop. The promoter is the owner's son. The course consisted of a two mile run around the old farm. There was some open field riding, a lot of single track through trees with plenty of steep climbs and descents but nothing overly difficult, that is, until the rain came. I did a pre-ride before the rain and was able to ride most of the course except for a couple of steep hills. It rained during my pre-ride and after there was a part of the course that crossed a sloped muddy bank where you fell walking because the mud was like ice. There was also a very steep descent that was about 80 feet long followed by a 40 feet similarly steep climb that was on top of a knob where if you went straight you would plunge down another drop off but the course went ninety degrees right up a longish steepish slippery climb. This was one major league whoop de doo. The rain stopped before the end of my pre-ride so at 6:30 p.m. we were ready to roll. As I approached the registration table the young lady working it asked me "Sport or Expert?" That gave me a good laugh. I told her that I was a licensed beginner and that I intended to ride that class given the threatening weather. The beginner race was three laps and we started near the edge of a field and meandered around the property to the course. I was in sixth place entering the single track steep muddy climb and mud rink. All five ahead of me stopped and walked up the climb, so I joined the crusade and passed two guys on the climb and one who fell on the side slope. With one of the two guys in my race ahead of me in sight I knew I would be in good shape. I caught and passed the next guy on the very next climb. I reeled in the last guy ahead of me just after the big whoop de doo and followed him around to the first part of the second lap. On the first climb he was walking as I rode up so I got off my bike, walked past him and across the side slope and never saw him again. I then started passing guys from the Sport race who started one minute ahead of us. I passed about five of them and was ready to pass another at the end of the second lap. As we came to the line the promoter told us to head to the parking lot because the weather was getting much worse. The wind had really picked up so I didn't doubt him. Sure enough, just as I got to my car the rain came and it was horizontal and there were bright lightening followed by loud cracks of thunder. I just stuck my bike in the car and got in as quick as I could. I stuck around for about ten or fifteen minutes simply because it was raining to hard to see and I had fogged up the windows. The promoter posted on their web site that anyone who raced on the fifth would get a free entry to either the second or third race of the series. Oh well, what would have been an extremely satisfying victory turned into absolutely nothing since I 'm not driving seven hours to do a six mile race. The rest of the week was nice. I took the family to a park in Victor, NY that had an amazing number of MTB trails (Dryer Road Park) on the sixth and then we went to visit my family on the seventh. Noah and I did another father/son ride on the Alleghany River trail which took us about an hour. On the eighth I did a ride from our Hotel up to the top of Rock City Hill. Rock City Hill overlooks the whole area and took me about twenty minutes to climb on my MTB bike. At the top there was a pretty good rain squall. I got soaked and the temp was about 60 in Olean so it as probably about 56 at the top of the hill. I turned around and headed back to town reaching a top speed of 40.9 on my mountain bike. Again , my ride lasted about an hour.

Cranky Monkey MTB Series Race #1 - Wakefield

2008-07-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

Butthead Race - At least that is what I will have to call this race and I was the butthead. I signed up for the Sport 45+ category which started at 11:00 a.m. So I got up at a normal time and headed out from my house at 8:00. That put me at Wakefield just before 9:00 a.m. I registered and was taking my time getting ready. It was hot and humid so I didn't think I needed too much of a warm-up so at 10:30 all I had to do was put on my shoes and I was ready to roll. But being the butthead, I left my shoes in the garage. When I didn't see them in the car I knew exactly where they were. So, do I ride this race wearing my sandals? or do I try to find someone with an extra pair. I went t o the promoters and they hooked me up with a guy who said he would let me use his old shoes. They were the right size and had the correct cleats. They were in worse shape than my shoes by a long shot, but they had to be better than my sandals. Unfortunately, I had a very difficult time getting them to clip in. By the time I got them clipped in I had just enough time to get to the start where I hoped I could lean against a tree or a pole or something. No such luck, so I had to unclip my right foot. While we were baking waiting for the race to start I began to worry about how long it would take me to clip in the right foot especially since we had to climb a gravel road right away. Well, I fussed with the shoe and clip until well after we got into the singletrack which was at least more than a half a mile. I decided that I would have to try to ride so as not to unclip at all and I made the rest of the first lap until the very end where there was a rooty steep little bumpy spot where a guy in front of me bailed and I had to stop. It then took me about two miles to get clipped in again. I went about a mile and then crashed. Luckily it didn't take me too long to get the shoes into the pedals after that but I had trouble in the same spot as the first lap and then fussed with the right shoe for another half mile. The third lap was much like the first. I did well until that one spot and then lost it again. At that point I had maybe one hundred yards to go so I just went for it without trying to clip in. I have no idea where I finished in my category. I do know that the clock at the finish was at 1:46 and some change when I crossed so that my time was 1:43 and some change. I think if I had ridden the course before an had my shoes I could have easily been under 1:40. Maybe next time! The good news was that right after I finished and returned my borrowed shoes I got to the car and quickly packed up and left since a big thunderstorm was rolling in. Also, I did 18 miles in the heat and never felt tired or over done so I think things are headed in the right direction.

Battle at Burke Farm

2008-07-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

Today I raced the Battle at Burke Farm MTB race. It is the seventh race of the 2008 Virginia Off Road Series. I raced the Beginner men 35+ category. There were eight racers in my category and I believe seven in the beginner men 34 and under category. The race was held in Culpeper, VA on the Burke Farm, hence the name. Konrad Heller, the race promoter who runs Fred Events and also promoted the Rappahannock Ridge Rumble (RRR), told me that the Burke Farm was not as difficult as RRR and less hilly. So, my goal for today's race was to ride fast and earn enough points to lock up the 2008 VORS beginner men's series. BTW I only needed 38 points to lock it up unless of course they have some silly rule that the last race counts double or something.

I decided to do what I did at RRR and get to the race early to pre-ride the course since I had never ridden there. I got to the venue at 7:50 and had to wait to register. A guy, Len Parker, who I parked next to was getting ready to do a pre-ride and asked if he could tag along with me since this was his very first MTB race. I said sure and we headed out for an easy pre-ride a little after 8:00 a.m. After maybe a half mile of open field trails we headed into the woods. There were rocks and roots and dips and creeks right from the start. There was one good rock garden on a descent that was somewhat tricky but not too bad. After about three and a half miles of singletrack trail we got back to the field trails for almost two miles to the finish. Len, who didn't have clip-in pedals struggled on all the climbs and then said that he had pulled a muscle in his back, so he told me to go on without him. I ended up finishing my pre-ride in about fifty minutes giving me an hour or so to chill waiting for the ten o'clock start. Len rolled in a few minutes behind me and decided to not race because his back was hurting.

The race started almost exactly at 10. That's when the under 34's went and we started a minute later. The start was on one of the field trails and they were fairly narrow for a race start. When it was our turn I went straight to the front in the middle and noticed that no one was moving up next to me. When Konrad said go, I took off and looked back quickly after abut .1 miles and saw no one close to me. I decided that I would not push too hard because an eighth place finish would suffice for the points so I didn't want to crash out and get nothing. It wasn't long before I started picking off the under 34's. I caught the last one after about fifteen minutes. After I got by him I just tried to ride hard and steady. Sure enough, I was the first to cross the finish line in about 37 minutes. The second place guy who was also 35+ was about three minutes behind me. So being first overall got 100 points in the VORS series and with one race to go my lead is 167 points. Mission accomplished! So instead of riding the Twisted Tire Fall Cup I may do the Tour de Canal, a weekend ride along the C&O canal trail from Cumberland to DC which is an Alzheimer's fund raiser.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-07-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, today July 6, 2008 was my 46th birthday. Unfortunately, a couple of the other competitors in the men's beginner vet 35+ at Camp Hilbert race #3 didn't get the memo and didn't let me win. I have to hand it to Dan Abernathy and Rick Duncan. They finished first and second in 1:10:27 and 1:10:28 respectively. I finished in third at 1:10:35, a mere eight seconds behind Dan.

The race turned out to be a sprint for 12 miles (2 six mile laps). We started on the entrance road to Camp Hilbert so that we wouldn't have to negotiate a 180 degree turn to enter the single track like we did in the first race. This was significant for a couple of reasons. First, the entrance road is flat and it is downhill to the singletrack entrance whereas from the other direction we climbed a short hill before descending to the U-turn. The other reason was that this morning I practiced the sprint start from the wrong location three times because I was determined to stay with the leaders instead of letting them go and then trying to catch them later. Anyway, the race start was an easier sprint and bomb downhill and I was able to enter the single track in fifth place. Not ideal, but not bad. I quickly picked off two of the guys in front of me and was hoping to catch Dan and Rick. I also had to pass quite a few of the other riders that started in front of us. One little guy, who had to be about eight or nine, bless him, was riding along with his Dad right behind him. As I came up on them I asked if I could pass and the Dad started to try to get his son to move to one side of the trail but the kid wouldn't do it. He stayed right in the middle of the trail. So I patiently asked to be let by again and again the boy ignored his father. At that point I said, "come on buddy, you gotta let me by." At this point his Dad moved off to the left and stopped so I shot to the right and tried to squeeze by in a really bad section of roots and lost it a little. Cut the dickens out of my leg right at my Achilles tendon area on my pedal but hopped quickly back on and rode away. I ended up crashing two more times on the first lap which cost me at least twenty seconds but finished the lap in around 35:30 or so.

I was determined to catch those guys so I just kept going as hard as I could on the second lap. There were fewer folks to pass so it made for a quicker lap. I kept seeing guys on the loop backs who I thought was Dan but I couldn't tell for sure. Then near the end I caught up to a guy who I thought could have been one of them but I wasn't sure. Whenever I would get close he would accelerate so I couldn't pass him. Then as we got to the dam I ran into a flotilla of riders and knew I wouldn't be able to get past all of them. I got past two or three and took a look on the loop back and thought I saw Dan just ahead in a really root section. I sprinted as hard as I could but could not get past the other guy. Than as I crossed the line I saw Dan bent over his bike totally spent. Rick came over and shook my hand and said nice race. I wish the race was three laps or one mile longer because I would have caught those guys and then we may have had some fun getting to the finish line. Such is racing!

I finished third in my category and was seventh overall beginner. Looking forward to the Battle at Burke Farm next week!

Change of Plans

2008-06-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

All year I had been planning on travelling back home to Western New York to participate in the Raccoon Rally. A cycling event held in Allegany State Park this weekend, June 28-29, 2008. I did both the road race and the MTB race in last year's event and even though I sucked in the road race, I finished fourth in the MTB race (beginner). So I was determined to head back up there and at least podium this year. Enter VORS. The Virginia Off-Road Series is a year-long points competition at the various levels of the sport. I am participating in the beginner series and after the Xterra Urban Assault on June 14 I moved into first place in the competition. So instead of travelling to Western New York I decided to stay home and defend my lead in the VORS by participating in the Rappahannock Ridge Rumble today in Fredericksburg, VA.

For we beginners, it was advertised as one 9-mile lap starting at either 9:00 or 10:00 depending on which web site you believed. I decided just to get there early and maybe do a one lap pre-ride if the later start time proved true. I got to the gate on Wicklow Drive at around 7:25 a.m. and the gate was locked. No problem, I just hung out until someone showed up. At 7:49 a truck towing a trailer full of port-a-johns showed up so I knew the gate would be open soon. I registered, got my things together and took off on a pre-ride at around 8:30. I really took it easy on the pre-ride just scoping out the course and where the technical challenges were located. At one point, early on, there was a ramp to the right of a tree and a rooty curve downhill as the optional route or maybe it was the other way around. Well, I had ridden over what seemed to be a similar ramp at Rosaryville so a the last second I chose ramp. Bad choice, I wasn't ready to pull up on the wheel or jump when I hit the end of the ramp so my front wheel dropped and I end-o'ed and landed on my back. Another feature of the course is a long tunnel under I-95 along the ridge. It has about one-half inch of water running through it and has a layer of pebbles. Did I mention it was long? Other than missing a turn for the beginner course and the end-o the pre-ride went well. I got back at 9:25, toweled off, changed gloves (Did I mention it was hot?) and tried to chill out a little before the race.

The race got started right at 10:00. Since there were just about twelve total beginners they sent us all off at once. There was about a half-mile long gravel road to start and I ended up fifth entering the single track. My cadence was about 130 yet I couldn't close the gap at all and I had shifted all the way into my smallest cog. Finally I noticed my chain had slipped into the small crank. I shifted it back to the middle ring and then I was fine. I passed one of the four in front of me on the climb up to the ridge and then passed Ludek Kolesa, a guy who has been at a few of my races this year at the top of the ridge. I knew I was in third and was hoping to catch one or maybe both of the others, Going through the tunnel was nice because at race speed the water flew up onto your back and cooled you off. After the tunnel there was a dangerous side-hill part of the trail that I was a liitle sketchy with in the pre-ride but I was more worried with finding the last turn for the beginners. It was the one I missed on the pre-ride. Anyway, I wasn't paying enough attention to the trail and my left wheel went too low and dropped off the course and I flew headfirst into a log that was placed there to keep people from doing what I did (it was too small). After my head hit my shoulder smashed it pretty good, but I didn't feel the shoulder too much because my head hurt. After the head cleared I saw the torn skin on the shoulder but by then I was almost finished. Sure enough, within a minute I was back at the road and crossing the finish line. I ended up first in the beginner men 35+ and third overall beginner. I got to choose first from the schwag table (some Hammer Gel and a flask) and there was pork barbeque and a couple kegs of Blue and Grey brew on tap. What's not to like?

Xterra MTB Urban Assault

2008-06-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend I decided to head back to where it all started for me in MTB. Three or four years ago I did an adventure race in Richmond with a couple of guys my friend works/worked with and had to borrow one of my co-workers bikes for the MTB part. Although I think the courses will be much different since I am doing the beginner men 40+ race which is only about 8 miles. The family came with me for this trip. We went down to Richmond last night and spent the night in the Fairfield Inn by Marriott. It had an indoor pool, need I say more? The race organizers also advertised a "kid zone" so I thought the kid's might enjoy themselves. My kids really enjoyed the kid's zone! There was an obstacle course, a tall cargo net, a small cargo net, and a tree climb using repelling gear all set up in the shade so it was relatively cool. Richmond's news channel 8 actually interviewed both of my children after they did the tree climb but I missed it because I was racing. We didn't hang around to watch the local news either.

The race was scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. under the bridge on Belle Island. The kid zone and most other activities were taking place at Brown's Island) They started us in waves and the sport women went first so we 40+ men were in the fourth wave, i.e. three minutes after the first wave. To be honest I didn't do much of a pre-ride because I was already warmed up, i.e. it was hot/humid. So at the start there were seven of us. At first I dropped back and when I saw that I was going to be last heading in to the single track I burst past at least one guy. Then, on a little climb on a bridge crossing the James from Belle Island to the south side I passed three more guys in my race. Heading down the fire road to the 42nd street stairs I passed at least two more folks and caught up to a third who let me past on the stairs.

After the stairs we took the Buttermilk Trail to the Nichols Bridge. The Buttermilk Trail had a good amount of rocks as well as some twisty short climbs. Not my cup of tea but no crashes save for a couple of clip outs. On the Nichols Bridge I noticed something was up with my front wheel. It was really out of true because my front brakes were rocking side to side like the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes kick line with every rotation of the wheel . It didn't seem to be slowing me down so I just rode on. After crossing the bridge to the North Bank trail and fire road I was much happier because there were fewer rocks although on one climb, up to Kansas Ave, I unclipped and had to run up. It didn't cost me much because the guy I was chasing was still in sight at the top. In fact, I passed him before we rode one block on Kansas Ave. I also caught and passed another guy before we got back to the trails on Texas Ave. From there it was mostly tame trails and fire roads. I was looking forward to it opening up to put some distance between me and the guys I had just passed. As I approached the line I looked back and didn't see anyone in sight. So I looked up at the clock and saw 44:06 as I approached. After I crossed the line I looked at my watch and it read 40:12 so I thought that maybe there was a two minute gap somewhere in the waves. No biggie! Then when the results were posted I saw the winning time 40:16 which I thought was about right and looked over and saw Chris Ekland. They had me finishing at 41:19. I went ahead and left without saying anything but it sure seemed weird. I passed so many folks and we only had seven in my wave so I guess I must have never seen the guy who won.

I am happy to report though that I was the fifth overall beginner so I should get 64 points for the Virginia Off-Road Series which will put me in 1st place, at least for a week or two!!

Escape (almost unhurt) from Granogue

2008-05-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend started with a bang for me. I got home after working half a day on Friday to find the bronze medal I won at Greenbrier (Maryland State Championship) in the mail. So a big thank you to Jim Carlson and crew at Potomac Velo. This was my first award in quite a few years. Maybe since the Army Ten Miler in 1999? Anyway, I was quite happy.

Today's race was the Escape from Granogue MTB promoted by the Racing Group in honor of Andrew Mein led by Fatticus. This race was on the estate at Granogue in Montchanin. DE. About a two hour and fifteen minute ride from my house in Calvert county. I car pooled with Mike Thompson from southern Calvert. We left my house at around 5:15 a.m. and arrive at the race right around 7:30-ish, hence my 2:15 estimate. Driving into the estate and seeing portions of the course I thought it could be my day if there weren't too much technical stuff. But you know the old line, "looks can be deceiving."

Riding around for a warm-up after a super smooth registration and first visit to MR. PP seemed to confirm my belief that the course would not be too technical. At one point I saw the finish line and the hill leading up to it. A paved road, no less, but steep and somewhat lengthy but something I would look forward to on my laps. I forgot to mention that I was making my first foray into the Sport category. So far this year I have done only beginner races but the Beginner races at Granogue started at 1:00 p.m. whereas the Sport races started at 9:00 a.m. so the desire to get up early and get home at a fairly reasonable hour prevailed and both Mike and I raced Sport.

The start of the race was on the paved estate road and it was innocuous enough except for the number of participants and the top layer of slippery mud that was prevalent everywhere except on the paved parts. There were just too many folks on the course. The starts for the groups were staggered only by one minute so there were a large amount of people out on the course. It led to more walking than I can remember at any race in which I've participated. Oh, and my hopes were dashed rather quickly once we got about three miles into the course. I had one rather hilarious pseudo crash that I have to write about. I was going down a single track trail that was rather narrow and had a rocky drop-off. Just past the drop-off a off-camber root was sticking out into the trail. As I dropped down, my front tire got wedged into the aforementioned root. I perceived the danger and quickly bailed to the right so that I wouldn't endo. So my right foot clipped out and I tried to stand/push to unwedge my front wheel. But, remember that it was a drop-off and my momentum was down the hill. Well, my front wheel stayed wedged and my body continued down the hill while my left foot remained clipped in. I hopped over the bars and the bike endo'ed underneath me. I was feeling some serious pressure on my left calf and still my left foot stayed clipped in. At this point I lunged at a tree to stop from falling the rest of the way down the hill at which point my bike pirouetted off the root and ended up hanging by the rear wheel off a branch above my head in the tree with my left foot still clipped in. I can only imagine how funny that looked. I reached up and pulled my bike out of the tree, did a quick inspection and continued on.

There were quite a few hills at Granogue, some steep, some rocky, and some rocky and steep. I managed to walk up the steep and rocky ones both laps. There were also a couple of nasty spots that I didn't see anyone ride. One in particular was a drop-off onto a boulder off of which one had to drop again down into a creek bed and then climb back out over more rocks and boulders. I had one other comical crash. This one occurred at a wooden bridge that had some large rocks just before it. I had negotiated it fine on the first lap but on the second lap my front wheel slipped and I fell off to the right. My right arm dropped into the mud up to my elbow and my right foot went in half way up my calf. Sorry Fatticus, I didn't want to go swimming.

The second lap went much better than the first. Racers were more spread out so there was more room to enjoy and ride the course. There was one guy who was in my race that walked up a lot of the hills that seemed to push his bike in front of my, almost purposely, as I rode up to pass him. He got ahead of me probably during one of the three times I dropped my chain but I had a feeling I would see him again. Sure enough, as I approached the climb up to the finish line I was happy to see him walking up the last hill as I started riding up it. I was passing a lot of folks both walking and riding but he was the one I most wanted to pass. As I rode up the steepest part I saw that he was getting to where the hill levelled out some and I was afraid he would be able to get back on his bike and hold me off so I put my head down and went harder. I looked up to see him stopped on the hill right in front of me. He hadn't gotten going yet. So I swerved around him and as I passed him he let out a huge moan/grunt. I just kept going and after a few seconds I looked back to see if he was gaining on me at all. Well, he was out of the saddle sprinting as hard as he could but he wasn't gaining too fast. So I kept spinning steadily, looked back one more time and then gassed it. That was so satisfying!!

OK! Bottom line is, in my first Sport race I ended up 21 out of 26? overall in about 1:58. I am relatively unhurt except for a bruise on my left calf and another on my right knee. My bike was muddy and I lost my polar cadence sensor I think on the tree hanging endo but I have a spare so I'm not upset. All in all a good day and a good experience. But I think I will keep on racing Beginner, those Sport guys are just too fast for me!

Camp Hilbert #2 - updated

2008-05-10T16:10:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am living Ground Hog Day. Every time I race it rains at least the day/evening/morning/during and Camp Hilbert was no exception. We actually lucked out with the weather since it didn't rain during the race, much, and the course was not excessively muddy. The promoter said the trails were perfect yesterday but, of course, it rained over night.

I was looking forward to this race because the last time I rode here I won my category without knowing it until I saw it in the results posted on the web. This time I was determined, if I had a good race, to know where I finished before I left. The race promoters were understanding enough to allow me to pick a prize today for my win in March. They were also smart enough to reroute the course in some areas that had standing water during the last race and they removed a section of trail making the course about a quarter mile shorter. Fact is, during the first race I crashed and head butted a tree in that section so that was good news. One more Kudo for the promoter, they had the results ready as soon as the last racer crossed the finish line for the morning session. Quite impressive!!

Today's race was pretty good from a number of vantage points. There were about twenty-five beginner men/beginner vet men 35+ lined up at the start. We were the fifth group to be sent off so, since there were two minute intervals between groups, we knew our time would be clock time minus ten. While waiting for the start, one guy came up to me and asked me where the beginner vet 35+ men were staging. I pointed at my feet. He said "good, I'll just hang with you." Not two minutes later, a guy came up to me and said, "I'm deaf and can't hear what he (starter, promoter) is saying, can you tell me where the beginner vet men 35+ are staging. Again, I pointed at my feet. I think he said "Good, I'll just stay with you." Popular guy I guess. Anyway, soon it was our turn and at the start I had a little difficulty clipping my right foot in so I didn't get to contend for the hole shot which was fine by me because my strategy is to attack the climbs and maintain a steady tempo both laps picking people off as I go. Hey, it worked well the first race. So I must have been tenth entering the single track and found the pace to be fairly fast but not too painful.

One guy who was following me asked to pass after about five minutes so I let him go by. There was one spot where there was a short steep rise of maybe three feet that had a big root at the top across 4/5th's of it. It was open on the left so everyone went there. First lap, a guy whose wheel I was on went up it, lost it, came to a complete stop with his foot down right in my way. I shot even farther left and bailed out and had to stop. Second lap, a similar thing happened except this time it was a sport woman and she had an enduro guy in front of her with me on her wheel. He lost it in front of her, put his foot down. She stopped right in my way but farther left than the guy before so I had two choices, completely bail/brake and walk up or try to go over the root. I decided let's go for it! I went for it, got my front wheel over threw my weight, doodads, and everything else I had forward but could not get my back wheel to join us. At this point I yelled "Shit!!!!" and bailed hard, decleated, and jumped backwards forgetting that there is a three foot drop off in that direction. I landed in the mud at the bottom spun around, ran up, grabbed my bike and started running, hopped on, clipped in and kept going. The sport woman apologized but it wasn't her fault. I just yelled because I knew I faced a good amount of risk of injury and wasn't blaming anyone. I touched my foot down one other time and that was because I almost missed one of the re-routes.

Somewhere close to the end of my first lap I came up on a guy who was running, pushing his bike. I recognized him as the first guy who came up to me at the start and asked me where we were staging. I saw him again at the finish waiting for the awards ceremony. It turns out he had hit a branch and broken his derailleur hanger so he finished the first lap on foot and borrowed a bike for the second lap. His name is Morgan Quinn and he raced at Twisted Tire a few weeks ago in the slop and beat me by a couple minutes. He also raced at the National Duathlon festival in the off-road category and did real well so chances are he would have finished ahead of me in this race if he didn't have the mechanical. I think the second guy who asked me about staging finished fourth, just ~1:20 behind me. Not bad for a deaf guy. Also, he beat me by about the same amount two weeks ago at Greenbrier.

So, the final score for me was two laps completed, three complete stops; two foot touch downs and one decleater that worked out well. I did bang my knee fairly well on the decleater and it hurts to touch so I just won't touch it. Its just a contusion after all. I finished in 1:15:39 which was eleven minutes better than my time in race#1. My lap splits were 37:49 for lap #1 and 37:50 for lap #2 so I'll have to work harder to make sure I don't go slower on the second lap next time. Granted, this course was one-half a mile shorter but still quite an improvement. I finished second in my category and third overall in all the beginners. I got to choose some more schwag and actually was there for the podium presentation. Cool!! I probably looked like a geek holding my water bottle but I was thirsty. The guy that got first this time was second to me in race #1. So it will be an all out dog fight in race #3 for the jersey for the series winner in our category. Good fun!! Great race!!!

Greenbrier Challenge

2008-04-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

I see a recurring pattern in this year's MTB races. It goes like this: Nice weather week of the race until day before, then rain/thunder storms drench the course creating more challenges than necessary. Camp Hilbert was wet but not too muddy but that could have had something to do with the temp. at start time, ~32 degrees. Twisted Tire was a sloppy mud-fest and of course this week, Greenbrier. I stuck with my plan from last year to head up there early, pre-ride the course for my warm-up and then do the race which was only one lap for we old fart, I mean, Beginner Men 40-49.

The pre-ride was wet, very wet, with streams running down the race course. BTW, I started my pre-ride just after 8:00 a.m. and finished around 8:50 so I had about an hour to chill 'til the gun sounded at ~ten. I wanted to take it easy and pick where the best lines were on the course. I lost it once on the last big downhill heading down to the lake but bailed out early enough to land on my feet thus no injury/harm. There were only fourteen of us at the start so I guess you might say I had delusions of grandeur given that I finished seventh out of nineteen last year in my first MTB race. I was hoping for a top five placing or may even top three.

If you haven't ridden Greenbrier let me tell you the there are rocks. Not big sharp pointy rocks but rocks just the same staring at you ready to knock you off your line or over the bars if you misjudge. There are two rock gardens, the first downhill on an "S" turn and the second a long uphill drag that gets steeper the further you go. The course is tame enough at the start, beginning on top of an earthen dam that forms the lake and then flowing up into the hills on a gravelly fire road. I was pushing past a few folks on the uphill gravelly fire road when someone started an Artie Johnson imitation and swerved right to left and ran me off the road. I recovered OK but lost my "mo" don't you know. On the run into the first rock garden there were a few "log drop- offs where a log was buried in the trail and then it dropped a foot or so. Going downhill on these it leads to jumping to keep yourself upright/smooth so on one of these I did a long jump and then coasted down the hill to the beginning of the rock garden. Unfortunately, my sweet jump cause my chain to jump as well so I had to stop to pop back on my chain. Just as I started to get going a "conga line" of guys from my race came along. It was four or five guys that I waited for but having been slightly upset about the chain I found it easy to ride through the rock garden, well not easy but I made it through fairly quickly for me. Once out of the 1st rock garden the next obstacle was a stream crossing which was uneventful and then a rocky climb up to the pond. I was able to pass a couple guys on this climb and then head to the big one.

The course has one steep climb that most of the beginner's walk up mainly because the walking traffic makes it difficult to ride up especially with the logs planted at angles on the climb. I rode up farther than I expected and passed a few more folks before I got off and walked the last bit of steep rocky stuff. There was more climbing on rocky stuff that wasn't so steep and I passed a whole gaggle of folks here as I rode up to the top. On top the course runs along a ridge which is double track with no rocks or roots so , of course, the course designers chose to challenge us with log obstacles. There were none the size of a church like at Twisted Tire so they were all negotiable. As I was nearing the end of the ridge and beginning of the uphill rock garden I heard someone shout out on your right. The voice sounded familiar but I was to focused on the race to think who it sounded like. I moved over to let the guy pass. He thanked me quite nicely so I looked up to reply and recognized the jersey of my friend Doug Pepelko who was doing the enduro race. I gave him a shout, something like "Go Doug!" to which he pumped his fist, so that was cool.

Entering the rock garden I found that I was closing the gap on my friend but I never completely caught him because he went past a couple of guys and left me to pass them. I rode up to the point where they were walking and then dismounted and walked behind them. It wasn't very far to the top and we all remounted and headed down to the fire road.

One guy from the race in front of me and I kept passing one another. He would fly by me on the downhills and I would blast past him on the climbs. Unfortunately for him I got to the campground descent before he did. As I was heading down this treacherous, muddy, rocky, nasty descent to the lake I heard a couple of folks behind me. The trail was a stream on my pre-ride but I guess the water made it down to the lake so it was no longer running water. It was more like pools of standing water. I heard one of the folks telling the other guy that he would pass but it's too narrow. I apologized but continued down because if you try to stop or swerve on this descent it can be disastrous. They flew by me close to the bottom but I was going so fast they didn't pull away. Along the lakeside there are a few ups and downs that take you over another earthen dam and then finally to the finishing chute. I passed one of the mad bombers on the dam along with one of the guys from my race. I passed the other mad bomber on the little climb just past the dam. From there my intent was to not let anyone pass me to preserve my placing. As I came around the last turn and down onto the finish chute I shifted to the big ring and sprinted for the last hundred yards or so. I was dying but didn't hear anyone coming so I sat down and motored through the finish. My watch said 37:38 had expired or something like that. I was giddy because last year I did this race and my time was 41:26. I knew from last years results that a 37 and change would have been at worst third and maybe second. Alas, it was not to be. I looked around and saw several guys from my race standing around recovering. I thought OK, maybe fifth? One thing I like about Greenbrier is that they have a PC or something that they enter the time you finish, it prints out the information and they instantly post it on a board near the finish line. I went over to see the results and I finished seventh. I was pretty happy with my time, almost a four minute improvement over last year and I had a clean run, i.e. no crashes so everything is good. My hat is off to all the guys who raced and provided that higher level of competition. Maybe next year I can get that higher placing. Ciao!

Twisted Tire Spring

2008-04-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

Today was the the Twisted Tire Spring MTB race at Poor Farm Park in Ashland, VA. To set the stage for this report, the weather forecast was mid-60's with an 80 percent change of thunder storms. The forecast was the same for the previous night. I woke up just vefore my alarm at 6:00 and the first thing I heard was thunder (ominous sign). I checked the website and the promoter had posted a note at 11:17 p.m. last night saying "the race is on, its going to be wet, bring your knobbies." Given that nugget I rolled out of the house at 6:36 headed for Ashland. The ride there was rainy but easy with l;ittle to no traffic. Got to the park at 8:40-ish and checked in with no problem.

So I sat there a little while watching the folks walk around with umbrellas and things thinking why postpone the inevitable. So I started getting ready to ride, i.e. putting my number on the bike and the second number on me. Meanwhile the rain was relentless. I decided I had better get some kind of a warm-up in so I got the bike out of the car and started to put the front wheel on when I noticed a spoke dangling (ominous sign #2). The nipple had broken and the spoke was just flopping around. I didn't bring any tools so I thought I would ask at the registration area. No luck, but a woman with some pliers attempted to adjust the spokes without a truing stand. Just when I had accepted that I would have to race like this I saw some tents in the parking lot. I ran over and the guys from Bike Factory of Charlottesville came through for me. They totally repaired the spoke with a new nipple with twenty minutes to spare before the scheduled start of the race. I got back to my car put the wheel on the bike got my things together and rolled out for a five minute warm-up. Just in time to learn that all races were being postponed for at least fifteen minutes. I saw a bunch of folks with magic marker on their calves. Then I heard an announcement telling everyone to make sure the got marked at the black tent. I went over and some dude wrote "BM" on my right calf (ominous sign #3). I know what you're thinking but it stood for Beginner Master 40+.

The rain never really let up and the race started about 20-25 minutes late but I couldn't ask for a better start. A guy from Squadra Coppi and a dude with a white shirt took off and I was third wheel heading to the single track. The course description said the first part was tight and twisty and they weren't lying. Add to the copious amount of mud and puddles and you have a recipe for disaster. We normally don't ride after rain to preserve the integrity of the trails so riding on a muddy trail was something new. I crashed about three times in the first mile, nothing serious but couldn't stay upright. Of course most of the folks in my race went by me so I was playing catch-up the rest of the race. There was a stream crossing where there was a bridge of to the right which I decided to use since the crossing looked rough and muddy. Bad move! Since I hit it at an angle as soon as my front wheel touched it, my wheel slipped sideways and I went down. My left thigh landed hard on the end of the first board. So now I have a baseball sized knot/welt on my thigh, but I digress. I ended up getting behind a Sport Woman (I could tell by the SW on her calf) who was spinning along rather slowly with no good place to pass. A guy behind me was getting impatient and started pressuring her to move over. She said, "But I'm keeping to the right," which was rather funny because the trail was so narrow that she couldn't help but be smack in the middle. We ended up going by her eventually but it seemed like it took forever. There weren't many steep uphills but with the mud any uphill portion of the course was tricky because your wheel spins in the mud when you get out of the saddle. The second half of the course was flat and fast with a handful or more log crossings and I managed to crash a few more times. I ended up catching up to a guy who really started hammering when I got behind him. He hammered hard for a good ten minutes on the second half when he turned around and said "You wanna pass?" I said, "No you're going fast enough for me" to which he said "It's too fast for me." I finished the first lap in ~50 minutes. The guy who asked me to pass sat up so I wouldn't be pushing him and I started the second lap. The tight and twisty part seemed a lot faster because there were less people around and I started catching and passing folks. I still crashed at least once and bailed out a couple of times but did much better second time around. When I got to the second half I caught a few guys who tried to keep me from passing but I was really feeling pretty good and motoring at a good rythym. I ended up riding the second lap in ~50 minutes but it seemed much faster than the first. I ended up finishing fourth with which I am happy.

Walkerville 2008 Cat 4/5 35+ race

2008-04-07T04:32:00.000-07:00

Apparently I did not live up to my blog name because I was not the first rider dropped in this race. First an acknowledgement. I must thank the weather gods for the extremely acceptable weather at this year's race. I have raced at Walkersville three out of the last four years and this year's weather was definitely the best, a little wind, sunshine, with a temp. around 60. Our friendly USCF rep. briefed us before the Cat 4/5 vet 35+ race as we were lined up outside Glade Elementary. Much to my dismay, he mentioned that if you were dropped and deemed a hazard to the race or may be passed by the women's cat 4 race or lapped by our pack that you would be pulled at the discretion of the race officials or the local sheriff's office who were providing the bookends on the rolling enclosure. I have been dropped every year at this race but never pulled so I was somewhat disappointed but decided my best approach would be to make sure I didn't get dropped. I was in the second row and felt I was in a good starting position to stay near the front. The neutral roll out to the course was very "piano" but I still managed to get pushed back by some folks who were trying to press forward. I tried to stay in the middle of the bunch and had no problem with that since I was hemmed in on both sides. Once the racing started nothing really changed and we just rolled down towards the river. I continued to slide back trying to work my way to the right so I could move up and not violate the yellow line. A guy to my right asked me when the race was going to start and I told him it had started about a mile ago. He said thanks and let me pass in front of him. As we climbed up from the river I shot up the shoulder trying to make up for all of the back sliding I had done. When we reached the turn/top I was probably somewhere between 15-25 place and happy. I was ready for the acceleration at the top and was rolling with the group (this was where I got dropped last time). We turned the second corner after the first mini-hill and I was still with the group but sliding back some. I was working hard to stay in the pack and made it to the big downhill where I started losing contact. After the right turn where we turned with the wind down over the bridge the pack accelerated and dropped quite a few folks, me included. As we stragglers made it to the end of the first lap I hooked up with Michael Evans from VCRC and we agreed to work together and try to pick up as many as we could. We waited for Peter Condron and thus had a little "grupetto" of three. As we climbed up from the river we caught Scott Schaeffer from Artemis who made us four. We struggled in the next lap to work together efficiently mainly because it seemed like some of us weren't used to riding in a paceline and would accelerate too hard on their pulls. It took about a half a lap but we finally got it together and rode steady. On the third lap I think fatigue started to be a factor because on one of the steeper mini-hills on the backside I accidentally dropped the other guys. I looked down and was only going 12 mph at the top so I decided to soft pedal thinking they would speed up and catch me relatively quickly. I soft pedalled to the big downhill and they still had not started to close the gap. At this point I decided to ride on my own for while to see if they would catch me. I made it around to the headwind part of the course where I finally sat up because they were going to catch me eventually if I didn't get a rest. We ended up sticking together for the rest of lap four. When we got to the finish line someone came out to tell us that our race was over. Not everyone was happy being pulled but it didn't matter to me. I had looked at my watch and saw that we completed the 4 laps, ~32 miles in ~1:36. The first year I did this race my race was shortened to 32 miles because of weather delays and I finished in ~1:55. The second time I did this race I completed all five laps but I noted my time when I completed lap 4 for comparison purposes and that time was ~1:45. Two years later and I've improved by ~9 minutes. Of course in the other two years I mostly rode by myself and this year I mostly was in a group but I still am happy with the improvement.

Camp Hilbert Redux

2008-03-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

Well, the results are posted for Camp Hilbert #1 and when I saw them I almost fell over. I actually was first in my category, Men Beginner Vet 35+. I have been racing my bike since 2004 and never even sniffed a podium place. Needless to say, I didn't stick around for the awards so I probably missed my chance to stand on the podium and get the offerings from the podium girls. OK, I didn't see a podium or podium girls but a guy can dream, right. Hey, I already had to pinch myself when I saw the results. Looking forward to the next race.

2008 Camp Hilbert Race #1 - Maidens, VA

2008-03-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

I entered and rode in the Camp Hilbert Beginner Men's Vet 35+ race on March 9, 2008. I had never ridden Camp Hilbert, this being my third actual MTB race. About Camp Hilbert, the course was fairly flat. There were only a few climbs and only one was steepish for about 50 feet. There were quite a few whoop-de-do's. To be honest, I was not sure what a whoop-de-do was before doing this race but now I know. There were quite a few dry stream crossings that had 6-10 foot drops in and rises out that were the aforementioned whoop-de-do's. The day before had been mostly rain with strong wind so the course was in super shape given those facts. There was only one 30' muddy section where there was standing water the rest would be considered dry mud to dry and only one tree down across the course. Notwithstanding the roots, of which there were plenty, I would consider the course to be fast since I was able to ride the 12+ miles in around 1.5 hours.

The race organization left a little to be desired. There was no table for pre-registered racers so everyone had to wait in the same long line. Since it was ~30 degrees this was not too fun but the promotor promised to make amends for it for race #2. Given the long line and the desire to let everyone race, all the race starts were delayed by more than 30 minutes. Given the temps, that was also not fun, especially if you warmed up thinking that you were going to start at 9:30, got sweaty, then stood around for half an hour chillin', literally. BTW the sun breaking above the trees while we stood in the field provided a little warm-up but shifted the freezing feeling from the hands to the feet. At the start, most of the fields were grouped together (except for the men's enduro which was by far the biggest field) so it was rather impossible to figure out who you were racing against. Of course, it is not easy to look back to see the number of the person you just passed to see if it is close to your number and they are your competition nor do you want to look back to see the number of someone overtaking you for the same crash defying reason. I guess the best thing is to just ride hard, pass as many as you can and let those that need to pass you go by and don't sweat the small stuff. Results were not available when I left so I had no idea where I finished in my category. I will probably do race two because all-in-all it was fun and why not.

2004 Etape du Tour

2007-11-06T10:36:00.000-08:00

As a novice 'racing' cyclist I had never ridden anything close to 148 miles. Sure, I've completed several centuries but had never gone much farther than the century mark. So when I decided to enter the 2004 l'etape du tour it seemed like a stretch but I thought I could do it. Heck, it was just the longest stage (237 km) of this year's Tour de France with nine categorized climbs ranging from the mere cat. 4 Le Mont Gargan to the ominous sounding cat. 1 climb of the infamous Col du Pas du Peyrol (a.k.a Puy Mary with the steepest gradient in this year's tour - 12%) with a smattering of cat. 3's and a couple of cat 2's. So why is it, two weeks after the race I have still not ridden 148 miles? Funny you should ask, but let me tell you.

Let me just pick up my handy 'excuse-o-rama' rotary file and pull out a few candidates. Actually, let's take a look at what not to do to identify my reasons for not finishing. 1. Never make equipment changes the day before the race. Yes, I had my crankset changed from my Shimano 105 - 53/39 to the Race Face compact carbon crankset - 50/34. The problem was that my original crankset crank length was 170 mm and the new crankset had a length of 175 mm. You say, that's only a difference of 5 mm. What's the problem? Well the guy from Performance Tech. Support informed me that I would need to lower my seat approximately one centimeter after installing the new crankset but he didn't tell me the consequences if I didn't. Besides, I rode my bike for thirty minutes the day before the race without any discomfort. Surely that was enough, not! I rode for about 4 hours over the first two categorized climbs and really started to cramp hard in my thighs before I decided to lower my seat to see what might happen. After lowering the seat, I felt much better instantaneously but could not put any strain on the thighs whatsoever without more cramping. 2. Always eat something substantive before you ride. The French refer to breakfast as 'petite dejeauner' which means little lunch. For breakfast they gave us a package of 'Madelines' or index finger sized cookies (2) and a dixie cup full of espresso. Why didn't you bring some food of your own? I did. I brought some cereal bars and power bars but planned on relying on items purchased in France. Yes, I did buy several boxes of bars upon arrival in Paris but much to my dismay, my children had eaten them by the time we got down to Limoges. I even tried to buy more the day before the race but the store would not let us in at 7:23 because they closed at 7:30 p.m. Yes, I know what you are thinking but this is France after all and there was somewhat of a language barrier not to mention I thought they were going to provide us with breakfast. Why not eat at the hotel? That would have been a great idea except there aren't too many hotel restaurants open at 4:30 a.m. which was the time check-in began and when breakfast was supposed to be served.

The race started relatively promptly at 6:30, but with 8,500 cyclists on one small town European street, the going was rather slow. I estimate it took me maybe ten minutes to cross the start mat from my position in the front of the penultimate starting 'corral'. There was an elimination zone thirty kilometers into the race whereby you had to be past that point in the town called Linards by 8:00 a.m. or be eliminated from the race. To make this point you had to average 19 miles per hour for the first 30K. I made this point with around 12 minutes to spare so I was in pretty good shape or so I thought. Not too far after the first elimination point was the first categorized climb, the cat. 4 Mont Gargan. I had no trouble spinning up this climb in my 34/25 at about 11 mph. The descent of this climb was fun and fast with the exception of the gendarmes blocking a lane on a 90 degree left turn to protect the rest of us from slamming into the ambulance that was parked just beyond the turn for one of the race's first victims. After the descent we quickly began the ascent of the cat. 3 Col de Lestards. It was a longer and steeper climb than the first climb but again I was having no trouble spinning up in my 34/25, until I decided to jump out of the saddle to accelerate up a steeper part of the climb and get past a block of fellow competitors struggling on the climb. Right after I jumped, both legs cramped hard in the thighs and calves. In all my training I never cramped in my thighs and just once or twice in my calf (sprinting away from a dog) so this was quite a surprise. It seemed all I could do was wave my arms all over (language barrier) to indicate I needed to stop so get the 'H” out of my way. Of course I couldn't just stop pedaling without 'Arte Johnson-ing' on the climb so as I kept pedaling and worked my way over to the right side of the road I sort of worked the cramps out and was able to continue without stopping but realized that I would not be able to stand and pedal in my current state. See note above about steepest gradient in tour. So at three hours into the race and at the top of the climb known as the Col de Lestards we encounter the first transponder mat. Unfortunately, there was a minor cyclist traffic backup of about two hundred yards so I ended up walking over the top of the climb. This descent was also fun and fast and after the ambulance I was able to let the speed out. At about the four hour point I was not feeling good. The legs and rest of my body felt like a massive cramp was about to set in. This was when I decided to stop to lower my seat the centimeter or so that was recommended. Believe it or not, five minutes after adjusting my seat the 'crampy' feeling had subsided and I started feeling somewhat comfortable. The first rest stop in the town of Egletons was encountered at about the 4:10 mark. I had envisioned masses of folks handing out feed bags like in the tour but we had to stop and serve ourselves. There were tons of folks there and it was hard just to find a place to lean your bike. After taking too long at the rest stop (five minutes) I got rolling again and ended up hooking up with a group of 30-40 riders going about 25-30 mph for about a half-hour. That was the best part of the ride for me but it broke up on a descent right before the Cote de Yries - de dejalet, another cat 3 climb. After another relatively easy spin up, we descended and then began ascending the Cote de Soursac (cat. 3). The descent following this climb was remarkable not only because of the ambulance (former World Champion Tony among others) but also because of the scenery. At the bottom of the descent was the Barrage d'laigle, a dam across a river with a lake and very scenic on both sides. After crossing the dam, we commenced climbing the Cote de Chalvignac (a short but steep cat. 3). I cramped on the climb but was not too unhappy about stopping to stretch and soak in the scenery. At the top of this climb we began the ascent of an uncategorized rolling ascent of 1500 feet over 30 kilometers up to the second rest stop in the town of Salers. According to our race guide there was supposed to be food and water at the stop. Since I had run completely out of both food and water between the first stop and this one, I was highly interested in stocking up since the 'real' climbing was about to start. Much to my chagrin, there was only liquids, no food. Needless to say, I began to worry that I might bonk without any food because I had eaten all my powergels thinking that the cramps were related to low electrolytes or not drinking enough so I was experiencing some gastro-intestinal discomfort. The departure from Salers marked the beginning of the ascent of the cat. 2 Col de Neronne It is a longish but not too steep ascent up a very scenic valley, maxing out at about 2500 feet. As I ascended this climb I thought I might have been hallucinating when I saw an unopened granola bar on the road. I convinced myself it would be worth it to turnaround and check it out, so I did. It was exactly what I thought it was so I picked it up and ate it. Then I passed half a banana, ditto. A partially eaten slice of bread in the grass, you bet. That was all I found but I may have even debated stopping for some road kill but lucky for me there was none on this road anyway. At the top of this climb the race photographers were positioned to get a scenic photo of you with nothing behind you except air and the edge of the road and for me it was the 8 and one-half hour mark. As I crested the Col de Neronne I was savoring the descent down to the start of the climb of the Pas du Peyrol but that savoring quickly turned into disgust when I found I had to pedal to keep my speed around 14 mph. It wasn't too steep and was very twisty. At the bottom and there it was, the sign marking the beginning of the climb of the cat. 1 Col du Pas du Peyrol, 5.5 km @ 8% average gradient, and all but two other riders are walking there bikes. I cramped at the start of the climb and stopped to stretch on a bridge where I found a miracle, two cookies and cream powerbars. I grabbed them and quickly stretched looking forward to the ascent. But as I was getting ready to remount my bike, the end-of-race vehicle over took me. They told me the sag bus was 15 minutes behind so I could sit and wait for it. I told them I wanted to keep riding and they said I could but had to stop when the buses overtook me. I said O.K. and started spinning. I saw the 4 km to the summit sign and I'm still spinning. 3 km to go and I'm spinning away. There the 2 km sign and I'm still riding, until a sharp left turn and the 12% gradient begins with just over 1 km to go. Of course I cramp, but decide to walk on towards to the summit. Twice I tried to ride but cramped almost immediately. I had to stop and put on my jacket because of the cold but finished walking to the top of the climb where alas, there was food and beverages in conflict with my race guide. Here is where the language barrier took its toll. I wanted to continue but did not know if they would let me and tried to ask but got blank stares. After ten minutes at 5200 feet I was frozen and shivering uncontrollably and decided I wanted those buses to arrive now. My race was over. Yes, I was disappointed because I didn't finish since that was my ultimate goal. But I was still satisfied because I'd gained valuable experience for when I attempt the etape in the future, over my wife's dead body.