Man Cave v1.0

Views of the future man cave.

Probable enough room for at least six trainers at the moment. Could barely see the floor when we moved in.

The cabinets and workbench along the wall are coming down. Not only are they terribly constructed and ready to fall down but, they are blocking the cracks in the wall that have clearly been leaking all over the floor. Once the multiple leaky cracks and rod holes are fixed, I plan to paint the walls, somehow fill the cracks in the floor, paint them and hopefully use the remains of the current cabinets to reconstruct some more structurally sound shelving and workbench.

Where did the year go?

Seriously? It was Xmas like two weeks ago, right? This year has been a blur to say the least.

Starting to set my sites on 2011 and already have a few race, personal and professional goals in my head. I was debating an appearance on the indoor track this winter but, I am fairly certain I am not going to have the time in December to put in the miles and the way my knee has been feeling lately, I am not very confident my body will be able to take a significant increase in mileage very quickly. So, I'll have to see how it goes. The Corktown 5k in March is looking a little more realistic at the moment. It's not only a great during and post race experience but, I would like redeem myself after my not so impressive race there last year. I haven't even looked at signing up and probably missed my chance but, Barry Roubaix is also on the list. I didn't get much of a chance to race my CX bike this year or any bike for that matter. It'd be nice to start the year off racing the CX bike. It's by far my favorite bike in my stable at the moment.

I am still kicking around the idea of trying to take on a series. I was strongly considering the Fun Promotions Endurance Series last winter. Still seems like a good idea. I could pretty easily throw in the Yankee TT and I'd have a season planned.

I've also given some though to what I am not planning on racing next year. At the moment, the Lumberjack and Iceman are at the top of the list. Lumberjack is a great event and I had a great showing in 2010 pulling off a 10th place in the SS category. However, my main reason for racing the LJ this year was to prove to myself I could do it in style on an SS after feeling like it pushed me to a near death state in 2009 on a geared bike. All of the drama with the Iceman concerning registration debacles, size of the field, age categories, start startegies, TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC, beer police, parking, buses, MMBA forum whining, requests for donations to purchase property to continue to allow the race to line pockets, etc, etc has really put some serious doubt in my mind that I want return next year. To top off the arguement, I can race Mud Sweat and Beers on much of the same course, without any of this drama. I am also strongly debating not running Dances With Dirt this year. DWD is also a great, fun filled, well run event but, putting together a team for it has been proving to be far too difficult. The $90 per person entry fee seems to scare most away. The rest of my "runner" friends seem to get widdled out due to fear that an entire day of trail running will somehow interfere with their highly scientific triathlon training.

This, of course, may all change when I watch my first indoor track meet this winter or attend the MMBA annual meeting.

I received my Iceman age group award in the mail yesterday. Still shocked I pulled this off considering my total lack of preparation for the race.

2010 Season Finale - Iceman

Well the 2010 race season is in the books. As usual, it was topped off with the biggest MTB race on the Michigan MTB racing scene, Iceman.

This hasn't been the year I was hoping it'd be as far as my cycling is concerned. I have put in barely any riding since Lumberjack. I had a short stint of running to prepare not to die for the GLR in mid July and then whole move to the new house essentially shut my cycling down. So, this year I was relying on natural talent and superior equipment.

My preparation for Iceman consisted of a 45 minute run, an hour spin on the trainer and about 100 push ups the week of the race. Never the less, I was geeked when Friday hit and Jason and I were loaded and rolling to my parent's place in TC. Iceman was looking to once again earn it's name as snow flakes started to fall as we neared Cadillac.

Later that night, the expo was hopping as usual. Jason and I picked up our race packets and made our rounds through the booths and filled out every raffle in sight. We headed off to Chili's and met up with a small contingent of the team for a pre-race meal and a few carbohydrate replenishing beverages. Then hit the sack.

It was COLD in the am before the race. I am not sure of the official temp but, it was, without a doubt in the 20's. I had literally brought all of my warm weather riding gear and made my gear decisions in the parking lot about 20 minutes before the race. Even debating rocking the Bar Mitts I picked up at the expo. Then headed to the start with little time to spare.

I ended up reaching the start about 5 minutes before my wave was going off, ducked under the rope and jumped in the back of the wave. My mood was incredibly light in comparison to last year. I didn't have much for expectations and no lofty goals like last year. The siren sounded and my wave was off.

This year's start was only slightly less chaotic than last year. I suspect primarily because I was only able to maintain 20-21mph and wasn't able to do much but, chase the back of the pack. Luckily, the group thinned out and there was no big crash when we first left the pavement. I am betting it helped to have volunteers waving and motion to the group to move over. Unfortunately, I got tangled up in a big pile up when a large group of riders grinded to a hault in the first sandy up hill. I was fortunate to have gotten knocked out of it versus going down in the middle, ran the hill, hopped on my bike and was on the way.

The rest of the race is can really be summed up in a few short sentences

• Frozen hands and privates
• Wrong gearing choice
• Upset stomach
• Frozen water bottles
• Wrong rear tire choice
• Lack of conditioning

To elaborate a little more, my hands started aching and going numb in after the first mile. My fingers felt like they were 3 inches in diameter for about 10 miles until they eventually warmed up. My private "member" on the other hand wasn't as luckly and is still sensitive at the moment. I went with 36/17 as my gearing choice. It was simply not enough gearing to hang with the pack and my race was filled with relentless, waves of geared bikes passing my on the flats while I struggled to maintain 18mph. Standing up and mashing was not possible due to the cadence I had to maintain to hit 18mph. For some reason, I decided to try some electrolyte tablets before the race and my output was not only regulated by my gearing but, the fact I felt sick to my stomach for the first 1/3 of the race or so. Which also could have been caused by my frozen "member." At about mile 5, I reached down to my water bottle hoping a drink would help with my stomach. Only to discover both of my water bottles were already 1/2 or more slush filled so, I end up getting two small drinks of fluid the entire race. The course was quite slick and even icy in spots. I was ok with a little two wheel drift here and there but, I ended up running, well walking, many of the hills due to lack of rear wheel traction. Next time, I'll throw on a studded rear tire if there is any snow on the ground. Last year Anita's Hill was where I went from racing to survival mode. Not suprisingly, it had the same effect on me this year. I tried running it but, ran out of steam about 1/2 way up and ended up shuffling to the top. Lack of training was certainly a factor but, I attribute much of my exhaustion and near locking up of my legs to the single track and places where passing was limited in the first 1/2 of the race. The idea of setting people off in waves based on their ability was certainly a good idea. In general, things did seem a little less congested and thinned out well in the start. However, starting in wave 3, I can tell there were certainly some people who beat the system and were seeded far above their ability. At least as far as single track riding is concerned. I felt like a pretty decent technical rider last year in the single track. Feeling like I was being held back some by many of the other riders but, this year was out of control. At times I literally felt like I was attempting track stands in the turns and having no momentum going into the short climbs really took a ton out of my legs early in the race.

So, all of the whining aside, I really enjoyed the fact that there was snow on the ground for the race. It may for some great scenery. There was certainly plenty of, white knuckle, icy sections of the course. Not mention the single track at the end of the race seemed to hold on to your tires as the weather warmed up and melted the snow.  However, it was great to have a real Iceman. I feel like a did a decent job of putting in a solid effort and leaving everything I had on the course. By the end of the race my legs were toast. I anticpate seeing a couple of picture of my running, well shuffling up hills towards the end. At the finish I was a pretty disappointed that I didn't break the 2 hour mark. However, looking at the pro's times and a sampling of other racers, the course was clearly longer and/or slower than last year. My goal last year was to put in a better time than entire women's field. Not because I don't like women but, those pro ladies are fast! So, putting up a time that's ahead of theirs is definitely part of the criteria for being a legit rider. Last year, I beileve 5 women were ahead of me. This year, it was only 2. One of which I managed to pass and hold off in the race, I am pretty sure beat me at mud sweat and beers earlier in the year. To top it off, I ended up taking 5th in the 32-33 age class. Not too shabby. So, this one is going in the books as a success.

So, in the end my only regret was that I didn't get to hang around much after the finish of the race.

Results

Garmin Data

I am still pretty hyped about the whole weekend and could probably blab on for awhile longer but, I'll try and wrap this up so, I can wrangle the kids into bed. Hoping I can start 2011 season with a bang like this year but, avoid the fizzle like 2010.

You've heard of the Dark Horse

Well, based on my total lack of training in any form, I am predicting the following at Iceman this year. I am the horse at mile 20.

Why I will not be fast at Iceman...

So, I am known to be a little over dramatic. Maybe exaggerate a little at times.  I've been venting quite a bit lately about all of the work I've been doing around the new house. However, if you stop over, you'd probably think it's all talk since little has been accomplished since we officially moved in, in late July. The new house fits the old onion analogy pretty well. Each time I start a job and peel back a layer, it exposes a new challenge or heatbreak. Let's take window painting for example. I crack open one open, well more like violently pry and suprise! Oh, don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks. It's actually worse. So my little painting job becomes a day of chiseling, measuring, sawing, nailing, sanding and caulking. 8 hours or so later, I am back on track.

So, Iceman is basically 5 weeks out. I had every intention of starting training today. I have not done any consistent training since July. Today I was greeted by blue paint all over the carpet and a broken furnace. Luckily, my dad teaches furnace repair and talked me through getting it going over the phone.

Guess Iceman training starts tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Ronde Van Stony

I had the pleasure of participating in the first and what I hope will be annual Ronde Van Stony race. Put on by my long time friend Mike Franko.
Pre-Race:
Things have been pretty busy for me lately and training in any way, shape or form has been pretty low on the priority list. So, I went into today's race with intention of having fun over everything else. Tom Sterling from the team and I met up at 6:45am at my new place and headed out the race together. Clearly we were on the team schedule because we ended up directly behind team manager, Brian Brown on the way out. To make things a little more interesting, we Trevor Terry, official honorary EMU Alumn and Ironman as soon as we exited it on Rochester road. We arrived at the race at about the same time as many other teammates on PrecisionMTB. Tom Payn, Jim Senska. Paul Mann and John Gonway rounded out the team. Melissa Mabry and Jimmie Colfesh showed up shortly after Tom, Trevor, Brian and I picked up our numbers. It was good to see everyone again. I haven't seen much of my cycling buddies lately so, my spirits were pretty high. High enough I didn't even curse when I dropped my Garmin on the ground and broke the display pinning on my number. I had it safely tucked in my jersey pocket. Clearly not safe enough. The sky was overcast and temperature was supposedly 50 degrees. But, it felt colder to me. We all made our clothing choices and began circling the parking lot to attempt to keep warm. The race was a mass, rolling start so, warming up turned out to be a pretty social and cool looking activity. The entire field was basically circling the parking lot with an occasional group breaking off to ride the finish. The other cool thing was it gave me the opportunity to ride with pretty much everyone on the team.
Race:
As mentioned, the race was mass, rolling start. I lined up with the Experts and tried to warm my already numb fingers by stuffing them under my armpits. Unfortunately, there was not enough time for me to gain feeling in my fingers before we were off. The start was pretty interesting. It felt very easy to me and I was pretty reluctant to put myself anywhere near the front. Mostly due to my concerns with my level of fitness but, also due to the fact the group was yo-yoing at little and I had to lock up the brakes a few times. At the start, Mike announced we'd head out about 1 1/2 miles before the race was one. The funny thing was, I didn't notice any change of pace so, I didn't know the race was on until we made the left into the two track trail. At that point, I figure out the race was on and was not happy with the position my tentativeness had put me in. I went right to work passing as many people as possible. Up off the saddle and mashing the entire time. Everyone I passed on a CX or MTB was seated and I was wondering if they were pondering how quick they would see the numskull burning himself up at the start again. The two track was pretty treacherous. There were ruts from trucks that would sneak up on you if you left the gravel two track. I had a couple of pretty good scares passing people but, avoided most of the wrecks the ruts and loose sand caused. I wasn't sure how much farther we had to go on the trail and could see a good sized group just ahead and decided that was where I needed to be and dropped the hammer to catch up. I was concerned if a group that size hit the dirt road and I was off the back, I'd surely never catch them. Soon after, a guy on a MTB that had either crashed or had mechanical issues attempted to mount his bike on the side of the trail. In doing so, literally road across the trail nearly blocking it. I called out an locked up the brakes and luckily avoided him. Unfortunately, it was only meters from the dirt road and I had really hammered to catch the group. There was a short but, steep incline just as we exited the trail onto the dirt road and I tried to put in a sprint. Unfortunately, there was nothing left in the legs at the moment. And I was all alone. Determined, I kept at it. Trying to convince myself if I kept at it, I'd catch them. However, the relentless, never ending hills had started and the wind wasn't helping. I kept pursuing the group but, they continued to gain. Eventually, I caught someone on a MTB and shouted to him to get on my wheel and I'd pull him along. Mostly because I was was hurting and hoped we could work together. He did take a couple of pulls for me but, mostly just for a short time when he caught me a the crest of a hill. Some where in the middle, I could see a PrecisonMTB jersey that had dropped off the back of the pack that I assumed was Tom. In my head I was thinking that if I did whatever it took to catch him that I'd be in good shape. The race was turning into a road race with drafting being a major factor and I had no idea what I was doing. I just knew I was in a pack of two and doing most of the work, it was hard and not idea. My pack of two fruitlessly continued to attack to catch Tom. Unfortunately, soon after, I noticed that more riders had dropped off the group ahead of Tom and they were forming their own, decent sized attack pack. My pack of two continued to give chase but, Tom's group was gapping us and I was tiring quickly. At that point we must have been 8 or 10 miles. That's when another group of 6 to 8 MTB and CX riders caught my pitiful, faltering pack. A couple of guys went past like I was standing still. I stood up to try and keep up but, I could almost hear the screaming in my legs. I spent the next couple of miles jocking for position with the unorganized group that had past me. Strangely, the hills that were completely zapping my legs were where I was able to make up any distance that group put on me. We rode that way for awhile until the group shrunk to about three CX bike and two MTB's. From there it was pretty much a routine of MTB riders from the Wolverine team and I taking pulls on the front. Occasionally, we'd drop to the rear and demand the other riders take a turn. At some point we picked up another MTB rider from the Wolverine team and lost the other MTB rider in the group. We movd along at a decent pace. But, the hills never ended. At some point, someone in the group made the comment that he couldn't wait until we stopped climbing because the downhill was going to be amazing. Clearly, he was not from area. Because the hills, choppy, bumpy roads never let up. Nor did the wind. Which always seems to be coming directly at you. When we hit the gravel two track towards the end of the race, our group literally fell apart. The Wolverine MTBer and I gapped the whole group almost immediately. I noticed right away the 700X35cm tire on my CX bike were nowhere near a anchored in the gravel as what I would have expected an MTB to be. I called out to the MTBer of go for it and that he didn't need our group any more. He reluctantly surged ahead. He started to gap me as I slowed in the corners after a couple of two wheel drifts gave me more surges of adrenaline and made me decide not to dare crashing anymore. The hills saved me from getting left but, one of the guys on a CX bike from our group passed both MTBer and I on the trail. He was older but, clearly more daring than I. After the loose, steep hill on the trail my legs were toast. I was proud I rode it and the MTBer and person ahead of him walked it. I passed the MTBer I was rider with when he had some mechanical issue but, he came screaming past me soon after. I ended up passing him when he slowed to ride with another Wolverine ride on a CX bike we caught. At that point, I was still rather close to the other rider on a CX bike from our group that had passed us. We exiting the two track I was happy to get on the hard packed roads again. That was until I realized the my tank was basically empty. My legs were finished. I dropped a few gears with hopes that my legs would recover but, the hills were back and made sure that my plan was thwarted. The CX rider from my group steadily pulled away from me. We rode up the road always and made a right turn. At that point the CX rider still looked catchable when a long, fast downhill started. I shifted to my tallest gear and was mesmerized with my speed of 30+ mph. So much so, when I finally looked up enough to see if I had gained any ground, the other rider was completely gone out of sight. I saw "Finish" painted on the ground and Mike standing at the end of the straight away waving me into the turn. I made the right hand turn and struggled through the long grass to the finish. I must have looked like I was out for a leisure ride as I crested the hill to the finish. I was toast. I definitely left it all out there.

Based on the results, looks like I pulled out 1:49 for 35th out of about 135 riders. Not bad for just showing up to participate. My Giant TCX performed flawlessly. To be honest, I am suprise I didn't bend a rim or cause some other form of damage hitting pot holes at 25+ mph.

Results

Garmin Data
The course was great. The weather was a little cold and the wind didn't help. I can't think of a better adjective than "relentless" to describe the hills. Which made for a challenging and rewarding day. However, I am getting a little PO'd I broke my Garmin.

It was also great to see Mike's family and Joel Gaff out on the course. I wasn't able to stay too long after the race and everyone was busy tallying results and breaking the course down so, I didn't get a chance to talk to them too much.

Lee Shaw reminded me that Iceman is only 6 weeks away. I have a ton of work to do if I want to come anywhere near my time last year. Especially, considering I am planning on riding the SS.

Been Busy

Well, more than two months have came and went since I last posted anything on my blog. A ton have things have happened since then with even more life events materializing.

Besides work being busy as all get out, here's the best summary I have time for.

Lumberjack was almost a complete success. Besides the fact my new bike has been out of comission since due to a horrific creak that developed during the race, I crossed the line 10th in the Single Speed class in just under 8 hours. A whole hour faster than I could have ever hoped for. Besides the great finish, the weekend was a real blast, hanging out in Lee's camper with Tom and Bryan

Lumberjack Results

Lumberjack Garmin Data -- Apparently, I didn't have enough finger strength to stop my Garmin at the end of the race. I hit the stop but, I was too happy to be done and too tired to care enough at the finish to ensure it was stopped.

Lumberjack Basecamp

From Been Busy

Post race. Dirty, Tired and Very Happy to be finished.

From Been Busy

So, this is where things got rough and haven't let up since. The next 4 weekends were pack, pack, move & move again. With major help from my mom, dad and a cast of family character, we moved into my grandpa'shouse (now ours) and then the following weekend, moved my grandpa into his new place. Our new house needs a ton of work. Other than a new roof, you name it, it needs it. Best of all, it's got leaks in the basement. Something I was hoping to leave behind at our last house. However, it's got a lot of "potenial." Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.

At our old house during the first trip. It was over 80 degrees both of the weekends we moved. I am not sure how the grass looks green in these pictures. It was fried.

From Been Busy

Thank goodness for my dad's 26ft enclosed trailer and 3/4 ton, diesel Chevy. I think we took 6 loads in all over 3 days. Not sure. At some point, I became delirious. Could have been more.

From Been Busy

Picture of the new place. Just looking at how many trees need to get cut down and bushes need to be trimmed makes me wince but, it's a pretty sharp looking place.

From Been Busy

New house is complete with Pink Kitchen and pretty much else.

From Been Busy

Not to mention a Safari Bathroom.

From Been Busy

The next weekend, it was time for the single greatest running weekend ever, the GLR. As the volunteered captain this year and with the major help of the Chad Wines, we cobbled together an EMU & Pickney Pirate Alumni team with the addition of a super fast, recent Michigan State graduate, young lady. Party, Camp, Run & Fun was the theme of the weekend. Matt, Nick, Chad, Paul, Steve, Joey, Ace, Scott, Sarah and I pulled out an impressive performance mixing it up with pretty much all but, the top two teams throughout the weekend and pulled off a 6th place team overall finish. We all may still be recovering from post GLR depression. Can't wait until next year. I have lots of pics but, they are all loaded up in my facebook profile. So, you are out of luck unless you are a facebook addict.

GLR Results

The following weekend brought another EMU tradition, the Tigertown5000. After a late night on the town in Liberty Center, OH, I pulled off a pitiful 12th place finish. Unable to catch the lead woman. Still a great weekend seeing some of my EMU alumni friends. There links to pictures of the race on the Tigertown website. I look better than I felt that day.

I didn't take any pics other than the following this weekend. To give you an idea of how rural Liberty Center is, this is a snapshot I took of pets kept right in the front yard.

From Been Busy

The next weekend, I tried to tackle the first of the end list list of projects at the new house. Sanding a few rusty spots on the garage doors exposed an unbelievable amount of rust hiding just under the surface. The weekend project ran into the week, late nights and even resulted in a dead car battery on one occasion. To date, I think I have over 30 hours into the doors and just one coat of paint on the outside of them. I think I snuck a BTT Epic ride in that weekend. However, it's hard to remember.

A pic to give you an idea of how much rust was uncovered. At this point, I had covered it with Rustoleum Heavy Rust Primer. The inside was much worse. Nice basketball net huh?

From Been Busy

I ended up painting most of the garage in the dark during the week and barely finished for our trip out of town.

From Been Busy

Next up was a week in Montreal with the in-laws, extended family and friends. Topped off with a weekend in Gatineau, hanging out around the pool.  Driving, driving, driving and socializing were the themes of the week but, definitely a great time. Maybe the best trip yet. I really need a vacation from the vacation. I am beat.

This weekend is what will hopefully be a relaxing one at the lake and camping in Lewiston at my grandfather's cottage. Unfortunately, more driving.

The last two months have left me run down and ragged. In fact, I think I am getting sick. Especially, after hill repeats on Hines Dr. with Meliss and Jim last night. I am hoping to emerge from all of this insanity in September. It's been great spending time with my family but, I don't think I can keep up for much longer and simply have too much to do on the new house before winter. So, it has to. Plus, I'd really like to do some riding again. My riding & running has been extremely hit and miss since early June.

One dirty girl

On somewhat of a whim, after what I can only imagine was 6 inches of rain last night and slight drizzle this morning, Tom S., Melissa M., Jimmie C. and I decided to hit IRLA. One blue and one yellow was all we could stand. What much of the trail was in ok shape. All of the usual spots were still holding water and muddy. We did what we could to avoid the bad spots but, still ended up pretty muddy.
 
The new bike road fantastic. Still a little dialing in to do. The wide bars gotta go.

---

The New Busy think 9 to 5 is a cute idea. Combine multiple calendars with Hotmail. Get busy.

My Precious!

After a two week wait in my basement collecting dust while we worked to sell our house, the new MTB is finally built up and ready. Welcome the latest addition to the family. It's a 2010 Specialized Stumpjumper 29er SS. And yes, the reflectors are staying. At least for its debut. Check out that profile. That's one sexy lady.

Inevitable customization has already begun. You may have already spotted that Thomson seat post in the previous picture. Check out the red KMC BMX chain wrapped around the stock 32 tooth chainring on the 180mm Stylo cranks. This was originally intended for the Motobecane's single speed conversion but, wouldn't work with the tensioner I bought. It's a nice addition to the red highlights already present on the bike.

Out back, the stock 20 tooth gear has been dumped for a 17 tooth Surly and mounted up on the stock DT Swiss 240s hub. Making the gearing just under 2:1 and hopefully just right for all that climbing on June 19th at the Lumberjack. The tubes have been pulled and after a failed attempt with the stock tape job, tapped with genuine Stans NoTubes tape, filled with sealant, inflated and are now holding air just fine.

This thing is sex on wheels. She's tipping the scales at 19.4 lbs as she sits. That's basically 4.5lbs lighter than the Motobecane sans gears. More updates are certainly in her future. Likely some Ergon grips and cutting down the extra wide bars.

Many thanks to Jimmie Colflesh for the help putting the finishing touches on it and the team sponsor KLM.

LJ two weeks away

Well, it's basically here. Two weeks away. Just like last year, I haven't done the amount of training that I wanted to put in, in preparation for the race. I also haven't rode a single century. I wanted at least two under my belt by this time. To top it all off, I don't have a working MTB bike and my knee has been acting up more than ever.

So, I'll be scurrying to get my new bike rolling this weekend. Hopefully, riding it a ton too between now and the LJ. I also need to figure out what I'll be eating a drinking throughout the race. Last year's plan of pop tarts and Gu did not work out that well.

Most importantly, I am 90% sure I'll be rolling with one gear at LJ. I am not sure what I am thinking but, I've still got it stuck in my head.

I came, I saw and It kicked my a**

Yesterday was the annual XC race at Bloomer. I've spent the last two weeks either sick or preparing to sell our house so, I decided to give Bloomer a whirl. Not to mention, I need to do some catch up on Lumberjack training. I hadn't heard much about the course other than it was somewhere you should pre-ride. Good thing I hadn't heard too much or I would have likely bailed out.

Lap One:
After somewhat of a team warm up, Ray, Tom, Scott, Byran and I lined up in at the start of the expert race in the 30-39 wave. On the warm up, Tom had warned my that I was likely going to be hating life rockin' just one gear at Bloomer. In usual fashion, I shrugged it off and figured I'd show this place who was boss. After all, it'd never seen the likes of before. At the whistle, the race was on and we rolled out. I was happy to be able to hang with the geared riders with ease. Out climbing many at the ski hill to boot and throwing in some impressive moves for my skill level. I made my way through a few more rides and closed the gap considerably on Tom from the team and Gus who I met at the BTT ride. That was until we hit the switchback. That's where the Bloomer's harsh reality rocked my world. A relentless series of short downhills then up hills. Zapping every ounce of energy from my legs. Once clear of the switchbacks, I was sure the worst must have been over. Then I arrived at the scariest section of trail that I've ever been on in my life. I am not sure what's it's called or how to describe it but, it's pretty much what you'd expect riding in the Rocky Mountains. Switchbacks with the punishment of a 20 ft drop if you happen to make any errors. The rest of lap one wasn't so bad. I bailed out and ran the "stairs." It was very flat and the 2:1 gearing that zapped the strength from my legs simply wasn't enough on the flat and I lost a few positions.

Lap Two:
My surge to catch Tom and the switchbacks really took their toll on me. I was really suffering mentally on lap two. My lines were crap, I was all over the trail, making multiple point and made near full stop turns a points. That's when I started to hear it. The familiar buzzing of Scott's rear hub. Of course, right as we enter the relentless switchbacks. My lines were terrible, I was breaking down mentally but, tried hard not to be caught. Scott yelled out at one point. It was a real motivator and somehow I held him off from passing me in the single tracks. Only long enough for him to get around me at just before the crazy, mountain like switchback decent. I did what I could to stay with him but, I was just not on my game and Scott rolled away from with ease. A little farther out of the trail, I believe near the "stairs" I caught back up with Scott. He was sidelined for a moment with some chain suck and he jumped on my wheel as I passed. If I remember correctly, passed another rider just before or after the "stairs" but, took the worlds worst line and ended up in the woods. Resulting in being passed by the overtaken rider and shortly after again by Scott after I took yet only terrible line and ran off into the worlds being stopped by a branch in my spokes.

Lap Three:
Determined not to quit, I somehow caught up to Scott on the flats and actually passed him at the beginning of lap 3 as he slowed for a bottle swap. I Bryan as I headed out down the lightening fast start and gave him the fist pump. Scott caught back up to me as I spun wildly on the flats. We climbed the sled hill together and I waved him by me as we hit the first section of nutty single track. I was determined to pull it together and have a good race and was doing a pretty good job of hanging with Scott in the technical stuff. I had high hopes for this lap. I felt better or at least I had convinced myself and I felt that I'd recovered from my sprint to catch Tom on lap one. As Scott and I climbed the first real climb after the sled hill I was determined I was going to own this lap. No quitting, no slowing down, I'd hammer every hill and take every corner as fast as I could. I hammered up the climb hoping to close some of the gap Scott had put on me on the last decent. As I neared the top, my legs unwilling slowed and I struggled to maintain momentum. Just as I was about to crest the top of the hill, my legs came to a complete stop and my left leg completely locked up. I toppled right over on my left side. Thud! My left calve completely cramped up and I spent the next few minutes trying to stretch it out enough to ride again. This time around the switchbacks were unbelievably hard. Not to mention, I was making all sorts of bad decisions and taking bad lines. I wrecked at least one of the sandy turns. Ryan from KLM caught me just as we entered the mountain like descent. I was shocked when he called out to me. I asked him if he'd lapped me. Turns out he snapped his chain at the start of the race. As I did on lap one and two, I got passed in the flats. This time I was somehow able to take a position back. Most likely due to the climbing.

Lap Four:
Lap 4 was simply survival mode. I ran the sled hill and the stairs. I simply rode as hard as I could so, I could finish. As I neared the end of race and entered the last bit of single track, Lee from the team was taking picture and called out to me to chase after someone. I put my head down and tried to hammer, then almost immediately hooked my bar on a tree and went right over my handlebars managing not to split my skull on a log as I planted my hand on it to avoid hitting it face first. I crossed the finish line just happy to be done. At some point in the race. I am pretty sure lap two, it'd gotten very hot. The course had taken it's toll on me. I was spent. In the end, Tom pulled off a 3rd. Scott, myself and Bryan pulled off a 8th, 9th & 10th.

I made it back just in time to take my son Evan on a pre-ride lap of the kid's race course. Shortly after, my wife, daughter and I spread out along the course to cheer him and Miles, Jason's son on.

I spent the rest of the afternoon watching the sport and beginner races. We had a great showing John, Joe, Roger, Jason and Lee from the team showed up and raced. Andy had made it out and had handed me a water bottle on lap 4 and raced as well. Jim rode up to the race from the BTT ride to cheer us on and had logged 77 miles for the day at that point.

In the end it was a great day. Even considering I admitted defeat to the superior adversary "Bloomer." We had a large group show up, my family had a blast and the mood and venue was great. I expect to be back for some serious punishment next year.

Pictures my wife took:

From Bloomer XC

Sick again!

Ugh. So, first it's Strep Throat that takes me out for a week and some. Then Michigan decides to dump April and May's worth of precipitation in early May. Then I get sick again. I new it was coming. I ran yesterday and felt amazing. As good or better than I did when I was a real runner. This is historically the sign of me about to be very sick. I think it must be all of the endorphyns running around in my body trying to cover up that I am getting sick. It hit me yesterday afternoon. I knew I was in trouble when I took a near involuntary nap from 6-9 last night. At first I feared it was Strep Throat again. Now, I nearly convinced it's a sinus infection. Basically, a month until Lumberjack, I need to get my house ready for the potential move and work is BUSY. I don't have time for this sick BS!

Beat the Train Epic - 5/15

Another great BTT this morning. Woke up at the butt crack of the morning and got rolling about 5am for a BTT Epic from my house. Rode into Detroit to Fort Wayne with teammates Andy Straub, Jim Senska and Andy E. Met up with Dearborn Don on the way too. The way in was awefully chilly. I was sporting tights and my new Kenda arm warmers and pretty cold in the sub 50 temps. Somehow Jim powered in with nothing more than shorts and a TShirt.
The ride was great. 31 riders in total. Temps ended up being perfert and in the 60's. Plus, the sun was shining with barely a cloud in the sky. Andy changed it up this week and we hit some new landmarks. At least new to me. Such as the pump track, a flame throwing car, the Motown Muesem and the new foot bridge. We even spotted a peacock and a rooster.  All of which was of course mixed in with favorites such as Bell Isle, the cemetary and the river walk  in front of the Ren Cen. Best of all only one flat in the group for the day.

Today was the first ride on the new Kenda Kwick Roller Sports on my CX bike. They do a great job of absorbing bumps and pot holes with their beefy 700x32 size. I even tested their Iron Cap flat prevention when I involuntarily ran over glass multiple times. The big draw back is they simply a beast to turn over. They feel like they weigh double what my Kenda Small blocks do on my mountain bike. We picked it up on Belle Isle and I was really struggling maintaining 21mph. Which may partially be due to running the past two days. My legs did feel pretty beat today. Regardless, I doubt I'll be running them on any fast group rides.

After the ride, Jim S. and I rode back together. Neither of us could stay for breakfast. Wish I was able to stay but, I had a funeral service to attend.

Basically 68, not necessarily hard but, fun filled miles for the day.
Garmin Data

From BTT - 5/15

Ugh, Michigan

Where have I been? Tucked away in my cave, AKA house. Avoiding this crappy weather. Rain, Rain, Rain... I though April showers were supposed to bring May flowers. Don't see many flowers recently, just showers. And it's May! On top of that, work has been a beast lately. I am way behind on getting the house ready for a potential sale and I've done little to no training since Yankee. Which means my mood is beyond tolerable. To top it off, my cell and laptop die. Yes, it could be worse but, this stuff is a pain in the a**.

Looks like the weather will turn around soon, I should get some time to work on the house and I should get some training in too. Hoping to hit BTT on Saturday. That's 60+ miles before noon baby. H*ll Yes!

36 days until LJ. OMG! I am not ready.

Mud, Sweat and Beers

2010 Mud, Sweat and Beers is in the books. Turned out to be a great, well run and organized event.
The race started and ended at Mt. Holiday. A place, I spent a fair share of my youth during the winter time, endlessly riding the chair lifts and carving up the hills on my skis. The course consisted of some serious hilly sections of trails, roads through a subdivision and then some variation of the Vasa. Depending on whether you were riding the 10 or 20 miler. Which, made for a very interesting course with a wide variety of terrain.

The weather had been brutal the night before the race. Around 11pm, it was raining as hard I ever remember it raining. Things didn't look good for the race. The morning was a different story, the clouds had disappeared and the rain was quickly drying up. The race was a true XC mass start and race with Men and Women Experts and Single Speeds going off in one wave. I started with Melissa from the Team and Jimmie from Mom and Pop Racing. Knowing that it was a long race, wide open for passing, we started a little ways back in the pack. A decision that pre-riding the course would have told us wasn't the wisest. At the gun, I chased Jim through the pack until we reached the trail head. With such a big group, space quickly became a premium and Jim slipped away from me when I was pinched off by a group on the first climb. Luckily, the first climb did seem to thin the group out quite a bit and the group fell into mostly a single file line. I had made some moves as we hit the first serious climb and caught up to Jimmie and the group he was in at the base. This time the climb was basically all loose sand and the group was hugging the edge when climbing. Being single speed, I was struggling to stay upright and not rubbing people's rear wheels so, I dove out into the middle of the trail and eventually had to bail and run the rest of the hill, passing the group with Jimmie in it, in the process. After the crest of the hill, I seemed put a decent gap on the group on the decent and trail. That was, until, I hit the pavement shortly after. Which was where the group I had passed on the hill climb blew buy me, lead by Jimmie as I spun wildly, struggling to maintain 18mph and they blew by at 20+. Out of the sub, we hit the trailhead and I was able to quickly reel the group back in. Well, until we started hitting some flat and downhill sections. We'd stretch out and on the flats and I'd reel everyone back in on the turns and hills. However, I was noticing that was not the case with Jimmie. The gap was not decreasing but, increasing. I was making up some but, not nearly enough on the climbs. We hit a section of power lines with quite a bit of flat and downhill sections and that was all it took. I realized that Jimmie was likely gone for the duration of the race and I wouldn't see him again. I just didn't have the gearing to keep up.

For awhile there, I was hoping to be able mix it up with Jimmie for as much of the race as possible race. Especially, given I was sure we'd be able catch quite a few people just racing each other. Time for a new plan. I was pretty sure that I had just passed the lead woman and didn't see any single speeders. Which meant, I was not only probably in a pretty good spot in the race overall and pretty far in the front of the single speeders to. So, new goal. Beat the ladies and don't get passed by any single speeds. The second goal turned out to be not too difficult, the first however, was a different story. From that point on, I raced the same group of guys and gals. A handful of guys from Haggerty's team, the lead woman, also from Haggerty and a guy from RBS. It was a real shoot out for a long time. We'd hit a flat section, they'd all gap me and I'd make it all up and pass the group in the turns and/or climbing. I was pretty happy and held my own until we hit some very long sections of flat and downhill stretches towards the end of the race. At that point, I was simply out geared and got gapped. There just weren’t enough hills for me to catch the group again. As we neared the end of the Vasa, I was passed by 4 more geared bikes on the flats. Just nothing I could do at that point. Well, except for be a little more careful and stay upright in a loose turn. We hit the trail section near the pavement and I was shocked at how much I made up in trail. I almost caught everyone back up. All for not. We hit the pavement and they were gone. I think I looked down at one point on a downhill and saw 27mph. No way I could even pedal at that speed. I was able to reel in the group quite a bit again on the trail after the pavement but, not enough to be striking distance. The last hill before the decent to the finish was a beast. I was really hurting at that point and pretty happy when I recognized the area when I crested the hill. We were at the top of the ski hill and all that was left was a descent down the face of the main slope to the finish.

At the end, I was pretty happy to be finished. Turned out I was the 5th person in on a single speed in the 20 miler. The course was very demanding but it was in great shape and I had rode hard. There were a couple of points I lost focus and became complacent on the flats but, I am not sure I could have done much about it given my gearing. All of the rain helped keep the loose sand together and from kicking up. Plus, there were only a couple of muddy spots on the course. Tons of climbs and load, deceiving graded ascents. I was beat and the temperature must have increased 15 degrees during the race. It was near 80, barely a cloud in the sky and beautiful. I was also pretty thirsty given I lost one of my water bottles in a botched attempt to put it back in my cage near the beginning of the race. I headed over to the refreshment table at the end for a bit and pounded Gatorade and ate orange slices until I felt that I had had enough. Then headed out to see how the rest of the folks I knew at the race did.

Jimmie ended up 12th in the Expert Category and about 4 minutes ahead of me. Melissa ended up taking 4th overall Women’s Expert.

The race was also a bit of a Traverse City and EMU Alumni gathering. My former EMU teammate, Clint Verran ended up 3rd overall. TC alumni and honorary EMU alum ended up pulling of an overall win on his SS in the 10 miler. His brother Sam, TC and EMU alum, finished up the 20 miler on his SS in a respectable time. Mike Franko didn’t fair so well and was having trouble with his headset before the race. His race ended near the start when his bars twisted, resulting in a splash in one of the only muddy sections of the trail.
After the race, we all hung out at the beer tent and enjoyed some of Right Brain Brewery’s special brews for the day. I was so, beat and all of the sun seemed to seep the energy from my legs making it hard to even stand so, I headed back to my parent’s for a shower and a nap. I spent the evening hanging our around a keg of Sam Sheffer’s finest home brew, reminiscing about the race and the ol’ days at EMU and TC with the rest of the Alumni. Definitely a reminder of how much I miss those guys and need to do a better job of putting some time aside to get together with them.

So, Mud, Sweat and Beers is in the books. I am pretty happy with my performance, learned I am going have to turn some serious gears if I want to be competitive on a SS at Iceman and generally had a great time. This mountain biking stuff is a real blast.

Mud, Sweat and Beers 2010 Results

Click here for some pics during and after the race:

From Mud, Sweat & Beers

47 days until the Lumberjack!

Mud, Sweat and Lack of Preparation

Mud, Sweat and Beers this weekend in TC. Since the Yankee TT, I've basically taken an entire week off due to Strep Throat and rode a couple of easy rides on my CX bike on the road. Expectations are not high for the weekend.

Strategy: Go out like a mother and hope I can hang on, don't lose focus like Yankee on lap two and generally for the best.

And facebook no longer seems to be picking up my blog's RSS feed. Grrr.

Westland WWF

Who needs balloons and birthday cake when you have ninjas, clowns and men and women in tights battling your very oen ring in your own backyard. Probably one of the coolest bday parties I've been to and it was for my daughter's 6 year old classmate. Apparently, the ninja was the birthday boy's uncle and a part time wrestler. Matches for the night included local favorites Nacho Libre & Doink the Clown. It was cold and about 50 degrees out. Luckily the rain held off. I was impressed with the show and probably liked it as much as the kids who enjoyed throwing popcorn at the "Bad Guys."

Check it out:

From Westland WWF

It's Ordered...

One 2010, 17.5/Medium, Stumpjumper, 29er, SINGLE SPEED on order. With a hope and a prayer, it'll be here sometime in June. With luck, I'll be rocking it at Lumberjack. However, I don't think I'll be that lucky.

Already dreaming about upgrades, though it ain't going to need much.

Ride Recap - 4/22

Rode the CX bike for the first time today on Hines Drive today. I love it so far. I think it’s the perfect size. The handlebars may be a little narrow but, I may just need to get used to it.


Small block 8's are great. Even on CX tires. 700X23 tires should be saved for road racing race days. 700X25 or bigger is the way to go.

I rode with Bryan Deal.

We chased a small dog. Bryan maintained his average of one crash per ride chasing the dog. I was happy I got to ride my CX bike in the grass chasing the dog. Bryan caught the dog. Bryan was nice and gave it back to its owner. I know he wanted to keep it.

I feel great getting out in the fresh air. So glad I got out today.

The End.

Strep Throat and Delusions

After Sunday’s race, I was totally whipped out. I haven’t been that tired in years. Clearly it was for a reason. I had a little bit of a sore throat on Sunday am but, nothing I was concerned about. It seems to go right away after drinking something. Monday am was a different story. I awoke with a pounding head ache and a pretty serious sore throat. I picked up some Theraflu on the way to work and tried to tough it out. By noon, I realized I was in worse shape than I through and posing more a risk of spreading illness than any good I was doing at work. So, I headed home and worked and took calls from there the remainder of the day. Monday night was miserable. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that bad. I am sure I was delusional. I was staggering walking to and from the bathroom. At one point, I was debating going to the hospital, an urgent care or something. 103 fever, shaking from chills and sweating. I managed to get what sleep I could but, it wasn’t much. Today wasn’t much better. My fever seemed to better but, my throat and head were not. I did what I could to work from home in the am and about noon found spots on my throat. I new instantly what this meant. Strep. I used to get it every year. I’ve been lucky to go about 3 years. Clearly, my luck had run out. I am dosed up on antibiotics now and hoping I’ll be near 100% tomorrow. That’s how it has worked in the past so, I am hoping it’s the same this go around.

On a positive note, laying on the couch pretty much all night gave me plenty of time to think. Some of which was over the great single speed debate. After last weekend, I am pretty hooked on the whole SS thing. But, I am not happy with my current set up. While my tensioner made the 20+ miles at Yankee, it definitely was looser at the end than it was in the beginning. Which leads me to believe it’s no where near reliable enough to rock in on a regular basis or in the Lumberjack. My heart is pretty much set on the Specialized Stumpjumper SS.

Full Specs

Unfortunately, seems bikes are primarily only made in the middle of the cycling season and I am being told one will not be available is July. So, looks like the waiting game begins and I am going to have to try and get by with what I have. I’ll likely have to switch back to gears in late June for Lumberjack. Which I am not sure if I am happy or disappointed about. I kinda of wanted to take a shot at the LJ with only one gear. The good news is, is I have a new cassette sitting at my house so, all I’ll need to go geared again is a chain.

I just realized that my counter slipped below 60 for the LJ. Time to get serious about trainging. Not a good time to have Strep Throat.

Yankee TT - 4/18

First race of the year and I decided to race expert on the single speed. Not the expert single speed class but, the Full Monte, 2 lap expert class. Turns out, it was a good decision. Although, being the last person to sign up online may not have been the wisest.

The day started with a 6am roll out from Westland.  Brian, Bryan and I car pooled, arrived and set up on team row about 8:30. The weather turned out to be pretty mild. Though it was about 36 when we arrived, the sun made it feel much warmer.

Time flew by and it was race time. After gearing up a short warm up with Nick and the Brians, it was time to line up and go. There was a sea of folks ahead of us since we all signed up pretty late in the game. I started a minute and a half behind Nick and the Brians and I was pretty pumped and ready to get the season started. So, pumped my heart rate was already at near 90 as I waiting to go off. Things moved along quickly and we were off and rolling. I'd never been to Yankee before and after a few turns, I could see why it may be a favorite on the West side. Tons of winding and twisting turns, rough down hills and plenty of climbing. It wasn't even a mile before the traffic started and I was heating up and pulling my arm warmers off. Everyone was very polite and I was trying not to be over zealous and make ridiculous and risky passes. But, I was already regretting my starting position. At a one point, I ended up grouped up in a pretty long train of riders. Which also included Bryan and Nick. After a climb which I ended up having to bail and run, I had worked my way through the pack and was on my way again. The rest of lap one was a blast. The traffic wasn't too terrible and I was only passed twice. Once at the uphill I ran and once by a guy on a full suspension that was simply way to fast on the downhills to contest with. I felt like I kept a pretty good pace. I didn't get hung up by riders too much but, some of the climbs were monsters.  Torwards the end of the lap, things really opened up and I didn't have the gear to more than just keep up with the guys ahead of me.

Lap two was a different story. As lap one ended, I began to find myself on my own. Only one person catching me but, no one that I didn't seem to reel in rather quickly on the turns and hills. I was really enjoying myself and often caught up in slower traffic in the rather tight single track. Most of the lap I didn' feel like I was putting out the effort I was in lap one which seems to be proven my my heart rate data from my Garmin. I also didn't feel like I was taking the turns as well but, looks like I was carrying more speed in some of the down hills. At least according to the Garmin. The hills on the other hand were pretty tough on the next go around. I ran the hill I first ran on lap one, a long hill with an erosion mat (which I rode on lap one) and a root filled hill shortly after. I felt like I finished pretty strong after that. I was chasing a guy on a Gary Fisher that was pretty good on the down hills and evetually caught him on a long uphill section.

In the end, the performance wasn't too shabby considering it was my first race single speed and I rode at least 1/2 of second lap partially blind, without a contact. I lost it due to all of the sweat that was running down my face. Seems the head bands I wear are only good for about an hour. I also edged out a couple of people I have a somewhat secret rivalry planned with this year. But, didn't hit one of my other goals. Being to finish ahead of any women. Man, those ladies are fast. Gotta respect that.

Results: 9th in Expert 30-39
Lap1  Lap2  Total
51:42 53:14 1:44:55.9

Garmin Download

By far the best pic of myself of the day. Pretty funny actually.

All an all, the day was a great success. I heard the race had at least 600 participants and we had a great team turn out. Tom Payn blazed to a 4th place in the same expert category. Brian, Bryan and Brandon survived a few of pretty rough crashes with only some bumps and bruises, scratched bikes and a broken shifter. Bryan's was apparently at the speed of about 20 miles per hour and described by Nick as one of the best he's ever seen.  As usual, Ray showed us how it was done grabbing a 3rd and putting down a heck of a time. Truely an inspiration. Joe, Nick, Scott, Dave and Roger also put in some respectable first race efforts.  Haven't looked through all of the results but, there based on today's performances team bragging rights may be a tough battle and one of the most coveted awards this year.

A few pics from today. Not nearly as great as the one's Dave Smith put on on the Precision Blog but, some the same. Gotta keep up my New Year's resolution to take pics at the races this year.

From Yankee Springs TT - 4/18/10

It's finally here...

Well, I selfishly spent the morning buliding up my new CX bike when I should have been working on the house or spending time with the family.

I am pretty pleased with it so far. If it rides as good as it looks, I'll be very happy. Hoping to take a short spin on it tomorrow. It's a Giant TCX 1. In case you missed the labels.

Before:

Looking Promising:

After: (Yeah, I know the seat is crooked, hadn't fit the bike yet)

The plan for tomorrow is the Yankee. I've never ridden there. So, I am looking forward to something new. I signed up for Expert and I'm bring the Ghetto Motobecane SS to do battle on. Should be fun.

Decisions, Decisions...

You've all been here. Chocolate or Strawberry milk, Blond or Brunette, the Carribean or Colorado, boxers or briefs, etc.

So, here's my dilema. My CX bike is here and this weekend's the Yankee Springs Time Trial. There simply is not time for both to fit in this weekend. Given, I need to build up the CX bike.

Can't say either choice is a bad one. Just a tough decision.

I 'm back in the saddle again!

The Frankendale has been resurrected once more. It took a new bottom bracket, repacking the front hub, a decent amount of cleaning and loads of degreaser in the shifters. Shifting is not entirely back up to snuff. I think it needs some new cables but, she seems to be in good enough shape to role. I officially have a somewhat working road bike again. Not to mention a somewhat working cobbled together single speed mtb. Hitting the trainer tonight and the road as much as I can this week.

I really need my new bike to be here.

Single Speed - Take #2

Stopped by the Jimmers last night and he correct the spoke tensioning on my rear wheel. He also hooked me up with a burly 7 speed change. In which a 3/32 half link fit perfectly. Got my chain just how I wanted it and I was ready to the next morning.

After a 1 1/2 hour fight with my "new" Garmin. I was able to turn it on. Yes, I charged it & tried the on button. Even the reset. Seems the 205/305 become locked at certain times when they don't feel they have a charge. After about 45 minutes of desperation, 6 inch reboot attempts, google searches, I spent 20 minutes combing the Garmin site. Apparently, there are multiple ways to reset the dang thing. Finally, success! I spent other 30 minutes or so setting it up and generally playing with it.

Fresh from the battle with the Garmin, it was time for a team ride out to Maybury and back. The planned meeting place (Nankin Mills) had been taken over by a Martian Marathon relay exchange point. Not to mention a large section than usual of Hines was blocked off for the race. After a cluster of confusion, phone calls and etc. Jim, Melissa, Tom, Lee, Bryan and I were on our way. Amazingly only 15 minute after the proposed start time of 9:30am. Right on time for our group. Our first few miles on Hines Dr. were actually through the race. Which was pretty interesting. Escpecially, when we were rather inpolitely informed by the folks maning the water stop that there was a marathon going on. Apparently, our 15 mph speed and spandex was seen as threatening.

The rest of the way out was pretty relaxed. As before, I was spinning like a mo-fo to maintain anything above 16 mph. I was suprised a how easy the climb as Cass Benton felt.

We met up with Brandon from the team at Maybury and started our first lap. We took it easy and for the most part, rode as a group. The single speed felt fantastic. I did feel a little under geared. Even on the two rather steep climbs. After we regrouped, I checked my chain tension and there was way more than I wanted there. I over tenstioned it with the hope it'd only give a little and end up perfect on the next lap.

After we regrouped, I decided I wanted to pour it on a little more on the second lap and headed out first. The trail was in great shape and the new small block eights handled amazingly. I felt pretty good on through the twisting turns but, quickly was eating my words on being under geared. The hills on the second lap were much harder. Even after a stop in between the two for an attempt to save one of my contact lenses that fell out didn't give me much help. Jim caught up and waited for me at that point. My attempt turned out to be a waste of time because my contact fell out again and stuck to my glasses. Jim and I rode the rest of the way in together. Definitely an interesting riding experience at Maybury when riding 1/2 blind. I think we ended up turning a pretty decent lap time.

We regrouped after the second lap. It was looking like my chain was going to last the ride this time. Unfortunately, Lee's chain did not fair as well. He broke his master link in his chain on the second. Luckly Melissa had one. With that crisis averted we headed for home. Me trailing behind and catching up a lights due to only being able maintain about 16mph.

In the end, it was a great ride. Decent sized group, great weather and trail conditions. With the added bonus of my bike actually making the  whole trip. I felt pretty wiped out on the ride home and really need a nap. I think we ended up getting in about 40 miles. If I don't fall asleep, I'll work on uploading my Garmin tonight. Should be an interesting experience.

I checked the chain tension when I got home on my bike. Still a little over tensioned. Looking positive this SS testing may work out with my current set up after all. Other than the road riding, I really like it so far. Enough, I am thinking pretty seriously about a single speed frame.

Out for Delivery...

My Garmin is nearly here. I am so excited, I could spit!

Was turned on to what I hope was a sweet deal on ebay. GPS, heart rate, altitude, candence, etc. You name it, the 305's got everything but maps. And who needs maps? After all, men don't use maps.

Now I just need a working bike to attach it to. And for the forecasted week's worth of rain to dry up.

Single Speed Take #1 = Failure

I brought the newly single speeded Monsterbecane up to TC this weekend. Headed out for a 50 miler from my parents house around 8am. The weather was fantastic for riding. Cool enough for arm warmers on the 36 mph descent into town from my parents but, warm enough for shorts. The ride out to Acme was as I expected. With a 2 to 1 gear ratio, I felt like my legs were spinning wildly to maintain 18mph. I backed off  as the climbs began and I neared my destination, the Vasa trail. I jumped in at Timber Ridge. About 13 miles from my parents. Home to the finish of the Iceman. This was not only was my first single speed ride but, my first ride of the year on my MTB and on my new Kenda small block eight tires. How I've missed the trails. After only a few sandy turns, I decided that I am fairly certain I made the right choice of tires this year. They seemed to hook up great and roll rather quickly. Even on the wood chips. The single speed setup was fun. However, I'd quickly run out of gear on the flats and downhills. I figured out that if I was above 23 mph, there was no use pedaling. I had to pedal like a maniac just to get the freewheel to catch. While they were a challenge, the hills didn't seem anywhere near as hard as I had expected. It was easy to see why some say riding single speed makes you a better rider. I quickly started daring myself to take turns on descents without braking in order maintain as much speed as possible for the upcoming hills and the up hills were a real workout. I am certain that I would have been faster on my geared bike though. Within no time, I had put in about 7 miles on the Vasa. I turned down a section that was marked as having significant climbs and descents at an intersection and as the sign promised, some serious climbing began. Then BOOM! Disaster struck. The sweet half link that I put in my chain to run my new tensioner in "push up" mode exploded. Along with one of the links it was connected to. I suspect that it wasn't the half link that caused the issue. When I put it on I feared the stock pin that I used on it was too short. Clearly I was right. When it let go, it not only took out the stock link but, bent up the half link too. I attempted to use my chain tool to bend it back and put in a quick link but, the quick link wouldn't fit. Even after attempting to reshape the half link to its original shape. In usual fashion, I tried to force it and put the half link out of its misery as it seemed to dissolve in my hands.

That was it. There was no way the Mosterbecane SS was going to be running under chain power again without some parts. I pulled out my phone, snapped a picture and called for my dad to pick me up at the start of the Vasa. Which I assumed was closer than Timber Ridge. I headed back running the flat/up hill sections of trail and riding the downhills. I reached a kiosk and attempted to determine the quickest route back to the parking lot. Luckily, there was plenty of  "Parking Lot -->" signs. I almost took a wrong turn at one point and had to turn back. Seems the start of the Vasa was about the same distance as Timber Ridge. I ended up running & coasting 6.5 miles to my ride home.

So 20 miles of riding and 6.5 miles of running/coasting for the day. To top it off, I am down to zero working bikes again. Even that being said, I am not giving up on the single speed thing just yet.

Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition Part 2

(Climb to the Clouds and Back)
Clearly the cold and climb had taken it our of us. The group of us slept in until about 7:45am. Check out wasn't until 10am so, we headed back over to the Log Cabin Pancake house where we decided to mix it up from the day before and ordered some more traditional breakfast food. I had a wonderful western omelet. Then it was back to the hotel to pack up and head to Asheville, NC. In new found efficiency we were packed up and ready to roll with time to spare. Our 1 1/2 hour drive was nearly doubled due to I40 being closed for a rockslide. The detour must have added 100 miles to our trip. As we neared Asheville, the traffic picked up so, we ducked off the highway and with a combination of Tom's man-compass and Bryan's black berry, we found our way through the city and to our hotel. Also equipped with a fire place. An added bonus.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

Our detour had added quite a bit of time to our journey so, we quickly geared up and headed out to the Blueridge Parkway on our bikes. The journey to the parkway turned out to be rather hectic. We had to take a detour due to construction on the direct route and road on 5 lanes roads along side full force traffic for the few miles to where the real riding begun. Our peril through traffic was worth it. The blacktop on the parkway was so smooth it felt like there was little to no rolling resistance. The road was smooth and scenic. However, we were not alone. The parkway in the area is used by those that want to circumvent the traffic in the city so, traffic was pretty heavy and there was no shoulder. We complained about people driving like idiots the day before but, that was nothing compared to what we were experiencing. There were far less curves and elevation and the speed limit was 45 opposed to 35 as it was on the climb to Clingmans Dome. The drivers were far less patient and they gave new meaning to close calls as they literally played chicken with one another to pass us. Just a few miles into our jaunt, we flew down a smooth descent for approximately a mile. At the bottom of the descent, there was an intersection and a bridge. We slowed from our 30+ speed and cautiously crossed the intersection. The joints were the bridge met the road were raised a couple of inches and each of used different approaches to cross it from bunny hops to simply slowing. A mile or so up the road we stopped for a restroom break. Upon our departure, Bryan discovered his approach of crossing the bridge was not entirely successful and we had our first and only flat of the trip.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

Soon after the ascent began. We stopped at the first overlook and took a few pictures.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

From that point forward, the theme was climb, rest, picture, climb. Along the way we ran into a sign the road was closed ahead. After approximately 13 miles and a short decent, we rode around a barrier and had the road to ourselves. From that point on the mission was simply to climb to the clouds. Contrary to the signs, the road was completely clear. As we climbed to the clouds the temperature began to drop. Likely due the time as much as the altitude. However, it was only 47 degrees when we left so, even a slight temperature drop was significant. Approx. 9 miles later we finally reached the cloud cover.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

After a unanimous decision to turn back we began our decent. It was then we realized just how much climbing we had done. The miles simply flew by as we raced down at 35+ mph. This time as a group, unlike the day before. Our route took us through the decaying tunnel we had passed through on the way up. This is where I experienced tunnel vision for the first time. I felt like I was going to lose my balance as my eyes focused on the light the awaited at the end of the tunnel. The return to the point at which we entered the parkway seemed to be racing towards us and after two huge descents, we were 1/2 of the way back. At this point, we were near the first descent and Tom informed us that he was struggling on the climbs. At this point fingers and toes were completely numb from the drop in temperature and 9 + miles of racing into the wind. Once we reached the exit, Tom pressed hard through the city traffic and detour to get back to our hotel and the sweet relief of the hotel's warmth. Or ride amounted to approx. 45 miles. Again, we huddled around the fireplace and took showers to warm our frozen bits and pieces. I thought the day prior's shower felt great but, it was nothing in comparison to this one. It was once again time for our nightly recover meal and beverages and we called a cab to bring us to a local micro brewery that also served pizza. Our cab picked us up, piloted by Bobby, the comedian, cad driver who entertained us with bad jokes and a smoker's cough until we reached our destination. Turns out we may a fantastic choice and we ended up at what must have been the best micro brew and pizza place in town. Not only was the beer wonderful but, the pizza was made from scratch. As we destroyed a Caribbean and Greek pizza and must have sampled every dark beer in the house. Using Michigan sample size glasses of course. That being a pint.

(Cold Mountain)
We were up again at 8am and raced down to the hotel’s buffet breakfast. This was no normal, half *ss buffet. It was a full layout, eggs, sausage, potatoes, yogurt, waffles, etc. This was the real deal. After a few trips to the buffet, we were ready to plan the day. Though there were some complaints from the group, I felt amazing and was ready to ride. Trusty weather.com, which had been failing us all weekend stating it was not raining as it down poured, stated that the temperature would be near its 50 degree high as earlier as 11. So, we geared up and were off by 10am to the start of the legendary Cold Mountain climb.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

The weather was windy and chilly but, the gloomy cloud cover that had blocked out the sun the previous two days had disappeared. I actually needed sunglasses. Tom had sung praises about Cold Mount but, I had no idea what I was in for. The ride out to the legendary 10 mile climb was about 9 miles. I was a pleasant, scenic ride along a river with little to no traffic. The view was breath taking but, dotted with what can only be described as shacks, old cars, yards filled with tied up hounds and trash. Our spirits were high as we began the ascent.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

I had survived the previous two days with my lowest gearing being 42-25. After the past hours of climbing, I was confident I was ready to take whatever Cold Mountain was going to throw at me. After all, it was only 10 miles to the top right? I even commented how the climb seemed easier than the last two days as I dropped back and snapped a few pictures

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

As the road’s curves turned to switchbacks, the grade became much steeper. Michael and I started to pull away from Tom and Brian and the pace seemed to instantly turn serious. I decided that I was ready to take whatever Michael was planning to dish out. Soon after I began to question my confidence in my gear. Or lack of it. I was ready to eat my words concerning not requiring lower gearing. Michael and I powered up the first few miles. The wind started to pick up after about mile 4. It was then I realized we were going all the way to the top. No waiting to regroup today. As we climbed I’d move along side Michael as we reached the relief of the straights but, fall just behind as then incline increased in the turns of the switch back. By mile 6, I was out of gear and I was force to get off the saddle and mash each time Michael would downshift and I began to fall behind. The rest of the climb was a battle of will. I struggled to stay on Michael’s wheel. The final two switchbacks were a true test. Relief came as we reached the bridge and our turn to get on the Blueridge Parkway. Michael and I decided that though we had not reached the highest point of the climb, it would be best to wait and regroup before moving on. We were lucky that the section of the parkway we were about to ride was again closed. So, we had the next 10 miles to ourselves. The views at the beginning were tremendous.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

As we ventured forward, the road was littered with debris. Apparently, the road was closed for just cause. The trees had been topped due to what we later were told to be an ice storm. It looked like a tornado came through or a bomb went off. The road was so quiet and desolate, we even ran across a bobcat.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

Besides debris, our closed section of the parkway was filled with wonderful views, ice covered rocks, snow and the occasional chunk of ice in the road. The descents in the section were commonly followed by a short up hill that could easily be climbed given the 30+ mph we would pick up on the downhill just before it. We reached then end of our private section of the parkway and took advantage of a photo opportunity as Tom and Michael convinced a friendly sightseer to fill up their water bottles.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

As we reached the end of our parkway, my bike was really suffering the abuse of the climbs and rain. The left shifter was locking up on and off and my cables were clearly stretched to the max so, shifting was very poor. I was happy that the Frankendale had made it as far as it had without issue and hopeful it would complete the trip. Next was essentially the reverse of our ascent. A road winding down the mountain side, then a peaceful ride to the beginning of the ride.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

Near the top, my front tire actually began to skid as I crossed a crack in the blacktop and I decided that I’d take a conservative approach on the way down. The group waited for me at the bottom of the steep winding fall to the base of the mountain. We regrouped and road the remainder of the return to the vehicle. Apparently, we were still descending as we easily maintained 27+ mph after forming a pace line as Michael towed us home. In the end, our ride ended up totaling just over 44 miles. Definitely, the best all around ride of the trip and quite possibly my favorite ever.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at Subway for some much needed nourishment. After cleaning up, we headed back into Asheville and another local micro brewery. The beer was equally enjoyable as the night before and I experience sweet potato fries for the first time. I would have never guessed they would be so delicious.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

(Return Trip Home)

In the sake of time, I’ll keep the trip home commentary short. We left just after 6am for the 12 hour drive home. At least 9 of which end up being in the rain. We rotated drivers and kept ourselves busy telling tales and favorite events of the trip and using a stop watch to time mile markers to determine our speed. We arrived safe and sound in Canton. Narrowly, escaping a traffic jam on 275.


Can't wait til next year.

Quote of the trip:
"Y'all talk so fast, you make me feel stupid." - Random, Asheville Local