Just CallMe Wheeler

Bells, Whistles and Fires

2012-01-30T16:54:00.003-05:00

All parts for the 2012 race rig officially ordered or in the process of being ordered. Bike is looking like it's going to be somewhat blinged out. White Brother's Fork, X.0 brakes, etc. Nearly all the bells and maybe a whistle. Also ordered up fenders and some safety accessories for the single speed road rig. Fenders, bell, spoke lights, etc. It's going to be an old man's hipster cruiser when I am done.

In the meantime, I am trying to stay on somewhat of a regular training routine. Though neither the quantity or quality have been that tremendous. I am hoping when 2/1/2012 rolls around, I'll come to grips that Corktown and Barry Roubaix are the following calendar month and that'll light a fire under my a**. I simply seem to find too many excuses to couch surf lately. Right now my excuse is fighting off being sick. I know. Not a very good one but, I once again feel like I am just at the edge of falling rather sick again.

Also, tentatively on the agenda is a snowshoe race and roller racing the night before Corktown. Both events are something I would like to participate in considering they are being organized by former teammates, one is in my home town and the other is to raise money to sponsor one of them for a bicycle tour benefiting the Red Cross.

Inspiration...

2012-01-27T11:03:00.001-05:00

2011 brings threads of GLR and subsequently, inspiration. Unfortunately, sometimes these bursts of enthusiasm come late at night when your wife is away and you are in charge of supervising the rug rats so, they don't choke on small objects or attempt to kill one another. Bored of the push up and weight routine I have been attempting and often failing to religiously stick to, I decided to bring back from old school. Result. I am not coordinated to add the jump and holy moly, I am either entirely out of shape or these burpees are far harder than I remember.

Besides the obvious visual appeal of this video, I find it comforting someone clearly in better shape than I struggles as much as I do.

Get some.

Happy BDay to Me

2012-01-11T20:45:00.000-05:00

My BDay present arrived in the mail today. Did some rough measurements and comparison side by side with my Motobecane frame and I am now very fearful that it's too small. Won't know until it's built up. Based on the On One specs, it should be right on the money. Hopeful, that will turn out be the case.

Also going to give a new style flat bar a shot.

Next big purchase plans are a White Brothers Loop Fork.

In the mail baby...

2012-01-01T21:02:00.001-05:00

Put in the order today. Settled on an 18" in Super Raw. Probably go with a 100mm fork given it's got such a short head tube and I can probably get away with it.

This is it!

2011-12-05T17:46:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my team captain, I've all but, determined the replacement for the Stumpjumper. Well, at least a start on it.
http://shop.titusti.com/collections/frames/products/on-one-scandal-29er-swapout-frame

Just look at that beauty. An estimated 3.5lbs of dreaminess. Tapered head tube. Optional Super Raw finish. Removable drop outs for geared or single speed configuration.

Can't decide on a 18 or a 19.5" frame. At 5' 11 1/2" I am debating the 18" & 19.5. Worried the 18" will be too small & the 19.5" too big.

Geometry:

	16"	18"	19.5"	21"
A	Head Angle (°)	71	72	72	72
B	Head Tube Length (mm)	105	105	105	105
C	Effective Top Tube (mm)	587	602	619	641.5
D	Seat Angle (°)	73	73	73	73
E	Seat Tube Length Centre to Top (mm)	406	457	495	533
F	Chainstay Length (mm)	444	444	444	444
G	Standover Height (mm)	757	785	800	818
H	Stack (mm)	594	603	603	603
I	Reach (mm)	405	417	435	456

Geometry based on fully extended 100mm fork

Revitalization of an old project & Stumpjumper SS is SOLD

2011-12-04T22:01:00.001-05:00

As usual, I accomplished almost nothing I had hoped to over the weekend. I did get a run in yesterday and a ride in on the trainer this morning. I had some company when my two oldest figured out they could watch tv with me while I was on the trainer and stay our reach from mom. So, I put in a decent hour's worth of riding hanging with the kids and watching The Pink Panther. Apparently, all of the work I've been doing on my bikes lately and this morning's spin on the bike was enough to rekindle some interest in a toy I was working on a couple of years back. Head2Head Sprints. So, I put in some hours today attempting to get things going again. Now I need to figure out how to set up 20" bikes on rollers and a trainer and let the kids loose.

I did however accomplish something I had hoped to this weekend. That being selling my Stumpjumper. I pretty much got what I wanted for it and looks like it will be going to a good home. A local author who recently published a book on riding the dirt roads of Washtenaw county. Who is also working on a book about cycling in Detroit. More to come after I find some time to read a copy of his book he included in the deal. I only had a chance to thumb through it but, it looks like something that will hold my attention.

Last look at the Stumpy after putting the original Fast Trak tires on it. Dang, that's a sexy bike. Going to be tough to find something to adequately replace it.
.

For Sale: 2010 Specialized Stumpjumper 29er SS

2011-12-03T14:39:00.005-05:00

Well, as soon as I work all of the bugs out my single speed (primarily just uneven spoke tension on the rear wheel), it's time for something new. I am fairly certain it is going to be hard to replace it with something that handles as well. And I am sure I am going to have to spend some $ in the deal. The main driver for doing something now is that there is plenty of time until next season to put something else together and it's still a great looking bike in amazing shape.

FOR SALE

*******************************************************************************

2010 Specialized Stumpjumper 29er SS. Size Medium/17.5. Great fit for someone approx. 5'6"-6'. This bike has been well cared for and is in great shape. The only noticeable flaws are a couple of chips in the paint on the rims, a small scratch on the top tube (pictured) and some wear on the stem from zip ties mounting a computer. No dents, No chain suck or even a scratch on the chain stays, No cable rub.

This is a top of the line single speed bike. The geometry and short chain stays provide a comfortable and incredibly nimble ride.

Bike is stock except the seat post, stem, tires, chain, chainring and cog. Pedals & Thompson seat post included at the full price. Original seat post included. Will swap out to original tires upon request. Rims are taped with Stans yellow tape and tubeless ready. They are currently tubed. Bike weighed just under 20 lbs without tubes and original tires.

This frame will accept a rear derailleur hanger so, it can be easily converted to 1X9 or 1x10.

MSRP was $2400 new on this bike. $1200 OBO. Willing to negotiate a bit but, will not consider any low ball offers. This is a good price for the parts alone on this bike. Will ship for additional cost.

Please contact me for more info or questions. wheels_emu@hotmail.com

Orginal Specs:
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=45864

Current Specs:
FRAME:
M5 manipulated alloy frame, 29" geometry, curved TT, ECBB-light eccentric bottom bracket, disc only, vertical dropouts
REAR SHOCK:
FORK:
Fox F29RL, 90mm, compression and rebound adj. w/ LO, 1 1/8" alloy steerer
HEADSET
Campy style cartridge bearings for integrated alloy HT
STEM:
3D forged alloy, adjustable rise, 31.8mm clamp - 105mm
HANDLEBARS:
Specialized XC flat, 2014 butted alloy, 8 degree backswee
GRIPS:
Specialized waffle lock on grip (15.5) Specialized Thick lock on grip (others)
BRAKES:
Custom Avid Elixir R SL, alloy backed organic pads, 160mm rotor
BRAKE LEVERS:
Custom Avid Elixir R SL Hydraulic, tool-less adj. reach
CASSETTE:
***Niner 18T Single Speed Cog
CHAIN:
***KMC 1/8
CRANKSET:
Stylo SS, 180mm
CHAINRINGS:
***Salsa 36T
PEDALS:
***Shimano 540
RIMS:
DT Swiss X450SL, 29" rim, 24mm w/ eyelets, 32h
FRONT HUB:
Specialized Hi Lo disc, CNC flange, sealed cartridge bearing, 9mm DT RWS, alloy QR, 28h
REAR HUB:
Custom DT Swiss 240S, single speed w/ 10mm RWS thru axle
SPOKES:
DT Swiss 1.8mm stainless
TIREs:
***Kenda Slant 6 2.0
SADDLE:
Specialized Phenom, hollow Cr-Mo rails, thin foam, S/M: 130mm
SEATPOST:
***Thompson Elite 30.9mm X410MM
SEAT BINDER:
7050 hard annodized alloy collar w/bolt, 34.9mm clamp ID

Mad Anthony CX Results, Photos & Video

2011-10-25T10:51:00.001-04:00

--> Results <--

--> Pics/Slideshow <--

--> Yours Truely <--

Killer Video

Mad Anthony CX

2011-10-23T10:54:00.001-04:00

Another day of firsts for this lad. First ride on my cx bike in an actual cx race at Historic Fort Wayne yesterday. The Mad Anthony CX race was a big hit. Everything went off without hitch. At least for this guy. The weather turned out to be near perfect, the course was ridiculous, intense and riot, the event well organized and I was pleased to make it through fairly unscathed with only a wipe out attempting my first dismount on my practice lap and one instance of sliding off course, being tangled in yellow tape and receiving a wooden stake to the groin.

Not a terribly eventful race for myself. My training has been nearly zip the past few months, I haven't
been riding much and showed up to "participate" more than race. Knowing the course would likely be more technical and rough than many of the mtb trails in SE Michigan, I debated all week on whether to bring my cx bike or geared mtb. Eventually, the fact I've never actually cx'd on my cx bike won out. I showed up, shot the bull for way to long and spent more time choosing what clothing I'd be wearing than warming up. Rode a practice lap at a brisk pace which included two attempts to work up the nerve to attempt the first ridiculously steep descent and what must have looked like an attempt to slide into home base on the approach to the first barrier. The gun went off and a group of approx. 30 of us were pedaling. The pace felt slow but, I resisted the urge to sprint to the front and risk blowing up on the first lap or worse, causing a multiple bike pile up as a result of my poor handling skills or inability to clear the barriers at a reasonable speed. So, I settled in off the back of the leaders and found myself in a nice gap. Far enough away from everyone that I was only a danger to myself. No real amazing events or stories to tell from that point on. I passed a couple of riders on lap two, only to be passed again after they rode a run up, I chose to run and I barreled of course and got tied up in the yellow tape marking the course. I passed them again on lap 3 but, they got ahead of me again at the same run up. Overall intensity was high but, never at the max. Laps were long and about 10 minutes a lap. On lap 1 or 2, someone near the start announced we were riding 4 laps so, my third was not all out in anticipation for a 4th. Not really sure I could have reached my max "insanity" level of effort anyway. The course was rough and very loose in many areas. My poor handling skills on the cx bike led to sketchy cornering with too may near front wheel washouts for my taste. Pretty sure, I need to drop the small block 8's and go to something with more bite if I ever get serious with the cx thing. The skinny tires are scary enough. I ended up 9th in C race. Not wonderful but, not bad. Never a bad day on the bike. Especially, spending it with a good contingent of the team and cycling buddies.

I woke up this morning awfully sore. Clearly rode a little harder than had thought. Looking back at yesterday, I am really glad I rode. I can't image a better cx course than Mad Anthony. Tunnels, climbs, moat roads, butt-hole puckering descents, scenery of a 160 year old fort and the Detroit river, you name it. Huge credit deserved by Joe Lekovish and the remaining organizers. As well as, great sponsors like Trails Edge and for course marshaling an encouragement by the BTT crew. Not sure if I have caught the cx bug but, I am certainly infected with the Mad Anthony CX virus.

Will snag the results and hopefully from pics from the net as they come to fruition.

Season of firsts

2011-09-25T14:04:00.003-04:00

Had my share of firsts this year. Unfortunately, most of them not good. I experienced yet another yesterday at Ronde Van Stony yesterday. I certainly wasn't prepared physically nor mentally for racing in any form. Considering I only had one ride on my new wheels on my cx bike and they went nearly completely flat by the following morning, I mounted up my new computer on Thurs. night and put in an easy 20 miler hoping to determine my bike's readiness opposed to discovering an issue during the race. I was quite pleased that my ride went off without a hitch and my bike seemed to be performing better than ever. Tires held air overnight and while I certainly wasn't, I felt confident at my equipment was.

Sadly, my race recap doesn't warrant much of a lengthy explanation/story. Mike changed up the start this year. After approx. a mile roll out, there was approx. 3 miles of back woods trail riding. This was a real riot on the cx bike. Especially, considering I had the tires pumped way up in anticipation of hard packed dirt roads and road. Cornering was sketchy and there were plenty of riders going down. At about 5 miles we burst out of the trail and were on the pavement. The pace was rather slow in the woods and I was feeling great. I put in a big surge and bridged to a group I could see forming up ahead. Just as I reached the tail end of the group and began to rest in the draft, the group started slowing dramatically and scattered. The terrain had changed from smooth 25mph+ blacktop and the group was greeted by a pothole ridden start to the sticky, muddy surface that would zap the speed from wheels and strength from legs the remainder of the course. I picked the best line I could through the bone chattering potholes and got back on the gas to stay with the group. I was dropped immediately. The group simply road away from me. My bike went from a smooth rolling speed machine to feeling like it was towing an anchor. I looked down convinced I had double flatted. My tires looked fine. Puzzled, I thought to myself that the group must have simply put in a surge. I followed with one of my own. My speed barely increased. I wondered if it could be my choice of tire. I rounded the next corner. I was greeted by a decent sized hill and the group that I had been riding with cresting the top. At this point I realized something must be wrong. I let off the pedals and pulled to the side. Barely coasting as my bike slowed almost immediately to a halt. I attempted to spin my back wheel and immediately realized my rear brake had seized up. Sh*t! I fought with it for what felt like an eternity and finally resorted to simply yanking on the cable as hard as I could which seemed to released it enough to ride. At this point nearly the entire sport and beginner field had past me. The race was over. I spent the next five miles repeatedly stopping and fiddling with my rear brake. At that point, I had backed the barrel adjusters totally out and had to result to taking a large amount of tension out the cable. To the point were my rear brake was nearly useless. I still haven't a close look at it but, suspect my two year old, original cables are seized up with rust.

The rest of the race was extremely uneventful. I released quite a bit of my frustration catching everyone in sight for hard 5 miles or so once I got rolling again. Which I paid for late in the race as the sticky wet mud and hills took their toll. Riding in no man's land certainly didn't help. With the lack of drafting through the day, I rolled across the finish line cleaner than most with my first significant mechanical issue during a race in the books. Bummer.

Fortunately, rarely is a day on the bike a bad day. The changes to the course this year were a real improvement, the course was marshaled and marked extremely well and it was great seeing familiar faces from my team and others and my EMU and Traverse City past. In the words of Arnold, I'll be back...

I ended up 6th in the Expert 30-39 category but, way back there. I took a look at my computer last night. Time on it included walking around after the race and the riding from the finish to my car. Just based on time I spent a minimum of 7 minutes fiddling with my brakes. In reality, likely double that.

Results

Canada Eh...

2011-08-27T14:11:00.000-04:00

PTO is about to run out for this guy as our bi-yearly trek to Canada is near it's end. Just in time to plot a plan of attack to avoid the remains of hurricane Irene as is makes it's way up the East coast and directly over Montreal sometime tomorrow.

This past week had been filled with the typical routine of visiting friends, relatives, eating good food (including my favorite Vietnamese pho soup) and of course drinking 6 months worth of Canadian beer in a week.

Thankfully, the trip up and throughout the week has been rather uneventful. Although, the boss has decided that we are going to test our luck and venture downtown this afternoon for a walk around the historic area of downtown and then a B-Day party in a penthouse apartment. Which guarantees a white knuckled drive for me and butt puckering ride for the rest of the family in the family truckster. Hoping we make it through that unscathed. As well as, the ride back and across the border.

Amazingly, I was able to take my first vacation with only having to answer emails and log in a few times (no conference calls) and we kept the non-family event outings to a minimum this week. So, it's actually been pretty relaxing. We did make a short trip to La Ronde, the local amusement park with the kids. Which is something I would put at the level of in-between a local traveling carnival and Six Flags. The lines were long and the trip was short but, the rug rats had fun just the same.

Considering the weather has for the most part perfect and despite discovering still somewhat fat *ass blew out one of the air pockets in my shoes, I have been able to string 8 days of running together. 7 of which have been at least an hour. However, I am sure I've packed on 10lbs eating and drinking the way I have throughout the week.

Wrestling the dwarfs here has been a constant reminder of how weak and how far my shoulder has to go. It's been difficult to fend off the attacks of 1/2 dozen or more 7-11 year olds with only one arm or without the ability to loft them one handed onto the couch but, I've managed. All week, I've been giving some thought to potentially racing some CX races this coming season. However, I am not sure how well I will be able to scoop up and carry my bike over barriers given how weak I am. I am planning on hitting Home Depot this coming week and making up some PVC barriers to give some practice a go.

Alright. Time to test our luck and battle through the swirl of what I can only described as the capital of the worst drivers on the continent of North America. No, not Ohio. Believe it or not Canadians
are actual worse drivers. While I have no statistical evidence and it's strictly based on my observations and experience, I would say it's a toss up between Toronto and Montreal. I'll have to give Montreal the edge. In Toronto they drive fast and unaware of other cars on the road. Drivers are out right reckless and disrespectful in and around Montreal.

Run Thru Hell

2011-08-15T11:20:00.000-04:00

Things have been pretty busy as of late. My shoulder, while very weak, is pretty operational. I spent most of the weekend before last attacking the various out of control areas of the lawn/yard. I went outside to cut the lawn and besides weed pulling and tree trimming, I ended up cutting down and stumping 6 bushes that had become trees. I also learned a valuable lesson. Don't climb a tree if you don't have the strength to support/hold your own weight with your arms alone. Luckily, I escaped another injury. My efforts were well rewarded. The lawn and what are intended to be flower beds look dramatically different and better now.

I've had very little time for much but, work lately. I've been trying to put some time into a website for my sub but, that has only seen small bursts in progress. However, this past weekend, was a bit of a GLR reunion as I was conned into the Run Thru Hell 10miler. Needless to say, I definitely didn't feel that I was prepared to attempt racing in any form. Certainly not on a rather tough/hilly course and over a distance of 10 miles. However, I was bribed and rewarded with the promise of good company and besides a few friendly faces and friends, nearly our entire GLR 2011 team attended and ran. I'll save the lengthy mile by mile details for sometime when I have more time or I suspect people are interested. In short, I went the conservative route and went off very easy. I think I was about 6:40 the first mile. Erik and I teamed up and ran nearly the whole race together. We set a goal to catch and pass the lead woman. It took 8 tough miles (the 1st place woman was legit) but, we caught her just past the 8th mile and put some good distance on her until the start of the 9th. Erik proceeded to run away from me in the 10th mile and I held on hoping the 1st woman wouldn't walk me down. Ended up 26th and finished with a 6:13min per mile average. 1st in my age group. Whoopee! While it's not great, it's sure a heck of a lot better than how I felt and performed at Corktown this past March. Especially, considering the little training I've done since I broke my collar bone. Certainly goes to show how little I did over the past Winter.

For a number of reasons, this was my first time running Run Thru Hell. Along with the Crim, it's always been one I've wanted to run. I am glad I didn't wait until I was in the "right" shape to run it.

Results

There have been some suggestions of the 1/2 @ Detroit this October. Awfully early for committing to seriousness like that. However, I may be one step closer to getting past my old mindset of not racing unless I was in peak shape.

Nearly Whole Again

2011-07-29T10:00:00.006-04:00

It's been just over a week since I got the all clear to use my broken appendage. It's been nearly 6 weeks since I broke it during Father's Day BMX mayhem when I hit one of the support beams for the roof of the Silver Dome attempting to jump 7 school buses, filled with wild grizzly bears, dodging machine gun bullets, while lit on fire, back flipping. Sounds better than fell over on the lawn. This past week has been filled with the most relentless pain I have every experienced as my shoulder muscles tear themselves apart and heal. Hopefully, getting stronger. I am probably a weak as a baby at the moment. I've been trying to use my arm as much as possible but, the relentless, bone deep pain or the fact its simply so weak makes it tough. Pretty demoralizing. This morning I tried to lift a nearly full gallon of milk onto the top shelf of the fridge. No dice. Simply not strong enough. I am happy to say that I am nearly pain free in the area of the break. There is some dull pain at the beginning and end of the day. Although the pain may be getting cancelled out by the pain in my muscle. Sleep is still near impossible. Although, I can spend a little time each night on my good side now. Which helps a little. I have this crazy idea of getting on a bike tomorrow and going for a ride on the road. It will likely need to be a mtb since I don't think I have the strength to move around on road bars to and from the hoods and etc.

Things have been pretty slow on all other fronts but, work. Which has been balls out lately. I've been getting home after 7pm and 8pm all week. It's been incredibly hot and with all of the additional distractions of the baby, my parents being in town, traffic, etc., I haven't been able to get myself in bed early enough to get out of it to run in the mornings. WTF happened to all of my post Mohican motication?

Last weekend my dad and I started on a play structure for the kiddos. The picture does not do this thing justice. It's giant. An adult can stand up in the playhouse. I took the pic with my new phone pretty much fully zoomed in from the house. Which, I am guessing is why it looks so small. After a full day in the sun on Sunday, we pretty much only had the structure/frame up. Primarily since I am still not good for much more than reading directions and passing tools and hardware. My dad has been working tirelessly through the week on it. I check in when I roll into the driveway after work to see the progress and him sweating in the 90 degree heat. You'll need to click on "View original post" or whatever the link is on facebook to see the pic. The kids love this thing.

Not a significant but, a bit of a fun fact is that I finally joined the age of smart phones this past weekend. Well besides my work crackberry. The display on my personal phone got smashed on GLR a couple of weeks back and I had been debating what to do for a replacement. I decided to bite the bullet and bought a Droid Incredible 2. Which has turned out to live up to it's name and is not only pretty incredible but, has consumed an incredible amount of my time configuring and generally playing with it, as well as been an incredible distraction. Yeah, I bought the insurance on it since I am bound to break it.

Fingers crossed I can roll on the road this without much discomfort.

Clean Bill of Health

2011-07-20T16:37:00.001-04:00

Result of the Orthopedic Surgeon appointment today was that my fracture is making good progress. The Doc wants me to start using my arm as much as my comfort/pain level allows and I don't risk or actually fall on it. Eating, driving, drinking, smoking, brushing my hair, etc. His thought is that at 6-8 weeks, I should be 100%. At least from a broken bone perspective. No rehab, no return appointments, just GTFO of his office and don't come back until I break, tear or damage something else. I told him about my fall this weekend and he claims there is no evidence I screwed anything up in the x-ray. I would have snapped a pic of the x-ray but, it looked the same as the last to me. With the addition of some unimpressive, somewhat transparent, lines of the callus forming around the bone. So, my non-professional assessment was spot on. Who needs med school?

1 Month Anniversary & GLR - End of Days

2011-07-20T10:35:00.004-04:00

Yesterday is the one month anniversary of breaking my shoulder. I have an appointment to get my shoulder x-rayed this afternoon. My non-professional opinion is that I am healing well but, i am probably at best 1/2 of where I need to be to get on an mtb with any kind of confidence I won't break it again on the first rough downhill or fall. I do have quite a bit of use of my left arm now. Though I still can't lift much. Even with all of this 90+ degree heat, I do wish I was out on the bike.

GLR was this past weekend. I often refer to this as the best weekend of the year. This past weekend once again lived up to its name or at least my name for it. Maybe more than usual. Why would someone want to spend 3 days and nights running through northern Michigan, camping, being bitten by deer flies, getting blistered, scratched and bruised, getting poison ivy, living on 4 hours or less of sleep and pop tarts and spending most of the day either crammed into vehicles smelling like dirty feet or standing outside under the sun with 9 other people? As terrible as it sounds it's simply an amazing weekend. Sure by day three we typically all want to strangle each other. But, somehow that all melts away when we reach the beach on Lake Michigan in Glenn Arbor and the last runner on the team reaches the finish.

This GLR was simply an amazing accomplishment for myself and my team. This year started to off be no different than most. In the beginning of the year we could have fielded 2 or 3 teams with all of the interest. By June, we were scrambling to complete the team of 10. This year we were still 2 down with less than a week remaining before the relay. In the end, over 1/2 of the team had changed from itsoriginal roster. This year's team ended up being a combination of 2 teams that ran last. Plus, two late additions. The Wines brothers (Wade, Chad & Matt), two former EMU ladies (Megan & Lauren), one of their fathers (Tim), a friend of a former EMU lady that was previously on the team but, had to cancel (Kaili), my former EMU teammate Lee Shaw, Erik the survivor and I made up the team. Many of us were ill prepared for the relay and certainly did not expect to be contending for the top 5 positions as we typically did in years past. It turned out to be a great dynamic. This year above all others, the team motto was simply "Have Fun." And that's exactly what we did all weekend. Everyone put in a solid effort running their legs and was extremely supportive to the others. We were lucky to have a handful of stronger more prepared runners to handle the longer legs and we managed to barely stay under the concurrent cut off each day and contend with approx. the top 20 positions/teams. Certainly not the front runners. The weekend was filled with an unbelievable amount of stories and comical moments. Simply too many to attempt to write about and many of which you would have just had to be there to experience. However, the climax of the weekend was certainly hanging out with the other teams and EMU alumni at the beach on the final day. The setting was perfect and after a weekend of running through exhaustion in 90+ degree heat, everyone was in the just the right mood to let loose and enjoy the afternoon. I haven't had a day/night like that since December 19th, 2009 when I woke up with a 6 inch tattoo of Michigan on my rip cage. No tattoos this time but, definitely a hell of a week. I am sun burned as h*ll.

On top of all of the other challenges this year presented., I personally probably shouldn't have even attempted GLR. Broken collar bone aside, I ended up getting antibiotics for strep throat on Thurs. the day before the first morning of the relay. I can handle pain but, I am the first to admit I am not much short of a baby when I am sick. And I was really sick. The drive up and Thurs. night I was miserable and pumping myself full of Motrin so, I could swallow without wincing in pain or at all for that matter. We put the game plan together for the weekend on Thurs. night so, I opted to make Fri. my shortest day of the weekend with a 7.6 miler. I was so out of it, I honestly don't even remember running much it. I do remember that is was primarily on the Shore to Shore trail and the footing was terrible. I was running in new shoes and was afraid to lace them too tightly. Which resulted in some serious blisters that would plague me throughout the remainder of the weekend. Day 2 was another day of almost entirely on the Shore to Shore trail. Much of it a reverse or duplicate of the day before. The trail is tough describe but, it's probably the worst running surface imaginable. The trail is narrow, over grown, full of rocks, sticks and other debris, hilly and worst of all, primarily sand. Needless to say it's tough and the second day of it kicked our *sses. I ended up taking a fall on Day 2. Right onto my bad collar bone of course. Given the terrain, I was trying to play things smart and take it easy on the downhills. However, I got passed by another runner and my competitive nature took over and I gave chase. Resulting a fall down a sandy hill shortly later. Prior to that, I has some use of my shoulder. Post, I had to hold it locked into one position to prevent it from giving me pain. I was still a bit of a wreck on Sat. The antibiotics were helping. However, I had almost no voice, falling certainly didn't help and the sun and heat were exhausting. I finished up my second leg of the rather uneventfully. By Day 3 I was feeling a bit better. My shoulder still hurt but, wearing two pairs of socks really helped with my blisters on Day 2. A thankfully, Day 3 is primarily on dirt roads. I was tired of running 7+ minute miles on death marches in the woods the days prior and decided that despite lack of conditioning, illness and injury aside, I was going to light up my first run of the day. We had been chasing 2 teams of college runners throughout the morning. They were probably 3 minutes ahead of us and I decided that they would make a good target on my leg. A straight 5 mile run, down dirt roads and over some serious rolling hills. So, I let it hang out and went for it. I held 6 minute pace for 4 miles catching 2 teams. Unfortunately, I didn't make up much ground on the college teams and with the heat and all other factors was clearly running above my ability. Not to mention the last mile of the course was getting pretty hilly. Considering I had another 5.5 miler to run later in the day, I backed it down and ended up averaging just under 6:10 pace. Pretty d*mn proud of that one. My last run was "The last hill and testament." I can describe this to you in three words. Hills, Sand, Confusion. This the leg where most everyone gets lost if they have not ran it before. I certainly would have as well (and actually did a few times) without my team providing vehicle support and following me through. So why is this leg called "The last hill and testament?" Because most of the last mile is seriously uphill. Two in fact. Roughly equal in size. On 100+ degree blacktop. I gutted out the climbs to the top. Thankfully, with a hand off of water from my team 1/2 up the last climb and GLR was done for me. The ride to the last legs in the ridiculous heat passed quickly. Soon I was knee deep in Lake Michigan, with a beer in my hand, surrounded by beautiful scenery, with great friends, waiting for Matt to arrive on the last leg. Those that know me know I am not an emotional guy. (Man loose my man-card for this next statement) However, as I stood there and looked out at the lake a strange feeling came over me and I am pretty sure I may have shed a tear. I certainly didn't beat cancer or something amazing like that but, I certainly had my share of obstacles to overcome and I am certain most wouldn't even have attempted, let alone been able to pull off what I did over the weekend.

I am proud to say our rag tag, injured, ill-prepared team gutted out a 13th place finish in the Open Division. With the effort we put in, I would have been proud with DFL!
Results

Will I back at GLR next year? I don't know. I still have crazy notions in my head about taking a run at this 100mile mtb thing. Which will likely conflict with GLR. Either way. This year, like every year, was fantastic in it's own way.

FYI. Apparently amazing is my new word. I suspect I used it 50 times in this post alone. Also, I've officially lost 20lbs in 2 weeks. I lost the week prior to the relay due to being sick and another 10 over the weekend. So, at the end, I was just under my ideal weight. I weighed in at 163lbs. I am sure at least 10 of it is mostly due to dehydration so, It'll likely pack back on quickly. But, damn. That's a ton of variability in weight.

Seriously?

2011-07-12T08:19:00.000-04:00

As if I don't have enough to overcome before and during the weekend, being sick is not going to help. So how does one get sick in the summer time? Children. Apparently, they like to pick up throat swelling viruses year round. This is no real news to me given I've been a parent for 9 years now. My daughter has tonsils the golf balls at the moment. Doctor says it's viral not bacterial. What do I start feeling last night? Yeah, sore throat. Try to get a full nights sleep (still impossible with shoulder) and how is it in the morning? Worse. Now sinus congestion as well. What now? I guess it's, bring it on M F'er.... No time to feel sorry for myself this week.

On a positive note, I snagged this from someone else's blog. Made me laugh out loud at work this morning.

Some Improvement...

2011-07-11T09:48:00.001-04:00

3 weeks deep into this fracture and I finally feel like I seeing some improvement. This whole experience has been a roller coaster. Week one, I was optimistic and had the motivation to do things like ride on the trainer, week two I was just pissed and did pretty much nothing, week three I was just too busy throughout the week to even think about much of anything but, work, errands, and kids b-days. However, with GLR just around the corner, I had been planning to run on Saturday no matter how good or bad my shoulder felt. Considering our team was already 2 team members light at that point, I needed to figure out if I was going to be able to run or we were really short 3. Which would likely cause the weekend transform into an extended drinking trip. My pain had actually subsided greatly in the middle of last week and I'd say I had about 25% function of my left arm. I got home at a decent time on Friday and despite the 90 degree weather, I decided it was a good of time as any to test out the shoulder on a run.

The initial 1/2 mile of the run was admittedly pretty worrisome. My collar bone was clicking when I walked at some points over the past few weeks and was again doing so when I ran. Each click was followed by dull pain. Not sharp, causing you to collapse pain but, dull stomach turning, "something is not right" pain. It was probably in no shape to be running. I couldn't swing my arm and struggled to find a position that would minimize the clicking. I found that if I pressed on the top of my collar bone with my opposite hand, it went away. Likely be cause it was bending and flexing each time my left foot landed and the pressure help prevent it. As I left my sub and ran down the ~400m of side walk that leads past the other entrance of the sub, I had bit a mental debate with myself. The net was an agreement that if the pain became no worse before I hit the next entrance, I would shoot for my 45 min loop. If it did, I'd turn, tuck my tail between my legs, turn and walk home. About 40 mins later, I had run my 45 min loop + a little extra in 49 min. The run was slow, incredible uncomfortable, awkward and I probably something I should not have done but, I finished it.

I am sure someone will read this and think, "What an idiot. You should be taking it easy and not push yourself so early." Well, after an 1 1/2 ride (longest ever) on the trainer on Saturday, guess what I did? A legit 7 mile run at legit 7 min pace. Shoulder muscles cramping in an attempt to immobilize my arm the whole way. For those that know me, these types of decisions are not out of character. I tend to put my head down and try to run through obstacles, versus use my head as it was intended. Anyway, I decided that this was "ok" after my shoulder seemed to be in no more of less pain on Saturday. Even after, washing the cars on Friday night as well. Monday am. Still very little pain and a decent amount of use out of my arm. Guess I am planning to test the quote of the Ortho. "You can't screw it up."

So, this morning finds me with a little bounce in my step despite sore legs. Not only does it look like I'll be able to run (partially crippled) GLR but, we filled the 2 open spots on the team and even picked up a 3rd vehicle so, we don't have to rent one. Looking forward to a short work week and a long weekend camping and hopefully running across Michigan.

Fun Monday Fact: I have always found it interesting how much my weight can fluctuate in a short period of time. I have officially gained 13 lbs in 3 weeks. Some would say that's highly unlikely but, the scale does not lie. Pretty disturbing consider that, while I am no He-man, I have likely lost muscle mass in my shoulders and chest due to lack of use of my upper body. I could certainly feel a little jiggle in my wiggle running this weekend.

Back to the grind

2011-07-05T09:14:00.002-04:00

Not that I got a huge break this weekend. Worked a full day in the office on Saturday and then a frustrating partial day on Sunday working (well mostly just talking on the phone) on stuff that's entirely not my responsibility. But, back at it today and my sweet view of the elevator shaft.
Saturday pretty much blew for obvious reasons.

Sunday am turned out to be somewhat productive. I once again followed my dad around in the yard and handed him tools (much like I did when I was about 5) while he dug up, repaired or replaced the remainder of the abosultely broken or barely working sprinkler heads in our yard. I think we messed with about 20 in all. Yes, that's basically everyone one of them. The remainder need to be repaired or dug up and leveled but, my dad doesn't have the stamina he used to and wore out pretty quick. I'll try to get to the remainder once I am in one piece again. I clocked one run of the sprinklers running for 10min per zone on the water meter. The result was about 1200 gallons of water! That's probably going to result in $10-$15 per run. Yeah. We probably won't have a lawn resembling a golf course anytime soon. After a few hours of phone calls for work, the pm was filled with BBQ at the neighbors and then fireworks at night. Even though we chose to drive since I am all gimped out, turns out that the show is pretty much in walking distance from our house.

Yesterday am was spent, once again, following my dad around while he trimmed bushes at our house. I was pretty happy that I was able to start the blower on my own and actually help. Yeah, the little things. We spent the afternoon with the family at my Aunt and Uncle's. Way too much good food and a few hours on my Aunt & Uncle's giant inflatable water slide for the kids. Turned out to be a pretty nice day.

GLR is taking more turns for the worst. We lost yet another from our team Sunday. So, we are back to 9 runners. If I can even be counted. Even though my arm is pretty much useless, my shoulder was feeling pretty good yesterday am. I was actually pretty optimistic I'd make some good strides towards recovery this week. I have managed to will myself back on the trainer the last couple of days and since I never got around to putting a computer on my cx bike, I was using my phone to keep time. About 50 minutes into it, I took a peek, my phone slipped out of my right hand and the left instinctively reached for it. I heard "pop" and then lots of pain. Apparently, my screams could could be heard rather clearly upstairs. Even over the TV blaring. Now my collar bone once again clicks when I walk and certainly is not feeling anywhere near as good as it was late last week. Regardless, I've pretty much put my mind to it that I am going to attempt running this Saturday. No matter how good or bad my shoulder feels. Our most recent runner to drop was going to be the guy I expected to pick up any legs I had to pass on over the weekend. Looking at the remainder of the roster, I am probably going to have to run all my legs. Which will be anywhere from 24-30 miles over the 3 days, on uneven terrain, in 80-90 degree heat, dehydrated and sleep deprived. Normally, not a big deal. Right now. Pretty nerve racking.

Glad this is a short work week. The best Monday's are the ones that fall on Tues.

2 week countdown

2011-06-30T09:55:00.004-04:00

Two weeks to the day until I am supposed to have my sh*t together and be on my way up north with 9 others ready for the best weekend of the year. At the moment, I can barely walk down stairs without wincing and gritting my teeth in pain and still can't sleep worth a damn. My motivation and optimism is dwindling to the point where all that remains is anger and the desire to punch myself in the shoulder. Yes. It's been contemplated. Actually, more of a karate chop than a closed fisted punch. Haven't even bothered with the trainer the last two days. The weather has been beautiful. Just the thought of getting on it makes me want smash it on the basement floor. I don't know how I can possible run GLR if I am not running by next weekend. My body will simply reject my legs for the first 5 days as it alwasy does when I start back running after time off. Even if my shoulder feels 100%.

I find it so strange that exercise affects my mood so significantly. The weather certainly does have a huge impact (winter blows) but, an hour long run seems to leave me with a buzz and sense of accomplishment that lasts the day. The combination of a summer day and 3-4 hour ride and I am good for days. This is something I've never been able to explain to someone who doesn't feel the same. You either know the feeling or you don't.

I listen to this at least 3 times a day at work hoping it will fire me up enough to get out of my slump. Hoping to get back on the post-mohican kick, get those new wheels on the bike and most importantly heal and cheer my sorry ass up.

I am ready to kill the next person that gives me the whole "it could be worse" sh*t after they ask me how I am doing/feeling. I could have cancer, my kid could have run over by a car, my parents could have died, I could catch my eye lid on a nail jumping off a ladder, I could be paralyzed, you name it. You are right. Those would suck more but, this sucks too and you asked me. Reminding me it could be worse doesn't make me feel better. Just reach for a blunt object. Don't ask me how I feel if you don't want to know the real answer. It hurts and I can't even pinch a loaf without sharp pain. Try that on for size some time.

1 week and a day

2011-06-27T09:30:00.000-04:00

1 week and a day. Not much in the grand scheme of things. However, I've grown pretty tired of being near helpless and useless. I am pretty impressed I held out a whole week remaining positive but, now I am basically just pissed. I spent most of yesterday following my dad around our yard handing him tools as he dug up and replaced 10 or so sprinkler heads. (And there is more that need to be replaced. Probably all of them in the end. Houses blow). My contribution was primarily pointing out what needed to be replaced, carrying my dad's knee pad and aquiring a sun burn on my bald head. Worthless. I am mostly tired of the fact that I am tired. I slept like a baby the first night or two but, I have to sleep on my back and remain entirely motionless or I wake up due to sharp pain. So, I never seem to stay asleep for more than an hour.

I have a mental list running of what sucks about having a broken collar bone. Which seems to grow hourly. I've been trying to put a positive list together. So, far it's got 3 things. One of them is "At least I am not paralyzed." Probably doesn't really count. I hate the whole "It could be worse saying and attitude." I hear that 50 times a day right now. Lately, I want to drop kick anyone that says it to me in the collar bone. Another is that I am getting a decent sized lump on my collar bone. Which for some reason is amusing to me. Maybe because it freaks people out.

GLR is about 2 1/2 weeks away. I am still holding out hope I'll be able to run by then. With exception of the first day after my breaking my v*gina, I've been on the mind and butt numbing trainer an hour a night. Primarily, because I don't want my body to go into shock if I can manage to put the pieces back together by mid July. I tried to bail out of the relay all together right after my slip and flop but, I've been told by a few on the team that I am going or they are not. Even if I have to walk all my legs. Good to be loved.

I've got 8 children and 3 women in my house this week. Discovering what they've destroyed when I come home should keep my distracted this week. Hoping by then, I'll be near pain free and can then focus on some of the things I want to to do before Michigan freezees over to stay motivated.

Enough To Make A Grown Man Cry

2011-06-24T08:30:00.003-04:00

With all the drama over my shoulder, I had almost forgotten that I ordered two new Stan's wheelsets just a short time back. A set of for the StumpCreaker since I am simply finished with the stock wheels, their mismatching spoke tension, creaking rear wheel and dealing with mounting tires on wheels that are barely large enough in diameter to mount tires tubeless. Plus, a set for the cx bike to replace the rear wheel I flat spotted when I hit a pot hole at 25+ mph a couple weeks back. Now I can go tubeless on all my bikes.

The reminder came when I received a text at work from my wife that my wheels were at home. I didn't want to come home. What a bummer. Two new wheel sets and the only opportunity I'll possibly get to ride them in months will be on the trainer in the basement. If I knew how to cry, I would have when I arrived home to see the boxes. I didn't even want to open them but, Brian, our team captain convinced me to. In order to ensure they made the trip without incident.

The pictures kind of blow. These things are gorgeous. I've never seen a truer rims. While it's a bit of a downer to have new parts sitting around while I am broken, certainly feeling lucky to have to Stan's as a sponsor on the team. It's pretty sweet to get a chance to get to ride on stuff like this.

No Surgery!

2011-06-22T15:30:00.001-04:00

New shots of the collar bone. I was left along for 20 minutes to stare at these. My palms were sweaty and I was literally sweating through my shirt in anticipation/fear. Thankfully, I have my friend Wade (who's going into Orthopedics) to share the xrays with before the Dr. walked in. He was reassuring me I would not need surgery but, I was still a little freaked. I love you in a non-homosexual, brotherly way Wade.

The xrays look worse than Sunday don't they? However, As bad as it looks, the Orthopedic Surgeon's words were...

"We treat these non-surgically."
"It looks like it's already healing."
"You are going to have one heck of a bump due to the angle it's at."
"You should feel 100% in 1-2 weeks but, it could take up to 12 weeks to fully heal."
"You can't screw it up from healing as long as you are not causing yourself pain." ---Which includes running and bike riding!

Not the month I was dreaming of but, good news just the same!

Observations with a Broken Collar Bone

2011-06-22T10:14:00.001-04:00

Things that suck or are surprisingly difficult or annoying with a broken collar bone

Peeing standing up without your pants dropping to the floor. Makes for good bathroom convo.
Surprise attacks from a 9 year in Karate who you typically spar with
Dropping something and instinctively reaching to catch it
Eating a Jimmy Johns sub sandwich
Being dependent on voice dialing when in the car (I f***ing said call Mom, not voice message Dad! WTF?)
Having to put your wallet, two cell phones and car keys only in your right hand pockets
Socks
Roll down car windows
Key card security doors
Pouring milk
Washing your hands
People asking my why am at work
People telling me it’s not that bad because I don’t appear to be in any pain
Unsolicited medical advice from IT professionals
Having to sit up to hit the snooze button on my alarm in the morning

I rode on the trainer for an hour last night. Managed to get the cx bike in the trainer without help. Zero pain as long as I kept things reasonable. Days off are for p*ssies. One hour on the trainer still sucks. Even with a post-mohican warped sense of time. Was happy to get something in.

Also tried out some new chain lube after borrowing some from Bryan at Mohican. Pro Gold. It seemed to loosen all of the White Lightening chain lube I had on on cx bike chain which had become a sticky, black, gunky mess. Resulting in it flinging off into pretty large spots on the floor and all over the rear rim. Drive train was certainly quiter though and the chain looks clean after just a quick one handed wipe down.

See the ortho today. A bit terrified at the moment

Life is not without challenges

2011-06-20T07:26:00.002-04:00

So, I take an embarrassingly slow and light fall on my son's bmx bike yesterday and hear a pop in my left shoulder. Stand up to shake it off and realize, Sh*t! I just broke collar bone. How is that possible? I cart wheel and endo off my bike pretty much every ride. I didn't put my arm down as I hear is typically the cause for such an injury. It didn’t even hurt. WTF? Do I have some sort of bone depleting illness? Am I 90 years old? I am typically a pretty hard MF. Guess not any more. Happy F***ing Father’s Day! Oh well. I have to deal with it now. So, I announced to the family and rest of the folks at the party we were at what I had done. Get a few shocked faces when I share what apparently is a deformity hiding under my shirt and we set out to the urgent care.

Spent the excruciatingly long wait at the urgent care between constant asks if I need something for the pain (Apparently I look like a junkie or was supposed to be in more pain) texting all the people I knew that had broken their collar bone and the surprising number of Physician Assistant friends I have. Hoping to hear something along the lines of “Oh you’ll be running in two weeks with no pain. Lay off the MTB for about 4 and you’ll be hitting weights by 6.” The responses vary but, average out to be about 6 weeks. An eternity.... I talk to the doctor who pretty much tells me that given the fact I am in so little pain and can force my arm up so high, that he doubts it’s broken but, he better get some xrays to be sure. Ya think? After more inquiries about whether I need something for the pain (apparently I am supposed to be leering from it) I finally get some xrays. I bounce off the table when I realize the tech has them up on the computer screen. She tries her best to run through the prompts but, I catch a glimpse and ask her “That’s broke all the way through isn’t it?” Her response “Yeah. Completely but, I didn’t tell you that and you didn’t see it until the doctor shows it to you.” After a redundant confirmation with the doctor and some more reassurances that pain med are for pu**ies on my part, I am out the door with my gift copy of my xray and parting words "partially fused in 3 weeks. 100% in 6." It sounded like 2 years when he said 6 weeks.

Kids were still up when we get home and I get to open my Father’s Day gifts one handed after removing my son’s bike and bike rack from the van. Much easier said than done with one gimpy arm. Apparently, the kids had some time while I was in the urgent care and made me cards. My daughter’s had the best quotes “Why did you throw your sunglasses out the window?” and “Sorry you broke your bone.” Obviously, evidence I was less than thrilled about my situation on the way to urgent care.

Trying to find some positives through all the negatives. So, far I’ve enjoyed telling my wife I need help wiping my butt. She’s less than thrilled with the jokes and the whole situation.

Need to go get a second opinion from an ortho shortly. The Dr. at the urgent care advised against a sling. His claim was the bone was aligned well, it wouldn't help if heal much faster and I'd be in physical therapy for weeks if he gave me one. Plus, I didn't seem to be in enough pain to warrant one.

BTT Super Epic - 6/18

2011-06-18T15:00:00.001-04:00

Gotta keep it brief. I am supposed to be working on a presentation for work.

Turned out to be an awesome morning. Up at 4:15, out the door at 4:47 and met up with Tom Sterling @ 5:15 for the ride into D-town. Turns out it's 30 miles to Fort Wayne and the start of BTT versus the 20ish I had thought. So, I knew once we arrived at the Fort I'd by putting on some serious miles on the bike today. Even if all of them weren't going to be blazing. So, it ends up being about 90 miles to ride to and from my place and to the ride the ride itself. Throw in some loops on the hills in downtown Northville (Why am I doing hill repeats after 90 miles of riding? I must have a screw loose.) and that equals 100. That's my first 100 miles on a bike in a day outside a race. The ride in and out was definitely some good training 18-21mph all the way on the MTB. I think I averaged about 16mph if I recall what my computer stated. Yeah, BTT is a pretty chill ride and pulled the average down quiet a bit. Great to see Andy E., Andy S. & Jason from the team. Enjoyed the ride back with them. Plus good seeing the some of the BTT regulars. BTT Super Epic completed. Nice turn out for the ride as well. I believe the count was 40. Still can't beileve that Andy can remember everyone's name so quickly.

Tried something new and dumped the pics I snapped from my picasa album versus a link. Hope they don't swamp your browser. The pictures don't do the ride justice. Riding in the D is a riot. So much to see and so much character. Still debating commuting in on Mon. & Fri. Even after discovering it's going to be over 30 miles one way. Need to get the Motobecane cobbled back together first. And I am a pretty ugly dude. Even uglier at 6am in the morning. Evidence below.

Beat The Train Super Epic in the am - I Hope

2011-06-17T21:34:00.000-04:00

Weather is actually looking promising in the am tomorrow. Gonna have to be up and on the bike at about 4:45am but, it's going to be awesome. First shot at the BTT ride from Plymouth in the morning. Hoping for about 85 miles just riding into and back from downtown Detroit and the ride itself. Hoping I have the legs to add on and make it a century. Going to be my first ride attempt with a camelback as well. I hope my light still holds a charge. The battery is pretty old and I only used it once last year. Damn that is a lot of "hopes." I am probably destined for trouble.

The Redline is going to get it's second non tag a long pulling ride ever in the am. It's coming together nicely. Put my new seat, computer on and cut down the bars tonight. Still rocking an anchor of a cassette. That and a switch to a small block on the front and she's race ready. Betting I'll be messing with the seat position all day. Didn't even sit on it. Oh well. Rock n' Roll!

Random Friday Thoughts

2011-06-17T09:17:00.002-04:00

Woke up at 4:15ish when the wife woke to feed the baby. Couldn't fall back asleep.
Laid in bed making an attempt at sleep until ~5am. No dice.
Near 60 degrees this morning. Did someone say bike ride?
My wife looks pretty when she sleeps. I much prefer it over when she walks through the house frowning and slouching.
My new blinky light fits two of my bike saddles. Maybe because they are the same.
My cx bike looks funny with 700X32, smoothy tires. Like an old Schwinn or something.
Apple Cytomax tastes good before 6am.
I love my cx bike. It seems to fit me perfectly. I love not having to avoid anything and still go fast with big but, smooth tires. I need to order some wider bars for it. Sometimes I wish it had 175mm cranks. It'd make mashing up hills more painful and fun.
Why do I like wide bars on road bikes but, narrow on my MTB's?
Hines Drive is amazing on a summer morning. It's no Blue Ridge Parkway but, still beautiful. Saw a motorcyclist stop and take a picture of the sun rise. Certainly a beautiful morning.
I barely rode last year and even less this year. My shoes are squeaking like crazy and clearly are not as rigid as before. I hate creaks and squeaks. Need to go into Trails Edge and look into some carbon shoes.
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is still an unbelievable song. Came on when I was in the car yesterday. I about blew the speakers out of the doors. Still raging in my head.
Can you taste air? Spring/Summer air is so much different than Winter air. I swear I can taste it.
Time is still flying by when I run or ride. 9 hours on a bike has done strange things to my internal clock. I wonder if 9 hours on a bike would seem long now? Oops, I've been riding for 40 min. Time to flip and head back.
Lumberjack is tomorrow. I am hoping to get some real time updates from the folks supporting the team during the race. I need to send of some form of insulting but, motivating text messages tonight.
I want to ride a century this weekend. I have never done one outside of a race. Tomorrow's probably my only window. More rain forecasted. Sh*tty. Most importantly, I wanted to make part of it the BTT ride. Miss those.
Why does my knee hurt when I ride my bike but, not when I am running lately? Totally opposite of usual.
I need to put a computer on my cx bike. I should have been more careful with my Garmin last year. How fast am I going?
I rode up and down 5 mile hill for 30 minutes on Tues. Why is it so steep today?
Why do I sweat so much? This is why I can't seem to finish a race with my sun glasses on. I fill them with sweat and they become a foggy, blurry mess.
I think I could commute to work 2-3 days a week if I didn't have to carry a laptop. Even it it's 70+ miles a day. Maybe I'll try it in July if I get the Motobecane built back up.
GLR is going to be great. I think I am going to take my car this year. Even if someone will have to lay down in the back seat to fit. I need to bite the bullet and get a new car. Mine stinking like sweaty feet may be just be the motivation.
I think I will take the kids for ice cream tonight if the weather is good. Maybe to the Dairy Go Round since it's a little farther. Evan will get a kick out of measuring the distance if I can get the computer I ordered for him on his bike before hand.
Friday is "no shave" day! My head at least.

8 days streak

2011-06-13T09:32:00.000-04:00

8 days. 1 day of cycling and 7 of running. At least three runs over an hour. What is the significance of that? It's the most training/exercise I've strung together in a row since 2009. I know, pretty pathetic. But, a win none the less. After a week of running in worn out shoes my knees are saying "loose some weight, get some new shoes or ride some of the $6k in bikes you have rotting in the basement." My mind and body seems to say " I want more." I am amazed at what 9 hours on a bike ending in near exhaustion results in. Besides some sort of a spark in motivation, it's made a 45min run fly by in what feels like 15. Now that "fingers crossed" the weather seems to have broken, I think I'll plan to get up in the am and climbs some hills on the cx bike. Maybe get in a couple of loops on Maybury this week as well. Hoping to make it out to Poto or somewhere fun this weekend.

More rain = Buzz Kill

2011-06-10T16:15:00.001-04:00

Rain Rain go away. I wanna ride my bike today. Well tomorrow. But the forecast is worse. Guess I am back on the bi-weekly cycling program.

Mohican 100 - A Suprising Success

2011-06-06T22:40:00.005-04:00

Wow. How to summarize a 100 mile race. Especially, one with as versatile and challenging of a course as the Mohican. I could write a novel.

Short Version…

What a grueling course. It was packed full of the widest variety of terrain I’ve ever ridden. And who could forget, climbing. A ton of it. It was certainly a challenging course and day. Poor choices in what I put in my mouth and heat made it even tougher. It took everything I had to finish up the last 10 miles of single track. Overall, just finishing the race was extremely rewarding. Pulling off a near 9 hour time and hanging about after the race knocked it out of the park.

Long Version…

Pre-Race:
After a panic packing session and minor freak out over fear my bike was not fit to cover the distance Thurs., teammate Bryan Deal and I headed out after cutting the workday a little short on Friday. Thankfully, Loundonville, OH is only a 3ish hour drive. Even though I had to take a few work calls in the car, the drive seemed to work out of my pre-race jitters that had me squirming in my chair at the week wore on. We arrived in the knick of time and picked up our race numbers and drop bags. We had plenty of time to grab dinner and a beer or two at the Mohican Tavern and discuss drop bag strategy before a minimal amount of pre-race prep and lights out at the Blackfork Inn bed and breakfast. Which turned out to be a great place. Not only for the fact it was about ¼ mile from the start of the race but, the owner’s (Sue) hospitality, ice cold a/c and complementary ear plugs if the trains that ran near by. Which certainly wasn’t an issue on the either of the nights. It had been a long week at work. Lights out by about 11pm was no struggle.

Start:
Moments later, alarms were going off and after a snooze button or two, we were up and around. Breakfast and dropping off our drop bags at registration left us with an hour to spare before the start. Which raced by. Before we knew it, we were pedaling to the start. Since Bryan and I signed up, race strategy was going to be to ride together, just finish and have fun. We hadn’t discussed race strategy for about a week and I am pretty sure our conversation amounted to “ok, I’ll see you out there.” However, though was due to the fact that we had heard there was a good deal of flats on the course, on the SS, I’d likely be naturally faster on the climbs and considering Bryan is a dive bombing death machine on a geared bike, he’d likely catch me on the down hills and on the flats. Given my race strategy was “just finish and have fun” and I didn’t plan on going all out any time near the start, that was probably a decent plan. Bryan and I showed up roughly 5 minutes before the start and lined up near the rear. We were informed about a minute before the start that most of the 100k field was in front of us waiting to start 15min after the 100 milers. We did out best to work through the pack but, we didn’t make it far enough to the front. I am pretty sure we were the last two people to leave the line for the 100miler after fishing our way through remainder of the 100k racers ahead of us. So, that race strategy we worked on. Yeah, that didn’t last a mile. There is a pretty decent climb just about a ¼ mile from the start. Seeing the rate of climb I knew there was no way I wanted to hit it with zero momentum. So, I hit it with speed and rode up it off the saddle and probably put 50 people behind Bryan and I. I figured things would probably flatten out at the top or even better descend. Giving Bryan the chance to catch up. Wrong.

Start to Aid Station 2:
It wasn’t long before we were off road. It’s really tough to describe this section. It’s about 30 miles with some pretty technical sections. Log piles, rock gardens, some stream crossings, at least one hike a bike and lots of roots. Not to mention climbing. Lots of climbing. Then descending. Then more climbing. I think the only way I can describe it or put a frame of reference around it is riding Poto and Pontiac Lake back to back with more climbing and obstacles. I certainly wasn’t burning the candle at both ends but, I was catching and passing quite a few people just due to the fact I went with 2:1 gearing and the geared bikes were spinning away in granny gears on the slightest sign of ascent. For a guy that has been riding on a trail about once every 2 weeks, this section was tough. I was feeling really off in regards to my handling skills. I managed to pull off two endos. One on the first log pile. Which I going to blame on rider traffic and not having enough speed to clear it. The second was entirely my fault. I got hung up on a root in a corner and went right over the bars. When once I got up I realized that my bars had twisted all the way around and were locked by the fact I didn’t raise my brake levels high enough to clear the frame. It required use of my multi tool to loosen then retightened the lever and get things back in order. I later discovered I had been exchanging places with the 2nd place women for most of this section. After my crashes I was getting pretty cautious in the rougher sections. I found it easier to follow her and as literally ran away from me on the descents and I caught her on the climbs. All of the climbing and single track with little room for passing pretty much put a bullet in the plan to ride with Bryan. I was highly doubtful he had the opportunity to close up the gap.

Aid Station 2 to 3:
After some 40+ mph descent and a decent amount of climbing on some dirt roads just prior to aid station 2, I was excited to make my first stop of the race. I had made the mistake of only taking 2 water bottles at the start and not stopping at Aid station 1 to refill. Plus, I was basically out of gu, shot blocks and etc. I was thirsty and starting to get hungry. So, I drank and ate a little of everything that was there besides restocking and ensuring I left with 3 water bottles this time. Coke, Heed, Endurolytes, etc, etc. Now the first 30 or so miles were definitely tough but, even though it was nearly 100% road, the next 14-16 were honestly the toughest part of the race. At least from my perception climbing wise. By this time, I had thrown out my initial race strategy and like a whiny kid, I was honestly upset I put a big scratch in my top tube when I drug my brake lever over the top of it during my second endo. And for some sadistic reason, I love climbing. Pedal mashing, leg burning, shoulder cramping, wind sucking climbing. So, I let it hang out a little more than I should have. I rode every one but, one climb until the next aid station. Which I didn’t make it up due to traction.

Aid Station 3 to 4:
I had no intention of stopping at aid station #3 when Bryan and I prepped a bag for it. I figured it’d be a good “just in case” decision. Boy was I glad did. I had already knocked back two water bottles in my fit of climbing. Primarily because my stomach was rather upset from the mess I put into it at aid station 2. I asked to have my water bottles filled with just water and rolled out. By then it had gotten pretty hot. The aid station was approx. 46 miles in and I figured that it was time to see what I had in the tank. So I mashed up the hill that immediately followed the aid station passing a guy in an ASU jersey and another rider. As soon as, we hit the single track (again up hill) I realized I my legs were fried. So, I hopped off and walked it. The single track portion of this stetch seemed grueling. I felt like I had very little left in my legs so, I walked most anything uphill and remotely technical. I rode most of the leg with Ryan (guy in the ASU jersey). We eventually got out of the single track. We seem to both feeling about the same and riding/walking the same sections. Turns out he’s also from Michigan and is running the GLR (http://greatlakesreleay.com) this July. I was glad to have him around. I think we kept each other moving. Eventually, we got onto the road and things got easier. At that point, I realized if the race was indeed 100 miles of single track, there was no way I would have been able to finish. We were probably about 60 miles. I was honestly worried there was going to 40 miles of single track ahead.

Aid Station 4 to 5:
At this point the race is a bit of a blur. Aid station 4 was approx. 72 miles into it. I ditched my spare tube at this point so, I could carry more food and was still riding with Ryan from ASU. I also believe we caught a guy in an orange bike barn jersey and we rode together a bit. Could have been just before it. Things are pretty fuzzy at this point. This stretch had some monster hills I had to walk but, if my somewhat delusional memory servers me, it had a good 10 or 15 miles of rail to trail/roads. This terrain felt effortless for me to spin on when I was seated. I dropped everyone I was riding with and picked off a few single speeders in the process as well. Which I admit got my spirits high and motivation up. I stopped in at the unofficial mile 80 aid station, refilled on water and kept rolling. Picking off people along the way. I was geeked I hadn’t run into much, if any single track. I still felt like I had nothing left if I mashed off the seat but, great if I could stay in the saddle. At this point I started to get mixed in with some 100k riders. Which again gave me someone to catch & pass. I caught and traded positions with another 100 miler for at least 10 miles. Oddly, I’d pass him on the flats and he’d catch me as a walked hills.

Aid Station 5 to Finish:
Aid station 5 was approx. 10 miles from the finish. I let the guy I was riding with know I had enough to drink and nothing in the tank. My 2:1 gear ratio had finally taken its toll on me. I was concerned if I stopped, it’d take a fork lift to get me on my bike again. So I rolled right past the aid station. The single track started almost immediately afterwards. Luckily it seemed to be more downhill than up but, my legs were toast. Any climb that required me getting off the saddle got walked. Anything technical, again, walked. The rider that hit the aid station with me caught me nearly immediately. I think he ended up putting 7 minutes on me in the last 10 miles. Thankfully, there were more 100k riders on the trail so, there were riders to chase. The distraction really helped. Though it excruciatingly difficult (probably the hardest 10 miles on a bike of my life), the last 10 miles actually passed rather quickly. I rounded a corner and could see Mohican Adventures. Unfortunately, as they had done many times in the past on the course. They directed the course up more climb, then across the stream and eventfully across the finish. I was exhausted but, very happy with my finished when I looked up and saw that I was near 9 hours. I had decided about ½ through the race anything under 10 hours would be a success. I hung around the finish and chatted with racers that I had recently finished with about the race. I was wiped and had put a 9:09. Good enough for 15th. Not too shabby for a washed up distance runner that only rides his MTB once every two weeks.

Post Race Party:
After riding back to the bed and breakfast, Bryan and I showered up and headed back to the finish to collect our drop bags, eat and sample some of fantastic Great Lakes Brewery beer on tap. I have to say I enjoyed hanging around after this race more than any other. May of the top riders were still hanging about to watch the awards and Bryan and I got a chance to meet some great people. I am interested in seeing some pictures of the race. I must have looked like death on two wheels at points during the race. Especially at the end.

Will I be back next year? Possibly? Will I be rocking the single speed? Probably going to take a challenge of my manhood or a request to pace or ride with another fellow single speeder.

Results

Mohican 100 In Less Than 24hours

2011-06-03T13:47:00.001-04:00

Departure time is 3pm for the Mohican 100 tomorrow.

Am I prepared physically? No.
Do I have a strategy for the race? No.
Do I have a plan for hyrdration and nutrition? No.
Is the bike ready? I hope so. Pretty sure it should have gotten a new chain and some brake pads before the race. Possible the ebb disassembled & cleaned as well. Gonna ride with fingers crossed.
Am I freaking out? Totally.
Am I excited? Hell Yes.
Most importantly, I hope 2:1 gearing is not going to result in a death march/ride.

Wish me luck and that things stay dry.

Dyno Day @ The Car Guys Garage

2011-05-14T14:05:00.000-04:00

Got a chance for a little high octane, high horse power fun this morning at The Car Guys Garge in Pinckney, MI. My dad brought his car down for a little tuning on the dyno with hopes some small changes and tuning would be enough for him to break the 9 sec barrier in the 1/4 mile this season. It was a pretty eventful morning. Unfortunately, not for good reasons. I had to make run up to Discount Tire due to a screw in the side wall of my dad's trailer. Plus the car was missing pretty significantly on the first pull and the rest of the time I was able to spend at the shop was primarily used up chasing down the miss that continued occur around 6000rprm. Plugs, cap, rotors, wires etc. Plus, a jet change in the carb were all attempted. I did get a chance to watch a 1/2 dozen or so pulls. Which was a pretty cool sight and a near deafening experience. Even with the missing, the car was still putting down a solid 600hp to 630hp at the rear wheels on each pull.

Here is video and some pictures I snapped at the operation. In case you are wondering, that's a 1967 Chevy II Nova with a 572 cubic inch motor. The motor put out 958hp on a motor dyno before it was put in the car. All motor. No turbo, super charger or nitrous. The pictures don't due it justice. Especially, because I took them on my phone. It's probably one of the nicest car's I've ever seen. And I'm not saying that just because it's my dad's car. The orange car is the shop sponsored car. I beileve I overheard it runs mid 7's in the 1/4 mile.

Not so much Mud, Plenty of Sweat, Lots of Beers

2011-05-13T16:32:00.000-04:00

Looks like Blogger is back in action after a short stint of technical difficulties.

The 2nd edition of Mud, Sweat and Beers went into the books this past weekend. This year's race was even better than last year's. The large start groups were broken up into smaller waves, the course was marked extremely well and left no doubt on which direction should be taken, the course was pretty much a legit 20 miles, there was an addition of quite a bit of single track, a mud pit was added to the finish and beer tents, bars within and food stations were multiplied. All of this not only made for a great race but, post-race experience. The weather forecast looked to be chilly but, the sun came out and temps climbed comfortably into the 50’s. I was happy to try out our new team shorts.

I am not going to lie. My race performance was nothing better than lousy. My start was fantastic. I shot out off the line and tucked into 3rd. A position I knew was doubtful I could retain. However, it kept me out of traffic in the narrow, winding start. The first section of the race is rather sandy and very hilly but, wide open trail. On one of the first down hills another single speeder decided he wanted around me, made a pass, jumped onto the best line in front of me (the line I was following) and almost immediately went down in the only muddy spot on the entire course. In the excitement, I tapped my front brakes in the attempt to avoid the yard sale and went down right behind him. Luckily, we didn’t connect and it wasn’t a bad crash but, my acrobatic maneuver to avoid the other rider put my stem in my crotch. Ouch! After shaking off the pain in my "groin area", I realized the largest, sandiest climb was now staring me in the face. I made an attempt to run up the hill as waves of riders passed me. To be specific, 14 single speeders and unknowly, at least one of the women experts. The rest of the race was exactly as I remembered. Besides the addition of the single track, the course was either serious pedal mashing climbs with an immediate decent following or spinning out in long flat areas. I thought I was being wise switching to back to 2:1 gearing after Yankee felt like it pushed me close to death but, should have held out another race. I was way under geared. I found myself stacking up long lines of riders in the single track, holding my own and making some gains on the hills but, I was simply getting walked away from on the flats. I’d reel a fellow single speeder in within a few yards on the climbs, at points pass them on the down hills and then they’d simply pass me back and disappear from sight on the flats. The latter ½ of the race had so much flat stretches, I lost contact with all single speeders ahead of me. I was a little bummed most of the race considering I knew plenty of single speeders passed me in the beginning and I knew even 10th place was out of reach. However, I had thought I caught and passed the lead expert woman in the early single track sections. That wasn't the case. 2 more slipped passed me at somepoint. Most likely at the wall considering I opted not to walk up it and took the winding route through the notched trees. I almost made it up whole thing until a rider got their bars wedged in between trees. I certainly was not nearly as spent at the end of the race this year as last. I remember the last climb feeling next to impossible last year. I cruised up it with ease this time around flashing the thumbs up to former highschool and college teammate Joel Gaff who was snapping pics. The mud pit at the end was pretty uneventful. I was in a pretty cheery mood considering I thought I had finished in front of the expert women and attempted to hit the deep end of it. Which turned out to be the shallow end. I am hoping to find a picture of it. I got all freaked out just before hitting it thinking I had too much speed and was going to endo. I am pretty sure the look on my face was priceless.
The post race festivities didn’t disappoint. Fellow teammate Bryan Deal made the trip up with me. We hung out with my childhood through college friend Sam & Brent Sheffer. We enjoyed some of Sam’s famous home brew, some of Traverse City’s finest Right Brain micro brews and pulled pork sandwiches. Even though it never made it passed the 50's, I managed to get a little sunburn.
Will I be back next year? I certainly think so. My personal fear is the popularity of the race will increase and force the number cap to be raised to point it it’s simply not fun anymore. Like a similar race in November in the area. I am hoping that fact that parking is so limited will prevent such a tragedy from occurring. Unless the organizers loose all senses and think shuttling folks around is a good idea. There is even talk of friendly wagers on fastest time on a bike costing <=$50 next year.

Did someone say beer?

Results

April Showers Bring Big Giant Dandelions

2011-04-29T09:45:00.000-04:00

Things have been very busy since the arrival of our newest. Especially, given he's been pretty fussy. As always, my wife has been amazing with him. I do what I can but, certainly don't have the stamina or maternal instinct to make me Super Dad. Certainly an area I need to improve in. It's been a realy joy. It's already hard for me to remember life without 3 kids.

What’s up with this weather? There seems to be no end to the rain and cold. Despite the cold, Spring seems to have powered through and started making an appearance. Things are beginning to green up and before I know it, there may even be leaves on the trees. But, what did all these April showers bring my lawn? Big giant dandelions. Hundreds of them. Huge ones. Even after I treated the lawn. I didn’t notice until my Grandfather commented on them the last time he was over. So, now we have bare spots from lack of watering, areas of dead grass due to grubs and weeds galore. I need to take some pictures of these beasts. Not only do I have some work pulling weeds ahead of me, I think it’s time I hire a professional to battle these lawn issues before things get even more out of control.
I mailed in our team’s GLR entry yesterday. Team name is officially “End of Days.” I am pretty excited. In preparation for the race in July, I’ve been trying to run 3-4 times a week the past two weeks. At least 45 min at a time. I still have a loooong way to go. However, my 45-50+ min loop is becoming a 43-45 min loop pretty consistently. I am sure it’s in part, due to the weather and lack of snow on the ground. But, I am hoping it’s partially due to my conditioning improving.
I haven’t ridden a bike since Yankee. Not good. There has just been too much rain and no chance to hit the windows when it’s let up. I hear the trails aren’t terrible but, they still have to be pretty muddy. I am hoping to get in a ride early tomorrow am before the kid’s karate class. It’s going to have to early. It looks like it’ll be chilly and I am doubting Maybury, the only chance in close enough vicinity to me, is going to be in good enough shape. So, I’ll likely be Hines and hills in Northville.

Excuses Are Simply A Lack Of Preparation

2011-04-23T11:26:00.000-04:00

Well, if excuses are simply a lack of preparation, I've got a lot of preparation in front of me.

So, let's get these out of the way. Last weekend was the Yankee Springs TT. And let's say, my results were less than I would have hoped for.
Excuses:
#1 - Wore old contacts: Lost one late in lap one, the other early in lap 2. Rode most of Lap 2 with severely impaired vision.
#2 - Did not go over bike prior to riding it: Chain was not tensioned enough. A mis-hap with a stick easily dismounted it early in Lap 2. I nearly called it quits after multiple attempts to get it back on and thinking I'd need to loosen and re-tighten the bottom bracket with my multi-tool to get it on.
#3 - Wrong gear ratio: I need to admit I am not the crank mashing beast I tell myself I am. 36/17 with 180m cranks is just too much for me to pedal. I am going back to 2:1. Even 2:1 with the 180m cranks may prove a little stout. Pretty sure this was a major contributor in my less than pleasant Iceman performance last year.
#5 - First Single Track of the Year: Athough, I seemed to hold my own, I was pretty rusty in the turns. Something, I am admittingly not that great at. Even when I'm in my grove.
#6 - (The obvious) Lack of conditioning: Not going to lie. I was gased the last 1/2 of the second lap. I was wishing gears towards the end. I've been trying to run a bit. With a little weight loss, I hope to be tearing it up soon.

In the end my performance was only good enough for 16th out of 21 that finished in Expert 30-39. A far cry from last year. I would have faired about the same in the Expert/Elite SS category. Which I would have signed up for if I had known they were riding 2 laps. Given I did ride a single speed.
Good Points:
#1 - The weather held out. I have to admit. I am pretty much the definition of a fair weather rider. I dressed right and the re-gained feeling in my fingers shortly into the first lap.
#2 - Great to see the team after the long Winter and non-existent Spring.
#3 - Great to finally get on the bike. I think once my conditioning gets a little better, it may actually be fun again.
#4 - When I was riding, I was constantly catching people throughout the race. Not that people didn't blow by me like I was riding with training wheels but, certainly a good feeling and evidence things should get better as I get some time in the saddle.
#5 - Taco Bell. Sure seems to tast the best after a hard race.

Elite/Expert Results

Looking forward to Mud, Sweat and Beers. I read there will be a mud pit at the finish this year.

Corktown 5k from my personal Ground Zero....

2011-03-19T10:47:00.002-04:00

I'll start this off on a positive note. Corktown 5k was a blast. The weather was great. Given the record number of attendance. Parking was a mess. Luckily Bryan, Lee and I rode down together, found a spot at the last minute and ended up parking in pretty much a dead end alley. Turns out that there is actually Canadian property in the US. Lee discovered this after narrowly escaping an international pooping incident on the property next to the alley. Not expecting much, I hadn't thought much about goals for the race or what I would deem this a "successful" race. After some discussion, I settled on 6 minute pace or better and a top 50 finish since that would result in a beer mug. Hoping, I could suprise myself and crush those hopefully easily obtainable goals The start was congested as I remember it being the year before but, Lee and I managed to tuck in near the start and got through the abrupt first turn without a hitch. I ran the first mile with fellow EMU Alum Scott Setkze in 5:36. And it hurt. It felt like an all out sprint. I was pretty surprised at how close I still was to the front at the turn around. I wasn't surprised that last year's race experience repeated itself. The 1.5 mile return felt like 4 miles up a never ending hill. At least this year the wind was less of a factor. My next mile was spot on at 6 minutes. While I was miserable, I was holding out hope I'd be able to at least maintain the pace. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. In ended up crossing the finish line in 18:36 in 50th place. Just barely reaching my mediocre goal of 6 minute pace and a beer mug. I'll admit, I was concerned I was came in > 50th when I crossed the line and was relieved when I was handed a mug. Lee and I caught our breath and circled back to provide Bryan some "support" as he made the last turn to the finish then continued to jog (I pretty much limped) looking for anyone else we could spot from the team. In the end, our team's finish was good for 3rd in the Pub team category.

1 Lee Shaw 17:44
2 Adam Wheeler 18:36
3 James Senska 19:17
4 Bryan Deal 24:38
5 Scott Simpson 27:41
6 Cristine Simpson 27:45
7 Phil York 29:37

Team Race Results
Overall Race Results

Post race festivities were fun. It was great seeing friends from not on the team but, EMU after a long winter of hibernation.

Now for the negative. 18:36. Officially, the worst 5k of my life @ the Corktown 5k last weekend. No further proof required. I am in the worst shape of my life. It's no surprise. I haven't been doing much of anything since June of last year. I fool myself and string together three days on the trainer or a run or two on the weekend. Then follow it up with a 2-3week block of couch surfing. The scale doesn't lie either. I am above 180lbs at the moment. I have a laundry list of excuses. Some are better than others. At least I can do 50 push ups without stopping. I guess that's something.

So, if my worst 5k isn't some motivation, a look through the pictures from last weekend and the cast of characters that finished ahead of me may be. Damn. So, I am officially at my personal ground zero of personal fitness. It's going to take some dedication to even get to the 1st floor. May have to set a lot of "just finish and have fun" race goals this year.

Corktown 5k tomorrow

2011-03-12T10:15:00.000-05:00

Corktown 5k tomorrow. Supposed to be a record turn out tomorrow. I remember the start was madness last year. Wondering if that's been changed up for this year. I'd have to look up total registrants for last year but, I remember seeing the other 1/2 of the race still heading out for almost all of the 2nd 1/2 of the out and back course.

Chances I'll be running on one leg tomorrow. It's so sunnny out I am struggling not to go out and attempt a 30 minute run. Even though I know I'll be sore at a minimum. My knee just got to the point that it doesn't hurt to walk or stand up off the couch our get out of my car. Most likely, because I haven't attempted to run since last weekend. But, it's soo sunny out. Alcohol should dull the pain post race tomorrow.

Daddy's getting a new toy

2011-03-08T08:36:00.000-05:00

A shiny new D680 frame picked off of ebay just yesterday. Imagine this in 1X9 with a Reba. That'll pretty much be it. Let's hope it arrives soon.

Tigertown 5000 - http://tigertown5000.com

2011-03-07T22:22:00.000-05:00

Spent some time working on the website for my single favorite race south of the Michigan border Tigertown 5000. Updates to the site include some general housekeeping, new logos and most importantly integration with runsignup.com for not only online registration but, the ability to view participants online. A feature I have not seen from many of the registration sites.

The race is not until July 23rd and my knee hurts so much I can barely walk at the moment but, I am still pretty excited. Liberty Center, OH is a great venue and welcomes the race with open arms. Not to mention we usually have a great EMU alumni turn out so, the pre-race and post-race activities make the the event a must attend event.

Happy to be a part of it. Even if it's a just a small part helping out with the site.

Hope to see you there.

Viruses and Malware suck

2011-03-05T14:26:00.000-05:00

Only thing worse than having a virus yourself is when your computer has one. My laziness to create a back up for my wife's new computer finally bit me in the a** today. She picked up her laptop and was greeted by a gift. A new app called Sytem Tool. Looks kinda legit at first site. This thing sucks. Not only does it make your computer runs like a snail, it throws endless annoying prompts and messages, can't be closed and even won't let you see the task manager to kill it manually. The worst part is, it holds your PC ransom demanding you subscribe, ie. pay money, to change it's settings to deactivate it or at least get it to not run on start up. Apparently, this is a sneaky devil and evades nearly all antivirus software and uses tricky trojans/copied legitimate prompts to update windows, java or etc.

Some what legit looking app.

Sweet message on the desktop.

After some googling, a safe mode boot, registry key and file deletion, things seem to be in ok shape. Fingers crossed it's handled. I am in process of creating a system back up and boot disk now.

We need a new amendment to be able to hunt people who create stuff like this down and kill them. No trials, no appeals, just shot on the spot. Yes. I mean that. I can't even image what it must be like for someone less computer literate than I am to deal with this stuff. Guess it's what keeps the Best Buy Geek Squad in business.

And why F do computer manufacturers not just give you a DVD with a factory image for you computer? Burning one yourself takes forever. I would have gladly paid the extra 35 cents it cost them to include it opposed to wasting hours doing it myself. Jerk offs.

Too many races, too little time.

2011-03-05T12:21:00.000-05:00

Trying lock down a race schedule for this year. With the baby coming, they never ending projects on the house, kids activities and whatever else, it pays to have a plan. I am simply overwhelmed with trying to lock down a decision on what races to put on the calendar. I am trying to stick to one a month. July is impossible with two of the greatest running events on the planet. I am finding it near impossible to make a decision on August. Maybury XC, Ore to Shore, 6 & 12 hours of Pando, Big M, Stoney. I want to do them all. I'll likely have to make fate decide and determine which one or two I choose as the date draws closer.

My training has been nearly none existent over the winter. Work, commuting to and from work, house projects and being sick are the story of my winter. I seem to be just kicking my sinus infection and was hoping to run this weekend. But, of course, it's looking like it'll rain 24 hours a day both today and tomorrow. I don't know why I abandoned my pre-work, workout schedule. It's the only realistic timeframe that I'll be consistent. Oh yeah, because I am a night owl and HATE waking up early.

Nothing really exciting on the bike front for this year. I am hoping to win a Redline D680 frame on ebay I am currently bidding on. Coupled with a new set of bars and MRP chain guide, my Motobecane will be reborn. I am hoping to wear through its drive train using it tow my kids on the tag along on many BTT rides on Saturday mornings. My Specialized StumpCreaker will be receiving at least a new set of Kenda tires (hoping the Slant Sixes will be available and as light as Small Block 8's), likely a slightly longer stem and possibly some new bars as well. Still kicking around the idea of ditching my Fox fork for a White Brothers.

Man Cave v1.0

2010-12-06T21:21:00.000-05:00

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?

2010-11-21T11:19:00.003-05:00

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

2010-11-07T19:45:00.004-05:00

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

2010-10-27T14:22:00.001-04:00

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...

2010-10-04T21:07:00.000-04:00

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

2010-09-25T21:41:00.003-04:00

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

2010-08-18T13:26:00.000-04:00

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

2010-06-06T14:34:00.001-04:00

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!

2010-06-05T09:16:00.005-04:00

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

2010-06-04T08:41:00.000-04:00

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**

2010-05-30T23:23:00.005-04:00

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!

2010-05-18T13:20:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-15T16:45:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-13T21:53:00.002-04:00

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

2010-05-02T11:47:00.005-04:00

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

2010-04-29T09:02:00.003-04:00

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

2010-04-25T17:59:00.001-04:00

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...

2010-04-24T10:41:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-22T21:51:00.001-04:00

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

2010-04-20T22:29:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-18T19:56:00.005-04:00

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...

2010-04-17T18:38:00.003-04:00

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...

2010-04-16T15:09:00.002-04:00

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!

2010-04-11T19:46:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-10T17:00:00.001-04:00

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...

2010-04-07T13:14:00.001-04:00

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

2010-04-03T13:25:00.006-04:00

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

2010-03-30T23:26:00.006-04:00

(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

Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition Part 1

2010-03-29T23:22:00.011-04:00

"You guys might not know this, I'm kind of a loner. I kinda think of myself of a one man wolf pack."

My teammate Bryan Deal and I had the pleasure of making the invite list to what can only be described as Spring Mountain Madness in the Smokies coordinated by teammate Tom Sterling and his close friend and cyclist Michael G. A trip that simply can't be summarized in a few simple words. Each day deserving a least a short story and/or list of highlights and mishaps. The following is what remains of my memory.

Departure and Warp Speed to Gatlinburg, TN.

We were locked, loaded and on our way from Tom's by 11:30 with bikes in tow on quite possibly the best rack on the planet on loan from our team captain which seemed to be perfectly designed for Admiral Sterling's Envoy.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

After a quick assessment of all necessities for the voyage it was apparent the crew of the SS Envoy would certainly perish on the journey due to boredom or insight a mutiny without essential XM satellite radio entertainment. Understanding the severity of the situation, Michael sprung into action, dialing XM radio to mitigate the potentially deadly situation. Using his powers of persuasion he was able obtain a 90 day free trial of XM radio. After only a few minutes the radio sprung to life and the crew of the Envoy quieted. It was then that I first noticed the hint of red clothing peaking out from under his collar. With our new source of musical entertainment, black berries and hours of conference calls, the drive flew by. With the exception of a roll over accident in southern Kentucky, traffic was unbelievably light. Apparently, the driver lacked the third grade education to comprehend the recall notices they had been receiving in the mail for the Firestone tires on their vehicle. You could clearly see the tread peeled from the rear tire of the SUV as it laid on it's roof. Luckily the family looked more shaken than stirred as all 8 that had inhabited the vehicle sat outside it as the emergency crew attended to them. As we neared Gatlinburg Tom's patience wore thin and he decided to engage the Envoy's warp engines, powering us in speeds in excess of 100 mph. We arrived at our top secret destination in Gatlinburg at approximately 8pm. 6 hours ahead of schedule.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

(Not really, the speedometer broke but, we did arrive at 8pm.) Our accommodations were amazing. A two bedroom condo, equipped with a full kitchen, fire place and balcony with a partial view of the mountain and overlooking a small river/creek.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

Less women and children, the group moved with incredible efficiency, unloaded and headed to the Smokey Mountain Brewery. Our overly friendly waitress Brandy ensured our grumbling stomachs were satisfied with some fantastic house burgers and wings with signature sauce, while our thirst was quenched with some fabulous porters and ale. Brandy also combated our sarcasm and poor jokes by nicknaming Bryan "Mouth", threatening to no longer serving us and tell us stories of her childhood, education and children. After a short walk home and a Guinness or two around the fire it was lights out at 11:30.

Ascent, Wind Burn and Frozen.
Our excitement stirred us from our bed at approx. 6am. Given nothing is open or working except the grocery store and police before 7am in Gatlinburg. Including the TV. The decision was made that a grocery run would be the best use of time before breakfast. In usually man-fashion, we ventured out without directions to find the nearest grocery store. Using Tom's interna-man-compass we found the store and stocked up on vital supplies for the trip. After a fantastic, oatmeal, raisin and brown sugar breakfast at the Log Cabin Pancake House we huddled around Tom's computer to plan the timing of our ascent to Clingmans Dome. Hoping to avoid as much of the forecasted 70% rain as possible. Given the temperature was near it's predicted maximum for the day (high 40's), we decided no time was better than the present. It was during our preparation that our suspicions were confirmed. Michael G. was no ordinary man. He emerged from his room dawning his crimson red, crime fighting, bulletproof, super hero uniform. We were in the presence of Bikeman.

After wiping the tears of joy from my eyes, Bikeman pryied Bryan from his leg and the excitement faded, we gave the bikes a final check over and left to begin our 20 mile ascent.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

We made a short stop at the visitors center just outside of town and the scenic road began to wind and reach towards the top of the mountain obscuring our view ahead. The climb was serious from the that point on. The elevation was steep and I was forced into my second to lowest gearing almost immediately (42-23). Within the first mile I was already having an internal debate of whether I had been too confident and my choice not to gear down my bike for the trip was a mistake. I think Bryan was doing the same as he questioned whether his conditioning was going to be sufficient to last the day and he remainder of the rip. The rest of the climb was a challenge but, pure enjoyment. With the group in tow, Bikeman would power up a series of switch backs for a mile or two then we'd regroup, rehydrate and refuel at an overlook or point where the shoulder had widened. The leafless trees offered an unobscured view of the scenery. As we climbed the temp dropped, snow appeared in the ditches and the once running water turned to ice. Probably 14 miles and 11 or so into the climb and ~1 from the road to Clingman's dome, the wind picked up and the rain started. The wind was intense and seem to freeze our sweat soaked clothes almost instantly. As we rounded a corner further up, the wind became almost over powering. Bikeman and I had gapped Tom and Bryan. Realizing I was a mere mortal and did not posess the power of flight or fire, Bikeman noted that we may need to make a call on whether to continue or begin our decent. We decided to climb one more switchback and make a call at that point. Coincidentally, around that corner was the Newfound Gap overlook. We decided it was a good place to regroup and make a decision to continue or turn back. We again regrouped and after a quick chat with a clearly starved for human contact, Appalachian trail, hiker. Tom's internal man-compass was telling him the road to Clingman's Dome and the final 7 miles of ascent was just around the corner. So, we decided to continue our climb. As we neared the road a construction worker posted in a truck rolled down his window and flagged us down to Guard posted informed us that the road was not just closed for the season but, unpassable due to construction. Give the weather, that was all of the information we needed. The rain had picked up and the weather quickly deteriating. The temperature had to be near freezing. We used a snowbank as a make shift camera tripod and snapped a couple of group pictures and began our decent.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

This was the point that I realized that I was not only in the company of one man that possessed super powers but, two. Bikeman and Tom began their decent ahead of Bryan and I. At this point the roads were completely wet and we were freezing. With both men possessing the power of flight, Bikeman and Tom were completely out of view after only a few turns. It was clear they were hovering just above the pavement in order not to draw too much attention as they bombed down the mountain at speeds exceeding 40 miles an hour. At points the actually caught traffic, causing them to pull over in fear of being knocked out of the way. Being mere mortals and fearing for our safety, Bryan and I decented together at a much more conservative speeds and only reached a maximum speed of about 38 mph. It was unbelievable rush on the downhill. While traffic would catch us on the straights, we'd quickly gap cars as we winded through the hair pin, 20 mph turns. My hands and toes were freezing and my metal brake levers felt like knives cutting into my hands. Bryan I stopped twice on the way down to regain the use our frozen appendages. The super humans awaited below in the visitors center warming themselves under the hand dryers. We pedaled back through town to the secret hideout with a total of about 32 miles for the morning. We were completely frozen. We huddled around the fire place to try and warm our near frozen feet and hands. After warming up a little, I looked over my bike and realized I had burned through at least 1/2 of the new brake pads I had put on for the trip. I don't think a hot shower ever felt so good. There was a period where my toes felt as if needles were being jabbed into them as they regained feeling. After cleaning up and the super heroes changed back into their disguises, we headed over for the buffet at the Log Cabin Pancake house. Salad, soup, fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, pasta, you name it. It was fabulous. The afternoon slipped away.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

The group cleaned their filthy bikes and we napped as Micheal attended to some business over the phone for the Daily Planet newspaper or wherever he works. The peer pressure and shine of the other clean bikes in the condo was too much for me to bare so, I decided to clean up the Frankendale a little. After wiping down the rear tire, I discovered it was indeed a good decision. The sidewall of my rear tire had been sliced at some point on the ride and he tube was bubbling through it. It was nearing 5pm so, we needed to act quick. Bryan sprang into action and performed a quick search of the area for the nearest bike shop and we raced to the Envoy. After a quick call to the first bike shop to confirm their location and hours we discovered it was closed. However, in the spirit of true southern hospitality, the person on the line offered to meet us later that evening in Gatlinburg with a replacement tire. Being a risk adverse person, I decided that it'd be best to hedge our bets and try to reach the next closest bike shop and take the kind stranger up on his offer if our search for the shop was fruitless. At this point we had only an hour to travel to the next closest shop Shifting Gears which was located approx. 15 miles away in Sevierville. Now 15 miles does not seem too far. However, in the Gatlinburg area, it is at least an hour drive and we only had about 1/2 of that. Even with Tom driving no less than 120mph now (speedometer still broken), it was going to be tough to make it. Traffic was a mess and the GPS useless. It had us driving in circles. After a series of calls to the shop and friendly directions, we made it to the shop 3 minutes before closing time at 6pm. We receive fantastic service, chatted about our adventures and attempt on Clingman's Dome, purchased an inexpensive tire and some brake pads (just in case), got great directions on how to get back to Gatlinburg and avoid traffic, discussed some other potential rides in the area and were on our way. Many thanks to Shifting Gears. Not only would I recommend them to anyone based on their customer service, they really saved my behind.

From Precision Adventures - March 2010 Edition

After installing the new tire, cleaning and taking all of the new slack in the brake cables on my bike, we had dinner a nearby Mexican restaurant and washed it down with the perfect beverage to accompany the meal, Dos XX's amber.

Stay tuned. More to come.

Finally! No more Gears.

2010-03-21T13:41:00.006-04:00

The Motobecane has officially been converted to single speed. It's also got a new set to Kenda small block 8's. Test ride around the neighborhood scheduled for the afternoon. I can already tell you that I am entirely unhappy with the tensioner I put on. Well maybe it's not the tensioner's fault but, it's use with my particular model of bike. The whole reason I bought it was because it was one of the only ones I found that was a "push up" style. However, with the particular gearing and length of my chain stays, I was only able to use it in "push down" mode. I am hoping I can it positioned the way I want if I put some 1/2 links or something in the chain later. I would have just threw on a smaller cog but, I want to stick with 2 to 1 gearing out of the gate.

What a freaking ordeal the conversion and new tires turned out to be. I had to make an emergency run to Jim's to get a presta adapter to use my compressor to inflate my tires and get the beads to set. I spent at least an hour pouting over the fact I couldn't use the tensioner the way I wanted and I was barely strong enough to get the tires on. They are tighter fit than my Pythons. Which are actually tubeless tires. To top it off, I discovered that my rear derailleur way so loose, it was ready to fall off my bike (that would have been sweet at Iceman) and I need about 1/2 of my spokes replaced in my rear wheel. The 2 or 3 times my chain sucked in between my cassette and spokes last year pretty much sawed them in 1/2.

Hopefully a spin outside will stop all of this whining and complaining. But, first to clean up the mess I made of the basement.

***UPDATE***
Went for spin. Bike road fantastic. The drive train is totally silent. Before I left, I decided that I would try and figure out why my handle bars were creaking the last few times I rode my bike last year. The bottom two bolts on the face of the stem were finger tight. I am not sure how the bars weren't spinning in the stem. I am shocked they held up at Iceman.

Tigertown 5000 - July 24th, 2010

2010-03-20T11:40:00.000-04:00

Well, after a short mental debate, I've decided to skip the Tree Farm Relay for the Tigertown 5000 this year. I've missed it the last two years and Mr. Desgrange has stepped up his game with an official beer sponsor and post race hog roast. Can't pass up the chance to hang out with my former college team members, a night out in Liberty Center, a small but, well run race and a great after party.

htttp://tigertown5000.blogspot.com

Another week down.

2010-03-19T20:10:00.001-04:00

The work week really flew by this week. It was a crazy week. Lots of estimating and planning to do for a large effort April-July.

The wife and I went out to the Our Lady Peace concert at the Fillmore last night. I was feeling a bit under the weather before we left but, it didn't affect me to much. It was nice to have a night out with the wife without the kids. We don't get a chance to get out that often. The concert was great. OLP is great live and the Fillmore is such small venue, there is not a bad spot in the place. Once we were there, I kinda wished we would have brought a camera but, I suspect pictures would have turned out terrible in the dark with all of the lights in the light show. So, it probably wouldn't have been worth the hassle of carrying it around.

This morning was another story. I woke up miserably sick. My ears and throat hurt. Some of the world's best remedy for sickness, Theraflu, got me through the day. It was basically 70 degrees and sunny in SE Michigan and the weather forecast is looking terrible for next week. Bryan from the team had sent a note that he was heading out to Hines after work and I just couldn't pass up the chance to ride on possibly the nicest weather we'll see here until April. So, we met up and rode out to Northville and back. We crossed paths with Melissa from the team on the way back. Ended up getting an easy 26 miles in. Hoping the fresh air did me some good and I'll wake up feeling better than this morning.

Rain, Sweat & Beers!

2010-03-14T21:18:00.005-04:00

A handful of the PrecisionMTB team made an appearance at the Corktown races this morning. We had small but, good group. Bryan Deal, Jim Senska, Andy Staub, myself and Andy E. and his family cheered us on. We were fortunate that the rain, which had been relentless the day prior and the morning of broke just in time for the race. The start of the race was a real site to see. There was sea of green shirts, hats, beads, face paint and in some cases, fish net stockings. The race was an out and back. We went our directly into a head wind. I went out in what I felt was a conservative 5:25 first mile. I heard the split at the mile, did the math in my head, knew I was on pace to break my 17 minute goal and felt good. The competitive blood started boiling over in my veins and I put in a big surge passing a small group of runners that had slowed due to the increasing head wind. I surged for what equated to approx. a 1/2 mile. Then the reality of my 170+ lbs and lack of running came drushing down upon me. I struggled through the nex 1/2 mile and came through mile two in 5:49. At the time I wished I hadn't heard the demoralizing split. I knew 17 minutes was now out of reach. I tried to fight the burning in my lungs, the cramp forming in my diaphram and the lack of power in my legs through the next mile but, it was all over. I was spent. The next mile felt like two. I was so disoriented that I was looking ahead for some kind of landmark to gauge the distance remaining that and didn't even see the old train station. As I neared the turn into the finished, I clicked off my third mile split, 5:56. I rounded the corner and cruised to the finish. Not much else to say about the race other than, I am worse shape than I had hoped and I officially ran the worst 5k of my life. 17:47. On a positive note, I did see a quite a few familiar faces and friends from my high school and college days. That alone made the day.

The festivities after the race turned out to be much more enjoyable. Bryan Deal and I ended up at Corktown tavern with Andy Staub, Jim Senska and a few friends.

In the end, we had a blast and are planning to be back next year.

Lot's of work left to do before the GLR. Can't wait for the weather to break. This rain is miserable.

Mak'n the best of it.

2010-03-13T21:58:00.000-05:00

Well, this crappy weather was good for something today. The kids and I took another tour of the Henry Ford Museum. The kids had a blast. We used the little machines there that create little injection molded cars and trucks and I had to keep them from running as they pretended to race them through the museum. They even had the big steam engine running while we where there. That's are real site to see. Almost as cool as the giant locomotive they've got in there.

I even broke out the trainer this evening and put in a solid 30 minutes. Compared to the hour long spin class this morning, things were much more enjoyable on the trainer.

I've been day dreaming about the new bike a ton lately and keep having what I can only describe as "daymares" that I am going to get the bike and it'll be too big and I'll be all laid out and miserable on it. Knowing the road bike I have is even larger than the Giant I have on order, I decided to officially check my saddle position with a plum bob tonight. Turns out I had my seat in completely incorrect on my bike. I had it as far forward as possible when it really needed to be back as far as possible. I always felt so stretched out on my road bike. Which was one of the reasons I had the seat forward. Even, though looking at the pictures of me in a road race last year, it was clearly not the case. I clearly ride in a more upright position. But, I felt that way anyway. Especially, when riding on the hoods. Even after moving the seat back, I am still sitting a little upright compared to the rough check of having the bar obscure the front axle of the bike. I did some spinning on the trainer and it felt good so, I will give it a shot. I also changed my cleat position on my shoes. I clearly had them too far forward. Way in front of the center of the ball of my foot. I have nice crack that has formed in my shoes that made this pretty clear.

Corktown 5k tomorrow. Hoping we aren't rained out.

100 days to LJ

2010-03-10T09:27:00.000-05:00

It's now officially 100 days until Lumberjack. Plenty of time to prepare. With all of this spring weather, my training intensity is down but, my time spent training is up. Spring is about to bring its endless amount of rain. Likely throughout the weekend. Hoping that I can get a ride in between showers on Saturday and the Corktown 5k is not a wash out on Sunday. I avoid running in the rain as much as possible. The result of getting caught in it usually results in 2 weeks off due to blisters. I am really hoping for nice weather so, I can commute down to the race by bike with some of my fellow team members.

First week of the change in diet/livestyle has been a wash. Still 172lbs. Guess I should stick to the program.

"Honey, if you need me, I'll be outside."

2010-03-09T15:42:00.002-05:00

55 degrees and sunny out right now. I am crawling my cubical at work. Ready to get outside and play. I was debating spin class. Not a chance that I stepped outside and saw this lovely weather. Outdoor activities only.

Boom!

2010-03-08T13:02:00.002-05:00

***Warning, shortness of breath and rapid heart beat may occur after clicking on this link***

The sunshine and near 50 degree temperatures have pushed me over the edge. New bike ordered this afternoon and expected to to arrive at the end of the month. Not in time for the trip at the end of the month but, just in time for spring temperatures and hopefully clear/clean shoulders on the road.

Thank you to KLM Fitness and a wonderful wife for giving the green light.

D*mn I love Spring, 2010 race schedule posted

2010-03-05T11:13:00.001-05:00

The sun is a drug like no other for us people with SAD (Seasonal Affected Disorder). While, I've never been officially diagnosed, I am 100% positive I am afflicted with it. Here I sit at my computer with only a hint of sun peaking through the curtains and I can feel the sun pulsing through my veins. Urging me outside.

I made the final touches to my 2010 race schedule this morning. I definitely expect it will change around and/or I'll pick up a race or two but, I've posted the highlights/plan for the moment. Dates cleared with the wife. The most important detail of all.

Great day of training yesterday. 6 miles of running and an hour of spin. Hoping to get in an hour of running today. Then a 50 miler on the road bike tomorrow. Given the sun still has my pumped.

Final Experiment

2010-03-04T09:34:00.002-05:00

So, last step for the intial Blog config. Email --> Blog --> Facebook test. The plan is to post public happenings through my phone to the blog when I am not at arms length from my computer. Think race results, vacations, etc. I finally got a update to show up from my blog to facebook last night. It appears, I simply wasn't waiting long enough. Facebook claims feeds get picked up within 3 hours. Reality is, it take about 8-12. Oh well, guess that works for me.

Put in a decent 55 minute run yesterday. My legs are crazy sore today. I forgot how much I love the sun. I underdressed a little yesterday and was really suffering. My entire left arm went numb after about 35 minutes. I was debating cutting it short but, couldn't bring myself to do it. The sun was just amazing and I could sense the smell of Spring in the air. I think everyone knows this smell. The only way I can describe it is refreshingly clean. Every year when I get a sense of it, I can't help but reflect on how miserable winter is. I am really getting psyched about this Spring. Looking forward to long bike rides with the kids. Really hoping my daughter will drop the training wheels this year and we can hit Hines Drive on Saturdays as often as possible.

I am totally exhausted today. My son's been up at night with the stomach flu and I was out late last night for Weds. night triva at BWW's with some team members. I am going to have to power nap before attempting any form of physical activity this evening.

Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. Get it now.

The Plan? Clean Living

2010-03-03T09:44:00.001-05:00

So, I've held true to my training strategy for the New Year. No less than 5 days a week of a minimum of 45 minutes cardio training a day. Whether that be on the bike, spin class or running. Weights have gave way for a daily routine of push ups and sit ups. I've seen the most improvement in this area. With the cycling season nearly a month a way, it's time to modify the training program from maintain to improve. What does that mean? Running, running and more running. Cycling and spin class are great and have made up 90% of my training since the New Year but, I am convinced they don't have nearly the fitness benefits that running does. Especially, given the fact that I simply don't have more than an hour a day during the week to devote to "working out." I've decided I need to put in at least 3 hour long runs a week and maintain this as long as I can throughout the season. Now is that something that I will start doing immediately?. Certainly not.
Running is hard. There is no if, ands or buts about it. At my current weight (172lbs), an hour run is simply too painful and too hard. This is coming from someone that consistently ran 80 miles a week through high school and college. I’ve tested this theory. I ran 57 minutes last Saturday and 56 minutes the Saturday prior. My joints and back simply can’t take the pounding at my current weight. So, that's where the “clean living” comes into play. How clean you ask? Clean enough to drop at least 10lbs. Will I attempt some preppy beach body, organic, uncooked, whole foods diet? No way. Well, at least not initially. I plan to do cut out three things from my diet.

#1 - Fast Food. I don’t eat a lot of it but, it seems to find its way into my belly 3-4 times a week.

#2 - Desserts, treats and snacks. The bad kind, I am the kind of person that likes to eat 3 or 4 Costco chocolate chip cookies and then go for a run or a ride. Then another few after lunch. Or anytime I walk by them.

#3 - Beer. This is the key. I love beer. Rich, thick, dark beers. Stouts, porters, IPA’s, etc. Gotta cut back on this. So, only in social settings. At least until I can hit my running goals.

This simply dieting strategy pealed 10lbs off me in only a few weeks last year. So, I am hoping for the same results this year. I started this “plan” last Saturday and so far, I’ve been able to maintain points #1 and #3. But, it’s girl scout cookie time and I knocked out a whole sleeve of short bread cookies in a day at my desk at work this week.

The Corktown 5k is less than two weeks away. While I definitely don’t have any thoughts of putting up a decent time at the race, I am a little scared to see what kind of running shape I am really in. Whatever it is, I already know it’s not going to be pretty. As usual, I have lofty and unobtainable goals for myself. Under 17 minutes is what I am thinking will allow me to call the race a success. Man, I never thought I’d see the day when under 17 minutes for a 5k sounded intimidating.

Blogspot 2 Facebook Connection Established

2010-03-02T20:10:00.000-05:00

Well, it took me all of two hours but, it appears I've figured it out. If this makes it through, it's proof that the mission is accomplished. Postings to my blog will show up on my facebook wall, news feeds of others and I was even able to add a new tab in my facebook profile where people can see the last 5 posts in my blog. Even better, the hyperlinks work from facebook to direct people back to my individual postings.

As with all of my victories, this one may be bitter sweet. The two hours I burned overlapped my time to train today. Wanted to run too. Hoping to muster up the mental strength to at least get on the rollers tonight.

I've got me pair of cheap sunglasses

2010-03-02T16:50:00.002-05:00

Given I haven't been able to make up my mind on the great "Gears" or "One Gear" debate this year, I've been holding back on any large bicycle purchases this year. So, I've hade to set my sights on the little stuff. For example, some new shades for the season. Last year I debated and debated, trying to determine how to spend way too much money on a pair a versatile, yet durable pair of sunglasses to wear while cycling. I just couldn’t justify spending ~$100 on pair of sunglasses that I knew wouldn’t last the season. So, a little time and some googling and I settled on these bad boys.

Cooper Safety Glasses

Yep, some good ol’ fashioned, cheap, safety glasses. Three pairs in fact. One, clear, one tinted and an amber pair for those overcast days. All for the low price of about $20 with shipping. I expected these to break on their first trip to the trail or first crash but, they’ve help up pretty well. Also, given the face they are frameless, they make great cycling glasses since they don’t obstruct your vision in any way. So, I am considering buying a couple more pairs for this season. Mostly, to replace my regular sunglasses that have seen better days. What’s better than a pair of sunglasses you don’t have to worry about losing or getting broken? The added bonus is that every dollar I save on glasses can be better spent on new bike parts. I encourage anyone out there looking for cycling eyewear to give them some consideration.

Testing, Testing, 123...

2010-03-02T14:52:00.002-05:00

What's this? It's my own blog. Why you say? I've got a facebook page, made promises to post on my team blog and have a blog dedicated to an all but, dead project. Why? Cause I want one. One free from the constraints of facebook. One free from the restraints that a team blog imposes and requires. One that’s mine, all mine, just for me. How selfish, huh? Well, it’s mine so, I can do what I want with it. I am actually hoping to figure out how to get this linked in with my facebook profile and simply post happenings, events, updates, etc. here opposed to the confines of facebook. So, the just that challenge alone seems to be enough to motivate for me at the moment. Plus, this gives me the opportunity to do some art work for the blog logo as well. Who knows, I may not be able to link this in to facebook and may lose interest immediately. Or maybe, I'll succeed and post on a daily basis. Time chall tell.