first cold(ish) ride

NYC was the first time I had been on my Raleigh since April or May. I realized how much I had missed riding it. Today I got off work early so I came home and went for a ride. Did about 12 miles. It was a great evening for a ride and once I got warmed up the only thing that was cold was ears and feet. There is a night ride tonight but I won't have many days that are this warm for a while, nor daylight. Glad to get in 40 mins of riding.

Streets of NYC/ Fall training

Saturday Sal and I went to NYC for the day. We take our bikes up and ride around Manhattan. This is the 3rd or 4th time we have done this (my sixth or seventh) and its always fun. The bike lanes are getting better but the foot traffic and vehicles (not to mention dudes pushing carts, COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS girls texting as they walk, and "bike salmons" make for, for me, fun riding. In fact, Sally who doesn't have much of a wild streak, enjoys it too. Just keep you head on straight and alert and its a lot of fun.
We ate lots of goood food and had fun checking out some stores and speciality food markets.


One of the highlight was checking out a boutique hat shop, Victor Osbourne. They had some good hats, but the greatest of all I bought for Sally (not pictured).




Then yesterday we went to the farm and I ran about 4.5 miles. This was the first run of my fall (almost winter) season.
Today my legs are super sore but i wanted to keep the train rolling so i went and did 20 minutes on the elliptical at work. I rub i high friction setting so it was really tuff. i will work up to 30 mins in a few weeks.

Dead City Alleycat/ Dead the next day

Saturday I went to Washington and participated in the Dead City Alleycat. It ended up starting about 5:15pm and was perfect temp once we got moving. There was a Rally to Restore Sanity with John Stewart in DC and with Saturday also being THE party night for Halloween it was crazy busy for a Saturday night. I rode the Fixed gear (3 speed) james frame and it did well except the back wheel got knocked out of alignment from a large pot hole. i kept up with the top five until the 4th check point and they pulled enough of a lead that i lost them on one of the harder to find checkpoints. I lost a bunch of time at that (the apple bob). Luckily i had my map and had prelocated all the other points. I finished the race next to last but won Best Out of Towner. The prizes were CRAZY!!.. I won a pair of shimano road pedals, grips and matching bar plugs, a great pair of knickers, and $50 gift cert to Seagull Bags (i'm getting a cool custom fanny pack). after he was done handing prizes out he said for anyone who finished the race to come up and grab more stuff. I got a cool long sleave event shirt another t-shirt, and an AWESOME OUTLIER merino t shirt!. love their stuff.
after i watched some gold sprints which is two guys racing on rollers in a 100 yard computer dash record was 23 seconds and the winner won by .002 secs (they were supposedly averaging 48 mph) and went home.

Yesterday i went for a group ride. almost 40 miles. i got about 25 miles and my stomach started growling. At about 30 miles I blew the FUCK up. legs were fried and no more energy. I ate some choclate gu (thanks charlie) and i think that got me back but i was going about 13 mph with the wind on my back. thanks to bobby and laura kennedy for the food at the baseball park. it was tied for, if not the worst, i have ever crashed and so hard to finish.

Heebie Jeebies/ Vertical Earth/ GES Finals

This weekend was up in the air as far as where I was going- Snowshoe or Vertical Earth in PA. Both were final rounds in the series. VE had more rain earlier in the week but Snow had a chance of rain on Sunday. My friend, Robin, invited me over to his house friday night to leave Saturday morning.

We got there around 12 and got about 3 runs in before we lost track of each other. I went to do some more runs and about halfway through had my front end wash out on a rock. I slid on my right side and my pedal poked a small hole in the back of my right leg. Not too bad, so I went down and wiped it off with a alcohol wipe. Next time down my front end slid out on the same rock except this time I planted my foot and the pedal did what you see above. From the pain i know I was going to be cut pretty bad but when i looked down i was shocked. It doesn't look that bad in the picture, but up close and in person the thing seems like a giant hole. I got down the mountain on my bike ok, letting my buds know that I had to get to the E-room.

when i hit the bench with the medics i started getting light headed, sweating, nausea started to set in, my vision started bleaching out and it was Good Night!!!. i woke up looking up at the two medics.
My head cleared as quickly as it went out but i had a hard time convincing others of that... i hit my head on the asphalt on the way down but it didnt hurt too bad. I got a ride back to my truck and just as Robin and Robert were going to take me to the hospital, Robins friend Steve said he could fix me right up. He is a PA (Physicians Assistant) in the emergency room, live a mile away and would have no problem stitching me up!! the guy saved me from waiting in a emergency room for 4 hours. so cool... i got fixed up and went with the crew to get a hotel room and them went to dinner. It was pretty good, but the company was better and i got silly after some vodka and wine. Slept ok but my leg hurt a bit at 4am... once i got up, however, it was fine. by the time we got to the course there was a monster line at the lift. Monster!! so i got a run in by myself and did another with robin before practice was over. We then walked down the run during racetime to look at lines. i found and made one work but that made me forget to stay to the inside of the next turn which blew a couple of seconds. Other than that one turn, and still not feeling super comfortable on the course, the run felt ok and i finished 6th of 12, most importantly beating my arch nemisis, luke Whereshisshaft?
The course was pretty fun with lots of rock gardens comprised of smaller sharp rocks and some roots in the woods. it also had a drop of about 6 feet i small hip in the woods, a big cheese wedge step down at the bottom and lots of off camber turns and blown out berms. The weather was great- sunny cool in the am but warm afternoon and surprisingly no much considering how much rain they had from a tropical storm coming up the coast.... overall the weekend ended well and was good despite my battery dying and needing 3 jumpstarts and not winning the frame given away at the end of the day (i waited 3 hours for some chick to win it- but good for her if she actually rides it next season.)

Thanks to Matt De Lorme for all the awesome pics over the past couple of years.

results link

http://www.gravityeastseries.com/VerticalEarthResults.pdf

I also finished 3rd in the Powerade series at snowshoe despite not being at the final... in amateur (expert). cool

Diablo round 4

This was a great weekend despite some small problems. More to come soon.

http://diablofreeridepark.com/images/pdf/2010GRAVITYSERIES4DH.pdf

let me start with saying that all computer directions make my life SUCK ASS. I went through down town ghetto jersey and then Princeton U on a bass ackwards way to get up to the event.... although i did see and old white bearded guy in all pink spandex roller skating down the street.
i got there early enough in the morning to get plenty of runs in. I tried finding the best lines through the rocks but as i found out later by following a guy who was faster, it was just better to plow straight through the rocks then to find a smooth way around them. I saw George the Jamis Wonder pro pedal grind though a woods rock gap with sparks flying and that was cool.
The hardest part of the course was a chute at the top of the course (pictured directly below, and much harder than it looks) that was so dry it had several of inches of talcum powder dirt at the entry. I crashed there twice in practice. both times the front washed out on me. the first time i went down the hill and the bike stayed up top. the second time the bike stayed with me as i got upside down and then launched down the hill landing on big rocks scratching the seat an frame -- bummer.. it was pretty much prestine up until that point.
the top had a dip that was fun to bunny hop over into a drop followed by some really slow turns that was hard to flow through. then it was followed by the chute and 3 or 4 rock gardens that were hard to go fast through. i did them pretty well on race run. the bottom of the course was pretty much the same as the US Open with the fun step up/down. i had a pretty clean run and finished 7th of 21 experts over 18 years old. i was happy with that and i beat the fast young kid riding the old giant DH comp (he was the winner of his class this time around and had been really fast in the previous round). i camped sat night in the parking lot and found out that you can only camp there during the US Open but the guy was cool and let me stay. I watched Benecio Del Toro in the movie "Che" on my laptop until it literally killed my battery... It sucked that i had to find someone to jump me sunday morning but that only took 45 mins. it was beautiful weather all weekend and a good time of riding.

lazyness or ?

What is the difference between lack of motivation and being burned out?

Fun ride

Tonight brian and i went for a fun ride. We dodged a train at a RxR crossing. Drafted behind a Semi at 35 mph for 3 miles down a country road, had some great ice cream @ cold stone and rode home in the dark with a jerk-off running me wide at an intersection on purpose. Great fun.

Race day

The racing gods have been smiling on me all summer and this weekend was another beautiful weekend of sun. We slept in our secret camp spot with no fly on the tent and it was great. Practice was good, I got four runs in. The last run was right before the pros came down and i hiked back up and reran the hard muddy section, just above where one guy broke his hip and was screaming in agonizing pain. Before race run i tightened down the SPD pedals and that really helped stay on the bike. I may have dabbed one on the tightest turn of the course but stayed on the pedals the rest of the way. I had to check up in the muddy sections to keep it all under control and lost some time there but I was in survival mode and kept in on two wheels finishing 4th of 7. Not a great showing but considering how bad i was doing in the practice sessions i am happy with the finish. Thanks to Sally for going with me.

Snow Shoe Round 3 Practice

Practice was punctuated by me forgetting my shoes and having to run SPD's. It is definately harder to deal with in the rock gardens, and these were Super hard rock sections with lots of mud. I got about 7 runs in and my lack of sleep was hanging heavy on me. Despite the problems, it was a great day of riding. Very challenging.. what i love and live for. Rode with Sean some and it was good hangin out on the trail. Crashed a lot but beautiful weather and lots of fun. Two road gaps, big table top jumps, flowy sections and all kinds of stuff.

Out of the Ordinary

This weeks riding was totally out of the norm. Wednesday's night ride was wild. Started out trying to rain and then went into a full downpour with a good bit of climbing. After a while, still pouring, we saw rainbows. Two seperate bows, each with double spectrums!!! The main bow was one of the brightest i have ever seen. about 25 miles in an hour and 20 mins. The After ride party was pulled pork awesomeness!! Great food thanks tony!!!
Last night I met Steve Austin and Brian at Panorama @ 8pm and we climbed up to Skyland. it was an hour out and 30 mins back. It was my first time there and we stopped at the Restaurant to check it out. Seemed cool.. It was getting chilly on the mountain. got home late and i can feel it

More Skyline

Today I rode from 211 to just past Lewis Mountain Campground on Skyline Drive, and back. It was 53 miles or so with about 5000 feet of climbing. It started out trying to rain, but I out ran it. Then it rained ahead of me but passed before I arrived, only to find the roads wet. At one point I rode through the clouds, illuminated by the sun, it was like heaven on earth, only the road was pavement, not gold. The clouds and rain cleared out leaving cooler air and sun. It was a good time. I was supposed to do 70 miles but oh well.

Track DAY!

Yesterday I went and did a Track Day at Summit Point on my Suzooks. It was fast and fun but really hot and humid. The Dunlops (soft Compound) did not wear well, the 1000 thrashed it. We did 5 sessions before the thunderstorms rolled in and after the deluge stopped I packed up and went home. Yesterday was the first time that I didn't have a mind bending good time. It was good fun but maybe the honeymoon is over. Not sure yet - I wasn't feeling all that great, maybe it was that.

On another note, my knee is bothering me today. Between that and my ankle I am taking another day off from pedaling. Hope it feels better tomorrow.

Granny Gear A GO GO/ Gorilla in the Mist

Today was complicated. I went back out at noon and Left from Sperryville only to get 4 miles out and realize that I didn't have my Skyline Pass. So i turned around and went back to the truck. I decided to drive to Front Royal and do an Out and BACK on skyline. I got there and it was sunny and hot. When i handed the ranger my pass she told me that i didn't need it - this weekend was free to everyone. The first 20 miles were good almost all in my easiest gear, spinning @ about 9 MPH. After 10 miles it got and stayed cloudy/foggy, which is good because it was much cooler. The last 10 miles going out, were a bit harder but not nearly as hard as the way back. The climb out of 211 was really hard. The water in the air was so thick that it gave the hair on my arms a frosting of dew. Ended up doing 64 miles on The Drive with a total of 70 miles.

Rained Out

Went to Sperryville and unloaded for the first real big ride (65 miles with 15 climbing). Everyone else was running late but that doesn't matter because it started to pour right after The Million Dollar Man, steve austin showed up.

On Thursday Brian and I went for an "easy" ride but ended up doing almost 28 miles. The pace wasn't crazy and with a later start (6:30) it was getting close to dark by the time we got back to the shop.

I am thinking my ankle is broken instead of a sprain- just feels like a break.

Criglersville

Went for the group ride last night. I thought the air was thick on Tuesday, but yesterday it seemed almost like water. We did 20 miles in just over an hour. Very sweaty. Nali and Bobby helped me revise my 60+ miles ride for Saturday. That ride will decided if I attempt the Skyline 105.

Riding Purple

Last night the air was thick and so was my ankle. The air hurt more. 35 miles in 1 hour and 54 mins.

Diablo

The mountains were beautiful sunny and not too hot. Both nights camping with no fly sleeping with the stars were great. Practice was fun. The course was really rocky in sections with a ledge section, boulder stair section, and some really loose conditions (lots of dust). I ended up doing about 12 runs on Saturday, about 8 on the race course. There was a new section of BIG JUMPS on Lower Dominion Trail and they are a TON of fun. It took a couple of runs to get them timed well and over the jumps. Ran that about 4 times before turning my ankle on a Trials like trail called Slayer. My problem is that I do the race run several times and start to get in dialed and going faster and then I go into a trail that I don't know too hot (fast)and make mistakes. It happened again at the end of the weekend, smashing my rotor on rock and dinging it pretty good. Advil was my friend and I got a bunch more runs in Sunday morning. I was first in my class to go and I had a dab near the top and stuttered through a tough garden. Other than that it was a clean run and I finished 12th place. After that I did two runs on Dominion for fun and rolled home. I went down 95 and traffic was insane. Stop and Go for over an hour and 20 minutes waiting to get gas in Jersey.. NO MORE! 81 is my friend.

49

This weekend I am planning on Racing DH at Diablo so i needed to get my big ride out of the way (50 miles this week). Brian and I went out and did it today. Felt ok. It seemed a little windy but maybe I just was feeling yesterday. We did 49.1 miles in just over 2.5 hours. I think I a supposed to ride 2 hours on Thursday. Hmmm. I wonder if I can do 37 miles... I should be able to since I am not drafting off of Brian. I am starting to rethink Skyline a bit, the first 40 miles are going to be really hard. Anyway today was good. Thanks Brian.

Oops

Today was supposed to be another "fast" ride for an 1hr, 15 mins. I created a loop but was off on the mileage. We (brian and I) ended up riding 35 miles? can't remember too tired. But we rode for 2 hours. Brian rode his mtn bike with knobbies... crazy

i think i have decided to do my 100 miles on skyline drive. here is the info: 8000+ ft of climbing.

Cross Training

Today Sal and I went for a hike off of skyline drive. We hiked up to Hawksbill peak and then down Salamander Trail and finally back to the car on the AT. It was only 3 miles but it was a lot of fun. The clouds were at the same level as the overlook and it felt under 75 degrees up on the drive. Great for the first day of August. They have paved a good section of the road and I can't wait to go up there to do a road ride on it.

Alternative Ride

Today Joe White, Bob, and I went or a Mtn Bike ride @ Mass. It was hard but Fun. Good to ride some XC for a change.
Here is the Garmin of it. I like the elevation change map, reminds me of the TDF. Thanks Joe:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/42594424?sms_ss=facebook

Recovery Ride?

Tonight was supposed to be a recovery ride. Brian and I have both (i think) been enjoying doing new loops that I plan out around town. We are riding a lot of the same sections of roads that we have ridden before but in different orders and different directions. Today worked out well because the beginning of the ride was almost all in the shade: wonderfully cool shade. We ended up doing 22 miles with an average of about 16 mph, definately a recovery pace, but this had lots of hills in it. The fresh loops are where it's at right now and we are having a good time. It was also good to burn off some of the cookie calories that I consumed today.

Sausage Legs

Today I got on Google and looked for a ride that was about 30 miles. It works pretty well adding destinations to create a loop. I met Brian at the Bike Stop and we left from there. It was pretty hilly at the beginning and middle. My ability to hold pace got weaker. The goal was to ride for an hour and a half and we did 29 miles in just over that time. It was pretty warm but I think I am getting used to the heat. Good ride but the increase in milage that I have done this week is taking its toll.

Free food is Great

It was a hard humid sweaty ride to the top of the Moormont mtn. The Wednesday night ride started out really fast and after the shake out I was able to climb really strong, but maybe that is becuase I didn't do as much pulling at the beginning. Sally did great, made it to the top of the steep climb. The wind seemed to be in our faces both ways. More importantly there was a free dinner at Alex's. Great pasta and sauce and good cucumbers. Good way to finish the evening. I am sleeping a lot harder with all this exercise and I have already consumed all my lunch for today by 9 in the morning. 27 miles with a 18+mph avg. but that would be a lot slower if I wasn't riding in a big group.

In between

The training program for the century ride says I am supposed to exercise/ cross train between the big rides so last night I rode my Caliente Fixie to the store to purchase Stuff. Great evening for a ride, cloudy and cool. Took the senic route home and had a good ride.

Training

Tonight I did my first ride of what I hope will be a six week training regiment for riding a century (100 miles). Today was the Speed ride for 1.25 hours. I had to keep making my loop bigger to get all the time in. The wind was relatively calm but I could feel it when heading east. I ended up riding 27.8 miles in just under the time for an average of 19.1 mph. I felt surprisingly strong and attribute that to well timed eating. It wasn't crazy hot- in the mid to upper 80's, I think. Good Start.

Snowshoe #2

This weekend was great, the second awesome weekend at Snowshoe. The weekend started on Friday evening with Brian and I doing a quick road ride of 13 miles. It was quite hot and I didn't want to blow myself out before practice on Saturday so we took it easy. Saturday morning at 4:30 we got up, finished packing and drove up to the Resort. We (Sally and I) got there just before 10 and was on the trail by 10:45. I decided to run amateur (expert) this time which meant that I ran a harder course than beginner and Weekend Warrior. The first run BLEW MY MIND! This race course was the hardest I have ever ridden. The mud race at Windham last year was tough but the technical requirements were one after another and RUG-GED. The rock gardens had giant holes that just tried to stop you every 2 feet. Multiple Rock Drops, 35 ft.road gap, steep switchbacks, about 8 rock gardens, muds sections, everthing was stacked- Steep and Deep!!! I love it. I have been bitching that some of these race courses are way too easy and this one was world class. Its the first time that the couse was so hard that I didn't ride it from top to bottom, nonstop, before race run. As Stefan and I started learning lines, and as the course dried out a little, it got easier but the really rough rock gardens also got the big holes filled in by course workers with a bunch of flat rocks. I crashed on the first two runs in the same garden. If the course wasn't so hard I would criticize them for making it easier but this jam was the Real Deal. On the second run I followed the local pro over the 30+ foot road gap and came up just a touch short but after the fourth run I got it dialed in. It was the easiest part of the course. One thing I have noticed with DH vs. MX is that it is more important to nose in on the DH bike for a smooth landing. If you keep the front end high it slaps down too hard. We would do two runs and then take a water break. Another highlight was that it was in the 80's on the hill while it was in the 90's and 100's at home. We ended up doing 8 runs - i think. The course really got run in well (lines were worked in good). Practice ended at 3pm so Sally and I went for a 15 mile road ride with 7 miles of decent and 7 miles of climbing. The first half was fun and the second was ok but there were a lot of flies down there. By the time we set up camp I was beat. It was also the first time it hasn't rained at night and we slept with the fly off the tent. Great night for camping. Sunday was great weather and we were waiting for the trail to open to get two runs in the one hour practice. The first run went good and the second went great. Ready for race run. The Race went on schedule and even though there was only three guys in my class Sean, one of my two competitors, is one fast dude. My race run went pretty good. It was right on the edge, I had my front end wash out twice under braking in high speed sections and my shoe caught on my crank arm which broke my concentration and I almost went off course and lost a couple of seconds in the slow down. Apparently that was a smaller mistake than Sean had- almost going over the bars and I won!! Unbelieveable- specially since Sean is Super Fast. I feel like I could have had a little more speed in a few sections but a I am happy I was able to put it all together. My legs were on fire by the time I got to the end of the rock gardens. Super Duper weekend.

Rides with Squirrels

Today is over 100 degrees and a heat index of 110. I got home somewhat early so I took my touring bike to the shop and did my wet weather maintenance on its bottom bracket. Afterwards Brian and I went for a ride in the crazy heat- but it wasn't so bad. We did an easy 13. On the way back a squirrel came from the left and was running right for my front wheel. Brian was on my right so all I could do was hold my line and wait to see what happens- don't panic. Brian watched the squirrel run between my two wheels, (at 24 MPH) run under me for way longer than i thought possible and then dashed off to the right to safety. Crazy. If i didn't have another witness I wouldn't have believed it myself.

Humidity sucks

Went for the Wednesday night ride yesterday and it was really hot and humid; it didn't seem to get any cooler, either. It was over 30 miles but seemed longer. Joe had an early break away (TDF style) and six of us followed. Three of us (including Joe) got dropped by Guy and the Young Guns and then I fizzled at the end. Limping on home was ok because I didn't get caught by the rest of the pack. it was a big group- almost 30 people I would guess.

Road Rides

Last Wednesday we did the group ride from Brandy to opal and then back home. It was very warm, but as with all hot evening rides the shade feels great and the cooling air is a welcome change. Riding from home was about 34 miles. Saturday, Sally and I went to the Racquet Club ride. We did just over 20 miles and Sal did good practicing her pacing.

Section Training

Yesterday night, after work, my new friend Robin took my to his DH training area which had several berms, a gap, drops, hip jumps and BMX jumps. Runs were 10 seconds and very fun. The dirt was almost powder and kind of slippery. The hard part was pushing back up the hill. The humidity was off the chart and even though it was all in the shade, it was hot as hell. Good times. We did that for about 2.5 hours. Afterwards he took me for a ride in a 350hp Audi TTRS coupe. very cool.

Race Time

I was ready to start practicing at 9 am so i went on out, to beat the heat (its hot in these mountains). The first run went as close to perfect as I can imagine so i did a fun run on the expert course and called it good. I came back to the truck to happily find my new friends hanging out under my e-z up. We ate some food and hydrated and chilled to race time. Problem was that race time was supposed to be 11 am and didnt happen until 12:30. I thought after years of running races they would have learned how to do it well, but apparently I must have been here:


In addition, they had to re-run a bunch of people becuase the timing was busted. My run finally came at around 2:15 (hour and 20 mins late) and it went pretty good. I felt all the weekends riding in my legs and my only real mistake was going around a speed jump that smoothed the section out. There were lots of speed jumps that just slowed you down on this course and when you finally learn to ride around all (but 1) of them the course is almost without features. It had a few drops and roots to deal with but not very technical at all. I ended up placing second to my Nemsis Luke, but this is his home turf so i will concede.
I went to do another fun run but halfway down i was reminded about my broken rib and decided to call it a day. I am curretly waiting for the awards ceremony and then on to the 8 hour drive home.

Plattekill 2010

Saturday June 3rd

Despite the drive on Friday being very long (seven hours), so far it was worth it. Yesterday I got up and came into town to get some breakfast. Everyone was gearing up for the 4th. Gas was almost $3 a gallon for 87! Got back in time to get the the front of a VERY long line for registration. These dudes do not know how to run a race. Practice was good. I did several runs (almost the same as last years course) on the Sport class course and also a few on the much more challenging and fun expert course. I took a break a lunch and met some new friends that live near DC. Robin is a very fast German? CK borrowed my knee/shin pads, and another guy.
I also sold my pair of backup 5-10's to a guy who forgot his. Broke even on the deal. After lunch I did some more runs on both courses. the expert course got "run in" very well and is a lot of fun. It was hot and beautiful. Practice ended at 5pm. Afterwards, I participated in a free duel salom. the course was just made and full of loose dirts. I got two runs to try to beat a fast young buck and came close to keeping up with him on the second run. It was fun. Now on to the race
[edit 10-7-10] cant remember all the details of race day but upon reflection the upper part of the course was pretty good and fun but the lower section had a spun out fire road followed by another super long fire road follow by yet two more long fire road sections. WAY too easy for over half of the course.
at the end of the race they showed me as second only to find out at the ceremony that they didnt score one guy and that i finished third and got a check for 11 dollars!! i waited two hours for that shit and they were giving tires away to beginners... so LAME. but the riding was good and Thanks again to Matt De Lorme for the great photo!!!

http://www.gravityeastseries.com/Gravity%20East%203.pdf?r=20056&u=0
here are some more shots.
http://sicklines.smugmug.com/Events/742010-Plattekill-GES-4-Cat-23/12820017_WC89e#929116139_iEtCK

Wednesday July 30th
I went for the Ruth Road ride with the crew.
It was about 36 miles and was a lot of fun. The weather was Perfection- low 80's and no humidity. The end of the ride has 5 miles of Hills. I was able to keep up with the lead group, which is easy as long as you don't pull too much.

Mixed bag

6/26 and 6/27
Saturday:
Getting up this morning was really hard. I almost didn’t come to the race because I was burning the candle at both ends this week and felt like I need to recharge. But I forced myself to get up and go take a shower (at 4am) and see if I could get going. I did.
The drive up was 6 hours- but it was an easy 6. I arrived at around 11 and was bummed that I missed 3 hours of practice. On the second run I was entering a short steep pitch with a left turn at the bottom and, at the apex, I high sided with my chest slamming into a root. It really hurt(s). I had body armor but the impact landed right under my armpit.
I ran the race course all day because it was just a bunch of rock gardens linked together for two thirds of the course. I started out with 25 psi in the tires (my normal pressure) and put dings in both rims within the first three runs. I came back and put 35 psi in both and after two more runs still got a snake bite in the rear. That is my first flat on DH. Jinx. I am now running 40lbs in the rear. I studied the lines and a new friend Jason helped me find some. By the end of the day I picked up some speed and found some lost time and feel pretty good on the course. It’s hard riding with higher pressure in the tires, so much less traction.
Sunday:
Despite a rain shower last night the trail was dusty this morning. This trail has several root sections that, if wet, are a nightmare. I did a couple of runs and everything felt good. On the third I watched some faster guy’s lines and picked up some better ways through the rock gardens- the hard part is just hitting them all on race run. I didn’t want to blow my load on practicing, my legs are feeling tired from yesterday. Race run is in just over an hour.


I CHOKED!!
Race run sucked. I hit two trees on seperate occasions and i figure i lost about 12 seconds, give or take. I got 11th place of over 20. The amazing thing is that had i not hit any trees i would have only achieved 8th place. there was an almost 11 second gap between two guys. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0taLtAMHh3hdSCU4hO0NDDBI73o1_C6OWOmvdeQHfeopL1bjbPmw5fTtvvp5-rEZ5EdjS6ihi9f-YktkVXURmwYtS-G3OznZa7Upw4KawnEwfYRnF8_vy2PfGYbfLAyX139Et0tmq6gB/s1600/2010GRAVITYSERIES2DH1-1.jpg

Had a BLAST but Kill the Fun Runs

Sat night rained a bit. Luckily the tent was already set up, in a great little neck of the woods. Sunday started out foggy but it cleared soon. I got on the trail and it was unbelieveably dry. I did one practice run and realized my legs were close to toast so I decided to stop riding. I came back up the lift and waited for Stephen. We had talked about going over to the other side of the mtn. because i had not been on that side. We started down a run which was pretty beat up and Stephen fell down a root stair drop. A couple of turns later I went over the bars and had the pedal smack me in the back of the head as a rock snapped my front brake mount like a twig. Stephen had an extra brake so he helped me set it up. It was not as strong as mine but it worked.

Race run came along pretty quickly. It was super clean and the only problem was that i was a little gassed on the fire road. All the lines came together and it was probably the fastest I ran some of the harder sections. I ended up getting second with a 5:44. The winner had a 5:35, which would have won in the next class up as well. It was a really great weekend (breaking shit aside).

Today I could still visualize 95% of the run and it is a lot of fun going back over it in my head. Kind of a way to escape from life for a bit.
Steller weekend.

Thursday and Today

Thursday was cool. Pivot cycles out of Arizona came to Burke Farm and had a demo set up. I got to ride the 5" all mtn. bike, their 6" all mountain bike, and their 29'er. The 6" and 29'er both felt tall (as does my specialized XC FSR). Both the 5" and 6" bikes seemed like you could ride some really gnarly downhill trials. I tried slamming them into everything that I could find and they did well. The 29'er did seem to be harder to climb with but maintained traction in the corners very well. The bottom line, however, is that none of them knocked my socks off. None were a must have bike. Still I did three loops on the Perimeter Trail and got a good workout in.

Today Sal and I got up and rolled out to Snowshoe WV for their first downhill race of the season.
This weekend is different because its the first that (so far) is completely sunny and dry warm blue skies. SO GREAT!!!
I got here a little late and was on trail by 10am. I did one run with a friend of mine Shawn. After that i hooked up with Stephen and we did a bunch of runs together. We helped each other with lines and did one fun run on a non-race trail. After lunch I tried a new line and hit a tree square on and then hit another when pushing hard down some steeps. The first crash of the day, however, was a pretty high speed front end washout in a right hand turn with a root in the middle. Crash right in front of 3 of my friends, which is ok. I also bent my pedal spindle (destroyed) and used my body armor for the first time. I hit my right arm and shoulder pretty hard on some rocks and the pads definately helped. By the end of the day I did something in the order of 8-10 runs and felt pretty good and fast on the course. Stephen really helped my find some better lines, and I think i helped him out some too.
GREAT DAY !! I wish this was my daily life, job, or something... its heaven on earth (even with the bumps and bruises).

Fuel For the Road

I got home from work tonight and had my regular afternoon bowl of cereal. A little while later I was getting ready for my road ride (solo) and came across the water bottle and Clif Blocks that I won @ the Downhill. I ate the C.B.'s and filled the water bottle. Once on the road I felt super great. Fast and Strong- it might have been the ZERO wind or maybe the Fuel I ate before the ride.


Today was really humid. When I took my first drink, alot of the ink from the logo came off on my hands. Figures. At least is works, which is more than i can say for the Subaru bottle i got at the Shoeshow DH last year- it must have been a dribble joke bottle.

anyway i rode for just under an hour, conservativly about 16 miles.

I decided to put a more appropriate logo on the bottle when i got home.

Follow up

Last year I had a guy- Luke, who was right behind me the whole series and he finished just about 4 points behind me (out of over 800). He came down to Massanutten (that i missed while in Italy) and was also at Seven springs. I beat him by .5 seconds. I think the Trek could very possibly saved me that half second. Behind him 5th place was about 6 seconds or so. I am glad that I beat him because I won some cool prizes. Nice pair of socks, good pair of fox kneepads, and a tube. First place was a carbon bar and case of red bull and two tires. Second place was a tire and some other stuff. I should have gone 3 seconds faster... shouldn't have checked up before the rock garden. Here is the clip.

Result: OK

The 30-39 sport class went off just after 12 pm. Course was pretty dry and I ran all my dry lines except one rock drop off and the garden exactly the same as yesterday. When I came across the line I finished in 2:34 and change as 2nd. As the rest of my class came down one more guy finished with a 2:33 pushing me to third. First place ran a 2:32. I am going to check expert times to see how far off that class I am and the times of the guys in my class that finished behind me. Finishing third is an indicator to me that I am in the correct class (unless all 3 of us should be in expert). Some video to come soon thanks to Sally.

Seven Lame Ass Springs 2010

Yesterday was the practice day for Round 2 of Gravity East Series @ Seven Springs. The day started off great when, at sign up, the USCP rep said I had to race Cat 3 (beginner) because it was my first year as a member. Furthermore, I would have to race 3 times before I could move up. I geared up and went to practice. This course is little more than a dirt sidewalk when dry. It has a couple of jumps, a rock garden, and a stray root or two. This is EAST COAST DOWNHILL!! Why can't a venue at in the "premier" DH series have a course that is more technical?? I actually emailed the guy who runs this thing and he had no good reasons, in my opinion, why they don't have better trails- he said that they couldn't run two chair lifts (so as to access the North face of the mountain); but they have a lift for the stupid bob sled ride. So disappointed.
I rode this course last year so it didn't take long to get most of it down pretty quickly. Ate a great lunch (thanks Sally) and rode some more. At the end of the day I got online as was able to upgrade my DH rating to Sport class (Cat 2) and I also got them to change my class for this weekend. Sally got us a reservation at a B&B, which was much better for sleeping then the tent, (especially since it rained all night).


Today:
I knew to wait until the end of practice to get my runs in because the hardpack dirt would dry out quickly. Some dudes were covered in mud but I got two runs in and kept my new white steed clean. There are a couple of slick rocks and ruts but the course it really trying to dry out. The New Rig is good. I am still getting used to the feel of it in the air but the initial ruff ride was due to too much air in the tyres.
Alot of the guys that I was really close to (time wise) in my class last year are here so I will need to put a clean run together to do well. I will post results later.

Breaking In

Yesterday was pretty hot (about 90), so at about 8:30 i went over to Burke Farm and took the Session out for its maiden voyage. The suspension needs to be broken in but my initial ride was pretty rough. Hopefully the forks will smooth out. the "new" style flat wide bars might take some getting used to. Rode in the woods until dark (30 mins).

2 Person Race

Today Brian and I met at 5am and went to the Blue Ridge Mountains. We left my truck at the bottom on White Oak Canyon and then took is car up to skyline drive and parked at the trailhead on the top side. After assembling the bikes we raced down the mountain. Only the beginning wasn't down and some of the middle wasn't down. Brian got a jump on his XC bike (thru a really rocky trail with some ups in it) and had a good lead going into the fire road section. After the fire roads it wasn't long before I caught him. The trail had a lot more steps than I remember. Many had turns that were so tight i couldn't make them. I crashed four times, came to a complete stop 2-3 more and broke my rear brake lever. It was humid and i was sweating my balls off. It was a great time. I ended up beating him by a much larger margin than i thought possible. but it wasn't about winning, it was about going out and having a good time.

Work and Play

Today i had to go into the office and didnt finish until almost 2. Come home eat like a pig, sleep like a dog and then wake in time to do a ride with Brian. It was humid as it gets. somewhere around 20 miles. good ride and hard. We used the ride to plan tomm AM. We are getting up early going up to skyline, and racing down White Oak Canyon trail. It has a flat top, flat bottom and a good middle. I will be on my 54 lbs Giant DH comp (i am sort of proud of that fact) and Brian will be on his 19lbs. hard tail XC bike. I have to wait on the Trek becuase the front wheel got messed up in the shipping... hopefully it will be resolved by next weekends race at seven springs. For tomorrw, I cant wait- as long as we dont get busted it is going to be a great 15 minutes.

New Bike Week

Last year I told myself that if i placed #1 in my DH class i would get a new bike. At the end of the season I had the most points; but i was DQ'ed for not having a year lisence. Does this count? Regardless The BIKE STOP got me a great number for a Trek Session 88, so after a long winter i asked and was told they had only one left. Two days later it was gone. Eric then called his rep who found 3 larges. It showed up on Tuesday with a severly bent rotor, and that was replaced yesterday. I picked it up late last night and hope to ride it today...Its super cool but has super thin tube walls so I am going to rig up some protection for it. I usually just race on the weekends and look forward to what a 14+ lbs. weight loss can do to my times.

I like posting about my cycling/training everyday if possible, but if I am going to choose between riding and blogging, I will pick the former. Tuesday I went out with Sally and then Brian for a medium paced ride. It was good because I wasnt sure how my achilles would do. It got tired but didnt seem to regress. The weather was hot, but it seemed nicer in the shade. Maybe about 14 miles?
Yesterday I thought I was doing a 17 mile ride with the Wenesday Group ride. Turns out it was a 35 mile ride. Add to that the ride I did to and from the meeting point and it was close to 40 miles. That is pretty long for me at this stage of fitness. Hot again and since i thought it was a shorter ride I only took one water. I blew up about 4 miles from home but it felt good to leave it all out on the road.

REPRESENT

Today was a great day. Practice went from 8:30 to 11 and the trail was dry and fast and the weather was great. Team Shimano came through for me (again) after my first run. I ripped my deraileur cable in half and not only did they replace it for free and adjust it, but they had me back on the trail in less than 20 minutes. My buds Stephan and Clay helped my find some better lines and I felt pretty comfortable on it. Luckily amateurs went first and we were on course about 1:40 pm. I had two dabs and rode my brakes more than I should have but I posted a 3:01 and change. I placed 32 nd out of about 170 entries, which included all "experts" from 18 yrs up. Very happy with the result and it was a great race to "retire" the Giant DH Comp on.
After that we rode the lift back up and watched the fastest guys and girls in the world rip up (or down) the couse. There was a DJ in the woods and about 100 people with whistles, cow bells, and air horns screaming as each one raced by. lots o' fun.

Hey Now

The qualifier schedule ran late, as usual. I watched the pros run through what I think is the hardest part of the course and they were just Killing it. It didn't matter where they went, they just rolled over whatever was in their way. I saw one guy come off line, sideways, and just kept it pinned and smashed through the new line. Amazing. Here is a clip I took of world champion Sam Hill.

He didn't look stupid, crazy fast in this run and it proved to be true come race time. Granted the differences were measured in fractions of a second but he finished fifth.

Shimano was there and they adjusted my rear deraileur for me (something else is wrong because it kept jumpin' gears after they were done. While waiting i found two four leaf clovers. I put those Nuggets of Luck right in my pocket and I could tell there were there- because I had some good luck this weekend.
After chilling out for a while, I went and got a fun run in to kill time and realized that I was pretty tired. The weather is great. Hot at the bottom and breezy and cool up on the mountain. When my run came (after 5pm) I dropped in, dropped the first set of rocks, and then proceeded to run off course and hit a tree. In road racing school the first lesson is that you go where you look. As soon as I thought I was off line and going towards the tree I became "Target Fixated" on it. I have to look where I want to go- down the trail. Despite the complete stop, I put together a fast run from there on (it helps that it was really dry). I Qualified 59th (75 go to the final) in 3:07.80, 28.51 seconds behind the leader. Goal completed. My expert buddy Stephen qualified 53rd in 3:05.49. Afterwards included checking out some insanely fast salom (not duel, but timed), getting a "bath" at the pool, and eating everything in sight. Good Evening... there is a regge concert coming up, going to check it out. the other interesting thing is the one legged guy that races in my class. He had a bobble and got stuck just above the hard garden but he is inspirational.

Warming it up

Once at the mountain, I am all business about preparing for the race. I run the race course as many times as possible trying to figure out a way to go faster. My buddy, Stephen like to go do some fun runs and I can understand that but I need as much prep time as possible. I just finished the only practice session (88) that I will get and it went pretty good. The middle of the course has a really gnarly rock step section but it should be ok for race time. After that we did a fun run and right at the end there is a big drop that i kept my front end high for and it slapped down pretty hard. Now i have a huge flat spot in my rim. Should have kept to my business as usual... Qualifiers start at 1pm but my class goes last, closer to Five. Just looking for a clean run.

Hello US Open

I am literally driving to my first DH race of the season. Putting those texters to shame with my full size laptop and driving with a knee. Downside is I have not been on the bike at all, I have 2 hours to practice tomorrow before before the qualifier- and i am competeing against alot of experts. I hope to be one of thr 75 that qualify so that I get a free lift pass for sunday. Should also be fun to see the pros blitz down the mtn. The weather is supposed to be good- Really just hoping to have fun and forget about work.

I am on my old bike but it is pretty close to top shape.
Found out today that a new Trek Session 88 is on the way. New bike on Wednesday. cool. Old and Busted 54 lbs. New Hotness 39 lbs

Getting Back Into

Today Sal and I went on a 27 mile road ride with some hills at the end. We rode from the house to Brandy, on to Remington, then towards Jeffersonton before turning back. The highlight was the last leg with the wind at our backs, rolling like Gangsta's. It was cloudy with some sprinkles and some sun. Great ride but my achilles is a little achy.
On a bigger scale- TIME!
Time is so limited. Today, after I crashed for a couple of hours, I went out and disked the Moto-X track. The weeds are out of control and I really want to get it 100% rideable. - Riding and Time!
I am going to focus on the track because if I don't work on it now, it will be a jungle. So I am going to try to ride at least Wednesdays and once over the weekend.

long time no type

Italy was great, despite the rain. I did notice that there was hardly a person with a helmet in sight. Helmet discrimination in the USA sucks. Two of the best bike related things that I saw a guy pedaling his three speed holding a umbrella to stay dry and baby seats that bolted to the stem of the bike.
Maybe more on that later.

US Open Downhill race in New Jersey is next weekend. Not sure if I am going because you have to qualify on Saturday to race on Sunday and I have not been riding (outside of Italy) in a very long time.

Struggeling with wether or not to get a new rig. Any suggestions? My old rig is great other than it is 54 lbs.

Trying to Push Through

Wednesday night ride. Great weather. Almost 22 miles. 19.0 mph avg. Hilly. I'm tired. This picture would have been good but i was going too fast. achilles is still creaky- going to take several days off. Italy is 23 days away- gotta be heathly for it.

Bait and Switch

Brian called (great motivation and for that I am grateful) and said he was going for a 15 mile ride "the snake" and wanted to know if i was going. My achilles has been feeling 100% in normal use so I said ok. We met at the 4.4 mile point - it took him 4 minutes less than me to get there but my route was into the wind. We rode to the point which turned into the half way mark and Brian goes, "wanna ride over pony mountain?" being the macho man that i am, i said ok. we got about 15 miles in and my achilles was starting to hurt. then i still had 15 more to go. since i left from my house and brian left from the shop so i got to ride and extra 4 miles home. just a tic under 30 miles and and avg of 18.6 miles and hour.

Spinning in DC

Today there was a brunch in a chocolate shop in D.C. We had chocolate stuffed french toast and Hot Chocolate- the Charo. I like to park on 21st and C, near the exit out of town and then cycle through the city. We cycled up to 14th and S. then to dupont circle for an art exhibit- Georgia O' Keeffe. After that we went to the cherry blossoms and then cycled back to the start. My Achilles felt pretty good. I rode the Caliente', no brakes. I missed timed a granite curb and biffed- luckily my U-lock in my back pocket took most of the hit. I also have some play between my rear cog and the lock ring and when going between a skid stop and cranking there is some play.. almost took me out on a climb.

Once home i pulled out my GSXR-600 track bike and blew up and down the drag. I have to go to a track day - that bike is so Rad. Then Sal and I took the 1000 out for a longer ride. It was fun. that bike is RIDICULOUSLY POWERFUL. SO MUCH FUN!

Keepin' it on two wheels

Today I went to Old Town Alexandria for my dad's 65th birthday. I decided to ride my motorcycle. This was the first long ride I have done in a quite a while. Good to roll on and parking was super easy.

Tendonitis

Well, I have it and the only treatment is rest, advil, and ice. Probably only going to do the first two. So rest at least until next Wed.

I did, however, get my new bike computer today. I calibrated and mounted it and took it for a test ride. I happen to have a measure mile (for the state Troopers) just on the other side of my driveway. It turns out that the computer mile is about 20 feet longer than an actual mile. That's about an extra half mile after 1000 miles.

'nother good un

Tonight I did another relaxed fixie ride on my Caliente. Rode into town to the bike shop, did 13 miles with brian and Erica and came back for about 20 total. Beautiful night and doing sunset rides are still really doing it for me. My achilles still is sore, more so than yesterday, so I might take tommorrow off; I don't want to go backwards. Stopped by on the way home and picked up a gallon of milk. The highlight: I was almost home and heard the RxR crossing bell start to sound. For 5 years I have lived 100 yards from the tracks and have wanted to stand next to the tracks as the train went by. Tonight I got inside the barriers (about 8 feet) and when it went blazing by, it was neat. Nice cooling breeze to boot.

Back In The Saddle Again

Well, its been a week and my achilles is much better. Not 100% but good enough to go for the Wed. night ride. Today was beautiful in Madison Va. This past weekend was crappy and I didn't miss out on any "primo" ride time. The group was faster today. I did a lot of riding alone or riding beside the group to catch more wind. Not quite 20 miles, got a good workout... nice first day back. Pizza out after the ride was fun too. Here is a highlight. Ride on.

Down and out

Yesterday I didnt get any exercise. This was as much from work as from my achilles. But i am going to take a few days off to see if i can get it better - my leg, not work.

Group rides are fun

Today I realized that the Wednesday night rides (tonight was Mountain Run Lake) do help me ride at a higher mph/effort than I normally do myself (so do "easy" rides with Brian the Sticky bike Guru). Today we rode 25 miles and while I conserved some energy by drafting in the beginning the group broke up and I rode by myself a good bit in the middle and worked hard at catching up the the lead group. It was great weather, bit windy but a good time. The hills were good too, more of them than I remember. Good times.
On the down side my right leg has two problems. My hip is bothering me from over-yogafying and my achilles just started giving me a sharp pain out of nowhere while I was walking around a work today (maybe from the run on Tues). I will try an easy ride Thurs night and see if it can handle it.

OK finish to a Bad start

It was hard to take the first step, Again. It rained most of the day (although now it is sunny and nice outside). I decided to go for a trail run. I started to run the standard loop but half way through I changed it up. I ended up running for almost 39 minutes. I re-realized that I am able to run at 75% (aerobically) very comfortably but if I go over 80% I get a very uncomfortable. I need to increase my ability to output higher levels, for longer, with less strain. Ha. I want to try running hill sprints at least once a week.

Or maybe my feeling of sluggishness was from the two bowls of Breyer's Mint Choclate Chip ice cream I ate before I went for the run.

What its all about

For me motocross is about the jumps. Road race (sport bikes) is about the turns. Downhill is about hammering speed. XC is about finding flow. I am still working on what Road cycling is about. Tonight, however, it was about sunsets, cool spring breezes and enjoying the evening. I saw a deer run across the road right in front of me and for the first time I could see how low to the ground it can sometimes run and hear the sound of its hooves on the asphalt. I went out on my Caliente - 33/16 fixie with no brakes. it was so much better than the trainer. got to spin for almost 45 mins. (about 11 miles) and had a great time- but i almost didnt gooooo. luckily i forced that first step.






I still don't have the slight clue what running is about.

Stretching it out

Today I was looking to do a longer road ride with bobby (bit easier pace). I couldn't get in touch with him so i went with Alex (fastest girl i have met on a bicycle and running) and Brian (afore-mentioned super guru) to do a climbing day. We went to Sperryville and rode UP to Skyline and over into Luray. Ate a pretty good lunch and then rode south of town. After getting blasted by the wind on the way out of town we turned around at the 25 mile mark. The wind and hills pushed us back into town so fast, I felt like a super hero. I Passed a local walking along the road and threw the Hi-5 and the sting of the 30 mph impact was so great. The climb out of town was tough but the downhill was fast and fun. 50 miles. It was cool and my 2nd longest ride so far. my legs hurt

Back To My Roots

So far today I have done a Mtn bike ride on Blakely's Ridge. It remined me of the first year of mtn biking for me in Frostburg. Gravel roads up steeep mountains. Today, instead of a cliff jump into a quarry at the top we had Johnsonville Brats cooked over a campfire. When i heard this was what was happening, i thought that it didnt sound that great but those brats tasted SO good. It was a miracle that we ever got that fire lit. If it wasn't for a sales receipt we would have been out of luck.

The climbs were granny gears and pushing through the rocks and erosion ruts. I felt pretty good but Scott was really strong.

The decents were also a lot of fun. Small technical obstacles but fast and loose. Good time- it reminded me of why I got into downhill in the first place... Good Motivation.

I hope to go for a road ride in a little while. Legs are feeling less weak.

[Edit]: Went for a nice and easy road ride. Maybe the first time i have done two real rides in one day. Good training for Italy. another 24 miles on such a beautiful day.

Feelin' It

Today was another great ride with cycling guru "Stix". His ride was an easy to medium pace with one or two interval sprints. My ride was a pretty hard push through the whole ride with semi frequent breaks in his slipstream. We both rode 25 miles with a 19+ mph avg. There were times on the smooth tar of a "tar and chip" road and another when stomping 30mph on a downgrade that were really enjoyable. It also made me forget all about work and houses that need finishing and jerky supers. I am really enjoying the sunsets and taking photos while we ride (it does slow me up).