Cookies

Tim and Elizabeth came up from Tucson this weekend to hang out and see the Christmas lights in Prescott. They got in around 7pm on Friday night. We were all kinda beat, so after catching up a little we went and had some In n Out burger and pretty much called it a night.

Saturday morning we drove up to the Lynx Lake cafe to find the gates closed for a month. They completely shut down from Dec 1st until mid January. Good for them, bad for me. No yummy french toast.

So we hit the Dinner Bell downtown Prescott instead. That worked out fine because then we were right there to go hike a loop at Thumb Butte.

When we got back home, Zach and Tim suited up and we all jumped back in the car. Elizabeth and I dropped them off at White Spar campground. They started their ride on 396.

From there we drove around and looked at the houses off of Copper Basin Road. A really neat little community with steep, narrow roads up in the pines with granite boulders that make up many of the yards. And then we did the drive that I've been wanting to do since I rode the area last weekend with Becker.

We headed up Senator Hwy and came back down Walker Rd (which parallels the 305). The drive takes you up by Spruce Mt and then down past Mt Union, which is the highest point in Yavapai County. And right where the two roads meet is Hassayampa Lake. It's a small dammed lake that is now privately owned high up in the mountains. It is completely unexpected. Of course I didn't have the camera with. It was an awesome drive with beautiful views along the way. Both roads start out paved but turn to gravel and it's a single lane road most of the way. It was a little scary that day because there was snow/rain in the forecast and the sky looked like it was going to storm. I was relieved to hit the pavement again!! That will be an awesome ride to do some day.

We went home and waited for Zach and Tim to make it back from their ride. We had a hard time getting Tim to take off the vest he borrowed. He wanted to wear it out that night, but we talked him out of it.

We (or I should say TIM) cooked dinner and then headed out to our new favorite night spot, the Raven. Get this - Saturday night happy hour from 9 till midnight! It was a really fun night out. Elizabeth and I had an interesting night of trying new things.

Sunday morning brought Zach's famous biscuits and gravy and a lot of laying around. Thank goodness for Elizabeth who got us motivated to go for a hike. We decided on Granite Basin. It was an awesome hike.

By the time we got home it was around 4, so Tim and Elizabeth packed up and started the trip back to Tucson.

570 is the number...

This weekend finished up my 2008 race season with Dawn till Dusk down in Phoenix. This race was surprising, awesome, and left me in a lot of pain. The competition in the race was tough with a bigger turn out than expected. There were a total of 52 competitors in the geared open class. Some big dogs from SoCal jumped out to an early lead and set a crazy pace. It was about halfway through the race that I finally figured out that I was sitting in 4th place. I held that position up until a frustrating last two minutes of the race. In the very last section of single-track I got passed by two guys in my class and my legs had no response. I ended the race in 6th place. Of course Tom ended up winning the Solo Single Speed category.

I kind of thought that a 10 hr race on the Pemberton Trail would be the easiest race of the ones I’ve done in the last couple months. The problem is that Pemberton is not very technical and is very fast. This allowed everyone to push hard the whole time. The nine laps I got in put me somewhere between 140 and 150 miles for the day. Sunday morning when I woke up I felt like I had been hit by a truck.















Not sure if it was just this race that put me in pain or all of the racing over the last couple of months combined. I think at this point my body is ready for a break. In reflecting on the last couple months I figured out that since Payson in the middle of September, my off-road race miles alone are somewhere around 570 miles. That is the busiest fall I think I have ever had in regards to racing. Despite the aches and pains I had a blast and am looking forward 2009.

75 Day Recap
1st - Solo Geared Open – 12 Hours Payson Stampede
9th - Geared Open - Tour of the White Mountains 67 Mile
1st - Marathon Open - Giant Dust Devil Estrella
3rd - Solo Expert - 12 Hours of Temecula
6th – Solo Geared Open - 12 Hours of Fury
6th – Solo Geared Open - Dawn Till Dusk

Happy Thanksgiving.....And More pics

Compliments of mikelsall... He can take a good picture. Maybe there is something to be said for the stance. These are a few of my favorites.

On our way up Cathedral. Layla and I turned back at this point. She was getting nervous. We hiked down to the creek instead.








Dating bliss.








The Layla dog.










On Zach and Mike's ride. I think this is Submarine Rock.







And on to Prescott. This thing looked like it was giving us the finger.










Hiking up 392 around Thumb Butte.










Heading down 326.

Hey Kelsall.....

Kelsall and Jen were in town last weekend from cold Illinois for a quick visit before heading to Phoenix for Thanksgiving at his family's. They met us in Sedona Friday night. They got in kind of late so after a few refreshments and a little catching up, it was off to bed.

Saturday we had some breakfast at the airport and then headed up Cathedral for a little hike. Mike has a new picture taking stance.

















A little rest half way up





















After the hike Mike and I headed out on a ride. We were out for about 2 1/2 hours and hit a lot of Sedona's good stuff. After Mike and got done riding we packed up and all headed back to Prescott for a night out on Whiskey Row. It was a great time sitting outside at Coyote Joes and for some live music (But no T-Bone) and then later to the Raven for a little more mellow of a scene to end the night. I think the Raven sells the world's smallest pizzas. Sara and I were feeling pretty crazy. We actually stayed out till Midnight!!!

The next morning we headed to breakfast at the lake of course and then a hike at Thumb Butte.















We stopped on the trail for a little snack















After the hike Kelsall and Jen headed to Phoenix. It was great seeing them!!! It was an awesome weekend!!!!

ADIDASS

All day I dream about silver stuff.



Optimus Ti with new Reba
















Some new shoes

12 Hours of Temecula

I headed to Phoenix to pick up Tom Friday morning and the two of us headed to California for the 12 Hours of Temecula. We had my Element loaded with our 4 bikes, a demo bike, 2 frames, all the stuff for the vendor area, and all of our gear. It looked like the Element was getting ready to do a wheelie.

Friday night after getting everything set up Tom and I headed to meet Kris and Mike from Vassago for a great dinner. We had some refreshments and some really good and really big food. I love it when quality and quantity are combined. Thanks to Kris for a great meal.

The race started at 9:00 the next morning so not much time to hang out. The race went pretty well. My knee and shoulder didn't give me too much pain. Whenever I started feeling anything from my knee I backed off a little and just tried to maintain a easy spin. I wound up getting 3rd place in the Expert geared and Tom took 1st in the SS category. We had a great time hanging out with everyone after the race too. Laughs provided courtesy of GTSD.

Some other highlights of the weekend were meeting and hanging out with Kris and Mike, the usually Tom entertainment including his custom bee hive made by half empty coke cans in our solo pit area, and watching a bunch of little poodles eating Tom's puke.

Of course both of us forgot to bring cameras this weekend.

back in AZ

My parents were out here back in September.

We hiked around Thumb Butte.







Relaxed on the porch.







Relaxed some more.








And then hit Coyote Joes for some live music.

Temecula

Based on the doctor report I am going to give Temecula a try. The Doc laughed when I explained my plans but didn't say no. If it starts to hurt I guess I will have to have a few refreshments and support Tom. Maybe I will put some TurboLax in his bottles.

12 Hours of Fury (Quitting While Your Ahead)

All I can say is I was having a great race. The Optimus with my new Reba was just flying over the rocky sections. I had a pretty good lead on 2nd place in the geared category and Tom was the only person overall of solo 12hr racers ahead of me when disaster hit. During my 6th lap I started having slight pains in my knee. This is a pain I have been trying to ride through for a the last month. It is from my crash at Tour of the White Mountains. I did a long ride in Sedona last weekend without any pain so I though I was going to be okay for this.

Anyway, during my 7th lap I couldn't bend my left knee at all. I had to ride in with just one leg about 3 miles. It was brutal. Because I was putting all of my weight on my right side, my right shoulder started hurting also which has been doing some weird stuff since my crash at Tour of Mountains too. When I got in I made the decision to call it quits. It was pretty hard to do especially since Sara told me I had nearly an hour lead at that point. I guess I should look on the bright side and be happy that I still got 6th place and only did about the first half of the race. So I am off to the doctor this week to try to figure this stuff out. I am still planning going to Temecula. I am going to take it easy this week and do a lot of icing. Sara, Uncle Jim, and Layla did a great job in my support and thanks to Darrin P. for the medical attention after the race.

Tom finished 11 laps getting 1st in SS and 1st overall of all 12hr solo racers. Evan took 3rd in the SS 12hr solo category. Pretty good for first 12 hour race. Darrin P., Robert, Dan, and Dan wound up taking 2nd in the 4 person 24hr.

It was a really cool event. It was a great turn out for a first year event. Jeremy the promoter is an awesome guy. He was very thankful for the support from the Adrenaline Team and the Vassago Jabberwocky frame donated for the raffle. There were a lot people checking out our bikes and a lot of people inquiring about how to win the Jabberwocky.

DCB Adventures Estrella

Sara, Layla, and I headed down to Phoenix for the first Dust Devil race of the year. Sara just started riding again this week so was just going to the race to hand me bottles and hangout with Layla and the team. We headed out of Prescott at about 5:00 am giving us plenty of time to get there and get situated before the 9:00 start of the xc race.

As we pulled up at the start at exactly 7:37 Tom rode up to the car and asked if I wanted to do the marathon with him. The only problem was that it started at 8:00 and both of us were still in street closes and had not registered yet. Well, needless to say we got ready and made it to the line at 7:59 with no warm-up. I think we both secretly wanted to do the marathon all along because it might suit us after the longer races we have been doing.

The 40 mile marathon started with a field of about 14 people. The race went pretty smoothly. Both Tom and I got good starts and were out front in the first couple of minutes. I kept Tom in sight for lap 1 and most of lap 2. He started getting out of sight about half to 3/4 through lap 2. After I lapped through and Sara handed me a bottle at the beginning of lap 3 I came around the corner to see Tom on the side of the course with a broken chain. I offered him a Powerlink and he said he was fine. I expected him to come flying past me the rest of the race but it never happened. I pushed on through the last two laps extending my lead on 2nd and held on for the win. I felt pretty good at the end, considering it was significantly shorter than the last couple races we have been doing. The race must of taken it toll on some of the competitors. Only about half of the people who started the marathon finished the race.

It was definitely a fun event. A bunch of the team was hanging out or racing along with displaying some Vassago frames at the Adrenaline tents.

Man of Leisure

I am off this week for fall break so I have been able to do some big rides the last couple of days. Monday's ride was a little rough towards the end cause my left knee started tightening up. Yesterday and today it feels a lot better. Layla and I have been spending some QT together. Hikes & naps keep her happy. Also, the weather is getting amazing here again!

Yesterday I finished getting the Blurr ready to sell. Sara was helping me when she got home and all of a sudden saw Layla take off for something in the driveway. Look at this critter.
























Looks like some sort of crab, turtle, & spider mutant combination. It was pretty funny watching Sara with her shovel and broom trying to shoo it away while trying to keep Layla from eating it.

Sara finished her CNA test yesterday and past it so her big school is coming to a close. Soon it will be back on the bike.



Snow Patrol is awesome. Heard this on XM for the first time the other day. I love this song. Can't stop listening to it! It sounds like one that will probably hit the radio and be overplayed in a couple months.

Tour of the White Mountains

I got up to Show Low with Becker in the late afternoon. We found Tim, Spiceman, and Jamie. After checking in and picking up our packets I drove Becker back into town cause he was staying with the rest of the Prescott peeps in a condo. I then got back to the Venue to set up my camp before dark. Tom got there right after I got back and we set up camp. We did some relaxing accompanied by stories and goofing off.

I have to say Friday night and Saturday morning I wasn't even really thinking too much about this race. I was thinking that after Payson this would be a breeze. I thought that after my rocky 12 laps at Payson a 67 mile race would be a piece of cake. Well, I was very very very very very very very very wrong!

I made some pretty big mistakes in regards to race prep. I wasn't going to wear a camelback because I heard that there were 5 aid stations. I thought that would be perfect except I didn't look at map or listen at the racers meeting to see where exactly the stops were so I could refill bottles and get food.

So the race started and I felt the best I have yet this year. I was passing a lot of people and didn't feel like I was riding over my head. So we passed the first 2 aid stations and I didn't have any need for food or water yet. So at about 1 hour and 45 minutes into the race I came to the 3rd aid station. I looked at my bottles and saw they were both close to being 1/2 full. Not really thinking that there were only going to be a total of 5 stops and this was the 3rd I kept on going. The thought process in my simple litte brain was that since the first 3 were close together the next one shouldn't be too far. Well it was 18 miles later. Needless to say I was without water for a long time and needed some calories. I had some gels with me but have problems eating them without something to drink. It was about the 4 hour mark that things started going pretty bad. I was getting weak and really sloppy on the bike.

After I finally got some water and food it was hard getting my momemteum going again because from there till the end the course was a big bad bitch. The doubletrack was super rocky, the singletrack was even more rocky, and the parts that weren't rocky had giant pot hole from horses riding it when it is wet. So needless to say the last 15 miles were painful. On one of the most techinique rocky decents I hit a tree with my handlebar and shoulder which then sent me not over the bars but like a helicopter off the bike. I landed on some pretty big boulders on my chest and knees. I just laid there for a long time. After a few minutes I thought I should probably get off the course. I crawled over to my bike and sat there for a while to regroup. The course was so long and people were so spread out that only a couple of people doing the 30 miler passed me. I told them I was just resting and they proceeded on.

Once I finally got going again I realized that the side of my vest was torn open and my jersey sleeve was shredded.

























That last 10 miles were pretty slow going. I just kept thinking about how I felt so great and was flying the first 4 hours and how crappy I felt the last 2 hours. I guess that is mountain bike racing. There was one racer out there who I have to thank. I think his name is Mario Correa. I told him I was hurting for water and he gave me the last of one of his bottles. I took the last couple of drinks and put the bottle in my jersey pocket. I caught him at the 4 aid station to find I lost his bottle out of my pocket. I tried to give him one of mine but he said he was fine. Really cool guy to give one of his competitors (not that I was much of a threat at that point) some of his last water in a long race like that.

All in all I guess I should be happy. I ended up getting 9th place and 5 of the 8 racers in front of me were Pro or Semi.

Results

The temps started to drop and rain started to fall shortly after I got done. Tim packed up and headed back to Tuscon. I decided I didn't want to sleep out in that mess especially cause my pop-up that I use for shelter off the back of the car was destroyed from the wind. Becker and I decided to pack up and headed to the condo where I would either sleep in my car or maybe on a floor in the condo. Anything would be better than the mess out at the venue.

Tons of racers were caught out in the mud. When we got back to the condo we found that Robert and Jeanette were not accounted for and Rob, Susan, and Brady were out looking. Eventually everyone was found and the muddy bodies returned to the condo. By the time they returned Becker and I had already had some hot tub time and were chowing snacks. Thanks to Rob and Suzie for letting me sleep on the couch. It was great relief to be in a warm, dry, and comfy place. Also, had a great night hanging out with everyone.

She's so good

As for me, the end is near. I have one week left of the CNA class. Finished clinicals this week. Skills test on Tuesday, written final on Thursday. The following week is the admissions test. No riding since Labor Day.

Layla and I did go for a hike this morning around Thumb Butte. It was 60 degrees. Everyone I saw had on long pants, long sleeves and hats. I had shorts and a t-shirt. I hope I never acclimate.

Zach and Becker are in Show Low racing in the Tour of the White Mountains today. There are forecasts for snow above 8000 feet!!!

12 Hours of McDonalds

My new race strategy was a success! Over the last few years I have stuggled with forcing myself to eat all the way through races like this. Endurox and EAS shakes get old after a while. Too many gels bunge up my tummy. So this race I decided I was going to get something that I love and crave often and nutritionally might not be too bad for an event like this. Before the race Sara picked me up 15 McDonalds hamburgers (7 with cheese). Most laps I ate one burger, 1 hammer gel, 1 bottle of Gatorade, and 1 bottle of water. I never had any problems with cramping or fatigue through the whole race. I usually ate my burger on the road section at the end the lap. People look at you kind of funny when you pass them eating McDonalds.

During my first 7 hours I felt great. The last 5 hours were good but there were some soreness issues. The issues during the race were not my butt. My issues were my shoulders and forearms getting really sore from the "Rocky Bitch" a pretty long gnarly rocky section that I am still trying to forget about. All my other problems were mental. I got a little freaked out over the course of I think laps 9 and 10. Over those two laps I saw 2 rattle snakes, a bat that flew after my lights for about a half of a lap (while I screamed like a litte girl), and a freaky old man wondering around in the dark. These things had kind of messed with my focus.

Tom was just the opposite of me. During the 1st half of his race he didn't feel that great and also broke a chain. Somewhere around 7 hours in he caught me and kept going. I don't how he rode 12 hours on a SS at this course.

I ended up winning the 12 Hour Geared category and Tom took 1st in the 12 Hour SS. We were the only two solo 12 Hr racers to finish 12 laps. We both could have gone out for lap 13 but we both decided against it.

Here are the RESULTS

Our team had some great results in other categories also.

I have to thank my lovely wife Sara and Misty from Vassago for the support and helping me through the race. I never even had to even leave the course.

Here are pictures from the race.

LeMans start.












Heading into and out of the feed zone.






















Tom















Camp.

































Sleeping arrangements and pit crew.

Payson

Things went good at Payson. I will have a full race report some time this week. It was a long weekend and I need some sleep.

Rocks

Tom & I prerode the Payson course today. It was pretty brutal. The laps aren't that long but some series rocky downhill sections. The climbs are not that long but pretty steep. I was pretty smoked today after 3 laps. Twelve hours of this course should be very interesting.