Got an email from 12 Hours of Temecula last night telling me that they had one guy's results mixed up and it turns out he was actually ahead of me so I really got 2nd.
Results
Oh Well... I can deal with 2nd and it was one of the funniest courses I have ever ridden. I would recommend these races to anyone interested in 12 hr racing.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
12 Hrs of Temecula
Tom and I headed out to do the first race in the 2009 So Cal Endurance Series. I had some definite entertainment on this trip watching Tom trying to figure out how to use his new IPhone.
We got to Temecula mid afternoon on Friday and headed straight to our motel. That's right, no camping this trip! We spared no expense on this trip and booked one of Motel 6's finest suites.
After unloading a bit at the hotel, we headed out to an early pasta dinner and out to pick up our race packets. We hung out at the venue chatting for a while and then headed back to town for some supplies. We got our normal stuff at the grocery store and I copied Tom with the giant deli sandwich for race food this time. Before hitting the hay for the night, we did check out the local bike shop, had a second dinner, and some desert. I think we actually had desert before our second dinner.
The morning came soon enough. We ate breakfast at Dennys accross the street and headed out to the race. Once at the race, we got our pit set up, hung our Vassago banner, and suited up.
During the first lap, my legs felt like lead weights. I didn't try to pursue Tom like normal. Based on my initial assessment of the way I felt, I decided to take it pretty easy the first lap. I was pleased to find that by middle of my second lap I started feeling pretty good. I settled in and tried to focus on the day ahead.
As the race went on, I knew I was doing pretty good based on how many people in my class I was lapping. The race was pretty uneventful until the end of my 11th lap (about 100 miles into the race)when my chain slipped and I almost went over the handlebars when I stood up to push a little on a fairly flat section. My chain started doing some funny stuff as I started to think about how little attention I gave to my drivetrain throughout the day (no cleaning and very little lube). At the end of the lap I found a couple of really sticky links in my chain. The combination of a dusty course and the exploded bottle filled with a mix of Heed and Gatorade that covered my bike probably were no help. I did a quick lube and wipe down and headed out on my 12th lap. My chain was OK for most of the lap but got horrible towards the end of the lap again. It got so bad that I had to stop and spray off my chain with my watterbottle and work on the sticky spots. As I pulled in after my 12th lap I was ready to call it quits and let the cards fall where they may until I saw another solo rider coming through. I then threw on some lube and headed out onto my 13th lap with just over an hour to go in the race. I caught up to the guy at the base of the first climb. I verifed that he was a expert solo racer and asked what lap he was on. He replied, "13th" He then asked, "How about you?" I said, "Yep". We then took off up the climb. This guy and I had no idea what place we were battling for but it got my adrenaline pumping.
I was able to lose him on the long climb that was about a quarter of the way through the lap and put a total of 7 minutes on this guy who turned out to be the 2nd place finisher.
I was happy to find out that I took 1st in the Solo Expert category and was really happy that I didn't throw in the towel after my 12th lap.
So the finals for me were approximately 120 miles and somewhere around 16,000 feet of climbing. Tom the freak squeezed out 14 laps taking 2nd in a super tough single speed class. Congrats Tom!!!
Next weekend off and McDowell in 2 weeks...
We got to Temecula mid afternoon on Friday and headed straight to our motel. That's right, no camping this trip! We spared no expense on this trip and booked one of Motel 6's finest suites.
After unloading a bit at the hotel, we headed out to an early pasta dinner and out to pick up our race packets. We hung out at the venue chatting for a while and then headed back to town for some supplies. We got our normal stuff at the grocery store and I copied Tom with the giant deli sandwich for race food this time. Before hitting the hay for the night, we did check out the local bike shop, had a second dinner, and some desert. I think we actually had desert before our second dinner.
The morning came soon enough. We ate breakfast at Dennys accross the street and headed out to the race. Once at the race, we got our pit set up, hung our Vassago banner, and suited up.
During the first lap, my legs felt like lead weights. I didn't try to pursue Tom like normal. Based on my initial assessment of the way I felt, I decided to take it pretty easy the first lap. I was pleased to find that by middle of my second lap I started feeling pretty good. I settled in and tried to focus on the day ahead.
As the race went on, I knew I was doing pretty good based on how many people in my class I was lapping. The race was pretty uneventful until the end of my 11th lap (about 100 miles into the race)when my chain slipped and I almost went over the handlebars when I stood up to push a little on a fairly flat section. My chain started doing some funny stuff as I started to think about how little attention I gave to my drivetrain throughout the day (no cleaning and very little lube). At the end of the lap I found a couple of really sticky links in my chain. The combination of a dusty course and the exploded bottle filled with a mix of Heed and Gatorade that covered my bike probably were no help. I did a quick lube and wipe down and headed out on my 12th lap. My chain was OK for most of the lap but got horrible towards the end of the lap again. It got so bad that I had to stop and spray off my chain with my watterbottle and work on the sticky spots. As I pulled in after my 12th lap I was ready to call it quits and let the cards fall where they may until I saw another solo rider coming through. I then threw on some lube and headed out onto my 13th lap with just over an hour to go in the race. I caught up to the guy at the base of the first climb. I verifed that he was a expert solo racer and asked what lap he was on. He replied, "13th" He then asked, "How about you?" I said, "Yep". We then took off up the climb. This guy and I had no idea what place we were battling for but it got my adrenaline pumping.
I was able to lose him on the long climb that was about a quarter of the way through the lap and put a total of 7 minutes on this guy who turned out to be the 2nd place finisher.
I was happy to find out that I took 1st in the Solo Expert category and was really happy that I didn't throw in the towel after my 12th lap.
So the finals for me were approximately 120 miles and somewhere around 16,000 feet of climbing. Tom the freak squeezed out 14 laps taking 2nd in a super tough single speed class. Congrats Tom!!!
Next weekend off and McDowell in 2 weeks...
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
White Tanks
Don't really feel like I can call this the first race of the year cause I never really stopped racing in 2008.
Sara, Layla, and I got to Phoenix around 7:00 am Saturday morning. It was a beautiful morning down in the valley and our timing allowed Sara plenty of time to get ready for her 8:30 start. Unfortunately her race was cut short by a broken chain at the end of the first lap. (Details to come from Sara...)
The temps were mid 70s for the start of the Cat 1 race. There was a pretty big field and my nerves were extremely high for some reason. It was kind of a crazy start with a couple of crashes in the first couple curves and one caused by me and another guy hooking bars heading into the first big wash. I somehow kept it upright.
I settled in with the lead group of about 8 guys. It seemed that we put a fairly large gap on the majority of the field early in the first lap. The group I was riding with broke up a little in the second short technical section. It was one of those races where I was riding with and jockeying back and forth with the same 4 or 5 guys the whole race. On the final lap I had a little left in the tank and was able to pull away from the guys I was riding with and catch a couple of others.
I was able to pull out 2nd place finish. It was a great start to the season.
Tom had a great race finishing 2nd in the Advanced SS category.
Sara, Layla, and I got to Phoenix around 7:00 am Saturday morning. It was a beautiful morning down in the valley and our timing allowed Sara plenty of time to get ready for her 8:30 start. Unfortunately her race was cut short by a broken chain at the end of the first lap. (Details to come from Sara...)
The temps were mid 70s for the start of the Cat 1 race. There was a pretty big field and my nerves were extremely high for some reason. It was kind of a crazy start with a couple of crashes in the first couple curves and one caused by me and another guy hooking bars heading into the first big wash. I somehow kept it upright.
I settled in with the lead group of about 8 guys. It seemed that we put a fairly large gap on the majority of the field early in the first lap. The group I was riding with broke up a little in the second short technical section. It was one of those races where I was riding with and jockeying back and forth with the same 4 or 5 guys the whole race. On the final lap I had a little left in the tank and was able to pull away from the guys I was riding with and catch a couple of others.
I was able to pull out 2nd place finish. It was a great start to the season.
Tom had a great race finishing 2nd in the Advanced SS category.
POP
White Tanks is a super fun course. There's really only 2 short technical sections, one climbing switchback, a few descending switchbacks, and a tricky, lots-of-big-loose-rocks wash. Other than that, it's a nice rolling course with some good gradual climbing and a nice descent to the end.
I did not have a very good start. Jennifer and I went out for a quick warm up just a few minutes before the start and realized on the way back that we didn't really know where the start was. We were further away from it than we thought.
After we got going, Jennifer and I rode with Christina for a little. I charged ahead with Jennifer in tow who was giving me tips on what to expect of the course since I never made it down to preride. We were passing marathoners and junior and beginner women here and there. Jennifer and I kept changing front position. We finally hit the last of the tech section which meant it was all downhill to the end. Time for the big ring.
We were cruising along, trying to take the turns at a smart speed. I was getting close to the end and a strange noise came out of nowhere. A big popping sound. Next thing I hear is Jennifer....OH NO, YOUR CHAIN!!! She turned and rode back to where it fell off to confirm. She was hilarious. She wanted to wait for me! Then she was going to go tell someone and come back for me. She ended up riding on and gave Zach a heads up about what I had going on. I had no tool.
I ran for what felt like 3 miles. It was probably only a quarter of a mile, but it felt like forever. A friend of Scott Keller handed me a chain tool towards the end of the end of the lap. I ran all the way in and waited for Zach who was off getting a link. Standing there with me was the USA cycling official who reminded me that I needed to be self sufficient as Zach walked up with the link. So that was the end of my race. After a little bantering and explaining, I finally got his okay to go out and at least ride the rest of my 3 laps. What a waste it would have been to only have gotten 1 lap in!!
But if only that could have been the end of my day. Zach was a good soldier and continued handoffs even though I wasn't racing. The next lap we dropped the bottle. Pretty uneventful after that. I ended up finishing about 15 minutes behind Jen.
Timing-wise that put me right at the start of Zach's race. I had no idea what he wanted in terms of hand-offs. I jumped on my bike and tried speeding over to the start line. I had to take a short cut through this natural area and the next thing I knew I was sliding out landing on the ground. As I stood up, I felt pain. Like I had never quite felt before. I looked down at my right arm and I had 3 cholla cactus things in my arm and shoulder and one sticking out of my right butt cheek!! AGGHH!!! It hurt. I've never experienced anything like this though. Out of nowhere, 2 people appeared and started helping me pull them out. I didn't know either one of them. It was pretty cool. I'm not sure what I would have done if they hadn't come over. You can't pull cholla out with your bare hands cause they hurt like a mother. You have to use a tool or a couple of keys or something and I'm sure I was too much shock to do anything like that by myself.
So I didn't have a very good first race, but the weekend did end well with a trip to Sedona. My sister Jennifer, her husband and kids are there visiting my parents. And Zach had a freaking awesome race, finishing 2nd in his age category and 3rd overall for cat 1 men!!!
I did not have a very good start. Jennifer and I went out for a quick warm up just a few minutes before the start and realized on the way back that we didn't really know where the start was. We were further away from it than we thought.
After we got going, Jennifer and I rode with Christina for a little. I charged ahead with Jennifer in tow who was giving me tips on what to expect of the course since I never made it down to preride. We were passing marathoners and junior and beginner women here and there. Jennifer and I kept changing front position. We finally hit the last of the tech section which meant it was all downhill to the end. Time for the big ring.
We were cruising along, trying to take the turns at a smart speed. I was getting close to the end and a strange noise came out of nowhere. A big popping sound. Next thing I hear is Jennifer....OH NO, YOUR CHAIN!!! She turned and rode back to where it fell off to confirm. She was hilarious. She wanted to wait for me! Then she was going to go tell someone and come back for me. She ended up riding on and gave Zach a heads up about what I had going on. I had no tool.
I ran for what felt like 3 miles. It was probably only a quarter of a mile, but it felt like forever. A friend of Scott Keller handed me a chain tool towards the end of the end of the lap. I ran all the way in and waited for Zach who was off getting a link. Standing there with me was the USA cycling official who reminded me that I needed to be self sufficient as Zach walked up with the link. So that was the end of my race. After a little bantering and explaining, I finally got his okay to go out and at least ride the rest of my 3 laps. What a waste it would have been to only have gotten 1 lap in!!
But if only that could have been the end of my day. Zach was a good soldier and continued handoffs even though I wasn't racing. The next lap we dropped the bottle. Pretty uneventful after that. I ended up finishing about 15 minutes behind Jen.
Timing-wise that put me right at the start of Zach's race. I had no idea what he wanted in terms of hand-offs. I jumped on my bike and tried speeding over to the start line. I had to take a short cut through this natural area and the next thing I knew I was sliding out landing on the ground. As I stood up, I felt pain. Like I had never quite felt before. I looked down at my right arm and I had 3 cholla cactus things in my arm and shoulder and one sticking out of my right butt cheek!! AGGHH!!! It hurt. I've never experienced anything like this though. Out of nowhere, 2 people appeared and started helping me pull them out. I didn't know either one of them. It was pretty cool. I'm not sure what I would have done if they hadn't come over. You can't pull cholla out with your bare hands cause they hurt like a mother. You have to use a tool or a couple of keys or something and I'm sure I was too much shock to do anything like that by myself.
So I didn't have a very good first race, but the weekend did end well with a trip to Sedona. My sister Jennifer, her husband and kids are there visiting my parents. And Zach had a freaking awesome race, finishing 2nd in his age category and 3rd overall for cat 1 men!!!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Oh yeah....Now that felt good
Short sleeve jersey and some black lycra. In the back pocket, sleeveless windbreaker and some arm warmers just in case. January in short sleeves. Man am I grateful. Here's the weather we'd be dealing with had we not moved.
The last couple of times I've gone out I've just done a loop from the house that includes the Iron King Trail that connects up to the Peavine trail. From the end of the Peavine I take Prescott Lakes Parkway home. It's pretty flat. Just some nice gradual ups and downs until the Parkway. Our FIRST RACE IS SATURDAY, and the course has some long , gradual grinding climbs with a short technical section. No major climbs like we have around here so I figured I should be trying to get in some rides with constant pedaling.
When we first moved in, we pretty much drove to all of the trailheads (except for the 305, which is super close). We live right off a major thoroughfare, so it seemed impossible to ride anywhere else safely. Now that we've got a lay of the land, we pretty much can ride to any set of trails from our house. It just involves some extra road time in order to take the safe route.
This is Prescott Lakes Parkway heading down towards Peavine. You can see Granite Mountain in the distance on the left and the Parkway ends down at the bottom where that other road in the center/right of the picture heads up. Peavine is at the bottom. Climbing up the Parkway takes me about 13 minutes. For all the times I've driven it, I've never checked the mileage.
The last couple of times I've gone out I've just done a loop from the house that includes the Iron King Trail that connects up to the Peavine trail. From the end of the Peavine I take Prescott Lakes Parkway home. It's pretty flat. Just some nice gradual ups and downs until the Parkway. Our FIRST RACE IS SATURDAY, and the course has some long , gradual grinding climbs with a short technical section. No major climbs like we have around here so I figured I should be trying to get in some rides with constant pedaling.
When we first moved in, we pretty much drove to all of the trailheads (except for the 305, which is super close). We live right off a major thoroughfare, so it seemed impossible to ride anywhere else safely. Now that we've got a lay of the land, we pretty much can ride to any set of trails from our house. It just involves some extra road time in order to take the safe route.
This is Prescott Lakes Parkway heading down towards Peavine. You can see Granite Mountain in the distance on the left and the Parkway ends down at the bottom where that other road in the center/right of the picture heads up. Peavine is at the bottom. Climbing up the Parkway takes me about 13 minutes. For all the times I've driven it, I've never checked the mileage.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
She's so good part 2
I went for a quick hour and a half ride yesterday. We are still crating Layla. She usually does pretty well in there. When I came home from my ride, she was sitting pretty, all curled up in the midst of this.
That white stuff is the stuffing from a pillow we used to keep in there for her to sleep on. I guess I'll have to make a visit to my friends at petsmart today.
I can't believe how tiny she used to be!
That white stuff is the stuffing from a pillow we used to keep in there for her to sleep on. I guess I'll have to make a visit to my friends at petsmart today.
I can't believe how tiny she used to be!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Woah
Can not believe December has come and gone. I finished up finals nicely, we hung out with Tim and Elizabeth, Zach's parents came in from Illinois and then set up camp in Sedona. Angie and the kids spent a night at our house before we met the rest of the Stanford crew in Sedona for Christmas week in red rock country. The week did not go quite as I had hoped cause I caught the cold Zach had the week before. I just finally stopped blowing yellow snot. My parents came back about a week and a half ago and Zach went back to school on Monday!!
Here's a few photos of our trip.
Zach and his brothers and sisters (minus one bro)
The adult gang at PJs for the Bears game.
The tree swing.
Preparing for the big football game.
Me and Aleigha.
Hiking around Bell.
Here's a few photos of our trip.
Zach and his brothers and sisters (minus one bro)
The adult gang at PJs for the Bears game.
The tree swing.
Preparing for the big football game.
Me and Aleigha.
Hiking around Bell.
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