The 305

Thursday Ride 11/18

2010-11-17T18:38:00.001-07:00

Meet at Thumb Butte parking lot at 5:30

Cool Stuff

2010-11-15T19:45:00.002-07:00

Check out the article in Bicycle Retailer

FORM Cycles Offering Titus Repairs

Thursday 11/11/10

2010-11-08T09:55:00.002-07:00

Thursdays ride will be leaving from Cayuse at 5:30 followed by refreshments at Park Plaza Liquor and Deli.

Changes

2010-10-18T20:06:00.005-07:00

You will see that there are some changes on this blog. There was no falling out between us and the Vassago peeps. We still love Vassago and everything they do. I would like thank Vassago again for everything over the last few years.

It just seemed like it was time to support and ride for our friends and local frame builders. Daryl Roberts (Founder & Chief Designer), Sam Davis (Welder), and Shawn Morra (Machinist) make up FORM Cycles . Daryl with the support of his lovely wife Melanie base the FORM Headquarters out of Sedona, AZ. These guys are building some beautiful bikes!!!! Here are mine.... THANKS GUYS!!!

STEEL

TITANIUM

12 Hours at Night

2010-07-26T17:42:00.009-07:00

Well, no need to do a race report since the local paper did it for me.

Here is the pre-race article

Here is the post-race article

Articles were cool but they didn't put my props to race organization and sponsors

Back in the Saddle

2010-06-16T16:12:00.012-07:00

This past weekend I did my first solo 12 hour race since the whole bloody pee incident. This was also going to be Sara's very first solo 12 hour race as well as her first race since the fall. The race that we attended was 12 Hours of Temecula a race in the SOCAL Endurance Series

Friday morning we embarked on the beautiful drive through the mountains towards Temecula, CA.

We made some stops around Temecula to pick up some dinner and burgers for the race and made it to the venue around 2:00. Jason the race promoter who is one of the nicest people you will ever meet was there to greet us. He gave us rock star parking with the vans being parked right by the demo/staging area where Daryl was going to set up the Form tent and display.

Once we were set up, we set out for a pre-ride. Sara and Daryl had never been here before and were amazed with the views and some of the wild sections of the course. Here is some footage I found from the January Temecula race to give you an idea of the course.

The course ended up being 9.3 miles with 1,100 feet of climbing per lap. After the pre-ride we ate some dinner and got to bed early.

The morning went smooth. We had the Vassago Solo pit area set up and it was time for race prep, racer meeting, and to the start line shortly before 9:00. Sara's started to get a little nervous before the start in trying to figure out if she had everything she needed in our pit area and realizing she was going to be on her bike for 12 hours.

The race went great. No bike issues. I felt great all day. I didn't quite have as much high end as I usually do in the early laps but all in all I felt good. Probably the high point of the race was when another solo guy yelled at me for fumbling in a techy section so I let him go by. We then got to the big switch back climb and this dude couldn't climb for poop. So I knobby rubbed him up the entire climb. He even got off his bike and told me to go by and I said "No, I'm fine." He got back on his bike and went and gave him a couple of more rubs right before I went past when the climb opened up. I think he got the point.

Another exciting point was the big rattle snake that said hello to me around one of the turns. He was far enough off the trail but still made a little poop come out.

I was happy with 12 Laps and 4th in the Pro Solo Class for my first 12 hour race in almost a year. Sara ended up 3rd in the Womens Pro Solo Class but would have been 2nd if she realized the results had shorted her one lap and had the times for 2 laps combined.

Daryl had a great race finishing 1st in the Expert Solo Class. Tom Ament was having a great race until his broken ankle forced him to stop ridding. Tom Stack hammered out 11 laps and wins the award for the dirtiest legs.

Whiskey 50

2010-04-26T18:33:00.013-07:00

I wasn't quite sure how this year's Whiskey Off-Road was going to shake out. I am only half way back into shape and we got some wind, rain, and snow the days before the race and I hate racing in mud. Regardless of how the race was going to turn out for me the weekend was going to be a blast! Sara decided she wasn't ready for the 50 and decided she would do some volunteer work at the event. She is setting her sights for Temecula in June.

We had a big group coming into town to stay with us Friday night before the race. After packet pick-up and some dinner, breakfast prep for the morning, and some minor bike maintenance all nine of us were off to bed. (In separate rooms)

We all rose for some pancakes and sausage around 5:30. We did find some pieces of sausage in Sara's pill case the night after the race. I think it was compliments of Tom and Evan. Tom had a busy morning preparing for the race, playing hide the sausage, and hiding my shoes. Thanks BGT!!!

The day of the race couldn't have brought better weather. It was a little cool getting ready but perfect temp of 45 degrees for the start.

Evan and I getting Vassagos ready for the start.

Evan sporting the vintage Straight-Up Cyclery jersey.

Here is me trying to sneak my Optimus onto a display stand in the Form Cycles tent without Daryl noticing.

Once I got out there and got warmed up the race went great! I felt better and better as the race went on. A lot of people went out too hard and had problems on the big climb. I passed a ton of people on the 12 mile climb up from Skull Valley. It actually got pretty warm during the race. I wound up barely breaking 4 hours (3:59.25) which was slower than last year but still respectable and better than I had hoped. It is a sure thing that the Whiskey is no longer a small race. More and more freakishly fast people are showing up each year. Going to take a lot of work to try and get back into the top 20 next year.

Me at the finish

Tom at the finish

Tom saying something stupid

Despite his stupidity Tom had a great race finishing 4th in Single Speed.

I had a great day on the bike and a giant step in getting my body and racing back into shape. Thanks to Kris, Misty, and Vassago for the continued support!

Snow Day

2010-01-21T12:37:00.007-07:00

I got that wonderful call at 5:30 this morning that school was cancelled due to snow. Sara got her call shortly after mine. The picture is the view out of our garage this morning. Took Layla for a walk and then made some breakfast. Looks like another day of training on the rollers.

First Race

2010-01-12T10:06:00.002-07:00

The reason I didn't call this the first race of the year is cause it felt like my first race ever. The road back after some extra pounds and 4 months of antibiotics is going to require a little work.

I'm glad I have mental support from Tom who told me that if I'm going to go that slow on a race course, I need to put flashing harzard lights on the back of my bike.

This Past Month...

2009-08-25T19:44:00.011-07:00

So much has happened over the last month.

4 weeks ago

we spent my last week of summer before school in Sedona with Daryl and Melanie having some fun and quality creek time with the dogs

2 weeks ago

For Haven's Sake was a blast!!! Tom and Kim had everything nailed and the event ran like a well oiled machine. We raised a bunch of money for a great cause and a fun time was had by all.

Thanks again to everyone who volunteered, contributed, and attended!

Last Weekend

Camped and watched Sara and Tom race the St Mary's Food Bank race in Flagstaff.

Sara and Tom both finished in 2nd in the respective categories.

Also, Jeff, Norma, & Coco stayed with us Saturday night cause Jeff was doing the Skull Valley Road Race on Sunday. Layla and Coco got to have round 2 of their weekend's play. Here is Layla after they rolled in the dirt for hours in Flag.

As of late, I'm just working on motivation to start riding again after some bloody pee, infections, and medication battle.

Really?

2009-07-25T15:29:00.003-07:00

10 years of marriage!

Good thing he didn't kiss me for the first time with that nasty moustache!

Prescott 12 Hours at Night

2009-07-21T16:41:00.007-07:00

Tom, Tom, and Kim drove up this weekend for Prescott's inaugural 12 Hours at Night sponsored by GO Adventure Recreation. It was something new for me. I've never done a 12 hour race that was entirely at night. The race went from 8 pm Saturday till 8 am Sunday. Big thanks to Tom Ament industries for making me some ghetto lights to get me through the event. Tom makes awesome little lights that are super bright with long run times.

As we were getting ready for the race a storm started moving in. Here is me in deep thought looking at the lightning dancing around.

We got some pretty crazy lightning and wind for the first few hours but no rain. The weather added a little excitement.

Getting ready!!!

Starting the race I knew I had my work cut out for me cause I saw that Taylor Lideen a young up and coming endurance racer was there. I've raced with him before and he is super fast. We hit the first 5 laps pretty hard which didn't allow me to get any of my hamburgers consumed. So I was running on Gatorade, water, and GU for about the first 1/3 of the race. On the 6th lap Taylor put a little time on me but I was surprised to see him off the course and packing his car up at the end of the 6th lap. Turns out he had some stitches in his had that started to open up on him. So him dropping out allowed me to slow things down a little and get some solid food in me.
'
Anyway, It was the best 12 hour course I've ridden. It flowed nice and there was not any spots that I really hated. I'll be looking forward to this event next year.

I ended up winning the Men's Solo geared category with 15 laps and 135 miles. I have to thank Sara, Jeff, and Layla for the support. Would have been a lot harder without them.

Kim killed it on her first 12 hour race! She won the women's single speed category with 13 laps which would have been enough to take second in the men's single speed category

Great job to Tom Stack too for his 3rd place finish!!!

Haven's Benefit details

2009-07-14T19:00:00.007-07:00

Mark your calendars and check out the awesome flyer Kim made!
You can register ahead of time at BikeReg.com.
An event website has also been set up at forhavenssake.sports.officelive.com. From there you can register for the bike event, make direct donations, and find links to all of the businesses that have contributed to make this benefit happen!! You can read more about Haven and her fight here.

Event for Haven

2009-07-01T13:27:00.008-07:00

Sara and I will be helping Tom Ament in putting on a fundraiser event for a special little girl who is going through a very rough time.

Haven has been battling Neuroblastoma Cancer and ROHHAD. This link will give you details on what Haven and her family are going through right now.

http://haveyroo.blogspot.com

Misty & Kris of Vassago Cycles (The parents of Haven)are great people and great contributors to the cycling community so we are going to try to do something for them in this difficult time.

Haven is currently going through a very aggressive type of chemo where she has to stay in a "Clean Room" for the next several months. Kris is currently staying in the "Clean Room" with Haven. Here is the latest Vassago announcement

Vassago Cycles

The Event
Mark your calenders cause the event will be held at the McDowell competive loop duing the evening on Saturday, August 15th. It will involve a time trial, night fun ride, beer, food, raffles, and camping.

Specifics and flyer will be posted in the next week or so. Keep an eye out for details.

Jackpot

2009-06-14T20:53:00.004-07:00

Eighty five dollars = 1st place Flagstaff Finale

One hundred seventy five dollars = Arizona Pro Female State Champ

And I did it on my big wheels.

Thank you Vassago.

I-L-L

2009-06-11T20:54:00.007-07:00

I-N-I

Zach, Layla and I were back in good ole Pville the last week of May. It went by way too fast. I flew back to Prescott after just a week so I could make it to my first day of microbiology. Fun stuff.

It was a nice trip though, action packed but not to much. Spent some time with our families and some good friends. I forgot my camera half the time but managed to get a few (like 5) pictures.

Traffic to welcome us back.

Post Thursday night ride at Adam and Stacy's

Relaxing after a Sunday morning ride

Zach and his parents walking the doodle

Sweet nothings

2009-05-21T20:07:00.005-07:00

(Selle Italia needs a redesign)

Sara: Geeez...Look what I did to my saddle!!??

Zach: Yeah.

Sara: Man. How do you suppose I did that?

Zach: Your giant ass.

Rewind - Mogollon Masher

2009-05-20T15:42:00.015-07:00

BEFORE

What may turn out to be one of my favorite races in the MBAA series and I'm almost a month late in posting about it. We drove up to the Mogollon Rim fairly early Friday in the new VAN. We were meeting Jeff and Vienna to camp for the whole weekend.

The set up in the van. Layla is laying on a nice comfy futon mattress.

The views from our campsite, on top of the rim.

Our campsite.

Vienna getting the dogs settled. My favorite picture from the trip.

Once we arrived, Jeff, Zach and I suited up and went out for a preride. I loved the course. It reminded me a lot of Nine Mile. Alot of people did not like it because there was not enough climbing (huh?), but after the Prescott MBAA race and the Whiskey 50, I was ready for a "flat" course. And despite the protests of flatness, there was climbing. It was nice and gradual, no crazy steep climbs. It was good. Lots of pedaling. That's probably what people didn't like. It was beautiful with pines, aspen groves, and open pastures. The snow had just melted so there were a few mushy water crossings and 2 creek crossings. Fun stuff.

After the ride we got settled in (Thanks Vienna for setting up camp!) and celebrated Jeff's birthday.

The race venue turned out to be about a 20 minute drive from our campsite...yet I still somehow ended up running late. I barely had time for a warmup and we were off at 8:45. The race went well. I loved the trail even more the second day. The course was set up lollipop style; each loop was about 9 miles. The double track up to the feed zone turned out to be a killer and the 2 way traffic section back to the finish felt like 5 miles since it was all uphill.

First place! (dang I look old!)

Zach had a good race with photo finish at the end with his friend Tim (who lives in Chino Valley).

And then he puked.

The altitude must have gotten to Tom. He finished second.

Jeff dnf'd. If I remember he flatted...maybe twice.
After the race we chilled around the campfire. Tim, Robin and their 2 dogs joined us that night. We had 6 people and 6 dogs! We should have gotten up and rode Sunday morning, but we were all feeling a little groggy. We had breakfast and cruised. Stopped in Payson for some killer Mexican food and Zach slept in the back the whole way home.

AFTER

Vassago Love and Flagstaff

2009-05-18T19:33:00.009-07:00

We were just about packed and ready to go to Flagstaff for the race this weekend when that lovely brown UPS truck pulled down our dirt road and brought me a big box of love from Vassago. It contained our kits and everything else we could ever want including a little dolly named Tom.

A big thanks to Misty, Kris, and Vassago!

I you look close you will see that little Tom wanted to drive to the race...

We got to Flagstaff and I did my volunteer work and waited for Tim and Elizabeth to arrive for a nice relaxing evening. We had dinner by the campfire and it was off to bed.

The morning was different than usual because I had to do some more volunteering so I couldn't hand Sara bottles in her race. Tom (Not the dolly) and Kim got there in time for Kim and Sara's race so Tom handed the ladies bottles in their race.

My race was another battle. The top five finishers in our Cat 1 class have been so close the last few races and it was no different this time. Tom Faeh and Tim Allen got away a bit for 1st and 2nd but 3rd - 5th were back and forth the whole time. I wound up in 4th with Marcus Hayward who is leading the series 15 seconds ahead of me and Rob Shaver just a little behind me. It is going to be interest to see how the series shakes out after low races are dropped and the final being weighted heavier.

Rockin the new kit!!!!

Queen Sara sporting her 1st place medal and me with my 4th

After the race we headed to Sedona for some R & R at the Quail Ridge which is now partially owned by the Bike n Bean crew. So it is officially the coolest place for mountain bikers to stay with a great pool and hot tub and is only around the corner from the Bean. Tim Allen met up with Tim, Elizabeth, Sara, and I for some refreshments by the pool Saturday night. Tom (not the dolly) and Kim ditched us for some unknown reason and didn't join us in Sedona.

We did do some hiking at West Fork on Sunday before heading home.

And then there is this guy

For now...

2009-05-03T21:05:00.003-07:00

We had a great weekend camping and racing!! More later, test in the morning.

mongolian bbq

2009-04-30T20:09:00.004-07:00

We are off to the Mogollon Rim tomorrow for #6 MBAA race. This will be our first camping trip in the new rig.

Tim's not coming up for this one. I think he should reconsider.

I wanted to make these for you and Elizabeth last weekend but I ran out of time. All your talk after the race inspired me.

These cookies are my specialty. They are damn good, so if you are a cookie person you should start drooling now.

The Whiskey

2009-04-27T15:24:00.008-07:00

What a race. I have not done many endurance races, but I am going out on a limb to say this has to be one of the coolest. Super fun singletrack with some scary loose rocky downhill sections and you have to love the 11 mile dirt road down to Skull Valley... Especially knowing that you have to climb up and beyond the point where you started to head down. Lots of climbing and then the course ends with some more great singletrack....all downhill after one last short killer of a climb. That's the climb where everyone starts (or continues) to cramp big time.

Zach, Tim and I got downtown with plenty of time to spare. It's such an awesome race...from start to finish. It's so laid back at the start, you can head up with just a few minutes to go and weasel your way up closer to the front. I started with Zach, and Jen, Spring and Heidi were just a little ahead of me.

I had a completely uneventful race, which is the way I like it. No crashes and no mechanicals. I handled the water bars better than last year, made that last torturous climb, and improved on my time from last year. The climb back up from Skull Valley totally killed me. I must have swore 50 times that I would never do the fifty again!! Can't decide if it's more physically or mentally difficult. Couldn't have been on a better bike. The Vassago did me good. It's amazing how awesome I felt on Sunday after that race.

I ended up in 8th place... Not what I wanted but totally appropriate given my experience in longer races and my current level of training. School has ruled my days. There were some serious hard core ladies there like Lynda, Sonya, and Sarah. Wow, they are fast. Spring and Heidi kicked my butt up the road (ya damn roadies :)!! ) and had great finishes at 5th and 6th.

And the fun doesn't end with the riding. As you head in towards the finish line, you have an entire crowd of people cheering you on! It's so great. This year they finished the weekend up with a band on the square. How cool. I love this joint.

Zach had a great finish at 19th out of 139 in his age group, bettering his time by 16 minutes. First time Whiskey Riders Jeff and Vienna both did the 15. This was Vienna's first race!! They both did awesome. Tim's first time too. He did the 50 and was doing great until he stopped to help the dude who peeled the skin off his knee. Elizabeth was a trooper and hung at the house with the Doodle and Oliver during the race. Tom had a pretty good crash that took some time from him but Kim got a FIRST PLACE!! ha ha!

Unfortunately, I left my camera at home and didn't get any pictures after the race, but I did take some pictures of the course the weekend before during a preride.

Here's my bike, the Optimus

Zach, just before the waterbars.

Tim heading down 260.

A view up 260, which was in GREAT shape, thanks to the MAN - John Shumaker.

View of 89A from 260.

And a few pictures of the gang on the square.

The only disappointing thing about the weekend was that our friends from Illinois did not make it out here this year!! NEXT YEAR WE BETTER SEE YOU!!! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!

Bandersnatch

2009-04-19T16:58:00.003-07:00

Been riding mine all week and love it!!! It fits me so much better than the the Fisher did. You gotta love the Vassago Wetcat geometry. Started building Sara's today

Need New Vassago Stickers

2009-04-17T17:19:00.006-07:00

Here is the new diesel 4x4 race vehicle!!!! Plenty of room for bikes and sleeping. Tom and I aren't going to be Element twins anymore. The only thing it is missing is some Vassago stickers!!!

Sara getting ready to do a little wrenching. If you look close she might have a ziptie in her hand.

Who is this guy?

2009-04-17T11:50:00.003-07:00

Fancy shirt that's TUCKED IN? It even looks like he might have groomed his hair!?

The dirt dog

2009-04-17T09:26:00.000-07:00

Sneak peak

2009-04-12T21:29:00.004-07:00

I am sure you can imagine how excited I was when the man from the brown truck handed over this lovely box. Inside, 2 freaking Banders!!! Zach's already got his built up, but I need to work on getting a few parts.

Prescott Punisher 2

2009-04-10T17:07:00.004-07:00

It was upper 30s when my race started at 8:45!!! I ended up taking off the vest and just wearing arm warmers because I knew it would warm up.

We took off and this was the first race that I was out in front at the start. From there is was pretty much 2 hours and 16 minutes of pain and suffering. I seem to remember from last year that elevation change is over 1000 ft per lap. The course has grown on me though. I hated it the first time I rode it last year because the decomposed granite is like riding on glass and you can get going super fast on the downhills. But because it's normally an atv track, the turns are nice and burmed so you can take them pretty fast. Other than a dab on "The Wall" I had a clean race. I ended up in first with Jen in 2nd and Christina in 3rd.

We've got 3 races left in the series. Next up is Mogollon Masher and then we have 2 up in Flagstaff. It will be our first time riding the Mogollon course and the first Flagstaff course. Looks like the Flagstaff Finale is at the same park it was last year.

And just for fun, here's Tim showing off Zach's glasses with Elizabeth in the background.

Prescott Punisher

2009-04-08T18:04:00.003-07:00

A great weekend with racing and no traveling. The Prescott race in the Arizona series was this weekend. Tim and Elizabeth came up on Friday and him and I went out to pre-ride the course. I love that I moved to a place where there are races in my home town. I probably rode the lap 15 times in the weeks before the race.

People either love or hate this course cause its is so different from everything else. I love it probably only because I am getting to know it so well. It is really a ATV course with a good amount of climbing. What really makes it difficult other than the climbs is that you have to pick good lines on the decents because of the ridges the quads make and that the granite type soil is pretty washy and loose.

I rode a good race with no issues. I rode with the same three guys most of the race with just one guy ahead of our little group. We were trading back between 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. It was a lot of fun cause a couple of the guys are riders I'm starting to know pretty well and are great competitors in this series. During the 3rd lap Rob took off and looked pretty strong and we were not able to hold on. He held on for 2nd. During the last lap I made my move and got away on the beginning climb. I was able to hold and finished in 3rd.

Not sure why I look so confused on the podium. Maybe just eating left over GU out of my new stache.

Great to race in Prescott with everyone cheering us on!!!

Lots of fun hanging out with everyone after the race and a great dinner with Jeff, Vienna, Tim, and Elizabeth followed by some fun at the Raven!!!

Sara had another awesome race winning the women's pro division!!!

Nick

2009-04-03T14:13:00.009-07:00

I've been busy and slacking a little on the blogs. It has been almost 2 weeks since Nick left. It was great having him here and to show him around Prescott and Sedona.

Here are some highlight pics

On the way to Sedona

St Pattrick's Day

Hike Time

Nick is actually up in the high cave

More celebrating and headed to the Bike n Bean for some refreshments

Again it was awesome having him!!!

Forgot....

2009-03-19T08:48:00.003-07:00

To mention that Zach told Nick we would not pick him up from the airport unless he had grown a moustache. Can you see it??

Fat Camp Day 1

2009-03-17T06:44:00.011-07:00

We picked up Nick on the way back from Fort Huachuca Saturday night. He is spending his spring break out here with us while we are on ours.

We started out Sunday with breakfast at the lake followed by a quick walk for the doodle. It was the first time we've seen these birds. Zach thought they were loons. There was one in the water and he'd dive down and stay under for what seemed like minutes. We had to walk right under this tree.

After that we packed up and headed over to Granite Mountain.

Based on his appearance, Zach and I were not expecting much of Nick. I was thinking we'd ride 347 (which is gradual, but rolling, climbing the entire way) from the Williamson Valley Trailhead then turn around and head back down. We ended up doing 347 to 348 and over to Mint Wash via 352. Rode thru Cayuse and up 349. Back to Cayuse up 346 and finally headed back down 347 to the car. I'm thinking we did around 15.5 miles. Not too bad for a kid from Illinois who's been riding once a week. And he's totally got the technical skills. Downhill, uphill. He was clearing everything. He'd just slow down a little (sometimes alot) on the climbs. To be honest, he was descending down stuff it took me a year to muster up the courage to do and he was climbing technical stuff that I still sometimes don't make. Brat.

At the top of 347, getting ready for our ride down.

We finished the day at the Brew Pub and Coyote Joes, but not before Nick cleared out with the neti pot.

Fort Huachuca

2009-03-16T06:45:00.004-07:00

The 4th MBAA race was held at the army base, Fort Huachuca, in Sierra Vista, AZ (which is pretty close to Tombstone). We weren't super psyched to drive the 4.5 hours it was going to take us, but I needed to get this one in. Zach, the doodle and I got down there around 5pm Friday night. On the way I called my cousin Jim who has been stationed there for the last 5 months. Turns out he's on leave and out of town for a few weeks before moving on to his next assignment. Bummer.

We both squeezed in a preride of the black loop which we would each being doing 3 of the following day, followed by 1 red loop. I was glad we made it there in time. It was a pretty tough course and the preride allowed us to scope out the good lines. Lots of climbing and lots of rocks.

Race day temps were perfect. There was a little overcast and it was probably in the 60s. I ended up in first finishing in 2 hours and 6 minutes. The 29er climbed like a champ and made the scary descents super fun. Spring finished up in second, but had to cruise right after the race. She had Zach and I cracking up on Friday night.

Post race.

Here's the top 5 pro men. Man, these guys are fast. The Schultz bros, Tim Allen, Stefan Widmer, and TJ Woodruff.

Fat boy slim

2009-03-15T15:17:00.001-07:00

In the house

2009-03-15T07:11:00.003-07:00

I REALLY love my bike

2009-03-08T14:07:00.007-07:00

Here it is. The latest addition to the family. Thank you Misty and the team at Vassago. This is the reason why flatting at Estrella was such a bummer. It was my first race on my new Optimus Ti.

I've only had it for about 2 weeks and it's morphed quite a bit already. We (I mean Zach) just swapped everything over from my last year's race bike. I originally had Zach's velocity's but just went out for a ride on MY new wheelset (I deserve new stuff too, right?). I can not believe I rode these handlebars all last season!!??? That's what I call "Zach style."

Here's what it looks like now. I'm still not sure where I want the stem. Might try further down.

I've been waiting

2009-03-06T13:23:00.002-07:00

for the day to come. IT'S FINALLY GONE!!!

Picture this....

2009-03-02T20:38:00.003-07:00

I used to go to these kinds of clubs in my youth and dance to this

Julian Jumpin Perez was the BOMB. Amazing what you can find on YouTube

Estrella

2009-02-22T20:08:00.005-07:00

This weekend was Estrella race #3 of the MBAA series.

We got down early for Sara race and set up camp.

Sara's race was exciting and disappointing at the same time. At the end of the 1st lap nearly an hour into the race Sara was way out in front of the women's Pro field. Unfortunately, around halfway through the second lap she tore a tire and was unable to finish. Estrella is super hard on tires, bikes, and bodies.

Start of Sara's race. Sara on far right

My race went just like I expected. Tired legs and tired body. I was not disappointed cause I knew how it would be with doing a 24 hour race solo the week before. I just tried to ride steady and keep myself going. All in all the race went good. I ended with an 8th place finish.

My results the last two MBAA races are definitely no surprise with a 12 hour solo race before Mcdowell and a 24 hour race solo before this one. Don't have any endurance races planned for a while and can now get back to some normal training with a weekend off of racing.

Tom Riding Like the Devil to another 1st in Advanced SS

Some good lookers!!!

The real excitement! Layla and Koko playing

Making up for lost time

2009-02-22T13:12:00.005-07:00

Out of the 9 years I have been racing, I can remember 1 mechanical and 2 flats that I've had during those years. The mechanical was at the 2002 Hixton Holeshot. I had a bad shift and twisted a link in my chain. The first flat was at the 2004 Big Ring Classic. The second was at the 2006 Big Ring Classic. I took a spill at the 90 degree gravel turn they warned us about and then I later pinch flatted. Other than that, I have not had many issues during my races.

UNTIL THIS YEAR !!!! Ugh...the broken chain at White Tanks and now a flat that would not seal at Estrella on Saturday. I think the gash in my tread happened somewhere in the middle of my first lap. I tried to fill it at just into my second lap, but it was too big. I had lost too much stans out the hole and along the entire rim. By the time I figured it wasn't going to happen I had wasted all of my air.

So it sucks to DNF for the SECOND TIME IN ONE SEASON, It sucks cause I had a pretty decent lead, but it also really sucks for another reason.....(you'll have to check a later post to find out why).

But I am super excited for Christina who just got her upgrade to pro this past week and won her first race. Congrats to Christina, Spring and Jen who took the top 3 spots!! We have an awesome group of cool, talented women in our class!!!

24 Hours of Old Pueblo...

2009-02-20T09:57:00.011-07:00

I got ot Oracle around 1:00pm on Friday. Tom (BGT) was disgruntled that I was running so late cause he wanted to get out and ride the course. He had gotten there super early so he had been waiting a while. The reason I know he got there super early is cause he started texting me at 5:00am.

Once I got there Tom guided me on his bike back to our area which would become Vassago corner. The drive back to our spot was a little crazy. I really needed about a 6inch lift on the Element. After some big rocks and running over about a hundered cactus, I got parked. Tom got us a great spot. We were 2 feet off the course.

Once the camp was set up we did our preride followed by a lot of relaxing, eating, and socializing around the venue expo area.

We went to bed pretty early Chad in his tent and Tom and I in our matching Elements. The night's sleep wasn't to bad despite the low temps.

After some breakfast and some of Tom's chunky coffee it was time to start getting ready. I love these races cause I don't get the nerves before the starts like I do in a xc race. In endurance races some of the starts may be bigger but they are usually not as intense and crazed at the start. So a little after 11:00 am Tom, Chad, and I were suited up and ready to roll.

The start was awesome!!! There were so many people lined up ready to run and so many spectators lining the road. The start went off with out a hitch and the course was so much fun. At the start of the race I did my best to slow myself down and not to pace too fast with people doing relays. It is really hard to let people ride away from you sometimes even when you you know they are on a 4 man team.

The first 9 laps went pretty well. It was somewhere around the 170 mile mark where I started experiencing some problems. We were doing this race solo unsupported so eating between laps was sometimes a pain when you were trying minimize minutes off the bike. There were some stops between laps where the bike maintenance took priority over eating or riding across the venue to charge batteries took priority. The unsupported thing was a challenge but actually added a different element of fun to the race. So anyway my issues stemmed from me trying to rely to much on Hammer Gel and Heed for my calorie intake. I basically wasn't eating enough real food and my body let me know that. These stomach issues stopped me for a while during lap 10 out on the course and for a while after lap 10. Once all of the fake food had violently exited my body and I got back to my burgers everything was good and it was back out on to the course.

My last three laps went pretty good. I love it when the sun comes up. My 13th and last lap actually went really good. I started out with Sean of Moutain Hardwear and finding out that him and I were on the same lap helped me start pushing on that last lap. Sean and I have met before at one of the Temecula races. Anyway, I went as fast on that last lap as I did on my 4th or 5th lap. I kept seeing solo racers on my last so I kept pushing. I didn't even know if they on the same lap as me but sometimes not knowing makes you go even harder. Trying to push hard when your entire body is fatigued especially your arms does have some consequences. I got a little sloppy towards the end and crashed into some cactus. Luckily no flats.

I ended the race with 13 laps and somewhere between 215 and 224 miles. I am not sure what the exact milage of a lap was. People out on the course with Garmins and other GPSs were saying different things. I heard that a lap was anywhere from 16.3 to 17.2 miles per lap. This got me a 9th place finish. I was pretty happy with 9th based on the fact that the top 5 five finishers are some of the top endurance racers in the world.

Tom had an awesome race finishing 3rd in the SS category! He had some super tough competition also.

Congrats Tom!!!

24 Hours of Old Pueblo

2009-02-19T22:11:00.002-07:00

Race write-up coming soon! Been writing a little each day as I'm inspired. My mind just ain't working right this week. I think Tom poisoned my burgers at the race.

Weekend

2009-02-13T13:23:00.003-07:00

Zach left this morning for 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. It's put on by the same guy who organizes The Whiskey Off Road. I was supposed to go support, but my sister Lori and her kids are coming in tomorrow night for a week in Sedona. I can't miss that! It works out well anyway b/c I have an anatomy and physiology exam next week. I don't think staying awake straight for over 24 hours would jive well with my study plans.

Looks like they are going to luck out with the weather. There was rain forecasted for all day Saturday, but it is still supposed to get down to 34 tomorrow night!!!

If you want to check on Zach this weekend, they have real time updates here.

White Out

2009-02-09T19:47:00.004-07:00

Well, I started writing this post last night, but did not finish because we lost power!!

We have a winter wonderland outside. Zach's school is closed for today and I am on a 2 hour delay, which based on my schedule means I don't have class until 3pm now.

The bacon dog loves the snow.

A Win!

2009-02-08T09:47:00.009-07:00

What a beautiful day it was yesterday. It was probably in the upper 50s when I started my race at 8:45am and as it warmed up the cloud coverage hung in the air. I lined up next to Christina, and Spring rolled up next to us right before the start. The gun went off and, man, Christina just flew out of the gates. I settled in behind her in second with one or two people trailing. We rode in that order for a good while, and I passed after finding a good spot. Halfway through the first lap it was Jen, myself and one other person. By the end of the first lap I was out in front by myself.

At the start of the second lap though I took the wrong line down into the start of the tech loop. I chickened out at the top and got off for a few steps. After that I could hear Jen on my tail for the rest of the race. I'd get away for a little and it seemed she would catch me on the climbs. Then I'd get away from her on the rocky sections. Not sure what the exact finish times were...I finished at 1 hour 49min+ and Jen finished at 1 hour 50min+. It was one of those days that I felt great. No fatigue in my legs at all.

Jen, me, Spring

No major errors other than that drop into the tech loop, and I finally made that stairstep climb at the end of one of the switchbacks. That was fun. I am really starting to like that course. There's nothing super scary and the sport loop has so many fun bermmed turns. It was a great loop to end the race on.

BGT posing for the camera

McDowell Meltdown

2009-02-07T19:48:00.005-07:00

- Great start

- Early on was riding in lead group w/most of the guys I finished around in the last race

- Went for a pass in a bad spot with a deep rut

- Did some poop eating with some minor bike maintenance

- Spent the rest of the race trying to get back up

On a better note congrats to Sara for winning the Women's Pro race and Tom winning the Advanced SS!

More to come from Little Buddy.

How do I dress for this?

2009-02-03T12:02:00.002-07:00

Commute in the mornings in the upper 20s and start of ride after work near 70. I hate wearing a backpack so have been starting to accumulate some riding clothes at work. I guess I shouldn't complain about warm temps.

Oh Well...

2009-01-29T09:45:00.002-07:00

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.

12 Hrs of Temecula

2009-01-26T18:51:00.004-07:00

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...

White Tanks

2009-01-21T18:24:00.005-07:00

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.

POP

2009-01-21T18:16:00.002-07:00

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!!!

Oh yeah....Now that felt good

2009-01-14T17:52:00.005-07:00

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.

She's so good part 2

2009-01-08T07:34:00.004-07:00

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!

Woah

2009-01-06T20:13:00.005-07:00

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.

Cookies

2008-12-16T06:54:00.009-07:00

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...

2008-12-08T20:06:00.002-07:00

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

2008-11-27T09:30:00.005-07:00

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.....

2008-11-26T09:31:00.010-07:00

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

2008-11-19T19:28:00.005-07:00

All day I dream about silver stuff.

Optimus Ti with new Reba

Some new shoes

12 Hours of Temecula

2008-11-18T17:59:00.002-07:00

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

2008-11-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

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

2008-11-11T20:48:00.002-07:00

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)

2008-11-09T18:49:00.009-07:00

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

2008-10-12T13:52:00.009-07:00

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

2008-10-08T08:43:00.005-07:00

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

2008-10-05T12:13:00.013-07:00

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

2008-10-04T14:02:00.005-07:00

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

2008-09-23T18:47:00.010-07:00

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

2008-09-22T19:27:00.001-07:00

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

2008-09-13T18:50:00.003-07:00

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.

Getting Ready for Payson

2008-09-07T18:06:00.015-07:00

Did a long ride on Friday by myself and then I rode with Becker on Saturday. Becker showed me a lot of places I haven't seen in Prescott. Once he headed home I headed to Thumb Butte for a little extra. By the time I got into my neighborhood I had been out for close to 7 hours and still felt pretty good. Did a lot of eating and sleeping but felt good.

Sunday I took it easy. I slept in a little and then Sara and I headed to Lynx lake with Layla for a good walk.

Went home and got the Optimus Ti finished. I am eagerly awaiting a 2009 Reba for it, so it the meantime I borrowed my 08 Reba from the Ferrous. I need to start getting a feel for the Vassago. It looks Bad Ass! The first ride will be tomorrow!

Had a little mishap when I was aligning my front disk brake. I was looking at the brake with the front wheel spinning and my finger got a little close to the spokes. My new Jeffffffff built King wheels with bladed spokes are awesome but painful!

You really need to click on the last picture to get the full effect of what is missing.

The Ahoyts Invade Arizona

2008-09-05T18:30:00.015-07:00

Wow, we had a great holiday weekend. Jam and Karen were out in Az so that Dr. Jam could attend a dentistry seminar in Scottsdale. After the seminar ended these peeps headed north to Prescott to visit us. Upon Justin and Karen's arrival to our house they were very amused at the severe rutted conditions of our road. Their rented fancy Toyota Avalon (low to ground) didn't handle the road too well. Friday night we hung out at the house and I made some chicken tortas and we consumed some liquid refreshments. I didn't tell Justin until the next day that I used mass quantities of butter in the beans. I knew he wouldn't eat them if he knew.

Saturday we headed to Lynx Lake for breakfast and then for a scenic drive. It was actually Justin that spotted the bobcat in our previous post. That was the first one we have seen since we have been here. Pretty cool! We then headed to Thumb Butte for a long hike. It was longer than expected cause Sara was pretending she knew where we were going.

Gathering around the stache on the Prescott hike

Sweaty Betty

After hike picnic

Then to Coyote Joes (TBone in the background with his head down)

On Sunday we headed to Sedona for a hike on Cathedral

After our hike we did a little sight seeing and then headed back to the Quail for a relaxing afternoon and evening in the pool and hot tub (AND LOTS OF READING). Sunday morning the Ahoyts headed to Phoenix to catch their plane and Sara and I went for a ride on our normal loop.

It was a great weekend and visit. I would like to announce that Jam is moving his practice to Prescott, Az.

I'd like to introduce...

2008-09-01T14:51:00.003-07:00

our new friend.

Excitement

2008-08-31T07:04:00.005-07:00

Justin spotted this beauty while we were driving through Yavapai Hills. We think it's a bobcat.

Jam session

2008-08-29T12:47:00.004-07:00

Justin and Karen landed in Phoenix safe and sound on Wednesday afternoon. Their flight was uneventful...they even landed early! Sounds like Karen is having a blast. Justin is ditching his conference at 3, so they should be up here by 4:30 or 5!!! We can't wait. I hope he brought his dentist tools. I like to get my teeth cleaned.

Olympic Training

2008-08-26T19:07:00.004-07:00

Funny who you end up riding with sometimes.

Saturday at the race I went in feeling pretty confident that I'd be able to do well. I figured I'd just try to hang with Linden from Absolute Bikes and I'd be okay. Shortly after the start I realized it wasn't Linden's day, so I pulled ahead. I was a minute or two up the 15 minute fire road climb and realized I wasn't alone. Someone followed me...it wasn't Linden. Hmm....

It was a long gradual climb for the first 10 minutes and I was still pulling. Because there were just two of us, I decided to speak up. I figured sharing the work at a fun, laid back race wasn't a bad idea. "Would you like to pull?" ".........No.....Not really.....But I will." Later on I would realize how funny that response actually was, but for the time being I was slightly perplexed. Her pace did not slow up at all. If anything she picked it up a notch. We finally hit the peak of the fire road and started heading down for a little. It turned out that she pulled for about 5 minutes before we hit the single track at which point I decided I deserved to lead just in case she sucked in the singletrack.

The course was pretty sweet. From that first turn off it was basically singletrack the rest of the lap - climbing for a good 20 or 25 minutes until the decent back to the start. If I didn't look back every now and then, I wouldn't have known anyone was behind me. I never heard a peep out of this girl. Why am I breathing so hard????? After the short two minute section on the rolling dirt road, we headed back into the singletrack for the last 15-20 minute decent. I was not feeling it. Breaking all over the place. Almost sliding out. I was fully expecting to hear her say "Can I pass?" As soon as I had a chance I let her go by. She was gone in a second, not to be seen by me during the last two laps.

My second lap was much better. My split was a minute quicker than the first. It was a hard race though. The climbing through the single track really sucked it out of me at certain points. I finished in second and headed straight to find some water. While I was standing there, the lovely Katie Monahan walked up and introduced herself. We talked about the race, I apologized for passing her right as we hit the singletrack and explained my motive. She was right there with me. She said I was killing her on that first climb out (huh??? I seriously never heard a breath out of her) I asked her if she was pro...."No, I was an Olympic skier....I'm done with that. I just race mountain bikes for fun."

Flagstaff Mountain Bike Festival

2008-08-24T15:12:00.003-07:00

Sara and I decided late last week that we would do the Flagstaff race. Neither of us consider ourselves race ready but we said "What the Heck" and headed up. I was a little worried about the race due to the fact that I still have my extra weight I brought back on my gut from our summer in IL and that my Vassago is not quite ready so I would be racing my Ferrous which weighs somewhere in the range of the upper 20s lbs.

Sara and I got to Flagstaff and were soon joined by teammates (Darrin A., Tom, Evan and Matt). Matt took a pretty good crash on his roadbike this week so was going to take the weekend off of racing and help us with bottles. Sara and I were pumped cause it was our first race in our new Adrenaline / Vassago kits.

There was no Norba points or series points for this race so they started all Pros, Semis, SSers, and Experts together. It was a pretty big field. They scored all of us together except for SSers.

I felt suprisingly good. I felt great on the climbs and rode away from people but did my standard time losing decents. Man, I have to get better decending! Tom caught on the decent at the end of laps 1 and 2. He had to yell at me to let go of my brakes.

I was pretty happy with my race. I finished up 10th out of the Pros, Semis, and Experts.

Sara had a great race. She ended up getting 2nd out of the Pro / Expert women.

The rest of the ART Team did great as well. Tom and Darrin finished 1st and 2nd respectively out of the SSers and Evan finished a spot or two behind me.

Thanks to Matt for the bottles.

The awards ceremony in Flagstaff was great as well. We had a chance to catch up after our summer away over some post race refreshments.

Here is Tom at the start of the race.

Prescott is Calling

2008-08-17T19:51:00.004-07:00

You know who you are.

There have been a lot of car shows around here too!

God Given Talent

2008-08-17T19:47:00.004-07:00

I think that when Sara upgraded to Pro she thought it was for Professional Donut Eating! We bought this yesterday!

What's a girl to do

2008-08-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

When a hornet flies down into the sports bra while on a ride?

Tales From the Stache

2008-08-16T19:48:00.005-07:00

It was nice to get a couple of weeks of the school year under my belt again and get back to my Fridays off schedule. Sara was off too so we did a short ride and then worked on bikes all day. We finished Sara's Salsa and I got as far as I could on my Vassago. I was pretty excited with our bike progress on the day and the bikes look hot! I am digging the white parts on my Vassago.

Saturday was dedicated to riding. Sara and I headed out on the 305, up 297, met Becker at the top (finding out he had been bit by a dog on the way up) and headed down 299 / 9854, to 62. We headed into town with Becker on part of 126 that we have never ridden. It was really technical and way fun. Here is Becker and I having a stache pose down.

I decided that I was going to put some more hours in the saddle in trying to get ready for Payson so I head towards Thumb Butte. I parted from Becker and Sara and rode through town did and hour at Thumb Butte and then rode home. I was smoked when I got home. Still on the fence whether I can handle climbing Mingus with the guys tomorrow.

Good Morning!

2008-08-13T20:52:00.003-07:00

You ugly javelinas that woke me up yesterday. I didn't get them all in the picture, but there must have been 6 or 8 that cruised through our yard just under our bedroom window. The gravel makes it impossible for them to move quietly. As soon as I took the picture they ran......fast.

It ate my tires

2008-08-11T21:03:00.003-07:00

Check out the monster that flew into our garage one night. We were trying to work on bikes and it kept flapping around us, looking for a comfortable spot. I finally had to grab it by both wings and throw it outside. I was afraid: #1 that it would eat all my bikes if we left it in there overnight, but also #2 that by touching it's wings it would be incapable of flying (is that a myth?). I was glad to see the next morning that it was not in the spot that I dropped it the night before.

Resemblance

2008-08-11T12:50:00.002-07:00

David must have read my blog.

New Clothes

2008-08-07T21:23:00.005-07:00

I should have gotten the Noirs but when I ordered I wasn't planning on putting the new stuff on the Sycip.

Still need to add the juicy's but I'm waiting for a bleed kit for the front.

The Butte

2008-08-07T20:43:00.002-07:00

We had a pretty good weekend of riding. Saturday we started at Thumb Butte with Robert and Steve. Thumb Butte is an area we have not yet spent enough time. Mike and Adam rode it when they were here. The last few sections of the Whiskey were through that area. In fact, on Saturday we rode that last torturous, big-time-cramp, gradual-but-super-rocky climb. It wasn't so bad this time around. Sunday morning Zach rode up Mingus on 89A, down to Jerome and Clarkdale then turned around and rode back. AND HE GOT DROPPED!!! It's not funny but it is. I've been hurting on every ride since we've been back and he just LOVES trying to make me laugh on the last climb when I have no energy left to do so. Instead I want to cry. At one point I really wanted to push him off of his bike. But back to him getting dropped. He rode Mingus with a 19 year old super fast kid, a 58 year old, and a ...we'll say... 55 year old (not quite sure of his age). Is that great or what. Zach got dropped by 2 old dudes. Granted, one guy owns one of the bike shops in town and the other is a freak of nature. But it's still fun. I went and did the Skull Valley Loop. Over the summer months there's a ride that leaves the safeway at 6:30am on both Saturday and Sunday. I ended up knowing a few people on the ride. Keith is a retired Air Force helicopter pilot and has to be the nicest guy I've ever met. Brian is the husband of one of the ladies at the preschool. Everyone else I had met for the first time. I was the only female. Me and two other dudes got dropped for the first 2 thirds. We met up with everyone at Wilhoit and I kept up with the fast group from there. I was able to hang with the final sprint into town too. So I felt pretty good about myself after the ride, which made hearing about Zach's drop even better!!!!

This week wasn't so good. I spent most of the day Monday cleaning and studying - no ride. Tuesday I was exhausted from working at the preschool again. Wednesday I packed my bike and planned on riding after work to the butte, but a scary looking storm rolled in and I skipped it. Tonight I did the same but I ignored the lightening and sprinkles. It had already downpoured earlier that day for crying out loud. I rode the streets to Thumb Butte on the 1x1...not exactly fun cause it's geared pretty easy I think. Rode the start of the ride we did Saturday and then turned around and back tracked. I didn't realize it until tonight when I rode the opposite way, but the trail we started with on Saturday was one of the first Zach and I did when we first moved here.

Nice

2008-08-07T07:28:00.002-07:00

It's seventy-one degrees in the house right now. I haven't run the AC in over a week.

Miscellaneous

2008-07-12T15:06:00.006-07:00

I can not believe it is almost time to head back to Prescott. These 2 months have totally blown by. Just a few random photos taken over the last couple of weeks.

Out on Brian's Trail

I know these are not exiting pictures, but these roads are where we spent alot of time riding when we lived here. I enjoyed getting back out on them. Zach...not so much.

Rachael and I had a really fun ride out at Palos. I can't believe that was in JUNE!!! We haven't made a Wednesday night since then. WTF! Do I always look like such a rookie?

A nice turnout for the Thursday night group ride.

We took my dad out for a little spin.

This was in Galena. The first picture explains why we were laughing in the second.

Wausau

2008-06-19T05:15:00.009-07:00

I know...I'm like 3 weeks late posting about the race. Oh well, the first two weeks of my classes were insane, I was chained to the computer for learning purposes, not for fun.

It was a great weekend. Went up with John, Rachael, Casey and Zoe in their bad-ass Suburban. Made it to 9 Mile with plenty of time to preride. Caught up with all the old WORS friends and met a few new ones. Jeremy's wife Destiny watched the girls so we all went out together. Rode the course...they included some awesome singletrack, but Rachael's right, there was WAY too much doubletrack. They did not include any of the trails on the other side of Red Bud Rd, so we made our way over there after riding the course. Wow, was that fun. Possibly the hightlight of the weekend.

That night the whole MARS team met up for dinner at a sweet Mexican restaurant. Man, it was a huge group. Jerry, Barb, Jay, Jeff, the Baron, Jeremy, Destiny, Rachael, John, Brent from Twin Six...hmm I know there were a few more people...plus all of their kids! All really good kids. It was a good time.

Sunday morning I was nervous. Didn't think I'd be. My race season was over. Racing Wausau was just for fun. But it was my first race as pro rider. I had just received approval for my upgrade request earlier that week.

We made it to 9 mile with plenty of time to spare. Jeremy and Jerry already had a spot set up. The morning was fun, but it seemed really long. I could not wait to get this race done and under my belt. I hate feeling like that. What the heck was the big deal?

John fixed my bike for me and we went to watch Rachael's start. They have a big group of women. I haven't actually counted but there could very well be more women in the WORS sport class than all of the women's classes combined in the MBAA series.

Finally warm up time rolled around. I hung with Jerry for a while. The warm up kinda hurt. Not a good sign. Jerry's riding a sweet Strong ss.

We went off shortly after the expert men. I lead the group out - the sacrificial lamb. No biggie, it's not my series, but dumb move. It was just a few minutes in and Kim and Abby passed me. I hung on to the train for a while, but I was dying. Then the other specialized chick passed, Diana Hill, Claire. I started to lose track. Man, that sucked. I could accelerate, but I could not hold it. There was just SO MUCH PEDALING. I forgot how much pedaling you have to do here.

Finally made it into the first set of singletrack...probably in about 7th or 8th place. I think it was after that first section that I saw both Abby and Diana along with about 20 men on the side changing flats. Bummer. I was rooting for Abby to win it.

My position never really changed too much. I'd pass Claire or Lisa here and there but could not hold it. I never worked through the crappy feeling I had. My legs did not have anything. I saw a few of the ladies crash pretty good in the singletrack. That was one plus for me.....I felt that my riding through the singletrack was way stronger compared to previous years.

I ended up 1st place pro, but 5th overall. Blah. Not sure how I feel about that. But I'm also not sure what I really expected. I did learn that I need to figure out how to train in the mountains. How do you get a nice long ride with a consistent heart rate?

Even though I felt like crap, it was a fun race. It was awesome to back up in Wisconsin. I love 9 Mile. All that new stuff we rode Saturday night was fantastic. It was fun talking to Don about his 9th place Chequamegon finish way back when. I chatted with Danielle Musto for a few minutes right before our race started. Catching up with friends. I'm so glad I went. Now I need to figure out how to get Zach to a race before our drive back to Arizona.

John's work is never done.

Rachael chattin it up before her race.

I don't usually like podium shots, but my shirt is super cool.

Not what I thought

2008-06-16T18:12:00.006-07:00

Well, we've been back in Illinois for 3 weeks now, and I'm a little disappointed that it's not what I expected. I am taking 2 online courses and have so far spent entirely too much time working on one of them. I'm enjoying it, but I definitely pictured myself being able to spend alot more time with family and friends. And I have not been getting enough riding in at all. Okay, enough of that...just needed to get it off my chest.

I feel like we've done so much since we've been back, but we still have so much to do!!! A few highlights:
Hanging with our parents who are so graciously letting us stay with them.
Seeing my sistos and their families.
Riding with the old crew and getting our butts kicked by them.
Hitting Wausau with Rachael, John and girls and seeing all our old Wisconsin buddies.
Going downtown with Karen and Justin. I made it until 2am.
Spent an evening with my mom's brother and his family. My cousin just delivered a baby boy today!!!
Going to Larry's Diner almost every morning.
And of course visiting with all of my grandparents.

In love

2008-05-22T21:21:00.002-07:00

I have to add to Zach's post about the Flagstaff race. The riding up there is incredible. I can't believe we've been out here for almost 10 months and Saturday was our first time riding it. I can't wait to get back up there and explore.

Jealous

2008-05-21T21:39:00.003-07:00

Zach is. Stach-a-licious.

Ammunition

2008-05-21T21:29:00.002-07:00

I was not excited about Zach's request for me to help him fill up water balloons for field day tomorrow. I started before he did and was not having any luck. I couldn't remember...what's the best way to fill a balloon? No matter where I tried, I had water shooting all over.

He finally joined me and quickly found the right way. Don't use the cheesy attachment they provide in the balloon package. Put it instead right on the bathroom sink faucet.

For every 8 balloons we filled, 2 broke in some fashion. For every 20 we filled, we lost concentration while we were tying it off. Lost grip and it went spraying water uncontrollably all over the bathroom. I've decided that has to be one of the funniest things. We're trying to cruise through filling 200 balloons, we drop one, water goes all over the place, and the balloon is flopping like like a fish out of water. And it's hard to get your hand on it cause it keeps jumping all over. All you can do is laugh.

Flagstaff MBAA Final

2008-05-19T20:23:00.010-07:00

Well, we have an entire series of mountain bike racing under our belt and it is only Mid-May. It seems so weird.

Tim and Elizabeth got to our house Friday afternoon. We headed out to eat some pasta and to see how many drinks a waiter could spill on a customer. Fortunately it was at another table. We all felt bad for that waiter. We felt like it was our confusing check splitting that got him frazzled.

We drove up Saturday morning and quickly found all the Prescott peeps (Jeff, Jaime, Brady, Jeanette, Tim, Keith, and Toby.)

The finals were in Flagstaff. The course was so much fun and was pretty suited to climbers. There were some issues with insufficient course markings but fun nonetheless. Everybody started around 11:00 am and the Expert men and women had to do the same 27 mile course.

Sara took the win but it was a bitter sweet victory. Sara won but was not the first women across the line. Spring who has been one of Sara’s main competitions all season came across the line first. She figured out that she missed a major turn and cut over an hour off of her race. The even sadder part of Sara’s victory was that Christina was dominating the race by several minutes when she missed a turn. Christina got pretty far off course and figured out that the time loss was significant. It was a big bummer.

I had a blast in my race. There was a group of about 6 of us that rode away from the field in the initial hour + of climbing. It was fun cause I had a chance to ride with a couple of my new teammates who usually fly by me at the speed of light in most races. I think the Prescott altitude helped a bunch for this race. Unfortunately Darrin started pulling away from the rest of the group right before a major turn that could have been marked a little better. We were all yelling our heads off but he was too far up to hear us. His main competitor was in the lead group with us. I know I would have been lost myself several times if I hadn't been riding with Tom (Freak on a SS) the whole race. I don't know how he climbs like he does on a SS. I ended up getting 2nd in the Expert 19-39.

All in all it was a fun series. Fun people and good riding. No surprise Sara took 1st for the series in her class. The surprise was that with the final being double points and another top Expert not being there it bumped me up to 2nd for the series in my class.
Got some cool awards but the real award was going to stay at Christina's mom's house in Sedona. After a great meal at the Beaver Street Brewery in Flag. Christina, Tom, Sara, and I headed to Sedona for some good hang time.

I think Tom is part rooster cause he got us up shortly after sunrise. It was good cause we were able to have a curb-side breakfast at the IGA and hit the trails before it got too hot. We had an awsome ride followed by a mexican food coma. Good times!

NEXT STOP P-VILLE, IL!

Waiting for awards with the peaks in the background.

Mt Elden

The expert women started behind the sport men.
Sara running her bike right after the first technical downhill. Big jam up.

Finally

2008-05-14T19:55:00.002-07:00

I took a sip of a New Belgium and it didn't foam over and spill on the floor.

Post Race Festivities

2008-05-04T16:16:00.012-07:00

After all the troops were accounted after the race, Adam and I headed to the bike shop to return the rental that he had gotten very close to over the previous two days. We dropped the bike off and were quickly back down town. We met up with Sara, Mike, Christina, and Adrenaline Crew who were already at the brew pub.

After a wonderful post race meal (THANKS DARRIN) and some liquid refreshments we met up with Jeff and spent a few minutes relaxing on the lawn of the court house.

After our quick rest it was off to Coyote Joe's for some more refreshments and the awards ceremony. It was a beautiful night and great place to have the awards. Although I wish T-Bone would have left earlier.
Oh yeah, Adam ditched us for a while to go hang out with his new friend.

After the awards we did stay at Coyote Joe's for a while before checking out a few other places on the Whiskey Row. We tried to hang for a while but quickly realized after racing 50 off-road miles with 7600 ft of climbing (click here for Garmin data) and the fact that we are old quickly sent us home to bed. It was a great day of racing and hanging out but it was time for bed.

After a good nights rest it was time to set our sights on breakfast. We all woke up hungry and ready to eat. It was off to Lynx Lake Cafe. A place where you can be surrounded the beauty of Prescott while stuffing your guts.

After breakfast Christina headed to Sedona to see her mom and Pete. The rest of us had some down time in front of the TV. Mike and Adam headed to the airport around noon after a little resting-up.

It was a great weekend! I am glad that everybody was here.

The Whiskey 50

2008-05-02T20:19:00.010-07:00

I am a big time slacker. I do have somewhat of an excuse. I'll get to that later. Hopefully sooner than later.

So we made it to bed by 10:30 or 11 on Friday night. We had a full house. Christina, Mike, Adam, Zach and I. My mind was racing, I could tell before we shut the lights out that I wasn't going to sleep well. Christina fell asleep almost as soon as she hit the pillow, but then woke up to a coughing fit at some point during the night. I was awake without an alarm by like 4 or 4:30. Christina was up early too. Breakfast at home, a little coffee, a few last minute bike checks and we were ready to go. We were downtown before 8. Found some good parking and started getting packs and bottles and food ready. It was a beautiful day.

I saw Jennifer Sica at some point in the morning. She wasn't signed up for the race. She was riding as a friend of hers who couldn't make it at the last minute.

Christina and I headed out for a little warm up. We just cruised around the downtown area. It was great. It was 8:45am (the race was starting at 9) and no one was lined up yet. I think it was about 5 till when people finally started moving into the shoot. Very laid back atmosphere.

9 o'clock rolled around and it was time. Cruise up Goodwin, to Park, to Country Club. Left onto Highland, last downhill we'd see for quite a while. Right on Copper Basin. From there it was, up, up, up for 20 minutes. I was happy with that, estimated time to climb on the website was 30 minutes. Status of everyone else...Zach was up front somewhere, Mike was ahead, in my sights, Adam and Christina, just a little behind. Right into Camp Pearlstein. After the camp I think we hit some singletrack. I was not feeling it. All over the trail. Any little root or rock seemed to knock me out of my rhythm. Strange. Back down to Copper Basin and quickly back into the singletrack. Lots more climbing to go. And water bars to come. I did much better down the water bars this time. Made it down all of them. And made it up more of them than when we prerode.

It was somewhere in this section that the first unofficial aid station was located. A shot of Early Times was the only liquid beverage being offered. I wasn't quite up for it, so I pedaled on.

We were starting the decent down to 260, which is the scariest part of the course in my opinion. Loose rocks, boulders, gravel everywhere, drop offs down the mountain the whole way. I hopped off my bike to walk to the really loose, eroded, rocky switchback section and Adam cruised by. (that was a bad choice, there were so many people it was hard to squeeze back in). Finally got back on and I was feeling out of control again. Quick stop to see if I had a flat. Nope, both tires felt good. Back on the bike and still all over the place. Not a good feeling to have as I approached 260. I stopped again. It occurred to me that I never checked my handlebars after my big crash on the preride. Zach straightened em out and tightened em up for me out on the trail. But I never, after that ride, checked them out to make sure they were nice and tight. So I pulled out my tool and messed with it. It sucked to have to stop and watch tons of people pass me, but what was worse was the mental freakshow I became. Riding 260 with lose handlebars would have been very bad. Why had I never spent a few minutes to tighten the stupid things???? Christina stopped to make sure I was okay. I finally had to shoo her on, she stopped for way too long! She needed to catch some of those other women I knew were ahead of us!

So needless to say, 260 was long and slow. I rode it super cautiously. I was soooo happy to take that last tight switchback that lead down to 53. I was past the worst part safe and sound. Up 53 to the #1 & 3 aid station. I took a pass and started the long, gravel road decent down to Skull Valley. I was in the rolling section when I saw the lead guy heading back up the climb. It was fun to cheer people on that I recognized as they rode by. Tom Ament was pretty far up there, Zach and Steve were riding together, Jennifer was doing great, I saw both Darrins, Robert, Mike, and Adam and Christina were together.

I pushed it hard down to the aid station and half filled my camel back. Grabbed a few hammer gels and filled up my bottle too. Turned around and started the ride up. I felt good for a while. Passed Adam at one point. We exchanged "encouraging words". I still felt great when I reached him and continued on. It was a long grind....in the same seated position. I tried to stand every now and then, but that hurt too. Finally...the #1 and 3 aid station. I was going to stop real quick, but Brady and Jeanette were there..."Sara, Christina isn't too far ahead, you can get her....and by the way, SHE DIDN'T STOP!" They were totally teasing me. Ugghh, I guess I won't stop. It's all downhill from here, right? Yeah, right. The climb from the aid station to the lookout GOES ON FOREVER. I was hurting there bigtime.

Finally at the top, I ducked into the singletrack. A little more climbing. It was all kind of a blur. I do remember the last long rocky climb that I had to get off and walk. The cramps kicked in really bad there. I was able to get back on and ride the last part of that section. Alot of people were walking there. I'm sure they all heard my pain induced groans. Finally I reached the steep, downhill, tight switchback section. I remembered Joanie telling me, "you get to the switchbacks and you think it's all downhill, but there's still one more climb!" So I was prepare but I don't remember that last climb being that long. And after that we hit some great singletrack. Bombing fast and some easy technical stuff. It was a blast. I was flying (at least I felt like I was flying).

It felt great to hit Thumb Butte Rd. Big ring, essentially all downhill. Just a few more minutes. And...Huge cheers as all the riders crossed the finish line. It was great. I finished just under 5 hours.

Everyone's results are here.

Friday

2008-04-30T20:11:00.010-07:00

Let's start out with the "after" picture.
Does Zach look like he's about 50 in this picture or what???

Friday morning I drove into work. The boys had breakfast out, then went to pick up the bike Adam was renting for the race. From there they went to ride the 305.

We all met back at the house for a little pasta dinner. We had to leave soon for packet pickup, but before we left we had time for some sinus maintenance. A first time neti pot experience for Adam.
We finally made it downtown for packet pickup and the 8:30pm rider meeting. Saw some familiar faces and found Christina too. Cruised home right after the race for a restless night's sleep.

Thursday ride

2008-04-27T18:25:00.007-07:00

After building Mike's bike, the 3 of them went out for a ride from the Little Granite trailhead. Not a course I would choose 2 days before a 50 mile mountain bike race, but I was working that day.

Here's the Garmin data.

There was only one option for dinner. We went out for Mexican to a place Zach and I have not been yet. It was good.

(This is the before shot)

The Great Moustachio

2008-04-27T07:29:00.003-07:00