Gearing down for the new season, Christmas trip, and Picture Dump!

I often find myself making infrequent post here. That is usually because so much is happening in between that i haven't the time, and then all of a sudden i have a page of stuff to write about!

I wonder if that school tried to secede.


Nice little town in PA.

Well, my winter vacation started with a trip to Albany, NY for a winter mountain bike race. I first stopped at an abandoned town in PA, where i viewed an underground coal fire (the smoke comes right up through the ground!) and slid backwards down a hill in my car.

Old Church


Smoke and Sinkholes!


I arrived in Schenectady, NY at a timely hour, but went to bed at about 1AM behind a storage container in a church parking lot. I put my sleeping bag on a borrowed tarp on about 2 feet of snow, and tried to snooze off, unfortunately the house behind the fence was awful noisy, and i woke up at 2:30 to shouting and dogs barking. How inconsiderate. i moved the operation back into the car, where i slept until 6:52 and went to eat a healthful breakfast at McDonald's.

A beautiful light snow was falling and i showed up at the race around 7:45. The race course was under too much snow to ride, so the race organizer decided to move it to a semi-plowed sidewalk around a lake in the central park. She also decided to combine all classes. I thought 'oh crap, 32x21 gearing is good for 10,000ft of climbing, not so great for the pancake flat course here.' But i was happy to be riding my bike instead of running it.

It was then also decided we would do 10 laps around this pond/lake. Even better, a 45 minute race! After last night, that is ok with me. So we got off without anything less than race organizer Heather cheering us. I was going surprisingly fast for the gearing, but wasn't how long i could hold 130+ rpms. I killed it on every little rise and made sure to pick the right lines. A hard charging individual kept getting close, and at one point passed me, but i dropped him and knew 2nd place was mine, assuming the other gentleman i was riding with didn't eat it into a snow bank.

So the last lap, he used his big gears and i came in second. The third place guy was cool, and it turns out is was his second day in America! He had just come from Turkey which explained his raced out Scott scale suitable for a UCI circuit. He and his buddies had come up from Manhattan and they created quite a scene. One man had a Turkish flag tied around himself like a cape, and some middle eastern dance music was blaring from their car! Every lap when we would pass they yelled and were so excited!

After awards, i packed up my stuff and prepared for the drive home, which according to Doppler, promised to be challenging, or annoying. From Albany to Utica, the driving was bad, then some clear, but when i closed in on Buffalo, things got gnarly, real fast. 20 FT visibility, the pictures don't do it justice, because cameras work better than eyes apparently and one fellow navigated via iPhone! Buffalo doesn't disappoint when i visit.

A few days later i went down to Fredonia, NY to ride with this guy, who is super stoked on 2009, then i got my soul crushed by man and dog on a massive 4 mile run.

So on that little melody i am getting ready for 2009. I yearn for a road bike, a low end one, and i was thinking about training just with PE, but i want a power meter again in a bad way, but for now, the Fila will be getting some slick road tires, maybe i will even use my heart rate monitor!

Goals for 2009:

1) go fast

New years resolutions

1) go fast

2) Be like Mike, i mean MARIO!

Is there anyone i would rather get a Christmas card from?

What a great message too.



Some dumb building, actually most things in Mario's shadow look dumb, including Zabel, and the Sun.

The king better keep better track of his stuff, there is so much awesome on this list.

I guess when you are King Vitamin, you are probably borderline retarded, so i guess we'll give him a break.

Alleycats, Snow and Nationals Coming to Town?!

Procrastination and lack of organization are common fall themes for me. Thanksgiving break was fun, if not tiring trying to catch up and visit with family and friends, got out for a ride at the ridge with Brian but i spent most of that running through slush.

The saturday after Thanksgiving i won an alleycat race in Buffalo. It was super fun navigating through the city and completing random tasks! shotgunning root beer, eating saltines, candy canes, and some other silly stuff! Wnymites George and Kevin. Maybe i will make the alleycat circuit number 1 priority for 2009....

In other, exciting news there is a new national series for 2009, NMBS is gone and there is now and east and west coast series, which really makes more sense. Even better, most races are within 400 miles of my front door which is awesome, and even better one of them is the hoo ha! at Massanutten! A national in Harrisonburg, i can literally warm up riding to the race!

So i will begin winter training in a few weeks, and the WV race series, along with these nationals will keep me more than busy in 2009!

Christmassy Laurelbrush and Snow

We have no snow, and although i am not riding much, i usually make it out to the national forest once a week or so. Matt and i were up around 4000ft the other day and there was actually some snow up there! The mountain divides WV from VA and WV tends to have the snow clouds as seen in the pictures, while VA is clear to the east. Weird... I think my water bottles froze up there, but the ride down was totally worth it.

What has two thumbs, this guy?

This fall has given me a bunch of awesome rides in George Washington. yep, nothing like climbing for 1+ hours and then descending for 30 minutes through the rocky stuff.

The bike is getting the internal hub soon, the Alfine as it is mega cheap, but i do long for the Rohloff.

Did i mention i got a car? I only roll on 22s, that is wheel and tire size combined.

Heading to Buffalo for Thanksgiving, hopefully have some pictures of mountain biking in the snow!

Tidewater Challenge, Foof, and Pogo Sticks.

1x1

Sometimes everything falls into place. That is what happened this past Sunday at the Tidewater challenge in Williamsburg. I had decided to go on a whim with my new single speed bike that i had gotten two days prior, and ridden only once for an hour. Figuring that it was the single speed state championship, i might as well race single speed and see what happens.

So Kyle and i left the burg Saturday night and drove to Richmond to stay at his uncle's place. After a nice warm nights sleep we drove down to Williamsburg. Kyle was doing the 6 hour race. It was warming up and starting to look awesome out. The race is held at a horse farm with plenty of short steep climbs and roots. The dirt was tacky and brakes were no frequently used.

Shortly after the start i found myself in first place after the guy in the lead fell and i rode around him. Followed by a racer named Rob. We traded places for a few laps then i made my move. It seemed to have stuck. Feeling pretty good about things i made sure to ride fast, not to fast, and smoothly. In the last 10 minutes or so i saw Rob again, relentlessly chasing. Glad i had plenty of steam left in the engine i gave r' and came through for the win. The new bike worked flawlessly and is so sweet! Not as racy right now as my Scott, but i am a fan of the big wheels!

Prizes were awesome, especially the GIANT pogo stick. This thing can jump about 3 feet into the air, no problems. Maybe i have some resume-worthy material this year after all.

In other news, the last Blue Ridge Cup race went off in C-Ville although it didn't go terribly well for us Rocktowners. The numbers needed to pull the overall out of our hat weren't there and despite the best blocking efforts of Jeremiah, Mike, and Chris S, i couldn't hold my solo for the entire race. i was overtaken with about 1 lap to go. The green machine did prove itself and i was the second Rocktowner across the line.

Coming around with some fitness in the late season is cool, especially with no training structure and about 3 days a week of riding. Maybe some real cross' races are in the cards? First, i want to find some more mountain bike races and a costume for the six pack downhill and Halloween on Friday!

Blue Ridge Cup round #2

Yesterday was the second installment of the Blue Ridge Cup 'cross series. The Rocktown crew loads up in the white whale suburban and headed over the mountain for some backwoods racing.

The Charlottsville crowd was there in full force ready to throw down, but the Rocktown crew had the power. the first few laps started great with Jeremiah bridging the gap up to the first two racers, then i put my derailleur into the spokes again! My shot at second place quickly left and damage control mode came on. Creeping my way back from 13th, i was able to score a 10th place spot but just couldn't find my legs again after the bike broke.

Jeremiah and Mike got 1,2 again which is good and the course was more like a short track than a 'cross course which is fine by me. Rocktown was pummeled into submission by the sheer numbers of the foof.

The second part of the journey began after the 40 minute race. Mike, Andy, Jeremiah, Chris S. and myself rode home under the full moon. With temperatures in the mid 70s the ride was awesome! Lights were only necessary once in a while! We started on paved road, but we were soon in the backwoods climbing for 6 miles up a rocky, rocky, road tot he top of the Blue Ridge. Rewarded by a smooth 6 mile decent never felt so good! We killed it on the road home, partially because of Andy, who also beat me out for some KOM points. Two flats, 4 hours, and some cookies later we arrived back home, all pretty tired.

The ride over the mountain was pretty epic, like a lunch buffet at the Hut (and we saw a coyote.)

Next week! A properly tuned bike and a grassier course!

Gnarwal Part 1: The Apocalypse

So this past weekend West Virginia's favorite son came down to play in the Virginia dirt. Unfortunately it was rainy the whole weekend. That didn't stop some serious mountain bike riding. After getting lost, off our bikes, seeing one bear, and a whole lot of honey later we reached the summit of bald knob at 4125ft. Being treated to a decent decent (haha) we arrived back at the car right at nightfall. Pretty cool.

After some awesome bike repair the next morning we headed off to Massanutten and more importantly the gnarwal that was featured a few entries back in this blog. Andrew was eager to slay the beast that had called to him tauntingly in his sleep. Well, it was wet and the gnarwal got the best of us. But one day his ivory will be ours. Oh yeah, his blog has the photos of our rides, so check it out!

Hopefully in a month or so i will have a car and be visiting WV for some awesome ridez, yo.


Did a few cool rides this weekend with Matt and Ryan from work. The mud pond was fun, and i got rattled at by a snake, kind of freaked me out! The next day, Sunday, Matt and i rode some cool rockyish trails and made a good 2+ hours and 3 flats out of it, then had some real limeade from his grandparents, who own a fruit farm in FL!

I was going to ride some crazy epic stuff tomorrow, but someone enlightened me to a cross' race tomorrow night down the street. I guess i will have to try this cross' stuff out!

upgrades by default please.

Checking my email after work i discovered that the rumors were true, semi-pro is being done away with a pro upgrade come December 1st. Pretty cool after a season of mechanicals, illness, and just mediocre fitness.

"As a part of the email from USA Cycling reads: "The change raises several topics that all USA Cycling mountain bike members should familiarize themselves with – most notably the conversion process. The switch will be simple and automatic. Members currently categorized as Experts will automatically become a Category 1; Sport members will automatically be converted to a Category 2; and Beginners will automatically become a Category 3.

Members currently categorized as Semi-Pro may choose either Category 1 or Pro designation for the 2009 racing season. When renewing their license, Semi-Pro members will be offered an automatic upgrade to Pro throughout the 2009 licensing period which runs from December 1, 2008 to November 30, 2009. To take advantage of this upgrade, Semi-Pro members must purchase an annual license during this time as this automatic upgrade will only be offered during the 2009 season. Therefore, if a current Semi-Pro member does not purchase a 2009 racing license, he will automatically default to Category 1 status beginning on December 1, 2009 for the 2010 racing season. At that point, regular upgrade procedures will apply."

Basically i had better get a bit faster before the serious races next year. I have been slowly refining my training here now that i have a job. Riding at 6:30AM is strangely refreshing and my power #s are creeping back up at a speedy rate. That combined with being lighter will equal fast by early fall.

Speaking of power, Ergomo went belly up. That leaves me with no choice but to ebay it and find a new meter. I really can't go to a powertap after having THE POWER METER, so i will get something that maintains all the temperature, altitude, and other functions. I will probably be rocking the Garmin 705 with the new quarq meter. Running a 2x9 42/34 will make me go fast on my MTB, as they only have 130bcd so far.

Why not put it on the road bike? Because i am probably selling it. No worries, a new one will come after the MTB gets some lovin' and 700c disc wheels for road training.

Check out the poll, what bike should i get?

Two updates in one night!?

I just read this on velonews. Apparently Lance is coming out of retirement! i don't know how i feel about this. Lance is great for cycling, but if he fails in winning the tour his legacy will certainly be tarnished. At 37 years old, no one really knows if he has what it takes to win at the highest level again. If he won, that would truly be amazing, but i have serious doubts. Maybe it is just a rumor?


Don't do it Lance!

Settling in.

I've almost been living in Harrisonburg for a month. I wore myself down pretty good the first week and got sick in the second. I picked up a job at one of the local shops, and do other odd jobs. Meeting more people than i can remember from students at JMU to cyclists, and getting to know my housemates now.


My house, which was an absolute war zone upon moving in, has been cleaned up and is now fit for occupancy.

The terrain is everything i could ask for. The climbing is steady and long. 3000 vertical ft climbs at 7-8% grade. The mountains to the east and west are both full of great trails, and the mountains to the west i have barely explored. It is definitely making me a better rider. The rocks have been taking their toll on me.

But enough talk for now and some pictures:

Run to the Hills

Well so much has happened since my last post. First and foremost, is the tragedy of my teammate Tim Putnam. A collision on his motorcycle with a deer took his life. Tim will be missed by us all, and remembered as a nice dude.

Nationals went about as poorly as they could. I broke my chain, Corey flatted. After getting to the super d a minute before the start i worked my way to 4th and probably would have won when i blew a tire off the rim. I ended up in 15/30. Not bad for 2/3 of the hill being ridden on a flat but disappointing for all the time, money, and effort that went into the weekend. Jason Hilimire killed his superfly on the super d :(

I moved to Harrisonburg. This was a long time coming, as i have wanted to move for years. Through some chain of events i am now here. The other contenders were Bend, OR, Asheville/Boone, NC, Boulder, CO, and Big Bear, CA. i chose Harrisonburg because it had everything those other places did without the drawbacks. High cost to live, overcrowding, pollution, and undesirable winters. I think the east coast things helps with the woodland skill as well!

I live in a college house and only two other guys are currently here, as school starts in a few weeks when the full population of 9 will happen. but in the meantime, i enjoy the quiet.

The job search has been taking up most of my time, so i haven't really ridden yet, but i did check out the local park, where there are some small loops and plenty of turns to get some speed on. The mountains loom on both sides of my house. They are huge and are calling me to them. On wednesday i will go on a mountain ride and hopefully take some nice pictures on the way.

Tonight happened to be the club meeting of the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition as Kyle from the SBC so informed me. So i went to meet the local guys and see what is happening in the valley. I guess this town really isn't pretentious because local hero Jeremiah Bishop and wife Erin showed up and were hanging out. So i guess i am neighbors to a few pros, or at least share residency in this small town with them. It must be time to step things up a bit and get fast. I will take some town pictures too and put the Bishop blog up on the roll!

NMBS @ Windham Mountain

Racing this weekend went ok. Arriving the night before in Windham, NY was great, and we stayed at a cheap and decent motel with a diner. The next morning at 8am was our race, so after a pre ride and registration we went to bed.

Starting out at 8am proved to be very hot as the sun was shining directly on the course and there was little shade anywhere. Temperatures were in the 80s with a lot of humidity. The semi-pro field shot off and quickly became bunched up at the first entrance to the woods, making everyone except a few lucky ones walk their bikes. The course was a big climb, and then a big descent as most USA cycling courses are. Settling in midpack I was taking it easier than normal as i didn't want a repeat of what happened at the Raccoon Rally two weeks ago. The downhill was awesome, and friend Shane's mom was a savior int he feed zone when i lost a water bottle somewhere in the woods on the second lap. I ended up 18 minutes back from the race winner and not last, but not feeling tired and wishing i had pushed a bit harder. A lesson learned for MT Snow this weekend.

The short track went ok, but was cut short as they pulled myself and about 8 others. Apparently we were about to be lapped but this was not true, and i feel that the officials made a bad call as we were only 1/3 of a lap back 3/4 through the race! It makes me contemplate doing the short track at MT Snow, although i didn't warm up which i think would have helped, and the course thee is slightly longer....we'll see...

In the expert 19-24 class Reagan Woodall won followed closely by Shane. And in the Expert short track Corey got third. Brian Martina did awesome and got a big win in the 25-30 year old expert category, so at least some people from WNY did well! Apparently Mike Festa from the blue mountain race got third in that category but i didn't get a chance to say hi and ask him when he is coming to race with the semi-pros!

I had a chance to speak with Barry Wicks about possibly purchasing his big boy bike at the end of the season, and Jeremiah Bishop after a close second place finish in the pro short track about Harrisonburg, where i am heading on Wednesday for a job interview! Both guys were super nice and Bishop said Harrisonburg is the best kept secret riding destination in the country!

Info on the weekend Here

Raccoon Rally Wrap Up

Well, the Raccoon Rally is done and over for another year, and although i didn't do as well as last year, i am pretty happy with my result. The festivities started on Saturday after my sister's graduation from high school ceremony, where i made Corey wait for me to wash my bike. Two hours later we hit the road.

The spaghetti dinner was great as usual and i sat with some friends from Canada, Tom F. Jeff L. Justin H, and cyclocross superstar, Nathan C. A good time was had by all, and some of the table members were off to see Huey Lewis at the nearby casino.

After dinner down at Allegheny i did a decent warm-up in a torrential downpour (at least my bike didn't get muddy) and then got dressed to poke around.

After a decent night's sleep i was prepared for the race. I was unusually calm, because i didn't have high expectations and i felt pretty confident given the super muddy conditions. The race started as expected, really fast from the gun, leaving four of us before the 1 mile mark: Ross C., Nathan C., Dennis B., owner of Ellicottville Bike Shop and racer extraordinaire, and myself. On a muddy incline the 3 got away from me a bit and soon thereafter i was caught by another rider. We worked to catch Nathan and succeeded on Bova ski hill, where he was in difficulty with a cross bike.

The second climb is up an xc ski trail named patterson, and i knew it is where this cross racer would make his move. He blasted past me, but i clung onto his wheel for dear life and went fast for all of 5 minutes before my day there was over.

On the downhill, i was caught by Shane G. and local hero Pat W., fresh out of retirement from racing bikes. We picked up the pace at his encouragement and it came down to Shane and i on the dirt road (Pat had a single speed.) This is where i found out my 'fast' gears were filled with mud. Shane beat me out for 5th place and i landed in 6th. Knowing that i had blown up i was pretty pleased with myself and happy not to have a mechanical.

Next race up is an NMBS at Windham, NY, then Championships at Mt. Snow the following week!

Crashed? Cashed?

I've been procrastinating for some time on updates, mostly because my season has been crash and burn. Blog readership has no doubt plummeted! No worries, some scandalous smut here will boost ratings.

Lake to Lake injuries

No mind, in the past month i raced a BBC road race where i missed a decisive break and ended up in 5th (out sprinted for third,) the NICKERS? #1 race at Sprague brook was another sub par day, partially because of high pressure for fear of the flat, but Corey and I rode into 2nd (Corey) and third (me) within seconds of each other, and were beat by Doug Rusho. The last attempt i had on a race was Lake to Lake. Lake to Lake went well, ok last year but a wrong turn cost me 3rd place to 5th. Looking to best my 5th place from the year before i lined up on Sunday with 60 psi (for going fast) and semi-slicks (the course was supposed to be dry?!) I had called the day before to make sure it was dry, and the fellow in Canada assured me of it. Well, the gentleman was misinformed, because there were gator pits out there!

No, that is not my elbow.

The race started well, and int he first 20 minutes i was feeling fine in the top 5. A slick line down a hill shortly after put me down hard into mother earth, and trashed my left side. No worries, i had to catch them! Getting back on and starting to hammer i found myself with a flat within 20 seconds of the crash. Screaming in agony from the physical and mental pain, i changed the flat in a not so stellar 5+ minutes. The damage, however, had been done. My headset was now loose, and i must have dropped my tool somewhere back there!? Fellow wnymbite John loaned me his tool to tighten her up. Chasing is so hard when you are behind some not so great riders in 500th place. Falling, running, and jumping became the new black, and pain came along for the ride.

Broken. You have served me well.

The rest of the race included approximately 20 more crashes, and a sprint with a fat man for 66th place, although the results have him ahead of me (this is simply not true.)

The post race festivities never began for me, as Steve T and i were to ride back to the start (30+ miles) and retrieve his car. Torn from the possibility of my post race meal that i had paid $60 for, i picked my broken carcass up from the sandy bottom of the lake and got back on the bike. The following 2.5 hours were so grueling. vicious headwind the whole way nearly made our speed less than 10 mph, as i hid behind Steve for any kind of shelter. The only prize for completing (and getting second in) the first Lake to Lake to Lake was the sweet relief of Dairy Queen in port Colbourne. Ah, a twisty cone and Coke never tasted so good.

Despite these setbacks, today brought elation as i realized i am on the list and qualified for nationals!

So, today feeling about 75% better, i decided i had better do the BBC road race this weekend now that i have returned to the Red Door, but now Ingram Micro bike team! It should be fun, and hopefully give me some confidence going into the rally!

Speeding up...

I held the Tymor post off while I waited for the results. The results are in, and i wasn't dead last! I was however a good half hour behind the leader. It's ok, i felt like a rubber chicken legs and did ride the awesome single track very well, way ahead of myself in that department this year.

Pictures:

Being sick for a month really took a lot out of my training and combined with the end of school did it as well. Now that both are things of the past, i feel better already! Sunday i decided to do a BBC club race, boston colden, which features a fair amount of climbing and would be a chance to gain some top end fitness i have been lacking, and some fun!

It went well, for me at a road race. Which means i miss some decisive move and get out sprinted. It was fun, and i felt really good. I played it a bit smarter than in the past besides stashing my bottles in the woods. It takes a lot to play catchup in a road race! Besides that, i felt in complete control of the chase group. That is always a good thing, but i probably should have started to put the hurt on earlier up the hill because i couldn't drop the guys who beat me on the flat before the finish despite weaving like a madman. It was fun! the club races are really starting to get good turnouts!

Rode home afterwards, and attempted to collect all the bottles i had strewn about the boston hills...

Looking back on the power file, it looks more like a hard training ride than a race:

It's Been Awhile, and It's Been Wet.

It's been over a month since i got sick, and i finally am feeling better, but slow. This spring is turning out to be wetter and colder than last year's. i don't mind this, I actually enjoy the rain. And roots. Roots are my favorite variable terrain to ride on, and when they are wet it is even more fun.

Pretty excited for this weekend at Tymor downstate, the forecast calls for rain, and it is rocky, so hopefully i can beat some people that are in better shape, but hate the rain.

Despite being a bit paranoid about my derailleur hanger, which i bent last week and haven't yet got a replacement for, i am very prepared for breakdowns. Two extra tubes, two big air co2 cartridges, and a chain tool with a master link taped to it, and a UST tire in the rear at 40psi. Qualifying for nationals this weekend should be easy.

Hopefully it is, as the price of going to all the races Corey and i planned on going to it high, and we are rethinking them for local ones, and perhaps saving the out of town trips for the two nationals in July.

Race report and pictures to come after Sunday!

Greenbrier, MD, and more.

Last weekend I attempted to race in Maryland, along with Corey and Alex. The drive down went well, and after check-in we went for a preride. The course is a good race loop. Nothing technical, 5+ miles with two 4-5 minute climbs in the woods, and two fun downhills to match them. Rocks were everywhere, like baby heads half buried in the ground. The preride was fun, and i was excited to be racing the next day, even though my illness was still lingering and i was not feeling near 100%. hey, racing is racing, and it's been a long off-season.

Immediately after our preride torrents of rain started to fall. Driving back to the hotel cars were waiting on the side of the road waiting for this rain to subside, and vision was restricted to a good 50ft.

The next morning the course was soaked. The last downhill might well have been under water, and the lake that was adjacent to the race course had overflowed onto sections of the loop. Corey was reduced to racing in the sport class because of just getting a USCF licence, so his race was earlier 10 or so. Alex's and my race was later, around noon.

It was a good race for Corey, who finished third, and got his upgrade to expert!

I wish i could say the same. I lined up in the back of the semi-pro field wishing i was at home. When the race started, it was hard right away, but i settled into 6-7 place going back and forth with a guy on a scalpel. unfortunately the second downhill on the second lap was not good to me, and i flatted. Very angry, i finished my lap and continued to ride the flat for another lap, being lapped by the pros, and stopping to put leaves into the tire (it doesn't work by the way.)

After about an hour of this i had enough. Somewhat satisfied by the damage i had done to my disobedient rim, and all out of rage i told them i would DNF.

This week i was faced with building a new wheel, luckily Eric had some used 717 hoops and some dt revolution spokes that were the right length! I built a wheel that is at least 100g lighter than the defiant rim, and much sexier even if it doesn't match the front.

Mounted is a real life UST tire with super thick sidewalls. That, some tools, and higher pressure will hopefully end my 1 out of 4 DNF ratio.

Next up is Tymor park, and maybe a farmall or two to boost confidence before that.

No Pictures :(

So the MTB is together and running, i have kind or gotten used to disc brakes, and the bike is dialed in pretty decent. The schwalbe racing ralphs are pretty huge and awesome, and the bike is stiff as all getout.

This past saturday consisted of a 4.5 hour ride with Andrew out to sprague brook for some riding. I have a like/hate relationship with the brook, because the trail is decent to hammer on, but it is not technical in the least, and you can hardly sit down because of little roots that bump you. At a race pace these aren't noticeable, but just riding makes for an uncomfortable day in the saddle.

I felt a bit sluggish and i found out why the next morning, as my lungs felt like a momma bird had regurgitated food to me, and it went down the wrong pipe. I went for a 2.5 hour easy ride anyway, thinking it was from dust the day before.

I should have known better. Later that night at work, i got sick. So now it is wednesday and i have missed work, school, and riding since sunday, not to mention a bike demonstration i was supposed to give to some boy scouts.

This sunday is Greenbrier where Corey, Alex, and I will race AMBC down in Maryland. I'm not expecting much out of my first semi-pro race as i haven't done a race yet! The competition will probably be decent, some guys who were in europe for the last 4 months or something.

Goal: Don't be last!

New Bike, Nice Weather.

Green Machine

Well, it appears as though spring has finally sprung. On my was back from Poughkeepsie, my friend Kate's mom with whom i was riding home with, was awesome and we stopped in Ellicottville to pick up my bike from Dennis at the Ellicottville bike shop. Dennis, an enthusiastic being and cool as well, opened up at 9pm on sunday so i could pick up my rig, a Scott Scale 20.

There were some parts i wanted to change, and to be honest, last week i was quite tired. I swapped out the 175mm crank for a 180mm, got some Alpha Q riser bars, switched to notubes, a sram chain, put an xt shadow rear derailleur on it instead of the xtr that come on it which i would surely roast in short order.

And....I got my fork from fox! A Fox RLC 100.

I rode her once on a very muddy day and me thinks i likes it. It is about a pound heavier than i am used to, but it has disc brakes which are supercool, and a stiffer fork than previous rides. I still have to dial her in, and the wheels are a bit heavy at 1850g/pair, but my coach Doug is getting a pair of these that i will be using in races. This should alleviate the heavy wheel problem.

Went on the first group ride of the year tonight, felt good. Would like to be a bit stronger going into Greenbriar, my first ever semi pro race, but no big deal, i did put on 10lbs on my vacation that will be gone, and another 5 should leave as well. So that is like 45 free watts, right? ;)