Christopher Michaels

Tsali NC aka SERC #2

2011-04-06T05:40:00.000-07:00

After a week of not working due to being a bit sick, i headed down to the second SERC race with the team. having high hopes considering all the rest i had, i figured it was a safe bet i was faster than everyone else, because surely they had been riding all week and would be ultra tired.

There was a time trial on Saturday, which went pretty well, i ended up 5th or so, and Robert took the win. The XC race on Sunday consisted of two large loops on trails around Fontana lake. The trails there are super fast, and even with some climbing, the average speed was around 16mph, i still am adjusting to going into corners at 20mph, but that is another story.

Robert ended up in 2nd place as Thomas Turner got away from everyone early and soloed to the win, i ended up in the teens, feeling the effects of what i like to call 'rest over extension'

Clay from American Classic was there with some wheels and goodies for people to check out and the turnout was really strong.

I'm still getting over being sick and about to finish my medicine. Hopefully i can bounce back in time for Sea Otter, which is about a week away!

Angler's Ridge, and SERC # 1 in FL

2011-03-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

So the season is REALLY here, like jumping into cold water it hit me a few weeks back in Danville, VA.

Not to get all play by play, but the race started with crashing over a guy who fell 15 feet from the start and chasing the rest of the field that got in front of me, which i don't mind if it had to be that way but i ran into some serious back cramp issues on lap 3 that somewhat ruined a promising finish. Lessons have been learned and equally serious core and stretching routines have been implemented.

The trip to Gainsville, FL and back was super fun with the team, and the venue for was cool too, set in an old phosphate quarry (so I'm told) As Robert said, the way to make hills in Florida is to dig holes haha!

The landscape of Florida is so interesting coming from the mountains. I rely so much on the mountains for navigation almost every day and that obviously isn't possible down there. Spanish moss and huge Garter snakes abound, as i had to push one of them (snakes) off the trail with a stick.

From the gun at the race i felt sluggish in the hot sun, but i pushed hard through the heat the whole race and can say i went as hard as i could have on that day. The hardtail felt great and Those Florida guys are fit this time of year!

Now i am officially acclimated to the heat, surely useful in Virginia where it is currently 45 degrees!

Schedule!

2011-03-07T18:27:00.000-08:00

March 13 Anglers Ridge, Danville, VA
March 20 SERC #1 Gainsville, FL
March 27 Southern Classic Uwharrie, NC
April 2, 3 SERC #2 Bryson city, NC
April 14-17 Sea Otter Classic Montery, CA
April 30th Cohutta 100 Ducktown, TN
May 1 SERC #4 Winder, GA
May 14th Syllamo's revenge NUE, Mountain View, AR
May 15th SERC #5 Ducktown, TN
May 22 Southern Classic, Charlotte, NC
May 29th SERC #6, Jackson, GA
June 4th Mohican 100, Loudonville, OH
June 5th Massanutten Hoo Ha, Harrisonburg, VA????
June 12th SERC #7, Chattanooga, TN
June 18th, Lumberjack 100, Welliston, MI
June 26th SERC #8, Clemson, SC
July 10th, SERC #9 Huntsville, AL
July 14-17th USA Nationals, Sun Valley, ID
July 30th, Wilderness 101, Coburn, PA
August 6-7 SERC finals, Fontana, NC
August 14th, Southern Classic, Greensboro, NC
August 20th, fools Gold 100, Delonoga, GA
August 21, Southern classic, Wilksboro, NC
September 4th, Shenandoah 100, Harrisonburg, VA
September 11th, Michaux Final??!!!
Pisgah stage race??

There could be more, less misspellings or substitutions, but this should be the general gist of it.

2011-02-25T05:49:00.000-08:00

After cyclocross ended in late January, the team headed to Charlotte, NC for the winter short track series. They were fast, fun and extremely well organized! It took a little time to get used to a 21lb hardtail with 1.8 inch tires on it again. Nothing like a 17mph mtb race to give you the snap!

Poor weather conditions abound here in Virginia, but nothing compared to Buffalo. Racing season starts for real in two weeks down in Gainsville, Fl for the first SERC race!

Come on Spring!

Schedule is up!

New Year, Aspirations.....Obligatory 2011 Post?

2011-01-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

Yes! 2011 and a big gap between writing anything here. The fall and early winter has been full or long rides and sparse racing. That is, until 2011 hit me in the face with double cyclocross weekends! I've been gone for the last few weeks racing with the team and it's been great. I went from pretty much a novice cyclocross racer to top 7 in the 1/2 field within a few weeks. With still so much to learn, fitness to gain, and insulation to lose, i felt that was pretty darn good.

Starting to use the new team gear has been a transition, but a pleasant one. (American Classic wheels rock btw.) just getting used to the new Tomac hardtail and just fitting in general has been fun. It seems like the weekends creep up so fast and i'm off to North Carolina before i know it.

The teams been doing awesome! Robert secured 2nd place overall in the NCCX series pro men, and Dakota 3rd in the cat 3, next year he will be up there with us!

I will keep this brief, because i promised a picture dump here, but last weekend included dry grass, wet grass, NASCAR tracks, broken hotel room doors, continental breakfasts, deep carbon wheels and more than a few trips to McDonalds after Robert introduced me to the dipped ice cream cone.

More pictures later!

Going Pro.

2010-11-04T04:42:00.000-07:00

Well it's official, I'm on a Professional team. The American Classic/Kenda team based in NC. It's unreal. There is so much racing on deck for next year! We will be going to the SERC series, which is a 10 race series of races in the southeast, a bunch of NUE 100 mile races, and some big races, such as Sea Otter, and nationals. Needless to say, i'm stoked.

I've been putting in some good foundation miles in the last month and shedding the weight i need to to race at the top level. It's actually been relatively easy because of the high motivation level I'm currently enjoying.

Went down to NC last weekend for a little team camp. Did some cyclocross racing on Sunday on my new Blue with Rotor chain rings, which do indeed work and feel awesome!

I didn't feel so awesome at the cross race, still suffering from a lack of sleep and car legs i think. From the gun i got a decent start but a crash in front of me immediately put me back 35 places or so. I spent the rest of the race chasing, and actually had quite a bit of fun picking people off!

My average power for the whole race, coasting included, was 304w, so i can't be in that bad of shape! Hoping to get to a few more before the season is over!

I promise more updates this fall with glorious (or not so much) pictures.

2010-09-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

Well, i suppose it's that time, time to blaag. It seems that focusing on one task for more than 5 minutes at a time is incredibly taxing to my mouse brain. Therefore, i must do this between ebay, folding clothing, and finally unpacking from the beast that was the Pisgah Mountain bike stage race.

While i was browsing them internetz in search of pictures from the Blue Ridge Cup cyclocross race that occurred a few nights back in Hillandale park, i found a beautiful rendering of myself riding on fire over at Cyclocross race winner Ryan's place. I'm glad Ryan smoked the crowd, because i saw some smack talk from a sidelined Andrew McKeegan, who had to sit out because of the massive intake tube installed in his leg.

The highlights of the past month+ were going up to NY and racing and riding with friends there, and seeing my family. Corey and i participated in the Suicide 6, which turned to 5 hours because of the 'epic' conditions. I managed to pull the fastest lap of the day and they gave me a giant trophy. Despite a broken chain on Corey's part, we still managed to be the third placed team overall, so not bad. A few days later we traveled over to the old Farmall Hill Tuesday night series. I felt a little better than i had on Sunday, having slept in a house and not my van the night before, but when Jason Hilimire went off like a rocket i remembered the pain that these races bring. But after the first climb i saw that i was more or less in control and managed to win despite some collisions with lappers. The hardest hour race ever.(Corey, making funny faces as usual)

I did a BBC hillclimb the next night as well, with aspirations of setting the record time. Alas i could not do it aboard the mountain bike and ended up in 3rd or 4th? place.

Next up was the Shenandoah 100, which went alright last year, but i had no idea what to expect except 9+ hours on the bike, which it thankfully didn't end up being. In a 100 mile race there is so much that can go wrong, i figure if you make all those things go right, you probably will do better than a lot of people by default. So i went out 3 times and just made sure i knew the course, climb durations and stuff like that. I think it paid off because i managed 9th place. Sure, things could have gone better, i broke my derailleur and got dropped at a bad moment by Chris Eatough and Jens Neilsen. But these are points to improve upon and it was still a great ride. I wanted that 7:30 in such a bad way, but next year right? Rocktown did well overall with Ryan coming in at 8:10 and Kyle smashing his personal best at 8:25! Buffalo crowd did awesome as well with Pat W finishing right around 8:13 and Dennis B not far behind.

Last week i went down to race the 5 day mountain bike race in Pisgah. I was nursing a cold from the start, so maybe my perception was distorted a bit, but there is no harder race i have ever done. 40 miles and 9000ft of climbing a day made me a sad boy by day 4, despite holding 5th place. I got pretty sick on that day and lost a ton of time. I decided not to start on day 5, as i would have probably put myself in the hospital. It was fun overall though. Hung out and wrenched for Jeremiah, who won the race every day and overall, and it really is pretty down there in NC.

I don't have much more for racing on deck for this year, but i am itching to get a bit better so i can hop back on the big and begin the massive prebase of legends that will supposedly turn me into the rider i want to be. Looking foward to the Tidewater Challenge as well, maybe dress up, and hoping not to have the swine flu this time!

Summer Speedup!

2010-08-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

I've been a busy boy, starting a month ago in NJ, I went to a Mid Atlantic Super Series race (MASS.) MASS races are super well run, have good turnouts, and best of all, great payout!

The first race back was a super wake up call, and i placed 8th, not more than 6 minutes off the win, but it wasn't a super long race and i knew i was out of shape. Twisty twisty.

A week later i found myself in Maryland somewhere near Delaware for another go. It was a one lap MASS race, and it was good. Another twisty race without much climbing, but i felt my legs were coming back, and even though i was back in 11th, the field was super strong and i felt good about the day.

Week 3! Went up to PA to the Michaux state forest for what was promised to be a rocky race. 4o miles through rocky, steep terrain. After 4 hours, a broken chain, some serious heat, and running out of water twice, i rolled into 5th place overall. My best result of the summer yet, and about 7 minutes off the win, and not far off some serious east coast heat.

The course was AWESOME. A real mountain bike course, which would be worth racing just for the trails. I will most definitely be at the race in the fall!

August will be full of racing for a good lead up to the Shenandoah 100, where i am hoping to better on my result from last year!

MASS race this weekend in PA!

Sticky Like Rice

2010-07-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

It's been hot here lately, like 95 and humid every day. That's fine, it sure beats the cold. There hasn't been as much racing in my life as I would like though.

Last month was tough, got a tick bite in may, and a suspected ailment from that. Then, just as i was recovering from that, some sort of flu hit me. Form was very poor going into the important Triple Crown at Massanutten but the race was huge and in town so of course I was going to race!

On Saturday the super d went well, and even though the preliminary results were wrong, it eventually got sorted out and i ended up in 5th behind Sid Taberlay, Jeremiah, and two other hard chargers. The dual suspension was perfect, Racing Ralph tires were hooking up awesome, especially with a 650b front wheel on the rig!

The short track went less than stellar, but being a best two of three i wasn't too worried. I knew i could make up for the loss of top end fitness in the cross country, especially because of how technical and climby the course is.

It was well, hot for the XC race on Sunday, and i didn't keep it together. Pretty much exploding on the second lap. Luckily, when the bottom falls out these days, it isn't as much of a fall as it used to be. Wasn't last in the pro field, and not one rider from another class caught me, which might sound funny, but it happened last year....

I was up most of last night with some food poisoning or something (Wendy's?) and i am watching stage 1 of the Tour. It is going to be a huge weekend for riding as long as i feel a bit better. 4 hours yesterday, hopefully 5 or so today, then maybe hit a Tour de Burg stage at big Schloss rock gnar tomorrow.

The big goals now are to dominate the Michaux race later in the month, which is probably a tall order as i haven't ever raced over there! 4 hours of rocks were promised though.

happy July 4th!

Middle Mountain Momma Kenda Cup; AKA Virginia State Championships

2010-05-06T04:51:00.000-07:00

A few Sundays ago the wagon was loaded to capacity with Rocktown's finest to head down to the Middle Mountain Momma Kenda cup in Douthat State Park and the singletrack highway!

The race started at noon in the 90 degree heat, and humidity was about the same, After the initial road stretch of 2 minutes, we started climbing. Climb we did!finding myself in third position, i worked hard to outpace a charging Brian Marsh and Justin Raynes. The Tires were hooking up but i got caught when my chain jammed in between my crank and my big ring!

Finding the eye of the tiger, i charged the second climb, which was much steeper than the first, but about the same elevation change. I found a good rhythm and after the decent and the steep, punchy world cup finish, rolled into third place behind Jeremiah and Matt Bailey!

Racing has gotten off to a slow start, due to a lot of Saturday races that i have to work during, but i am stronger than last year around this time partly because of this. Big rides have been happening twice a week, and my endurance is so good!

Also exciting, a new bike arrived for me this week, a Felt Virtue One! 5 inches of travel should come in handy for training and at some gnarlier races.....Michaux?

Next on the plate, some high intensity training at Giro de Ville!

2010 race season begins!

2010-03-28T15:34:00.000-07:00

After months of winter mixes of snow, rain and everything in between, temp started looking up a few weeks ago. I hurried to get a mountain bike together, as it had been road only since new years day. After so much experimentation, i got my setup pretty dialed in. 20lbs with cages. Pretty nice! Rode it 4 times before the race today, mostly in the rocks in hopes of getting some technical skills back. Went up to Fridley's gap where the downhill is steep and rocky!

Running a 2x9 setup 32/42 chain ring combo, it worked great at the race today, and there was plenty of steep climbing!

Schwalbe is my sole sponsor this year, and i am pretty happy about it. Great tires. Been running the Rocket Ron for training and they worked awesome racing as well. Good hookup on the wet course today.

I was pretty unsure of my fitness going into the race. I have been riding about 3 times a week, and will have to improve on that, and am also a bit over my target weight. So when the race started in the 50 degree drizzle i didn't know what to expect. The separation happened early with Nick Waite and i leading, Ryan Fawley chasing hard. It didn't take long until i was alone in no man's land between Nick and Ryan. For the remaining 2 hours i just focused on chasing hard, rewarded with sparse signs of Nick, usually in the form of tire tracks.

Rolled in at 2:38 2nd place, and am still a bit sore. The real 'kick' came when i took my shoes off and i saw my big toe. Couldn't feel it because of the cold, but my toenail was coming off and the toe was very bloodied. It is a bit better two days later, but i have stayed off the bike because of it, looking to do a big ride tomorrow though!

Trying to lay out a race schedule tonight, and getting ready for Dragon's Tale this weekend!

2010-02-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

Aero front "snowcone" Isn't structural, but may be UCI legal due to natural conditions. I wonder if Calfee would be interested in my organic choice of material?

The snow has been on the ground here in the valley since early December, and i haven't been on a mountain bike since then. Good training turned into laziness somewhere about a month ago when my powertap broke and motivation waned from the weather. I can't imagine what i would be doing if i were in say, western New York?

Ha! Well, the snow is slowly melting and motivation is coming back. After a 2+ month hiatus from group riding, i have managed two in the past week. Yesterday with Andy and Nick for about 3 hours. Some short vo2 efforts should help with the race in about a week!

I need to get my bike together, i don't know if i will remember how to ride offroad!

Handmade bike show in Richmond this weekend!

The Difference Between Slow and Pro is EUROCITY

2010-01-17T18:08:00.000-08:00

So i will spare everyone the boring day to day details. I've been training, not as much as i should, weight work, riding, isometrics, it's all going down. This week is going to be an especially tasty morsel though, 22 hours of fun in all.

The real news around here has been the snow! 18 inches back in December and t is still here! Almost gone in the valley, but i am anxiously waiting for the mountains to melt down like a cone in the summer, and then dry up so some MTB riding can happen.

It's just as well though, as the power meter is on the road bike, and it has helped immensely so far in training. Power is up, and weight is down.

Harrisonburg was mellow and empty over the JMU students' winter break, but the town always swells when they arrive. It was nice having the house and seemingly the town to myself over break, but it is nice when friends get back!

2009-12-21T17:29:00.000-08:00

Quick post, just added my training peaks link on the blog list. This will show what workouts i do and all of my training data! (well, what i remember to put in there!)

Sightings.

2009-12-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

It was cold, 33 or so out, but it was nice and sunny!

Blue M&M

Mossy trails

I stopped to put my lightweight gloves on out in the country and this little guy couldn't decide if he wanted to come over or not, and a car had to stop for him! I decided for him by scooping him up, and he took a look at the Felt!

I ride a big bike, this tree was HUGE, like 8 FT in diameter.

Blowing the Dust off, AKA Clearing Cobwebs

2009-12-04T18:28:00.000-08:00

Not a ton of things happened on the bike front in these past two months. As the leaves fell away from the warm days and into the short cold ones i found myself unmotivated and largely off the bike. Aside from some good long rides and some Blue Ridge Cup races where i surprised myself, there was little saddle time.

My last 'real' race of the year started with a trip to Richmond, where one of my former co-workers who ventured to the heart of the confederacy and i rode around and he showed me some of the cool old stuff there. The next day was the Tidewater Challenge where i had succeeded in obtaining the singlespeed state champion title. Not wanting to leave that early, and also wanting to save myself for the later pro race, i opted out. It didn't matter anyway as i had become infected by the wild hog flu, or some sort of flu. Warming up, my heartrate was unusually high, and i had a sore throat, etc. I attributed it to my friend's cat, but as i settled into 4-5 place i started to feel like garbage more and more. My heartrate was 255 at one point! I quit the race, my first DNF of the year, and a sour way to end the season, but i was in for it and it just got worse on the drive home.

I obtained a power meter or two and am looking to train more seriously this year than in the past. This happens every year, and i seem to get faster every year too! Training started this past week, and things are looking good. Next year will include far more road races (i did one quasi road race this year.) Looking to turn that Cat 4 into a 3 or a 2! Well, we'll see how it goes.

Patiently waiting on the race series' schedules to come out, as there are a ton to choose from! West Virginia series, Mid Atlantic Super Series, Chris Scott races, 100 milers, Michaux races, and the Virginia series. Try to carpool a bit more hopefully, and don't forget road races, I'm guessing up in PA or DC area? That is an investigation in progress.

Did some serious off-road road riding this week when i decided i wanted to climb up a mountain and it turned from rocky fire road to really rocky double track! But i was already that far, so i kept climbing while the bear hunters watched me ride through mud on 23c tires! It was great, aside from loosening up some spokes on my new powertap wheel. No harm done though, just needed some breaking in! I dabbed once at a 3 foot deep creek crossing. While trying to negotiate a algae covered log across the creek (i was walking) i slipped and got a hot foot, but then wizened up and used the bike as a crutch, while giving it a bath in cool, er cold mountain water.

Now i am in the process of looking up races to do this winter to keep me somewhat sharp, and i have been in the process of getting ready for a 5 hour ride outside in the cold, maybe if my hands aren't too cold i will take some pictures to post up here. I am also going to make my training log public as i am coaching myself now. I will post the link on the right side of the page. My hours, workouts, and power files will be there.

Falltime

2009-10-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

During and after my recovery from being sick, I got to some races. The first being the WVMBA final in Morgantown, WV. Feeling kind of like garbage, but wanting to visit friends and race. The race started up a road climb and i was glad i was still fit enough to feel ok there, but the real test started in the woods. Rolling through the singletrack on Shogren's wheel, with TJ Platt leading, i felt fine for about 10 minutes. Then something grabbed the bars from me and i went face first into the ground, landing on my shoulder and collarbone as well. Stunned and upset, i got up quickly but couldn't do anything. A guy who crashed behind me grabbed my bike and put it off to the side. When i gained my wits, i set off at a furious pace to catch the leaders. Made some mistakes and about 30 minutes later, realized i was in trouble. i wasn't blown, but almost. I ran out of water somewhere around halfway, and the finish couldn't have come soon enough. What a way to end the series, a disappointing 6th, 10 minutes back!?

But that is how MTB racing goes sometimes, i am glad that i didn't break my body or my bike, and i had a great cheeseburger dinner courtesy of my great host family in town.

Fast forward a few weeks to this past Tuesday, which was the second Blue Ridge Cyclocross, here in town. My first for the year. It is east VS. west, and Charlottsville (AKA the Foof) had to be shut down. With Jeremiah and Nick Waite here, as well as Andy, I knew we were in good shape. The pace was brutal, and at first i wondered why i was getting passed, but then i remembered my lack of fitness! After about 30 minutes in i started feeling good, and just wanted to maintain my 5th place. Mission accomplished, came in 5th about 3-4? minutes back from the pro train. Didn't feel bad about that. Hopefully some fitness will be gained from that.

This weekend is the Poor Mountain Hillclimb down in Roanoke. Time to find the skinniest tires for my bike (i wish i had a cross' bike!) and climb into the sky for 40-45 minutes. Maybe i can notch up a win?

This weekend....

2009-09-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

Is in question. I have been sick since friday and i am not feeling it, but i still desire to race, just don't want to look like a slumlord...nibble on this...

Shenandoah 100 Recap.

2009-09-09T05:37:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday i completed and competed in my first 100 mile off road race, also known as an Ultra-Endurance MTB race...

I must say, hearing people talk about these for a few years now, i never could understand why you would want to race 100 miles on your mountain bike. It just seemed like it would be long and slow.

So i got to the campsite around 8pm the night before and signed up. I got some Hammer gel from Chris Scott, the organizer, and decided that drop bags were not needed. My rear tire on my bike was leaking a bit, and reason for some concern , but i went to bed around 11pm.

The race started at 6:30am and i was lined up in the front row basically, ready to race. No warm up needed, this is 100 miles! The race started at a brisk pace, but i wanted to get into the woods ASAP so i stayed with the leaders up the first climb, having to back it off a bit towards the top, because my heart rate monitor wasn't working and it would be a long day to blow up!

This particular race has about 12,000 feet of climbing, and i would tend to stay on the climbs with people, then drop them on the downhills. This could have worked against me in some sections as i was left exposed on many roads, but live and learn, i wanted to rip downhills!

Around mile 50-60 was really tough, i had seemingly blown up and was being passed by all sorts of people on the dirt road to aid station 5, before the climb. I decided to limit the damage and back off, eat and hopefully recover a bit. Lucky for me, by station 5 i was ready to go again, and dropped 4 of the guys who caught me up the the highest point in the race. From there on it was easy, and i came in at 8:13 in 24th place. I was hoping to do sub 8, but next year this is a realistic goal.

I did however, win as the fastest local (Jeremiah does not count!!) and i got me a picture on the interwebs !

It was fun, and i do now understand why these events are so popular. Chris runs a great race, and the atmosphere is super cool. It was great seeing friends from back home. Dennis of EBS fame did well for himself and beat his old time by about 1/2 hour!

Surprisingly, i don't feel tired, and i am about to go for a hard ride, later!

Yeah awesome.

2009-08-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

It's about time for some awesome to hit this blog like an egg on a frying pan, or a little woodland creature under the tire of a ridiculous SUV. That's right folks, a big fat splat of, er... awesome?

Well it has arrived in the form of late summer and fall racing. After a month hiatus from racing, i am back for some throw down time. Ride the rocks was OK, but last week in WV i felt really good, then i got lost from the lead group that consisted of three of us, and finished up in 3rd about 10 minutes back. That sucks, but that's racing, and especially racing in WV. Where the heck am i?

So, debating whether i want to race this weekend in Charleston, or hang around these parts and get ready for the SM100...If i decide to do it. It is in my backyard, but i am no 'endurance specialist.' That is an excuse, the real reason is the $170 to enter! But if i go, i hope to be around 9 hours.

More importantly, there are some sweet races on the horizon. WV series champs, where hometown favorites will go for the gold, the Chain Stretcher in Peekskill, NY which i regrettably missed last year, Maybe some racing back in WNY, and the Blue Ridge Cup!

FUN!

MASS Ride the Rocks

2009-08-19T05:09:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was a Mid Atlantic super Series race up in PA. Not having raced since a spectacular blowup in WV, i decided i should get back to racing before some big races hit this late summer and fall. The race was called "Ride the Rocks" and was to feature "substantial climbing" This was laughed at my myself and fellow racer Ryan F, as Harrisonburg would surely embarrass any race course with these claims.

With a stacked Elite field and temperatures in the 90s we started at around 12:30. It would be two 10 mile laps or the rockiest terrain i have ever raced on. Not large rocks mind you, just small ones that constantly jar your whole body. Uphills as well, filled with rocks. I had decided to try pacing myself here after the blowup, a sort of test to see if pacing is real.

Well, i started the race feeling pretty sluggish, and slowly picked up speed. My seconds lap was slower than my first, but not a huge difference. 3 minutes or so. I usually drop a bit more than that in the last lap, but even if i fell 5 minutes off pace in the last lap, my first lap effort is that much faster. So the jury is sort of out on that one, but i caught some guys on the last lap!

So 9th place. I will take it against that field. Some good payout, and some racing to get me ready for the next few weekends!

Summer Leaves Lines.

2009-08-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

So the past 3 weeks have been full of real pro training, done with riding when i feel like it and not following a respectable schedule, i have graduated to a vague, but more defined schedule. This upcoming week shall be the 4th week, a week of relative rest. No racing has been happening, but i have been trying to remember all the races i have done so far this year so i can hopefully attain the almighty sponsorship.

I feel really good, and managed to feel pretty good all day today on a 4.5 hour road ride with Andy. Killed some small hills, but rode endurance 260w besides the 45minutes of climbing hurt. I also received some bad sun, as it was cloudy and rainy when we left. Neither of us thought that the sun might come out in full effect, yo.

Some people aren't feeling so great, friend and fast guy Jeremiah Bishop had some bad luck in the great white north and crashed hard, but will hopefully give himself time to heal and come back strong for the late summer madness!

Set a PR up reddish and LT wattage is somewhere around 5 w/kg. So i decided i am fit enough to justify going to Windham and getting beat badly by fast pros. For those who don't know, Windham is a small ski town in the Catskills, and they are hosting a big pro race on the 16th. Big names are sure to show, as the World Cup finals (the biggest of the big) are going to be there next year!

Fixed computers, Broken racing.

2009-07-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

After many days, and a few fortnights, i have my computer back, and with it, the Internet. Racing has been good, never finishing worse than 5th any race aside from the 2 big events of the year, (greenbriar and massanutten kenda cup)

Went over to Davis, WV for the stae champs, race started really well, felt good despite a total lack of training in the last month, and gapped the field something decent. After 2/3 laps, blew up totally, couldn't ride the rocks (before or after said blowup) and tried to finish top 3. I ended up getting passed in the last 5 minutes by Gunner Shogren and TJ Platt so that was kind of lame, but you are allowed to have a bad race every now and then?

The good news is i went up on the 4th of July weekend to NY and managed to participate in the Buffalo Bicycling club hillclimb. It's not really a big deal to most people, but it was one of the hills i used to ride often and i always wanted the record there. Well, 6:37 did it and now i have the satisfaction of record holderdom. And maybe i will be back next year to best it!

So after a month of slacking i will again resume my daily suffering in hopes to have a strong late summer and fall on the bike!

Quickly.

2009-06-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

Computer is broken and i am super busy. A quick vid:

WVMBA #3

2009-05-19T04:31:00.000-07:00

Heading out to West Virginia on Sunday morning, i was less than motivated. Feeling heavy from eating too much in the past few days, and not wanting to drive 4.5 hours to the town of Spencer were big factors. About 60 miles into the 230 mile drive i got tired and took a nap in the back of the van near Seneca rocks. When i woke up an hour later, i had the motivation and a challenge, a challenge to get there on time.

After quite the crazy drive on the twisty roads, i arrived with 10 minutes to spare. Fortunately, the race was pushed back 1/2 hour, and i could do some dialing in to my bike.

The race started and i quickly found myself in the lead, not bad, but then i thought that i had gotten lost and stopped. Soon after, i see mountain bike legend Gunnar Shogren appear. I hop on to his wheel, and soon two others join. Moving along at a decent clip i am feeling good now i realize, but keep getting dropped when the rider in front of me makes poor line choices. After catching the crazy train again, Gunnar falls and i attack. For a lap it is 3 of us and no Gunnar, then at the first climb of the 2nd lap, and one of only a few climbs on the course we drop the third rider.

The faux ralph dry tires on the bike hooked up alright in the mud, but left much to be desired, my 11t cog also stripped and that was an unfortunate scene. But everything else worked great and i was thankful for that!

The 2nd and last lap was different than the first with a series of me attacking on the short climbs and the other competitor, Jeremy sneaking back on the rolling singletrack. Leading at the end, i missed a turn and Jeremy found it before i had, gaining the lead in the last minute of the race. With no room to pass, and my 11t cog broken, it was over and i knew it was over for me. Jeremy took the win by 3 seconds and i was left to my bittersweet 2nd place. Gunnar was 3rd, 3:20 back.

Lessons from WV:
Mud tires are mandatory
Follow the locals
Drop all the other guys before the finish
Nice cash payout!

I will be back...!

Up to WNY next week to visit!

Greenbrier, in an eggshell.

2009-04-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

Went up to the MD this past weekend, for some racing in Greenbrier state park there. Last year was a disaster. I was sick, tired, and broke my bicycle, then rode it for a lap with a flat before deciding to quit.

This year was much better, a starting field of 22 or so in my first real pro race. The usual suspects were there, but this time i got to race with them! The race started out fast, but not too fast with humidity high and temps in the mid 90s. Hanging in the lead group, someone in front of me flubbed part of the 2nd uphill and i had to dismount. This is where i lost contact with the leaders. I felt good about that, 3rd race of the year and all.

I quickly realized that i was getting caught by the pack and gave it. Fatiguing at a consistent rate and finishing in 11th place, good enough to qualify for the national championships i am not going to, but out of the cash!

I am still a bit sore and it is now Wednesday...did i mention i got a new bike?

Michaux this weekend? I'm not too good for the longer stuff, so maybe this will help me, if not be a bit embarrassing.

2009-04-07T17:20:00.000-07:00

Race season has started, and it is nice to gt started racing a bit earlier than usual. the O hill meltdown in C-Ville went well in the mud, and a race near Richmond at Camp Hilbert didn't go so well, as i fell from third to 6th place after i blew up for unknown reasons. Hopefully it makes me faster, because i was sore after the race at Hilbert, and i hardly ever get sore, but even after the five guys blew past me, about 3/4 through the race i kept the gas on and i think it will be good for me down the road.

I related news, two (or three?) weeks ago i went down to SC again. A very fast bike ride, missed train, and a looooong bus ride later i arrived in Charlotte, NC. My Uncle had witnessed the state of the Chevette upon my last visit and said "I don't how much longer that thing will last." At the time i passed it off as nonsense! This car has lasted me thus far, why would it quit now? Well she lit on fire, and my Uncle purchased a GMC Safari van and did a great deal of work to it for me, I am very thankful to my uncle and enjoy the van immensely.

I had seen it in the lot before i left last visit, and it looked like a new van! It now has a carpet and is ready for camping in forests and at races!

i was only in SC for about 5 hours, but it was a great visit with everyone down there, I always eat too much. thanks for the cookies and pie Grandma!

I will probably hang around Harrisonburg for this weekend, maybe borrow a road bike for Harri-Roubaix to get some racing in.

Greenbrier at the end of the month!

2009-03-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

Got out for a hard ride today with Jeremiah, 3x20 min subthreshold with surges up to 150% threshold effort over at massanutten. Ok time for a nap.

Light Travel, Alfine Impressions

2009-03-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago i went down to SC to visit family and hopefully get some good riding in. Family was good, riding was bad. No, the riding was actually alright, rolling, tight, twisty single track, but it lacked something, some G word was missing, even though i rode in the dark for 3 hours or so, no obstacle took me by surprise.

A similar incident happened while visiting friends in WV last weekend. Decent trail, lacking Punch, lacking something, what?

I self diagnosed this condition as singletrackdesensitization. A disorder brought on by massive amounts of close calls, rocks, and te G word. The G word is of course, gnar. When i was diagnosed, it was found that my body was clogged with gnar, the only cure being rail trails and roads. trouble is, the side effects from the treatment are worse than the disease, creating an interesting situation.

The symptoms aren't so bad, one feels the ability to climb, ride and descend almost anything while staying cool. i hope this isn't a false sense, as it will come in handy for racing.

Speaking of racing (nice segway!) this weekend will be my first race since...December? It shall be glorious, and i good proving ground for he Alfine,which is still functioning awesome despite no bicycle washing or maintenance for 3 weeks. That's about 300+ off road miles!

I do have concerns about the efficiency, as the lowest gear seems to take some energy out, and the bike feels like a steel bike when you pedal, steel is not real, it is for hippies, so this isn't good. I can always buy another bike for racing only, but i have to really give the hub a fair shot, and even if i did want another bike i have to save!

So as of now, the project is a medium success.

bike pics soon

What's This?

2009-02-13T21:31:00.000-08:00

Front wheel has been assembled for a week now, rode it, and i approve, front weight turned out to 688g, 2g lighter than a 26" Crossmax front wheel. Seems to be holding up so far...

The Alfine arrived two days ago and i Will be building her tomorrow. Excited for gears, anyone know where to find some sweet wingnuts?

I Can't Decide on a Road Bike.

2009-02-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

I have some tightness in my lungs, i think it is just allergies, but i am worried. Deciding whether to put some trainer time in tonight or not, but i think i will, as long as the cold air doesn't hit my lungs...

Trying to be fiscally responsible when you work at a bike shop is nearly impossible. As my boss says, "you can have the F1 or bikes, what else can you have the F1 of?" he makes a good point, also with a double meaning. My sense tells me to but something decent, but not crazy and spend the other cash on a 705+quarq. And so the debate rages on.

I bought a scale that is so cool and awesome, it almost sheds the pounds for you. (body not bike) I should be into the 160s tomorrow, and therefore allowed to buy my bike. No i didn't lose water to make weight, this was all fat, and i am excited about losing it.

3 down, 8 to go!

It Was 67 Out Today.

2009-02-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

Training has been an all consuming task, stuck in between everything else. I haven't had problems with recovery, but i don't think i am doing quite enough, or going hard enough. That will start to happen in the next two weeks.

A new road bike will arrive (haven't decided what to get yet, probably something cheap for now) and i will order a powertap as well, I've gone without power for long enough.

Jeremiah is helping me train, and we've discovered quite a few faults, which is more god than it is bad. I now know what i need to do.

Weak core, more power work, stretching, dial in the training more, and lose the weight. I thought i was around 8% fat, but this isn't true. I am around 13% which leaves me with about 6-7% to lose this off season, or 10 pounds.

It's going to be hard to get the last 4 gone, I've never done it before, but a quick look at the power profile chart is plenty of motivation. 10lbs at my power is about 23 free watts. If i have the same lt power as last year at that weight i will go very, very fast.

Still working on the MTB and the race schedule, well, i actually haven't started that yet, but it will probably be built around the WV series with some nationals and other races thrown in there.

No pictures, but it is mostly brown out anyway.

The Bike is Almost Done.

2009-01-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

Yes, almost ready for race season 2009, and despite not putting out a resume i have some offers from bicycle teams and companies, some of which tempt me with super trick carbon bikes...

But i don't know what is happening on that front, what i do know is that Selle Italia is awesome.

Last year, i had a Kona hardtail that came with an SLR carbino on it. Great seat, but when i put it on the Scott with it's lack of seat post options, the carbon rails got damaged. My fault totally. I emailed Selle Italia and asked what the cost would be to put new rails on my seat. They offered to give me a new seat with a slight cosmetic defect.

So after i finally shipped the seat over to Italy and a few weeks later, it is back! What they saw as a cosmetic defect i can barely see, and the seat is way more svelte than the one i had before. Not only that, i received swag, including some metal stickers and a leather/stainless key fob. I promise i won't wreck this one, thanks guys!

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

2008-12-27T21:33:00.000-08:00

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?!

2008-12-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-11-25T06:31:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-10-29T06:11:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-09-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

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!?

2008-09-08T19:05:00.001-07:00

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.

2008-09-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-06-20T19:46:00.001-07:00

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...

2008-05-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-05-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-05-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

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 :(

2008-04-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-04-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

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? ;)

Ride across New York, fun and Wow!

2008-04-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

Last week was the second week of my spring break and i decided to visit a friend in Poughkeepsie, NY. Eventually i convinced myself that i would ride my bike over that way, and it would be awesome.

Mapquest told me 324 miles. After some encouragement i bought a small rack from Eric at Eric's Cycle Works here in hamburg, he gave me some used tires suited for the journey (thanks man!) and the deal was sealed. I shipped a box of clothes on Saturday. After a haphazard packing Easter Sunday and a last minute map out of my route, i was ready.

Bike prep the night before.

My father gave me a ride as far as Attica which was nice, because it cut out all of the stuff i had seen already many times. At about 8:00 i set out on route 20 in light snow.

By noon i had reached Geneva, NY a nice looking place on the top of Seneca lake. Seneca Lake.After a brief stop in the park there it was onwards. Feeling good about my plan to ride 200 miles the first day, i was making good time. The next city was Ithaca, and it was also a cool place i had never really stopped at before. Shortly after this, my day started to not go as well. I wanted to reach a small town past Binghamton called Deposit, and was on time, but i got lost around 6:30. After some phone calls home my mother found a way for me to get to deposit. It was 25 miles away and pitch black. My lack of planning and directions had me hoping that Deposit had a motel. Broome Tioga motor sports track.

25 miles in the dark down old route 17. This is the point that had me wishing for a light. I had to slow down considerably for fear of hitting the shadows of animals that i thought i saw darting in front of me, and the occasional car, presumably with a slightly inebriated driver coming from a packed bar i had passed a few miles back. After about an hour and a half i saw streets and lights. It was pure elation. The downside to Deposit was the lack of open stores at this hour, (9pm?) but i got some gross food from a gas station (hot pockets and Tony's microwave pizza yum....) I checked in to one of the two motels in town. This one, owned by an old polish lady who was up with her granddaughter looked like the most desirable of the two. She was super nice, and made my food in the house oven, and even made me some awesome tea!

Motel in Deposit

ABC Family hell yeah!

After a night filled with television and eating more than sleep, i felt it was time to get on the move once more. Day two was supposed to be the 'cake' day, in which i rode a mere 113 miles to Poughkeepsie. Well, it didn't quite pan out like that. Northern PA is mostly hills, large ones. I was shot, i could hardly sit on my seat and every climb was out of the saddle. 11,000 ft of climbing+headwind+30lbs of gear makes for hell on wheels. on top of this mapquest routed me through back roads that were the equivalent of the fire road at holiday valley.

Somewhere, the rack cracked, a stress fracture from the bumpy dirt road no doubt, even though i had it under the recommended limit. there also seems to be a lack of road signs in PA, and i started to use the sun for navigation instead of my maps as much.

Crossing into New York once again!

I got back on track somewhere after a guy gave me a ride up a 2 mile climb in his truck. After crossing back into wonderful NY, where the high taxes at least buy roads and road signs, i traveled through a bunch of small towns, most notable of which was Bethel, NY where the Woodstock festival took place. At about 5:30PM i went down the last hill and was on a plain about 20 miles from the Hudson river.

Somewhere then i got lost. I waved a woman down for directions at a stop sign with the Mohonk mountains looming in the distance. As luck would have it, she was heading to Poughkeepsie and offered me a ride! Awesome! Angela, the driver of the car, was a super nice lady in her late 50s with silverish hair. She had some signs in the back seat that i inquired about. She and her colleagues protest the use of depleted uranium in military weapons because of the effects it is having on our men and women overseas. Very interesting.

I asked her to drop me off before the bridge over the Hudson, about 15 miles from where she picked me up. I wanted to ride into town.

Mid Hudson Bridge to Poughkeepsie!

The sign up there says "Bicycles must yield to pedestrians, but if bikes must be walked, should i yield to myself? I played it safe and rode :)

300 miles later, sunburned, tired, and sleep deprived, not to mention the dirt mustache going on...

After 22 or so hours of riding, 309 miles or riding, and 22,000+ feet of climbing i had arrived in Poughkeepsie! Thankful for the 18 miles of car ride i got in addition to my ride out to Attica from my father, it would have probably been more like 360 miles if not, and possibly delayed me by 6 hours or so. I got zero flats on the trip out, attributed mostly to Mr. Tuffy, the greatest invention against flats ever (i didn't have a single flat all winter either)

The week had just begun at this point. After climbing Bear Mtn, visiting New Paltz, New York City, just hanging around with everyone there, a show, and a whole bunch of eating out. I am back. Still a bit tired, but happy and refreshed. (mentally at least)

I will take this week as a rest week with about 6 hours of riding, then some prep work for Greenbriar on the 27th.

Poster in Kate's room. naked ladies and bikes?! i'm in!

Cheers, Chris

No car, NYC, and tired times.

2008-03-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, spirits have been a bit better. Part of the malaise was that i sold my car. My second car technically, i bought it with my own money after i crashed my first car less than 3 months after getting my licence. It was a 1990 VW convertible. It was a piece of my teens and i was sad to see it go. It made me feel old. I put a lot of time and money into that car, and had a lot of good times in it.

BUT.....i need something better for travel, and my bike is on its way. Rumor has it, Doug may have some Reynolds carbon wheels for me to use!

At the moment i won't drive anything, probably ending up buying a van or something in a few months when racing really starts. For now, riding 5 miles to school is OK, and sometimes mom's taxi takes me to work ;)

The last week i put in a whopping 3 hours of riding, a bit less than was called for. I felt the general malaise of winter combined with some midterm stress. Hopefully i am recovered well because...

I am riding 330 miles downstate on monday/tuesday.

Amtrak really sounded like a drag, and for about the same price i can put in two 12 hour days in the saddle! I am visiting a friend down by NYC for 5 days or so and decided to ride, because i am crazy or something. So tomorrow i will put aero bars on my bike, and ship my stuff to her, and head out monday morning. I am super excited to get away for a week, but even more excited to spend some good time with my much missed friend.

I promise a full report with pictures sometime next week, but for now, later!

Winter Blues

2008-03-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

I sold my car today, after a trying few months. It, and not driving for a bit will help me cut down on expenses and buy my bike for this year, which i still do not know what it will be.....

The winter has really gotten to me, i think i have seasonal affective disorder, and the midterm crunch doesn't help. Every year around this time i get super bummed out. It always subsides, but it just sucks. Self actualization is a bitch.

Not really bike related, but another part of bicycling, as it has affected training. Left unmotivated since my epic ride with Andrew on sunday, i have been playing star wars online. i shall ride tomorrow though, as i need to get to school somehow!

I am very thankful for my friends, family and health right now.

Please come spring, i need the sunlight very badly....

First race of the year!

2008-03-04T20:09:00.000-08:00

Sunday marked my first race of 2008. I decided to go at 8am when i woke up, and had to renew my license ($90) and get to the shop by 10:15. I always end up getting lost on the way there! Agitating some of the racers (maybe more sleep guys?) we rolled out. The race starts at some predetermined point after a 4-5 mile ride to the "start line"
It was good to see some faces and talk to people i haven't seen all winter. Regrettably, i forgot some people's names i should know! Sorry guys.... The race was as flat as a pancake, and two riders had a 20 second break for most of the race. Nothing threatening. I had some good pulls, and tried a break, but i was reeled in. John Roden gave me some advice that i will put into action regarding breaks in the future. I didn't think the race was hard at all, but the power meter said otherwise. I broke all my previous records by a lot. My ftp went up by 20 more watts and my 5 minute went up 40 watts. It is gratifying seeing these things, but i definitely feel way stronger than i did last year at this time, and i haven't really started hard training yet.

In other news, I am in the middle of liquidating all of my less important assetts, in order to get my new bike for this year, which is coming in around the 21st, and faxing my pro deal form in to Fox by the 15th, so i can get my fork. Then building some wheels up, and maybe a riser bar is in order.

Pedal update: Took the Candy pedals mountain biking for the first time today. It was snowy and of course they worked fine, but i have yet to see the advantage of the platform when it comes to finding the pedal, if nothing else, i do think it helps the pedal feel more stable under power. there will be an informal test when i get my rebuild kit later this week.

goodnight.

Cobb Job

2008-02-27T21:49:00.000-08:00

There has been a eureka moment in my quest for the ideal pedal. After trying SPD style pedals, which i was happy with in every way but weight, i decided to give the beaters another go, somewhat by chance, as Andrew had just received some egg beater candy pedals back from warranty and was up for a trade. In years past, i had passed off the candy line as a 'rookie' pedal, for people who couldn't clip in easily. But after seeing Fuglsang win on them at worlds, and wanting a more stable pedal, i decided to give them a try.

I am very pleased so far. I modified my Lake race shoes with old grips to provide more stability against the Candy's platform and rode them indoors. Superb. Not only do the new pedals rival the SPD in tightness, but the pedal's stability is outstanding. The real test will be when the snow melts in 3-4 days (fingers crossed) and i can try them whilst mountain biking. They are tight to get into, but not super hard, and i can always trim them down a bit to loosen things a bit, but looking good so far. With my new found skills as a shoe modder, i may be riding the Look pedals, as they have a small platform that could be taken advantage of, but their weights have gone up a bit, i doubt the durability of a plastic pedal, and the egg beaters are lighter, have a bigger platform and outstanding customer service. These guys will most likely be the race day pedal of choice.

As for my shoes, some pictures of the MODZ

Talking a little about shoes last night made me think of how these Lake shoes are compared to my now gone SIDIs. Well, no shoe, bike or otherwise, fit like those Sidis. They breathed well, fit like a glove, and were pretty comfortable. The downsides were the soles were not stiff, the buckle broke (after 3 years) the lugs were hard and didn't offer much traction, and managed to rip off of the bottom frequently. The customer service was good when i could get ahold of them, and they sent me a used mismatch buckle when i called them, but it was free even though the shoes were old, and they sent me lugs for free!

The Lakes i bought because they were cheap for a carbon shoe, were custom put in your oven fut, and made of kangaroos. I always wanted a kangaroo. I had good luck with Lakes in the past, my first shoes were Lakes, and i simply outgrew them, and my winter shoes are Lake, and quite gnarly.

My first impression of the Lakes was how stiff they were. Way stiffer than any shoe i had ever tried, and i have tried some nice road shoes. They fit well, if not as well as the SIDIs, but not bad. They hug your heel if you mold them to do so (i did) and they are very light. The downside to the Lakes became apparent after the first few races on them. A few hike a bikes through rock gardens, and some bashing had ripped part of the tread loose, and scuffed up the fragile and oh so supple kangaroo uppers. Feeling bad that a kangaroo had died so that i could thrash it's skin on rocks over two weeks made me feel a bit guilty i must admit.

Taking the shoes to the local shoe guy, he glued the tread back on with super glue, and made everything right again for $12. Since then, the shoes have been good. The stock glue must have been of poor hold, and the scuffs on the leather are just cosmetic. No tears, and the Boa adjustment is so convenient.

If you can afford these or these, by all means get them. But spending a bit less on the Lakes is not a bad move. Just be prepared to go to the cobbler when the tread comes loose.

Nostalgia

2008-02-26T05:46:00.000-08:00

Over the past week, which was a low hour week, i started thinking about how i got started in this sport, and my long term goals. Without writing my biography....

I never played sports in school. I played soccer when i was younger, but didn't really like it. At 13, i bought a bike from paper route money saved up for about 6 months. A GT Idrive 2.0. Yeah it was hot for the day. Started racing in the summer of 2001, and gained momentum from there.

Allegheny State Park circa spring 2001.

Gow school MTB race. They held this race in the fall on a nice little loop they have, and i always managed not to win, until the final year they had it. I had some nasty cold during this one, and came in second.

2003 was the year i started to race expert. I had never won overall in the sport class, but i wanted to ride further and get more for my money!

Team Park tool.

Tamarack was a popular race back in the day, the course offered little to no rest, and had plenty of everything. This particular race was in the fall, and local legend Pat Wallace kept the pace for me. It was 5 muddy laps that day, but he kept the speed down for me, and we finished 1,2 with 20 minutes on the next rider. it was soooo muddy, up that climb my back tire was spinning sitting down. My best result ever at that point, i was stoked.

Lake to Lake in June of that year was crazy for me. i had never been to a race with so many (1000) people. This is the race where i was recruited to park tool afterwards, as i placed 38th, above and beyond my expectations (still a sport class rider) and OK for a 15 year old.
Napoleon Dynamite-like pose before lake to lake 2003. They must have had high hopes for me with that number.

After a muddy-as-hell race.

Looking back at this all is nice, and it even cooler to know i like it now more than ever. My short term goal is really just to upgrade to pro class. Short term goals should be reasonable, and i think that is a reasonable goal. Long term goals can afford to be a bit more aggressive, and my long term goals include cracking the top 10 consistently at national races, getting a spot on a decent team, and racing the world cup circuit. By the end of my career, i would like to try UCI road racing, and place top 5 at a national style event.

There. I have laid it out. no excuses or cop outs now!

Good times ;)

City Lights.

2008-02-18T07:17:00.001-08:00

Most people are either in bed at midnight, or out having a good time with friends. Friday night i did neither of those things, but i did go for a ride. The day had left me short on time between school and work, so i decided i would go for a ride after work. It was 15 out so i grabbed every piece of clothing i could find, put it on and fastened the blinky to the bike. It was going to be cold, and i lack sufficient headlighting for extended country rides. This left me to the city. Riding out of suburbia the landscape gradually changed from cape houses and trim front yards, to abandoned warehouses and subsidized housing. until i reached downtown buffalo. Stopped at the new canal/waterfront setup and took a look around. besides the hum of cars above me on the skyway it was very quiet.

Groovy Metro Rail.

I think this is the factory where those peaches they were singing about came from.

Ok, this deserves explanation. This was in the middle of two run down/abandoned houses in the city. It appears to be some sort of shrine measuring about 8 ft wide and deep, 20 ft tall, and is just standing by itself in an empty lot. It has a virgin Mary in it, and a mail slot?! The first time i took a picture of it, it turned out all ghostly. I think it was just condensation on the lens, but i had to post it up for you superstitious people out there. If anyone knows what this is, let me know please!

New Canal setup.

Other than that, things have been pretty good around here. Feeling good, trying to avoid getting sick, and getting anxious for mountain biking!

Went out for a road ride with Dan and Brian on Sunday, it was raining the whole time, and Dan took a spill on some black ice in a valley. He was a bit brush burned but ok, and Brian then went down shortly after unbeknownst to us. He was fine. On the was home i put in a good TT effort with a tailwind for part of the 8 mile ride back from Eden, smashed my FTP by 20 watts after 3 hours of riding, and got home in 18 minutes.

Now for some President's Day relaxation.

Later!

Blizzard, MTB riding

2008-02-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

Couldn't bear riding inside today, so i went to the ridge for some mtb action. It was like riding on sand for two hours but wayyy better than riding inside anyway.

Between that, school, and work i have become an internet junkie. I justify it by telling myself "i'm staying off my feet."

Youtube provides insiration.

this guy makes the best guys look like cat 5s...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=A6DmNMGEuI0&feature=related

Pictures soon, i promise!

Climbing!

2008-02-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

There was a break in the weather on saturday, Dan and i took full advantage of it. It was 40+ out. We rode about 55 miles in 4 hours, not going at any crazy pace mind you, but we went up every hill we could hit. By the time i reached my door, i had done 4600+ feet of climbing.

unfortunately, i didn't bring the camera, but i can assure everyone that is was pretty out. There was also rain, freezing rain, snow, sun, and clouds.

Here is some data, as it seems to be all the rage.

Using the power meter is fun, and, dare i say, easier to train with? Before with heart rate, i would go moderate, only to not be able to reach my goals in the days folowing. With power, i can reach my zones with ease, and it is so much less of a chore to hold a given pace. This (hopefully) will result in what the masters claim; more efficient training. It is easy to see even now, in the dead of winter, results when threshold work hasn't even begun yet. My power in all zones is creeping up, and my heart rate is going down at any given power!

The more i think about my goals this year, the more i think about doing the Shenendoh 100 mile mountain bike race. Researching places to move in the past year, looking at bike friendly, and all around cool places to go, Harrisonburg looks pretty cool. Doing the SH100 is a chance to check it out, and get some local street cred all in one day. I am all about mad street cred.

We'll see.....

"He just talks about Sartre"

2008-01-29T16:44:00.000-08:00

Today was glorious. I would have taken pictures, but my camera would have broken. It was a balmy 43 degrees today, and my first day training with power. It is funny how warm a cloudy, 43 degree day feels after you have been cooped up in the basement, and your last outside ride was 19 degrees. Well, it feels like summer, and nothing compared to that, except for maybe going from 19 degrees to 79. Went out for a zone 1 and 2 ride, and did 2000ft of easy climbing per hour.

It is days like this that keep it going for the spring.

March Giros have been announced for queen city cyclists, they are pretty low key, and just a good group ride really.

Snow and cold.

2008-01-28T19:38:00.000-08:00

The past week was quite uneventful. In the 11 hours and 150 trainer miles i successfully made my rear tire more square than it already was, and brought new meaning to the term "burning rubber"

The trainer has become worn on the metal wheel ever since last winter. It is somewhat satisfying to see the metal i have polished by riding, if somehow this could be made into lucrative business.
With the temperatures in the low to mid teens before windchill is factored in, there was no way i was heading out. This also gave me the opportunity to reacquaint myself with some killer 80s action movies. Yes, my week was full of explosions.

I officially start training with power this week, it will be very interesting to see what kind of increases i can achieve throughout the season, and if it proves to be a success, one will be on my MTB before next season.

In other news, My car has to go. It just isn't worth the $40 a week to keep it operating. It is just too much of my budget, and i really only need to go to school and work during the winter, which are both within a 5 mile radius from home. So if anyone reading this wants to buy vintage water cooled VW, I'll have one in my garage.

Give or take 60 days until race season!

Chris

More cold, and snow!

2008-01-19T19:54:00.000-08:00

Today was not only my longest ride of the training season so far, but the coldest. A little more than 3.5 hours and 50 miles ridden at a somewhat brisk pace on my MTB. It was snowing in 90% of the areas i was in, and my glasses were unusable after 1.5 hours. The highlight of my ride was quite possibly falling down on clarksburg road, as someone predicted this earlier. The hill was about a 20% grade where i fell, i was going about 20, and it was ice. Needless to say, i slid some 15-20 feet. Not hurt, and a little amused i continued my ride. My water froze 3 times, and my last stop was at sprague brook park, where i basked in the heat of the bathrooms there, and filled my bottle up with sulfur tasting water. It was a fun ride even with the cold. The lowest temp i experienced was 18 degrees in springville, and the highest was 24 in hamburg. Yes, most of my clothes froze, and my balaclava was not exempt from this, forming a funny shape around my neck.

I really enjoy these fleece lined leg warmers i won at the October mtb race. Every time i wear them i am glad i didn't pick the other prize, whatever it was.

I unfortunately didn't remember my camera, but here are some pics of the aftermath.

Power Zones.

2008-01-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first half of my power testing. 5 minute, 1 minute, and sprints. I did better than i expected in the test, happy about that. It will be interesting to do the 20 minute functional threshold power test (FTP) this upcoming week. We tried to order my bike, guess what? All out. I guess there will have to be a plan b. If it involves me building it with the parts i choose, all the better. I definately want these wheels or some sort of variant of them for racing.

1120g? 33psi max?! Crazy stuff, i have ridden light wheelsets, but nothing below 1400g. These things are definately gnarly.

Tonight i rode in the dark, it was snowing lightly. I climbed for 9 miles but it was a slow recovery ride, so i only had the illusion of working. It was calm and i only got passed by about 10 cars the whole ride so it was good.

Few things excite me like building a new bike. I am almost happy that they were out? If we find one that is great too, but i love finding out how nice i can make a bike, unfortunately for me there is a low price cap, but that will add to the challenge. I declare right here in this awesome blog, that is shall be sub 20lbs with pedals, decent tires, and water bottle cages. (i may or may not have to leave the crank off for that weight) Remember, that is a big boy frame size too...

Lighting

2008-01-13T20:17:00.000-08:00

I never did finish my bike light from the fall, maybe it is time to do so? Also, i want a dynamo hub that generates 15w at least, but the most shimano has is a measly 3w. I want this thing to lock up my wheel!

It is ...so warm out i cannot believe......oh wait, yeah i can.

2008-01-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

The new job up in Amherst's training schedule is getting to me. It is not necessarily the hours, as much as when they are. It is when i should be waking up anyway, so after i adapt to it i will try so hard to keep that schedule. 6:30-7am is a good time to get up for a 10am race. Well, i went for a ride in the dark tonight seeing as it was 64 degrees out. I put the back light on the Ergomo and it was awesome. I did cut the ride a bit short just because i have been feeling tired from the lack of sleep, but enjoyed my time out. Tomorrow night after work i will ride the bike path for a few hours, and maybe get lost in buffalo for a bit more. Keeping track of watts is cool stuff, i almost don't want to ride any other bike than the one with the power meter on it, but i can see that changing some day in march when i am tired and don't want to see my lack of watts.
Numbers are dangerous. Numbers are helpful. Numbers are a bit of a paradox, they can be used to tell you how well you will preform, and what you need to do that. Obsession with numbers, or bad numbers can be discouraging or bad for training. With that said, i am currently very happy with my numbers, i have lost 7 pounds that i had put on in the late summer and my watts have stayed the same. I am happy with the number i am at for pounds/inch (2.19) and will continue to lose weight until my power/weight ration changes in a negative manner. Right now everything is looking very good, and i will probably end up stabilizing when i lose 5 more lbs and have a lb/in ratio of about 2.11.

Got to get some sleep,
later :)

Not so secret training weapon/ egg beater woes.

2007-12-30T19:51:00.000-08:00

As promised, i picked up the ergomo computer today. I didn't have much time to look at it before work, but i managed to crack open the expensive case and take a peek. I also skimmed the directions. Hopefully the bike shop is open tomorrow so i can chase the threads, but my bottom bracket was just faced so that should be good. The instructions are very detailed to say the least 56 pages, at least they didn't waste paper, they put it on a tiny cd :)

My initial impression was wow, i can't afford this. My second and third ones were better. it appears to be very solid and the only disappointment was that it didn't come with a heart rate chest strap. give me a break ergomo, you have an msrp of $1600. Very soon i will be training with power. I am also very interested in the features, they are almost too much for me to comprehend. Power (current, average, max,) heart rate (current, average, max,) back light, intervals, power zones, altitude (current, cumulative, max,) time, temperature, % gradient (current, max,) cadence (average, current, and maybe max?,) and some other stuff i cannot even remember.

In some more news on a more solemn note, my egg beater gave it up today. Some people i know criticize the egg beater for it's durability (or lack thereof.) I don't think they are a bad product, i usually get 4000-5000 miles on them before they blow up. That is fair in my opinion,

especially because maybe of those miles are off road, and i often neglect them and only grease them every 4 months. Despite this, i cannot help but wonder how those new look mtb pedals work. Yes, the egg beaters will be rebuilt for now.

I found my bike for next year, It will be a Scott scale 20 with some minor modifications that may or may not include xtr shifters, an xt shadow rear derailleur, different pedals, and some 1200g race wheels for Sundays complete with an xtr cassette. Shooting for sub 20lbs ;)

Ergomo

2007-12-29T17:42:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow marks the entrance of the ergomo pro. I won't be able to install it until Monday i think, i don't have the time, but it will assuredly be cool. Did a hard ride today, really spiked it. My schedule for this season is now posted. I may be making some changes in the days ahead.

Simplify...for every bike gizmo, gadget, diet i add to my cycling life, i try to make up for it by simplifying my other life. This means selling my car, and buying one that is hopefully a bit more optimized for races. (wagon with roof rack anybody?)

Winter training is going so well, and i am able to complete my workouts more than i used to, we'll see how that goes when more hours are added.

;)

Training begins!

2007-12-14T19:06:00.001-08:00

Well, 2008 has started, at least for me. Training for this upcoming season has begun. There have been a load of important changes in my training, and i am anxiously awaiting a power meter. Fox Racing Shox is on board for next year, hopefully i will get some more letters back!

I also saw a hawk making a kill in my backyard yesterday, i love birds of prey. You can see the victim under his feet.

Two words: Raccoon Rally 52t!

I am totally a serious runner.

2007-12-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

Today marks another excursion in my n00b status as a runner. Andrew was nice enough to come along and let me use the "draft" After 35 minutes of trying to hang on, i felt good that i had gotten off my lazy butt and outside on to the rainy, slush/ snow covered trails.

i also crawled across a wooden bridge.

Awesome

Picture of the embodiment of awesome, besides crawling across a bridge.

A new hope.

2007-11-29T21:18:00.000-08:00

The off season is coming to an end. In a week or so training for next year will begin. I have no wasted all of my time on video games, i am refining my diet to the proper ratios and only selecting nutrient dense foods, so no more french fries and cheeseburgers (maybe sometimes ;) I will see if actually eating well does make a difference, and shedding all body fat over the winter to become a lean power machine. However, counting calories and trying to achieve perfect ratios of fat, carbohydrate, and protein is difficult and time consuming. I am reading a sports nutrition book by Nancy Clark to get some good ideas, and it is a very good reference. So for a few more weeks i will be tuning up my bikes and counting grams to determine much for next year. After that, everything has to do with cold feet and long hours.

Running part two...kind of.

2007-11-17T19:34:00.000-08:00

Well, today was officially the third time i have gone running, but the 2nd time i really went out for a real amount of time. I ran the same trail that i did last week, and shaved 5 minutes off my time already. My muscles don't hurt, but maybe they will tomorrow.
Later

Adventures in Running

2007-11-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

Today was my first really physical exertion in 5 days or so. I decided to work on trail running, and tried it out today at chestnut ridge. It was fun, different than the bike, i went slow and my ankle hurt (no doubt from poor arch support) but i dove right in. After a whopping 25 minutes of running i was ready to end my excursion. The running had took its toll on me. i hit heart rates past my LT on the bike and i could barely push my clutch in at first. I will have to go out again in a few days...!

Some pictures....
Fall is ok, what do these shoes do?

Leaves and trailssss

Enjoying the off-season

2007-11-03T00:17:00.000-07:00

Well, the past few weeks have been full of school, sending bicycle resumes in to companies and -oh yeah staying up until 3am, like right now. it's OK. I am setting up a long list of goals and refinement to my somewhat sporadic training, so when i get back on the bike, it will be time for some serious business!

Sprague Brook, and the end of the year!

2007-10-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

Well, on kind of a last minute impulse, (well last minute for me, about 2 days) i went to the Sprague Brook mountain bike race that Handlebars put on. I am sure glad i went! It was an awesome event. About 60 riders showed up. When a $50 prem was offered for the fastest first lap i knew it was for me. After a pretty quick for this time of year first lap, the prem was mine. John Roden passed me shortly thereafter, and on the third, Tom K passed me. i was happy with a third place for the day. The course was super fun, the prizes were great, and the even went off pretty well.

It has been a great year. I have accomplished all of my goals that i set out for, and some extra ones i didn't. I would like to thank Doug Bush, my coach, at endurancefactor.com, his expertise helped me get into the best shape ever, Dudley at Shifting Gears bike shop, Eric at Eric's Cycle works, All of the friends who have helped out, teammates, competitors, and anyone else out there who is cool :) I am grateful to all of you.
Chris

Fallfest

2007-10-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

Fallfest started out great, Jamie Hughey and myself found each other riding together in 1-2 for most of the first lap, then i flatted. After filling up a tube with co2, i rode gingerly in 5th place until i received more co2 from Amy, who was taking pictures along the course. With my tire filled at a safe 60psi i continued, but my passers had gone too far. Finishing in 5th place was disappointing, but i am glad the local boys took the top 2 spots there. My time was 1:17 or something like that, so it definitely means it is time to call it a year. Maybe sprague brook if it going on next weekend, but we'll see about it, and some races out of town for fun, or maybe some trail running and building will do me well for the next few months.

Well....

2007-09-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

After a hard year of racing, and some bad luck, i was upgraded to semi-pro. This pretty much makes this year a success. I went from a sport class racer to semi-pro in 7 months. This leaves a few small races at the end of the year, but nothing much to prove. Now i can focus on sending out resumes.

Campmor NORBA at Blue Mountain

2007-09-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

72 hours ago i set out on my voyage to a race in Peekskill NY, roughly 400 miles from my front door, in search of points for semi-pro upgrades. About one hour from leaving my house i got to Corey's apartment in Rochester. (this is the part where i wish my camera was in working order.) We stuffed my tiny car with two bikes and (almost) everything we needed for race day. After one subway and 5 hours we reached Poughkeepsie, where my friend Kate was nice enough to let us stay in her college apartment. Corey fixed his bike in the kitchen and we went to a 50s style diner for dinner.

The following morning was marked with some confusion, but all worked out fairly well. We made our was some 32 miles south to peekskill, where i made a wrong turn which lead us up an awesome mountain road and across the Hudson. After we made our way back and found the park some 20 minutes later we registered and Corey's race was about a half hour away. We find out that the sport race is two laps, and the laps are expected to be about an hour each. This sets me up for a 3 hour race. As Corey is racing i try not to think about the coming hours.

The race starts at 1. I immediately go off the front as hard as possible in order to create an insurmountable gap right from the start. It works, only two guys pass me, and they are not in my class, but the single speed class. I hang with hem for awhile, but they are superior riders, and escape me. The course was 9.2 miles of the rockiest, most technical up and down track i have ever seen. About 3/4 through the first lap i am joined by another rider, this time in my class, who claims we have a nice gap. We stay close to each other, neither one of us getting far from the other. I get two more bottles from Corey for lap two, and go through them almost instantly. I am without water for a good half of the second lap and hanging on to the other rider's wheel. On the final lap, i get more water, and i tell Corey to bring me more in the woods. The other rider says if we are going to torture each other for another hour, we might as well know each others name. his name is Mike, and he is 24 years old. At this point the hurt of having it pinned for 2.5 hours is pretty bad. Mike gives updates on the mileage from his computer and i encourage him to keep riding as well. towards the end i know i can drop him, so i take off on the last series of downhills, and sure enough open a gap. I push my lockout and sprint up the final paved uphill to the finish. Mike is not far behind. 1st and 2nd place.

I find out that unfortunately Corey's race didn't go as well, with a broken derailleur in the last 2 miles.

I rolled down to my car and lie down, feeling that i would surely die from such and effort. I was nauseous and very weak feeling. Thankfully awards were soon after, and we could go get some food.

In all, it was the hardest effort and race i have ever done. I do not feel i could have gone faster on that day. Out of all the 24 hour races, and all the 6 hour races i have never in my life been so taxed of energy. The heat, intensity, duration, and terrain made the race what it was. If you ever get a chance to go downstate, make sure to ride the blue mountain reservation trails, they are totally worth it.

www.wmba.org

Chris

24 Hours of Hot August Nights

2007-08-28T06:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the hot summer nights race. We left in the luxurious borrowed RV on Friday around noon. After some missed turns and a few hours we were at albion. Upon pre riding the course it was discovered to be faster than last year and even more turny. i was set to do the first lap. I had some reservations about it at first, but then realized i was probably the right guy for the confusion and chaos of the first lap. At the start i fought from my spot a few rows back up to the front just in time to see a crash in front of me. I avoided 4 more crashes and a guy who's tube blew in front of me and made his rear wheel fishtail. I was in 5th place, and we were just a big train moving through the woods. Eventually, the top 4 guys got away a little and when the first lap was over i was in 6th place, putting the team at a great advantage for future laps. all of my teammates pulled really fast first laps as well, and that is where we made some of our tiny gap. We couldn't make more than 11 minutes over the 24 hours of confusion, but in the end it was enough. Brian, thinking we had a victory lap, went out kind of slow and came in at about 12:45 having done a 53 minute lap. We then found out the next team came in only 1:30 behind Brian. It was a close call for sure, but in the end everyone on our team turned out smokin' laps all day and night, we all got another golden jersey, and the only team that pulled more laps than us was a 10 man team from scott bikes. So i can pretty much say we are the 2nd fastest 24 hour racers around.

First lap shredding

Sweet ridezzzzz

i think the other team wondered how they got beat by 3 older guys, one guy their age, and a 20 year old. They probably are not looking forward to the master's class. I was the only reason we got bumped into the 30-40 vet class, which ended up being the only class with 38 teams.

Everyone happy and tired.

Next up are a few norba races downstate for semi-pro points, and fallfest.

Farmall #1

2007-08-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

Starting off August with the farmall race was tough. i have been feeling tired lately and it started to rain before the start. The course ended up being so slippery in spots it was hard to walk on, but i finished second to Andy August, who had the bike of the day, a singlespeed.

My new bike should be here tomorrow i think, i want to see it soooo bad.
http://www.konaworld.com/bikes/2k7/KULASUPREME/index.html
This thing HAS to be like 19lbs with pedals.

Sugar mountain pictures.

2007-08-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Podium

Super nice dog from hotel

Pro Women start!

Going all out.

Craig didn't use this bike for his 3rd place finish, but it is nice.

The hotel i stayed at on main st in Banner Elk was huge! Probably over 1000 sq feet with a bedroom, bath, living room, and this kitchen. I felt like Tom Cruise in Risky Buisness.

Sugar Mountain National!

2007-07-30T17:24:00.001-07:00

Naionals went better than expected. The trip started on wednesday around 4pm when i left the homestead for the 700 mile trip to sugar. After stopping for pizza hut for a quick 1 hour large pizza in west virginia, i continued on my trip. Around midnight i stopped around 450 miles at beckley, wv, and slep in my car in the mall parking lot there. the drive resumed at 6am and breakfast was a leftover slice of pizza. I arrived around 2 at my aunt's house near charlotte, nc. i ate, slept and then went riding on some awesome trails around her house. After a day and a half there, it was time to ascend to the high country. I was looking foward to this, but was sure to miss the high level of pampering i receved while at my relatives house (my grandparents also live nearby.)

The trip up to high country was fine except for the cars tendency to slip out during right hand turns. This became more frustrating on the windy roads up there.

Banner elk is an awesome place. I stayed at a nice inn with a huge suite for cheaper than anything else around! I felt bad not sharing it with anyone! i went sleep to some movie with Samuel Jackson and Kevin spacey, it was pretty dramatic (haha.)

Saturday i picked up my registration packet and watched the women pro race. They were awesome. I watched it on the steep section of the climb with a very enthusiastic lady who loved 4 leaf clovers? Georgia Gould handily won the race by a and was flying the whole day.

Trying to take my mind off of the quest for semi-pro points i rode the course, then went to the local bar/restaurant for dinner. sitting at the bar, because it is what i feel is the proper thing to do when you are alone (who eats at a table of one?) i spoke with some funny southern guys, all very friendly. As i was leaving, a man seemingly from Texas wished me good luck and told me to say "howdy" to everyone up there (new york.)

Sunday went off without a hitch. I only got nervous a few hours before the race, but when it started i decided to try out the technique of taking it easy and saving a bit for the end. first place took off right away, the national champ for experts. I didn't attempt to follow but held a pace at 85% because it was enough to shred all but one rider from my wheel. The course was muddier than the day before, and the lines i had seen the pro women take were all but useless.We went back and forth, then on the 3rd lap climb, he caught up to me. I was mildly worried but held faith in my tactic. After talking to him for a while and telling him to be careful (he was guaranteed a podium if he didn't crash) we rode in silence. On the final climb i put everything i had on. A gap opened immediately and i knew if i got into the woods, the race was mine. Riding smart in the woods, i came out and finished with a 30 second gap i had opened in the last 5 minutes or so.

A few more norba races and the semi-pro is mine, and to top it off, i would have finished about 38th in the pro class out of about 60. Looking foward to the 24 hour race, which is purely for fun, and a nice late season.

Pictures to come soon.....

Howdy?!,
Chris

Corfu, overreaching and more.....

2007-07-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

Well, my semi-weekly update of this is due. Well, racing at Corfu, on the road was fun. I was extremetly tired, and the race was suited for it. Jay Joslyn broke away, and despite my efforts to get someone chasing him, no one wanted to go. So i did some work for fitness' sake, and went about the race. It was 6 laps in a flat corse out by Darien lake with one little riser hill at the finish. So everyone more or less went easy in the laps ahead. About a mile from the finish another rider broke off. I just thought that he would be reeled in, but again, no one could or wanted to chase. So it came down to the last hill. I was out front, not wanting to be boxed in, but i was also going slow. A gentleman was to the right of me thinking the same thing. We accerated. I went harder and the guy next to me dropped back. About 15 feet from the finish 4 riders went past me. two on my left, and on rider on the right. My finish was 6th. Not bad i for how i felt that day.

After a rest day, and a light evening ride with some red door teammates, I thought i would be ready for the wednesday night race. went hard off of the start, but the same thing happened this week as last week. I was all of a sudden going slow. On the second climb, i was in second by a few feet, but i pulled off. Nationals are in 10 days, and i want to be back in shape for them. Hopefully i am not the definition of 'overtrained' and i am just a bit overreached. 4 days of rest of so could put me back. Lets hope so.
Chris

The Last Week.

2007-07-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

Well, regionals did not go so well for me. The drive went well, fortunately the car held up great. But after driving 350 miles i set up my tent in the parking lot of the race venue in orange county, ny. The next morning was hot. About 100 degrees before the experts went off at noon. The course was about 5 miles long from my understanding, and experts had 4 laps. Beginner and sport riders had gone earlier in the morning. The semi-pro pro class went ahead of us, then the expert single speeds for some reason. The men 19-29 went off and i got into the dirt first. A guy on a trek 9.8 quickly passed me and made his escape. I floated in between second and third with another guy for the first two laps, then my seat cracked. I thought it would hold up, but at the beginning of the third lap, the seat portion left the bent rails and my bike. I had to now stand. After falling back to 5th place or so, i turned in for the day. The race would have done nothing but embarrass me with a poor finish. The drive home was pretty and uneventful. It also gave me plenty of time to think of my failure. Tonight was the first Wednesday night race. After getting off to a strong start, i started to feel a bit dizzy. Mike Loranty for Ag Edwards was catching me on the third lap. Towards the last downhill he passed me. It was a phenomenal finish, even though i expected to win. Oh well, some days are better than others. It was a solid race and a good effort on my part. I hope to shave some time off for next week.

Some pictures from the journey

BAD SEAT!

Sunburned and beat

Some cool diner

PRE RACE

The mess haha
Chris

Raccoon Rally Wrap Up

2007-07-01T16:26:00.001-07:00

The Rally was today. Despite being sick the past week i felt ok. The race started out with a stacked field of the fastest guys around. After the mass start, everyone fell into a rhythm. The first climb to the top of the mountain wasn't anything crazy, and as i looked back from second i could see about 20 riders behind me. The pace really started to get fast after the first half of the first downhill, about 12 miles into the race, before we knew it, there were 5 riders in the group. We weren't going crazy fast, as it is really hard to lose someone on this course. Everyone sat in and bided time. I crashed down Bova ski hill while in first and fell back to 6th. Luckily nothing was broken (on the bike or me) and i caught back up to the group.The second climb, about 3.5 miles down from the 5.5 of the first lap was where the heat was turned up. Two guys broke off. A team hollyloft racer and myself bridged the gap and there were still 4 or 5 of us at this time. The last downhill took most people off, less 4 of us. Finally, the last Bova downhill i was in first, but i crashed in the same place as before! Then, the second place guy crashed in front of me, twisting his wheel sideways in the dropout. I bunny hopped over him, but the second and third place guys were right on me. Flying down the gravel road, team hollyloft passed me, i grabbed his wheel as third place came up. It was a sprint to the finish! The rider from full moon vista placed first, the hollyloft rider was second, and i was third, and it was all within a second. A good race. A big thanks to Shifting Gears Bike Shop, and Doug Bush at Endurancefactor.com they have helped me out so much.

Next up: race in the catskills.

Chris

Post Lake to Lake woes

2007-06-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

this week has been very rough. on Tuesday, i started to get some sort of flu, no doubt caused by my episode on Sunday. After being sick for 3 or so days a trip to the hospital occurred at the recommendation of my doctor. They thought i may have appendicitis, but luckily after 6 hours in the er, i was found to have a flu. thanks everyone, i would have just stayed home if it were not for my paranoid father. So after missing the Wednesday night race and a rice hill road race i am left being stressed and not having rode for 6 days. raccoon rally is next weekend and despite previous high aspirations i think i will have lost substantial fitness and the hope of placing.

Lake to Lake

2007-06-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

Lake to Lake went well as expected. A solid third place turned into a 5th place finish because i took a wrong turn somewhere along the way, and the guys behind me ended up in front of me with no passing! Well, my mistake wrong turn, it is still a part of racing. I still managed a 1st in my age group though.

After the race, a killer headache ensued, i was seeing stars from too much caffeine (gus). I proceeded to the EMT tents where some nice cute ladies gave me some oxygen and talked to me. After puking my brains out of the side of Brian's truck onto some tailgating Saturn i felt better. awards were super late as usual but i got a siqqqqq coffee maker from the event dude because he felt bad for my misfortune.

two weeks until the rally and i feel like i am so ready for it (no wrong turns)

Chris

Empire State Tryouts

2007-06-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

Today was Empire tryouts in good old boston ny. 6 mile tt followed by the 50 mile road race. 1000+ feet of climbing per lap. It was probably one of the hardest efforts i have ever put down, and it paid off. despite camping setting in in the 3rd lap, the lead group with me in it stayed together until the 5th lap, when it blew apart, and 5 guys left me and another guy behind. I placed 7th, which qualifies me for the games. today i was fairly pleased with my performance and it makes me feel like things will be in a great position for the rally and lake to lake in 14 days.
Chris

2007-05-31T20:47:00.001-07:00

Been awhile since a new post, really getting some top end fitness in, but feeling a bit tired this week from the long hours and early mornings. I REALLY need rest before the race this weekend. I am eating an entire pizza right now. :)
Chris

2007-05-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

Farmall #2 etc... Second race went as expected. Sickness played quite a roll in 2nd place, and i am a little worse off today because of the race. Took today, and perhaps tomorrow off depending on how it goes. Spoke to Jason Hilimire, nice guy, probably head out that way for some nice riding soon. Excited for next week though! and the pizza afterwards ;)

2007-05-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

Well, after a decent race last week i finally got the sickness my family has had, which quickly developed into a sinus infection. I will be racing tomorrow night, but i am not expecting a first place, unless i make a miraculous recovery. The week after next will have to be my week to get best two of three....

Chris

WOW

2007-05-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile hasn't it. Well, paris-ancaster was ok, i placed 37th despite being severley dehydrated. Not a bad result for my first "off road" since february. I finally got the car back on the road, i drive it to races, but for around town nothing beats the bike. Tonight was the farmall mountain bike race. Thanks Dudley for keeping me going with water water water, it was a dusty race, and even though i feel like i lack high end race power at this time of the year (no real intervals yet) i did take first by a few minutes. I have dust in my nose.

I am tired.
Later

2007-04-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

Today i rode for a short period of time, this week is a light one because of the race. Later myself and two of my friends took a failed trip to lasertron, but we were the only ones there. So it was off to the pizza baron for a milkshake! I am looking at a beater car to get me by, i really want a runner! Things have been going ok.

2007-04-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

Didn't go riding today, it was kind of bad out for spring, and i want to make sure i am in prime shape for the paris ancaster this weekend!

2007-04-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

Went out for 5 hours today, met up with some friends halfway through the ride, rode with them for few hours, then made my way home. it was a good ride, and it was sunny out.

"EMOrtons"

2007-04-11T22:34:00.000-07:00

Today was rainy and 45 degrees, went out for two easy hours, felt ok. No others showed, i guess they were scared off by the rain (haha)? Make sure to clean your bike immediately after getting home.

COLD OUT

2007-04-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

After getting sick two weeks ago, and getting better just in time for some nice weather, i got sick again! Not as bad as the first time, because i got meds quickly for it, but it is still no fun. My hope right now is that the weather breaks quickly. I have been mountain biking in the snow, and it is ok, but not after, when you have to clean your bike up.

2007-03-27T22:32:00.000-07:00

Had a real nice day, went riding twice, once with my teammates, and once alone. Then i hung out with a new friend i made a week ago. It was fun.

EVERYONE GOES TO TIM HORTONS haha

BACK AGAIN

2007-03-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

Illness mostly gone, back to riding, feeling strong and well. Group ride tomorrow out of the ridge 11am. I hope it is nice out.

Full blown sickness

2007-03-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

Well, i have a cold compunded on my diminshing ear infection, i have had it for 3 days now. I will be better tomorrow, my first day of riding for the week. i will just take it easy, it is not like i am going to lose any base mile fitness, and interval training has not yet started.