Podium Quest

Stick to the plan....

2012-02-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

February.... Mind is numb.... Must stick to the plan. Must stick to the plan. Must stick to the plan. Must stick to the plan. Must stick to the plan. Must stick to the plan. Must stick to the plan. Ugh!

One Month Down

2012-02-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

January is in the books, thank God! And I am moving forward. Been through a family crisis, cabin fever, lack of motivation, and my best personal January of training in hours and miles. 2012, is already rolling quickly and has already been challenging as well. But I have a lot of optimism. So I am looking forward to a fun, and good year in general. My training plans are in place, and most of the goals are set. But I don't think I am going to share too much of that this year. A few of you know what I'm up to, but I really need to focus on "the plan" versus talking about it all. So sit back, get ready, because things will be heating up in March!

My podium quest continues...

By the Numbers...

2011-12-31T16:16:00.001-08:00

This post probably don't mean too much to anybody but me, but here is some of my data for 2011. Training has already kicked off for 2012, and I am hoping for good things to come.

Happy new year!

Total Bike Miles: 4,373
Total Running Miles: 96
Total Training Hours: 305

Mr. T Starter Kit! - 2011 Bling...

2011-12-14T17:18:00.000-08:00

What started out as a bad year of weight gain, work stress, piss poor training, and then racing was turned around in July with a new position, some weight loss, better training, and a renewed focus on racing. Especially with CX in my sights. So as for the year I am very pleased with my results. I try to set some goals every year, to drive me and keep me focused. These are goals that are reachable but always challenging for me. So how did I fare for 2011?

My mountain bike season started out rough. I focused on more endurance miles, which I saw a big return on my endurance for the longer races. But weighing over 190 lbs left me struggling to reach the podium. What made it worse was a string of like 3 or 4 6th place finishes. But again, July came and a lot was lifted off my shoulders. For the last 3 races of the Tailwind Series, I nailed 3 spots on the podium. My morale improved and I was back on track. CX was in full swing now but there was still one more mountain bike race to settle the score. The ICEMAN. And this time it was a USAC sanctioned race, so doing well meant even more to me this year than ever before. I was nailing my training plan, and had one goal in mind. Win the damn thing! I gave it my all and just missed winning by less than a minute. But I set a personal best time on a longer course and came home with 2nd place in my class. My best result to date!

Then came the Cyclocross season. I was stoked. I knew I would be a player somewhere in the Master 35+ class, but where was yet to be seen. I started out the season racing doing the B race at Plaster Creek which is part of the Kisscross series and I took a commanding win. I was surprised that I just beat 40 other guys, but knew this was not a USAC race. That's the one I was hungry for... The following week was the kick off to the Tailwind series, and I came out swinging. I took the Win on the 1st day! I could not believe it. It was my first win since 2008! I was really stoked, and this confidence carried me through the rest of the season. I was a top 3 guy almost every race and finished up the series 3rd overall in points. I missed a state championship medal, but can not complain about my consistency through out the season. In addition, I fared well at the USGP's racing single speed and finished in the top 10 at all but the last race.

So as for my actual goals, here is how I did.

Mountain Bike Goals

1. Finish Top 3 at Brighton Stage Race Overall - Took a DNF.
2. Break top 3 in a USAC XC Race - Did not accomplish in Tailwind, but did at ICEMAN!!!
3. Finish in top 5 at least 4 times in Any Series - I accomplished goal, thanks to ICEMAN.

Cyclocross Goals

1. Top 3 overall in Masters 35+ for Points - Nailed it! 3rd overall!
2. Top 3 at the CX state Championship race - Missed it. Took 4th.
3. Win a USAC CX Masters 35+ race - Nailed it!!!! and took a total of 4 wins counting my single speed races and plaster creek.

I am already looking forward to 2012, and am eager to get back on the bike and push my limits. Goals are being set, and training plans getting dialed in...

Thanks again to everyone who cheered and encouraged me along the way. it is a big help. And look forward to seeing all of you again at the races!

Come on... one more dance!

2011-12-11T18:31:00.000-08:00

My season officially ended after Springfield Oaks, but I could not resist the chance to do one more local race. Especially since it would be a new venue for me. JB Hancock was designing the course, and I had nothing on the line so no pressure. After Springfield, I took a complete week off the bike, and now feel like a complete slug. But how much fitness could lose? I'll be OK for one more dance right?

The race was the Stomach of Anger Series final - Big Bad Wolf CX by Red Zone Racing. And unlike the Mad Anthony race in the Stomach of Anger series, this was a well thought out, regulation, fun with lap counters CX course. Brian did a wonderful job using all the terrain to make for a fast free flowing challenging CX course. One of the best this year! Team Sandbag was out for total domination today. Starting with Jacob Ridley taking a win in the C-race. Securing him as series champion! Then for something new, Curt, Jim and I lined up against 4 other 3 person teams in the team race and came home with gold! and a few growlers!!!! Jim went first and stuck to Jim Hilditch's wheel for the first lap. Then curt took his turn and past Kevin of the Racing Greyhounds to put us in First. the final lap was up to me. With a small lead, I punched it pulling away farther and farther from the final Greyhound! Crossed the line and collect our Beer! This was one of the funnest, most exciting cx races I have ever done. We need more stuff like this in the state! Next up was all 3 of us lining up for the single speed class for 60 mins. And again, it was a TSB clean sweep of the podium --- AND MORE FREE BEER!

I expect for this race to grow and would recommend it highly. Especially is JB stays involved.

Furthermore, this was a great day for Team Sandbag and myself to end the season. Now it time to start planning for next year.

Not what I had in mind... Part 2

2011-12-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

Well, Springfield Oaks is becoming my new Stony Creek. 2 years in a row now I came up empty handed. Last year was my rear shifter going out, leaving me with no morale, and a DNF. This year I was ready (at least I thought) but it just didn't workout. I think I'm kind of like that stuff you buy at the Hostess Outlet store. You know, the stuff that's outdated. It still taste good, but just not as good as it is when its fresh....

The conditions were what I was hoping for, but sometimes you wish and wish, then you get and get. It was too muddy. At least for a heavy guy. But it was the hand that everyone was dealt. So it was our turn. Masters 35+ looking around, there were some new faces. Title sniping! But it was to be expected. It really didn't matter to me at that point. Because I only had 2 things to worry about Try to beat Simon and Dan Bannink. From the start, I let a few guys go. Pete Thompson, Adam Naish and a few others. I wanted to race smart. I was in a good spot, and as soon as we hit the slippy down hills, I was starting to pass guys left and right. I was now sitting near 3-4th, and growing a gap. But the course was zapping my power. Still fighting, and holding my own. Andrew Weir came by and I pushed on. I was still in the top 3 hunt for states. Half way through the race, I was still feeling good and looking for opportunity to bridge the gap back to Andy who I could still see just ahead. And then it happened... In the off camber section of the course, my chain fell off the cassette on the inside and got stuck in the spokes. I was forced off the bike, and had to yank it out by hand. During this time at least 5 guys passed me. I was pissed, but did not panic. I jumped on the bike and 50 ft later, it happened again. I finally got it back on again and was riding. as soon as I hit the next technical section, I caught all the guys that just passed me except for Todd Frerichs. Todd slowly inched his way away from me for the rest of the race. I tried to burn the rest of my matches to make contact, but they were gone from the attacks after the mechanical. Then Jarod caught and passed me, but I was able to make one more move to pass him again. It didn't last. He passed me again. Final final nail in the coffin was when Dan came around me riding the strongest race he had all year. I new this was the final spot on the podium for the Masters 35-39 state championship. And my last chance of seeing a top 5 for the race.

I was disappointed, but realized that a lot of things were out of my control. More importantly, I learned a ton about training and realizing when your body has told you its enough. I had a great run for the entire season, and I can't hang my head on 1 race in which I didn't get the result I was looking for. As my good friend Brad Lako told me today... It's just fuel for the fire.

Overall for the points series I took 3rd. It was unbelievable how tight the series was for the entire season. My hats off to all the guys I raced against in Masters. It will be a season I will never forget.

Congrats to all the state champ podiums (some of my favorites - Simon, Jarod, Todd F, Sven, Kelly, Jeff W, Wiz, Jim G, JB, Andrea, DC, Keith, Andy, Pete, Marc D, Rich S.). And thanks to everyone for their support, encouragement and cheering this year! You are all the best!

Attack!!!! - The Battle of Bloomer CX

2011-11-21T16:47:00.000-08:00

The season may be winding down, but it honestly feels like the Masters 35+ Class is still heating up. As soon as I got to the race, it just felt special for some reason. Sure it was Bloomer. Same song and dance, but everyone was happy, excited about racing, and there were a lot of new people out finally giving this CX thing a try. And for some reason the crowd was really into it for this race as well. Every class that raced, yelling, screaming, laughing! it was great! I felt like I was in my own little Tour de France, as I rounded every corner, ever hill, every straight someone was yelling my name or cheering me along, and they were all loud as hell! it was awesome, and just made me want to go that much harder. I can't thank everyone enough for that! it truly helps when your body is telling you to stop!

So the race. Everyone was ready to win. With only 2 races left, its been on every one's mind. Either "Can I score one more before the season is done?", or "Can I win just one before the season is done?" These were the questions on every one's mind at the start line. You could almost smell it. You could see the twinkle in every one's eye. You could see the drool on their lips. This was going to be an all out old school cyclocross battle in the Masters 35+! Just as Jarod said at Iceman " this is about bragging rights Bitches!"

And it begins. One of the most talented Fields assembled of the year. Simon, Johnson, Makowski, Bannink, Stack, Selle, Frerichs, Hilditch. They all been down this road before, and all know how to get it done. It was nothing short of a battle field. Everyone with strategic plans, and back up plans. As soon as the whistle went the attacks started. First for the hole shot was Johnson. He was successful with this move at Vets park, the chase was immediately on. Simon grabbed his wheel and I followed for 3rd. Over the wood chip pile and into the course. Shortly after I heard a loud crash. I guess Ron Stack's wheel came off. We kept on marching at the front. Johnson kept up a good pace, but started to let up into the 2nd lap. I was ready to cash it in if I had the chance, so at the start finish area - I went! I drilled it. Started to open up the gap a bit. But it did not stick. By lap 4, the group was back together. This time Simon came around and Jarod Followed. David and I stayed back, and the gap grew. By this time Jim Hilditch was still with us and decided to attack and start to bridge the gap. We could see the leaders the entire time just dangling in front of us. With 2 laps to go, I was yo-yoing off the back of David and Jim. I did make contact again, and when I did, I attacked. this time I caused a little hurt, including myself. We were getting closer to the leader and them Simon made his last move. This was enough to for him to drop Jarod and eventually win the race. Jarod then joined us and it was on for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th! I would jump in front, then Jim would make a move and then David would attack again. We were wheel to wheel and stingy about giving up an inch! Up the finally climb behind the velodrome, it was important to be 1st going into the final paved section. David continued to pull ahead, and Jim tired to make a move around me. I went deep into the red. More like the "dark" red to not let him by. I was at the limit for the rest of the race. I was inching my way closer to David, and pulling away from Jim. I tried to sprint for 2nd, but was a few yards too short. So I protected 3rd place instead.

What an amazing race. And congrats to Simon, David, Jim, And Jarod for rounding out the top 5. One more to go boys!

Also, thanks to everyone for partying with me and killing my PBR 30 pack! And great job to JB for taking and finishing a full PBR hand up! JB was also the winner of the Elite prime! Awesome!

US Gran Prix of Cyclocross - Derby City Cup

2011-11-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been 3 years in a row now that I have done this race, and it just keeps getting better. The course that was laid out for both days was by for the funnest and toughest CX course I have ever raced on. It is sure to be a crowd pleaser for the up coming Masters and UCI Worlds. So you wont want to miss'em if you can make it. As for my racing, I will keep it short - but I can say I felt really, really good both days. There was some deep talent in the single speed class for the the Derby City Cup this year, so any dreams of a top 3 finish were destroyed in the starting grid. But hey, I can still do the best I can so that is what I did. So with a top 10 goal in mind, this is how it went.

Day 1 - The toughest of the 2 courses, saw 3 sand pits 2 run ups, a fly-over, and set of barriers. And oh, steep punchy hills all about. I some how got a 2nd row start, and this caused me to fall mid pack at the start. So once I got the jitters out I went to work! I started some where in the teens, and picked off riders one by one. The good thing is, I was able to ride hard for the entire race, but still put in huge surges on the flats to attack, and open up gaps. It was awesome. When it was all done, I finished 8th out of 20 something. I felt this was very respectable, especially considering the guys racing at the front and the skill level needed to navigate the course.

Day 2 - Jim and I got there early and scouted out the course. Looked a little easier, except for the course went through a 12 inch deep mud hole. Why would they go out of there way to find the only mud hole on the course? Not a lot of happy people, and this will come into play later. I got a front row position this time and was ready and feeling good. The gun went and we were off. I was in about 5th place going through the barriers. Perfect! I was hanging off the back of the lead guys but they were still in site. A few guys got around, but I was still in a good position and growing the gap behind every lap. I was feeling stronger and better than the day before. Half way through the race, I was closing in on 3 of the guys that passed me earlier. Pop 1! Pop 2! and now I was closing in on 6th place. I was with in reach and I still had a allot of space between the chasers behind me. Going into the last lap, it was TT time and race smart. I nailed everything. And as I approached the mud hole for the last time, I started my roll, squared up the best possible line and splash oh $%&*! Something grabbed my wheel and threw me to the right side of the course through the tape and course stakes like a ton of bricks onto the ground! I popped up like I just stole 2nd base, but did not panic. I grabbed the bike and started to run. The front wheel would not roll. Then 1, 2, 3 guys passed me. Shit! I didn't have a rolled tubular but what the hell!? Finally someone in the crowd noticed my brake arm was jammed under my front rim. I beat it back with my hand, straightened out my now loose brake lever and jumped back on. I made a big push, and actually made it up to the tail end of the guys that passed me. But my brake level was loose and every time it move, it pulled my front brake to drag. So I finished the rest of the lap with my brake dragging and had to settle for 11th. Not bad with all the bad luck. Immediately, after our race. They took the mud hole out for the rest of the day. Go figure...

Congrats to Jon Card on 2 back to back wins in Masters 45+ Awesome!

And congrats to Mike Wissink for an awesome win on Day 1!

Even better, Mike showed he is truly a class act by sitting up in the last few hundred meters on Day 2 to let Richard Feldman through to take 2nd place, which allowed him to keep the leaders jersey going into the last round of the USGP. Nice job Wiz! (Feldman was on the front in one of the last turns. He took the outside line and was forced off his bike as the eventual leader went inside. This allowed Wiz to get around him and would have had an easy 2nd. However, this would have kicked Feldman out of the leaders jersey, and Wiz is not in the jersey competition this year.)That move made a huge impression on me. Thanks!

Finally, congrats to all the Miscene folks that made it down to race. There were some very good results across the board. And we all supported each other and represented very well! Always fun!!!

ICEMAN Cometh!

2011-11-06T10:59:00.000-08:00

Another great Iceman weekend in the books. It's always great to see so many people in place place enjoying their bikes out in the woods. And there is nothing like being able to test yourself against and other mountain bikers in a national level race in fields that are 70-100+ deep! The Iceman has been a very good race for me every year that I have done it. So I usually look forward to it every year. And with it falling in the middle of my CX season, I seem to be fit enough to give it my all. So this year, my goal was simple even though I didn't announce it to too many folks. I was going to try and win it. Plain and simple. But it wasn't going to be easy.

I was lucky enough to be starting in wave 1, because of my 3rd place finish and time from the year before. So this would surely help out my plan. Especially with the caliber of riders I could ride with such as Jarod, Selle, Brad, Tom Clark, Adam, Jason Lummis, Tom Payne, Dan Krajcovic, etc. The list went on and on. Its an awesome feeling sitting in wave 1 looking around as the national anthem is being played to realize that you are in a very select group of guys that are some of the fastest and best mountain bike racers in the state. Truly an honor!

The count down began, the whistle blew, and we were off in downtown Kalkaska! The start was fast and steady. The group all stayed together until we hit the dirt and then it started to string out. I soon found myself off the back a little, but did not panic as I could see the folks I needed to be riding with just ahead. I fought through the pack and soon found myself with Dan (Last years All Men 36 winner). I knew this would be a good wheel and someone I need to keep in reach. A few touch of brakes, bad lines, and traffic, Dan started to get a gap on me especially in the short single track sections. Again I did not panic, because I knew my strengths and made sure I had a smart race. I caught Brad and hoped to work with him through the pack. Shortly after, I was chasing Dan and the group ahead and closing fast. On the longer double track section, I made my move. I hammered and could see the guys I was after. It was a large group containing jarod, Dan, Selle, and a few others. I got on the tail end and recovered for a bit. The groups pace did not seem to be very strong, so I decided to pull around and go on the next climb. Jarod made the jump and at the top of the hill as Selle, Jarod and myself were all side by side, Jarod said with snot and spit hanging from his face, " this is for bragging rights bitches!" I laughed my ass off and he pulled away. I followed but soon got gaped a little in the next single track section by slower riders. Selle stuck on my wheel, and we dropped Dan. As we approached Williamsburg road, I knew I was going to have a great day. Legs felt strong and I was full of piss and vinegar! I began to sprint up the rest of the hills after to try and take away as much time as possible. As we got closer to the end and into the short punchy series of hills, Selle came around and pulled. I stayed with him, and would pull around and power as hard as I could through the flats. We got to Anita's hill, and slowly started my spin up. But the legs were not filling up with lactic acid like I thought they would at this stage of the game! OH YEAH. I sprinted the rest of the climb, went past Selle and said "hop on Rob" and went. That was the last I seen of him. I sprinted up the rest of the climbs and was closing in on the next group. I kept telling myself to push, push, push! By this time I knew I could be coming in around a 1:45 plus on the clock, and the possibility of 1st place was becoming a reality! I could feel the adrenaline pumping and could no longer feel any pain in my legs and went as hard as I could go. I finally caught the group that was ahead of me, and went right past. 2 of the guys went with me, and I just pedaled, and pedaled. Through the last section on single track I rode smart but took risk. Then the last challenge of the day, Wood Chip hill. I attacked 1 more rider I believe was in my age group, couldn't take any chances. I got to the top and he was gassed. I clicked up into my big ring and sprinted home. I looked at my clock before the last corner and realized I had a chance to beat my personal best time and go sub 1:49! I round the last corner and sprinted as hard as I could! 1:48:57! Personal best by over 40 seconds on a longer course. And I ended up taking 2nd place, missing 1st by only 54 seconds! I just had one of the best races of my life! I didn't win, but I can't say I didn't try.

Congrats to Tom Clark, Andy Weir for awesome wins! And Congrats and thanks to Jarod (2nd), Dan (4th), and Selle (5th) on great finishes and for the help! Also, Congrats to Simon, Jay, Jim B, Jim G, Adam, Jeff P, Don C and Brad L (Top 10 - stay focused) on some awesome results! There are several others so I apologize if I didn't give you some love here. You will get some personal love the next time I see you ; )

Vet"s Park CX - Day 2

2011-10-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning to below freezing temps, and a nice layer of front on the ground. By the time I got to the park, All the water in the ground, combined with the melting frost soon turned the course to mud during the C-race --- YES! So by the time the B's went, and masters were getting ready, the course was muddy and slick. Just what I have been looking for. It was time to put my Dugast Rhinos to the test.

We had a larger field today. All the fast guys were here and again, a few new faces. From the whistle, David Johnson took the hole shot. Then Simon Baliey and Jim Hilditch followed. I got in behind them. We let David go, figuring we could reel him back or he would just pop. This was a big mistake. At the beginning of the 2nd lap, I managed to work my way around Jim and onto Simon's wheel. He signaled for me to take a turn, so I figured it would be a good time to chase David down. I made huge surge, and after the long slick switch back climb, the slippery as hell run up, and then sketchy slick off camber turns through the trees, I quickly realized I rode everyone off my wheel except for Jarod Makowski. I continued to drive hard, and slowly started to cut into David's gap. I was slowly inching my gap longer between Jarod and myself lap after lap. I focused on riding smart and clean, and punched it through all the power sections. the 3rd to last lap, David must of made an attack because his gap suddenly grew out of reach. I tried to accelerate hoping he would tire out, but it was no use. However, this did open up my gap even more onto the rest of the field. By the time the last lap started, I could see a group of 3 riders working together to pull me back. It was Jarod, Simon, and Jim. Simon broke free, and was charging hard! I knew I could not give up my position with such a huge lead and in the last lap. I went "deep to the well" all the way up the run up to keep my lead. I then took some risks through the off camber sections, and sprinted up the final climb. I knew if I still had a good gap up the final climb Simon could not catch me. It worked! I finished with a solid 2nd place and one of the best races I have had all year.

My fitness seems to be right where it should be -- finally! And just in time for Iceman. I will see most of you all next weekend in Traverse City. And good luck to the remaining CX folks going to the UCI3 races in Cincinnati.

Great win today David. And Great job Simon, Jarod, and Jim and 2 podiums for the weekend. Also, great job to Mark Parmelee for a hard fought, smart 2nd place today! it was awesome to watch.

Brad Lako - Thanks for the photo and cheering me on. Your going to get that podium. 3 more shots left!

Vet's Park CX - Day 1

2011-10-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

When I think of cyclocross, this is the place that comes to mind. Veterans Park in Ann Arbor Michigan. It is my favorite venue to race cross. Even more that the National level races. It has something for everyone there. And for some, maybe a little too much of what they don't like. But for me Vet's park is it.

This year was no different. As soon as I got there, I was giddy and ready to race! By the time the Masters were up. I was ready to rock. All the usual cast of characters were there along with a few "never seen before" folks which this race usually has every year. the whistle blew and we were off. I lined up right out the gate behind Jim Hilditch sitting in 3rd. This is exactly where I wanted to be. Let someone else control the pace, and attach or react on my terms. This was also important because the first switch back climb was very greasy and one wrong move could spell disaster! And it did. I took the tape to tape out side line, and David Johnson tired to cut across the inside to get around me. As soon has he did, one of the "never seen before" guys took a real shity line and clipped David's front wheel. This sent him sliding down the hill and backing up the race behind. I was able to ride around and hitched onto the Simon, Jim, and new dude train. The pace went up from here. I was sitting 4th on the back for most of the race. I would get gaped a little on climbs, but would come right back to them in the turns and off camber sections. The good news was, I was recovering quickly and could manage the accelerations like I wanted too. With 2 laps to go, it was still 4 of us on the front and we had a rather big gap from the next group. The pace seem to be fading, and I did not want anyone else to catch back up. Furthermore, I wasn't in the mood to play roadie tactics in a CX race, which seemed to be where the race was heading. So I was feeling really good and knew I had gas in the tank and attacked in the start /finish area! Only Simon and the new dude were able to hang on. Jim got popped off the back. I went for about 1/4 of a lap, then Simon and the new dude came around me. I stayed on their wheel the best I could. Simon was determined to keep the pressure on for the final lap and grew a few bike lengths out of reach. As we all round the final few turns, there was no way I was going to hitch back on. I finished 3rd - 10 seconds behind Simon who took his 2nd Masters 35+ win of the series. Congrats Simon!

Day 2 report tomorrow!

Mad Anthony CX.

2011-10-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

One of the cool things about cyclocross is the flexibility of where you can have a race. Almost anywhere! So when you get a chance to race in a historic U.S. Military fort that was built in the 1840's to protect our country against possible British attacks coming from Canada, how can you resist? So I finally got to do the Mad Anthony CX race this year. And I have to say it was really cool. I'm sure that this will become an instant classic in Michigan on the CX calendar as long and Joe Lekovish keeps getting permission to use the land. But I think having a bunch of folks riding around the fort in their PJ's actually will help bring awareness to this historical treasure, before it totally slips away into ruins. As it is already on it's way. This would be a great place to take the family and spend the day much like Greenfield Village or Fort Mackinac if it were all restored. It really would be a damn shame to let it slip away.

But back to racing. There was a huge turnout in almost all the classes. For this race, the masters would be doing a full 60 min race. The master 35+ was decent size with many new faces. However, most of the top guys from the Tailwind series were there so it was easy to spot who to watch as the race unfolded. From the start I had a great position. I stayed near the front for the first 2 laps. The pace was good, and very manageable. I was feeling good, and was ready to figure out if I was going to have a similar performance to Linden the prior week, or if I was dialed back in. In the beginning of the 3rd lap, Rob Selle was growing a small gap on the long straight away. Jarod Makowski and myself made the jump. I drifted a bit on the long grass climb, and this is when Jarod attacked. It was amazing! He absolutely turned himself inside out! From there Rob and I could not get back on. He got the gap and kept it for the win. Way to go Jarod! As for the rest of us, it was still a battle. Rob and I took turns trying to chase. Throughout the race, Patrick Russell and Dan Bannink caught back up and joined the chase. I slowly drifted to the back of this group but was still hanging on. Selle, made a small attack at the right time and was able to get a small gap. Patrick and Dan dropped me, but Dan got a flat. It was then time for the last lap. I buried myself past the red zone to see if I could catch Patrick and then Rob. I made contact with Patrick again, and could still see Selle dangling just ahead of us. Once we made it back into the fort walls, I cramped going over the barriers, and then cramped again up the last steep short climb. This was enough to lose Patrick for good. He finished just ahead of me for 3rd. I took a very tough 4th.

Overall I felt better than Linden. But I still feel like I am missing that "extra gear" to make an attack when I need to. I know some of the adjustments I have made during the week have paid off, but there may still need to be some tweaking.

I want to say thanks to all the folks that keep cheering and heckling me for all the races! You can't imagine how much this helps me keep digging deeper at every race. Especially when all I want to do is stop and puke! Thank you!

Tailwind CX Race #4 - Linden Park

2011-10-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

One thing I really enjoy about bike racing is the challenge of trying to figure it all out. Wheter its trying to advance through the ranks, Figuring out how to nail a personal best time, figuring out how to balance racing, training, work and family and still try to be competitive, its often the challenge that's most rewarding. When you look at it, it's sometime the race that's within the race that is more fun than the actual race. And when you finally figure how to win it, it's just as rewarding. As a result, there is usually a lesson learned and that usually makes you a better rider in the end.

So this brings me to Linden Park CX. The course was a lot better than last year. THANKS JOE BROWN! The same mix of loose bumpy twisty sections. Lots of grass, and the long road climb. I was not feeling 100% the days leading up to the race, but by the time I got to the park I thought I was feeling better ready to race. My warm up went well, and my confidence was high. We all lined up and and we went. I was 2nd wheel going into the course behind Jim Hilditch. He was setting a good pace but not blistering. However, it was only Simon and myself that latched on. By the time the beginning of the 4th lap started, Dave Johnson and Dan Bannink jumped up with us. This is when it happened. I completely popped! I went from feeling in control, to pedaling squares with lead legs. I tried to stay with the leaders, but was slowly slipping back. A little later, I washed my front tire out in a loose corner and went down. This allowed Dan to slip past me. I was now in 5th and trying to hold on. I never could make contact again with Dan or the leaders and finished the race riding alone. I hung onto 5th and had the dry heaves after the finish. What the hell happen? My lap times took a mean shift of around 20 seconds after lap 3. They were consistent, but the power was gone. As of right now, the 2 most likely reasons was a bonk, or dehydration. And in reality, it's probably a combination of the 2.

So as I mentioned in the beginning, It's time to figure out my challenge and nail down what went wrong. I had a good race, but it could have been better.

Congrats to Simon Bailey for the W. There have been 4 races thus far in the Tailwind series, and 4 different winners in the Masters 35+. What a great series this is going to be!

And great job Jim Hilditch, Dave Johnson, and Dan Bannink. You guys all rocked it and it could a went either way at the end.

Finally, Great job Brad Lako. You were there bro. just a little more!!!

Tailwind CX race #3 - Munson Park

2011-10-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

Anyone that has raced Munson before knows what it's all about. Windy, cold, grass, windy, cold, hill, windy, cold, flat, windy, cold. Well this year it was windy, cold, and they added the spiral of death - at least it was different. So even though Munson is not the best or most stimulating CX course around, it is fun to race and I have always seemed to do well their.

For this year, all I can say is it was one of the hardest CX races I have ever done! Not because of the course but because of the intensity at the front! All I can think of is one of the the lines from one of my favorite Slayer songs... "taste your blood as it trickles through the air"... to best describe it. Because I was past the red zone the entire time, and I could taste blood in my mouth and at times, blood mixed with puke at others. But boy was it fun!

From the whistle, I grabbed the hole shot and wanted to blow the field apart as soon as possible and see who could hang on. I put in a huge effort. Probably too big looking back at it, but I also wanted to explore where my limits were. I led for the first lap, and by the time the 2nd lap rolled through the start/finish, only Simon Bailey and David Johnson were left. And we had a huge lead. The race remained wheel to wheel for every single lap. And all 3 of us were on the gas, full tilt the entire time. It was so hard, that you could not even make an attack unless you wanted to completely blow yourself up. I stuck to their wheels the best I could hoping for someone to fall apart, or make a mistake. It did not happen. On the last lap, the pace quickened even more as Simon led us out. With only a few turns and the hill run up left, David Johnson went around Simon through a tricky corner and never looked back. Neither Simon or I could not react, but we still kept him within striking distance. However, the move was enough for David to stay a few feet ahead to take his first Win off the season, and it was up to Simon and I to decide 2nd. Simon led going into the final corner onto the short section of gravel. As soon as he hit it, he was out of the saddle sprinting. I did the same and came up to his side. We crossed the line at the same time, except I was about a 1/2 wheel behind. I had to settle for 3rd. Another great finish for me in a nail biting finish for first place!

Congrats to David for the Win. You earned it. And congrats to Simon for a great race, and putting the hurt on us to make us both earn our results. The Masters 35+ is going to be a hell of a series to be apart of, and a really good one to watch as well...

After the Masters race, I jumped into the Single speed class and took first. Not to much to write about. However, I really like racing my single speed. And I was happy with how I felt after the race, with the amount of effort I put out for the night. I just need to squeeze out a bit more fitness. Be able to have that "extra gear"... I think I am almost there...

USGP of Cyclocross - Planet Bike Cup - Madison, WI

2011-09-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

What a great race series. I can't get enough of these. To race against some of the top talent in the country, See some of the best pro racers in the World go at it, and just be apart of a very festive well run event is awesome. This was the first time I did the Madison races. And I was not disappointed. The really cool thing that was even better than the Louisville races which are incredible year after year was the the WISCO fans really know how to party, cheer, make noise, heckle. Call it what you want, but they love their 'cross!

The weekend went very well for me. The goal was to try and take a top 10 in both days in the always tough and unpredictable single speed class. The course were very different each day, and mother nature decide to make it interesting on Day 2. But Day 1 was a very fast, twisty, course with well placed straight aways and punchy climbs. It was a course the suited single speeds very well, and suited power riders very well. So I was feeling good. I was on the front row, and punched it right off the line. I grabbed the hole shot and took a good lead going into the course. I controlled the flow for about 3/4 of a lap, and then the really fast guys began to pass me. But I was still rolling well, and picked off most of the Master 55+ class that started ahead of us. As I continued along. I started to pull back one of the single speeders that passed me earlier. I was struggling to get around some of the slower riders in the Masters class, so I could never pull him back. But lap after lap, I was continuing to distance myself from the rest of the class. In the end, I finished a very respectable 7th out 18 and felt great. This was my best USGP finish to date as I finished 9th last year in the single speed class in Louisville.

Day 2. As we woke up the clouds were gray and looked angry. We got to the course and within a few minutes. the sky opened up and dump ton of rain. It poured. It Thundered! It hailed! as the races continued, the entire course was a mud pit. 4 inches deep in some spots. This would be my first true in the rain, complete mud race, and I was getting really excited. I also, was nervous because I really didn't feel prepared as I was going to do this on a single speed, and I was running fangos. A tire I only raced on 1 time before, and that was yesterday! But I couldn't wait to get on the course and let the mud fly. Same as the day before I tired to grab the hole shot, but was just edged out by a wheel. But Sitting 2nd wheel was a good spot to be in as we all hit the mud at full speed. I powered ahead as I slipped and slid around. The top 5 guys soon came around me and I could not hold on. But there was also no one else behind. I forced the bike in corners. Rode the tape from side to side, and had an awesome race! As I continued to plow through the muddy course Curt my team mate was at the top of the Stanley Run Up informed me that I was closing in on 5th place. As I got to the top of the hill, I could see him. I started to push harder and took more risk in the off camber sections and turns. However, I ran out of laps, and had to settle for 6th place out of 21! Again very happy with the result and improvement. But even more happy know that I will be able to go toe to toe in the mud at any race.

My hats off to Jim Goerlich my team mate for finishing 7th on day 2 in the single speed race as well. He really stepped up to the muddy challenge, and let his mountain bike skills shine through!

Doublecross Weekend Day 2!

2011-09-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a weekend. I have to say I am rather pleased and excited for the rest of the season. And the strength of the Masters 35+ field this year is amazing. Should make for some great racing to not only be apart, but to watch as well.

As for day 2, I was still riding high from my win the day before. I had a much better start to the race as well, and went into the grass 2nd wheel behind David Johnson. However, this did not last long as Rob Selle, Andy Fedwa, and Simon Baily pulled around me. As soon as we got to the Orange Crush, Ron Stack passed me. I was still haging on to the group but was slipping back 1 spot at a time. Meanwhile, David was putting in a huge lead over the field, but it was still very early. On the 2nd loop, Rob Selle went ahead to bridge the gap to David, and didn't look back. David slipped back into the pack, and I lost another position on the Orange Crush. By the time the 4th lap rolled around I was in a large group, and sitting 8th! Selle had a sizable lead, and Jarod Makowski was able to bridge back to Selle shortly after. I knew this was the train I needed to catch. I was starting to recover better and not making the simple mistakes as in the first few laps. Toward the end of the 4th lap, I made my move burying myself on a long straight section into a false flat. Only a few of the guys tired to grab my wheel. I knew everyone was starting to feel the effects of the race by now, but I also knew that this one move would not stick alone or bridge me back to the lead group. I continued to dig deep up the hill, and into the headwind on the pavement section. The group behind me was thinning out, and I was slowly getting closer to the lead group. At the start of the last lap, I finally caught Jarod and Selle. Into the grass, Jarod sat up a bit and said go ahead. I was rather surprised, but continued to go after Selle. By this time, I was also starting to ride Andy and Simon off my wheel. I came within a few hundred feet of Selle, and just like the day before, if I could have been into the single track section first, I would give myself a chance to pull away in the flats. Selle hit it first and continued to grow his lead. Finally into the last flatter sections, I was pulling time back again, but I was running out of it just as fast. I tired hard, and tried hard to make sure no one would latch on to my wheel and pull around me for a final sprint. I pulled closer but it was too late. Selle took an awesome win, and I finished 3 seconds behind for a hard earned 2nd place. I am super stoked about this weekend!

My hats off to David, Jarod, Selle, Andy, and Simon, Dan, Ron, and the rest of the Masters 35+ class. What a great group of guys to be racing with, and you all had great races!

And congrats to Andrea Tucker. She put down the camera this year to try some cyclocross racing! And rocked it out for 1st place both days. Awesome!

Tailwind Doublecross CX Day 1!

2011-09-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Cyclocross is finally here!!!!! I felt like a kid at Christmas all week for this day to come. I was hoping that racing Kisscross Plaster Creek CX, would chill me out a bit. But it just aint the same. If you want to race some real cyclocross in Michigan, with real cyclocross talent in every class, it has to be a USAC race, and no one has been doing it longer or better than Tailwind. And this year's kick off was no different. The season/series kicked off with the traditional Doublecross weekend. Held at Waterford Hill Race track, the course has always got a surprise or 2. And of all the times I have raced here, this is the best course design I have seen here. My hats off to Joe Brown on a great job setting it up! The course itself consist of a nice black top start/finish area, some bumpy grass. A deep hole in the ground that acts as short single track sections in the middle, a set of barrier, and few twist and turns all over the place, and oh that favorite of every one's - the Orange Crush Flyover!

I got to the course early to try and sneak in a few quick recon loops to check out what I was up against in between the C and B races. I then got a good warm up in. Said hi to all the folks I have not seen in a year. And finally got ready to race. Lined up on the front row, and looked around to see who was present. The usual suspects, a few missing, and a few new ones. We got Ready, and the whistle blew! Everyone went out like they were shot out of a cannon. I could not clip into my pedal!!! I was falling back quick. In about 50 yrds, I was somewhere near dead last. I finally got in and clawed my way to 6th place before hitting the grass. A large group of 6-7 guys stayed together as Rob Selle rode off the front. It was hard to get around anyone in the course, mainly because it was so fast. The group kept a good pace, but I was still sitting at the tail end of it. We hit the pavement again, but no one wanted to react. Rob had since fell back into the pack. Then David Johnson shot off the front and did not look back, and again no one reacted. This time I was able to pull up a few spots and went around for another loop. On the 3rd lap, it was my turn. As soon as I hit the pavement, I launched an attack to try and bridge the gap to David Johnson. The only one that reacted was Jarod Makowski as he got on my wheel and we reeled in David. All 3 of us stayed lock together for the rest of the race, growing the gap behind us bigger and bigger! We would all take a few turns pulling on the front. Then with about 3 laps to go, Jarod made his move. It was hard counter for me. David stayed close, as I slipped back through the more technical single track sections in which Jarod excelled at. At the end of the 6 lap, David and I pulled Jarrod back into us as we were going into our final lap. I knew that if I let those guys get through the single track section before me, it would be hard to stay on there wheels. However, if I could control the pace through the single track, I would be the first one onto the longer flat grass sections and final pavement, thus being able to lay the power down and hopefully ride them off my wheel.

So that was the plan, now the last lap. I attacked early on the false flat start. I got around Jarod, and David followed. I hit the pavement and those guys stuck to me like white on rice! I buried myself and felt like puking the entire time. I was the first one up the Orange Crush and David hopped on his bike at the same time I did. We rolled down together. This was the deciding moment. He struggled to clip in. I punched it just ahead of him into the right hand turn into the first single track section! Goal 1 accomplished. I controlled the tempo though the rest of this section so they could not get around. Next was the barriers. We all went in together, but I was able to muscle back to the front around the next corner. From here to the end was free sailing unless the other guys had more in the tank than I. I popped it up a few more gears and did not look back. I was the first onto the pavement and gunned it. I was not sure how close the other guys were, but never looked back. As I got a few feet from the line I finally was able to throw both my hands into the air and celebrate for the first time since 2008! I just won my first cyclocross Master 35+ race!

It was great to see everyone, and it was even better to hear all the yelling a screaming at us as the race was happening. Tomorrow is another day, another race. So I hope I can sneak in another podium...

Thanks to JB Hancock for the pics!

Kisscross CX Season Kick Off Ends with "W"!

2011-09-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

I finally did my first Kisscross Cyclocross race today at Plaster Creek, in Grand Rapids. Not really knowing what to expect, other than being grassroots, laid back, and with a heavy focus on beer, I decided to sign up for the B race and then jump in the A race. I have to say, it was a good time, and for how simple the event was put together, it went very well. And on top of that, I had a good day on the bike as well.

The course was suited for my strengths. Long flat sections with sweeping turns. A few climbs, a long cement stair run-up and a set of triple barriers. I lined up with 44 other B racers and soon found myself off the front of the group in the first lap. I continued to build on my lead throughout the 8 laps. I was very happy with how my legs felt lap after lap, and that my heart rate remained in control. So for the first time since 2008, I finally got a "W" in a CX race. Now its not a USAC CX win, that I am so hungry to get, but it is a legitimate win none the less and I will take it!

After the B race, I lined up again in the hot sun for the A race. Right from the jump, I was feeling the fatigue in my legs. However, I still put out a respectable 11 more laps of pain! I got passed by several, but pulled back several others. In the end, I was starting to cramp every time I would go over the barriers. So I ended up 22 out of 36. With a fresh set of leg, I'm sure I could have pulled back a few more spots.

Next weekend is my official CX season kick off with the Tailwind Doublecross CX Day 1 & 2.

I can't wait!

It's Love This Time!

2011-08-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

Stony Creek.... Yep, revisiting this one again. Love, Hate, Love. Well, it was love this time - and perfect timing. This was the close of the Tailwind USAC Mountain Bike XC series, and the realization that cyclocross is just around the corner. I have not done well at this race for the 2-3 years, and the last time I got a podium was in sport class. But my training has been ramping up and I have been starting to feel really strong. So could this year be different?

As this is the last race of the series, and being at Stony Creek, I knew that most if not all the fast guys would be out. And they were. There were at least 14 on the line for Expert Men 30-39. This was good and bad for me. If I could nail a podium in this class today that would be awesome! And I had a good shot at securing 4th place overall in the series. But there were about 3 other guys that could also take 4th overall if they had good races. So here we go...

On the whistle, I could not get my right foot to clip in. So this pushed me back to around 9th place. As we approached the single track, I could see the lead group slip away. The main reason was that Simon Bailey was holding up about 6 of us, and we could not get by. (I don't normally call people out, but come on. When people call out to let them by, let them by! If you know your bike handling skills are not as good as others in the class, get the hell out of the way!) OK, sorry about that. So once I got past that issue, I opened it up a bit and started to catch the tail end of the lead group. I was able to do this by powering through the flats. I was able to close down all the gaps, and then all of a sudden found myself sitting in 4th-5th place, and making ground. The only person I could not shake was Todd Freidinger who had an awesome race! I would blow out Todd on the flats, and he would pick his way back up to me in the single track. It stayed this way for the entire race, which made the racing aspect more enjoyable. At the end of 2nd lap, Jeff Poirier caught me. I was a little concerned and thought "Here goes my race again". But by the start of the 3rd lap, I was climbing myself away from him again, and could no longer see him. I kept putting out the same effort and sticking to the same plan. Steady in the single track, and turning myself inside out on the flats!!! Next, I caught Brian Harris at the end of the 3rd lap, and he rode with me through about half of the lap, and I was able to drop him on a climb. Then it was Todd and myself for the final lap. Starting to feel some cramps forming in my quads, I just rode smart. In the middle of the roller coaster I had a little brain fart and washed out my front tire and went down hard. Todd just missed riding over me and pulled away. I tried to get on my bike as fast as I could to limit the loss, but I have a horrible cramp shoot up my left hamstring. It very painful, but I was able to ride it out. Todd, pulled farther and farther ahead. I made it to the last double track climb and spun up it as gingerly as possible to avoid any cramps. At the top I took a look back to see if I was starting to lose time and let Jeff claw his way back. SHIT! There he was at the bottom of the climb. I popped it up into my big ring one last time and TT'ed as hard as I could to the end. I sprinted to the top of the last sled hill with no full blown cramps and made one last push to the finish. Jeff came in 9 seconds later. I never made contact again with Todd, but I did get a hard earned 4th place, but I did not keep 4th overall in the series.

It has been a strange and slow season for me up until the last 3-4 races. But my fitness is starting to click, and my confidence is starting to soar. It really couldn't happen at a better time. I think I love Stony again....

Rain for Ruby...Really?

2011-08-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

For what ever reason, this race never even gets a break when it comes to rain. Maybe the course is on top of an ancient Indian burial ground. Who really knows, but the sky let loose once again the day before to make this an iffy race to do for most. Luckily, Todd Powers and many other members of our great team (Team Sandbag) put in many hours of trail work to once again beat mother nature to the punch and make sure the trail was immaculate for any conditions! She was slick in spots, but totally race ready!

I have not been feeling the Ruby vibe this year. And really was not looking forward to the race at all, other than hanging out with the team. And when it rained it made it even worse. There really isn't much to talk about other than just about everyone on the team taking full advantage of the home course advantage by nailing most of the podium spots on the day. Most notable was Todd taking 4th on a flawless race, and letting folks in the state know that when it comes to technical old school single track, there ain't too many better than Todd. Mark Z nailed another W, and well on his way to being a competitive sport rider. Drew L, finished 4th but not before an untimely flat took his 1st place away. Hats off to Randy Lange for getting up on his own power after a severe crash on the "wash out". He ended up taking a trip by ambulance, but was thumbs up and smiles all the way. And to the rest of the team. It was great to come together, and let the mountain bike world know what we and the sport are all about having fun!!

As for my race. I got the 4th place finishers medal since there were only 4 in the class. But on a positive note. This gives me a legitimate chance for top 3 overall if I have a good race at Stony. I was cranking out 26 min laps even in slick conditions. All 4 of my laps were within less than 1 min of each other. And for the first time in like 3 years, I did not cramp at this race!!!!!

So this is good news with the real season approaching fast!

Something in the Air...

2011-08-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

So far for August, it has been surprising wet, a few of the mornings have been crisp, clean smelling, and with dew all over everything. I can't help but think about cyclocross! And with many of the local and national series registrations going live, and race calendars being finalized, you would be a fool not to recognize that the 2011 CX season is upon us!!!! With less than a month away before the first race of the season here in Michigan, its time to plan, time to train, and time to get excited for cyclocross.

There will be lots of opportunity to race CX this year in Michigan, as over 5 separate series have popped up. So that means there is at least one race every weekend from Sept 11th - Dec 18th! And with the National level races moving their traditional calenders to go deeper into the year to align with Nationals taking place in January now, it will be easier for me to race and experience some of the other local races and series to see what they are all about. For the first time, I will be jumping into a Kisscross race or 2. Finally get to take part in the most unique CX race in the country with Mad Anthony CX. And I will dabble in some sure to be fun Mid Michigan cyclocross action! So without much more chatter, here is my proposed CX schedule for 2011. See you at the races!

9/11 Kisscross Plaster Creek Park, Grand Rapids

9/17 Tailwind Double Cross #1, Waterford
9/18 Tailwind Double Cross #2, Waterford

9/24 USGP Madison, WI
9/25 USGP Madison, WI

10/1 Tailwind (Night race), Munson

*** 10/9 SVSU Red Zone CX, Saginaw (***tentative family/time/money)

10/16 tailwind Linden park, Linden

10/22 mad Anthony CX, Detroit

10/29 Tailwind Vet's Park #1, Ann Arbor
10/30 Tailwind Vet's Park #2, Ann Arbor

11/5 ICEMAN

11/12 USGP Louisville, KY
11/13 USGP Louisville, KY

*** 11/19 Stomach of Anger, Lansing (*** tentative family/time/money)

11/20 Tailwind Bloomer Park, Rochester

*** 11/27 Kiss Cross Holland Municipal Stadium, Holland (***tentative family/time/money)

12/5 Tailwind Springfield Oaks, Davisburg

12/11 Big Bad Wolf CX, Midland

12/18 Tailwind Stony Creek, Shelby twp. (Waiting for confirmation on date)

I'm still on the fence for the new UCI races in Chicago New Years Eve and New Years Day. And As more info comes available, I will decide on what to do for CX Nationals in Madison, WI in January and throwing my name in the hat for CX Masters World in Louisville! More to come later in the season...

...A New Hope!

2011-08-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry for opening with a Star Wars phrase, but I am a bit of Star Wars nerd. However, I finally had some things come together for me in a mountain bike race this year. With CX in the horizon, I have taken my training up a notch. And now I got a little something to build on.

Today was the Big M race USAC XC mountain bike race near Manistee, Mi. It was not originally on my calendar, but a few folks on the team were going to make the trip, and since I have not been on the podium this year I figured I would try to give myself one more chance. The course was in awesome shape and the fast as hell! I was surprised at all the guys that actually made the long trip up to race. All the big names in my class were there minus my good friend Lako.

The whistle blew, and I got a good position. I was able to maintain the pace of the top 5 guys with no issues . Then we started getting to the climbs, and I was hanging on, but slowly started to drift back. I was still in a good position, and then saw Jim Bonnel falling back and fast. I passed him on a climb, and looked up and saw Brain Harris appear to be struggling on the climbs also. I put in an attack and pulled away from Brain. Soon after he was on my wheel again and passed me at the bottom of the long sandy downhill. I figured I would ride his wheel again for as long as I could. By the time we got to the long false flat, I was putting in huge time between us. I looked back and could not see him any longer. I knew I was in at least 5th place at this time and was feeling good. When the last lap started, I knew I had enough gas to make it to the end, but did not want to go too hard and risking cramping. With about 2 miles to go, I saw Brain again. This time he pulled back onto my wheel, and passed me! Knowing there were some bigger climbs just ahead, Brian being a better descender than I, and a chance to get my first podium of the year within grasp, I wasn't going to give it up that easy! I made a huge attack up the next climb in the biggest gear I could manage, and time trailed as hard as I could to the line. The entire time, I was maxed out, and not 100% sure if I dropped Brian or if he was with me. Climb after climb I hammered it. On the last long sandy downhill, I peaked back and saw the team colors of Brian's team. Not knowing if it was him I took every risk I could on the decent. He never passed me. Then into the final sprint, I took the last corner too fast and went down. I was able to remount my bike very fast and sprinted for the line. The Cross Country Cycle rider was not Brian. He came in a minute or so later. I finally nailed my first podium of the year for mountain bike racing. 4th place.

Love, Hate, Love.... Stony Creek TT

2011-07-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

It's Love, Hate, Love again for Stony Creek. I will save you some time reading about why and what if, sticking to my training plan blah, blah, blah. Even I'm getting sick of reading my blog at times. This is how it rolled.

I got 8th in the Expert Men 30-39 with a time of 53:51. And I went out again for the Expert/Elite Single speed race and got 7th. In both races, I had chain suck that forced me off my bike and I cramped in the single speed race at the end causing me to run a hill or 2. Bottom line, times slower than last year. Competition is harder this year.

Big M next...

Congrats to Brad Lako for nailing the double podium. And this was his first race on the single speed too! Way to go!

Citerium Detroit City

2011-07-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

Well first thing is, at least I didn't crash.... But we will cover this in a minute. With my mountain bike season, training, etc. coming to crawl with not much on tap for the next month other than start ramping up for CX, I decided to throw my name in the hat a venture into some road racing. And what better way to do it than to do the First Annual Cirterium Detroit City! What a great place for this style of racing. Located on the twisty block of the Opera House just behind Comerica Park. The course was short but it had plenty of corners and none of them were the same. The one thing that could use some improvement was the many many wheel destroying pot holes located at random. But hey, this is Detroit. Overall, the venue and the style of racing was top notch. You may see me pop in a few more in the future. And I think I will be back for this one for sure if they continue to have it.

As for the race itself, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had to do the Cat 5 race because I don't hold a road licence, or have any road races under my belt for an upgrade. But not a problem. I got to start somewhere. So I put my wheel on the line with 27 other "Cat 5's" (I am curious what the criteria is to be a Cat 5) and we were off. Since the race was going to be under 30 mins, the pace was quick right from the start. It instantly strung out on the first lap. Soon after, it came together for a bit, and then it was a battle to make sure people would hold their line. I got a little frustrated with this, and about 10 mins into the race decided to make a break to open things up a bit. I went hard for about 1 lap and paid for it. I was soon caught, but my plan worked and the pace stayed high from here on out. Another break went off, and this time I was in the field to chase them down. We worked together and got them back. I continued to stay up near the front to avoid any crashes. Everything was fine, until the last 2-3 laps. One rider went down hard on the right side of the course in a tricky section of corners. Luckily I was on the other side, and no one else went down. This did however cause several riders to get nervous and panic for the rest of the race. With 2 laps to go, the pace was getting quicker. I was sitting in the top 10 waiting to make a move if I could. In the final lap, things were strung out again, and others were trying to move to the front. I was in an OK position, but should have been closer to the front. Lesson learned. As I rounded the last corner getting ready to cue up for the sprint. I got boxed out by the guy on the inside of me, and I guess he needed to use his brakes. This pushed me toward the back of the top 10 pack. I shifted into a few more bigger gears but I was on the outside of the road and racers on the inside were already going into their sprint. I stood up and started to give it all I had. I was making ground on some and getting pulled back by others. With about 75 yards to go, There was a spectacular crash just ahead of me with the top 3-5 guys which also took out the race officials standing on the side of the road! WOW! As Soon as I saw this I backed off my sprint to avoid being part of the carnage. I ended up 12th out of 27. Not too bad I guess for a dirty mountain bike/CX racer... In the end, I was surprised that a Cat 5 group would avg. 24.2 mph! really? Are these actually Cat 5 dudes? I guess I really have no reference to go by. But I do know how I will do things different if I line up again for a Crit...

Stony Death March 2011

2011-07-02T18:46:00.000-07:00

The race that I vow that I will never do again year after year. Bad luck mechanicals. Dehydration. Crazy hot weather. Lack of endurance training. It has all seemed take a toll on me at this race one way or another. So here I am again. Again at what I like to call the Stony Death March. Beginner friendly Stony Creek, turned into one evil event year after year with 50 miles of pain for the experts. And this year was no different. With Temps in the mid 90's and the heat index at 102! Even the bad asses of the sport were getting mowed down one by one with the dreaded DNF. For me it was simple. Rely on all my additional base miles I put in for the year, and grind this thing out. Knowing that there will be a lot of DNFs for mechanicals and cramps, I rolled the dice and hoped for the best.

The plan for the day was to "Just Finish", maintain my hydration and nutrition plan so I wouldn't cramp, and try to keep my lap times as consistent as possible. From the whistle, the lead group went out like a 20 mile XC race. Have fun boys. I decided to go at my own pace and have my own race. My bud Shawn Schaffert had the same plan, and we helped pull and encourage each other on all 5 laps. This was awesome, to have someone there to help with the boredom of the race. We plugged along at a respectable clip, each taking turns. I felt good for the entire race, except for the last 4 miles or so. This is when Shawn was able to ride away from me. Its too bad I let him get away, because for both of our consistent efforts and determination to finish strong, Shawn was rewarded with a 5th place and I came in less than a minute later in 6th. I just can't seem to shake that 6th place curse, as this is my 3rd race in a row looking at the last step on the podium. But overall I had a great race. All my laps were between 45-48 mins. I finished in under 4 hrs with 3:54. And I felt great in the end. This is great news as I am nearing the start of my CX season.

TSB had a full squad representing also, which was great! And out of the 8 racers that showed up, at least half got on the podium! Great job. And special thanks to Trixie for all her hard work handing out bottles, and providing lunch to a bunch of famished stinky bike racers. Your the best!
So before I start training again for CX in less than a month, will my next stop be the Criterium Detroit City next weekend???? Its time to get my power on!

Ugh.... 6th again! PLRA XC

2011-06-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

Things have been winding down. I haven't done any training in 2 weeks other than riding my bike for fun. No Plan. No intervals. Just fun. I start my new job on July 5th. So I really hope this is a new beginning for not only work, but getting mentally focused again for my life, racing, and training. I have already dropped 7lbs since Fort Custer. So I am getting back on track. And with everyday, every race, cyclocross is getting closer. Sometime around July it will be time to put on the running shoes again, and pull out the barriers to get ready for my real season. But before I get too carried away, there are still a few mountain bike races to take care of, and this is one of my favorites. Pontiac Lake XC...

Like I said, I have been basically peaked out since the Brighton Debacle. So I figured I would give it a go, and see what my fitness has done since. Surprisingly, I have been feeling great, and my Power on the flats is still high. Goal was simple. Ride as hard as I can. Don't pop. And sneak in a top 5. There were a few guys that came out of the woodwork today. Gotta love racing... So I knew it was going to be a tough race if I wanted to crack the top 5. The whistle blew, and we were off. Blistering pace into the single track for the first few miles. The trail was in awesome shape, and very fast. I settled into 5th place early on and slipped back to 6th. I was feeling good, and could really tell the difference the 7lbs made in climbing the hills! Gives me motivation to keep going. I pushed hard all the way. I caught and passed 5th place, and soon was riding by myself. Into the 2nd lap, I missed a bottle hand up. This proved to detrimental as I lost my other bottle on the bike on a bumpy downhill early in the 2nd lap. So I went the entire lap without any water and or nutrition. Ouch! On the last climb I could feel it. But during this time, I had also caught the dude in 4th, but he kept yo-yo-ing away from me. Into the 3rd lap, I got another bottle and sucked down as much as I could before the single track. Surprisingly, it helped me recover a little. Thanks Hammer Nutrition. I then got caught and passed by 2 others in my class. Not good. I was still feeling strong but was slowing a bit from the effects of the missed bottle. I pushed on knowing that anything could happen, and I was still in the hunt for a podium spot. On the last climb, I gave it all I had. I could hear someone coming up behind me, and not knowing what class they were in, I punched it. Onto the flats and into the last grass section, I big ringed it all the way home. I did not want to give any chances of getting beat at the line. Thank God, cause he was in my class. I ended up 6th... again. And missed 5th again, by 20 seconds. I was still happy with my result and my progress heading into Cyclocross and my new beginning at work. My lap times were not too bad either. 43, 45, 47. Obviously, the missed bottle hurt me in the end.

Maybe you might even see me at the Stony Marathon... It's still up in the air.

Marching On... Fort Custer TT

2011-06-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

Its been an off year, and a year for change. And not just in racing...

I guess if you wait long enough good things will happen. But sometimes, if you just sit back and wait for them to happen, the good things will never come. You have to make them happen! Does that all make sense?

And so that brings me to the Fort Custer TT. First off, what a fantastic trail! I had a smile from ear to ear the entire time!!! Wow! If only I lived closer. Fort Custer has something for everyone, and this race is always one of my favorites. Much like my opening statement, this year the race day changed from the previous years to a much earlier time of year. And I was very welcome to it. However, as this has been a slightly off year for me so far in the life and training world, it was time for me to look forward and start making things happen again. I did not have the best racing day of my life, but it did offer a look into the rest of the year, and overall I was very pleased.

I did the usually double bagger. Geared and Single speed. I felt really good for both and mentally was ready to give it my all (first time all year). In the Expert 30-39 race. I gave it full gas. I could hang with anyone on the flat twisty sections, letting me know I have gained a lot of power over the spring, and could actually use it! However, I would lose time in the more technical sections, and of course on the climbs. but this is all great information I was able to process to make changes for the rest of the mountain bike season and especially for cyclocross. I finished up 6th place on the day with a time of 1:07:58. Just missing 5th place by 24 seconds. I am back in the hunt, and my 2011 podium quest continues! Overall I was very happy with the result especially considering the tough field that showed up.

By the time the Single speed raced rolled around, I was already spent from the first race, but was ready to give it all I had 1 more time. All the heavy hitters from the MI Single Speed world showed up to play! The filed was stacked, and it seemed like all the elites and experts that raced earlier had the same idea of doubling up for the day. With all the big names starting, I set my goal for a top 10 finish. I was riding fully rigid and the trail beat the hell out of me. So with not much left in the tank, I pushed as hard as I could and finished with a time of 1:13 and some change. This was enough for me to sneak into 10th place!

Great job to all my TSB team mates for making the trek over. We had about 10 folks and nailed a few podiums as well! See you all in a few weeks!

Mother Nature's Peak Performance; Brighton Stage Race

2011-05-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

Not much to report. Too many things went wrong, not enough went right. What was suppose to be my first A race of the year turned south. I wont bore you with the details or the pity party, but I did take something positive from the weekend. No matter how much I train, plan, and have luck on my side, bad races are going to happen. Its what I learn from them, to get stronger and perform better the next chance I get.

So sit tight. Got a make a few minor adjustments, because the season is only just begun...

Congrats to everyone that stuck it out the entire weekend and "finished" on Sunday's Mud fest. And if you were lucky enough to end up on the podium like my friend Brad Lako and Patrick Russell, my hats off to you because it was truly earned!

See you all at the Fort!

Pontiac Lake TT

2011-04-24T17:48:00.000-07:00

For a second, I thought summer was upon us. Well at least that's how it felt in the afternoon for this years addition of the Pontiac Lake TT. This race is always a crap shoot, and this year was not any different. Heavy rain fell the the night before, and the winter has been hanging on day after day. So it was any one's guess what the trail conditions would be like for one of my favorite races. Well Mother Nature was on our side again for the most part. The trail was in good shape considering. A few greasy corners and some sloppy mud puddles. But it got better and better every lap.

I felt real strong again for the race, and was hoping for a good result. My lap times were just a hair under last year for my geared race. But with the conditions, I guess you could expect that some what. Like I said I was feeling strong and very consistent on the bike. But was only able to snag 7th out of 16. Just missing 5th by around 30 secs. My overall race time was 1:31 and some change. Not too bad considering I am only 4 weeks into the TCTP training plan.

As always I paid the extra $10 and jumped into the expert/elite single speed race. It was a very stacked class of elite racers. Probably almost all the fastest racers in the state! So I was not expecting a podium. However, I wanted to put up the fastest time I could, and get in some more hard training miles under race conditions. I nailed another 45 min lap. Again I was happy with this, but know it should have been faster.

At this point in my season, there is only one person to blame. Me. For the good and the bad. It is time to make the necessary adjustments to get the benefits from all my training. It begins now...

On a final note. Congrats to all my TSB team mates for their hard work at earning podiums! I hope to see more. And congrats to Lako and Payne on a Podium and a great finish! See you boys in a few weeks...

Yankee Springs TT!

2011-04-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

I have waited over 4 months to finally get my tires dirty in some single track. And I finally did it, and did it in a race to boot. As I kicked off my mountain bike race season with the MMBA CPS Yankee Springs TT.

It was very cold and even snowed. But that did not impact the sandy single track that makes up the majority of Yankee Springs. I had the same plan as last year. Race the Expert/Elite Single speed class to get in some good hard miles under race pace, and see where I stack up with the training I had put forth so far. I will have to say it went very well. I took 9th out of 24 in the class with a very respectable finishing time of 1:47:40. This would have been a good enough time to place me 2nd if I raced Expert 30-39. So I was very happy with the result. In addition, the real test for the day was the fact that the Expert single speeders had to do 2 laps this year. So my goal was to try and be consistent as possible with my lap times, and to try to keep them within 2 mins. My first lap was 52 and some change and my 2nd lap was just over 54. So I was happy with that.

Overall I felt really strong, and feel real confident going into the Pontiac Lake TT this weekend. I just got to make sure I can get off of work...

Barry-Roubaix

2011-03-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

Finally, a bike race. Kicked off the race season this weekend by taking part in the Barry-Roubaix "Killer Gravel Road Race". Wasn't expecting too much overall. Just wanted to get in a good long hard effort at race pace, collect some good powertap data, and try to beat my personal best time. This is a really tough race, but it's a type that suits me well. So with one week of training under my belt doing the Time Crunched Training Plan, this is how it went. It was very cold to say the least, but I layered perfect considering the temps barley got above 20 for most of the day. It was a mass start, with no neutral roll out this year. So nothing like 1000 bike racers trying to win the race in the 1st few miles. It was crazy, but manageable. I felt really good for the entire race. The hills killed me! between the extra flab I'm carrying and lack of Interval training thus far, made every hill a struggle. But I was able to Hammer all the flats, and descend like a rock. I stayed near the front for about half the race, but was consumed by a very large group which I could not hang on to. Later, in the last 5 miles, I rallied back and time trialed my way up the long paved road, and made up a lot of time and positions and actually caught the group that passed me earlier. By the time I made it back to the final straight to the finish, I was in the red. I ramped up my speed and pushed all the way to the end. I finished in 1:54:48. that was 4 mins better than last year. This earned me 18th out of 84. Good day overall. I got 18th last year also. The best thing about the day, is that I was able to keep my fingers out of the wheel! It was really great to see all my good cycling friends. And there were some awesome results. Congrats to Mike W. Don C. Pete T. Mike S. Patrick R. for your efforts. And thanks to Brad Lako for letting me get one more, before he moves on to glory in the Tailwind USAC XC series. My money is riding on you.... Now on to the After party. This event marks the Rouge Racing Project / TSB bi-yearly reunion and Mayhem! We did it right. Drank as much free Founder's Ale as we could after the race. Enjoyed Jon Coleman's life saving chili! And then unleashed our fury in downtown Kalamazoo! The Kentucky boys really know how to party, and its always a good time to hang out with all of you. A couple more months and we will do it all again at the USGP of Cyclocross in Louisville. I can't wait!!!

Feeling Lucky at the Leprechan Loop?

2011-03-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

The un-official kick off to my 2011 season has started. For the 3rd year in a row, I did it with the Port Huron YMCA Leprechaun Loop 5K. My early goal set for this year was to break the 20 min barrier, but with winter conditions being miserable the past few months, it has been hard to do any type of Sprint or interval type running to nail my high end. So in the past few weeks, I decided to alter my goal and just focus on beating my personal best of 21:56 from 2 years ago. As race day approached, I was able to get in a few really good practice runs and new I would be in striking distance of my goal and hopes of a podium. It would be tougher this year as I have moved to the Men 35-39 age group, and this group usually has some really fast guys.

But as luck would have it, within 2 days before the event, heavy snow fell again in the Port Huron area making everything a mess including the race loop.

I arrived early to pick up my stuff and meet my team mates and friends. Todd, Brad D, Brad H, Masher and family, and my work pal Curt were all ready to have fun and kick some butt. We took our spots on the line, and then we were off.

I went out rather hard, trying to keep pace with my pal Curt, but he was turning it on. So then I trailed my team mate Brad H for most of the race, as he was setting about the same pace I could hold. A little later, Todd came by and started to put in a good sized gap. Half way through the loop, the surface turned to a sheet of off camber ice along the board walk!!! This really hurt the pace as it was wise to be cautious. Several folks took spills all around me, including Brad as we rounded the old YMCA building. On the 2nd half of the loop, more ice and Brad and I pulled back Todd. As we rounded the corner on Quay Street, I was already at my max effort. Todd pulled a few feet ahead and Brad came around both of us. Down the final stretch, we all tried to kick it up a notch for the final push. Todd was able to pull ahead the farthest, then Brad, and then me just off his heels. I could not go any harder without puking! We crossed the line

Todd - 22:19
Brad H - 22:27
Me - 22:30

This was enough for us to also do the podium sweep for 1st through 3rd in Men 35-39!!!!! Way to go boys.

As for my pal Curt, he blew the doors off with an under 20:59 and took First in his age group!

Brad D also had a smoking performance with a 23 min effort, taking home 3rd in Men 30-34!

And Avery in her first ever 5K took home 3rd in the 11 and under class with a 42 min effort! WOW!

Overall this was a fantastic day for all. Great event, and I plan on doing it every year. I did not hit my time I was shooting for, but considering the conditions, I think I would have been there. So this is a good sign that my winter training has been going well overall. Now its time to hang the running shoes up until the fall, and focus completely on the bike! Barry-Roubaix will be in just a few short weeks, and with that my actual focused training plan with kick off too.

I can not wait to finally get my tires dirty!!! see you all soon...

BURR!!!

2011-02-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

This Winter has been brutal! I wanted to use the winter time this year to build some good long and slow endurance miles outside, and it just hasn't panned out like I wanted. Well I managed to get in some Sunday rides outside, but only 2 have been the quality I was hoping for. Overall, training has went "OK". I have been sticking with the plan of running more days per week outside (which has been low quality and a pain in the ass with all the snow) and running stairs.

I went through a bout of "training depression" or just lack of motivation which was triggered by a location and schedule change at work. That seems to be back on track, and I just finished my best solid week of training. As my training shifts back to bike specific workouts as the month goes on, I hope the weather continues to improve with it.

It all may just be a case of cabin fever or winter blues. But I am slowly getting back on track, and soon will be going at it with a laser beam focus. With the first few events just over the horizon, I am already getting geeked for the Port Huron YMCA Leprechaun Loop 5K, Barry-Roubiax, Yankee Springs TT, and the kick off to my actual Mountain Bike season the Pontiac Lake TT!

See you all on the trail soon!!!

Ready, Set, 2011! Here we go!

2011-01-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

New year and new look. Decided to freshen up the ol' blog. So hope it is easier on the eyes.

So after a quick break from racing, and getting through the holidays with some motivation issues to start training again, I am back in full swing! I did not gain the stupid amounts of weight I have in previous years, so I am happy for that. I seem to still be carrying a lot of fitness from CX, and since the MTB calendar was finally released I finished up the final touches to the 2011 training plan. This years Tailwind USAC XC series looks awesome! Many of my favorite races are jam packed in the early season. So this appears to not only suit my training plan but also a lot of my strengths. Time will tell. I will kick my race season off again with the soon to be classic, Barry-Roubaix. And have not decided if I am going to try out Paris-Ancaster or stick to the Yankee Spring TT. Then it will be game on for the USAC XC Series.

My training plan is simple and to the point. Lots of Early Endurance miles (if I have the time) mixed in with some strength/cross training. The tools are all the same as last year. My bike, Powertap, Trainer, and the Time Crunched Training Program. The wife is finally done with school, so I am hoping this means a few more minutes on the bike this year. I would really like to hit the upper limits of the TCTP of 8 hrs instead of the 6 or sometimes lower that I did last year. But this plan works, so I am sticking to my guns.

I will have 2 seasons again. With Cyclocross being the main focus. So as with 2 seasons, I will have 2 sets of goals this year. Goals are few, simple, and to the point. I know what I want to accomplish, so here they are...

MTB Goals --

1. Take top 3 at Brighton Stage Race Overall
2. Break top 3 in at least 1 USAC XC race
3. Finish in top 5 for at least 4 Expert/Cat 1 level MTB races (All series)

Cyclocross Goals --

1. Top 3 overall in Masters 35+ points series
2. Top 3 at CX State Championship
3. Win a CX Race

See you all at the races!!!!

2010 Year in Review and "Bling-Bling!"

2010-12-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

I can't believe 2010 is almost over. And what a year it has been. looking back I very satisfied with my results, plan, and progress as I have advanced through the Expert mountain bike racing and Masters 35+ Cyclocross ranks.

I improved my mountain bike racing performance by nailing my goal of reaching the podium at least 3 times in the USAC XC series. In fact between the gear class and single speed class in the MMBA CPS, and USAC I reached the podium 5 times. The year before I only reached it once. And to top the mountain bike season off, I turned out my best Iceman ever by taking 3rd place in All men 35!

As for Cyclocross. This was my main focus. And it would be my first year stepping up into the Masters 35+ ranks. I have to say I was very pleased as I quickly adapted to the faster pace, of the Masters class, and started to become a legitimate podium threat week after week. I finished with 5 podium spots. Topping 4th place 2 times as my highest finishes. I missed my goal of finishing 5th overall by 3 points. And if I did not have a mechanical which ended up as a DNF at the State Championships, I feel I would have accomplished this goal.

So this is one of my toughest and best racing years to date. And I did it with a Powertap, and 6 hours a week following the Chris Carmichael "Time Crunched Training Plan". I stuck to my plan and it worked.

Looking forward to 2011. I am hoping for more improvement. I will probably stick with a similar plan but with some alterations to address some weaknesses. I am also getting really hungry for "W"! I could start to taste it again at the end of the CX season, so it is just adding fuel to the fire. As the season approaches, I am sure this will push me even harder during my training and racing to try and make it happen. So hang on tight. Were going for another ride!

Not what I had in mind

2010-12-05T14:29:00.001-08:00

The Season came to an end today for cyclocross. The MI State CX State Championship held at Springfield Oaks was the place it would all happen. I was feeling good, and the legs were still strong for one more chance. But I guess it was not meant to be. On the pre-ride, right before the start, my rear shifter would not click down into my harder gears? I checked and checked this stuff time and time again leading up to the race, and never had an issue. It would catch some of the time but not every time. So lining up I started to get this mechanical issue in my head. I told my buddy Lee to go to the pits and make sure my bike was ready because I was not sure what was going on. I had a good strong start, sitting around 5th into the crazy section of the course, but once we hit the pavement, I tried to shift down and nothing. I instantly went back to about last place. I was finally about to get a few gears to go. I made it to the pit and had a super clean and fast bike change, but I also had a set of Grifos on the pit bike instead of the Rhinos I was using for more traction on my race bike. I was pissed and mentally out of it. I made it up to a few guys, but then started making stupid mistakes. After I blew through the course tape a 2nd time because I missed my turn, I decided it was not meant to be. I took my first ever CX DNF.

But boy did I have an awesome year for Cyclocross... My first year as a Masters racer, I stepped up onto the podium 5 out of 9 times! I learned a lot about racing, training, and myself. To think in 2006 I finished the series overall in the C-class with 9 points total, to racing in one of the faster cyclocross classes in the state, and to be a podium threat on top of it makes me proud of what I have done this year and over the past few years.

Now it is time for a little rest. And focus on the plan for next year. Stay tuned for a 2010 recap in the coming days.

11/21/2010 Tailwind Bloomer Park LAST LAP MASTERS 35+

2010-11-21T17:24:00.000-08:00

All cylinders were firing today. Know one can say I didn't try that's for sure. And I could taste it. Not only the "Win" that dangled in front of me for 3 1/2 laps, but the puke in my throat for my effort. The 2nd to last race was held at Bloomer Park. Bloomer has been good to me for the past 3 years, and today's course was looking to be favorable also. So here is how it all went down.

I was not sure how the body was going to react today. Basically I'm finished with my training, so I was either going to start going backwards or stay somewhere near the front. Well luckily it was the 2nd. And near the front was exactly what I did. Being so close to the State Championship, the players start to shuffle and come out of the wood work. Today was not different, and I was actually a little worried about it. Simon Baily decided to drop down from a full season of Elites to race with us. A very strong and talented Joe Brzuhanski from Bell's Brewery MTB Racing team showed up, and Jarod Makowsli made the jump from dominating the B field to play with the masters. Then there were the usual suspects. Right from the whistle, the pace was insane! I was sitting in around 6th place for the first 2 laps. The 2 leaders broke off and it was a group of 4 that contained Joe, Scott Goocher, Dan Bannink, and myself. Dan kept on picking the guys off in our group one at a time. So I followed. Around the 3rd lap. He got a flat. I got around and was sitting on Joe's wheel. I stayed there and tried to recover as much as possible. Then I attacked on the beginning of the next lap. I was putting time into the group I was just with, and much to my surprise I was catching the leaders! And I was still feeling good. I rode on their wheels (Simon and Rodger Bowser) for the next lap. And then I decided If I really want a chance to win, I got to attack and see who pops. And Attack I did. I dug real deep and would get a gap, but could not hold it. I was in the red zone for the rest of the race, but I was still feeling really good. I held the lead for 3 laps. Then near the end of the 2nd to last lap, the group of 3 behind me containing Simon, Rodger, and Joe passed me but I was still able to hang on. We stayed this way going into the last lap. And then again I tried to roll the dice and attacked hard in the beginning straight. I got a gap again, but just could not hold it through the twisty parts of the course. I was sitting on their wheels again in 4th. We came through the velodrome hill one last time, and Rodger went down nearly taking me out. I had about a 4 inch section of course to work with (see above video) and some how got around. I thought this was going to be a really good chance for us to drop him going into the Sprint. But some how he got back on his bike and stuck right to my wheel. We were still really tight and the pace was getting quicker with just a few more mins left to the race. I was now in 3rd going into the last set of barriers. We all went through about the same time. Rodger was on my bike side so I did not have a lot of room to put my bike down. The I stepped on Joe's heel. This broke my rhythm a little and caused me to be the last on back on my bike which put me back in 4th. Up the final hill and onto the pavement. I was out of the lead 3's slip stream. They started to attack which left me no chance to catch back on in the last few meters. I missed the sprint for 1st place by 3 seconds and took a hard fought 4th place. By far this is the best race I had all season if not one of the best cross races I ever had...

Great job to all 6 of my Team Sandbag team mates for coming out racing, drinking and cheering me on! You guys helped make this a special day for me.

And thanks to everyone else for cheering me on. It was loud and crazy! I could hearing people screaming for me around every turn! Awesome!!!!!!

Great Job to --
Jim Goerlich for his first CX win!
Mark Parmelee for another Elite win!
Brian Wachlarz for another B win!
Mark Caffyn for not giving up after dropping his chain and still snagging a podium!
JB Hancock top 10 in Elites again!
Andy Fedwa for snagging a top 3 in the B's!
Jarod Makowski for jumping out of B's and into Masters and having a great result!

There were a lot of other great rides today, so sorry if I missed any one. These are the ones that stuck in my head.

Next Stop: Michign State Cyclocross Championship at Springfield Oaks!

Just a Day at the Beach! "Stony Creek CX"!

2010-11-14T15:42:00.000-08:00

Just one week after my best Iceman finish ever, I am back on the podium again! This time it was for the Stony Creek CX race. What is usually not my best race course for cross, did not disappoint. The course was much the same as previous years. Long straight on the pavement. A few bumpy twist and turns. The feeling of being on a power zapping false flat the entire time. 2 sets of barriers. And the 200 plus yards of sand along the beach front.

For what ever reason (probably the sand and 20 mph winds) I always have to dig reallllllll deep at this race. So knowing that, I knew it was going to be a tough day. I just had to make sure i grit my teeth, and take a mental vacation from the pain for 45 mins. When the whistle blew, I got a good start and quickly was sitting 4 or 5th wheel in the first part of the course. The pace at the start of the race was incredible! I could not believe how fast everyone was going. I soon found myself slip off the lead group and sitting around 8th place. On lap 2 I started to settle down and increased my effort. Early on the 2nd lap, Matt Baroli and Ron Stack started to slip off the lead group. I began to attack knowing I needed to put as much distance between them and me, and keep anyone else from sneaking up. Through some of the twist I could see the main pack breathing down my back. I dug a little deeper and kept pushing. Half way through the course, I was sitting in 3rd place all alone with a good gap. And I was slowly realing in 2nd place. But the pace was still incredibly high. Every time I went through the sand I was dying a small death! And was loosing a little more time. Then David Johnson and Scott Fabinjanski caught back on to me. I made an attack one more time at the barriers, and onto the pavement and gained a small gap again. It didn't last long. David caught me again and then passed me with 2 laps to go. I tired to hold on for as long as I could but that was it. So now I was left with the task of keeping myself away from Scott. I rode as hard as I could on the last lap. Stayed clean through all the turns and pushed until I felt like I could puke. When It was over I finished with a well deserved 4th. I will take that all day long.

So 2 races left. I am feeling very strong. I hope the fitness holds on for just a few more weeks...

Congrats to Jay Moncel for his 2nd place finish in Elites today! You looked awesome!

ICEMAN COMETH!

2010-11-07T16:41:00.000-08:00

For the 1st time in my 5 years of racing this event, I finally got to race in a "real" ICEMAN. And it was a classic one. With lake effect snow hitting Kalkaska and Traverse City for more than 24 hours before the race, the conditions were shaping up to be an epic 28 mile point to point mountain bike race. At start time, the temps were hovering around 18 degrees! the course had snow. A couple of inches in some spots. There was icy 2 track. Sand. Mud, and more sand. there were some new single track sections at the end, and overall the course was somewhere around a 1/2 mile to a mile longer than last year.

It was next to impossible to try and warm up before the start because it was so damn cold. I tried my best and took my spot in wave 2. I was absolutely honored to be racing in this group of fast guys. And I was hoping to use it to my advantage to do something special if I was feeling good. And Oh boy, was I feeling good. As the race started, I settled in near the back looking for as many wheels as I could to hang on to. I was calm and relaxed, and soon found a good strong pace I could maintain. through the 1st 8 or so miles. I just kept turning the pedals over as fast as I could. I knew from previous years, that the flater 2 track would be my biggest strength and I could make up almost all my time on it. Things were going well, Missed a few crashes and just kept driving. By the time I got to Williamsburg road I was rocking and feeling really strong. I turned the screws a little more, and was able to find a few riders to share the pace. Shortly after Williamsburg, the 2 track was a sheet of ice! I tired to ride as smooth and fast over it as possible, but decided to scrub my speed and not take any chances. A lot of the single track was slick too. Especially the ice covered roots. My bike squirmed underneath me for most of the ride, but was able to keep the rubber side down. As I got closer to the finish, the big hills began. I was not sure what the legs would do this far into the race, but they were full speed ahead! I mashed up all the climbs until I got to Anita's Hill. When I shifted down, my chain dropped. I jumped off the bike and ran up. And actually was as fast as the guys next to me. I did the cyclocross jump back onto the saddle and off again. I big ringing almost the rest of the course. As I got within 4 miles, I could not believe how much gas I had left in the tank. I decided to cash in and push myself as hard as I could to try the nail every second out of the clock. On the last climb I buried my head and pushed the cranks until it felt like my knee caps were going to pop out. I shifted back up in the big ring and sprinted all the way to the finish. I came across in 1:56. This ended up being a really good time considering the course conditions. It was also quick enough for me to earn my highest Iceman finish to date

3rd place! Men 35

I was very excited to say the least. All my eye bleeding intervals on the trainer this year has really paid off!

What a great day. I got to hang out with a lot of friends and the TSB tent was in full party mode thanks to Curt and his family, and Jason and Jackie. You guys are the best! The team had several racers all finishing up a very very tough day of racing on a very very tough Iceman course. I got a lot of respect for every one of you.

There were a lot of great finishes and personal best time out there yesterday. Actually almost too many for me to list here. But I will give a shout out to one of my favorites. And that is Adam Naish for taking the win in Men 34! Great job Adam. I know you have worked very hard for several years to earn this win. And you are an inspiration to me because of it.

Veterans Park CX Day 1 and 2!

2010-10-31T16:20:00.000-07:00

So it all comes down to this. At least for the weekend. This is what I was calling my A race weekend for Cyclocross. My fitness was ready. I was excited to race the double weekend at my favorite CX venue which is Veterans Park in Ann Arbor. It was time to get it on! It was podium quest time!

The usual podium sniffers were all there on day one, so I knew it was going to be a tough day and I had my work cut out for me. I had a really good warm up. The course was dry and fast, with the usual mountain bike style punchy climbs twisting around the trees, and the signature long winding run up. Oh yeah! Here we are at the Vet! I got a good start and settled into 3rd through the first section of course. I was feeling great. Almost like we were just rolling around the park on the first lap. Then the accelerations started. First with Rodger Bowser Went off the front like a rocket and took an easy win. But then it was Dan Bannink, Ron Stack, Scott Fabijanski and myself left to sort out the rest of the podium. We all stayed tight for most of the race. The Ron sat on the the front but started to fade. The rest of us put in a huge acceleration and dropped Ron. I felt like I was in the zone. In the last 2 laps, Scott made the next move and tried to break away to take 2nd place. It was enough to shake me off his wheel but Dan was able to follow. I continued to put out the best effort I could and finished with a solid 4th place. My highest Masters 35+ finish to date!

Day 2 -- I was feeling really good again and was hungry for another podium spot. Again I had a good jump off the line and sat in 3rd. Then Ron came around me, so we were in a train of 4 representing 1st through 4th place through 2 laps. I was feeling even better than I was the day before, and was starting to plan a possible attack when and if the time was right. And then it happened... On the bumpy down hill on lap 2 my chain decided to fall off. I quickly jumped off the the to fix it. Looked up and realized I maybe lost 10 seconds. Got on the bike and the chain fell off again. The panic started to set in as riders kept zinging by me! I was now somewhere around 10th place with a whole lot of racing left. I dug in and thought to myself, "if I got the fitness I have to roll the dice and put in the hardest effort I possibly could to claw my way back and hope for the best." I got mad and dug in! Soon I caught Scott Fab who was struggling. Then it was some guy I never seen before. Then I made my way onto Todd Frerichs Wheel and passed him. Next I caught Scott Goocher and then realized I was within striking distance of 5th place maybe more! When I was on Scott's wheel, he bobbled in a tricky down hill corner and slid down the hill through the tape. I quickly got around him and made a hard push to get away. Then I could see David Johnson sitting just ahead in 4th place. I was on fire. I was slowly gaining on David turn after turn, lap after lap. I finally got onto Davids wheel in the same corner that Scott went down. David did the same thing in front of me, but I could not get around him. I hung onto his wheel until the beginning of the final lap. Then he cashed in everything he had to try to force a gap. I was just about spent and could not hold his wheel. I would start to inch my way closer through the twisty stuff, but he would pull away through the flats. In the final few turns and the last set of barriers, I was still fighting to catch him. Any mistake and I would have a chance for a back to back 4th place. It never happened. He took forth by 9 seconds. But I had a very well deserved 5th place for my effort, and for not giving up.

Overall I had a great weekend. I was very strong and my training plan worked out perfectly thus far. Now if I can maintain the fitness I currently have for Iceman through the State Championship. This will be the next test. But as for right now, I am feeling 100% better than I did at this time last year. So I am liking my chances. Thanks to everyone who was cheering me on both days. The support is awesome! It is unbelievable how much motivation I get from it. Thanks again, and keep it up! I can use it!!!

US Gran Prix of Cyclocross -- Derby City Cup Day 1 and 2!

2010-10-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

I got a taste of the 2013 UCI Cyclocross World Championships last weekend! As I raced in the USGP Derby City Cup day 1 and 2. Since Louisville has taken a gamble, and dedicated a park for the sole purpose of cyclocross racing, the world has taken notice and thus the World Championships will be held for the first time in the US at the new Cyclocross park named Eva Bandman Cyclocross park near downtown Lousiville Kentucky! I participated in history, as I was one of the many to race for the very first time at this park. And what better way of kicking the grand opening off with the USGP Derby City Cup! The park is awesome. There is a large flat grass infield section. A very step hill that is semi wooded with lots up bumps and twist and turns for many course options. a new nice paved starting stretch, and a nice wooded area that takes you along the banks of the Ohio River. Oh and lots of sand to play in!

The first day the course was wide open with long straight away sections. but it was very difficult. After the fast start, you were faced with a 6 ft hill straight into the barriers. made for some interesting starts for the races. then it was a steep climb up "Selle Italia" Run-up. Then a quick turn through the sand out the flats, through the wooded section by the river and onto the long deep sand pit. Once out of the sand it was few pedal strokes to the flyover. If that wasn't enough, you then climbed the steep hill in the semi wooded section down the steep other side. Quickly off the bike and running back up to the top! Down the hill, a few more twist for good measure and up the hill one more time! Then you were ready to start the next lap.

I felt great all weekend. There were 20 plus guys all ready to Rock in the Single Speed class both days! We were behind the 150 plus riders in the Cat 2/3 class, and the officials gave us a 20 second gap before the start of our race. The whistle blew and we were off! I had a good start sitting in around 5th for the hole shot. We caught the tail end of the Cat 2/3 group at the barriers and that is when I started to lose ground. Their were some very, very, very fast guys in the single speeders. As I picked my way through the back of the Cat 2/3's. I was riding very well. Very clean through all the on and off transitions, and I was able to power through the sand and acclerate out of the corners. I started pinning back single speeders one by one! It felt as the race went on, I got stronger. Each time I attacked I moved up! The crowd was loud and nuts by the crazy down hill and run up! The yelling and cow bells really made me want to go faster. As painful as this section was, I looked forward to going through it every lap! When the race was over, I figured I was some where near the top 10. When the results were finally posted, they were jacked up! I had to protest. And was finally given 13th. Not sure if I really agree, but We will never really know at this point.

So now on to day 2. Knowing I had one more shot to hit my goal for the weekend of nailing a top 10 in the single speed class. I knew I had a good chance and legs were feeling good! In addition, they made the course longer and added a whole bunch more twist and turns. I felt the changes would be in my favor and they were. I was in 2 place off the the line all the way into the barriers and again, started slipping back once we got into the Cat 2/3 traffic. I could not get around hardly anyone at first, and must have slipped back to around 16-18th place. Once the course opened up a bit, I went to work! I turned it on full tilt and picked guys off one by one. I felt I had an even better race than the day before. And the reaults proved it. I took 9th. And am very happy with that.

In additon to the great racing, I got to see some friends from Rouge Racing Project. What a great group guys. Brain and Doug, thanks for making us feel at home the entire weekend! And great job to the MI crew! We all rock!

Tailwind CX Stop #4! Linden Co. Park

2010-10-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

The season is still young but in full swing. And today was the 4th race of the Tailwind Cyclocross series. Normally we would have raced at my beloved Lower Huron Metro Park today, but the course was switched to a new venue. And you know what, it pleased me very well. The new course was located in Linden, Mi. At Linden Co. Park just a few minutes from Fenton. The course had everything for a perfect cyclocross race! The beginning started on a long semi paved road that dumped you into a an old growth oak tree area. There was a nice long loose run up with barriers at the bottom in the beginning. Then you got into a very tight and twisty, with lots of roots technical section. A few moderate climbs that kept you honest, and it then went into a paved fast flat bike trail. This transitioned into a 2 track grass area with long sweeping turns and into the final barriers and finally the finish.

Going into the race, I was eager to try and steal another podium if I had the shot. Training has been going very well, and this was my last big block before going into the USGP, Vets Park, and the Iceman. So today was a crap shoot, but I was betting on a good result none the less, and based on the past 3 race results.

There were 14 guys at the line today. The usual suspects, but everyone looked hungry! We all shot out like we were fired out a cannon. I got a good jump on the hill for the starting straight sitting in 3rd position. But the time I got to the top I slipped back to around 6th. Going into the tight twisty stuff, I ended up sitting in about 9th or 10th. Almost the entire group of 14 stuck together for the first 2 laps so I did not feel the need to panic. But I was not feeling 100%. I was sloppy in the twistys and felt like I was gasping for air. The lead group was always just in front of me, but I was a bobble away at every turn of losing them. My race continued like this until the last 3 laps. I finally made contact with the group just ahead of me that contained Rob Selle, Matt Baroli, and Scott Goocher. I could tell that there were signs these guys were fading, but they all were riding strong enough that it was too tough to make an attack to get around them almost anywhere on the course. By the time the last lap rolled around, I decided If I wanted to attack, I would have to do it on the starting climb and try to hold on from there through the twistys and the flats. As soon as we crossed the start line for the last time, I popped up to a few harder gears and attacked from behind! No one reacted, at least not right away. I took as many risks through the technical sections as I could gaining a larger gap. I hit the pavement on the flats and rode as hard as I could until it felt like I was going to puke! Up and over the last turn through the 2 track, I noticed that Rob caught back onto my wheel. The only thing remaining was the barriers and 3 turns with a small hill. We ran through the barriers at full speed side by side. I was the first back on my bike, clipped in, and standing on the pedals. Rob never got around me. Going into the final turn before we hit the pavement to the finish line, we were both going full speed railing the banked turn. I hit the pavement first, popped it up 2 gears and began to mash for the sprint. I took it. But later learned that Rob rolled his rear tubular in the final turn. The sprint was good enough for 6th place. Not a podium, but I was very happy with the result knowing that I was able to pick my opportunity to attack late in a race and have it work out to my advantage.

So as I mentioned above, my fitness is coming around, and my peak weeks are still in front of me. Curt and I are going on another road trip this coming weekend. We will be doing the USGP Derby City Cup for the 2nd year in a row. We both recently decided to excuse ourselves from the million man B race, and jump into the single speed race instead! So I blew the dust off of "Le Bastard", and we will be ready to rock -- worry free!

UCI3 Cincinnati Cyclocross Festival!

2010-10-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

One good thing about the growth of cyclocross is the growth of big time UCI events right here in our own back yard! With in a 6-8 hour drive, we have the USGP in Louisville, Madison, and of course the UCI3 festival in Cincinnati! I have been really wanting to do this event for the past few years, but have been pushing it off. So this year I decided it was time to see what all the hype has been about. Curt and I made the 6 hour drive down on Friday just in time to catch the pro race at Devou Park in Kentucky. It was brutal. More like a mountain bike course without trees than a CX course. So in the back of my mind, I was kind of happy not to race day 1. So after a good night sleep, we were back on the road to Middletown, OH for day 2 at Somerset Park for the Java Johnny CX race. The park was awesome. It had everything, rolling hills, Long flats and paved sections, sand, and tight twisty technical and I mean technical sections! I was called up and was able to grab a good spot in the 2nd row. So knowing I had 80 other racers breathing down my back I had to nail a good start. I did. Down the drag strip and just missing an early crash, I hit the grass around 10th. I held this spot for about 1/2 a lap as smaller faster riders passed me. I kept the gas on the entire time. I handle the bike very well, through all the transitions, and technical sections, but felt like I could never get into that extra gear to attack back. By the time the race was over, I sucked in tons of dust, and even managed to sprint out a position at the line. I ended up 35th out of 80. Actually better than I thought I got, and happy with the result overall. So now it was on to day 2.

Harbin Park was the site for the final day of racing. The course was more of a drag strip. Not as bumpy, and long straight aways with nice smooth fast rounding corners. The typical power or roadie course. I usually race better on the 2nd day of double day events, and really felt that the course suited my style of racing well. So I was looking for a better result. Again, I was on the 2nd row and in front of 90-100 racers. I got a great start again, but this time the field was more aggressive, and people were doing some very dumb shit to try and get in front! after almost being taken out more than once in the start, I decided that this really wasn't that important and I needed to make sure I went the work the next day. So I backed off slightly and figured that I would be able to pull back most of the jokers as they popped! This was working, the Scott Fabinjanski passed me. This was who I needed to be racing with, so I jumped on his wheel and held on. This worked well as Scott was picking off racers one by one. I was feeling real comfortable with the pace, and was able to match every move. We were getting faster and faster in the 2nd lap, and as I rounded a paved corner 1/2 way through the course and into the grass, my front tire caught the grass and rolled my tubular off the rim causing me to me thrown over my handle bars onto my head and right shoulder. I shook the cob webs out, and thought what the hell happened and where is my bike!?! I quickly found it picked it up and tried to mount it. It would not move! This is when I noticed my tire wedged between my fork and brake arm. My race was done... I walked over to the Wolverine tent thinking it was time to grab a beer, and was offered a new front wheel to finish my race instead. Thanks guys! I was able to get 2 more laps in before finally being pulled. But it was still fun.

The event was great. I have a few bitches but will keep them to myself. Overall the racing was tough, fun, and great experience for racing back at home. I am sure to be back next year. And i would highly recommend doing these races to anyone!

So back home. Back on the trainer. 1/2 way through my training plan. And healing up nicely. next race is a new one in the Tailwind Series. In Linden Michigan. Should be a fun time, and my fitness should be getting close to peak form! just in time for the USGP in Louisville, Vets Park in Ann Arbor, and the ICEMAN!!!

The Freaks Come Out at Night! - Munson CX

2010-10-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

It is finally starting to happen. My fitness showed signs at Munson that my training plan is working and on track. But more of that in a minute. Lets look into what turned out to be a great night of racing!

For the 2nd year in a row, Robert and his Tailwind gang have used Munson Park as the venue for a night time CX race. And I have to say it is a hit! The attendance both years have increased and folks are truly having a great time. This year was no different. It truly felt like a cyclocross race. It rained almost the entire time. The wind never stopped. And the temps hovered in the mid 40s. The course was about the same as last year. Shorter because of the amount of lighting but still tough none the less. Especially how Robert loves to make full use of the sled hill! There were lots of flat back to back straight aways. Off camber up and down sections on the hill. One set of barriers on the flats and one set of barriers used to create a steep run up on the hill.

Nolan Raced his 3rd race for the series in the Juniors 14 and under and scored another podium with a 3rd place. The best part of his race was watching the 30 plus spectators go nuts screaming and ringing their cow bells as they watched Nolan shoulder his bike like a Pro going over the barriers at the bottom of the hill, and run up the entire length of the hill with his bike on his shoulder! I could not believe what he was doing. And the crowd sounded like we were at a World Cup event. Made me feel very proud and made him feel like a Champ! So thanks to any one who is reading this and was there to see this too.

As for my race. I have been feeling really good, and training has been going well. So going into the race, mentally I knew I would be ready and was banking on a good result and try to nail a top 5 if the chance was given. I lined up at the front to try and get a good position knowing there was a left hand climb 100 yrd into the course. I got a good jump and sat in 3rd position through the first climb and 1/2 way through the course. On the straights, I started to lose contact with the 2 leaders who were riding at a blistering pace. But I was still in a good position with some good sized gaps forming behind me. I told myself to race my race. Dose my efforts and attack with my strengths. Soon in the next few laps. Scott and Dan would catch me. Ride with me for a bit and pass me. I was now sitting in 4th but riding as strong as I was from the start. My biggest issue I had with my race was not being clean through the transitions. The barriers and the hill run up. Granted my technique was smooth and text book overall, but this is where the gaps in front of me were forming. So I know what I need to work on to get better. Going into the last 2 laps. David Johnson (who had an incredible race, and rode out his skin) caught me and passed me on the run up. I could not catch back on to his wheel. Now sitting in 5th I still pushed as hard as I could and realized I had a huge gap over 6th place! I finished my last lap and rolled across the finish line with my first Masters 35+ podium! 5th Place!

Finally getting a podium in Masters is a huge step for me with my confidence for racing at this level. So I hope it is one of many more to come. From here I should only get stronger and faster as my peak fitness should come around Vets Park / Iceman time frame. We will see. There is still a lot of racing in the next few weeks. Curt and I will be driving down to Cincinnati next weekend to race in the UCI3 festival. This will be our first time at the event and we are really looking forward to it. But until then. It is back down in the basement on the trainer!

Doublecross Day 2!

2010-09-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

Let first put the crack pipe down...... Exhale..... That's better.

The weather was much better today, and there were a few changes to the course that really increased the flow and made for a much fast race. I was feeling good for the start, and was hoping to make something happen. The whistle blew and I got a good jump. Sitting in 5th for the hole shot, the the pace started getting quicker instantly. My heart rate was under control and I was able to match every surge pedal stroke for pedal stroke. In fact I almost felt like I was just sitting in at times. There was a group of 6 of us in the front now, and we were starting to pull away with a small gap. This lasted for 2 laps and then -- my chain dropped. I tried to flip it, but it did not work. I had to stop. Then everyone in the class appeared to pull away. I started lighting matches to catch the tail end of the group at least. The effort was using a lot of needed energy and I was starting to fade. I lit match after match and slowly started seeing the tail end of the group and then I popped and could not maintain the effort. Not sure where I finished, but it was near the end.

But that was not enough. As part of my short term and long term training plan I jumped into my very first race as an Elite Cyclocross racer! I was real excited but did not expect too much, especially after I just got done racing Masters. the cool thing was the size of the A class for both races each day. They were 20+ deep. this is great news for Michigan Cx, and for Robert and his Tailwind crew. The hole shot was insane! I was somewhere in the middle and then the group just walked away. My legs were hating me at this point, but I was happy that I was able to keep contact with the tail end of the race for the 1st lap. Then from there on, I was racing alone and to see how long I could go before the leaders caught me. This race was painful! My arms hurt, my hands were blistering, and my legs -- well they were all but shot! But I pushed on as hard as I could. And in the final 2 laps, Mike Wissink and Tom Burke finally caught me. So to make a long story short. I didn't do too bad. I finished the race only 1 lap down. When I crossed the line I was more than done and starving! I went straight for the car and sucked down my Recoverite as fast as I could. Then I discovered my daughters box of Tinker Bell Fruit Snacks and crammed 2 bags of those suckers in my mouth! Man what an effort over 2 days. But I really feel this is the way I am going to get stronger and faster. I can smell that Master's podium....Now I want to taste it!

In the other classes. Nolan raced in the C's again and put up a faster effort than the day before! Again, he handled all the obstacles and corners like a pro! And the best part is he really enjoyed racing both days, and can't wait for the next race.

And finally. My favorite racer of the weekend. Jim Gorleck for nailing 2nd place in only his 2nd CX race ever. Now that Jim has found my crack pipe, I hope I can get it back. Way to go Jim!

New Chapter, Doublecross Weekend CX Kick Off!

2010-09-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

Finally! Cross season has started. And it kicks off with Doublecross. 2 days of action packed cross racing at Waterford Hills Race track. I was very excited to get things moving, and it was great to see some old friends. We got to the track early for Nolan to do the C-race. It was pouring down rain. I thought wow, what a way to kick off the season with real cross conditions. Nolan did a great job as he pushed his new Redline CX bike around the course, and handle the climbs and slick corners like a pro! He ended up stepping up on the podium for 3rd place at the end of the day! Way to go son.

As for me, well I really didn't know what to expect. This would be my first race in Masters 35+ so I guess I was a little nervous at the start. And it took awhile to go away. My 1st 2 laps felt horrible. Could not control my heart rate. My bike handling went out the window, and the legs were feeling like cement. As I watch what seemed like the entire class pull away from me, I decided to hang in and put out as much power as possible and hope for folks to pop. It worked, but still not enough. I was smooth through the barriers, and fly-over and even was nailing most of the tight corners with ease. But the straights and flats, I just could not get the "all" the power I was looking for and needed to hang with the top guys. My last 2-3 laps were my best as my legs and lungs decided to catch up with my effort. But by that time it was too late to pull back anyone else. I ended up 9th out of 14. Not bad I guess for my first Masters race.

So now that I blew out the carbon, and opened up the legs and lungs, I am expecting to perform a little better and do everything I can to sneak into that top 5. I know what I have to do, and I know what I need to do to get there. It's just going to take a little more work.

So here we go, bring on Day 2!

LOHS Short track racing!

2010-09-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

Today was suppose to be a rest day, but I could not resist the temptation to do a little MTB short track racing. to test my fitness and dial in the bike. And thanks to Steve Kinley for putting this series on, and at the right time. Located at Lake Orion High school, this was the perfect venue for this style of racing. the course did not favor MTB or Cross bikes, but worked well for both. And the series helps benefit bringing the sport of Mountain Biking to local high schools to form a high school league. Cool stuff! And so far it really seems to be taking off. Way to go Steve!

As for the race, it went well considering I have only been training for 2 weeks. I took 5th out of 10 in the A group. And the 4 that beat me all race elite for the cross series. I felt real good and I was able to race on my new Grifo xs file tread tubulars! So the training will continue and in 9 days the first race will begin!

Counting down the days to CX

2010-09-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

It sure does feel like cyclocross. With temps in the low 5os, wind, and thick heavy clouds abound, I think Mother Nature is as anxious as I am for the season to start! Things have been going well with preparation for the kick off with DoubleCross Sept 17th.

Training is in full swing, and I am making rapid gains in power already.
The pork chops are coming in nicely.
I shaved my legs for the first time ever. Plan on embrocating this year.
Been Testing out my 3 sets of tubulars during training and dialing the bikes in.
The weight is still coming off. Slowly, but it is coming off.
Got all the out of state races registered for, and hotel rooms booked.
Got my goals in order, and ready to race!

Here are a look at my goals for cyclocross this year. Much like my mountain bike goals, my cross goals are basic and simple yet will still be a challenge to accomplish. I will be moving up to Master 35+, so I will have my work cut out for me. But with some hard work through training, luck, and determination, I think I can string together another good year.

Here are my cyclocross goals for 2010 --

Finish in the Top 5 in as many races as possible
Finish Top 5 overall in series Masters 35+ (Tailwind Series USAC)
Finish Top 3 in at least 1 Masters 35+ cyclocross race
Finish Top 3 for State Championship race Masters 35-39

Tailwind USAC XC Series Close - Stony Creek XC

2010-08-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

Another USAC XC series in the Books, and that can only mean 1 thing. You guessed it! Cyclocross time. As soon as I got home, I washed down the Superfly and put her in the basement until the ICEMAN rolls around. But not so fast. So I had to deal with Stony today. More of the same from the last 3 races. Just can't get the high end going that I need for these races. Granted I am feeling real strong and rested which is good, but it is still hard to line up at a race and not want be 100%! So I survived today. First 2 laps felt kind of sluggish especially on the climbs. Then on the 3rd lap my bike handling skills finally came back and I started to reel back some of the guys that passed me. The forth lap was more of the same. Felt good and strong and then the tops of my quads started to cramp. It was tough on the climbs but the rest of the course I was OK. It came down to a sprint for 7th and 8th. Not sure of the guy's name who was with me, but I was 2nd wheel and ready to pounce. I tired to take the inside on the Right at the last turn, but he cut me off. So Then I attacked on the left, and pulled up along side him, then he squeezed me out the the orange barriers! What the hell! This caused me to miss a few more crucial pedal strokes and lost the sprint by about 4 inches and some .000-something seconds.

HUGE CONGRATS TO SHAWN - What a F-in year! 3rd today and it was good enough to take home 2nd in the series in his first year at the Expert level!

Adam -- WOW! First overall in the series in only his 2nd year at the Expert Level!

Mark Z. -- My team mate. Taking top 3 honors in your first full year of racing is awesome. I am sure it makes you hungry for more! and keep your sites on a 2:15 at Iceman.

Overall I am pleased with my mountain bike results for the year. but now it is time to get focused. At the end of the year I will reflect a little more... but it's go time now.

HUP!
HUP!
HUP!

Fort Custer TT

2010-08-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Not much excitement to report about so I will keep it short. All though this is one of my favorite trails and places to race. It was really nothing more than a way for me to have fun, get in a mini vacation with my family, and test myself on the high end stuff and bike handling before my all out CX training begins. Overall I guess I am happy for not doing any formal training since Ruby. I felt strong on my geared bike and in the single speed race. I did not cramp, and I was not sore the next day. My bike handling sucked in my first race of the day on the geared bike. I think it was a combination of not riding much single track this year other than race day, and not riding in sand a lot when I do ride single track. Pulled it Together a little on the single speed. For my efforts, I got 6th in Expert men 30-39. and snuck in a 7th in the Expert/Elite Single speed class. OK, enough of this mountain bike stuff already..... lets get it on for Cylcocross!!!!

Great job to Mark Z. my teammate for a solid 3rd on a course he had never ridden before.

And great job Shawn again for another podium and strong effort. What a season your having!

I'm Glad That's Over...

2010-08-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day for racing! And one of my favorite places to race, Pontiac Lake.... Well it wasn't my best day in the saddle, but I still had fun. 3 laps at Pontiac in August ain't no joke. This place is brutal this time of year. The rocks and roots were really exposed, the down hills were loose and washed out! Wow, what a great course. Overall I finished 9th. Not bad considering I really have not been training other than running and starting to get back some base with some dirt road rides. The high lights of the day were, I didn't cramp. And I was putting up some respectable lap times. Well at least 2 laps. It is really hard going into a race knowing that your best is not really going be your best. But I got to stay focused. These next few races are not important for me. They are just training days to keep my fitness going. My real training plan will pick back up in September. But for today, "I'm glad that's over..."

Is the curse broken?

2010-07-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

If any one has ever read my blog, you know that I like to bitch and moan about Stony Creek. Granted I ride there almost more than any other trail, but the big results seem to elude me. Especially when it comes to the Stony TT. Well not this year. I actually put up some respectable times. And to think, I haven't even done any training since the week before the Ruby race. So in short. I took 5th in Expert 30-39 with a 52:58 min lap. By far my best ever time! The only problem I had was trying to stay ahead of Dave M, Tom P, and Shawn S. You guys all rocked. And then after a little rest, I lined up again with the single speed and cranked out another 55 min lap, just missing another 5th place by 3 seconds! So I was very happen with the day, and now feel like I finally got one up on Stony Creek.

So now it is on to cross. This was my official 1st day of training for cross! Now If I can just lose this 15 lbs...

Stick to Your Plan...

2010-07-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

I am a bone head. When putting my training plan and race schedule together for 2010, there was one thing I was for sure on. In fact, it was the very first decision I made for the entire calendar year. The decision was "I will not race the Stony Marathon!" Well, after a week and a half off the bike with a planned recovery period, work stress, and a uncontrollable urge to start training for cyclocross, I deviated from the plan that has been near flawless for me thus far. I decided to jump into the Stony Marathon. I could not help it. I have been running and riding this entire week as I prep the body for some intense CX training, and I felt real good. Then on Thursday, I tore up Ruby and thought -- wow, I am still caring some fitness. I may be able to make it happen at Stony! I should of realized that I only rode 16 miles Thursday.

So to save you some time, here are the cliff notes. I got into the race. Felt sluggish from the whistle. And only made 3 laps out of 5 in the 50 mile race, before my legs started showing signs of cramping. I felt like crap, and decided to throw in the towel to avoid hurting my legs in the process.

It was cool to see fellow TSBers at the race. And congrats to Mark Z. (AKA) for a solid 4th in a tough race. Adam, Brad, and Shawn, you guys killed it also! I just wish I had more hours on the bike to hang with you guys. But then again, I need to stick to my plan....

Chapter 2...

2010-06-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

After about 3 weeks from the end of my first training plan being complete, it is now time to move on and begin training for my real season... But lets reflect a little. The past 3-4 weeks have been very stressful for me at work. I wont bore you with the details, but it has affected my riding, my eating habits, an lifestyle in general. In fact since the Ruby race, I did not ride my bike for 10 days straight! Thankfully, most of my stress (for now) came to a halt as of Wednesday of this week. Lucky the first week off was by design to recover from my first block of training. But I was not expecting the extra couple of days.

I was extremely happy with the 1st half of my season! I nailed a few podiums in some of my favorite races. I stuck to my training plan which gave me the desired results I was looking for. I felt completely fresh and still ready to race even after my training block was complete. And I was consistent with lap times in all my races, and put up a few personal best times in several races.

Moving on. With July upon us, I have 2 weeks of vacation planned with my out of state bike trip for 1 of those weeks. My plan is to ride as much as possible for "fun", and I hope I can build upon my base miles as a result. Toward the end of July, I jump back into racing with the Stony Creek TT which will begin the official mark for CX focused training. During all this time I will be picking up some running and running stairs. I am even looking for a local 5k to jump in if the timing is right. As August approaches, I hope to have my CX race scheduled framed out so I can begin my race focused training using the TCTP again! On another note, I have to lean down! No more excuses. This has been the only black mark on my score card for a season and a 1/2. I have a cool calorie counter on my blackberry now. So it has been real helpful to monitor my food intake. If I want to compete in the Masters, I got to lose the sandbags! There is no other way... Weight to power ratio!

With any luck, I hope my results from the 1st half spill over into the 2nd half and let me have another respectable Cyclocross season. I will be jumping into the Masters 35+ class, so I know the competition will be fierce. I have some lofty goals ahead of me.... But until then, let me go ride my bike for "fun", and I will get back with you all later.

Shawn Schaffert!

2010-06-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

What happens when your just not sure you can do something at a higher level, but you continue to work hard and stay focused almost blindly, only holding on to faith that it will all workout in your favor when the time is right?

Shawn Schaffert is the answer!

Shawn earned his first Expert podium at Ruby Campground XC race this past weekend, and it was well deserved. I know Shawn has worked very hard to get to this point, and to earn it a place like Ruby is a real treat. The only down side to Shawn stepping up on the box, is now I am sure the medals will keep on flowing, and that will make it harder for me to share with him. Great job Shawn! It's always awesome to see one of the good guys on top!

As for my effort at Ruby. Well Shawn beat me by 12 seconds, but I still came home with some hardware for 4th place. So far that makes me 3 for 3 in podium trips for USAC races this year! Something I honestly can't believe myself. So I hope I can squeeze out a few more.

Ruby was not my A race this year. In fact, it was a week past my training schedule. But it was the home course, and a race all the same. I was still feeling like my legs were strong and ready to go, but I figured game time would tell the truth.

The race started and we all went out hard. Adam off the front like a rocket, then Brad, Todd, Shawn, another guy and myself near the back from a poor start. We all stuck together for a large part of the twisty course. Then I was able to move up a few spots passing guys on the steep climb"Lance". We crossed the creek and then Brad lost his chain. I suddenly found myself in 2nd all alone, and pulling away from the field. This lasted until the beginning until Brad made a huge effort to rejoin me. I was still feeling good and settled into what I thought was a perfect pace. I was not even bothered that Brad had caught up and figured it would be to both of our advantage to work together to stay away. And then it happened. In the middle of the 3rd lap, I started cramping. Damn it. Why now? I was feeling strong, and thought I was hydrating well. I actually had to soft pedal for a few seconds to try and work the cramps out. I told Brad I was cashing in, and he pulled away. Now if I could somehow manage to keep 3rd and not have to DNF. I was able to push hard in the flats but trying to walk through the creek was murder and made my hammys want to cramp with ever step. By the time the 4th lap started I was still alone, but then seen Shawn slowly closing in. I knew at this point there was not much I could do, and I was nothing more than a huge carrot for him. He made contact with me on the "wall". And shortly after, crashed on a small down hill into the snow fence. I tried to attack and pull away again knowing the rest of the course was all flat and to my advantage -- except for one more creek crossing right before the finish. If I could just get to the creek ahead of him, get out and back on my bike I could probably out sprint him. As planned, I was the first to the creek, but he made it there right after me. My cramps would not allow me to run through the water, and Shawn pranced through it like Jesus walking on water. He got out, looked back and jumped on his bike as fast as he could and sprinted off. Once out of the water, I put in the largest effort I could hoping that he would flat, lose a chain, or something. When I got onto the finishing straight, I could see he was not too far ahead. I mashed as hard as I could completely cramping my legs. But I was closing in on him fast. Eventually I just ran out of room and had to settle for 4th. Thanks for making me proud of you Shawn.

As for the rest of the Day. Adam decided to make us look silly by winning with a broken bike. Brad is just on fire! And the TSB had the best turn out of the year! And the team walked away with a lot of medals in almost every class! Way to go folks.

Bloomer XC -- Single Speed Style!

2010-05-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Wasn't really sure what to expect today going into Bloomer. Thursday, I was riding like a rock star at Stony Creek, and then crashed and flipped around like a rag doll leaving me banged up, sore, broken helmet, and doubts about racing the Bloomer XC race. But I figured I would give it a try. This race really was nothing more than a power workout on my calendar, since I was planning on jumping into the Elite/Expert Single speed class. This years Bloomer race is part of the MMBA CPS put on by Robert at Tailwind. So if I could get in at least a few good laps and throw in the towel if needed, it still would have been a good day.

I felt real relaxed at the start, but sore all over. Other than that, the only thing on my mind was how I was going to push my 34x17 gearing on my 29er up the steep short climbs. The whistle blew, and we were off. Quickly 3 riders broke away, and I was left struggling up the sled hill gasping for air. I got a real crappy warm up in and was paying for it. I got through the first section on single track, recovered and made my way onto the double track. I then took a wrong turn and met the lead group again. So back down the hill to hop on the right path. This easily lost me 30 or more seconds. But I pushed. My left hip and right quad were sore as hell on every climb. But I pushed on. By the time I made it the falter part of the course, I was starting to feel better. And then near the end of my 2nd lap I realized that I caught 3rd place! He was still riding strong, so I sat on his wheel. In the beginning of the 3rd lap, he dropped me on the sled hill as I opted to run it vs. ride. He got a small gap, but I was able to shut it down in the technical parts of the single track. By the time we made it to the big switch backs, I was stuck on his wheel. This time when we made it to the flats on the bottom, I launched my attack. He could not match it. From here on out, the gap continued to grow to 2;00 mins until the end of the race. I came across the line in 3rd place, and not too far behind the leaders. I was very happy with the result, and how well I was feeling at the end.

The Time Crunched Training Program has paid off very well for me so far! And with Ruby just around the corner, I hope I will still have one good race left before a nice break, and the start of cyclocross training.

Now time to rest up, and heal my boo-boos...

Tour de Brighton -- MTB Stage race weekend!

2010-05-18T15:41:00.000-07:00

My first important mountain bike race this year was the Brighton Stage race. This is race number 2 in the Tailwind USAC XC series and is one of the race that I love. Unlike the typical XC race on Sunday only. The Stage race has a mix of several different elements that make for 2 enjoyable days of racing, and a few styles of racing that suit my skills very well. The first day is a 6 mile time trial on the Torn Shirt Trail, and later in the day there is a 20 min short track race. Nothing like testing the CX legs out early in the season! Then on Sunday it's the crown jewel of the event, the 32 mile XC race on the Murray Lake loop. The racer with the lowest accumulated time over all 3 events is crowned the overall stage winner and earns double points in the series. But you can just race the XC race for single points and separate podium spots. This years event was treated with cool, dry, sunny weather both days. Trails that were in great shape. And deep fields of racers for all 3 events. Going into the race, my goals were to beat personal times on Torn Shirt, and the XC race. Take a top 5 in the XC. And if I had a shot, walk home with a top 3 in the overall stage race weekend. Here is how it went.

It all starts with torn shirt. I pegged my heart rate right from the start! it took a little bit of time to get it under control, and settle down the bike handling. About 3 miles in I was finally relaxed and making progress. I finished 5th, and put up a personal best time of 32:22. So I was very happy and was looking forward to the short track race to try and gain back some time over the field.

The short track was moved this year to smaller plot of land, but worked out to be perfect! The was a small steep hill that was used 3 times and a small section of pavement. I lined up in the front row, and put the gas on for 22 minutes! This helped avoid 2 crashes and keep me near the front. All 7 of my laps were consistent being within a few seconds. I ended up in 4th and was sitting in 4th overall going into Sunday.

With the XC race looming, I felt confident that I was going to have a good day, but the thought of racing 32 miles full tilt, didn't leave me with to many thoughts of finishing in the top 3, especially with time to make up on the overall leaders. So I went into with the goal of a personal best time and to scrape up a 4th or 5th place if I could. We went out hard... Adam Naish, Andy Brown, Jason Bowne, Brad lako, and myself all bunched up and pushed as hard as we could. Soon after, Adam, Andy, and Jason were off the front and gone. This left Brad, myself and soon to be Tom Payn to fight it out the rest of the race. Brad lost his chain 3 times and had catch back up with us each time. By the 3rd time he was not messing around and road tight past us. So it was Tom and I working together for the last 2 and 1/2 laps. By the beginning of the 4th and final lap. We saw and caught Andy! He said he popped and could not keep the pace anymore. So now It looking like a sure top 5. I felt strong for the entire race. And felt I could keep the same pace in the last lap as I could the 1st. The only down fall for me was I was starting to fade on the climbs. This allowed Tom to get away from me and eventually finish in 2nd place (Stupid 15 lbs!) But I kept pushing to make sure I would walk away with a prize! Then about half through the last lap. I suddenly came up on Jason Bowne! He bonked also. Now I realized that I had a good shot at top 3 overall!!! I time trialed my butt as hard as I could go and try to put as much time into Jason as possible. I crossed the finish line and waited for Jason. I knew it would be close, but not sure how close. When I results were posted it was not enough. I missed 3rd overall for the weekend by only 7 seconds!!! But I still snagged a 4th place in the XC race. My personal best position in an Expert level race. And I beat my personal best time at Murray Lake with a 2:21:29. In fact my laps were all very consistent, 35/34/35/35! I still had a great weekend!

Congrats to JB Hancock, Adam Naish,Tom Payn, Brad Lako, and Shawn Schaffert. You all had awesome results over the weekend! Keep it up. You all inspire me!!!

Pontiac lake TT! It's On!

2010-04-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

My official race season began today with the Tailwind USAC Michigan State Championship XC MTB Series with the Pontiac Lake Time Trail. This race is one of my top 3 with the Pontiac Lake XC race being in that mix also. So for me, I wanted to do very well especially with the Brighton Stage race right around the corner. Today would be a big test. Would my fitness be on track? Could I crack the top 5 in one of my favorite races? Well Mother Nature let us all know that it was still spring. And that it would not be an early season mountain bike race if there wasn't a bit of mud to go around. But she decided to play nice and give us a few hour break and get in some racing. The course drained well, and was still technical and fast. The rain did not keep a lot of folks at home as I expected. The parking lot was full. And almost ever class was huge. This is great news for the State's economy, Tailwind, and the sport of mountain bike racing in Michigan. Hopefully we can start growing the sport again....

As for the racing, I was feeling good. My training has been right on schedule and the first few "tester" races I did early on were pointing to a good day for me at Pontiac. So I lined up and was off. The entire time I was going as hard as I could, but still felt comfortable on all the climbs. The course was still wet and muddy in the corners, but my big 29er Crossmax wheels with Karma rubber hooked up well and gave me the confidence to take some risk and push harder. After my first lap, I was curious as to how I would feel for the rest of the race, but my legs were right on. I kept up a high pace for as long as I could, and did not hold back. About 4 miles from the finish, my seat post decide to reposition my seat for me. So I was force to sit on the point of my saddle for the rest of the race. This was very uncomfortable, but I did not panic. And then shortly after that, a large vine hanging across the trail decided to clothesline me and almost took me off my bike. Again, I gathered my composure and pushed on. The trail was in great shape by now and I was almost done. I big ringed it all the way to the end until my legs filled with lactic acid. I was done. My laps were 43 and 45 mins. Wow! Those were some on my best lap times ever, I thought to myself. This was also good enough for me to hold on to 5th place out of 17 racers. I hit one of my goals!

But my day was not over. As the course improved, I was getting geeked to do some single speed racing. I was not sure how well I would do since I just spent myself in the first race. So I lined up and was off. And within a few mins, the switch went off in my head and I was racing again! I could not believe how well I was feeling. So again, I pushed as hard as I could and felt strong all the way to the end. When I crossed the line I was surprised to see that I knocked out a 44 min lap! This time I did not step onto the podium, but I did get a respectable 7th out of 10.

So my fitness appears to be on. And with a podium finish my confidence is high too. So my next focus is the Brighton Stage race. Next to the Iceman, this will probably be my big mountain bike race of the year... We will see.

Congrats to Brad and Shawn. You guys put in a fine effort today and will be hard to beat as the season goes on.

Yankee Doodle Dandee!

2010-04-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

In 2006 I did my first mountain bike race. I was over 230 lbs, I crashed 3 times, and suffered a slow leaking flat tire with no tools. I finished something like 11th with a time of 1:20 or so in a 12 mile TT. That was it, I was hooked. And the place it all happened was Yankee Springs. A lot has happened over the 4 years since I raced at Yankee springs. My kids have grown. I lost 50 lbs. I have moved from a beginner Clydesdale to an Expert racer. Heck, I have even been through a few new bikes! So with the beginning of the new bike season upon me, I wanted to go back and race Yankee...

I have not been to Yankee since my very first race, so I was excited. It almost felt like riding single track for the first time. Not only was I jonesing for some dirt, I was looking for a real good result. Training has been going extremely well, and I have been feeling strong, fit, and ready to compete! So The Yankee TT was the perfect place for me to test the legs on a short technical course, go up against a deep and strong filed, get in some awesome training time, and test out the new Dillinger Single Speed under race conditions.

So in my typical fashion, I got a quick warm up in and strolled over to the start line to see what was happening. I still had 10 mins before the start of my race, but then noticed that hey I should be the next one on the line! They moved up the start times!?!? I threw my bike over the tape and lined up. I clipped one foot in my pedal and the guy said in 15 seconds! OMG! GO... I was shot out of a cannon, and I never looked back. Instantly in the trail I was picking off people left and right. And then I noticed that about 8-9 of these people were in the single speed class???? How can this be when I was in the 3rd wave, which meant I was the 5th rider off in the Elite/Expert Single Speed Class. After that, I ran into a lot of traffic. Especially on the climbs at the worst possible times. On your Left, on your Right. It seemed like I was calling this out all the time. Oh well, enough of my bitching, but I was not the only one.... Back to racing!!

So I railed the Dillinger as hard as I could, and it respond well. My legs felt like jack hammers on the climbs and I was able to power through all the flats with ease. When I thought I may have been slacking, I was able to call down to the engine room for full speed ahead! I came across the line in 51:23. This was good enough to hold 6th place out of 20 in the Elite/Expert Single Speed class. Not bad for the first real mountain bike race of the year.

I was very happy with how the day went, other than the way the start waves were handled. But I know my training is on track. My bike handling was crisp. And I had a lot of fun!

Congrats to Tom Payn for his 4th place in the Expert 30-39! Your off to a great year...

The start of my real season starts next week with the opener of the USAC XC series at Pontiac Lake. This is one of my favorite races and venues to race at. It is also another TT which is right up my alley. So It is not a peak week for me, but I am looking for another good result. And if I'm lucky, I would love to see a top 5...

Barry-Roubaix

2010-04-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

I kicked the bike racing season off early this year with the soon to be classic, Barry-Roubaix. Let's just say this race is awesome. The fast dirt roads, the almost unrideable sand, and the quad and lung burning climbs make this one incredible race! In addition, this is a great race to test your early season fitness and see how competition is looking for the year. I went into the race with realistic expectations, but was looking to find some good form and have a good result. In the end I was happy, but it was not without issues. So without writing my life story, here is the cliff notes version on my race.

With the 1-2 mile neutral roll out. I was able to get the legs loose. Then it was on! I stayed near the front group and the climbs started right away. Legs felt good and I was able to gain several most positions. By about mile 8, we had a fast strong group putting out a good pace. I was killing it on the flats. Every time I had a chance to dance in my big ring, I took full advantage. And then it all started to fall apart...

It all started with my chain falling off to the outside of my big ring. I tried to flip it up with my crank arm, but with no luck. I had to stop and fix it. As I stopped, the group I was with rode out of sight! I got back on and started sprinting to try and catch up. Shortly after, my chain fell off again but I was not going to stop. So I tried to reach down and pick it up with my hand. As I was riding down a hill and trying to grab my chain, some how my hand touched my front wheel and it got sucked into the top of my fork and on top of my tire! OUCH! I was moving about 15-20 mph down the hill with my hand stuck in my fork and there was nothing I could do. The rear of my bike kept bucking up. I tried to pump my brakes to slow down. I finally got it out at the bottom, but the damage was done. I had 2 huge holes in my glove with what looked like 3rd degree burns to my fingers from sitting on top of the tire. I stopped to make sure I did not break my hand and figure out how I actually kept my bike up avoiding a more serious accident. From hear on I fought through the pain and finished the race strong even without being able to use my big ring for the rest of the race. I finished 18th out of 49 with a time of 1:58. Not bad considering all that happened.

The highlight of the weekend was letting Loose my my buds from Rouge Racing Project out of Louisville KY! These are the former TSB boys. And we had a great time sipping beers and talking shit. We figured this race will be an annually meac for both teams to meet up in the spring to let loose. And then we will do it again in the fall at the USGP in KY! So look out for this to really start to get out of control....

Leprechaun Loop 5K! Kick off to training!

2010-03-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

For the 2nd year in a row, I have kicked off my early spring training/racing season by switch gears and jumping into the runners world. I figured It would be some good cross training early in the season and so far seems to be working out well. So in the past few months I have been ramping up for the Leprechaun Loop 5k in Port Huron Sponsored by the YMCA. My goals were to have fun, not hurt myself and try to break my time of 21:56 from last year.

I started out slower than last year and wanted settle into a good pace. It worked but there were 20-30 mph head winds for most of the race. Luckily the rain stayed away, but the wind made it a difficult race for everyone. As I came through the home stretch I could start to see the clock and about 25 yrds out. From there I seen 21:52, 21:53, 21:54.... I was out of it for my goal. But I did come in at 22:16. Only 20 seconds off my best of last year. Not bad considering the horrible head winds, my lack of training to be a runner, and this being my 2nd 5k ever. Overall this put me 30th out of some couple hundred people, and it was enough to nail another 2nd place in my age group! I'll take it... Especially for not being a runner.

So my sights are now set on mountain bile racing, and I will be kicking it off this season with Barry-Roubaix! I can't wait. 35 miles of paved to sandy to gravel roads with 2200 ft of climbing. I have a rest week scheduled ahead of me. And then I turn on my training with the Time Crunched Training Program. I have been feeling real good, and am hoping for some better results than last year... But time will tell.

"Dillinger Escape Plan!"

2010-02-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

Pow! Here it is. My winter project (one of many this year) is finally done! And I have to say, it is damn sexy! I wanted to upgrade my single speed to a 29er since I got my Superfly last year. And it took some time to figure out what I wanted, but finally decided on a Soul Cycles Dillinger XC 29er. Dollar for dollar you can't beat this frame. In fact I picked it up direct off of ridesoul.com during a promo for $309! After blinging the hell out of this thing, I weighed it at my LBS using the fish scale and it came in at 20.9 lbs!!!! That is almost a pound lighter than my Superfly! So here is the detail of all the bling on it. I hope you enjoy...

Mavic crossmax 29

Kenda Karmas 1.90 with Stan's sealant

XTR Crankset with Surly 34t ring

Surly 16t and 17t cogs held on with Surly spacer kit

Carbon Cycles Exotic Carbon Rigid 29er fork (465mm Axle to crown)

Cane Creek S3 plus 5 head set (used this head set to raise to axle to crown to 470mm)

Selle Italia SLR saddle

Thomson elite seat post

Sram 8 speed 890 chain

Time Atac XS pedals

Race Face Next carbon flat bar

FSA OS 99 stem

Sette VX carbon bar ends

Avid Juicy Ultimate disc brakes

ODI lock on Ruffin grips

Dillinger Pics Part 2

2010-02-20T16:57:00.001-08:00

Moving on to 2010

2009-12-30T10:24:00.000-08:00

Looking forward to 2010, it looks like my toughest competitor is going to be me! This damn weight battle I have fought most of my life is still putting up a fight. Even though I have kept almost 50 lbs off for 3 years now, the fear and struggle to not be fat has been with me everyday. Since my last race on Dec. 6th, I decided to take a break from "eating right" and see what I have been missing. Well about 15 lbs later, I found what I've been missing. Now that I am miserable again, and all my pants are tight, its time to refocus. Even though its not a racing goal, My main focus is to get between 170-180 lbs. If I plan on competing at a high level racing CX, especially in the mud as I leaned this year, I have to improve my power to weight ratio. And losing the fat is the best way I can do it. With 2009 almost behind us, here is a recap on some other stats for the year.

Total Miles -- 3475 (over 400 more that last year)
Training hours -- 295 (Short of my goal of 325, but that was an estimate)
Over 100 races! -- I topped my 100th race since I have started at Lower Huron CX.
USAC upgraded my Cyclocross licence from CAT 3 to CAT 2!

Goals for 2010 -- I have divided my goals into 2 seasons this year. Mountain Bike Racing, and Cyclocross racing. Cyclocross will be my main focus with the majority of the mountain bike racing being nothing more than training for CX! Since I have taken this approach, I will only publish my MTB goals at this time. But I have the rough draft for CX hashed out to help me keep the big picture in front of me.

MTB racing Goals --
Take top 3 overall for Brighton MTB Stage Race
Finish Top 5 overall for Cat 1 USAC MTB XC Series
Finish Top 5 for at least 3 Cat 1 XC or TT races
Break 1:45 at ICEMAN Expert 30-39

Training for 2010 will be drastically different. I will not bore you with the details, but rather update everyone throughout the winter. But in a nut shell, it will resemble my CX training for 2009. Other than that, all my training will be done with a powertap, And a little help from some cycling Jedi Masters...

My "Racing" Year in Review!

2009-12-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

What started out as sluggish mountain bike season in my first year as a Cat 1 racer, turned into a dream cyclocross season in my first year as a Cat 3 B-men racer! Going into both seasons I did not expect much, and figured I would treat both as a learning year. I was overly cautious in the early part of the year with my training and this resulted in a few mistakes that left me with a good base, but none of my high end systems were at their full potential. I was lucky enough to take a top 5 at Ruby, so In my mind I hit my goal for the year, but I was expecting to perform a little better overall.

And then CX training started! Figuring I had enough base from all the training and Expert level MTB races I had done, I focused on max effort intervals, bike handling, and CX specific skills all at 1 hr at a time. Then the season started, I nailed podium after podium. This type of training translated very well for me at the ICEMAN also. As I took a top 10 in the expert class and broke the 1:50 mark for my best time ever at the event!

Overall for the year I give my self a B - for the mountain bike season and an A for the cyclocross season.

Going into 2010, with the great CX season that I had, I now have a renewed confidence in my ability to race against Cat 1's on the mountain bike. With a little more dialed in training, I feel I can mix it up again in the top 5 on any mountain bike course. But much like this year, Cyclocross will be my main focus. So The mountain bike season will be a huge part of my overall training for 'cross. What can I say, I have discovered that I am a bottle rocket! I'm quick, last a short time, and have a big bang at the end!

I have a new powertap to learn how to use, and have been reading up on different types of training to maximize my time, effort, and abilities on the bike. So with the holidays upon us, I am taking a few weeks off for some much needed and extended rest. Until my next post, enjoy the Bling at the top of the page...

MI State Championship, What a RIde!

2009-12-06T17:04:00.000-08:00

What was expected to be a middle of the road cyclocross season for me, has turned out to be almost a dream come true. Stepping up into the B's, I was expecting to fill in somewhere around the middle of the pack. But instead, I have reached the podium in all but one race this year! And going into the State Championship, I was focused, locked, loaded and ready to do battle.

This year, the state championships moved to a new venue in Springfield Oaks, which has hosted the UCI doublecross for the past 3 years. Springfield is a mix of paved flat roads, loose gravel, some gnarly off camber steep slippery hills, and even a little single track for good measure. And being this late into the season, this is the kind of course that does not hold water well and could turn the results of the day into any body's race. So here is how it went for me.

The start line was right underneath the Orange Crush flyover, and this made for some cramped quarters. I could not get the front row, but did line up in the second. The start position was bad enough for me that I struggled to clip into my pedal for about 50 yrds. So instantly I was loosing ground. I tired to make up as much as possible to avoid any pile ups in the very greasy off camber hill toward the beginning of the course. If you did not take the perfect line, you were either crashing or walking. So I was able to get up around 6 place and then the crashes began. I caused me to dismount in which I could not find any traction with my shoes. So I fell on my butt at least 2 times. I ran to the corner and finally got onto my bike. I tried to pick off a few folks but made minimal progress. Into the main part of the course and near the switch back corners into the single track I jack knifed my front wheel trying to make a move around another rider and found myself on the ground again! This time I was getting mad and sitting in 9th place. From here on the course opened up a little and I began to attack. By the time I started the 2nd lap I fought my way up to 4th place and was pulling a large train of riders. I took some risk through some very slippery corners and off camber sections. And buried it on the paved sections. I broke off the front end of the train and had my sights focused on Shawn McDonald who was sitting all alone in 3rd. I reeled him in at the beginning of the 3rd lap, and never looked back. The gap continued to grow, but I could never quite bridge up to Danny and Clint who were in 1st and 2nd. I was on my limit the entire time making sure I cashed all my chips in at the table for my last bet of the year! I felt strong and pushed hard all the way to the end. Another solid 3rd place for the day. And that was good enough to earn some other hardware.....So this is how I fared in the B's for the year.

With the 3rd place from today's race, it was good enough to also take 2nd place for the State Championship podium for B-men 30-39!

And I also claimed 3rd overall in the Series points race!

I also, raced the single speed race one more time and just ended up riding my bike for 45 more mins. But it was still fun. My main focus was perfecting the beer hand ups I was getting each lap! I totaled 7 for the day and was rewarded with 5th place for my efforts.

Other racers that lit it up!

Clint Verran -- 1st in the race, 1st in the State B-Men 30-39, and 1st in the series B-men!
Danny Gerrow -- 2nd in the race, 1st in the State B-men Under 30
Pat Russell -- 1st in the race, 1st in the State Masters 35+, 1st in series Master 35+
Pete Thompson -- 2nd in the race, 2nd in the State Masters 35+, 2nd in series Master 35+
Mike Seamon -- 1st in the Race, 1st in the State Masters 45+, 1st in the series Master 45+
Shawn Schaffert -- 1st in the Race, 1st in the State C-men 30-39, 1st in the series C-men under 39
Mike, Tim, and Jeff -- The Michigan Elite 1,2,3. What else can I say! Year after year it is total domination.
Ann Schwartz -- Back where she belongs. At the top.
Erik Kohler -- 1st in the SS race, the State Championship and Series. Slow down!!
Adam Naish -- For showing up and poaching a 3rd place State Championship medal for B-men 30-39. See you in the spring!

And My favorite racer of the day, my very own team mate, Curt Potocki after battling health, injuries, and mechanical issues over the past few years he lit it up in the 2nd half of the season nailing a podium spot almost every week and today finished 3rd in the State C-men 30-39, and wrapped up 3rd overall in the series C-men Under 39! Way to go Curt! And Welcome to the Killer B's in 2010!!!!

Another 3rd at Bloomer CX!

2009-11-22T15:55:00.000-08:00

Not sure how I would feel going into Bloomer this week, I guess it all worked out OK. I thought for sure that I was getting sick the entire week. Sinus pressure, tired, slight drainage down the back of my throat. So I Zicamed the hell out of what ever it was. In addition, doing the double at Stony last week killed me! it took me 2 days to recover. And even then, all of my workouts during the rest of the week felt really flat. Not a good feeling or sign when I should be in my 2 peak weeks. So here we are at bloomer.

I woke up and felt good. Which was a relief. I decided not to bring the single speed along and focus on just the B- race. In the points race a few things needed to happen today to secure a top 3 spot overall in the series. 1. Race well and knock off one of my top 5 places in the series with a 1st through 4th place. 2. Beat mark Caffyn. 3. Hope that Jason Boyton did not show up or at least beat him. Well, all 3 happened. so going into the State Championship race I should have 3rd place wrapped up unless I did the math wrong. But enough of that, lets look at the highlights for the day.

It was kind of foggy and cold at the start, which meant that the ground was soggy and slick for every race today. This appeared to help keep the roadies at bay, but the course was still fast overall. Bloomer has been a mixed bag for me over the years, but I really liked the course this year. I think the extra fast single track made a big difference and the tight slippery corners showed who had the best skills out there. As for the race. It was a fast start with Danny Gerow leading out the pack. I was sitting third wheel just hoping Danny would pop. The 2nd place guy soon let up and it was then Danny and me. Soon Clint Verran joined me on the 2nd lap. I hung on as long as I could to try to grow the gap behind me. Then Clint went on to chase Danny. The 2 of them continued to distance themselves from me, but they were never really out of site. By the 2nd lap, I had created a large gap behind me also. I used the flat paved section and the long fast Single track sections to put my attacks in to keep my 3rd place lead. Lap after lap, the gap in front and behind me remained about the same. David Johnson made a move late to get off the front of the small pack of riders behind me, but never got much more than a few seconds out of me. In the end I felt great. The legs felt strong and consistent throughout the race, which is a good sign. And I finished up with another solid 3rd place.

Shout outs -- Congrats to Kevin Skipworth for giving up his race to help out an injured rider. To make the story even better, Kevin was near the front of his race looking for another podium spot when it happened. Great stuff. May Karma be on your side, and good luck next weekend at the Ohio State CX Championships!

JB -- Looking strong in a very stacked field of single speed racers! 1st place on the day. A little more structured training, and you will be a force to recon with once again my man.

Clint and Danny -- Another 1 - 2 punch in the B's

Mike Wissink -- My hat goes off to Mike for pulling out the single speed to have fun after the A-race. First he put on a clinic by passing all the single speeders and Masters 35 field. And second, he showed his respect and sportsmanship by pulling off in the last lap to not interfere with the points series. Mike not only are you a champion, your a real class act!

Belgium Shores come to Mi -- Stony Creek CX!

2009-11-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

Love, Hate. When I think of Stony Creek, those are the first 2 words that come to mind whether it's a mountain bike race or cyclocross race. And this year's Stony CX race did not disappoint -- Love, Hate.

It started out as a great day. My wife, daughter, son, mom, and dad all came out for the race and I did not want to disappoint. Both Nolan and Makenna raced, and walked away with Medals! Nolan racing in the C race again. It was great having all the family there along with everyone else cheering and yelling as the race went on. I was really able to feed off their enthusiasm as I rode past them and saw them cheering me on. Thank you!

The race actually went well for me today, but it was one of the toughest races to date for me in the tailwind series. Stony is usually thought of as a flat, fast, roadie style course. But this year the course was ran backwards. There was the notorious sand, and this year you could ride certain sections and run the rest. Then shortly after the sand, you came into some Kentucky style power zapping mud for about 100 yrds followed by a switch back climb. So to say the least, the course took it's tole on me.

The start was interesting. It went from a 30 ft wide paved section down to a 6 ft bike path. So with 30 guys chasing a hole shot, it was a little nerve racking. My goal was to go into the course either 1st or 3rd. I nailed that, but this popped my heart rate. Clint Verran and Dan Gerow went off the front and took the lead. I could not hold on and just tried to maintain 3rd position and catch them later when I recovered. I stayed in 3rd for the first few laps and then started to feel like I was going backwards. 5 guys were breathing down my neck like hungry pit bulls, and I could feel them and see them coming. The group contained Mark Caffyn, Ben Christan, and David Johnson. David made the first move in the mud section. He went through it like he was floating. He quickly pulled away, but I was on my limit and could not counter. Soon after on a down hill section with a switch back at the bottom, David lost control and went down. I quickly responded to this and attacked. When I went by, I saw that his rear tire popped out the bead. So I sprinted as hard as I could to make sure there was no chance for him to get on. This increased the gap again, but not for long. Then it was Mark's turn with Ben in tow. I could hear them braking behind me. As I got to the paved section, I could increase the gap. But it would shrink in the sand and mud. Going into the 2nd to last lap, It was now Ben on my wheel and Mark just off the back. I dug deep! I knew my family was here to see me so I wanted to do my best. I tried to stay on the front of the group and make them feel the same pain as I was. It seemed to be working. I now had a very small gap again going into the last lap. This was it! As my tires hit the paved section for the last time, I popped my chain up into the big ring and sprinted the full length of the starting chute to try and grow the gap as big as I could, even if it was only 5 seconds more. It seemed to be working. Mark was no where insight as I made the first turn into the grass, and my gap to Ben grew to somewhere around 15 seconds maybe more. I pushed hard through the sand, the mud, the hills, the barriers, all of it. Ben started to close the gap, but I knew it was going to be too much. I came onto the paved section for the last time, and could not see him. I just wrapped up another 3rd but a very, very hard earned one.

My hats off to Dan Gerow for a 2nd place finish! His best result of the season. Clint wrapped up the day with another hard fought 1st. And Ben Christian got his first B class podium with a 4th place!!! Andy Brown stepped back up into the big boy class and looked very strong and right at home with the Elites. And Curt Potocki kept his podium streak alive with a 4th place today. Finally, if there was any one that deserved a 1st place finish it has to be Shawn Schaffert. Shawn put it all on the line today. His face said it all, and he never gave up! WOW what an effort!

I jumped in the single speed race again today. And actually had a good race. I was able to hang with Wayne Cook for all but the last 2 laps and earned a 4th place out of 7 for my efforts. Congrats to JB for his 2nd place in his first single speed race! And way to go Chad Schut for coming all the way down from Traverse City with your boys to hang out with the TSB crew and race the new single speed! It was fun. Just remember less endurace training, more high intensity training!

Next stop Bloomer Park CX!

Iceman Suprise!

2009-11-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

This was my forth Iceman, and boy was it great. To start with, Jason and Jackie Schneider turned what is always a great weekend into one weekend I will never forget. They played host to the team all weekend by putting several of us up in a Mansion on Elk Lake. Cooking the team dinner and organizing Party central at the Iceman Finish line with burgers, hot dogs, snacks and oh -boy corn bread! In addition, Jackie's sisters and extended family, Curt's wife and cousins all came out to cheer us on! That support is incredible and always goes a long way. So thank you very much!

As for the race, I was Surprised.

The Iceman race has been very good for me in the 4 years that I have done it. I have worked my way up from beginner to Expert and have never finished out of the top 10 in my first 3 years. But going into this year's race, I was not expecting much since 1, I was not training for it because my main focus has been on the Cyclocross series. And 2, it was my first year racing Expert so I figured I would get my "you know what" handed to me. So my goals were realistic and as follows.

Beat my personal best time from last year of 1:56 (even with a longer course)
Try to fall somewhere in the top 20

My stretch goal -- break 1:50

Waking up on Saturday morning, I felt great. Checked the temps outside and could not believe how warm it was. Since we were closer to the start this year, I procrastinated a little and got a late jump on getting to Kalkaska. 5 miles down the road, I realized I had forgotten my water bottles! Now the panic started to set it. Back to the house and about 30 mins before the start of the race. We got to Kalkaska Middle school with about 15 mins to the start. I got my bike and started sprinting toward the start line even though I did not know where it was. I found it with about 10 mins before the start. What a great warm up. This caused me to line up in the back row with 100 plus people in front of me. The raced started and I instantly started to make my way through the pack. As we approached the middle school, I was some where in the middle. The course then narrowed down to about 10 feet. This caused panic up ahead and clogged up the field behind due to a few crashes. So stopped and waiting to get through, my 4th Iceman was not off to a good start. Once I began to pedal again, it was back to picking people off. Into the woods and to the first sandy climb, more people crashing in front of me. This time I had to hurdle my handle bars to avoid the worst of it. I ran up the hill and remounted again. From here I put in a huge charge to make up as much ground before the big hills and to distance myself from the folks that appeared to be on a bicycle for the first time. And I was flying! By the time I made it to Williamsburg Rd, I had just felt like I was warming up. So I pushed even harder. Picking more people off. I finally settled into a small group that was putting in the same effort. I tired to pull away at one point but they were up for the challenge. This was a mix of Experts from 3 different age groups. I was able to push the entire way, and not kill my heart rate. It spiked on Anita's hill, The Icebreaker, and Wood chip but I instantly recovered within seconds and shifted back up into the big ring and carried on. With 1K to go. I was feeling strong as hell so I turned it up one more notch and flew all the way to the finish line. I rolled across the finish and check my computer and it showed 1:49 and some change! I did it, I actually broke the 1:50 mark!!! I could not believe it! When the final results were posted my time was 1:49:38. And this was enough to take 9th place in Expert 30-34 out of 70 racers!!! Again, I could not believe I had just cracked the top 10 in the Expert class what a day!

Congrats to all my team mates that raced and finished. There were some personal best times. Some first timers (way to go AKA) and some folks that "just finished" another great ride in the woods.

Special props to Adam Naish -- What a race 4th in Expert Men 30-34! WOW!
Chad Schut -- Breaking the 2 hour mark and finishing his 20th ICEMAN! Chad is one of only 6 people to have raced in all 20! This is amazing!

ICECROSS ---

The day after the Iceman featured a cyclocross race at Timer Ridge where the Iceman finish is. So I could not resist the temptation to race again! The race was kind of cool. They used the Sno-cone course so it was very fast. The fields were small, but hey it was the first time this race was held. Remember, the Iceman only had 35 racers at the 1st one and this year it had close to 4000! I raced in the B class and finished 4th out of 10. Not bad for tired legs. JB Hancock made it out for the elite race and also finished 4th. There were a few more Tailwind CX faithful racing Mike Seaman 6th in elite, Terry Ritter 5th in elite, Randy A. taking a huge 2nd in the C race, and Derrek W. taking a 4th in the C race.

Well looking on the race weekend, these were just training days before I start my actual race period. So based on the results, I should be ready to rock at Stony Creek and Bloomer CX. I just got to stay away from all the sick people out there...

Curt Potocki's Big Day! Vets Park CX Day #1 and 2

2009-10-31T18:09:00.000-07:00

After several years of almosts, mechanicals, injury and health type issues, Curt finally nailed a podium today and in commanding fashion by doing it at one of the toughest courses you could ever race CX on -- Veteran's Park in Ann Arbor. There were slippery hills you could not ride, mud, wind, rain, mud, temps in the 40s, mud, barrier, and a filed of 25 plus. Curt went with the lead group and they soon started stretching out the field until they broke off the front. Then Curt and Shawn (Cannondale Midwest) stuck together sitting in 3rd and 4th and continued to grow the gap between them and rest of the field. With a lap to go, Curt made his move and attacked to force a gap. It worked! And he was able to hold on to it all the way to the finish for 3rd place! Way to go Curt. You deserved it.

As for me, I was able to keep my podium streak alive also. But it did not look very good at the start. Right from the whistle, I got into a touch of wheels and elbows do to a lead rider not holding his line and there was no where to go. So I held my line and pushed back a little. This caused my front wheel to latch onto his rear derailleur so I went for a free ride until I started hear my spokes pinging. OH S&#T! That can't be good. I was able to finally free my wheel. By this time I had drifted back to somewhere around 10th or 12th place. My heart rate was going crazy and I was not making up any ground. I finally settled down and started picking guys off one at a time. I made the most ground on the 2 run ups and technical sections of the course. I made it back up to the 4th and 5th place guys. One of which was Andy Brown. He looked to be in difficulty and fighting with mechanical issues. So I did not waste any time and passed him. His team mate stuck with me for the rest of the race. We rolled around the course for 2 more laps together increasing our time on everyone behind us, but we could not catch the 3rd place guy. On the last run up, I tried to use it to force a final gap and sprinted up as hard as I could. It worked but he was able to latch back on. In the final flat section, he attacked and pulled around me. It was too much for me to respond. But I did make a little bit of it back up. Going into the final straight right before the line I was about 15-20 feet off of his wheel. He stood up and sprinted. I responded. But could not reel him in. He beat me for 4th by 2 seconds. But Still a great day with another 5th place!

In additon to Curt's big day. I want to make sure I recognize Kevin Skipworth for his 5th place in the C-40 plus race today. This is Kevin's first Podium for Cyclocross in the Tailwind Series. And it is a good indication that Kevin will be ready to light up the ICEMAN next weekend! I hate to say it Kevin, but I think your hooked. You will forever be a cross junkie. I see a new bike in your future....

Day 2 - Curt double dipped and pulled out another 3rd place by making a charge in the last lap to get away from Brad Lako, which allowed him to coast across the line without any pressure. Way to go again Curt!

As for me, I had my best result to date in the B-class with a strong 3rd place! It was a little dryer and faster today at Vets park, and the course was also a tad shorter. I got a much better start and sat in 3rd place for a good majority of the race. A few attacks came early from a few Rhinos, Wolverines, and Clint Verran who just crushed us today to get his first CX win! Way to go Clint. I did not panic and let them all slip back into the field on the long climbs and run up. Then I set my sights on Andy Brown, the current series leader. Lap after lap, I slowly reeled Andy in but was never able to control 2nd place. Andy's biggest move of the day was to go over the barriers on the long run up and then hop back on his bike and ride to the top. A risky move I felt that would waste a lot of energy if he did not nail it just right every time. One time he fell over trying to clip into his pedals. The last 2 times, he was able to put a small gap into me. We both pushed through the race the entire time as hard as possible and kept a good lead over the main field. In the final few meters Andy was the strongest of the day and slowly slipped away for 2nd place. But This was the strongest CX race I have had this year and probably one of the strongest ever! So there it is 3rd place.

I felt so good after my 3rd place that I jumped into the Single speed race for more punishment. Nothing to report here other than, I finished. I did'nt get lapped, and I took a much needed cookie hand up from the fans! Thanks. I was rewarded for my efforts to carry my carcass around the course for another 45 more mins and got 5th place.

Looks like I will be in good form heading into the Iceman and Icecross next weekend. Now just to try and keep all those sick people out there away from me.

US Gran Prix of Cyclocross - Derby City Cup!

2009-10-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

I finally made it to the USGP of CX! And what a great experience it was. Not only was the racing top notch and super competitive, I had a great time hanging out with the MI faithful, JB, Curt, Mark, Wiz, Jeff, Matt, Pete, Ann, Marne, Mark, Jay, and Mike. The promoters do a great job putting this race on. The venue was awesome for being on a golf course, and everything from food and lodging was right at our finger tips. We drove all morning through the rain and finally got to KY around 2:00 PM. Curt and I could not wait to get out car and preride the course. With in 5 mins, we saw Tim Johnson riding through the hotel parking lot, then Ryan Trebon, then Wicks, then.... It was like this the entire weekend. Pros everywhere, and they were all really cool to talk to.

The course did not look that difficult. But was very thought out and technical. Just not a lot of hills. But what it lacked in elevation, it made up for in MUD! All the rain kept the course very slow, slick, sticky, and down right muddy all weekend. In fact this was the muddiest conditions I have ever raced in. So it was a huge learning experience for me.

Day 1 -- I was nervous as hell! I was front row with 109 racers breathing down my neck! Thank God that JB Hancock was right next to me on the line. talking to him and the Wiz right before the start really helped me calm down and focus on having fun. The whistle blew, and instantly I could not clip into my pedals. I went from 1st row to about 6 row in a few pedal strokes. Into the course the pace was fast and elbow to elbow. the skinny guys passed me like I was standing still. I was able to grab onto the back of Mark Caffyn's wheel and hang on. Trying to pedal through the mud, made my quads burn the whole time and my heart rate never came down until the 3rd lap. Mark pulled away a few times, but I was able to reel him back in and finally make a move to go around him and stay away. I finished 47th. I was very happy with this result, considering the size of the field and the level of competition!

Day 2 -- Feeling better and ready to do battle. JB and I got the same start position on the line. The whistle blew and this time I got my pedals right. About 4 strokes in I was at the front of the feild and accelerating! JB was the only one that was able to come around me in the field of 100 and he was off the front already putting in a gap. I was still in 2nd going into the barriers, but I could fell the pressure coming from behind. I held a top 7-10th position for about a 1/2 lap, until the skinny guys started passing me again. I tried to power through the mud the entire race to kepp as many folks from passing me as possible. I felt better than the day before and thought I had a better race. I improved to 45th. Not exactly where I thought I would end up. But still happy with the result and the overall experience of the weekend.

Vets Park is this weekend. And I am in another peak. I am hoping that my USGP experience makes me stronger and better for the rest of the season. Then it will be off to the ICEMAN the following weekend!

Tough luck for JB. He had a person step into his rear wheel on day 1 and "my" tire came off of his rim on Day 2. Other wise, he looked rock solid.
Jeff and the Wiz looked great! Wiz scoring a W on day 2 and Jeff rocked 3rd both days
Curt rocked a 37th out of 110+ riders on day 1! Look for curt to sniff out the podium before the end of the year!

Lower Huron Cyclocross!

2009-10-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

Fall is in the air!!! The air was crisp, the grass had frost, and trees were all in peak color. Maybe this is why I love racing CX at Lower Huron Metro Park. This place is beautiful, and just reminds me of all that cyclocross is about. Fast flats, Deep sand, and that crazy steep run up. This is the place where I got my fisrt podium a few years ago, so maybe this is why it is a special place for me to race. What ever it is, I have a few more reason now to call Lower Huron one of my favorite places to race cyclocross!

I began a quick build last week to top off the fitness going into the USGP, Iceman, and then the State CX championship. So going into the race, I was not sure how I would feel or perform with the extra training load throughout the week. According to my training schedule, this was just another training day, a throw away race. But as I mentioned before, I love racing here, so In my mind I wanted to do well. On the way down, I felt rested and the legs were snappy. I lined up in the first row, figuring I could take advantage of my power on the paved straight away, and grab a spot in the first few positions going into the grass. It worked great! The pace was quick, and then the top 4 guys just in front began to shadow box and no one wanted the lead. This kept the group very large with 8-10 racers for about 3 laps. And it helped me recover well from the fast start. Then a few guys dropped back, and a few others joined ahead. I kept my position for the entire race. The top 3 guys were always at my finger tips. I kept the power coming and put in some huge efforts to grow the gap behind me, but I could never catch the top 3 guys. Clint Verran joined me again and passed me, like the previous races before. But in the last lap, I popped it up into my big ring and chased him down by closing a 200 yrd gap. This was my last ditch effort try and gain one more spot. It may have been too much, I rode with Clint for as long as I could. But he just slightly slipped away. He took 4th by about 50 yrds. And I nailed a solid fifth with a huge gap over 6th place. I could not believe it, another podium!

I spent a lot of energy trying to catch the lead guys in the 1st race, so lining up in the single speed class was tough. I just rode my race, and tried to keep the power going for as long as I could and not get caught by any single speeders behind me. With 3 laps to go, I dismounted before the sand and some how caught the buckle on my right shoe. It snapped off! I finished the race with a shoe that felt like a loose slipper. But I was able to hang onto 4th in a field of 6 racers.

Next stop USGP of Cyclocross -- Derby City Cup. Kentucky Here I come!

The Stars and Moon Align for Muson CX - Night Time CX Racing!

2009-10-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

This was the first time the Tailwind Series has put on a night time CX race, so there was a lot of buzz in the air. In fact everyone was really excited, to the point that it was one of the more festive CX races I have been apart of in a while. The fans were all screaming, drinking, playing on the hill and ringing cow bells all night long. Munson is not the best race course for CX, but with the lights it gave it a special element that you can't get anywhere else. All I can say is, it was fun and I hope that Robert is able to do it next year.

As for the race, This was the last week of my top fitness so I was hoping for something special. The B-race was big again with 28 racers, and a few top guns and sleepers came out to join the party. Mentally I was ready and thought I had a good game plan. I wanted to take the hole shot, power up the 1st climb in the first 100 yrds of the race to blow the race apart early and then force a huge gap. Well, I did just that but there is 45 mins of racing. From the whistle I managed to sprint from the start line to the first climb from the 2nd row. I was sitting in 5th at the top. The first round through the barriers, one of the guys in front of me slipped and did not recover, so now I was in 4th. A little bit farther, through a 90 degree turn another guy misjudged the turn and jack-knifed his front wheel and I managed to skate by him clean. Now sitting in 3rd, I turned on the power! The 1st and 2nd place guys dangled in front of me like a carrot, but I could never catch on their wheel. However, I had a huge gap on the rest of the field. This was going good and I was able to continue putting out the power. Then I noticed that there was a group of 3 riders behind me trying to close the gap. The problem was I was all by myself in no man's land. After the 3rd lap, the gap got smaller and smaller and I was out of touch of trying to catch the 2 in front of me. I was still maintaining, but slipping a little each lap with my power out put. When I finally got caught by the small group, the 3rd guy had already dropped off and was slipping back into the main field. After the catch, Andy Brown attacked and put a huge gap into me and the other Rider Clint Verran. Clint tried to catch his wheel and I followed. Neither of us were able to catch Andy, and I ended up losing Verran's wheel. I was able to hang on to a very "happy" and "earned" 5th place! I am totally surprised at my performance for CX so far this season and hope I can continue to keep the streak alive.

Race 2 -- I don't know why I keep doing this but I doubled up again for the single speed race. I had about 10 mins to get ready from the end of the B-race since the Elites were going to be the last race of the night. At the start I already had no gas left in the tank. But I was able to push my bike around the course at a decent pace. I felt fine until the last 2 laps when a nasty cramp started in my left hammy. I could barly walk over the barriers but I managed to finish the race. It was enough to hang onto 5th place again.

With my next race being in 2 weeks, it is time for some quick extended rest, followed by another quick build before Iceman! This should be enough to stay strong, and carry my fitness into the finally few weeks of the cyclocross season leading up to the state championships! At least it sounds good in writing....

Thanks again Steve Balogh for the great pictures!

Ithaca Grand Prix of Cyclocross!

2009-09-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

What a great race! JB Hancock, his wife, and family have really come up with something special in the middle of Michigan. With all the features of a world class cross course, and the flare of events like the Iceman that really some up the culture of bike racing, the Ithaca GP of CX is a must do event for anyone that truly enjoys cyclocross. If you have not made this event yet, please add it to your calendar for next year -- and thank me later. Team Sandbag was fortunate enough to help present the race, and what a great year to do it! By the looks of the results, the race had doubled if not tripled racers! So if we're lucky again, hopefully we will be invited back to host next year's event. Another cool thing about presenting the event was that it really got our team involved by helping out, learning a little about racing and setting up for cyclocross.

The day of the event was perfect. We had several team mates in the C-race. Curt who finished a very strong 5th in a large field of 24, Benny, Lee and of course Nolan doing the race for the 2nd year in a row and taking home 2nd place in the Junior class! In the B-class we had TP and myself. And In the Single Speed class, we had Brad doing his first ever CX race and finishing a very strong 6th place! And because I don't know any better, I had to double up and hopped in the SS class also.

At the Start of the B-race, I was feeling gooooooooood! it was a fast start and a prime on the line. I really did not want to blow myself up on the prime, but once we went I was sitting near the front. Then Eric Kohler pulled past me on his single speed and took the cash. I was still setting near the front and marking all the fast guys in the class and looking for wheel to sit on. We went through the amphitheater stairs in a large group. I jumped on my bike, tried to take the inside corner. Touched a wheel, and then jack knifed my wheel and went down. A few guys landed on top of me, and by the time I got up I went from top 5 to about 14th. I did not panic, but I had my work cut out for me. So I turned the power on and started picking off riders one by one. Even though I was using a ton of energy to get back into the game, I was feeling stronger and stronger. I made my way back up to 6th place and was ready to make my move to take 5th and then my rear tire popped! NOT AGAIN!!!!! And this time I just rolled past the pit! So that meant I had to run and entire loop with my bike on my shoulder before I could grab my pit bike again. So needless to say I finished dead last.

But there was hope! I still had the single speed race to do. I there was any amazing 15 racers in the class! WOW! Again the whistle blew and I found myself pulling the lead to the prime and here comes Eric Money Bags! Quickly the fast guys sorted things out. Eric was gone off the front, Wayne Cook as fast as every right behind him. Some guy I don't know, and Pat Russel. I was able to stick on Pat's wheel for most of the race, in which I was very happy to do. Pat is fast and can whoop on me any day of the week. So to hang with him lets me know where my training has taken me so far! A few laps around the park and I was still sitting in 5th. The the 3rd place guy stopped in the pit and grabbed his pump. I took advantage of this and put the power down to try and grow a gap as big as I could. I was able to stay away for the entire race, but was letting Pat slip away in the final 2 laps. I came across the line in 4th place with a large gap. So I felt like I redeemed myself and had a great race. Especially going into the Munson CX night race next weekend.

If I can keep air in my tires, it is game on at Munson!

Double Cross Weekend!

2009-09-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

With training going well, and the uncontrollable urge to race cyclocross again, I was ready as I could have been heading into the Tailwind/KTR Double Cross weekend. The plan was to do both the B-race and Single Speed race both days since I registered for both class for the entire series. I was soon to learn that my body is not up to the task of doing 4 cross races in 3 days, but lessons learned. Other than that, I felt I rocked it in my first 2 B-races. So here is how it went...

Day1 -- Like a kid at Christmas, I was both nervous, excited and could not wait to race! I lined up in the front row of the B-class and thought to myself I need to get out front and stay there if I could. The whistle blew and we were off. I had trouble clipping in at first and lost between 8-10 spots before we hit the grass. A few touch of bars with a Rhino, and I began to pick my way through the mass of riders. One by one, I was able to claw my way up to the top 5 group. I forced a small gap, maybe 10-15 seconds, and then noticed a thump in my tire. What the hell? I was coming up to the pits and had to make a choice. I decided to grab my pit bike, and it was only the 2nd lap. I lost several positions now, and had to waste a lot of energy trying to catch up. Finally made contact again with Mark Caffyn who was holding onto 5th. I would yo-yo off his wheel, especially when we got on top of the new flyover "orange crush". Mark was a lot cleaner than I was getting on to his bike than I was at the top of this monster. As we continued to push through the final laps, I had one more chance to bring back Mark in the final set of barriers leading into a sprint finish. I tried to take a chance and run through the barriers as fast as I could. I had so much speed that my feet could not catch up. I caught the top of the 1st barrier with my left foot and began to fall face 1st into the 2nd one. My bike hit the first barrier and I lucky stayed on my feet. My handle bars were twisted, and my chain fell off. As I put my chain back on a Paint Creek rider passed me, so instead of sprinting for 5th, I was now coasting home for a still solid 7th place in my first ever B-race.

Race #2 was on the single speed. No fire works, just a lot of pain. The course was bumping and my back was killing me. I still continued to push as hard as I could and took 3rd out of 4th. So a podium none the less. Le Bastard was a sweet ride and should be fun to pedal the rest of the series.

Day 2 -- Surprisingly I recovered very well from the day before. But I was doubting how I was going to race on Day 2 after spending myself 2 times for Day 1. So it was on. I had an even worse start than the day before. And I was sucking wind. Sitting in about 10th place for 3 laps. I stuck to Tom Payn's wheel and just waited. After the 3rd lap, Wayne "the Single speed mad man" Cook joined our group and was setting a good pace. I did not think I would hang with Wayne for long, but we were now coming up to the tail end of the top 5 group. Then it happened. Not sure why or how, but I got a second wind. My lungs and legs opened up, and I put in an attack to shake the group I was with. There was really no response, and suddenly I was sitting in 4th place with a considerable gap. It stayed this for about 2 more laps, then somehow Jason "OX" Melecosky made his way up to me and actually put a gap into me. We battled it out back and forth for the rest of the race. Coming into the final set of barriers, Jason made a move to try and catch 3rd place at the line. I could not hang on. However, after my crash yesterday I kept the power going and kept telling myself "anything can happen!". Then it did. In the final turn, Jason over cooked the corner, slide out onto the ground. Then almost recovered, and then went over the bars. I kicked it up and began to sprint to make sure I got around him before he could get back on his bike. I hit the pavement and sprinted home for 4th place! My first B-race podium!

I was so sore and tired that I decided not to race Single speed the 2nd day. No use in getting goofy injury now. So next week it the Ithaca Grand Prix of Cyclocross!

One More Week! And Then It's Time To Rock Some CX!

2009-09-13T16:59:00.000-07:00

2009-09-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

Team Sandbag is proud to partner with JB Hancock in 2009 to support this event. A warm welcome to all who participate, you are sure to enjoy a great day of cross action in Michigan. Come race one of the most exciting events of the fall. The Ithaca Grand Prix Of Cyclocross is coming back to the Ithaca Woodland City Park Sept. 27th, 2009.
Great prizes, the BEST cross course in the state and good times are guaranteed. Registration, Complete Info and More!click here: Ithaca Grand Prix

Finishing Touches...

2009-09-05T23:56:00.000-07:00

The time is near. With the long holiday weekend, I am able to put the finishing touches on my prep for the cyclocross season!

The Stony Curse Continues

2009-09-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

2006 -- Stony XC Marathon, Flat tire and severe cramps
2007 -- Stony XC Marathon, Crash (in which I still have a numb spot in my leg) severe cramps
2008 -- Stony XC Marathon, Flat is 4 miles
2008 -- Stony TT, Flat at the start line before the whistle
2009 --

I was feeling like a million bucks! And when we got to the line, the top 3 guys in the class had either moved up to Elite or did not race. So this left the rest of us bottom feeders with something to shoot for. But this is the Expert class and it is not easy no matter who shows up. And the usually suspect that beat each other up week after week were all there. Brad, Adam, Greg, Jason, Derick. So there was sure to be some fire works. At the start 2 guys launched off the front and were gone. The leader stayed away for the win, the second guy blew himself up. As for Brad, Adam, Greg and myself, we were locked wheel to wheel and Greg was setting a blistering pace. Our first lap was 33 mins and some change. This was up there with the top lap times of all the expert classes. Then at the end of the 2nd lap, my rear tire was getting squishy. OH NO! Not now. I decided that it may just be a slow leak and decided to drop out of the top 5 group and hit it with CO2. It was firm again and I took off. 5 mins later the quick link in my chain popped off. I could not believe it. I jumped off to see if the chain just fell off and quickly found it was apart. I then noticed that my slow leak turned into a complete flat. So that was it. My top 5 dreams for the day were shattered, and so was my morale. I walked out of the woods and took a DNF. I finished 8th out of 22 that qualified for the series overall. So I guess that's not too bad in my first year of expert. If I did not have the bike issues, I seriously felt I could have contended for a top 3 in the race, and 5th overall for the series. Oh well, that is racing. But man am I feeling strong. With CX just a few weeks away, I am really feeling ready to mix it up in the B-class.

There was still some good of the day. Nolan completed his 3 USAC XC race with a 4th place! This was enough to give him the podium for 3rd place overall in the series for Beginner men 10 and under. He rode great. Climbed several hills he had previously never made it up, and push as hard as he could the whole time. Way to go bud.

Finally notes and congrats

Brian Crook -- congrats 3rd overall in expert 30-39 in his first year as expert!
Tom and Shawn -- 1st and 2nd in the Sport men 35-39. See you boys next year.
Brad, Adam, Greg. You guys killed it Sunday! Brad way to grab 5th even with a broken pedal.

Doing Battle at the Fort

2009-08-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

The 2nd to last race of the Tailwind XC MTB racing series for this year was one of my favorite places to ride and race. Fort Custer State Rec area. This place has everything you could ever wish for in a MTB trail. And as the Cyclocross season approaches, this is the perfect race to test how my training has been going. The course is a 14 mile loop for a 1 hr max effort TT. In a nut shell it went OK. I felt like a million bucks before, during and after the race. But I did have some issues.

For starters, I could not stay on the bike in the first race and this basically caused me to lose too much time overall to be a real contender. The first stop was in the trenches. The guy that went off with me in the start house crashed and looked like he broke his wrist. Since it was about 2-3 inches from where it should have been placed on his arm. When I seen this I slammed on the brakes and focused my attention on making sure there was nothing else seriously wrong with him or that he did not go into shock. I asked him several time if he needed me to help him out or go and get help. He declined every time. When I was finally convinced that he would be OK on his own and declined my last offer of help, I started racing again. I finally got a good groove going again, and was hitting speeds of 20 mph in some sections of flat single track. About half way through I caught the edge of a sandy off camber down hill and the sand let go throwing me to the ground. Ouch! Did and quick inventory and got back on. Found my rhythm again and pushed as hard as I could. Then I began to pick a few folks off. Sweet! I am rocking. I got about 2 miles away from the finish and was on this dudes wheel. We started to go down hill and I caught a small tree with my handlebar. I did not completely crash, But I did hit hard enough to spin my handlebars about 6 inches off of center. I tried to finish the race with crooked handlebars but it was not working. So I stopped again to straighten them out. I finally finished in a time of 1:04. Not bad considering. It was faster than last year's time and the course was about a 1/2 mile longer. But I feel if I could have stayed moving the whole time I would have came in at 1:03 or even 1:02. Maybe next year.

But my day was not over. This was after all just another training day for CX right? So I entered the Single Speed race. This race went much better in terms of rhythm. I stayed upright the entire time. I was only able to manage a 1:08 on the clock. I pushed a 34x16, so maybe a different choice of gears would have helped. But in the end, I still think it was a solid time on a tough course to race 2 times in a day on. And the best part -- I felt like a million bucks.

Pontiac Lake XC

2009-08-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

HOT! That is was. And at 90 degrees, my first goal of the day was try not and cramp. So I guess I hit my goal since I did not cramp at all, and the rest of the day went well also. There was a large field today in Expert 30-39. 19 total. Most of us were surprised at the size, because it seemed like there were only 20 cars in the lot before the start. So it went something like this.

After good warm up, we lined up. I was already sweating like crazy. The temps were already in the 80's at start time. The whistle blew and we were off. I decided to line up in the back and pick off folks as I went about my business. I hooked up early with Greg Donnie, Brad Lako, Adam Naish, and Jason the OX! We had a good pace line going and Greg and Brad were putting out a blistering pace that the rest of us could not hold on. Then it was Adam, Jason, and myself. Adam quickly peeled off the back. By this time, we were finishing up the first lap. Jason, put a gap on me by about 30 seconds as the 40+ guys came steam rolling by. I finished the first lap with a personal best time of 43 mins! I was stoked about that, but there were still 2 more laps to go. I caught Jason again about 4 miles into the 2nd lap. Passed him on the big climb and put a small gap into him, for a hot second. He said he was whipped, but I wish I could still ride like him when I am whipped. I Felt very strong and consistent for the rest of the race. My last 2 laps were 46 and 49 mins. Not bad, especially on such a tough course and with temps in the 90's on the last lap.

Coming home on the last lap, Jason was still on my tail. We battled back and forth, but I tried to put the gas on when I could to drop him. It didn't work very well. Until about the last 2 miles. Knowing I was still feeling good and would not cramp, I pushed up the last 2 large hills with all I could. On the final switch back climb, I could not see him. I popped it up in the big ring and sprinted home. 10 place. Not bad for a tough day.

This was the first race on the 29er Superfly. The bike handled awesome. I could really lay it in the corners, accelerate nicely on the flats, glide over the rocks and roots, and hammer up the climbs. Very Happy!!!!

As I am 100% into my training for cyclocross, it is going very well. In fact, I think my CX training even helped me out for today's race. I am doing 2 week builds with 1 week rest, and my body seems to be handling the stress better than when I was doing 3 week builds with 1 week rest. So live and learn. But for now the focus is on hard interval at short efforts, and power!

My next stop will be the Fort Custer TT. I am looking forward to this race as it is a favorite place for me to ride. In addition, it will only be 1 hr long. Right up my alley! This will also be a good gauge to see where my fitness is with Cyclocross in a few weeks. Furthermore, I feel this is my last and only real chance of cracking the podium 1 last time for the mountain bike season.... But we will have to wait and see.

Thanks again to Steve Balogh for letting me use the picture!

My New Big Boy Bike!

2009-08-02T16:47:00.000-07:00

I finally done it. I joined the big wheeled revolution. I could not resist any longer and jumped on the 29er bandwagon. After a seeing what the big wheels have done for some fellow racers, and hearing their testimonials, I jumped in with both feet. One of the reason I have held out for so long was giving up my 21.5 pound Giant XTC C1 carbon racer for a clunky 25+ pound 29er. But then in the last few years Gary Fisher came out with the Superfly and now getting a light weight 29er for a good price seemed reasonable. Admittedly, I have never been a Fisher fan, but come on, if you don't think a Superfly is not sexy you kidding yourself. So after stripping the XTR drive train of the Giant, and dropping some cash on some lite weight carbon goodies, I was able to build up a 23 lb. 29er race rig. This thing has enough carbon fiber to make a European Sports car Jealous! As mentioned above, I transferred a lot of stuff over from the Giant. But with out going into to much detail here are some of the new highlights of the build

Mavic Crossmax 29ers
Raceface Next Carbon crank (Only 730 grams with BB!)
FSA OS 99 Carbon Stem (Super lite)
Avid Juicy Ultimate Brakes (In Sexy white!)

Now if I can only buy a set of legs and lungs....enjoy!

Stony Creek TT

2009-07-31T22:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, was the Stony Creek TT. Man how I am missing the Tailwind TT series. The reason I like TT's so much is the more I race, the more I am realizing I like to go as hard as I possibly can, I just want to do it in a short amount of time. Like a cyclocross race! Stony is about all that is left of the original series (at least this year with the economy) and now it is entirely apart of the MMBA CPS series with Tailwind's help. So with that in mind, I am not in the CPS points race, so this race really didn't mean much for me other than to go have a good time and get in a good TT race with a good size field. But I also wanted to mix things up a bit and decided to do it on my Cyclocross pit bike. Nothing like a little early CX training - right?

When I took off I felt great! I was burning up the flat grassy section right before you enter the single track. Got to the first river crossing, dismounted trotted through the creek and back on the saddle. Yeah! Just like a real CX race! Then it was through the pines into the double track and I thought, I am rocking this bike today! Then came the "Roller Coaster". This is when I realized that my choice of bikes may not have been the best idea. I felt every rock, root, and bump. The little 1 inch tires were squirmy in the corners and not forgiving on the steep descents. I could not tell you how many times I could hear the rear rim bottom out on rocks or roots. And I would just wait for the pssssss sound to come after. But it never did. I still rode smart and limited my risk through the single track so that I would make it out in one piece. Even though riding the CX bike through the single track was brutal and sketchy, it was a blast at the same time! And the effort can only improve my bike handling skills for the coming months. After the single track was complete, it was time for the 2nd river crossing. I dismounted early and put the bike on my shoulder and began to run over the huge tree that crossed the trail and then through the small creek. I did not preride the course this year and failed to remember that there was a decent size section of single track before the actual 2nd creek crossing. So thinking it was only a few yards, I continued to run with my bike on my shoulder down the single track. I was starting to lose so huge chunks of time and then realized This was not the best method. I put the bike back down and rode to the creek. By this time, I had already ran off 1/2 the single track. Oh well. I ran through the creek jumped on my bike and pushed as hard as I could all the way back to the finish line. I managed to take 7th place out of 14 racers, and put up a 56 min lap. Not bad on a 'cross bike!

On another note, Nolan raced his 2nd MTB race and this time it was 12 miles long! He did a great job and climbed like a billy goat and descended like a rock. He challenged himself the whole way by making it up hills that he was never able to complete, and going down hills he would have walked in the past. As a result, he took home 3rd place for his 2nd race in a row! But the Osgood racing doesn't stop there, My 3 year old daughter Makenna tore it up in the kids race. Just like her big brother, she is starting young and dialing in her skills early. I am sure I will be writing about her results very soon.

My favorite results for the day -

Jason Melecosky - Taking 5th without hardly racing this year. This is why we call you OX.
Jim Goerlich - 1st Place in sport SS! Way to go Jim.
Joe Gilbert - 2nd place like a diesel engine week after week!
Tom and Shawn -- WOW! This is becoming a great battle to watch. And to think, we still have CX season ahead of us....

Nolan's first USAC Race!

2009-07-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

In his ripe old age of 7, my son Nolan completed his first official USAC XC Mountain bike race at Big-M ski/mtb trails in the Manistee National forest. In addition to completing the race, he was also able to stand on the 3rd step of the podium! I'm sure getting that first taste of the podium will make him hungry for more, as he already has his sights on the Stony Creek TT this weekend.

Leading up to the race, he was very excited and looking forward to going "up North" for a quick weekend get away, and a chance for him to not only do his first "Big People" race, but also ride his bike in a trail that he has never been on before. As we lined up he made sure I was ready and behind him. The whistle blew and we took off. He was setting a good pace through the first part of the fast single track and then he discovered sand. A small crash from locking up the brakes and he was up and ready for the next challenge. We made sure to yield to all the other racers by allowing them to pass. And I was impressed with Nolan for always listening for other racers coming up behind him, and then looking for the best option to get out of their way. And after most of the riders passed, he would yell out encouragement to them, like "your doing good", "keep going", or my favorite, "these hills hurt". I think we can all learn a little trail etiquette from a 7 year old. I was also impressed with his desire to try and clean all the climbs. He did very well and a few of them I could not believe he actually made it to the top! He descended very well also. Always looking for the best line and making sure his speed was in control.

As we made our way down the last hill and into the final straight, the crowd was full of cheer. And like a true racer, he found some more energy deep inside from the response of the crowd and managed to make a big push for the line sprinting all the way home. Way to go buddy!

As for my race, I give myself a C. I put out better times than last year (except for the last lap in which I crashed near the finish and then coasted home). But I felt a little flat of the climbs and flats. My bike handling is rasor sharp right now, so I hope as I get stronger, my results will improve. This is a quick base 3 for me as I ramp up for CX season. But I really need to work on my power and riding near my threshold. I finished 8th out of 9th.

Notables and congrats --

Tom and Shawn -- You guys just keep getting better and better. See you both at the big boy starting line soon.
JB -- Looking rock solid. You look like your on par with your CX training.
Brain -- Taking 4th on someone else's bike. But at least it was a good bike (Way to go plastic!)
Brad -- The human hamster. Thanks for handing it to me on the last lap.
Mike Wizzz.... -- 1st in elite! Look forward to seeing you tear up the CX courses again this year.

Stony Death March

2009-06-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

For 3 years this race has haunted me. Severe cramps, 2 flat tires, and over training. So this year I wanted it to be different. I was not looking for a win or even a podium, I just wanted to finish! And finish with out any mechanicals or cramps. I wanted to beat Stony itself! Of all 3 years, this 4th year would be the toughest Stony XC Marathon yet for me. Now that I am racing expert, my mileage would increase from just over 40 to 63 and some change. Going into the race, a couple things crossed my mind. The longest ride I had done this year on my mountain bike was 40 miles, and the longest mountain bike ride I have ever done was 60 -- and that was not a race. So I was expecting to feel some pain. But would I survive?

I felt great at the start. This was my last week of my "race" period so if I was going to perform at my best, this would be the week to do it. The first 2 laps I felt like a rock star! And my bike handling was finally razor sharp for the first time this year. I stuck to the wheel of Brad Lako and Greg Donnie. We caught Adam Naish, and finally dropped Greg. I thought I may be having a race of a lifetime. The pace was not phasing me. Then Adam said he would not be able to hold Brad's pace for the entire race and decided to back off (Smart move by Adam). I stayed back with Adam, but then decided to try and catch back to Brad's wheel. But could not. I put a gap in Adam again, but he soon caught back up. We talk a bit and decided if we both had the legs we would work together like many times before. As we made our way to the pines on the 3 lap, my legs started to feel it. I told Adam, I was not sure I would be able to hold on and told him to go. Him did. Soon out of sight, I was by myself. This killed my morale, but I still had my basic goals to go after. My neck shoulders and wrist were killing me. But I pushed on. Around the end of lap 4, Greg caught and passed me. And I still pushed on. As much as I wanted to quit, I told myself I would not unless I began to cramp. But I never did. After each lap, I would see other racers fixing chains, rubbing cramps out of thighs and I thought if I could just push through a lot of other guys would DNF and this would improve my chances of cracking the top 10. It worked! 8 guys in my class DNF'ed. I am glad I stuck to my guns as I was awarded 7th place out of 15. It was not my most stellar performance, but as I saw a few weeks ago at Ruby, my team mate Todd Shorkey stuck out his race with a bent wheel that had duct taped spokes to earn his first podium ever. Thanks for the inspiration Todd. I will never give up so easily in a race, because anything truly can happen.

My hats off for some awesome performances by the follow folks. YOU GUYS ROCKED!
Adam Naish -- 3rd (his highest expert podium so far!)
Brad Lako -- 5th (Finally cracking the top 5 in the toughest MTB race in the Tailwind series!)
Greg Donnie -- 6th (What a come back!)
Tom Payn -- 1st (I am gald I could help! You were flying)
Shawn Schaffert 2nd (You were riding like a freight train! Great job!)

Things learned --

Don't train for 20-30 miles for 60+ mile mountain bike events and call it your "A" race.
I would rather line up for a 45 min cross race than a 5 1/2 hour mountain bike race.
I am starting not to like mountain bike races that are longer than 30 miles. So we will see if I do this race next year.
I finally got my nutrition and hydration down during a race. No cramps!

Well it is time for a nice week off the bike. I will be leaving for my out of start bike trip in a few weeks to New Hampshire, Vermont, and possibly a day in Maine. This will be the beginning of base 3 for me as I start my training for Cyclocross in a few months! That is when my real season begins....

My First Expert Podium! - Ruby XC

2009-06-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's home field advantage, but I finally got to taste my first expert level podium with 5th place at the Tailwind USAC Ruby Campground XC race. This is the beloved "Ruby Trail Project" that we (Team Sandbag) take care of and is one of the most technical MTB trails in Michigan! You either love it or hate it. This is MTB racing old school style. Super steep climbs like "Lance" and "The Wall". Puckering descents like "Ruby's Remorse", "Out-house Hill", and the "Wash-out". Handle bar wide single track. Enough twist and turns to make a plate of spaghetti look straight, and then there is the unpredictable water crossings. Oh yeah, this is Ruby and we love it. However, mother nature was not kind to Ruby this year. Before the race several re-routes had to be cut and much of the trail was washed away. Thanks to Lee Tremp for giving up his time and hard work to make this palce ridable for not only Team Sandbag, but for everyone that came out and raced Your efforts gave all the racers a positive experience about what "Ruby Trail Project" is all about!

So I guess it was finally going to be my day to see where my training has taken me. And what better way to do it in my backyard, and arguably the toughest race course on the Tailwind USAC State Championship circuit. I was a little nerved up knowing we would have a lot of folks watching and cheering around every corner (Ruby is very spectator friendly!!). In addition, I was not feeling 100% but felt like I would be able to give my best effort. I lined up with my heart pounding and just tried to focus. The goal at the start of Ruby is to be in at least the first 5 places going into the single track. So the whistle blew and we sprinted down the 500 meter gravel road. Instantly my heart pegged and I hit my first goal of the day. I was sitting in about 5th position into the single track. I tried to calm down but the lead group put the hammer down and never let off. I fell off the back a little, but maintained my pace. I was actually starting to put in a good size gap between the folks behind me. Around the 2nd lap my team mate Todd Powers fell of the lead group and joined me for the 2nd and 3rd lap. Todd helped motivating me by yelling insults about my riding style and proving to me that my handling is terrible by catching me after all the technical single track parts. You see, Todd has trained this year by doing 12 oz curls with rice beer and has a sprained ankle. But you get him at Ruby in a race and he is like a dog trying to hump your leg -- He don't stop! God Bless you Brother, and Thanks! So about half way through the 3rd lap, My good ol' friend Adam Naish Caught me. Dammit, he has my number this year. I rode with Adam for about another 3/4 of a lap and he finally pulled away. He was much stronger than me and way more smooth than I was through all the turns. However, this was enough for me to pull ahead of Todd and keep the gap. On the beginning of the 4th lap, I could feel the cramps beginning in tops of my quads. It was manageable, But I ran up some of the climbs like Lance and the top of The Wall to try and control them. It was enough to keep my distance from the rest of the field and hang onto 5th!

This is great for my confidence and with 60 miles of the Stony Marathon in a few weeks. I need all the confidence I can get. My lap times were strong and consistent. 27, 27, 28 and 29. The cramps took a little wind out of my sail on the last lap. But that was a result of the other weakness I still need to improve upon this year -- Climbing power. I just finished up my peak for training, and am now into my race period for a few weeks. Time to see what I can do in my "A" race at Stony.

I have a long shout out list so here we go --

Brian Crook 2nd - place, slow down so I can catch you!
Todd Powers 6th - Even though your all beat up and out of shape you still haul the mail!
Todd Shorkey 5th - First ever podium! And did it with a duct-taped spoke and taco-ed wheel! Way to stick it out!
Paul Wood 3rd - Best ever Expert podium finish!
Tom Payn 1st - Great job!
Ben Miller 2nd on the SS! Way to haul it Ben!
Todd Lawrence 2nd -- In your first ever MTB Race!
Masher -- Finished -- First MTB race in 20 yrs! We still love you mike.

(Thanks again Steve Balogh for use of the picture, and great job in the race!)

(Thanks to Chris Gho for allowing me to use the 2 bottom pictures! Great work!)

Brighton Stage Race

2009-06-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

The Brighton Stage race is one of my favorite events in the Tailwind USAC XC Mountain Bike race series. You get a very old school technical rooty twisty single track trail of "Torn Shirt", the cyclocross flavor of the short track race, and the roller coaster fast trail of "Murray Lake Loop" all in one weekend. In the past I have done well in the stage race, and with my Build 2 complete and heading into my first peak week I was feeling good and ready to try and put up some respectable results.

Day 1 -- Torn Shirt 6 mile Time trial. I felt good through the entire race, but was not as clean as I should have been through some of the turns and short climbs. But I was able to shave off over 1 min. from my previous best time and snag 6th place out of 9. I'll take it. Then later in the day, it was on to the short track race.

Coming off of a real good cyclocross season, I was really looking forward to the short track race. I even brought along the cross bike just to top it off. In fact, I think about 50% of the field was on cross bikes. That was sweet! it was a mass start with 55 elite and expert racers all lined up and ready to sprint. I got to the line a little late and was forced near the back of the pack about 10 rows. Ouch! The whistle blew and I was off. I did not hold back anything. I picked my way through the pack all the way to the front. From there I continued to pass people every chance I got. I passed a lot of great racers. I'm talking about folks I felt I had no business passing in any race. And this just fueled me to keep trying to go faster. Throughout the race, my lap times got faster. And by my last lap, I was coming up on the tail end of the elite racers. I was able to snag 4th place this time and this really helped my confidence knowing that with a little more work, I can hang with the folks in expert.

Day 2 -- The Murray Lake XC race. Last year I cramped severely and this caused me to give up the overall lead for the series. So I wanted to perform better than I did the year before. I did not crack the top 5 but I did learn a lot and had a very solid race in which to build the rest of my season upon. My lap times were very consistent. at 36/36/37/37. I have struggled for 3 years to be this consistent. And my last lap felt just as strong as my first. I just need to go faster. The big difference from sport to expert is these guys can carve single track and descents like nothing I have ever seen before. I would be scared to go that fast on my bike through the woods! WOW! But I now know what I need to work on. I was rewarded with 10th place out of 18 for my efforts. So I accomplished one of my goals of at least cracking the top 10 in an expert race. I figured this is not too bad considering 5 of the guys that beat me only raced on Sunday. So if I had fresh legs could I have climbed up a few spots??? We will never know.

Overall I had a very solid weekend and am happy with my results. I even finished 5th out of 9 for the overall stage. So I will take it, as it puts me back into the points race.

Finally, great job to Brain Crook for his 2nd place, keep going! Brad Lako for his 3rd overall! Paul Wood for his 5th in the overall! Pete Thompson for his 2 second beating of me in the short track! And Mike Riffe for his great time he put up on Torn Shirt!

See you all next at Ruby!

(Thanks Steve Balogh for the great picture!)

Bloomer XC - DNF

2009-05-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

I got my first taste of expert racing XC style Sunday at the Tailwind USAC Bloomer XC race. I felt good in the first 2 laps putting up a 31 and 32 min lap. This was off the pace of the top 5. But I was actually in the top 5 group for about 1 lap maybe a little longer. Then I started to fall off the pace a little. Not knowing how my body would responded to the extra lap in expert, I think I was holding back a little. I was feeling good on the climbs and putting in some good power on the flats and actually making up ground at several points in the race. But for what every reason, my bike handling would slow me down in the corners and down hills. Maybe I have been faking it all these years in sport and beginner. Now I have to learn how to ride my bike all over again to compete with the experts.

About 1/2 way through my 3rd lap, I flatted. This killed my morale. I fixed it, but was only able to get about 15-20psi to hold in the tire. And it was the rear tire. This made for trying to go fast through the single track miserable. So I finished up the 3rd and called it quits. My first DNF in my 4 years of racing.

Overall I think the way I felt on the bike was good. This was a "C" race for me again, so I was not totally disappointed with my result. Just another training day. I am now on another much needed rest week heading into the Brighton Stage Race next weekend. Furthermore, this week will complete Build 2 and the week after the Brighton race will throw me into my peak! With the extra rest this week I am hoping to put in a good effort for all 3 legs of the Brighton Stage race and get some respectable results. Then during my peak and race weeks which will include Ruby XC and the Stony XC Marathon, I am hoping the results of my 22 weeks of periodization training thus far will kick in and then it will be -- game on!

Great job by my team mates. TSB had 4 racers all racing expert. TP and Coach way to finish strong. And way to go Brian for bringing home another podium spot!

Build 2 - "Slight Change in Plans"

2009-05-03T18:20:00.001-07:00

I start build 2 tomorrow, and I am going to kick it off in style with "Have Mercy". 2 hrs of near max to max effort intervals on the trainer. Waaaaahoooooo! I have also decided to change my plans for build 2 and my peak. The original plan was to make Ruby my A race and then carry that fitness into the Stony Marathon. This caused me to cut my Build 2 a week short, and peak a little earlier and also catch the Brighton Stage race in the mix. But with all the rain, and the fact that parts of Ruby are still underwater from the creek, I have decided to make Ruby a B race. I figured I am not going to waste a peak for a race that could either be postponed, or be decided by overall conditions and not by who has the best physical conditioning. So with that idea in mind, I pick up another build week. I catch Brighton on my last recovery week of Build 2. And I put all my chips in for the Stony Marathon as my "A" race.

I am Just finishing up my Build 1, and finishing that up with a much needed recovery week. I am feeling better. Look forward to some harder training. And feel like the power is coming back. It is going to be a long 4 weeks. But depending on how effective I train, and how well I recover will make or back my peak and race periods in the end.

Pontiac Lake TT

2009-04-30T18:06:00.001-07:00

I finally got my first USAC Expert (Cat 1) mountain bike race under my belt, and I have mixed emotions about my results. So here is the cliff notes version of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Leading up the the race, I was just finishing up 3 weeks of Build 1 and I trained all through the week to make sure I would get in 8.0 hrs of training for the race. So Going in I was a little tired. But come race day, I was feeling good and the warm-up went well also. I lined up and went off. I stuck with the guy that went off with me up until the first big climb. I caught a log with my pedal and almost rolled down the hill backwards. And for the rest of the 2 laps I felt like I had no power on the climbs or pushing the big gears on the flats. After I finished, I checked my results. 48 min first lap, and a 49 min 2nd lap. I was expecting to be somewhere between 44-47 mins. So I was a little disappointed. I finished 16th out of around 20 riders. But my day was not over. I jumped in the Expert Single Speed class for 1 more race. I was really feeling it right out the gate, but overall I felt the same as the last race. No power, but my heart rate or breathing never spiked. I was able to make it through the entire course and finish. Another 49 min lap. And this time I got 15th! What a day.

The good of the day -- My lap times were very consistent, even though they were slow. My HR and breathing remained under control and I felt like I could have done and few more "slow" laps. So I know the endurance side of my training is on track. But I should not be surprised, I have just started working on the anaerobic intervals, and power intervals, for my training so I hope to do better at Bloomer in a few weeks. This is a much needed rest week for myself and I have taken full advantage thus far. I start Build 2 next week and one of my old Jedi Masters have made contact with me once again and has been helping me put together a workout plan to get me through build 2. So stay tuned.

BTW, kudos goes out to Brian Crook for taking top 5 in his first USAC Expert race. Way to go! I hope to join you soon.

FRCC #3 -- "Trying to be Billy Bad-ass"

2009-04-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the last FRCC Spring Fling training road race, so now it is time to move onto Mountain Bike racing. The race went well again, in terms of training. And the results were OK too. Brain Crook and I were the only Sandbaggers to make it out again, and we had the same plans -- go like hell and see what happens. This last race had the largest field size of the 3 and was by far the most talented C-race we have competed in thus far. There were 25 folks in the class, and the race came down to a bunch sprint of about 14 or so racers.

So this is how it went. A large group assembled early in the race, and stayed that way for the entire race. There were no attacks, but the overall speed did remain high for the entire race. So on the last lap, I was sitting in the front. We got to the last climb with about 3/4 of a mile to go, and I decided to attack. I thought to myself, either I am going to blow the field apart, or blow up at the line, And hey this is training right? So lets see how my anaerobic threshold is coming along. As I pulled away, I was topping speeds of 28 and 29 MPH! I had a good gap too. As I turned one of the last few corners, I hit the 20 MPH head wind. With my legs already burning with lactic acid, and my heart rate pegged, my speed slowed to 23 MPH. Then it happened. One, then two racers passed me. I kicked it up a notch, then tried to stand for the sprint -- but could not, my legs were screaming with pain!!!! I hit my limit and finished 7th. Not bad, I found out what my limits were to help focus on further training, and still finished top 10 in a field of 25. Brain, was a little smarter. He stayed near the front of the pack and attacked in the sprint and finished 4th. Way to go Brian!

I guess that is what I get for trying to be Billy Bad-ass!

Build 1

2009-04-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

I am now into my 1st build week and what a way to kick it off with 9.0 hrs of training! I have to be on the bike everyday unless I find the time to knock out a few couple of hour long rides. But I have to say, this training plan is going great and I am right on track! With last week being my rest week and also, doing the FRCC #2 road race, it was the perfect time to test my fitness and figure out what direction I would be heading into Build 1. I found that my endurance is on track, my speed skill has improved. Next steps, I am ready to start building my muscular endurance, and climbing (force/power). In doing so, I plan on hitting the trail a lot more since the weather has been clearing up, Continue long road rides, and fill the rest of my riding in by sitting on the trainer. I have 3 Spinerval DVD's that I will be either introducing or continue using during this time.

Mental Toughness
Bending Crank Arms
Have Mercy

These should get me where I need to be for Build 2! When I can't get out and ride, I will also continue to use my "Aero Base III " DVD and my CTS "Climbing" DVD as needed. And if the weather is really crappy I have a few more DVD tricks up my sleeve so we will see....

I have been keeping my weight down, but I thought I would be a lighter at this point. I am 184 lbs. But overall my legs and upper body are a lot stronger than they were over the past 2 years since losing 50 lbs. So I figured my weight is the same, but my percentage of body fat is lower. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. All I know is I feel great and am ready to start rocking out some Expert Mountain Bike Races!

FRCC Spring Fling #2

2009-04-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well, this has been my much needed rest week for Base 3, and I have grown accustom to the 2nd shift hours and actually got 6 hrs of sleep before the race. So with that, it was time for race #2 of the Flying Rhino's Spring Fling Series. And I actually performed at a level I feel I should have. No, I am not a 100% yet, but I can say I am on track with my training schedule. And today was nothing more than a test of my fitness. Or otherwise -- a training day. But I did have good results.

Over the past week, I have either picked up a nagging cold, or have allergies. Sore throat, stuffy nose -- All out miserable. But there was racing to be done. The plan for today was to do the C- race only since we do not carry a USAC road licence to compete in the B-race, and then let loose. Right from the beginning of the race, Brain and I help blow the field apart and put a huge gap into the race in the first lap. There was a OSU rider that eventually won that we rode with, but it was obvious that he would be the strong man of the day. So we found 2 other guys and paced each other throughout the rest of the race. The pace remained high. Somewhere around 20 mph for the entire 30 mins. My heart rate was around 181-186 for most of the race. The 20+ mph head wind out of the North did not help matters either, but it did add to the training aspect of the race. Overall, today's race felt more like a 30 min TT than a road race. With 2 laps to go, Brian and I were still leading and pacing the front guys other than the leader. We tried to make a small attach on the last climb but the other 2 guys held their own. We came up upon the last 1/4 mile. One of the guys made a move and pulled ahead. I tried to bridge the gap but could not real in the last 25 yrds. Then Brian, and the other guy that we were pace lining with all were in a dead heat sprint for 3rd place. At the line with probably less than 1 inch of tire to decide, I got 3rd, Brain got 4th, and 5th went to the other guy. FUN FUN FUN! The race officials actually had to review the finish line video tape to see what position we came in. SWEEEEEET!

The good news is, I am on track with my fitness. I feel 100% better than the last race, and we got a good solid loop in at Pontiac Lake after the race. What a great weekend.

Thanks Curt for letting me steal your pictures again!

FRCC Spring Fling #1

2009-03-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the "bike" racing season finally started, but not on a mountain bike, but rather a road bike. I plan on doing the Flying Rhino Spring Fling Training series in preparation for the kick off of my mountain bike racing campaign starting at Pontiac Lake April 26th. I figured this is a great way to get in some good training hrs/miles at a race pace and atmosphere and to get me off the trainer and out doors! Brian Crook and myself were the only baggers that made it out for the first race. And thankfully mother nature was kind. It was cold and windy, but the sun was shining so overall we could not have asked for any better conditions in March. The plan was to race in the C race (30 mins plus 2 laps) and then the B race (50 mins plus 2 laps). Well I had some incorrect information, and found out that we could not use our MTB licence and we would be able to sit in on the B race but not compete. Well it got really screwed up from there, so I will not bore you with the details. So this is how my day went.

At the start of the C race, I felt like crap. I have recently started 2nd shift, been working OT and got about 4 hrs of sleep the night before. So needless to say it has all caught up to me. But I did manage a few attacks and was able to practice drafting. With the 1/2 hour mark approaching the official pulled us in the last 2 laps, and then we waited it out the start the B race.

At the start of the B race, I was feeling a little better. There was 43 folks in the class and they all could actually handle their bikes unlike the chaos of the C race. This is the first time I can say I have actually been in a "peleton" and it was an awesome experience. We were averaging around 25 MPH for most of the race, and you could just feel the power generating from the group of that many riders that it made pedaling effortless at time. It is really hard to explain in words... As the race went on, I began to feel tired again. Brian put in an attach about 1/2 way in with 3 other riders and stayed away for about 15 mins. That was a good experience for him. 1 to learn to work with other riders in a breakaway. And 2, appreciate the speed and experience of a 40 plus peleton chasing you down. With 2 laps to go I thought I was going to bonk and the legs were feeling dead. 1/2 way through the last lap the main group finally spit me out the back and my day was done. No fireworks for me today, but I did get in some good training. 2 hrs in the saddle and 41 miles of racing! Brian faird much better. Not sure where he actually ended up, but it was somewhere in the middle. Way to go Brian. Great job on your first road race!

We will be back at it again next Saturday for race #2 of 3. And there will be more TSB'ers joining the party! Sounds like the making for a great weekend!!!!!

My first 5K

2009-03-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well lets start out with the end of a story that most of you all ready know...

...The young bull runs as fast as he can down the hill, and ***** the first female he sees. The the old bull says, "why would I want to run, when I can walk down the hill and **** all of them?!"

All my life I have not liked running. I have been very slow at it. I dreaded field days in elementary, hated doing sprints in gym class. Hey, I even ran bases slow in baseball which was my passion growing up. But almost all of my running has revolved around short sprints, the fastest wins kind of running. So now that I am in my 30's, have had some success on my bikes, and decided that why not try a 5k next. All these thoughts came back to me - I hate running and have never been good at it!. But I have never been in shape or been training for anything physical before, especially endurance events until I started bike racing. So this is different, I am not a runner, but a 5k is not necessarily a "sprinters" event. With that in mind, my whole focus changed leading into this race. So like the story above, a 5K is not necessary who is the fastest, but who can maintain the longest, and conserve until the end.... so why would I want to run, when I can walk down the hill and **** all of them?"

Here were my goals for the day.

1. I wanted to have fun, and hang out with my boys on the TSB / Just Finish.com crew
2. Perfect cross training before I switch gears with my training to 100% on the bike
3. Gauge my fitness level for my training thus far
4. Podium? Was it possible?
5. Break 20 mins? Am I dreaming?
6. Break my old thoughts about me as a runner and do the absolute best race I could!

So Here I am, probably the best shape of my life lining up at the front of the starting line. The horn blows and were off. WOW, these people mean business. Right off the bat, my heart rate pegged and my stride instantly slowed down. About the first mile in I was able to recover and pick the pace back up. By now, the men and the boys were slowly separating to the freaks of nature, the fit, and the OMG hang on. I was in the front of the middle of these and doing well. I maintained a good even pace, with the help of my Bud Curt V. (thanks bro!) and turned the last corner into the final stretch. There were 2 guys only a few hundred yards ahead that past me early on. I tired to turn it up to catch them and actually started to real them in. But it was too much, If I pushed any harder I would have puked on the course. So I backed off and focused on just finishing within my limits. As I approached the finishing chute, I spotted the clock and saw the time as I crossed the line.

21:55!

I was very happy with this time. Later, I found out that this was good enough to snag 2nd place for men 30-34! My first running podium (of my life!)

In addition, TSB was well represented, and we had a great time! Todd P (2nd) Ben (1st beat me!) Paul (4th) Brian S. (6 in the 10 k Big Boy race) Jason (28 min time with no training) Lee (some where around 30 mins, and finished on pure desire!) and Curt V. (my bud 1st and did it just pushing me along in my race!)

GREAT DAY! AND GREAT JOB GUYS

Base 3

2009-03-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

So with my final week of Base 2 winding down, it's time to reflect on how Base 2 went for me. I just finished up my largest week of volume/hours with 8.5. It is very tough for me to find the time to squeeze this amount of training time into a week, but I got it done. My largest week scheduled for the year will be 9.0 hours, so knowing that I completed 8.5 hours, helps me know that I can manage 9.0. Most of my Base 2 training consisted of more Aerobic Base training rides with the help of my Spinervals "Aero -Base Builder III" DVD. After I would complete this DVD I would add another 30 mins of riding to it. So most of my trainer rides have been in the 90 min range. I also, started to add in some force workouts by using my CTS Climbing video. Continued my speed skill workouts. And Finally, I even squeezed in one of my favorite Spinerval DVDs "Bending Crank Arms" to start the transition from weight training to Muscular Endurance training on the bike. Basically this DVD consist of Big gear training 50%, and then off the bike with Iso squats for the other 50%. THIS WORK OUT MAKES YOU HURT! There is no other way to describe it. As I transition into my Build periods, this will be one of my go to workouts.

Overall Base 2 went very well. I completed all my workout hours. I am able to ride at a higher cadence with a lower heart rate, for a longer period of time. My legs are physically stronger, and I have been recovering like a champ! In addition, I am back down to 184 lbs!

With Base 3, it will be more of the same. Focus on longer endurance rides, and add in a few more force and muscular endurance workouts. I have cut out 1 week of Base 3 which otherwise would have lasted 4 weeks. This allows me to complete 8 solid weeks of Build 1 & 2 and peak in time before my first "A" priority race -- Ruby Campground XC! So we will see how that works out.

On a final note, I will be doing my 1st ever 5k this Saturday (March 14th) in Port Huron. It is the 7th Annual Leprechaun Loop Sponsored by the Local YMCA. I have been doing stairs and running as part of my cross training this year, so with the fitness I have gained, I figured it was a logical decision to use this 5k for more training and to test my fitness with some good ol' competition before the actual bike racing season starts up. I did a practice loop on the course yesterday, and came in around 25 mins. and felt I could have pushed it a lot harder. So now I am looking for a real good result come Saturday. Top five by age group gets medals. Do I have a chance at my first running podium??? Stay tuned for more.....

From Ashes to Glory... (Part 3)

2009-03-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

Introducing ...... "le bastard"

I thought this was a fitting name, since that's what it is, a bastardized roadie turned CX racer. I wanted to keep some of the original flare of the Schwinn. So I put the World Champ stripes back on the seat tube, and kind of kept with the "le" Tour name. But now it's a "le" bastard. I just love the way green and orange look together, so I was on a mission to get a hold of a pair of Michelin "green" Muds. I was able to get a new pair of Muds, and a new pair of "green" Sprints in the process. The Sprints are shown in the pictures. I think the old school tan gum walls really set off the vintage 1978 look of the frame. In addition to the green tires, I ordered some Celeste green bar tape that matched perfect! And of course I had my buddy TP do up the decals in the same color. You might be asking "what's up with the green Lions?" Nothing really. I wanted a cool looking old school head badge that looked prestigious, and thought that it gave it a Belgian CX flare without really saying -- Belgian CX. In my mind it makes sense. But either way it looks good.

I figured out with the parts I already had, some I brought, the welding, and powder coat, I have about $610 wrapped up into this project. Not bad for a fun, personalized, race ready machine.

Here is the build

1978 Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.2 frame
Mavic CXP wheels laced to 105 hubs
Michelin "green" Sprints (for dey days) and Muds (for the wet and slop)
FSA Gossamer Crankset with Surly 38 tooth SS ring

16 tooth BMX freewheel cog
SRAM 8 speed chain
Nashbar carbon cyclocross fork with 1 in steer tube (was only $125 bucks!)
Specialized Comp drop bars
Cinelli Green bar tape
Shimano Super SLR brake levers
Tekro Oryx Canti Brakes
Ritchey Comp Stem

Cane Creek C2 1 in. Head set (thanks Lee!)
Tekro long drop front cable hanger
Tekro bolt mounted rear cable hanger
Sette Race Ti Saddle
Rock Werks seat post (Thomson knock off)
Time Alum Pedals
Rock Werks BMX frame chain tensioners (Had to modify the rear drop out and tensioners to work on bike. But this was a good move. Can adjust chain a lot better and makes the ride more reliable.)

I can't wait for the weather to break and get out on this thing. In addition to this bike being my new Cyclocross Single Speed race machine, it is going to be my all around go to commuter and fun bike. I plan on picking up some cheap road tires in the spring, so let the fun begin!

From Ashes to Glory... (Part 2)

2009-02-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

Well I got the frame back from powder coating and it looks great! Even better than I expected. I went with Organic Orange and a clear powder coat over that with a metallic flake. The extra coat of clear will give it more durability and I could not resist the metallic flake to give it a deep sparkle, and to help with the overall bling factor. Here are a few pics of the results. Not bad for $75 bucks. Stay tuned... the final decals and build are coming soon!!!!

From Ashes to Glory....

2009-02-13T16:34:00.000-08:00

My winter project --

This time of year is rough for me. Its cold, I sit on my trainer for hours and hours, There is no racing going on, so I sit and think about racing, training, riding, and blinging out my bikes. As my mind wonders, it the blinging out my bikes part that gets me into trouble. I think about all the cool carbon fiber bits I could get to make me that much faster, the bike that much lighter, and of course that much sexier! It is this obsession that drains my wallet and puts more mental anguish on myself as I try to find ways to not only justifying spending hundreds or thousands of dollars, but ways to do it! So this year I decided to take on a different approach. I have been wanting to buy a cyclocross single speed, but like everything else -- I don't really need it or can afford it. So I thought, why not build one from scratch. The way they use to build cyclocross bikes. Take a road bike and bastardize it!!! So this is where I am at.

You can't start a traditional CX SS without using a frame for the era of building a bastardized CX'er the 70's. Before big name bike companies started offering off the shelf CX bikes in more recent years, you had 2 options. Have one custom built by your local frame builder, or convert a road bike. Option 2 was always the cheapest! So this is where it starts, with a donated 1978 Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.2 road frame (Thanks Dave T.) .....My journey begins.

The frame was a sexy red, but years of neglect, caused some minor rusting around the seat tube collar. I had to take off all the ancient components, and decided that the paint was rough enough along with the rust, that if I was going to take this project seriously I would need to have it stripped. So I took it into the shop for some "government work" and had the frame sand blasted. I was blown away by the quality of the bare frame. No deep rust or dents, and the brazing was unbelievable!

The next step in making a true CX'er was to add on the all important braze on Canti bosses on the rear triangle, and remove the chain stay cable stop, and relocate the brake cable stops from the bottom of the top tube to the top of the top tube for comfortable shouldering of the bike during hill run ups. Dave at BFB was able to order me a bag of braze-on bosses and hooked me up with Stephens Custom Welding in Port Huron relocate the stops and weld on the bosses. Man they did a great job!

I got the frame home and did some minor sanding an began my quest to have it painted. But I have since changed my mind to have it powder coated. Painting would have cost me $125 -$200 bucks !!!!! No thanks. I can get a 2 coat powder coat from Superior Powder Coating in Fenton, Mi done for $75 bucks for any color or style under the sun. I am taking the frame to them Saturday and hope to have it back early next week to finally start the build process.

When I get it back and complete, I will post up the final steps and results, along with build specs. But I don't want to give too much away... It is going to be sweet!

Base 2

2009-02-09T13:18:00.000-08:00

Well I am into my final week of Base 1 with a recovery week of light training for only 4 hrs. Last week was my largest volume with 8 hrs. So far training has went very well. I am happy I started a whole weight training program this year, as it is already paying off in terms of More overall strength. In fact my joints (mainly knees) don't seem to hurt as much as they use too. I have lost 14 lbs so far since starting base 1. I completed all my hours except for 30 mins. in week 2. (family issues.) and the only draw backs I have had is fighting a sinus infection 2 weeks ago, and catching a nasty head cold that put me down but not out this week. I guess it's better to get all the sickness out of my system now, instead of dealing with it in April or May when I am trying to compete.

Base 2 will be more of the same with a little less weight training and more time on the bike. In addition, the weekly hours will slightly increase also. I have been using my Spinerval Aero Base Builder 3 DVD almost exclusively, so I plan on doing more the same for Base 2. My rides have averaged around 70 mins and maxed out at 90 mins. So I plan on nailing a few in the 120 min range in Base 2. I just hope I can do it outside. We will see.