Cross posting

I am putting this here so if anyone was actually interested they would not miss a post. I might be moving back to WordPress but not sure yet. Only if it is easier to post to the new team page from there. Thanks for putting up with the hassles.

http://wp.me/pq0vq-f7

2014 Season - more of a false negative than a season

Is it possible to write about the season and it is just the end of August? Well, I guess so since most of the races are done for the year. It is hard to say the year has been a disappointment, but in some cases it really has been. The biggest thing that was not good was the amount of time I have rode my mtb this year. I have not raced too many times and that is almost the only times that I have been on my mtb. Not that I didn't want to, but I guess I didn't want to bad enough. I had planned on doing more races, but like I stated earlier, this was the year of conflicts. So many things overlapped and I could not be everywhere.

Other times I could do what I wanted, but the weather did not work out. It has been such a crazy year that I am not sure I even know how many races I did or how many time I rode in the woods. The only thing I am sure about is that it was not very many. I would say it is fairly to say that I have only rode my mtb with fat tires 5 times this year. I know the good mountain biking season is still coming so I hope to do a little better on this number. One of the downers to the year was the fact that I didn't make a single KPS race. I really do enjoy racing the Kentucky series and like a lot of the people, but it just didn't work out.

The year was not a complete loss as I have put in a lot of miles. Probably the most that I have ever done in a year. The only down fall with this is that it has all been done on the road bike. The road bike is not all bad and I did have a lot of fun. It sure helps having a group of people that you enjoy riding with. If I was heading out by myself all year, I would have never done it. That is obvious by the fact that I should have rode today, but just didn't have the motivation. The other good thing about all the road miles is that it is an easy way to put in some good hours on the seat with little worries about driving to the trail head, muddy trails or ticks. I also had some minor success with some crit races again this year. I did the burning Quad and had so much fun that I ended up doing the New Albany crit the next weekend. I really enjoyed them and hope to get a few more of those put on the schedule. I know that just makes even more things over lap.

The real shocker of the year was the amount of weight I lost putting in the rides that I did do. I just wonder what I would do if I ever put in the effort to really try and train. I just might be able to get fast. When I was still putting the miles in, I was getting pretty fast. I missed the last Southern 5 and Dino race of the season. I was really looking forward to seeing how well I would do with all the miles in my legs. I know I could not believe how I rode at Ferdinand and I was not real consistent with the miles at that time or climbing well at all.

The problem is that I am sure that it all goes away quicker than you gain it. I just hope it comes back quickly. The last couple of weeks I have not put in many miles at all. Work has been even more stressful than the rest of the year and with school starting, soccer practice and games, the schedule has been pretty full. It is now getting dark earlier, so it will be harder to put in those long rides. The other option would be to finally hit up those night rides that I have wanted to do all year.

I really need to get back on the wagon and try to step it up even more that I was. The weight it up a little and I hope to be able to put in my best Gravel Grove to date. I am not sure what bike I will ride, but I will be there no matter what. I have done it every year so far and it is one of my favorite races to do. I would like to work out a cross bike to give that a try since I have done it on a SS several times and a mtb the other times. I would really love to put in a sub 5 hour ride. I know I can do it if I put in the effort. Averaging 13 mph does not sound too crazy to me. Maybe if I ride my SS it might not be so easy, but I know people that do it.

I will probably end up riding the niner with my rigid fork and the 44c tires that I picked up another gravel race. If I end up getting a new mtb for next year, I plan on turning the niner in to a monster cross bike. I really think I could excel at those races and if I put in the effort I could have a lot of fun. It is not as much fun when I am out of shape and it takes way too long to finish. It is more of a death march that a race.

Just to restate just how crazy the year has been and how much I am not doing even though I have put some hours in on the bike. My SS has had a flat tire since a ride in the back yard in the snow. I don't think it was even this year. I know it is easy to fix the tire, but I need to also change the brakes and I don't know how to bleed disc brakes. That has put a damper in getting it rolling. My old mtb needs to have a lot of work done to it so that my wife can ride it. Most of the work is not that hard, but I need to actually work on it to do it. The Surly 1x1 is sort of ready, but the last time I tried to hop on it, I noticed that the brakes were messed up. I think I stole the brakes off of it and traded them for the new pair of hydraulic brakes that I plan on putting on the SS. Now my new road bike needs to be torn down and cleaned up since the cranks are starting to creek I am sure it was from the crit race in the rain.

So, hard to say the year was a negative year. It was just not what I normally think of a year being. I can only hope to combine this year and what I really wanted this year to be and end up with something in the middle. This would get me in great shape, loose weight, race crits and be able to compete in the mtb races that I do race. I would love to be fighting for a podium spot some day. Another thing that would improve is the fact that I would actually put more posts together. I have had several rides that I wanted to put a post together on or different topics that I wanted to make comments on, but just didn't have the time or energy to make it work and then the thought passed.

New Albany Crit - The NAC

Well, I guess I had enough fun last weekend at the Burning Quad that I found myself signed up for another crit race over the weekend. This was was in New Albany and the layout was different than what I have done before. With out the hill, I was not sure how the pace would go. The other issue was that we had a ton of rain on Saturday night and there was a chance for rain on Sunday. Thankfully I pre-registered and also had a passenger to share the ride down with me. If it was not for those two things, I probably would have just stayed home. I am nervous enough about crashing in a crit race and didn't need to add to the issue with all the rain.

It was not raining when we left and had a little hope that maybe it would miss us and everything would stay dry. They were working on clearing and drying the course when we got there, but shorty after the canopy was set up, the rain decided to come down and it was coming down pretty hard for a little bit. This held up the start since they didn't get the start/finish set up as quickly. I was fine with that since the rain let up and looked like it might have been done for a while. The second race was cheap enough and like a fool, I signed up for two races again. I secretly figured that if the weather got too bad, I would just do the first race and be done with it.

I took some warm up laps and tried to find all the spots to keep an eye out for and where the slick spots might be. I didn't feel like I warmed up as good as I needed to and hoped it was enough. Soon enough thee race started and we were off. There was some accelerations on a couple straights that I tried to not get too excited about. When I was tapping the brakes at the end of the straight anyway. I had the same plan to try and stay as protected as I could for most of the race. There was a good head wind on a few sections and figured to try and use as little energy as possible. This worked out pretty well for most of the race. I felt like I was riding a smart race. I was getting worried about where I was in the pack and made a move forward in some corners. I ended up a little farther than I wanted and in 3rd place, but the rain was starting to come down again and as we rolled past the start/finish they said 2 laps to go. They were cutting the race short for the rain and I believe some lightning was in the area.

Right as the guy in the front pulled off, the guy in second made a jump. It looked like a good jump and one that was going to stick. I was a second late in making my decision, but tried to jump on his wheel. I was gaining some ground, but the right hand corner in the middle was tricky and I was not ready when I got there. I ended up taking the corner way wide as I was worried about sliding out and was going too fast for where I was. I thought for sure that I was going to wipe out. Some how I held on and got back on the gas, but this let too big of a gap open up and I could not make the connection. At this point my heart rate was out the roof from almost wrecking and trying to bridge the gap. My legs lost power and I sat up and waited for the pack. As they came by, I jumped in the middle and tried to minimize my losses. I held my own and made a good effort at the end, but could only manage to finish in 9th place. Not bad for another pack finish, but not where I could have been.

I feel like I made the right decision, but it was just a little late. I could have just stayed where I was and hoped to sprint for second, but I would have been in the front of the pack and not where I would have wanted to be hard telling where I would have ended up. Even though I am not happy with the result, I am happy with the thought. Can't win if you don't take any risks.

Blowing myself up in the cat 5 race was not good for my chances in the 4/5 race. I didn't even want to get on the line the way my legs felt but I already paid and you just never know. The pace at the start was pretty fast. There were some good accelerations out of the corners. I was feeling pretty good for the first few laps but then the legs started to go. I just could not keep up with the surges and eventually fell off. It was way quicker than last week and I was not too happy about it. I did see a rider up ahead of me and I tried to catch up to him. After a few laps of not gaining ground I decided to pull the plug. 

I could have stayed out there but I would have just been in the way when the pack came around. I had nothing left to prove for the day. I think I need to keep it to one race for a while. The thing I need to decide is if I want to do the Cat 5 race or the 4/5 race where it is safer, but also faster. I think the crit season is winding down, so I have till next year to figure that out.

Even though I didn't fair too well in the 4/5 race I will say that my teammates looked really good. They did a lot of work up front and made a good move late in the race, but it didn't hold up. I hope to get my legs in a little better shape to help them out better next time. It is just hard to believe the I am doing some crit races and actually looking forward to some more. I just don't want to turn into a full time roadie. I know I am still a mountain biker at heart, it just depends on timing and conflicts as to what I can do more often. This year just turns out to be road riding.

Burning Quad

Sorry I have been slacking around here. Time has been tight and I am trying to do more riding in that free time than typing. This was my second year to head down to the Burning Quad. Last year was my first ever crit race after saying that I would never do one. Well, needless to say I had enough fun that I headed back again this year. I was hoping that I was a little smarter and in a little better shape this year and had high hopes to do a lot better. Last year I jumped on front for the Cat 5 race too long and ended up getting dropped from the pack. I spend a lot of energy trying to catch up for awhile and eventually slowing down to a smarter speed. I also raced the 4/5 race and didn't do too bad for a little while, but the first race had my legs worn out and I got dropped from that race too. So, it was not a far stretch to think that I could do better this year.

Before the race I was not that hyped up about it and I was not sure why. We got the pit set up and got everything ready before heading out for a few warm up laps. That is one of the things I like the most about having the first race is the course is open before the race and I can get a good feel of the corners and what things to watch out for all while warming up. Soon enough I found myself at the starting line waiting for the race to start. And we were off. I settled in near the front half and find a good place in the pack to hang out. Just as the race started, I thought it might have ended. The second corner that is a 180 degree corner, the guy right in front of me grabbed some front brake and washed out the front wheel. Down he went and some how I made it around him. It sounded like there was several caught up in the crash or at least held up. I was thinking it would be a good time to pick the speed up ad see if the few guys up front could pull away. The guy in the lead was not thinking that way and we went slow enough that everyone hopped back on.

That was probably the right thing to do. I would not have had the legs to do what was needed to really make a difference anyway. From here on out it seemed to be fairly tame. Some corners were taken way too slow, but I didn't let it get me to jump on the front. The climb out of the boat ramp was a lot slower than I remembered from last year too. This was a very good thing and I felt like the legs were feeling really strong. I stayed smart and didn't use any extra energy for the remainder of the race. I was feeling pretty good and started to think I might have a go for a podium spot. Being smart and the fact that I could make almost any move that I needed to in the pack around the 180 corner and in the parking garage section. As long as everyone kept taking the corners that slow, getting where I wanted to be was not too difficult.

But, then came the last lap. For some reason the climb up from the boat ramp had my legs hurting more and my heart rate was way too high. Maybe it was just getting pumped up about the finish. This had my legs not feeling as strong and with the heart rate elevated, it did't leave a lot of room for more power. I held on to my placing, but could not make the moves that I wanted in the parking garage. As I took the last right hand corner on to the last straight, there was a guy on the inside. He pushed me farther out around the corner than I had planned and this kept me from getting on the gas as quickly as I wanted to. I made my jump and gave it all I had, but came up about a foot short of the guy in front of me.

I felt good about my race, but, a little disappointed about not being any stronger at the end. I really felt like I did what I needed to allow me to get up closer to the front at the end. Oh well, I really can't complain since the goal was to do better than last year. I rode a lot smarter and finished with the pack. Not much to complain about there. Now the second race might have be a different story. I was worried since I drained my legs at the end of the Cat 5 race. I was talked in to racing two races last year and did was not that bad, but I didn't finish with the pack. That made a big difference in how I felt this year.

I didn't expect to hold on very long, but since I paid already I figured I might as well line up. I was thinking that I might only make it 2 laps when we came by the start finish line for the first lap and the bell rang for a preem. Somehow I managed to hang on to the back and after that lap, the pace slowed down. I did manage to hang on for 20 minutes or so before the boat ramp was too much for my legs and out the back I was. I still rode pretty well, but no match for the pack. They eventually did catch me and lapped me with about 2 laps to go.

Overall I am very happy with how I raced. I finished 8th in the Cat 5 race and placed 23rd in the 4/5 race. It was a lot of fun and I stayed upright. That is the main thing that I worry about with crit racing. If I keep racing it is only a matter of time before I hit the pavement. I can only hope that it is not too bad. I will say that this was another race that 40lb Sledge Hammer put on a good race. Be it road or mtb, it is always a good time and run smoothly. I suggest that you give them a chance and head out to a race. I know I plan on being at the next one if I can make it.

Southern 5 Ferdinand race

Sorry this is so late. I actually thought I had posted something already. That is what I get for thinking. Ferdinand is my closest trail and one that I have rode since the beginning of my mtb life. I should have had a huge advantage, but to be honest I had not been there all year and not sure when I was last there. Even so, it seems that my years of riding there did help me over the people that had never been there, but not sure that was enough. I have been getting miles in, but where I am not as strong as I want would be climbing and how long it takes for me to warm up. This trail is not good for either of these issues.

I wanted to get out and see how well I was climbing the week before the race, but the rain and some other commitments kept that from happening. I had a good idea of what I was in for and none of it was what I would call painless. The intermediate race was to do 2 laps. I normally don't do two laps. Most of the time it is one lap or one and a part of another one. I knew the second lap was going to be painful for a lot of people. I was just hoping that my miles would pay off for the second lap and maybe I could catch some racers. 

The start was different than anything I had seen before. The section to come in for the lap was too, but I am not complaining about skipping the section where you cross the creek and climb the washed out section of trail. However I would have been upset if I did make it out the week before since my plan was to do some trail work on that climb when I was there. It still needs to get fixed and I probably will do that some day, but most regulars just go across the dam and climb from there. The race was starting real close to the first climb. I was happy to see they chose to take the fire lane around and not the steep climb. Either would have worked, but with my slow warm up, the big climb would have not done me so well. 

I took off as easy as I could with out going too slow. I knew it was going to be a long day and as humid as it was when we started would not be helping the situation. As the climb was going up, I sat on the guys wheel in front of me. He was going a little slower than I thought I should be, but I was not sure if the adrenalin was running high. The racer behind me made the pass on the climb and I figured what the heck and went with him. We cruised up the rest of the climb and made our way down the trail I was hurting, but not as bad as I thought I would and held the wheel in front of me. We were rolling good, but as we climbed Foxey the pace was slower than it had been. I was not worried about it when climbing, but when it didn't pick up at the top, I made the pass and bombed down the fire lane section. This is where the trail knowledge helped me as I knew I should be able to let it rip in this section. I just hoped nothing washed out too much to give me any surprises.

The first guy I passed near the start had caught back up and passed me somewhere near the Fire Tower trail. I stayed with him for the rest of that section and tried to draft as much as I could on the road section. I was not feeling too bad and wanted to stay with him. He offered to let me by, but I knew I was not ready to be in front. I tried to share my knowledge with him as much as I could for the sections that I knew could be an issue. He was fast and I felt it was the right thing to do. The other benefit was that I didn't want him to go down in front of me and take me out too.

I stayed close for the rest of the first lap. As we climbed up to the camp ground where the start was, this was a section of trail that was just put in for this race. I rode it once that morning and knew it was steep, but didn't think it was that bad. I did climb it with out a problem, but it would have done me a lot better if I would have dropped down in to the small ring up front. Powering up the climb in too big of a gear took a toll on my legs. This let the rider in front of me pull away on the first climb up to the singletrack. I was hoping to recover along the top and catch him again, but it didn't happen. The rest of the loop I tried to recover as much as I could, but still keep moving at a good pace.

Once I was out on fire lane 7 and farther, I was wearing down badly. I was trying to not slow down too much and found myself looking over my shoulder a lot. I thought I heard someone behind me several times, but I did't see anyone. That place is good for making you hear the ghost bikers behind you. Every time I ride out there I think I hear someone behind me. I pushed it hard and kept my fingers crossed. Late in the loop before I rode down past the house, there was a rider in front of me. It gave me a little more energy and I could catch and pass him. I let loose on the last down hill and hammered to the finish. I don't know if that other guy was even in my class, but I at least felt better that I passed him.

My results don't seem like I really had that great of a race, but I am very happy with how I rode. I was much stronger than I had been and way better than I thought I would be. I just was not fast as I needed to be. The group of racers that did show up were fast and I was not that far off the pace. I needed to improve about 12 minutes to be up with the leader. That is not too bad for most of the races and even more so for a trail this hard. So, maybe there is hope yet.

This was just my 3rd ride in the woods for the year. I really need to get out there more, but I can see that all the rode miles are helping too. With the schedule getting a little less full, I need to find a way to work in both types of riding in to the week. I also know a few things that would really help me improve but I just need to actually work on it. The year is going by fast, so I hope to get there before it is too late.

I want to thank 40 lb Sledgehammer productions for putting on the Southern Five race series. It is great to see the racing scene building again. I just hope it continues to grow and not get too over saturated and hurt each other for attendance. I don't know if the Dino race at Logansport kept too many people from attending this race, but I am sure the the Louisville Triple crown kept several Kentucky racers from attending. It would be great if at least those two race series would work together and build a bigger and better race series than what the Dino series is. Or even better yet, work with Brian to make all three series benefit. There is a catch 22 to the race thing. There are a lot of people that won't come out and race when the turn outs are down, but if they don't come out the turn outs will be down. Kind of the chicken or the egg thing.

It would be great to get some races that I don't have to drive all weekend to go race and get the kind of turn outs and competition that the Tennessee series pulls in. I know the potential is there. Maybe some day it will be like it used to be. Come on out and join in on the fun.

Southern 5 - French Lick

The second round of the Southern 5 series made a stop at the wonderful trails in French Lick. I knew I could not pass up this race, but I was not as excited as I should be. I have had a lot of things going on and I was not riding as strong as I need to be. The night before I ended up staying up later than I need to if I am going to be fully rested. That morning I was not in a big hurry to leave the house and ended up leaving later than I originally planned. This is where it was a good thing the trail was close to home.

I got there with plenty of time to get signed in and get ready for the race. I rode around some, but it was too late to really get warmed up the way I would have liked. I checked out the starting area since this race was starting in a different area and I was not sure how the starting chute was going to flow. It turns out it didn't go too bad. I took off pretty close to the front and the entrance to the trail went smooth.

I was not riding too bad, but then again the start was more down hill than up. I actually could have gone faster, but not with the guy in front of me. I was not too worried about getting around just yet, but maybe I should have been. Not too much later I had a stick jump up and get caught up in my stomach and chest. Soon enough it fell away and I was not hurt. Then in a few feet I had a stick stuck in my back wheel. I hoped it would come out, but after a little bit I figured I better stop before something gets messed up.

It didn't take me that long to pull the stick out of the back wheel, but long enough for a few guys to get by me. I jumped back on and took off trying to build up my speed that I had before. There were a few other guys catching up to me and didn't want to get passed by anyone else. This worked pretty good for a little bit, but when the main trail branched off to the outer loop, I had a little bit of trouble on the inclines.

This was not a shock since that is where my troubles have been. I kept moving as good as I could while trying to keep my heart rate under control. I could not ride the next section as good as I needed to and a couple more racers got past. I started to feel better on the down hill sections and I could make up some ground on the guys in front of me. I ended up passing a couple here and there.

The climb up from the platform went pretty well. I was moving better than I thought and soon enough I was rolling back down hill. This time around the sections that were my worst the lap before, I took precautions to make sure they were not as bad as the first lap. Overall this plan worked and I could climb some sections better than the first lap. I also kept making some good time on the down hill and hoped to catch some more racers and keep the ones behind be that are already back there.

I ended up keeping most of the racers behind me, but could not catch any more. I had some good back and forth racing with a few guys. This was a lot of fun since I was not up front and in the action. I am happy with how I did overall. I wish I could get my heart rate under control and climb better. One thing that I think I can say is that I realized over the last two races that I can ride a bike fairly well. I made up all of my time on the down hills in the last two races. I know I am not as fast as everyone, but I can not complain at all at how fast I can coast. Now if I could only get some climbing legs I might actually be a threat. Now that would be a good change, but I don't see it happening just yet. I can only hope to get somewhere by the end of the year.

I would like the 40 Lb Sledgehammer team for putting on such a great race. It is refreshing to see a series trying to make it in southern Indiana. The turn out was not as big as I thought, but still not too bad. I really thought there would be some more people from Louisville area show up and even more from a little north. One thing that might have played a part was the face that the Dino race at Logansport was the next day. I know a few of the racers made the trip up there to race even after racing this race. One thing I would like to see is this series and the Kentucky MTB series join together to make both series have some more races and share the racers.

If you are looking to a nice race series in southern Indiana that has plenty of prizes there is no need to look any farther. I know I will be at the next race if there is anything I can do about it.

BCSP Dino

Today was the Brown County Dino race. This was the first time I had been on my mtb since the Death March. Not exactly the training I should be doing for XC racing. I am sure the road miles help, but they do not keep my technical riding. I did a lot of changing around on the bike over the last week. I was having lot of issues last night. The shifting was not working well and both brakes were dragging. I did all the adjustments I could and had it as good as I was going to get it.

I was not sure what to expect and didn't have high hopes. I knew the start would tell me how the day would end up. Just as I figured, the climb at the start sucked. I was trying to go as fast as I could and still maintain my heart rate. It was a good idea, but it didn't work to well. I didn't warm up good enough and before I climbed too much my heart rate was out the roof. I was not doing too bad until the final climb. That put the hurt on me. Once I hit the trail I was still sucking some serious wind and not riding as well as I needed to and was pretty far back in the pack.

Eventually I started to feel better and could ride much stronger. I was very happy with my ability to go on the down hills. I did have a few moments that I thought I was going to hit the ground. I was very happy with how well the bike worked. I guess it was just a little rusty from the long vacation. The brakes still made some noise, but I think they quit dragging. I was also happy that my new front tire hooked up as well as it did. There were a lot of fast corners and it didn't wash out.

Overall I really can't complain about how the day went. I would have liked to do better, but I really have not been training as much as I need. I am just happy that I stayed upright and rode as strong as I did for the second half of the race. I ended up in 18th for age group and took 7 minutes off of last years time. The only thing with that is that the turn out was down and there was also a new section so I am sure there was a difference in the distance. I know what I need to work on and just need to put the time in. Hopefully the next race goes a little better.

Putting in time

The schedule has been full lately so with the holiday weekend, I did what I could to put some miles in. I took Friday off to help me catch up on things that need to be done. There were several team members going for a ride, so I decided to join them. The original plan was not exactly the ride I was looking for, but I was going to do it anyway. As it turns out, someone decided to take the long way to the TT route. This long way turned in to quite the adventure. There was several sections of road that was covered in rock. Not just a little here or there, but like a gravel road. This is not the best condition for road bikes and before too long, one had a flat. There was an issue with the stem on the first tube change and it had to be replaced with a second one.

Things seemed all good and we were on our way. A little farther down the road he ended up having another flat. It didn't seem right to have a flat where it happened. As the tube was changed this time, it was noticed that there was a tear on the side of the tire and the tube was sticking out. This is why the last tube didn't last that long. A tire boot was used and soon enough it was aired back up. The bad thing is that it was not too strong and we were scared to air it up where it needed to be and we were not sure if it would hold up.

We did make it to the TT course and the tire held up. Time was running tight for a few riders with all the flats and they took off back toward the car. The rest of us road both directions of the route and then headed back. It was not what everyone else was looking for, but it was a lot more like what I wanted so it was all good in my book. Saturday I spend all day working in the yard. Mowing, trimming and some other clearing. I then started on some landscaping work that I was needing to do. It was a very long day and I was wore out and sore. I didn't get any miles in, but I did get a good work out in.

My first thought was to join some friends on a mtb ride Sunday morning, but with all the yard work I did I didn't get around to fixing either of my bikes to get them ready to ride. I was not sure my hands could even squeeze the brake levers if I did get the bike working. I was debating on not riding at all and at the last minute, I decided to go out for an easy road ride. As I was heading out I realized what time it was and knew that a group was heading out soon. I went and joined them for the ride knowing that it would end up a harder ride than I would do on my own. 

This was probably a good thing since it started to rain some during the ride. I am not sure if I would have stayed out if I was alone. I could keep up with the pace for most of the ride. I did fall off on a section or so later in the loop. I broke off and headed toward home. I was beat down and wore out. I was not sure if the ride that was planned for Monday would end up very good or not. I was sure they would be waiting on me.

With the holiday the plan was to get out early so we could get done and still spend time with family. I was not sure how well I would ride since I was still pretty sore. I thought there was only going to be a couple of us for the ride, but there were a lot more at the meeting spot. As we rolled off I could not get a good count. I counted 12 or 13 riders. This was one of the biggest groups I have been in for a while. I was not sure how well it would turn out seeing a couple TT bikes and some strong legs in the group. It started out a little quick at times for the warm up I normally need, but I managed to stay with the group.

A little ways down the road the pace was picked up. I was hurting and saw some off the back. I waited for them to catch up. A couple of them bridged the gap to the main group. I was content with the couple of guys that I was surrounded by. We put in some good work and making out way. I could see the big group pull away and still hammering. Farther up the road it looked like someone had fallen off the pace. I figured we would join them soon, but they must have kept the hammer down and we never saw them.

The next town they were waiting for us and we re-grouped. That was good and all, but we strung out fairly quickly. At the next intersection there was a split in the group. Some continued on and some turned back toward town. With my legs hurting already, I figured I would head back toward town. The few guys that went down the road already were waiting for us. I figured that I would just get dropped quickly anyway, but surprisingly enough to me, I actually held on the the group for a while. We were moving pretty good and making good time. As we got closer we turned off to add some miles. I even held my own for most of the first part of this, but eventually had trouble holding on and dropped off. I was on my own to get back to the car.

I was very tired at this point and with no one else around to help keep me pushing the pace, I backed off and made it a more comfortable pace. I returned back to the cars not much after the rest of my group showed up. I know slowed down a lot at the end, but my computer shows that I still averaged 19.9 mph for 51 miles. That tells me that we were moving pretty good for the rest of the ride. I feel pretty good that I could put 3 good rides in 4 days. I put in over 120 miles for those 3 rides. That is a lot for me. I really need to keep the miles up and keep the legs getting stronger. I just need to figure out the right balance of rest to rides. I have not been used to riding everyday, so as I put more rides in I want to make sure and get the rest I need too. I will just have to try to maximize my time.

2014 The year of conflicts

Well I guess this is just not going to be a good year for some things. The year started off terrible and it seems it is not getting a whole lot better, but I am trying to do the best I can. As you can probably tell by the lack of posts this year, the bike thing is not working out to well so far. The year seems to be full of conflicts and issues that will prevent me from getting in the condition I need to be and also will keep me from racing as much as I would like. It seem like there is always something, be it someone thinking I did or said things that I did not say or do.Then there is always the weather getting in the way for a large percentage of the very few days that I have available to get some miles in. I am not sure how much it really matters anyway since it seems that even with several options to race, there are a ton of overlapping items in my schedule on race days.

It is a shame too. With my trip to Florida in February, I had a great start on my base. I was feeling good and had the best time at Death March I have ever had. But, shortly after that I had too much going on and had a gap of riding. I felt like I had lost a lot of what good I did. I have since then been working on improving he legs when I could. I could always work harder, but some times that is not as easy as it should be.

Since the Death March, I have not been on a mtb. I currently don't even have one that is operational with out some work. I have been spending all of my riding time on a road bike. I have even ended up with a new bike to ride. I have been wanting one, but didn't expect that a road bike would be the next purchase. I was really thinking a new mtb would have been first. Maybe it should have been, but I could not pass up this bike and it would have been a while before I could have purchased the mtb that I should buy. I think the road miles have been good, but I still need to get more time on a bike, any bike.

This weekend is the start of the Dino series and the Kentucky series. I didn't plan on making the trip up north for the Dino race, but I had some high hopes to attend the Kentucky races. I could make it, but in stead I am going to be a good dad and spend the day watch a soccer game. I looked in to what it would take to do both, but it just is not a good idea. I can only hope that with all the rain this week that the race gets moved to another weekend where I don't have 4 other things already going on. I really need to try and get a better idea as to what races I can attend and I also plan on seeing what road races are near by on the weekend that I do have some free time. Maybe if the mtb season is going to be an issue, there might be some road stuff I can make. Hard telling. Those races are probably on the same weekends that are already booked.

Death March 2014

This years Death March. It was not the same plan as previous years, but I feel it went just as planned. Over the winter I had a few thoughts on partners for the Death March, but everything fell threw. At one point I conceded that maybe this year I would not race. I have yet to miss a Gravel Grovel or Death March, but I figured it would happen some day. I was at peace with it because I had not really been training hard this winter.

I had one person that I thought was on the fence about racing with me. I think I could have talked him in to it, but I didn't feel right doing that if he really was not interested. He did contact me about someone else who was looking for a partner. I was not sure how strong he was, but at this point I was happy to just be racing. I needed the miles. After some communications it was determined to just get the mandatory check points and anything else near by. This is very different from previous years, but it sounded like a good plan to me.

Typically I spend Friday night in a cabin, but since I was late in my planning, they were all booked up. I really didn't have anyone to share them with either so it really didn't matter. I spent Friday night trying to get my bike back in to order. I was not ready for a long gravel/dirt ride. It was set up as my winter bike with the long travel fork and the big tires. I had some troubles getting everything to work, but it was as good as it was going to get. I just hoped it would hold up for the long day.

Saturday morning came early and I was on the road way earlier than I would prefer. I did end up getting there quicker than I figured. This was a good thing, but it was much colder than I was expecting. I may have to reconsider my thoughts on gear. My partner found me and after a quick chat, we were ready to hit it. At the start line the drew the remaining two mandatory check points. They ended up being easy check points to pick up with out adding a lot of miles. This was a good thing for our plan.

Since I had been out of the loop, I let my partner make the plan. He had a map and a plan. This had to be the least amount of time I had looked at a map leading up to the race. I knew about where the check points were and what the plan was well enough to get by with out looking at a map much. As the horn blew, we headed to the closest check point along with just about everyone else. It was only a mile away and it was very crowded. We snapped the picture quickly and we were back on the road toward our second stop.

As we climbed up the road, I could tell my partner was not ready to climb at the pace I was moving. We were at the second stop soon enough. We were moving pretty good so far over all. I tried not to push the pace too hard, but I was actually feeling really good. I could hear my partner breathing pretty hard and we still had a long day ahead of us. I told him to just go his own pace. He didn't have to try and keep up with what I was doing. I was just happy to be out on the bike and it was all good. Once he understood that it we were good, I think he relaxed a little and started to ride better.

We decided to skip climbing the fire tower. The time bonus was not worth the effort or the amount of time it would probably take to climb it. There were a lot of people, so the traffic would have the climbing go even slower. Some of the roads were wet and soft. Plenty of mud spraying up on my face. I could not believe I didn't think about grabbing the SKS fender that I have for my down tube. That is just how out of it I was on my planning. I was happy with how the bike was rolling and I was happy with how the tires were hooking up.

The trip out Comb's road was a mess. I knew it would be soft and muddy. A lot of people were having trouble riding this section. I rode almost the whole section both ways. I climbed the hill both directions all but one section each way where the tire sunk in a little too much. I hopped back on and finished the climb. After the long trip out to Elkinsville, we made a change to our plan. We were going to take Story over and pick up a few more check points, but since none of them were needed and the original plan was to just get the required ones and call it a day, it was not hard to decided to take Comb's road back. I was glad we went this way when I saw the VW Van rolling down the road. I could not have been happier when they were kind enough to share a beer with me. That was the best beer of the day.

Up to this point we had really been making some good time. We were averaging 10 miles per hour. If we could keep this up, we would be back in plenty of time to eat. The trip out to our second last mandatory check point was not as smooth and our pace slowed down. My partner was out of water and starting to hurt. This is when I realized that I had not been drinking very much. I was feeling really good and still had about a bottle and a half left. This means I had not been drinking near enough. I knew that he needed my water more than I did, so I gave him my second bottle.

We were still rolling and only had a little bit to go, but we were slowing down. We made it to Fleetwood and only had one more to go. The section between Fleetwood and Hickory took longer than I thought it would and I know he was really starting to hurt at this point, but we were on the home stretch. I kept trying to keep the spirits up and us moving as quickly as we could. I was ready to get back and eat. The lack of food and water was starting to catch up. Soon enough we were at Hickory and headed down the road to food. There was a little more riding in this section than I remembered. There was a section of road that I completely forgot about. Maybe it was because every other time before when I was riding this section, I was completely shot. At one time I even thought I made a wrong turn. He wanted to check at map, but I said I knew where we were going or well I thought I did. Turns out I did know where I was going.

We crossed the bridge and was back at the Horse camp in short order. They were just getting ready to start serving food and the beer was not tapped just yet. I had never been back that early before. I have had several times where they were just about out of food. I could get used to this, well maybe with a few more check points. We ended up right at the planned 50 miles and 9 check points. It took us 5:54 to complete our route. This effort found us in 43 place in the men's division and 60th overall out of 151 teams. Not too bad at all. I will say that I was very happy with out well my partner held up. Early in the day I was not so sure. My plan was completed. I went for a nice long ride and had a lot of fun.

I can not deny I had some what if thoughts. I wish I could find a partner that is a little closer to my riding (some years faster, some years slower). I have had partners that were way faster than me and some that were slower. It is hard to figure out what fitness both riders are going to be in for this race. I know that this was by far the best I have ever felt for this ride. I am sure that the trip to Florida made a big difference. I am also not sure how I would have felt if we would have rode a lot harder all day. Maybe next year I can find myself in the same or better condition and just see how it turns out. Either way it will be all good!

Playing catch up

Once again time has passed by way to quickly. I hope I can get better at keeping this updated more often. I have not been training like I should be or more probably like my competition has been doing. Oh well, it is too late to change that. I can only move forward and try to improve every week and hope to end up some place when I need to be there.

I did try to do a power block to see if I could make up for some lost time. I joined a group of guys that go to Florida in the spring to get a lot of miles in the legs with some good weather. Boy was it some good weather. It was upper 70's to 80 almost everyday. There was not too much climbing, but there were some bridges to climb and a fair share of wind to keep it from being too easy. The riders did their share to make it impossible for it to be an easy trip.

We left on Wednesday after work. I didn't get a lot of sleep Tuesday night with a lot of tossing around. Part of it was stressing about the trip and some of it was trying to figure out what I was forgetting. Work was crazy as usual and before I knew it, time to get loaded up was there. It took a little bit to get everyone loaded and ready and we were on the road. And it was going to be a long road.

15 hours later, a few stops at a gas station and plenty of times the windows were rolled down. Morning traffic was crazy, but when the sun came up and we finally could see the water, it was a great feeling. We found the condo and were happy that the cleaning lady's were nice enough to let us in. We unloaded the cars, changed clothes and I think with in 30 min. we were rolling down the street.

I could not believe the views and the change in weather. I had to make sure and pay attention to where I was going or I would end up crashing in to someone. We were staying in Clearwater Beach. We headed out to Fort De Soto. It was a good trip out and I was feeling good. The bridges hurt to climb a lot more than I thought they would. On the way back I was really starting to feel it. The legs were very heavy. Ii was struggling to keep up with the pace. I was falling off the back and toward the end I had to ask them to back off the pace a little.

When we finally got back to the loop, the plan was to head north some and try to get in the planned 100 miles for the day. They tried to talk me in to going, but I was hurting and not happy that I was holding them back. I was almost talked in to going, but at the last minute decided that I had enough for the day and it would probably be best that I headed back to rest. We still had several more days of riding and 70 miles for the first day was not bad. After some harassment, they went their separate way's and me thinking I knew how to get back to the condo. Well, that's what I get for thinking. Well, around the first corner I hit a crack in the sidewalk and flatted the back tire. I thought I was only a block or two away and didn't really want to change the tire right then. Well, after walking around in circles for a few blocks and not seeing anything that I should, I finally found someone to ask where I needed to go. I was still several blocks away, but knew where I was going now. When I got back, I was wore out and hit the shower. I am sure that the lack of sleep the night before we left, the driving 9 of the 15 hours and not being able to sleep in the car did not help at all.

Friday morning we were up early and on the road before I knew it. I was hoping that the legs felt better than the day before. This ride we headed north first to try and miss out on the traffic. We headed north to Tarpon Springs. This it self was a good little ride. I did have a little shifting issues and my chain dropped behind my cassette. A little maintenance and I was back up and running. Once we hit Tarpon we turned around. This was going to give us a 55 mile ride to Fort De Soto straight in to a strong wind. Great, this should be fun. If I have the same issues as the day before, I will be way too far from the condo and will have some issues getting back.

Fortunately the legs held on for most of the day, but I did have a little knee pain and I did struggle a little out at the fort, but took in some food. I managed to keep with the group and when we rolled back in to town the other computers showed 110 miles. My computer decided to run out of battery at 75 miles in. I forgot that I had the back light set to stay on. I am sure this didn't help anything and I am not sure it was completely charged. I could not believe that my legs did me that good after how they felt the day before.

Saturday we woke up with a lot of fog and some light rain. It was warm enough that I felt I could still ride with shorts and a short sleeve jersey. We headed back out to the Fort. The road was very wet in spots and it was hard to see. The air was very moist and I was sweating more than the previous day. I was very happy with how the legs felt after two hard day's on the bike. The pace was a little peppy as we were getting to the Fort. I kept up, but it put a hurting on me. On the way back my knee was really hurting.When we stopped to eat, a suggestion was to head back out to Fort De Soto and we would have our 100 in for the day. My legs wanted to go along, but my knee was killing me and I knew it would be a very bad idea. As it turned out, there were only two riders that went back south. Everyone else headed north toward the condo.

This ride back was horrible. My legs had the power, but every pedal stroke hurt so bad. At one point it even crossed my mind to dump it and crash myself. I figured at least then I would have a good reason to call someone to pick me up. I had to ask them to back off the pace some as I just could not go that hard. I was not the only one hurting and soon enough I had some one else drop back to keep me company. I don't think I could have been happier to see the final bridge to town. I knew I was only a few blocks away from getting off the bike. We ended up being done earlier than the previous days and took advantage of that to rest up some and also take in some views at the beach. A few of us found a nice bar that had an open window to rest up at.

Sunday morning we woke up early. Four of us were brave enough to head back out on the bike. I was not sure how the knee was going to feel, but it was doing better than it was the previous day. I figured I would see how it went and if the pace picked up too high, I would just fall off the back and get my own ride in. I knew we were on a 2 hour time limit. The plan was to head south for and hour and turn around. We did see a huge group of riders heading north while we were still heading south.

The knee was not hurting and I could maintain the pace for the hour out. We turned around and headed back toward the condo. I think there was a little tail wind or something because we were flying. I know I saw 24-26 mph for a good part of it. As we got closer to the final bridge, I was beginning to think we were going to get back in 45 min. Well, that was before the legs started to give out. I think the several back to back rides were adding up. That an the fact that we were really cruising. My pace fell off some, but was still not slow. Up and over the bridge and we were back to the condo in 50 min. A quick shower, change and as quick as the trip started we were back in the car and heading home. I had a blast on this trip. Lots of laughs and good times, plenty of warm miles and good food. Even though I was the butt of a lot of the jokes, I am ready to go back next year. I just hope to be a little lighter and in better condition. Now, if someone could just figure out a time warp for the drive, it would be perfect. How can I complain about getting in 285 miles in 4 days riding in 75+ degree weather, in February.

Winter blues

I'm not sure if it is really the winter blues or not, but this weather sure is not helping things. My end of the year slack off of riding as continued in to the start of the new year. I have only road a bike one time so far this year and it was not near far enough. I just seem to not have enough motivation to get on the bike or the trainer. I is not that I don't want to ride, but I just can get to the point of putting my leg over the top tube.

I always have big plans of being faster every year, but I never seem to do what I know needs to be done to get there. The last few years have been marginal as to what winter training I have done and not sure this year is going any better. I know it would be possible to start today and still make a difference. If I would actually do that. I will say that I have had a few more thoughts about getting on the trainer, but so far they are just thoughts. I really hate the trainer.

I do have some good gear for cold weather, but I really don't like riding below freezing. It could be done, but like I said the motivation level is not near high enough to put in that effort. There is some snow on the ground and I really like riding in the snow, but the wind is very strong and makes it even colder. My best chance would be to ride the back yard, but that will not result in very many miles or time before I would be wore out. I guess something is better than nothing, so we will see.

I have committed to joining a group in Florida for a few days of riding. That will be a good thing for my legs as the weather should be warm and the pressure will be high to get on the bike. The problem is that I am less than 4 weeks away from 4 long days on the bike and I only have 15 miles in for the year. I really need to put some work in so I could enjoy the trip more.

The only thing that I have been doing for some exercise is skateboarding. I am keeping myself to riding a small ramp to stay in my comfort level and to reduce the chances of getting really hurt. It is still possible, but not like it would be if I was doing a bunch of street riding or trying to jump down a lot of stairs all the time. Over all it has been a blast. I can't believe that I had sold all of my boards when I quite before. If I would have had one, I would have picked it up a few times over the years and still had some fun. Riding the ramp has been a really good leg work out and I hope it helps with climbing those hills this spring. I just wish the ramp was closer to the house so I could ride it more often.

I guess I have been known to quit things too good in the past. Just like skating, when I decided to give it up, I sold or gave away all of my boards. Why I have no idea. Just like I sold off my flatland bike and my bmx bikes. I have wished several times that I still had one to get on every now and then. I would still enjoy doing some flatland tricks, but I don't see myself buying a bike for that. I have too many other bikes that I would like to replace. I would like a new mtb, road bike and I would like to own a cx bike. Maybe some day after all the things that the house, car and kids need I will be able to replace them. For now I just have to live with what I have and replace as I can.

There is still time to get going, but the journey needs to start moving no matter how slow. I have a lot of work that needs to be done of several of my bikes and they just sit there. Work and some things have been too stressful and busy to feel like getting some of those things done. Some of the things I need to do I am not really sure how to do, so that does not help me either. I keep hoping to feel better about it, but for now I will just keep skating as much as I can and try to be happy.