Paul Varnum

Burgers and Beer

2009-02-18T14:39:00.003-06:00

Fat Tire spilled all over the road. Oh the humanity!

Truck accidents spill burgers on I-15, drench I-84 with beer

Red meat and beer clogged major traffic arteries Tuesday, slowing the morning commute.

Motorists on Interstate 15 were impeded by a piles of hamburgers after a truck spilled a load of the patties, blocking the northbound lanes for four hours.

The driver of a tractor-trailer carrying 40,000 pounds of hamburger patties dozed off around 5 a.m., said Utah Highway Patrol trooper Cameron Roden. The truck driver's rig drifted to the left side of the freeway near 2300 North and crashed into a wall and an overhead sign, which ripped open his trailer, spilling hamburger over the north and southbound lanes of the interstate.

Motorists were detoured off I-15 and onto surface streets to bypass the meat.

UHP quickly cleared southbound lanes, but northbound lanes were not reopened until about 9:30 a.m., Roden said. No one was injured in the incident.

A second truck spill east of Morgan caused minor delays.

Before 7:30 a.m., a truck was heading westbound on Interstate 84 about a half-mile east of Morgan. The driver was traveling too fast for the snowy conditions there and lost control, Roden said.

The truck slipped off to the left, hit a guardrail, and flipped over on its side. The impact split the truck open, spilling Fat Tire Beer being shipped from Colorado, Roden said.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident, and the truck driver was slightly dazed but uninjured. Troopers blocked the left lane and directed traffic around to the right side.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11721590

Just Like Riding a Bike

2009-02-15T22:16:00.003-06:00

Hey! I rode my bike today!

I had fun. I got dropped. I still had fun. It was good to get out.

I got a call for OP on Saturday night wanting to know if I wanted to go for a ride. "Sure", I said. I was glad to have someone get me off the couch. I've been pretty sedentary during January, and it was time to get moving.

I took off around 9 AM, planning on meeting OP at his place at at 9:30. After arriving at OP's place, I found out that a Carney, Matt, and Nick would be in attendance. Oops. I hadn't trained for this. Sings, "One of these things is not like the other . . ."

I hung on for a while. It was good while it lasted.

Tagged

2008-09-04T00:15:00.002-05:00

When you get tagged by this guy, who got tagged by this guy, you can't refuse.

Here goes:

What was I doing 10 years ago?
Umm, living in the same place, and doing roughly the same job. OK, not exactly the same place. We remodeled the crap out of the main floor 10 years ago, and we did the same to the lower level this year, but it's still the same address. OK, not exactly the same job either. I've got 20 people working for me now. 10 years ago I was one of those people.

I did weigh 260 pounds and was a smoking couch slug 10 years ago. So that's a good thing to have behind me.

What are 5 non-work things on my to-do list today?

With a little luck I'll have lunch at Tasty Taco in DM.
Go ride mountain bikes with Jubil after work.
Drink a couple of cold ones in my garage with Jubil after #2.
Finish some painting in the basement (or maybe not after #3).
Melt into a lazy boy after #4.

Snacks I enjoy
Umm, pretty much anything I can get my hands on. Fruit, chocolate, ice cream, even chips lately (ugh). As long as I ride enough I can get away with it. If I stop riding, I gotta be more careful. Is beer a snack? Then I gotta say Boulevard Pale Ale and Goose Island IPA (I'm a hop head).

Things I would do if I was a billionaire
I'd stop working and join my wife in the semi-retired state. I doubt we would move, cause nearly every one I know lives here. I'd ride my bike a bunch, and we'd also travel a bunch, and we'd give a bunch away. BTW, my electrician came real close to finding out recently. He got 4 out of 5 numbers and also got the Powerball on a lottery ticket It would been worth $54 million had he hit all 5 numbers. Sad that you can win $10,000 and be disappointed about it.

Places I have lived
This one's gonna be a little boring. Other that a 9 month stint in Riverside, California when I was a year old, I've lived within 8 miles of where I am sitting right this moment. I guess I like it here. Either that or I don't know any different. Plus, like I said, nearly everyone I know is here.

Jobs I've had
Dishwasher
Pizza Delivery
Pizza Cook
Pizza Waiter (see a trend)
Software Developer
IT Manager

That's it. Bruce and Chris, you are it.

Boone 24

2008-09-01T13:33:00.008-05:00

Another Boone 24 in the books. To read the official account check out the MOB Racing blog. Here are some "unofficial" photos.

Taylor looking tough

I teamed up with OP in the two man 12 hour race. We were in it to have fun. He had fun riding his bike. I had fun drinking beer and hanging out with my buds. I managed to get in a couple of laps. OP kept us respectable by doing 4.

The guys that put in eighteen laps didn't really care for the infield routing, but it was very spectator friendly. It took about six minutes to get through it. On the parade lap you could see the whole field all at once.

Our mascot made the trip again this year. She was looking a little worse for wear.

Maharry came out to join in the fun. He was dressed for changing the oil in my truck.

We were having fun by this point. We had lined the course on both sides of the MOB Racing camp, and the racer heckling was in full swing.

Christy came out for the fun! She acted as team Den Mother, and did a great job.

Here Christy puts herself in a dangerous position, between Kyle and Taylor. Kyle looks like he's about to experience Christy's "High Kick".

Someone got the bright idea to lay down on the couse and have racers bunny hop (bunny hope?) over them. Note that Kyle is lying face down this time. It didn't start out that way.

Next morning chilling in the Carney Camp. I swear Andrew gained weight during the race as much as he ate during each stop.

Even in the light of day there was no common sense. More bunny hopping nonsense.

Andy tells us how he's going to have fun next year.

Jubil and Matt tell Andy that you can have fun, and win. Go figure.

Only 363 days until the next Boone 24!

Preride at Mob the 'quab

2008-08-07T22:49:00.004-05:00

I went south tonight to pre-ride this weekend's mountain bike race course at Lake Ahquabi in Indianola. This race is being put on by teammate Bruce Brown, so I wanted to help however I could.

Race Director Bruce leads the way.

Followed by his Dentist, "Chainsaw Al". That is one cool knickname. And Al is a pretty cool guy.

This is the way like to roll - Having fun watching the other guys do the work.

Apparently its contagious.
I'm just kidding. Bruce has put in a ton of work to get this race to happen.

This is the best way to end a ride. This is what mountain biking is all about!

Boone Flat Tire Festival

2008-08-07T21:51:00.003-05:00

I raced at the Boone Flat Tire Festival last weekend, or at least I tried to.

I was trying to pack "low key". What that really meant was that I neglected to pack a spare tube. Oops. At the staring line I was telling Kyle about my predicament, but that I was not worried, because I had never had a flat in a race . . . hisssss.

Holy Crap. I have come to realize that I have supernatural powers from time to time. I can predict one thing, and know that the opposite will come true in a short amount of time. But this was the shortest time that I remember between a boastful proclamation, and fate's inevitable smackdown. I swear, my tire started going flat as I was uttering the words.

At Kyle's urging, I followed the Expert start to my truck to fill my rear tire. I made it back in time for the Sport start. However, my tube would onlt last until halfway down the first decline. Good thing I had on my walking shoes!

BTW, this was my first ever DNF.

Now, some pictures.

There were a couple of friendly rodents at the race . . . a badger and a squirrel.

The Nebraska crew was well represented.

As was the Iowa City crew

Kyle puts on a great low-key race.

If Kyle was there, Taylor can't be far behind. Hey Taylor, "Nice Bike". She used to be mine.

Team mate Bruce Brown held up will in the heat, thorns, and other challenges.

Team mate Scotty looked much better at this race then he did the last time I saw him (RAGBY).

Shortly after I took this picture, I gave Greg a ride home. He didn't want to do it, but his tire wouldn't hold air either.

This guy should win some kind of Iorn Man award. He came though on the first lap riding on a flat rear tire. He finished the second lap with NO front tire. I don't get it. I really don't. Try riding a lap at Boone on just a rim some time. I REALLY don't get it.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading.

RAGBRAI Update Part 2

2008-07-30T23:38:00.003-05:00

Here are some more of my favorite pictures from RAGBRAI.

Brother-in-law Bill and sister Kirsten posing with Abe. How cool is that?

Bill and Kirsten on the road. Note how they are working up a sweat keeping up with me.

This is what a typical pass though town looks like. Its more like a walk through town. As the week wore on I realized that side streets were the way to go if I didn't want to stop.

Not sure what this was about, but a local won a belly flop contest at a beer garden in the last pass through town. Apparently he is into a little S&M.

Someone thought it was funny that my gear bag exploded on the front yard of our host each night. They used my camera to show me how funny it was.

Good thing I brought rain glasses. I used them on Thursday.

This is what I felt like after riding into a headwind all day on Thursday.

The local entertainment in North Liberty. It was much cooler than it looks.

I caught Cousin Natalie cleaning her bike after the rain on Thursday. We had to have a talk about how bikes are happier when they are dirty.

Typical morning RAGBRAI traffic. It was maddening, and unending.

She had some nice really nice melons. The fruit was good also.

If you rode fast enough, this was the reward.

And then you run into guys like this. Too bad I couldn't hang on longer. I tried.

When was the last time you had coffee served to you by a trooper in uniform, without the requisite handcuffs? I did on Friday. He's a cousin of a cousin.

I'll do a day by day writeup sometime soon.

RAGBRAI Update Part 1

2008-07-22T23:06:00.006-05:00

No time for a lot of details. Suffice to say that I'm having a boatload of fun! Probably more fun that this 48 year old body can handle, but we'll work that out later. For now I feel great.

In the meantime, here are a few pictures to tide you over . . .

My Team Varnum crew.

This one is for Hansen. He's got some like minded folk out there.

RAGBRAI has everything, incuding a Vega Elvis.

I ran into Titties, and his little brother "A-Cup".

I was about 6:30 AM when Hansen came looking for a cold one.

I did the Hundy on Monday because of the Farrell brothers. They dragged my sorry ass up and down each one of those hundred hills.

I ran into Scott Sumpter, seriously messed up, with a seriously messed up koozie.

I kept teeling thses guys that it flattened out after Coon Rapids, due to glacial scouring. Did they believe me. Nope.

Jeff and Brian did a great job of keeping the Team Varnum bkes in shape.

On Tuesday, we started drinking beer in the first town (Grand Junction).

We stuck around for way longer than we should have.

Hooter girls were sevring beers as Fergy's. That prolly had somthing to do with it.

Later on I met up with Hansen, Kristen, and Rob on the Boone Hill. It was a blast.

It got a little rough on the hill.

It was about as close to L'Alpe d'Huez as you can get in Iowa.

Kristin is pretty cool.

I also met up with Bruce and Kristin on the hill.

Later we went to HyVee for food and drink

Write this one down. Hansen says "no" to a beer.

Thats all for now. Will write more later when I feel like it.

Packing for RAGBRAI

2008-07-18T17:28:00.003-05:00

Its time. Let the debauchery begin. The cast of characters=, from left to right: Cousin Natalie, her husband Gary, brother in law Bill and my sister Kirsten. I also stopped by Rob's tonight and he said he is riding Monday and Tuesday. Cool. It should be fun.

Wonder what Beav is doing? I turned in an app to be on his Ragby Drinking Team today. I hope it gets accepted.

Feel free to continue with the blog comments during the Ragby, but don't be offended if I don't reply. I will be a little connection challenged for the next week.

Seven Oaks Work Day

2008-07-13T19:51:00.005-05:00

After all of the trouble I've had in the past few days, you would have thought I would have stayed home on a work day at Seven Oaks.

Oops. I showed up.

Cutting a thousand planks.

It is starting to look like a bridge

Putting the planking on:

Two bridges loaded on a trailer:

Sliding the bridges down from the top of the ski hill. This is harder that is looks.

We got them here, now what do we do?

Looks like we put them in their place

Bridges done. Cool.

I've Had Better Days

2008-07-12T22:48:00.006-05:00

It all started on Friday night when I was riding home from work. Somehow the waist strap on me messenger bag came unclipped, and said strap then got tangled in the front wheel. Over the bars I went. Ouch! %$#@*$. I sat on the side of the bike path and swore for a while, then picked myself up and limped home.

The crash had put my front wheel out of true, so I had to unhook the front brake. To make matter worse, my other brake hood was also knocked around.

Not a good way to start the weekend. I went home and iced up everything that hurt. Meanwhile I got a call from OP. We decided that I was OK enough to go do 4-5 hours of gravel the next day (Saturday).

That went great! No issues from the previous night's fall, and the weather was great for a bike ride. Just a little bit of rain, almost no wind, and temps in the 65-75 range.

OP likes his new kit.

OP also likes to take phone calls on long gravel rides. He is a devoted husband and father.

We went through parts of Story, Boone, Hamilton, and Hardin counties. All told I did about 58 miles.

About 8 miles from home, I was leaning back in the saddle stretching, and snap! My seat post rail clamp bolt snapped off, and I was in the dirt again for the second time in 24 hours. Ouch! It didn't hurt quite as bad at first because it was on gravel.

I rode the last six mikes standing. Now that hurt a little.

Notice the lack of a seat at the top of the post, and also notice the seat in my jersey pocket. Also notice the elbow.

When we got close to home we took a singletrack short cut to save about a mile.

Try taking a picture when you've been standing up for the last 5 miles, are chasing OP, and are at the end of long day.

And, after all of that, I'm still smiling.

Iowa Games Postponed

2008-07-10T18:03:00.003-05:00

I just found out the Iowa Games mountain bike race has been postponed to September 13th. WhooHoo! That means several things:

1) There is much more time to get the Peterson's Park trail system back in shape.

2) There are seven, (count them) seven mountain bike races in August and September. If you planned a training peak for June this year, I'm sorry. If you are looking at the mountain bike season as training for 'cross season, you are in luck!

3) I get to race at the Iowa Games!

The Iowa games has always been one of my strongest races. It plays to my strengths (flat, fast, and in my backyard). Because of a RAGBRAI/Iowa Games conflict this year I was going to miss it. Now I will be there! And it should come at about a training peak for me (I'll work that out later).

In other news, I rode my road bike again. That makes twice this year (have I mentioned that I hate cars). Two times on a road bike means I'm ready for the RAG. With all of the gravel miles I've put in, 450 miles of paved goodness should be a cake walk.

Camera Dump

2008-06-29T18:16:00.005-05:00

Here is the promised camera dump. I've been doing quite a bit of riding - almost all of it on gravel.

I've also continued to ride to work whenever I can. It is about 50 minutes one way.

Some of my gravel rides have included "B" roads. Sometimes they have been in really good condition.

Other times, not so much.

One day I stumbled on a spot where three counties come together. It is a little hard to see, but there are three sets of street signs at this intersection. Try explaining that to a 911 dispatcher.

Here we are on the way to Council Bluffs for a race. We were driving over on Friday afternoon.

Oops, the race got cancelled while we were still about 50 miles outside of Council Bluffs. We turned around.

She's smiling, but she's thinking, "Why don't you put the camera down and drive?".

I've also been doing some riding in lake country (central Iowa) with new teammate OP.

This guy is always smiling. The hours pass a lot faster when you can do it with someone else.

On to the devastation. This is a bridge on 160th (just north of me). The water ran over the road here for a long time.

There are lots and lots of lakes like this one. Even today.

This shot is from the trail system in west Peterson's. The lake is overflowing into the river, and has create a waterfall across the trail. I rode on a little bit of the trail, and it is trashed in many, many places.

Things have been so bad around here that I even had to resort to riding on the road once.

Well, there you go. I hope it doesn't take another 6 weeks before the next post. I doubt it. I'm doing RAGBRAI, so that should generate a few decadent posts.

Later.

Can you feel that?

2008-06-25T23:33:00.003-05:00

Can you feel it? A rumbling? A tremor? There is is again.

What you feel is my camera rumbling because it is about to puke its guts out on my poor neglected blog. If been riding, and taking a few pics along the way. I just haven't had too much to say.

There is only so much you can write about rain of biblical proportions, cancelled races, devastated trail systems, and swampy gravel roads.

There was another one. Another tremor. Its coming. I can feel it.

A Little Help

2008-05-18T07:37:00.003-05:00

My son is in need of a new bike bike. I'm looking for a mountain bike, geared or not, in the 56-57mm top tube range. I'm not looking for a bike in good good condition, because he is going to use it to get back and forth to school, and it will sit outside in all kinds of conditions. I'm just looking for something serviceable. The ideal bike would be a Karate Monkey or 1X1 that has seen better days, but still has some rides left in it.

If you've got something like this tucked in the back of your garage, drop me a line at pcvarnum at varnum dot com, and we'll work someting out.

Something to Write About

2008-05-15T19:43:00.008-05:00

After a few uneventful weeks of riding to work, I have something to report.

Like I said, most days are uneventful. I have a few challenging intersections (Grand and Lincolnway, 24th and Northwestern, Crossing US 69), but for the most part my commute is pretty uneventful. Most days, I'm surprised to see a car until I'm most of the way to work.

Today I decided to leave work early, and get in a little extra seat time. Good for me. I've been needing that lately. On the way home, on one of the most innocuous sections of the pavement, a Honda Ridgeline passed me. I remember it because I thought to myself, "Honda Ridgleline, I should get me one of those". After the Honda passed me, he pulled off on the right side of the road at a left turn in the road. That made me nervous. As I approached the left turn, he proceeded do a "U" tun right in front of me! WTF!

I had to lay the bike down to avoid hitting him. He stopped to see that I was OK, but when I said I was going to call he police, he said that he had other stuff to do, and could not be bothered to stick around to see how it turned out for me and my bike. Then he took off.

As it turns out, he ran over my bike, ruining the seat and the rear wheel. At the time I didn't realize that he had run over my bike. It wasn't until later when I was taking pictures that I saw how close a call I had.

Here you go:

Tire tracks across the seat and seat bag.

\

His u-turn tracks right in front of me.

My right knee.

Trashed seat.

Believe it or not, I rode this one home. It hurt!

Story County Deputy Caligiuri doing the CSI thing. He was very cool about everything.

BTW, he is rocking in Oakleys.

He did every thing he could to gather evidence.

Some single track on a different bike will fix my mood.

This perp will be paying a price. I've been told that he will be charged with "Leaving the scene", at a minimum. Other charges may be pending.

When I asked the deputy about recovering expenses for damages, he suggested small claims court. I don't care how much time it takes. I'll be doing that!

Camera Dump

2008-05-11T12:07:00.007-05:00

Time for a camera dump. Like I said, I've been riding some, just not blogging about it.

When the weather and my schedule will allow it, I've been riding to work. Its about a 50 minute ride each way, and I try to stretch it out going home, so that I get 2-2 1/2 hours in.

Its pretty calm most mornings.

That's the way I like it. Cars over there, me over here.

Some time I take a detour, and hit up some single track on the way home. And sometimes I have company.

Single track on a fixie. It can be done, but it does increase the potential for having a "fixie moment".

I raced at Ingawanis a week ago. I sucked. A least it was dry.

Hansen rockin in the MOB kit at Ingawanis.

I also got a little boo-boo at Ingawanis.

I went to the Boone marathon race yesterday with the intention of racing, but it started to rain on the way over there. Boone mostly sucks when it's wet. They shortened up the course, and shortened up the time (2 hour and 4 hour class). twelve hearty folks line up at the start. I still left my bike in the truck. I didn't really feel like replacing my whole drive train again.

Quick, everybody hide your hands.

At the pre-race meeting, everyone was thinking, "This is gonna suck."

A few dirty pictures.

Everyone is a winner at Boone. Even Kyle and Robin's dog, Maddie,

What do you really think, Robin?

Bruce Resse eventually broke a chain that ended his day. He finished third in the 4 hour class.

David "Show me the Money" MacRunnel

My old Rig, now being abused by Taylor Webb. I kid. He's really pimped that thing out.

"You want me to do ANOTHER lap?" Mike Johnson took second place in the four hour class, and was nipping at Carney's heels for most of the race. He also gets the award for the bike that stayed the cleanest. He says Pledge is his secret weapon.

Taylor web does his best "Mark Spitz" impersonation. He won the 2 hour class.

And Andrew Carney won the 4 hour class by pounding out lap after lap. Colorado has agreed with him. He was riding strong! I'm afraid his winning days are over. He starts work at a real job in a week, and will be back to stuggling to find riding time like the rest of us.

Even My Wife . . .

2008-05-10T07:32:00.003-05:00

This morning Christy said, "You really need to update your Blog!". When your wife tells you that you need to spend more time on the Internet, you know its getting bad.

OK. I get it. I think I'm back. I've been riding more, and racing some (if you can call what I do racing).

I went to Waverly last weekend. Great course. I sucked. That's what I get for falling out of shape.

Today I'm going to Boone for the 3/6 hour race with with OP. I haven't decided whether I'm doing the three hour race, or the six. I've only got about three Boone laps in me, so the three hour race would probably be the better choice.

We shall see.

Long Time No Blog

2008-05-03T20:58:00.003-05:00

I admit it. Its been a while since my last post. I apologize. I've been sick/busy/otherwise occupied, but you don't want to hear about that.

Okay, on the sick part, after I got over the original sickness, I got down with the death virus. You know, the one where death would be an upgrade. I lived through it, but it sucked. It was like someone threw a switch on my gastrointestinal system, and told everything to find the nearest exit. It was a miserable couple of days, but I'm better now.

Tomorrow I'm off for the Waverly mountain bike race. I'm not expecting much. We'll let you know how it turns out,

Riding With Rob

2008-04-15T22:17:00.003-05:00

Rob sent me an e-mail last night and wanted to know if I was interested on playing "hooky" today. The answer was "Hell yes!".

We met at my place around one o'clock. From there we headed south around all that McFarland and Peterson's had to offer. When we were done with that, we headed back to my place for for provisions, and then headed north,. We went north on the Sopher's Mill trail, and then took the gravel to the the Anderson Canoe Access. After a while Anderson's got a bit mucky, and we turned around.

All told we got nearly three hours of seat time in, and I'm exhausted from chasing Rob around my home turf. I would have taken more pictures, but I was having trouble keeping up!

It was good to hang out with Rob, talk about the MOB, and chart the future. Good times!

Sylvan = Me No Go

2008-04-11T19:28:00.004-05:00

I've decided to bail on Sylvan Island this weekend. I've been sick all week, and I can't even climb a set of stairs without going into a coughing fit. That is too bad because Sylvan Island has been one of my favorite courses on the IMBCS circuit. It is flat and technical. Both qualities that I like in a mountain bike course.

The weather does not look real good for the weekend. Something like rain/snow/windy/fair to partly crappy. Sylvan has been blessed with good weather for the past couple of years. Maybe this is their year for crappy weather.

I'll race in mud (but I won't like it), and I'll race when I'm sick (but I won't like it), but I really don't want to race in the mud while I'm getting down with the sickness.

This will probably be the epic race that everyone will talk about for years to come. I guess that is my lot in life.

Sick

2008-04-08T20:28:00.002-05:00

I don't know if it was the hard effort on Saturday left me with a weakened immune system, the lack of a flu shot in the fall because of a broken collar bone, or the bad karma that comes from bragging to anyone that would listen that, "I don't get sick. Ever, never".

Well, I'm sick. It is not debilitating. It started with a slight sore throat on Sunday morning that went away. On Monday morning the sore throat was more persistent, and kept me away from work for a half a day. By today it has settled into my vocal chords (I can do a pretty good James Earl Jones right now - "Luke, I am your father").

Now I can feel it settling into my lungs. Crap! So much for Sylvan Island. We will still go, and I'll still going to find a way to race, but my results will probably suffer. Finally I have an excuse.

VEISHEA Race Report

2008-04-05T23:12:00.004-05:00

My first mountain bike race of the season was today in my back yard at Peterson's. It was the VEISHA mountain bike race. This race was also my first ever mountain bike race back in 2003. Wow, five years ago. A lot of stuff has happened since then. I was looking back at the results from that race a few days ago.

Some names from that race in 2003:
Chris Maharry (Expert)
John Adamson (Expert)
Carl Buchanan (Sport)
Thad Neil (Sport)
Rob Versteegh (won in Sport)
Sean Myers (Sport)
Dave Krenz (Beginner)
Troy Tellinghuisen (Beginner)
Kyle Sedore (Beginner)
Nick Wooley (Beginner)
Scott Sumpter (Beginner)
Bruce Reese (Beginner)
Ron Degeest (Beginner)
Mike Lebeda (Beginner)
Bruce Neil (Beginner)

In 2003 I didn't know any of these guys, but they all seemed to be good friends. I was envious. This stuff looked like fun. I wanted to become one of these guys.

After a couple of year racing beginner class races at Petereson's (VEISHEA and Iowa Games), I decided that, in order to become a better bike racer, I should join a team. I joined Team 14 for both the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Late in 2007 Team 14 disbanded, and MOB Racing was born.

Fast forward to today.

I now find myself running a team of very talented bike racers. I don't exactly know how it happened. I could not have planned it if I tried. And yet here I am. Cool!

OK. Enought with the self examination. On with the race report.

At the race were Rob, Chris, and Scott from the MOB, and Taylor had also ridden up with Rob. I was also pleased to see several Bike Tech guys were there from Waterloo/Cedar Falls. This was our first race in the new MOB kits, and we were eager to make a mark. There is a write-up on the MOB blog about the overall MOB results, so I will concentrate on my race here.

I did a warm-up ride with Scott and the course looked great, except for the previously mentioned 50 yards of mud. It got better as the day went on, but it was still a mud bog. Here's a tip when riding in mud that I learend from my motocross day. Don't fight the ruts, flow with the ruts. I you try to control the bike in the mud you lose. Just try to keep forward momentum and let the bike find it's own path through the ruts. Sadly, I didn't remember this until lap 3.

I decided to ride my 'cross bike. I've wanted to try a 'cross bike in a race at Peterson's. Peterson's is mostly a fast, flat, and smooth course. I brought both the Dos Niner and the 'cross bike just is case. The deciding factor was the mud. My Dos Niner does not do a good job of clearing mud, so the decision was easy.

The Sport race started off and found myself in the front of the pack going into wind for the first leg of the race. No a good place to be. I was trying to figure a way to get off the front, I hit a root on the trail, and I went down - HARD and FAST. Problem solved. I went from first to worst just like that.

I got up, got back on my bike, was suprised to see my bike was still ridable. I tried to get back in the race. Within a 1/2 lap I had caught back up with Kyle Williams, who was in second place. He and I went back and forth for 5 laps or so. We could see first place from time to time, but we could not make any progress catching him. I was digging a pretty deep hole keeping up with Kyle, and finally in the 5th or sixth lap he passed me and made it stick. I tried to keep him in sight, but I was fading. In the six or seventh lap (of eight) I was also passed by Nate Harp. Once again I tried to keep him in sight, but I was fading fast. By then riding the cross bike was taking a toll. I finished in 4th of eight. I'll take it.

As far as I'm concerned, I was a great first outing for me, and for the MOB. I've been doing a 2-3 hour gravel ride on most weekends during the winter. I have not been doing much in the was of focused training. Given that, I'm OK with this result.

Next up is Sylvan Island in the Quad Cities next weekend.

VEISHEA Go Time

2008-04-04T22:19:00.004-05:00

Veishea is a GO! I rode the Peterson's trail tonight. Almost everything is in great condition! It is amazing how it recovered from yesterday's rain. However, there are two trouble spots. The first spot in on the east/west trail on the river side. There is about fifty yards of trail that was flooded when the river came up a couple of weeks ago. That spot was terrible on Wednesday, it looked almost ridable tonight (but I didn't try it), and I think it will be OK by tomorrow at noon. The second trouble spot is actually two spots. There are two trees down across the trail. One on the east side and one on the west side. I can think of ways to route around both of them if the Veishea people are interested in my help. I offered help, we'll see if they respond.

The word on the street is that Rob, Scott, Taylor, and Chris and all making an appearance at the race tomorrow. Hmm, I'm gonna have to work hard to stay out of last place!

Below are a few cool shadow pics for your enjoyment.

Let's Get Dirty

2008-04-02T21:59:00.005-05:00

I took my first ride in the dirt today, and it wasn't too bad! It had been a couple of days since it had rained, and usually that is enough for Peterson's. Today was no different. It was a little soft in spots because of the freezing/thawing, and I was a little soft from a long winter with too little riding. Oh, well. It will have to do.

It was great to get back in the dirt. I was also my first real chance to get the new kit out without covering it up with something else.

The river is up, and it has caused a little minor flooding in the usual low spots next to the river, but that is to be expected this time of year.

The trail between the east and west sides that is closest to the river is impassable because of this. All else was ridable, at least until it rains again.

And the beavers have been busy, causing me to work on my cyclocross dismounts. Nothing wrong with that.

The VEISHEA mountain bike race is going to be at Peterson's in three days. I'm as ready as I'm going to get.

VEISHEA Mountain Bike Race

2008-04-01T11:40:00.003-05:00

Well the kids at Iowa State havn't been real aggressive about marketing it, so you probably don't know that the annual (except in years where there was a riot the previous year) Veishea mountain bike race is this weekend. The race will be held a Peterson's Pits (my back yard) this Saturday, April 5th at noon. Pertinant details can be found here. I'll also cut and paste the details later in the post.

This race is in my back yard, is on a course that I could ride blindfolded, and also is a course that does not expose my main weakness (climbing). I gotta do this one. Sure it is the first race of the year, and my early season training this year has been anything but disciplined, but oh well. It'll be fun. I think a couple of other MOBsters are also coming out for the race.

If you come to the race, and decided to come because I told you about it, tell them that a the scoring tent. Maybe they will figure it out for next year.

Tour de VEISHEA
Join us for a fun day of Mountain Biking at Peterson Park in StoryCounty. Peterson Park is located approximately 4 miles north of Ames on Hwy69, then 1.75 miles east on 180th St. This is a NORBA sanctioned event soparticipants will need a NORBA license. Daily NORBA licenses may purchased atthe event for $5.

All participants will receive a Tour de VEISHEA shirt and the winners of each division will receive a VEISHEA tournaments champion shirt as well. Food and refreshments will be available for racers and their families. The route consists of approximately 5.1 miles of dirt trail with several climbs, descents, and turns. Number of laps will be determined at race time pertaining toconditions. The race can be canceled if the race officials declare the coursenot fit for race conditions. If the race is canceled, the entry fee will berefunded. For more information or questions contact tourdeveishea08@iastate.edu! (editor's note e-mails to this ID bounced last night)

Divisions
Junior Men (12-18 yrs old),
Junior Women (12-18 yrs old),
BeginnerMen,
Beginner Women,
Sport Men,
Sport Women,
Expert Men,
Expert Women (Alldivisions 19+ except junior division)

Details
Location: Peterson Pits Park (North of Ames)
Date: Saturday, April 5
Arrive By: 10:30 AM
Event Start: 12:00 PM
Fee: $20

An Update

2008-03-27T10:05:00.003-05:00

It has been sugeested to me that I get up out of the basement and do an update. Here goes.

I've just been really, really busy. Not just with the basment, but with team stuff. Amatuer hour in the basement is drawing to a close, and now it is time to bring in the pros, so hopefully that time suck will slow down a little.

If you are on the MOB, you know that I've been busy there also. The new MOB kits came in, and they rock! I hope we'll be seeing a lot of them this race season.

I've also started riding my bike to work whenever I can. Any day that I do, I get about two hours of riding in. Cool. I didn't ride today though. It looks like a frickin' winter wonderland out there right now.

Got to go. Later.

Remodeling Fun

2008-03-14T06:21:00.003-05:00

We've been remodeling the basement, and decided to have a little fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4TbCt72Ij4

Riding With Kids

2008-03-09T13:21:00.007-05:00

It has sort of become my place to play the role of the seasoned adult on many of the group rides I participate in. I don't mind. Most of the reason for that is because I am an old man living in a college town. The kids come, and the kids go. It's always a little sad when they leave, but there always seems to be a new crop on their heels. When I can keep up, riding with the kids is great fun, and it is a great way to build up my fitness.

Today was another one of those days. Today's cast was (from front to back) Bryan Moritz, Matthew Hoffman, and Becca Finley.

This was to be my view for as long as I could hang with them.

It didn't look good from the start. Do you ever have one of those days where it feels like you are going to get dropped before getting out of town? That was me today. These kids are all strong riders, and I wasn't feeling it. That's a bad combination. After a bit I settled in, but anytime even the slightest hill appeared, I was off the back. I hung with them for an hour or so, but knowing the bigger hills were just up the road, I turned for home. It was fun while it lasted.

I cruised home with the wind for a while. Then, when I was close to the end, did some 30 sec sprint intervals to make sure that I was totally trashed by the time I got back to town.

It was good day, and I'm still smiling.

WIll Winter Ever End?

2008-03-08T20:02:00.004-06:00

I'm starting to get the awful feeling that this really is the beginning of the next Ice Age. I keep looking nervously to the north expecting see glaciers looming on the horizon. Even with all that OP and I went out for a ride today.

He showed up at my place at 9:00 sharp on his Ibex.

It was a little brisk (10 degrees) but it was great to get out and just ride!

The plan was to do a couple of hours on gravel before the sun worked its magic and turned our wonderful gravel tundra into gravel soup.

As you can see, there's still a bunch of snow out here in the country. That snow will all turn into broth for the gravel soup one day soon.

Paul got a little bonky towards the end. I could tell because he couldn't hold my wheel anymore. And that never happens. I prolly shouldn't be smiling about it.

We stopped any my place where he got a gel and some water, got unbonked, and then was was on his way home.

Up for tomorrow I think I'm up for an ass whoopin'. I'm getting out the road bike for the first time since some time back is August (I guess I've been a little too focused on the dirt/cross/gravel/ice lately). Its going to be an ass whoopin' cause Moritz, Hansen, and Hoffman are going. It should be fun, if I survive. Note to self, take a cell phone.

Weekend Plans

2008-03-06T19:12:00.004-06:00

OK. Here's the deal. On Saturday it will be cold (5 degrees) in the morning. That means that the gravel will be blissfully slop-free for a few hours. I'm going to go out at about 9:00 for two hours. I'll probably head east on 170th. You are welcome to join me if you wish. You can ride out here, and we'll leave from here, you can ride with me in spirit, or you can just give me a call when I'm out riding. It's all up to you. If you wanna ride for more than two hours, you better start earlier, or mount fenders, cause its gonna get sloppy after 11:00 AM, and I want nothing to do with that right now.

For Sunday, I'm riding on pavement (GASP - I warned you) with Bryan and Matthew Hoffman (no, not that Mat Hoffman - I asked). We're leaving from the The Cafe at 10:00 AM. All are welcome. We plan to do about three hours, the direction will depend on the wind, and Bryan wants to go easy cause he's having some weird alien biopsies and probing done the following Tuesday. Going easy for him means balls to the wall for me, so it will be a great weekend!

If you want to join in the fun, leave a comment or give me a call at 515-290-7789.

Redemptive Suffering

2008-03-03T20:44:00.004-06:00

Last week I said " . . . next week I'm back on the bike, regardless of the conditions".

Well here we are at next week. It's March, the first mountain bike race is in 6 weeks, and its time for me to add some intensity, regardless of the conditions outside.

So tonight I dusted off one of my trusty trainers. I'm proud of the fact that I have stayed of that implement of torture so far this winter. I did so hoping to avoid the burnout that comes from too much indoor riding. I've been riding outside when the opportunity presented itself, and have also been hiking, skiing, XC skiing, playing volleyball, etc., to keep myself from getting too soft. Another piece of good news is that I stepped in the scale this morning and my weight what the same (199 lbs) as when the season ended last year. Also, according to my scale, my muscle mass has also held steady. Now if I could just lose about 20 lbs of fat . . .

So anyway, enough messing around. My season began in earnest today with some real intensity. I did a blackout interval workout. That workout has become a real favorite on the trainer. It takes about two hours, but because you are mixing it up, the time goes pretty fast.

As usual, in the last phase (cruise intervals) I ramped up the intensity of the last two intervals to way past zone 5a. In in the last interval, I did nearly the whole thing in 5c (177+), and put it all out there for the last few minutes. I held my HR above 190 for a couple of minutes. At one point I saw 193 bpm. That is a new personal best for me. Last year my old high was 185 bpm. Conventional wisdom says that your max heart rate decreases a beat with each year. With training, mine seems to be increasing? Also following conventional wisdom my max should be 200-48(my age) = 172 bpm. I feel like I could ride all day at at 172 bpm. Whatever, I'll take it. I don't want to get too hung up on max heart rate, but it is nice to have the additional head room in a race. It's also good to see that I can put it close to the max and hold it for a while.

It really felt good to work that hard. It was definitely redemptive suffering.

80³

2008-03-02T18:39:00.006-06:00

Eighty cubed. That's the way I would describe our way home from Colorado. Why eighty cubed? I-80 * 80 mph * 80 degrees fahrenheit. That makes for a good trip home.

Some parting shots.

The mountain:

The Half-Pipe

Time to go home, cause everyone else discovered this place:

Next year . . .

Another Day in Paradise

2008-02-29T19:54:00.002-06:00

It was another perfect day in paradise. The sun was shining, the temps were mild, and the skiing was perfect!

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Our last day of skiing is tomorrow. Good thing cause my legs are feeling a little toasted. Its been a good three days of cross training.

This week has been a nice break, but next week I'm back on the bike, regardless of the conditions.

Its All Downhill

2008-02-28T19:08:00.003-06:00

I'm on top of the world, literally.

Check out my new Oakley O Frames ski googles. They rock! They have a huge field of vision, and just the right amount of shading.

Today was our first day of skiing. We had a blast.

It sure would be nice if they would move Copper Mountain closer to Ames.

In the afternoon Dan and I hit some of the bowls.

Here I am in the afternoon, still on top of the world.

It got warm enough in the afternoon that I switched out googles for Oakley Half Jackets with polarized lenses. The also rock! The polarized lenses took all of the glare out, and the lenses worked great in both full sun and dark shade.

I took some video with a helmet cam. Maybe I'll post it later. But I didn't mount the cam on my helmet. I just held it, so the vidoe is a little shaky. If you get motion sickness, don't watch!

Almost Skiing

2008-02-27T23:48:00.002-06:00

We spent the day driving across Nebraska. Suprisingly, the time went pretty fast. And with four of us sprawled out in a Suburban, it was pretty comfortable.

My bro, prolly checking his e-mail.

The boys watchin a flick. Just like they were home in the living room.

We took a count. It takes two lap tops, an air card, two smart phones, three other cell phones, two DVD players, three Ipods, about 75 DVDs, and about 75 charging devices to get across Nebraska. All that and we we still bore easily. Talk about ADD on wheels!

This is how we spend our nights. Pretty wild stuff, huh?

I hope to post pics with snow and skis tomorrow.

Gone Skiing

2008-02-26T21:23:00.004-06:00

All work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy, and I guess I've never been accused of being dull, so its off for a little play time in the mountains for me. That's right - I'm going skiing for a few days!

I know that Gravèlo gets a little nervous any time I try a hobby other than cycling, but don't worry. This isn't a new obsession, I'm renewing a long time love.

My brother and I have been skiing since college, and as soon as our boys were able, we started taking them along. None of us is very good because we only get out a few days a year. But we have fun, and its a great way to break up the winter.

I'll post some pics if I get a chance.

Ice Road

2008-02-23T11:35:00.009-06:00

I was getting really tired of not riding my bike. This morning I decided I really didn't care how icy the road was, cause I was going to ride. So I hopped on the ice tank and went out for a gravel spin.

I saw lots of this:

and this

and this.

Regardless of the road conditions, it was a great day to be outside. It was sunny, about 15 degrees, and no wind. I really like winter when it's served up like today was.

The ice tank did great!. Not one slip, or even a bobble. But with as much ice as there is on the gravel, when that ice starts to melt, the bottom is gonna fall out. I might have to resort to riding pavement for a while (gasp!).

The ride was also great! I went did some pretty easy spinning going out, and then put it on the big ring coming back, and tried to blow out some of the cobwebs. That really helps.

Note to self - ride your bike more often.

A Milestone

2008-02-07T20:46:00.000-06:00

Although there has been lots of talk about the new team, last weekend was the first real team gathering. You never really know if it is going to happen until people actually show up. And what do you know? They did. You can read about it on the MOB Racing blog.

It is a milestone for me, because it means that I really am responsible for a bike racing team. Holy Crap! How did that happen? It was only two years ago that I e-mailed Thad about joining his team.

As is my lot in life, I seem to find myself in charge of things. I don't go looking for it, but things just seem to turn out that way.

Don't get me wrong. I love my life! I'm just amazed that such a group of talented cyclists would follow me into anything. Go figure.

Snow Bike #1

2008-01-31T19:19:00.000-06:00

Apparently my race season started last weekend (I know - another late post, but I've been busy. More about that later.)

I got a comment from Bryan, wondering if I was going up to Matt's snowbike race, and could I give him a ride. He said Hansen was racing, and it would be a blast. I'd thought about going up for the race a little, but hadn't given it serious consideration. Afterall, lately my training has consisted of a 2-3 hour bike ride once a week, followed by celebratory beers afterwards. It turns out that was the perfect training for this race!

Bryan and Chris get ready for the race:

John Newell and Jim Logan were there .

The accomodations on the ride out were first class. We had a bus full of bikes:

And a bus full of riders. We kept pulling the "Please Stop now" rope, but it didn't help. Matt just kept driving into oblivion.

This is what oblivion looks like.

I hung with the main group for a while, then we split up into two groups, then it was just me.

I could see Hansen just ahead, spinning like mad man, but I couldn't catch him. BTW, Bryan was long gone, and WON THE RACE!

After the race, things got a little goofy.

Seems someone got a deal on fake mustaches.

The fun continued on the way home

What tastes best after a hard day in the cold? Homemade Chicago deep-dish pizza!

Oh, and my excuse for this post being so late? I finally got the MOB Racing kit order finalized. It Rocks! Check it out.

Hike Around Seven Oaks

2008-01-26T19:41:00.000-06:00

Last weekend several of us decided to take a hike around Seven Oaks in Boone (sorry for the late post on the hike - I got busy and it got away from me).

It was a lovely day for a hike:

Five of us didn't have enough sense to stay home on a day like today. Troy Kyle, Taylor, me, and Ron.

The opening climb isn't much easier on foot.

This is as close as I've ever been to Kyle on that climb.

After climbing a few hills, the slight twinges of cold that we had felt out in the open gave way to open jackets and sweat. Down in the valley it actually felt warm.

After a while we were all covered with frozen condensation.

After the hike, Troy convinced Joel to let us take a few runs on the tubing hill. What a blast!

We looked like a bunch of kinds out there.

Clothing note from the trip. Although I have quite a bit of experience riding is these type of conditions, I'm not as experienced hiking in them. I overdressed. For next time, A base layer and my ski jacket was plenty warm. Fleece tights and ski pants were also enough. Unfortunately I also had jeans and a sweatshirt. That was too much and it held too much moisture. I also wore my down mittens. I spent half of the time with them off, because they were too warm! Ski gloves would have been enough. It's amazing how little clothing you can get away with at nine below zero if you are staying active. I'll get this all figured out someday.

No Sense

2008-01-19T19:49:00.000-06:00

A few of us dim-witted folks are going to hike around the Boone MTB course tomorrow morning at 9:00 for the fun of it. Apparently we have no sense about these things. All are welcome. Let me know if you also have no sense.

Leading from the Back

2008-01-13T18:43:00.000-06:00

Today several of us went out on a gravel grinder. It was our little way of wishing Andrew Carney our best as he goes out to seek his fortune in the real world, in this case Colorado. As if that wasn't enough, it turned into a double farewell (I've got to stop losing friends to other states), but more about that later.

I'm not sure that I have any business leading a ride, seeing as how I'm usually the slowest guy on any ride I'm involved in. Some how I would figure it out. I had a route planned out that would end at my place, but I wasn't sure how I would lead the ride from the back.

Participants on the ride today:

Andrew -Reformed Triathlete and Endurance Freak. The guest of honor sporting a nice beard today. He's probably started it yesterday.

The next to appear was Alex. Alex is our resident engineer and bike geek (OK, we're all bike geeks). If you can imagine a bike part, he could make it.

Next was Greg - Bike Recycler Extraordinaire. He never met a bike that he didn't want to take home and give some TLC.

Bryan was next with a special guest. Byran is an up and coming road racer. He's also young enough to be my son (OK, most of these guys are).

Bryan was with Chris! WTF? I thought he had moved to Arizona or something. Chris is one of the fastest guys I have ever had the pleasure of riding with. He became the second guest of honor on this ride.

Shortly after that came OP, TransIowa and Dirty Kanza veteran. He is one of the more committed people that I know (or perhaps he should be committed).

The skies were clear, the winds were light, and the temps were tolerable. What am I doing at the front of this pack of talented cyclists? Tiz a puzzlement.

It wouldn't last.

Somewhere between these picture the second guest of honor (Chris), fell in an icy corner and took out the guest of honor (Andrew). Both got up laughing, as Andrew got knocked into the deep ditch snow, which doesn't hurt as much. I missed getting a picture - which is the difference between goodness and greatness.

The group broke up a couple of times, but then seemed to magically re-form every time they had to slow down and ask me for directions. Leading from the back, and controlling the pace. Hmm. It seemed to work.

Finally we got back to my place where there were there were the muched promised stories and beers.

Here Andrew tells us about riding across the country on his bike, or sleeping in a Jeep at -25 at Crested Butte, I can't remember which.

After a while we move inside, cause the stories got longer and the garage got colder.

It was a great day to hang out with great friends. Some friends I will probably see in the next week or two, and some that I won't see for a while. That is life as an old man in a college town.

Andrew Carney Mountain Ride

2008-01-08T22:45:00.000-06:00

We're hosting an Andrew Carney Mountain Ride on Sunday at 10 AM. No, we won't be riding in the mountains, but Andrew is leaving us for the mountains. I can't blame him. It's pretty out there. Not to mention the snow, the skiing, and THE MOUNTAINS.

So anyway, we'll be leaving from the Ada Hayden north shelter at about 10:00 am on Sunday. Route is yet to be determined, and distance is yet to be deteremined. If we ride hard enough and long enough, there may be beers at my place on the way home.

Let me know if you'll be there, so we don't leave without you.

Snow Bike

2008-01-06T21:09:00.001-06:00

I've got the "Ice Tank" all rigged up for some snow and ice riding. Today the opportunity presented itself to actually ride offroad in the snow. But I had to do it quick before all of the snow melted and the trails turned into muck. Temps in the mid 40's in January? I've got to do something. After taking the dog for a walk this morning, I looked at the trails and thought "I can ride this slop". I was mostly right.

It looks harmless, but the going is actually pretty hard! 3 inches of slop will do that. Imagine riding through a margarita.

I even got into the woods some. In areas where the snow was tracked down, the riding was pretty sweet. In the more remote areas, not so good.

I got some strange looks, and some incredulous comments. "I can believe you're riding your bike back here", and "Don't you fall alot?" Yeah, I do fall alot, just not today.

The views were worth it.

Maybe if it freezes up, the woods will be ridable again.

Seems Like Old Times

2008-01-02T23:19:00.000-06:00

It seems like old times cause I went riding with old friends in frickin' cold weather!

My "Ice Tank" with studded tires:

Breakfast before the ride:

These boots are warm. If you are serious about riding in the winter get some some Lakes.

Serious desolation:

My companions for this ride - Cory and OP:

Time hasn't changed this view - OP and I chased Cory up the hills:

More desolation:

One final view with Cory behind me (he had to stop and pee - it wouldn't last). BTW, I need a shave.

Fear of Falling

2007-12-29T20:53:00.000-06:00

With all of the ice on the gravel roads, I've developed a bit a fear of falling. I don't consider it an irrational fear, because the likely hood of falling on the ice is quite high. And the last time I fell off a bike things got broken.

But today was just too nice a day. I had to get out there!

We got some light snow. Believe it or not, snow on top of ice provided some pretty decent traction if you are careful.

In some spots the gravel was even showing through.

Pretty . . .

Oh, I also tried out me new secret weapon for winter ice and snow riding.

Studded snow tires! They worked great! They even provided grip on glare ice. I could start, stop. and even turn on pure ice. OK, they are not light, and they roll really, really slow. Oh well. This time of year isn't about going fast.

I'm going to try to ride with OP and Cory tomorrow morning. We'll see how it goes.

First Ride Back

2007-12-16T09:52:00.000-06:00

Well I said I was gonna go ride my bike yesterday, so I did. The plan was to head to McFarland and ride some of the snowy trails. The trails looked ridable enough, with just 3 inches of fluffy powder on them.

Unfortunately, under that powder is a 1/2 inch crust of ice and frozen sleet, and under that is another 2 inches of snow, and under that is another inch of ice. Digging through it is like taking a walk back through our weather for the last couple of weeks. On skis I blissfully floated on top of it all, but on a bike I floated for a brief moment, then broke through. I pulled back on top, only to break through again. Rinse and repeat. It was unridable. Crap.

So I headed for home. On the way I looked wistfully down the gravel road.

It was mostly unencumbered by snow, but contained all of the previously mentioned ice. And the gravel? It was no where to be seen. It looked pretty fricken slick. But, as I said to OP yesterday, this was to be an exercise in stupidity.

It was good to get out on a bike! It was my first real ride in six weeks.

Kinds has the look of Fargo, doesn't it?

Look ma, no gravel. This is what the gravel looks like now. Mile after mile of ice road.

I stayed out for about an hour. It wasn't too bad if you kept to the side of the road where there was still some snow. I never really had any "holy crap" moments, but the road and the conditions kept my full attention.

Notes from the ride:

1) I'm looking forward to some gravel slop when this stuff melts.
2) The legs felt good and the lungs felt good, but apparently ass conditioning fades quickly.
3) Good thing it is December. I've got a long ways to go.
4) Oops, I missed out on the cold weather acclimatization phase. All of the sudden its really cold out there!
4) It is really, really good to get back on a bike.

A little Muddy

2007-12-14T19:50:00.000-06:00

I'm guessing it's a little muddy in Kansas City at the Cyclocross nationals

I snagged this picture of Steve Tilford winning the 45-49 title.

Yup, just a little muddy. Oh, and yup, that's my age group. I've seen him race. He's just a smidge faster than me.

Our own Thad Neil finished 24th in the +30 B race on Thursday. He was less than two minutes away from a top 10 finish. Pretty damn good in a national race. These guys are all good. People don't travel 1000 miles to a race because they suck at it.

Results and more photos are here. Six inches of snow predicted for the weekend down there. It should be a good one!

Six Weeks

2007-12-13T17:46:00.000-06:00

Six weeks is the amount of time since I have done anything even remotely cardio. It has been six weeks since I broke my collarbone, and I was determined to completely, absolutley, take that time off. I mean totally off, as in lay on the couch, watch TV, and drink adult beverages. You know, the way the rest of America lives their lives. So I did.

So hear I am six weeks later. Collarbone nearly healed (can lay on left side but can't sleep on it, can't do pushups, but couldn't do many before), a couple of pounds heavier, a couple of pounds of muscle lost, and my cardio mostly gone. Oh, well. If I'm going to be in this kind of condition, it is better to do in on December than July.

There will be lots of time to regain my fitness. And my desire has been greatly rejuvinated! If you haven't taken six weeks off lately, I highly recommend it. Although I don't recommend breaking a bone to do it.

I mention all of this because I went out for an hour of cross-country skiing tonight. It was great! The snow was good, the winds were light, and I had the trails to myself. My legs are a little sore from too much rest, but that is to be expected.

Oh, while I was out on the prairie trail I saw some bike tracks . . . It looked very ridable. Maybe tomorrow I'll get my single speed with the knobby tires and . . . .

I'll keep you posted.

Renegade Cyclocross I

2007-12-08T17:52:00.000-06:00

I went to Rob's Renegade Cyclocross this morning. I didn't go to race, but just to hang out with a few crazys that wanted to get out and ride. The course marking consisted of a shoveled path around the park. I didn't ride it, but the conditions looked suprisingly good! I didn't see anyone fall who was not taken out by someone else. More about that later.

There were some interesting bike choices.

Rob's the man.

Quite a few crazys out today.

Lots on interesting clothing choices also.

Somehow Kyle approriated Steve's bike. It looks like he's one bike over the legal limit.

Like being chased by a Yeti, only more frightening.

And the takedown.

Gumm brought his dog and his full face helmet.

It was plenty chilly out there.

Afterwards, Steve just wanted a nap.

Rob sez he'll do another one of these in a month. I'll be ready by then.

Camera Dump

2007-12-03T23:22:00.000-06:00

Its been a while since I posted anything substantial, no that this post will have any substance either. Here goes.

I'm not the only thing that Charlie has been tipping over.

My last ride on the dirt before state 'cross.

It was a great day.

Went to state 'cross with Bryan. He got second in cat 3. Sweet

Boredom on the ride home.

Glad somebody's watchin the road.

I won a sweet pair of Oakleys.

Damn! Put a lot of miles on the truck this summer riding my bike. Go figure.

Keep scrolling if you got a weak stomach.

Somehow I had the presence of mind to take this picture on the way to the emergency room. The bump isn't so big now, but its still there.

Bryan and I share a birthday almost. He's 21, and I'm way past 2 times that.

Apparently you can't shave with a broken collarbone. It's a rule or something.

I might get out on a bike again, if this ice ever melts.

JingleCross Bound

2007-11-24T08:39:00.000-06:00

Christy and I are packing up the truck for two days of JingleCross! No racing for me this time. I'll be sitting on the hill with a cold one, cheering and jeering. That reminds me I need to get beer, cookies, and dirty singles on the way out of town.

This is gonna be great!

If I can get an Internet connection, maybe I'll post a few pictures tonight. And then again, maybe I won't. I've heard rumors of a few parties.

Beer Money

2007-11-20T22:52:00.000-06:00

I got this video from a reliable source. Apparently Hansen and Moritz have gone to extremes to earn a little beer money this holiday season. Enjoy!

Back in the Saddle

2007-11-19T17:29:00.000-06:00

I rode a bike for the first time in nearly 3 weeks! OK, it was only up the driveway and down the gravel for 100 yards or so, but it was riding.

It was just too nice a day to let it pass. A ride report? It hurt a little, and I did some of it was one handed (like most things I do these days). But now I have that first one out of the way. The next one will be a little easier, and hurt a little less.

But don't worry, I'm gonna take it slow.

During my recovery, more than once I've thought of Tyler Hamilton, who broke his collar bone in a crash during the finishing sprint on the first stage of the 2003 Tour de France. He not only rode on to finish the Tour, but won a stage doing it! That's gotta hurt!

And I can barely ride my bikw up the driveway.

You can read Tyler's account of the 2003 Tour here. It's a pretty good read.

Quiet Time

2007-11-15T19:31:00.000-06:00

There has been a minimum of posting lately because, well, this is a biking blog and well, I can't ride a bike right now. I'm actually enjoying the forced time off the bike, and am healing well. I can tell that the bones have bridged together, I've stopped wearing the sling, and and I'm back to a realtively normal life (except for not riding a bike).

I've thought about getting on a trainer, but there will be plently of time for that later. For now I'll just enjoy my time off.

MOB Racing

2007-11-05T20:45:00.000-06:00

Regular readers will remember that my current team is disbanding at the end of the season. At the Boone 24 several of us had a powwow about how we could keep the team going.

From that discussion, MOB Racing was born.

MOB Racing is a low-key, dirt ridin', and fun luvin' race team. Although we are focused on the dirt, we do a little bit of everything. We are also open to new members. If you think this sounds like your kind of fun, let me know.

like we didn't already know this . . .

2007-11-02T23:11:00.000-05:00

They could have just asked amountain biker . . .

It's Better To Drink Beer After Exercise Than Water

Researchers at Granada University in Spain have come across a discovery that will undoubtedly please athletes and sports enthusiasts - a pint of beer post-workout or match is better at rehydrating the human body than water.

Professor Manuel Garzon, a member of Granada's medical faculty, made the finding after tests on 25 students over several months. Researchers believe that it is the sugars, salts, and bubbles in a beer that may help people absorb fluids more quickly.

The subjects in the study were asked to run on a treadmill at temperatures of 104F (40C) until they were close to exhaustion. Once they had reached the point of giving up, researchers measured their hydration levels, motor skills, and concentration ability.

Half of the subjects were given two half pints of Spanish lager to drink, and the other half were given just water.

Garzon said that the rehydration effection in those who were given beer was "slightly better" than those who were given only water. He also believes that the carbon dioxide in beer helps quench thirst more quickly, and that beer's carbohydrates replace calories lost during physical exertion.

The average person loses around 1 liter (33oz) of water for every hour of exercise in sweat. Rehydrating after a workout is crucial, as a lack of hydration is more likely to make one feel tired, fuzzyheaded, and suffer from headaches.

Based on the results of the study, researchers recommend moderate consumption of beer as a part of athletes' diets. "Moderate consumption" for men is 500ml per day, and for women is 250ml per day.

http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/3467

another one

2007-11-01T20:25:00.000-05:00

crap! i just got word that bruce reese's wife kristin broke her collarbone tonight at science center. and they've got triplet pre-schoolers. best of luck kristin! bruce and christy will have to form a broken collarbone supporters network.

speaking of support, i went looking on the internet for some idea of what to expect for broken collarbone recovery. this link is a long discussion thread of those suffering from a broken collar bone. it gives a pretty good idead of what to expect, what to ask for, and what to watch for.

like any internet advice, take it with a grain of salt. the only real bad advice i saw was taking advil or ibuprofen for pain. recent research has shown that these can impede the production of new bone, and because of this should not be taken for fractures.

also check out this post. apparently we're dropping like flies out there.

Thanks

2007-11-01T19:08:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all of the get well wishes, both through the blog and otherwise. It does help.

I've been dong a little reading in my spare time and I thinks I've got a plan to speed my recovery (not that I'm in a big hurry, but I want my arm back). The right nutrition, a little extra calcuim and vitamin D, and I'll be back to normal in no time.

And next time I talk the dog for a walk, I'll be on foot!

Typing one handed

2007-10-30T22:18:00.000-05:00

I'll be typing things one-handed for the next 4-6 weeks, cause i broke my collarbone tonight. crap!

I took some pictures of their pictures . . .

My lovely wife accompanied me.

Nice threads, huh . . .

I was out riding my bike with charlie (the dog), and he cut right in front on me and took out my front wheel. i went down hard on me left shoulder. i got up, and immediately knew what i'd done. suprisingly it didn't hurt that much, as long as i kept my arm still. if i moved my arm, it was another story. btw, the dog is fine. and btw, we were at the end of the ride, and i was 150 feet from the house. i guess charlie was in a hurry to get home.

like i said, last sunday was my last race for the season. is that good timing or what?

oh, well. let the winter rest begin . . .

State 'cross Race Report

2007-10-28T19:43:00.000-05:00

I'll keep this short because I'm short on ambition. I did the cross race in Newton this weekend. Cool race, cool course, and cool peeps. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It was a great race on which to end my season!

The course was PERFECT. Just enough slime to make it challenging, but not so much as to make it life theatening.

Oh, yeah. I won some Oakley stuff. Marco was on strict orders to not pull my name for a bike, and that worked out. But I did win some cool new Oakley shades, a back pack, and a t-shirt.

Oh, yeah. Bryan Moritz rode over with us, and he got 2nd in cat three, so the truck was heavy with hardware on the way home. I'll take my small victories however I can get them.

Maybe I'll post some pictures later. Maybe not. We'll see if they turned out. I took some sweet pics of Bryan, Christy, and Charlie on the way home.

Much Better Now

2007-10-23T18:32:00.000-05:00

Does this look like the face of a guy that is depressed? I didn't think so. It's funny. As soon as the weather cleared, so did my mood.

The next (and last) race for me is the Iowa State Cyclocross Championship in Newton this Sunday. I'll be there, but don't expect me to be competing for a title. I'm afraid that's not my thing. I'll be hanging out, racing my bike (as it were), and watching the next "Cross Out Crohn's" raffle winner walk off with all of the fame and fortune that the title carries. Its been a wonderful year for me, but I'm ready to hand over that sceptre to the next heir to the throne, whoever that might be.

See you all on Sunday - rain or shine!

Depressed

2007-10-17T17:27:00.000-05:00

OK. I admit it. I'm depressed. Maybe its because there is only one race left on my calender this year. Maybe its because I skipped out on the now epic race that everyone will still be talking about years from now. Or maybe (likely) because we've now had RAIN for 5 days straight! This sucks. Oh, well. I guess my long winter break started a few days early.

I'm hoping for total slop at Newton on the 28th! I'm gonna be there regardless of the conditions. I've had my 'cross wimp out for the year.

Wimp

2007-10-14T09:54:00.000-05:00

wimp
–noun 1. a weak, ineffectual, timid person.
—Verb phrase 2. wimp out, a. to be or act like a wimp. b. to show timidity or cowardice; chicken out.

OK. I wimped out today and didn't go to the second day of Spooky Cross (more like Rainy Cross). I'm sitting here drinking coffee and watching rain of biblical proportions falling outside. The truck is loaded with bike and gear, but I'm not going anywhere. I've been in total slop races before, and they just aren't any fun. Total slop days are also expensive. There is no better way to fry a drivetrain.

I'm a wimp.

Spooky Cross Day 1

2007-10-13T21:03:00.000-05:00

Just a brief report on the day. It was only a little muddy. I've raced in worse. In the first couple of laps I was riding with Scott Sumptner and Taylor Web. After a while it was just Taylor and I, as Scott decided that he wanted to go faster. I chased Taylor until the last lap, when he let me by. His words at the time, "What took you so long?". I stayed ahead of him for exactly 1/2 lap minus 2 feet. I say minus 2 feet because he caught me at the at the line (according the the offical scoring - I'm still not convinced).

I was happy with how the race turned out for me. I got to hang with some cool peeps. It was a good day. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

The Many Names of Mud

2007-10-12T18:31:00.000-05:00

With rain in the forecast for the weekend, I was looking into some mud riding tips, and found Dave Carr's Mud Index. I hope we don't see it this weekend, but here goes:

Dave Carr's Mud Index

Mud is ranked on a scale of 0 to 10, zero being hard dry dirt and 10 being liquid water. Other properties include material content, color, stickiness, and so on.

Grade 0 - Dirt, and all facsimiles thereof like adobe, clay, hardpack, dust, rock and pavement. Fails to give your bike and body that virtuous muddy look that lets people know you're a cyclocross god. Not really relevant to a discussion of Mud.

Grade 1 - Damp Earth. Nice and soft, tacky. Makes a pleasant sound as tires roll over it. Fun and effortless to ride on. Ultimate traction. Never separates from the ground, or if it does it doesn't stick to the bike. Your bike could be so clean after a ride that friends think you never went out.

Grade 2 - Adobe Clay. A bad kind of damp earth, found in certain regions of the US. Soft and sticky enough that it sticks to shoes, but doesn't separate from the ground very easily. Slows down the bike and drains a rider's energy without apparent cause. Low moisture content. Fills the pedal cleats on the shoes, rendering them heavy and useless. Following a rain, this type quickly transforms into Grade 3.

Grade 3 - Play-Doh. Water content is up to about 20-30%, leading to major sticking action. Literally jumps from the earth to your bike. Accretes to the tires, filling the treads. Fills up the tight spots between the tire and frame tubes, and in between the cassette cogs. Causes the bike to gain ten pounds in a matter of minutes. Requires pressure sprayer and brush to remove.

Grade 4 - Peanut Butter. Less sticky than Play-doh; more likely to stay on the ground. Moisture content is up to 40% or so. This stuff is sticky enough that one can't really plow through it, yet it's slippery and makes it hard to control the bike. Ruts form which may yield to a tire, or send the bike careening off in an unanticipated direction. Requires ferocious pedaling to keep momentum. Occasionally a piece sticks to the tire and is thrown into the air; subsequently lands on another rider's face.

Grade 5 - Goo. About as thick and sticky as the energy gel you eat during a race, only brown and slightly less tasty, and more likely to be lumpy. Like Peanut Butter, Goo stays on the ground, but is less resistant to the advancing tire. At East Bay CX races this type often includes some content of cow dung or rotting flesh. In more pleasant venues Goo may be found on the verge of a wet grassy area where a few tires have passed.

Grade 6 - Slime. This is the level of mud where a rider really begins to have fun. Slime is wet enough that it sticks to everything but doesn't really build up on the bike. Sticks together well enough that it will fly through the air in large masses. This grade is used in TV commercials for four-wheel drive trucks, in which the truck slides around all over the place shucking mud in every direction. In a 'cross race, Slime often is found in corners where it can wreak havoc with traction, leading to a slide on your butt on the wet ground.

Grade 7 - Glop. This is the wettest consistency of mud that can still hold a shape. When tires pass through Glop, a furrow is left that heals up slowly over time to a smooth surface. Liquid water may come to the top. It's better to have thin 'cross tires to slice through this stuff, while fat MTB tires will float and plow and generally make a mess. Imparts a shiny appearance to bicycle and body parts.

Grade 8 - Slop. The bottom of a very wet mud puddle that is not refreshed by a creek. Still retains some lumpy qualities, unlike Grade 9 Soup. Splatters very nicely and stains clothing better than any other type. Renders your glasses completely opaque. Remember not to smile at your friends after a dunk in this stuff unless you want them to laugh hysterically at the mud between your teeth. Requires a good hose-off to clean, plus a few cycles in the laundry.

Grade 9 - Soup. 80-90% water, heavily laden with sand, particulate and goo, but without the lumps characteristic of Slop. Scientists might classify this grade as a "Non-Newtonian Fluid." Typical of a stream crossing where the stream flow isn't fast enough to refresh the mud. Will soak your jersey completely, while leaving the particulate matter all over the front. Doesn't stick to the bike, instead just runs off onto the ground.

Grade 10 - River Water. Might feature some residual brown color but doesn't stick to anything. Just wet and cold without any redeeming qualities other than it may loosen up thicker grades of mud from your tires and shoes.

Stolen from here . There are also some nice pics of that various grades of mud.

Barrier Hopping Nonsense II

2007-10-10T20:29:00.000-05:00

I went out for a ride today with Bryan and Alex.

We started at Ada Hayden and went to McFarland Park, where I had stashed my 'cross barriers. Once we got to McFarland and set up a 'cross course, we sent Bryan off as the rabbit. I started off chasing, but that didn't last long. Alex went around me and grabbed Bryan's wheel. After that I was able to keep up only by skipping the run-up on most laps. It was fun to watch from my perspective, until Bryan went down on an off-camber corner with Alex on his wheel. Ouch!

We decided to slow down after that, and carried the barriers back to my place.

You can guess what happened next . . .

Barrier Hopping Nonsense

2007-10-09T20:51:00.000-05:00

Bryan and I are going to meet at the Ada Hayden north Shelter at 4:00 tomorrow. We're gonna be riding 'cross bikes on gravel to McFarland. At Mcfarland we're going to do some more of that barrier hopping nonsense. I've got to work on my form so that I can defend my 23rd place in the cat 4 ICCS standings this weekend at Spooky Cross!

All are welcome. You don't have to ride a 'cross bike to come with us, and we won't make fun of you if you ride around the barriers. OK, we might have a little fun with that.

Oh, one more thing. Remember this weekend when I told you to go ride your nbike in the nice weather? It gonna be cold tomorrow (high of 52 with gusty NW winds) so dress the part. Its time to drag out the winter riding gear.

Nice Fall Ride

2007-10-07T21:44:00.000-05:00

I went for a fun ride in the local dirt on Saturday. It had a littel bit of everything

Some tall grass prairie:

Some singletrack (natch):

Some gravel:

A little woodland prairie:

Some two track:

There were several nice views of the river:

I wore my new Oakley Radars with G30 lenses. These things rock.

Their field of vision is huge, and you can wear the G30s in everything from full sun to dark shade. If I could only have one set of sunglasses (the horror!) these would be it.

Good this I saw this before it saw me. I wouldn't want to run into it.

Apparently Fat Tire has hit the mainstream. It is now consumed by guys with pickups and gun racks that chuck empties out on the side of the gravel road.

Go ride your bike. These nice days won't last forever.

Newton Cross Race Report

2007-10-01T18:36:00.000-05:00

Like I said earlier, two days of 'cross racing took a toll on me. But it's a good kind of tired.

Saturday was a little warm for 'cross racing, but you take whatever weather comes along this time of year. Once we got to Newton I was a little anxious to get my bike out and try my new set up on a real 'cross course. The course at Woodland park consisted of triple barrier run-up (two at the bottom, and one at the top), a sand pit, a mud pit, and a bunch on tight, twisty off-camber stuff. I did a pre-ride lap with Kyle, where he pointed out spots where roadies would go down on the first lap. He was amazingly accurate. I tried riding the sand pit during the pre-ride, and was slow, but successful.

Once the race started, I got a pretty decent start and tried to stay upright by all of the first lap carnage. I must have seen 6-7 guys on the ground in that one lap. I tried to hold my position going into the sand pit, and ride it while others ran. That was a mistake! With the traffic there was no room to float, and I had to stop riding about halfway through. I lost about 5-6 spots and was seriously red-lined. I got back on and tried to maintain my position. After a few laps I got pretty comfortable on the run-up (although nowhere near as fast as the antelopes). During the race I would gain time in the technical sections,, and give some back on the run-up. I traded spots back and forth with a few guys. Towards the end I was working to hold off one last guy when I dropped my chain carrying my bike into the sand pit. He got by me and I really had to work to get that spot back by the finish. I ended up with a solid mid-pack finish (12th of 22). It was a good hard effort, and (for me) a good result. I'll take it.

I've talked many times about burning matches during a race. You only get so many matches to burn during a race, and when they are gone you are done. Did you know that you can also burn your matches for the whole weekend in one day? I found that out on Sunday.

The course on Sunday was more roadie friendly. It was more wide open, hillier, and much less technical. On the first lap my legs felt absolutely dead. I had nothing left and I hadn't even started. I got passed by all of the guys and most of the girls in the first two laps. I did manage to hold off this one ten year old girl, but even that was work. It was still fun.

I was talking to Steve Robinson after the race about training for two day events. He said the best training is to just do some multi-day events. Eventually you body learns to recover a little quicker. I guess I'm going to have to try that.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend:

Bryan, "Dude, those things go a lot faster if you ride them."

Thad was a little camera shy and tried to hide when I took his picture.

Bryan wiping his ass during the race.

Marco getting some air.

Christy doing a "Water or Beer?" hand-up for Rob.

This was Rob's view (and Rob's glass) during the race on Sunday.

Rob never rode anything faster than a rake on Sunday.

Tonight I went out and did about an hour of spinning on the local dirt on my Dos Niner. After two days on the skinny tired 'cross bike, even the limited Niner suspension felt very soft and comfortable.

Newton 'Cross Pictures

2007-09-30T23:07:00.003-05:00

Whew! Two days of 'cross racing has left me drained. I'll post all of the gory details later. Until then, I posted a ton of pictures here to keep you busy.

Cross Weekend

2007-09-29T09:40:00.000-05:00

This weekend Christy and I are headed to Newton for two days of 'cross racing, and two days of hanging out. My bike is ready, and I'm a ready as I'm gonna get. It should be fun. I hope it don't rain. But if it does, so what. It's 'cross after all.

I'm taking my good camera, so hopefully I'll come home with a few good shots.

Hmm . . . I just heard thunder . . . .

Gravel/Cross tomorrow

2007-09-25T19:23:00.000-05:00

I plan on doing a couple of hours of gravel on my 'cross bike tomorrow afternoon if anyone is interested in joining me. I'll be at the north shelter at Ada Hayden at 4:00. All are welcome. If the mood strikes, we could ride by my place, grab my portable barriers, and do some 'cross racing/riding in McFarland.

It's gonna be a beautiful day! Don't miss it.

Squirrel's Nest Time Trial

2007-09-23T22:38:00.000-05:00

I went to Des Moines for Chris Maharry's time trial today. What a cool event this has become! There was donuts, coffee, sports drinks, gels, and ton of schwag. This year the event was held at Green wood park. It doesn't have same level of intrigue that Targhetto does, but the trails are pretty sweet. Those guys have been working hard.

Several team 14ers line up for the start.

Hansen was looking very alert today. Apparently he lost a couple of fingers in an industrial accident.

Pete, Rob, and Sterling.

I went out, rode the course, and had fun. Nothing I could do would put me at the front, and nothing I did would make a difference to the season's points.

A rare smile for the camera from me.

Bruce enjoys a pastry

Hmmm. This is an IQ test question. Can you spot the progression?

Answer: Shaved, hairy, shaved, hairy. I would have also accepted Old, younger, younger, youngest.

Maharry announces the winners, and there is a mad stroll for the prize table.

An excited crowd looks on.

Afterwards we met at Rassy for some food, tasty beverages, and an awards ceremony the the IMBCS. I got 4th place in Sport Open this season. How did I do that, you ask? By showing up at all of the races. It's just that simple. Sure I sucked at several (most) of them. But I was there. Things fell as they should, because in most races I couldn't catch the guys in from of me (Bruce Reese, Bruce Brown, and Kyle Williams). Kyle and I were neck and neck early in the season, but as he got better I got worse. Bruce Brown got me in every race expect one. I can remember being in front of Bruce Reese exactly twice . . . once at the start of the Sylvan Island, and once during the Iowa Games . . . both proud moments for me.

I was pleased to see that they recognized everyone that qualified for IMBCS points this year. I wasn't expecting that. Sadly, there weren't very many of us. Oh, well. Maybe next year.

Getting Ready for 'Cross

2007-09-17T19:37:00.000-05:00

I've spent the last few days making a few tweaks to my 'cross bike. Regular readers will remember that this is the bike that I won at last year's 'cross state championship, so the bike doesn't owe me anything.

I took off the stock fork and repaced it with a Winwood Dusty.

The stock fork was a heavy pig. The swap resulted in about a 3/4 pound weight savings.

I also replaced the stock chainring gearing with a 42 tooth Salsa single chainring, a Wetzikon outer chain guard (both from cyclocrossworld.com), and the stock chain watcher on the inside.

I never understood the stock Specialized gearing (34-48). That is just nuts. The 34 is mostly too weak for anything, and the 48 is way to strong (although it did work pretty well for gravel). But it would have sucked in a 'cross race. I could see having to jump from little to big ring several times each lap. I suppose Specialized is trying to be all things to all people, and all gearing to all people. It is much better now. I've ridden it for a few days in most types of conditions I'll see in a 'cross race, and I'm very happy with the result.

I also slapped on a Thomson Masterpiece seat post that I won in a race earlier this year. Sweet. The Thomson post feels like a feather compared to the stock (carbon) post. Alex said the carbon post might be carbon clad aluminum.

While I was snapping pictures, I took one of the top tube. The TriCross has a unique top tube shape that is much more comfortable when shouldering the bike during long run-ups. It is flat on the bottom. Really!

Overall the bike dropped more than a pound because of the upgrades, and is now under 20 pounds.

Now I just need to get a set of these, mounted on a set of these, and I'll be set. I'm going to be the slowest guy out there on a fast bike, but that's OK. It will still be a boat load of fun!

Cycling Trifecta

2007-09-12T22:25:00.000-05:00

I went out for a gravel ride with Bryan and Alex this afternoon. I took them out on some of my favorite gravel routes. It rocked. They rocked. I sucked. Oh, well.

I took a few pics. Bryan borrowed my Rig to see what this whole mountain biking thing was about:

Alex rockin' on the 'crosscheck.

Check it out! We got Bryan to ride a mountain bike on single track!

Alex descending on the 'crosscheck.

We did a couple of hours of gravel and single track. To complete the trifecta, we did a little pavement going back.

We are doing it again next Wednesday if you are interested.

Nite Ridin' Report

2007-09-11T21:34:00.000-05:00

Well, it almost worked out. Carney, Marc, myself, and a few others headed north through town and ended up at Ada Hayden, where we had to stop and fix a fixie (good thing we had a bike shop guy along). It was getting pretty dark, but we continued up Arrasmith trail. Carney and I were the only ones with lights, so we kinda herded the others along. We ended up in cul de sac hell. With this limited lights, we rode in cul de sac circles for a while. Several of the guys were on skinny tired fixies (not conducive to gravel), so we parted ways. I headed for home, and Carney was their beacon for the ride home. It was funny to watch them ride away. They were all like moths to his flame.

Tomorrow I am doing some 'cross bike gravel grinding with Bryan. We are leaving from the north shelter house at Ada Hayden at 4:00 and plan to be out for 2-3 hours. You are welcome to join us if you wish. And you don't have to be on a 'cross bike neither. Mountain bike, fixie, single speed, roadie, we don't care.

Night Ridin'

2007-09-11T15:33:00.000-05:00

Carney and I are going to try to hijack the Fixie ride tonight. When they aren't paying attention, we are going to lead them off into the country for some gravel and trails. Bring your lights!. Carney won some new NiteRider lights at the Boone 24 and he is itching to use them.

If things go according to plan we might stop at my place for a bevvie or two.

Sugar Bottom Root Fest

2007-09-08T21:51:00.001-05:00

I made my first trip to Sugar Bottom today. The race was cancelled last year because of politics, so, this was my first chance to race here. The course is long, with 10 miles of twisty, tight singletrack. Mostly not too hilly, but really friggin rough, with lots and lots of exposed roots. People had told my that, and I thought I was prepared for it, but I had no idea. I think I've got a new least-favorite course on the IMBCS circuit.

Hansen showed up to race expert for the first time, and lined up between Jay Cam.

Most of the usual suspectes were here.

I tried to start off fast and stay in front of a few guys, but if I wasn't keeping pace with the guy in front of me, I'd let them by. After I'd let about 50 guys by, and was getting really tired of the friggin roots, I slowed down some and settled into a (slow) pace. Here's a tip - the roots don't hurt as much when you slow down, so that's what I did.

Here is my finish line picture:

Two laps - nearly three hours! That's a pretty long sport race. I think there were quite a few DNFs. Even the fast sport guys were in the 2:10 range.

Hansen relaxes after the race with a bevvie. Did you think he wouldn't have one?

Catchin Up

2007-09-07T23:43:00.000-05:00

I'm finally caught up with my other duties, so here is the promised blog dump.

The Boone 24 pre-race meeting

At the starting line. Where are are their bikes?

Ron had a tounh time firing the starting gun.

Hansen stopped by to check out the fun.

Matt, Bruce, Rob, and Chris.

Rob taking a break by the light of the tiki torches.

Then bike world guys stop by to say hello.

Thad cuts the cheese.

Whatta ya trying to do? Kill me?

Hangin out at the Mercy campfire.

Team 14 tiki torches from the air. Things looked pretty fuzzy by this time.

Things looked much better in the morning. Bryan stopped by to see what he missed.

Next up was the Tuesday fixie ride with Cory, Marc, Emily, and some guy I didn't know.

We headed for a bridge in the middle of nowhere with some Guinness

After that Emily ended up in a heap on Lincoln way after trying to bunny hop a curb. Marc and I try to direct oncoming traffic, while she untangled.

Later we hit a pub down town. Good times.

Up tomorrow in the Sugar Bottom Scramble. Never been there. 'Bout time. Better go to Bed.

I'm Working on it!

2007-09-04T17:27:00.000-05:00

I can't count the number of people that asked about my blog this weekend.

"Is everything OK?"
"Is there anything we can do?"
"Can we bring a covered dish to the wake?"

No, the blog is OK. I've got pictures from the Boone 24, and I will post them soon (although I expect most are dull and out of focus, 'cause that's how my weekend went). Big fun was had by all that attended.

There is some stuff going on, and that has to be at the top of my list right now. I'll keep you posted.

The End of an Era

2007-08-20T20:01:00.000-05:00

I got an e-mail from Thad his morning announcing the end of Team 14 as we know it. It is sad day. But I know, I mean I really, really know where he is coming from. This sport takes a toll on any relationship that is not a cycling relationship. In order to succeed (or be mediocre, in my case) you must spend a tremendous amount of time on the bike year 'round. If you spend that much time on a bike, you are going to alienate a few friends and family members off the bike. I know that because I've done that.

And that only counts the time on the bike. There is a huge time committment related to running a bike team. I got a taste of that because Thad allowed me to manage the Team 14 mountain bike squad this year. It was great fun, but at the same time it was a tremendous responsibility, and more of a time committment than I had anticipated. So I can totally relate to where Thad is coming from.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in a hobby (after all, this is just a hobby, right?), and in doing that we neglect those that are closest to us. It is also difficult to find balance when you are also struggling with the desire to succeed. I've gone through it several times in my life with several different hobbies. It doesn't help that I have some OCD tendencies. When I get into something, I GET INTO IT.

Frequent readers will remember my TAGGED post from last winter. My MO with hobbies is to jump into them with both feet, then lose interest after a few years.

Am I in the twilight of my bike racing career? I don't think so, but time will tell.

Farewell Hollow Supplanter

2007-08-11T22:47:00.000-05:00

I went for a ride this morning with Cory, Alex, and OP as a way to say farewell to Cory. He is leaving for Oregon tomorrow morning to follow his dreams. I admire that.

I remember first meeting Cory nearly two years ago. I was headed out on a training ride with another guy. We ran into Cory as we were leaving town, and invited him along. It was on that ride that I found out that Cory and I worked at the same place.

A short time after that I saw him posting on MTBR about TransIowa, and I suggested we do a few training rides. He was also the one that inspired me to start a blog.

It is sad to lose a local ridding buddy, but great to see him going out in to the world to seek his fortune. Such is life living in a college town. Sigh . . .

Good Luck Cory!

Coast to Coast Memoirs

2007-08-11T22:36:00.000-05:00

Local fast guy and friend Andrew Carney has a write-up on his blog about he and his brother's unsupported coast to coast bike ride last year.

Pretty cool stuff. If I was about 25 years younger . . .

I'm a Wimp

2007-08-08T20:15:00.000-05:00

I bailed on the Webster City group ride tonight because I'm a wimp. I looked at the radar about 4:30 and it looked pretty iffy, so I pulled the plug. I called Nick and told him I was gonna be a no-show.

So I rode some local gravel, so that when mother nature decided to unleash her fury I could make a mad dash for home.

During the ride, things looked pretty ugly, but I stayed dry.

I'm a wimp. Maybe next time.

35W Bridge Collapse

2007-08-07T21:53:00.000-05:00

The link below is an account from a Minneapolis cyclist that was one of the first on the scene at the 35W bridge collapse:
http://www.startribune.com/slideshows/rich_media/1344505.html

As some of you know, I work for the Iowa DOT, so this hits a little close to home.

BTW, I lifted the story from CVO's blog, 'cause it brought a tear to my eye.

Headed to the City

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

I'm headed for the city. Webster City that is, for the Wednesday night group ride with some Team 14 mates. If you were reading the comments (as if anyone reads the comments), you would already know that.

All are welcome. If you would like to go, let me know (515-290-7789). I'll be leaving from my place at around 4:30, in order to make it up there in time for the 5:30 start.

On the Road

2007-08-05T10:32:00.000-05:00

Here's shot of something a little different:

It's me out riding my road bike without a number on my back. I think that it has probably been a couple of months since i took my road bike and just went riding around. With the rains of the last two of days it will be another day until I can get back on the dirt, and maybe by this afternoon the gravel will be ridable again. So, this morning pavement was all I had. Not riding was out of the question, as I was already slipping into another lazy streak. A couple of off days of because of family stuff + a rain day = I have to ride today.

OK, I just didn't ride around. I did a warmup, and some tempo work on the Gilbert loop, worked on my tuck going into the wind, tried to attack on all the hills, and managed to close a 1/2 mile gap on another bike in a 3 mile span (the old guy on the trike never knew what hit him).

I also remembered my chat with Chris Hansen this weekend (he was trying to talk me into going to the state road race over by the Mississippi), and he was talking about the importance of sprint work when doing crits. Coming out of every corner in a crit turns into a mini-sprint just to hang on - especially if your cornering needs as much work as mine does.

So, when I was out this morning, I tried doing some sprint excersizes. After I had done my other work, and was already tired (like in a race), I put it at about 17 mph, and about 60 cadence. From there I did an out of the saddle sprint until I was out of gas. Rinse and repeat. After few miles of those, I was cooked.

I'll be doing that again.

Cross Training

2007-07-30T22:17:00.000-05:00

It's not really cross training, as it is training for cyclocross. I took my 'cross bike out this afternoon for an easy spin to flush the legs out after the weekend's abuse. After a spin around the park, I put the bike on my shoulder and ran home.

It was a good workout, and gives the neighbors something to talk about!

Seven Oaks

2007-07-30T06:31:00.000-05:00

I went out to Seven Oaks to do a few laps in a continued effort to shake off the cobwebs that accumulated during my mid-season break. My companions for the day were Team 14 mates Nick and Aaron.

Nick is well known in Iowa mountain biking circles – everyone has met Nick. Aaron is a young mountain biker that has shown some real promise lately. He recently won a Gold medal in the Iowa Games mountain bike race a couple of weekends ago. He has a background in track and cross-country, so endurance sports are not new to him

We all met up in the parking lot and took off on the course. Seven Oaks is in great condition right now. The tread is perfect, the moisture content is perfect, and everything is pretty well maintained. Aaron led, with Nick and I taking turns chasing him. Aaron had no trouble staying in front of me. He didn’t even look like he got winded doing it. Nick and I got a good workout chasing Aaron.

After the first lap, Nick stayed in the chalet to watch the end of the Firecracker 400 (wtf?), while Aaron and I rode another lap.

This was right after Nick told me he'd rather watch cars going in circles than ride his bike.

I was feeling pretty good this lap. My legs had opened up some, and I was keeping up with Aaron on the flats (on the hills - not so much).

Then I went over the bars. I happened so fast I didn’t have time to prepare (probably lucky). I was setting up for the G-out, and in my approach I clipped a tree with my bars, and I went head first into a mulch pit. Lucky for me it was nice, soft mulch. I got up, brushed myself off, took inventory of my bits, and headed back down the trail.

Gotta give a shout out for my Oakley Half-Jackets. This is the second time that I have pile driven them into the ground (the first was at Lewis and Clark). In both cases I landed face first, and I just assumed that the glasses were destroyed in the crash. In both cases the glasses came out unscathed. I’ll stop short of calling them indestructible, but they are pretty darn durable. They are definitely more durable than I am.

Return to Gravel

2007-07-28T21:57:00.000-05:00

I went for a gravel ride this morning to shake out the cobwebs. It worked.

4 cars, 2 trucks, 6 dogs, 6 horses, and 3 hours. Beautiful!

I'm going to Boone to do a few laps tomorrow around 1:15 if you are interested.

A Little OT

2007-07-23T21:05:00.000-05:00

I try to keep this blog on topic, but ocassionally I stray. Today is one of those days.

We have a new addition to the family!

He is a 70 lb slobber monster that Keaton has named Charlie (I voted for a manly name like "Duke", but was voted down). He is a two years old labradoodle. Previously he belonged to an older gentleman who passed away. Needless to say he has some separation anxiety issues that we are working through.

Christy and I lost a dog a few years ago (he had been with me for 16 years), and it was very hard on both of us. We decided to wait a few years to take on another one. With Christy's retirement, now is a good time. They have bonded.

You'll be seeing him at the 'cross races this fall.

Oh, back on-topic, I did a couple of hours of gravel on Saturday, some Story county single-track on Sunday, and some hill repeats tonight. I'm still trying the shake the effects of a rest week. Rest weeks are necessary in the big picture, but they result in some dead legs for a few days. I'm almost back. There is no hurry.

I'm at a dead spot on the schedule, so it is a good time for some rest and rejuvenation. The next race on my schedule isn't until Sugar Bottom on August 19th, but I might try to make it down to the Waterworks practice series on the 9th. I had considered doing the state road race championship, but then I looked at a map. Have I mentioned that I suck at climbing?

It's Time

2007-07-19T22:20:00.000-05:00

That's me kicking back on the deck after my first run in about a year. It's a rest week for me so it was a good time for something different. I've also been preaching the benefits of running around the 'net, so today seemed like a good day to start eating my own cooking.

It was not a long run, or a fast run. It was 3 miles in about 30 minutes. But it felt pretty good. The funny was I couldn't get my legs to run fast enough to get winded. I guess my heart and lungs are a lot stronger that my running legs.

Running has some good points:

Don't need to check air pressure in runnning shoes before a ride.
Never had a running shoe get a flat.
No lubing of chain to worry about.
Good running shoes lots cheaper than a good bike.
Don't need to worry about wind direction on a run.

But I'd still rather ride my bike. Now where did I put those practice barriers . . . .

Rest and Reflection

2007-07-17T20:29:00.000-05:00

I'm resting this week, so you get a little bit about a lot of things:

The Iowa Games Mountain Sport Class Bike Race -

Third place (Bruce Reese) finished in 1:01:37, and eighth place (Shawn Looomis) finished in 1:03:11. For the math challenged, that's 94 seconds across 5 places. That's pretty fricking close. No wonder Bruce and I were pushing so hard the whole race. One bobble in a corner and I would have lost at least three places.

Chris Hansen and the Boone 24 -

Calling Chris Hansen. $1000 goes to the winner of the Boone 24. Have you considered doing it solo? We all know you can go without proper sleep. Besides, when was the last time you didn't win a race? Might as well enter a big one. FWIW, Christy has volunteered to swat beers out of your hand all night if that's what it takes. Let me know. We'll be there for you.

Four man Boone 12 Team -

Last year Sean, Thad, Rob and I did the 4-person 24 hours class at the Boone 24. We had fun, but decided that we could do better if we tried. We vowed to do so the following year, which is now. Last weekend, Rob and I hatched yet another evil plan for world domination. What if we had a 4-person team that went really hard in the 12 hour class? At midnight we are done. We can hang out and have fun afterwards. I talked to Kyle at the Iowa Games MTB Race and he says there will be such a class. I think we own it.

Levi Leipheimer -

Chrisy and I have played the Levi Leipheimer drinking game in the past. So far in this year's Tour, Levi has been pretty invisible. We are a couple of days behind, and that could change now that we are in the Alps, but we are a little thisty right now. Part of my success this Saturday was due to Levi's lack of success in the Tour so far.

Iowa Game Road Race Report

2007-07-15T20:13:00.000-05:00

Christy and I showed up at Boone for my first Iowa Games road race. I wasn’t expecting much from my performance, because I had a hard day yesterday, and because there were two big hills (It is well documented that I suck at climbing).

I warmed up with Bruce Reese and Aaron Bieker. We went out and reviewed the finish line area, and planned out a strategy (it went out the window later). Apparently we were a bit tardy returning from our warm-up, and we were rewarded with a spot in the back of a 60+ person field. Good thing there was a neutral rollout.

Amanda is at the starting line wondering where we are:

Neutral rollout to me means that you can't attack past the roll-out vehicle. It doesn’t you can’t move around in the pack. So, I moved up near the front as we moved out of town. By the time we got to the end of the rollout, I was fifth wheel – just where I wanted to be.

Out in the country the pace was reasonable, and the conversation was great. I chatted with Amanda about her lack of windbreak, and with Steve Reynolds about Rob’s new baby (Congratulations Rob!).

After that things turned ugly. We went down into the DM river valley and I was expecting it to be fast. I’ve descending into this valley before and have seen 52 MPH doing it. I’ve not done it in a group, but I didn’t expect any issues. I was wrong.

Somewhere on the way down I must have touched the wrong brake, or touching any brake was wrong, or it had nothing to do with brakes. All I know is that my front end started head-shaking like it was gonna fall off. Holy Crap! I thought I was going to go down at 50 MPH! I held on and tried to steady it (good thing I’m a mountain biker). Eventually the head shaking stopped, but I was shaken. I never recovered.

On the climb up the other side I had several people compliment my riding skills (as they went past) for holding it together. But they still went past.

I tried to get a group together after the climb, but it only succeeded until the next climb. Then they left me. Oh, well. I finished the race.

All of the cool kids from the 1 lap hanging out after the race (Steve Reynolds, Bruce Reese, me, Scott Sumpter, Amanda, and a couple of folks from DMOS that I didn't know):

You see all types of riders in the Iowa Games:

Oh, Chris Hansen didn't win a race this weekend. He won two! Last night, he won the Cat 4 Papillion night crit by lapping the field. Today he won the the Iowa Games two lap road race in convincing fashion.

Here he is in the breakout trying to push the other guy over the finish line:

Afterwards he waited for the rest of the field at he finish line:

That guy has something.

Happy Birthday

2007-07-15T18:02:00.000-05:00

Today is my blog's birthday. My blog is one year old today!

If you are taking the time to read this, let today also be the day you decide make a comment on this post to let me know you are out there. Writing to myself can get boring at times.

Thanks for reading! Here's to another year of useless drivel and snivel.

Home Court Advantage

2007-07-14T23:06:00.000-05:00

The day started early, with Christy and I rolling out about 6:00 am to head for her Iowa Games Triathlon at Don Williams Lake. There was a huge crowd at Don Williams! In addition to the 400 athletes, there must have been at least that many spectators.

I also saw all types of competitors and bikes. There was everything from full carbon Cervelos and Quintana Roos, to grandmas riding hybrids and kids riding suspended mountain bikes. It was great to see them all out there competing.

Christy did great! She had a little trouble with slower swimmers, and settled for their pace rather than hers, but it was her first tri, and that’s all a part of the learning experience.

I hated to do it, but she made me leave for the mountain bike race as she was transitioning from the bike to the run. She later told me that she finished strong.

So I got to the race at Peterson’s with just enough time get signed in, dressed, and do a little warm-up (I didn’t really need a pre-ride, as I could ride the place blind folded). During my warm-up, I tried to size up my competition. Hmm, Bruce Brown, Bruce Reese, and Sterling Heise have all been faster than me lately. I also picked out CICC roadies Tom Eaton and Shawn Loomis as guys to watch.

There must have been 40-50 people in the sport class (and only 10-12 in expert). I lined up on the front row next to Sterling. At the gun, I jumped on his wheel. The pace on the gravel on the gravel was surprisingly comfortable, but since I was already where I wanted to be (5th) I resisted the urge to jump ahead. When Sterling started to fade, I moved around him. I think I was sixth going into the woods, just behind Tom Eaton. During the woods leg, I chatted with Tom about the dust from the leading bikes. I was surprised at how relaxed and composed I felt, and how I wasn’t out of breath. In the next gravel section I went by Tom, leaving just Bruce Reese, a Bike Masters guy, and the two leaders in front of me.

When we came out of the little section off the parking lot on the east side, the two guys in front were starting to get away, so I yelled to Bruce that we should jump on it so that they didn’t get a gap. We tried to close the gap on them, and in the process passed the Bike Masters guy. Bruce and I tried working together, but even then we couldn’t do much to close the gap to 1 and 2.

We stayed that way until somewhere in the second lap when Bike Masters guy got around Bruce and I. I tried to get past Bruce a few times, but just didn’t have enough to do it. He was faster in the open stuff, and I would catch back up in the tighter stuff. This was mostly because, like I said earlier, I can ride the place blindfolded. I had a home court advantage, and was trying to use it however I could.

In the final lap as Bruce and I tried to catch the Bike Masters guy, I also heard someone on my tail from time to time (I later found out it was Shawn Loomis). He would also gain on me in the open areas, and would gap him in the tight stuff. Fortunately the section before the finish was somewhat tight, so I used that to build the gap again, and held my place into the close.

I finished in 5th place overall, and 2nd in my age group (who knew the Bike Masters guy was so old!).

Sorry I was so long-winded on this one, but I was pretty happy with my performance, and wanted to get it written down.

What did I learn from this one:

The Salsa was flawless today. I was one with the bike.
The 29 inch tires were greate in the sand.
The NanoRaptors were also great in the sand.
I seem to be racing my way into shape. I’ve raced five of the last seven weekends. My performance seems to be getting better each passing weekend.
I took the Chris Hansen approach to preparing for this race. No, I didn't have a hangover, but I did do it on 4 hours sleep.
Early in the race I vowed not to fade and lose the position that I had work so hard to get. I only lost one. Unfortunately it was to the Bike Master guy. He got Gold – I got Silver.
I forgot my heart rate monitor for the Green Days Crit. I haven’t worn one since. I’ll still wear it for training, but I don’t need it for racing.

Next up in the Iowa Games Road Race tomorrow morning. I’m doing the short (25 mile) race, and so is Bruce Reese. We’re already working on our plan for world domination . . .

Iowa Games Pre-Ride

2007-07-13T22:57:00.001-05:00

I pre-rode the Iowa Games mountain bike race course at Peterson's tonight.

Patrick did a good job of marking it.

You would have to be a moron to get off course.

Peterson's has some challenges that you see at most mountain biking venues.

Some single track:

A few rooty climbs.

And it also has a few challenges that you don't see at other mountain bike races in Iowa.

There's lots of this:

Several patches of Poison Ivy:

And sand:

Lots of sand:

Lots and lots of sand:

There is a good line through the section. I know cause some friends and I made it one Saturday at a work day. Can you see it? Will you see it tomorrow? I will.

The cool thing about Peterson's and the Iowa Games is that it has gotten a lot of people started in mountain bike racing in Iowa. I'm one of them, and I know of a few others like me.

I'll be a little late getting there tomorrow morning because I'm going to go support Christy at her first triathlon tomorrow morning at Don Williams lake over by Ogden.

Save me a parking spot!

Oakley Radars

2007-07-10T21:43:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend Rob loaned me pair of the new Oakley Radars with G30 lens. I used them in the race on Sunday. It was like I wasn't wearing sunglasses at all. With some sunglasses it take a while for your brain to get used to wearing them. That wasn't the case with the Radars. The moment I put them they felt very natural, and I forgot they were there.

If I could only have one pair of sunglasses (perish the thought), they would have G30 lenses. I have G30s for my Half Jackets, and I've used them in sun, overcast, cloudy, snow, and nearly dark conditions. I've never been disappointed. I see a pair of Radars with G30 lenses in my future.