Hey, it’s me!

I bet you thought I was a long goner!  Well I’m not, I just decided to quit blogging for a while I guess.  I’m not sure why.  Well I’m back now, for the moment, so enjoy it.  So let’s see, what have I been up to?  A little of this and a little of that I guess…

Road racing for me is at a four-year low.  I’ve done a handful of training races, and two actual races.  I sucked at both of them. Mountain bikes on the other hand, I have been racing a lot of those. So up here in New England the races are big and fast.  There are as many as 35-40 dudes in the Pro/open class, and then the Cat1(Expert) age classes are all full too.  For me that means I have to try really hard to ride in the top 10, and then when I die on the last lap I get passed by like 10 guys.  All of the courses are really fun and new, and I know everybody I’m racing against is fast so I don’t mind.  I cracked the top 10 at a couple of races, they had smaller fields but I still had to try hard.

What else, what else, let’s see here…  My bike! This year I’m riding mountain bikes for the Independent Fabrications grass roots team.  I’ve got a ti deluxe 29er that I plan on riding for a really long time.  It handles well, rides nicely, and is pretty great.  Sometimes I get sick of all the new gimicky crap and stupid paint jobs on new bikes.  Especially when they look outdated after a season or two.  So I hope to overcome that by having awesome bikes that are plain looking, in a classy way.  It’s pretty much mission accomplished I think.

I should be going to bed now.  Below is a little visual from the Rapha Continental ride I hosted down in WV.  It was great. 110 miles of really fun bike riding with some guys who really love to ride bikes. Perfect! 

Frankford, WV from RAPHA on Vimeo.

time to party

Good thing I decided to write on the blog again, because things are starting get awesome.  There are so many stories to be told, of days gone by and those yet to come.  Where do I even start?  I don’t know.  How about now?  

At the moment I’m in the midst of my mental and physical preparation for an MTB race in Connecticut tomorrow. I am focusing so hard, I can barely type.  Anyway, it is the second race in the regional Root 66 series.  At the first race I was 12th in the Pro/Cat 1 open, mid-pack, maybe even legit.  Tim Johnson was there, probably about 300 people racing.  And I noticed like 200 in the results the first WV race.  Mountain bike racing appears to be making a come back. 

Down below, you can see photo documentation.  It was sloppy, 45 degrees and raining, I had a lot of fun. So there are a lot of fast people here in Eastern Mass, and there is some decent mountain biking here on the cape.  Mostly I prowl the bike path on my commute and call it training. I’m kind of surprised at my fitness, given the relative lack of proper riding.  But I did make myself puke at a training race. Last weekend was Battenkill, I had an awesome time hanging with Stan and Ben. The race sucked for me, my legs were schite, I rode way too hard, and had some crap luck…rolling in at 20 something… Boo.

Coming attractions…

Rapha Continental ride.  I’m taking a few folks from Rapha on a little 6 hour tour from the inlaws place down in WV. This will be in a few weeks or so, might hit up a little MTB ride with the Riddles the following day.  

Soggy Bottom 100.  Ever heard of it?  It is in Alaska.  I am now working on projects that focus on tundra ecosystems. So, we’re having a week or so of family vay-cay before two weeks of science in Alaska.   I’m excited to put bear bells on my bike.  

So, there you have it.  

still rolling

Don’t worry, I am still here, still rolling.  There is nothing really that I think needs to be written, so this is a short one.  I’m kind of thinking about quitting blogging.  Many of them blogs are filled with minutia and are really boring.  But I guess they are a good way to waste time out here on the computer-webs.  I indulge, I’ll admit it.

So maybe this is enternainging for a person or two, maybe I’ll keep the posts rolling.  Maybe not. I don’t know.  This summer is shaping up to be a real good one.  Some big things are in the works as we speak.

I’m a pro now, this is what it’s like.

Alright, since my license showed up the other day and I can still flash it to get 10% off from Hertz rental car just like when I was a beginner I have to tell you what it is really like to be a pro mountain bike racer.  

When you train you have to look pro.  You can read some blogs to find out what other pros wear. Kerkove wears a lot of sweet kit, and Steevo wore like 10 lbs of clothes last week.  Well this is what I do, I am like the trickest pro of all. All you haters, you know what to do…

Today was a double training session, double base miles.  I rode for like 35 minutes this morning and 45 minutes tonight. It was 14 degrees this morning so I started out with my lobster claw gloves and discovery channel thermal cap.  It is icy as shit right now so I wanted something that could keep my legs warm and keep me warm. So I wore a pair of Carhartts. On top I wore an old race t-shirt, a nice cotton red camel brand shirt, and then teched it up with a Mt Hardwear fleece. To keep my toes warm I chose wool socks and my UGGs. I started out with a bandana around my right leg so as not to catch my pants leg in the chain. But the boot-cut of the Carhartt was so big the left one caught the crank and I almost ate shit right in Sandwich road. So I had to tie that leg up too. I just took it easy on the first ride.  On the second ride (home) I went through West Falmouth so I could see the ocean in the dark and go up a hill. I did this all in the big ring for strength training. That is at least 1 hour and 15 minutes of base training. Carhartt doesn’t sponsor me, but if you watch close you can get them for like $17 off sierra trading post. Oh yeah, and I wore banana republic boxer shorts.  

I did this boxing fitness video last night too. The guy had an eye patch so I quit after 8 minutes, but my lats are sore today. I might ride the rollers later too, I don’t know, I need to work on my core. And if you’re pro you definitely wear spandex on the weekend, and always wear a skinsuit under everything else, otherwise you’ll never wear it out.  

So that is pretty much what its like. If you want to leave questions in the comment section I will try to answer them. But I can’t reveal a lot about my training and when I peak to my max and stuff like that. I gotta go get some diapers out of the laundry.

Pay attention, we have a lot to cover.

It has been a long time since I rapped at yous guys, so listen closely…

The place I work at is awesome, and my job is very cool.  You should all be jealous.  

Next Item: commuting.  I have been making the commute about 4 days a week. The Kona handles the job with much aplomb. The other morning it was about 13 degrees and it felt like I had a headache in my face for the first few miles. Once it warms up I should be able to hit up some trails. That’s right, the WHRC campus sits on 8 acres and there is a trail.  It connects to more trails in a town park. MTB to work day, every day.  

Next Item: the weather. It sucks. Yesterday I rode in the balmy 20 degree weather. Surprisingly it was not too bad. Today’s 35 and rainy means I’ll be spending quality time with the hot water heater in the basement at some point. Sports Balm hot recipe #3 embrocation really works well… once you’re home and in the shower. Whilst you’re riding it can only be felt when it is applied not-on your legs.  i.e. low back (good), genitals (bad), feet (alright if its cold), ankles (kind of burns).  

Next Item: Trails. I rode them last weekend and they are pretty great. Like State College, PA cross bread with Chendagen (sp?) Hollow and flattened out a little bit.  But now the weather sucks so I have to wait a little. The best part is that I can ride to them from my house.  

Next Item: MTB.  IF, Ti Deluxe, should be awesome.  

I guess that’s all for now.  The rain/sleet just changed to snow, so maybe I’ll go for a ride.

Marooned

A computer malfunction at the local Budget office has me staying for a few extra days in WV.  That is no problem at all, thanks Budget!  Finishing school and attempting to race this fall must have taken more out of me than I thought because I am still feeling pretty lazy.  Aspirations of back-to-back centuries have not been realized.  But I did get in a nice hilly ride with the Riddles and John last Saturday, and then a murderous 5 hour slog over with Darin yesterday. We rode over Briery Mountain (murder), Kennison Mountain, Droop Mountain (twice), and that piddly little hill North of Rennick but that climb wasn’t even 2-miles long.  If you want to be taken seriously by backwoods bear hunters, you have to be doing something pretty badass.  Darin has some cool pics, but we are all lacking a computer cord.

Happy New Year.

This is a picture from last weekend, Stan found it out on the internets.  My back was totally racked, luckily I just had to stroll around SF all week.  Active recovery I guess.

Got back last night and we’re headed to WV tonight.  Weather looks to be good for riding, I’m taking my cross bike, hoping to keep things relatively mellow.  But if somebody got ahold of me today, before 7:00, and convinced me to bring the mtb too, for a ride up at spruce, it might work…  I’m just sayin’

Enjoy the holidays.

On the scene

Today I got up on the Eastern Mass ‘cross scene something fierce.  It kinda got ugly.  The race was in a place called Wrentham, on a nice little organic farm called White Barn Farm.  Thursday night I glued the tire that I rolled in Toronto back on its rim, backwards.  Good thing it was a rear tire.  Today it was pretty darn cold, around 30, and windy with bare frozen ground. I forgot my legs warmers, and had to settle for knee warmers.  Luckily some guys from cycleops were there with a bunch of trainers in the barn, so I just sat in there and warmed up, stretched, tried to make sure that I was good and ready to go after a month of from racing, and much training for that matter.  

The race started off pretty well.  I was lined up towards the back, but after the first lap was with the front group of about 10 or 15.  After that it started to split up, and I was happy to be in the mid-pack action with a small group.  My back was hurting me a little bit, but it was all good.  All good, until a couple of laps later when I rolled my front tire and had to run across the hard-ass tundra to the pit.  I got passed by pretty much everybody.  Running made my back hurt real bad.  I kept going and caught like 4 people back.  Pretty soon I started to go in the hurt locker big time so I quit trying to catch people.  I should have just quit.  The crowd was rowdy.  One guy said he called Mickey the King of Spooky Bikes, and Mickey said I had to take a beer hand up.  I took it and downed it so everybody would know I was a man, even thought I wasn’t racing like one.  It turned out to be OE, malt liquor.  They started pulling people so I picked it up just enough so that I would not get lapped, and that I still beat 1 guy on the lead lap.  

Off to San Francisco for week of science.  Lots of core training for next season.

the economy

Times are hard man, things are uncertain.  What with all the sponsor swapping and stuff going on.  This is apparent in the new team gear…

Management says I have to be a crit specialist.  Moreover I can only go to races with left turns.  I don’t even think these glasses are new.  

Seriously though, I was all about to write a post saying that the season was over but then I found a cross race about an hour from home this Saturday.  So, I am going to get some saddle time this week so I don’t break any tendons or bands and things in my legs, and then go race.  It will probably be ugly, but it should be fun.  

So our new house in Falmouth is straight up taiiiiight, no lie.  I’ve yet to ride, but my landlord says there is 2-3 hours worth of good singletrack 5 minutes away.  He is from New Hampshire too, so I think he knows what the good stuff is.  

June has developed a behavioral problem, gotta go.

up for air…

So I finished a defendable (I hope) draft of my dissertation last night, which is awesome.  What a flipping ordeal that was.  This past week in particular sucked a big one as I was sick and facing the deadline.  A few 20 hour work days later, and things are much better.  

Between that and the shat weather riding has been nill.  Racing too. There is still a lot of crap to do, but I’m going to squeeze in rides, and hopefully a race or two.  Next weekend there is a race down in Murrysville, Pennsyltucky so maybe I will go hit up Dr. Shriver and get my race on.  I don’t know.  The next week I am moving, but the finals of the Verge NE series are close to my new house.  Going to a race like the day after you move is not a cool thing to do, for a ton of reasons.  But I think if anyone can pull it off, it would be me.  I’m pretty sure my fitness sucks right now, but I don’t care.  I’m just going to call this my time off and start doing some big rides in WV over Christmas.  

In other news, because of the financial crisis Wachovia slashed our team budget and asked us to donate our winnings for a tax write off.  Dave Kina went rogue, grew a beard, and kept all his money. He was consequently axed from the roster.  For a graduation present to myself I am getting myself a commuter bike.  I will ditch the front rack, and make a few minor modifications to soup it up.  Since my commute is just 12 miles round trip I figure a dedicated commuter is in order, especially since we’re going to stick with 1 auto.