this past weekend

I got hitched. A pro mountain biker and semi pro showed up. Big country was there to document it all

http://www.shutterfly.com/progal/album.jsp?aid=768a5498cf40661d1500

LBL

i went, i destroyed a tire in the first 2 miles. i ran a long way. i fixed it and i still got some good laps/riding in. regardless, good to visit with my sister, brother-in-law and nephews, always a good time there. thats all you get.

and this

I felt like this blog needed a picture. Here is one of the way things are in the mountain biking world. Get used to it women, or men if your girlfriend is a mtb'er.

blah

I hope there is homecourt advantage down there at LBL cause I got my butt whipped, but then again I was the first person between the ages of 19-29 to finish the race in the 19-29 sport men category so maybe I technically won, regardless it was a bunch of juniors that got to take home the prize money.

Race at Lbl this year started in a different location down by the bridge/overpass. Start was up a paved road, right onto another paved road and then sharp left into the woods for a bit of flat rolling rooty stuff about a mile or so worth maybe a little more then a couple climbs, namely the twin sisters or whatever they call those two climbs that are back to back down there.

I felt like ass sitting on the starting line. Kept thinking I was going to vomit. My stomach hadn't emptied out breakfast yet. Judd says go, we take off and Bill (columbia cycling winner of chickasaw) gets out front and I'm fine with that cause I know he is real fast. He got a good gap going down the road but then backed way off once we hit singletrack, I was immediately behind him. Through the first section of singletrack I was surprised at how easy he was going and felt really confident, started to question about whether it would be smarter for me to try to pass and take off cause I knew he was going to have a strong second lap if he was pacing himself that well on the first lap. There were 4 or 5 people behind me, we were all staying together up front pretty well.

In a sharp right hander going up hill I leaned a little hard and burped some air out of my rear tire, turns out I wasn't running enough pressure. That was annoying since I let some out on the starting line. My tire was pretty low and I started to lose contact a bit so when we crested the climb it opened up. I pulled off to put some air in my tire. By the time I finished everyone came around. I hopped back on and took off trying to catch everyone, I think I got a little impatient and tried to pull everyone back a little too quickly cause there were a couple times I had to back off while trying to catch back up with nick.

So I worked my way up a bit before we hit the n/s welcome station but I knew there were at least still 3 people up ahead of me. I kept seeing a kid in a wood n wave kit. I thought it was t.j. gaines. I would catch up with him on the climbs but after cresting them he would take off and get out of site. I hope that is the home-court advantage because I don't think I'm that slow of a descender. Come through for second lap at around 55 minutes. By the end of lap one I haven't caught him nor is he in site any more. I ate and drank a lot during the middle of lap one cause I felt like I needed to, for whatever reason, cold chills of phantom cramps.

Second lap I catch up with a kid that was wearing a red jersey, he looks done. I get around him and try to resolve to make it back up to kid in woodnwave jersey. Part of me is happy though cause I think I'm in 3rd place. I wrecked in an open flat gravely section cut myself up a little and cussed a little. by that time the 30-39 riders were starting to come around. Around the north south welcome station on the second lap, the threats of cramps starts to get a little more serious and I have to try not to push my legs too hard. I drain the remaing fluids I have in my bottles and try to just keep it steady.

Roll through the finish line at around 1:54. Turns out there were three people ahead of me. One columbia cycling and two wood n wavers. Winning time was around 1:46. There is no way I could've done that time even on a good day.

long and the short of it, not a good race for me. Not sure why but I didn't have the legs for that length of time. could've been a ton of different things to cause that but I'd rather not worry too much about it.

Last weekend

Nothing happened.

friendly motorists in Louisville

We hear so much about angry motorist yelling at us and cussing us so I wanted to post a positive experience I had last night while doing the Tuesday night worlds.

Soon after we made the left onto River Road from Blankenbaker I hit a large hole pretty hard. My tire started hissing immediately so I pulled off on a larger piece of the shoulder and began to replace the tube. Out of the corner of my eye I see someone pull in the gravel near me in a silver BMW. A pretty lady gets out and starts walking towards me. I'm thinking she is going to scold me and tell me about how awful it is that we cyclist ride our bikes on the road. Boy was I wrong. When I looked up she said, "I was behind you guys and saw that you might be having trouble so I turned around and came back to make sure you were okay. My family rides so I know how it goes."

I told her that it was merely a flat and I had everything I needed and then tried to thank her as sincerely as possible.

A few minutes later I had to tell some fellow cyclists that I was okay and didn't need any help. The amount of helpful friendly riders in this area is almost annoying at times. Just joking.
I just wanted to share a positive experience with you all and if you know the lady I'm talking about, thank her again for me.

What if the world was covered in Peanut Butter?

So, as the title asks, what would it be like if the world was covered in a gooey, sloppy mess? I'm not sure, but I bet trying to ride the trails would be a lot like what I experienced this past Saturday at the Park Mammoth Mash.

For those of you with ADD, here's the Reader's Digest version: Rain, more rain, Mud, more mud. Sloppy, nasty, Kenda Karmas suck in mud. Nice day to take my bike for a walk. 3rd place Sport overall, 1st place in the Creepy Old Guy division (40+).

If the above paragraph didn't provide enough detail of my 2 hours of misery, you either need to get a life or are at work and have time to spare. So read on.

I finally talked my buddy Sean into racing this year. We debated going north to hit DINO Warsaw, but they had a risk of rain as well and we decided that we would rather drive 2 hours to not race than 5. So we meet at 7:30 am and head down to Park Mammoth. We knew they had gotten some rain, but it looked like it might be rideable so we took the chance. Besides, what else is there to do in Louisville on Derby Day? It actually looked pretty good most of the way down with some sun and light clouds. But as we got to the exit it started to sprinkle.

When we got parked at the race site it started to rain. But the area looked to drain OK, so we decided that the Folks putting on the race were a worthy charity and we ponied up our entry fees, just in case we decided to race afterall. While all this is going on some of the other Louisville characters show up and now we have to race, since we can't let them go out there and do well while we watch. All the while its raining. Sometimes hard, sometimes not so hard, but raining. Now this is where it gets good: Sean says "as long as it's raining it won't be so bad, the mud won't stick". And he was right. As long as it keeps raining the mud doesn't stick.

We go out and pre-ride a little bit and it already seems like a bad idea. The open areas are good, but the singletrack is slippery. Then there's the railroad tracks. A good portion of the race is run on a thruway for 18-inch wide railroad tracks for some little train. Gravel base, actually in great shape and fast. But the track rails themselves, when wet, are treacherous. OK, just stay between them and it'll all be good. So now we are completely soaked, our paper number plates have melted off the bars and we head to the starting line. An opportunity like this is too good to pass up.

So when the experts line up, the take a count and come up one short. 5 show on the list and only 4 are present. So they start yelling my name. Seems a little mistake was made on their behalf and I got registered as an Expert. So we all have a good laugh, and off the Experts go with me lining up with 20 of my closest Sport-Class friends. We get the standard pre-race talk, warned about the railroad tracks and the whistle blows. I try to get a good start and spin out. Mad scramble ensues and i get thru the gate and into the Singletrack around 10th. It's a short section and we pop out into a gravelly-roadish area and I drop the hammer to catch up to the leaders that are about 30 yards ahead. We hit the first section of railroad tracks and it's amazing how hard it is to hold a straight line. I guess everyone was paranoid about making contact with the rails. A couple of guys do and go down. So we work down towards the first real climb of the race. Unfortunately, there was some recent bulldozer action right at the base meaning soft, nasty red mud awaits. I saw this during the pre-ride, and planned to cyclocross it right from the beginning. This paid off as I took the tight line and was off the bike and running up the hill before most of the guys figured it out. I ended up in the lead at that point with Blaine Heppner, Sean and Mitchell K. The 4 of us managed to get away from the rest of the group. We stayed reasonably close together until Mitchell had some mechanical issues and dropped off. So the remaining 3 of us stayed pretty much together the rest of the lap and about half way into the 2nd. We caught up with Kiersta and that's when Blaine left us for good. Sean got away as I took a tumble on a slippery wood bridge right in front of Kiersta, forcing her off as well. It had stopped raining sometime before this point and the mud was really starting to stick. I caught Sean as he was having chain-suck problems and knowing he is a better bike handler decided to open a gap when I could, expecting him to catch up on the technical stuff. Around the end of the 2nd lap/early in the 3rd (I don't remember exactly) I was caught and passed by a guy from the Nashville MTB club. He caught and passed me so quickly I first thought he was the Expert leader, but he was in Sport and obviously handling the adversity much better than I was. I knew I had been in 2nd behind Blaine and was really content to get 3rd as the trail was getting worse and my mental state was going south as well. From that point on it was survival mode. A couple of guys got close but I took advantage of the open sections to maintain a good gap. I ended up finishing in 2:01, 3 mins behind Blaine who took first. Sean ended up DNF due to the mechanical issues.

This race was really tough for me, as it challenged my bike handling skills and didn't allow me to take advantage of my fitness. I pushed my bike up most of the hills as I just couldn't seem to get any traction and running/pushing was faster in most cases. I think I crashed about 10 times. My bike was a mess and I'll be surprised if it works right again. I rode it today and it's heading to the shop for some love. But I didn't DNF. It was the closest I ever came, it's a good thing I didn't know that Sean quit at the end of the 2nd lap or I might have joined him. I give lots of credit to everyone who stuck it out. Also, props to Andrew Llewellyn who won the High School championship race. His frame had arrived at the shop the previous day at 1 pm and was built late that day. Great performance on a new ride.

Stump Jump was cooler than Rowbears lame race cuz i got a tshirt

Does it ever not rain in South Carolina when the Stump Jump is on tap? No. But, the soil down there drains like nothin else. And, they always have good t-shirts.

Saturday, yes, it rained. And rained. Rather than go pre-ride sloppy trails, Jenn an I went to a park in Greenville and rode laps on the road just to get some spinnin in. As I was loading my bike to head out, I noticed my fork had developed an external oil bath, not good. Screw it. The lock-out works, I didnt ride thurs or friday, I needed to do something. Havin not packed for 60 and wet, I had to borrow a rain jacket from the bike shop (The Great Escape) manager. So far, things are kinda suckin from a total lack of preparation. My legs felt cold and weak. I tried some big jumps and hills, but my heart rate wouldnt rise. So after an hour of playing "Lance in a Nike commercial", we packed it in.

Sunday, ah the comedy of errors continued. About the time I pulled off the interstate, I asked Jenn if she remembered how to get there. No. So, no map, not 100% when either of our races start, she starts callin everyone who has ever once been to Spartanburg to try to get some help. With a couple calls and all the grey matter we can muster, we arrive with 1/2 hour to spare until her race started. One of the last things I tell Jenn before she disappears off into the cold wet mud was, "I prolly am not gonna race." (this will be significant in a bit). But, as I said, this place drains great the sun was out, the sport and beginners had worn in some ruts and was tacking up nicely. I decided, what the hey, I was there, I needed to ride, might as well. So 40 minutes prior to the gun, I registered.

Must have been somethin in the air since Rowbear also had some organizational issues, I strapped on my number plate, got dressed and prepared myself to race, but wasnt sure what to do with my bottles. Jenn was still out on the course and I wanted to put them where she would find them, but where they would be out of the sun. So rather than placing them in her chair in the feedzone, (wayyyy to obvious), I put them in the back of the Amigo in a bag. Man, I am soooo smart. Oh, and the lack of fork oil turned out to just be a comfort thing more than an issue with it working.

So I line up to start. Since there was a Gone Riding AMBC (or whatever they are called now) less than 3 hours away, other than Schworm and Johnston, the field wasnt too stacked, about 8 pro/semi total. I had a great start. Into the woods first and better yet, I didnt feel like I worked that hard to do it. I got passed in a ravine crossing that had two lines, I took the slower. I sat behind the kid for a bit until I decided I could be goin faster, and I attacked on a short climb. Not sure what was happening behind me other than I was opening up a small gap and still feelin like I was just riding. The mud that remained made things fun, a bit of sliding here, a big mud hole to splash through there. I shot down through another gully and as I came ou the other side, "psssssssssssssssss..." Crap. I rode along hoping the sealant inside would patch things up. No such luck so I pulled over to see what i needed to do. The valve stem was bent which leads to Anthonys tip O the day; leave on your little plastic presta caps. I was able to fill it and slow the leak to where it held at about 20psi, not bad in the mud, but suffered in the open sections and the fast corners. Battling back from last, I managed to catch all but two, which was a suprise for me at the end. Coming into the feedone, no bottles. Crap again. Then it dawns on me; Jenn may not even realize I was racing and how stupid of a place I had stashed my bottles.

Next lap, other than havin to stop and re-inflate my tire again, nothing bad happened aside from draining what liquids I had left. Next time throught the feedzone, I see Jenn running. "Sweet!!! She has my bottles" I think. So I get up beside her, she has nothin. Funny really, we just kinda sit there lookin at each other and I say somethin to the effect of where are my bottles, i need water. She grabs two that had been sitting on a table (sorry whoever) and hands em over. I stuff em in and get going again. I think one bottle was watered down diet coke and the other was urine, but I'm not 100% on either.

So, all things considered, I coulda been pissed about how everything worked out especially since I had the best legs I have had in about 7 weeks with my illness and wreck at Tiger Rag, but ya'know, most of it was my fault for not plannin and in the end, it was good to just know I can go again. I ended up 3rd which made me happy since, I was gettin paid and I figured I was in 5th the whole time. Jenn, once again won the SC State Championship for her age group. Its not about who is in the race, its all about results.

D.IN.O. #1

The team spread out over the weekend so that we could represent the sponsors all throughout the region. Anthony went to Spartanburg, South Carolina. Duane went to the Park Mammoth race just outside of Bowling Green, KY. I went to the D.IN.O. race in Warsaw, Indiana.

I chose the D.IN.O. race mainly because it looked like it had the best chance out of any of the races to be dry. Only a 50% chance of rain. I also really like the course up there, it's pretty technical but more of the twisty variety, it also has a couple fun jumps. I learned about why I shouldn't hesistate when coming up on a double, it was a really small one but casing it still sucked the first time.

So for some reason I was thinking that every D.IN.O. race was on Central time. We left Louisville just before 8 a.m. Arrived at the race area at around 11:58 or so. I get out of my car and realize that the experts are on the line and the director is telling them they have one minute or something. I immediately start freaking out because that means my class will be going off about 6 minutes after that. I run to the registration table and the lady was nice enough to just give me a number and write my name so I could pay after the race. I run back to the car, start throwing my clothes on, lube my ass, put some gu in my jersey pockets. Get my bike down off the car, put the front wheel on (with a lefty this is a little more involved), put my water bottles on the bike, put one twist tie on the number plate and then give my fiance another twist tie to put on while I run over the bushes and take a pee. This whole time racers are taking off. I get back to my bike and ride up to the line with 30 seconds to go. I was still freaking out because I didn't get to check out my bike or warm-up at all.

We take off and I get a good little jump but don't hold it too long. My bike was still in the same gear I had it in the night before when lubing the chain. My tires still have 50 lbs of pressure in them because I had changed them the night before and put extra pressure in so they would seat up. We take a sharp left hand turn, as usual, but then we went past the spot were we normally go into the woods. I wasn't sure what was going on but just followed the other 8 or 9 guys in front of me.

The speedometer was clicking on the front tire so while we're riding through a narrow shoot with spectators all around I'm leaning way over my bike trying to move the speed sensor away from my spokes. After I get that fixed and sit up the others have about 20 feet on me as we go down a paved section towards the creek area. I then realize that we are going to be doing the course backwards from what I am used to. There are a couple tech sections 100 yrds into the woods some tight turns with roots sticking out six inches off the ground, rock gardens and tight trees. Once we got to a little flat section along the creek I see that the tail end of those in front of me is still just a few seconds off. Someone behind me said something about passing and I wasn't sure who they were talking to but I would just pull back the gap, that way they wouldn't need to pass. So, a minute or two later and I'm back on a wheel as we make a hard left to cross the big two lane bridge over the creek, the bridge was divided because I would have to cross it again later on going the opposite direction. So I ride a wheel for a while and it definitely isn't hurting me too bad but they were going fast enough that I couldn't justify asking to pass. We come up on some rider going considerably slower, maybe from another class or maybe he blew up. The two guys in front of me pass him and I try to do it in a loose gravel turn. With 50 psi I somehow manage to wash out in the front and go down. Some came around and I got up as quick as I could and took back off. We were hitting a couple short climbs so it didn't take long for me to get back on a wheel.

Somewhere along the way I passed a rider or two and then we came to this spot where you could go two ways I went right and say two guys on top of this steep quick up and I knew I would have to stop if I tried to go up it so I went left through the brush real quick onto the path that went left. That made 2 more riders I got around. I think this is when I got on the wheel of a Gray Goat rider. He was doing a good pace and I wasn't being vigilant enough with holding his wheel although I stayed in close contact for most of the lap. It wasn't till less than a mile to go on the first lap that I lost contact with him. It got really twisty towards the end of the lap and I was getting really confused about when it would end. Still, I'm feeling good especially considering I didn't warm up. I tried to drink on the straight sections even though it meant losing a little speed. I didn't take a bottle when I came through for my first lap. My number plate only had two twist ties in it so the wind had blown it to standing straight up above my bars, upside down and backwards so I had to yell out my number to Brian but he was quick to tell everyone my name, sponsor and where I was from over the intercom. That's good stuff right there. Starting the second lap I eat a gu since i didn't get to eat one on the start line. Drink some more and then hit the first single track section. For some reason I was clipping my chain ring on everything though, I got frustrated but when I hit the section along the river I regain my focus and tell myself that I'm feeling good and I'm in a good position so I'm gonna keep it rolling.

For a few miles I was on my own but I was still pushing it on the straights and climbs and trying to do all I could in the turns. Low and behold though, we come to a straight climb that kicks up near the top into a field section with a lot of turns and high grass and there I see the gray goat rider with another guy. So I get on it a little extra and by the end of the field section I'm only a few feet off, they both get a little bit further as we go down a hill but as we hit the first up I charged up on them hard enough that they both let me around so I kept on it and immediately got a gap. I held that till the end of the race. I don't think I passed anyone else. I finished feeling really good though and still had some energy even though I did pretty much all I could in the race other than get there on time so I could warm-up and get a good start. I was thinking maybe I would finish on the podium but turns out I got 4th. Still my best result yet in a D.IN.O. race, other than that time I got 3 when there were only 4 or 5 of us. I was happy after the race and kind of happy I didn't have to stick around another 2 hours for awards. That's all.

I heard the KY race was super muddy and epic, anthony's race was a little muddy too. I got by with no mud and no rain, just cloudy skies and upper 50s low 60s degree weather, Perfect.

Ahhhh man, I just checked the D.IN.O. results and according to those I got 3rd. I don't know if something changed or I looked at them wrong or what. Guess I missed out on some free swag. That's kind of a bummer.

couple pictures with bon jovi new jersey(s)