The Rich Mennenoh Cycling Experience

2012-01-08T20:50:00.000-06:00

Race video of todays men's race from Cyclingdirt.

http://www.cyclingdirt.org/coverage/247673-USA-Cyclocross-National-Championships-2012/video/562973-Elite-Men-USA-Cyclocross-National-Championships-2012

USA Cyclo-cross chapionships

2012-01-08T19:18:00.009-06:00

Went to my first cyclo-cross race today as the US championships were being held near Madison. With only 2 mile long laps you don't have to wait very long before the top riders come back for another loop. This is what the longest run up section looked like. Pretty steep little hill that you have to carry the bike up each lap.One of the top Female racers on the run up.

The top two men powering up the steepest climb on the course. At this point Ryan Trebon is leading eventual winner Jeremy Powers.

The start of the men's race was on some pavement and they were hauling when they went by.

Women's champion and all world Katie Compton rode away for an easy win.

Our WORS women's champ Abbi getting some encouragement from a fan.

The announcers were really into it and three of them kept it entertaining. They had a big screen set up and cameras out on the course so you could see most of the race from the food area.

Results posted on Cyclingnews.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/american-national-championships-2012/elite-men/results

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/american-national-championships-2012/elite-u23-women/results

How about that Wisconsin landscape for January 8th. not a bit of snow. Big crowds for a bike race and the roar for the winner coming in was fantastic. Hopefully US Cycling will bring some more championship races to the mid west.

Untitled by mennenoh at Garmin Connect - Details

2012-01-07T16:24:00.000-06:00

January 7 ride from Glacial Park to Genoa City on the rail trail. Pretty slow as the trail was mushy so it was a good muscle builder of a workout.

Untitled by mennenoh at Garmin Connect - Details

Untitled by mennenoh at Garmin Connect - Details

2011-12-30T17:47:00.000-06:00

First try using the Garmin on my ride from home out and back through Morain Hills.

Untitled by mennenoh at Garmin Connect - Details

Riding in late December

2011-12-29T17:31:00.003-06:00

I can't remember ever riding this late in the year but today I went on a ride through Morain Hills and it was actually comfortable. Usually during Xmas I get to do some xc-skiing but unless I travel 6 hours north it aint gonna happen.

Was able to try out my new Garmin that Bob got me. Now I can start mapping my rides once I get the hang of the progam. Best thing about it is the display is big enough that I can actually read everything.

Ski waxing 101

2011-12-24T14:32:00.002-06:00

I picked up my 2012 trail and parking passes yesterday from the Wisconsin DNR. Also found some good instructional videos on ski waxing at this sight. http://www.tokous.com/Video%20Index.htm

I think that after watching the videos I put down the smoothest wax application ever. Now all I need is some snow to test them out.

Coin Collecting

2011-12-23T19:55:00.003-06:00

Remember these old coin collecting books? I still have mine from 50 years ago but never thought much about them until the past couple of years. I think I have collected several of the missing coins I needed over the past few years probably due to the bad economy as people were forced to part with them.

I remember during one of the other down turns in the economy a writer posted his unscientific observation that he could tell the economy was bad by how many cars had a burned out headlight. I guess I can make the same unscientific claim about the number of old coins one finds in their change increases during hard times.

Remembering The Summer

2011-12-20T18:31:00.004-06:00

Long dark days and the cold weather getting me a little grumpy. I need a nice hot day racing at Nine Mile, just the thought makes me feel better.

The 2012 Jerey

2011-11-29T18:23:00.004-06:00

Picked up my kit for next year today. The new jersey design has more white than last years but still similar in appearance.

Even though it has just been a little more than a month since the last race I already miss competing. Maybe I should look into the cyclocross events next year.

Kettle Morain

2011-11-05T21:19:00.003-05:00

Since many of my racing friends made the trip to Michigan for the Iceman I felt the void and had to get out and ride some trails. Some areas at the Kettle had so many leaves on the ground you had trouble knowing where the trail was. Especially on the lesser traveled orange loop sections. This photo was taken at the halfway point on the more heavily traveled Blue loop just before the roller coaster.

2011-10-26T22:15:00.003-05:00

Result for the Rock Cut race were posted and another 4th. place finish for me. No podiums this year but just missed with 5 fourth place finishes for the year.

http://documents.clubexpress.com/documents.ashx?key=hk%2faJmLO8YeDH%2bvWb5Vhsi7sgNLFmPb1QC2iYSfSVzuVyLirLP2BK%2fXdAuzQM5wo

2011-10-23T21:02:00.005-05:00

Was a great fall weekend to be on the bike. On Saturday I went out to Hebron on the old rail trail stopping for a change to read the sign about the old K.D. Railroad that used to run on this trail. I had put new bottom bearings in the bike so it was a good check out ride to make sure everything was spinning well.

On Sunday I went to Rockford to race in the Trail Crews annual event. Was a fast but kind of hard 20 miles on some great trails. Every time I go here the race is different but I think they keep making it better. A large turnout from the Treads, both team and club. Ray took the win for the team in the 30 mile open event by a wide margin.

Like all things in Illinois the Park sign needs some repair.

That was the last bike race for me this year. Made some progress but still need to get the weight down.

Sheboygan #2

2011-10-11T20:09:00.002-05:00

Just found this photo of me from Sunday riding the roots. Definitely had me thinking about full suspension again.

2011 Sheboygan

2011-10-11T19:11:00.005-05:00

Finished up the WORS series with its traditional final at Sheboygan. Perfect day and perfect race set up had everyone going fast. There is just no place you can let up here without getting passed or causing a backup. I had a pretty good race but made a couple of bad moves which had me crashing once. Reason for the crash was I had run up the back of a couple riders who slowed up in the worst possible place causing me to dismount. Got back on the bike pissed, and rode the last lap like a maniac.

Coming into the finish chute for the final time in 2011.

Post race with Brad and George. These two guys battled each other for first place all year in the 60+ division with George taking the win for the overall title.

Sheboygan has a lot of roots on the course. This section has the largest wheel swallowing roots of all. Here's Mike leading this group through.

Woke up on Monday feeling bruised and battered from the crash. After work I cruised through a 3.2 mile run at Morain Hills. One bike race left on the list at Rock Cut.

Fall Color Fest

2011-09-24T20:06:00.003-05:00

Raced the 25 miler in the Fall Color Fest today using the single speed. 40th. overall out of 67 and 3 out of 7 in age group. Got off to a terrible start as I was stuck behind a big pileup on the first section of single track. Slowly worked my way back up the field but by the second lap my quads were screaming. Not used to riding the single speed and all the standing up on climbs blew my legs off.

http://fallcolorfestival.org/

Great Wrap Up

2011-09-21T07:52:00.002-05:00

The Chequamegon winner Brian Matter has a great write up on what it was like at the front. Take a minute and read his last two posts, good stuff.

http://b-matter.blogspot.com/

Chequamegon 2011

2011-09-19T11:51:00.006-05:00

Another Chequamegon in the books. Eleven years now we have been making the trip north to do this race and when the conditions are this good it is a blast. Race day morning seemed so at ease and we made it to the starting area and took our position way in the back. Were never going to make it early to put the bikes in place, but I've gotten used to weaving through the slower riders on the 2 plus mile highway lead out.

Cassi and Camryn downtown Hayward waiting for Mike and I to start.
Amazing how many people show up for this race year after year. We met Christian Vandeveld before the start, and Steve Tilford the night before. Tilford showed us some crazy light glue on tires he was going to race with.

Finish area at Telemark.

Sue got this picture of the lead group going past OO.

Mike getting words of advise from his children before the start in Hayward.

I beat this guy for the first time ever. See what happens when you get old Dave.

At the finish. 3:08:51 my best time here ever. 31 out of 100 in my age group and 904 out of 1899 overall.

Next weekend I plan on doing the Fall Color Fest at John Muir. Maybe I'll go long and do the 30 miler.

Treadfest 2011

2011-09-13T06:51:00.003-05:00

Treadfest was another fourth place points day. Not bad, but still one away from the podium. I was off to a good start for a change and made it up the initial hill climbs feeling good. Trails were as dry and dusty as could be, traction could have been a little better on some of the corners but I only laid it down once. Good tough race preperation for Chequamegon.

Going down the Colorado Heartbreaker.

Not sure where this was, but I look a bit tense.

Our club put on a good race once again. Heard nothing but good things after from my age group buds.

Racing in 2006

2011-09-06T20:00:00.004-05:00

Going through the old pictures I saw these from the 2006 Kewaunee race. I remeber the mud and rain and how everyone was crashing. I was lucky and had a set of mud tires which let me survive and ride the course.

Getting mentally prepared for the mud puddles at Chequamegon.

Year in Review

2011-09-02T22:29:00.011-05:00

I just signed up to XTR photo who takes pictures at all the WORS races. Picking through some of my photos from the events this racing year has looked like this.

Started out up in Rhinelander and had a pretty good race but by the looks of my face I must of been suffering from the long winter and the shock of racing at the time.
Next was Wausau and this race is always wide open and fast. No exception this year and I always love this twisting section of trail near the end.

The Pro's were in for the WORS cup as it was part of the national series this year. The course at MT. Morris was tougher than any I've ridden but it was another good result for me.

Finishing at Franklin, and going up this ski hill one last time to the finish is always tough. The crowd was cheering for the guy running with his bike to catch me.

A new race this year at Camrock, and it was my favorite course so far. Nice mix of technical trail and open spots for passing. These big berms were fun to rip through as this was a fast downhill area.

Then last week we were near Green Bay at the Reforestation Camp. 24 miles and fast open areas with fun stretches of single track. It always looks like it should be easy, but everyone is usually spent at the end due to the pace.

So I've taken 4th. place in points at 3 of the events so far, but that's still one spot off of the podium. Now its time for our own race in Lake Geneva on Sunday the 11th and then the Chequamegon 40 the following Saturday.

New Stuff

2011-08-20T17:50:00.004-05:00

Was time to pick up some new equipment for the upcoming races. I was wanting a pack with a little more room and found this new one from Camelback, the Charge 450. It holds up to 100 oz of fluid and has several zip pockets to stash stuff. It's going to be perfect for the Cheq 40 and long rides at the Kettle. I also wanted to change the pedals on the single speed so I swapped the old XT's off of the race bike and put a new pair of XT's on it.

And after a few years of hard abuse it was time for some new shoes. I hope these make my feet a little happier. I changed my cleat position back a bit so that they are more under the ball of my feet. I think that having then up more was causing me some calf pain, but changing now could be a problem so we will see how this goes.

Finally got all the insurance work done on the house. New roof and siding was completed on Friday. Now I need to paint some trim and maybe the garage door to complete the outside.

Camrock Race

2011-08-07T20:17:00.003-05:00

A new race and a good result for me with fourth place. On Saturday we went for a pre-ride to check the place out and I did not like it at all. I thought it was a grind and had no flow. But today I was riding it like it was a different place. Flowing through the woods and blasting through the few rocky sections. I gave the camera to the girls and Cassi got a couple of good pics.

Here's Mike coming out of the woods after completing a lap.

Here I am exiting the same spot with Camryn in the background cheering me on.

I've been racing against Dan for the past ten years. We started together in the Citizen class and moved to sport at the same time. He got fast a few years ago and has been regularly kicking my ass. Must be the good riding he has in Madison.

Not sure which race I'm doing next. Probably Green Bay.

Weekend Racing

2011-07-25T21:26:00.002-05:00

I didn't think this race was going to happen with all of the rain and storms in the area on Friday and Saturday but the course was actually dry. I had not ridden here since last years race and the course had a few new sections but if anything it was much better than in the past.

I had one big problem that I discovered while warming up and that was little or no back brake. It appears that in my bike prep i must have gotten some lube on the brake pads and it was not wearing off quick enough and not enough time to hunt down some cleaning fluid. The first section of twisty single track was an adventure with trying to not over do the front brake but yet keep smooth.

Race went well and I felt like I was faster than the results showed, but it was probably the heat and humidity making me feel like I was racing fast. Not sure where this photo was taken but I think it was just after the climb at the back of the ski hill.

Next race in 2 weeks and it will be another one that's close to home. Also its a new venue for the series so should be fun.

2011-07-19T22:17:00.003-05:00

Sad day today as the girls dog Molly had to be put down. We will miss her enthusiastic greetings whenever we came over and all her energy.

Molly

Colorado Trip

2011-07-10T15:55:00.006-05:00

I made it back from my drive to Colorado. I had two great car passengers in Cassi, and Camryn along so the ride was fun (at least for me). I brought my bike with this time so I was able to ride a couple of days with Bob and enjoy some great views of the mountains along the trail. On one day we went near Morrison and rode this trail. It was pretty challenging as I'm not used to having the uphill climbs last for a couple miles. The down hill part was fun but went by way to fast.

Bob cooking up some burgers and dogs.

We were in town for Jake's first birthday. He's a real cute little guy and is just about ready to walk.

Also was the first time we had all the grand kids together. Made the long drive worth it.

Now on my first day back home I start trimming the bushes and almost cut the tip of my finger off with the hedge trimmer. Lots of pain but all is well. Next race in two weeks and I'm only 4 pounds away from my goal weight. I just might make it.

Weekend Racing

2011-06-26T19:44:00.012-05:00

The pro mountain bikers were in Wisconsin this weekend as an added attraction to our own WORS race. The course was set up tough because it was also the Midwest championships so every level was above the difficulty we normally have to ride. I had a good race, and felt good throughout. The best thing was I rode some pretty technical stuff without getting off the bike and was able to beat a couple of my age group guys that have been ahead of me in the points.

Some photo's from the race:

Mike coming out of the lowlands on his way to the finish. He also had a solid ride.
The view from Mount Morris. We raced further to the top three times.

A Treadhead flying through a rock section.

Ray on his way to winning the Cat 1 class with a great move on the last corner before the finish line.

Georgia Gould winning the women's pro event by a big margin.

TREK's Heather Irmiger

We raced through this valley full of ferns.

Start of the men's Pro race

Geoff Kabush leading through the rocks.

US champion Todd Wells

JHK one of the old guys now and former Olympian.

Our series leader B. Matter

2011-06-16T07:51:00.002-05:00

Some of the fun trails last weekend at Nine Mile.

Wausau

2011-06-13T20:46:00.002-05:00

This past race weekend was spent at one of my favorite sites Nine Mile Recreation Area in Wausau. Have had many good race experiences there and the course this year was super fast and fun.

Mike and I made it there late Saturday afternoon and smiled through two laps of fun riding. The course was set up to be about 50% high paced ski trail and 49% sweet flowing single track. That missing 1% was the only real technical area on the course.

The weather for race day was as perfect as it can get and that made for a big turnout of racers. Chatted it up with some of my age group guys and talked some strategy with team members Gabriel (hold back on the first lap) and Ray (keep hammering on the ski trail sections). Well I went out pretty hard the first lap and was hurting (so much for listening to Gabe) but I did keep pedaling in the open areas. The next two laps I was going back and forth with a couple of age group guys. It was fun racing as I actually felt good and was riding the single track quicker than ever except for that 1% section. I had to get off and run it each lap and lost some precious time which in the end cost me a couple of positions. Still finished 138 out of 222 overall in the sport class but a disappointing 7th in my age group.

Next up is the big pro event held at Nordic Mountain and the difficulty of course is taken up a few notches. There will be lots of hills to climb so I hope I can drop another pound or two.

Typical day off

2011-05-30T20:36:00.002-05:00

Used this extra day off in the following way.

1) Started with a forty mile bike ride.
2) Mowed the lawn and trimmed shrubbery.
3) Washed and waxed both cars.
4) Visit mom.
5) Rearranged the basement.
6) Eat, drink, and collapse.

Finally some nice warm weather to bike in. Even though the wind was up a bit I'll take the heat. Weighed in after all this and was down to 166 which is the lowest I've been in several years. Still looking for the 150's by July.

My car had picked up some nasty black streaks from driving home from Rhineland and were a bitch to get off. Almost like we were singed by all the lightning strikes.

27 Seconds

2011-05-22T21:47:00.003-05:00

Started off the race season up in Rhinelander today. The ride up on Saturday was all rain for most of the four plus hour drive so no pre-ride of the course. Stormed through the night but when it was time to race we were under sunny sky's. The race went better than expected and I felt good throughout having no real difficulty with the single track sections or the few slick spots. With about 2 miles to go on the last lap I saw the rider who was in third place for my age group just ahead. I was working hard to catch him but could not close in on the final podium spot, missing by 27 seconds. Still tied for my best age group finish in the sport class. Just need to shed a few more pounds.

Face full of northwoods mud at the finish

2011-05-15T18:20:00.002-05:00

The Cable Classic was yesterday and it was 39 degrees and wet. I remember not being bothered by those conditions but now I was glad to read about it while riding indoors on the trainer. Standing around waiting for the start in those conditions is not very appealing anymore, but maybe I just need to HTFU.

I'm finally getting back to normal after the dreaded tooth experience and am looking forward to racing next week. Did a couple interval sessions with the CTS video and had some good days in the weight room. Legs are probably not ready for racing but I like the trip to Rhinelander and the course is usually fun so might as well start the season. Just let there be some improvement in this crap weather by next week.

Mike may even make the trip next week so I'll have some motivation to ride fast.

Tooth Update

2011-05-07T15:13:00.003-05:00

I was finally able to do some light spinning and weight training today. After four days of being on antibiotics and with little sleep my tooth pain is becoming tolerable. Still I can't wait for Monday morning as the bugger is coming out.

The one bright spot is I lost 3 pounds from not being able or wanting to eat.

My Aching Tooth

2011-05-03T20:16:00.002-05:00

The past two weeks I was getting ready for the first race of the year. Everything had been coming together with the workouts and the weight loss and I felt that I was in the best early season shape in years. But I was struck down by the most painful toothache you could ever imagine and had to back out of my race plans. I did go ride with Mike that Sunday but paid for it as the tooth throbbed all the way home.

The next day I pleaded with the Dentist to take me before they even opened. After several tests and Xrays he could not pinpoint what was causing all the pain. After taking care of some minor work that we had talked about before he sent me on my way with a prescription for some pain killers just in case.

Well the pain is still there but it has at least settled down to one spot so I now can tell which tooth is the problem (no where near where I had thought). So I'm going to see if I can be first in to the dentist again tomorrow and have this taken care of.

After months of riding, running, and weight lifting to be sidelined by this really sucks. At least we have several more races in the series so now the focus will be on Rhinelander 2 weeks away.

2011-04-16T17:50:00.003-05:00

A couple of days ago its 70 degrees out and I'm riding in short sleeves. Now were back in the 30's and the rain is coming down sideways. So its back to the indoor trainer today.

First Single Track of 2011

2011-04-13T18:24:00.012-05:00

After several weeks of anticipation the trails were finally ready for riding on Tuesday and with the weather forecast for today being near perfect I had to use a vacation day and go ride. This was the first time out on the bike with the new tires, brakes, and grips and they all worked great. The Bontrager 29-2 tires stuck like glue on the trails and even though they are wider than the 29-3's they seem to be fast. Also I finally have brakes that feel controllable so maybe they will give me a little more confidence. The Ergon grips may take a while to get used to, but never had any numbness in the hands today even after close to 3 hours. The Superfly was looking fast even while it was at rest. Something its owner can never claim. The bike came back nearly as clean as it left.

New Rack

2011-04-09T19:33:00.003-05:00

Put Thelma together today and installed it on the car. Its a bit different just having the bike held by the tires but it seems pretty stable.

Before that I managed to get in my first ride of the year on the road bike. Thirty one miles from home to Algonquin and back, and it felt good to be on the speedy wheels.

While I was out the spring cleanup crew had arrived and was busy edging, power raking, and mulching the yard. I wish it could stay looking like this all year.

Sunday may hit 80 so I need to get out and ride 30 again.

2011-04-05T19:53:00.004-05:00

The weather has just not been cooperating and I'm in need of some warm temps. to make the training fun. Today was at least sunny but still cold and the prediction is for rain the next several days, so I had to use this small window to get outside and decided on a run. After being indoors on the bike trainer the past two days it felt good to mix in a run at my favorite park and even came within a couple of feet to a pair of Sandhill Cranes. Went to the shop and ordered up a new bike carrier. It should be a big improvement as it holds the bike by wheel trays so the frame shape won't matter and I won't have to hang my bikes by the seat and stem anymore.

2011-03-27T10:21:00.005-05:00

Bob was in town for the weekend and Mike and Mel put together a nice party for him last night.

The three stooges

Dave and Mike

The place was full of little kids running and having fun. Wish we could harness all of that energy and tap into it when we get old.

Intervals

2011-03-23T20:40:00.002-05:00

Put the CTS training DVD for mountain biking in tonight and made it through the interval sessions, but crap that hurts.

2011-03-20T19:30:00.002-05:00

After a few months of indoor riding I finally made it outside for a couple of rides on the single speed. First ride started off ok but began to feel harder than expected. I was thinking I really need to HTFU but in reality it turned out that when I changed tires last month I didn't tighten up the front skewer enough causing the wheel to shift and the brake was seriously dragging. After fixing the problem my second ride went much better doing some small hill repeats at the state park.

Also picked up some new lenses for my glasses to help me see what I'm running into. Got me a pair of the racing red and a pair of the clear to go along with the yellow and black I already had. Should be ready for every light condition now.

2011-03-14T18:17:00.002-05:00

Last week I had some great workouts on the bike trainer, where I pushed it fairly hard for 40 minutes then hustled over to the fitness center and lifted weights. Doubling up like that seems to be pushing me past my norm and hope it leads to a good start to the bike season. Also fit in a 4 mile run with the new shoes and going to try and run tomorrow.

The weekend was all about home repairs as on Saturday afternoon I heard a loud noise like something hitting the house. Turns out the garage door spring snapped in half leaving the car stuck in the garage. Was able to find someone for an additional fee to get it fixed on Sunday and all was well until I ventured into the basement. There was water all over as the water heater was leaking. Another call and someone came out first thing this morning to replace the heater. Quite the expensive weekend, and I hope that that's it for awhile.

Positive Quotes

2011-03-05T18:24:00.000-06:00

Love this collage.

http://aley-hand-rough.deviantart.com/art/Positive-Quotes-Collage-131281518

2011-03-05T16:36:00.002-06:00

Now that I have been running on a regular basis and saw that my buddy Frank was running the Chicago Marathon, I don't want to stop. Although, I have been developing a little hip pain after runs, so maybe it was time for new shoes. I'll see if these help the situation.

Having this fitness center so close to the house may also be a bad thing. I worked out 15 days in a row and had trouble getting the heart rate up the last 2 days. Maybe signs of overtraining?

Getting Ready

2011-02-23T20:57:00.005-06:00

New tires to start the season. Put the 29.3 Bonty's on the single speed.

Going to put the 29.2 Bonty's on the Superfly set up tubeless.
Also installed the new Ergon grips.

It looks like my first event for the year will be the Ice Breaker in Lake Geneva on April 16. Two person teams that alternate between a 3 mile mountain bike loop and a 1.5 mile run. Each team member goes out twice for each discipline. Mike and I are a team and I already have a spot cleared off for the trophy.

2011-02-17T19:20:00.002-06:00

I ran 29:32 for 5K on the treadmill yesterday and did another 5K today. I'm liking the running and lifting but going to have to start spending more time riding the bike. There's only 72 days to go time at Iola.

More Stuff

2011-02-12T17:36:00.004-06:00

Picked up the bike and the new brakes look and feel great. Calipers are so nice and clean now, but will be abused shortly.

I was really in need of new brake levers as my old Avids were getting worn down to a sliver. These are pretty slick and the reach can be adjusted by a simple twist of a knob.

Also went and helped the economy. Sue wanted a new car so she got another Fusion SEL. Pretty slick with the new Sync system and satelite Sony stereo. We thought about moving to a 4 cylinder but we ended up staying with a V6.

2011-02-11T20:40:00.002-06:00

Been a good week of workouts with a couple big lifting days, a little bike training, and my fastest treadmill 5K run (30:00). Sill liking the new fitness center and starting to see who the regulars are. There's been a couple of guys with some strange rituals that are both comical and annoying. The one has to count every rep he does loudly at every machine each time I've seen him. The other guy screams as he does lifts, but he only lifts like 50 pounds. Just cracks me up really.

Going to pick my race bike up tomorrow and it will have some new Shimano XT hydraulic brakes and center lock rotors on. Starting to get the itch to ride outside.

Ski Day

2011-02-06T15:46:00.003-06:00

Two plus hours on the ski's today. After the new snow last night and today's warmer temps the base was soft and a bit slow. I stopped at one point for a drink and noticed how perfectly quiet it was. No sounds of cars, no talking, no airplanes, just me and my heart beat. For some reason that really made my day.

Fresh snow still on the trees

Deep classic tracks cut in the new powder.

It was probably the most cars I have ever seen in the parking lots today and saw Greg Jones out on the trail. I better take advantage of this while it lasts, maybe a vacation day later this week.

Snow Day

2011-02-02T11:13:00.005-06:00

What a storm I opened the garage door to find the drift awaiting. View from the street

digging out the front door

Two and a half hours of shoveling and almost done.

2011-01-31T20:50:00.002-06:00

No workout today as I'm going to have to save up some energy for the snow storm. It looks like there's going to be a lot of shoveling in my future. Bright side is there should be great skiing for the next couple of weeks.

I also finished up my tour of the doctors today seeing the dermatologist and the dentist. The dermatologist removed some sun damage from my cheek so I have to make sure to put that sun screen on this summer before every ride.

Crashing Indoors

2011-01-30T18:14:00.004-06:00

Took a sudden ride through the basement the other day when for some reason my bike popped out of the trainer. First time that ever happened and I made a quick unclip and landed on the chair. I guess I'm gonna have to check the clamps once in a while from now on.

I've been to the new fitness center 4 times this week and today I really through a lot of weight around. I think I started to get used to these new machines, but lots of sore muscles.

2011-01-25T21:08:00.002-06:00

Well I decided to join this fitness center near my home as its less than a mile from my door. http://snapfitness.com/mchenry/home

The place is pretty much no frills but it has everything I need, even a pizza place next door:) Worked out there tonight and got used to all the weight machines and treadmills. Place was pretty busy, and the trainer working used to race BMX bikes out in Rockford, so it was a good first day.

Fitness Center

2011-01-18T20:07:00.002-06:00

After more than 20 years our small fitness center at work is shut down. It's going to be relocated to a new building maybe by the end of this year. They did donate all of the weight machines to the local high school so I guess that makes us a good corporate citizen

But now I need to find a place to lift for a couple of months, and I don't want to sign any year long contracts. So I'll have to check a couple of the places that we have in town and see what I can work out.

Gave blood for my testing this morning. Should have results in a couple of days.

New Parts

2011-01-16T21:41:00.002-06:00

I just ordered some of these Ergon grips. Those that have them claim that they reduce the hand numbness on those long epic rides so I'll give them a shot.

http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/product/gx2-leichtbau

Stress Testing

2011-01-14T16:11:00.002-06:00

Well I went to a new doctor last week who also specializes in sports medicine. After all the abuse I put myself through I figured it was time once again to have the system checked. Well after giving me an EKG in the office he came back and told me he didn't like the way it looked, and wanted me to have a stress echo test at the hospital.
http://www.heartsite.com/html/echo_stress.html

Getting news like that is a bit stressful, but I made the appointment and went today for the test. Well I got to see my heart beating at rest 64 BPM and after they ramped me up on the treadmill to 155 BPM. Pretty cool watching the ultrasound of it as it pumps away and watching the graph of the heart beats.

Bottom line is the Cardiologist said everything looks good, and the technicians said I burned up the treadmill. I know its not a guarantee, but its nice to have it checked while exercising. Next week I get a complete blood profile done, so after that I should be good to go for 2011.

Top 10 Lists

2011-01-12T19:16:00.002-06:00

OK, the other day there was a list of the top ten hottest looking female athletes. Of course it was made up of mostly golfers and tennis players. I know mountain biking is a fringe sport but Willow should of at least gotten a mention. Several world cup podiums last year and she looked good on the bile.

http://www.willowkoerber.com/news/

2011 Race Calendar

2011-01-09T21:30:00.002-06:00

Starting to plan the 2011 schedule. A couple of events that I want to try and make are the 48 mile Ore to Shore and the 75 mile Unnamed Epic. Maybe skip some of the more familiar races and add something new to the mix. Now I just have to make it happen this year.

http://www.unnamedepic.com/index.php

http://www.oretoshore.com/

New Gears (maybe)

2011-01-03T16:30:00.003-06:00

Went for a long bike ride today on the bike path. As I was riding the single speed I started thinking about changes to the race bike. Rarely do I use the small ring anymore so I would like to go with the 2x10 setup.

SRAM XO may fit the budget.

http://sram2x10.com/

2011-01-01T19:03:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite sites to visit is here. Tilford always updates about biking or skiing here in the Midwest, and he travels so often to my favorite area (Cable) in northern Wisconsin that I learn about new events that i hope to do some day.

A few days ago he wrote about a special gift he received for Christmas. A special edition Eddy Merckx book. Way cool story and a perfect gift for a former champion.
http://stevetilford.com/?p=8461

For my Christmas I received one bike related gift, but it was a good one. After watching me struggle to get some tires sealed up tubeless my wife bought me a small air compressor. This should really help cut down on the time I spent on tire changes (and all the cursing) that went with it.

2010-12-28T16:11:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I went for my first xc ski of the winter. I had been waiting for a more significant snowfall, but from reading the trail reports the conditions seemed good enough to venture north. I also wanted to try out some new no-wax ski's that I purchased. I like my other set of wax ski's but wanted something I could just step in and go without prepping for temperature and snow type.

http://www.fischerskis.com/en/products_nordic_ski.php5?show=detail&id_product=18908&parent=60014

After 8 miles (2 white loops and a purple) I woke up today and was to sore to go again so had to just take a spin on the bike trainer and try to loosen up the legs. Looking forward to the next big snow!

Bears Game

2010-12-13T21:19:00.004-06:00

I was lucky enough to get invited to watch the bears from one of the executive suites this weekend. The place was much better than I thought it would be.Plenty of room to lounge around. And an added bonus, our own rest room.

More than you could want for food and drink.

And even had Otis Wilson stop by and hang with us for a bit. Shit the guy is still huge and looked like he could still play.

The Weekend in Colorado

2010-12-07T20:38:00.006-06:00

Bob took us over to one of his fishing spots west of Boulder where we got to hike some nice trail and enjoy some good weather. I'm resting at one of the many overlooks you find along the trail.

Bob getting ready to hike down to the water for some fishing.

After this day of stretching the legs I hung out with the newest guy in the family, little Jake. He is the best little guy and barely fusses at all.

My caloric intake was always topped off by the constant cooking and baked goods provided by Kelly.

Fun trip and nice to be in 50 degree temps. I came home and it was 15 degrees last night and snow on the ground.

Pretty Sad

2010-11-30T20:04:00.001-06:00

How many masters do you think are doing it? http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/us-masters-racer-suspended-for-epo-use

2010-11-16T19:13:00.002-06:00

Saw this energy drink on sale last week (you know the ad "tired of being tired")and decided to give it a try. After reading the label and saw that it claimed to only have as much caffeine as a cup of coffee I figured it was ok. I had one with my lunch and ended up way to jittery and felt like crap. Then I read an article about strokes in this magazine and for us 50 and up guys it says don't drink them as this type of drink tends to raise blood pressure. After reading that I dumped the other 2 cans.

Been forcing myself to take a break from working out until I shake this cold. Four days now and just starting to feel a little better.

2010-11-05T19:33:00.002-05:00

I've been running at least three times a week now and did a 5K charity event today. With the limited hours of sun now it's tough to get out on the bike, but I did manage to get out for one nice trail ride out to Hebron and back. Miles of open land and farms.

The Debate

2010-10-30T20:49:00.002-05:00

The 26 vs. 29 wheel debate on VeloNews. http://singletrack.competitor.com/2010/10/features/taming-the-29er-trend-at-least-a-touch_10872

Also the trailer for 2010 Leadville race film, I should try this someday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttIrs1XkTEk&feature=player_embedded

Shopping

2010-10-27T07:41:00.003-05:00

Which one for 2011? another 29er?
or back to a full suspension 26?

2011 WORS Schedule

2010-10-20T19:50:00.001-05:00

Next years race schedule is already posted. Our clubs race falls on a sad day in history 9-11-11.

WORS 2011, Year 20
May 1 - Iola Bump & Jump; Iola Winter Sports Club, Iola, WI
May 22 - Crystal Lake Classic; Camp Tesomas, Rhinelander, WI
June 12 - Big Ring Classic ; Nine Mile Forest, Wausau, WI
June 25 & 26 - Subaru Cup Pro XCT; Nordic Mt, Mt Morris, WI
July 10 - Chippewa Valley Firecracker; Eau Claire Co. Expo Center, Eau Claire, WI
July 24 - Alterra Coffee Bean Classic; Crystal Ridge, Franklin, WI
August 7 - Battle of Camrock; Camrock 3, Rockdale, WI
August 21 - Border Battle; White Tail Ridge, River Falls, WI
August 28 - Reforestation Ramble; Reforestration Camp, Suamico, WI
Sept. 11 - Treadfest; Grand Geneva Resort, Lake Geneva, WI
Sept. 25 - TBD
October 9 - Wigwam MTB Challenge; Evergreen Park, Sheboygan, WI

2010-10-17T20:57:00.003-05:00

Picked up my new wheel at the shop today and set about installing the cassette and tire. Can't complain about the way Bontrager backs their products. Instead of replacing the bearings they gave me a whole new wheel.

2010-10-16T16:27:00.002-05:00

Now that the racing is over it's nice to just do some easy pedalling and other workouts. Been building up my run fitness slowly with some alternate running and walking over the past month. This past week it came together and I managed a couple of 3.2 mile runs after work without stopping to walk.

Tomorrow I plan on just spending some time in the saddle at an easy pace. Maybe a ride to West Dundee and back on the road machine.

2010-10-11T21:34:00.003-05:00

Another season of bike racing is over and the 50 and older group seems to be getting faster every year and gaining more participants. The final race at Sheboygan was fun and seemed plenty fast, lots of great flowing trails to carry some speed through. If I could of just got myself over the two steep climbs in better shape it would of been a great race. Still I can't complain, I made it through the entire race year with no major spills and with the exception of the rear wheel the bike survived.

Said good bye to my racing friends and they all promised to be in better shape next year. I got to loose a lot of weight to stand a chance against these guys so the struggle continues.

The team had some great overall results this year with Dan Tavella and Lance atop the comp. division, Gabe taking his division in sport, and Gary on the podium at several races in Citizen Clyde.

Another accident

2010-10-06T21:15:00.003-05:00

Everyone be careful out there. http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/lifestyle/104354109.html
The article said that this was the 8th. rider killed this year in Wisconsin. This is one of the reasons I stay to the bike paths when I ride alone. When I'm with the club rides I feel we are more visible and feel better being on the roads as I guess there's some strength in numbers. Several more riders also hit this week in my area of northern Illinois.

Kettle Morain

2010-10-01T20:41:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we supported the trails by doing some racing.

And then Mike and I supported the trails by indulging in a couple adult beverages. All proceeds went back to the mountain bike system.

If the weather holds out I think I'll head up tomorrow morning and check out some of the new trail built at Emma.

Fontanini & Nannini

2010-09-25T16:41:00.003-05:00

Wow, I found a couple more picture's of my childhood heroes. Here's the only photo I have ever seen of their old Barracuda funny car.

Another photo of the charger that made them the local stars but with red paint, instead of the normal dark blue that was typically on the car.

Also found several action photos on the web shots site and page 2 has two of the best. Can't download them though.

http://rides.webshots.com/album/562893061eAtDvT?start=0

2010-09-23T21:33:00.002-05:00

Went out for a couple of runs / walks this week after work and on Tuesday I got caught out in the mother of all thunder storms. This thing swept in suddenly and before I knew it I was running like a track star back to my car with lightning bolts flying overhead. I have not run that fast or far in over a year or more and now I am so sore. Everything still hurts two days later from the effort. Now I have to decide if I should ride in this event Saturday.

Chequamegon 40 miler 2010

2010-09-20T20:09:00.011-05:00

We made the long drive to Cable on Thursday and was greeted by some cool weather. After racing all spring and summer in extreme heat, waking up to 40 degree temps. was a complete shock. Mike and I went for our usual Friday ride from Mogasheen resort to Lakewoods just to make sure that everything on the bikes worked good. The back road to Lakewoods also has some nice rolling hills to give the legs a little wake up after the long car ride.

On race day we piled into Mike's mega truck and made our way into Hayward for the race start. I was cold waiting for the start and it was a good thing the sun was out to at least give a little mental boost.

Mike and I before making our way to the starting area. The neutral roll out at 10:00 am has everyone off and waiting to get past main street so they can drill it.
The road lead out seemed pretty tame this year but when I hit Rosie's field we went into one large bottleneck, once I cleared that the race was on. I was feeling surprisingly good and went over the first couple of hills on the Birkie trail with little effort, then as I started up the third hill and for no reason my chain popped off, I ran to the top and spun the crank to get it started again and rejoined the masses. Next hill and the same thing again, shit I've had no trouble all year so why now? Next hill I tried and put it in the small chain ring and it did the same thing. I kept it together and just left it in the gears that were working and made it to the first road section. I up shifted to the big ring and kept it there until the next section of Birkie trail, from there on in it seemed to work OK, but I still lost time.

The fire roads had their usual large puddles as the rains came down hard the week before the race and filled them. One was really deep and I got both feet soaked as the water was over my cranks. Everyone was doing there best to ride around the water holes but sometimes you can't avoid them. Got to OO and saw Mike's super fans and picked up a new bottle.

The next 20 miles I still felt good but the course was more torn up and rutted then I remember so even on the fast fire roads I was always grabbing some break just to be safe.

In a repeat from last year Brian Matter won and if you visit his link he gives a great play by play from the front group. (Also some nice pictures)

Here I am making the last turn into the finish after flying down Mount Telemark.

Mike and I at the finish. I did it in 3 hours and 39 minutes which put me 46 out of 87 in my age group. Results
After a shower and a couple of minutes rest I hit Lake Namekagon in the Kayak for some relaxing time on the water. Then it was off to the original Famous Dave's for a jumbo meal.

Race Week

2010-09-13T21:32:00.002-05:00

Our clubs race was this past weekend and it looks like we had a good turnout and perfect weather. The week leading up to the race I managed to make it out for a couple of rides on the trails to hopefully get the home court advantage. After riding a couple of laps Monday I took a spill and my cleat didn't release so I tore up my ankle pretty bad (so much for any advantage). On Friday I went back for 3 laps of the proposed sport course then helped tape and clean portions of the course. When I left Friday everything looked like it was set, then Saturday came.

So you want to be a race director Kent?

On Saturday I arrived to register and see who was there. Just as the pre-ride was to officially start a water main breaks flooding part of the course. Kent calls the resorts maintenance group and everyone stands around looking at the gushing water. The WORS officials come by to state the obvious (you guys have to fix this or reroute the course). During all this Butch is digging a trench by hand to funnel water away from the course. Since the resort would have to dig up the pipes it was decided to turn the water off, which also cut the water to the building we were using, (more porta potties on the way).

Next was the course, I guess that someone thought the course would take the slower riders to long to finish in its configuration so changes had to be made, signs and tape moved, and laps changed from 3 to 2. Now were finally ready for a race on Sunday. Through all this Kent always stays so calm, Knowing that 1,000 racers (or paying customers) will be there shortly, and he keeps it together. I know my blood pressure would be at stroke level.

Sunday race day and I go to pick up my bike and damn another flat tire. I think I've had more flats this summer than I've had in the past ten years of riding. Get everything fixed and as I'm warming up I see two of my co-workers (Thad, and Brian) with their wives. They came out to cheer me on and check out the races for the first time. I felt motivated and rode better than the past two races so things are getting better. I even passed Warren at one point in the race and stayed ahead of him for quite awhile until the end where he bested me by a minute.

Now its a week of rest as the Chequamegon 40 is this weekend!

My First Race Bike

2010-09-05T23:12:00.008-05:00

Started the day off with a 4 mile hike with Mike's girls. Camryn took this shot of Cassi and me and by the looks of it she's almost as tall as me and she's only 12, but I think I am shrinking.

When we got back to my place I decided to see if my old Gary Fisher would fit Cassi. Now this bike has all the good stuff on it, and is super light weight, so after some adjustments and a change to flat pedals we were ready. Looks like a good fit for Cassi and she liked it.

Camryn was next and she may be a tad small yet but she tore up and down the road for awhile and by the look seemed to enjoy.

Well my first bike went home with them and I hope they get to try some trail riding on it.

This is what happens when Camryn is in charge of the camera.

Crystal Ridge

2010-08-29T21:19:00.002-05:00

Getting a cold bottle hand up never felt so good. It was 90 degrees for the race today and full on sun. This place has a lot of climbing each lap and I'm paying for it now with some post race back spasms and calf cramps. Teammate Mike provided the cold drink on the course and had one waiting at the finish. I think I had a middle of the group finish so a little better than last weekend.

A week off and then its our clubs turn to host the race series in Lake Geneva.

2010-08-28T21:57:00.002-05:00

I Pre-rode at Crystal Ridge today. Lots of changes made to the course so besides having the usual climbs we get more technical areas. Glad I went to scope it out today at less than race pace as I might of missed one of those new bridges.

After riding I saw the Bontrager tent and decided to stop by and ask about buying a tire to replace the one that had the casing separate. The guy at the booth gave me a new tire for free so I saved $50. I guess it pays to stop off at these booths and that's also some good customer support.

http://www.bontrager.com/model/07943

Going Backwards

2010-08-22T21:05:00.002-05:00

Man did I ever have a brutal race today at the Reforestation Camp. I can't think of ever doing so poorly despite the fact that the numbers from the HR monitor look like I sustained a good effort throughout. I'm thinking that this infection is still playing games with my respiratory system and its holding back what little power I have.

I did a long warm up and felt good despite the fact that I inhaled and swallowed some huge insect (extra protein). And also during my warm up ride I stopped for a pee break at one of the many local trails. As I was standing in the bushes I noticed this sign warning that black bears have been sited in this area. I made my pee break extra quick as every little sound in the woods made me think it was a bear so some extra pre-race stress.

The start wave was larger than normal as everyone 40 years and over were grouped for this longer 22 mile race. I felt like I was going backwards during the first couple miles of ski trail before settling into the great flowy single track. The single track was the only area where I could match pace with everyone, as soon as the trail opened up I just could not push a big enough gear.

One of the things I really like about this race is that all of the divisions are on the course at the same time. It lets you see just how crazy fast the experts are when they lap by you. Today I had a good view of the top four experts as they blasted by with Tristan leading the pack.

Another thing about the Reforestation Camp is that it has hundreds of tree stumps along the side of the trails. Well today was my day to find one of those stumps with my crank arm and launch myself over the bars leaving a nice divot in the trail with my shoulder. One more place in Wisconsin that I can say I left a mark.

Another race next weekend near Milwaukee and I plan on being better.

Week in Review

2010-08-13T19:36:00.005-05:00

This past week I decided to try the club ride on Tuesday night. Looking around at the start and all I could see was lots of fast riders and knew that not being 100% was probably going to be a problem. Pace was moderate until we hit the rolling hills of knob road and then the group hammered away and I was on the rivet trying to hang but finally popped. As the group waited on top of one of the later hills for my sorry ass to catch up they decided to do another loop of the hills, I decided it was best to head back to the car.

This Friday afternoon I put 30 miles in on the mountain bike. The first 10 I felt like I had some power back, then I hit a real bad stretch where I thought I'd have to stop, but after a few miles of easy pedaling I started to feel good again. I'm looking forward to the next race and hope that this super bug is gone by next weekend.

Also my new Oakley frames finally came in. Now I just have to wait for the prescription lenses and hope the shape doesn't make the lenses too thick.

Starting to Crawl

2010-08-07T19:43:00.002-05:00

Felt good enough to take a couple of slow rides on the bike path, heading north to the state line which is pretty flat. It was nice to just get out of the house and pedal but I could tell that the crud in the lungs was hanging on. Back to the doctor this coming week for a follow up so I guess the slow easy rides will have to do.

Time for The Doctor

2010-08-03T13:36:00.003-05:00

This plague was not getting any better so I figured it was time to see the Doc. Turns our I have bronchial infections and he said it was a good thing I came in. Now I hope these will help my immune system win the battle.

More days off from doing anything too tuff as I need to get my lungs back.

Summer time Cold

2010-07-30T18:12:00.003-05:00

Man I hate getting sick in the summer. I've been going between the extremes of freezing to sweating. I was just feeling good about my riding too, now its been three days of minimal activity which is making me grumpier than normal. I started taking my Mega vitamins yesterday so maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

Taking one for the Team

2010-07-29T18:50:00.003-05:00

Our work group went to the Brewers game on Wednesday and I was sick as a dog with a summer time cold. It didn't help that it was Africa hot and humid too, so after a couple of innings I found my way up to where the food and drink was and cooled down with a couple of beers and a couple of margaritas. Next thing I know I'm hugging this Italian runner, who by the way lost in the sausage race. We made it back to our packed charter bus for the ride home. The bus managed to loose its air conditioning, and due to road construction it took us two plus hours. We called it extreme team building.

The Lung

2010-07-24T19:30:00.002-05:00

How about Ned (the lung) Overend winning the single speed division at the US national championships held in Colorado. He's still one bad ass for a 55 year old, and he did it on a stock low end bike.

http://www.cyclingdirt.org/coverage/237341-USA-Cycling-Mountain-Bike-National-Championships/video/347916-Ned-Overend-Wins-SS-National-Title

Rain Out

2010-07-23T19:48:00.003-05:00

Since Milwaukee is under a foot of water this weekends WORS race was cancelled. Good call by the organizers as I can recall racing at Crystal Ridge after much less rain than this had fallen and it was a mudfest. Too bad though, because after five years of base training I think I was peaked for a good result. Now I'll have to wait until the Reforestation Camp near Green Bay to turn the pedals in anger.

Now that I have the new fork on the fuel I was curious too see what was on the inside of these suspension forks so i tore my old SID apart.

There's not a lot of parts, but i suspect that its one of the o-rings on these that's causing the fork to loose it oil. I'll have to see if they still have a service kit for a 2004 fork and try and fix it.

New Parts

2010-07-16T17:15:00.002-05:00

The Fuel has been laying around for a long time with its blown front fork. Yesterday I finally put a new fork on it so now I have another choice for riding or racing.

2010-07-13T22:04:00.002-05:00

Did the club ride tonight which was 35 miles, and at a pace that my legs did not approve of. Ouch!

Race #5

2010-07-12T19:15:00.010-05:00

Eau Claire is one of the more fun courses to race with its fast single track that always seems to have me testing my bike handling limits. This year they added some new sections like this rock garden.
Now just before the rock garden is this short but steep rocky down hill that I have had trouble over the years convincing myself to just ride it. From the top it has this allusion (in my mind) of being much bigger than it actually is. But this year I made it down on the pre-ride and was able to ride it on the second lap of the race. The first lap was too much of a cluster as most everyone was walking it or falling so i had no choice to walk and lost some time.

As far as the race it was good to line up with Ryan again. But the line up was the last I saw of him as he was on a mission and was able to get with the lead group on the mile + lead out. I tried to make contact but they were setting a pace that I could not match from the front of the chasers. I was at the front of the second pack and was giving it all i had but not making any progress. That was where all the separation happened and pretty much sealed the deal on finishing position. I was also riding like crap the first lap in the tight stuff and got off into the soft edge of trail a couple of times and washed out the front end, and then later clipped a bar end on a tree and nearly went down.

Team was there in good numbers and Lance took the win in his Comp age group by a large margin!

Lance in action winning his age group.

Next race is Franklin and maybe the return of the Fuel.

(All photos from Dave Reich)

A winning essay

2010-07-05T18:40:00.002-05:00

I found out today thay I had made it into the Chequamegon 40 race by having a winning essay in the 50 ways contest. All the thanks go to granddaughters Cassi and Camryn who wrote the essay for us all by themselves. It shows that the power of the written word (and being cute little girls) wins again. Now I have another chance at breaking the 3 hour mark.

2010-07-01T21:39:00.002-05:00

Well my favorite mountain bike Gary Fisher has now been pulled under the TREK banner. I hope that TREK lets him keep his unique concepts under the Fisher Collection and not phase him out in the future. http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/

Wild Things

2010-06-28T20:23:00.003-05:00

While hiking last week at Waterton Canyon in the Pike National Forest my son Bob pointed out a mountain goat with its baby high up on the rocks. We stopped and watched as they carefully walked down the rocky slope towards us. The next thing I know this goat takes off trotting straight for me, I was totally frozen in my tracks. I thought that it must be going over to the river for a drink but it kept coming for me, then it stopped and licked my leg.

I think this means that were engaged. I managed to high tail it down the trail not quite believing what had just happened.

Nick turns 3

2010-06-23T12:40:00.003-05:00

Back from Colorado and Nick's 3rd. birthday party. He really enjoyed his own personal cake on Friday which was his birthday.

On Saturday the kids were liking his birthday cake train. Trains are his favorite thing and Kelly did a graet job putting this cake together.

2010-06-15T19:32:00.002-05:00

Just seconds into the start of the 50 and over race. Maybe I need a tattoo like the guy in front of me to go fast. Also I need to work on my scowl.

Wanted to do the club ride tonight but too much rain hanging around to make the drive.

Race #4

2010-06-14T20:46:00.007-05:00

Was a good day for our Pro / Elite group as Ray won his 40 + age group and was 14th overall while Chris won the 20 -29 group and was 8th overall. Crap I can remember when I was taller than Chris, now he's like 6'2 and killing it.

Ray getting ready to climb the ski hill for the third time.

Chris 8th overall

Dan with another good ride in Comp.

Lance with a second place Comp age group ride

I managed another ok middle of the pack race but just didn't get the motor started until the third lap where I felt great. Wish I could get started feeling like I do at the end of these races.

The course was just sloppy and slick enough to keep your attention but other than having no traction climbing the one steep hill I was able to make it around with no problems. The guy who won the 55-59 age group was in the top 25% overall. I think we should test to see if this guy is spiking his Geritol.

What a Finish

2010-05-31T20:20:00.003-05:00

After 30 miles of racing the pro race came down to this finish with B. Matter taking the win.
Great sequence of photos captured by Christine. All can be seen here.

Race #3 Wausau

2010-05-30T22:16:00.003-05:00

Could it be any hotter for a bike race than today was? 90 degrees in the north woods under a bright sun and when we lined up at 11:30 it felt like my skin was going to start on fire. The open portion of the trails were dry and dusty and the single track sections used some of the nice jagged rock sections which were just looking for sidewalls to slice. I'm usually pretty good in the heat but today was different. I drained my large water bottle after a lap and used the one water station on course to take hand ups and douse the back of my neck and my wrists. By the time I finished I was completely wasted and felt the chills and nausea from dehydration. My friend Brad kept asking if I was ok as I must of looked pretty bad to him, but after downing a bottle of water and cooling down I started to almost feel up to driving home. Twenty guys lined up for the 55 to 59 group, I think that that is the biggest turnout yet, and a couple new faces took the top two spots rather easily.

Our team made the podium again with Dan taking high honors by finishing first in his Comp division age group. (Thats two time in three races)

The day before the race as I was backing out to head north I happened to notice something odd about my bikes back tire. Luckily I checked and found that the center of the tire had sprouted four hernias. It was still holding air but you could touch them and feel how thin the rubber was. So I had to change tires and wouldn't you know it I could not get the damn thing to inflate tubeless. I tried for over an hour and finally gave up and put a tube in. It totally screwed up my schedule, and I ended up doing my pre-ride in some low light conditions. I think I should invest in a small air compressor.

Soggy Bottom Ride

2010-05-25T20:57:00.003-05:00

Shortly after leaving the shop for our Tuesday night club ride it started to sprinkle. Some were worried and slowed to talk about turning back or shortening the planned route. Unfortunately I was at the front with Butch on my wheel and we had our heads down and cranking. The weather took a turn for the worse and as we went down the hill by Big Foot Beach we were getting pelted with hail and high winds, when we finally looked back and saw that no one had followed we slowed for a minute and then decided to keep going. Another five minutes of riding and the rain stopped, Butch and I stuck to the planned route and despite being water logged it was a good ride.