4luvandlife

First blood

2011-08-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

Henry did his first mountain bike race at Elk River a couple of weeks ago. It was 3 miles. He has done a lot more than that at Theo plenty of times. The 3 miles at Hillside in Elk River was different though. It was a lot more climbing and roots than I expected. Henry had to walk quite a bit. When we walked the mosquitos would feast. It was rough on the little guy. He was tempted to quit (he even had some tears) but he kept at it and finished. It was another good reason to be proud of him on a pretty long list.

Henry said some funny stuff during the race. A couple of my favorites were, "I'm getting pretty dirty, maybe I should take a bath." and "I hope I get a scratch, that would be cool."

After the race he scored a digital camera from the drawing. He was very stoked. It was a good thing too it may have convinced him to give bike racing another try.

1:00:00

2011-07-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

It's the 1 that comes after the :00:00. The first salty sting to the eye. The angle of the July sun high above you but feeling like it's right on top of you. It takes 59:59 to get here but it is so sweet when you do. It's the beginning.

Decorah on the 4th

2011-07-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

How is your summer so far? I got Henry and Wyatt out for some of the Decorah activities over the weekend of the 4th.

One of my favorites was Biking the Trout Run path to the fish hatchery. There we were welcomed by a celebrity. The juvenile Bald Eagle that was born on camera before much of the world. He was circling his nest in big circles and screeching loudly. Very cool. Beautiful actually. He doesn't have his bald white head yet but he still seems proud.

Another good session was a Dunning Spring hike with just Henry. Dunning was raging and it filled the heart to see it with little H. He then proceeded to hike up the bluff like a pro. We went well into the mountain bike trails after a brief sit down to enjoy the view of town.

I then heard the call of Whippy Dip and headed over for a Whopper Tornado with chocolate ice cream. H chose a small vanilla cone. We hung out at the Whippy Dip for a while and then proceeded to the dike. After finishing the treats we walked down below College Drive bridge. There we discovered an entire island of skipping rocks. We decided this must be heaven.

Henry then skipped his first rock. I hope I will always remember the look on his face and the sound of his voice as he yelled, "Dad!! I did it!! I skipped a rock."

We found then biggest piece of quartz I have ever seen. We took that and some other cool rocks and headed home.

That was a good time. The rocks. Later Henry, Wyatt, and I each picked our favorite and left them on my Dad's headstone.

Da Da

2011-06-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

On father's day edy said "da da" for the first time. I don't need to write any more. It doesn't get any better than that. It is, however, further proof that she has a heart for the dramatic. We began to suspect this sometime about halfway through her week long labor and it seems to be getting stronger as her personality begins to surface.

Whatever dramatic production she is putting on I am getting tickets to because she puts on a great show.

20er

2011-06-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

The boys went up a size in bikes. Henry went from 16 to 20 inches and Wyatt went from 12 to 16. They can both go like the wind now. Wyatt about blew my doors off the first time coming out of the driveway with his "16er". Henry put about 25 miles on in the first 3 days with his "20er". Last week we rode down to st. Anthony falls to celebrate the bike path being extended to the river. He rode 14 miles! And he could have done more.

Henry has fallen in love with the trails at Theo worth. Been on them 3 times and it's hard to get him off them when it's time to go. Wyatt rides in the baby seat but we call it the Woogie seat

I asked Henry if he wants to try a race. He says he will try it in three years.

LED 4 u and me

2011-02-27T19:31:00.000-08:00

H and i saw this. got some LEDs and a soldering iron and played around a bit ourselves. maybe get to a variation of this someday.

let it snow

2010-11-21T20:39:00.000-08:00

winter riding is fun. but skiing is more fun. living as close as i do to what sounds like some great cross country skiing at Theodore Wirth Park i figured i better get out there.

found a pair of Atomic skate ski boots today at closeout prices. i can rent the skis and poles at Three Rivers Parks all over. Theo Wirth, Baker, Hyland and more.

let it snow and let the racing go year around.

livin and dyin

2010-10-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

haven't been biking much. a baby will do that. when it comes down to time with baby E or riding baby E wins out. every day she is new and different.

i did finally try my first cyclocross. you know you are livin when you think you may be dying.

new girl in town

2010-08-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

Been a long time since this blog has rock and rolled. work has been crazy and baby E arrived on Saturday Aug 14th.

had to drop in and record the impressive ride by H yesterday. when we left the driveway he looked at me and said, "We're going to go on our longest ride ever today". i loved it. the conviction made it sound like we were about to ride across the state.

he did do his longest ride ever. 9.6 miles! rode to Cedar Lake, stopped at a playground, around Cedar Lake, and back home. my little man. you are a great big brother H.

more cheese please

2010-07-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

added to the ipod for a boost to the 2nd half of the season:

a double order of cheese

as Woo would say, "let's do this"

balance

2010-06-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

fit a race into painting a kids room last weekend. got to Mankato at 12:30 and switched things up by warming up. strange sensation to spin a bit before the race.

this was the first race with signs marking the waves so i had to find something else to be confused about. after call ups i rolled up to the start line while Wyatt was sticking his head into the starting chute, pumping his fist, and yelling "Daaaaaaddyyyyy!!!" again and again. gave him and Henry high fives and waited for the countdown.

very small wave took off up the climb. i thought i would be feeling good right off because of a short warm-up. i was wrong. i felt pretty bad, unusually bad. i'm still curious why. i think it was painting all day the day before and the morning right up to when we left. that and a lot of pepsi all week before are the only thing i can think of to create the sluggishness. i kept at it hoping to break out of it.

at the end of lap 1 my seat broke. i'm thinking, "ok, NOW i've got all the broken equipment and flats out of the way for the season and maybe next season". i thought about dnf'ing but decided to keep going. it was rideable so i decided to keep at it. the slugishness kept on and the mud was a challenge because i was trying to keep balanced on an unbalanced seat.

end of lap 3 the seat was worse and i was pretty much balancing it on the post. i chalked it up to experience and kept thinking about the race when equipment, body, and mind were all firing. that is going to be a great race.

this one was still pretty good. fun to be out in the woods, see friends, and actually got my first podium in Comp! 3rd place. i couldn't believe my eyes. man, was i glad i didn't quit!

Training

2010-06-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

77 minutes. 18.0 Av. 23 miles this morning.

Looks like 30% chance of precip in Mankato on weather.com. Scattered T-Storms.

Training

2010-06-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

94 minutes. 18.1 Av. 28 miles.

looking forward to Mt. Kato this weekend.

small adjustments

2010-06-21T07:25:00.000-07:00

70 minutes. 18.2 Av. 21 miles this morning.

waited out a rain for about an hour before starting. plenty of rain so far this year.

2 races down in the series and i have some minor lessons.

bottles are better than camelback. camelback is nice until you get to huffing and puffing near the redline. then sucking in hard on a tube is almost the last thing you want to do. i did have the tube bunched up a bit in the pack to shorten the tube. that probably made it harder to get water out but not sure how much better it would have been without doing that. may be worth another try without bunching the tube but definately going to try to stick to bottles amap.

replaced the "ergonimic" shaped specialized bar ends with short, straight ones. that was a pretty big improvement. the shaped ones were pretty bad for control and comfort.

one of my favorite changes this year has been the low profile, lock-down, Specialized grips. old ones were big and squishy (and worn out). i like the look and feel of the low profile much better. feels like you got a hold of the handlebar directly instead of a big pillow.

Afton watermelon

2010-06-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

first comp race without a flat tire last Sunday. didn't get a warm up in at all so i decided to make the first lap my warm up.

we pulled up pretty much as the kids racing was starting. got Henry and Wyatt registered and Wyatt was running to the starting chute with me. he kept saying, "lets go daddy... i go fast... let's go... here we go daddy". it was hilarious. he gets his scowl on and tilts his head down and starts running and doing this intense breathing thing. he has the best game face ever. i hope i get some video of that sometime.

we took off with me pushing Wyatt's tricycle and we were getting toasted by all the strider bikes. Wyatt just kept looking around and steering into people. he thought it was a crash derby. about halfway through he started his self-talk again. "i go fast" and "i'm going to win". i was impressed with his positivity on winning considering he said it while looking at about 10 other 3 year olds in front of him. i'm going to make him my sports psychologist.

got back to the finish with Wyatt and took off with Henry in the 5 and older race. he did great. he also likes to people watch while he races like his little brother. got back after 1 lap to find out it was 2 laps. our first DQ... special day.

after the kids race it was time to stage the experts and comp. i went off in my own wave this time. that works well. i rode out pretty conservative planning on the first lap being my warm up. weather was about perfect and that made the course seem easier this year. got near the peak and someone told me i was 2 minutes off the leader. told myself maybe i am doing this a little TOO conservative. wondered how much of that 2 minutes i could chip away at in the next 2 laps.

passed H and W with water at the bottom and told them i would get a new bottle at the next lap. 2nd lap felt great and i turned it up a bit. made quite a few passes including a very fun one in front of a great crowd on the wide path heading up to the peak. the crowd cheered and rang cowbells for the pass. good times.

came down off the peak and got a new bottle from H. went into lap 3 feeling good. took a gel and that kicked in very well. i did get a small cramp after slowing down for a rider in front of me on a rocky section. first cramp in a regular race ever and i chalked that up to the extra lap. got rid of that and heard riders behind me. took that and decided not to be an easy pass if i'm going to get passed. they never got me and i got a couple others. saw someone in red that i was probably about 15 to 20 seconds behind that looked strong and decided to try to get him. never totally got him but had fun trying.

came down from the peak one last time. the 3 laps was a lot of fun. i think comp is going to be all right. 6th in my division. about a minute off of 3rd place. feels like i should see the podium at some point this year and a win may be possible.

Wyatt ran over to me as i finished and said, "i want watermelon!!". that kid knows how to live.

48

2010-06-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

about 48 hours away from Lifetime Avalance in Afton, MN. i wish i knew how many thousands of feet of climbing it is but i don't. actually, maybe it's better that i don't know.

jump for the single track, find the right gear, spin and grind that up to the top while ignoring the little voice that tells you to stop. enjoy the downhill and then do it 2 more times.

hoping to see the finish line this year after double flatting last year. i can still see the look on Henry's face as i was coming down the hill though. that is better than any finish line.

nowhere but up from here

2010-05-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

friday the weather report looked great for the weekend. saturday morning i went in to swimming lessons with Henry during a beautiful May morning at 9:30 and walked out at 10:30 to completely overcast and a funny, stormy feeling breeze. what's going on?

got home to see that storm clouds produced in seconds at some point and were about to hit the twin cities.

Henry was now sick (he worked so hard to keep going at swimming lessons) and laying in bed. B and the boys were not going to the Freewheel Frolic.

i packed up and headed out in a driving rain and lightning. i had heard from a friend at the race that the sport start was postponed but nothing cancelled yet.

got there and saw two lightning strikes nearby. went to register and the steel at the starting chute was layed down wisely.

sport took off about 1 i think. expert at 2:30 with us in comp 5 minutes behind.

i have got to get better at staging because i was still in the 3rd wave when my wave (the 2nd) took off. you would think "excuse me guys that was my wave" would get people to let you through...it doesn't. i was last by far out of the start.

got into the single track probably about 6th from last. the mud was there but not too bad. rode fairly easy for a while making passes as smooth as i could. i was pretty nervous/careful about passing because i was remembering the wash out i went through on a pass on this course last year.

22 minute lap on lap 1. lap 2 felt a lot better. i got out of the single track and was riding the grass with about 3 or 4 other guys pretty passively. i heard a girl yell, "do something!". i don't know who she was yelling at but i thought it was about the best thing i heard all day. i started to push and came across the line for lap 2 in about 20:20. lap 3 felt the best of them all. the sun was out, the jersey was zipped down, life was good. i didn't know where i was in all this but i was having a good time.... until my back end felt squishy. are you serious!!?? a slow flat?? yes, i'm serious.

pulled over to fix that. just like Afton last year had trouble with getting the tire off. it is embarrasing to write that i couldn't get it off. i started hiking. no idea where the quickest way back was. saw some beautiful prairie land and some impressive perfomances by other racers out there. and then 2 people standing in the distance. walked about half a mile over to them. bike patrol. sweet. and even sweeter he had metal tire levers that were almost sharp. they would fit into my tire great and snap it right off. changed the tire and rode back in for a finish.

i'm not even in the results online right now. i think i came in last by a long time in my first comp race. nowhere but up from here.

the most wonderful time of the year

2010-05-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

riding this morning i was thinking that it doesn't get much better. this week has been a beautiful May week after some good rain last week. everything is green and hydrated, it is warm at 6am (depending on who you ask, i know B would not agree with this), and 4 to 500 people are all coming down on the Freewheel Frolic on Saturday for the first race of the year.

Wyatt says he wants to race his trike and he also wants to know who is pushing him, Mom or Dad? Henry has been a bit of a zombie this week with a fever. don't know if he will be toeing the line.

this morning's gorgeous ride: 73 minutes, 18.8 av, 23 miles

we shall overcome

2010-05-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

things to be nervous about in the change from Sport to Comp class this year:

-later start time (1:15 instead of 11) cutting into Woo's nap time and making racing even more of a challenge to fit into a family.
-more distance (around 18 miles instead of around 13). how do i stay alive for the extra lap?
-more technical sections designed to kill people (maybe not kill you but make for an embarrasing photo posted later that week).

just wanted to write these down to get it out and to look at it later and see what was overcome.

another note, i did a lot less lifting this spring (as in none) thinking that it may be a waste of time. it isn't. some upper body strength definately helps. not much is needed but i think once or twice a week for about 30 to 34 minutes will make a good diff.

can't wait to see the look on Woo and Henry's faces after this weekends Freewheel Frolic.

today's morning ride: 68 minutes, 16.8 av, 21 miles

Mother's Day revenge

2010-05-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

Sandwich 50 yesterday. 50 people, 50 miles. 7 7 mile laps. got there with B and the boys about 8:30 for the 9am start. 50 racers all started by touching a fence and then on go ran around a playground and then back to your bike to ride a short prologue. this may have been my favorite part of race because Wyatt yelled, "go daddy go!" the whole time. i could hear him almost the whole way. i got back to the start from the prologue and Wyatt was there yelling, "go daddy go!" over and over again. pretty sure it doesn't get any cuter than that. the look on his face was great. i could see his smile and dimples from about a mile away in the morning sun.

i got into the course and it was greesy as i heard, also very tight as i had heard. i was taking it very easy as this was my warmup and i have been riding about once or twice a week for a while. i had 50 miles coming and i was being very conservative.

i got about half way through and was starting to warm up and feel pretty good. right about then i took a big stick to the rear derailler and looked down just in time to see it snap off... the derailler not the stick.

it was only about a 200 yard walk back to the start/finish point so i got lucky there. i got back to have not 1 but 2 very nice guys offer me a bike! i couldn't believe it. what a save. gave much thanks to those guys. switched my pedals out and took off with a single speed 29er. this taught me two things. i now want a 29er at some point and i never want a single speed. 3 things actually. i'm actually pretty glad i have a dual suspension too. this ride was a hard tail and it reminded me how much fun it is to soak up those bumps. i will take a little bob on the uphill.

got about a lap and a half in my loaner and i was called in by the guy that lent it to me after completing lap 2. he needed it back because his son had broken his chain. he said we were playing musical bikes.

these guys were so cool. they already had the 3rd bike set up to match my seat height on my bike as i was out. switched pedals out to this one and i was off again. this time with gears and i was thankful for that.

on the 3rd lap i stopped at the bacon point. Ron Moffit was on the trail grilling and i had seen and smelled the bacon on lap 2 and it looked good. stopped and got a piece on round 3 and yes, the bacon was awesome.

completed lap 3 feeling pretty good. This was now 21 miles. got about half way through lap 4 and got passed by one of the leaders. i was curious so i tried to stick with him. i was surprised to stay with him for about 4 or 5 miles.

that push, lack of feeding well during the race, lack of breakfast, and the bacon all came crashing down on me about half way through the 5th lap. pretty sure the bacon had found it's way directly to my left quad. sang my "just keep spinning" song to the tune of Just Keep Swimming by Dori from Nemo for a few miles. promised myself tons of water, gatorade, and calories if i just made it back to the feedzone.

got back there and took in the promised fluids and food. felt like a train wreck. called it an official bonk and laid down. i did not go out for the final 2 laps. B and the boys would be back in about an hour so i decided to try to take that time and get back to human. 35 miles would be enough.

pretty sure the universe was punishing me for scheduling a 5 hour race on Mother's Day. i hear you universe. i will pay more attention to Mother's Day when looking at races from now on.

back to the basics

2010-05-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

the other day i heard the term "racing into the season" and i could relate. it is very ironic that i signed up for a 50 mile race on may 9th (longest to date has been 15 or 16) and this year has seen the least Spring miles in the last 3 years. it is nice though. takes the pressure off. just go out and have fun over about 4 hours on what sounds like some nice single track.

back to the basics. and that's good.

wishlist

2010-05-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

first clock

2010-04-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

got to go up against the clock and other riders for the first time this year. 20th annual Decorah Time Trials. very cool event.

got out to pre-ride the trails the day before. i was just ahead of the guy marking the course so i was a little confused. there was one part of the course that had cross traffic...that's right, cross traffic. i was thinking, "am i smart enough to go through this correctly tomorrow". turns out you didn't need smarts. there just happened to be a big party including beer, tents and a huge fire at the cross traffic point. you actually went right through the party. race organizers placed about 20 beer drinking volunteers there shouting "this way!! and that way!!". that was fun.

first 1.6 miles or about 14 minutes of the race was pretty hellish. Decorah TT pretty much said, "here guys, go straight up this bluff here for about a mile and a half." i think they like doing that.

after the uphill things got a lot more enjoyable. picked up speed at the top of the bluffs, came down to the valley and went through the house party in the middle of "Death Valley" up Rocky Road to Little Big Horn, Dust Bowl, down Fred's Trail and back to the party that was now twice as big about 30 minutes after the first time through. pretty sure racers were coming back to the party as they finished their run and maybe some even just stopped there.

got back to the finish at about 70 minutes and some seconds. 13th overall! feels good. Kaleb Himli got 10th. Nice top ten for him.

the pics above are a Gryphon bike with drop bars similar to a setup that will be taking the MMBS expert class by storm this year (hi Josh), the party in early stages (i believe my brother-in-law is caught partaking on this one), and Pat Ryan kickin tail in his 29r SS.

also nice to have Lindsay and Connie at the race. don't think i'll ever forget the look on Lindsay's face as i tried to catch a little air across the finish line at the end of the River Trail at about 25 mph and coming a little close to him.

Sandwich 50 in 2 weeks. i must be crazy.

thank you Pearl Izumi

2010-04-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

Pearl Izumi came through and backed up their product. i called Erik's Bike Shop yesterday and was told that a brand new pair of replacement shoe covers are waiting for me.

Same bike shop but 2 different locations and 2 different salespeople and 2 different results. One "not our problem" and another "we'll have the Pearl Izumi rep look at it".

Again, not a rant but good info for the future.

what the back wants

2010-04-19T12:16:00.001-07:00

some pretty inconsistent riding lately. maybe about 4 or 5 rides in the last couple of weeks. my back is trying to tell me to take it easy. the other morning it told me, "ease up, there is a lot of season coming, you and i should sit here and rest and when i am ready to really get going i will let you know". i did not argue because i know my back has had me sprawled out on the floor in pain before and i did not want to go there.

so my back is letting me plan on a time trial in Decorah this weekend. i hope to get a daily ride in this week to have some legs for that. also planning on a 50 mile race in Rochester on May 9th. i don't know what i was thinking to sign up for that (i think my longest race ever has been 15 or 16 miles) but i am looking forward to see how that goes.

Sweet 19

2010-04-15T18:45:00.000-07:00

The old Trek 990 has had quite a time the past few weeks. She will be 19 years old in October and was still using her original components. The shifters had barely worked for years and the brakes took about a block to come to a stop. I thought it would be fun (and necessary in the case of the brakes) to put new components on. It took more money than I planned but I got the new components on and the old girl was looking good and running like a top. I took her out for her first ride and it was good to have shifting and brakes running well for the first time in about 10 years. I decided to see what she could do while coming out of a curve. I pushed down hard with my left foot and all of the sudden got way too intimate with the top tube. What the?!?! Came scraping to a stop with my foot and looked down to see a broken crank arm. So now the old 990 has a shiny new crank arm on the left side along with her shiny new brakes and shifters. She's pretty happy. Here she is before all of this.

the buck starts here

2010-03-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

bought a pair of Pearl Izumi shoe covers in mid-January for $60. i love them but they both ripped in the sole within a month.

took them in to Erik's Bike Shop today in hopes of a replacement as was told to contact Pearl Izumi. Here is my email to Pearl Izumi:

I bought a pair of Pearl Izumi Booti’s in mid-January this year for $60. They are the Booti PI F9 Mountain Barrier size XL. I really like them but within a
month of regular wear they were both ripping in the sole. It looks like they will not last many more rides. Please see the attached pictures.

I took them in to the dealer that I bought them from (Eriks’s Bike Shop) in St. Louis Park, MN. They told me to contact you for a repair or replacement. Please advise on the next step to get these
replaced or repaired.

Thank you,

xxxxxx

This email came back from a Pearl Izumi robot in about 30 seconds (way faster then any human could have responded to):

Hi Dan,
Sorry to hear you're having a problem with one of our products. Your local Pearl Izumi dealer is fully empowered to handle this issue for you, or you can send the shoe covers back to us if you'd prefer; here's all the info.
Thanks for choosing Pearl Izumi

Pearl Izumi products are built to last a lifetime, and that is how long we stand behind them. Our products are fully warranted against defects in materials and workmanship. If a product fails due to manufacturing or materials defects, we will replace or repair it without charge, at our option. This warranty does not include product failures from accidents, misuse, improper care, or normal wear. This policy supersedes all previous warranty policies. For further information, email info@pearlizumi.com.
Your local Pearl Izumi dealer is the best resource for your cycling and running needs, including any warrantable defect in our products. Please visit your dealer for prompt warranty service.
If you would prefer to send the item to us, shipping must be pre-paid and insured. State law requires that products accepted for warranty be clean. Please include your name, address, phone number, e-mail address and a description of the product defect.
Ship to:
Pearl Izumi ATTN: Warranty Dept.
1886 Prairie Way
Louisville, CO, 80027
For warranty assistance outside the US, please contact your local dealer or distributor; we cannot accept warranty shipments from outside the US.

This is no rant but I definately want to remember what shops and manufacturers are the best to work with (and which ones aren't).

sweet Afton hills

2010-03-21T17:21:00.001-07:00

finally got a chance to ride the beautiful roads around Afton yesterday. i have been wanting to get out there for a couple of years. took a bit of a chance with a back that was bad for a couple of days. funny enough the ride was the best my back felt over those 2 days and it has been better today.

left Josh Collins house with Josh, Andy, and John. a great 26 mile loop at about 16.9 Av. with coffees in Afton and a couple great hills in the second half. thanks for a great ride JC, Andy, and John.

900 luminata

2010-03-18T07:40:00.001-07:00

75 minutes. 21 miles. 16.6 Av.

sometimes it's just too beautiful to go fast. much needed sun this morning. rode into a glorious sunrise and then back home with the sun rising at my back.

weatherman Russ across the street says today is the last warm day and then dipping down. hope he's wrong but I'm ready if he isn't. felt like 43 at the start today.

finally got a bike light in from China that i ordered in early Jan. seems good. fits well and secure. wasn't very dark when i started so i'll have to get out earlier to put the 900 lumins to a test.

puddle to the face

2010-03-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

62 minutes. 17.5 miles. 17 av on the path. ready for some sun after none for every ride this week. path totally clear though and that is cool. been wearing puddles all week. maybe fenders...? naaawww.

lake in the sky

2010-03-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

77 minutes. 20 miles. felt like 26 degrees.

a beautiful fog coming off Cedar and Calhoun lakes. the lakes are melting up into the sky. top of the midtown building also wrapped in fog. the past week has been great for the path clearing off. almost totally clear now. usually riding temps between 26 and 33 the past few morning outings.

layers are down to tights, long sleeve jersey, light windbreaker, shoe covers (may not need those), helmet liner, and regular gloves or lobster gloves.

figured out how to get the shuffle to play podcasts so i am now rolling to the Currents songs of the day and that is pretty awesome. the shuffle has been great. regular ipod stops working at about 20 to 25 degrees out.

go pavement! beat ice!

2010-03-04T07:19:00.001-08:00

pretty boring stuff right now. been getting closer to consistent rides before work since the lobster gloves made it more humane out there. funny enough the temps rose almost as soon as i got those and now they are a little too toasty.

usually going between 45 to 75 minutes and 12 to 18 miles. today was my first try with intervals. 3o seconds on, 1 minute rest, repeat...repeat. feels like i am a long way off from where i want to be when i do that but it does feel good to break off some rust.

Theo Wirth closed the trails yesterday so i am pure path and road now for the next 1 to 2 months probably. riding the path the past couple weeks has felt like riding on the edge of a receding glacier. every morning i start out a little excited to see how much ground the pavement has gained on ice over the previous afternoon. it is sort of like watching grass grow and cheering on the grass.

the battle rages on

2010-02-24T18:49:00.000-08:00

been in a bitter battle with old man winter the past week or 2. for some reason the same gloves that worked fine last year were not working. painful fingers on a few rides made me decide to give a pair of Gore gloves a go. the first ones i tried had me briefly wondering about frostbite about 30 minutes in. turned around and went home with plans on returning those to REI later in the day.

got some pearl izumi lobster gloves and i think i am all set to keep my fingers in March.

mellow start

2010-02-12T13:50:00.001-08:00

getting off to a sporadic start this year. trying to fit rides in between W throwing up (he calls them "big burps"), snow storms, and other "stuff". when i do get out it feels great. i am pretty much running (or riding) on faith that the legs will come around to what my head is doing.

taking it pretty easy here in early February. out the door at 7 again today. temp "felt like" 8 and a beautiful, calm AM in MPLS. went out and around Cedar Lake and cut off about 3 minutes from my time. was back to the house in about 42 minutes. short ride but it is fun to be back for breakfast with H. he has some pretty funny hair at that time of the day and i don't want to miss that.

it was pretty bright at the start today. i think i will get out at 6:45 next week. maybe even add Lake Calhoun to the trip.

let it begin, let it begin!

2010-02-04T12:11:00.001-08:00

got out to ride before work today. felt good. first ride before work of the year. nothing like starting in the dark and riding first light. out the door at 7 and the temp "felt like" 16. no wind and about 70% himidity I think. felt pretty good. rode for about 45 minutes and then back for breakfast with H. if it was clear i probably could have started about 6:45 today.

i had 3 layers on the legs and 4 layers on top. tights, shorts, and windreaker pants on the legs. long sleeve t-shirt, long sleeve jersey, and then 2 fleeces up top. had the new shoe covers on and the new gore helmet liner over the baclava. shoe covers and helmet liner were good additions. sunglasses today, no goggles needed.

race at Hillside on the 21st. Pugfest. something to ride/look forward to.

lets do it old man Winter.

love ya old man

2010-02-02T16:29:00.001-08:00

3 rides over the last 3 days. the first one lasted for about 30 minutes and went about 5 miles over the path. turned around and went home in pain from underestimating the weather (lobster gloves or goretex gloves are now on the wish list).

2nd ride remined me about the mini-heart attacks i was introduced to last year at this time. it was probably the iciest i have ever seen the path. rode out to Theo Wirth and it took me almost an hour to ride the same route it takes 15 minutes on a good day. it is not an exageration that i could have ice skated 25 to 30% of the way to the trail at Theo. i am actually now interested in possibly skating the bike path someday just to be goofy. the idea reminds me of a time growing up when i ice skated a creek with friends. that was a good time. growing up in Iowa forces a kids imagination to stretch if your going to have fun.

3rd day was a reward for trying it again. B was amazed that i was going to give it another go after cheating death so many times the previous day. but on the third day there was about an inch of snow over the ice. i was now flying with the traction given by the white stuff. got to Theo in about 20 to 25 minutes. i had first tracks at Theo and went 4 laps because it was so much fun. the last two laps were after a Pug or 2 had gone through and the trail was a blast. 2 hours and 38 minutes and 21 beautiful miles. love ya old man winter.

brain dead

2010-01-28T07:32:00.000-08:00

came home last night and noticed my favorite bike was gone from the garage. my race bike. stood there dazed and in disbelief for about 3 minutes staring at the spot where my bike had been hibernating for the winter. what am i going to race on?? i will admit that for a nano second i already started planning what my new race whip would be. went inside holding back tears (not really) and told Beth that my bike was gone. she kindly reminded me (although she was laughing at me a little) that i had taken it in for a tuneup and it was in the shop.

man, i have got to get back on the bike. my January brain waves are...way....too...slow.

whats worse is that this isn't the first time that i thought my bike was stolen from the garage and it wasn't. maybe i will share that story on here someday. for now the above story is enough embarrassment.

winter wonderland

2010-01-21T22:58:00.001-08:00

it's winter now. it has been for a while. this is a blog about biking. this blog is in it's winter...hybernating. quiet. it's sleeping. don't wake it.

winter is different now since racing. it is more about taking it on now. it used to be about waiting until spring to live again. the year is almost twice as long now. don't get me wrong. it's definately slower still in winter. it's still quiet. but biking in winter brings out the world more. i feel like i am meeting the earth in the middle. the elements are nothing to be scarred of. just be prepared. old man winter softens up as you accept him.

the snow levels out the trail. the rocks are covered up. the log pile is a small hill easily rolled over. the rock garden is hidden away until spring. the trail is smooth and forgiving. the world is a new place after a snow fall and so is the trail.

Heart

2010-01-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

friend of mine beat cancer about 3 years ago. about a month ago he found out that he will have to beat it again. he watched his two little girls open up Christmas presents over a webcam.

this day is a gift. life is right now.

Joe, you inspired me in 2007. you showed me what heart can do. your challenge made me appreciate life more. i look forward to seeing what heart can do again in 2010.

off to a start

2010-01-03T19:57:00.001-08:00

so i thought today would be the first race of the year. found out at 4am this morning that the universe had other plans. spent the day snaking out the main line to the street instead. went great except for a very heavy piece of rental equipment tipping over and crashing through the interior panel in the van. B is either ok with it or quietly planning a pay back.

another race at Hillside is set for the 26th and so is Rock the Cradle. sounds like a fun day.

i did make a couple of additions to the clothing arsenal to fight off the minus 25 windchills right now. scored a gore helmet liner with my gift certificate for Freewheel from MNSCS and shoe covers from Eriks on sale. bring it on Mother Nature...actually take it easy girl, it's been crazy cold already this year.

babyseat race

2009-12-29T17:02:00.000-08:00

Hillside is having the first of 3 winter races this weekend. it would be another first for me but i'm hoping to try it out. i put some knobbies on the trek 990 family wagon and she rides well in snow. now i have to decide if i race her with the baby seat on or not.

arrested me for something that was already gone

2009-12-16T19:58:00.000-08:00

20 degrees below for a lot of the last 2 weeks. discovered Johnny Cash American recording III and IV and Ultimate Waylon Jennings a few weeks ago. these guys are going to make this winter much better. "they arrested me for something that was already gone", i mean, does it get any better then that?

say that again

2009-11-30T19:53:00.001-08:00

lessons learned

2009-11-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

i started this blog in december of last year in hopes of recording ideas and events that go into racing mountain bikes family style. a year into recording this madness and i can now take a moment to look back on some of this.

i really like the fact that there is so much to learn. the bike, the fuel (nutrition), the course. there is always something to learn about these and more.
i also learned that it does take time and money to do this. sometimes i do wonder if racing is the best use of time and money considering everything. for me it boils down to my boys seeing that you can live out the life you desire. i don't know if they will get into biking and/or racing but i do want them to see their parents dreaming and acting on that.
there will almost always be an obstacle in the way. i started riding the earliest in the year ever for me this year. i felt the best i have ever felt on a bike in april/may. very early i started getting little annoyances like a knee pain, tennis elbow, work challenges, normal marriage things to work out and then culminating with a broken hand the night before the last race. one of the things that i love about this is that it has strengthened my ability to get over it and get on with it. things that may have stopped me before and things that stop most people are surmountable. it feels good to know that i can work through the obstacle and racing helps see that.
racing is a good place to grow. a typical race is filled with a lot of good people. you see what people can do and you see how they do it. most things you see people do are admirable and some are even inspirational. just like life you will also see some things done that you don't admire. by racing you see some of the best and not-so-best in people and i see some of the best and not-so-best in myself. that makes for a great opportunity for learning what i want to do and be both on the course and off.

i am excited to take these lessons with me into the 2010 season and maybe even add one or two more.

back in black

2009-11-08T19:23:00.001-08:00

oh man. got back on the bike today. the second ride since September 25th. i know that because it was on the eve of the last race of the year that i was last riding.

rode out to Theo Wirth to get on the single track and see how the new Specialized Fast Traks felt. a big Woo Hoo on those. rolling resistance is way down from the Kenda Blue Groove on the back. i was pretty conservative between the trail being covered in leaves and a minor flashback to my wipeout on every curve to the right. even with the slow going i am pretty sure the Fast Traks were a upgrade and will be sweet next year.

wrist felt good today and i think cyclocross is a definate possibility now. today was beautiful and in the 60's. wearing shorts and a long sleeve jersey and i should have been in short sleeves.

wandering

2009-10-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

a month into the wrist brake as of Friday. been on the bike once since to see how it felt. didn't feel great. the curiosity of cyclocross races has remained that, a curiosity. oh well, absence makes the heart grow fonder right? or does it make the heart wander.

some wandering may not be a bad thing. B hooked us up with a dslr camera and would like to get out on some hikes and record the world.

bikespotting

2009-10-06T11:38:00.000-07:00

wow. this is hard. racing is over for the season. mountain bike racing anyway. over the past few months i hadn't realized how habit forming consistant racing is. i feel like i am in some weird biking version of Trainspotting. i tell my wife that i'm ok. i don't really NEED to race this weekend. i can give it up anytime i want. truth is i can almost see the spiders on the wall. this sprained wrist and the continous rain the past few days has softened the blow of no riding for about a week and a half but now i am wondering ,"what now".

i showed H my snowboard to see how much interest he has in getting on the slopes at 5 years old when it snows. got on utube to show him video of other 5 year olds ripping it up. he seemed interested enough but it's the ski goggles that he got stoked about. "when can we buy them?" he asked after we looked at some online.

looking at some cyclocross races also. pretty foreign stuff to me but definately interesting. looks like these could get me a fix through November.

theres always next year

2009-09-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

so the last race of the season was coming up last week. this spring and summer had been a lot of fun and i had compiled 1011 points over 8 races in the MNSCS series. I hadn't gotten credit for the dnf at Afton. i had reported it but didn't get the credit. i left it alone thinking that it was 2 points that wouldn't matter. well anyway, with 1 race left it was me at 1011 points and Paul C in first at 1012. does it get any better that?

man was i excited. this is going to be great. i even got 2 sweet new tires when there was only 1 race left. Specialized Fast Traks S Works. i put them on and they squeeked on the garage floor like basketball shoes on the court. this had me pretty sure that the grip was going to be fun on the trail.

after messing around with them to get them seated correctly they were riding great. the rolling resistance was way down from the Kenda Blue Groove that was on the back. that was a great tire and i will probably use it for a mud tire but it was heavy and the big knobs were slow on the hardpack-straight aways and ski trails.

so i'm out on the bike path trying out the new tires. didn't have time to go out to the trails. just taking a quick 30 minute lap around the paved bike path, no big deal. until i went into a s-curve that was still wet from a little rain earlier. the curiosity and excitment to see how the new tires did on the corners overtook any part of my brain that may have had caution in it for the wet pavement. for that i was rewarded with a quick release of the tires hold on the pavement and a quicker meeting between my body and the pavement.

it was one of those wrecks that gave me the time to think, "wow, i'm sliding across the ground on my chest. glad i have my helmet on. wonder how my rain jacket is going to hold up to this." the rain jacket help up great. the bike did ok except for some scratching and a frayed rear derailer cable. the wrist didn't feel so great but not too bad. got back on the bike and rode.

a few minutes into it i was feeling silly but happy that there was no real damage to anything and that i would be racing in a matter of hours. got home and the wrist felt worse and started making plans to wrap it in the morning and just ride as best i could. within a few hours i couldn't make a fist, the swelling was up, and i was dealing with the fact that i couldn't race the last race of the season in the morning.

it is fun to be a part of a series. you can play and work toward building up points for the season overall while having little milestones along the way. but to be that close to the first place with one race to go and to go out with a silly mistake on a casual spin the night before hurts. this is like that Afton dnf times 10.

as Cubs fans say every year right about now, there's always next year.

suck it up buttercup

2009-09-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

the power of the mind. the importance of the attitude and all that. that is what the race on sunday has me thinking about right now. on my 4 hour drive home sunday i found myself wishing you could go to the bikeshop and buy a good race attitude. you would find it between the water bottles and training magazines/books. you could take it like a gel or chew it like energy chews. within 15 minutes you would feel like you could overtake any obstacle be it course related, weather, other riders... anything would be under the power of you attitudinal outlook.

if i would have has this attitude gel on sunday at the Maplelag race i would have put it in my back jersey pocket before starting. i started the race feeling good. i started about third row because it is a stage race and quite a few guys got called up before me because they had been there for the two stage events the day before (a time trial and a crit).

i was next to Paul C at the "go!!" and i kept him in site in hopes of working together. the course had a nice long double track before the single track and speeds were up there. as the single track approached Paul and I were behind one guy. Paul said "lets go" and moved around him to take the holeshot. i wasn't as aggresive because i thought we would all move through the single track at a good rate and maybe even get into a group of three to five. in the single track i could see that Paul was pulling away and the guy ahead of me wasn't moving through the single track like i thought he would. i asked to be let by and got no response. asked again and was told a "opening was coming up". lots of passable spots went buy as Paul got out of sight. we did eventually get to the opening but i didn't have a pass in me. this guy was fast in the openings and i couldn't get by. this is where i would have taken the mythical attitude shot. it is something to learn from but i allowed this to break my focus. i was so frustrated with the guy not allowing a faster single track rider by that i let it bother me enough to take the wind out of my mental sail. so much so that this guy also got away.

with the proper outlook i would have shaken this off and rode with this guy. he did in fact end up being the overall winner and by over 2 minutes. the takeway is humbling. i can't make another rider do unto others what i would do. suck up the slight and ride with him. he will either be good to ride with or the pass will eventually come. if i could have done that i would have had more fun and a better final time.

it is bitter sweet but it is one of the things i love about this sport. i am still learning and will be for a long time.

but that was wisconsin

2009-08-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

so i went to a bike race that pitted WI riders vs. MN riders. does it get any better than that?

forces were against everything happening pretty and perfect as usual. it had been rainy days approaching race day. once again my body threw a monkey wrench in and work is by no means a bowl of cherries or even a can of peaches. i have done a few of these races now and one thing that stands out is that there will almost always be something to overcome. circumstances will not be perfect and the wind will not always be at my back but if i keep going, keep trying, the wind will shift, the trail will turn, or the hill will crest and the view will make it worth the climb.

i went to the race in River Falls, WI prepared for a mud fest but also hopeful for the sun to come out. the sun did come out and it was a beautiful day. B and the boys were at the race for the first time in a few races. W had been telling me to "go fast daddy" all week while twirling his little arm around and standing in his warrior pose.

the starting chute was a few hundred feet back from last year and that was good. we got to the climb much more spead out and people were gunning for the top. top of the climb was the open field and i started making passes. got to the single track with a group and continued passes as the course allowed.

hooked up with a Freewheel rider and rode with him for a while. we got stuck behind a group. he said ,"let's pass when it opens up". i told him that i was in. the open area happened to be the spectator area. we were flying as the slow group had picked up the pace here. i tried to grab some water at the water station but couldn't get a cup because we were moving pretty fast. B had a bottle out for me just after the water cups. i had a nano second to recognize her and tried to get the bottle but the battle was just too fierce and speeds of this group made it impossible to grab the bottle. or i just missed the grab. right after that was a sharp right to do the big climb again. the Freewheel rider crashed with another rider and went down. that was a bummer because i think we could have worked together and improved both of our times.

in the climb everyone was going pretty well but this one guy was flying up. it looked like he had been born on this hill. got to the top, went through the open field again, got to the single track and saw the amazing climber and passed him. stuck my nose down and just tried to make time into lap 3.

got to the end of lap 2 and had an empty water bottle. looked desperately for H with my bottle exchange. no sign of the family. was starting to plan a third and final lap with no water bottle when i saw B holding it up high as i made the sharp right to the final big climb. that may be the happiest i have ever been to see her. got the bottle and started to climb with an opened gel. note to self: don't climb holding an opened gel. it just makes it harder.

once again the amazing climber passed me and the others like we were on a picnic. i remember seeing a wall of tatoos at the top of the climb that was the Lalonde brothers. i thought, "what would they do now that they were done with that climb?" and i told myself, "they would hammer" so i did my best attempt at that while trying to take the gel i just carried like a precious baby up that climb.

got to the single track and was pretty surprised to once again see the climber. passed him and was feeling pretty good that that was for the top spot in the division. that did turn out to be the last guy in my division that i passed (in WORS you can see a rider's division written on the number plate on their back). rode a little bit with a Wannabee rider (JB, who i met after the race and his wife was kind enough to email a podium picture to B) and then came over the finish line ready to lay down and feeling good that it was all out there on the course.

i had lost my tag and was nervous about not getting my time posted. i was posted when results were up and i had won the division. celebrated with some more watermelon and cookies.

takeaway: don't take a gel while climbing and/or need to concentrate on the trail.

Single Track Attack!

2009-07-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Elk River Single Track Attack! new race this year. awesome race.

got called up to see no JC. others said he went up to comp. saw him after the race and the rumor is true. i had kinda suspected it was when i saw him in the woods cheering the rest of us on. saw that he still won his comp division by 3.5 minutes and got 2nd overall. it was fun trying to catch him in previous races. maybe we will be in the same category again sometime.

took off on go. went down a flat, gravel road for 1/2 mile or so. felt like i was cooking pretty well and looked at the computer to see 28mph! could not believe that. was curious after the race and i had apparantly hit 29.3 at some point on that road. wish i would have known. i would have tried to hit 30 for the heck of it. started to feel like the heart was redline or worse so i backed down to 24 or 25. JS came up on my right and went into the singletrack first.

went by him on the first double track. there were good passing spots for quite a while. single track to double track transitions a few times. life was feeling good in first place for a while. came to a fork. right was a downhill rockgarden and left was a little longer but no rockgarden. had about 1/8 of a second to decide and went left for no real reason. PC passed me by taking the rock garden. very nice move.

fell in behind him and the pace was good. rode his wheel for quite a while and we were getting away from the others. told him that i would switch if he wanted to and that i would work with him but he said he liked the set up as it was. we rode like that almost the whole race. he flies downhill. asked him after the race and he says he likes to go downhill without using the brakes. i loved that. he makes it look easy.

front derailler cable is frayed and that gave me fits again. fixing that before next race. a month until that unless something changes. on a hill my chain was skipping on the front rings bad and i lost PC. he got first by 30 seconds and i came in feeling good with 2nd.

the crowds were a lot of fun. the race had great volunteer and sponsor support. remember to tell B that there are 2 great places to see jumps and rock gardens right off of the road just down from the back parking lot next time.

Red Wing Memorial Classic

2009-07-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

ohhhh Red Wing. i had been looking forward to you since last year. no other course like you. the Whoop De Doos that feel like riding a half-pipe, the wild, technical ride down into the quarry that looks like a set from Lord of the Rings, the up-hill switchbacks out of the quarry, and the way you tried to kill me on Stairway to Heaven. did you think i forgot about all that??

i had a big portion of my learning curve on this course last year. some good lessons were learned and i have been looking forward to applying them to my teacher. i thought i was going to get a call up and help my shot at being first to the single track. the call up didn't happen or i didn't hear it. i was starting from pretty far back again.

on go i tried to work my way up to the front. it is a pretty long way until the single track and i was able to get to the single track first. guys were right behind me and i had a good feeling at least 2 of them were on the podium with me the week before in Eau Claire (turns out later that it was them). once again i wasn't riding very smooth in the tight, curvy single track. i thought for sure i was going to get caught. i was riding so choppy that i had even told myself that i would make sure to let guys pass me asap when they did get me. also like the week before i told myself to just ride my race and have fun. that is when the curves smooth out and the line through the trees shows up.

a big change for me on this race was to not be afraid to get out of the saddle. i had thought that staying in the seat as much as possible was the most efficient. on this day i decided to get out of the saddle a lot more, especially on the medium hills. this was a good time. hills were over with faster and with less energy. on some of them it seemed to recover the legs. i think the change in position and the boost of getting over the hill was a charge.

i was amazed to get to Stairway to Heaven without being passed. i went up the hill as smooth and even as i could. i did not try to get to the top as fast as i could. i learned last year that it will hurt my overall time to do that. it just takes too long to recover. it worked and i recovered much quicker this time. good feeling.

i was first to finish lap one and i took a gel and gatorade to prepare for another stab at Stairway. i looked back and it looked like a had a good gap. decided to build on that and i would be in a good position to walk Stairway if i had to. had a lot more fun in the woods the second time around. the whole time i was pretty set on just walking Stairway but a funny thing happened. less than half a mile before Stairway my bike shifted itself from the middle ring to the big ring as i was secretly planning the walk up Stairway. it was like the bike said, "uh-uh, we're going to ride up this". funny enough my bike was right. that was the right gear and we kicked it up a notch. we got to Stairway feeling great and we rode instead of walking.

got done with that and went into the finish for first place. it was a great feeling. i had wanted to be first to the single track, ride Stairway as efficent as i could and just have the best race i could and it really came together. Ohhhhhhh Red Wing.

takeaway: don't be afraid to get out of the saddle

Chippewa Valley Firecracker

2009-07-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

like many others i love this race. this course feels like a roller coaster. much of the time you are getting enough momentum on the downhill to carry you up a good size uphill. very fun feeling.

took off on the back of a big wave (B later called me out for a weak attempt to get to the front. went down a very dusty service road. the most dust i have ever seen. couldn't see more than a few guys in front of me. pushed pretty hard to try to get up front before the single track. passed quite a few and got up toward the top. went into the single track in a group with a pretty good pace. had a lot of fun in there but i wasn't real smooth. a little distracted so i couldn't see the best lines or ride them if i did see them. the B and i had a little mix up before the race about something silly and i still had it on my mind. the old marriage saying goes, "don't go to bed angry". that's good advice and i'm adding the new saying that goes, "don't go to the starting line angry".

i tried to clear my mind the best i could. i started to do that and get into a groove when i dropped a water bottle. stopped to pick that up and then had to start back up a hill. it felt like i just wasn't going to get into a flow. decided that that will probably happen sometimes and decided to just try to have a much fun as i can and ride my own race.

i did end up picking it up a bit and making some good passes. noticed that people were becoming less and less willing to be passed. i'm thinking that this must be a good sign that we are up near the top spot. i will have to remember one open spot that i tried to pass on the left and went through a monster of a washboard. i went back on the single track and waited for a better spot.

came out of the single track and made a final push for the finish line. the course is so much fun that i was wishing for another lap. i checked results after some food and water. 1st place and a very pleasant surprise. there were a lot of good riders.

takeaway: the ride goes better with a clear mind.

Bluff Riders Charge, Mankato

2009-06-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

we showed up a little later than planned. got there in time to get my packet, change and ride for about a mile to warm up. i was feeling better to see that the climb up was dramatically less than Mont Du Lac. weather was great again. upper 70's and very breezy.

started in the 2nd wave. went off the start line for a short sprint to the switchbacks uphill. 4th race of the year so i knew who to try to stay with. got into second going up the hill and tried to stay with JC in 1st. my legs felt the lack of a real warm-up here. he started to move away towards the top and really took off in the single-track woods at the top. remembering afton and mont du lac i went after him but he was out of sight. came out to a little opening and then back into single-track that wasn't very pass friendy. came across a group of 5 or 6 from the first wave and thought for sure JC in 1st would have got caught and slowed up in that group...he wasn't there. couldn't believe my eyes. he must be flying. talked to him after the race and he said he had timed it just right and got past that group in the brief opening between single-tracks.

for the first time i knew where i was placed in the race throughout the course. 1st place rider was ahead of me and i hadn't been passed. that is a new sensation and a lot of fun but when it starts to hurt you have more to lose if you back off.

saw B and the boys after completing lap 1. H had a big grin on his face and he was holding out a fresh water bottle at arms length. i still had plenty so i told him i would get it on the next lap (3 lap race). at this point i thought i may be right behind JC.

went into lap 2 and the climb up was better because i was now warmed up. after the climb was a blast. the course is so much fun. some spots are full throttle but always going from a left lean to a right lean through thick pines. a great little jump is thrown in. from there it is the final climb of the lap, the "Staircase". after making it up the switchbacks and climbs of Staircase you are rewarded with "the Luge". it is a great downhill that you must be paying attention on. the first time through it i noticed that the tracks on one of the corners went off the trail. it looked like more riders were going off the trail than were making the corner. it was at a bad spot to go off too. told myself to remember that spot on the next laps and be extra careful. every time around that corner the weight went off my back wheel and i was essentially riding the corner on the front wheel. that is a shot of adrenalin and just in time for the "Canal". it is a rolling, flowing section that is also a blast after the surge of life from surviving the Luge.

came out of all that to get a new bottle from H while he giggles, hear W yell "go daddy, go daddy, ride fast", and B cheer "go hard". i could still hear B almost half way up the hill. they all gave me a much needed boost for the final climb and the final lap.

did the final lap always hoping to come upon JC in 1st. never did but had a lot of fun looking for him. rode with a guy from the 1st wave for a while. we were whooping it up on the corners and jumps and it felt like we were just out for a ride having a great time.

Came out of the woods into the home stretch to see JC all but lounging. the only thing he was missing was a lemonade with a little umbrella. it looked like he had been there for about half an hour. turns out he had been there for about 6 minutes... i got smoked by him. but i had a blast doing it. got 2nd in the division and my best overall finish at 5th. feels good. learning lessons.

Mont Du Lac

2009-06-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

so what happened? well first of all Afton doesn't start climbing right away... Mont Du Lac does. that was the first thing i learned when i got there. the start line was ON the hill. you look up the ski hill and are forced to imagine yourself biking up that. it hurts a little just to look at it. at the start line i asked around to get an idea of how long that climb goes. You could only see a portion of it from the bottom. it turned to the right and went behind some trees. one guy gave me a little idea of how long it went. i wouldn't fully appreciate it for about 5 more minutes.

from about 1 minute after go i could feel the 1 week away from the bike and the cold i had just gotten over. walking was already tempting in the first 300 yards. i did not want to walk basically off the starting line and did manage to avoid that.

i got around that turn to the right and saw that this hill meant business. i had been in a local bike shop the day before and saw the evil grins when i told them that this was my first race at Mont Du Lac. those evil grins now made sense. i think Duluth is proud of the pain that race puts you through at the starting climb. i was now feeling that pain.

i got to the top of the hill with the first group of my wave. they took off and i didn't go with them. similar to Afton i stayed back in hopes of getting warmed up and catching those guys. i wasn't feeling great after that climb and i didn't know what was coming so i was conservative once again. to do this race again i would have tried to go with them. i had a lot of fun on this race but i think this course would have been even more fun to go with that group.

i rode along at a good pace and felt good about getting that first group. i saw them come toward me after a switchback. i hoped that the switchback would come quick and that i was just behind them but it took forever to come. i then realized that the leaders had a very big gap on me. i told myself (and heard B tell me) to stay positive. there was a lot of race left.

just kept going and did end up feeling pretty good. twice my chain came off my front rings for a bit of a slowdown, not much. once i was feeling so bogged down i got off my bike to see if my rear brake was rubbing. it wasn't. i think the trail was just wet and slow and i just hadn't really ridden for a week. went back at it and saw B after the first lap. she told me i was 11th overall. this was encouraging. i did a bottle trade with H (he was pretty giggly during that) and he seemed to have fun with it.

they send you back up the 2nd half of that starting hill after a water station. i made a pass there. took a gel at the top of the hill and started to follow a rider in a Maplelag jersey. he was riding strong and kept a good distance on me for a couple of miles. i passed 2 guys riding together and then proceded to eat a dirt burger. first wreck in a race... check. lose the guy i'm chasing...check. got back up and kept going. came to the final climb and walked. saw that the 2 guys i passed were coming up on me and ran the final climb to the peak and a fun, cheering crowd. hopped back on and did my best to get down the hill having fun and not losing my place.

the ride down was a blast and B told me to push it at the finish because there were riders just behind me. they did have one last uphill at the finish and i took B's advice and pushed to come in 3rd in my division and 7th overall.

i wanted to see what would happen and i did. the race was a lot of fun, the organizers make a great event that makes you earn the finish. i wanted to get the dnf of Afton behind me. it felt great to finish.

takeaway: gel before the start and go with that lead group.

back on the board

2009-06-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

got a bad sore throat/cough about last wednesday night or thursday morning. it is next wednesday afternoon as this is written. last ride was last thursday morning as funny tickle in throat was being noticed.

i am decided on racing this weekend in the 3rd mnscs race in Duluth. a couple of days ago i wasn't sure. a little fear of going into a race with what i imagine to be a lot of climbing after not riding for nearly a week and a half. i have heard that people have been surprised at how they feel after something like this. i know i have been surprised before with good rides that i thought would be bad or ok. now i'm curious. i have been trying to eat well to get better and feel like i am preparing in some way.

the B and the boys love a road trip and a hotel stay anyway and i am anxious to get the dnf behind me and a finish back on the board.

let's see what happens.

experiment results: negative

2009-06-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

i may have been sensing the future when i wrote that last post. i had meant it to be a reminder to keep going when it looks bad for my goals. a couple of things had happened at work and riding wise that were obstacles or opportunity depending on how i reacted to them. that post was to celebrate the choice of opportunity over obstacles and the good results of that. yesterday at Afton Alps was another kick in the teeth however.

it may have been an omen when i didn't hear my first call-up ever because i was chatting in the starting chute. this was a milestone that i will admit i had been looking forward to. i didn't hear call-ups for the first wave so i decided that they weren't going to happen as i heard they were. it didn't really matter race wise. i made my way to the front of the pack by the time the singletrack started.

the climbing starts quick at Afton. Like right away, as soon as you are in the singletrack. i was first for a while but not feeling great. i got passed by a group of 3 or 4 (it may have been more but i don't want to admit it to myself if it was). i didn't go with them. i was going to wait until i warmed up and hope that i was still close enough to find them when that happened. i never got the chance.

i had decided to try very low tire pressure for this race. it was an experiment. i was at 28 front and rear on a tire with 40 minimum recommended in the back and 35 in the front. the experiment had poor results. i flatted a couple of minutes after the attack mentioned above. took me forever to get the tire off. (if you are looking for a tire with an amazing seal it's the Kenda Blue Groove. i thought i would never get it off).

finally got a new tube in. very low pressure and stopped again to pump it up some more. pretty tempted to get a bad attitude at this point but as it often happens i could hear B. she told me to find something positive, to find a new goal that i could feel good about and make this race productive. i decided that i was curious to how well i could come back. i had listened to my entire wave and a lot of the next one pass me as i changed that tire. i was curious to how many places i could get back. i wasn't going to get the same place i was without any mechanical problems but how well could i do after a flat? this was my new goal (thanks to B).

i got through the first lap. told B "flat tire" as i saw her as a blur i almost hit at a sharp corner going downhill. i think i heard her say, "oh" like that explains why it took you so long to get here.

still didn't feel very good going into the second lap but i was determined to get my legs and get feeling good and riding well. i got to Shady Lane and felt very bad. i walked because i learned a lesson on Stairway to Heaven at Redwing last year. if i feel that bad and go for riding up that hill just to say i did it i will take forever to recover and maybe not at all. my race time would probably be better if i walk Shady Lane and not use everything I got for the race on one hill. it paid off. i took the time to take a gel and get a couple of good drinks of water in. i got back on and i felt good. i felt like my race was starting now. i started making passes and even started to see people i had been with right before the flat. i couldn't believe it. i was very curious to see how i could end up after all of this. i was feeling like a goal was in sight and then i got the second and final flat.

frustrated...disappointed...learning. that's what i was at that moment. i can still see it. about 20 people ahead of me, all of them in a line about 1/4 to 1/2 a mile to the peak and then all downhill to the end. they were all going to feel that finish line. well earned for all of them on a course like this. i grabbed my handlebars and hit my front wheel on the ground a couple of times, i looked at my flat on the back, i hit that a couple of times. watched the others get to the peak for a second more and then started walking down that hill.

it was a long walk to the bottom. i had a bad taste in my mouth. but then i saw my family. H was leading the way of everyone walking up towards me. he was waving like he hadn't seen me in weeks and had the best smile on his face. part of the reason i write this is in hopes i never forget that look on his face and that wave. B was pulling W in a wagon UP THE SKI Hill to see me. i was thinking "why doesn't she wait until I get to the bottom" but it was so cool to see her come up to meet me. you are something else B. i love you.

takeaway: put tire pressure where the maker recommends.

the pics below are in order of me going up the hill, getting a little downhill and then my view for the walk down the hill. Thanks Dana Schoppe Photography for the pictures.

THE Walt Disney

2009-05-29T07:32:00.001-07:00

You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.

-Walt Disney

Taylors Falls

2009-05-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

it's still sinking in

2009-05-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

yesterday was the first race of the MN series. Beautiful day in Inver Grove Heights for Eriks' Spring Cup. Erik's was flexing it's muscles and showing off it's sales ability through the presence of a sweet Cannondale and Specialized demo. the cannondale truck alone was one of my favorite parts of the day. very cool.

H and W were happy because there were not only 1 but 2 playgrounds and lots of kids to play with while waiting for my race and between laps.

i started said laps at 2 minutes past 11am. got around in about 20 minutes. another fun course. grassy fields for about 2/10ths of a mile until the single track. i thought the hole would be a mess but it wasn't bad at all. to do it over again i would have gone for the hole shot more. i thought there was going to be a logjam there and a good shot at a pile up so i held off a bit. in the woods was a lot of fun. twisty and good flow and i felt like we were moving at a good pace. came out onto the open prairie and started some passes. this area was definately a big pay-off for months of riding the paved trail. felt like just another morning ride with some race fun added in. pass on the right of one guy to look down and see what looked like a 5 foot wash out. "oh shxx!!" did i say that out loud? thought for sure they would find me about 50 feet from my bike but i actually came out of it. (place high recommendation of cannondale scalpel here). don't know how much i owe to the bike and how much to my guardian angel for surviving that wash out but i know the bike cushioned that out a lot. used that extra adrenalin to push a little harder and felt like i was in a good place in the pack. saw the 20 minute lap going over the start/finish line and liked that. had some more fun on the single track, hung with a couple of groups, moved on when it felt good, and life was good. one guy passed me pretty easily to kill my buzz and i thought i would never see him again. he got slowed down by a group and found a washout similar to my earlier washout to send him flying. i asked and he said he was ok. he caught up with me later i could see at a corner. turned it up to try to get rid of him and felt pretty sure he and i were in a battle for a top spot, maybe the division win. didn't look back because i thought for sure he would be there for about the last 2 miles. looked back at the final sprint and nobody was there. crossed the finish at 1:02 exact and felt good about it all being left out there (as B would say). a photographer had said "good job, top 10" in the last mile or so. that was exciting to hear. checked the results after eating and getting breath back... 1st place in the division! 9th overall. still sinking in. that beautiful day and race with my family would have been awesome as it was but my first division win and it is quite a feeling.

takeaway: remember my gear! again spent much of the race in the middle ring while thinking i was in the big ring.

Thank you to Dana Schoppe Photography for the pictures below.

2nd at second

2009-05-11T11:59:00.001-07:00

second race of the year over the weekend. Hillside Park in Elk River. fun course. fast. rolling, short hills and good flow.

option of 1 lap at about 7 miles or 2 laps with advanced riders at about 14 miles. was told sport class should do 1 lap and was planning on loading a truckload of mulch after the race so i did the 1 lap.

took off on the drop of a pirate flag and headed down the road. came to single track after 1/2 mile or so that was a lot of fun. didn't push much at first and hung out with a group at a relaxed pace. took off after a while and caught up with the back of the advanced riders. not a lot of chances to pass but finally did and pushed it a bit more. got to be by myself after a while and my computer said i was well over 8 miles. got to wondering if i had missed a turn but kept going and came out of the woods just over 9 miles i think. came in 2nd without doing the stop at the whiskey shot being offered. (i didn't see it but heard about it afterword. hard to know if i would have stopped or not. others were glad they did). I think my lap was 46 minutes and something.

informal, relaxed race with no points but a good time. course is a blast and there is a series race there in august.

Photo courtesy of Dana Schoppe Photography

first race of the year

2009-04-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

finally got to race. not a moment too soon either. starting to race to stop lights in the car vs. fellow drivers and have been taking to "closing the gap" on unsuspecting commuters while riding in the morning.

went to the Decorah Time Trials over the weekend. pre-ride on saturday with about 50 degrees and wet conditions. was lucky to hook-up with a group ride that knew the course for the next day. Decorah has a lot of friendly people and that definately extends to the bikers in town.

a lot of hike-a-bike on saturday. sunday morning was scary with rain downpours and weather.com saying up to an inch coming. had visions of staying home and warm with the family competing with visions of running up streams with my bike on my shoulder. i went as far as talking like a quiter about an hour and a half before start time but Beth egged me on in the right direction and i drove into town to sign up for a start time.

started #28 at about 10:28. was told it would be about 7 miles and around 3500 feet of climbing. (some of the original beginning course was cut out due to rain). took off on "go" and the legs did not feel good. felt great to be racing again but legs still had visions of staying home i guess. got passed one time just after finishing Rocky Road (started at the trail head off of quarry hill road). took a while to get warmed up and feeling good. i passed a few guys but didn't get feeling great ever. dropped back to feeling bad in the legs a couple of times but pushed through. 2nd half definately felt better than the first.

new ride did ok in the muddy conditions. shifting was sketchy in the front once or twice but shifting well in the back considering the conditions. discovered the new ride collects mud easily at the chain stays but it didn't slow me down much. i am glad that i put on the kenda blue groove on the back. i am sure i climbed much better than i would have otherwise.

a lot of fun. a much needed race. thought i was going to run about half the course but i think i ran 4 or 5 times in short bursts except for one long run/walk on what i think is randy's trail.

the bike ride

2009-04-15T12:51:00.001-07:00

I have often heard people say they ride bikes for the feeling of freedom it gives them. I believe there is a great combination of simplicity, self-sufficiency, and fun in the bike ride. The bike ride can be many different things. It can be the six year old riding down the street with a new found feeling of limitless range of mobility. I remember that feeling. I thought I could now go anywhere and do anything in a world filled with experiences and life. The world got bigger and smaller at the same time on a bike.

The bike ride can also put the self up for observation. What experiences are within me? What can I do? How far can I go? How fast can I get there? How much beauty can I see as the light comes up over the morning horizon?

The bike ride can be many different things.

joe 6 pack and cannondale

2009-03-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

in the market for a new bike. of course, i'm permanently on the market for a new bike. it is part love of looking at bikes and part confusion from all of the options anymore. i have been tormented about the 26 vs. 29 debate for months now. thankfully, i haven't lost any sleep over it yet but i fear that may happen if i don't take a solid position soon. i remember when you wanted a bike it was either a road bike or a mountain bike and that was an easy call for me. now it is road or mountain. geared or single speed. full suspension, front suspension, or rigid. and that is just the beginning. but i study... a lot.

one thing i have found is that you pay for a cannondale. i have a cannondale (not the one mentioned here). i like it a lot. i have learned since i bought it that you will be getting a level down of components for their frame and lefty fork. it's fair. the design and ride are awesome. but i do believe that $3000 should get you out of the SRAM X7 shifters. for $3000 on a hard tail bike i feel in my heart of hearts you should be able to get X9. this is no rant. cannondale knows what they are doing and it is a great selection of bikes. but please cannondale, keep good shifting within reach of Joe 6 pack.

Not out of the woods yet

2009-03-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

One of the coldest rides yet today. Maybe THE coldest. Weather.com said it felt like 7 degrees as I headed out the door. Was a little worried for my toes for a while about mile 16 or 17. Shoe covers definately on the list for next year. Got 20 miles in and rides are usually an hour and a half anymore.

no more espresso shots

2009-03-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

The early start to the year is feeling good. This morning was great. 50 beautiful degrees and in-between rains. Loved it. It's that feeling of riding through a warm mist. After riding through February at about 10 to 15 degrees typically the 50 degrees is awesome. The pavement is ice free so I am not getting the little "espresso shots" to the heart rate from hitting black ice out of nowhere. I am thinking that is better for my ticker.

H rode without training wheels for the first time last weekend. He rode with me for about 2 miles right before that. W had a blast in the Burley. He says, "Go Daddy!...Go Daddy!" W sometimes demands a water bottle instead of a sippy cup for his hydration.

USS Minneapolis

2009-03-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

She's been frozen adrift for months but she's slowly thawing out and coming to new life.

About a month and a half into the cold weather riding. Turns out it's nice as long as you got the right clothes on. I may try to ride into work. A big landmark today. I lost one of my four layers.

Greens

2009-03-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

Rides go better with good fuel. The most important meal of the day isn't the first. It's the one the night before the morning ride. Man can I feel the difference between McDonald's the night before and this.

sweet swells up on the north shore

2009-02-25T18:52:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning and turned on channel 11. The little number in the lower right hand corner was 37! Could not believe my eyes. This must be what it is like when surfers hear about "sweet swells" up on the north shore. I couldn't wait to grab my ~~board~~ bike and hit the ~~waves~~ street. Great ride in what felt like 60 degrees and starting to feel the legs come back. MGMT, Solid Gold, The Killers, and Modest Mouse were along for the ride.

Beating the winter

2009-02-23T17:09:00.000-08:00

Riding about twice a week right now. Usually go for about an hour and a quarter before work. Been fun but riding in this weather is definately a whole new ball of wax. I have found that riding gets to be more of a challenge below about 12 degrees. It is interesting how different a morning can feel from another morning that looks the same on paper. I had a comfortable ride on a morning of 12 degrees and another morning at 14 degrees was stinging a little. Wind was about the same (very little) but the difference was felt.

I got the item below to take out the sting on the face. Also got fenders in hopes that a melt-down will happen soon. Man, my bike is going to look sweet with these fenders and the baby seat that is on my beater bike.

Comfort for a price

2009-02-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

This is the earliest I have started riding ever. Yeah, it's cold out there. It is not fun to be uncomfortable and it is worse to be in pain. Right now the biggest challenge is being warm but not too warm.

Technology can be very cool and make life better and that includes clothes. I found a Gore-Tex jacket and decided to try it even though the price was a little intimidating. If it makes an early morning ride in Febuary, March, and April more fun it is worth it. It was good but I couldn't make myself forget the price. I decided to stick to a long sleeve t-shirt base, long sleeve jersey, fleece, and thin windbreaker outer layer. It is less money and the ride will still be fun.

Starting down the track

2009-02-07T13:46:00.000-08:00

I am headin' down the icy track toward a fun season. Training body and spirit while Old Man Winter blows.

First ride of the year

2009-02-07T11:31:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was the first ride of the year. A beautiful morning before work. 12 degrees. Felt good on the spirit but could definately hear my legs complaining about it being the first ride in months. Kept it pretty low key. About 45 minute ride at an easy pace. The pace has to be easy when the glare ice is about every 5 or 10 minutes on the path.

The first rides are the toughest but it's better than a snake bite. Look out!

5 Alive

2009-01-25T19:08:00.000-08:00

H had a great birthday weekend. Turned 5 on Saturday and partied it up on Sunday.

Paradigm shift

2009-01-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

Endurance. It never appealed to me. My mind was closed to it. The glory was for Michael Johnson in the 200 meter and all the other sprint guys. I can't remember the name of the guy that won gold in the 15,000 meter or whatever. As you can see I can't even name the event. I remember Johnson's SHOES more than the guy that ran the long distance. My 7th grade track coach insisted I was a long distance runner. He refused to see the blazing speed I possessed in the 100 meter (at least in my head). That was the only year I went out for track.

That was then. This is now. I've had a paradigm shift. I now see the beauty in making the ride play out to the most efficient way possible. Build the ride to last but make sure there is nothing left in you at the end. My wife will remind me on the way to a race to "leave it on the course". I love that. I am still in search for the balance of giving it all but not too much too soon. That is one of my favorite things about it though, that search.

She calls to me

2009-01-08T12:39:00.001-08:00

Is it wrong to drool over a bike? I got my first mountain bike when I was about 14. I can still remember how it looked and how it felt flowing through the forest over rocks, dirt, and silently through a trail bedded with pine needles. No day was complete without riding it. I kept it immaculate. It would get muddy as h*** and it would be shining again within 24 hours.

But that bike was just above "entry level". It was a gateway to a world of seemingly limitless levels of materials, suspension systems, and components. In particular I fell in love with Shimano components, XT to be exact. XTR always seemed extravagant... more than needed. But oh how XT called to me. So pretty. A bike set up with XT was the s*** in my book and the guys I rode with. We would talk about it the way we talked about girls. But it seemed to be a pie too high in the sky as a teenager without a job or a beer money job. But now it calls to me again in the form below. Do I go and get it? Or do the responsible thing and keep hammering on the current bike? To get it would be a life long dream attained. But as I said when I started this blog, I am also a dad, and with that comes many others things that dollars can be applied to. We shall see what wins out in the end. No matter what I will be riding and I will feel the flow through the forest.

Keeping the luv alive

2009-01-04T15:57:00.000-08:00

It's January. 2009 is here. It's about 10 below the zero. Motivation and inspiration is all about potential right now. I go to music. I love it. It can still make me fly. It goes great with racing. Some songs can take me back to great moments of races and create new ones in future races. Right now it is all about Dr. Dog, DeVotchka, The Kills, and Bon Iver. The latter takes me back to the Fire Cracker in Eau Claire because that is his home town.

Home again

2008-12-28T19:34:00.000-08:00

We have returned home from Christmas. A lot of laughs, great food, awesome blues music and good times with family and friends. It wouldn't be Christmas without some materialism though. H wanted one thing and that was Elephun (I call it Hella-fun when he isn't around). W can't tell us what he wants and he wants everything he sees. We got him some sweet beaded necklaces and books. He loves them both.

A good friend got a great group of old friends together on Friday night. So good to see everyone. Thanks Lars for putting that together.

2008 is nearly history now. 2009 is coming in fast. Training will be turned up now. In the meantime check out some highlights of the festivities. By the pictures in the past couple of posts you would think W had a bad Christmas but don't worry he had a great one.

Peace

2008-12-24T16:12:00.000-08:00

Demands

2008-12-21T17:57:00.000-08:00

As stated b4 this was my first full year of racing. In the spring I wanted to get 5 races in between May and September. I ended up with 6. 5 in the Minnesota Series and 1 in the Wisconsin. Also stated b4 I am fitting these in with 2 boys and that is a full schedule. I will try to get 6 races in again this year and any more will be icing on top.

Today the weather is minus 25 or so. We took the boys to see mr. claus and give him our demands. Elephun for H and books and necklaces for W (for more about W's love of necklaces see B's blog). Good news, S.C. told the boys they have been good this year! It's looking like a good finish for the boys on Christmas morning.

I put some pictures of the usual suspects in. As you will see I am not afraid to put some bloopers in. Check out the elf in the last picture. Hope nobody gets nightmares.

1st cut

2008-12-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

Hello Genesis

2008-12-19T08:32:00.000-08:00

I am starting this to keep track of and to direct a journey. I am 6 years into a great marriage, I have a great little boy that is about to turn 5 and another great little boy that is 1. That is a lot of happiness, joy... and work :) Last year I decided to add racing mountain bikes to that and now a lot of work is teetering on madness. But in that madness comes a lot of perspective, clarification, and reward. This blog will be a channel for ideas and energy that goes into being a family that does a lot of things including bike races.