Tracking the Grizz

First "ride" of 2010

2010-03-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

I've been out on the bike already this year, but that was with the family and the Burley and lasted about 6 miles. It was great to get out with the family, but today was the first lengthy ride of 2010. Spur of the moment I head out for my Eagan 18 lap, which has a nice mix of rolling hills, flats and country side. The weather was nice - a little wind, clear skies and temps that warranted shorts and arm warmers. I threw on a vest just in case. It was perfect. I felt better than I expected and managed to keep the pace up on the climbs. I could feel my heartrate on the climbs, but it recovered fairly quickly afterwards. Mentally I tried to pull a Stallone and go "Over the Top" when the climbs came. I found my lungs and legs recovered well and I had a blast.
I've finally decided that I do need to get some new shoes...

Eagan 18
Find more Bike Rides in Eagan, Minnesota

Brews and Bar Ends

2009-09-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

I found a team mate for the Urban Assault Ride next weekend. My BCR team mate and friend, Tyson, has agreed to join me on my first UAR event. Our team name: Brews and Bar Ends. Honors both the after ride festivities we often enjoy and the mid 90's era Onza bar ends I continue to rock on my mountain bike.

I'm not sure what to expect, so I'm mostly following Ty this time around. Hopefully we can have a good enough time and consume some fine brews afterwards!
Check back later for results. Maybe even some Twitter updates...

WINNER!

2009-09-16T06:42:00.000-07:00

In case you don't recall.....Wiken and I had a little competition going on this year: The BCR Smackdown.

In an email from him this morning, he has conceded! I present that email for you now.

I'm not going to st cloud. We have a soccer jamberie from 10:00-12:00
on Saturday. :(
I originally thought the race was this weekend.

congratulations on winning the BCR Smackdown!

I love it. I have officially beaten my friend on the team. Who showed up to two races. DNF'd one. And will probably kick ass in CX this year....

Yes, my ego is large.

Now where's my prize?

Urban Assault Ride - September 27th

2009-08-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

There's a cool race coming up and I need a partner. Click here for a contest and your shot at winning a free entry into this year's New Belgium Brewery Urban Assault Ride!

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHhXdk5UaDdVdjUzeXVHSklfdThiQ3c6MA..

2009-08-07T12:19:00.001-07:00

MNSCS#6 - Elk River Preview

2009-07-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend marks the fist time that Elk River has played host to a MNSCS event. The organizer, Rich Omdahl, has taken great lengths to ensure that his course is ready for the added participants. I expect this to be one of the largest events of the series thus far. I'm guessing people will want to check out the course. Rich puts on a great event and can draw the crowds, so it should be a good time.

Elk River has had many races in the past, but nothing quite like the size that the MNSCS can draw. So to accommodate for the added racers, Rich has added some new trail to help the entry into the single track. Read the description:

This beginer loop starts in the front parking lot closest to the tar road yet far side of lot from the entrance. this runs the outside perimeter of section 1 then section two of the park property all of it being west of section 1 and 2. This will be used in the race as well.

so for Citizen Race you will start the race in the far back parking lot (though the big gate on gravel road by start and finish of loop in front lot.

Race start from back lot up the gravel road into section 1 then 2.
Instead of using the gravel road again to the front lot you will circle back to the front lot on this beginer loop single/ double track (west of 1 and 2). You pop out of the woods into the front parking lot and head for the port a pottie accross the lot then up the little hill into section 1 then 2 for finish right there in the back lot culdesack. At the end of section 2 a hard left goes to the back lot and straight will continue on into sections 3 . There are signs posted there.

You can see the a GPS of the Comp course - in action - here:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/8034999

I'm excited for this race for several reasons: I love riding at Elk River, I love events that Rich puts on and BCR should have a nice compliment of riders in both the Sport and Comp class!

If you haven't yet, be sure to get your registration on right here: https://secure.tstmedia.com/register/860909185

Bring your fave jersey to be signed - Dr. Chad is making an appearance on the race course after a 4+ year hiatus!

See ya this weekend!

Charlotte at the races!

2009-07-10T09:16:00.000-07:00

Charlotte racing in Duluth from Adam Emanoff on Vimeo.

Charlotte's 3rd race. This one is in Duluth. The course was fairly short and started uphill, but had a nice downhill. Way to go peanut!

MNSCS#4 is coming

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

I haven't been on the bike for a long time. Basically the last race was the last time I've ridden. I'm hoping the fever of the Tour will propel me along in the race this weekend...ha! We'll be hitting Red Wing for the Memorial Classic. The course is pretty fun and has some really good single track. Hopefully it won't be too hot.

Tonight I'm riding with Dr. Chad. Either Leb or Murphy, so I'm sure we'll have a good time.

The more and more that I ride at Leb, the more and more I wish we were doing a time trial there. The new trail would really lend to some good laps and up the challenge a bit.

Anyone want to donate some cash to help pay for the permit?! We'll list you as a sponsor and say your name every other sentence...

MNSCS#2 - done

2009-06-03T12:13:00.001-07:00

"I'm always trying to get you pumped for Afton"
-Marc Wiken

And I appreciate the fact that you're trying to get me pumped up for it, but dude, I don't think it'll ever happen. We just don't get along. Maybe because Afton exposed my non-climbing skills. Or that it always feels either up or down and the technical stuff is absent (apart from one or two short sections).

My day started out just as I was feeling. Slow. I hovered near the back knowing that if I were to be up front with Marc, I'd just get in the way. The course changed up the first part of the lap nicely, running us down the dirt road for a bit before hitting the single track. There were some small additions as well along the course - new switchbacks - that seemed to get lots of people riled up due to having to slow down. There was one section - Cliff's Edge - that was pretty cool. Very rocky and had a sharp corner. I managed to pass someone through there. A couple other sections that were twisty and bumpy I also put a gap on the riders behind me. However, that didn't last long as I had to go uphill. I just had no legs. Or mental confidence. However, I did get to see Wiken haul ass up near the front for part of the first lap. He was making some good passes and getting near the front. The manhandler couldn't handle Wiken as he picked off riders using his middle ring. Sadly, Afton got the better of him and he DNFd after two flats.
After awhile, I saw Dan coming behind me up Shady Lane and I was relieved that it was taking him so long to catch me. Was I riding better than I felt? Or was I delirious and Dan had already passed me and what I saw wasn't real? Dan never caught me, but in post race discussions it turned out that we both had poor races that day. Afton got the better of us.

This was almost the most fun I had on course:

Photo courtesy of www.skinnyski.com

In other races, Jess, Scott and Dave completed their Sport races! This is Jess' first year in Sport, so an extra lap at Afton is no easy task. Dave decided that he better get some extra sleep and woke up just in time to speed to the race and line up literally within minutes of the start. He's no Dan, but getting close....
Scott finished his first Afton race for BCR! We first met at Afton way back when. We should have had some sort of anniversary dinner....
We were missing Tyson, but for obvious reasons.

Tim, or other newcomer to the team managed to rock the house on his SS in Comp. He tagged me sometime on the 3rd lap as he went by and managed a nice 4th in age group finish. Again.

Next up: Dirt Spanker in Duluth. It appears we'll be heading up for that one. Hopefully I can find my climbing legs as I enjoy the course. I have placed there before....

As much as it pains me to bring it up....with Wiken's DNF at Afton, we are now tied in the BCR Smackdown.

Should be interesting from here on out, as I don't know that we'll be at many more of the same races...

MNSCS #1 in the bag

2009-05-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

What a great day for a race. Very little wind, sunny and good temps. The crowds looked big the general buzz around the race was positive. People were excited to back in competition.
This year we had a full field of Sport racers for BCR, so there was a lot of orange. Great to see that again. Same went for Comp - 5 total racers, wow.

The course this year was different in that we would be running it backwards - say what?

Charlotte also had her first race today and she was pretty excited. We had her line up at the line for some good photo ops. However, once the kids were all lined up around her, it was apparent that she may get run over. She was brave though, and handled the start like a champ and took off on her Strider bike. The lap was part of our course and longer than what I thought it was going to be. Still, she stuck to it and rode like a champ. She crashed once (like her daddy), got help from me twice, and missed the finish line (also like daddy). After we were done, she said in her cute little voice "I wanna go 'gain."

Now it was time for my race. I lined up near the front because there was no prologue lap and I saw the Sport racers bunch up like mad into the singletrack. Andy M. said his first lap was slower by 5 minutes due to the pileup. I was hoping to avoid as much of that as I could. I was just behind Wiken at the line and rocketed off on GO. I have a great start, just not enough gas to keep it for the entire race. I managed to stay near the front entering the singletrack and was cruising along pretty well. I made some quick decision passes when people dabbed or went offline and had a good pace going. I got stuck behind a CX bike and he rode wide, meaning he filled up the trail, so it was hard to pass him. I held on until the rock drop and when he went around I took the rock and passed him. There was a train behind him, so I had to push it to make more time. I managed to stay in front of Wiken the entire first lap - yay! But then early in the 2nd lap I called out a pass to the right and the person moved right, hitting my bars and sending me into the weeds. I heard my shifters hit the carbon as they crossed the top tube. When I got back on I realized my shifter pod for the rear was busted and not working. I was stuck in this gear. Luckily my front derailleur worked, so I had something to work with. However, the gears were never really all that great, so I lost a lot of places trying to make things work. Wiken passed. More riders passed. Dan passed and more riders passed. I limped it home got a nice hug from Charlotte and we shared chocolate milk to celebrate our races.

Thanks to everyone who showed up to respresent BCR today!
Matt H.
Scott M.
Andy M. - in stealth mode with no BCR jersey
Jess W. - in stealth mode with no BCR jersey
Dave B.
Shane M. - in stealth mode with no BCR jersey
Neil O.
Dan I.
Marc W.
Chris D.
Tim W.
(did I forget anyone?)
And of course friends and family who gave us water, cheered and helped us out - you rock.

On a sadder note - Wiken takes the lead in the BCR Smackdown Score:

And now the pics:

BCR Paper Plate Shooutout Invitational Results

2009-05-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

The morning started off with 3 pieces of french toast with peanut butter and syrup. Next up I ran around trying to find all my gear. I guess the last time I used my long sleeve jersey I left it in some backpack/bag to fester and smell nice, so I had to dig around for my arm warmers. I had the stopwatch ready. Bike was set. The time was approaching quickly as to when Scott would arrive to give me a ride.
Once we got loaded up, we took off. One last call to Wiken to ensure that I didn't need to bring anything else and we were considered on our way.
As we drove up to the parking lot, there were other cars! We also spotted Tybo Ty hanging in the Jetta and Wiken running around in only his bib shorts (not really...). Wiken informed us that the we were the lucky 4! The other cars were there but he hadn't seen anyone with a bike. We unloaded and asked Ty and Scott to work registration and parking while Marc and I marked the course. After several explanations of how the course was going to go, it was clear Wiken had no idea. We set up cones for the lap and flags for the prologue. My stop watch managed to be about 10-12 minutes slow, which was okay, as it was reading a couple minutes to 8am. Perfect time to get underway.
The three of them hungout in the designated start box and I stayed by the watch, doing the countdown.
GO!
As the group made their way to me, I joined up and we were underway.
I knew that this race counted for something in the BCR Smackdown Challenge, so I wanted to do what I could to come out ahead of Wiken. My strategy was to suck his wheel and see if I could hang on. As we entered the singletrack, the order was Wiken, Ty, me, Scott. After the first turn I think Ty was trying to block me...or else he was just having flashbacks to Afton and weaving back and forth in the trail, In case he was having flashbacks, I didn't want to be in the way, so I went around him and settled into position with Wiken. The pace was good, but I found myself wondering if I could hold it for 4 laps. In my peripheral I could see Ty hanging on a bit back and occassionally Scott too. As we entered the wooded section at the southern most part of the course, I found myself closing any sort of gap and thought to myself that if I needed to make up (or put on) any time, this could be a place to do it. I hung on until we hit the course-option rock. Wiken went left and I took the rock placing me in front.
I tried to keep the pace and could tell I was able to create a small gap in the Northern Loop as it gets tight and twisty - another spot to gain/add time? Yes.
I led for the 2nd lap and after awhile Wiken started talking to me, so I figured my pace must be slower than the first time around....sometimes I still see Ty behind us for the 2nd lap. Lap three starts and I pass my other water bottle. Next time I think to myself. Wiken goes around me as we start #3 and instantly there's a gap. I try to close it, but can't. He seems to be pushing hard. Little areas that I told myself I could make up time didn't seem to be working. Would Wiken be getting the first kudos in the BCR Smackdown Challenge? Seems like. I tried to press on. As we hit the North Loop I found myself getting closer. A couple more turns and he's within striking distance. I keep the RPMs high and keep pushing. I'm on him and we're headed to the lap area of the course. We both stop and trade bottles and chat for maybe 10 seconds.
Now it's on to lap 4. I take the lead and try to psych myself up for a sprint to the finish. Fortunately it's not likely to be that type of finish, as there's a gap between us right away. I smile. However, a short time later, I see Ty coming. Nicely done I think to myself. Then I notice that Ty is between Wiken and myself. Uh oh.
Not much I can do as Ty catches and passes me. I try to hang on, but it hurts. I can see Ty's sweat trail in the dirt, so I know he's working hard. Pretty good for a guy who just broke his neck....
We hit the prairie sections and I curse the wind and try to get aero. Just before the North Loop there's a "hill" and I know that there's little chance of me catching Ty there. It has to be inside the North Loop. I hit the RPMs again and try to do my best singletrack riding, but Ty's on a mission. I hit the pavement for the home stretch and I see him dismounting to grab the clock. I do the same and log in about 17-20 seconds behind. Later Wiken comes in with Scott just behind him.
Excellent time everyone! I had a blast.
Way to go Ty on the win - not bad for a guy who broke his neck....

BCRPPSOI Details

2009-04-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

BCR Paper Plate Shootout Invitational Details

Due to weather, keep an eye on MORC for the latest trail conditions. If it's too wet the event will be post-poned/canceled.

When: Saturday, May 2nd 8am. Arrive earlier for a race meeting at 7:45.
Where: Salem Hills (click for a map)
How Much: Free!

Details:
As stated in the original email, this event is free and very loosely organized. It's important for you to know that the course is open for any riders. This will not happen on a closed course, so don't be a jerk to other riders who may be out riding. Registration will be at the black Jetta, first come first served. Timing will be by a battery operated clock and final timing will be posted at www.oncourseproductions.blogspot.com. There will be a short prologue lap.
Two race groups:
Novice - 2 laps - 9.2 miles
Advanced - 4 laps - 18.4 miles

Start times will vary slightly depending on the turnout.
Small: everyone starts at the same time.
Large: Advanced first.

Timing:
We will be using an honor based timing system. This means you race the number of laps you signed up for and record it on the the "Timing" sheet that will be displayed on the black Jetta.
Example: #001 1:20
We will pull the results together and post them on www.oncourseproductions.blogspot.com

Things to remember while you're racing:
Be courteous
Don't cut the course
Announce your passes
Be courteous

The race course will be discussed at 7:45am. We'll go over the distances, trail etiquette, and start/finish/laps.

BCR Paper Plate Shootout Invitational

2009-04-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Check this link for more details:

Psuedo Famous

2009-04-20T10:35:00.001-07:00

Check out who I made psuedo famous on the interwebs!
http://jimination.com/2009/04/19/earth-week-day-5-jimi-giveaway-and-a-guy-who%e2%80%99ll-get-you-to-ride-to-work/

I can do this for you as well. Conatact me if your image needs a makeover or you simply want a picture of you on the web. Price is negotiable

Shoe Quiz

2009-03-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

The other day I found myself daydreaming about shoes. Not just any shoes, mostly shoes from my high school days. I remember I had some crazy weird RED adidas that I had no idea how to match up with any of my clothes, but yet I wore them anyway. Remember Reebok Pumps? Hightops? 3/4 tops? What about those little friendship pin thingies...yeah - I had none to put on my shoes.

To help bring you along in my daydreaming, I've created this simple little shoe quiz. Check out the pics below and then enter the brands into the form after the pictures. See how well you know your shoes.

Shoe #1

Shoe #2

Shoe #3

Shoe #4

Shoe #5

Shoe #6

Shoe #7

Shoe #8

Shoe #9

Shoe #10

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Too Little Too Late?

2009-03-10T14:02:00.001-07:00

I figured that I better get to work on preperations for the BCR Smackdown, so I finally sat on the bike last night and rode for 30 minutes. Top Gear on mute listening to an iPod really helps the time fly by.
For the BCR Smackdown, I realize that I'm going to need all the help I can get, as Wiken is quite the beast on the bike. He's got some strong legs and lungs and can keep pushing for the entire race. While I tend to fizzle and don't seem to have much endurance (or crash right after the start).
So my focus for this late training session will be on endurance and focus. Trying to maintain a good pace for the entire race distance.

On a good note, my weight is down by about 7lbs from this same time last year:

One more thing that I think can help me score points against Wiken will be the technical courses. I seem to have an advantage on him there.

We'll see!

You can help local homeless youth

2009-03-05T06:53:00.000-08:00

Myself and a small team at work are working towards helping out a local shop in town that gives back to the community in a great way and we need your help.

Are you planning on a bike upgrade this year?
Are you looking to get rid of that old bike in your garage?
Don’t sell them or throw them away!

Full Cycle is a bike shop in Minneapolis that helps homeless youth by giving them free bikes to fix up and ride. Full Cycle also sells quality used bikes and provides expert bike servicing to fund programs that help homeless youth.

We met the team at Full Cycle last week and were very impressed with their program and their desire to help homeless youth. Not only do they provide bikes for them, but they offer internships at the shop to learn how to wrench on the bikes, how a business works and show them what helping others is like. It's really a great program and the staff there are a real dedicated bunch.

We need your help. Please consider donating old bikes/parts so that Full Cycle can implement your parts into their program and you can help save a youth. Full Cycle is also on the verge of opening a section of their floor to used bike sales to help fund their endeavor. If you feel like donating cash in addition or instead of, I can get details on that for you.

Get in touch with me if you think you have something that could make a difference in a homeless child's life.

Thank you.

MINI Meet 09 Registration is open

2009-01-24T22:27:00.000-08:00

Registration for Mini Meet East meets West 2009 is now open! The event will be in Winona, Minnesota starting the evening of June 29, and going through July 2, 2009. Go to:
http://www.minimeet09.org/ click the registration button, and follow the instructions from there.
Registration is being done on-line and you can pay on-line by credit card through PayPal (you do not have to join PayPal to do this) or you can pay by check through the mail if you are not comfortable with on-line payments. When you have filled out the registration form click on the PayPal symbol for credit card payment or on the mailbox symbol for payment by check. Either way, you will get a confirmation email listing your choices. If you choose to pay by check, payment details will come with your confirmation email.

We're planning a great event with a lot to do this year. Here are the plans:
Monday, June 29th is check-in starting at 1:00 PM at the Riverport Hotel. Mini vendors will be present all during the car show. That evening there will be a welcome reception in the hotel's ballroom. A great chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.
Tuesday, June 30th is the car show at St. Mary's University followed by the panoramic photo. Tuesday evening we'll be celebrating the Mini's 50th Birthday at the bandshell in the park in Winona with a live band, cake and soft drinks.
Wednesday, July 1 is Autocross and Funkhana day at Southeast Tech University. They have a great track for the Autocross and drivers should have a ball. With time constraints, we need to limit spaces in the Autocoss to 150 so be sure to sign up early. Since spaces are limited in the Autocross, we are making that event a la carte for meet registrants. The wacky hijinks of the Funkhana will be held nearby and should provide a great time for all. In between the two venues, there will be vendors setting up shop along with several planned tech sessions. Wednesday evening will be "Cruise Night" at the local drive-in.
The Rally will be held on Thursday, July 2, and with all the scenic river bluffs throughout the area, it will prove to be an unforgettable drive in the countryside on some great "Mini" roads. Thursday evening is the awards banquet featuring some great food, fascinating speakers and door prizes.
We're looking forward to a great time and hope all of you can come to the meet in Winona, Mini-sota!

For those of you interested in checking this out, but maybe not participating as much, we are in need of volunteers. Consider helping us out for this. Check out the dates and let me know.

BCR Email list

2009-01-21T08:11:00.000-08:00

BCR 2009 Planning Meeting Updated

2009-01-13T07:09:00.000-08:00

**EDIT**
I double-booked, so it's just a UFC night. Bring your fave beer and some snacks and show up around 8:45pm for one of the best fights; GSP vs BJ Penn!

You're invited to my place on Saturday the 31st for an informational meeting about the 2009 season that's ahead of us. There probably won't be too much to talk about, but there's a UFC fight that night and I figured it'd be a good ploy to get people over to watch it with me.
We can discuss kit options (carry over from '08), team competition, the new race in MNSCS, plans for the BCR Winter Olympics. We can also make for some PS3 time. I'm thinking of making an evening out of it; potluck style dinner, BYOB, winter ride at Leb, team meeting, stay for UFC if interested....

Let me know if you can make it or need directions. Feel free to forward this along.

2009-01-10T07:29:00.001-08:00

2009-01-10T07:13:00.001-08:00

2009-01-10T06:09:00.001-08:00

Pre-dance warmup

2009 Schedule Posted

2008-12-18T10:28:00.000-08:00

What do you think of the new look?!

http://www.mnscs.com/

MNSCS Announces Eleven Races for 2009

Hillside Park in Elk River is added to the schedule.

5/17/2009 Erik's Spring Cup, Inver Grove Heights, MN

5/31/2009 Afton Avalanche, Afton Alps, Hastings, MN

6/14/2009 Dirt Spanker, MT Du Lac, Duluth, MN

6/28/2009 Bluff Riders Charge - Mt Kato, Mankato, MN

7/12/2009 Memorial Classic, Red Wing, MN

7/26/2009 Hillside Park SingleTrack Attack

8/09/2009 Buck Hill Birch Bump, Burnsville, MN

8/16/2009 MNSCS/WORS Border Battle,
White Tail Ridge - River Falls, WI

9/06/2009 Laddie's Loppet Stage Race, Maplelag Resort, Callaway, MN

9/13/2009 Powder Monkey, Spirit Mountain, Duluth, MN

9/26/2009 Revolution's Single - Track Escape, St Cloud, MN

Old news I know, but I'm using it as an excuse to get back to posting here.
The biggest news however is the addition of Hillside Park. I've done that race several times, albeit on a smaller scale, and it's fun. The course is tough; Almost all singletrack, hills, and some technical sections that you wouldn't expect at first glance. It will be interesting however, to see how the venue handles the numbers that MNSCS draws to a race. We all know that our numbers pale when compared to WORS, but 250+ at Hillside? Can you say hole-shot? It should be a great event though. The guy putting it on knows how to promote/run an event (and he's fast) so I'm looking forward to good things.

It also sounds like the minimum number of races will remain the same.

I'm also getting the ski bug. It might due to the fact that I left my gloves and hat at my in-laws and have had to use my ski gloves for everyday use. The thing about them that's weird is they need the ski poles to work. The gloves have a piece of strap that sticks out about 1/2" right between your thumb and pointer fingers. That nub then has a small hole in the end. The poles have no strap for your hand. Instead, there's a pin at the top of the pole and an access slot on the grip for the nub on the glove. You lift the pin, insert the nub and drop the pin into the hole on the nub. Viola! Tighten the integrated wrist strap on the glove and you're good to go skiing.

Since I've had to wear these for the last week, my mind has been on skiing. Well, that and the fact that I'm slide-skiing in the parking lot at work whenever I leave/go to the MINI.

So - if any of you out there want to go skiing, get in touch with me and let's make something happen.

Toys for Tots

2008-12-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

Use this form to fill in your info:
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Belated Happy Congratulations

2008-12-03T06:39:00.000-08:00

In which I make an attempt to get caught up on past events by adding the words belated and sorry for not posting anything in a long time. Not that you really care....

First up - happy belated Thanksgiving. I trust that you ate a ton and had fun with family. Maybe even went for a ride. I didn't.

Next up I meant to congratulate our fellow BCR member Dan for having a wildly successful MNSCS season long ago. He managed to score himself a 2nd place finish overall this year and podiumed almsot every race he entered!

1 Jeff Colbert North Branch MN 1256 40 1031 13:13:05.4
2 Dan Inderieden Bloomington MN 1211 44 930 12:09:22.1
3 Todd Nesvold Forest Lake MN 1295 42 908 12:37:03.8

What happened at the races he didn't podium at you ask? He was late. Due to construction or a last minute decision, he managed to comletely miss his start. But still passed people and finished kinda well.

Here's Dan at the MNSCS awards ceremony back in November collecting his medal, along with a "podium girl".

Well nevermind...I don't have those photos uploaded yet...so instead, enjoy a recap of Dan's season this year.

MNSCS#1

Cable OffRoad Classic

MNSCS#3

MNSCS#6

Party Face

MNSCS#10

"You can't catch me suckas!"

And then he hit the cross races

Congratulations Dan! It's been great having you on BCR over the years (plus, we have access to cheap cabins in WI) and I appreciate the help you've given me with the team and as a riding partner. I look forward to riding and skiing and UFC-watching and beer drinking in the future. Here's to always finding the best lines through the woods and not being late to any races next year.

A couple things

2008-11-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

In case you were wondering why traffic was so bad last night, or why the airport was delaying flights, I'll be happy to inform you that The Kirby has arrived in town.

That's right, THE Kirby is here. He's here for the holiday and is willing to do meet-n-greets or sign anything you might want. So be sure to grab your favorite chamois and ask for the signature of your favorite celebrity.

Also - a belated Happy Birthday to Tyson! I hope your day was well spent and you had a good time. Here are some pics of TyboTy from the years....

Tyson's been a great teammate and an even better friend. He's always up for a ride and never slows the pace when there's a hill. He and Jean are great fun to hang out with and Ty brings a great comic relief to BCR. I'm glad we met all those years ago at Afton. And I'm glad we were there all the years later when you broke your neck. Also at Afton...

Happy Birthday!

I heart Netflix

2008-11-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

You coming over to watch it with me?!

Head it off now!

2008-11-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

While the latest temps aren't totally taking a dive just yet, the days are way shorter and my time on the bikes has diminished significantly. Maybe if I had lights that would help....
Slowly I'm creeping up in weight and I can feel my fitness taking a nap. I'm currently at 190. While it isn't totally unreasonable, there are parts of me that are starting to show more than they used to, (I'm too tired to try to clean that statement up...) my belly. Pants are starting to get snug.

I'm vowing right now to make the effort early on to take care of it. That means:
No more cookie dough while watching tv
No more late night snacks
Try eating breakfast once in awhile
Continue hitting the gym
Focus on crunches
And start on the trainer soon

I figure if I can make an early effort now, it won't be such a difficult endeavor later when it really is cold outside.

In the coming months I'll be hosting trainer sessions in the garage once more, where we gather on a weekend morning, set up trainers and ride. There's plenty of smack talk as we pedal to nowhere and sometimes even DVDs to help pass the time. If things work well, there might even be a large screen and projector set up to help pass the time. Who's bringing popcorn?

An apology - sort of

2008-10-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Cyclist,

I'd like to apologize for my driving on Monday morning, around 7am. I'm the MINI Cooper that didn't see you as you were riding on the sidewalk. I was entering the Eagan Transit Station via the right turn lane. I can't imagine why I didn't see you with all your dark clothing on. I mean, 7am is almost light enough to be wearing blacks and browns near the end of October. Silly me. Surely I must have seen the flashing headlight, or any headlight you were using to light your route.

Oh - wait...you didn't have a light.

Please, the next time you decide to ride your bike at 7am in late October do everyone around you a favor: Wear bright colors, get a light (heck tape a flashlight to your bars), and ride on the road.

Sincerely,
The Grizz

Thanks for the ride!

2008-10-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

Carlos and Tyson made the 80 mile ride a lot of fun this past Sunday. We opted for an 8am start and already the weather was cooperating. The skies were clear and there was no need for leg or arm warmers. We all made some last minute adjustments to our steeds and got ready to go. Charlotte was out and about helping us set up and even wanted to race me. After a hub adjustment, final tire pressure check, we were ready to go.

We decided on using part of Dan's route near Prescott, WI but realized that he started and stopped there. So we made plans to ride to Prescott and then add on the needed mileage to hit our mark. We started down Rich Valley Road through Eagan and Inver Grove until we hit 145th st. There we turned left (into the wind) and meandered into Hastings. The route to Hastings was nice and flat and offered a shoulder. At Hastings we joined up with highway 61 to cross the river.

Once across the river we turned on highway 10 and aimed for Prescott. The wind was still around and the road offered some hills, but the scenery more than made up for it. The majority of the leaves are turning and very few trees are still green. The route was fairly quiet traffic-wise.

Prescott is a cool little town and I think it'd be fun to walk around and see what the little shops have to offer. Shortly after leaving Prescott we were greeted with a climb. It was pretty long and I felt it in my legs as I probably started a little harder than I should have earlier. The passing car clubs (Studebaker, Miatas, Mercedes) on their fall color drive distracted me enough as I headed for the peak.

There were a few big climbs, but otherwise the rest of the route was rolling and afforded some nice views, the river included. It wasn't long before we were close to hitting 40miles. Soon this was going to be Carlos' longest ride. Ever. There was a farm that was at about mile 38 so it was decided we'd continue on to 40, turn around and replenish water and ride the wind home.

The staff at HappEHill Farms were wonderfully polite. Several members made sure to strike up a conversation with us and wished us a speedy return. Thanks guys.

It was quite the speedy return as the wind had picked up, but was now at our backs. Plus, we got to descend the long-ass climbs. This was fun and I think the fastest recorded mph was 46. We got back to Prescott and stopped for a bit of lunch and ate outside along main street. Very cool place and good food. Getting back on was a bit stiff, but we soon worked out the bugs and were headed back into Hastings. Here the wind wasn't so nice, nor was it while we made our way to Rich Valley Road. But once we hit the home stretch, it was at our backs again and we were able to move along very nicely. Carlos was in all new ride territory now as every mile that ticked over just added to his longest ride ever and he was stoked.

Soon we about to make the last turn for home and I heard a yell from just behind me. It was Carlos hitting the 80mile marker on his odometer. Once back home we dismounted and were greeted by Tracy and Charlotte while Carlos broke out the celebratory brews.

It was a great ride. No flats, no crashes, no bonks and no traffic issues. We had lots of laughs and several sprints for city signs - with Tyson taking all but one. I had a blast. Carlos is already talking about next year's ride. Maybe a century?? We'll see....

Some stats from the ride:

Total Distance: 80.19 mi

Total Time: 4:42:39

Avg Pace: 3.31/mi

Avg Speed: 17.0mph

Max Speed: 48mph

Total Calories: 5310

Avg Heart Rate (Carlos): 150bpm

Max Heart Rate: 186bpm

Total ascent: 4493ft

Total descent: 4489ft

Thanks Ty for the pics and Carlos for the GPS readout and stats!

You're invited

2008-10-10T09:17:00.001-07:00

This Sunday, October 12th, I'll be heading south for an 80 mile ride with my neighbor. We're looking to check out the fall colors and complete his longest ride. Ever. To date, he's only gotten about 60 miles and he's looking to go out with a bang this year. We're expecting to average 15mph or so as long as the weather isn't raining. Plan to leave from my place in the morning and head to Northfield or something like that. The route is still being worked on, as is the start time. We're thinking 8 or 9am.

Let me know if you're interested.

Good stuff

2008-10-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

I came across this in my interweb surfing and had to share it. I immediately thought of Wiken.

http://www.ironicsans.com/2008/09/in_a_political_campaign_far_far_away.html

Listening to: Monster Magnet - 19 Witches
via FoxyTunes

My weekend

2008-10-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was awesome! Why you might ask? Did I do well in some race? Did I manage an epic ride? Au contrare - the weather was cool and sunny, but mostly it was awesome because it was my 6th wedding anniversary and birthday. In that order. All weekend.

So in other words, for the most part, it was all about me.

First thing Saturday morning we took Charlotte out to Country Sun Farms in Stillwater to hang out with some friends from the adoption community. The kids ran around feeding animals, getting their pictures taken and generally being cute. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day. We took a hayride and then did some pumpkin shopping.

Once home Tracy and I hung out while Charlotte napped. Then I started our anniversary dinner. The pictures looked amazing and the recipes sounded easy enough, so I began my work.

Spice-Rubbed Rib-Eye Kabobs with Salsa Verde
Asparagus with Sherry-Bacon Vinaigrette
Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Maple-Glazed Walnuts

Charlotte went to bed and our meal was ready. It smelled so good and was fairly easy to make.

After dinner and wine we watched our wedding DVD and laughed our assess off!

In the morning I awoke to Charlotte giving me a card and bag of candy corn. Then we headed for Alberville for some shopping. There I got some clothes and shoes and Charlotte was a real trooper for all the walking around we did.

Charlotte fell asleep eating lunch on the way home and I did some more work on the door of the MINI once we arrived home. We hung out with our neighbor Carlos for a bit - Charlotte has a crush on him I think (competition Scott??!). And then we met Scott and Sue at The Italian Pie shop for dinner.

It was a great weekend with family and friends with perfect weather. I'm very happy to be surrounded by such love and friendships.

Thank you all!

You can see more pictures and Tracy's recap of the weekend over here.

The Kirby

2008-09-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

I thought maybe some of you might find this somewhat interesting - one of our sponsors has been all over the TV of late. Mostly giving insight and opinions regarding the latest going ons of Wallstreet. Who could this sponsor be you might be asking? Those of you who have been on BCR for some time should know. Tracy's brother Kirby, aka The Kirby, has some great insight into the markets of late. Here's his latest appearance on CNN. You can also find him as a regular on CNBCW talking up the Asian markets Sunday evenings.

Now if we just get him to sport a BCR jersey under his suit.....

Bike Accidents Decline As Ridership Rises

2008-09-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

An article from Wired: Autopia
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/09/for-bikers-ther.html

More bicycles on the road means more chances for drivers yakking on cell phones or stuffing McFood in their mouths to hit one, right? Wrong.

According to a study by researchers at the University of New South Wales, the number of collisions decreases as the number of bicycles in traffic increases. It sounds like a paradox, they say, but motorists are more likely to drive carefully and respectfully when there are more cyclists on the road.

"It's a virtuous cycle," says Dr Julie Hatfield. "The likelihood that an individual cyclist will be struck by a motorist falls with increasing rate of bicycling in a community. And the safer cycling is perceived to be, the more people are prepared to cycle."

The researchers say studies in several countries have shown the incidence of motorists colliding with cyclists or pedestrians actually declines as more people ride or walk. The reason, they say, is simple -- the more cyclists motorists see, the more aware they are of cyclists in general and more safely they drive.

"It's a positive effect but some people are surprised that injury rates don't go up at the same rate of increases in cycling," he says. "It appears that motorists adjust their behavior in the presence of increasing numbers of people bicycling because they expect or experience more people cycling. Also, rising cycling rates mean motorists are more likely to be cyclists, and therefore be more conscious of, and sympathetic towards, cyclists."

The findings run counter to conventional thinking, which holds that more cyclists means more chances for collisions. While the numbers do increase in absolute terms, a city that doubles its cycling numbers can expect a one-third drop in the per-cyclist frequency of a crash.

When that news gets out, it could create a long-term cyclist friendly cycle: If people perceive biking to be safe, more of them will do it. More cyclists means better motorist behavior and greater likelihood of communities passing bike friendly laws, further proving H.G. Wells was right when he said cycle tracks will abound in Utopia.

Photo by Flickr user swankalot.

Makes sense to me. Are you getting your friends to ride more?
We're pretty fortunate in the fact that we live in a fairly bicycle friendly city. (Although there was that one year when 3 BCR members got hit by cars.)

As far as the above picture goes....helmets people!

Back on the bike

2008-09-10T12:19:00.001-07:00

Tuesday night I hit the road with my neighbor Carlos. The last time we tried to ride he had 2 flats in less than a mile and a 3rd once we got home. This ride happened to go a lot smoother! We were strapped for daylight, so we tried to get a good workout and ride around 35 miles. We decided to head to St. Paul via the river road and hit the path along the river after the University and then hit the river road on the opposite side.
The weather was perfect - cool and a slight breeze. Our legs were feeling good and we tried to keep the pace high. There wer LOTS of bikers out. I always get a kick out of seeing others riding. I should start keeping track of how many people wave back to me though. It didn't seem like very many last night. Haters.

At one point near the end Carlos mentioned that he was dead, so I tried to ease up a bit when I was up front. Each time that I did that he came around me. I guess he wasn't as dead as he thought. He also managed to catch me off guard on 2 city signs! I'll get my revenge...

Here's our route:
09/10/2008 Route
Find more Bike Rides in St Paul, United States

Border Battle Recap

2008-08-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

This past weekend's race was the first Border Battle between the hugely succesful WORS and the seemingly tiny MNSCS series.
The course was new - Whitetail Ridge in Riverfalls, WI.
I wasn't expecting much as I had been on vacation in Door County all week and was no where near racing form. The previous week was spent relaxing near the water, kayaking, wine tasting, drinking beers in the afternoon, bonfires, beers in the evening and eating constantly.

Still, I needed the points to be counted in the overall, so I registered.

The course was awesome. Mostly singletrack and not that much climbing. It flowed very well and was a nice mix of bumps, elevation changes and some technical spots. There were fields for passing and even giant "PASSING LANE AHEAD" signs. It felt like I was heading up to Lutsen.

The weather was perfect - mid 70s and sunny. We did 4 laps and I didn't try to do much due to my vacation condition. Still, I managed to hang with some groups, pass people (in the fields even!) and finish. It wasn't great and I wasn't expecting anything much more, but I did a little better than I thought I would. I managed to not cut anyone off - although I did leave the course due to an accident directly in front of me and I heard someone behind say that I cut the course. Right.

Overall the race was awesome. People were mostly friendly on and off the course. One thing that stuck with me as I called out a pass was the comment of "BURN IT! BURN IT!"

Right before the start there was someone's tent that went flying due to the wind. Now, normally you'd think that's kinda normal, but this thing was WAY up in the air, maybe 50ft up and it flew across the field the event was in, probably 250ft before crashing down. From where we were it appeared noone got hit as it wasn't your small sleeping tent. It was of the EZ UP style. Yikes.

If you get a chance, point your bike towards River Falls and hit this trail - it's a blast!

I'll be skipping Laddie's Loppet this year (sad) so my last race will be in St. Cloud. I'll have to see if I can work off the extra 5 or 6 pounds I accrued from vacation to do well at the Jail Trail.

How's your week going?!

2008-08-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

Here's mine so far:

We're almost off

2008-08-16T05:31:00.000-07:00

We'll be spending the next week on vacation in Door County, WI. We're staying with some friends we met while in China. Their daughter Lily and Charlotte will have all sorts of time to play and hang out. One whole week of doing nuthin! I'm excited. Of course, when we get back there's the Border Battle to attend to....

Updates will be sparce while I'm gone. Have a good week everyone!

Olympic mountain bike coverage

2008-08-13T11:27:00.001-07:00

It doesn't appear to be on TV, but if you don't mind watching from the computer or you have your monitor hooked up to your TV, then this link is for you.
The date is Saturday the 23rd at frickin' 2:00am. I do believe the online coverage will be playable after the original air time.
I've watched several events online and I have to say, I'm impressed. I have had no drops and hiccups. Some sports have announcers, some don't.
Enjoy!!

I'm going MO-BILE

2008-08-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

Metric Auto Parts Birchwood Bump at Buck Hill Recap

2008-08-12T07:55:00.001-07:00

The day was perfect. Mid seventies, clear skies, light breeze. Sadly, I wasn't feeling in the mood to race. All weekend it was like I forgot that I had to race come Sunday. Even as I was packing the MINI, there just wasn't any excitement or nervousness. We arrived and I got registered, thinking that would help me out. Nope.
During a warmup with Dan my legs were feeling tired just cruising on the road so I didn't think much was going to happen for me. And it didn't.
I managed my lowest finish of the series this year. 14th age, 36th overall.
The course was pretty fun. I didn't think so during the race and after, but as I look back on it now, I did enjoy it. There wasn't a ton of climbing and the rest was twisty singletrack. With some sandboxes thrown in. There were several passes across the ski hill and there were some good sized boxes of sand for us to contend. Fortunately my high psi Taurine managed to cut through the sand and I often made up time or passed people floundering in the sand. I think it helped that once I said "BRAAP BRAAP!"
While it wasn't my best race to date, I did learn from it and had fun. Dan managed his first non-podium race of the year - SHAME!
We had lots of cheerleaders: Neil, Dave, Tracy, Charlotte, Scott and Sue and my in-laws were able to make it out and hand out water, clap and yell for us - thanks you guys!
The next race is the border battle on the 24th and I'm sure I won't do well there as we'll be in Door County, WI the entire week prior to the race. And I probably won't have Dan to chase down as it sounds like he'll be at his cabin that weekend.
I'll post some pictures soon....

Powder Monkey recap

2008-08-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

I love the course that the COGGS crew have created in Duluth. It's tough. It's tiring. And it's beautiful. The terrain varies from rocks to roots to large patches of slick-rock. Then you're tossed out onto the ski hill for a split second before heading back into the woods where you'll encounter boulders, downed trees, log bridges, some wicked descents and some tight twisty trails.

My weekend started with our arrival in Duluth on Saturday. Due to weddings, there was no pre-riding on the race course, so I headed up to Piedmont where some new trail had been added. I was especially excited to ride the new trail as it covered some terrain that I grew up riding on my Bridgestone MB-1 way back in '91/'92. The Piedmont trail system was just like I imagined - the race course with grand vistas. The trail has several angles of attacks and offers terrain for every skill level. Parts of the course wander out of the woods and make you stop and pause so as to take in the wonderful views. At least twice I stopped and looked around for about 5 minutes as I overlooked the Bay and Lake Superior, or the neighborhoods just below my feet, or Enger Tower just to my left. It was spectacular.
In total I think the trails amount to about 11 miles of riding. I rode almost all of what was available was very impressed. The maps are good at guiding you around and the names of the trails are pretty cool too - Scarface, for example.

Sunday rolls around and we head to the race. David was racing the Sport race so we made sure to see him off. The weather was clear, warm and sunny. The course seemed to be similar to previous races, but with a small amount of single-track added. David was rockin' the single-speed and helmet cam (very cool!) and seemed to be having a good time.

After his race Dan showed up and we readied ourselves for the race. We rode the first climb and some early single-track, then hit the road and sprinted a bit. When we arrived at the start, it was already packed (not cool). We hit the group about midpack and waited for the start.

We were off and running. I managed to make some passes right out of the gates and across the hill. Instead of going all the way across the hill again and then up, we went across half-way and then went straight up the rest of the way. As usual there was a bottle-neck at the single-track entrance. So much in fact that I think people had a foot down while they waited.

I made a choice and got "out of line" and filled a gap entering the single-track. I got lots of negative responses for this but kept going regardless. Again the Cannondale is such a fabulous ride in the technical stuff. It's so light and responsive that I can make just the smallest of weight shifts or slightest amount of input and change direction or correct for a poor line choice. Amazing.

We rocked the single-track and my brake was howling as usual. I passed a couple riders as they put a foot down or crashed. I managed to close a couple gaps when needed and felt rock solid in the woods. Probably the most challenging part of the course is a part where we drop in to a dried up creek bed which is rocky and has a steep entrance. I managed to navigate that with great ease this year, thanks to Avid's Juicy brakes - wow. Such response and control. Fabulous.
We made our way to the bottom via some new trail and a couple reroutes. On our way back up we hit a trail that was full of rocks, roots and steep climbing. On the way up I managed to stay on the bike while others were walking. Normally this is cool. Unless one of those guys walking decides to heckle you and not give way. After a couple minutes of conversation regarding me "...being an asshole.." lap 1 is complete.

The 2nd lap is an abbreviated version of the first. Initially I was bummed to hear this, but now at the start of lap 2, I was happy. I could feel myself getting tired as I hit the single-track at the top of the hill. I set my sights on a rider in front of me and tried to catch up. I yo-yo'd a bit and eventually rode with him for a bit. Then we hit the part where we bypass the lower portion of the lap. We're almost done and ride a dirt road for about .5 or so before hitting the woods again near the finish. The road portion killed me. The last section before the finish hurt and I managed to cross the line in 8th in age, 20th overall.

I was pretty happy with the race. The weather was great, I saw Charlotte cheering for me and managed to not crash on some of the most technical trails in the series. It was kinda hot for our race, but most of all it was fun. COGGS and crew always do a great job of adding trail and they have some really cool t-shirts. I only wish I would have gotten one.

Afterwards, it turns out that Dan bested his streak of 3rd place finishes and grabbed 2nd in his age group!! Nice work Dan.

Quick ride last night

2008-07-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

Tracy had an appointment until later in the evening, so I didn't get out to ride right away. Instead, Charlotte and I ate dinner at Ikea (meatballs, lasagna, garlic toast, masshed potatoes, and veggies - yum!) and then we played with all the toys, jumped on beds, opened and closed drawers many times and ran through the warehouse potion. It was good clean fun - and we didn't care who was watching!

Once home, I gave Ty a call to see where he and Dan were riding. Turns out they were kinda close to my place, so I donned the BCR kit (Scott, why do I still have yours?!) and they pulled up.

We did a couple repeats of Lone Oak Rd, before wandering around in Eagan. Then we made our way to Fort Snelling and Dan and I said goodby to Ty. Dan and I then dropped down along the river and popped up at the airport. I took 494 home and Dan headed off to keep riding until 11pm I'm sure.

I didn't get out for much, but it felt good. The pace was high at times and the two Lone Oak trips were pretty hard core.

I'm hoping to get ready for the Powder Monkey this weekend. However, I don't think I'll be able to ride until Saturday, when I'm in Duluth. I'll be checking out some new trails in Piedmont.

My goal at the PM is to be near the front when we enter the singletrack. The first climb is a killer though and I'm cautious to hang at the front for fear of blowing up midrace. However, to get into the singletrack early would be a huge time saver....but then again, making good time up climbs is also a time saver....so who knows....

All this talk about racing - now I have to poop.

You can register for the race HERE.

Old PM pics.

Change is Good

2008-07-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

If you were to ask me to describe previous races at Red Wing with single words, here's what you'd get:

HOT
HUMID
SUNNY
HOT
FAST
AMBULANCE
HUMID

Typically it feels as if it's 95 degrees and 95% humidity at this race. There seems to always be an ambulance run and there's very little shade if you're spectating. And it's hot. It's always been a challenge for me. This year however, the day brought a kinder, gentler temperature range and made it very tolerable.

This day I dragged Lalla along since he was skipping the stage race in St. Cloud, so I figured I'd have someone to ride with for a bit (Lalla, remember the St. Cloud race a couple years back?!) - even as he was sporting his new road shoes and pedals on the Specialized.

Red Wing got a bit of rain prior to race day and the trail was tacky for the morning racers. However, as my start time got closer the trail seemed to dry up nicely and looked to be offering up some ideal trail conditions.

I told myself that I was going to make a point to be at the line early so I could get a spot closer to the front. If you know me, you know that I typically start near the back, so this was kind of new territory for me. I've tried it a couple times before and quickly blew up to fade through the field like a stone in water.

But this is a new me. This is a new bike. And change is good.

Right?

Lalla and I were next to each other as the Experts charged from the line. Immediately there was a crash and a small group of guys went down. Hard. Trace got some good pictures:

Can you spot who's about to go down??

And he's back up!

After I saw the hurt rider get up and continue I applauded and tried to shake off any flashbacks to my crash at the start of the Spring Cup.

The announcer tells us that we'll be doing 3 laps and that there are a coule re-routes to watch for.

15 seconds

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (he literally said it for that long)

I had a great start and made some passes right away to be in the top 12 as we made our way around the field towards the entrance of the singletrack. Once we got to the entrance, I cut inside and made my way around a couple more people as we hit the trail. My rear brake was already going mad (earlier a mechanic from The Route sprayed some cleaner on it and it was queit!).

Once in the single-track the pace was good. We were moving along nicely and I was staying on the wheel of the person in front of me. In several cases I had to slow down and I think my brake was annoying the guy in front of me. Things seemed to be moving nicely. So far starting closer to the front didn't feel so bad.

If you haven't raced at Red Wing, I'll tell you that there's a nice mix of double-track and single-track. in fact, there's quite a bit of the double-track, so if you get stuck behind someone in the woods, you can hold out for the next wider section to step around him. Well, that's where I need some work, because every time I hit the double-track I felt like I just had two flats. I didn't always lose a spot, but a couple times I did. I don't know if it's cuz it's straight and non-technical or what, but I just seem to go slower in double-track. I can't explain it.

After the first lap I was still feeling good and the trail was treating me great. I was able to gap the person behind me and make up time in the single-track. One change I enjoyed was the new entrance to the quarry. It starts the same, but then turns back up the hill before you go under the bridge for more single-track, before dropping you back into the original trail into the quarry. Lots of people and cameras on hand to witness the falls and close calls. Being so low and tree covered, lots of the rocks were slick and I heard lots of people go down. The climb out of the quarry was the same as last year and caused me to walk it the first time.

I tried to keep drinking water and took a couple shots of my CarbBOOM flask in the hopes to keep my position.

As the race went on I was still making some passes and occassionally got passed. But I felt much better than my last attempt at starting up near the front. On the last lap I bobbled the last climb (the long loose-rock Stairway to Heaven) and had to walk. That lost me two spots. As I started to close in on the finish I could hear a rider approaching and tried to floor it so as to avoid a sprint. No good. I saw his wheel on my right side and heard him shift. I shifted once and stood up and we were haulin'. Just as I start to pull ahead I think to myself, "the finish line should be..." and then his wheel is gone, and I'm locking up as I'm overshooting the line and have to turn around to go finish behind him. LOL.

All in all I had a great time. I felt pretty good most of the race and am still amazed at how the Taurine handles single-track. Dropping into the quarry and bouncing off the rocks was a blast - must have been my high tire pressure :D I finished with my best result of the season so far and am both nervous and looking forward to the Powder Monkey next weekend. I love that course and would like to do really well, but that first climb is scaring the crap out of me....but that's another post I guess.

Thanks Trace and Lalla for the water and pictures. Charlotte was cheering for me even!
Thanks to everyone who made the race happen. It was a great day and the course was wonderful.

Even if it needed to be a couple changes working together, I'm learning that change IS good.

Let's fight!

2008-07-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

create a free poll on pollsb.com

You can click the picture for a gargantuan size if you need to.

Get your registration on!

2008-07-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Click here to register for the Memorial Race this weekend.

Time is running out to get preregistered.

I'll be there along with Lalla who's coming for moral support and beer hand-ups.

View Larger Map

Wednesday night ride

2008-07-17T11:38:00.001-07:00

I had planned on hooking up with the ride out of Penn Cycle by my place, but I got a call from Ty and we hooked up at Minnehaha Falls.

My trip TO the falls was fantastic. I was riding some big gears due to the tailwind and the passing cars along 13 weren't going by me nearly as fast as usual. It felt good. Once I started crossing the Mendota bridge, reality hit and my legs didn't feel quite as strong as I had hoped.

Ty showed up at the Depot and we got on our way. We dropped down by Fort Snelling and popped up on Post Rd. Took that to the airport and crossed 494. The wind was a pain at times, but it felt good to be working hard.

I grabbed the first city sign as we entered Eagan on 494; 1-0

Once at the top we headed left and made our way towards St. Paul on hwy 13. This stretch was nice as it was with the wind. Tyson continues to amaze on the bike. Even after a hard climb, he has power to keep it going afterwards. I'll call it his "Over the Top" style.

On the decent into Mendota, Ty grabbed the next city sign. 1-1. Nicely done. My weight on the downhill wasn't enough to catch him. I kept the pace high through town with my sights set on the next city sign - which happens to be two. I could see Ty's shadow catching me as we neared the end of town. I thought for sure he'd come around me, but then he faded and I took the two signs. 3-1

Next we climbed up to the park. By now my legs were feeling tired - exactly what I need to work on, so I tried to keep the pace up. I managed to grab the St. Paul sign as we entered the park: 4-1

After the park, we turned and headed towards Lalla's old place, which was also part of the GP ride. We turned right and headed for Eagan. Along the way Ty snuck in an attack for the Eagan sign: 4-2 Well played.

At Lone Oak and Pilot Knob we split and headed for home. It was a great ride with some good efforts up the climbs and a couple short sprints. Needless to say I slept great last night.

Thanks for the ride Ty!

Instead of riding....

2008-07-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

....get in the mood for the new season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia:

Google Maps and the TdF

2008-07-07T07:28:00.001-07:00

View Larger Map

MNSCS#4 video

2008-07-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

Something I threw together from the latest race.

MNSCS#4 - Bluff Rider's Charge from Adam Emanoff on Vimeo.

It was a good effort Jeff!

2008-07-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

This morning I read on VeloNews that they had selected the Olympic Teams. Unfortunately our local Pro Racer, Jeff Hall, didn't make it. Below are some highlights of the article:

USA Cycling named 21 of its 24 nominees to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team on Tuesday, including all 16 men’s athletes across the disciplines of road cycling, track cycling, mountain biking BMX.

The governing body also named five automatic women’s nominees across the four Olympic disciplines of cycling.

Of the 21 named on Tuesday, 12 earned automatic nominations under USA Cycling’s Olympic selection procedures, while nine other riders were nominated to the Olympic Team by a nine-person selection committee according to USA Cycling’s Principles of Discretion.

For the discipline of mountain biking, Todd Wells earned the only men’s automatic nomination, while Adam Craig was selected as a discretionary nomination to the two-man squad.

Wells automatically qualified by earning the highest cumulative placing in his best three 2008 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events. Wells finished sixth at the World Cup in Vallnord, Andorra on May 31 to complement an 11th-place effort in the season opener in Houffalize, Belgium on April 20. He then finished 13th at the most recent contest in Fort William, Scotland on June 7. Wells’ sixth place finish in Andorra was the best result by a men’s American mountain bike athlete in World Cup competition this year.

As the discretionary selection, Craig was the only other American to record a top-ten finish in a World Cup race this season, placing eighth at the second round in Offenburg, Germany. Additionally, Craig was the only other U.S. rider to place in the top 20 of four World Cups this year, adding a 15th-place finish in Houffalize, and a pair of 16th-place efforts in Andorra and Fort William.

I'll admit that I didn't always keep the closest tabs on Jeff to see how he was managing at the races abroad, but I was holding out hope that someone I knew, someone I've met, someone who's lapped me in a race would be representing us in what is often referred to as the pinnalce of our sport. I helped where I could; I bought a bracelet - in fact it's still on my wrist as I type this. BCR organized a TT in his benefit and managed to donate some cash to help with any expenses in his journey to Beijing.

It's too bad Jeff, I was pulling for you! I'm not sure what's in store for any future attempts for the Olympic Team, but I'm sure Jeff will keep busy with his family and cycling endeavors. Thanks to Jeff we had a great kids series in the MNSCS last year which helped grow the sport where it matters most.

It won't be the same following the Olmpics without Jeff, but I'm happy to have been a part of his attempt to make it to China.

A cool one indeed

2008-07-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

This year at the Bluff Rider's Charge there were several firsts:This was the first race that Charlotte rode her Strider bike at.It was the first time the MINI hauled the cargo box with the Burley inside.It was the first time I raced the Taurine on these trails.And it was the first time that it wasn't 95+ degrees out.There was as stiff breeze however, but I'll take that over the heat anyday.We arrived early so we could see Brad and Matt race. It was fun hanging with both of them before and after their races. As I was venturing out for photos and video I could feel the trail was a bit damp. It wasn't damp enough to be thrown around by the tires, but I could see some sections of the luge were a bit slick. After talking to Brad and then Matt, it seemed the course was drying up nicely. I'm guessing the clear skies and 20mph winds did the trick.I got myself ready to go and found Dan - who arrived ON TIME - and we started riding around to warm up. We got back to the start finish line and everyone was ready to go - whoops. We took our spots in the back of the pack and waited for the start.Luckily there was no prologue this year! Thank you course organizers. I don't like it for the reason that it adds a lot of climbing, but it also doesn't seem to do much in the way of thinning the field. The corners on the way down are always tricky with everyone and seems more dangerous than doing good. But anyway - there was none of that and we all took off for the first climb. The gravel singletrack climb was mowed to accomodate two or three riders wide, but it was littered with random holes. Fortunately there were cones in the holes so they were easily avoided. As we made our way up the climb, positions were jockeyed for and at times we were going up three wide. The Taurine and the legs felt good and we made some good passes. I could see Dan about 10 riders ahead of me. By the time we started the first singletrack portion there were about 6 riders between us. I tried to maintain the gap and keep myself fresh for the upcoming 4 laps. Once at the top of the hill, we turned into the wind on a slight climb and it was more work than I thought it would be. Luckily there were riders in front of me to help block some of the wind. I'm really enjoying how well the Taurine rides. Accelerations are instant and it really does handle like a dream. I was able to make passes where I usually would have waited for a better spot. Through three laps I managed to slowly get closer to Dan and I was feeling pretty good. During the race I had been drinking HydroBOOM and taking shots of CarbBOOM from my flask. I think I managed to drink about a half a bottle a lap (It's probably not enough, but if you know me, you know that's a lot for me.). One of my favorite parts of the trail came as we dropped down to The Maze. Several switchbacks in the woods, a jump onto the ski run and then back into the woods for some high-speed sweeping turns. On every lap I managed to close gaps in the switchbacks and by the time we were getting ready for The Maze I could make some passes. Several riders were kind enough to move over for me, with one dude looking back like I was about to run him over. I'm thinking it was the squeal of my rotor that gave him the hint. We were on a highspeed section and I had to slow down to not hit him. Several times. Finally, we moved over and let me by. I've always loved The Maze. It's literally a bunch of sweepers tied together. There's no straight section until you exit. You're totally leaning in the corners and testing the fine line between braking and breaking loose. I hauled ass in there and felt really good. It was a nice break before heading back up the hill. That wasn't really my favorite part, but I think I did okay. Once at the top, we dropped in to The Quick Release. This part is new the last couple of years. But the trail has been there for a long time. I remember hitting portions of it way back when I was racing the MB-1. The entrance was the same, but at one point the new stuff takes a right turn and we hit more roots and then drop down. Each time I hit The Quick Release I was in a group and wished I wasn't because the Taurine was soaking up all the roots and we were flying through there with no problems.Here's a shot of me in the early laps doing The Quick Release:Tracy was fantastic at doing water hand ups for me. She was ready every time and we haven't once missed or dropped a bottle. Things went smooth for the start of my 4th lap as I started climbing. I could still see Dan, but he was starting to get away from me. I could see he was on a dudes wheel and wondered if he had enough to make a pass or if I would be able to catch them and we could ride the last lap together.Soon enough I found the answer as I could feel my legs get tired. Just starting to run out of gas (maybe I should have had 2 hot dogs for lunch...). I tried to keep the pace high and make up time where I thought it mattered. A couple times I told myself "Let's go! You're racing here!"By now I was finding fewer racers to catch and spent lots of trail time by myself. I managed all the tricky parts just fine - the nasty, dropping hairpin, Mad Squirrel, fast switch backs, etc. It was the last time to hit The Quick Release and then it was easy to the finish line. I entered my usual line and bounced around off the roots (thanks to my high psi) and turned the corners nicely to get lined up for the last portion. Since there was no one in front of me I came in pretty hot. 3 times prior I had aimed for a large tree on my left to go over the roots and turn right down the drop. This had worked well for me as I was going over the larger diameter roots and had less steering correction on the way down. This time however, on the last lap, I messed up and had too much speed as I headed for the tree. I manged to scrub off the speed and start the turn to drop, but I must have overcorrected and the bike was headed to the right, but my body didn't quite follow and I went tumbling. I went down pretty hard and remember being upside down.Head, meet ground. Ground, meet head.The Taurine came and landed on top of me, almost as if it was trying to catch up with me and say "Here I am, let's go!" My bottle landed right in front of me and I grabbed it and put it back in it's place.After I got up, I looked around and yelled "whoooo eee!". There was one dude standing off to the side not moving or saying anything. Almost as if he had just seen a ghost. Weird. The Taurine seems to ride just fine, so I hauled her in to the finish line with dirt all over my left side. Just after The Quick Release I saw Dana the photographer and told her she just missed my crash - bummer. So that was my race. I placed 9th age group and 26th overall.I saw that Dan snagged another podium!! Nicely done - that's 3 out of 4 so far. And one race he was 15 minutes late to. Keep it up.Did you race? Do you have any stories?

On my way to Mankato

2008-06-29T05:15:00.001-07:00

It's a little after 7am and we're packing up to head to Mankato for the 4th race of the MNSCS. We're heading out early to cheer Brad on in the Citizen race and to grab some video and photos. So far the weather looks good - meaning NOT HOT.
Check back for race recaps and maybe some posts from the event if I can get my phone to work right.

Time Waster

2008-06-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Make Babies with friends and celebs!

Make Babies with friends and celebs!

Make Babies with friends and celebs!

Make Babies with friends and celebs!

Make Babies with friends and celebs!

Make Babies with friends and celebs!

Make Babies with friends and celebs!

Make Babies with friends and celebs!

Make Babies with friends and celebs!

Making Strides!

2008-06-26T06:31:00.001-07:00

Here's Charlotte spending some quality time on her Strider bike she got as a present this spring! She was lovin' it and spent about 30 minutes walking around, trying to get used to it. Up until now she was almost always scared of her bike. I would ask her if she wanted to ride it and she would get close, then say "no" and start backing up, shaking her head. Just recently I started bringing it to the mailbox with us and the 2nd day I asked her if she could help me push it up the hill. She came right over, handed me the mail and threw her leg over the seat!

Making Strides from Adam Emanoff on Vimeo.

Who's Bluffing?

2008-06-25T13:48:00.001-07:00

This weekend is the Bluff Rider's Charge in Mankato. It'll be my first race since The Spring Cup. I'm both nervous and excited. I got a new stem for the Taurine and it seems to be working well. It's flatter and longer than what come standard. I don't mind the course at Mt. Kato, but it tends to be hot and I don't do well when it's hot. Hopefully this year will be a bit cooler.
If you're planning on racing this weekend, don't forget to register onine the next couple of days and save yourself some cash. I'll be arriving early to catch the Citizen race for pics and some video, so if you see me, stop by and say "Hey".

See ya on "The Luge"!

Here are some pics from past races at Mt. Kato:

9% times 7

2008-06-23T08:47:00.001-07:00

It seems I've been able to keep my weight down around the mid 180s lately: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pbCAE3kz0ahsC2mzz64J4fQ&hl=en

This weekend I had to miss the next MNSCS race in Duluth and decided I should work on my conditioning a bit. The Ramsey Hill Challenge proved that I could handle the climbing aspect. My goal on Sunday was to do something similar to the RCH, but with an emphasis on recovery. So after Charlotte went down for a nap I jumped on the Bianchi and headed down hwy 13 to Lone Oak Rd. From 13, Lone Oak pitches it's pavement at you with a 9% grade on it's way to Pilot Knob. I figured this would be sufficient for me to tackle multiple times. I scouted out the climb initially and found a relief after the initial climb and then a slight rise again before hitting Pilot Knob. Just before Pilot Knob there was a school with a parking lot, so I decided that would be my turnaround spot.

I tried a couple different workouts on the way up; seated, standing and spinning.

I was surprised at how much slower I felt when I tried to spin it out as opposed to standing. However, my heartrate and breathing were much higher when I was standing. I didn't feel as worked like when I was standig at the RHC. Of course it's not as steep as Ramsey....
Whatever strategy I was using on the way up I maintained it to the parking lot and began my recovery ASAP. After the first two or so, I found myself recovering very quickly with both lungs and legs.
Some clouds rolled in and dropped some rain on me after the 5th climb, so I bailed and headed for home after number 7.
All in all it felt like a good workout. I'm hoping it'll benefit me for the Mankato race as I don't really enjoy the first climb there (although I dislike Afton way more than Mankato).

Kudos to Dan for racing at the Dirt Spanker despite being late! I hear he was 15 minutes late or so and jumped in anyway and still managed to make some passes. Very nice!

Wednesday Night Race Pace

2008-06-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago I decided to make myself available for team rides Monday and Wednesday. Monday is going to be easy, relaxed and possible recovery rides. Wednesday is going to be more hardcore - race pace.

Yesterday I had planned to ride from my house, but things got botched as I had to mow my in-law's yard. I didn't get started as soon as I had hoped, so Dan agreed to meet me as I finished mowing and we would leave from Bloomington. It was about 6:45 as we finally got rolling out of the driveway. I had anticipated about 25-30 miles of intense riding - this is Dan after all.

We started out going pretty good and talking. The pace felt good so I pushed up a couple of the climbs. We're only going about 30 miles, I'll be fine. As we kept going I realized that each turn got us farther and farther from home and didn't seem to be heading home anytime soon. I started to back off a bit so I could make it home.

As we rolled across 212 I opted to hit Pioneer Trail and take directly home. We did and I got my first taste of Highland Park. We rolled back up the drive way about 9pm and guessed about 40 miles. The whole time the pace was pretty high and Dan did a great job of towing me along when needed.

I jumped on the scale afterwards and....get this...a record low for me this year....182.1!! Dan saw it.

This is great news and I can't wait to get on the Taurine and tear up some single track!

Bloomington-Savage-PriorLake-Shakopee-HighlandPark
Find more Bike Rides in Bloomington, Minnesota

**UPDATE**
We were both wearing the new BCR kits and we looked pretty PRO.
FYI - the XL kits are faster. Downhill.

The kits have arrived!

2008-06-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

If you're a member of BCR and haven't seen the post on the forums yet, then this is news to you.

Our kits have arrived!!

Get in touch with me to pick yours up.

Woohoo!

Weights so far

2008-06-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

Last night I was talking to my friend in San Diego who has lost a ton of weight so far - more than two of my Taurine's worth - and I thought I'd look back and see what my numbers looked like. I jotted the dates and numbers down and made some cool graphs to represent my "training" so far. It hasn't been anything too large, but it's a step in the right direction, and the graphs are cool!
You can check them out here.

I haven't been to the gym for awhile, but I have been jumping around with Charlotte on my shoulders - that's an extra 25lbs or so. That helps....right???

Happy Friday the 13th!

2008-06-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

Friday the 13th is considered a day of bad luck in English-, French- and Portuguese-speaking countries around the world, as well as in Austria, Germany, Estonia, Finland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Bulgaria, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, and the Philippines.

Are you scared?

The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia,[1], a word derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή) (meaning Friday), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς) (meaning thirteen), attached to phobía (φοβία) (meaning fear). The term is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a simple phobia (fear) of the number thirteen appearing in any case.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th

I don't have much to report today. The last couple of weeks have been spent away from the bike and the gym. I've doing some work on a friend's bike lately. I gave him some parts off the Grizzly that weren't being used. The new (used) parts helped solve some problems he was having with his ride.

Wednesday night I caught part of the men's crit in St. Paul and happened to see the ref's motorcycle come sliding through the corner, sparks flying, and take out one racer from behind. Shortly after the race was called, with Stage 1 actually being the next day's race. The purse was donated to the Children's Hospital. Nicely done.

Tonight I'm heading in to MPLS to catch the crit. This time the weather looks much better, so the racing action should be fast.

As far as my racing schedule goes, I'll be missing the Dirt Spanker race on the 22nd, but I'll be back in action on the 29 for the Mankato Race. That gives me plenty of time to ride....

I got a new flatter, longer stem for the Taurine! I haven't tried it on the trail just yet. Maybe this weekend?

If you're reading this and what to ride Saturday morning at 10am, give me a call.

I'll post up some pics from the NVGP race shortly.

Blackdog TT

2008-06-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

Men Stock Results (16 racers)
Place Rider Club Time
1 Gregory LaVick Synergy 16:06.0
2 Ray Coyle GrandStay 16:10.0
3 Adam Emanoff BentCrank 17:05.0
4 Mike Stensrud Loon State 17:10.0
5 Scott Cave Silver Cycling 17:10.0
6 Seth Iverson U/A 17:21.0
7 Morison Hall U/A 17:31.0
8 Sascha Boecker U/A 17:49.0
9 Matt Wilson GearWest 17:52.0
10 Dan Inderieden BentCrank 17:56.0
11 David Smith Silver Cycling 18:02.0
12 Raul Sanchez U/A 18:08.0
13 David Olson U/A 18:23.0
14 Paul Krafthefer Kenwood 19:20.0
15 Carlos Seoane U/A 19:43.0
16 Aaron Pidde Silver Cycling 20:11.0

I had no idea that I'd be this competitive when I rolled off the start line. I guess the "training" is kinda working!

Or maybe it was the sock I had on my left foot....(check out slide #84)

You can see my neighbor in slide #83. This was his first race. Ever. And he performed very well. He beat his goals and managed to repass a guy just before the line.

Dan is pictured at #94 with his usual workin' hard expression.

After this result, I'm kinda bummed that I'll be missing the Afton Race this weekend. I'll be in Duluth for a wedding. However, it seems as though I'm leaving the Comp class in good hands as Dan, Wiken and Lalla seem poised to sport the orange.

Good luck guys!

I forgot to add that this past Sunday was the BCR Ramsey Hill Challenge. The goal: Ride up Ramsey Hill as many times as you could in an hour. Dan did his ride on Saturday while Ty and I rode Sunday.
Ramsey Hill Challenge
Find more Bike Rides in St Paul, Minnesota
We were all fairly close with the number of times up. Ty clocked 13, while Dan and I managed 14. It turned out to be easier than I thought it was going to be. The rather lengthy decent afforded a nice time to recover.

Keep your eyes open for the 2nd installment later in the year. Will we be able to better ourselves?

Challenge this...

2008-05-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

I came up with my very own challenge to try to be cool like my friend Eddy in San Diego:

If I don't ride 20 miles this weekend, I'll be buying him THIS.

Feeling good!

2008-05-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been pretty good for me. I've been getting out on the bikes a couple times a week. It's been a nice mix of road and mountain. I hit Leb pretty hard twice over the Memorial Weekend (and crashed once). Road rides have been medium paced and my meals are getting better.
There was a block of time when I wasn't at the gym, but that's changed and I've been making trips fairly regularly to work more on my lower back and some leg strength. It seems to be paying off. I haven't had a sore lower back all season and I think I'm even somewhat flexible, ha!

The best news of all however, is that I stepped on the scale back on Wednesday night (before dinner) and rang the bell at 186.5!!

That's my lowest this season and has to be a personal best for at least the last 3 years. Nice!

Here's to me maintaining and not climbing back up....

Cable Off Road Classic Recap

2008-05-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Ever since Scott and Dan first showed me this race back in 2005, I've loved it. There's something about the idea of a point to point race that intrigues me more than running laps. Or maybe it's the terrain that we cross: loads of singletrack, double-track, fire roads, creek crossing, varied terrain, this course has it all. I really love the singletrack here. The trail can be rough with small rocks or roots and has some nice elevation changes to keep you honest. Passing is pretty manageable and the scenery along the way is great. Plus, Dan has been kind enough to let us stay at his family's cabins about 40 minutes away for the weekend.

I've been itching for this race since this winter. Ever since I made the half-assed commitment to try to train, I've been excited about this 23 mile race. I talked some others into coming along and we were set to meet at my place after work on Friday. We were a go with the cabins and two new guys, Neil and Jeremy were coming along. This would be Jeremy's frist race and a new race course for Neil as he's raced before. We headed out of town to dark blue clouds and some rain.

The drive there was mixed with rain showers and we avoided construction and managed to get to the cabins in a comfortable 3.5 hours or so. Charlotte had a really short nap during the day and we kept her awake until we left so she could sleep the whole way. Which she did.

We hit our assigned cabins and called it a night. In the morning we had pancakes with jelly as we forgot to bring syrup. No matter! Strawberry jelly was very delish.
The weather was looking to be awesome. Very little rain overnight and it was kinda warm out. We arrived at the race and got checked in. The staff at this race have always been warm and friendly. This year was no exception. There wasn't much time for warmup, so we tried to position ourselves in the start chute.

The place was already packed so we resigned to hanging out at the rear. The first mile and a half is going to be dirt road anyway. We managed to move up a tiny bit, but nothing significant. Maybe preferred start next year??

The announcer mentions that we have 1 minute to start and Neil decides that he has to tighten his cleat. He pulls out the wrench and goes to work, only to find out that he loosened it! 30 seconds! Some guy helps him out and he gets it a little tighter, just in time for the sound of "GO!". Whew...

We tear off up the road and I'm right next to Dan as we weave our way through the pack. We're making a ton of passes when some guy decides to move left without checking and almost forces Dan into the woods. Dan lets him know he's there, but it didn't matter. We go around and make some more passes. Suddenly I'm losing Dan as he powered around someone and I got cut-off. I see him and try to close the gap, but we're coming up to the singletrack entrance and it's already stopped as people try to get in. I can't close the gap to Dan and I watch him go on ahead of me into the woods. We're literally standing still as we wait our turn to get started on the singletrack. A course worker yells for us to stay in order and we all look at each other like "what order is that?!", and someone yells, "you mean numerical order?!". We chuckle and continue to wait. After about a minute and a half we're onto the trail. Right away I can tell the Taurine is feeling good. We're handling the bumps just fine. We're steering quick around corners and feeling the need to pass. I remembered back to the Spring Cup and how easy it was to accelerate with the Cannondale, so I tried it again. Sure enough the power was there when I wanted it, so I started to make some passes. Everyone was really cool about letting people by and making room. I made quite a few passes and was able to keep my pace up. One we hit the dirt road sections I managed to stay strong and felt better than last year.

The pink mile markers were ticking by pretty quick. I hit the first rest stop feeling pretty good, but I took some water anyway (cough, cough, Scott! cough, cough). Along the way I had manged to take some hits from my CarbBOOM flask and was even drinking my water/HydroBOOM. Climbing was great and the trail was in great shape. It was pretty much the first time I had ridden it dry and I was really enjoying it.

I pressed on, trying to keep the pace high. More CarbBOOM, more water, "on your left,", big ring, no brakes, stand up, shift down, "on your left", things were going well.

Pretty soon I'm at 15 miles and remembering how I felt last year. Like crap. Slow. Getting passed. This day, at 15 miles, I was still passing and my legs felt good.
I was eating up the singletrack and it felt good. Everything was feeling good!

Much to my dismay, it was time for the long straight shot home. 2 miles of straight, flat (although it feels like a false-flat) dirt railroad grade. You can see all the way down, racers littered here and there, battling with the wind (it's ALWAYS windy, like a friggin' tunnel). Today was no different. I thought about latching on with a small group ahead of me, but they were too slow, so I used them for a draft as much as I could and then went around. I was in the big ring and kickin' the RPMs up. I was passing more and more people, but the wind started to take it's toll and I was feeling a bit tired. That's okay though, cuz it's the end of the race. As I passed a group someone latched on. I could see his wheel and tried to pick up the pace a bit more. Now I'm hurting. 1 mile to go. For a second I wondered what Tracy and Charlotte were doing? Is Dan finished yet? Here's what they were doing...

And yes, Dan is finished already,

"Keep it up!" I hear from behind me. It's the dude on my wheel. I must have slowed a bit while daydreaming. I kicked it back into gear and could see the turn off. There's a tiny section of singletrack and then we're on the road to the finish. We hit the pavement and I'm sure this guy is going to step around me since he has room, so I stand and try to make it harder for him. He doesn't and stays on my wheel. We make another turn and I can see the flags and the finish line. I stand again just in case he tries his move. It doesn't happen and I lead him across the line.

And we're done. The great race that is The Cable Off Road Classic is in the books. The dude who helped me stay on task during the road section thanks me for the pull. I tell him I was sure he was going to come around once we hit the road and he said he couldn't have.

I find Dan and we immediately start talking about the course, downed trees, quick-sand-like portions of the course and just how much fun this whole thing was. Once again I'm impressed with the new bike. It handles awesome and delivers the power when I need it. I'm not sure if it's my best time at this race, but I for sure feel better afterwards and was passing much deeper into the race than previous years. It's all good.

A little later Neil rolls across the line and a quick post race chat reveals that he had a great time out there. His new bike (Specialized Epic) seemed to work wonderful for him and he seemed all smiles.

Due next was Jeremy. He had anticipated a sore leg, so he wrapped his knee before the race just in case. We waited for him near the finish line and soon the area started to clear out. I decided to ride backwards to see him. I rode the full length of the dreaded railroad grade and waited at the corner. Nothing. I headed back and saw Dan coming at me. Still nothing so we headed back to the finish, where they were starting to tear down the equipment. I asked the timers if they had everyone in. They said there was one unaccounted for. I asked for the name and told them he was with us and we hadn't seen him yet. They directed us to a group of guys with radios who were on the course. They checked and thought maybe he was brought to the start because of a crash or something. We gave them Jeremy's number and the made a call. Nothing. Meanwhile the sweeper came across the line. That's not good. Someone else came over to help and was going to make an announcement at the awards ceremony just in case. And then, wouldn't you know it, here comes Jeremy down the finish straight! Woohoo!!
Turns out his knee started to bother him and he had no power at all in his right leg and had to walk almost every hill. He managed to make it through everything and pressed on to finish the race with a sore and swollen knee. Nicely done dude! We cringed when he told us stories of how it would hurt, get swollen. Then we decided to tell everyone there was a bear attack involved and that's why his knee was sore. It was a big grizzly, but he managed to wrestle it down into submission.

The rest of the weekend was spent at the cabins, making a fire, running from the rain, drinking beer, eating at a local bar/grill, riding the pontoon and eating more pancakes....with syrup this time.

Heading to WI

2008-05-16T17:20:00.001-07:00

I posted this from my phone as we gassed up to head to Wisconsin for the Cable Off Road Classic. Yes, we saw a bit of rain.

Are you still a supporter?

2008-05-16T12:21:00.001-07:00

Who's still showing their support?! Did the bracelets fall to the wayside like the "Baby on Board" signs?!

**Of note: Immediately after taking this shot, my Lance bracelet broke and snapped up to the ceiling and back down to my desk as I was trying to put it back on. =(

MNSCS#1 is in the bag

2008-05-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

The past race weekend held lots of "Firsts" for me: Not only was it the first race of the series, but it was the first race on my new bike; I managed my first crash of the year; it was Tracy's first Mother's Day; and Charlotte's first mountain bike race.
The day turned out to be better than predicted. It was sunny and windy, with no rain in sight. The forecast had showed rain, so this was a real treat. We arrived early so I could look for Brad, our Citizen racer. I didn't find him, so we watched the kids race, talked to the volunteers who made the race happen and took some pictures. We set up camp near the water tower and took Charlotte in the Burley out on the course where we could cheer and get an idea of how the course looked. Initial reports claimed that the trail was in pretty good shape albeit for a reroute and a large mud pit. Everywhere else seemed to be dry.
Sometime during the Citizen race I found Neil and his friend Joshua, who were getting ready for the action. Neil's mother happened to attend the race and I was on the lookout for a mom with a cowbell. We met up and spent part of the Sport race chatting, taking pictures and of coure, ringing the cowbell. Neil managed to miss his wave at the start and was forced push his way through the 2nd wave to get to the course and played catch-up. The sport riders where looking pretty good as they made their way to the finish, with only a couple racers who obviously hit the mud pit face first.
My race was coming up, so I had a sandwich and a hotdog and started riding around. I found Dan and we chatted at the back of the pack while waiting for the start. The Comp group looked decently sized and had plenty of new faces. As the Experts took off, it was clear that their group was big as they rolled through the Start/Finish area like a passenger train. Soon we got word that we had 10 seconds to go.
The pack is off and immediately things are goofy. People are going all over the place and I manage to touch the wheel of the guy in front of me as he cut left, up the sloping hill. I knew Dan was on my left, so I didn't want to go left too much and force him into the tall grass. I tried to maintain my composure, but he kept going left and I hit his wheel again. And again. Now it's just too much and I'm unclipped and falling to the right, down the hill. I do about 3 hops on my right leg to try to stay upright, but gravity and momentum take over and I'm tumbling. I wish it was on tape, as it felt like a text book tuck-n-roll with a nice pop-up afterwards. I remember going down and expecting a knobby tire right in my back. As I'm upside down I did see a bike coming at me, but luckily the rider managed to avoid my tumbling ass and I popped up okay. As I grabbed my bike and laughed, I heard shouts from the crowd as they made fun of me....well deserved....
I tried not to get too excited and over-exert myself to catch back up, as I didn't lose a TON of time, but I didn't lollygag either. By the time we started to hit the single-track, I made sure I passed several more people as we literally waited in line to get rolling. I managed to sneak up the inside of several riders before launching the single-track.
The Tuarine is an absolute dream to ride. It handles amazingly quick and doesn't falter when I give it input to accelerate. In the past I've dreaded passing at this race due to the massive slow-down once I've left the trail. Not this year. The Taurine seemed to glide over the grass and allowed me to power through the rough stuff and make passes seem easy. This was good, as I passed several people by the time we reached the first wet spot. Several riders chose the middle line, I saw an opening on the left and made a pass on about 3 riders. Sweet. Through the sweeping corners of the pine trees I was feeling fast. Momentum was great and I was closing gaps. Climbing was also awesome and again I was passing riders. One thing I liked was that once I made a pass I was able to keep the power down and create a gap. Pretty soon I noticed Dan a litte ways ahead of me and it seemed I might have regained my position in the group. I tried to keep the pace, but knew that Dan was a master of reserves and power in the end. I felt good into the 2nd lap and could still see Dan ahead of me. By the 3rd lap, I was starting feel tired in the legs and the wind was starting to bug me in the open. I tried to fight through it mentally and give just a little bit more on each pedal stroke. When I came to the mudpit on the 3rd lap I wheelied over it and when I landed on the other side my calves cramped up. I kept pedalling and eventually it lessened, but it was still a little tender. The last climb up to the pavement has never been my friend and this 3rd time flet like it took forever. I entered the pavement to cheers and tried to look good. As I started the last lap I told myself I was going to leave it all out on the course. I tried to bridge up to a rider ahead of me before entering the single-track. I did. I told myself I would pass him after the first climb and before the first wet spot. I did. But boy was I getting tired. I tried to relax just a bit through the twisty stuff. I got passed on a long sweeper as I took the outside line thinking being on the dirt would maintain my speed more. Well, maybe not. I tried to stick with the guy who passed and I actually closed in on him in the short twisty trail around the pond. Cool. If I can hang with him to the mudpit, maybe I can make a pass before the last climb to the pavement. Turns out I made a pass and I was doing the last climb in front of him. However, once we hit the pavement, he rocketed past me and I stood up to hang on. Not quite enough to hang with him, as I was 6 seconds back as we crossed the line.
The race was over and I felt spent. The new bike was great and performed beyond my expectations. I grabbed some water and had to head out as we had plans to be in MapleGrove right away.
Turns out I scored my first Top 10 of the season - age group. I nabbed 49th out of 77 (PDF link). Not too bad for the first race - one that I usually don't enjoy due to the non-technical nature. I didn't really expect much due to my non-performance at this event in the past. I'm mostly looking forward to taking the Taurine out on some technical stuff - like The Powder Monkey, or Red Wing - to see how it really handles.
Thanks to everyone who made the race happen, to everyone who cheered for me, to all the mother's out on their day, and to the person who reminded me not to crash as I completed my prologue lap. Good times indeed!

MNSCS#1 Erik's Spring Cup

2008-05-08T06:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend - on Mother's Day - is the first race of the MNSCS. It should be an interesting race. The first of the season. Everyone itching to race. Non-technical course. Everyone wanting to go fast. Hopefully things go smoothly. I'm thinking I'll just take it easy and get the feel for the bike and my lungs/legs. This race tends to be more of a road race anyway.

Registration closes tonight, so if you haven't registered and would like to save about $10 for beer, register now!

Here's a map I made of where the races are this year.

View Larger Map

"...I love technology....Always and forever... "

2008-05-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

The title comes courtesy of Kip, from Napolean Dynamite

As Twin Cities’ residents, you can understand this spring has been interesting. Freak snow falls, large temperature swings and days of rain just when the trails were starting to look ride able. Some would say "Typical MN spring". I say "Annoying".

Last night the weather was warm and sunny, and according to MORC, the trails at Harmon Park were open for riding. A quick glance at the clock shows that there wasn't much time left, so I quickly ate my two waffles for dinner, kissed Tracy and Charlotte good bye and loaded up the Taurine for it's maiden voyage on the dirt.

I just purchased new Yakima Q-towers so I could eliminate the wire hanger holding one foot closed. The "new" rack was installed this past weekend and ready to roll. I wheeled the Taurine outside the garage and introduced it to the MINI and it's new spot on the roof. Both parties were cordial and pleasantries were exchanged as the Taurine settled in to it's new top-floor home for the trip. I gathered all my riding goodies and loaded them into the MINI. It was then that I realized I hadn't swapped pedals out. The Taurine 1 is rolling with eggbeaters and my shoes are set up for Time. Ooops. A quick look at my shoes reveals last year's mud caked in to the sole and cleat. No matter. A sharp tool can remove that. Another discovery....when you have cleats that are at least 10 years old and almost stripped, there's really no point in trying to change them while you're in a hurry. The shoes were added to the pile in the boot of the MINI and I headed towards Inver Grove Heights. I pulled up the road to the parking lot near the water tower and immediately saw several others on the trail and in the lot finishing up. This seems like a good sign. The excitement is getting greater now. I park and install the front wheel to get ready for a couple laps as the sun is on its decent below the horizon.

And so begins my review of the 2008 Cannondale Carbon Taurine 1...

Immediate First Impressions:
Lightweight, short stem, solid, too much air in the Headshock, GREAT saddle, shifters need to be rotated, egg beaters seem easy to use. As I threw my leg over the bike and started for the trail, I noticed right away that the saddle was comfortable. It was just soft enough to offer a bit of suspension and it also provided a tad bit of grip to my shorts without getting caught. The profile seems just right and not too wide or "weird" feeling. Right away I notice the weight - or lack thereof - of the bike. Taking it off the MINI is a breeze and with the initial pedal stroke there's forward progress. Instantly. One of the benefits of its carbon construction is apparent right away.

After telling myself the saddle was great, I noticed that the stock stem was short. I felt cramped and pretty upright on the bike. Early on, in the garage, I had tried to flip the stem to see if it would help, but the rise is too steep and it looked like a clown bike, so it went back to normal. I'll be searching for a longer stem to stretch me out a bit. Shortly after starting the trail, I had to stop to try to fiddle with the Headshock. As this is my first experience with a Headshock, the set up was arrived at by word-of-mouth and now was showing itself to be way to stiff. The rebound was so quick that it sounded like I was riding a Huffy with a loose headset. The Taurine emitted a sound as it rebounded back to its ready-state in what must have been milliseconds. Some turns of the rebound dial seemed to slow things down a bit, but I'll be reading the manual on getting things adjusted properly.

Looks:
I'm drawn to the overall design of the bike. it's very traditional looking and the paint scheme is pretty mild. There's nothing flashy about it, but it does look fast when it's sitting still. I like the fact that the Headshock helps retain the traditional look of the bicycle, while the traditional double-triangle construction is at the Taurine's core. The carbon tubes are not traditional however, with specific shapes and wall thicknesses pertaining to certain areas of use. At first glance it appears to be a normal bicycle, but upon closer inspection you notice the finer details and the coolness factor it possesses. Plus, the orange details on the decals and saddle match pretty well with the orange in our BCR kits.

Handling:
The best handling mountain bike I've ever ridden has been my Bridgestone MB-1. The reach to the bars was great. The steering input was precise, immediate and I felt as if my weight was balanced 50/50. In the single-track, that bike was a monster and provided me with some great confidence and also some close calls, as it allowed me to go faster than I needed to...
In some respects the Taurine reminded me of my glory days on the MB-1 carving up the twisty, technical single-track. Times have changed since the MB-1 and frame geometry isn't quite what the MB-1 was, aside from it being rigid, but the Cannondale evoked some of those same emotions in me and made me feel like I could lean into and carve the trail like we were a slot car.
The Headshock design helps accomplish this. There's only one area of movement happening instead of two, so the steering doesn't suffer from flex and individual inputs from each stanchion tube on "the other" suspension systems. The result is confidence inspired steering inputs and solid feedback from the dirt to your hands. I also noticed that the bike tracks really nicely in corners and gave me the feeling of motion throughout the entire corner instead of the feeling of losing momentum.

Shifting:
I've used SRAM components in the past, but the highest stuff has been 9.0SL from about 4 years ago. The Taurine 1 comes with X9 rapid-fire style shifters and and X0 rear derailleur. Initially I wanted to replace this style of shifters with the original SRAM twist-grip. That hasn't happened and I was left tying out the (relatively) new offering from SRAM. The button placement was a bit disconcerting for me, as they felt in the way when I was just grabbing the bar. Another initial concern of mine was my thumb movement felt a little awkward to engage the shifts. This could be due to the fact that it's my first meeting with this style..However, once you engage the button and ask for a gear, the drive train answers IMMEDIATELY and with a wonderful, solid click from the shifter. The feeling from these things is amazing. Each shift feels so precise and accurate that it's like getting a reward each and every time you change gears. The buttons seems to have a slightly different spring in them, as shifting up the cogs to an easier gear is much easier than going the other way. In fact, getting 2 or 3 gears easier is the fastest I've experienced anywhere. The button travel is very quick and deliberate and doesn't require you to rotate your wrist down the bar if you want to ask for more than one gear. I'm very satisfied with the shifter pods and am almost considering keeping them. Nicely done SRAM.

Brakes:
With just about everything else on this bike, the addition of disc brakes marks another first for me. I'm aware of the benefits, but the maintenance and the sounds of out-of-true rotors always made me completely take the plunge. Well, here I am.
And I'm happy to say "I'm sold". The immediacy is incredible. Brake points are way later than I'm used to and the modulation is mind-blowing. With my first pull into a high-speed banked corner, I found myself grabbing at the levers, only to have to pedal back up to speed to get through TO the corner because they scrubbed off so much speed initially. Later on, I found that just a touch of the lever seemed to slow me enough to where I wanted to be and I don't always have to grab both brakes like I used to. Because they are so efficient, I can sometimes use only 1 brake or just a touch here to help keep me on my line through a corner. Feathering (modulation) is much more effective for higher speeds where you find yourself needing to constantly correct and compensate for speed - especially through large radius, high-speed corners. I love 'em!

The first lap:
The first lap at Harmon was very introductory. Not only was it my first outing on a mountain bike this year, it was a brand new bike. Unlike anything I had been riding up to this point. The bike I was most familiar with was Scott's mid 90's Klein (which is fantastic). As the first lap unfolded in front of me, I started to become more familiar with how the bike talked to me; how it fed me information from the trail through my hands, feet and saddle (speaking of saddles, I realized that I needed to raise this one a bit). A couple times it was tough to keep my feet on the pedals (egg beaters should accept TIME cleats!), but I managed to get by. The way the bike handled made me smile because it was just so nimble and responsive. What little climbing there is at Harmon was a breeze. While the climbs were dry I didn't experience any wheel spin as I stood up and pulled a Stallone to go "Over the Top".
For sure I want my bar ends back. I kept wanting to go to them and was denied. The twisty North Loop provided a good chance to feel how well the Taurine likes to change direction and speed. The loop offers an array of corners; from almost 180 turns to just a little bump around a tree, to a nice set of high speed S's. In any of these, the Taurine was more than easy to maneuver. The start of the 2nd lap came up quicker than I thought it would.

The second lap:
I quickly adjusted the seat post and just stopped to look at the bike. I was smiling. Here was my new ride, after years of saving $$ and drooling over all sorts of other bikes. Here it is. Mine. Comfortably it leaned against the back of the MINI, barely winded from our first lap, looking eager to go again. It had some mud splashed where there once was only glare from the spotless clear coat. The warning stickers had been removed and the flat plastic platforms were no longer residing in the pedals. Here, outside, muddy, wet, waiting for more, the Taurine was in it's element. And I was ready to oblige.
With the seat raised, I immediately noticed the added response to drive train input. The stem was still short and the pedals still didn't grab my TIME cleats, but that didn't stop it from wanting to go faster. The adjustments I made to the rebound seemed to work, as there was less noise over bumps. I found myself getting used to the brakes and making the most of them. The tires were sticking to the trail and I felt like a MotoGP racers leaning through the corners. The bike was becoming more familiar to me and I found myself constantly grinning and saying "WOW". As I stated earlier the climbs felt really easy. Maintaining speed through corners and accelerating out was really a great feeling. Where other bikes seem to slow a bit, the Cannondale seems to be a race horse, noticing the loosened reigns and going for it. Shifting is a breeze. Often I thought I was out of gears and surprisingly there was always one more. Finally I found myself hammering in the smallest cog in the back in places where I would have asked for a larger gear on other bikes. At times when I did ask for an easier gear, it was almost as if the next gear was too easy and I found myself shifting back to the previous gear. After a couple of episodes like that I tried staying in the gear and I was rewarded with a truly awesome feeling.
With each pedal stroke that I offered just a little more oomf to I could literally feel the bike lunging forward! This is simply amazing and I think I said "holy crap!" out loud to myself. Shifting to the large chain ring produces similar results and similar out loud comments.
Heading into the North Loop again, there's a downhill section that has a good variety of turns in it. At speed the Taurine is absolutely alive and will do whatever I ask it to. I found that I need to train myself again to look farther up the trail so I can anticipate what I need to ask of the bike. As we were slicing the single-track, thoughts of the MB-1 came to mind. As did the MINI Cooper. This bike is really something.
Back at the MINI, I caught my breath while the Taurine looked like it was just warming up. The mud didn't slow it down. The bumps didn't slow it down. The twists and turns didn't slow it down. Did I do it justice, or did I slow it down??

The Taurine has left an impression on me. I called home and when prompted how the ride went, I was almost looking for the right word to describe it. After a couple quick stutters, I managed to say "AWESOME". That's really the closest I can come to describing it right now. It makes me want to ride faster. It makes me feel like I'm going fast - of course so does riding by yourself for the first time of the season - and it rewards you with all sorts of input.

In conclusion, I love technology! The handling was spot on and combined with the reactions to my pedal inputs, my grin was getting larger and larger as the ride progressed. As I rolled to the MINI after the 2nd lap, I wished I had more time. More time for more laps. More time to ride. More time to smile.

Thanks for reading!

Of note:
My 2nd lap took me about 22 minutes - that's without being clipped in and the first time on the dirt this year on a new bike. Of course, riding by yourself always seems fast, so who knows what that time means....

Introducing the Savage 18

2008-05-01T08:06:00.001-07:00

Scott and I met at his place for a nice windy ride. If I remember correctly, I think it was gusting 20-25mph. We braved the elements and headed on our way. I was still a bit sore from the Ironman, but not bad and Scott wanted to take a nap. The route he has is pretty cool. It's a nice mix of neighborhood, medium traffic, rolling hills and quiet lake-front roads. The wind was a factor for most of the ride, but mostly in the sense that we couldn't hear each other. There was one stretch on the way back where it was eerily quiet and we could hear each other. Tailwinds rock. Sadly that lasted only 30-45 seconds.
Along the way, we had a couple city sign sprints, with Scott nabbing a nice suprise win from behind.

All in all it was a great ride.
Afterwards, I stopped by the gym to hit my quota for the month. Sadly I didn't do anything but walk around the track talking to Lalla. I did step on the scale and I'm happy to report that I'm the lightest I've been this year - 192.6. Woohoo!

Here's my best-guess recreation of the route:
Savage 18
Find more Bike Rides in Savage, Minnesota

An Iron Man I'm not

2008-04-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the season-opener race with Theron that is the Ironman Bicycle ride in Lakeville, MN. In usual goodness there was breakfast at Theron's; waffles (w/peanut butter) and cripsy bacon. A taped Paris-Roubaix got us excited as we readied ourselves for what was sure to be a cold day.

My morninng started shortly after 5am as I rolled out of bed, trying to find my cold weather clothes in the dark. You see, just for this ride, the temps dropped about 35 degrees and snow came the day before. The forecast for this morning was to start out at 29 and get to 45 by 3pm. Now where did I see me booties?

After gathering my gear by the light of my phone, I headed to the garage to get my bike ready. Tyson was coming to pick me up this dark, cold, glorious morning. I rummaged through the garage and found all my stuff; earmuffs, booties, and long fingered gloves.

I had my bag packed and food ready to go. I decided to continue my poaching streak, but better myself by not partaking in the food at the stops.

Tyson arrived and I was actually ready to go (thanks for being a few minutes late Ty!). We jumped in the Golf and headed to the above-mentioned breakfast while cracking jokes about the temperature.

As we readied our bikes, we were now noticing how cold it really was. But soon enough we were on our way. The question was brought up as to how far we were willing to go. For me, this was going to be my longest ride by far, so I yelled 62! Theron directed the same question to Ty, who thankfully responded with 62 as well. Whew. We made the turn and noticed that there were CONSIDERABLY more people doing our ride than the 100. I think when we split off, I saw 3 people headed for the century.

The ride was going okay. For Ty and myself. Theron had a cramp in his knee that was buggin' him quite a bit. Later on we saw 2 guys walking their bikes and I noticed the chain on one was broken. Ty had a tool, so we headed back and we got them up and running again. I like to think that I saved their lives, as they might have froze to death walking. This way, I got them back on their bikes to stay warm.

By the time the fist rest stop arrived things were feeling okay; toes, face, fingers seemed to be around "normal" operating temperatures. Ty and I hung out while Theron got his bike adjusted.

As we left the first rest stop - which should be closer than the current 28 miles it's at - we were with a large group. Things were going well and then Theron decided his knee was feeling better and he went around the group. As we hit the rollers, Ty gapped me and I was starting to feel my legs - not in a good way. I managed to keep the two T's in sight up the road and started to close the gap a bit by the time the second stop got close. Theron came back to see how I was doing and missed a city sign in the process. Ty gave several victory salutes while we laughed and applauded his "effort".

The mileage was flying in now. We were only about 16 miles from the end or so and the sun was coming out. The wind wasn't nearly as bad as it's been in the past and parts of the road were new. The usual "head-wind death march" wasn't all that bad (maybe it's because I was tucked in with the two T's) and went mych faster than year's previous. We were making good time towards the end and as we entered Lakeville, Theron's race began. He put the hammer down and left us behind. My legs were getting a bit more tired and I was managing, but not at all like I had hoped to ride it. But, the last little climb to the school was finally in sight and we were done.

Back at the car we agreed that the clothing choice worked out well. With the occassional chill at the stops, the layers proved to be just right. Changing outside was another story! The sun was shining, but it was still mighty cold out.

We parted ways and Ty took me home after a good day on the saddle. I finished up my evening with some water and stretching at the gym. Today I'm happy to report that I'm not all that sore. I can tell that I rode, but I can also walk normal.

Thanks for the ride guys!

Numbers of note:
Starting temp (best guess): 29 degrees
Finishing temp (bank sign): 35 degrees
Starting weight (after waffles): 199
Finishing weight (at the gym): 194.3
Miles ridden: 62
Energy Gels consumed: 4
Water drank: not enough - maybe 20 ounces?
Sprints won: zero

A slight slump

2008-04-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

Eagan 18
Find more Bike Rides in Eagan, Minnesota

The past weekend was gorgeous outside. Sunny, barely a breeze and warm. I didn't make it out on the bike. At all. There were offers, but my schedule just didn't allow it. Meanwhile, Scott and Theron hammered out a sweet ride.

However, Monday after work I finally hooked up with my neighbor for a ride. He and his wife recently got bikes and last year I managed to help him with some minor adjustments and repairs, but we never managed to hit the road.

Last night I introduced him to the Eagan 18 loop and we cruised along pretty well. The conversation was good and the wind was a bit stiff. Enough to make the flats a bit of a workout.

We finished in about an hour and are looking forward to more rides.

I did manage to make it to the gym over the weekend for a quick workout:
Lats
Curls
Bench
Leg extension
Bench
Triceps
Crunches

My lowerback hasn't bothered me at all after a ride, which I'm attributing to my increased focus on those muscles. Or maybe I just haven't been on the bike for a long ride yet.....

Weight: 195

My overall mood towards training is waining a bit. I like to be out riding, but when I want to tell myself to actually push it, I'm just not that interested. I also ate some tiny cookies last night after dinner. Normally that doesn't happen. Maybe I'm overtraining! ha. I'm hoping it's just a couple days phase and I'll be back to being more motivated very soon.

For fun:
Check out what a search on Google Images for "silly bikes" returns.

I forgot to mention

2008-04-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

My last weigh in put me at 194 - woohoo!

Cool riding

2008-04-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

So this Sunday was a good day for riding. I almost made a ride with Dan on Saturday afternoon, but realized that we had friends coming over sooner that I thought and had some cleaning up to do. So Dan came over and tried on the sizing kits from Champion. It would have made for an interesting ride because it was snowing. But it didn't happen for me.

Instead, I hooked up with Theron in the afternoon on Sunday and he came to my house and we rode the Eagan 18. It was a bit windy and chilly, but not chilly enough to get toes numb. We rode a decent pace and Theron LOVED the hills, he he. As we started the long climbs on Cliff road, we met a guy riding his Cannondale T500 and he looked like he had seen some miles. Turns out it was his only mode of transportation at the moment and he had already logged 1600 miles this year. 1600!! He was an interesting fellow to talk to and I was glad we took the time to chat. I'm sure Theron was too, cuz it took most of the first climb.

As we neared home, one of the streets has the speed limit radar sign so we kicked it down to see if it would pick us up. Sure enough and we posted 32 into a headwind. I think Theron was still accelerating. That finished the ride for us and we took it easy back home.

The sun was out and there weren't any clouds. It was a great to be riding instead of working.

Thanks Ty

2008-04-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

I was bummed that I was unable to attend Wiken's ride this morning as the weather looked to be the best of the season so far and the route and pace looked to be a good workout.
At about 2pm I decided to head out on my Eagan 18 loop:

Since I hadn't checked my phone all morning I thought I would before I left.
1 voicemail. It was Ty. I called him back. No answer. No problem, so I changed and got ready to go. In the meantime Ty called back and said he was lookin to ride and he was ready to go right now. Perfect.

We agreed to meet at Minnehaha and decide where to go from there. The temp outside was about 60 with 7mph winds. The ride to Minnehaha was fantastic (mostly cus there's a long downhill) and I think I saw a dozen people on bikes before I met up with Ty.

When I met Ty he was sportin his new ride and it looked sharp! I drooled over the new bike and fondled the SRAM shifters. Dead Sexy. And Ty's new shoes and helmet looked stellar. We left the Falls and decided to head to St. Paul via Summit. The riders were out in full force. It was amazing. Everyone was out riding today. Kids, parents, team members, families with Burleys, trail-a-bikes, BMX, mountain, recumbants, anything and everything was out. The hands were waving and the heads were nodding. It was great to see so many bikes out enjoying the weather.

You would think that since Ty broke his neck that it would have set him back a bit - no way. The dude is coming back just as strong. I managed to put a gap on him climbing the Smith Bridge, but after we got to the top he was off like there wasn't even a hill anywhere near him. Or maybe it was his new bike? Either way he's still fast. Maybe next time I'll try the Vulcan Nerve Pinch when he passes me.

We cruised along 13 back to the Mendota Bridge and that where we split up. I had a great headwind the rest of my way home. I kept the pace up though and made the Fat Tire (that Ty bought!) taste even better once I got home.

So Ty - thanks for the ride. But mostly thanks for the Fat Tire.

Eagan to St. Paul
Find more Bike Rides in Eagn, Minnesota

Breaking News!!

2008-04-01T11:12:00.001-07:00

I've been waiting to post this for a bit, but I'm proud to announce that something special has happened with BCR. For the last couple of months I've been in talks with a major company about the acquisition of BCR. That's right. It started awhile back when I met a rep at a trade show and we began talking about the product. He noticed my BCR shirt and soon the topic shifted to what it was, how it started, etc. After about 30 minutes I left with his business card and a request to email him in a week. I did and he brought up that he liked the idea of what BCR was and wanted to work out a deal with me. They wanted to bring BCR under their wing and help grow the team nationally. After several long phone discussions and email exchanges, I'm happy to announce....BCR has been bought by Pacifica!!

I know there may be lots of questions, so I'll try to answer some here:

What does that mean for BCR?
Well, we now have a "parent company" that is willing to provide us with advertising and support that was once unimagineable to us.

Will we still have team rides?
Yes

Do we get free bikes?
Yep!

As a perk to having a parent company we'll have team vehicles, trailers, mechanics and access to Pacifica bikes at all Toys R Us and other department stores. PLUS - they're going to send out a newsletter! We're also in talks about having a touring stage show that would chronicle BCR's rise to power. This would mean all sorts of public appearances and autograph sessions - cool! Maybe even tv spots?!

Of course, nothing will change. BCR will maintain it's small team, rider oriented feel.

I hope you're as exicted about this as I am. There are going to be some great things to come from this!

The Grizz

Whoops

2008-03-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

I tried to go to the gym this past Saturday night. I got there and it was closed. I thought it was still Friday night. They closer earlier on the weekends. So I went back home and watched Black Snake Moan instead.

Great Weekend

2008-03-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

It started Saturday with the BCR Spring Party/Open House. This is a party we've done every year to sort of kick off the season. We had several new members attend this year, so this year's event was a little different in the sense that I gave a history of BCR and then asked people to tell everyone how they got started cycling and how they found BCR. There was awesome food and then relay races outside on Dan's Kona. We picked teams and timed each team. The competition was fierce, as you weren't allowed to spill any beer as you rode.
After the first round of races, the neighbor kids tried to steal our turn-around point - which happened to be my messenger bag. It probably wouldn't have been a good nab for them as I think it had month's old Tupperware in it. And I'm pretty sure they weren't clean. After some coaxing, we got the bag back. We then invited them to join us in the races. Oh yeah. It was on. One came to race and the other manned the turn around point. After two more heats of competition, I threw the chain on the BMX bike and had to coast it in, slightly behind Tyson. Boo.
After we got the chain fixed, Chris took his cap gun and his bike home while we went back in for karaoke on the PS2. I continued to keep my reputation as sucking ass and we still couldn't get Theron or Tyson to sing. I guess we'll need some more booze in them for next time....

Sunday was great because I joined Tyson for a road ride in the morning. We met at Minnehaha Falls and did a loop around the lakes. We even managed to do some CX style riding as a portion of the river road was closed, so we went off-roading. Wooohoo!
Ty had said it would be an easy ride cuz his shoulder was still bothering him a little bit. Well the sub 30 temps must have numbed him a bit, cuz we were moving at times. But it was all good. We were both dressed just right and felt great. There were all sorts of people out and about. Many more than I anticipated. But there wasn't really any wind and the roads were reasonably clean. Once back to the Falls, I headed home and Ty rode with me across the Minnehaha Bridge and then headed home through Mendota. By the time I got home I had clocked about 30 miles. I was a bit tired, but not exhausted. It felt really good to be in the saddle, outside. I could tell that my time in the gym had paid off as my lower back was in great shape and my shoulders/triceps weren't bothering me. Usually in the early rides, these areas are sore for me, so I was very happy with that. I can't wait to get out again!

When I got home, I chillaxed a bit and then tried to clean up the garage a bit. It went pretty good. I should be able to build some shelves pretty soon and then start working on the MINI Cooper.

Here's the route we rode:

View Larger Map

Yes!

2008-03-12T07:23:00.000-07:00

Dude, That's some sweet hair.

Last night was pretty productive.

Road Machine: 30 minutes (I'm almost finished with the TOCA!)
Gym: triceps, chest, and 5,000M of rowing
Lower back
100 various crunches
15 minutes stretching

Scale says....199

Not a huge loss, but I've tied my lowest weight so far and I feel great. The pants I'm wearing are feeling big. Could 190 be on it's way?! Hopefully as the weather warms I'll be riding more and more and gradually up the saddle time. In general I think I'll start being more active as the snow turns to water.

Just the other night I got my Taurine back and the brakes feel good. I went to my friend's place and he showed me how to bleed and adjust my hydraulics. Hopefully I won't have to do that too often this year, but I'm not as afraid of them anymore.

Slippery indeed

2008-03-06T06:49:00.000-08:00

More time in the saddle!

2008-02-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

Tonight was a pretty good night. Got home from work, had dinner, fed Charlotte, played with Charlotte, put her to bed. Tracy went to the gym and I turned on TiVo and jumped on the Road Machine. I was able to hold pace with Rubiera as he flattened out Mount Hamilton in the 3rd stage of the Tour of California. Not to be outdone by Hamilton after the climb, I grabbed his wheel on the way down and held on to him and Robert while we stayed away from the peleton to finish about 20 seconds up. It was a hard day, but my legs were actually liking it and I felt good afterwards.

After all my interviews and pictures, I jumped in the MINI and headed out to the gym for some more workouts. Once there I did:

Triceps
Shoulders
Abs
Loweback
Stretching

Water: ~55oz

Weight: 200 (even if I had the large weight at 200 and the small at zero, or the large weight at 150 and the small at 50)

Right now I feel really good. There's a spring in my step and I actually want to go out and ride some more - maybe some hills?!

PS - I've decided that TyboTy rides like Levi. Low on the bike, hardly stands up and doesn't move his upper body much. I guess if you're going to be compared to somebody, it may as well be Levi.

Sticking to it

2008-02-25T19:48:00.001-08:00

Tonight was pretty busy with family, but I managed to sneak off to the gym for a quick workout. I was feeling pretty tired and almost didn't go, but once there I felt better. I did a pretty abbreviated workout which consisted of the following:

leg extensions
lat pulldowns
triceps
wall sits
about 80 various crunches
lowerback and some time stretching

Dinner:
small steak
baked potato
green beans
milk

Lunch:
cheeseburger/fries from cafeteria

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with raisins

I probably drank about 30oz of water for the day.

Weight: 200lbs

I managed to ride the Road Machine this past weekend. Granted it was a short time, but I was racing against Levi and Boonen in the Tour of California Prologue. I'm now almost done with Stage 1. TiVo rocks.

A new direction?

2008-02-22T08:44:00.001-08:00

Dinner was bagged stir-fry with rice.
I managed about 35oz of water during the day.

Last night I made it to the gym for a workout (gasp):

bench
curls
lats
triceps
leg extensions
upright row

It was a quick workout as it was late in the evening and closing time was approaching. But it felt good. The time before I focused on stretching, abs and lower back. I'm going to try to incorporate this into my "schedule" more, as I felt pretty good afterwards.

The good news was when I stepped on the scale. I actually had to move the large slider over to the left so that it occupied the 150 slot! The small slider then made it's way to the right side to register in at 49. That's 199.

With my time on the bike tonight, I'm hoping to start more of a habit of mixing up the gym and bike.

So far so good!

Stuck

2008-02-21T12:08:00.000-08:00

So yeah, training is great...
I'd like to think that I'm not so easily distracted and can stay focused on something for awhile, but the last week or so has shown me that other things are getting the better of me. I feel I'm doing better about staying hydrated and not drinking as much pop (the case of Cherry Coke is finally finshed). Sleeping has never been an issue. It's just finding time to get on the bike. I won't go into all of my distractions, but I will show one big one:

She commands so much attention - and how could I NOT want the chance to run around the house, hide under pillows, tickle her and listen to her laugh?!

I'll be going to the gym tonight and attempting a ride on the bike. Maybe I'll bring the Taurine inside so I see it more....

Still no more bike time

2008-02-18T07:15:00.000-08:00

It's set up in front of the tv, ready to go, but I've only been on it the one time. I'll be honest, I'm scared to get on again. I only have a limited number of shorts and I'd hate to get the legs spinning and bust the seams on another pair of shorts. That's really the reason..

However, I did spectate at Pugfest this past weekend and get psyched to ride, so I'll get up there this week. I have to. Melloyellobrook is riding almost everyday with Coach Troy.

Say, Coach Mike, can you come push me?!

Here's one of the things I've been spending my riding time on:

Focus

2008-02-14T08:41:00.000-08:00

Or lack thereof.

The last bunch of days have been a struggle. I haven't been on the bike since the post a couple days ago. I've only been to the gym one other time and in the interim I've only managed some situps at home.

Foodwise, I've been pretty good. PB&J sandwiches have been good for lunches with a Subway once. Dinners have been consisting of red meat or chicken and a pasta. Veggies are always included as well as a glass of milk.

However, nothing is going to happen unless I get on the bike and get my body working.

I've been preoccupied with all sorts of things and need to keep myself motivated. Even if I feel lazy or tired in the evening, just buckle down and get it done.

A long time ago I made it to the gym for the 2nd time this month.

Weight: 205
Lat pulldowns
Leg extensions
Upright rows
Walking lunges w/weight
Curls
Triceps
Butterfly thing

At work I'm making an effort to drink water.

This weekend is going to be packed with all sorts of events, so I'll have to work extra hard to stay on top of things.

Now we're gettin' somewhere!

2008-02-09T21:29:00.000-08:00

+ 1 hour =

Breakfast
Corned beef and hash and two eggs

Lunch
Spaghetti
a bottle of water on the bike

Dinner
Mushroom lasagna
Stir fry
Sushi
Snicker salad
Dr. Pepper
A&W Rootbeer

I'll probably head to the gym on Sunday and maybe ride again.

I made it to the gym

2008-02-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

Tonight after picking Charlotte up from daycare and Trace from the bus stop, we headed to Big Bowl to grab some Chinese food to celebrate the Chinese New Year. After eating and playing with Charlotte, I put her to bed and then packed my bag for the gym. It really is a shame I don't get there more as it is literally minutes away.

View Larger Map

Once inside I weighed myself and got to business. Here's how it went down:

Weight: 203
Height: 6'1"

Workout consisted of:
lat pull downs
bench press
triceps
leg extensions
leg press
upright row
leg lifts

Food for the day:
2 cookies
2 pb&j sandwiches
1 can cherry coke
32oz water
sushi
Thai basil beef w/white rice

No cardio. Yet.

This weekend might be packed, but maybe I'll try to get out on the skis, or drag melloyellobrook out for some dry land training

Happy New Year!

2008-02-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

Today marks the Chinese New Year and it's the Year of the Rat. To borrow from my other blog, A Red Thread to China, I'll post a bit about the New Year:

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Happy Chinese New Year 2008! The Year of the Rat!

2008 The Year of the Rat
2008 Feb. 7
The Year Of The Rat

1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2030

People born in the Year of the Rat are noted for their charm and attraction for the opposite sex. They work hard to achieve their goals, acquire possessions, and are likely to be perfectionists. They are basically thrifty with money. Rat people are easily angered and love to gossip. Their ambitions are big, and they are usually very successful. They are most compatible with people born in the years of the Dragon, Monkey, and Ox.

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese year 4705 begins on Feb. 18, 2007.
2008 Chinese date new year :2008 Feb. 7

Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year.

To start things off

2008-02-06T07:22:00.001-08:00

For most of my readers, the following info won't be new, but to those who might have stumbled upon this here's a bit about me.

Age: 32
My dad owns a bike shop in Duluth - Twin Ports Cyclery. I grew up in the shop, mostly sales, but spent some time in the basement wrenching as well. Needless to say, I feel comfortable around bikes.
Cycling since age 10 when did my first double-century; TOMRV10.
First mountain bike in 1992 - Bridgestone MB1
MTB Racing since 1993
I mostly race in the MNSCS but have done a couple other races outside the series.
I'm currently competing at the Comp level, where I've been for about 4 years. I managed to finish 3rd overall two years in a row. After that my performance dropped quite a bit.
I've done 2 CX races and would love to do more.
In 2001 I co-founded Bent Crank Racing, a local mountain bike team for friends. Through BCR we've managed to donate almost $1000 to MORC by hosting the Lebanon Hills TT for 3 years.
In 2007 my wife and I adopted a beautiful little girl from China and are absolutely loving being parents.
I've been driving MINI Coopers since 2002. When they first came out we had the 64th MINI in MN. We currently drive a 2004 MINI Cooper S (the 2002 Cooper died last year) and are currently awaiting delivery of our 2008 MINI Cooper Clubman.
I have two cats.

I recently purchased a new mountain bike and that has given a little more motivation this season to maybe actually train this year. I thought maybe if I had a blog to help keep track of what I was doing for training, it might help keep me motivated.

So that's me in a nutshell. Check back for progress(?) or not. Have some suggestions, drop me a comment.