Brandon Draugelis

Effective..... NOW, GO THERE!!!

2008-02-12T09:17:00.002-05:00

just to create some confusion, my blog is moving to........... http://bdraugelis.blogspot.com/

More Than a Contest

2008-01-28T23:51:00.000-05:00

Before New Year's I started to think about what it would be like to never drink again. After pondering about it I realized that there was nothing to lose by giving it a try besides a few hangovers. Now I wouldn't consider myself to be a frequent drinker in the first place, but when I do it is always the same. It always starts off with a couple of drinks to get buzzed... take down a couple more (this is where the fun starts)... a couple more ("drunk and lively" to "drunk and tired" within 2 hours).... finally, hungover, in regret, and $20 to $30 poorer. Total fun time is about 3 to 4 hours and the token of reward is nothing but an empty bottle. Feeling like shit time is an entire day. This is the basis of my decision to commit myself to abstaining from alcohol and living a so called straight edge lifestyle. I was going to keep this idea to myself at first, just in case I ever wanted to take a little sip of wine or have a glass of beer. But just a couple of weeks ago Aaron mentioned that he was considering the same, so a little bit of a contest was born to see who can commit themselves the longest. Posting this for the world to see will make my intentions stronger as I would expect those who read this to criticize me if they would happen to see me casually drinking a beer after a race or having a glass of wine with dinner. I believe that this is going to turn into more than a contest and become a personal change in my life.

The Beginning of the End

2008-01-13T21:46:00.000-05:00

Back to school. Four more months to go then it's time for the so called real world. This is something that I'm really looking forward to. The life of a poor college student is starting to become a bit of a neusance, so I'm ready for a change. And I know it will be over before I know it, especially when the racing starts back up again in two months! I still need to find a job, so if anyone out there can lend a new marketing grad a hand that would be great.

And just to let the cat out of the bag for those who don't already know. The new Cannondale team for 2008 will be SoBe/Cannondale once again.

If You Can't Dodge It, Ram It!!!

2008-01-02T10:27:00.000-05:00

After this post you might expect that my blog has come to be a hands on safety course of things not to do. The last ride for 2007 ended alongside Rt. 191 as Matt and I waited for Mrs. Miller to come and pick us up. Sitting there I was lucky enough to be able to joke about what had just happened. On the way back to Matt's house after a ride at Salisbury, some fatigue has started to sink in. But the bonk hadn't turned into mindless pedaling yet. There was still fun to be had. Approaching the last red light, which in my mind was a stop sign, I took a quick glance at traffic and eyed up a concrete divider, which would be the last stunt my Taurine would see. Exiting the stunt and entering the intersection, I could hear Matt screaming RED LIGHT! Looking up, I discovered not a red light, but a Dodge Ram screeching its tires at my side. OH SHIT! was the thought of the moment as I braced myself for the impact. After sliding several feet sideways, I could no longer hold my balance as I came crashing to the pavement. Luckily I get up. My right elbow and shin are throbbing, so I sit down on the edge of the stunt that distracted me in the first place. When the driver got out, I expected to get an earful from an angry man, but instead heard his concerns assuring that I was ok. He immediately called the police and got witnesses, then helped us to the side of the road. While waiting we joked a bit about the situation as the man nervously smoked a pack of cigs. The police came, and so did an ambulance, and a firetruck... hey, you never know. From there, I jumped in the ambulance and signed off that I did not need any treatment as they took my blood pressure and pulse. The driver then made sure that we had a ride home before leaving us at the roadside. On that note, I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year. And remember... Stop, Look, and Listen!

2008 Tentative Schedule

2007-12-27T14:32:00.000-05:00

Here it is. These are the events I am eager to do most. There are no local races yet, because I still have no idea where I'm going to live come May.

My Time's Not Up Yet

2007-12-20T22:30:00.000-05:00

Another day another ride. So I started out with a good 10 minute climb to get the lungs and legs ready for a long day. Since the mercury rose to 36, it was predetermined that I would be out for at least 4 hours. So I began the first decent on Rt. 54 and failed to catch a draft off of the passing cars blazing by at speeds that were out of my league. Halfway down the hill my life flashed before my eyes as a passing SUV still had an inch thick sheet of ice on its roof that decided to take flight landing no further than 50 feet in front of my path... too close for comfort. As it was I just saw a car in the paper a few days ago that was all smashed up from a piece of ice flying off of a tractor trailer. An unarmoured cyclist wouldn't stand a chance against the icy death catapult. Now that winter is here, it's time to take some extra precautions and stay alert, because we are truly at the mercy of the elements. Be safe and ride lots.

Shenanigans

2007-12-11T20:41:00.000-05:00

The first weekend of "base" training began on Saturday as I went to George Washington National Forest in VA to ride parts of the Shenandoah 100 course with Matt and Aaron. We packed all our gear into my Subaru and left Ship Friday night and camped out at the trailhead. It was a perfect night for camping... in the 40's and mostly dry. Everything was quiet until I got a wakeup call at 3 a.m. with Aaron in a panic. He says that he heard an animal screaming somewhat like screeching tires on pavement. Matt and I tell him it's deer snorting and go back to bed. 5 a.m. I am awake and scared shitless from a similar type of noise.... this was no deer. It sounded like a velociraptor or something of the sorts and my mind was out of reasonable possibilities before resorting to fictitious beasts. I wake up Aaron and tell him what I heard. Matt was also awake from the noise and our fear caused us to start up the camp fire again. We eventually got some good sleep and our riding comenced around 11 a.m. Saturday morning.

Just as we were about to take off, another car strolled in the parking lot with a bike atop the roof. Out came a rider, who asked to tail along. Without hesitation, we accepted, but didn't expect our new friend to last too long. We couldn't have been any more wrong as the four of us took on the first 30 miles of the course without any hold ups.

Following the ride, we packed up our stuff and headed to Starbucks to get directions to go to a new (to us) unridden trail in WV. When we arrived to this new location on Saturday night, we found all of the parks to be closed for the winter... how convenient. Well it started to rain anyway, so the three of us slept very uncomfortably in the car seats. It was still raining in the morning, so we went to eat breakfast at some joint down tha holler (down in the hollow). After breakfast, the rain cleared, so we decided to give it a go. The trail was 25 miles and would be an out and back for a total of 50. It started off with a big climb and near the top it started to become more and more of a hike a bike. But once at top, the sweet vistas made the hike much worth while. We continued to hike and ride for about 2.5 hours before turning around to make it back before nightfall. We took another option on the way down, which consisted of a sweet rocky, rooty, steep downhill that was 100% ridable and 100% fun. Concluding the ride, we lit a fire in the parking lot and cooked veggie burgers and dogs before jetting home in the night.

What a great way to start this years training.

Turkey Day

2007-11-28T09:55:00.000-05:00

Finally a little break.... A break from the college life. A break from riding. A break from my new "vegetarian diet". A break from sobriety. Thanksgiving's got to be my favorite holiday. Besides all of the breaks, it is great getting together with family for the weekend. Even though all of the breaks did not last long enough, the memories sure do. "Thanksgiving at Gram and Pap's" is second to none. What other family hosts their dinner with a 4 turkeys (2 deep fried), 3 large pans of stuffing, an enourmous pot of mashed potatoes, fried rabbit, chicken/grouse stir fry, 4 dozen deviled eggs, an array of deserts and a keg of Yuengling! Nothing compares.

Enlightened By The Cold

2007-11-18T21:22:00.000-05:00

So I am still in my post ride euphoric daze as I am writing this. Riding five hours in Jim Thorpe will do that to you, but the experience is always a little bit better when the trails are covered with two inches of fresh snow that continues to build throughout the ride. Today's plan was to do a 4 peaks ride, covering Flagstaff, Pisgah, Nesquehoning, and Broad mountains. At the trailhead, the realization of the ride's impossibility came immediately with the apparantly slippy conditions. After about three hours of sliding, hiking, and rolling along the sweet ridgelines that the area has to offer our small group began joking around about our ride turning into an "Epic Conditions" story on The Weather Channel. As far fetched this idea is, it can potentially become a reality if by chance someone were injured due to the carelessness often experienced due to exposure of the less than comfortable environment in combination with exhaustion. This "chance" would never stop me from going out and having wreckless fun with my friends, but is something I find interesting to ponder about.

Ebay!

2007-11-08T17:25:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year that to unload some stress from my basement and send some of my old bike gear off to E-bay. Check out some of the items that I am currently selling. My E-bay username is bgapper. Also I have 2 Bell X-Ray helmets and 1 Easton EC70 flat bar that are not on my account. Leave a comment if you are interested in buying these items or feel you have the best offer for one of my E-bay items.

The Off-Season: Chill Rides, Job Interviews, Lifting, Naps.....

2007-10-24T21:35:00.000-04:00

So my life has become a little more diverse since the racing has ended for the year. The riding has become a lot more relaxed. Picking the hardest line on a trail and trying to clean it is now my hardest form of training, besides going to the gym to try and improve my cycling physique... The other day at the gym, it was said that my legs look like un-cooked hot dogs. I'm not sure what that meant, but it's something to laugh about.

Also, there is only a little over 5 months to go before I have to go out into the workforce, so I've been scouting out the job market a bit. I already had an interview with the TTi group, a company that specializes in power tools such as Ryobi, Milwaukee, Homelite, Stiletto and some other solid brands. The interview went really well and I have another interview scheduled for next week. I'll be crossing my fingers. Securing this job will be key.

Having some more free time, I have taken it upon myself to enjoy some more naps. You can never recover too much in the off-season. Being able to nap more often is like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert.... not that I've been lost in the desert, but naps are priceless.

As for now enjoy the fall scenery.

God's Country

2007-10-08T09:51:00.000-04:00

One more racing season is in the books. Saturday's marathon race at Ski Denton and the surrounding state forest in Coudersport, PA was where I ended my season. Fortunately, I was able to make the 5 hour drive from Ship on Friday and spend the night with my friend, Mike Joyce and his family. The morning of the race, we went to go pre-register, then went to one of the more technical downhills to inspect some lines. Even though we made it back to the starting area with plenty of time to get ready for the race, I was starting to get a little nervous when we were coming back from our hike with an hour to go before the start. While warming up, I noticed that the turnout wasn't very large, only around 50 riders. I attributed this to the combination of the race being at the end of the season (burned out racers), driving distance (about 4+ hours for most), and uncertainty about the race itself (1st time the race was held). Anyway, some of the usual fast guys were there; teammates Rob Lichtenwalner and Tim Dougherty as well as VisitPA's Ray Adams. At first, I thought maybe this can be an easy going group ride and then we could race for the last mile or so. This was not true. From the start, Ray set a tough pace. Three miles into the first lap everyone, except for those mentioned above, had disappeared from sight, and Tim and Rob were starting to trail a little bit. Up ahead, on the second climb of the course, was an ultra steep, double track climb. I mean it... it's a climb where your nose is over the front end just to keep the tire on the ground. I didn't think Ray's big 29" wheels would feel that great on this slope, so I attacked and put some space in between us that would only grow as the race went on. The singletrack, which was hand built by Mike, was rippin. It's not Michaux like rocky, but the rocks that are there, along with sharp and swooping turns ensure that your handling skills must be fine tuned. On the first lap, I was tearing it up down the trail which I hiked an hour earlier, but took a turn too wide, and had to take the walk of shame off of a drop. Besides this moment, I felt amazing, considering it was the last race of the year. 95% of the time I was in the big ring, and not really feeling that tired. In the end, I had a solo finish across the line, with Rob in tow, 12 minutes back followed by Ray in 3rd (maybe another 10 minutes back). So that's it for the season. I am really looking forward to the fun group rides in the fall, hiking, snowshoeing, camping, and the occasional party.

MMMM.... Homemade wine!

Good luck to Rob at Moab (Worlds #2) next week. Give em hell!

New Bikes!

2007-09-28T09:23:00.000-04:00

Well, I didn't personally get any new bikes yet, but here's the latest from Cannondale.

Show and Race Re-Cap

2007-09-21T19:54:00.000-04:00

Last weekend's activities turned out to be pretty amazing to say the least. The Shadow's Fall and All That Remains show was pure sweetness. I wish there was a little more breathing room on the floor though, because after the chaos of the show ended, I felt like I had a flashback to the old grappling days when I would leave practice covered in sweat. In the end, I was able to let loose and scream out the lyrics to some of the songs I knew and wound up catching a drumstick from the Shadows Fall act.

The Terror of Teaberry turned out to be one of my favorite races of the season. It was the first cold day of the year, so I raced with some arm and knee warmers. Initially, I planned on leading out with a killer pace, but the tension between Harlan and Chris had the pair battling as soon as the gun went off with Jeff Schalk in 3rd and myself in 4th. Still, not a bad start. The best parts of the race started coming about 15 minutes in where I got my first feed off of Aaron, who would be rally-car racing around Michaux handing me bottles, GU's, and cream pies.... mmmmm. Aaron kept it consistant through the entire race, by getting to me at least every 15 minutes, sometimes 5 or 10 minutes. It was so pro.... Thanks! Besides seeing Aaron around every turn, I was pretty much alone the whole time, enjoying some of the best trails that Michaux has to offer. By the mid-way point, I caught up to Harlan, who was truing his wheel?!?! We rode together for a little bit, but then the green machine dropped me on a sketchy, rocky, grassy, downhill that seemed like it was skewed on a 50 degree angle. I figured I would be able to make up the lost ground on the next climb, but as I began to reel Harlan back in he took a look over his shoulder and put the hammer down. So it was back to being on my own for the rest of the race. Chris was way off the front and took the win by half an hour. Harlan came in 2nd, followed by myself in 3rd. By coincidence, this was the 3rd and final race of the year. I placed 3rd in all 3 races, and finished 3rd overall in the series. Well the racing season is almost all wrapped up. Coming up tomorrow is the Bear Creek STXC followed by the XC on Sunday. The Bear Creek events will serve as the finals for the Mid-Atlantic Super Series. After that will be God's Country Marathon. Ride on.

The Rock Show and The Rockchaux

2007-09-12T21:56:00.000-04:00

This weekend is looking pretty spectacular as of now. On Friday, my birthday, I am heading to Lancaster to catch a Shadows Fall and All That Remains show with Matteo... It's gonna be insane. After the show, I'm headin home to see the folks and meet up with my cousin Hope who I haven't seen all year. Then the weekend will wrap up on Sunday with the final Rockchaux (Michaux) race, the Terror of Teaberry. Here's a sample of some Shadows Fall... enjoy.

Roktober Challenge

2007-09-10T12:30:00.000-04:00

Happening on a last minute impule, I decided to race this weekend. The location would be R.B. Winter State Park in central PA. About 50 racers showd up for the 48 mile race that wound through some very technical trails. I would like to say that the race was rockier than Michaux, but it was just a different kind of rock. At Michaux you have a lot of rocks that are very large... about the size of beach balls and coffee tables. The largest rocks at R.B. Winter are bowling ball size. However at R.B. Winter the rocks are just piled upon one another and are strung out for what seems like hundreds of yards. The result: a riding experience where your feet and shins will get banged up from flying debris as you blast through the rock gardens accompanied by numb hands and aching wrists. Though uncomfortable sounding, the race was tons of fun and had a happy ending. From the start our lead out moto dropped the hammer and disappeared. Being without motors we all had to rely on my teammate, Rob Lichtenwalner's sense of direction to get us to the part of the course that had arrow markings. Once we got there Rob and I left the competition behind on the first climb... out of sight, out of mind. After not riding together all season, we took the time to enjoy the ride, the scenery, and each others company for the race, but were careful not to let anybody get too close to us. After 4:10:00 into the ride, I decided it was time to race. I was hurting in early parts of the ride, so I needed to test Rob and see how much he was hurting. So I put an effort into the last fireroad climb and saw Rob working really hard, so I slowed it down until finally attacking on the last section of technical singletrack. I rode away for the win, then waited for Rob to come in to get cleaned up and enjoy the post ride buffet. This seemed like a good tune up for the final Michaux race of the year this coming weekend. I can't wait... Due to Chris Eatough and Harlan Price putting in some sick times in the first two races, it looks like I will be racing for 3rd for the overall series standings against local hero Mike Keefer. However, don't count me out for the win for the race. Ride on.

8 Hours of Adrenalin, 2 Hours of Nausea

2007-09-07T21:05:00.000-04:00

My entire season was dedicated to preparing for this years 24 Hours of Adrenalin Solo World Championships near the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, CA. Prior to the race, everything was going well, I felt as if I were in peak condition, my morale was high, and I was ready to kick some ass. I wasn't going there looking for a top 5 like last year. I was going for the win. My parents have been great all season, letting me train instead of work as I am a senior at Shippensburg University and this was going to be my last opportunity for them to help me like this as I will be heading into the work force next year. So we got to Monterey on Wednesday afternoon, and from then on spent some time eating some great food at many of the local eating establishments. On both Thursday and Friday I pre-rode the course which I wasn't that fond about, but made myself like it by the time the race came. The course was a 14 mile lap and all of it was out in the hot 100 degree California sun. There was a mile or two of singletrack and the most technical obstacle was a staircase to ride down as the course crossed the speedway... not my cup of tea. While hanging around the venue, I was surprised to be approached by some of the Aussies who had shown up for the race including John Claxton (2nd at this year's Australian National Championships). Who would have known that someone on the other side of the world knows somebody from Locust Gap! This encounter gave my ego a little boost, knowing that possibly all of my competitors would be watching out for me as a potential world champion. So race cay morning, I go through my usual routine and get myself mentally prepared to tear my legs and the rest of my body to pieces for the next 24 hours. The call up for the race ended with myself being introduced last as the highest ranked athlete leaving me with goosebumps and a silence where the only thing I heard was my heart beating. Two minutes later, the gun goes off and I run to my bike and the race is in full swing. By the time things had settled down, I was in the top 10 and everyone was in close proximity. About 3/4 of the way through the first lap, Tinker (this years world champ) and Kelly Magelky(2nd) attacked and were off the front. I held back and rode with Nat Ross, Ernesto Marenchin, John Claxton, Sloane Anderson, and a few others. Rolling through my pit area after lap 1 I exchanged Hydrapaks, grabbed, a bottle, and hopped on a new clean bike. This is how I was going to do the race. I would be switching off between my Carbon Rush and Taurine every lap, each holding two fresh GU's and a cold bottle. I would also grab food in later laps, and receive a 2nd feed for anything additional at the end of the lollipop loop through the start/finish area. These stops were consistent and took about 10 seconds. I was rolling through faster than most racers courtesy of Mom and Dad. I was feeling great. I thought I was hydrating well (nearly a half gallon/lap), and found myself in the top five by 7:00p.m. The only guys ahead of me were Tinker,Kelly, John, and Nat; the top 4 in the race. The sun began to slide behind the mountain ranges, the temperature instantly dropped from 100+ to what felt like 70. I started to feel better than I had all day. I thought, how does this happen?? I'm supposed to be feeling more fatigued, tired, sore, grumpy, and pain-stricken ad the day goes on. So I seized the opportunity of feeling awesome, shifted 3 gears higher than I'd been riding all afternoon, and put the hammer down. It was almost nightfall and I was ready to tear the place apart. Cruising through my pits I ate a PB&J and some potato chips, took some B-vitamins, and Calcium-Magnesium tablets along with my regular exchanges. I went out for my first full night lap at 8:00p.m. with a mission, but it wouldn't be until 10:00p.m. that I would return (about 50 minutes slower than my near 1:10:00 lap times). During that lap, I still felt great in the beginning, but started to notice something wrong around the 2nd fire road climb. I figured it was just the normal uncomfortable pains setting in that are associated with the race... no big deal. After going into the singletrack I found myself on the ground in one of the corners. I made myself calm down a bit and ride smoothly, because this is not a course any pro racer should crash on. It's just sand and dirt, that's it. So I started back up again and felt nearly swept away as the nausea began to settle in. I was near the halfway point and was sweating buckets in the cool night air... Oh Shit! This is not supposed to happen to me. From there on, I crawled pathetically slow up every climb, taking breaks on the tops of most of them being patient and careful not to throw up all over the trail. Soon my lead on Ernesto would be lost, but this was the least of my worries. I eventually made it back to the pits and sat down, while my parents covered my head in icy wet cloths to cool my fever down. I was eating papaya enzymes, B-vitamins, calcium-magnesium tablets, and drinking Coke to hopefully get rid of my nausea. I decided to go take a half hour nap in the car, then come back to race if I felt up to the challenge. It wasn't until 1 and 1/2 hours later that I felt decent enough to ride again. Being laps down out of the top 10 and being unsure if my body would operate well for the rest of the race, I called it quits. I was really hating life. All that I worked for this year was done... nothing mattered in the racing world, and I was pissed off at myself the most. The next morning I went to go get my bikes, and racing gear out of the pit area, and was informed by Roberta, Marks wife, that 5 others out of the top 10 were pulled out during the night due to chronic dehydration and other race related illness. I also learned that my teammate Dez Wilder pulled out the same time I did due to the same thing. Our body's just did not handle the extreme temperature changes. Knowing all of this I felt better that I had stopped. Sometimes shit happens. Then I began to think about what had happened. It was out of my control, and most importantly, I couldn't recall any of the top racers who have not experienced something similar to this. After the race Mark reassured me of this, and teammate Rob Lichtenwalner, also a 24-hour racer, sent me a message, "sorry to hear about the Rob stomach", as he has gotten sick quite a few times in the past couple years. So for now, I am going to use this as a learning experience and finish off my season with the last Michaux race, the Bear Creek XC, and the God's Country Marathon. Through this, I learned that my passion lies in endurance racing. For next year I will focus on the Granny Gear 24-Hour Series, 24-Hour Nationals, some National 100 mile races, and select 12 hour events. In the process, I will probably cut down my races from about 40 to 20 some in order to have a more competitive edge at each event. Thanks to my parents, family, friends, and sponsors for supporting me. It's greatly appreciated. Congratulations to all who finished, and to Rob and Aaron for tearing things up at 7-Springs.

Almost time...

2007-08-23T18:18:00.000-04:00

In less than a week I'll be in sunny California for the most important race of the year, the 24 Hours of Adrenalin Solo World Championships. I'm feeling completely prepared for the race, but the nerves are starting to kick in. The race will not be easy with Tinker Juarez, Nat Ross, Mark Hendershot, Ernesto Marenchin, and a few fast Aussies in contention. This weekend, I will get to squeeze in the local race at Iron Hill before heading out to the West Coast. This years race will be a sure test of mental strength. Ride on.

I have a blog!?!?

2007-08-16T09:47:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've had an update, and a lot of racing has been going on. Some good, some bad, and some in between. I'll start off with an in between one.
The Michaux 100K race was brutal. I got lost a little bit, so the promoters decided to have me tied for 3rd with Mike Keefer.
Following Michaux was the U.S. National Championships at Mt. Snow. This was one of the races that I've been planning to do well at all year, and I was looking for a top 5. As an East Coast racer, I was excited to see the course extremely muddy. I gave it my all, and placed 10th in the U23 XC race. I was a little disappointed at first, but after looking at the results I realized that the guys ahead of me were no joke. The Super D at Mt. Snow went rather well with a 13th in the pro race. I was able to make the most out of the race during the pedaling sections, while I held my own on the decents while rubbing handlebars with pro downhillers. While 13th might not sound that outstanding, it means something to me when I came across the line with a considerable lead over World Champion, Eric Carter.
Up next was the NMBS race at Sugar Mtn. NC. Before I start, I would like to let you know how much I hate this place. It's in the beautiful mountains in NC and all they can muster up for the XC course is a fireroad/pavement climb followed by a nearly unridable downhill. While there, I tried to put my negative thoughts behind, but they all came back during the race when I flatted on a GRAVEL road at the top of the course. Soon enough after fixing the flat, it was time to receive another on the 3rd lap on the downhill. Riding the flat provided me with a cracked rim and a trip to the tech zone before going out on my last lap. In the end I beat maybe 5 people, and was bitter about thrashing my bike and wasting the good legs I had that day. Oh well.... racin's racin..... Oh yeah... I felt completely blown for the short track and DNF'd in the Super D due to my rear hub being overpacked with mud.
Now to some good news.... the Wilderness 101, Pennsylvania's 100 mile backcountry race. It didn't occur to me until at the start how tough of a crowd had gathered for the event. Jeremiah Bishop, Harlan Price, Tinker Juarez, Josh Tostado, and Sam Koerber featured some of the talent present. The race always starts off like a parade, but when it was time to start racing, I laid down the first attack at the top of a climb and down a long descent. At the bottom, the remaining racers were myself, Jeremiah, Harlan, Tinker, and Sam. We kept a fast pace going and rode together through the halfway point of the race. This is when Harlan thought it was time for short track, and boy do I love short track. So I settled into my own pace and counted on somebody out of that group blowing up. Things didn't turn out as I thought as I approached Aid Station 4 (out of 5 stations) to fuel up, and I hadn't caught anybody. However, I learned that Tinker was only 5 minutes up, so I stepped it up a notch. About an hour or so later I got to Aid Station 5 and soon passed Sam, who looked to be spent from the hard efforts earlier in the day. When I caught Sam, I wanted to show him I was still riding strong and could push a race pace at will to discourage him from holding on to 4th place. I pushed on towards the finish and with 2 or 3 miles to go I caught a glimpse of Tinker, who unfortunately caught a glimpse of me. I pedaled my brains out to try and catch him, but I assume he did the same as the gap stayed the same (about 1 minute) as I finished 4th in 7 hours and 25 minutes. Jeremiah was the overall winner with Harlan right behind him. Both racers broke the previous course record held by Chris Eatough.... craziness.
Finally my last update and possibly most important.... the NMBS Finals at Snowmass. I thought going into the race, typical West Coast riding: long fireroad climb, hardpack, non-technical trails. Was I wrong or what. The course was mostly singletrack including the hour long climb, and the downhills were littered with rocks, roots, stream crossings, switchbacks, and high speed slightly moistened singletrack. The race went o.k. and I finished mid-pack. But now I'm convinced that I found a place to move to.... not necessarily Snowmass, but somewhere in Colorado. Later on after the race I rode with Jeff Evans, a friend who just moved out to CO. The trails we rode on were about as rocky as they are back home, but they were settled in the high desert of Carbondale. Between the ride and the race, I am relieved that technical trails exist elsewhere besides the East.... I just don't understand why the people out West avoid them?? Well all I know is that I will be in search of them after I graduate next spring.

A look at what's been goin on...

2007-07-11T19:48:00.000-04:00

A little off roading at Deer Valley.

Some rent-a-car carnage.....

Q&A session on endurance racing by Roberto and myself....

And some Cowbell Challenge pics..... searchin' for the 44 X 11...

Cowbell Challenge (12 hours in hell)

2007-07-03T09:49:00.000-04:00

Only one more to go after this post and I should be all caught up on the race updates. After I find the camera I should be able to post some photos as well....

The Cowbell Challenge, a part of USA Cyclings Ultra-Endurance calendar took place on June 23 from 10a.m. to 10p.m. Before arriving there, I was prepared for a brutal race, expecting competitors like Nat Ross, Tinker Juarez, and fellow teammate Rob Lichtenwalner. Unfortunately Tinker had other plans for the weekend, and it was reported that Nat was recently hit by a car. So now it seemed like the race would be fought out between myself, Rob, and local fast guy and former winner of the race, Eddie O'Dea. When Rob and I got to the venue at the National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC we were hooked up with a sweet pit area courtesy of Taylor, the organizer of the event. Thanks . However, it wasn't until the next day that we would realize how lucky we (I mean my mom and Rob's wife, Sara) were to be so close to the transition area. Most 12 and 24 hour races have you ride through your pit area during every lap, but on this course it just did not happen. Instead you would ride through the transition, pull a u-turn, and get right back on the trails not even getting a glimpse of the pits. So it was fortunate that we were located closest to the transition tent, which made it easier for my mom and Sara to grab us food and water.

When the race started it was already hot out, so I knew I would be required to drink early and often. On the starting line, I saw Charlie Pendry of Inland Construction who was there doing a duo with his teammate. With this in mind, I figured it would be a good idea to hold Charlie's rear wheel on the first lap until the other solo competitors were out of sight. This plan worked to perfection as I led the first lap in the solo race aboard my Cannondale Taurine. At this rate, I still thought it would be a good idea to rage the hartail for the whole race as its speedy acceleration sent me flying around every corner. By the time I had 4 laps in my mind had changed as the heat was starting to wear on me and the bumpiness of the course was starting to tear into my back. I still had a very comfortable lead with Rob chasing and Eddie in 3rd. I switched to my Carbon Rush and continued on... what a difference. This bike is like a lightweight motorcycle. All of the bumps disappeared, and for what time I lost in the corners, I gained in the pure speed I gained while descending. I was consistantle gaining 30 seconds to a minute on the competition each lap until about halfway through. The heat was at its height of the day, nearly 100 degrees and as humid as it gets on the east coast. I was starting to get miserable and had a hard time finding my usual appetite to keep my body refueled. However I began to gain minutes on each lap that was to come. By 7:30 I had to stop to mount my Lupine Wilma lighting system, even though it was far from getting dark out. I figured I would have 2 laps to go and I had a good lead, so I cruised along for this lap, but kept the speed high on the downhills, because the bumps that were first made invisible by the Rush were now like knife blades jabbing me in the ribs of my back. I just wanted to be finished at this point. As I appoached the end of the lap, I stopped and chatted with Taylor for a little. He asked if I was going out for another lap, and my immediate response was, "Do I have to?". He said that if I crossed the finish line before 9p.m. I would have to go for another. It was 8:30 and luckily on the previous lap I was about 40 minutes ahead of Eddie who moved into 2nd place. It would be impossible for Eddie to beat me, and I had nothing to prove by abusing myself with another lap, so I pedaled on up near the finish line and sat on a rock until 9p.m. I was thrilled to have an early quit that day and was ready to start binge eating to refuel. Rob came to join me to sit on the rock about 15 minutes later. At the time he was a lap down, and looked crooked from the heat. He said that he hadn't bonked that hard since a training ride where he had to stop at a homeless shelter for food. The heat was no joke. I don't think I would've been able to last if it were a 24 hour race that day. 9p.m. came and I crossed the line, officially winning the event with a time 15 minutes ahead of Eddie. After crossing the line I was greeted by my mom with a pizza which I devoured in seconds followed by some oatmeal creme pies, some pretzels, and about a half gallon of fluids. After the awards we had to stop for some more grub on the way back to the hotel for a sandwhich and some beer. I finished the sandwhich and after a beer and a shower I was ready for a good night's sleep. The race went great. I was able to push a pretty hard pace for the entire time and gained some more confidence for the upcoming 24 Hours of Adrenalin Solo World Championships in September. I would like to thank my mom and Sara for doing everything they could in the pits that weekend and my dad for his continuous support. Ride on...

The Journey continues...

2007-06-29T11:13:00.000-04:00

Deer Valley

Packing up and heading out to Park City, UT has been one of my favorite mountain bike vacation/races for the past 3 years. Park City is filled with outdoor enthusiasts like myself, barely anyone smokes, and most are at least in decent shape. The Deer Valley venue does not dish out your typical race you would expect while racing in the mountain states (climb 30 minutes on a fireroad, turn around and decend). Instead the course starts off with a climb, but then quickly sends you into singletrack filled with switchbacks and many short climbs and decents. Of course you get to suck in a lot of dust on your way, and brake bumps are inevitable. But the fast paced roller coastery course is one that will keep you grinning.

Now to the trip.... So Aaron and I landed in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night and had no place to stay ( a common theme for this trip ). Knowing this beforehand, we quickly claimed an area next to the baggage claim as our home for the night. We partially unpacked our bike boxes so we could sleep upon the foam that comforted our bikes in flight. I don't think sleeping next to the baggage claim with all of the stuff we had was usual, because there were a lot of comments floating around the airport. In the morning, we woke up and went to get our rent-a-car. What a treat this was. If you looked at two young men traveling together and wanted to make them look gay, this is what you do..... give them a white PT Cruiser. I found no humor in this cruel joke... nobody looks respectable driving one of these pieces of shit. The only other comment I need to make about the shitty car is.... Thank god for a damage waver. After forcing bike boxes, suitcases, and backpacks in our PT gay we drove off to Deer Valley to go ride the course. All the team trailers were set up, so I proceeded to see if Chris, the Cannondale mechanic would let us keep our bikes under the trailer. After doing so, he hooked us up with a sweet place to stay for night one.... Thanks Chris. The pre-ride on the course felt great. I did a few short intervals, and about halfway through the ride, I grabbed a fistfull of brake lever that did nothing.... WTF. It appeared that my brake line loosened up in flight and oil went leaking all over the trail. So I finished the lap without a rear brake then gave Chris one of his first tasks of the weekend. After the ride there was nothing to do but get some food, loiter, and try and get the PT gay to the top of the mountain in an off road effort. The following day was the Super D race. The day was spent loitering around Park City and enjoying some of the local food and leaving the majority of our rides tire tread plastered to as many corners as we could squeel the tires around. Finally I got ready for the Super D, did a practice run or two and looked at the startlist. I started about 6 minutes from the front, so I had time for more practice runs. It looked like the race was going to be some stiff competition. About 50 racers entered and most were well known downhillers or xc racers who are known to take lots of risks on the decents. I felt great on my run. I thought the most I could've shaved off of my time was 30 or 40 seconds by taking a lot more risks in the corners. However, the winning time was a minute ahead of mine.... damn thos guys are nuts. The end result had me in 23rd. Not too bad. The next day hosted the XC race in 90 some degree heat. My plan of attack was to ride my own race, but keep it in the big ring. I figured this would be a good strategy based on how I felt during the pre-ride on Thursday. Things turned out a lot different during the race. The start sent us sailing up a fireroad for a couple minutes, before funneling into the dusty singletrack. I didn't have the greatest start, but passed more people than passed me during the 4 lap event. About halfway into the second lap I was starting to hurt pretty bad. My big ring attack failed earlier in the first lap, and I had to keep on hydrating and eating GU's to fight off cramps. In the end of the sufferfest, I finished about mid-pack in the 40's. Later on, we went back to our new hotel, presented by Mike Laub. Thanks to Mike we had a place for Friday and Saturday night as well as someone in the feed zone for the XC. Thanks a lot! After washing up and eating, we went to the hot tub to loosen up a bit for Sunday's short track race, another sufferfest. While there we met a couple of local girls from SLC who were vacationing for the weekend. It was in my plans to try and snag some more floorspace for Sunday night, but unfortunately they were leaving Sunday morning for Father's Day. So the next day we got ready for the short track. I felt great, but knew the feeling wouldn't last too long during the race do to the fast legs of guys like Geoff Kabush. After slamming a Monster XXL an hour before the start I was ready to rip it up. I had a decent position for the first 50 yards of the race, but that went to hell in the first bottleneck of a turn as I lost some positioning. Right after the bottleneck there was a short decent and my favorite climb on the course, where I was able to dig deep and make several passes on each of the 4 laps I completed until I was pulled. A short track for the winners lasts about 15 laps. So that was it for my weekend of racing. A lap later, Aaron was pulled and we watched the rest of the race and headed out for another lap on the xc course. Both of us felt great and wished we had felt that way for the xc. Oh well... Monday came and provided us with a day of riding some of the local trails not on the race course. We started in Park City and rode to Deer Valley through some high desert type of singletrack. After that we took the climb from the old marathon course as high as I could remember, then proceeded to the top of one of the mountains. Near the top there were some patches of snow.... crazy shit to see when its 90 some degrees. On the way down we rode some sweet singletrack and even saw a few moose. Another national is in the books for this year. Only a few more to go, and the next stop with nationals will be in Mount Snow, VT. I can't wait.

Stoopid 50

2007-06-12T11:37:00.000-04:00

The one thing that was on my mind since I pre-rode this course two weeks ago was hiking up Sassafrass Trail for 15 minutes. I did say hiking. This trail is steeper than your average climb, and unridable from bottom to top unless your a god. So my thoughts on putting the trail in the course in the direction it was..... stoopid.... just down right stoopid. But anyway the day before the race, Matt and Aaron stopped by for some pre-race feeding and loitering around my place for the evening. The next morning, they also got to experience the treatment that I get most weekends, courtesy to the parents, and that is getting chauffeured to the race. It is a rather enjoyable experience, especially when the race is 2 hours or more away and the start time is at 9 a.m. So we got to the race, kitted up and rode around until the start. The start was fairly neutral except for the one guy who decided to drop the hammer on the pavement section which brought us to a mostly singletrack course. Almost immediately after the rest of us made it to the singletrack I passed him out and took the lead, which I kept the whole race. I felt great the entire race, and I credit that to my retirement plan this summer. It feels great to not be working in the heat 40 hours a week. It also gives me time to train enough that a 4 hour race seems like another day in the saddle. During the race I had a few encounters with a few cheering spectators, some hikers, bikers, and I also gained a companion for Sassafrass Trail #2. The second time on Sassafrass isn't as painful as the first, hike a bike section, but the course has us ride the trail in such a way that it is uphill in both directions. (See Stoopid 50 map at nittanymba.org). My companion was a dog that abandoned its owners on a trail before Sassafrass to come ride with me. At first I tried to chase him back, but it was no use, so I pedaled on. The dog behaved rather well, but whenever I would go to pick up the pace, he would make me nervous by trying to run along side of me, so I would have to yell, "Hold your line" and it would listen. Well enough about the dog... So the race ended in a solo finish to the end with a time of 4 hours and 16 minutes (better than my expected time of 5+ hours ). Aaron had a great race finishing in 2nd, 12 or 13 minutes back. Matt also had a good race, finishing 13th which he needed. I can see he has emerged from his "funk" from early on this season.... I predict some even better results as the season continues. Well that's all I have for now. Time to get things together for Deer Valley. I will be flying out tomorrow evening. I can't wait, this trip is always something to remember.

Tour de Flat

2007-06-08T10:41:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was yet another stop for the MASS, Tour de Tykes in Danville, PA. In past years it has been an ongoing battle between myself and Ray Adams of VisitPA, with myself winning last year's race. Sometime during the week I went to go ride the trails at Danville to see what kind of shape they would be in for the race. During the pre-ride, I felt great and was getting even better feelings about the upcoming race. Race day came. I actually decided to get a decent warm up in for this one, because there is a lot of climbing right off the start. I took advantage of my warm up and darted off the front, rubbed handlebars with Aaron, then hammered the big ring to the top of the first climb. By this point, everyone behind me was barely visible, and I felt great (retirement is definately paying off)! So I kept it in the big ring through the next climb and first couple sections of singletrack. Now 30 minutes into the race, nobody is in sight. I am pedaling up a smooth singletrack climb, thats when it hit me.... flat tire. Well the trail is smooth, so the tire sealant should get it. After hitting the tire with some CO2, nothing happened. There was a tear through the tread and sidewall an inch and a half long. I'm still not panicking, because nobody is yet in sight. I take my tire off, remove the tubeless valve stem, put in the tube, and then Aaron and Kyle pass by. I figure all I had to do was fill up the tire with my last CO2 and I'd be on my way. This idea was smashed when I found out my CO2 was empty. So I waited along side the trail until Les Leech finally gave me a Big Air. I filled up and was back on my way. There was still a chance I could catch back up. I hammered along for a little, and on one of the next downhills, my chain slid off and got wedged between my bike and the crank..... another minute or two down the drain. Back on the bike again. Soon I was halfway through the race and still determined to make up lost ground. After catching many of the racers who passed me including Les, who had flatted and needed his Big Air back, I flatted again. By now all I wanted to do was finish the race. Luckily enough I was passed by Tom, who gave me a tube and CO2 to get me rolling again. It wasn't too long after that that I handed Tom my chain tool to fix his broken chain. It almost seemed like anyone who helped me that day was punished for their good deeds. Even though the race was over for me, there was a climb up ahead, and there would be prizes given out to whoever could clean it without dabbing... so why not save a little energy for this one. When I got to the hillclimb, I not only made it to the top, but passed 4 other racers in the process. There would be one more downhill in the race, and as long as I could make it down without any other problems I would be home free. For once in this race report, that is what happened as I finished 9th for the day. Not my usual, but I was still really happy with my fitness level and the huge lead I had early on. Well this weekend has another MASS race in store, before heading out to Utah for the next NMBS race. Sunday will be the Stoopid 50 marathon race in State College, PA. I can't wait to walk up Sassafrass Trail :)

12 Hours of Tsali

2007-05-28T18:51:00.000-04:00

How much shit can you fit into a Mazda Protege? That is the question that was answered last weekend as Aaron and I packed up to go to Bryson City, NC for the 12 Hours of Tsali race. Inside the car we were able to fit: an EZ Up, a large cooler, a 5 gallon water jug, 2 tables, a toolbox, a repair stand, a floor pump, my gear bag, Aaron's gear bag, food for the both of us for the weekend (for before, during, and after the race), a tent, 2 sleeping bags, a sleeping pad, pillows, a lantern, 2 chairs, my Taurine, and Aaron's front wheel. It was a tight fit to say the least. The plan of attack was to set out Thursday, ride in Douthat State Park (Virginia), then continue to drive to Tsali on Friday and pre-ride the course. Saturday we would race from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and then drive to VA Tech to ride on Sunday. Monday morning we would wake up and go to Carvin's Cove to ride before finally driving home.

The race went great. I attacked right off the start, and was the first solo rider to finish the first lap (third place at the time including teams). My lead held throughout the rest of the day as I tried to see how long I could push the big ring ( with the exception of one steep middle ring climb). By around 7 p.m. I lapped Aaron and slowed down a little bit after he informed me that he was in 2nd place and I lapped the field. So with 4 hours to go I could relax a little as long as I kept on riding. Still feeling great, I decided to keep a swift pace but took some long pits to refuel. By 10 p.m. I knew I was still far enough ahead to call it quits and take the win, so that's what I did. Afterwards I took on a 3 lb hoagie, a couple leftover peanut butter, honey, and banana sandwhiches, some Bear Naked granola, and whatever else I could get my hands on. It was a close race between seasoned endurance racer, Harvey Minton who took 2nd and Aaron who finished 3rd. Congrats to both. This race was also my first race with my new light, the Lupine Wilma 6, which performed to perfection as I turned the pedals on my Cannondale Taurine. I originally got this bike for some NORBA XC racing, but it has definately been proven as my choice bike for some of the less technical endurance races as well such as this race and the Cohutta 100. Well that's about it for now... back to some relaxing during my summer of retirement from labor.

Testing.... 1, 2

2007-05-16T11:23:00.000-04:00

Luckily for this year, I was able to hook up with Lupine for a lighting sponsorship to guide me through the nights of 12 and 24 hour races as well as extended training rides. I just got my Wilma 6 and Passubio XL on Saturday and have been itching to test them out. I finally got the chance to do so last night as well as Monday night. Monday night's ride, I headed up to ride some of the older trails in the area. As I happen to spook myself alone at night, I opted to stick to a small loop, doing intervals up the "Mile and a Quarter" and down the "Velcro". The Wilma led me the whole way. Don't be deceived when seeing that the headlamp is powered by LED's. This fine piece of equipment is as bright as any HID system out there, and with the lightweight LiIon battery has a burn time of 5.5 hours on high! Last night's ride I strapped my Wilma back on and decided to take my skirt off and go a little deeper into the woods. Not too far into my travels, I ran into 5 deer that were completely startled when they saw me and took off. This brought a lighter mood to me as I figured any "scary" animals would be spooked as well. So I hopped on the "High Ridge Trail", which extends from Natalie on Rt 54 to Aristes on Rt 42. Throughout the trail, I had no problems negotiating my lines and picking my way through the rocks. Towards the end there is a high speed decent, where I got my adrenaline rush for the night when I saw Mr. Teddy, a very large bear. I'm not going to estimate size by saying, "He was a XXXlb bear.", but I will tell you he looked taller than me on all four's while I was on the bike and wider than the trail. Luckily for my own health, the beasts tail was facing me as he scrambled away and then down the mountain. I swear he knocked down a dozen trees from all the ruckus he made. So anyway, I approached the spot where he cut down the mountain very slowly, then high tailed it when I was sure he was gone. On my way out of the singletrack, I came a few feet from a porcupine, snacking on a shrub. When I reached the pavement, I decided I had enough excitement for the night and should take the road back home. The wildlife experience wasn't over. On the way I saw a dead snake, had a dog bark at me from a passing car, and saw 2 more dear when I made it back to the Gap.... what a night.

French Creek

2007-05-16T10:33:00.000-04:00

The first MASS XC race was this past Sunday at French Creek, near Birdsboro, PA. Though I have raced here many times in the past, we started at a new site which had me a little on the unknowing side, but kept the excitement level high, not knowing how the course would turn out. The course itself was unusually short, only 18 miles and 1 and a half laps!? With a larger group of racers and such a short course, nobody would have an advantage. This idea proved itself in the end as the lead and all other positions changed multiple times throughout the race. From the first section of singletrack I was in 5th or 6th place and worked my way into third before the long pavement climb, where I caught Jeff Schalk who was currently leading. The two of us battled it out on till the top, but I found myself in 3rd going back into the singletrack as Jeff and Kyle Hammaker pressed on a little harder. I re-passed Kyle on one of the decents, then threw my chain off as I was closing in on Jeff, putting me back behind Kyle, who took the lead. I soon caught back up to Jeff, who crashed on a high speed decent, that put me back into 2nd. Soon enough, I was passed by teammate Rob Lichtenwalner, Harlan Price, and Aaron Snyder. As we started the 2nd, half lap, I rode with Aaron as we closed the gap back down to the other racers. Towards the end of the lap we passed Rob, who flatted as well as Kyle. Aaron kicked it into high gear and got a 9 second gap on me. The race ended with Harlan as the winner, with Aaron in 2nd and myself in 3rd (all finishing in the same minute). For more results check out www.masuperseries.com. Race photos here: http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/2076889/1/152643722/Original

UVEX

2007-05-08T10:48:00.001-04:00

Also wanted to note that I got my new lid from Uvex last weekend. This is THE most comfortable helmet I've ever owned. The microadjustment dial in the back of the helmet keeps it as snug as you would like, while the ratcheting chin strap leaves you enough room that you can wear a skull cap underneath without readjusting the whole strap system. The new helmet also has a bug net and has a sweet color scheme to match our kits.

MMMMM... Rocks

2007-05-08T09:41:00.000-04:00

The Cat Classic and Michaux Maximus, two of my favorite courses. Separately they bring tears of joy to my eyes and when combined for back to back races tears of agony almost result from the difficulty of racing for nearly 7 hours over the weekend on the most brutal terrain PA has to offer. Saturday was the Cat Classic. Going into the race, I was expecting to defend my title from last year's race. I knew the competition would be fierce. All of the usual Mid-Atlantic folk were there as well as Chris who surprised me with a showing despite the long drive from MD with Michaux in his plans for the next day. I got a decent position going into the first section of singletrack, but lost ground quick as I rode (dabbed, ran, and fumbled) pathetically through the rocks during the first 3/4 of the first lap. After seeing myself in around 12th place I knew something had to be done. I tore off the skirt and manned it up for the remainder of the race eventually moving up to 3rd place, closing in on Ray from VisitPA. Throughout the race, my dad was trying to get me all riled up which usually works, but on the last lap with only 5 minutes to go in the race, he made a comment that was sure to make people think that I'm a bastard step child. At the top of a climb he yelled, "You made up a lot of ground, but DO YOU THINK IT'S GOOD ENOUGH". As I saw people look in his direction, I hammered as hard as I could, playing into the whole deal. Afterwards we joked and laughed about how people unfamiliar with his sense of humor must have felt. I ended up finishing in 3rd with Ray in 2nd and Chris taking home the sweet $500 reward for winning. 3rd got me some pretty good loot as well.

Now on to Michaux. Aaron and I went back to my place after the Cat to eat some steak(courtesy of Mom) and wash our bikes. We then drove to Ship so we could "sleep in". That didn't work out for the best as we didn't get to go to bed until 11pm, then my wonderful roomate came in and turned the lights on at 2am, and before you know it we were eating breakfast at 6am. Let's race. So we pack the bikes up and meet my parents at Sheetz, cause they discovered some fallen trees on the road to get to the race..... Detour. Good thing I know the area pretty good. So we make it to the race a half an hour before the start, and I as well as others convince the promoter to start a half an hour later. I gotta love the atmosphere involved with a Michaux race. Nobody is super serious, and leaves plenty of room for some good laughs. At the start line, the promoter told us that the winning time of the 50 mile race should be around 4:45:00. Then he went on to say, "A lot of you will be out there for a looong time." This was half joking, half reality. It was said in a light manner, but it was the truth, since Michaux is notorious for its difficult terrain. As the race started, I took the lead down the first descent, but was then passed by Chris and Harlan, who were moving at what seemed to be reckless speed. For 7 or 8 more miles I was able to keep the two of them in my sight, but then found myself alone in 3rd place. I was soon joined by local, Mike Keefer. We exchanged the lead a few times in the rugged singletrack, exchanging lines, but the combined effort was lost sometime before Grave Ridge when Mike dropped off the back. At the bottom of Dead Woman's Hollow, a 20 minute climb, I thought I was half way done the race, so I chugged the rest of my GU2O and grabbed another bottle from Mom. By the time I got to the top, Mike was back with me again, and we continued to ride together for an hour or so on the Shippensburg side of the mountain. I put another gap on him as I wanted to get to 3 mile trail alone. It seemed like an eternity to get there, as there was a lot more singletrack and climbing than I had thought it would take to get there. However, I was able to hold my own and continue to chase Harlan alone, who was in 2nd and about 10 minutes ahead. In the end, I added another 3rd place finish to the weekend and finished the brutal course in 4:34:00 or close to that. Satisfied with both races, I went to a Chinese Buffet with A-ron to binge eat and refuel, before going back to study for my Bio Exam on Monday.

Santa Ynez NMBS#2

2007-05-03T21:37:00.000-04:00

This was the first time that I've traveled across the country on my own, and I would have to say, I had everything covered and made the trip fairly inexpensive besides getting mugged at the airport ($185 to send my bike along for the ride). After getting a ride to the airport from Aaron I reached my final destination Thursday afternoon in Santa Barbara, CA. At Enterprise, I got a free car upgrade to a Focus (I'll credit this to macking on the girl at the desk), so there was no problem in fitting all my stuff in. After driving to the venue, I unpacked the bike and took it out to preview the course. This is pretty much what it was like: vinyards, hills, and singletrack nestled in grass fields. It sounds pretty boring, but was rather enjoyable to race on. After the pre-ride I went North to Santa Maria to make a stop at Wal-Mart in order to "rent" a home for the weekend. Truly living the dirtbag way, I learned that large stores accept returns on anything. This includes buying a tent for a weekend and giving it back covered in dust and probably infested with some bugs. After renting my home I grabbed some Chinese food and breakfast/lunch foods for the weekend. By the time I made it back to the campsite it was dark, so this is what my tent looked like by morning:

To the right is what the tent looks like after a proper setup. Friday was another uneventful preride, which followed up by loitering in coffee shops for nearly 6 hours.... endurance loitering should become a new sport. After a hard afternoon doing nothing, I grabbed some authentic Mexican food (no, it wasn't T-Bell) to fuel up for Saturdays Short Track and Super D. Back at the campsite I was neighbors with some fellow pro racers, beginners, and weekend warriors. The mix in the crowd made for a great atmosphere. The short track was in the morning, and I must say it was hands down, the dustiest race I've ever been in. I was extremely happy with my performance, lasting about 17 minutes before getting "pulled". After I was pulled I coughed nothing but mud for a while and took quite a bit of time to flush the dirt from my eyes. Now I had all day to look forward to Super D, which didn't go as well as planned but had no real problems. I need to start hitting Michaux a little harder and take more risks. The XC was on Sunday, and by the time it finally came around to racing, the race itself was cut down from 40 miles to 26. This doesn't make an endurance racer a happy camper, but I guess it is what it is. Before the race I spent some time hanging in the shade with teammates Andy and Kevin, and Bruce, a super cool and laid back racer for Trek. I was also fortunate enough to have my neighbors Troy and Llyn to hand me bottles to me during the race. From the gun, I had a half decent start, but lost a few positions after things settled in. No problem. I should get them back on the second lap. The second lap comes around and one or two more racers pass me. I try to desparately hang on, but it seems as if I lost my overdrive, or maybe it's that I haven't really warmed up yet. By the time this idea runs through my head, I finish in 39th with a time of 2:01:00.... not bad, but not my usual performance. Congrats to Andy who had a sweet race, placing 7th while holding off Trebon. Well its time that I'd go pack up, return my tent, and head back to Ship. I can't wait to race this weekend, with 2 of my favorite courses; the Cat Classic on Saturday and Michaux Maximus (now 50 miles) on Sunday. Ride on.

Almost Skunked

2007-04-24T18:56:00.000-04:00

Today was the last day that I would be able to get any training done outside before heading out to Santa Barbara, so I decided to ride up to Michaux and time-trial 3 mile trail. It started off great, railing all of the corners, gracefully throwing my bike over the rocks, then about half way through I locked on my brakes. At first it looked like a dead skunk in the middle of the trail, but when I got off of my bike to walk around it, it picked its head up. This struck up a fear from deep within since the skunk was only 5 feet in front of me at the most. I had already been sprayed in the past and I didn't want a repeat, especially with a lot of biking gear at serious risk of stink. So I backed off and started yelling at the thing to scare it off. It didn't give a care, and kept sniffing the ground where I left it. It knew I was afraid to get close. So I continued to watch it for about 5 minutes before it finally decided to leave the trail. I don't think I could've gotten luckier by not getting sprayed.

Cohutta 100

2007-04-23T19:33:00.000-04:00

The National Ultra Endurance (NUE) Series began on April 21 with the Cohutta 100 in southern Tennessee (and parts of Georgia). On Friday morning my parents picked me up at Ship for the drive down, which wasn't too bad at all. Only 11 hours with multiple stops. When we got there, I finally felt like I was half organized and was able to assemble my drop bags in a timely fashion. For the 100 mile epic I took plenty of GU and GU2O (spiked with soy protein) along with PB&J's and a few oatmeal walnut bars. After getting ready I was able to squeak in a ride before dark and dinner time. For dinner I went with my parents to some mom and pop type restaurant where we received some good southern hospitality (waiting about an hour to get our food).

Race day: Wake up at 4:45 am. Eat some Bear Naked with yogurt and soy milk followed by a banana and peanut butter. Get a shower and then get to the venue at 6:00am. Get stuff ready for race at 7:00am. It's finally time to race and since the sun has been up for not even an hour I was shivering like I was in the middle of the Arctic Circle. Luckily the race started out with a gradual pavement climb which allowed some time to warm up. We get to the singletrack and I am somewhere around 10th place. The first trail we were on was tight and twisty and not very rocky. From there, I knew that my Taurine was going to be the best choice bike for the course. After the first section of trail, I rode along with a small group of riders (Shey Linder, Harlan, Shawn, Andy Mills, and another rider who I dont remember). After about 2 hours we caught a glance of Chris and Tinker at the lead. We caught Chris first and before we got to aid station #2 I made a small break on the climb so that I could get some undivided attention getting the stuff I needed from my drop bag. After the group caught back on, Chris had started his chase to catch Tinker. I followed and by the next aid station (after about 30 miles of climbing) we caught and passed him. This didn't last too long, and soon I saw Tinker on the chase from behind. He eventually caught up to me and Chris bolted. So for the next hour or two I tried to keep Chris from gaining time on us as Tinker closely trailed. When we reached aid station 5, Tinker made a fast pit and took off, leaving me to ride alone. Not thinking that anyone was going to be in sight for miles, I stopped to take a much needed leak alongside the road. When I hopped back on the bike, I was able to see Shey and Shawn in persuit. There was no use in trying to get away now, so I rode slowly until they caught up. The three of us rode the scenic fireroads together until the last aid station which was a mark that there was only 3o minutes left of racing and all of it was singletrack. So I made my move and tried as hard as I could to make it a cross country like effort as I mashed on the pedals like I was in a sprint finish. This tactic proved successful as I saw that Shawn was not willing to match the pace. Shey, however stayed right behind me until the end (taking almost 50 minutes off of his time from last year!). So it ended up that Chris had taken the top spot with Tinker in 2nd and myself in 3rd. Not a bad way to start the endurance racing for this year.

From NC to AZ and Back Home in PA

2007-04-16T16:06:00.000-04:00

It's been quite some time since my last update. So to get caught up I'll take you to the middle of March when the mountain bike season begins. The trip to NC ended up quite well as A-ron and I retreated to Uwharrie National Forest to get out of the cold weather of the Mid-Atlantic and of course to race our bikes. During the whole weekend we basked in the 80 some degree temps and had some decent results. I placed 2nd in the Pro XC while A-ron finished 4th. It felt good to know that I felt fast considering a late winter, because the next week brought us to the first NMBS race in Phoenix, AZ.

If the racing and vacation in Phoenix was going to be as bad as the travel and preparations, I would have been utterly disgusted. However this was not the case at all as I had my best Pro XC finish at a national race coming in 31st with a mechanical... The preparations all started on Wednesday when I went home to pack up and go to the airport. Before I even left, one of my friends at Ship had to give my car a jump to get me on my way. No big deal. I get home and start packing and find that my new Rush doesn't want to fit in the bike box. Now the frustration is steaming out of my pores while I eventually disassemble it enough to just squeeze in. About 2 hours behind time I go to pick up Matt, then A-ron. Without a whole lot of time, we go to the airport. To our surprise we find that the ticketing doesn't open until about 45 min before our flight, so we nap. After waking we go to ticketing and find we are in the wront terminal (United) which is the airline we would fly on, but our booking went through US Airways. After all the hustle and bustle we make our flight and get to Phoenix where we met up with Kyle. Later on that day we ran into another problem, when our tranny blew in the U-Haul (should've gotten a Penske). Getting the U-Haul replaced was a major hassle, but after we got a new truck/weekend home we were problem free and ready to enjoy the weekend. It will be too long for me to go on and on about everything that can happen at a national level race when your living out of a U-Haul with a pile of friends, so I'll just post a few pics instead.

Unfortunately no scorpions were found on this trip.

Trails and Racing... Finally!

2007-03-23T10:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the first time in a long time that I was able to ride on some trails. Immediately after classes I high tailed it down to Greenbrier State Park in Maryland with Chris to get out and enjoy the nice weather. This was also Chris' first mtb ride. For the first lap of the day I taught Chris a few tricks to riding and we got done the 6 mile lap in about an hour. Not bad at all for a first time rider, considering stops to adjust things on my own bike, adjusting Chris' seatpost and taking a few rest breaks. I have a feeling this boy will become addicted just like the rest of us, spending all we got to travel and race. It's not something that you think about when you first start, but its your fate as long as you get the urge to go out for that second ride.

As for this weekend, I'm going to head down to NC with A-ron to do some riding and racing in 80 degree temps and lots of sunshine. Sounds much more appealing than stickin to Pennsyltucky in the 50 degree rainy weather. It will be a great time to do some last minute training for the upcoming national that isn't on the trainer. The good thing about the not so pleasant weather here is that it is finally rain and not snow. All of the trails here in Michaux should be perfect by the time I make it back from Phoenix. Should be back in time for a race update before leaving on Wednesday.

Not exactly a puppy dog, but it will do.

2007-03-21T19:02:00.000-04:00

It's less than a week now until the Phoenix national. Besides racing, I have another goal in mind. That is to find a new pet. It was an unfortunate thing that my dog needed to be put down a month ago, but its about time he gets a replacement. The replacement will hopefully be found on the upcoming trip and look something like this.

Spring Break

2007-03-19T17:54:00.000-04:00

Spring break went by way too fast, but brought me much closer to the first national race in Phoenix, AZ. See www.norbanationals.com for more info on that. Well the break started off with a snowstorm, then warmed up beautifully so I was able to get out and road ride with only a jersey and shorts, and then ended with an even bigger snowstorm. In the time of nicer weather I got some road racing in which I would rather not talk about but will provide the needed information upon request. Besides riding and racing over spring break I became the leisure king, making the recliner my best friend. With some quality time there I managed to learn a few lessons in life: 1. A good gunfight is over in less than six shots. 2. When walking on the top of a volcano it is not a good idea to move on if your boot starts to melt. 3. Guard dogs will get distracted by either a nice juicy steak or the urine from a bitch in heat. 4. The more TV I watch, the more I cant wait to take my new baby on some dirt....

Whats a Road Race??

2007-03-05T16:35:00.000-05:00

Alright, so this past weekend was the first weekend I got to race since the 24 Hours of Adrenalin Solo World Championships last October. It was a circuit race ending the opening weekend of the ECCC season. There were about 60 guys who showed up at the starting line. My plan was to stay on the attack the entire time.... Now that I think of it, that was my strategy for my first road race last year. But anyway, the story goes, I spent most of my time oscilating from the very front to the very back of the peloton like a sheep herding dog rounds up its livestock. After a while this starts to hurt and after one of my bouts at the front, the rest of the peloton blew by me in one fell swoop. I was not able to catch back on and spent the last couple of laps time trialing to complete my workout for the day.... maybe next weekend I'll learn to sit in a bit more and attack only when it's necessary. Until then I'll just be remembered as the thick headed mountain biker who has yet to learn the ropes of road racing.

The Road Ahead

2007-02-28T19:06:00.000-05:00

Instead of following up with another failed attempt at riding the Shenandoah 100 course, I will write about something more optimistic. That is, the racing season is finally here! Even though I am just getting over yet another sickness that began last weekend with a massive headache and lung infection, I am ready to break some legs. I will be doing 1 of 2 road races this weekend. The first option is a local training race in Newark, NJ or the ECCC road race hosted by Rutgers. Right now it's looking like Rutgers as the more probable race, due to weather conditions, but who knows. All that matters is that it is finally possible to start racing again. My plan of attack for the weekend? Ignore all road racing logic and break away from the start and time trial to finish. I race a mountain bike don't I... so why should I change my style for a road race I'm using for training? As for now, I am taking my last trip of the year to that place where the large men grunt and throw heavy pieces of iron around as they stare at themselves in mirrors, flexing their oversized arms.

Riding on Dirt???

2007-02-23T13:54:00.000-05:00

Well as you know last weekend presented no lasting signs of the brown stuff as Aaron and myself flopped around on the ice with the same ease of locomotion that a fish has on dry land. This week's weather has made the promise of dirt much more likely as almost all of the snow has melted around campus, and I even spent a day riding outside, in arm and knee warmers none the less. I also got to do my first set of high intensity intervals last night on the trainer..... boy did I miss those. The workout provided a rude awakening for my respiratory system, and today I feel like a piece of my lung has torn away and is now floating somewhere in my chest cavity. But anyway, I am really looking forward to this mountain biking thing this weekend. It's been a while since I got to give it hell in the corners. Maybe this is what it will be like when my tires connect on something other than pavement or ice....

Fearless

2007-02-20T14:59:00.000-05:00

This past weekend started off on a sad note when I got the call from Matt saying that it was impossible for him to leave Northeast PA due to the closure of all routes and interstates surrounding his home from the past snow storm. This snow storm was no laughing matter. You know it is a force to be reckoned with when the hard workers of Penn Dot were not able to overcome the frosty coverage of less than a foot 2 days after the accumulation ended. So it turned out that Aaron and myself would be forced to confront back to back rides on the Shenandoah 100 course alone.

So as it was, I packed my bags, bike, and sleeping gear up in my car and started my 2 hour drive to Virginia. When I made it on to the interstate, I felt more uncomfortable than I ever had in my life. My entire car started to tremble when I exceeded the speed of 45 mph. Since I knew my car had not developed Parkinson's overnight, I pulled over hoping that the problem was quite fixable. Luckily enough, it was. A large accumulation of ice in my wheel wells had cause my tires to rub relentlessly causing the rumble strip like sensation throughout the car. After knocking off the ice, I proceeded my drive. About 2 hours later I met up with Aaron at Cici's, a pizza buffet chain... all you can eat for $5. Now that's a bargain!.. and a reason to stuff my face before many hours of riding. My only complaint at Cici's was the scruffy looking waiter that snatched our trail map and my check that Aaron intended to give me for booking a flight to the first NMBS race in Phoenix. After retrieving the looted items, we stuffed our faces, went over the map, and drove off to the trail head to set up camp.

That night would reach a bitter low temp of 10 degrees, and would make it rough sleeping in the car. Good thing I had my huge manly balaclava to pull over my face when things got rough. So when my alarm went off at 6 am I went into a frantic scramble to get some heat back in my car via idling (there will b about 8 hours dedicated to car idling over the weekend). Damn it was cold... ice was everywhere... all over the trails we thought we might see dirt on. So we suited up and started the ride. After maybe two minutes I had to stop. My fork was compressed and refused to extend... I thought the ride was over unless the problem could be fixed by adding some extra psi. So back to the car already. As Aaron would say, the fork hung like a "limp dick" as I searched for a pump, but as soon as I thought I found the solution to the problem it rebounded and fixed itself. I guess the cold really messed with it. So back to the ride. We get on course and everything seems ridable. We are on nothing but snow and ice, but its ok... until we get to the first singletrack. I took the lead down the first descent and as a result, I was the first to hit the ground, but did not even put a dent in the solid ice. After a bit of walking we decided to ride again... this time Aaron led. We managed to ride the rest of this first descent as sketchy as it was and then look for the next trail, which was a singletrack climb. This climb, once in the deep woods was impossible to ride, but the 1.5 hour hike up the mountain was worth the sweet downhill that followed. We went ripping down the ice covered mountain with surprising traction and smashed through the ice covered bushes that overhung the trail like a superhero would smash through a glass ceiling. This concluded our first 4 hours of riding which covered 20 miles.... sounds quite pathetic for expecting to cover 100 miles with only 4 more hours of daylight left, but thats what the conditions provided for us, and by the end of the day we ended up with about 40 miles in 7 hours.

One day of riding was done, so we headed back to Cici's for more pizza and to loiter somewhere warm for a few hours. After many laughs, and slices of pizza we returned to the trailhead for another night of cold.

Day 2 we decided to try a different climb and descent combo on Hanky Mountain. The climbing part went fairly well with about an hour and 15 minutes of climbing before the ice forced us to walk another half hour to the top. The singletrack descent which would follow was expected to be nothing other than sweet. This assumption was completely off track and realized when I watched Aaron go down and slide uncontrollably until some kind of magical friction took over. So now it was my turn... I knew the fall was inevitable, so I rode down close to where he crashed and slid on my rear until the ground leveled. This sliding off of the bike would recur for the next hour or so as we descended most of Hanky Mountain on our asses. What a treat! Eventually the snow and ice receded a little bit and we could ride the last mile of the trail until we were back on the pavement which was mostly ice covered as well. After making it all of the way down the mountain, covering about 8 miles in 3 hours we began to realize how stupid we were to attempt riding on a solid inch of ice. This contemplation was rather humorous as in 8 miles we stopped for 2 lunches, had at least 2 more breaks, and felt that riding 10 miles back on the road would be a sufficient workout. This distance could be covered by a pregnant mother jogging with a stroller in about 3 hours. It took us 4.... and thats all I have to say about the "Shenandoah 65". Thats right... we couldn't even cover the 100 mile course in 2 days over 13 hours of riding.

So, it looks like another try will be required for this coming weekend.

AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-02-14T09:40:00.000-05:00

I push my fingers into my eyes
It's the only thing that slowly stops the ache...

Itchin' to Race

2007-02-12T22:46:00.000-05:00

Well, there's only 2.5 weeks to go until the first race of the year. Even though it's a road race I am still pumped up and ready to go. My teammates on the Bear Naked/Cannondale Team are also rarin' to go.... check on the article at http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtb.php?id=news/2007/feb07/feb13mtbnews .

Back to Base.... again

2007-02-11T16:32:00.000-05:00

After my last post I though I was feeling just fine and would be able to continue on with the winter riding regime, but the immune system let me down. After breakfast on Wednesday I took my daily multi-vitamin and it never seemed to make it down my throat. I must have drank a half gallon of fluids before lunch time to try and wash it down. It was making me feel quite nauseous and was only able to eat a bowl of cereal for lunch. So after lunch I went to my "job" and started to do some homework for one of my boring gen ed classes I'm taking this semester. Here's where I finally realized that there was not a vitamin stuck in my throat, because if there was a vitamin it would've been ejected with the other fluids that spewed from my mouth as I threw up in the garbage can. After this incident I packed up my stuff and headed back to the dorm and spent the next 18 hours in my cave trying to sleep. Occasionally I would wake up to vomit some more or to dry heave. By the time I woke up on Thursday I was so run down I didn't make it to classes or work. I just laid around all day and dabbled in the homework area accomplishing little.

Friday comes around and finally..... Back on the bike and feeling well again! I took it easy with a 2 hour road ride at a rather easy pace to ease myself back into things. No sign of sickness by Saturday morning, so I continued with my plan for a 4 hour road ride with a little more intensity. I had this long route planned out with 2 monster climbs and a bunch of small rolling hills. However, since there is constantly a 30 mile an hour wind in and around Shippensburg until April the direction of my ride had to be altered. Also when riding around Ship, the wind is ALWAYS in your face. My ride only had 1 long climb in it, but my average speed turned out to be 16mph.... this would only sound legitimate if I was riding my Rush with 2.5 inch tires on it. The ride did its job however and left me sleeping soundly within a half an hour after returning back to my room. Today's ride was similar to yesterdays, but with a completely different route. I was going to try and make a century ride today, but I didn't feel like I built my endurance up enough since I was sick. So I took the scenic ride through Michaux State Forest on Route 233 to Mont Alto. This stretch starts off with a very long 20 minute climb, then follows up with some rolling terrain. After I got to Mont Alto, I took 997 to Roxbury, which is generally flat with rolling terrain, then back to Ship on some back roads. All the riding this weekend was pretty uneventful, but when your on the road, thats for the best. Maybe I'll suck it up tonight and get out for another ride. After some good time in the saddle this week I should be ready for the mountain bike century(ies) I plan to do with A-ron and Matteo.... should be pretty manly.

Ain't nothin but a little frost nip...

2007-02-06T19:55:00.000-05:00

Damn, it's cold these days in Shippensburg. Today all of the matter I've been coughing up finally turned to a thinned out transparent slime, so I figured it would do no harm to give in to the urges and go out for a ride. Yes, I did have the urge to go outside and ride today when the temperature reached a maximum of 16 degrees with a wind chill of 6 degrees. Being sick and off the bike for a week will give you some crazy ideas like this. Even though it sounds crazy it was for the better. This is the first winter that I have become fully equipped with some serious cold weather riding gear and there was no better day to give it the test than today. Before I left I had the goal of staying out for an hour and a half before my body would freeze over. An hour and 45 minutes later I had to force myself back into my dorm, because it was getting dark and I didn't have my light with me. This gives two thumbs up to my winter riding apparel as I was still warm when I was forced into retirement for the evening... Bring on the cold! As for the cold inside of me..... no worse after the ride! Time to put the nose back to the grind stone.

Sick

2007-02-01T21:33:00.000-05:00

Theres no other good time to start a blog then when your off the bike with a good ol upper respiratory infection. Other than coughing up a lung every time I do something I feel fantastic. It is driving me insane. However I am able to be very productive with my school work and taking care of other important business like arranging the flight for the first NMBS race of the year in Phoenix, AZ at the end of March. I can't wait to start racing again. It is going to be an awesome year as I am going to attempt to hit all of the NMBS races which are scattered about the country. See www.norbanationals.com for the full schedule. Hopefully a long nights sleep will leave me feeling good enough to ride tomorrow.