Humana Cycling Team

Cherokee Trail Day 4/3/2010

2010-04-08T12:24:00.002-04:00

KyMBA is being resurrected and along with that Chuck Clark has been working closely with Olmsted Parks Conservancy to host monthly trail days in Cherokee and Seneca Parks. The main project for this year is what most know as the "No Net" trail, but this month the focus was on the KyMBA downhill area.

(Insert picture tonight)

Jeff Wine (and Kendall) and I were representing the Humana/Cycler's team in an effort to clean up the fallen/cut Beech tree as well as drain and deberm some of the sections holding water.

There's even a new technical line included if you look closely!

Asheville Wrap-Up

2010-04-08T11:57:00.002-04:00

It's been almost two weeks since camp in Asheville and the affects are starting to be noticeable.

The fourth day we rode to Lake Lure (where parts of Dirty Dancing were filmed) and then back out along Bearwallow Mountain Rd. It was a beautiful ride that held a nice surprise - a mile of 10%+ grade gravel to finish out the ten mile climb. The descent made it all worth while, though being the first to the top didn't hurt either!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/28195555

Of course, we had to celebrate Saturday night which included an introduction to tea from Long Island and a broken phone.

All in all, this trip was invaluable both physically and mentally! I made lots of new friends, improved fitness and got to relax and enjoy a beer or two. The only bad part... going back to work on Monday!

Asheville Day 2 and 3

2010-03-26T15:00:00.010-04:00

Thursday was day two in the mountains around Asheville, NC and a big route was on the menu. We went out to and up Mt Pisgah, which really isn't all that steep, but very constant for 4 miles. It wasn't a climb like Contador day, but certainly a good day on two wheels!

On the way in, Layne said he was going to get a few more miles in so Jon Wood, Ben Bonney and I decided to join him further up the Blue Ridge Pkwy to Elk Mountain Road. To put it bluntly, had no idea what I was getting into. A few miles was really about 15 with 1700' of climbing!! It hurt like hell, but we all stayed together (including during Layne's second flat of the day) and were rewarded with a bad ass decent back into town. The weather looked pretty ominous all day, but held out dropping only a light rain at the top of the Elk Mountain decent. Blake had a pretty rough day with a couple of locked up wheels and endos - one on the pavement and the other off the edge of the road into what comes outa cows.

Top of Mt Pisgah

Part of the group atop Mt Pisgah

The result of Blake's first chain in wheel mishap Poor guy.

Thursday's Ride - http://ridewithgps.com/trips/25246

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/28025793

Friday's ride was supposed to be a bit easier but turned out to be very windy with two significant climbs. Body wasn't feeling it for the first 3/4 of the trip, but near the top of the last climb (Town Mountain) the legs felt a little better so I gave them a test and dropped a few gears going hard to the top and over and it felt outstanding to open them up. On the decent I had front brake issues that turned out to be a small bur on my front rim and had to take it a bit easy with just one brake, but had a blast blowing down at 30+ on banked curves and smooth roads!

Atop the Eastern Continental Divide

Friday's Ride - http://ridewithgps.com/trips/25366

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/28077914

PS - Do you like the ridewithgps.com or the garmin links better?

PPS - Lexington Ave Brewery and Salsa's are both outstanding places to eat if you are ever in Asheville!

Asheville Day 1 and Cohutta

2010-03-24T22:09:00.004-04:00

It's been a long time since we posted, but it was off season and I guess that's just how things go sometimes.

We've had some team member changes, but you'll hear about that a little later. More recently I registered for the Cohutta 100, a one hundred mile mountain bike race in southeast Tennessee. I've not heard great things about the course, but the plan is to use it as preparation for the Mohican 100. The whole 12 hours of working out idea is hard for me to fathom at this point, but that's part of the plan for the season: Hit two 100 milers to try my legs at endurance racing with some road and XC mixed in then take a little recovery in June or July and pick it back up for CX essentially racing two separate seasons in 2010.

This week I'm training in Asheville, NC mostly on the road with a group from Columbus/Dayton, OH set up by my good friend Mark Farmer. I was a little nervous about jumping in and riding for the first time with these guys and gals but they all turned out to be a great bunch and my legs proved to be pretty solid for at least day one. Here's our route from today:

Garmin Connect -
Activity Details for Asheville to Marshall

And some pics:

Farmer cheesin' while we wait on a tire change.

Layne and Ben changing Ginger's tire.

All our steeds lined up outside the coffee shop in Marshall, NC.

Tomorrow we've got 7500+ feet of climbing planned. Here's to living the dream... for five days at least!

Storm the Greens & CX Wrap Up

2009-12-08T13:05:00.007-05:00

This weekend marked the last race of the OVCX series and the last CX event hosted at the old RRCC. The race known as Storm the Greens also wore the hat of Kentucky State Championships and for the first time, I got to race in real 'Cross' conditions.... ie anything cold, wet, or miserable. This time, it was COLD... <30degrees!

My first race of the day was the Men's Cat 4 and really the race I cared about as it was where the series started for me. The plan going in was to set a blistering pace off the line that hopefully no one could match for a lap and then just hold on. It was a good plan, except the frost covered tundra wasn't accounted for and the 200 yard lead taken in the first half lap was cut to a couple seconds with the first fall of the day. One crash lead to another and finally my derailleur hanger got bent pretty bad in a right turn wash out. I dropped to about 9th while getting the chain back on and still managed to fight back to around 5th before remounting and ripping the derailleur off a half lap later. With about a lap to go and no pit bike that ended the race and possibly the day as it turned out the Red der was also cracked.

Fall #2

Trying to get back on the lead group

Cracked derailleur...

...and ripped hanger.

Steve Wilson offered to get me a bike for the Cat 3 race, but I declined as I was pretty bummed about the damage to my own (Thanks Steve!) Then after the 3 race, Mark Farmer and I were talking for a bit and after a mild hint he quickly set me up on his Ridley for the Elite race. First, though I had to check with all the officials and get permission which turned out to be pretty painless. Twenty minutes later, the whistle blew and I was starting my first elite cx race and it went surprisingly well! There was no way I was taking someone else out or laying Farmer's bike down, so I started steady and kept it that way for an hour. It was more fun than any of the 4 races and in the end I finished 14/21 and just a few hundred yards from staying on the lead lap. It was no "lights out" performance, but it was a great experience to get ready for next year in the 3's and Elites!

At the end of the day, I finished 8th in the OVCX series after 7 races (no replacements) and got in the money (paid 15 deep) in my first elite race. Other than having a derailleur to repair/replace, I'd call it a good way to end the season! I've told myself that I'm not riding a bike until at least Christmas week, possibly the Saturday after. That'll be the longest I've gone without pedaling a bike in over a year and I'm excited about it!

Here's to beer, holidays, food and then base miles! Special thanks to Steve and Farmer for the offer/bike and to everyone cheering at the races this year!

egomaniacs and cx

2009-11-24T22:39:00.004-05:00

I've heard enough of both. Like when a man buys a speedboat or a Corvette, the more attention you draw to yourself only highlights your glaring inadequacies. The best things in life generally fly below the mainstream's radar.

1 more week 'till training starts. Mo, get me a beer.

Iceman Cometh 09

2009-11-09T19:16:00.012-05:00

I'm not sure how long it takes for something to become a tradition, but somehow I feel that an annual trip to Michigan on the first Saturday in November will become just that for me.

This weekend, Mark, Maureen, Mark and I all loaded up and headed north for a summer-like Iceman weekend.

Our home for the weekend was this one room cabin 8 feet from the edge of the course! Saturday we made the short drive from Traverse City to Kalkaska for the start and ran into some other Kentuckians including Kiersta, Duane and Nick all of which started before me. I realized as I was warming up that I don't get nervous before races anymore. I guess the memory of last year's butterflies triggered the realization, but I liked it. For the first time, I was consciously calm and relaxed for the start.

A few details about the race - From the start, John (the winner) and I traded pulls down the road pulling away a bit until we hit dirt when about 8 or 10 of us rode together for a few miles Eventually I fell off the pace and settled into my own race. It was really cool to ride with such a clear mind... first time in a while! Just two minor issues, first someone couldn't ride singletrack with roots and fell over into me as I passed them taking me out, though thankfully at low speed. Second, I thought I was gonna run out of water and started to conserve, this lead to fading legs, but I realized it quickly enough and said screw it and went back to drinking... legs came back to life and I finished pretty strong with a few drops of water.

The course had more rolling terrain that I remembered, but I was able to ride big ring for all but about 5 short climbs. All in all, I'm quite content... I had two goals, to reduce my time by 10 minutes and to finish top 10 in my age group in Sport and both were met!

Notable results:

Mark J 1st Beginner 25-29

Maureen 10th Pro Women!!!

Mark F 18th (of 130+) Sport 47-49

Kiersta 13th Expert Women (around 37 or 38 right Rusty?)

Nick 22nd Sport/Expert Clydesdale

Me 7th Sport 19-24

And of course, I had couldn't resist joining in the fun of CX in the campground on Sunday morning and had a steady race for second in the C's before jumping back in the truck for 10 hours! Kiersta rode my Felt in the Women's B's and taught it some new tricks... including how to win a race! She even made a sign to say thanks!

Get ready Traverse City... we'll be back again in November and next time we're looking for an icy Iceman Cometh!

RJD2 W/sly and Robbie.

2009-10-27T22:04:00.007-04:00

Well I just couldn't resist digging a little deeper in the vast cyberworld of my cycling simulator. I punched in Rowbear/Racing. and RJ/Training. Here is what I got.

click here

virtual insanity

2009-10-26T18:24:00.007-04:00

Well I am all prepared for a long training season this winter. Got the Tacx VR trainer hooked up to the flat screen and ready to log in some good base miles. The cool thing about this trainer, that I was not aware of, is that you can type in a rider's name and it will search this rider's history and even simulate his or her's races and or training routines. I typed in Anthony Slowinski and this is what I received. Enjoy.

You can look forward to more rider simulators as I search the vast database.

USGP Derby City (TrailGuru)

2009-10-22T08:57:00.002-04:00

Here is a GPS route of the approximate USGP course, it promises to be fun and challenging! Come on down to Champions Park at Zorn and River Road to cheer on amateur and professional racers alike!

http://www.trailguru.com/wiki/index.php/Track:9VXS?units=imperial

The route is a little choppy, but it was recorded from my phone while in my jersey pocket... See ya at the races!

Careful, that dirt will get ya!

2009-10-16T18:51:00.004-04:00

Yep, that's right... dirt. A little over three weeks ago I had low speed wipeout on a muddy mossy cartpath down at River Road CC during a warm up lap. Sure it hurt my knee, hip and elbow, but it was my pride that took the brunt of it or so I thought.

I cleaned it with BandAid antiseptic when I got home, but didn't really scrub it and then I used my normal soap in the shower. Well, this week I learned it wasn't enough! At lunch on Monday (a federal holiday) Jeff Wine noticed the little dots ranging from mid thigh to ankle and boy am I glad he did! I had brushed it off and really not realized how bad it had gotten. Jeff is a pharmaceutical rep or something like that and I figured I'd follow his suggestion to get it checked out.

I did some research and worried it might be bad, so the next morning I saw my doctor and he immediately said, "Yep, that's a staph infection!" He went on to say that it could be MRSA, an antibiotic resistant type that's very tough to get rid of, but the only way to find out was to run a culture. So, after most of a week of wondering I got the call this afternoon that it was JUST a staph infection and that the antibiotics I've been taking (and getting an upset stomach from) are working! To be honest, I would never have predicted being so happy to find out I had staph... but wow is it better than MRSA.

Soo.... six more days of antibiotics and I should be all set!

A suggestion the doc made that I'll pass along was to use Dial Antibacterial bar soap to clean wounds. I've also learned of a product called Hibiclense that sounds promising. Be careful out there, and make sure you get those cuts clean!

it aint over yet.

2009-10-09T21:15:00.003-04:00

That's right, since most of you have given up on the mtn bike season, I'm here to tell ya it aint over yet. Myself, Ray and Slomo are headed to Ohio for some XC racing. that's X followed by a C, not the other way around. I have heard great things about the Mohican trail system and look forward to a sweet 25 mile loop race. After that is the LBL point to point race that runs between 37 and 43 miles long depending on how the promoters run it. Follow it up with another Mohican then a Pisgah race. The fat lady aint singin' and the trainer is still idle. I can only hope for good weather to finish the season but won't mind a little mud since I will have all winter to break down the race rig.
Speaking of indoor trainers I may raise the nerd o meter up a notch and take part in some online racing leagues. Confused? Should be. I am too. Still haven't figured out how to get the Tacx trainer signed up for online racing, but with the help of my personal I.T. guy (Raybob) I should be competing with like minded geeks from all over the world.

Another sign that either it's gonna be a cold winter, or warm or maybe the apocolypse is this strange mutant pod I found hangin by my front door. If you look close notice the gold symmetrical markings. Damm Nature.

nailed on the cross

2009-10-05T19:37:00.001-04:00

Or should I say drilled. Well folks after years of hacking on cross racing, I felt I should make a more informed critique of the racing discipline known as cross, CX, cyclocross or dudes on tenspeeds riding in the grass. I can't say there were any big surprises, it was pretty much what I expected. I know I'm supposed to have some life changing "crossover" experiance and start eating frites and spelling words like colour and labour, but as for now my immune system fought off the early signs of cross fever.

"How did I do?" you ask. Well not so good, I have an arsenal of excuses but I will spare you and just say I was simply not prepared. I could see myself doing more races just to finish one and know that I did the best that I could do. I had fun just the same and glad I did it. But until someone gives me a cross bike, I don't see myself getting prepared to race anytime soon. I still have a few MountainBike races to look forward to this year. Next up is Mohican, then LBL.

the times they are a changin'

2009-10-03T11:42:00.003-04:00

Yeah they are a changin' alright. In so many ways. Days are getting shorter, colder and fewer MtnBike races in the future. My plan is to race two Mohican races and the LBL point to point in October. Still on the fence for the Iceman but who knows? If I can round up a hardtail 29'r, I might consider heading north. Iceman is one of those races you race simply do to say you raced the Iceman and secondly what else ya gonna do in November? And don't say cross, that is one thing I still have not warmed up to yet. As for next year..... well, I'm not sure what is in store for the team, Could this be the last year to rock the seafoam kits? time will tell. I have played in many a band back in the day and I can say that being on a team is not much different than playing in a band. You have to know when to change things around to keep what you love to do fun. Racing my bike will always be my #1 past time regardless. This post is not meant to cast a big shadow of confusion on the future of the team, I guess the changing seasons and no clear sponsorship for the future has forced me to think of what lies ahead for 2010.

Stay tuned, cuz the times they are a changin'

First CX Race

2009-09-21T22:48:00.004-04:00

Sunday I gave CX a first try at the OVCX kick off near King's Island. I must say, it was a lot of fun and the atmosphere was unbelievable! I started in 80th position of 117 in dry conditions. Five laps later, I sprinted for 9th on a slippery wet course. My body wasn't ready for the pedal to the metal effort, but I'm very happy with the finish and look forward to finding the high intensity fitness throughout the season. There were cheers and jeers coming from all around for all 40 minutes! Then it was my turn to return some cheers! Thanks to Duane Walker for the company to and from Cinci, driving alone gets pretty boring...

(My new bike in the sand and rain)

The summer was full of XC racing, so I'm gonna try to ease off the gas a bit and pick and choose races through the fall making sure to take some weekends off. It looks like Tour de Louisville (Fisherman's Park) is next on the list in two weeks with LBL Race to the Canal and Iceman still on the agenda as well.

Couple more photos...

Josh coming into a barrier (took 7th in 1-2-3 Elite field)

The "mound" where everyone seemed to slide out

being a salmon aint easy

2009-09-18T22:33:00.004-04:00

Swimming up stream is hard but necessary work since we all know that shit runs downhill. Life would be a lot easier if I enjoyed WWF, televised ball games and top 40 music. It would be nice to have common ground with 99.9% of the population. So when the latest craze in cycling rolls around and everyone is singing it's praises, I can only think it's the equivalent of the next Jonas Brothers album or a sequel to the movie Armageddon. So now all the rage is cyclocross, or CX or whatever the Belgiuns call it. I am considering taking a sip of the CX kool-aid. I have a borrowed CX bike but have yet to air up the tires... excuse me..(tyres). I here the same spiel that I give unsuspecting bikers to try mountainbike racing. I'm sure, like me, they just want to grow the sport and also get a kick out of watching the new guy fall on his face. That's ok, cuz one thing I do know how to do is fall on my face

Enjoying the win

2009-09-18T07:27:00.003-04:00

While sweeping the KY series was sweet, the thing that makes me feel warm all over are my leg levers ...

Rusty is all show and no go.

Team Humana Captures 4 State Titles

2009-09-16T00:04:00.004-04:00

The final race of the Kentucky State Championship was held last Sunday in Burlington, KY.
It was a great day of racing and a perfect day to wrap up the Kentucky season. Our team has had the best season to date, with State titles in 4 separate divisions.

Anthony Slowinski once again proved his dominance by winning every Kentucky race thus crowning him the fastest man in Kentucky. Followed closely by

"Gentle" Ben Richardson (above) taking the #2 spot.

I had a pretty good year myself and managed to Win the Cat 1 division (40-49)
Nick Barbieri also won the Cat 1 division (19-29)

Newcomer, Ray Smith(above) dominated the entire Cat 2 class his first year after moving up from Cat 3 and holds the top spot in (19-29).

On the Endurance team Jeff Wine has been grinding away and making a name for himself with his latest 2nd place finish in the LBL solo 12hr race.
Josh Gerlach scored some impressive wins including fastest Cat 1 rider at the Waverly race. Joe has had some great finishes on the road and is gearing up for CX. Everyone on the team has really stepped it up this year and we still have plenty of races in 09'. Both Mtn and CX are still on the calander until December.

Sarah Patrick Slowinski has always been there to support the team and help our guys keep a fresh water bottle for the upcoming laps.

burnouts, wipeouts and shoutouts

2009-09-07T09:00:00.004-04:00

Been a while since my last entry. So here is just a little update on the teams past few weeks.
As you may already know, Anthony took a faceplant during an unsupervised cross practice on uneven terrain.
Ray is taking a little time off the bike to recharge before the last few mtb races and his intro to CX.
Nick too is feeling a little burnt and may sit out for a week or two.
Jeff Wine is all prepped and ready to take on a 12hr Solo effort at LBL this weekend.
Slomo will be back on the XC circuit for the KPS season finale this weekend in Burlington, KY
Ben is riding strong with 2 back to back wins in Indiana.
as for me, I feel pretty good even though my eating/training and overall race motivation has prematurely kicked in to off season mode. It's getting harder and harder to resist eating deep fried sugar grease covered in ranch and dipped in chocolate. Put on a few lbs. oh well.
Got a new xc ride recently. Yeti carbon F/S. I am loving this bike. It has been a motivating factor for me to get back on track for the last few races this year.

Blogs are sorta boring without a picture. So I dug up this one.
enjoy

Rusty's version of love

2009-09-05T11:29:00.000-04:00

Caeser's Creek will kick your ass.

2009-08-24T18:35:00.005-04:00

That's right. This race will kick your ass. So why do I keep going back? I go back for the same reasons everyone returns, for the challenge of doing one of the regions longest XC races and because the Ohio crew knows how to host a good race. Our team represented well with 4 racers, myself, Nick, Anthony, and Ray.
I knew the course was gonna have 3 loops at around 10 miles each so a camelback was the smart choice, or was it? At about the 1 mile mark I felt a steady stream of liquid pouring down my leg. I knew something was wrong since it was cold liquid. Looked down in horror to see the bite valve missing from my camelback. I tried to bite down on the hose and take in what I could but after a few gulps it was empty. So now I'm looking at 29 miles to go with nothing but a bottle of
Red Bull at the feed zone, Doh!

Fortunately the temps were in the low 70's and the skies were cloudy. I rode up behind Nick and he let me have his bottle which saved the race for me. Did I mention that Caeser's Creek will kick your ass? Well it didn't dissapoint this year. But despite the typical flub ups the race went pretty well and 3rd in my cat was not what I was hoping for, I am still satisfied with my race and above all did have a great time that day.

Hole shot at the start was in vain.

getting my only bottle filled with straight Red Bull

Nick started strong but suffered a flat tire and crash but still managed to reel in a few guys and finish strong

I think the looks on our face says it all

Waverly

2009-08-19T13:31:00.000-04:00

Was pretty good. Yep.

Youngers Creek

2009-08-15T13:16:00.001-04:00

This is a long overdue post, but the team faired well at the
switchback attack. Rusty drove Nick and I and Gentle and Anthony
brought the professional touch.

The trails were in great shape and the weather finally cooperated.
Anthony and Ben went 1, 2 in the pro field, Nick won Cat1 19-29, Rusty
won the Cat1 40-49, and I won the Cat2 19-29 missing the overall by 40
seconds after leading and running out of gas.

Solid day on tough trails.

Mt Bike Nationals

2009-07-21T14:47:00.003-04:00

A few months ago, I, like many other racers in the US got an email saying that I had qualified to race in the national championships held at Sol Vista ski and bike near Granby, CO. It sounded kind of cool, but 18 hours was a longer drive than I thought I was up for and it would require a week of vacation time. As it got closer, Mark French and I talked more about it and my fascination with the Rocky Mountains took over... A few weeks out I was registered and finishing up some hill training with plans to drive out and camp.

We rolled out Wednesday morning soon after daybreak in Mark's dodge nitro hoping to get most the way through KS before nightfall. The motel 6 stop fell in Colby, KS leaving about 6 hours on Thursday morning. Gaining two hours crossing time zones on the way out certainly helped, but we were fairly efficient travellers with little more than fuel stops.

Thursday was pre ride day, but first we had to set up camp and register.

Home at Sol Vista

We took off from camp in mid afternoon, the same time we were to race the next day at what seemed like a crazy easy pace. We did the 8.7 mile loop with a few stops (including correcting Marks brake lever switcharoo) in a bit under 2 hours. Honestly, I wasn't impressed with the course. The start was a steep, 3 minute climb up a dirt road followed by fresh cut line through grass then more dirt road and finally some singletrack. This section was moderately technical with baseball sized rocks everywhere and a few sharp or larger rocks thrown in. Next another fireroad climb, not too steep but steady. This was a piece of cake during the preride since my body was still foolish enough to believe we were near sea level and my blood was full of oxygen. Next came a long, mile climb up rocky tight single track. The course topped out a little over 9000 feet above sea level and then turned downhill. The first part was fast with a couple rutted, sandy turns that forced you to scrub some speed just to round the corner to another short rise stuck in big ring. Next, just to make sure you got enough climbing there was another two track climb with one long pitch followed by two shorter sections. The plan was to hold steady in middle ring on the longer pitch then shift up and really push it up the last two since there were little flats in between. Generally this section would have me licking my chops with my new found climbing legs and training at home. Finally, it's time to descend!!! One slight turn along the ridge with an awesome view And down we went. The ride down was mostly on tight singletrack that had been cut not more than two weeks earlier, some on fall line leaving more sandy rutted turns. The turns turned to short switchbacks and got steeper until we came upon a 'wall' of dirt, a couple tire sized rocks, and a couple trees about 12-15 feet down at much steeper than 1:1 slope sourounded by spectators. The pros weren't even on site yet, so we knew the people were there to watch crashes and we weren't intersted in givin them what they wanted. After another look the plan was to dismount and run it (still a bit hairy) during the race. The dirt was was soft and the conditions didn't look to get any better with hundreds more riders passing through... Running would save time even??? The rest of the lap consisted of fast downhill sections with one mulched climb of just a few hundred feet and a finishing set of switchbacks freshcut enough that the marker flags were still in the grass... Off camber and obvious lack of preparation, but an acceptable feature for an XC course.

Start/Finish line with opening climb.

View from the top on the course

One lap of preride down and feeling great! Our race was to consist of this loop and one more lap without the middle rocky climb. I checked in with Fox about rebuilding my fork (lowers were going out after just 50 hours - certain warranty work, but didn't want to go without while it shipped to Cali) he told me to check in later but assured me he'd get to it just as a DH guy walked up with a two inch square hole in his lower... WOW!

Anyways, we changed, had a gnocchi dinner on site in place of pasta, and hit the sack. It got cool in the tent and I kept slidin down the hill toward my bag but still managed to sleep pretty well for 8 hours. Morning came and went and a couple peanut butter sanwiches later it was time to suit up and warm up! But not before walking back up the hill to camp... Here is when my body decided to wake up to the fact that we were 7500 more feet above sea level than normal. I stopped three times on the way up the hill to catch my breath...I just kept telling myself I was stopping to make sure I stayed rested before the race but knew deep down that pain and suffering were just around the corner.

An hour of easy warm up with a couple light bursts showed that my heart rate wasn't going to respond like normal, but I didn't think much of it. Excitement controlled and nerves were surprisingly calm as I headed to the start line a little more than ten minutes before my 3:04 start time. I slid my carbon blur under the tape lining the start line and worked my way toward my age group just in time to hear the guy start our callups and guess what?! I got the last front line position. Even though I was certain it didn't matter much with the climb to start, it was pretty cool to hear my name called!!!

"10 seconds!" the starter yelled, and "bang" the gun sent us on our way up the questionable starting climb. It hurt within seconds, but I managed to settle into fourth going into the first singletrack and honestly felt like I could keep the pace up, I mean I ride much faster at home right? By the time we got to the fire road climb just before the middle of the first lap I had discovered my doom... I had no power to climb! Now what? That's my strength! I suffered...a lot, on every climb. At least I accepted it quickly... A lot of guys in my class would pass me at the bottom of the climbs and I'd reel them back in at the top with the more steady pace of pain I set for myself. There were; however, a handful of guys (mostly from altitude) that kept the
steady pace from the start.

On lap one I was able to stick to my game plan other than having to swallow all pride and use the little chain ring that I had almost left at home on the last two track climb. I even passed a couple people in the 'wall' area by riding up to it and running down. I also found an improved descending ability... Normally descents are one the weaker parts of my races but with no power to climb I made a big effort to focus on steady speed, watching much further down the trail than normal.

Lap two was little more than a fuzzy dream after Maureen handed up a bottle of Gu2O. I shifted up instead of down at the start of the climb and had to dismount and change it...nice mental screw up! Other than that and the horrid two track climb that yet again required the use of my pansy 22 tooth ring I held pretty steady in my class. That last climb really put a hurtin on me both physically and mentally and I was fairly bummed even starting down the hill until I started passing people! Then I was at the top of the 'wall' again and wasn't about to let those guys I had just passed get me. I saw a line, or at least made one up in my mind and down I went! Everything behind the saddle hangin on for dear life. I felt the back wheel get real light, but knew the only option was to ride it out! I found the bottom, upright, clipped in and rolling down the trail... All the pain was gone and I started pumpin all I had into my Time Atacs. It was an hour and a half late and a few climbs short, but it felt good to speed down the hill and hold my ground on the last mulched climb. I think that last burst allowed me to pass two guys in my class that hadn't gotten the adrenaline boost of survivng the 'wall' upright!

Heather Irmiger after her XC win!

It turns out adrenaline is pretty damn good stuff! I was in big ring as I crossed the line and maybe even accelerating. I finished 11 out of 20 and ultimately am pretty content with the placing. I learned a lot about my limitations and how altitude affects me and that I really can forget about the brakes goin downhill! I did get brand new lowers in my fork on Saturday and I want to give a big shout out to the mechanic at the Fox Racing Shox trailor for saving me a couple weeks of down time waiting on shipping!

I'll add some pictures and write about the rest of the trip when I get to a computer... Hope the length didn't bore ya too much, but this, like any trip west will forever be one of my favorites!

ReCapView

2009-07-20T20:16:00.002-04:00

Perfect weather, my kinda course and lots of coffee. The race day was looking pretty sweet. Felt pretty good after taking it easy all week. Just 3 or 4 easy spins with a few efforts on Saturday.
Big turnout for the Cat2 and 3's but not so big for the 1's and the pro's. I think some road race pulled a few away, why? who knows. Anyhoo..... the dude says go. meh. I always like a gun, or the Bwooop of a bull horn, at least throw in a "riders ready......." Oh well. went in the woods 4th behind Gentle Ben, Slomo, and Mitchell Kiersting. lost site of them round mile 3 or so when I settled in with Josh and some Scheller's dude. Then the front tire started losing air. Stopped hit it with a Co2 and caught back on to Josh and passed the Scheller's dude again. then lap 2, the tire is going flat. The front tire wich sucked since it was a super twisty course. Stopped and used the last of the Co2 kept rolling until the last lap wich I had to baby it along with about 10 psi. Finally just had to stop. Nick rolled up tossed me a Co2, this time one that wasn't empty. Sweet! Lost 2 spots on that one. Hit it again and managed to pass one guy and caught site of Nick with about 2 miles to go. He saw me and gassed it. I wondered if I should challenge him since he just saved my race, then I thought, ahhh he would'nt want me to back down. So the chase was on. It was good stuff. We were WFO. I never did catch him and wound up about 10 seconds behind. Even with the time lost with my slow leak I still managed to win my age Cat and didn't do too bad overall. I had a blast at this race despite the mechanical. mostly because I just felt really good, after feeling blown up last week. The rest helped and now I feel motivated again. Next stop Versailles, IN for a DiNO race.

Cherokee III

2009-07-16T23:26:00.003-04:00

I didnt feel much like racing once the gun went off.

It was really hot.

I managed to win, but I am spent.

I don't think I got much in the way of base miles this winter, maybe thats it, but my legs are crampin a lot and just feel tired, so, not much riding this week.

There are a ton of races coming up an I gotta look sharp, here's to relaxin.

old habits die hard

2009-07-13T17:52:00.005-04:00

I have been racing on the dirt for over 10 years now and over the years I have learned a thing or two about what it takes for me to have a good race. Problem is I don't always remember the hard lessons of the past. This weekend was a full case of amnesia. I managed to repeat old habits that have costs me in the past. I started out the day with too much coffee before breakfast and my appetite was gone. I knew I should force something down but didn't. It was hot and humid and I knew I should take some endurolytes but forgot. Then there was the start. I should have known better to get sucked in to a balls out pace off the gun, but guess what? So I back it down but some damage had been done. Then the water bottle fiasco, Ben and I set up a feed area away from the spectators and staging area, seemed like a good idea. Actually it seemed like a good idea for several riders who enjoyed our chilled bottles then tossed em about 100 yards up the trail. Then came the chills, followed by the racing heart wich means I really gotta rethink even finishing this race. I managed to finish even beat one of my nemesis, who looked to be in the same boat as me. I was glad to see Nick get a good race under his belt after a lousy time in the mud last week. It was good to see Craig Renck make it out and all of his friends by his side.

here is a little slideshow from the days events.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npk8VjFtZS0

Cherokee XC

2009-07-13T09:40:00.002-04:00

First, the course was in great shape; for a week's notice, it was far better than I had thought possible. Thanks to everyone who got out and put in the hours including but not limited to Olmsted crew, Chuck, Mark, guy on yellow bike, and many others (I'm bad with names).

Second, the start/finish/registration layout could be fine tuned a little by locating the registration at the start or at the finish. It was pretty scattered trying to figure out where everything was, even an hour early. All in all though, Mt Bike Depot did a fine job as far as I could tell.

Now for the race. I took the holeshot and felt pretty good, I knew there were two guys behind me so I kept a steady pace, but didn't wanta kill myself. I learned about a third of the way through lap one who had marked me... of course, it was Luke and he pulled around me in an open flat. I was perfectly ok with letting someone else set the pace for a while, since we had 3 laps. I had no trouble sitting on his wheel, in fact I felt better riding his pace than my own. Then behind dog run, I dropped my bottle trying to cage it, no big deal, it's all down hill to the feed zone. No big deal until I miss my handup when I'm really wanting some water!!! I kept Luke in site until he passed Dr. John from the class ahead and I started to feel the dehydration and those two paced away a bit. At some point I let John Maggard around, as I didn't want to blow up before getting more water. Stayed with him for a while, but then stopped to get the first bottle and just lost site of him. Had a successful bottle feed and really started to feel good again midway through lap three, but it was too late. Luke heard Dr. John behind him the whole time, pushing him faster and Maggard had picked up enough time to stay out of sight. Crossed the line in third, tying my highest finish in CAT2 overall.

Lessons learned:

1) Leave an extra bottle at the end of the feedzone in case you miss the first one.

2) Don't play ultimate (or any other sport involving running) if you aren't used to it during a race week.

3) Put an extra bottle in my jersey pocket, the extra half pound could save you a place.

I leave Wednesday morning for Granby, CO for a race. My first time riding west of the Mississippi, at altitude, in a National level race, and after driving/riding 18 hours to get there... so expectations are really non-existant, but I'm content with where my fitness is going into the race and hope for a clean race.

Tonight reminded me...

2009-07-09T23:35:00.002-04:00

... of why I can't stand 94.7% of roadies. And guys who need two open lanes of Lexington Rd to pass cyclists.

Mudstatatuck

2009-07-06T22:55:00.005-04:00

So the question of the week was "Did you race Masters Nats???" I say "Did I marry my sister?" Well, no and no. As great of an idea as both may seem, (one really un-complicates the holidays), in the end, road racing and incest both bring about freaks. But "Nats" take the cake as the incest of the racing world as one of the worst ideas ever. Super high dollar entry fee's (another USA Cycling perk), grown men acting like teen-age girls on prom night, and only one spot that matters on the podium - first (it pays nothing). I don't get it. As much fun as Tri-geeks are to poke fun at, at least they get a T-shirt and a kazoo (pretty sure on that one) for their moral victories. But hey, all good for the local economy and a great chance to show off your new socks I guess.

So back to the good stuff, MTB racing. The latest incarnation of the D.IN.O. series was a little greasy up top, mucky down low, but also in the low 70's (thanks global warming!), so all in all, fun trail ridin.

Basically, I had a horrible first lap and paid for it; slipped a pedal at the start, got in the woods around 8th, got up to the leaders and then somehow got dropped with a quickness. Not sure what was goin on or goin wrong, they say mental health affects physical, so I think all the recent dead celebrities maybe hurt me. I will miss Billy and his as seen on TV goodness. I like things I see on TV. Much like Michael Jackson's recently, my legs felt dead. Unlike MJ's, mine came around a bit toward the end of the first lap and I chased back to 2nd only to stay about 30 seconds off Matt Battin's wheel until lap 4 when I relented.

So anyway, there are close to a zillion races coming up and second isn't much to complain about. So here's to next weekend, and the next. Just say a prayer for Jim Belushi's good health and fortune, the passing of a talent that big could be my ultimate undoing.

Just one thing

2009-07-06T18:24:00.000-04:00

I can't race in the mud. That is all.

A few things...

2009-07-04T21:30:00.007-04:00

I got an iPhone last week and forgot I had a PC...

So a quick blog for the last couple weeks.

Going into the final Short Track race, both John and Luke Haley had a chance at taking the series, but Luke was gone to USAC camp leaving John and I to battle it out. John took the holeshot and we pulled away from the field, I passed him after one lap and never looked back taking the win by a fair margin. (I'm pretty sure John stayed very close for at least another lap or two.) My legs felt great, giving promise to continued improvement.

Next was East Fork... I wanted the win pretty bad after taking third at Tower and knowing how well my legs had responded in the STXC. Course was a bit wet in places, but a fun course nonetheless. Lap 1 was good, 4 of us pulled away from the field and toward the end there was just one other guy and I. On one of the last climbs of the lap I noticed he was tiring and asked to pass; he was super cool and gave me a line. I put the hammer down and pulled away. By the time I started back to single track on lap two I was completely alone and still feeling great. Made a couple mistakes like clipping a log with my foot and taking a turn a little hot and having to dab out, but nothing costly until... I was pushing too hard for the lead and hit the same creek that got Anthony and Rusty too hard flatting the rear. The guy by the trail said I had half a mile, so I started running only to realize after a half mile that I was still two miles out. I took the wheel off just as 2 guys passed and the tire was stuck to the rim so I put it back on rode down the hills and pushed up the hills. Finished 10th of about 20 after having at least a few minute lead. Sucks, but flats are part of it and next time I'll know to just change the damn thing!

After the flat, I started looking into tubeless and put on some stans strips with maxis crossmarks on Friday. I've got about 20 miles in since and they seem to bite a lot better than the small blocks with only slightly more resistance.

Lastly, a handfull of us have been able to get out and do a little routine maintenance on the trails here in Seneca and Cherokee, it's nice to be able to help out and the gratitude that other mountain bikers show is really awesome!

Dear Muscatatuck,
Please dry overnight for an enjoyable XC race tomorrow.
Thanks,
Ray

East Fork

2009-06-29T18:24:00.003-04:00

Good times, great oldies'. East fork was good stuff. I had a decent start on the road/grass section settled into a good pace early on. Thought the long grass section was gonna really suck but it actually was not that bad.
Followed Travis Mullen and Russel G. for the first lap and a half with Brad Nelson on my wheel. Rode by myself for a while. Then traded places with Marty(don't know his last name) for a few miles and before I knew it I was almost done.
I came up on Rusty who had flatted and gave him my Co2. Too bad it was empty. Guess I would have been screwed too had I needed it though. Sorry bout that.
Overall, I ended up 7th in the Expert/Pro open class. I think everyone that finished ahead of me was pro which was pretty cool. I was out of the money by one spot though. Looking forward to next weekend at Musckatatuck; that is if Indiana can pass a budget that will allow them to keep the parks open. Cross your fingers.

OH-KY Series Smackdown

2009-06-29T15:00:00.005-04:00

As an ongoing effort to showcase our awesomeness to our idiot tristate neighbors, we had yet another cross-series smackdown - this one was with the Buckeyes. And for the first time in the rivalry, a Kentuckian was first across the line (also the first time we didn't race at that $%&!hole Ceasar's Creek).

The 9 mile race loop was tough with 7 miles of trail and 2 of pavement/grass. 3 inches of rain on Friday left some slick and some muddy spots helping to ensure that most everyone in the race hit the ground at some point or flatted (thanks big rock in the creek). Davey Jean Shorts Walker took a great face-plant right in front of me that I will consider karmic payback for last year's D.IN.O. when he pushed me into a metal pole. And that's all I have to say about that.

So I felt pretty decent and was able to build a good enough gap that having to limp/run in on a flat tire didn't cost me the win. After a big training week last week (including a road crit, hilly road ride and an mtb short-track race), I hope to be able to bring the hurt to the Muscatatuck D.IN.O this weekend. It's always a stacked field and should be a heckuva time.

-Anthony

Short track # whatever, the one that was tonight. The 18th.

2009-06-18T22:35:00.002-04:00

It was really muddy, but fun. Mitchell pushed me (literally). Old Blue took his first podium. Congrats ol buddy, you've earned it. Maybe someone has pics, I don't. That's all.

Great Divide Race

2009-06-16T22:52:00.000-04:00

Friday, at high noon, marks the beginning of the annual Great Divide Race. If you've never heard of it, check it out http://greatdividerace.com/pages/home.html. In short, it's about 2500 miles along the Continental Divide from the Canadian border to the Mexican border to be completed in 24 days or less. There are a few minor details worth mentioning: (1) It's self supported, (2) it's not a stage race, ride as much as you can each day and (3) you are fully exposed to nature (lions and tigers and bears, oh my... OK, no tigers but you get the idea)

I stumbled upon an article about this race in 2008 before I'd even ridden a thousand miles on a bike period. Immediately I was mesmerized. I can't count how many dreams I've had of giving it a go, hell maybe I'm crazy for even dreamin' but I'd feel pretty darn accomplished if someday my name made it onto the finishers list, far more so than finishing any Ironman could do! There are many challenges associated not just with the race, but the logistics of life and taking a month off work... and how does one train for this?

This year, I'm stuck in KY, left only to dream about the prologue through Canada and the barely possible task of averaging over a hundred miles of fireroad/trail/road a day on a mountain bike carrying everything I'd need along the way... maybe some day it can move from the "dream" list to the "goal" list! Some day...

Franke Park

2009-06-15T11:30:00.005-04:00

Gentle Ben, Rusty and I made our way up to Fort Wayne, IN after some hesitation due to weather forecast and trail reports on Friday for the Franke Park XC on Saturday.

The decision to make the trip was a good one, 90 percent of the trails were tacky or even dry with a few greasy spots scattered throughout. Cat 2 had 3 laps on the 6 mile course and Cat1/Pros were running 5 laps. I did a quick pre-ride of most the course, and knew that it was tight enough to make the holeshot valuable.

Start times were spaced at 1 minute and my group was pretty small at about 8 riders, so I went for it off the line and set a pretty solid pace. Fast enough that only one rider was anywhere close after about 2 miles, around the mid point we caught a couple riders from the wave in front of us and kept on trucking. I was able to build a bit of a gap on my chaser on the only climb to speak of but couldn't make it stick until the last mile of the first lap. Going into the start finish, I couldn't see anyone, but misjudged where I had placed my bottles and overshot them. By the time I grabbed a second bottle and got back on, he had just passed me. I sat on/near his wheel for half of the second lap until he got crossed up on a wet tree root and dropped his chain. Then I laid the hammer down, knowing it might be my only chance to gap him for good and it worked!

By the end of lap 2 I felt like I was in no man's land and having a tough time pushing myself until I started to catch more of the open wave. At the end of lap 3, one of the guys in the open class caught back on and after I took a bad line in a turn let him pass since I had a minute on him. The rest of the race I just tried to keep him in sight, but wanted to keep a match or two in the tank in case a sprint finish presented itself.

In the end, I had my first CAT2 age group win and a 4th place finish out of 45 CAT2 finishers.

This has been my best week of racing since I started riding a little under 2 years ago!

Also, we want to thank Dave McComb for a place to stay! We were hopin for a Super 8 and got the Marriott! (Dave, I appologize if any of your kids' toys were violated ... Rusty)

Gentle took third in the Pro class and Rusty took 10th overall (Pro/Cat1) ... all around good results! More and pictures from Rusty soon...

Fort Wayne

2009-06-15T06:09:00.005-04:00

Time for another DINO race. With a questionable race day forecast Gentle Ben convinced me to go anyway. So Gentle, Ray and myself headed north. We rolled the Quest in style with Hifi tunes on the cassette player .Dave Mccombs lives close to the venue and was nice enough to let us stay at his house.<- Dave is not only one fast rider, he is a five star host. He had us all set up with a place to sleep, and even had some great coffee and chocolate chip pancakes going in the morning. Matt Battin-> was also booked at the Mccombs Inn along with his kids. The forcast was looking good for race day. It was 80 degrees, low humidity and sunny. I decided I was going off with the first wave this time, and I was glad I did. A lot less traffic and a fast pace set by the big dogs helped settle me into a good flow early on. The course was tight, twisty with a little bit of a slippery glaze on top. A lot of drifting and wheel spinning and 30 miles later I managed to finish 10th overall. Gentle Ben rocked a 3rd overall and Ray won the Cat 2 in his age group. Good day of racing and it was nice to have the day off on Sunday to recover

.
the kids race was hilarious. One kid went nuts when his training wheels kept him from going. he kicked his bike and screamed.
Matt and Daves boys both podiumed in the kids race

Gentle Ben's personal butt cream.

Louisville STXC #3

2009-06-14T21:27:00.006-04:00

Short track XC racing in Louisville has been non-existent in at least the last couple of years, so when I heard about the series I got pretty excited to try something new that was fast and technical at the same time. Then the location was released and my hopes began to fade, since the elevation change across the whole RRCC is possibly 10 feet or less. As the series approached I figured there were far worse ways to spend five bucks, so I went and tried it out. Week one’s course was pretty techy, but the turns were really too tight to take a lot of speed through. Week two was faster, but there were no logs and little room to pass.

Week three’s course, after a quick preride, looked to be the best yet. Tight and twisty in places, a few logs, some at angles, even a log pile set up for the course, and a couple of wider areas for passing. They even included the “Kennedy Expressway” a lay the hammer down, ride as fast as you can for 200’ section. Then Mother Nature spoke up… or better yet answered nature’s call and drenched the Cat 1/2 race. After 25 minutes plus a lap, my seafoam green kit was more of a shit brown, but I was able to stay upright in all but one turn and ride a good race to the Cat2 win. My first since upgrading this year, in a turnout of about 10 and a local race, but a win nonetheless.

This was all bittersweet in the end though, my bike was covered in a sandy mud mixture. The race was fun, and I’m glad I went for it, but it’s unlikely that I’ll give it a go in conditions like that again…it’s not worth the wear on the bike or the time to clean it up. Pics courtesy of Marcia Seiler...

More to follow on Franke Park later…

SERC #6 Clemson, SC

2009-06-09T15:31:00.003-04:00

Like, Anthony said, I rolled down there with him and Sarah. After we got to the race, we saw Niki and Rob, which was cool. Then Anthony towed me around for a few miles for our warm-up and showed me a couple spots to look out for.
The pro field went off and then a couple minutes later my field went off. Our group (19-29) was fairly small with only about 9 of us. I started out alright latching onto the back of 3 or 4 hammerheads and followed them for a while but decided to back it off and ride my own race for a while so I didn't blow to soon. The only problem was that I was on my own for almost the rest of the first lap. I planned on trying to latch onto someone if they came up on me and get back into it but it just didn't happen. I had some opportunities but the legs were just not cooperating. I could hang on someones wheel for a while but for whatever reason, they would get a gap on me and I couldn't respond.
By the third lap I was pretty much just feeling like crap and completely out of it. I even kept going through the start/finish after the last lap cause I wasn't sure that that was it. Part of my problem was not hydrating enough the day before but the main issue was a whole weak of fighting with the significant other. Man, that crap can drain the energy out of you and it sure did me. Of course we made up right before I left but by that time it was too late. Oh well, I'm still glad I went. It was good to get in another "big" SERC race and get some good racing miles in. And parts of the course were definitely a blast. We got going about 35 mph on one long fire-road descent.
For some reason, the lady at registration gave me a pro race number since I lost my last plate and even though I signed up and took off with the cat 1 guys, I was scored as a pro. Maybe she just looked at my shoes and thought, "PRO" :) Ninth place out of 12 in the pro class. Whoo hoo! Psyche. Looking at my times I think I ended up 5th out of 9 in my actual class. It should get changed sometime soon. Anthony had a helluva race with a solid 2nd in PRO and Niki won the PRO women's category. And thanks to Sarah for some excellent hand-ups.

The look of pain and suffering.

Lifting the Curse

2009-06-08T14:05:00.005-04:00

A flat tire that not only cost me a big win, I finished one spot out of the money right at the line after running/riding the rim for about 2 miles. A 25+ mph crash that knocked me out cold and left me with some nice scars. A badly bruised thigh that forced me to race seated (on a really hilly and rough course) for the next 25 miles and limping for the next 2 weeks. A general bio-mechanical DNF. These are the memories I have of the Issaqueena Trails in Clemson, SC. I suppose any rational human would just avoid this race course, but I'm not that human. I even take that irrationalibility one step further in that I love this place. So when at first (second, third or fourth) time you don't succeed, try to kill yourself again!

Nick, Sarah and myself packed up and shot down south Saturday night for the Clemson edition of the SERC series. I won't lie, I was feeling a bit of reservation and kinda hoping something would stop us from making it, but fate wanted me an Nick to race and Sarah to hand up bottles (while taking the picture below. I guess ADD makes her a good multi-tasker).

The air was steamy, the countdown went "3, 2, 1, GO" and I started pumping the pedals trying to catch the lead moto more than beat the others into the woods. I managed to take the hole-shot and lead for a bit and never really felt like I was giving to much effort. Shortly after the first big climb, Ryan Woodall came around (for a moment, I had a small dream I was just gonna ride away with it, but it was fleeting). After a rider behind me crashed (shortly after criticizing our line choice around a corner. haha), about 1/2 way through lap 1, only three of us remained. We worked together until about 1/3 of the way through lap 2 when I realized my lack of endurance wasn't going to let me keep the pace. I dropped back and rode my own pace for a while pretty pleased to pull off the trece, when a magic thing happened on lap 3; I caught sight of the other member of our threesome who prolly should have dropped off when I did cuz he was lookin scared. I attacked on the next climb, my quads screamed then cramped, but I kept the gas on because, as mentioned, I was happy with third, but would be thrilled to take second.

Not 100% sure why, but shortly after being passed and dropped, Mr. Colorado yelled out loud. That made me happy cuz I figured he was mad because he was dropped like a bag of puppies and just lost his 2nd place with less than 4 miles to go. And if it made him that frustrated, that brings me some level of satisfaction.

So anyway, my quads cramped with every pedal stroke on the last long climb, it was the deepest I have had to dig in a while but the pain felt awesome. After all, especially after the year I have had, I had no expectations surviving the race much less pulling of a 2nd at a SERC. Hopefully I can get some longer rides in the near future and keep some good speed through the whole race, not just the first third.

Matt Battin was down for a long weekend with his wife and decided to throw in a race, and pulled out a respectable 4th. Nick didn't have a great day, but still got in some good training and racing miles.

It was a pretty great weekend that makes me pretty hopeful, and excited, for the rest of the season. See ya out there somewhere.

DINO Brown Cow V1.2

2009-06-01T19:03:00.006-04:00

Well, like Anthony said, you couldn't ask for much better race conditions this past weekend. I was long overdue for a good race on the dirt. The field was pretty large and that was nice. The road climb to get to the singletrack was not so nice. My starts are always lackluster so I ended up in the last third of the group getting into the woods. Everyone stayed together for quite a while but I finally settled into a little group with Lee Hauber and one other older guy. We rode together for most of the first lap. Old guy was complaining so we let him go and finally I passed Lee and started to try to pick some people off by myself.
I ended up latching on to people here and there and picked off a few along the way. The pace was fast and I felt good almost to the end. It felt like a real race rather than just being out by yourself. I traded places with some peeps quite a few times. On the last lap, Lee was on my wheel again and attacked about three of us with a mile or two to go when the trail widened up a bit and rode away. I know he's a beast so I wasn't surprised. Right after the third lap before we split off, my legs started to wimper a bit, threatening to cramp and I had just run out of water but I knew I would be in good shape since the rest was fast downhill to the bottom. I also caught Josh G. and one other guy and followed his wheel to the finish line. It turned into a sprint and I threw my bars at the line to try to nip Josh but the results have me one second behind him.
Turpin informed me that my result wasn't posted, so I emailed Brian and he got back to me super quickly. Apparently someone got my number confused and it didn't get posted. My time ended up being 1:52:15. So I ended up 22nd. Not great, not horrible. Fitness seems to be coming around slowly but surely. Russel G.(Top 10 Overall!)Slowmo, and Ray, all got great results so props to them as well.
In other random tidbits, I thought I would show off my new shoes and new-to-me road bike that I pieced together. The Mavic shoes are pretty much yellow:) They are the most comfortable cycling shoes I've ever worn and the first pair with a carbon sole.
The new road bike is last year's Fuji Team Issue that I picked up from Roadhouse. The price was right so I had to jump on it. I just scavenged whatever parts I could off my cross bike and swapped it over. I'll get the cx bike going some time before the season starts. I even managed to round up a used powertap to put on it after my old rim cracked. It's almost too nice for me but I've been enjoying it nevertheless.

Brown County DINO

2009-06-01T13:52:00.002-04:00

75 degrees + dry trails = perfect day for racing. D.IN.O. always puts on great races (wish awards came before 4, but hey, you can count on it anyway), with great crowds. Being only my 2nd official MTB race of the season (not counting Chickasaw DNF) and feeling like I had a touch of somethin all week (I could tell first lap when my lungs had that wonderful kerosine burning feeling, I'm still coughin up the green), I wasn't sure how I would fare against fast local Duo Matt Battin and Jean-Luc Serriere, as well as other speedsters like Ryan Pirtle and Andy Messer.

The race started in a field leading to a almost mile long paved climb. The road hurts, but helps to break the group up. I was riding next to Matt in 3rd position until the climb's final little kick up when I attacked to string things out a bit more and take the hole shot. I knew Matt and Jean-Luc are much faster on the descents, so even though I knew it meant letting them ride in my draft, I had to stay in front as long as I could and just hope I could crack them.

I pushed it as hard as I could and led out the 3 of us (Matt, JL and Ryan Pirtle) for 1.5 laps. We opened a small gap on Andy, then, as I figured, Jean-Luc attacked just at the top of the long climb to rail the downhill and instantly opened a gap. I let Matt and Ryan around part way down as not to hold them up, and Matt quickly rode off, but I stayed with Ryan. A bit latter, Ryan admitted he was comin apart and let me back around.

The course wound around for 3 laps and after the 3rd, we took a left before the feedzone and dove back down the trail to the finish. Just as I made that left, I saw Matt standing trailside picking up his bike. I didn't know what happened other than I was now in second and he may be right behind me. I flew down the trail (thanks also to Kiersta yelling at people to get out of my way) as fast as I could only to get caught behind a Cat 2 rider that wouldn't let me around in the last bit of trail. Had I been caught, I woulda killed that guy who was in the back of his field and had no other Cat 2 rider close but couldn't take 1 second to pull aside for a guy battling for podium spots in the Pro race. Arg.

Anywho, all in all a great day of racing. I have to keep telling myself that just 9 months ago, my vertebrate was freshly broken and sincenthen, I have changed careers, gotten married, moved, so my training hasn't been a bit off and the fact that I can still be competitive is a blesing in and of itself.

Also, thanks to Sarah and Marge for the deep woods water bottle action, Ray for the vehicular conveyance and Colonel Sanders for some (OK, a lot) post race grease.

Short Track and Long Hair

2009-05-29T19:50:00.003-04:00

The crew at Mtn. Bike Depout, are hosting a series of Short Track races here in Louisville at the River Road Country Club. The RRCC has been the site of most local CX races. The venue as potential for a decent STX course, but the course yesterday was not what I would consider a very good short track course. Mostly due to the lack of dirt. But hey, 5 bucks to race what the hell. I don't think I have been more pissed off after a race than I was after this one. My legs felt heavy, I don't think I was ever in the right gear, just all in all a bad day on the bike. During the race I made a pass on Mike Purvis, I guess he thought it was sketchy, although I never even touched him or his bike for that matter, unless you count the over the top wheel rubbing I recieved when I was in front of him. OK fine, I get it whatever. Then after the race I hear from a team mate who tells me Purvis told him to watch out for me that I was riding sketchy, then I hear about it again from Slomo who wasn't even racing but Purvis still managed to inform Slomo of my out of control riding style. I guess he wanted to alert any bystanders for their own safety. A bad race followed up with this was enough to make me want to choke a bitch.
A few shots from the
race

on a ligh ter note we had our summer picnic at work last Friday. Here is a beautiful KentuckyWater fall I sp otted.....enjoy

new arrivals

2009-05-21T23:09:00.003-04:00

Well it's the calm before the race season storm. 2 weeks and all hell will break loose. Who knows where the first strike will take place. Indiana or Alabama. One thing for sure if I go to Birmingham I will definitely be wearing my seat belt. Those Alabama troopers are pretty hard on drivers who don't buckle up. click HERE> to see what happens in Birmingham when you don't "click it"

in other developments we have added a new team member. Our only Cat 2 rider this year and destined to upgrade soon. welcome aboard Ray.

on an unrelated note. I woke up this morning went to the garage to put my shoes on. and look who was in my shoe. !

Silly Rabbit!

and registration

2009-05-19T22:54:00.000-04:00

4 days in a row on the trails has been long overdue. 3 of those days at Waverly Park. I am starting to feel it though and may have to ride the road bike tomorrow to give myself a break. Still going back and forth on which race to do in 2 weeks. Brown Co. or Bump n Grind. Never been to BUMP and it might be the only big race I can afford to drive to this year. Sponsorship money has not come through and my hours getting cut at work has put a hurting on my race budget. Either way it will be good racing.
On a serious note, if you are not aware my good friend (as well as one of the original "cc riders" ) Craig Renck had to go back to the hospital to have another tumor removed from his brain. He is in ICU right now and is recovering once again from another of his numerous battles with cancer. He has always come out strong. This time should not be any exception.
Get Well Soon.

How to make an Italian happy

2009-05-05T21:02:00.003-04:00

Stereotypes are bad. We all know this, but they had to be derived from something. And not all stereotypes are bad. Oh sure not all Japanese people are math wiz's and not every German is an engineering genius. These types of stereotypes can actually work in your favor if you know how to use them to your advantage. Then there are the bad stereotypes, you know the ones Irish people are drunks, black people steal, and Japanese are math wiz's. Then there are the ones that are just nothing more than trait stereotypes that even if you don't fit the "type" it really doesn't matter. I mean who cares if people think you like showtunes and drive a miata just because your gay. Take our team mate Nick Barbieri. He's Italian alright he has the back hair to prove it. Two things I know to be true in this world is
1. Retards love cake
2. Italians love shiny gold objects.

So when I found out that our boy Nick was having a birthday I knew immediately what would make our Italian friend happier than a gay guy at a Barbara Striesand concert.
so me and some fellow teammates got together and got our hairy lil friend some gold Nokon cable housing. Just in time to go with his new gold bar tape

this is the face of a happy Italian

Goldfinger

2009-05-04T17:17:00.002-04:00

Stay tuned...

World Domination

2009-04-27T22:49:00.002-04:00

Well at least a partial takeover of Northern KY/Cincy. Me and the boys rolled north Newport KY for the first of the Kentucky Point Series races. As you may already know that place is (in the words of SuperFan) "Bad to the Ass!"
Relentless rocks and roots, steep climbs, and switchbacks tighter than (insert your own joke here)
To some this sounds horrible but to me it was a lil slice of heaven. The race kicked off with the 4 pro's out front, followed by me and my two biggest competitors, Blaine Heppner and Morgan Webb. I put the pass on Blain round the 1 mile mark and was sitting behind the #4 Pro Rob Kendall. This was not a good day or course for Rob. He let me by round the 3 mile mark so I gassed it and tried to put a gap on the Expert field. By lap 3 I kept looking over my shoulder at the top of long climbs and saw no one. I counted almost 30 seconds with still no one in sight. So I backed it down a little on the decents to avoid a mechanical, Last lap, still no one in sight, round the last corner to the quartermile fire road climb to the finish and there he was, Morgan. If there was a camera above my head swirling in circles it would have seen me cry "NOOOOO"
So it was on like Donkey Kong. I stood up and tried to put some power down.... nothing. Morgan gaining ground.......I tried to spin furiously like a gerbil.....nothing......Morgan on my wheel..... bout 50 yards to go. He passes.... I pass him..... he passes back....... finish line in sight.....then I totally cracked.....Morgan took the Win for overall expert. Sure it sucks to get sprinted out but Morgan is a buddy and good guy and he earned it fair and square. All in all a great day of racing. Especially for the team. Overall we took the number one, two, four and I believe five spots and that was everyone on the team that raced that day.
Not too shabby.

Fort Thomas KY State Series #1 according to Anthony R Slowinski

2009-04-27T22:01:00.004-04:00

Man, that course was brutal. The downhills worked you as much as the ups, not to mention it made me break my long-standing oh so smug "I haven't had to use anything but my big ring at KY races" streak. Not sure how long I had this going, but no chance in keeping the streak alive last Sunday.

It was hot as heck, about 87 or so, it was the first race out for the Yeti (man that bike rails) and the second XC since breaking my back last fall. It was great to come out with the big W even if I don't feel like I have all my power back and the field wasn't exactly huge. Hey, the fact that I am back to racing at all, not to mention decently fit, feels pretty freakin great.

So anyway, it was myself Gentle Ben and some German dude off the front from the gun. Ben fell back a bit and left Poland to put the beat-down on the Kraut. After he flatted three quarters of the way through lap 3, that Krauts day was definitely soured (ha!). Coming around a switchback, I saw him fixing his tire so I was able to ease off a bit on some of the downhills as not to suffer the same fate, but tried to keep the same tempo on the climbs.

The highlight of the day came on lap 4. There was a stupid steep hike-a-bike (called the "otter run" or something like that) that had taken me by surprise on lap 1, I almost cleaned on the next 2 laps so I was determined on the last lap it was going down. As luck would have it, there was a witness to both my sensational climbing and grunting abilities, (the last root section took a really big EERRRRRAAAAHHHHHHH!!!). Post race when people where talkin about that "horrible hike-a-bike section," I just grinned inside and thought "hike-a-bike, yeah, cleaned it."

This weekend looks like a stop in Ducktown, TN for the East Coast national or up to Warsaw, IN for the D.IN.O opener (weather pending). Also, I would like to thank Cycler's Cafe, Yeti and Crank Brothers for their support. Good stuff.

The Gambler

2009-04-20T00:50:00.002-04:00

In the immortal words of the great Kenny Rogers...."you gotta know when to fold em'"
and fold em I did. I know my last blog stated that I would race this weekend rain or shine, maybe it was the meth talkin but to hell with racing in a thunderstorm. Got word back that the race was a complete disaster for all 23 in attendance. No regrets here and the real racing starts next week anyway. The prestigious Kentucky Point Series kicks off in Newport KY. It's been a while since I have raced there, maybe 10 years. From what I can remember (meth) it was a pretty fun course and by fun I mean that roadies would hate it. And I always draw strength from disgruntled roadies attempting to race on uneven terrain. So I would like to officially invite the entire Bike Clicks team to race next week.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!!

2009-04-20T00:32:00.002-04:00

Didn't ride, didn't race, I redecorated the living room. With water drops fallin all day and a happy wife, I think I made the right call.

And I would like to take this moment to officially announce my "Colon Cancer Resistance and Awareness Program." I have been riding for CCRAP all season and plan to keep this up. Just look for the brown stripe that represents awareness.

So, when you see me suffering 5 minutes off the front, just say, "Man, he is really riding like CCRAP."

circa 1999

2009-04-17T12:30:00.002-04:00

Went to Waverly yesterday after work. Back in the day Waverly was the place to be on Thursday nights. About an hour in to my ride I ran in to some of my old riding buddies. It was good to ride with Craig Renck and Bill Holden on a Waverly Thursday. It's probably been 7 years since we all rode together. The trails were primo and it was great to see Craig riding strong again after finishing his 2nd battle with cancer. After his first battle back in the early 90's he came back after chemo and went on to win the Expert 40+ class in Kentucky on a regular basis. Now after chemo and brain surgery he is back and riding strong, and talking about racing this year. Any excuses you can come up with to justify a bad ride or getting out of shape are just that "excuses". So I will be racing LBL rain or shine, hell or high water. No matter how bad of a race I have ever had in the past, looking back it was still fun. Best thing is Craig doesn't mind when I call him "Cancer Boy"

keepin it real

2009-04-14T23:03:00.003-04:00

Well it's that time of year that makes training very difficult for me. Once I get a taste of sweet dry singletrack the desire to get on the road bike drops to a new low. So when the trails are wet I can hardly bring myself to hit the pavement. There are times when I almost enjoy riding the road but right now aint one of em. Spring is also the time when my backwoods coworkers like to inquire about the upcoming race season. I am always am amused by the questions from the non-cycling community in regards to racing. The best is how they refer to racing. I have been asked when my next "meet, match, game, tournament, and round." is taking place. Well LBL race is this Sunday and I am really not that excited to go. Threat of rain, not an ideal race prep so far this week, driving and money are all factors. Just have to wait and see.

Jungle Fever

2009-04-09T22:25:00.004-04:00

before..................
After my man date with Nick I came home to discover a crack in my frame. One call to Santa Cruz and I was set to get a new front triangle. Only thing is my rear triangle was pretty beat down. So for a little money ($300) they sent me a whole new 08 frame. I had an 06' but the best part was is they had it in ano black. So while I waited for my new frame to arrive I decided to murder out my bike. Armed with Krylon, touch up paints, and that rubbery dip for tools I went OCD on my shit.

Got the Frame today and I think it turned out pretty sweet.after

Why I Hate the Ohio Valley

2009-04-07T17:25:00.001-04:00

Going from sunny and 75 degrees to overcast, rainy/snowy and 35 degrees has a way of just zapping my motivation. Yeah.

few more pics from Chickasaw

2009-03-31T22:39:00.005-04:00

slomo had a bad day and pulled out early.

It was good to see Rob Kendall back on the trails. After 2 years of bad luck and knee problems he is back and is riding strong. 6th overall in Pro.

Morgan drilled me out with no suspension and 3 gears.

Gentle Ben. you gotta love him.

Racing is hard(Chickasaw)

2009-03-31T20:25:00.005-04:00

But at least nothing like this happened. Getting back to racing was awesome. My result wasn't though. I managed 10th out of 15 in the 19-29 cat 1 race and there were at least a couple of peeps that dropped out I think. But that's OK. Things are just starting to roll along and there's a lot of racing to do. I just started turning up the intensity so I can't be too disappointed. I think this time last year I had been doing some harder rides for a while longer over the winter. As long as I keep the ball rolling, I'll be alright, even though I'll have to squeeze in a couple road races to fill in some gaps this coming month.

First Race of the Year

2009-03-29T22:06:00.005-04:00

Just returned from the first race of the season. Chickasaw Trace Classic in Columbia TN, The weather was questionable on the way down. But Nick, Ray and myself were not concerned and knowing the trails hold up well to rain was promising.

This is always a tough race with big turnouts and stiff competition. My wave(40-49 cat1) went off 2 minutes behind the 30-39 and maybe 4 behind 19-29. The course change was a big improvement on an already great course. The horn sounded and I found myself in the 2nd position behind Morgan Webb. the first half mile was soft grassy open field with a slight climb. It was windy as hell today and drafting was key to the open field sections. About 20 yards before the course was diving into singletrack a singlespeed guy on a pink bike rolled past us like we were standing still. Morgan and I responded and hopped on his wheel. The three of us stayed wheel to wheel until around the 5th mile. Suddenly we were approaching several riders from the 30-39 class. It was alot of work passing and parts of the course were impassable. I found myself brake checking on rolling sections and going way too slow on decents for nearly 2 miles. The three of us must have passed 15 riders in 2 miles. Then pink bike guy made a pass on 3 guys right before a long twisty decent. Morgan and I could only watch him dissapear

I don't think it would have been a factor considering his finish time. Morgan pulled away with about 5 miles to go and I could not respond. I wound up 8th out of 26. Not great but good enough to get a little cash and have a fun race. The trails were good, no crashes, mechanicals or stupid mistakes, I'm satisfied.

Nick B. had a good race but unfortunately was not in the $
Now I know what I want for the team vehicle.
witnessed this sweet ride at the race.

Bike riding

2009-03-23T23:07:00.002-04:00

I didnt ride for 8 days while I honeymooned in SoCal. It was sweet.

The past 2 days have been some perfect mtb riding. (not training, just riding)

I am gonna get killed this weekend.

Things are A-OK.

Wild Cougar on the loose

2009-03-22T21:27:00.000-04:00

Was riding the trails today in Senekee and came across a cougar walking a dog and brazenly drinking a pint glass of beer. When I say glass I mean big ole' pint glass. did another loop and approached the cougar again, this time, the glass was empty. As I passed her I asked "do you have another beer for me?" Just making small talk in an effort not to upset the cougar. Before the words "for me?" left my mouth the cougar exclaimed loudly " YEAHH, I live right around the corner, I have more at home.........." I couldn't make out the last of her invitation, as I was too frightened to take on a cougar on her home territory, not to mention cougars are especially aggressive during the first signs of spring. So I offer a word of caution to anyone on the trails near cochrun hill. Keep your head down and keep moving, if the genetic crossfire from the circle jerks don't get ya, a wild cougar will.

that is all

Man Date part 2

2009-03-21T22:09:00.006-04:00

Just returned from Nashville, IN and 3+hours of quality ride time on the best trails in the tri-state area.

Met Nick at Cycler's Cafe for some lunch and pre-ride provisions.
cup of coffee and loaded up we were ready to go.

Drove north and was greeted by Indiana's finest as soon as we left the interstate. Pulled over for 52 in a 45. you gotta be kiddin? Fortunately I was let off with a warning.

The trails were perfect, sunny and 58degrees made the ride 5 stars.

we blazed sweet singletrack railed turns

and spent some quality one on one time together

what better way to finish off an epic ride than burritos and tacos

Man Date

2009-03-20T20:52:00.003-04:00

It's Friday night and I am all a flutter over me and Nick's man date for Sat. A full day with the Italian Stallion together at Brown County. I feel like the luckiest gal in the world. Weather looks to be perfect, the trails are always 5 star and I feel pretty rested for a nice long epic ride. While I'm typing might as well speak my mind.
Well not to sound all negative but, lately it seems there has been fewer mtnbikers out on the trails. As much as I do like having the trails all to myself, I still can't help but wonder where all the coyboys have gone. The first good riding days of the year usually brings out even the fairest of weather riders. I have spent 5 of the last 8 days riding Waverly Park. and only come across a handful of riders. It started me wondering about all the riders who used to be regulars at the trailhead. Mostly the ones who seem to have dissapeared. OK enough of that, I got a hot man date to get ready for. Stay tuned for a complete pictorial from the ride.

Long Ride

2009-03-16T21:56:00.004-04:00

So yesterday(Sunday), I was wanting to get a longer ride in. I had to work Saturday and it rained the first part of the day and the rest of the day I just couldn't get the motivation to go on much of a ride outside and ended up BSing at the cafe with Rusty and Anthony and drank a bunch of coffee. I was halfway kind of wanting to do the long run park circuit race but I didn't want to do it bad enough to call in to work. So I was relegated to the riding the rollers while watching a Red Box dvd of Discovery's Shark Week(which was pretty interesting btw) that evening.

Since Saturday was a wash and pretty much depressing, I felt I had to do something with myself Sunday. So I was ambitious and woke up early and ate breakfast and was on the bike by 7AM planning to get in a 4hr ride with a couple hills.

I rode to Cheroseneca and then down Eastern Pkwy to Iriquoi and then onto Jeff Forest. The plan was to meet up with Leigh-Anna and Audra at 11:15 at church around Germantown. Leigh-Anna was supposed to bring my clothes so I could change. Low and behold she forgot them and I wasn't gonna spend an hour and a half in church in spandex, so I headed home. Luckily on my way I saw Jeff W. who needed to get in about 4hrs as well so decided to ride out my way, which was cool. By the time I got home, I was spent. Five hours in the saddle with a couple good hills thrown in wore me out. But here is the kicker. I get home looking forward to refuel and relax and realize I'm locked out. I had to get some food in my stomach so I was forced to ride some more and went down the road for some Subway. I got home and had to wait about another 30 min. for Leigh-Anna to get home so I just propped my feet up and listened to the radio on my mp3 player. Needless to say, I was less than enthusiastic with the wife. But ended up with 5 1/2 hours on the bike, so that was good, I guess. So maybe what I'm trying to say is that I just need to stop whining and harden up a bit. Yeah.

22.6 lbs

2009-03-15T22:39:00.003-04:00

Well the next best thing to racing is getting your bike ready to race. And after a few upgrades and a little tune up ride the other day the bike feels good. Put it on the scale and was happy to see I finally broke the 23 lb mark. Coming in at 22.6 lbs inspired me to get extra cheese on my burrito.
I only have one more upgrade to make, but it's an elusive creature.

Snake Bites

2009-03-13T23:44:00.002-04:00

On the plus side, Garth and I beat a internationally ranked pro last weekend. Too bad it was a girl.

Snake Creek Gap went well. My goal was to be able to race with Garth and I did, even though my legs were spent by the end. I was way out of sync though, not racing for so long I had trouble remembering how much oatmeal morning of (I overate and got stomach cramps), what I need to pack, when to get up, and when to arrive (we erred on the side of "late" on the last two). A total lack of power was also kinda humbling - a course I was able to big ring last year had me sharing equal time with both the rings last weekend.

The bottom line; it was an awesome weekend of racing and riding and the weather matched up as well. Even though the seafoam tried to suck the life out of me and steal my essence, it was great to be out spending time with some good folks and putting miles on the mountain bike. The trails in that region of TN and GA are phenomenal, (the last 17 miles of the Pinot Trail we race on are beyond words), and equal anything CO or CA have to offer (plus they have more stars n bars).

Speakin of specific regions, I'm ready for some honeymooning SoCal style then an MTB whooping central Tennessee style.

happy happy joy joy

2009-03-08T18:27:00.002-04:00

Before I spread the happiness, I have to vent a little. I would like to address the dumbing down of trails. Well after the big "ice storm of death 09'" the trails have been littered with trees and branches unlike anything this town has experienced since the "Tornado of death 74". Well I took my chances and went to Waverly Park. I heard chainsawing as I pulled in the lot. I thought well that's a good sign. I hopped on my bike and headed out. After about 100 feet I was greeted with an impassible pile of limbs 4ft high that stretched out 20 ft up the trail. I could see that the branches had been cut in to managable sections, so I began pulling them off the trail. Ahhhh sweet singletrack ahead, 50 feet later BAM! another pile of limbs and logs. This went on for the entire 6 mile loop. I am happy to say that after today I finished clearing the entire race loop. Now for the venting....In the process of trail work I added a small log crossing at a nice portion of trail that would not interupt flow. The log was no more than a foot tall and I set in place with dirt armoring to keep it stable. I rode again today and finished debris removal, I noticed not one single branch or log was removed from the trail except one. You guessed the log crossing I set in place. I would have to say that a MtnBiker surely could not have moved it. If it was a guy on a bike that moved it, I would still have to say that it wasn't a MtnBiker.
Now for the happy happy joy joy,
the weather is warm the trails dry (and clear) life is good, how could it get better? That's right new toys. Below is a very happy Gentle Ben with his new road bike. complete with custom, aero, personalized pie plate (courtesy of Slomo)

Not to mention Hank got a new tennis ball

the new guy

2009-03-03T20:46:00.006-05:00

Boy I wish I could be racing next to Slomo this weekend. or at least behind him. ............................... (pause while you add your own joke)...... It's prolly best I'm not there because seeing him in the new kit would get me all misty and would surely affect my race performance. In other news, it's gonna be damn near 70 degrees this Friday (thats about 60 more than it has been in the last 2 weeks). and I am heading north to the Brown County. I love that place, hopefully my hairiest riding partner can get a hall pass and come with.

For all you Slomo Fans here is one of his last glamour shots in the old kit.

Why is bike racing so expensive?

2009-03-02T20:54:00.002-05:00

Seriously. I'm not even getting a new bike this season and the cost to just get my bike in shape for the coming season is likely what some people would pay for a complete bike(albeit a cheap complete bike). New drivetrain, and a few go-fast race parts to make me feel like I'll actually have some kind of advantage add up quick!
That is not even to mention the cost of a race license, kits, gas to get to races, nutrition, and entry fees. Without some kind of support, I can see why a large majority of the population doesn't race. They just can't afford it. The only racing a kid from the ghetto is gonna get to do on his bike is to speed away from the cops. Luckily our team get's support every year but without that, we definitely would not be racing quite as much or just be stuck riding total pieces. Maybe we should nationalize the race circuit and make a rule that everyone should have to ride the same spec'd bike that we could all get from the gov't(Obama, hello?) That would level the playing field, right? Socialism in action. Or not. All hail Mother United States!

Business Time

2009-03-01T21:23:00.002-05:00

At least the Month of February is out of the way. Time change in 7 days and a promising forecast for the week is light at the end of the tunnel. Time to start ramping up the intensity and getting ready to start the season. I usually do a few spring road races but not feeling it this year. Besides riding with roadies on the rivet is the most dangerous form of cycling known to man. I could not forgive myself for letting some tool can take me out in a road race before I even get a chance to race off road this season.
In other news, my brother -n- law gave my wife and I a really nice camera. So get ready for some amatuer photography on a professional camera.
like this one

I've had it

2009-02-27T08:21:00.002-05:00

I thought Obama was bringing change but the weather still sucks and I'm ready to ride. Thats it. Sick of this crap. Arg.

2009-02-26T21:35:00.004-05:00

Let me start off by telling you a little bit about how I spend 40 hrs a week to make enough money to support my cycling habit. I work in Bullit County. A place rich in meth labs, teen pregnancy and inbreeding. To be considered upper class you must proudly ride and display all things Harley Davidson. When I first arrived in Bullitt County from the "big city" I was immediately looked upon as a threat or at the very least one those "gays" Once my shaved legs were spotted I might as well have come to work wearing a dress. Over the years I have found my place and get along with most everyone there. The fact I ride a bike always seems to bring up "biking" with some of my Harley lovin' co workers. Although my position is not popular with the Harley guys I still from time to time have to explain how Harley Davidsons are probably the gayest form of biking period.
to quote Seinfeld (not that there is anything wrong with it). I am met with great resistance when I describe a hobby that is geared towards wearing leather, and decorating a bike with shiny bits and tassles Oh sure they all think they are this guy

But I can't look at them without seeing this guy

2009-02-26T21:30:00.000-05:00

S.A.D.

2009-02-22T23:35:00.002-05:00

Every year it's the same thing. You deal with winter cold, then you get a little hint of warm weather, you get all giddy then BAM! It's winter again. Well last weak (sp) was a tease, I should have never doubted Punxsutawney Phil. One good thing about a long crappy winter is that it makes me appreciate the first race and warm weather to come. Just about a month until the traditional first race of the season in Columbia TN. I love that course. Hopefully the weather will work out better than last. Anything less than a monsoon will be an improvement over last years conditions. Right now I will take warm and wet conditions over the cold and colder conditions we have right now.

2009-02-13T22:24:00.003-05:00

As Series Coordinator for the Kentucky Mountain Bike Series, I am pleased to announce the possible return of Tower Park to the series. If you have never ridden there you will be glad to see this venue return to the racing scene. Very similar to Cherokee Park, Tower Park is an urban park nestled in Newport, KY. Thanks to Smitty's bike shop plans are under way to make Tower Park the season opener. Stay tuned as the season shapes up. For more information on XC bike races in Kentucky check out kypointseries.googlepages.com

Amazing what a little bike fit can do

2009-02-13T13:45:00.002-05:00

So I have been battling with IT band pain on my left leg for what seems like about a month now. It all started toward the end of a longer road ride with Anthony after I changed saddles(stupid, I know). Doing different stretches helped a lot but as soon as I thought it was just about gone it would pop right back up. Using the clutch on my car and the UPS trucks really seemed to aggravate it as well.

Finally, Mr. Sean Steele checked out my bike fit and made a couple of adjustments. He raised my seatpost a smidgen and moved my cleats forward. I got in just over two hours last night and no pain. Whoo hoo! It does feel a little weird with my cleats being forward, like I can't put as much power to the pedals but it might just take a little time to get used to. We'll see. But for now, it's awesome just to be able to go on a ride for longer than an hour and not be in excruciating pain.

The man's gettin me down

2009-02-12T08:54:00.003-05:00

So I miss round 1 of Snake Creek Gap TT cuz I got married or somethin so's then I'm really fired up about round 2. I got some good rides in in January, not feeling like I'm gonna gonna go down there kill, just wound, and get some good mtb time. Then I got sick on Thursday. Nuts to that. I am starting to feel better, and I always know, no matter what, I am faster than Rusty (even though he is doping this season), but that's little consolation since most everyone is better than him.

After last year's broken back and getting married, the whole race thing has been put into a little better perspective, but man, a guy certainly gets tired of feelin beat down and it would be nice to just get in some solid ride time.

Anywho, come down (or over, up, whatever) to the Cafe and take this sweet machine for a test ride -

- it's impressively built, and at 23.1 pounds, (no pedals, UST tires), with a rock solid suspension platform, it just feels fast.

New Season and New Toys...

2009-02-06T11:24:00.004-05:00

...well that was the plan anyways. I was planning on coming into the new mountain bike season with a new ride on the way. The carbon blur xc and I was going to go into the CX season with the SC Stigmata. That was until my dog decided to take an SUV to the side of the head. All the money that was set aside towards the new rides was quickly erased thanks to her and the chislers at the emergency vet center. No only are new bikes in the spring fun set up it is a really good motivator for the upcoming season coming out of a long cold winter. Not that there is anything wrong with the ride from last year but with a new carbon version being a pound lighter, a little less travel, and refined suspension set up and not to mention the new Sram XX group coming out. How could you not want to throw down a chunk of change on a new ride. So I guess for now its back to selling what I can, working extra hours and hoping to settle for second best with a new CX/road bike in time for fall

Random rants and raves

2009-02-03T20:30:00.003-05:00

Yeah, my train of thought is completely random and anyone who knows me realizes that throughout a conversation I can be talking about my favorite flavor of yogurt and then the next minute my dreams of having a veggie powered Mercedes diesel wagon some day...for example. So just to warn you, most of my posts will most likely be just that, random blurbs about whatever. Maybe race recaps or maybe what was on Nova last night(no cable!).

So anyway, I just wanted to vent a little about my dissatisfaction with Kroger branded organic food products. I guess not all of them are bad but of the few I've tried, I've been disappointed. I just bought a loaf of their bread because it was on sale and every piece just about falls apart in your hand. And their organic milk has a funny taste to it as well. I don't buy everything organic but milk is something I try to when at all possible. Organic usually = expen$ive. Mainly for the fact that it is devoid of all the growth hormones and antibiotics that regular milk contains. I guess I'll just stick to Horizon.

I also started reading the book "Training and Racing with a Power Meter" by Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggan. Man, I really want a power meter now. You can just do so many cool things with one. You can figure out exactly how many matches you have left to burn during a race, how much fuel you need to eat during the ride and how much you need for recovery and so many other cool things. I guess I've been thinking about them because during this part of the year you don't have anything better to do but try to think about how to get faster for the next season. I don't have the cashola for one this year but if the stars align, I'll get one next year.

new ride

2009-02-03T17:53:00.002-05:00

This time of year is always a time to dream up ways to get a new race ride for the upcoming season. Although my Kona has served me well I can't help but want a new ride. I was content to race the Kona again in 09 until Santa Cruz up and done it. I'm talking about the new Carbon Blur XC. I have an "old" blur xc that I love but never felt it to be xc race worthy. The VPP is the best suspension design I have ever ridden and now the new carbon Blur is almost a pound lighter and with less travel. It's like they read my mind. Looks like I'm off to the plasma center.

humana team promo

2009-02-01T21:14:00.002-05:00

2009-01-31T13:07:00.001-05:00

Things are shaping up for the 09' season. The team plans to travel more this year thanks to help from our generous sponsors. We are sending Anthony to Chattanooga next weekend for a tune up race at Snake Creek.

2009 Race team

2009-01-20T21:43:00.005-05:00

After a much needed team meeting this past weekend, I think we have the team to beat on the trails this year. With two of the best cross country cyclist in the bluegrass state it's going to be a good season for team Humana/Cycler's Cafe.

Team Roster:

Anthony Slowinski
Ben Richardson
Josh Gerlach
Rusty Sohm
Jiff Wine
RJ Harris
Nick Barbieri
Joe Sohm
Bo King
Mack Shwab
Billy Davis
Sam Winkler
David Jones

A New Era

2008-09-27T12:04:00.000-04:00

In an effort to make things more organized with the team and have something for current and future sponsors to see what we are up to we are starting up our team website. It is a rough layout for now but as time goes on we will have a list of our race schedule as well as results. Plus post race recaps in our blogs and plenty of pictures to go along with everything. So stay tuned and check in often for more updates.