Family on the move

The RDO has landed

2011-07-22T16:31:00.004-05:00

Most of you who know me know that I’m pretty loyal to the Niner brand. The only non-Niner I’ve owned in the last 4 years is the Superfly I bought while the Jet was undergoing its redesign and I was battling some nerve damage in my foot. Until recently my Niner fleet consisted of a Jet9, Sir9, and Air9, with the Jet9 being my hands-down favorite! So, when word hit the street that Niner was coming out with a carbon version of the Jet9 I knew I had to have one. I immediately called Cody at Ballwin Cycles and told him to put my name on the list. A few days later the boys at Ballwin told me Niner was going to be shipping these frames out mid-July. I was now very excited!! When Niner released the new Air9 Carbon those frames didn’t ship until months after orders were placed.

I had been thinking about going 2x10 lately. So, with the new frame coming and the fact that I had just trashed my rear-derailleur I took that as a sign.

I went ahead and ordered a new XO 2x10 drivetrain. The wheels, fork, seat, and cockpit would come over from the current Jet9.

It was June 16^th when I officially place my order for the RDO and on Tues Jul 19^th I got the call from Cody that the new RDO frame was in! Needless to say, I was walking in Ballwin Cycles front door 20 mins later to see the pure goodness for myself!

Cody stayed at the shop until 7pm and finished the build on it for me so I could take it out for its maiden voyage. Niner has addressed the main cabling issue seen on the Air9 Carbon so running the cables was pretty simple. It really helped that they had these nylon liners already in the frame, so all we had to do was feed the cables through those and it was done. Cody had to then feed some housing through the chainstay but that was pretty painless too. We did quickly realize that you need to keep the crank off to do this, but at least you don’t have to take the BB out like on the Air9 Carbon.
I didn’t waste any time getting home and out to the trail for 2 reasons. 1. I was like a kid at Christmas and couldn’t wait to play with my new toy. 2. Niner had a contest going on their Facebook page giving away a free messenger bag to the first rider to post a pic of the RDO from the trail. ... and yes, I did win the Niner Facebook contest! :)
I’m not much of a bike reviewer but so far this bike is exceeding my expectations! I had concerns that the RDO frame wouldn’t ride like the original Jet9 - I just love the way the Jet9 handles. It’s so agile and responsive. My concerns about the RDO not measuring up were quickly squashed. The RDO handles just as well while it also just feels lighter and even more responsive. It does seem to have a slightly different fit from the Jet9, but I until I get everything dialed in I can’t really tell where those differences are. The new Fox Float RP23 with Kashima coating is absolutely amazing. This thing just absorbs the trail and allows me to power over roots and rocks without causing me to skip a pedal stroke. Plus, I’m amazed how much better the RDO climbs. The CVA suspension married to this carbon frame was immediately evident on the first climb.

Next stop is the Wausau 24-hour race on July 30th-31st. Todd Hecht, Mitch Johnson and I will be heading up to Wi for this race. Mitch and Todd went last year and said it was one of the best events and trails they’ve ever been to. Coming from those guys, I couldn’t pass it up this year. Not sure any of us are gunning for the entire 24-hour race at this point in the year, but it’s going to be good training for the DINO 24-hour coming up in September.

Thank you Niner and Ballwin Cycles!

Mission Double-Berryman

2011-07-12T12:17:00.005-05:00

I've ridden 50+ miles on the mountain bike many times. I've successfully ridden the 24-mile Berryman trail many times. But never have I had enough time, courage, chamois butter or will to ride two Berryman loops back-to-back.

But on this day in June I chose to make it my mission. Dave Hagan accompanied me on the trip. However, he was going to have to return to STL after lap 1 for a family obligation.

After unsuccessfully being able to complete even one lap a couple weeks prior when my rear derailleur snapped, I was really looking forward to some revenge!

(The carbon cage and bottom pulley were shattered)

Lap 1 with Dave went great. There are quite a few trees down on the trail between Brazil Creek and Berryman, but we weren't out to break any speed records so it was ok. The re-routes after Berryman were in great shape. I couldn't believe how wide some of the sections are.

Dave headed home while I started lap 2. Everything was going well until just after Berryman when I heard that awful 'pssssss!' sound. Yep, slit my front tire and it was a big tear. I had a boot, but the tear was pretty big.

I had a choice to make. Double back less than 1 mile to the road and ride that back - just like I did a couple weeks prior or risk continuing on the trail, away from the road, hoping the boot would hold. I chose to bail to the road and take the 5-mile death march back on the road.

My double-Berryman would have to wait for another day. I know Dwayne does these before breakfast on most days, but for some reason they elude me!

For Noah

2011-07-08T10:03:00.002-05:00

Our thoughts are with Dwayne, Betina, and Lukas during this tough time.

Getting caught up....

2011-06-27T18:14:00.008-05:00

The 2011 racing season has kicked off pretty miserably. This season is quite a bit different than how 2010 started. I took a lot of time off the bike from Nov – Jan and I could tell a difference. My fitness wasn’t quite where it was this time last year.

Season Prep -

Karen and I recently took on the ‘Clean’ diet to help us shed some of those leftover holiday pounds and get a jump start on the season. I’ll admit that a three week program of only eating one meal a day with two smoothies was quite scary. I’m addicted to food and am proud to admit it! The first few days were brutal. I thought about eating my own fist at one point! But after those first few days it got quite easier. We were both amazed by how well we felt each day and how much more energy we actually had during the day. I didn’t find myself constantly yawning during the day. I wound up dropping almost 20 lbs!

Racing begins:

March

Spa City 6-hour – What an awesome race on some fantastic trails. Hot Springs, AR is a really cool town with a really nice mountain bike park just outside of the hold historic downtown area. My performance was horrible. The race started with me redlining myself like an EPO-induced pro! Yeah, that didn’t last long. The effects of not training this Winter hit me smack in the face. Steve, Pete, Dave, and Karen all did really well.

Leadbelt UFD – This race was pure training given it was the day after Spa City so I decided to race Cat-2/Sport class. My legs felt surprisingly well and wound up 4^th in the 40-49 group. No way I could have raced Marathon though.

April

Ouachita – I love doing this race, but this year it didn’t like me. Fitness still wasn’t there for me. I struggled from the start. My finish time was 7:57, 75 minutes slower than last year!

AR vacation – Karen and I had planned on doing Syallmo 24 again this year. It’s the weekend after Ouchita so we were going to stay down in AR for the week. We both decided not to do Syallmo but wanted to stay down in AR to ride the great trails down there. Turns out after the Ouachita pre-race raffle we also wound up with a 3-day/2-night stay in an absolutely fantastic cabin at Mountain Harbor Resort. So we made Mountain Harbor home for a few days and rode all the trails around there. We each road about 3-5 hours per day. Plus, on our way home we rode 2-days at Syallmo. I was finally getting my base mileage up!

May

Greensfelder – This race was the weekend before Syallmo’s Revenge so I just wanted to get some saddle time in. Turned out the conditions were wet/sloppy due to an overnight rain. So I quit after two laps to avoid trashing myself and the bike any further.

Syallmo – I was really excited about this race having never done it before. After seeing how the awesome the trails were when we were down there in April I couldn’t wait to race on them. My goal was to finish in under 6 hours. The conditions were a little wet as they usually are but the weather was awesome! But the race almost didn’t happen for me. 15 mins before the start of the race I realized I’d left my mtb shoes up at the cabin! Oh #$%#$%#$!!!! I hopped in the car and flew up to the cabin and back, had to drive through the racers lining up at the start, through a grass field, over a curb and back in to my parking spot where I layed my bike in hopes no one would take the spot. I made it to the starting line with 2 mins to spare but no warm-up… oh well, the upcoming 1 mile hill climb would solve that.

(My attitude before realizing I forgot my shoes!)

I was feeling strong 10 miles in, then 20, 30, then 40. I could really tell that the weight I’d lost was helping me. By about 45 miles I’d had no technical issues or flats and was eyeing a strong finish. Then, sure enough… flat! I got it changed pretty quickly and caught back up with some of the guys that passed me. Then, flat AGAIN!! This one took a little longer as I now had a slit in my tire that needed a boot. I’m not sure why but I don’t carry tire boots – but I will now. I used a Ziploc baggie I had on me and folded it over several times hoping it would provide enough protection for me to finish the final 4-5 miles.

Fortunately, the baggie tire boot worked but I don’t recommend it. I finished in 5:35 crushing my goal, even with my 2 flats. Karen did really well too and beat her individual goal.

Indian Camp Creek 3/6 Hour – I wouldn’t be racing this race since I was the co-race director along with John Peiffer. This was a true team effort. Mitch Johnson and Greg Ott put in a ton of time working on the trails. Karen helped out with a bunch of things including swag bag stuffing and scoring sheets with help from Loreen Mattson. The weather was really scaring the crap out of us leading up to the race, but by some magical powers that MashOr pulled out of his a$$ the trails were in perfect shape on race day and the race was on. What a fantastic day of racing with only a minor issue from Mother Nature at the end of the day. But I’ll write more about this event in a later post. The unfortunate part for me, was during the weeks leading up to and after this race I didn’t get a lot of riding in.

June

Family vacation put us all out on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Every 2 years my entire family: mom, stepdad, sisters, bro-in-laws, nieces, and nephews, all go on vacation together. We rented an amazing 4-story house right on the beach and had a blast for a whole week. Karen and I brought our road bikes along. She did more riding than I did as she was able to tolerate the flat, straight, windy roads much more easily than I – too boring! But I still got in two 2+ hour rides. But still my longest ride lately has been Syallmo nearly 4 weeks prior.

Then…. Sick – Picked up a bad chest cold. Up all night coughing, hacking up my lungs and not able to do any intensity w/o my lungs burning intensely!

Next up on my schedule are two local races: Castlewood and Brommelsiek, before the big Wausaw 24-hour race in Wisconsin at the end of July. I may not even attempt the full 24-hour race given my recent lack of training and illness but I’m really looking forward to the trip with Mitch and Todd Hecht. They both say it’s a pro race on a fantastic trail.

blog

2011-05-06T07:09:00.001-05:00

blog

Snow + ice = Trainer

2011-01-31T20:57:00.002-06:00

Man, this weather is killing me. I'm finally trying to get my butt in gear and fire up the training but Mother Nature is insistent on giving us a Winter we'll remember.

Karen and I got out on Saturday for about 30 miles on the good ol' backrounds around Highland, IL after buying a new refridgerator.

Sunday, Todd Hecht joined us and a group of others for the Gravel Grinder in Hermann. Needless to say, it was an adventure. We got lost, found, then lost again. But 34 miles later we rolled back into Hermann, had a beer, some grub, and headed back to STL.

So, at least I got some outside miles in before committing myself to the trainer!

I'm so ready to take out the new weapon this year and flow on some singletrack. "New Weapon" you ask?!!? Stay tuned.

Council Bluff madness

2010-09-30T22:07:00.002-05:00

The ICCC Council Bluffs race was the last UFD race of the year. I was looking forward to it initially to get some hot laps in before Burnin'. I got my wish and they chose to run the race in the same direction as Burnin'.

Unfortunately, my legs were still not recovered from the 24-hour 2 weeks before. But we wanted to go to the race no matter what since it would be Casey's last race this year and her last race in the 'Kids' category. We're really looking forward to her racing Junior next year! - but moms pretty nervous. Casey of course did great on a short but very tough course and got 1st place. Unfortunately, she didn't have much competition but it was a 'kids' race.

Karen made the race-time decision to not race due to her legs not being recovered from the 24. So she was there cheering us on.

I chose to race Cat-2/Sport so I'd only have to do 1 lap at a minimum instead of possibly 3 if I did Marathon.

My race started with a sprint down the pavement, do a u-turn, and head back down the road onto the singletrack. Right after the race director yelled 'Go' I knew it wouldn't be a good day for me. I stood up to sprint but the legs just didn't want to respond. They were 2-ton bricks! The majority of the field took off in front of me.

I entered the single-track mid-pack. After about 2 miles, I started to feel my legs coming back. I started passing guys I didn't expect to be passing. I wound up catching up to Steve Freidman from Ballwin Cycles. Steve and I have ridden together in the last few races. He's a very strong single-speeder. So, I knew I was starting to rally. But I couldn't pass him. The legs didn't have it. We hit the long climb to the finish and I just let Steve go. There was no way I was going to take him.

Surprisingly, I wound up finishing 3rd overall and 2nd in the 40-49 category 2 minutes behind Jeff Powell. I was very surprised by my finish. Maybe my legs weren't as bad as I thought?!

The race was a blast though. Thanks to ICCC and Rich Pierce for putting it on!

On Cloud 9 from Dino 24

2010-09-30T21:24:00.011-05:00

The 2009 24 Hours of Dino was disappointing for me. I took a hard crash and wound up quitting at about the 9-hour mark. So, the 2010 edition was one of revenge and a mission to prove to myself that I could do it. My goal was to focus on proper nutrition during the race and not sleep. Karen and I used to do many 24-36 hour adventure races without sleeping so I know what it takes to stay awake. But with Adventure Racing you’re mixing it up between biking,
running/trekking, and paddling so it’s not as monotonous as just biking the whole time.

I spent a lot of time before the race talking with Coach Mileski about my race nutrition. We developed a loose plan on how much I’d need to eat for an hour of racing and what specific foods would help me meet those nutrition goals as well as, be tasty and easy to eat.

Karen, Greg Ott, Mitch Johnson, Todd Hecht and I all took off work on Friday to make the 6-hour drive over to Versailles , IN. Our goal was to get there early enough to get our tents/TA setup in a prime spot on the course and do some pre-riding of the course. Mission accomplished! We had fantastic weather on Friday. Our TA was setup right next to the start/finish line and we had time for a pre-ride.

Against my better judgment the boys talked me into riding the entire 12-mile course. I was worried it would zap me too much. But that course is so fun it only made me more excited to start the race.

They were predicting rain Friday night and Saturday and it looked eminent that it was coming. Amazingly, we got some rain Sat AM a couple hours before the start, but the weather was absolutely awesome for the next 2 days of racing!

The race started at noon on Saturday. All racers had to run about 100 yards to their bikes with a wheel or seatpost from their bike. They did this to spread out the racers and try to keep the bottleneck down heading into the trail. The race offered a 6, 12, and 24 hour solo category as well as team categories. As usual, most of us 24-solo racers walked that 100 yards since there’s no need to jack the heart rate up and waste the energy with so many hours ahead.

Unfortunately, I probably walked a little too slow at the start as there were many novice riders in front of me for the first – and only – significant climb at about ½ mile into the course. This created a huge traffic jam at the base of the climb. It was a rocky section and I chose to take the opportunity to get around 6/7 riders by passing on the right in loose rock. Sure enough, I got a flat. Yep, not even 1 mile in and I had a flat already. Very quickly every single racer was past me and I was in dead-last changing my flat! But knowing I still had 23 hours and 55 minutes to race I wasn't too concerned except I was wondering how many flats I was going to get in this race.

With the exception of the time lost on the first lap due to the flat, I was turning 1 hour 10 min laps on laps 1 - 5. I'd then take a 15 minute break inbetween each lap to refill my bottle and grab some food. I rode lap 6 with Mitch. That was a blast but I think we both pushed ourselves a bit like guys do. So when he wanted to go out on 6 together again, I told him to go on and I had to do my own race.

That 1:10 pace w/15-20 min breaks continued through the day and into the night. I was remaining consistent. About midnight Mitch stopped to eat some pasta being served by the race director. Greg and Todd were done with their 12 hour races and they both did awesome! Greg got 3rd and Todd got 10th. Karen was still turning her steady laps and I'd only seen her once since the race started. With Mitch stopping to eat I put quite a bit of time into him. But I knew he'd be charging back on me very soon.

I was really testing my lights and pushing them to their limits as far as burn time. It bit me at about 6:30am EST when both my lights were about to die and it was still pretty dark out. I had to run the lights on low just to have light. Towards the end of this lap (#14) I saw a set of lights behind me. I knew it had to be Mitch closing in. That dude is way too strong to let me hang in front of him. So I busted my butt to finish the lap and get back out on lap #15. By this time it was light enough that I didn't need lights.

Lap 15 felt great. I really couldn't believe how good I was still feeling. I'd taken a short 30 minute nap at about 3:00am but that was it. Lap 15 was another 1:10 minute lap. When I came into the finish from lap 15 it was about 8:00am. I saw Mitch standing there at the finish on his bike looking fresh. I wondered if he somehow passed me? Did he get a long nap in and was now going to turn the screws to catch me? Was he going to make us race all the way to noon? Fortunately, he told me he was done. All the guys behind him weren't going to catch him and he thought I was riding too well for him to catch me. As I looked at the times/laps of the guy ahead of me he was too far ahead. He had 2 laps on me, so there was no way I was going to catch him with only 4 hours left. So, I called it quits too and was absolutely blown away by what I'd just done. Not only did I just finish 2nd place in this 24-hour race but I'd done it by beating Mitch - Consider this my retirement from racing because I'll never do that again!!! ;-) Mitch has taught me a lot about racing endurance moutnain bike events and without his advice I could not finished a lot of the long races I've done in the last year.

This 24-hour race I really owe to Coach Mileski. He helped me prepare for this race all season and spent a lot of time with me making sure I was ready!

Karen also did great. She won 1st place in the womens solo category.

There were also a bunch of other St. Lous folks there loving this trail. Here's a cool pic of us all after the race. Missing from the photo is Zach Brace (1st) and Brian Roggeven (6th) who both did the 12-hour.

We all survived the race. We made it through the night without rain and everyone had a blast.
The course in Versailles is absolutely fantastic!! It's one of the most fun trails I've ever been on! All racers must put this race on their race calendar for 2011!

Tall Oak Challenge 6-hour

2010-09-05T09:25:00.000-05:00

I look forward to this race every year. It's a really fun course, great environment, and very nice park. Team Red Wheel knows how to put on a great race!

For those of you that were there, you know how great the weather was. It was fantastic! There were even times where it was a little 'chilly'. Yeah, I said 'chilly'!

My goal for this race was to just get a good 6-hours of riding in. With the DINO 24-hour just 7 days away, coach said to keep it under 90% effort. Last year I got in 9 laps and finished 11th so I was pretty happy with that and would have loved to improve on that, but not this year.

The race started with a neutral roll-out, gun-shot, and sprint into the singletrack - for most folks. I chose to sit back in the back and not push myself too much right out of the gate. I spent the first lap riding and chatting it up with Rob Ballou and Stephanie McCreary. But I think I was annoying them by talking so much so I went and did my own thing.

Like most races, with each lap I got to know the course better and better knowing where to push and where to let it coast to be as efficient as possible. I averaged about 41 minute laps with a 10-15 minute rest between laps. Jason Pryor and I kept leap-frogging each other. At one point, we both commented that we're often in this no-mans land during a race. Not fast enough to run with the leaders but not back-of-the-pack either. Just sitting in the middle of the race by ourselves.

As Jason and I started lap 8, we made a pack to ride a 2-lap pace to get us to 8 laps for the day and not stop before we had 8 laps. We hung together for those last two laps, had a good time, and ended the day with a good effort. I'm not going to lie, the race hurt and I'm still a little sore today. So, even at 90% there's quite a bit of pain involved!

(sorry, no cool pics for this post either!)

Cape Crankfest

2010-08-22T09:11:00.000-05:00

I hadn't done the Cape race on the new course yet, so I was determined to make it down there for this years event. Karen chose to go to the Single Speed Championships in Jeff City, so Casey and I headed down to Cape to get our race on.

It was hot, hot, hot out there!

After a short pre-ride I now understood why people called this course "tight" and "twisty" - wow! I've never been on such a course, much less raced on it. To me, it's one of those that when you're just riding at a casual pace it doesn't seem too hard. But when riding at a race pace, it's a killer! You're always either turning or climbing - very demanding.

I made sure I got Casey ready to go before my race started. Her race started 90 minutes after mine so I was nervous she'd miss the announcement and her start. But, the girl pulled it off and raced very well bringing home 1st place and some hardware. I can't wait for her to race JR next year.

My race went pretty well. I was sitting in 4th/5th place for the majority of the race. On lap 7 I was in 4th and couldn't resist the beach party w/pool in the middle of the course so I pulled over to take the plunge. This was a little refreshing, but the brown warm water wasn't as nice as I'd hoped. It also caused me to start cramping up. The guy behind me passed me and apparently dropped the hammer. Good for him, he saw the opportunity and took it. I saw glimpses of him the next few laps. I even passed him while he was in transition on the 2nd last lap, but then my chain dropped between my cassette and wheel and it took me a few minutes to get it back out. So he went back by me. But once I got back on the bike I finished strong and was glad to be done after 10 laps.

I finished 5th overall on the day. That guy that passed me while fixing my chain got 3rd. So, makes you wonder? But he was looking strong, maybe too strong for me to hold off?!

Rapture In Misery 2010

2010-08-17T21:44:00.003-05:00

The 2010 Rapture In Misery came and went very differently than it did in 2009 for Karen and I both. In 2009 we were training hard for the event, didn’t know what to expect not having done it before but wanted to do well. So when Mother Nature brought the downpour, both Karen and I stayed consistent and fought through it when others bailed. Thanks to that persistence we both wound up on the podium. For the 2010 event we both had it as an “A” race for ourselves but for many reasons our training wasn’t where we wanted it to be and we’d had our family vacation the week before race week.

But we both had so much fun in 2009 that there was no way we were going to miss it this year. We drove out late Fri night and stayed in Chillicothe about 25 minutes from race HQ. There were bad storms Fri night all around the area, but word from HQ was that they were spared. We got up Sat AM and got to HQ with plenty of time to setup our pit area. Thanks to Mitch and Greg for bringing our canopy down early on Friday and getting it setup for us. That really helped!

The race started at noon with a short run of about 100 yards to our bikes. As with most starts for long races like this I chose to sit back and let the team guys and rookies sprint it out. As usual, this strategy puts me entering the singletrack with a large pack of people and thus pretty slow. But it’s a long race and there’s no need to unnecessarily jack up the heart rate so early.

I knew I was probably going to hard in the first two laps especially in the 100 degree heat and I paid for it big time on lap 3. I started to feeling sick to my stomach and chills. Even though I’d drank my entire camelback and 2+ water bottles. Towards the end of lap 3 I knew my race was over already. I chose to sit out for 90 minutes, get some food and try to cool down. I put ice on the back of my neck and sat in the shade while I tried to eat. This really seemed to help.

I chose to suit up again and go back out. I did lap 4 and felt good. Then half-way through lap 5 it all came crashing down again with the same sick feelings. So I sat back down and called it a day. But it was all good as I was still having a good time. Jim Davis was done with his race. The Segal boys (Grothoff and Hoffmeier) were coming and going doing their tag-team. Plus, I was helping Karen, Mitch, and Greg whenever necessary.

To my surprise Karen wound up pulling out of her race a little later. That girl never quits! But the heat and our overall lack of preparation played a role for her demise too.

The cool thing was that STL folks were again dominating the 12-hour podium: Zadenek, Busken, Mitch, Greg, Adam, and Wendy all stood on the podium either in their age group or overall. In the 12-hour team category the Segal boys brought home 3rd place. Plus Christine Ford won the womens 6-hour. Great job to all of these folks!!

If you’ve never done RIM, make sure you put it on your calendar for 2011. Doug Long and the Heartland crew put on a great race and it’s an awesome venue with great amenities for a race like this.

Dirt Crits / Short Track

2010-07-21T12:27:00.002-05:00

The Thursday night dirt crits have been a blast this year! The turnout has been outstanding and the racing supreme! For me personally, it's been an pain-fest racing in the 'A' race. Last week I blew myself up pretty badly on the first few laps and paid the penalty late in the race where I lost at least 7/8 positions.

To get pumped up for this weeks racing below is video of the Pro short track race from the USA Cycling National Championships last week in CO.

Visit beta.cyclingdirt.org for more Videos

See everyone out there on Thu. Let's hope these storms give us some good racing!

Dirt Crits kick-off!

2010-07-02T09:15:00.009-05:00

It's July and most of you know what that means - Dirt Crit Thursdays!!

Dirt Crit #1 was last night and what an event it was! The turnout was spectacular and the weather was better than anything we usually see here in STL in July.

Lone Wolf Coffee, Alpine Shop, Polk Audio, and O'Fallon Brewery were sponsors of the event and they did not disappoint.

I chose to hop on the 'Pain Train' for the event and race in the 'A' class with the Experts. This meant 40+ minutes at maximum heart rate. I knew it'd be humbling and my only goals were to not get lapped and not get last. However, if either of those happened I was not going to be surprised!

The race started with a crash 40 yards from the start. After getting through the pile-up relatively safe, I found myself in the second pack for the first lap and a half. Then on the second lap there was another pile-up after the creek crossing. I manged to get around that but the group in front had put a gap on me. There was noone in front of me and noone right behind me to work with. I rode the next 4-5 laps doing a solo time-trial. Not fun!! I kept praying for someone to catch me so I could grab a wheel and draft for awhile. It's amazing how much easier drafting came make the dirt crits! I finally caught Matt Grothoff, but he was admittedly spent and fading. That dude is awesome... giving up his single-speed to ride a 30lb hardtail w/gears and was still up towards the front of half the race!

A couple laps later, a guy from the Bike Surgeon team came by me. He was flying and I was unable to hold his wheel. Then Paul Krewet came by and he was obviously not giving it 100% because I was able to grab his wheel. That dude is strong so I was just honored to be sitting on his wheel!

I sat on Paul's wheel for a couple laps including the last lap. As we neared the finish on the last lap I mustered up some energy that I recovered from drafting off Paul to pass him. It was everything I had to do it. I actually had to cut him off a little bit and did apologize after the race, but he was cool with it.

So I wound up 18th out of 33 in my first Expert race and was very pleased with that. I need to avoid the crashes and solo efforts next time and maybe I can improve.

Karen raced the 'B' race and did awesome considering she'd been up since 4am. Worked a 12-hour day and rushed to make the starting line! I love that woman!

Casey raced the 'C' race and gave it 100%. She even did an extra lap for training - although she didn't know it at the time! :)

Season in full-swing

2010-07-02T07:54:00.004-05:00

I've been pretty lazy with the blog the last month or so, but that's only because we've been busy racing, training, and enjoying the Summer with Casey.

But here's a recap for you readers out there (mom!):

Lumberjack 100 -

Karen, Mitch, Dwayne, and myself signed up months ago for the Lumberjack 100. So we all piled in the monster SUV and made the trip together. This race is part of a national 100-mile race series (NUE). We were hoping to do more of the races within the series, but schedule and travel time doesn't allow it.

This race was 'awesome'. It was a pro event all the way and the trail was fantastic! The trail was supposed to be 'flat', and to some that may be the case - if you're from Colorado! But Mitch's garmin had 6000+ feet of climbing. There were no long steep climbs at all but there were many short 40-50 yard grunt climbs and long false flats that really wore on you.

There were about 8 folks from Missouri that made the 9-hour drive up to MI for this race. The great news is that all of us finished.

There are several things I'd do differently next year for this race.

1. We left Thu night so we could chill on Fri, pre-ride a little and relax. I liked this, but next time we won't drive until 2am Fri. This just caused us to sleep in on Fri and still put us there at 4:30pm. If we'd have left Fri @ 7am we'd have arrived at the same time!

2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! I got so caught up in the race I didn't drink much the first few hours. This caused me to get dehydrated and really slowed me down for a few hours. Once I realized my issue and began slamming fluids I rallied to finish strong.

3. Don't try to drive straight home after the race. We finally got home about 5:30am Sunday, so Karen and I slept most of the day.

Dwayne and Mitch posted killer times - 8:15 and 8:20 respectively. I finished in 9:40 and Karen finished in 11:40. Awesome for our first 100-miler. Full results

This race was a real mental challenge as well as physical. The format was 3 31-mile loops. So after the first lap I told myself I was a one-third of the way done! Then after the second lap I told myself "1 more lap"! Sure, it was another 31 miles, but the fact that it was my "last" lap helped mentally.

Here's Mitch's race report

Brommelsiek Challenge -

The Ghisallo team did their part in giving back to the racing community by putting on this race. Mitch and Greg of course get all the credit, they were the organizers and put on an awesome event. Brommelsiek park is a truly amazing park. St. Charles Count Parks have done a great job on this park: pavillions with electric, many restrooms w/running water, nice parking, playgrounds, etc.

I helped by doing the marathon scoring and Karen helped with the Cat 2 scoring.

The weather was HOT and the racers were suffering so it felt good to rest the legs after the Lumberjack the previous weekend and sit under the pavillion while the rest of the racing community battled the elements!

Casey raced the kids 10-13 category and took home 2nd place. JD Peiffer took home 3rd nipping at Casey's heels

Thanks again to Mitch, Greg, St. Louis County Parks, and all the other sponsors for putting on a great race!

Middlefork non-race and formal

2010-05-27T07:40:00.006-05:00

Team Seagal lived up to their reputation again this past weekend and put on a stellar event. Their first-annual Middlefork non-race would be the first such voyage on the famous trail for Karen and I.

Knowing the superior attitutude of the Team Seagal crew Karen and I had to arrive and non-race in style. Especially since were to have our middlefork cherry popped. The below picture doesn't incriminate Karen very much but it does give my enemies something to chew on... good thing I never plan on running for office !

The event and the trail were a blast! What a fun trail it is, but it's definitely demanding. A lot of climbing, but nothing too steep. Just long and steady.

Mitch came down with us and as a tribute of his own chose to pay homage to all the rain we've had of late:

But of course given the audience it wasn't empty for long!!!

Needless to say the heat was rediculous! I wound up stripping down the top part of my skinsuit within 3 miles of starting - yes this did make me a little nervous given the backwoods nature of the race! Mitch definitely felt the effects of the heat afterwards - I've never seen him so quiet. But as usual he raced strong and rallied soon after.

Karen was her usual strong self and pushed hard the whole way through taking home some prized hardware from the trip:

Go here for a much more enjoyable recapping of the event

Another Spring missing races

2010-05-02T07:59:00.003-05:00

Last year it was my brutal crash 5 miles into the Ouachita challenge that left me with a separated shoulder and the need to miss a few races.

This year it's a little more my fault - not enough saddle time prior to taking on the Syllamo 24. I was very happy with the race and how I did. I manged to push myself and cross the finish line healthy - or so I thought. Turns out I caused some nerve damage in my left foot that left me with numbness and tingling in my left two toes. I couldn't really feel them for a few days. I stayed off the bike and tried to run one day but only ran in circles! :) Ok, little bit of a lie there!

Long story short, Dr said to stay off it. So, I sat out at Bone Bender - although I really didn't plan on this anyway due to the 24 being just 1 week prior. I sat out Tour de Tick 2 weeks after the 24, but helped Karen and Casey get their race on. Then most depressing of them all I sat out Syllamo's Revenge. I chose to stay home for the weekend while Karen travelled with Lo. I did manage to get in 64 easy road miles at the Tour de Stooges on Sat out on the IL farm roads. I love this ride! It's my hometown. It's a very well run event and a great lunch afterwards!

The good news is the foot felt pretty good during the 64. I pushed it on and off throughout the ride and only experience limited tingling - yes in my toes.

So, hoping that Greensfelder next week will be 'game on'!

24 Hours of Syllamo

2010-05-02T07:55:00.002-05:00

(took me a few weeks to get this one posted - was waiting for pics but realized we didn't take any!!)

We knew it was pretty early in the season for such an event, but Karen and I headed down to Syllamo for the 24-hours of Syllamo race a couple of weeks ago.
My goal given this early season race was to simply stay healthy and ride it out as long as I felt comfortable doing so. Comfortable being a relative term of course because how could 24-hours on a bike seat be anything remotely close to ‘comfortable’!!!

Karen and I took off work on Friday to drive down to Arkansas and get our camp setup for the race. The weather was awesome on Friday and remained so all weekend long. We stopped in Rolla for what seemed like 2 hours to hit Wal-mart, Walgreens, and eventually Arbys for some grub. I think the Rolla visit alone cost $100!! Did we really need all that food?!?! – no, as usual we came home with most of it. But anyway, we eventually made it into AR and to the park where race HQ was. It was beautiful down there. Definitely rugged with plenty of opportunities to get some climbing in!

Race HQ was empty. We weren’t exactly sure where the race activities and our gear were supposed to go. But we did see the camp of Team Trailmonster/Segal so we threw our tent up next to theirs to claim a good spot. After scoping out the rest of the park we headed to the nearest watering-hole and had dinner to take in a good pre-race fatten-ing!

Even though we setup the tent, it was just a precaution. Our plan was to sleep in the back of the Yukon on a queen-size inflatable mattress. I had already tested this out at home prior to our trip and it worked perfectly!! And it worked as planned. We both got a great nights sleep!

The race started at high-noon on Saturday with a pretty small field: 5 solo men, 2 solo women (Karen and Wendy Davis), and about 3-4 teams. We were kind of hoping the race would get canceled but we’re glad it didn’t. As all races at Syllamo go, the gun went off and we headed for the infamous 1.1 mile climb up the gravel road. Yes, we’d have to do this on each lap! Half way up the hill on the first lap I went by Bob Jenkins as he was pulling over to fix his flat. Then almost to the top of the hill, I heard that dreaded sound myself – yep, I had a puncture in my rear tire. I got the stans sealant to seal up the puncture for about a mile then it blew open again. I decided to just throw a tube in it and got back on my way.

Each lap turned out to be 11 miles long. There was a 4-mile section where you literally ride the whole section without hitting your brakes more than a couple of times. Awesome!!!! Then the last 2 miles were a downhill delight!

Karen had an immediate battle going with Wendy Davis. The two single-speeding Chiquita’s were passing each other from lap-to-lap settling into their 24-hour paces. I too quickly settled into my 24-hour pace not caring about the random team racers blowing by me for their 60 minutes of racing in-between hours of resting.

With the exception of the flat on lap one, laps one and two went by pretty quickly. Lap 3 was going smoothly as well until.. yep, another flat! This time it was a torn sidewall that also tore the new tube I just threw in. With no boot on me, I used a zip lock baggy and hoped it would get me through the remaining downill section of the loop. Fortunately, I made it back to race hq and had a spare tire to put on and started more loops.

Just before 9pm after it had just gotten totally dark, I hit my head on a tree hanging over the trail that I missed on all previous laps. It hurt like hell, but I kept going. At the end of that lap I had a headache the size of Texas ! About 10pm Karen happened to be in the TA at the same time as me and she gave me a Tylenol – w/caffeine. W/o really thinking about it I also did a 5-hour energy. Note: how many times have you heard don’t try new things during a race?!?! From 11pm to 1am I was lit up like a Christmas tree! My legs were steam engines that no hill would deny! I was on fire from all that caffeine! Then 2am hit and I fell from that high real quickly! I was sick to my stomach and shaking. I tried to eat but that wasn’t working either. I knew I had to lie down a bit so I crawled into the tent – mistake! 5+ hours later I woke up!! It was daylight. Crap!! I felt better, but I slept through half the race. Not sure what I was expecting?!

So, I jumped back on the bike and knocked out two more laps before stopping about 11am. That gave me 16 hours of racing. Not too bad for April! I wound up 2nd place in the solo mens category.

Karen and Wendy were the race within the race – aside from the teams battling it out too. Those two were trading laps back and forth while each of them took their breaks. Karen battled some stomach issues too at one point but got back on the bike to keep going. Karen wound up winning 1st with 11 laps and Wendy did 10 laps.

What a great way to spend a weekend in April!

Results are now posted: http://www.syllamo.org/24hours/2010Results.pdf

Pure Excitement!

2010-03-22T12:31:00.004-05:00

Well friends, I'm excited that my postcard was received by Team Segal HQ and my entry is in for the next Non-race!

Having never ridden the Middlefork trail before, I can't wait for this glorious event. Looks like the spots are filling up fast, so if you're postcard isn't in the mail yet I'll only ask what the heck you're waiting for?!

The wife and I are in hoping to see many of you as well!

MTB Season has begun

2010-03-15T06:46:00.003-05:00

Yep, the mtb racing season has begun. Unfortunately, the family and I weren't there. With the bikes in the garage all cleaned, lubed, and ready to race, this race wasn't for them. It was going to be muddy. If/when it rains has much as it has, there's going to be mud! If by chance it's not muddy on the first lap, just wait until all the racers do a lap or two and then it for sure will be.

Sorry we couldn't make it out Mark Grumke! I totally respect the amount of work that goes into putting on a race and hate to not support them. But we made the decision to save the bikes on the first race of the year and spent some good family time around the house on a nasty rainy Sunday.

On Saturday Karen and I did go out to the GORC workday at Castlewood. They're putting in an awesome re-route on the Cedar Bluff (Blue ribbon) trail. The GORC guys really know what they're doing and we should all be thankful for the hard work that they do! It's only my second time attending a workday, but if you've never helped out on a workday please do so. They can use the help and you'll be happy that you did.

The new section actually reminds me a little of Greensfelder and Chubb. There's plenty of rocks and rock faces to keep your attention.

They say they'll finish the section on their next Castlewood workday in April.

2010 Racing Tunes

2010-01-24T20:23:00.003-06:00

So, I've been loading up the iPod lately with what will most likely be my favorite racing tunes through 2010. I used to not like racing with an iPod at all, but after trying it I'm hooked.
I keep the volume low enough to still be able to hear my tires on the trail as well as carry on a conversation with a nearby rider.

But anyway, here's some of the bands that will be getting me through the upcoming long races in 2010:

For your listening pleasure:

So, now you'll know if I see you out there I'm not ignoring you I'm just rockin!

Had to get out!

2010-01-18T10:27:00.003-06:00

Though the skies looked gloomy and 32 degrees felt more like 20 with the wind chill I had to get off the training and get some miles on the bike outside.

Karen, Keeven, Stitz, and myself went out to Lost Valley to get some miles in on the gravel and katy. We didn't even think about trying the trails, they've got to be a mess! Hopefully, noone is even trying the trails with these thawing temps beign thrown down.

We got in a good ride. Did the Hamburg, some of the gravel double-track through LV, and some Katy before hitting Busch Wildlife. The sun actually broke through around 10:30 and things started to really get soft so we called it and headed back to the cars before 11. It was a great way to get in 3 hours of riding on an ugly Sunday morning!

CXMas then On to 2010

2009-12-21T12:06:00.004-06:00

Well, with 2009 coming to a rapid close it's now time to really finalize what 2010 might look like for me.

Wrapping up 2009..
But first, there's no better way to end the year than with Team Seagals CXmas non-race! This was an absolute blast! Over 120 riders turned out. Some wanted to "race". Others, like myself, just wanted to get a good ride in an enjoy the festivities. There's nowhere else in the world where you can ride 20+ miles on a kick-ass course, drink PBR, chug egg nog, eat bacon, and do shots of Jamison all in a 2-hour period while riding alongside Santa and a dude in a bunny suit!!

The highlight of my race was definitely the thought of winning the unofficial egg-nog chugging contest! Actually, it was so unofficial I don' t think the guys planning on having a contest until some of decided to make it one in the middle of the race!

After a big group of us got lost out on the course - and of course laughed it off - we rolled into the egg-nog checkpoint. The first nog was so good I had to have another! The second was twice as good, so I asked what the most nogs consumed so far. When I heard Drew Black had done 3, I of course had to man-up for 4! I was a little worried these 4 drinks of pure holiday cheer would be making a quick exit from my body on the next hill - especially with the shot of Jamison whiskey we all had to consume about 5 miles before!

However, my hopes and dreams of being the egg-nog champion were dashed by one guy that did 5, then by a highly competitive egg-nog'er named Bob who chose to not only beat 5 but smash it with such force that noone would even think about matching him. He did 15 egg-nogs! My hat, and gut, are off to him!

But what an amazing event it was and I'm now even more looking forward to more non-races next year!

On to 2010....
2010 looks to be an awesome year of racing. The newly formed United Federation of Dirt recently announced the following fantastic news:
"For 2010, we are promoting 17 traditional cross country mountain bike races divided into two leagues. The Eastern League is comprised of 8 races and the Western League will be hosting 9 races. The Endurance League brings together 4 races focused on long distance and the ability for the human spirit to suffer. The events will take place on some the best singletrack that the region has to offer, including the ever popular Castlewood State Park, Spanish Lake, Wilson Lake, KS and newly minted Swope Park. "

Plus, Karen and I are planning on doing more 12/24 hour endurance races. Karen is going to be racing for the Gary Fisher 29'er crew in 2010 so we're very jaz'ed about that!

I've also started running again. So thinking about doing some long trail races (Berryman Marathon), the Berryman Duathlon, as well as maybe even puttign another Adventure Race on my calendar. Unfortunately, the calf issues that stopped me from running and Adv. Racing are flaring up again. Going to the Dr. on 1/7 to hopefully get some answers.

Happy Holidays everyone!

24-hours of Pride and Disappointment

2009-09-21T18:38:00.007-05:00

The Dino 24-hour race started at noon on Saturday. The venue was fantastic in Versailles State Park . It was a big park with a lake, campgrounds, pool, and showers. Perfect for this event.

Our TA was definitely the best one there. We were pimpin' thanks to the Ghisallo tents, Christmas lights, boat batteries, inverters, tools, bike stands, stoves, and healthy supply of chef-boy-ardee, soup, and cheetos!

Racers had to stage their bikes in front of the pool. To separate the field, racers had to do a Lemans start with either their front wheel or seatpost in their hands. Then re-assembly was required before the riding could begin.

The 13-mile course started with a 7-8 minute steady climb. Not too steep at all, but consistent with short plateaus tricking you to think you were at the top. Once you got to the top, you were treated to some awesome sweetness of single-track that knocks the socks off anything we have around St. Louis ! In fact, the rest of the course was absolutely amazing!

Now for the results…

I can not tell you how proud I am of my woman! Going into the Dino 24-hour race she was hoping for some women to race against as motivation to keep going for 24 hours. Well, she got her wish as there was one other female in the 24-hour solo division. BUT, she was a pro racer and had a 4-person support team, RV, and trailer to help her. With the pro woman putting time into the entire field of racers (men too!) Karen’s race became one of pure persistence and stamina. And if you know Karen, this is her strength! She went on to complete 10 laps over the 24-hour period taking short breaks between most laps to fuel and rest.

She did all 10 laps on her singlespeed and looked strong the whole damn time!
What a great season she’s been having. She’s got the Endurance Womens class in the Midwest Fat Tire Series locked up. She also won the womens class at Rapture and the Berryman Duathlon.

I on the other hand, I had a very disappointing experience. I performed a triple-lundy over the handlebars on a couple strategically placed logs next to the trail on lap 3. I really didn’t feel hurt at all and jumped right back on the bike to keep going. I was averaging about 1:10 on my first 4 laps and doing well to keep my avg heartrate about 142 to make sure I was in it for the long-haul. I kept taking short breaks between laps to change bottles and refill the gel flask. It wasn’t until I hit lap 7 that the pain really set in and I slowed way down. It was pure darkness by now and my neck was really bothering me with the added weight of my light on my helmet. My knees were screaming from hitting them on my bars when I went over and a good headache had set in. Mitch blew by me like I was standing still and so did many other racers. I just wasn’t having fun anymore! I finished lap #7 and sat for awhile talking with Kerry Rascher (he was there kickin’ it on the 12-hour) trying to figure out whether I should try another lap or quit. It was about 9:30pm and I made the decision to quit.

I showered then did my best to support Karen, Mitch, and Greg. But had to duck into the tent to get some sleep about 1am.

The predicted rain finally came about 8am on Sunday. It started very light for the first hour then got a little heavier between 9 – 10 when most racers were finishing their last laps. The crew fought the mud to get their last laps in before time limits made it unnecessary to start another lap.

There were 12 men in the 24-solo category:
Mitch got 2nd
Greg got 4th
I wound up 8th – not sure how that happens?!

Mitch enjoying his post-race OJ. I think he ate the McD's biscuit in one bite!

Kerry took home 4th out of 6 in the 12-hour and was very pleased with his first 12-hour race. Especially, given his 2009 injuries. Well done!

All-in-all, It was a fun weekend with everyone in an awesome atmosphere of mountain bike racing!

Here it comes..

2009-09-16T07:17:00.003-05:00

Well, a couple races have gone by: Tall Oak 6-hour and the ICCC Castlewood race.

Tall Oak
Karen - 1st place in the solo women w/7 laps. She looked strong the whole race!
Todd - 11th place in the solo men w/9 laps. I lost a lot of time (20 mins) messing with my tube and took kit during two different stops at the tent. I had it in my back pocket but it was causing a rash on my back - just like at rapture. So I was trying to zip tie it to the bike in different places. I really need a saddle bag!!

ICCC Castlewood
Karen raced with Loreen in Expert to try something different on her singlespeed and got 2nd
Todd raced marathon as usual and got 4th behind Dwayne, Jeremy Bock, and Mitch. Eric Schunk was on my tail the whole damn time!!

But the real test is now upon us this weekend - 24 Hours of Dino!!!
Karen and I are doing it solo. We're making the trip with Dwayne, Mitch, and Greg. Dwayne and Mitch are experts at these events. Greg is about to have his cherry popped like us. It'll be first 24-hour race exclusively on the mountain bike race. We have done many 24 and 36 hour adventure races, but that's a whole different ballgame than sitting on a bike for that long!

My rear-end is already dreading the pain train that is about to travel across it!
My stomach is dreading all of the sport drinks I'm about to throw down.
My legs are shaking at the 24-hours of pedaling they're about to do.
My brain is wondering what sick twist of events caused it to think this is a good idea.

But it's going to be awesome!!

Berryman Duathlon

2009-09-08T21:23:00.006-05:00

If any of you haven't done the Berryman Duathlon yet, put it on your calendar for 2010. Bonk Hard Racing puts it on and it's a fun race. You won't think it's fun at all while you're doing it, but afterward you'll look back and enjoy it.

I did enjoy it last year, but since I haven't been doing any running in 2009 I chose to sit out and watch Karen go round and round.

The race starts/ends at the Berryman Campground shelter. The typical format is to run the Berryman Trail in one direction from the shelter then come back in on the road, then bike the trail in the other direction and come back on the road. This year they mixed it up and really minimized the amount of time racers spent on the roads giving them more trail time.

The race also allows racers to choose whether they want to run or ride first. Teams are also allowed for those that don't want to do it solo. Karen chose to ride first along with one other guy. Everyone else ran first. She became a human spider web cleaner until the guy decided to take his turn at the front.

Karen was a little worried about her running going into the race since she's been doing so much biking but it didn't show!

Coming off her 1st place finish at Rapture the girl kicked it again and won 1st place in the womens again and also took 4th place overall. Awesome! ...and yes she did it on her single-speed again!

Along with winning some nice swag, she won a very special can of Spam. But I have my eyes (stomach) on that trophy!!

The race was a blast to be at. Team Trail Monster was out in full force in their new Segal kits passing out the PBRs. The race directors, Jason and Laura Elsenraat are always an absolute pleasure to be around. Plus, got to catch up with some old AR friends: The Sonas, Brian Greaser, Buckley, as well as make some new friends.

Don't miss it in 2010!

Well smack my a$$ and call me Sally!

2009-08-20T21:25:00.005-05:00

.... yeah that's all I can say after seeing the below beauty!

I have found my next bike and it is still a Niner. Apparently being shipped to dealers by the end of the year. I'll be getting my order in ASAP! Hopefully, the strong relationship we've built with our Niner friends this year will help in these efforts.

Many guys on mtbr.com are complaining about the paint job, but I freaking love it!

Not sure about the brake mounts here and how reliable they will be. But I'm definitely not an engineer or someone that understands how strong carbon is!

The Pain Train

2009-08-16T17:47:00.006-05:00

We had our own version of the pain train this weekend at the Rapture In Misery 6/12 Hour race on Saturday in Trenton, MO. I had planned to do the 6-hour but Karen was committed to the 12. So, how could I only do the 6?!?!?

We decided to do the festive thing and camp out with other racers at race HQ Friday night. Needless to say, there's a reason I don't like to camp - I like real beds!

We got into HQ about 9:30pm and setup our tent and canopy next to Mitch, Greg, and the Momentum boys. Good times were ready to be had. We got up the next morning and got the site race-ready.

Karen of course chose to ride her single-speed for the event - toughness!

The race started at noon on Sat in a Lemans start. We had to run about 100 yards up a double-track road which was very rough/rocky. I started way in the back and walked most of it. Given this was my first 12-hour mtb race, my plan was to start very slow and take it easy. The goal: Finish. I wound up walking up most of the hill with Mitch. Karen wasn't too far behind us.

After getting on the bikes and riding about 1 mile through some open grass fields we entered the singletrack. As promised by the race promoter, the next section called the "Boneyard" was heinous! It was very rocky. The kind of big rocks that stick up out of the trail causing end-o's, flats, and knock wheels out of true! I wound up riding behind Greg through the boneyard but we weren't riding much. With all the riders still so close together as one guy put his foot down it caused a ripple effect to everyone behind him.

The rest of the 9 mile loop was awesome! Plenty of flowing singletrack, nice climbs, fun downhills, and a little open field for hammering. The first lap took less than 55 mins. It was going to be a fun day!

The second lap went by quickly as I spent most of the time chatting it up with Zach Brace. He's a smooth roller through about everything! I stopped to change bottles and that was it through lap 3. I didn't know where karen was but I heard she was looking strong. I rolled through laps 4 and 5 feeling very strong! I started taking in some solid food, that helps keep me going.

Also at RIM representing the Lou were the Segal boys. I got to see Hoffmeyer and Grotthoff a few times and they were always in good spirits and looking strong.

Laps 6 & 7 were a little slower as I took an extra 5-10 mins to sit and take in more food. On lap 8 at about 7:30 it started to rain pretty good - worse than the sprinkles earlier. Half-way through the lap the trail was really starting to get wet and slick. It had gotten dark by this point and I hit a slick downhill which sent me to the mud! I quickly got back up but walked down the rest of the slick hill. I didn't realize at the time that I'd lost the battery to my main headlamp. By the time I realized it, I was at the bottom of the hill and didn't want to go back up. Figured I'd get it on the next lap.

As the rain picked up and the trail got muddier I regretted not going back to find my battery. Fortunately, one of the Momentum guys gave me his spare light before going out on lap 9. The rain really started coming down harder and most of the rocky sections were impossible to ride since the rocks were so slick. Then after 45 mins the borrowed headlamp went dead! the light on my helmet is good, but not nearly enough for those conditions. Zach Brace came by me on his 10th lap. At least he was the only one to lap me but I was keeping an eye out for Mitch to come by too.

On the final climb up to the finish I saw Karen ahead of me. It was hard to catch the girl! She was still powering up stuff with that one gear. The following section of trail was a new section so it wasn't packed down. You couldn't ride it and you couldn't even push your bike becausee the mud would get caked between your tires and frame/fork. So I practiced my cyclocross carry and kept moving.

Lap 9 took almost 2 hours! Given the trail conditions I had made the decision to call it a day. I saw no need to go back out for more of that hell. I rolled into the finish and to my delight they said the race had been called. I wasn't even tempted to change my mind. I waited there for Karen to come through a couple minutes later.

To both of our surprise, the race officials told karen and I that we'd both gotten 1st place!! She got 1st in the 12-hour solo Womens category and I got 1st in the Mens 40-49 12-hour solo.

At the awards ceremony we got some nice gifts for our efforts. Another surprise was that I placed 3rd overall in the mens 12-hour solo. Mitch took 2nd and Zach got 1st.

RIM is very well run event. They have fun with making sure you're enjoying yourself while you're out there riding the pain train!! Put it on your calendar for next year!

Womens 12-hour solo podium

Mens 40-49 12-hour solo podium

Overall mens 12-hour solo podium

Oops!

2009-08-11T21:24:00.006-05:00

Guess I've done a really bad job at keeping all of you that read our blog up-to-date. Sorry mom!

It's a very busy racing season right now. There's been a race almost every weekend and August is one of the busiest.

If I had to highlight anything over the last couple of months it would be how awesome Casey is doing! The three of us took our Summer vacation in Colorado this year. We chose the mountains instead of the usual beach scene since Casey had never been and it gave us the opportunity to compete at the USA Cycling National Championships. All 3 of us qualified at the MO State championships just two weeks prior. I'll post some pictures from the trip at a later time.

Now back to my original point...

Since Nationals Casey has been lovin' the bike. She's been racing strong, bringing home hardware, and loving it. We're very proud of her.

Karen has continued to be super strong and consistent on her single-speed. The only race she hasn't raced on it was at Nationals. Since the race start was to climb a ski-slope I think she made a wise decision!

I had some good results in a couple races (2 - 5th place finishes) but have struggled to find my groove lately. Thinking it's a pre-race nutrition issue. Beer and eggs are good pre-race meals right!!?!?

Anyway, there's the update mom!

Training Weekend

2009-05-18T09:47:00.001-05:00

It was a great weekend for training.
Friday:
I took half the day off and rode the St. Charles Trifecta (Lost Valley, Mattson, Klondike) with John Peiffer. It was actually the first time either of us had ridden all of Klondike (Donkey Kong) so that made it a blast! It was a tough day for me fitness-wise, but then again I was riding w/John!!

Saturday:
Even with al the rain on Fri night the upper trails in Castlewood weren’t too bad. The bottoms/flats were totally unrideable! Karen was in Castlewood helping with the Team Revolution Singletrack mtb clinic. They were having a blast doing drills, contests, and giveaways! I rode for about 60 mins: Love, Grotpeter, Rollercoaster.

Sunday:
Karen and I took advantage of a beautiful day and decided to go ride the Berryman Trail. We heard there were a lot of trees down, but that it was mostly more South of Berryman. We were also a little worried about mud but knowing how rocky that trail is didn’t think it’d be too much of an issue. We started at the Berryman Campground and rode clock-wise. I was personally surprised how muddy some parts were. We walked around some sections to avoid tearing up the trail. Even though the trail marathon the day before and recent horse traffic did that already. As far as the downed trees went, there were 5 downed trees in the first 2.5 miles that you had to climb over/under. Then there was only 5 more before we got to Brazil creek (Mile 14). Then the fun began. There were 31 trees down in the final 10 miles. The section from Brazil creek back to Berryman was hit hard. It’s going to need a lot of work!
But overall, it was a beautiful day and we spent it outside. It was also Karen’s first big ride on her new single-speed. She did an awesome job riding that trail with all of its washed-out sections and long climbs. She’s rockin’ that bike!!

After a stop at Taco Bell and Dairy Queen on the way home, we spent some time cleaning the bikes before resting the legs while watching a movie.

"Missouri mudfest"!

2009-04-19T21:41:00.006-05:00

It's 9:40pm Sunday night and Karen and I just unloaded the car and completed the initial unpacking after seeing the state of Missouri and enough mud to last the rest of the year!
There were two races this weekend and it was a road trip. I of course obeyed the doctors orders and did not race, but Karen was on a mission!

Karen was in Columbia, MO for a work conference Thu-Fri so I rode out to KC with Mitch Johnson, Greg Ott and Dwayne Goscinski and met up with Karen at race HQ.

The weather forecast was not promising for the weekend and it did not go back on it's word!

- Sat - Bone Bender 6 hour in KC - absolute mud! Karen chose to ride her geared bike and save her single-speed for Sunday. People were dropping out within the first 30 minutes because it was nearly impossible to ride more than a few minutes without having to scoop the mud out from between you wheels and frame. Karen flatted in the first 15 minutes, came back to the start and swapped out her whole wheel from her other bike. Then the girl suffered a broken derailleur and like a pro turned into into a single-speed. But after a couple more miles the chain broke. There was just too much mud, sticks, and debris to get everything working again so she had to bail. But the girl gave an A+ for effort!! Dwayne once again proved to be inhuman taking 2nd overall and 1st on gears. Mitch got 2nd on gears. Greg was smart and stopped after the fist lap to save himself and his bike for Sunday.
- Sun - Tour de Tick in Neosho - Very wet and muddy but the trail was accommodating. Karen proved to be a force to be reconed with on her new singlespeed. As usual she was steady and strong. Three girls got a lead on her in the first lap but by the end of the race Karen locked in a solid 2nd place finish. At-a-girl!!! Congrats babe!! By the end of the race all were covered head-to-toe in mud. Dwayne got 1st, Mitch got 3rd, and Greg got 4th. The STL crew may have been small at Neosho but they represented and brought home some hardware!!

Here's some pics..

And my personal favorite... Jim taking time out of his busy day to point out to Karen that in order to ride a bike like that it requires a chain and a derailleur!

Karen's new ride

2009-04-12T22:10:00.003-05:00

Well, this was the first weekend sitting on the bench and it sucks!!! But the shoulder is getting better each day.

Karen on the other hand was out riding her new single-speed on Sat and Sun. The girls got a new ride and she's liking it! Its the Specialized Stumpjumper Marathon. Very nice!

Ouachita 2010!

2009-04-09T07:54:00.003-05:00

Well, Ouachita 2009 was an absolute bust for us! We (Karen, Loreen Matson, Kerry Rascher, and myself) made the 8-hour drive down to Odin, AR to race in the Ouachita Challenge. It's absolutely beautiful country down there. Karen and Lo were entered in the 60-miler. Kerry and I were stupid enough to enter into the 80-miler. We pulled into our luxurious 1970s resort The Shangri La at about 5pm, met up with Keeven and Sonja, then headed over to eat the provided pasta dinner and get our race numbers.

blah, blah, blah, we ate, registered, got bikes gear ready, went to bed, got up, and lined up to start the race.

Let's just get to the race... The race started at the local high school. We road maybe 2 miles on pavement then another 3 on gravel. Most of this was uphill but not too bad at all. Then we entered onto some double-track that was more climbing. At this point, Karen, Lo, and Kerry were somewhere behind me. I was making good time climbing up the field - maybe going too hard from where I had started - I could see the lead pack in front of me.

After more climbing on the double-track we hit a long straight section of downhill. We were finally able to let it rip a little. However, about half way down and at about 20mph the guy to the right of me hit a stick about 2" in diameter. The stick broke in two and half of it shot right into my front wheel. Yep, I immediately turned into Superman and flew over the bars, landed on my shoulder before doing a couple flips on the ground. My bike actually flew over me and landed about 6 feet down the trail! I immediately felt the pain - it f'n hurt! Everyone around me was very cool and asked if I was allright. What was I going to say, "no, I'm a wuss and I'm going to cry"! Heck no, I caught my breath and jumped up like a gymnist.

I waited for Karen to come by (she is a Nurse Practitioner) to check me out. She stopped her race for a couple minutes to look me over and confirmed that nothing was broken. She even pulled the stick out from being wedged between my fork and wheel.

After sitting there for a bit and contemplating my situation in this 80-mile race, I gathered the following facts: shoulder hurt like a #$#$, I busted my camelback bladder when I fell so I had no water, I broke 1 spoke and bent another, and I had a throbbing headache! With all of those facts, I grabbed the bike and was calling it a day.

You'd think the story would end there but it doesn't. After getting back to the high school and having the EMTs clean up my cuts I drove out to the first aid station to see other racers come through. I was hoping to catch Karen and the crew to cheer them on.

I got to see quite a few people I knew. Sonja came through, Matt Hoffmeyer came through, but where was Karen, Kerry, and Lo. Finally they call came out of the trail together. Kerry had fallen and was bleeding very bad on his arm. Karen used her nursing skills and savviness to tape up Kerry's arm with duct tape. Kerry needed stitches pretty badly.

There were two hospitals close: Hot Springs (45 mins away) and Mena (30 mins away). Since Hot Springs was on our way back to STL we all hopped in the car and headed to Hot Springs. the race was now over for all of us. Lo had already had 2 flats and was out of tubes anyway. Plu Karen and Lo had spent so much time helping me and Kerry, their race was over anyway. Kerry wound up with 10 stitches.

I went to to see the great Dr. Matava yesterday and yes, I tore a ligament in my shoulder and have a separated shoulder. Now I'm off the bike for 3 weeks and prone to arthritis when I'm old!! Fortunately, it wasn't bad enough to require surgery. That would have really sucked donkey balls!

So, Ouachita Challenge 2010 here we come for some sweet revenge!

By the way, in case you hadn't heard yet, the amazing Keeven finished the race riding on his back rim with no tire or tube for at least 4 miles after getting 3 flats. I belive he still wound up 5th in the 80-mile single-speed class. Right on Matt!

Lost Valleu Luau

2009-03-23T12:25:00.004-05:00

So the first mtb race of the year is finally under the belt and the series is underway. The Lost Valley Luau had a huge turnout! Hopefully, this is a sign of the newly formed series and not just a fluke. Sure, it brings more competition out, but it’s good for the sport. The true indication that it was a great turnout was that Team Segal ran out of tall cold PBRs!!

The weather was great. In fact I should have dressed down one layer. The course was in good shape. They threw in a brand new 1+ mile section of single-track that was just built “yesterday” by Gorc. Many thanks to Gorc for building the trail. It looks like it’s going to be a great section – once it gets packed in. I would have preferred to not race on it yet – still way too rough and soft in some spots.

Karen and I both switched to racing in the Endurance/Marathon category this year, which is a big step for me from Beginner last year. But I hoped my endurance base from years of Adventure Racing and my recent training would pay off.

Plus Casey stepped up her game and took on a very competitive field.

So now to the results.. Overall, I was happy with my finishing place (13th out of 31). I finished right behind Eric Shuck who has historically done very well in the endurance class. He and I actually worked together for quite a bit of the race. That was fun, until I put some distance on in the rough new single-track section then decided to keep hammering. Of course he then later came past me working with one of his other teammates and I was too gased to hang-on. Lesson learned! I also got to work with Ghisallo teammate Greg Ott a little bit. Greg gave me some good advice on throttling back a little at one section in anticipation of an upcoming hill. I think I forgot his advice too quickly, because at the subsequent hill he blew by about 3 of us and I never saw him again. Great job Greg!!

The endurance format is to do as many laps as you can in 3 hours. I finished my 4th lap in 2:40 and was really starting to fatigue. The 5th lap was painful as I really started to cramp in my groin, quads, and hamstrings.

Casey was the star of the day and took home some hardware with 2nd place! I wound up 13th and Karen got 3rd. Karen was of course looking as strong as she normally does!

Here’s a link to the official results: http://mwftcs.com/images/stories/2009results/2009Race1LVLTotalResults.htm

So, next is Rim Wrecker down at council bluffs. It’s an entirely different course with 99% singletrack and more hills.

Another multi-hour effort in the saddle!

2009-03-14T21:54:00.002-05:00

Went out to Lost Valley with Karen this morning and we rode three laps in hopefully the same direction as the race next weekend. It's always fun to get out and ride with the Mrs! I'm pretty lucky like that - she actually likes to mtb as much as I do.

After three laps with her, Peiffer came out and rode 2 with him. I have to admit that the 5th lap was hurtin'! The legs and arse were screaming! John then peeled off to head home and I was able to get more riding in. My goal was to get in 5+ hours and I hit it.

There were a few muddy spots in the typical spots but the trail is in great shape.

Christmas in March!!!

2009-03-12T12:37:00.004-05:00

It's been like Christmas here in the Holtmann house the last few days. Karen is building up a new 29'er singlespeed (frame yet to be decided) so her "new" Reba Race came to the doorstep yesterday. Picked it up off eBay for $294. Apparently, Santa Cruz Bikes were cleaning out there garage. They sold a ton of stuff!

Also, 2 new frames showed up for me. Schweeeet!!
My new Cannondale (Ghisallo team) road frame and my new Ellsworth Cross bike. As much as I want to ride my mtb, I can't wait to ride these jellys!!

I'm guessing I have a new thing for the color "white"?!? Never really new this before. Maybe I just really like cleaning my bikes.

Finally!!

2009-03-07T19:00:00.002-06:00

Finally got in a long ride today. John Peiffer and I set a goal of getting 50 miles in. Which I desparately needed since my season so far has been limited to 20-30 mile rides. Not good considering I'm planning to race endurance this year as well as races like Bone Bender and Ouachita (80 miler)!! Am I nuts or just happy with pain?!

Peiffer and I rode from our houses into C-wood. We rode rollercoaster, down grotpeter, then out riverscene. Just past the wash-our area I broke a spoke. We were less than 10 miles in! So we road back to Johns house via the Love trail and I put on one of his spare wheels. Thanks again John!

So we took off one more time but went straight down Ries this time. Our goal was to get to Greensfelder and back before 1pm so we needed to get out there. We headed out on Al Foster then took 109 to Melrose. After some good climbs and road work we were at the Greensfelder trailhead.

After one loop on Greensfelder we decided not to do another. The horses and weather have really taken a toll on the trail. Rough as crap! So we rode back to Castlewood.

Once back into the wood we had to take on Blue Ribbon and Lone Wolf. Then back home via Justins. Once back into the neighborhood we were about a mile shy of 50. So we did some laps in the hood, hit 50, and called it a day.

John was man enough to ski at Hidden Valley the next day. I took the day off to recover. Yes, I need more rides like this prior to Ouachita!!

Last week in Colorado

2009-02-22T22:15:00.006-06:00

Karen, Loreen, and I went out to Colorado for the week to PLAY!!
And play we did. We called the Super 8 in Salida our home for the week because it's very close to historic downtown Salida and on the main drag for each access up to Monarch mountain. The place has a kickin' continental breakfast with some tasty pre-made french toast, bagles and powdered doughnuts! All we needed prior to a day of fun.

Salida is a blast itself being 20 minutes away from the slopes, it has pleny of bars with great CO brews and restaurants with good eats. There's even a sweet bike shop for all your needs - including the repair of my broken spoke!

Sun - got into Salida about 5am. Slept until 10'ish then took in the fantastic singletrack! (Yes, the picture to the right is a rose between two thorns!)
Mon - chose to avoid the holiday lift lines and hopped on the bikes again - more singletrack!!
Tues/Wed - Ski'd in the fresh new powder. The snow just kept coming Thu - We were back in the mountains outside Salida on the singletrack.
Fri - Pulled a double today. For the first time in my 2 years going to Salida we actually got there before the lifts started. Ski'd until 1pm. Then went back down to Salida to ride the trail again. What a day!!!

Now it's back to the real world

.

Ride vs Race

2009-02-22T22:09:00.002-06:00

Spent the whole week in Colorado skiing and biking - yes both.
We pulled into the driveway at 2am this morning. So needless to say, Karen and I slept in until 10 am. Those sequence of events kept either of us from even considering Froze Toes. Not that I ever really considered it. My goal for today was to get a long ride in - road and mtb. Given the bitter cold temps and all the household things needing to get done after being gone for a week K and chose to do a road ride out to 6-flags and back.

Congrats to the men in yellow that raced Froze Toes. Looks like the team was well represented.

Goodbye Orbea - Hello Niner

2009-01-19T11:43:00.005-06:00

I bought a used Orbea 29'er frame in 2008 just to try out the whole 29'er thing. It was a hard-tail Lanza. Turns out I would up consistently choosing to ride the Orbea instead of my full-suspension Ellsworth for all races, even Burnin' at the Bluffs and the BT Epic.

So even though I didn't do nearly as well as I'd hoped in the BT Epic, I survived it and loved the 29'er hardtail feel. Thanks to TK, Ghisallo is getting it's team members killer deals on Niners. So I had to upgrade and bought a Niner Air9! Fortunately, all components from the Orbea except the seatpost fit the Niner.

I took the Niner out on its first ride yesterday in Castlewood with John Peiffer and needless to say, I'm thrilled with the Niner!

I really wanted the frame in orange but they stopped making the Air9 in that color in 2009. I thought about looking for a 2008 but they also increased the rear wheel clearance on the 2009s so I had to stick with a 2009. (The Orbea had very little clearance and riding in mud was an issue.) So I went with the "Atomic Blue" color. I love the color but am not thrilled about one aspect of the color - it glows in the dark! Yep, it literally glows in the dark.

What the heck..

2009-01-19T11:03:00.001-06:00

You know, I've been building Web sites for over 10 years and have never had a personal blog. So, what the heck, I may as well give it a try. I can't promise any highly intellectual thoughts or muses. Can't even promise it'll be entertaining or that I'll use proper syntax, grammar, or spelling.

It's MLK day so I'm sitting in the office trying to get caught up on things around the house. It's also 26 degrees out. The road ride I had planned for the day is scrapped, so I'll probably head down to castlewood for an hour or so. It's supposed to be a rest day, but on a sunny day off work it's hard not to ride!