Pure Excitement!

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

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

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!

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

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

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..

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!!